UK - Harry Parslow, managing director of TourLife, which provides support services for the touring and live entertainment industry, has been shortlisted for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category at the 2020 Great British Entrepreneur Awards for the South West region.
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards - which will be held on 23 September via a virtual ceremony for the first time - has shortlisted 550 entrepreneurs and 433 businesses across eight regions in 15 categories, including Creative Industries, Disruptor, Scale-Up and Young.
Launched in 2012, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards have celebrated and championed the entrepreneurs behind some of Britain’s upcoming and influential businesses.
Music industry disruptor TourLife, which is celebrating its fifth year in business this month, were founded in 2015 by the then teenage Harry Parslow. The company was created to bring about a new business model to support artists, producers and entertainers, by offering a single point of contact for them.
TourLife has built its business on providing on a range of key support services which include creative services such as videography, photography, merchandising and live streaming services, to on the ground support including tour management services, and luxury transport. Over the last five years, TourLife has worked with DJs, artists, bands and brands including The Game, Xzibit, Annie Mac, Charlie Sloth, Danny Howard, Defected Records and Ministry of Sound.
Parslow comments: “Being amongst some of Britain’s best industry leaders f

UK - Like a ghost ship at bay, the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury stood eerily silent when Rob Sangwell and his team from Fineline Lighting visited in early July.
In its isolation, the stage served as a metaphor for the state of the live entertainment industry, believed the Fineline team. This led them to select it as the site of their Light It In Red display.
“We wanted to do something big and we considered many local landmarks, but the pyramid stage was the best choice, because it is such a recognizable structure,” said Sangwell. “Plus, in its current form, with no stage deck or sheeting, it’s very representative of the state of our industry today. The Pyramid Stage is a steel skeleton waiting for the talented crews and companies who usually descend on the site in June to transform it into the spectacular production space we all know and love. We knew that if we could get permission, it had to be the site we lit.”
Included in the kit that Fineline used to light this redolent site were 28 Maverick Storm 1 Wash, eight Maverick Storm 1 Spot and four Maverick MK3 Profile fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Controlling the kit with a ChamSys MQ100 console, they positioned the wash fixtures all the way around the interior of the Pyramid. Orienting these units downstage, the design team used them to highlight the main steelwork supports and accent the structure’s shape.
The spot units were positioned in a line across stage roughly where the upstage video screen is typically located. These fixtures were used to boost the brightness towar

China - JBL Professional has introduced the JBL Professional AMP Series of presentation audio systems to the Chinese market.
The JBL AMP (Amplifier, Microphone and Processor) Series brings JBL fidelity and performance to “versatile, intuitive, all-in-one audio systems for classrooms, meeting spaces and small-scale speaking environments”.
The collection, which includes AMP150 and AMP350 integrated amplifiers, AMP-H wireless handheld UHF microphone and AMP-N wireless hands-free/neck-worn UHF microphone, lets presenters communicate clearly and consistently without worrying about system operation - regardless of their A/V experience level - thanks to robust connectivity options, built-in effect presets and one-touch wireless sync. A choice of 40 UHF channels ensures interference-free operation in multi room facilities.
The 150-watt AMP150 and the 350-watt AMP350 let users optimise speech presence and intelligibility with built-in pro-grade EQ and reverb effects and tailor system response with DSP presets including filters, auto-gain and automatic feedback suppression.
Two wireless microphone choices support any presentation style: The handheld AMP-H dynamic microphone features a supercardioid pattern to emphasize the speaker and minimize surrounding sounds; the hands-free/neck-worn AMP-N condenser microphone can be adjusted to ensure clearest voice capture and optimum speech intelligibility. Dedicated Mute buttons on both models block out noisy distractions. Wireless microphones seamlessly synchronize with AMP150 and AMP350 processors, makin

