USA - City Theatrical is launching its new Multiverse wireless DMX system at stand 2815 at LDI in Las Vegas this week (19-21 October).
The Multiverse system can broadcast up to 10 universes of DMX data from a single transmitter while producing less radio energy compared to other single universe systems.
The launch will include the introduction of Multiverse SHoW BabyTM, City Theatrical’s fourth generation of the original plug and play wireless DMX transceiver system, and feature the Multiverse Module, Multiverse Node, Multiverse Transmitter, and Multiverse Gateway products. Discussions and live demonstrations of the technology will take place on stand every half hour.
Every product in the Multiverse system is built around a tiny radio, the Multiverse Module, which can carry up to five universes of data depending on the frequency used. Multiverse Transmitter and Multiverse Gateway products use dual band operation to simultaneously broadcast on different bands (2.4GHz and 900MHz in the Americas) to either spread their radio signals across these two bands or to avoid the overcrowded frequencies.
The system utilises a patent-pending method called MDMX which can reduce data transmission by over 90% while still allowing perfect fidelity. Multiverse also uses a non-interfering RDM system, MRDM, to allow both DMX and RDM to operate simultaneously.
The new system also features Auto Dynamic Limited Burst to automatically save unneeded radio energy by designating only the DMX slots needed to broadcast.
Meanwhile, Multiverse’s SHoW Key s

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) is holding a recruitment event on 1 November at the company’s High Wycombe headquarters, seeking experienced lighting professionals with a background in theatre, touring, corporate or rental to join the team on both a freelance and a permanent basis.
The company says there are opportunities for lighting freelancers to work across a calendar of tradeshows and events around Europe as well as permanent positions for lighting professionals.
The informal event will include an introduction to AC-ET, a tour of the facilities, and a talk about current vacancies. As well as meeting the team, there will be an opportunity to discuss the roles one-on-one with experienced AC-ET staff.
To sign up, email careers@ac-et.com with your CV or call 01494 446000.
(Jim Evans)

UK - After taking Las Vegas by storm, Channing Tatum is bringing a new production of Magic Mike Live to London this autumn. Opening at the Hippodrome Casino in November, full service technical production company Hawthorn has been chosen to supply lighting equipment to the production.
Conceived and co-directed by Tatum, Magic Mike Live is a large-scale, live production show based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL. The show will see the theatre at the Hippodrome Casino transformed into an intimate 325-seat in-the-round performance space where guests will witness artists perform a 360° dance and acrobatic spectacular.
Hawthorn is supplying lighting from its extensive hire range to meet the specification of theatre lighting designer Philip Gladwell. Having designed the rig for the Las Vegas production, Gladwell has modified it to suit the intimate nature of the new venue, whilst also adding in some exciting new enhancements.
“Despite being a smaller space, we’ve maintained the same big lighting motifs that we have in Vegas” says Gladwell. “This includes a large grid of 20 Robe Spiiders overhead which form a sort of visual ceiling to the piece. These sit ever so slightly lower than the rest of the rig, making them much more pronounced to the eye. Not only are these a necessary way to get top light to the stage but, by pixel mapping them, they’re a great way to get movement without flashing lights.”
As Magic Mike Live is very different usual theatre productions, audiences can expect a lig

Spain - Ultra Enterprises has spent its second consecutive summer in Ibiza, delivering nine-weeks of Resistance at the world’s largest nightclub.
In keeping with the group’s consummate production values, a special Funktion-One Vero sound system was drafted in for each event.
Key to the success of this Ibiza run is the stunning visual and acoustic canvas it provides for the top name artists who come to perform. The Ultra team pride itself on enabling the best possible audience experience by using the best technology available.
According to Richard Milstein, creative director and director of design for Ultra Worldwide and Resistance, working with Tony Andrews and his Funktion-One team has long been a key part of achieving those high aspirations: “Sound is one of the most important components of this. Funktion-One - especially for our Resistance brand - has been our number one system for many years,” he said. “It’s our main choice of sound system. Tony always recommends the best configurations for whatever environment we’re in.”
A full Vero vertical array system was brought in to be used exclusively for the weekly shows.
The two Vero hangs - placed near the walls to prevent secondary reflections and to heighten the immersive stereophonic sound – are designed to fill the entire room. Each is topped with two V60s - hitting the VIP area right at the back of the room - and completed with three V315s, three V90s and a further V60 to penetrate deep into the cavity beneath the balcony.
During the nine

