Germany - The new VL800 BeamLine from Philips Entertainment Lighting is an LED effects luminaire offering dynamic looks which will appeal to lighting designers working in show environments of all kinds, says the company. The first LED effects unit from the Philips Vari-Lite brand, it produces a distinctive, collimated, flat sheet of light in a 3.5° beam with advanced movement, colour control and pixel-mapping capabilities.
A linear strip moving light with 12 RGBW LED emitters, the VL800 BeamLine features a newly-developed optical system which provides a bright, collimated and elongated beam of light, adding extra depth and dimension to lighting designs. Adding further to the dynamic effects possibilities is the option for pixel-mapping control across three zones or, in full pixel mode, across each of its 12 LED emitters individually, allowing for the integration of video in

UK - British metalcore band Architects recently played their biggest show to date at London's 10,400 capacity Alexandra Palace as part of their current European and North American tour. Long-term lighting and show designer, Paul McAdams, designed the production's high-energy 'lunar' lighting and set, selecting the Claypaky Mythos and Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K10 fixtures as key tools in his lighting arsenal.
McAdams has worked alongside the band for four years and for the current tour design drew inspiration from the band's latest album. All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is the seventh studio album from Architects and features ethereal, burnt-out lunar imagery that McAdams brought to the stage through a series of clever light landscapes.
"The band are really involved in the show design and we have a great relationship where we're able to discuss ideas openly," says Mc

Germany - GLP has earmarked Prolight+Sound for the first official showing of its impression S350. Offering a feature set in the mid-range class, visitors will have the opportunity to see it in action at the GLP booth.
The S350’s white light LED-engine with full spectrum creates saturated and pastel colours as well as lively colours and skin tones with optimized colour rendering (CRI of 96), With this core, the impression S350 is delivering bright clarity in the projected beam with less than a 15% drop in output within the zoom range.
The other outstanding feature is the four-blade framing. Each blade of the framing system can be adjusted in angle by ±30° and in position from 0-100% for pointed triangles and complete blackouts. There are no limits in Gobo or Animation wheel framing with real linear framing image. The whole framing unit can be rotated by ±45 degrees

SouthAfrica - With an ever-increasing demand for events in South Africa, The Gearhouse Group of Companies has taken ownership of 142 Robe fixtures which form part of a lighting investment for their branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban as well as for their Inhouse Venue Technical Management team.
The new gear will complement their service from supplying small functions like product launches or conferences to the larger events such as impressive stadium concerts.
Listening to the wish list of their technicians around the country, and taking into account the rider requests, Gearhouse purchased 48 x Robe BMFL Blades, 46 Spiiders and 48 LEDBeam 150s from local distributor, DWR Distribution.
“The BMFLs are currently the highest discharge light output in the JHB lighting arsenal, coupled with the fastest shutters in the game and high-speed precision movement

UK – Version 2 Lights are back on board with lighting director Oli Richards for the second series of Sounds Like Friday Night.
Returning to Studio TC1 at BBC Television Centre, the show is broadcast live on BBC One in a series of five half-hour episodes featuring live performances from some of the biggest names in global music.
A core feature of the show is its stage architecture, designed by the creative Misty Buckley. The mammoth set takes up the entire footprint of the flagship TC1 studio, with its trim height soaring up into the impressive grid level at some 34 ft. above. The design provides an amphitheatre for the audience with its contours drawing influence from the iconic doughnut design of the Television Centre building.
Using Buckley’s installation as his canvas Richards utilises Martin Viper Performances to give shuttered animation to the va

Serbia - AVL Projekt, a leading Serbian distributor, rental house and installation specialist for the entertainment industry, recently welcomed over 200 guests to its demo day at the Belgrade Belexpocenter for a hands-on presentation of the latest Chauvet Professional and Chauvet DJ fixtures.
AVL Projekt has installed Chauvet Professional fixtures on several recent high-profile projects in Serbia such as the Green Love festival (Maverick MK1 Spot and MK2 Wash) and the popular TV show Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem (ÉPIX Strip Tour LED strips). The demo day provided the company with an opportunity to showcase its Chauvet products to lighting professionals in the Balkan region.
Building on the success of two previous well-attended demo days, the AVL demo day saw guests from rental houses, technical directors and technicians from television studios, theatres and cultural in