Italy - Pro audio manufacturer dBTechnologies is launching the latest member of the Vio family: a compact three-way active line array system equipped with two 10” woofers and one coaxial MF/LF compression driver. It is billed as “a compact PA system able to deliver astonishing power and impressive SPL alongside the most harmonious and consistent audio performance”.
Vio L1610 is a three-way active line-array system, entirely equipped with neodymium components.
Each Vio L1610 acoustic engine is driven by a Digipro G4 Class-D amplifier module featuring 1600 W RMS along with the latest developments in dBT’s amp technology.
The system takes advantage of a one-of-a-kind low latency processing resulting from its powerful DSP featuring linear phase FIR filters.
The Digipro G4 amp comes with a modular slot for expansion cards: as a default, Vio L1610 is equipped with dBTechnologies RD-Net card for real time remote control via Aurora Net software. Nevertheless, the system is ready for upgrades with Audinate Dante protocol for digital audio stream as well as well as real time control purposes.
As a support for networking purposes, each Vio L1610 cabinet is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC™) system and a frontal LED used to recognise each single module within the remote control software Aurora Net. 
Vio L1610 comes with Vio series’ peculiar three-point rigging system allowing a smooth and fast set up of the system. The two front links easily connect the modules. The back central rigging strand is equipped with a

France - After two years of technological design and an alignment of production with market requirements, Verlinde has announced the widening of its range of Stagemaker electric chain hoists dedicated to the entertainment industry.
The new Stagemaker SL5 and SL10 models with their load capacity of 500 kg to 1000 kg (1 fall) and 2000 kg (2 falls) integrate Verlinde's latest technological developments: innovative design, toughness and enhanced power ensuring faultless reliability while complying with international standards, says the company.
From the first model with its reverse-purchase block system launched in 1975 Verlinde's Stagemaker range has enjoyed popularity worldwide in the entertainment industry and show business.
Boasting an entirely ergonomic design, Stagemaker hoists are fitted as standard with double brakes, retractable handgrips and protective rubber pads. The new SL5 and SL10 models will further ensure IP66 protection, a rating currently being certified for the motor as a whole.
The hoist shell is protected by a 70μm black epoxy powder coating enabling resistance to extreme environments (-10C° to +40 C°). Two versions of the SL 5 and SL 10 models are available: (A) with forward voltage and (B) with low voltage. These 2 new lifting units are upgrades on the previous SR5 and SR10 versions and so complete the current range of models alongside the SR1 and SR25.
The new SL models are D8+ compliant as standard with SPQ2 (code of practice): the positioning of the clutch in the gear box ensures load holding by the brake whatev

USA - Area Four Industries Direct America has recently received new stock of Prolyte products for immediate availability. This initial stock includes truss and accessories for the 30/40 series trusses, an array of hardware and accessories, and the popular LSU Ground Stack LED wall support system.
The Verto truss and other Prolyte products will be arriving in the coming weeks as Area Four Industries Direct America continues to ramp up efforts to expand the presence of Prolyte in North America.
“In spite of the obvious challenges this year, we have continued to receive multiple requests for products and we are excited that we are now able to fulfil those requests,” said Prolyte business development director, Keith Bohn. “With stock available near both coasts, we are able to more efficiently manage the demand throughout the country.”
Prolyte products are in stock in Knoxville, Tennessee and Thousand Oaks, California as well as Prolyte’s long time distribution partner A.C. Lighting in Toronto, Canada.

UK - The musical, The Prince of Egypt produced by Dreamworks Theatricals, Michael McCabe and Neil Laidlaw, opened on 25 February at the Dominion Theatre, London, following 20 sold out previews (see a detailed production report in LSi July 2020).
Video rental specialist, Universal Pixels (UP), has supplied a 162sqm Leyard CLM10 screen for production. Configured as a single 18m x 9m screen, it provides a stunning backdrop to the dynamic scenic design.
Adapted from The Book of Exodus, The Prince of Egypt - written by Philip LaZebnik - was first released as an animated musical film in 1998. Featuring songs from Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz and a score from Hans Zimmer, it earned critical acclaim as a cinematic milestone. The theatre show has 10 new songs from Schwartz, together with five from the original soundtrack. It is directed by his son Scott Schwartz with choreography by Sean Cheesman, set design from Kevin Depinet and costume designs by Ann Hould-Ward.
The story is set in ancient Egypt and follows two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, who find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, while the other must rise up and free his true people.
Forming part of a multi-faceted stage design, the video wall from UP brings depth and dimension to the visual spectacle - lifting the show from the stage into a world of starry skies

