South Africa - DWR Distribution is co-hosting the Robe Roadshow South Africa. Present at the event will be Josef Valchar, CEO of Robe Lighting, and Harry von den Stemmen, international sales director, who will be introducing the new Esprite and Tetra this December.
The roadshow kicks off in Cape Town at the Roxy Revue Bar at the Grand West Casino on 2 December. Those living in Durban are welcome to pop in at the Grace Family Church in Umhlanga on 4 December. The last stop will be at DWR Distribution Johannesburg on 6 December. Demonstrations will be held on the hour from 10am to 4pm each day.
While the event is free of charge, attendees are asked to RSVP at the DWR Distribution website.
(Jim Evans)

USA - The new Maverick Storm 1 Spot just introduced by Chauvet Professional, will be showcased at the company’s LDI booth (9370).
The Maverick Storm 1 Spot delivers a flat even field of light with variable CMY + CTO colour mixing to create a wide palette of colours. Creative featuress include its 8° to 48° zoom angle and field angle, 16-bit dimming for smooth control of fades, five-facet motorized and rotating prism, animation wheel, iris for beam control, and independently controlled light and medium frosts.
In keeping with its flexible design, the versatile Maverick Storm 1 Spot offers a wide array of gobo options. The fixture has seven glass rotating and indexable gobos on Wheel 1 and nine metal static gobos on Wheel 2.
Compact enough to allow easy installation on any rig (it weighs in at just 38.19 kg or 84.2 lbs.), the Maverick Storm 1 Spot is powerful enough to punch through the light from other fixtures or video panels on stage. The fixture’s 32,000 lumen source and illuminance of up to 28,829 lux (at 5 meters) ensure that it can makes its presence known on stage even during daylight hours.
A user-friendly fixture, Maverick Storm 1 Spot offers a variety of control options, including DMX, RDM, WDMX. ArtNet and sACN. Its easily accessible menu system makes it simple to adjust control protocol, as well as features like fan control, pan and tilt, and dimming mode.
“We have developed the Maverick Storm 1 Spot with real world applications in mind,” says Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “In designing this fixture, we didn

UK - Lighting designer Steve Cameron utilised Vista by Chroma-Q’s Vista 3 lighting & media control system to deliver full concert production values for the Wella 2019 TrendVision Awards, held at London’s Roundhouse.
The Awards are the pinnacle of the annual contest, which recognises some of the UK and Ireland’s most impressive hairdressing talent. Hosted by TV’s Vernon Kay and hairdresser Patrick Cameron, it was attended by 800 industry peers.
With the event putting creative talent centre-stage in a venue steeped in rock ‘n’ roll history, and music’s inescapable influence on the fashion world, the occasion called for a concert-style lighting rig to give it an energetic, theatrical look and feel, whilst at the same time still delivering for its corporate AV requirements.
As a long-time Vista user, Steve knew the control system would deliver his vision, and be able to produce both corporate and rock ‘n’ roll aspects.
He comments: “Vista’s creative visual workflow and graphical interface make complete sense. I can use my time more productively by getting the design into the desk quickly and, in combination with the fantastic FX Engine, keep my attention on the show itself.”
Taking advantage of the Roundhouse’s circular space, Steve’s design was based on the clock face, with 12 spines splaying from a circular truss above the stage and guests.
He utilised Vista 3 to provide lighting & media control for a rig of over 300 fixtures and over 16 universes. In addition to over 130 Martin VDO Sceptron 10 pi

Czech Republic - Prague-based Elvia-Pro has taken on the distribution of German fibre network specialists BroaMan in the Czech Republic, following a request from private commercial station, TV Nova.
Formed in 1993, Elvia-Pro specialises in management, engineering and project work within the broadcast sector, and manufactures and installs equipment for OB and DSNG trucks, specialising in main broadcast organisations such as Czech TV, TV Nova, TV Prima, TV Barrandov and production houses.
It was TV Nova who were largely responsible for the new distribution arrangement. “They came to us with a request for BroaMan devices,” recalls Tomáš Kocáb, Elvia-Pro’s sales product specialist. BroaMan technical sales manager Maciek Janiszewski made a professional presentation at TV Nova, leading to the new distribution deal, which was formalised on the BroaMan stand at the IBC Show in Amsterdam.
“Aside from TV Nova, we had also received further BroaMan inquiries from TV Prima, while a film school requested a Repeat48,” Tomáš continues.
The company will now embark on an aggressive marketing campaign, as Tomáš Kocáb explains. “We have shown our Mux22 demo units to all the main broadcasters, and we also have Repeat48 in our professional ProfiCam Centrum showroom in Prague. We also present all BroaMan products on our professional web page (e-shop).”
(Jim Evans)

