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USA - Patti LaBelle recently performed in the historic NYCB Theatre in Westbury with a full Eastern Acoustic Works Redline monitor system. Since 1966, the 3,000-seat theatre-in-the-round has presented many top names in contemporary pop, classic rock, comedy, country, and rhythm and blues.

Ronkonkoma, New York-based Audio Design Group provided eight Redline RL12 loudspeakers used in monitor mode and placed around the lip of the famous turntable stage. Reuben James, LaBelle's monitor engineer since 2010 had specified bi-amped wedges for the downstage mix.

"The EAW Redline RL12 were more than up to the task," he explains. "I was very impressed by the consistent coverage of the spectrum from 98 dB to the 125 dB climax of the show."

The active Redline Series consists of the RL12, RL15 and RL18S subwoofer. The compact RL12 includes a complete on-board 1,250-watt bi-amplified

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USA - Based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, of the USA's founding fathers, Hamilton - An American Musical is enjoying commercial and critical success on Broadway. The show has already earned the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, but is also nominated for 16 Tony awards.

Having gained success with an Alcons system on the Steve Martin/Edie Brickell musical Bright Star, sound designer Nevin Steinberg opted to use Alcons again on Hamilton's Broadway run.

Hamilton, with music and lyrics written by Tony-award and Grammy-award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, is unusual in that it extends the musical dynamic range of Broadway. The music ranges from sparse ballads, via R&B and hip-hop, to a fully-fledged rap battle and the whole show is completely 'sung-through' - meaning that the lyrics provide the only plot

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Germany - Full-service event and media production company satis&fy has added to their inventory of Elation Professional lighting gear with a recent purchase of SixBar 1000 and SixBar 500 LED battens. Elation's SixBar Series of color-changing battens feature a six-color LED multi-chip and can be used for a variety of purposes such as general purpose wash/strip lighting, uplighting, cyc wash, accent lighting or as a pixel strip.

"We were looking for a successor to cover a wide range of services, one of them a versatile and homogeneous illumination of any surface and we found it in the SixBar," stated Martin Heuser, global director lighting & rigging services at satis&fy, based in Karben.

"One of its most convincing features is the 12W 6-in-1 LEDs with RGBAW + UV. Another benefit is that it can also be used as an effect light. The whole construction itself, and features such

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Mexico - Hermes Music México, authorised dealer for Wireless Solution in Mexico, has recently completed an architectural lighting project in the Santa Fe district, Mexico City.

Hermes supplied PR Lighting fixtures to light up Paragon Tower, a 151m high hotel, all with LED sources. "The client wanted to enhance the building itself on a permanent basis", explained Ricardo Segura de la Cruz, lighting specialist for Hermes. Controlling the data were WhiteBox F-1 G4S series units, which complemented PR Lighting's capability to use W-DMX.

"As the exclusive distributor for PR Lighting in Mexico we can tie both brands in different projects, and guarantee that our customers get the best of both manufacturers. And by not having to run cables, we saved a lot of the budget in not having to create a new infrastructure just to run data", said Ricardo.

The project used two Whi

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USA - Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington has made a 32-channel Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console the centrepiece of their largest studio.

"The biggest thing was ergonomics", says Peter Randlette, Evergreen's head of electronic media. "You can't sit at the front of some consoles and reach the EQs. And I love the clarity of the [5088's] signal flow, in terms of teaching students fundamental principles of recording and production. It's really straightforward - it doesn't mean it isn't potentially complex, but it 'feels' really good...and the sound has been wonderful."

Their 5088 is outfitted with six Shelford 5052 mic preamp / EQs, eight Shelford 5051 EQ / compressors, eight Portico 5033 EQs, four Portico 5032 mic preamp / EQs, six Portico 5015 mic preamp / compressors, and Rupert Neve Designs' proprietary SwiftMix moving fader automation.

"The quality of the p

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USA / Germany - Against the backdrop of the world's largest broadcast industry trade show, Lawo announced a partnership with the 3IT - Innovation Centre for Immersive Imaging Technologies of the Berlin-based Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (Fraunhofer HHI). The agreement was signed on the Lawo booth at NAB in Las Vegas by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wiegand, director of the Fraunhofer HHI, and Philipp Lawo, CEO Lawo.

