USA - With summer in full swing and theme parks finally welcoming visitors in large numbers again, SeaWorld San Antonio is celebrating by offering guests its two-month Electric Ocean Concert Series as an extra ‘free’ perk to the park’s standard admission price on show days.
Boasting a diverse roster of popular acts - Everclear, Little River Band, Josh Abbott, En Vogue, Newsboys, Chris Jansen, Vanilla Ice, Jesse McCartney, 38 Special, Matthew West, Shelly Lares, Air Supply, Blue Oyster Cult, and others - shows are staged at the 3,000-seat Nautilus Amphitheatre, which recently got a powerful sonic boost, just in time for the new concert series.
LD Systems designed and installed a new L-Acoustics A Series-based loudspeaker system in record time that allows the concert pavilion to host more guests now that the sound finally covers every seat in the house.
According to SeaWorld San Antonio theatrical services manager Douglas Ferguson, the park already had a good track record with another L-Acoustics system that another certified provider supplied three years earlier. “SeaWorld owns an ARCS WiFo system that was originally flown at our Bayside Stadium in 2018 for the summertime HydroPower Extreme FX Ski Show,” he says. “Since the Nautilus Amphitheatre did not have its own dedicated system, we would occasionally bring Bayside’s WiFo rig over as needed for events and shows, but it wasn’t truly sufficient to cover the larger seating area.
“When planning for our Electric Ocean Concert Series, we knew that we wanted to install a rider-f

UK - Collaborative Creations, a provider of creative business development and PR services for the events industry, has made a series of new appointments as it enters a period of expansion.
Stuart Wood joins as the company’s new content manager and will be overseeing its PR and editorial output. Stuart joins from event industry publisher Mash Media.
Also joining the team is Ian Saunders who is the company’s new business delivery manager. Ian will be helping the team manage its increased workload after a series of new client signings. Ian previously served for 15 years as executive director of the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), recently renamed to the Association for Lighting Production and Design (ALPD).
Finally, Luke Edwards joins the company as its new marketing manager. Luke is a familiar face on the lighting circuit who has toured with artists including Gary Numan, Jacob Collier and Kelis. He will be helping to plan and deliver comprehensive social media packages for CC clients, and create event-specific marketing strategies.
Tom Wilkes, managing director of Collaborative Creations, said: “This is a really exciting time for us at CC. After a difficult 16 months for us and the events industry as a whole, we’re now at a point where demand is pent up and we can expand once again. The new people joining our team are at the top of their game and I’m really pleased we managed to secure such an impressive roster.”

UK - Shure has announced details of its 2021 pro audio roadshow. The company previously committed to free training and continued education for the live performance, production, AV rental, film and location sound professionals, as the industry gets back on its feet.
The pro audio roadshow is an extension of support to the industry after a challenging past 18 months. The team will be visiting several different locations across the country to offer some hands-on experience with Shure systems and face to face time with the Shure experts. The roadshow will offer refresher training on RF, answer any questions about equipment or wireless training and a general overview of the new product launches over the last 18 months, including new additions to the Axient Digital family and Wavetool software.
Stuart Moots, director pro audio comments: “The team are all looking forward to getting out and meeting our friends, old and new, who we’ve missed over the past year – it’s a chance to come and say hello and see what Shure have been doing in the background during the shutdown of the Events Industry. We’ll be on hand to take you through some of the new product line up and answer any questions you may have on our wireless systems and what happened to the RF landscape last year.”
The roadshow schedule is:
17 August - Adlib, Liverpool. Knowsley Business Park, Adlib House, Kitling Rd, Knowsley, L34 9JS
18 August - Wigwam, Heywood. Unit 402, Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, Phoenix Close, Heywood, OL10 2JG
19 August - Pro Audio Systems, Bra