Europe - Philips Professional Display Solutions and Hutchison Technologies worked together to bring transformational change to a leading fitness club with a UK and European roll-out of high impact LED video walls and digital signage. Founded in 1982, David Lloyd Leisure operates David Lloyd Clubs, providing family orientated fitness and leisure facilities across 99 UK sites and a further 15 across mainland Europe.
Looking to meet the demand for HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and the explosion of boutique-studios, the fitness giant met the trend head on with the creation of Blaze. Housed in its purpose-built studio, the standalone instructor-led facility combines cardiovascular training with strength, boxing and martial arts skills to give an intense workout.
Available in 54 sites (with more being added throughout 2019 and beyond), David Lloyd Clubs required an innovative, premium quality Europe-wide display solution in order to create a more immersive and personalised experience for members during classes, whilst also maximising new marketing and engagement opportunities to attract new members and ensure a return on investment.
In order to not only meet but surpass expectations, AV integration specialist Hutchison Technologies - a long term partner of David Lloyd Clubs - teamed up with Philips PDS for the installation of a range of premium Ultra HD connected digital signage and video wall solutions both inside and outside every Blaze studio. Each display runs off a single secure network - bringing true change to David Lloyd Clubs.

UK - Edinburgh-based production services and dry hire company, Blue Parrot, has taken delivery of Scotland’s first Ayrton Perseo-S IP65-rated LED fixtures. The occasion also marks Blue Parrot’s first investment in Ayrton fixtures which are destined for a very busy life in hire stock.
“We've just received our shipment of 14 Ayrton Perseo IP65 units and we're very excited,” says Blue Parrot managing director, Jonnie Clough. “We’ve been searching for a solid solution for an IP fixture of this kind for ages.”
Perseo is Ayrton’s first multi-function, compact, powerful, IP65-rated fixture developed for intensive outdoor use. Perseo produces 27,000lm from its 500W LED source, and sports a fully weather-proof housing with a new water-resistant menu navigation system to handle “whatever the weather can throw at it”.
Clough was first introduced to Perseo, along with the full range of Ayrton LED fixtures, on a visit to the Ayrton headquarters in Paris in the company of Ayrton’s UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions. “To be honest, I wasn’t specifically looking for an IP-rated fixture at the time, but when I saw Perseo, I was immediately intrigued. They instantly caught my attention, firstly because they were LED, and secondly because they were much brighter than our existing discharge stock, which was a great surprise.
“But the main factor to clinch Perseo above anything else is because it is a really good light that just happens to be water-proof. They are small and light with fantastic output and packed full of features. Yo

USA - The popular Focus Spot Two compact moving head fixture from ADJ has been upgraded. With increased brightness thanks to a new 100W LED engine, the Focus Spot 2X model inherits all of the award-winning features of the original fixture alongside the addition of a second six-facet prism to give lighting designers even more creative potential.
ADJ’s Focus Series is a range of LED-powered moving head luminaires designed to offer the best possible combination of brightness, feature-set and build quality in the small-to-medium class. Since its launch in 2016, the series has proven immensely popular with both lighting designers and installers looking for compact, potent and reliable fixtures for events and installations. It has also been a big hit in the mobile entertainment market, with the Focus Spot Two winning the Pro Mobile magazine award for Lighting Product of the Year in 2018.
The new Focus Spot 2X features a 100W cool white LED light-source - increased from 75W, is highly efficient and offers an operational life of approximately 50,000 hours. The light output from the LED is concentrated through an advanced optical system to create a seriously impressive beam that is capable of cutting through ambient light to generate striking mid-air effects and impactful surface projections.
As an added bonus, the Focus Spot 2X is also equipped with a separate 3W UV LED. This is independently controllable and means that the fixture can also be used to bathe a stage or venue with atmosphere-enhancing ultraviolet light.
The Focus Spot 2X features mu

