Mexico - Grupo Morfo has been named Outline’s exclusive distributor for Mexico. Effective immediately, Grupo Morfo will be responsible for sales, technical support and service of Outline products across all markets, including touring, AV rental, live bands, performing arts venues, hospitality, restaurants, clubs, portable, cinema and stadiums.
“In Grupo Morfo we have found an ideal partnership to strengthen, publicise and launch the Outline name in Mexico,” says Giorgio Biffi, Outline president & CEO. “Grupo Morfo has a solid, strategic approach in the product lines they have represented, as well as a proven track record of responsive service and support. The company principals have a close collaborative relationship with the integrator community, which aligns with Outline’s growing emphasis on commercial installation. At the same time their personal experience in live performance and touring will connect with that key market.”
For Antonio Maceda, founder and director of Grupo Morfo, the appointment represents a significant step forward for the company.
“With this appointment, Outline has recognised our company’s passion for audio and our demonstrated success with other product lines,” says Maceda. “We certainly share Outline’s commitment to product quality and customer support, and we have everything in place to take Outline to a wider audience in Mexico. We like to sell solutions, not boxes. Customers know they can rely on us from initial design proposals through ongoing technical support after the sale.”
(Jim Ev

UK/Germany - Following on from a successful PLASA Show, Artistic Licence has confirmed Frankfurt-based AES Technik as a value-added reseller for its products in Germany.
As technical services provider and project integrator working with many leading brands, AES is known for its high level solutions across a broad sector including conferences, trade fairs, award presentations and concerts.
Artistic Licence CEO Wayne Howell comments: "As a UK-based manufacturer facing Brexit uncertainties, it's very important for us to maintain a strong international profile and ensure a business-as-usual approach. We have some incredible new products - our trailing edge mains dimmer, sunDial, won the Gold Innovation Award at the show last week - and I think many people will be surprised at just how keen our pricing is these days.
“Growing our European distributor base is an obvious move, and we are excited to be increasing our visibility in Germany through this new initiative with AES Technik.”
(Jim Evans)

Europe - RCF’s TT 08-A II active two-way loudspeaker is now shipping. The smallest member of the TT+ family, the speaker is suitable for applications from live sound to playback and monitoring, corporate events and broadcast studios.
The TT 08-A II offers a maximum sound pressure level of 128dB; onboard DSP provides linear phase filters and crossover, system equalisation, polarity control, fast limiter, RMS limiter and configuration control from the back panel or advanced management via RDNet. The advanced FiRPHASE filtering algorithm optimises dynamics, amplitude and phase patterns while ensuring minimum system latency.
Onboard DSP provides linear phase FiRPHASE processing, system equalisation, polarity control, fast limiter, RMS limiter, and configuration control. All features are accessible and adjustable on the rear panel or remotely via RDNet networked management.
The TT 08-A II offers high sound pressure levels with clarity for use as a main system or in-fill speaker. The cabinet is made of Baltic birch plywood coated with a heavy-duty polyurea paint, making it highly resistant to external damage.
(Jim Evans)

USA - JMT Show Concepts is a specialist in media playback systems, providing rental and operation of solutions for concert touring, corporate events and various one-off special shows. For the past year or more, the company has been an owner of Green Hippo’s Hippotizer media servers.
“When we were searching for new systems for JMT, our number one priority was stability - and we found it in Hippotizer,” says company owner, Jorge Toro. “One of the most amazing things about Hippotizer, which surprised me from day one, is how user-friendly and stable it is to use.”
Impressed by Hippotizer’s reliability, as much as its advanced features and workflow, Toro decided to invest in Boreal+ and Karst+ systems running Hippotizer V4. HippoSchool training was delivered in Orlando by Green Hippo product specialist Cory Froke, and Toro took his new Hippotizers straight out to work. Since then, the systems have been in regular use.
JMT has built a strong presence in the Latin American music market over the years, and has worked on tours and events by artists including Farruko, Luis Miguel and Zion & Lennox, plus any number of music events, cruise ships, conventions and corporate entertainments everywhere from the Caribbean to Canada.
A major recent show for JMT was the Premios Tu Música Urbano. This new Latin music awards show, held in Puerto Rico in March 2019 and televised by Telemundo in the US, reached an estimated 80m people in 52 countries - almost four times the audience for the Grammys. For this production, JMT was responsible for