USA - Elation Professional (stand 931) will reveal three new luminaires at LDI 2018 - the Artiste Monet, Proteus Profile and Smarty MaX.
The Artiste Monet is a full-featured, 45,000lm LED Profile fixture a comprehensive FX package, dynamic framing and a wide array of colours via its SpectraColor engine. The new SpectraColor array uses traditional CMY colours but also adds variable RGB flags for rich and vibrant primary colours. Elation says that combined with variable CTO colour correction, the Monet produces colours that were previously impossible to achieve from theatrical pastels to the purest reds, blues or greens ever produced by a colour mixing system.
The Monet houses a full blackout, four-blade framing system with unlimited indexing and continuous rotation control that allows shapes to rotate while morphing and transforming for transitions, projections and aerial effects not previously possible.
The Proteus Profile is a IP65-rated LED Profile fixture offering “outstanding projection quality in any environment”. Providing up to 45,000 lumens from an efficient 950W LED engine, the Proteus Profile is suitable for any outdoor application requiring superior output, bright and powerful beams, and quiet operation, as well as stunningly precise gobos and colours.
Elation will also preview the Smarty MaX, an extreme-output, beam/spot/wash hybrid moving head featuring the new Philips MSD Platinum FLEX 400 lamp.
(Jim Evans)

Europe - Milos has announced the release of its latest 3D component libraries for direct use with AutoDesk platforms and other DWG file compatible CAD systems.
The library contains over 1000 new blocks from the vast range of truss systems available from the Milos portfolio. The new edition features quick-snap assembly points as well as pre-assigned component attributes including part codes, system weights, dimensions and accurate bracing patterns for rigging and set construction integration.
Visit the Milos Download Centre to download the files.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Christie is technical sponsor for the Dead Puppet Society’s production of The Wider Earth by David Morton. The award-winning drama tells the story of a young Charles Darwin’s around-the-world journey aboard the HMS Beagle - is showing at a purpose-built theatre in London’s Natural History Museum.
Christie provided the Pandoras Box Players, Pandoras Box Manager and Widget Designer software to control animated projection content for the 11m screen, which provides a vibrant and detailed backdrop for the actors and puppets on a revolving stage.
The Wider Earth blends the traditional storytelling medium of puppetry with creative sound, lighting and video elements in an impressive spectacle at the 357-seat venue located in the museum’s Jerwood Gallery. The screen depicts many of the exotic locations that Darwin explored, further immersing the audience in the action told by seven characters and 30 wooden puppets.
The backdrop is a three-way projector blend mapped to a curved canvas screen stretching over 10m wide and 2.5m high. Each projector relays its native resolution of 1920 x 1200, creating a 5000 x 1200-pixel canvas. Pandoras Box manages the warp and blend, as well as controlling the internal shutters of the projectors via Art-Net.
“The projection provides a powerful representation of the places that Darwin travelled to on the voyage, and it allows us to deliver the landscapes in a visually compelling way,” says Nicholas Paine, executive producer, Dead Puppet Society. “Pandoras Box combines with other elements -

Spain - Starlite, which takes place at the Cantera de Nagüeles in Marbella, has been described as the best boutique festival in Europe. The music and cultural event, now in its sixth edition, has become the longest festival in the world, with more than 50 days of concerts.
It is an event for those who want to enjoy intimate concerts from global superstars in an incomparable venue. The stage itself is surrounded by 60m-high rock walls, creating a secret, hidden venue beneath the stars for the 2,200 guests.
All inventory, including GLP JDC1 hybrid strobes and KNV Arc fixtures, had to be brought up a steep hill to the former quarry, which houses a main outdoor auditorium where VIP attendees sit in eight-seater ‘Bubble Boxes’ and a second DJ area.
This was the first year that GLP’s Spanish distributor, Monacor Iberia had been involved, and they were brought in by the production company, Ilusovi Production & Services Show.
Monacor Iberia general manager, José C. de las Heras, comments: “We offered the GLP equipment for use by the different bands’ lighting designers, enabling them to modify their shows. Some LDs already had our JDC1 in their design, such as Ricky Martin, while all the other artist LDs were happy to use our kit.”
The JDC1 hybrid strobe has been designed in three sections, which can be controlled independently or as a complete synchronised unit, while the KNV comes in two variants, the KNV Cube and KNV Arc. Each housing can be combined seamlessly to provide massive fixture design options, and at Starlite the