Turkey - Turkey’s first virtual production house, MGX Studio, owned by MGX Film, is a revolutionary virtual production (VP) facility based in Istanbul. By bringing together both conventional and pioneering technologies used by cinematographers globally, MGX offers a next-generation LED stage with industry-leading Brompton Technology processing, advanced camera tracking solutions, in-camera VFX, plus a host of pre- and post-production tools, allowing directors and filmmakers to create enriched interactive environments.
The story of MGX Studio began during the pandemic. “We decided to use the time when we were confined to our homes wisely, researching and looking for the latest technologies in VP,” says Halit Gülmez, technical director at MGX. “MGX Film’s owner, Müşvik Guluzade, was a great inspiration to all of us as he was the first to recognise the power of virtual production and its influence on the global cinematography industry. He was the first to fully embrace the technology and bring it back to Turkey, establishing the country’s very first virtual production facility, MGX Studio.”
With Guluzade at the helm, the MGX team took its first steps to not only achieving the 'know-how' of the new technology, but also being a VP facility that guides the technology rather than follows it.
The team completed studio installation within five months, with MGX CTO and studio manager, Fatih Eke, being instrumental in choosing the right equipment. “After spending three months doing research and looking at other facilities like the ILM Stag

USA - Facing lockdowns and shuttered theatres in the wake of the pandemic, composer Mark Grey, along with a creative team of visual artists, sought to create a travelling chamber opera that would bring back live theatre. While developing Birds in the Moon, Grey knew he would need a durable microphone with superior sound quality capable of handling the unique conditions of the production’s stage setup. He found the solution he was looking for with DPA Microphones’ 6061 Core Omnidirectional Subminiature and 4099 Instrument Microphones.
Birds in the Moon is a travelling chamber opera built into a shipping container capable of bringing performing arts to locations where theatrical experiences are often sparse or unavailable. The container is designed as a multi-use performance space, suitable for showing films, presentations, visual exhibits, small theatrical works, concerts and chamber operas. The entire container can be utilised, with the side dropping down to create a stage extension and the roof accessible for performers.
For Birds in the Moon, Grey employs two 6061 Core mics and four 4099 instrument mics. “The actor is a spoken role, the soprano is a sung role and those are both using 6061s,” he says. “The string quartet, which is the live music that supports the cast, uses the 4099s with the respective instrument clips for two violins, one viola and a cello. The DPA microphones that we are using not only sound amazing, but they hold up incredibly well to the outdoor conditions they are subjected to. They are far superior to anything else out t

Mexico - Renaissance is a beautiful word, believes Gerardo Urbán y Fernández, not just for the promising future it represents, but also for the struggles that preceded it. The director of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Toluca (Toluca Philharmonic), states, “Rebirth means to die first, and that was a bit what happened last year. Somehow, we all suffered not only losses but we had this need to see many things from our past. Now is the time to start over, to do better, bigger, and more beautiful things, because the experience we lived through has made us mature.”
This spirit was reflected in Renaissance, a concert performed by Orquesta Filarmónica de Toluca at the iMorelos Theatre before a live and livestreamed audience to mark International Music Day. For many involved in the performance, it was a rebirth as it represented the first time they were able to perform together in public since the onset of COVID-19.
Reflecting the hopeful and contemplative spirit of the Renaissance concert was a lighting design that blended vibrant celebratory looks with complex subtleties. Overseen by Mario Márquez, head of the Morelos Theatre Forum, the multi-faceted show relied on a collection of powerful, yet flexible, Chauvet Professional Maverick fixtures.
"The Maverick fixtures provide a quick response and the necessary power for any presentation in high-performance live shows,” said Márquez. “They are very quiet fixtures. Another great point in their favour, in terms of panning and tilting, they provide great versatility. Add to this the var

UK - The partners behind 5G Festival have successfully completed the second set of trials to test critical aspects of the technology that will be used to deliver a music collaboration toolset and experience for artists, audiences and venues. The results will deliver the world’s first 5G powered hybrid immersive festival experience early next year.
The social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the live music industry has been severe. 5G Festival is part of efforts across the sector to create innovative platforms for musicians and artists to write, rehearse and produce music despite geographical barriers, and deliver new, engaging ways for audiences to interact with live performances.
5G Festival will showcase creative talent blended with the power of advanced digital technologies, broadcast live directly to audiences at remote locations from world-leading venues, and producing novel immersive in-venue experiences. The recent trials built on the practical testing and research established during the first stage trials held in March 2021 with the aim of having artists collaborate from different locations to see how an immersive festival experience would work both in a venue and at home.
A new group called The Remotes - the most data divided band in the UK - was put together especially for the trials, led by musical director Kojo Samuel, who has worked with Stormzy, Jess Glynne and Dave. A collaboration of experienced session musicians, The Remotes rehearsed and performed from physically separate locations. A vocalist and drummer wer