UK - Norfolk-based LED lighting and control specialist TLS Pixelite has rebranded to TLS Lighting.
The company was founded by Alan Reeves in 2007 and offers control systems for LED lighting as well as bespoke lighting solutions manufacturing and design services.
Reeves reveals that he initiated the re-brand for the purpose of consolidation and simplification, “to create a stronger brand for our customers to identify with, drawing upon the solidity upon which TLS was built”.
The TLS Lighting website now boasts a new portal (www.tlslighting.co.uk) from which visitors are invited to view the company’s projects, its premium lighting and control system products, and learn more about lighting control in its technical knowledge section.
“Taking the time to clarify what TLS Lighting stands for and what it represents to its customers is a very important step that makes an important impression at this stage of the company’s journey,” adds Reeves. “It was important for me to keep the letters in the name and logo as a permanent reminder of the strength and integrity that we built upon and continue to take forward with us.”
TLS Lighting is a specialist dealer for Chauvet Lighting, Chromateq, PixNet, LED Strip Studio and Luxibel.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Blitz has completed its installation of a new radio mic system for the West End musical production of The Phantom of the Opera.
Last weekend, Blitz’s theatre sound team installed a Sennheiser radio mic system at the production’s home of Her Majesty’s Theatre, London.
Blitz has supported producers Cameron Mackintosh Ltd in delivering The Phantom of the Opera since the show opened in 1986 and holds the crown for the longest serving sound provider to the same musical production in the same location in the West End.
The production has also used Sennheiser radio mics since the show began with this installation being the fourth generation of Sennheiser wireless to be instated. The new equipment included EM 6000 Digital Receivers with SK 6212 Digital Mini-Bodypacks and a Wavetool Audio Monitoring Software system.
Martyn Hunt, head of theatre at Blitz comments: “Blitz has worked with The Phantom of the Opera for 33 years and is always looking to make sure we are evolving when it comes to sound production. Such a renowned and successful musical deserves the very latest in sound technology, and we know that this latest investment with the Sennheiser installation will do just that.
“At Blitz we are passionate about our growing involvement with the theatre industry. We are thrilled to be able to bring our extensive expertise to this area and continue to serve the community after all these years.”
(Jim Evans)

France - Lighting solutions manufacturer GLP has appointed Bruno P. Souchaud to head up its newly-formed subsidiary, GLP France.
Souchaud has nearly three decades’ experience in international show lighting, including three years with the French GLP distributor, LA BS.
GLP board member Kasper Gissel comments: “We are fortunate to have the services of such a lighting industry veteran as Bruno. The move will bring us closer to our customers and key LD’s. GLP has been specified by French LDs for many years, and previously we have done business directly with the major rental houses in France. So the timing is perfect for GLP to put a more solid structure in place and to further increase our presence in the market.”
Bruno says he is relishing the new challenge. “When Udo [Kuenzler], Kasper and the GLP team set out to emulate the formula that had worked so well for the UK and Nordic countries, I jumped at the chance, especially given the exciting launch of the Fusion range. I wouldn't have moved for a copycat brand or a brand without GLP’s level of creativity and innovation.”
GLP France will initially operate from Bruno P. Souchaud’s office in Aulnay-Sous-Bois on the suburbs of Paris, close to Roissy CDG airport.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Vampire Weekend is currently touring North America in support of its fourth studio album, Father of the Bride. Much has changed over the past six years, when the band released its previous record, Modern Vampires of the City, but one thing that hasn’t is the group’s continued use of L-Acoustics loudspeakers for its touring PA.
Serving as Vampire Weekend’s FOH engineer for over a decade, Neil Heal has long been a fan of the French manufacturer’s products. “L-Acoustics is simply one of the very best systems out there, and I love the scalability of K1, K2, and Kara all sounding consistently great and working together seamlessly,” he says. “We’re primarily using K2 mains and Kara out-fills on this tour, and I also love the fact that the arrays go down so low, frequency-wise, without ever being muddy. We could almost do shows without the subs, but they’re certainly nice for moving the air.”
For the current North American trek, Solotech FOH systems engineer Ben Malone notes that the typical system configuration for most venues comprises left and right arrays of 18 K2 per side, with adjacent out-fill arrays of 12 Kara on each side for out-fill coverage. Six additional Kara are spread across the stage lip for front-fill, while four ARCS II provide out-fill near the front. A dozen KS28 subs anchor the low-end reinforcement, and the entire system is powered by 24 LA12X and six LA8 amplified controllers.
No stranger to using L-Acoustics Soundvision software to set up each show, Malone has been using the programme’s ne