Argentina - The Lollapalooza festival, created by Jane’s Addiction front man, Perry Ferrell, is a global entertainment phenomenon that brings the world’s hottest music acts together. This year’s festival in Argentina saw the likes of Chance the Rapper, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Imagine Dragons, Wiz Khalifa, Lana Del Rey and so many more. Clair Brothers was there to deliver the sound to the thousands of frenzied fans in attendance.
Although the 2018 festival didn’t make it to the final day due to severe thunder and lightning storms, that didn’t dampen the spirits of Fabian Giordano, owner of Giordano Sonido - Clair Brothers rental partner in the region, who has provided audio for Lollapalooza in Argentina since 2015.
“Yes, we were disappointed about having to cancel the final day of shows, but the two days we did have were amazing. The Clair Brothers i218 is the most powerful PA system in the industry and proved it again and again this year, with a wide range of acts and musical styles performing all day long with soundchecks during the night. The complete i218 system used on the Perry Ferrell stage provided lots of headroom without distortion, which made it very comfortable when mixing such a variety of bands going on, one after another.”
The familiar logistical challenge at a festival of this magnitude is making each act, no matter how divergent in style or size, sound as fantastic as possible. This year was no different. Sonido adds: “On a single stage we can open with a DJ, followed immediately by a multi-player rock and roll ba

South Africa - DWR Distribution’s Ole Boinamo hosted his first dot2 training session in both Tshwana and English at DWR’s offices in Johannesburg on 27-28 September.
The training was requested and sponsored by MGG with the aim to train crew based at Sun Arena’s Time Square in Pretoria, where MGG are the in-house technical supplier, as well as TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) students who are currently gaining work experience and training at MGG in order to complete their diploma.
“With most delegates residing in Pretoria, I presented the course in both Tshwana and English,” says Boinamo. “It makes a huge difference in understanding the functions of the console when you are being taught in your mother tongue. Learning becomes quicker, and more importantly, it creates an environment where students feel confident to ask any questions.”
“Once they grasped the concept, it opened a bucket of creativity,” explains Boinamo. “It was fantastic watching them come up with new ideas of what they could now do. This certainly was a rewarding experience.”
Mark Gaylard from MGG adds: “From our side it is very beneficial to get as many new entrants into our industry that are proficient on dot2 consoles which also lays a good foundation to start with the bigger MA console range. Thanks for offering the training and well done to Ole on putting it together.”
(Jim Evans)

UK/USA - They may have their own distinctive flying saucer, but sometimes for Jeff Lynne’s ELO, taking the boat is the smarter option. “The thing was, we were down to the wire,” says production manager Richard ‘Wez’ Wearing. “We simply had no time from the band finishing prior commitments here in the UK to going onto ELO in the States. The only way to get any proper production rehearsals for the US tour was to set up everything in Neg Earth’s LH2 production facility here in the UK, then put it in a sea container and ship it straight to the US‎.”
Not an insignificant call? “There are pros and cons on the financial side - yes, it was a cost, but there was no time to do anything else. When we got there, we had just one set up day then straight into the first show.”
Fortunately, since the triumphant return of Jeff Lynne and ELO, which began in the UK almost six years ago, they have always used the widely experienced services of Chris Vaughan as tour director, his company CV Productions, of which Wearing is a key part, steering the production management role.
“That well-established relationship worked both ways,” says Wearing. “We in turn have built strong relationships with all the key production suppliers, Video Design, Skan, Brilliant Stages and Neg Earth in particular. If we’d had time we would have looked at other ways, but there are more important considerations than just gear; even with the gear you've got to find the ideal product. For example, we'd used Video Design before and knew their system worked and worked we

USA - The Claypaky Sharpy Plus and the Claypaky Axcor Spot 400 will make their international debut at LDI 2018.
Sharpy Plus is billed as “the first true 100% hybrid unit, able to be a perfect beam light and a perfect spotlight”. It fits a new Osram Sirius 330W X8 lamp and weighs only 21.6kg (47.6lb). All its functions are extremely quick. A linear 3° to 36° (1:9) zoom covers the entire range linearly, both in Spot mode and in Beam mode.
The Axcor Spot 400 provides the medium-power applications with compact, bright, LED moving spotlights, complete with “every device you need for exceptional projected visual effects”.
The Axcor Profile 600 stands out for its versatility, its high-level performance and the superior quality of its light. The luminous efficiency is among the highest for this power category, and can be further increased by about 25% if necessary thanks to the Boost mode, says the company.
The Hepikos is an innovative hybrid wash/beam light that combines low power consumption with colour quality, without compromise, in its highly compact body.
(Jim Evans)

