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EMEA - Production Resource Group (PRG) is acquiring the Middle East division of Delta Sound, Delta Sound L.L.C. UAE, a specialist provider of live audio and event communications technology based in Dubai and operating across the Middle East. Peter McCann, CEO for PRG in the Middle East and Andy Jackson, the managing director of Delta Sound, jointly announced the acquisition this week.
Delta Sound LLC, founded in 2006, will join forces with PRG’s operation in Dubai, forming a union between the two companies who have collaborated successfully for many years across a broad range of corporate, government and large-scale special events. Like PRG, Delta Sound provides technical design and technology support to both local and international production houses.
“By acquiring Delta Sound LLC, we have bolstered our existing offering for our many customers who produce events a

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Company Stars - A revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company was among the big winners at Sunday night's Olivier Awards. It won four prizes at the ceremony. The West End revival of the 1970 musical saw the lead character, Robert, re-imagined as a woman.
Accepting the award for best musical revival, the show's director Marianne Elliott explained her company's "main goal was to put female stories front and centre on our stages".
Two other shows took home four prizes from the ceremony - The Inheritance and Come From Away. Other winners included: Best set design - Bunny Christie (Company), Best lighting - Jon Clark (The Inheritance), Best sound design - Gareth Owen (Come From Away)
Mamma Mia! - Abba's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus made a surprise appearance as hit musical Mamma Mia! celebrated i

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USA - ASTC & USITT have announced the first place winning team from Emerson College and the second place winning team from Florida State University in the fifth ASTC-USITT Renovation Challenge.
A record seven college/university teams participated in this year’s challenge that was held 22 March at the 59th USITT Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Undergraduate and graduate students worked under the guidance of a faculty advisor(s) and a mentor from the American Society of Theatre Consultants to create a theatre renovation project. Each team selected an existing venue, developed a scope of work for improvements and presented their ideas to a live audience and jury of ASTC members at a USITT conference session.
The $2,000 Edgar L. Lustig Honour Award sponsored by ASTC was given to Tyler Ericson, Jonah Free, Ryan Healey, Jackson Lasseter, and Dan Karlin from Emerson

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Belgium - For the recent incarnation of the infamous Nacht van de Schlagers, organisers decided upon a ’90s music theme marrying ’90s pop hits with performances from the biggest pop musicians and bands of the decade.
Having provided production and set design for the Nacht van de Schlagers since its inception, Creative Rental Solutions was tasked once again with creating a memorable visual backdrop for 2018’s ’90s extravaganza. Aiding them in this endeavour was a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures that included 12 Maverick MK2 Spot, 32 Rogue R2 Wash, 120 ÉPIX Strip Tour, 60 STRIKE P38, 6 MK2 Profiles, 22 Rogue RH1 Hybrids and 56 COLORdash PAR H12IP units.
In order to reinforce this central focal point while adding to the grandeur of the stage setting, Thomas Vandekerkhove, CEO of CRS incorporated the ÉPIX fixtures within the architecture of the comple

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UK - Martin Audio partner, Penguin Media Hire, recently provided production, including a Martin Audio WPC scalable resolution line array, for the main stage at the all-day Mutations Festival. The event took place at the 900-capacity Hansen Hall on the outskirts of Brighton, and was staged by promoters One Inch Badge and Small Pond.
Describing the venue as “a hidden gem of a venue, crying out for a day of live music,” Dylan Thompson, system technician and technical project manager, Penguin Media Hire, reports that the WPC line array was arranged in three ground-stacked elements each side of the stage, with a pair of Martin Audio SX218 subwoofers per side. The system, along with five Martin Audio XD monitors, was powered by four iKON iK42 4-channel amplifiers. An Allen & Heath mixing desk was used at FOH and a comprehensive mic, stand and cables package was also provid

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USA - Integration specialist MC2Solutions has completed the design and installation of a powerful new Community loudspeaker sound system for the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church in Memphis, Tennessee. The church’s impressive main sanctuary can seat a congregation of up to 4,000 and is built in the round.
Carl Woodard II, the owner and designer of MC2Solutions, explained, “The system was required to provide very high quality speech and full-range music, with intelligibility being key. With such a large space, more akin to a theatre than a traditional church, we designed a system based on wide dispersion column line arrays with under-balcony fill, to ensure absolute coverage with no dead spots.”
Woodard continued, “I chose Community based on previous experience and the new IV6 modular vertical array was the ideal solution. I prefer passive loudspeakers