Germany - The new Chroma-Q Studio Force II, a high intensity tuneable white wash light will make its European tradeshow debut at Prolight+Sound 2018, this week.
Using a homogenised LED source capable of delivering variable colour temperature, plus/minus green shift control and the ability to produce deep saturated colours when needed, the Studio Force II is specifically designed for TV broadcast and film applications but also performs particularly well in other situations demanding high quality tuneable white light such as touring key lights, exhibitions, corporate events and theatre lighting. The Studio Force II uses the same ColorSure technologies found in other Chroma-Q fixtures to deliver consistent colour across fixtures.
The Chroma-Q stand will also display award-winning products such as the Color Force II RGBA LED cyclorama, wash & effects light, the Inspire

Germany - LumenRadio is presenting a new wireless lighting control product at Prolight+Sound 2018.
Introducing, MoonLiteTM, LumenRadio will show how new wireless concepts will make life easier for lighting technicians. Built on LumenRadio’s award winning CRMXTM technology and combined with new features such as Bluetooth connectivity, built-in battery and the possibility to be used together with the new CRMXTM Toolbox app will make MoonLite “a unique tool in a lighting technicians toolbox”.
Ready to ship in Q4 2018, MoonLite TM will have the same reliable functionalities as all LumenRadio’s CRMXTM products but comes in a much smaller package and at a lower price. By being a wireless DMX transmitter and receiver, offering patent-pending DMXmeshTM, functionality, as well as the ability to act as DMX tester and RDM controller, MoonLiteTM has much to offer.
W

Germany - At the end of a record-breaking year, GLP is set to blast off into the new season with a quartet of solutions for all applications.
These four fixtures will either preview, or enjoy European premieres at Frankfurt Prolight+Sound. They line-up alongside establishing luminaires where the combined fixture count will be well over 1000 items.
The stage set, described as “mind-blowing”, has again been designed by Volt Lites’ Matt Shimamoto and shows will take place approximately every 30 minutes.
States GLP managing director, Udo Kuenzler, “Our new portfolio offers designers the most diverse choice ever. From the possibilities of the new KNV to the Force 120 we really expect to turn heads at Prolight+Sound.”
Heading the roster is the KNV. Billed as the first frameless modular LED module in the market to combine strobe, blinder and pixel-block,

Germany - Follow-Me has announced its distribution agreement with A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd, who will demonstrate the remote follow spot control system at Prolight+Sound 2018 this week.
Follow-Me is a network-based software package that allows the user to harness multiple moving lights from any manufacturer in any orientation to follow multiple targets or performers. Independent and flexible, the system requires no sensors, belt-packs or proprietary hardware, and provides seamless fixture takeover with any lighting console.
The Follow-Me product line offers both creative and commercial benefits over traditional Front of House or truss mounted follow spots. Creatively these include freedom in lamp positioning; multiple fixtures following a single performer, improved follow spot angles; and consistent timing for cues. From a production perspective, oper

The Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) committee has announced that the inaugural Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA) will launch this year, culminating with a ceremony in Las Vegas on 20 October, timed to coincide with the LDI show.
The competition, known for celebrating the work of lighting and video designers, will be co-produced by Informa, producers of America's leading event for lighting designers, the LDI show, and The Fifth Estate, specialist content creators and long-time managers of the KOI Awards in the UK.
"We are thrilled to bring such high-quality awards ceremony to LDI," says David Johnson, managing director of LDI. "The KOI Awards are well-known throughout the industry as a reputable, high-class affair, and its special focus of honouring design work aligns perfectly with the goals of the Live Design franchise to raise awareness about this very specia

The Netherlands - Don’t Let Daddy Know (DLDK) is one of the biggest international EDM parties taking its Ibiza roots and transitioning into a worldwide dance phenomenon known for spectacular production values. The 2018 Amsterdam edition, produced by Dutch7, returned to the renowned Ziggo Dome for two nights, for the first time with creative lighting designed by Bas Knappers from Netherlands based creative practice, Live Legends.
Live Legends has previously provided programming and operating teams for the event and in the design ‘hot seat’ Bas specified 122 x Robe Pointes and 40 x MegaPointes as part of a large lighting rig? supplied by Rent-All together with video and sound.
An all-star line-up included Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Nervo, Nicky Romero, Timmy Trumpet, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Headhunterz, Wildstylez and much more superlative music.