South Africa - Absen users in South Africa were invited to attend a three-day training session with Ricky Qiu from Absen at local distributor DWR Distribution earlier this year.
The ACE Training (Absen Accredited Certified Engineering) was attended by 20 delegates from both the rental and install markets, with the aim of imparting practical user knowledge to operate and set up screens as well as fault-finding.
“The Absen panels have taken off beyond our wildest imagination,” says Schalk Botha, sales representative at DWR. “The panels are user-friendly, reliable, cost effective and easy to maintain.”
Ricky Qiu from Absen adds: “The training went very well and was much better than I had anticipated. The course made sense to the delegates, and I can see a positive future for Absen in South Africa.”
Qui will be in the country again in November to demonstrate the new Absen Polaris Lite range - dates will be confirmed in due course.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Nemesis Audio has agreed an exclusive distribution agreement with Pro-Sound for the distribution of the entire range of Nemesis Audio products in North and South America and Canada.
New York-based Pro-Sound is run by industry veterans Jim Flynn and Andy Hilton who combine many years of industry experience with a hand-picked team of technical experts to handle their sales and support operations across many audio disciplines including broadcast, theatre sound and concert touring.
Pro-Sound CEO Andy Hilton comments: “Nemesis products are ground-breaking and very well thought out and are already deployed on many theatre musicals in the USA. We aim to increase the line’s presence within this market area and further expand into new markets.”
Chris Headlam, Nemesis Audio managing director, adds: “With the ever-increasing presence of Nemesis Audio products in the USA and around the world, it was high time we started to look at a distribution arrangement to better handle sales, service back up and new releases in the USA and beyond.”
Pro-Sound’s first outing with the Nemesis Audio product range will be at this year’s AES New York convention this week on stand 548.
Along with the Pro-Sound team, Nemesis Audio’s Richard Carter will be on hand to demonstrate the features the various products bring to the industry.
Hilton concludes: “With products such as the CCS-2 Computer Control Switch and the popular Dante-SW Switch handling show control duties on many major musicals on Broadway and the wider USA we wanted to bring

USA - Hot on the heels of the release of SolaFrame 3000 in August, High End Systems will launch the SolaSpot 3000 automated luminaire at LDI this week. Offering the same performance as the SolaFrame 3000, the new SolaSpot 3000 is engineered for designers that require “unprecedented pattern and effect possibilities as well as incredible brightness”.
The SolaSpot 3000 delivers over 37,000lm and features three gobo wheels for a total of 21 patterns, graphic and glass textured animation wheels, light and heavy frost, three-facet and eight-facet prisms, aerial effects plus a full feature set.
HES general manager Becky Koester comments: “We are excited to bring this new luminaire to our Sola Series family. Customers that don’t require the framing capabilities of the SolaFrame 3000 now have a high-powered option with the largest effects selection to date. It further supports our commitment to provide a broad offering to both the production and installation markets.”
LDI visitors will also get a sneak peek at High End Systems’ SolaFrame 1000, a new mid-level framing fixture scheduled to launch later this year. Koester adds: “With the SolaFrame 1000, we are addressing customer demand for this class of fixture that compliments the SolaFrame 750. With 19,000 lumen output and a secondary gobo wheel onboard, the SolaFrame 1000 fills a crucial space in our product offerings.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - At this year’s LDI show, CAST Group (stand 2255) will demo the latest from wysiwyg, BlackTrax and also present a new native software for broadcast. The company will also launch its global training programme.
CAST will present release R41 of wysiwyg in the USA for the first time. On stand, the new BlackTrax V2.3.3 will be at the heart of a presentation designed by Dream Laser that will combine tracking with lighting, media interactivity, moving projection mapping, 3D positional audio and camera tracking for broadcast. Lighting for the demonstration - which will include the opportunity to get hands-on and will feature live performances and interactive games - will be powered by Luminex; media support will come from disguise and Notch; L-Acoustic will provide 3D positional audio; and projectors and PTZ cameras will be from Panasonic.
Meanwhile CAST’s new broadcast software, code-named Herald and powered by BlackTrax, will also be demo'd.
Andrew Gordon, director of business development at CAST Group, comments: “This is the first time that we’ve shown the software publicly. We’ve been testing it with focus groups in the broadcast and production market - and we’ve had an overwhelming response.
“Our goal with Phase 1 of the system is to aid in the automation of broadcast with the function of not only camera control, but also to become an aggregate control suite for all cameras on a production as well.”
“Herald’s node-based editor is a user’s dream. For the first time in broadcast software dedicated to cameras, the qu