3IT was founded five years ago by the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute to combine the functions of an R&D facility, research laboratory and showroom. In cooperation with selected partners from the economic and scientific worlds, it tests new products and systems and presents them to various target audiences. Its activities focus on technologies including 3D, VR, UHD, HFR and HDR, as well as imaging and video applications in a medical and industrial context. The C

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UK - Lighting and visuals rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment has invested in new Barco 30K projectors which immediately went out on two tours, one being UB40 - featuring Ali Campbell, Astro & Mickey - for which Colour Sound supplied a projection system, LED screens, lighting equipment and crew.

The UB40 tour's show design was a collaboration between Bryan Leitch and Jamie Thompson from creative practice MIRRAD. Jamie was also out on the road operating the lighting alongside Francis Clegg from MIRRAD who co-ordinated and ran the video elements live.

Large format projection is an area that Colour Sound has been considering for some time. The company has already invested steadily over the last five years in LED screen and has its own proprietary BT brand.

MD Haydn Cruickshank (H) commented, "Projection was a logical next step to complement the growing amounts of di

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UK - Yamaha's Commercial Installations Solutions (CIS) range offers installers a wide range of options, making systems from the simplest to the most complex straightforward to design, install, commission and control. Suitable for virtually any indoor project, a recent installation has seen CIS products flex their muscles at Simply Gym.

Welsh not-for-profit company Bay Leisure operates three Simply Gym facilities; in Llansamlet, Gorseinon and Cwmbran. The latter opened in January this year and features a Yamaha CIS audio system, supplied and installed by Swansea-based Total Sound Solutions.

"The client brief was that the system had to deliver a full, even sound throughout the gym, but without having massive, ugly-looking 12" drivers," says Total Sound Solutions chief executive Chris Hooke. "The way the music sounds is vital to the gym experience. The Yamaha VXS8, eight-inch

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UK - Pearce Hire has announced a significant investment in Studio Due floodlight fixtures the WS200/M. The deal with Studio Due, finalised at last week's PLASA Focus Leeds, confirms an initial order as part of a rolling investment by Pearce Hire in LED technology.

Having traditionally specified 400W coloured MBI fittings for outdoor architectural lighting requirements, Pearce Hire has spent considerable time researching the most appropriate LED replacement and has chosen the Studio Due WS200/M which meets the company's 'green' working practice credentials on several levels.

The initial outlay in these products reflects the continuing commitment Pearce Hire has to provide cost effective and sustainable project management for their extensive range of customers with outdoor events.

"The investment in these products is the start of what we anticipate will be an on-going re

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Australia - A Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system is helping Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications and media company, to inform and educate visitors at the company's lavish Customer Insight Centre (CIC) in Sydney. Installed in a 300-seat theatre, Constellation provides Telstra with the acoustical flexibility to hold a variety of meetings, concerts, and multimedia presentations in the same space, helping to connect customers with the company's range of cross-platform technology solutions.

"The theatre helps us to engage customers in a way that provides more impact than watching a PowerPoint presentation in a meeting room," explains David Woodbridge, general manager of the CIC. "In conjunction with our 4K LED screen, the immersive soundscapes created by Constellation allow us to adapt the space to best showcase Telstra's capabilities."

The CIC theatre has bee

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USA - As a freelance lighting designer Craig Rutherford, Blueshift Design, enjoys finding new and creative ways to draw both the audience and the musicians on stage into the design experience. In his latest creation, he was asked by the team behind country music icon Alan Jackson to develop a dynamic production design for the Still Keepin' It Country Tour. Wanting to use a full complement of lighting and video, Rutherford turned to Nashville-based Elite Multimedia to provide the touring support that could help him highlight one of country music's most decorated artists.

"This is my second tour with Alan and in this design I really wanted to spread the lighting rig out to most advantageously utilize the complete lighting and video production package," began Rutherford. "We also needed to be cognizant of arranging the physical layout of the rig to best give the show a compelling

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Austria - AV Stumpfl won the award for best family business in UpperAustria at a ceremony organised by the financial newspaper, Wirtschaftsblatt at the Aula der Wissenschaften in Vienna on 17 May 2016. Ironically, the ceremony was presented using none other than AV Stumpfl Monoblox screens!

Austria's AV Stumpfl is "a wholly owned family business that nurtures vibrancy, creativity innovation and brings stability to the local Austrian economy".

"The award is recognition of our growth and success and we're delighted to have won," said Tobias Stumpfl, CEO.