UK - The Roadie Cookbook: Toured There, Ate That is a new charity publication created by live music crew members with the mission of funding Mental Health First Aid training for every tour bus in the UK.
Borne out of an idea by production manager Nick Gosling (Nile Rodgers & Chic) in April 2020, the project was curated with friends production coordinator Julie Cotton (Massive Attack), production assistant Athena Caramitsos and backline tech Rich House (Elbow). The team set out to help their peers re-engage in the much-missed mealtime connection of crew catering by sharing recipes over social media and Zoom.
When the devastation of Covid-19 hit, live music stopped overnight, and tour buses stood still. While almost every venue in the world closed, home kitchens became the new catering hub for unemployed music workers. As stories of memorable meals and secret ingredients in roadie comfort food took hold, so did the stark reality that isolation and mental ill-health was becoming commonplace within the touring business. The team met through the Manchester music scene and recognised first-hand how food can bring people together when touring the world. The idea of an industry cookbook was formed and soon turned into a fundraising initiative tasked with generating enough sales to secure crisis prevention training for those travelling on the road.
Carefully crafted by backstage professionals, the book showcases a collection of 50 recipes, anecdotes and advice for staying healthy on tour. Recipes include The Killer Sandwich (you'll have to buy

UK - Nexo has announced the appointment of Rich Soper to its UK team, where he assumes special responsibility for the company’s sales activity in the tour sound and audio production rental markets.
Soper began his career as a freelance sound engineer and has spent many years at the sharp end of the business, notably as a system tech and FOH for well-known artists. He further developed his hands-on experience with an operational role at Disney Cruise Lines, running ship-wide audio and AV systems, before moving into technical sales for several successful pro-audio distribution companies, including Yamaha Commercial Audio.
For the last four years, he has been in charge of business development at Allen & Heath and, most recently, at Adlib Audio. In these roles, he was instrumental in developing training and technical support packages for his clients, building strong relationships between manufacturers and engineers.
He says, “Most engineers are familiar with the classic Nexo products like Alpha, GEO S8 and PS Series. I’m looking forward to introducing them to the current slate of loudspeaker systems, which includes probably the most flexible line arrays on the market, and certainly the most scalable. Nexo’s catalogue can tick every box, for the small regional company, looking for returns on investment, as well as the major touring partner, demanding high performance in an ultra-versatile package.
“Not only does Nexo have the backing of Yamaha, the world’s biggest music company, but this manufacturer makes itself highly accessible t

UK - SES is moving from its Datchet base to a new facility in Colnbrook. Having continuously expanded over the last few years, SES has taken the decision to move to much larger facilities which will enable the company to expand further over the next few years.
“Our new home enables us to have all our manufacturing, design and production under one roof,” says group director Gordon Cooper, “and allows us to continue to develop industry leading products and facilitate customers’ requirements in a more efficient manner.
“The space that we will have will allow us to purchase our third CNC router, increase the number of production staff and increase stock holding of raw and finished goods. We will also have a separate R&D workshop, which allows us to increase the capacity of our already large test and inspect facility.”
SES is planning open house days customers and suppliers will be shown around the new building and introduced to the team.
The new address is: SES (Entertainment Services) Ltd, Unit 5 Air Hub, Arkwright Road, Poyle trading Estate, Colnbrook, SL3 0AA. Tel: +44 (0)17 5358 5050.