UK - In 2009 the 11-mile stretch of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal won the UNESCO World Heritage Status. Situated on the border between England and Wales is the Chirk Canal Aqueduct & Railway viaduct which is a part of the route. This aqueduct was finished in 1801 and has been an important landmark and way of transportation for the region ever since. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site the Welsh Canal & River Trust wanted to do something special.
Enlightened Lighting was commissioned through winning a competitive tender process put forward by those leading the project: The Glandŵr Cymru, The Canal & River Trust in Wales on behalf of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal World Heritage Site Partnership.
The project formed an exciting challenge for Enlightened Lighting and for their lighting designer, Ben Dodds. He incorporated 36 units of the Showtec Helix S5000 into the setup.
"Enlightened’s continued investment in pro equipment such as the Helix S5000 Q4s enabled the team to fully realise their design at Chirk Aqueduct,” says Dodds. “The team chose the Helix because of their high brightness, ease of changing lenses and the range of beam shaping accessories that they come with out of the box. Some of the arches are almost 30m tall, so it was vital to have a fixture that’s bright enough, had the right lens choices and that could withstand the damp & muddy conditions on site."
Dodds’ decision to use the Helix S5000 fixtures paid dividends, lighting the 200-year old World Heritag

Germany - Nature One, one of Europe's largest festivals for electronic music, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2-4 August. Consequently the event, which has been based on the former Pydna rocket base in the Hunsrück mountain region since the second year, was simply dubbed ‘The Twenty Five’.
As always, at the centre of the festival site was the huge dancefloor, named Open Air Floor and as in previous years, Gerdon design was responsible for the entire production design. Here dancing takes place in the open air, while the majority of lighting technology - as in a real club - is above the heads of the audience, attached to a 26 x 26m truss construction which was raised to a height of 15m.
Although Nature One does not rely on a lush and decorative backdrop construction like many other EDM festivals, the stage, which measures 46m wide, 18m high and 16m deep, was y impressive, as DJs took their place under the stage roof, renowned from Genesis' 2007 Turn It On Again tour.
While the aim of creating something new every year has been upheld in recent years, the organisers of Nature One decided in this special anniversary year to develop a new design template, with a value that will be further developed in subsequent years.
An essential design element this year was the creation of 48 sheet metal pyramids (in 2 x 2m sections), which were directly attached to the Layher stage construction. These were clad with 25 x 100cm LED panels and equipped in the centre of each with a GLP KNV Cube.
"This gave the stage, which previously consisted

UK - Penn Elcom has launched a new range of its premium flat pack 19" racking Credenzas, manufactured and tailored to meet the high standards of custom installers working in all market sectors - from commercial to residential and entertainment.
These are available in two, three, four, six, eight and 12U variants and in two high-quality wood-style finishes for maximum versatility in all types of built environment.
Demand for the products has been fuelled by numerous factors including changes in digital technology and the need to combine elements of home entertainment / smart-home and commercial / industrial systems into good looking integrated packages.
Each pack includes two pre-threaded steel rails and a set of four non-marking feet. The panels are specially made from tough 25mm high resin density melamine faced chipboard, which is durable, featuring 2mm solid wood edging for excellent strength and desirable aesthetics.
Penn R0863 rack-strip rails can be fitted at the rear for easy access, and there is a choice of two depths - 300mm / 11.81” or 500mm / 19.69” - designed to provide customers with the right unit to house all manner of rack hardware.
(Jim Evans)

Columbia - RCF has appointed the newly-created RCF LATAM as its distributor for Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean.
The company has strong roots in the professional audio industry, boasting more than 20 years’ experience.
Although RCF LATAM’s main office is located in Miami, collaboration with new commercial partners in Colombia will now ensure full availability of inventory.
RCF LATAM director, Jose M. Gonzalez, comments: “Our company is fully committed to the distribution and positioning of RCF as a leading brand within the designated markets. The owners of RCF LATAM have successfully distributed the RCF brand for several years, and their aim is to develop the brand in the weakest markets and support its presence generally in Latin America.”
RCF export sales manager, Luca Agazzi adds: “We wanted a new company focused 100% on RCF, that comprised experienced audio industry professionals.”
He confirmed the enduring relationship with RCF LATAM’s Frank Peruyera (via Tropical Music and All Music) and Jannios Jiminez (via Italian based Art Music Group). Jose Manuel Gonzalez has also been in the business for many years, he said, representing both RCF (during his time at All Music) and other premium audio brands.
“This move makes the business neater and more systematic,” continues Agazzi. “Colombia has always been influenced by trade coming from the US, so gathering the business in one company will ensure improved control and stability in the area.”
The new company marked its debut at InfoComm Colom