Germany - TMB and Company NA will once again partner this year at Prolight + Sound, Frankfurt, bringing a blend of fellowship with innovative, high-performance technology.
Now a tradition at select Messe Frankfurt shows, Solaris Flare IP HD outdoor LED fixtures can be seen lighting the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof, opposite the Messe main entrance, every night during the show. HD Single-head and HR dual-head versions of Flare IP are available for a variety of architectural applications and can be seen up close at the show stand.
This year TMB introduces the ProPlex IQ Tester, the FIRST Ethernet tester for entertainment production. Inspired by input from top production and staging professionals, the IQ Tester is a true “all in one” device, and a watershed addition to the ProPlex range of Data Distribution Devices.
Several additional new products can be seen, inc

Australia - When Ben Hunt, head of lighting at the Empire Theatres, Toowoomba, in Queensland first fired up their new Robert Juliat Dalis LED cyclorama lights, his first impression was “finally we’ve found something up to the task”.
“It’s no secret that to light a cyclorama with conventional asymmetrical floods is going to require some serious power along with its consumable lamps and colour filters – especially when you’re lighting a 14m by 9m cloth,” commented Ben. “That task had been dealt with by sixteen, four cell Selecon Aurora cyc floods and you could hear the power meter groan every time we flicked the switch on!”
Ben added that the theatre had been looking at the LED cyclorama light market intently for the last few years waiting for the right product to pop up that would allow them to light their cyclorama with a quality light, but also giv

Portugal - Portuguese National Broadcaster RTP, in a joint initiative with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), selected the combination Ampco Flashlight and local Portuguese partner Pixel Light as supplier for lighting, rigging and motion for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
The combination of Ampco Flashlight’s international experience and local Pixel Light’s professional knowledge proved a winning team for one of the most demanding and popular live TV shows in the world, with a live TV audience of over 200 million.
Dennis van der Haagen, CCO/COO Ampco Flashlight Rental comments, “For years we have been the supplier of motion systems through our CyberMotion technology. The experience we have with this production and our international acclaimed status as a full-service company convinced us that we should apply for the lighting and rigging packa

Germany - The Chauvet Professional Maverick, STRIKE and COLORado series of fixtures have earned widespread praise as well as a large following in recent years, thanks to their high output, brightness and reliable performance. Now the company is “taking these popular series to the next level” by introducing products at Prolight + Sound that “open even more creative possibilities for lighting designers”.
Visitors to the Chauvet stand will get a first- hand look at the new Maverick Storm 1 Wash, an IP65-rated LED moving fixture; the STRIKE P38, an IP65-rated compact warm white LED blinder/strobe; and the COLORado Solo Batten, an IP65 RGBAW LED batten that produces a seamless and unique edge-to-edge homogenized appearance without visible round “eyes” or pixels.
“The new fixtures allow us to offer more versatility in three very important series of products t

South Africa - Vectorworks Trainer Francois van der Merwe presented Basic to Advanced training from 12 to 16 March 2018 at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg.
As a respected lighting designer and a seasoned Vectorworks user, van der Merwe’s main concern was to assist delegates in increasing their workflow.
Van der Merwe has presented training at DWR, distributors of Vectorworks in South Africa, since 2012. “The programme for every course is unique, and we go through all the changes, updates and added features of the software,” he says. “Vectorworks has been the platform to work on, and in my view, the best choice for our industry.”
With many users relying on tutorials that are focused on architecture, van der Merwe instead demonstrates how to approach a show which is a very different process to how an architect would tackle a building. “Over the years,

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds is bringing the world’s latest entertainment technology to the North of England on 1-2 May at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds.
Visitors can expect new releases from top brands, an array of immersive workshops, and leading-edge seminars covering lighting, live sound, rigging, AV and staging.
The show is the perfect place to see brand new products for the first time in the UK, including the highly anticipated grandMA3 lighting console. Visitors will also see Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision Series, Vari-Lite’s VL2600 range, Sennheiser’s Wireless G4 System and Robe’s MegaPointe.
The seminar programme serves many different tribes, from immersive audio and theatre refurbishment, to festival lighting and set design software. There is something for everyone at the industry leading show.
The reinvention of the Chester Storyh