USA - Harman Professional Solutions has unveiled its latest addition to the JBL Professional PRX Column Portable PA family, the PRX One all-in-one portable PA. JBL Professional also introduced the universal JBL Pro Connect app for simplified management of the PRX One system.
PRX One meets the needs of a broad range of portable and installed applications, delivering unmatched power, acoustic performance and functionality in a sleek, compact package weighing just 56 pounds. The system delivers 130 dB of wide, full bandwidth SPL with consistent front-to-back throw, thanks to its custom-engineered, 12-tweeter column array, featuring JBL A.I.M. (Array Inumbration Mechanics) acoustic design; 12-inch bass-reflex woofer; and a built-in 2,000-watt (peak) Class D amplifier.
Performers will benefit from PRX One’s comprehensive suite of professional-grade Lexicon and dbx processors and eight customizable pre-sets. Built-in effects include reverb, 8-band EQ, delay, compression, limiting, ducking, echo, sub synth and dbx DriveRack Inside technology, featuring AFS Pro Automatic Feedback Suppression; Triple Tier DSP control offers multi-level user experiences based on knowledge level.
PRX One’s Soundcraft-designed seven-channel, dual-mode digital mixer that can be set to control either general mix functions or channel-strip functions, all manageable via a full-colour LCD or the new JBL Pro Connect universal app.
A full-colour LCD screen provides complete access to all functions, and a convenient Setup Saver saves snapshots for easy recall. Simple Succes

USA - The one hour syndicated daytime show The Kelly Clarkson Show (TKCS) produced by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios is an energetic mash up of chat, stories, opinions, humour, and surprises involving an array of guests, personalities, and music.
The role of lighting this ever-shifting environment recorded on Universal Studios in LA’s Stage 1, has been down to Darren Langer of DCLighting, a lighting design and direction practice also based in LA, specialising in television and multi-camera environments. Their work encompasses broadcast, streamed shows and events, awards extravaganzas, talk shows and music-based projects of all sizes.
Darren has relied on several specific Robe products throughout series 1 and 2 of The Kelly Clarkson Show – Pointes, BMFL Spots and BMFL Blades, PATT 2013s, Spiiders and Tetra2s – to ensure that the studios and sets have looked fresh and invigorating every time for this truly unique talk show format.
Each show kicks off with a ‘Kellyoke’, a cover version selected by fans, arranged specially to fit the 1.30-1.45 timeslot by musical director Jason Halbert.
In addition to his own ideas, Darren took initial creative inspiration from production designer James Pearce Connelly and director Joe Terry together with executive producer / showrunner Alex Duda and her producing team, MD Jason and the house band, My band y'all.
Together they all contributed to setting the tone of the show, which is lively, upbeat, and energized. “They are all amazing people to work with,” he states, detailing how they dev

UK - Doughty Engineering and PSI have teamed up to deliver the design and installation of specialist infrastructure at the Grand Opera House in Belfast.
PSI were contracted by Tracey Brothers to facilitate the design and installation on the project which included a complete rewire of the production lighting and control, dimmers, audio, comms, stage management desks, show relay, foyer paging as well as providing a new house lighting system and additional elements to the in-house stage engineering system. All packages were specified by Charcoalblue.
PSI, who are dealers for Doughty in both Northern Ireland and Ireland, brought Doughty on board very early on in the project. David Mckeown, project manager explained: “Work commenced on site in January 2020 and then the pandemic hit in March. Initially the programme was ten months to hand over at the end of October 2020, but this was then extended to March 21.”
He continued: “Then, in January 2021, Brexit, along with the NI Protocol made the project even more difficult to manage than the pandemic and hence the programme was extended yet again to accommodate for this. Everything from delivery of goods to the wearing of additional PPE, a one-way system around the theatre and having to separate trades into designated areas proved difficult at first but like most, it became normalised.”
Working with Doughty, PSI specified a range of bespoke kit as well as a huge number of standard clamps and brackets, over 100 facility panels, standard clamps, truss brackets, boom arms and internally wired bars.