Europe - Professionals from across the global concert touring industry have joined forces to form the PSA Tour Production Group (PSA TPG) in order to provide a unified response to the impact of COVID-19 on live music events.
The body is a new arm of the Production Services Association (PSA) and includes tour managers, production managers, safety professionals, venue and festival managers, travel and logistics specialists, promoters, and industry suppliers.
The Covid-19 Working Procedures Guidance outlines how touring productions - which include one-off shows, festivals and live events of any size that require moving personnel and equipment to a new destination - can better align with suppliers, venues and promoters through consistency and consultation to assist risk management relating to COVID-19 transmission.
Based around a hierarchy of control (including elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administration and PPE) and a responsive threat scale, the guidance details different levels of design, schedule and control measures appropriate to conditions. These measures include social distancing, health declarations and monitoring, hygiene and cleaning, and mitigation.
Members of the PSA TPG have worked for artists including Madonna, Queen + Adam Lambert, Sam Smith, P!nk, Kings of Leon, Robbie Williams, Spice Girls, One Direction, Adele, U2, BST Hyde Park, Reading Festival,

UK - Audio post production facility Pip Studios is now fully open, offering Dolby Atmos capability from its six purpose-built Atmos stages on its site in Winnersh, Berkshire. Co-founded by Ally Curran, Mark Sheffield and Nigel Bennett, Pip aims “to bring its expertise to bear on offering state of the art audio localisation services for feature films, television, gaming, and streaming industries”.
The six Atmos stages are all Dolby certified, equipped with 24-fader Avid S6 mixing consoles, and aligned for theatrical and home entertainment mixing. The stages have been built and equipped by leading suppliers, including Level Acoustic Design, Westwood Joinery, HHB Scrub, Bell Theatre Services, AKA, Wire Broadcast, Jigsaw 24, and Dolby.
“The COVID-19 pandemic delayed our official opening by a month, so we used that time to further refine the facility,” comments Pip Studios chairman Nigel Bennett “Happily, we were able to keep building it out with only minor delays on certain materials. The UK production sector has lacked Atmos capacity for a while and opening these six stages now is perfect timing as production starts to ramp up again.”
Pip Studios will offer a wide range of audio services, including localisation services and ADR recording.
“We have designed a facility that meet the needs of our clients, whilst ensuring the space is adaptable for a variety of audio work and new business,” says Curran. “As a completely new and independent facility we are also able to offer highly competitive rates, as well as being agile and respon

Poland - The Tauron Arena in Krakow is a popular venue among artists, promoters, working crews and music fans on the normally busy year-round European arena touring circuit, but like most venues, it lies shuttered and empty while the live entertainment industry is ‘on hold’.
Lighting designer Maciej Hofstede from design / creative direction specialist Of Course, based in Bochnia, who would usually be juggling a full schedule of tours festivals and band shows, decided to go large when it came to participating in the recent #LightTheSky Poland lighting action.
He was among several other companies and organisations from Krakow joining the event on 1 May, including the FOH Foundation, the Tauron Arena, Studio Techniki Oświetleniowej (STO), Mediam and TechnoStage - in a show of strength from the second largest cities in Poland.
Maciej and a crew of four - lighting crew chief Sebastian Szafrański plus Artur Szewczyk, Bartosz Syguła and Sławomir Broszkiewicz - created an impressive heart-shaped lighting installation in the Tauron Arena’s parking lot. The shape was inspired by the LightTheSkyPoland logo.
All the lighting equipment for the heart was supplied by Lighting Techniques Studio (STO), coordinated by Sławomir Broszkiewicz, and this included 20 Robe Pointes, 14 Spiiders and 20 LEDWash 800s which were arranged in the massive heart shape, while other parts of the building and the surrounding areas were illuminated with LED floods and Sunstrips, all programmed and run from a grandMA2 console.
“The goal was to make a light-work t