The company was started 40 years ago by innovators Ulli and Reinhold Stumpfl. This modest beginning created an idea that emerged from the ground up. Today it is managed by next generation leadership, Tobias Stumpfl, CEO and Fabian Stumpfl, project management sales and HR.

(Jim Evans)

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Switzerland - The complete Muse stage for the Drones tour date was supported by a giant ground support system, since the roofing of the Hallenstation in Zurich did not have sufficient loading capacity.

For every problem there is a solution and in this case the solution was offered by Malecon Ltd. Known for their expertise in heavy lifting and for their large stock of extraordinary strong truss, they were called in for help.

The stage setup is an 'in-the-round' setup, with a circular stage in the middle, with catwalks on either end of the stage. Above that are the space station and decking that accommodate the drones and technical staff. There are also retractable video screens using projection, a spherical 360 screen over the main central stage.

The complete Muse stage had to be supported by a giant ground support system, since the roofing of the Hallenstation did not

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South Africa - Callum Sutherland, a student from St Stithians Boys College, Johannesburg, was 13-years-old when he joined the school's technical crew and soon thereafter, sat alone behind a Martin LightJockey with a little more than 15 minutes to programme a couple of cues for his very first event, a talent show. Skip a few years and he recently purchased six Robe Robin 300 LEDWash fixtures from DWR Distribution, which he used as part of the rig when lighting Brescia House School's matric dance in May.

With the theme, A night under the stars, Callum used six Robin 300 LEDWash units, three Robin 300 Spot Classic, Chauvet fixtures and Martin M-PC lighting software to create a moonlit ambience for the memorable evening. "I used the spots with a prism to create stars and the Robin 300LED Wash units to wash the room evenly. A hazer created a misty fill in the room, and parca

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UK - Last week saw the Theatre 2016 Conference take place in Central London. Bringing together over 1,000 delegates from across all areas of UK theatre, it was the largest event of its kind and the first time since 2005 that the sector has come together for a major industry-wide conference. With its reputation as the leading lighting supplier to both West End and UK theatre, White Light (WL) was asked to provide the production support. Yet rather than supply the lighting equipment, the company was approached to provide the entire AV support.

Theatre 2016 took place from 12-13 May and was held across three West End venues: The Piccadilly, Lyric and Arts Theatres. The programme looked at new challenges facing the industry and what organisations needed to do to ensure future success. Bryan Raven, WL's managing director, comments, "This is the first time that a theatre conference

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UK - The CPL team (Central Presentations Ltd) led by Lee Gruszeckyj delivered stage design and full technical production for the 2016 annual conference for accounting specialists, Tax Assist, staged in the Caernarfon Suite at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

CPL has provided sound, lighting and video for the event for the last few years, and seen it grow in size and a commitment to production values. The most successful elements of last years' event - also the company's 20th anniversary - were taken as the starting point for this year's stage and set design - and combined with some new components to keep it looking fresh and interesting for the 400 guests.

"Flexibility was the key," states Lee, together with being able to set up quickly and efficiently. A hybrid approach to the design ensured a slick transition from conference session in the afternoon to full-o

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Italy - Among the numerous large rallies staged throughout Italy for and against the proposed law regarding same-sex civil unions and adoptions by same-sex couples, one of those that attracted the widest media coverage was the Family Day staged in January at Rome's Circus Maximus.

Dating back to 7 B.C., the venue is in fact the second largest sports stadium of all time and, where chariot races, simulated battles with infantry, cavalry and elephants once drew an enormous number of spectators in ancient Rome, the 680 yards long Circus attracted a huge crowd, not only there to show its support, but also hear exactly what the key speakers had to say.

The big challenge of ensuring perfect intelligibility for the delicate topics covered was accepted by audio contractor Cipiesse from Rezzato (near Brescia). The audio team comprised Cipiesse partner and production manager Marco Ri

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Australia - Hamer Hall is a premium concert hall venue, home to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and one of the five main performance spaces at Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia, of which it is the largest indoor space with a seated capacity of 2464. It features a diverse variation of live entertainment, staging over 300 shows a year.

Built in 1982, Hamer Hall was fully refurbished in 2013 which included a full technical upgrade and updating of the lighting rig, a project specified and overseen in part by Bernie Manchee, head of lighting. The whole rig was automated for the first time as they purchased 22 X Robe MMX spots and 10 LEDWash 600s among other fixtures.