China - The original TAXX club in Shanghai was one of the city’s largest clubs, boasting over 3,000sq.m of partying space over two floors. KV2’s Chinese distributor, AVMedia based in Guangzhou City, designed and installed a KV2 Audio system based on the powerful VHD2.0 long throw system supplemented by SL412s and several ESD12s.
From the day it opened, TAXX established itself as one of Shanghai’s hottest venues with a record-breaking monthly turnover. It therefore comes as no surprise that the TAXX investment team decided to open a second venue – this time even bigger and demanding an even more powerful system. Having decided to stick with a winning formula, the investment team opted once again for a KV2 system, this time for the company’s flagship VHD5 – the first installation of its kind in China.
TAXX II, with a capacity of 1000 people, is a club designed ‘to push the boundaries at every level’, offering 5D sound and light experiences to create a transforming sensory world. A ‘super-dimensioned’ panoramic DJ station that stretches for 30m, occupying the full length of the room redefines the DJ/crowd experience, made even more intense by the KV2 sound quality.
With the aim of creating the best nightclub experience in Shanghai, investors spared no expense in investing in KV2’s flagship VHD5 constant power point source array system designed to cover massive crowds with ultra-high definition, high energy audio.
The system comprises a L/R system of one VHD5.0 mid/hi element and two VHD8.10 low/mid elements per side powered

UK - Vintage Martin Audio modular stacks have helped support an experimental work at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in central London.
It is fitting that as the manufacturer celebrates its 50th year, Alex Czechowski of Ace Vintage Systems should be commissioned to provide a classic Martin Audio rig from yesteryear, exemplifying its formidable history.
Created and performed by influential dance and performance artist, Samir Kennedy, it was show designer, Simon Vincenzi, who came up with the idea of using speakers to create a ‘portal’ or proscenium for The Misery Portal.
Simon is a London-based theatre director, choreographer and designer who has created a huge body of work over the past 20 years. He searched far and wide on the internet and came across the Ace Vintage Systems website which provided him with inspiration for the show, together with his requirements. They were then approached by lighting designer and production manager Marty Langthorne, who confirmed that “Simon was set on using Martin Audio for the vintage look of the speakers”.
Czechowski designed the sound system around eight Martin Audio 215 Mk3 bass bins and three Martin Audio MH212 ‘Philishaves’ per side, together with top boxes. Amplification for this totally analogue system was provided by the BGW Grand Touring amplifiers.
Working with him on this project was sound engineer Dave Callanan. Alex said, “It was great to show the capabilities of the Martin Audio Philishave, together with the Martin Audio 215 Mk3 bass bin, the best bass bin e

USA - tvONE has announced that a CORIOmaster mini video wall processor is driving the new Church of God – a Worldwide Association (COGWA) - TV Studio at its Texas headquarters.
The high-tech HQ is a vital communication centre for the church’s members and includes the delivery of its weekly broadcast news magazine, In Accord, among other outreach programmes and publications.
The In Accord TV set was designed by Kelly Cunningham, assistant manager AV/Data/Web at COGWA, and utilises a 1x3 monitor wall of NEC 46” tiles.
Created with viewer engagement in mind, the new video wall displays vibrant colours, multiple shooting angles, and ample space for guest interaction.
tvONE dealer Dave Pollock, from supplier AV Dallas, says: “The church approached AV Dallas with the desire to install a high-functioning 1x3 video wall to act as a ticker/multimedia backdrop for their broadcast series. They specifically asked for the ability to display any combination of scrolling news ticker feeds, multiple overlaid images, and/or video clips, as well as custom-made static and animated graphics.”
“We wanted the monitor wall to be a focal point, yet required it to look architecturally integrated,” adds Cunningham. “CORIOmaster gives us the most flexibility for the price point on how we integrate and use our setup. Its ability to easily adapt to a 1x3 monitor matrix – or any format we wanted to come up with - made it an instant hit for us.”
The CORIOmaster mini is connected via 50ft SDI cables from the set’s control room.