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UK - ITV Studios Global Entertainment unveiled their spring drama slate to a packed audience of international buyers at its second annual Drama Festival. Held at London’s Roundhouse on 20 February 2019, the event saw 330 delegates experience a range of new titles from ITV Studios’ production labels and leading independent producers.
Creative technical event production company Hawthorn supported the ITV Studios team to showcase dramas soon to launch to the international market. Featuring a 360-degree projection, the Hawthorn team delivered full technical production for the Drama Festival including lighting, video, sound and draping.
With the event showcasing programmes such as World War Two drama World On Fire and screen adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts + Crosses, content was key. Designed to immerse the audience in a world of storytelling an

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UK - Portsmouth-based MLS Audio has become the latest UK pro audio solutions provider invest in KV2 Audio’s large format True Point Source VHD system.
Having steadily increased his KV2 inventory over the years, director Guy Morris decided that the time had come to invest in a complete VHD system comprising VHD2.0s with VHD 1.0 down-fill enclosures, a full complement of VHD 2.16 dual 15-inch subwoofers as well as the impressive VHD 4.21 ultra-low frequency active/passive dual 21-inch subwoofer system.
Morris describes his early exposure to KV2 products, and the reasons for his continued – and increasing – reliance on them for his wide range of applications.
“My first introduction to KV2 was purely by accident,” he recalls. “I had gone to my local audio supplier for a quick chat and should have known when they brought out the coffee and biscuits that t

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Australia - Australia Day is celebrated and every year on 26 January when the nation celebrates in spectacular style. The flagship event is Australia Day Live held at Sydney Opera House and in 2019 it was bigger and better than ever. Australia’s musical stars, including Kate Cebrano, Jon Stevens and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, took to the stage in a concert, featuring dazzling firework displays and a maritime extravaganza.
Australia Day Live in Sydney is produced by the NSW Government through the Australia Day Council of NSW and is supported by Big Picture. Big Picture is a part of the NEP Worldwide Network.
This year, Big Picture supplied a turnkey technical solution of outside broadcast facilities, LED screens, event communications and network backbone which included a significant amount of Riedel equipment with 68 Riedel Artist Panels across OB tr

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The Netherlands - Cymatic Audio has announced the appointment of RAD Distribution as the sole distributor for all Cymatic Audio products throughout the US and Canada. Signed in February, the agreement is already in effect; RAD Distribution already has stock and has hit the ground running.
Based in Middletown, NY, RAD Distribution carries a number of well-known brands in the MI/Pro Audio market, including HEDD Audio, Heritage Audio, Isovox, and more. Jon Haber, president of RAD Distribution comments, “Cymatic Audio is known as one of the leaders and pioneers in audio recording and playback for live performance. Their rock solid hardware and software have made them common items seen on live riders. We’re proud to be distributing Cymatic Audio products which are a completely natural fit for us.”
Conny Kensy, sales and marketing manager for Cymatic Audio adds, “R

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UK - GDS has announced a new partnership with Italian lighting manufacturer DTS, that will see the two companies work together to bring products to the UK.
Since 2004, Bristol-based GDS has been providing innovative and practical lighting solutions for a range of clients across the globe, with their focus primarily on entertainment venues and protected historical sites. This year, the company has broadened its approach to include the architectural sector in order to bring their expertise, ighting products and quality control systems to even more spaces worldwide.
Established in 1980, DTS has created a diverse product range, thanks to its extraordinary in-house expertise and authentic Italian craftsmanship.
The partnership between these two forward-thinking companies has been welcomed on both sides, with international sales manager for DTS Rafaella Scaccia sayin

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Europe - Pioneer Pro Audio is on tour. The loudspeaker manufacturer recently took elements of its range out on the road to give stakeholders a close-up, hands-on experience of system performance, during a series of all-day events across Europe. Distributors, installers and potential end-users have already enjoyed demonstration days in the UK and Spain and the future schedule includes visits to France, Germany and The Netherlands.
At immersive events space Aures in London, attendees came from as far afield as Portugal and Sweden, as well as closer to home, for a full day’s programme which included a showcase of the XPRS range followed by a demo the venue’s own XY system. A closer look at the XY-3B and XY218HS products included the chance for those present to play their own tracks whilst getting hands-on with the Armonia DSP software used to EQ the system.
The event