Indonesia - Guns N’ Roses, continue on their Not in This Lifetime tour – the third highest grossing tour of all time. The 48,000 fans at their GBK Stadium show in Jakarta were treated to a set of new and classic songs from the band’s extensive library.
The crowd was also treated to the clarity of the Clair Brothers i218 speaker system, which was the first choice for sound reinforcement and also happens to be the largest format system available in Indonesia.
Clair Brothers’ audio consultant in the region, Wayne Grosser reports: “The i218 system has been the first choice for touring artists in the GBK Stadium - it’s been a great success for many of the local promotors and production companies. I would particularly like to thank Indonesian production company and Clair Brothers rental partner, Total Audio, and its sound director, Sadat Effendy, along with his team for supplying all the gear well ahead of this scheduled show.”
Several Clair Brothers products were used exclusively for the entire main FOH system. In tandem with the four main hangs with 16 i218-Ms in each, there were 36 iS218-M ground subs, 12 i212-M front fills, plus four delay towers with eight i212-Ms in each tower. All amplifiers were Clair Brothers CB-PLM20K amps. The touring FOH console used was the Yamaha Ravage PM10.
Grosser continues: “FOH engineer Caram Costanzo produced an amazing mix that sounded great throughout the whole stadium. The system engineer for the tour, Josh De Long of Clair Global, and I worked together to ensure we had even sound cover

USA - DMX control specialist ELC Lighting will unveil its latest innovation, designed to enable the creation of fully-redundant DMX networks.
Until now, redundant DMX networks could be built right up to the ethernet-to-DMX node. However, the last link in the essential chain of lighting data - the DMX cable itself - always remained vulnerable as a single point of failure. With the new Redundant DMX feature, lighting production crews can rely on ELC Lighting’s dmXLAN nodeGBx system to provide automatic, seamless take-over in the event of damage or disconnection of the DMX cable, or even of partial network failure.
"The lighting industry asks for more and more redundancy, to ensure that the show always goes on," says ELC Lighting’s support and application specialist, Henk-Jan Blok. “In today’s production environment, it should be inconceivable that a system should fail simply because a single item or DMX cable fails, but this was not possible with DMX before now. A single DMX cable could take out a complete run of lights - and it has happened.”
Now, however, ELC Lighting’s dmXLAN nodeGBx system offers complete system redundancy. To enable this redundancy, the user simply connects the last fixture from the DMX run back into a nodeGBx unit and configures this port as a ‘DMX backup’ via the standard dmXLAN software interface. This ensures a smooth and seamless takeover in case of failure in the DMX run.
“In this way,” says Henk-Jan Blok, “the last remaining vulnerable part of the lighting data distribution chain is now also fai

USA - AV Stumpfl will present its AT64-Shift system for large mobile projection screens and the new Pixera media server software version 1.2 at this year's LDI show in Las Vegas.
With the AT64-Shift, it's possible to assemble a large mobile projection screen in minutes and to adjust its' height in a matter of seconds.
No extra measuring is needed to ensure that the frame is level, due to a clearly marked height scale.
Based on the same principles as the revolutionary T32-Shift, the AT64-Shift projection screen legs can be used for much larger mobile projection screens and are compatible with all mobile AV Stumpfl screen systems.
Another highlight of AV Stumpfl's LDI booth will be a presentation of the new Pixera version 1.2 software, which was released only a few days ago.
Pixera itself is a multi-award winning 64-bit system for real-time media processing, compositing and management, built around the key theme of usability.
Pixera’s new features include a live preview editing capability. This lets users edit timelines in the preview window while the output shows content from a different section of the timeline. This allows changes to running shows to be previewed by the operator and then blended into the output on the fly.
Pixera version 1.2 also includes the ability to export videos from the workspace, either containing the entire venue or the content of a specific screen. A new set of pixel patching tools has also been seamlessly integrated into the UI. They allow users to reposition content pixels on the output as nee