Germany - Chamsys will launch its QuickQ series of consoles at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt. Designed to put more powerful lighting control in the hands of students, theatre/house of worship volunteers, and programmers, regardless of experience level or budget, the console is suitable for smaller-scale shows.
Available in three models, the QuickQ range features an intuitive interface and a conveniently large 9.7” touchscreen. Helpful prompts and videos accelerate the learning process, making it easy even for inexperienced users to set up, program and operate the console.
Among the console’s user-friendly features are easy-to-understand buttons and faders, simple colour selection menu, readily accessible intensity control tools, and fingertip-controlled zooming and scrolling.
The three models in the QuickQ series are:
QuickQ 10 - supports one universe,

USA - When singer-songwriter Cole Swindell announced plans for his 2018 headlining tour, it was easily his largest to date. Swindell has continued to grow both as an artist and as a touring phenomenon. Looking to now build a high-energy, yet intimate storytelling experience for his first arena headlining tour, Swindell’s production team once again teamed up with the Nashville-based production provider Elite Multimedia for lighting, LED video, and live IMAG video support.
“We have done headlining tours before, but nothing on this scale with our own opening acts for an extended arena tour run,” began production designer James ‘Mo’ Butts. “As an artist, Cole will give us broad stroke ideas, but then will leave a lot of the technical aspects up to us to sculpt into the final design. Going into this tour design, we really wanted to showcase Cole’s evolution as an a

UK - Edinburgh based lighting, sound and AV company, Black Light, continues its relationship with ETC by acquiring 26 High End Systems SolaFrame 750s to their already impressive hire stock.
Calder Sibbald, head of hire & production at Black Light says: “Black Light has been looking for the next addition to our ever expanding moving light stock and eager to see what High End Systems could bring to our strong relationship with ETC. We were blown away with the demo from Jeremy Roberts from ETC, with its high output, smooth operation and excellent price point - it was the perfect unit for us to add to our fleet of moving light.”
The SolaFrame 750s are the smallest and newest LED framing fixture in the Sola Series family of automated tools. Designed for use in small to medium sized venues, the SolaFrame 750 features a compact footprint but with a massive feature se

Sweden - Niklas Pohlman is a freelance lighting designer based in Sweden’s two largest cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg. He focuses on lighting artworks and fine art installations.
Recently, he specified Anolis ArcSource 4 MCs LED fixtures to illuminate Do You Go Here Often?, three striking pillars wrapped with a bronze fabric effect created by sculptor Yvonne Thornqvist outside the Göteborgs Stadsbibliotek (Gothenburg City Library).
The bronze treatment is actually a wrap of the pavement-to-first floor level sections of three concrete structural pillars running through the front of the building, which is one of the busiest public facilities in the city. Fulfilling many roles, the library is a hub for literary vibrancy and learning, a meeting place and a lively community and social space.
The work was commissioned by HIGAB a community-based provider of

UK - The record-breaking production of Shrek the Musical has exploded back onto the stage this year on a second UK & Ireland tour and Hawthorn has joined the adventure.
With lighting equipment supplied to meet the design of leading lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, Hawthorn invested in Martin MAC Viper Performances and MAC Aura XB fixtures to meet the requirements of the Shrek tour and many others, expanding its lighting inventory as part of its ongoing programme of investment in new equipment.
The rig was further made up of MAC Viper Wash DXs and ETC LUSTR2 Profiles. Utilising Chroma-Q Color Force 72 Battens, Hawthorn offered an updated Cyc lighting solution, removing the need of the older, heavy ETC Par battens. Hawthorn also supplied smoke effects and two Robert Juliat Cyrano Followspots to complete the design. All this was controlled off a GrandaMA2 netw

UK - It is with great sadness that we report that Barry Bartlett died on Good Friday, 30 March after a year-long struggle with cancer. He died peacefully surrounded by his family. Britannia Row Productions, where Barry worked for many years, issued the following tribute.
Barry had been a freelance sound engineer all his working life and had worked as such for Britannia Row Productions for many years. In 2012 he became the course director for Britannia Row Productions Training, a post he held until his passing on Friday. At the end of 2017, Barry also took up the part-time post of training manager for Britannia Row Productions.
Britannia Row said in a statement: "Barry was driven by a few key passions. He was passionate about music in all its forms and in its history, live audio, passing on his vast knowledge to others through his course writing and editing and tutoring

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