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UK - The newly installed d&b audiotechnik permanent sound solution in London’s Royal Albert Hall made its public debut with last weekend’s Olivier Awards show (see LSi April).
Driven by a vision to provide its audiences with life enriching, unforgettable experiences, the hall has installed the world’s largest single room audio system with over 450 individual loudspeakers from the d&b audiotechnik range.
The Olivier Awards, celebrating British theatre, served as an appropriate showcase for the system’s coverage and flexibility, significantly enhancing the overall listening experience inside the auditorium.
“Previously, our control over the audio experience was limited and often didn’t meet our high standards,” explains Oll

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France - PlugFest 2019, the event for lighting connectivity, was recently held in Lille, France for the first time. The event, which sold out well in advance, was celebrated by attendees and organisers alike for its productive programme and thriving atmosphere.
The annual event aims to improve the connectivity of lighting products and provides a unique opportunity for manufacturers to test the interoperability of their products. The move to mainland Europe enabled even more professionals from across the continent to convene and collaborate.
“We’ve been coming to PlugFest for many years” says Jon Hole from Eaton, “as it allows us to discuss protocols that are still in development and test our software with newly developed protocols before we release them to our customers.”
38 representatives from 16 leading manufacturers, hailing from 10 different count

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South Africa - DWR Distribution is hosting dot2 training from 25-26 April 2019.
Presented by Ole Boinamo, the two-day training course will cover patching, user profiles, groups, chases, back up, tracking and will enable you to have a good understanding of the product.
Delegates are requested to supply their own dot2 console and laptop for the dot2 3D Visualizer.
The training will be hosted at DWR Cape Town, Unit 74D, 4 School Street, Platinum Junction Business Park, Milnerton, Cape Town.
Bookings on-line at: http://dwrdistribution.co.za/register/dot-2-training-april-2019/
(Jim Evans)

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USA - At NAB in Las Vegas this week, RTW and Avid have released details of a partnership that brings RTW Mastering Tools, RTW Loudness Tools and CLC Continuous Loudness Control to the Avid Marketplace in stereo as well as stereo+surround versions. And with the recent 4.1 update of the RTW plug-ins, these audio measuring and correcting tools now stand stronger together with Avid’s Pro Tools than ever before, says the company.
“We’re proud to announce this partnership with Avid which is a key market leader within digital audio editing,” says Andreas Tweitmann, CEO of RTW. “It is always important to us that we remain accessible to all customers, and the Avid Marketplace is strategically a great place to add as an option for our customers.”
“It is a pleasure to welcome RTW as a plug-in provider, as they represent decades of experience and proven results in th

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Ireland - The Audio Engineering Society’s 146th International Pro Audio Convention in Dublin, Ireland drew to a close on 23 March, wrapping up four days of audio science and education that drew attendees from 47 countries.
“It was a pleasure to bring the AES convention to Dublin for the very first time,” commented convention co-chair and Dublin resident Enda Bates, “and an excellent way to kick off the formation of the new AES Ireland regional section in style. It was also great to see a more diverse range of presenters and topics, something which was specifically highlighted by many attendees as a welcome development.”
The convention content was packed with options, notes co-chair Ben Kok, with 200 individual workshops, tutorials, paper and poster presentations and special events held in parallel across the four days of AES Dublin in seven auditoriums in th

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UK - Creative Technology (CT) is taking on the 100-mile Vélo Birmingham & Midlands course on Sunday 12 May in aid of Backup - The Technical Entertainment charity.
“CT has supported Backup from the outset and we’ve often said we should do something more than simply supporting its KartFest and GolfFest events,” saysDave Crump, CEO CT Europe & Middle East. “When an opportunity to enter a four-person team into a challenging 100 mile cycle event, it seemed an ideal opportunity to raise some money and awareness for the charity whilst getting fit and Team VeloCT was born.”
The original plan was to take part in the Velo South event last September. The team was formed, training begun, lycra purchased and money raised - a spectacular £7,038 at the last count. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled at the last minute on safety grounds due to severe weather fo