South Africa - Following a successful install at The Foschini Group’s (TFG) Foschini store in Canal Walk, Cape Town, the South African retail group recently commissioned another product from the Stage Audio Works’ Pixel Plus range for their Sportscene brand, located in the same shopping centre.
This time, the project witnessed the implementation of a curved Pixel Plus LED wall as the centrepiece of the store’s new visual concept. TFG called upon retail solutions specialists, Lumalytic (PTY) to create a new look with hi-tech audio-visual and lighting solutions. The Sportscene store is now home to a new, custom Pixel Plus digital signage screen as well as an improved audio system complete with zone control, and innovative lighting that cultivates a vibrant shopping experience.
The curved Pixel Plus display is the focal point of the installation. Set amidst the racks of urban and sports footwear, the half-cylinder screen measures 3m high and 1.5m wide and possesses a pixel pitch of 2.5mm, ideal for optimal detail in-store viewing distances. The display is powered by a Novastar TB8 Screen Processor which allows for the effortless control of media output via a wired, WiFi or 4G connection.
However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of the screen is its curvature. The nature of the process meant that SAW had to assemble the screen on site: constructing a specially designed customised frame to hold the screen, before painstakingly fitting in the LED panels.
Mike Summerfield of SAW elaborates: “We’re particularly proud of this install, in p

Taiwan - Seapower Technology has partnered with Renkus-Heinz to strengthen the company’s loudspeaker offerings in the Taiwan market.
“We are very happy about this strategic partnership with Seapower, a highly recognised company that is excited and passionate about high quality audio solutions,” said Karan Kathuria, director - sales and business development. “We are sure this collaboration will enable the best support, education, and training for end-users, integrators, and system designers across various business verticals in Taiwan.”
Based in Foothill Ranch, California, Renkus-Heinz has a global presence in permanent installations at auditoriums, transit centres, sports venues, houses of worship and musical performance venues as well as in the concert touring industry.
“We’re extremely excited to partner with Renkus-Heinz,” said Douglas Chang, MD at Seapower. “Renkus-Heinz’s offerings are very well aligned with our solutions portfolio in providing high quality, engineered audio solutions to resellers and integrators across the Taiwanese market. We know the product lines Renkus-Heinz offers will be very well received and will result in impressive audio installations across the region.”

UK - Gravity Media, provider of live broadcast facilities and production services to content owners, creators and distributors – has made further significant investment into its real-time communication systems for live event broadcasts. The new equipment meets increased demand for Gravity Media’s services, particularly for live sports. It will initially support a project with long-time client, UEFA European Soccer League, before being made available to other customers worldwide.
The purchase includes 20 new V-Series Iris Panels, in addition to Gravity Media’s existing Clear-Com Eclipse HX Digital Matrix within their London facility, as well as Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client licenses. The Station-IC client will enable Gravity Media’s expert technical teams to create a completely scalable intercom user station, which includes talkback both on desktop and for working remotely; something that’s essential given ongoing global travel restrictions and decentralised live production.
Also included is a new Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) licence based on Clear-Com’s LQ Series of IP Interfaces. This marks a shift away from legacy Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) communication standards to SIP. The new investment is due to the phasing out of ISDN communications in the UK and to enhance the overall scalability, quality and control of Gravity Media’s communication systems in the IP space.
This investment builds on Gravity Media’s previous purchases of Clear-Com equipment in preparation for women’s professional soccer in 2019, whe

Qatar - Creative Technology (CT) has supported its clients with AV technology across various events in Qatar for over a decade and continues to provide technical advice and show-stopping event experiences in the region.
This year marks the 10th anniversary since CT opened its first Qatar office in the heart of City West Bay in Doha.
Although CT have been delivering projects in Qatar as early as 2001 out of its UK facility, it was realised in 2011 that having a local office and warehouse would make CT’s services, skilled engineers and event technology easily accessible to clients in the region.
Irum Ashraf, CT Qatar general manager, comments, “Within the first year of opening, the success of our organic growth saw CT Qatar move from our first warehouse in Al Rayyan with three full-time employees to a 14000sqf.t space in Logistics Village with over 14 full-time staff.”
Having a locally registered company in Qatar has enabled CT to establish itself as a key audiovisual supplier in the Middle East. Over the years, CT has delivered AV services for several prestigious events, from the early delivery of the Asian Games and Qatar Foundation projects to the opening and closing ceremonies for the World Petroleum Congress, multiple National Day events and the more recent IAAF World Athletic Championships to name a few.
Ashraf continues, “Our Venue Services department expanded alongside our live events with teams housed within the St Regis Doha, Shangri La and the Westin Hotels managing the audiovisual requirements for live events, confere