Europe - Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting, video and rigging equipment plus crew to the recent Tash Sultana UK and European tour.
The Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is wowing fans worldwide with the debut album Flow State and enigmatic one-person show.
Detroit based lighting designer Cam Anderson started working with Tash at the end of 2017 during a US tour, and evolved the current stage design with the artist to compliment the performance and style.
It includes a distinctive flown triangular truss upstage, together with a series of staggered video panels behind the centre-stage position which bring structure and form to the performance space. These elements were crafted working closely with Tash and her international production crew.
The resulting set is highly visual, and the rig can be up/down-scaled to deal with venues up to 6000-capacity and still fit expediently in one truck.
Cam then added wing trusses to reinforce the triangular shape, together with two side trusses on stage left and right.
When it came to populating the trusses with lighting units, he needed fixtures and positions to cover all eventualities, from intimate moments to ripping guitar solos and other dramatic and dynamic peaks, and “an arsenal of eye candy” to amaze the audience without taking the focus off Tash.
There were 18 Robe Spiiders on the rig - six on the main triangle, four on each of two short trusses that were sub-hung each side of it, and two a side on the side trusses.
For profiles, he chose

Australia - Adelaide Oval has been described as one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia. Its importance on the international cricket circuit is undisputed, being headquarters to the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). Its sporting credentials extend to other areas, with South Australian National Football League (SANFL) also calling it home and the venue playing host to Australian rules football, rugby league and union, soccer and tennis, as well as regularly holding concerts.
It has three stands, the Western, Eastern and Southern or Riverbank Stand, all constructed as part of a major refurbishment completed in 2014. The Riverbank Stand boasts a new L-Acoustics Kara system, supplied by Jands, L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for the region. The system delivers improved coverage and intelligibility, all without the need for expensive acoustic treatment.
The 14,000-capacity Riverbank Stand’s 12 stories are covered by a single curved roof which has complex rigging requirements. US-based acoustic design and consulting firm Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW) were brought in to recommend a system for its upper tier audience areas and determined that Kara would be the ideal solution. With a throw distance requirement in excess of 50m in some audience areas, Kara provides coverage and SPL for the entire upper tier audience in a high performance yet lightweight package.
Supporting WJHW designer Greg Swindle, the L-Acoustics Applications team provided electromechanical and system support, with L-Acoustic

UK - Shure Incorporated has announced that Tuomo George-Tolonen has been promoted to senior director, pro audio sales, Western Europe.
Tuomo has been with Shure since 2006, when he joined what was to become the Shure UK Systems team as an applications engineer. He previously worked at Genelec US. In 2008, Tuomo assumed responsibility for RF regulatory affairs, joining the BEIRG steering committee to jointly represent PMSE industry needs regarding RF spectrum allocation.
“His enthusiasm, passion for technology, and ability to identify and realise new opportunities, led to this promotion,” comments Peter James, vice president of global sales, pro audio. “Under his leadership, Shure UK has experienced continuous growth in the pro audio vertical, and has been at the forefront of developing important relationships with the most influential people and organisations in key segments.”
As senior director, Tuomo will continue his regulatory work and industry interactions, and will play a significant role in helping secure Shure’s position as a leading authority on RF for microphone and monitoring applications, supporting Shure UK and countries throughout Europe. He will continue to be based in the Shure UK Waltham Abbey office.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Specialist illumination company LED Creative is working with lighting director Stuart Pring on the latest series of hit comedy show Roast Battle.
Filmed before a live audience on a custom installed set at the Electric Brixton Theatre, London, Roast Battle features some of the UK’s finest comic performers pitted against each other in a no holds barred verbal assault.
Helping create LD Stuart’s look for the show, LED Creative has supplied a selection of their Alpha Soft Wands, including a consignment of built-to-order 500mm units, all controlled using the company’s in-house designed BIT 8-Way Controllers.
Complementing the installation, which incorporates a range of equipment from Version2 Lights, the Soft Wands provide highly controllable, linear LED accents across the semi-industrial, ‘grunge’ set design, a fitting backdrop to the ruthless onstage battle.
Supplied as ‘plug and play’ rental units, LC Soft Wands offer a convenient way to build LED versatility into lighting designs. Used individually or in series, the fixtures are well suited to custom installs such as Roast Battle where limited access or restricted fixing points might be an issue. Available in a variety of lengths, the 30mm diameter wands are particularly effective when paired with LC BIT Controllers to allow maximum management over each individual unit.
LED Creative project manager Tim Rees says: “Stuart really does make clever, creative use of our Soft Wands. Roast Battle has a great look and our wands provide the perfect