These were the first moving lights to be installed across the Arts Centre Melbourne complex. The Robes were delivered by Australian distributor, the ULA Group, and helped replace a large rig of conventionals

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UK - Star Events beat the clock to install a VerTech stage, an array of its new delay towers and other support structures as nearly quarter of million people celebrated Leicester City becoming the most unexpected champions in Premier League history.

"It's unbelievable. All the city is here," Manager Claudio Ranieri said from the stage in Victoria Park, where he was joined by the full Leicester squad ahead of a surprise set from hometown rockers Kasabian.

The spontaneous nature of the event meant Star had just five days from order to plan, prep, load, transport and build the stage and the infrastructure for the band's production and Britannia Row's audio reinforcement.

Pete Holdich, head of structures at Star Events, says, "The project quickly scaled up from a mobile stage to a VerTech and, in the spirit of the occasion, getting it across the line was a great team effor

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Asia - Further extending its international reach, Riedel Communications has partnered with Ideal Systems, a well-established systems integrator serving markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan. With a robust network of offices across Southeast Asia, Ideal Systems is positioned to provide new and existing Riedel customers with sophisticated services ranging from consultancy to complete design, build, and support.

"We chose to partner with Ideal Systems because the company is a highly respected systems integrator within Asia Pacific markets," said Cameron O'Neill, director, Asia-Pacific region, at Riedel Communications. "Ideal Systems' strength in both design and integration, and our portfolio of innovative yet intuitive solutions, combine to make a compelling offering for broadcast stations. We look forward to working with the company to deliver solutions that suppo

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Portugal - Production Resource Group (PRG) is working with entertainment design software developer Vectorworks, Inc. to ensure a seamless Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Rock in Rio festival collaboration between PRG and Vectorworks will demonstrate the realisation of workflows using ESP Vision software to previsualise each lighting designer's concept. PRG, now in its 13th year of working with Rock in Rio, is supplying lighting technology and all related rigging for the festival.

"We started working with Rock in Rio back in 2004; during this time, we were able to supply lighting and video technology at festivals in Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Las Vegas and Lisbon," said Christoph Hahnl, senior account manager at PRG. "This year's festival marks the 30th anniversary of Rock in Rio, and we are excited to be on board."

Now owne

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UK - Since 2001, Siyan has been servicing the live music industry with quality lighting fixtures. That means a regular reviewing of stock and updating of the rental inventory. MD Nick Valdez was looking to fill a gap in the 'big spot' category.

"These days there are so many options on the market that we look very carefully at what is on offer before making a final choice. There are many factors to consider but I think that quality of the optics is one of the primary reason we opted to invest in the Clay Paky Scenius. It has a very even flat field and the lamp characteristics enable it to produce strong colours right across the palette."

Siyan's customers are predominantly from the touring, festival and one off concert sectors; part of the decision to purchase the Scenius was driven by client request as Valdez explains, "Designers that work in the live music market tend to

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UK - It was all hands on deck as Richard Martin Lighting (RML) joined lighting designer Lee Allen for the new series of Swashbuckle fort Cbeebies.

Filmed at dock10 Studios, this show for two-to-nine-year0old children sees The Swashybucklers pitted against the crew of the Scarlet Squid.

The lighting is fun, energetic and totally fit for a show that has been referred to as 'pre-school pantomime Crystal Maze meets Funhouse'. Lee Allen has incorporated a mixture of units including the old salt Stage Zoom 1200s, VL1000TS, VL3000 Spot and the MAC Auras.

(Jim Evans)

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Spain - Christie is providing all the projection for Spain's first permanent dome to showcase 360° and other immersive environments including a second dome dedicated to virtual reality. Held in Madrid, the Immersive Festival Madrid 2016 runs from 18 to 21 May at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and is free to attend.

The festival is organised by NewMedia Creative Technology Studio, FDDB.ORG (The Fulldome Database) and UCM with the goal of nurturing creative applications of 360° projections, virtual reality and other immersive environments.

Visitors can attend the event at U-Dome, the university's360°, 21m diameter dome and the only permanent projection dome in Spain.

The dome is fitted out with six 3DLP technology projectors with 20,000 lumens from the Christie J Series with 1.1:1 HD lens. Using blending and warping capabilities, the projectors will

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