France - One of the world’s most respected opera festivals has been transformed into a fully immersive production courtesy of Astro Spatial Audio, including the creation of highly reverberant, church-like room acoustics in an historic open-air courtyard theatre.
Founded in 1948, the Festival International d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence returns to Southern France each summer with an innovative programme designed to equally challenge and delight the international opera community.
Productions can range from newly commissioned pieces to bold new interpretations of the classics, filling the Théâtre de l'Archevêché with eager audiences. The theatre is literally housed within the courtyard of the former Archbishop’s palace, where some 1,600 spectators fill two tiers of seating surrounded by the walls of the palace with an open sky above.
For the 2019 production of Mozart’s Requiem, director Romeo Castellucci and conductor Raphaël Pichon were set on creating an immersive experience that evoked the spirit of Mozart’s work.
“The vision was to immerse the audience within the original acoustic context of the Requiem - to help the audience feel as if they were really in a place of worship,” explains audio consultant Rémy Brean. “Of course, that meant altering the acoustic parameters of the Théâtre de l'Archevêché, which is beautiful but certainly not a cathedral! It actually has a short reverberation time so we knew that to increase it we would have to adopt an artificial solution. Our main objective was to create a reverb

UAE - SLS has recently made a substantial investment in Robe lighting fixtures. This included an initial purchase of 50 MegaPointes last year followed by 86 Spiider LED wash beams earlier this year, then 24 Pointes and a pair of DL4S Profiles.
Martin Luiz founded SLS 22 years ago in Dubai to provide full technical production management and design services - combined or individually as required - to a range of different events. He has built his business steadily based on being imaginative and delivering high quality results with outstanding technical expertise.
SLS provides equipment for all major disciplines - lighting, sound, video rigging and staging - and there are currently around 130 full-time employees, all dedicated to working, mainly on a mix of corporate and industrial shows across the UAE and in neighbouring GCC countries like KSA, Oman, Kuwait and others.
Serious expansion in the last couple of years has led to an imminent major relocation of all the current warehouse facilities and the main office into one central hub, a brand-new all-encompassing business premises in the DIP (Dubai Investments Park) area.
The Robe investment was triggered by the frequency of Robe now being requested on artists and band riders and / or LD’s specifications. “There is a clear trend for using a range of Robe moving lights and we need to be on top of this,” says Luiz.
In addition to the demand for Robe, he has always enjoyed a good relationship with Robe Middle East’s GM Elie Battah.
“Efficient and personable service with attentio

UK - Creative Technology (CT) took on the challenge of almost doubling the size of the main stage IMAGs at Reading and Leeds Festival last month, after 25 years working on the event.
Every year over the August bank holiday, festivalgoers flock to Reading and Leeds for two of the most popular festivals in the music calendar. Taking part simultaneously and sharing the same bill, Reading and Leeds Festival boasts an varied line-up with a diverse combination of musical genres with this year’s headliners including The 1975, Foo Fighters, Post Malone and Twenty one Pilots.
This year saw client Festival Republic transforming the Main Stage IMAG Screens at Reading and Leeds Festival, almost doubling them in size from 145sqm to 270sqm. Each of the screens which were made up of InfiLED 5.9 measured 22.5m wide x 12m high.
A custom double curve at each end allowed them to aesthetically wrap around the festival goalpost support structures, opening the stage area and giving the crowd some impressive close-up shots of their favourite artists.
CT supplied and operated Barco E2 switchers and 4K signal transfer to deliver video relay to the IMAGs (each of which were larger than 4K) with the additional provision of four cameras at Leeds, feeding images for the video relay to the IMAGs, all using Brompton processing. UK Rigging provided custom header blocks which neatly covered the overhead rigging, giving the IMAGs a clean finish to fit in with the rest of the stage design.
Dominic Hill, project manager at Creative Technology looking after Leeds Festival

Europe - Belgian-based visual design studio Painting with Light (PWL) celebrates 20 years of utilising multiple media and luminescent sources - including lighting, video, lasers, projection - and content to create inspiring designs and dramatic immersive environments.
The journey has seen it grow from an ambitious dream to a leading international technical innovator and solutions provider.
The company was founded by Luc Peumans in 1999. His vision, imagination, focus and sense of adventure have driven PWL to become the imagineering powerhouse it is today, working across multiple entertainment and leisure industry platforms with a skilled team of dynamic multi and mixed media experts.
PWL’s core business started with designing lighting, video and scenic elements for music tours and festivals, television productions, a diversity of live events and theatre productions.
Peumans’ eagerness to experiment with and try out new ideas helped his work become noticed, which prized open new opportunities and areas especially in ‘crossover’ disciplines like ‘architainment’ which require a broader approach, thinking ‘out-of-the-box’ and the adaptation of light and ‘luminosity’ in its various forms utilising different techniques and treatments.
PWL’s work is now an invigorating balance of projects in these original sectors, plus newer areas where lighting and media installations are integral to creating atmosphere and mood like theme parks, attractions, museums, venues - from bars to live music and dance halls - and buildings (fro