UK - Event suppliers T.H. Collective, Fineline Lighting and Mechanical Mouse have teamed up to launch a new broadcast studio, TH e.Space.
Offering a full range of remote broadcast services, the studio is located at T.H. Collective’s Bristol headquarters and enables customers to produce remote video content while observing social distancing guidelines.
In addition to recording and editing the broadcast, the team at TH e.Space can offer clients a wide range of services including Q&As, live polling, speaker coaching, live captioning, graphics and more.
Nick Hobbs, director at T.H. Collective, comments: “We’ve launched TH e.Space as a direct response to the changing needs of audiences due to the coronavirus pandemic. During lockdown we’ve all become very accustomed to consuming remote content and this new studio offers a higher production value for businesses looking to take their video broadcast to the next level, all while observing social distancing.”
Fineline Lighting director Rob Sangwell adds: “TH e.Space offers organisations looking to produce a virtual or hybrid event the opportunity to create high quality, professional video content.
“As a number of restrictions remain in place for live events and large-scale business meetings, having a virtual component will give organisers the potential to reach a large, international audience from the comfort of the studio.”

UK - Electro Kabuki has started a process to enhance its website. The site at https://electrokabuki.com now offers an online ordering and payment facility covering the entire range of Electro Kabuki systems, components, accessories and spares for UK delivery.
With the new e-commerce and shopping cart functionality, web visitors can now select from over 20 different products lines including Starter Packs, Flight Cases, individual Electro Kabuki dropper modules and an array of accessories.
In this first phase of the website’s upgrade, online ordering and delivery is limited to destinations in the UK, with ex-VAT prices listed in pounds sterling. The second phase will see this functionality rolled out to other geographic territories and currencies.
“The shopping function is live and working,” comments Electro Kabuki product specialist Tim Lloyd. “For now, our online operations only scope the UK while we fully appraise our shopping cart technology. People trust Electro Kabuki with proven engineering expertise at its heart and this must apply equally to our online transactional procedures. Once we are satisfied, we plan to extend the scope of online ordering and payment.”
Overseas Electro Kabuki users can still use the website to select items and automatically assemble and submit a list of materials to obtain a quotation that will include shipping costs in local currency.

Belgium - Fuse has been a significant landmark in Brussels’ electronic music scene for more than a quarter of a century. The 1,200-capacity club, a converted cinema, which regularly plays host to leading artists, labels and promoters, has evolved with the times, and remains one of Belgium’s most successful electronic music institutions.
When the Coronavirus pandemic took hold, Fuse, like every other nightclub found itself in a bleak space. Closed with immediate effect as lockdown was enforced, business was halted overnight, leaving the club to contemplate an uncertain future. Determined to find a way ahead, the Fuse team began to consider its options. Assuming that as the virus was brought under control and lockdown conditions might be eased by degrees, the club’s team began to think creatively about how they might begin to recover some ground.
With indoor venues set to remain closed in Belgium through to September, Fuse searched for an outdoor venue that would allow social distancing. Working in co-operation with both city and regional authorities, the team located an ideal space near Brussel’s city centre. In a short time, the new space was configured to meet regulations that allowed customers to enjoy the venue. A stage was built to house the DJ booth, Plein Air by Fuse opened its doors at the start of July.
The key element in the creation of this new experience was a sound system that could provide the requisite audio quality and coverage to create an authentic ‘club’ environment outdoors. Fuse chose to work with Pioneer Pro Audio in

Costa Rica - Aiding Alvaro Piedra in a production of Cicatriz (Scars) was a newly acquired ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 that he used to create a unifying architecture of shapes and colours that pulled together the intricate facets of this interdisciplinary production, which involved some 40 choreographers, theatrical directors, dancers, actresses, , video designers, costume designers and stage designers.
Taking place at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica School of Dance in late 2019, the production won the national Mireya Barboza 2019 award for best designed dance show in February. It captivates audiences by presenting a series of stories built around its central them.
“The movement and choreography are what set the pace for our stories,” said Piedra. By creating textures and moods with colours and patterns, lighting supports these stories.”
This production marked the first time that Piedra used a ChamSys console. He recalled how the MQ80 contributed to his creative effort, making it easier for him to manage the variety of looks called for by the show’s procession of stories. He was also impressed by how the fluidity of the console’s user interface allowed him to change fixture positions and colours in less time.
“In a production such as this one, where there were so many components and so many changes of scene, it was very important to have a smooth workflow,” said Piedra. “The ChamSys console aligned with my creative process. This was fantastic, because it let me focus on what is truly important, telling the story a