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Europe - Prolyte Group has appointed Production Services Ireland (PSI) to its growing global distribution network. The move adds significant expertise and reliability to the family of companies that represent the Dutch truss, staging and hoist manufacturer around the world.
PSI has headquarters in both Belfast and Dublin. Since its formation in 1996, it has grown its position across the Irish market.
PSI will support Prolyte’s existing Irish customers and develop new relationships in the region by holding the latest stock and delivering high-quality technical support and training.
PSI director, Sean Pagel, comments: “This is an exciting new partnership, combining the Prolyte brand and quality with PSI’s ethos of excellence, rigging expertise and passion for training. We’re looking forward to combining the strengths of both businesses and delivering quali

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Europe - Prolyte Group has announced a partnership with F-Musiikki / F-Pro as its distributing partner for Finland. F-Pro has offices and outlets in Helsinki, Espoo, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Seinäjoki. The central warehouse is located in Vantaa/Helsinki.
Peter-Tjalling Siertsema, distributor manager, Prolyte, comments, “I am excited to improve and expand our services in Finland by working closely together with F-Pro and our customers. The Finnish region represents an important market for Prolyte. By installing F-Pro as our new distributor, we assure that our existing and new Prolyte users have quick access to material, service, knowledge and support.”
Jussi Aalto, sales manager, F-Pro adds, “It will be a great pleasure to work together with a company like Prolyte, the world leader in hardware products. Together with Prolyte we can expand ou

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UK - Event support company Showforce has opened an office in Coventry’s city centre. It is now well placed to service events and venues throughout the Midlands region. The new office will provide production and technical personnel, corporate event crew, stage and production crew, general and site crew and plant operators, along with its popular crew man and van service.
Headed up by Showforce’s former Middle East operations manager, Michael Boylan following his return to the UK, the Coventry office has recruited large numbers of crew locally who are already working regularly at venues throughout the city and nearby Birmingham, along with other venues based in the Midlands.
The office will deal with all enquiries and bookings along with recruitment, training and accreditation to ensure that the impressive standards of service that Showforce is globally renowned for

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South Africa - Solid State Logic has announced Surgesound as its new live market partner in South Africa. With a rosta of impressive projects and clients, the team at Surgesound has been providing high-end live solutions for tours, concerts, churches and venues across the region.
“Surgesound represents some of the world’s leading professional-audio equipment, so when we wanted to add mixing consoles to our portfolio, there was no question as to which brand we wanted,” comments Andrew Rowan, managing director of Surgesound. “Apart from SSL’s outstanding reputation on product and sonic quality, they also have excellent support and service and that was extremely important to us. We pride ourselves on our reputation for training and service, so this makes an excellent fit.”
Jonathan Attard, area sales manager for SSL, adds, "Our Live range fits perfectly with t

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Frankfurt Fairs - The worlds of music and the event business are getting together in Frankfurt am Main this week, via Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound.
“Today, music is available everywhere and at all times. In this age of streaming, user behaviour is changing fundamentally – with drastic effects on musicians, labels, service providers and education. The expanding live-entertainment market is also undergoing a paradigm shift towards digital transmission,” says Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt.
“Moreover, there are fantastic new areas of application for audio-visual media technology. The two trade fairs take account of this increased level of complexity with a multitude of options for knowledge transfer and networking. And, parallel to this, we are celebrating a five-day festival of music in Frankfurt.”
Stones Postpone

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Poland - Cymatic Audio has extended its European distribution into Poland with the appointment of Konsbud Audio. Konsbud has been introducing new brands to the Polish market for 30 years and is now one of the country’s biggest and most successful distributors of professional audio equipment.
President of Konsbud Audio, Agnieszka Pyrich comments, “We’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to bring new brands to market and help them grow. Cymatic Audio is a young, exciting and extremely modern brand that leads the way in audio recording and playback for live performance, which is of great interest to us as we don’t have anything else like it in our portfolio. We have an extensive sales network and a huge amount of experience so I’m confident that we can be instrumental in making Cymatic Audio a success in Poland.”
Sales and marketing manager for Cymatic A
  1. Nexo appoints distributor for Brazil
  2. Princess Royal opens Le Mark warehouse
  3. LRLR raise funds for BTS at USITT raffle
  4. JSA Stage Company to distribute Sixty82
  5. Government backs SARA/Backstage initiative
  6. Waves Audio holds Bangkok workshops
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