Germany - Colour Sound Experiment returned to the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the 2019 Lollapalooza festival where they were the lighting and LED screen supplier - plus all related sub-rigging - for the Perry’s (Dance) Stage.
The West London-based technical specialist has been involved with the two-day event since 2015 when the Berlin edition of the popular music extravaganza started.
It was the second year for Lolla Berlin at the Olympiapark site, and once again Perry’s Stage was inside the Stadium arena itself, where the line-up was headlined by Underworld on Saturday and Martin Garrix on Sundaysupported by Don Diablo, Scooter, TV Noise and others.
Ricardo Lorenzini (crew chief) and Dave Ross led the Colour Sound crew, who sub hung three LX trusses from the roof plus four vertical tower trusses per side in the mid-stage area. Another lighting truss was rigged either side above the left and right IMAG video screens, and the rest of the fixtures were positioned on the deck along the front of the stage lip and in the stage wings.
The upstage video screen measured 17m wide by 9m high, made up from Colour Sound’s Unilumin Robe CB5 screen, and this was supported by the two portrait-format side screens, each 5m wide and 7m tall, built from BT7 LED screen.
The visual design, including lighting and screens, was created by Colour Sound’s team based on their vast collective experience of lighting multi line-up festival events, and also accommodating the two headliners - Martin Garrix and Underworld - both of whom also brought in substant

South Africa - Having congregated in the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, and filling the venue to its maximum capacity, the CRC Church started a 10-month project to build a new 6,000-seater church in Fourways.
DWR Distribution supplied and installed lighting, audio and AV equipment for the church which opened earlier this year, ranging from a grandMA3 compact console, 64 Robe lighting fixtures, an Absen DWP3.9mm screen, Prolyte trussing, L-Acoustics Kara System and a DiGiCo SD12.
The CRC Church led by Pastor At Boshoff, already has two branches in Bloemfontein, a massive auditorium in Pretoria and 90 satellite meeting points where services are broadcast each week.
“Pastor At is a focused man,” says Robert Izzett of DWR, who headed the install. “He is very straight, honest and doesn’t mince his words.”
While the CRC buildings are similar to each other, they are not exactly the same. Having supplied the previous locations, DWR could come up with a solution to meet the technical needs of the Fourways branch. While the church will ultimately seat 6 000 people, the system has been set out in phases and a basic infrastructure has been put in place for future growth.
DWR and the Install Crew, who assisted with the installation, were part of the project from the onset.
The first striking feature when entering the auditorium is the wedge shape and steeply raked seats leading down to the main stage, where the focus is a large high-resolution screen comprising of 336 panels of Absen DWR P3.9mm.
Complimenting the curves of the

Sweden - Elite Park Avenue hotel is one of Gothenburg’s premier establishments, and also hosts the At PARK restaurant, run by Michelin-starred chef, Stefan Karlsson. Specialist Uppsala-based AV, lighting and multimedia systems integrator, Kreativ Teknik, was commissioned to develop a complete solution including audio and lighting automation for the restaurant and bar, and they opted for Genelec installation loudspeakers.
Kreativ Teknik’s Daniel Landmark comments: “Our first priority was sound quality. We needed to achieve smooth, even coverage and a balanced soundscape at low volumes that is pleasant to listen to without being aggressive or intrusive. However, the system is running almost 24 hours a day and, during the weekend, also needs to be able to run comfortably at high SPLs for several hours when the DJ is in residence. We required a high-quality system with both detail and headroom that was also aesthetically pleasing: so Genelec’s 4000 Series installation speakers fitted the bill perfectly.”
Landmark specified a total of 30 4030C loudspeakers in order to achieve full coverage of the space. “It wasn’t as straightforward as you might think, actually, but fortunately Genelec has solutions for most things!” he notes with a smile. “The first issue was how to physically mount the speakers, as many of the walls in the dining area are covered with murals from Peter Apelgren, a well-known Swedish artist and comedian. However, Genelec has a vast range of mounting options compatible with the 4000 Series, so it was possible to find a good c