Germany - Madrix now grants five years of limited manufacturer’s warranty on hardware products.
Average hardware failure and return rates of its high-quality products 'Made in Germany' had first been published on the company's website over a year ago. Standing at 0.1 %, it is extremely low across the range of devices. Such an enormous reliability and the very positive experiences of customers over the years have led to the decision to offer these new benefits, says the company.
The limited warranty covers the following products: Aura, Luna, Stella, Nebula, Orion, USB One and USB SMPTE.
All technical manuals have already been updated and can be downloaded from help.madrix.com

USA - In February 2021, NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet. The spacecraft will have the capability to capture imagery and sound as the Mars 2020 vehicle descends through the Martian atmosphere and lands on the surface of Mars. To capture sounds from the Red Planet for the first time ever, the Mars 2020 Rover will be outfitted with a selection of equipment from DPA Microphones.
DPA’s 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone will capture the audio while the MMA-A Digital Audio Interface will be used to record and send audio to a computer through its USB connection. Both mics will be paired with MMP-G Modular Active Cables, which act as ultra-transparent preamplifiers.
DPA won the contract from JPL based on its products’ ability to perform under demanding environments and the ability to deliver industry standard communication interfaces. DPA microphones can withstand the extreme conditions associated with space travel, leave a small footprint and connect to a computer with a USB interface. “These products will be in space indefinitely, which is a testament to DPA’s quality and resiliency,” says René Mørch, product manager at DPA Microphones. “We are honoured to be a part of this mission.”
The trip to Mars is expected to take seven months and will subject the Rover to extreme temperatures (environments could be -100°C/-148°F), travel pressure both in and out of the atmosphere and intense vibrations associated with travelling in a rocket. The spacecraft design team has created a specialised enclosure to mount

France - The beginning of the modern French nation is celebrated each year on 14 July, with events taking place all over the country - but this year’s National Holiday was quite different due to the pandemic.
Lawo mixing consoles provided the audio quality for the traditional Concert de Paris taking place on the Champs du Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower - Lawo’s sixth successive year serving both the live and broadcast sound requirements.
The FOH consoles used were a 48-fader mc²56 production console for the orchestra mix, and an mc²36 all-in-one console for the soloists. A 48-fader mc²56 took over the monitor tasks in a setup with a 16-fader mc² extender that was used in order to allow social distancing between the two operators. Working over the Optocore fibre-optic network deployed by Radio France for the live sound system to connect the event’s mixing consoles and I/O systems, the Concert de Paris proved again to shift audio standards and operating efficiencies to a new level.
Separate preamp control for FOH and monitors and a split to the Lawo mc²66 console used for the broadcast mix in a Radio France OB vehicle enabled use of the on-air console’s own stageboxes and DALLIS mic preamps.
The Concert de Paris is one of the largest classical music events held anywhere in the world with as many as 500,000 spectators on-site in pre-pandemic years, and is followed by a traditional firework display. The show - featuring the Orchestre National de France and the Chœur de Radio France, along with internationally renowned soloist

France - Pro audio solutions manufacturer Nexo has unveiled its smallest point-source speaker to date and a companion subwoofer.
Measuring just 130x130x120mm and weighing 1.7kg, the ID14 is the latest addition to the company’s ID Series of compact speaker cabinets. ID14’s dual concentric design features a coaxial 4” LF driver with 1.3” voice coil, and a 1.4” diaphragm for the HF. The speaker is offered with two directivity options: a 100°x100° horn as standard, with an asymmetric alternative offering 90°x140° dispersion. Like the series’ larger ID24, the new speaker is housed in a weather resistant polyurethane enclosure.
ID14 can be used standalone or in a distributed system, for front-fill, infill or delays. Thanks to availability in black, white or another bespoke RAL colour, the speaker is particularly suitable for installations and can be a creative and unobstructive solution in historic buildings, houses of worship, airports and hotels. The speaker can also be used for immersive and surround sound applications.
When paired with the companion subwoofer ID S108, they form a three-way system, ideal for small clubs and bars. Using a high efficiency bass-reflex design, the ID S108 features a long excursion 8" neodymium driver precisely tuned to match the frequency response of the ID14. Like the ID14, the ID S108 is available in touring or installation versions, in black, white or custom colours on request.
Two versions will be available - an installation version with a fabric front grille and a cable gland with two-core cable f