USA - On 25 May, country music star Eric Church played a special show at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The show was extraordinary in that it marked the first stadium headlining performance in Church's 15-year career and with 56,521 fans in attendance impressively broke Taylor Swift’s previous venue record.
The show was special for another reason as well. The last date of an extended spring run on the artist’s Double Down tour, lighting and production designer Butch Allen specified 135 Elation Professional IP65 Proteus Hybrids to fill the stadium in beams and effects. The multi-functional weatherproof lights were an addition to a large lighting package that also included some 420 Elation ACL 360i single beam moving heads.
“We chose the fixture as it was the last show of the spring leg, outdoors and a completely different show than we normally do,” says Allen of the Proteus. “Because we couldn’t predict what was going to go on weather wise, the search for an appropriately rated fixture to be in the unprotected part of the stadium was a pretty big task. Once we discovered the Proteus though, it solved all our problems.”
With the help of Robert Roth at Christie Lites, a large number of Proteus fixtures were sourced from a number of different sub suppliers. “The Christie team did a great job. Robert Roth beat the industry hard and found enough fixtures to cover our needs,” Allen says, adding that he finds it stunning that with so many festivals now on the calendar across the US that Proteus fixtures aren’t absolutely everywhere. “I

Canada - ACT Lighting has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Ayrton in Canada, effective 1 October.
“We are excited to further our partnership with Ayrton to now service the entire North American market,” states Ben Saltzman, CEO of ACT Lighting. “Ayrton is the industry’s most innovative brand and market-leading manufacturer of professional digital lighting with unmatched quality and design. Ayrton’s product portfolio and development strategy are the perfect match for the ACT Lighting team.”
“As Ayrton continues to look forward, it makes sense to consolidate our North American distribution strategy,” says Chris Ferrante, Ayrton CEO. “ACT Lighting is the perfect partner, being the best placed company across the region, especially considering the incredible growth we have experienced together in the US market. We are looking forward to the broader partnership the Canadian connection will bring.”
“ACT Canada is very excited to be able to offer this industry leading brand through our full-service Canadian warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario,” adds Andrew Beck, senior vice-president of ACT Canada. “As in the US, Ayrton will strengthen and complement our existing product lines.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Following on from last year’s successful event, Christie is once again opening the doors of its Wokingham office to visitors from the UK and further afield. Held over two days, Christie Connect UK will showcase new projectors for enterprise and cinema, LED displays, as well as content management and processing equipment, all of which highlight the powerful end-to-end nature of the Christie offering. The event coincides with Christie’s 90th anniversary and offers a special seminar programme designed to demonstrate Christie thought leadership on current and future technology developments.
One of the event’s main attractions will be the award-winning Christie MicroTiles LED. For many this will be the first opportunity since its launch at ISE 2019 to see a live demo of the MicroTiles LED. Another attraction will be the Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser projector which will feature in a working display where visitors can see for themselves how this award-winning product raises the bar in projector design, image quality, built-in processing, and connectivity.
“We are very much looking forward to this year’s Connect event,” comments David Griffiths, senior director EMEA at Christie. “Last year we had a great turnout over two full days and this year with MicroTiles and other award-winning products on display we’re expecting another full house. Connect is always a first-class networking opportunity for industry professionals so I’d recommend registering early so as not to miss out and help us toast Christie’s 90 years in business.”

USA - TMB will introduce the first offerings in its new FloppyTape range during Lightshow West, taking place on 25-26 September at the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
Suitable for applications from bespoke retail lighting to the most punishing rock and roll tours, FloppyTape is offered in premium and standard versions. Both versions are also available sealed with a highly protective, ultra-clear, UV-resistant, fully submersible, flexible coating. In support of the range, a comprehensive selection of standard and custom profiles and diffusion accessories are offered.
Currently, FloppyTapes are available in Dynamic White, RGBW, RGB, and RGBA, with many more options coming soon. Also, as a very significant bonus - FloppyTapes are backed by TMB’s world famous service and support.
At the tradeshow, TMB will display a wide and varied selection of proprietary architectural products, many derived from the company’s decades of entertainment and production staging experience. From specification grade decorative and specialty lighting, to temporary power hook-ups, to networking and control, to high quality data cables, to the world’s brightest exterior lighting fixtures, there’s plenty to see at TMB’s stand 126.
(Jim Evans)