USA - Prolights will show its latest technologies at the upcoming LDI Show on stand 2953 (Prolights) and 2354/2346 (A.C. Lighting).
Prolights will present an in-booth show involving over 200 lighting fixtures every hour starting at 11:30am. The booth features the time-coded show and interactive demo stations which will allow visitors to have hands-on product demonstrations.
The exhibition will be the occasion to celebrate the success of the Prolights brand in the North American market which is being accomplished through the close cooperation with distributor A.C. Lighting. LDI also provides the stage to showcase latest products including Pixiewash XB and popular fixtures including the Eclipse FS profile.
The Prolights stand will host multiple events including an Italian “Aperitivo” that will be served on Friday, 22 November from 4pm.
LDI 2019 will also be the official launch platform for “an important announcement from the company”.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Void Acoustics has added two additions to its touring audio catalogue in ArcM 12 and ArcM 15, part of the Arcline series.
ArcM 12 is a lightweight, versatile monitor, with multiple working angles, allowing use as either a near field booth monitor or conventional stage wedge. The aesthetically-pleasing low profile design creates cleaner stage lines and a more visually appealing view for the audience. In addition, pole mounting or wall mounting is possible for front-of-house purposes.
Acoustically, FEA analysis has significantly reduced port noise and air distortion, says Void. The 12” ArcM 12 is unpowered, allowing it to integrate with touring operators’ existing infrastructure. With a frequency response of 60Hz - 18kHz ± 3dB, the maximum continuous output is 130dB, reaching 133dB peak output.
In terms of mobility, measures have been taken to reduce weight, while maintaining an ergonomic design to appease manual handling requirements. Weighing just 19kg (41.9 lbs), this small, reliable monitor is ideal for touring and easily be moved using the comfortable, robust handles, making light work of truck packing after dismantling a stage.
The slightly larger 15” ArcM 15 similarly offers simple integration and all the benefits of the ArcM 12, weighing 22.5kg (49.6 lbs). Frequency response spans from 50 Hz - 18kHz ± 3dB, with a maximum continuous output of 130 dB and a peak output of 134 dB.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Chris Hoff, FOH engineer for rock band Styx, relies on JBL 7 Series Master Reference Monitors to help him dial in studio-quality sound during live performances.
Styx released The Mission, their 16th studio album and first original release in over 10 years in 2017. When the band began touring to support the new record, they enlisted the help Chris Hoff. In order to deliver consistent sound in a wide range of venues, including some with less-than-desirable mix positions, Hoff relies on JBL 7 Series Monitors to make sure his live mixes stack up to Styx’s studio recordings.
“We multi-track every show and I needed a way to compare the live mix I’m doing to the albums,” says Hoff. “The only way to really replicate what's going to be coming out of a PA is to have reference monitors in front of you. It makes it easier for me to bounce back and forth between the album and my multi-tracks to try to match up effects, balances and panning.
“The 7 Series monitors give me a great reference to what I'm actually sending to the PA. When I'm in a really bad mix position, I'm basically mixing off of these and trusting that what I’m feeding to the speakers is translating to the audience.”
Before each show, Hoff uses the previous night’s multi-track recording to tune the PA system. JBL 7 Series monitors provide him with the clear, detailed sound he needs to accurately identify and react to the subtle acoustical challenges of each venue - and according to the fans, Styx has never sounded better.
“One of the blessings, and pos

Europe - Alan Parsons is probably one of the most demanding artists. In the late '60s / early' 70s, he worked as a sound engineer on milestones in music history, including the Beatles albums Abbey Road and Let it be, as well as on Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother and Dark Side of the Moon. As a musician he experienced in the 80's the highlight of his career with his Alan Parsons Project. At that time, however, he barely performed live, as the technology at that time was unable to reproduce the sound of his songs as he had produced them in the studio.
Meanwhile, professional audio technology has caught up, and so dared Alan Parsons to tour again with his recent album The Secret. PM Blue from Hamburg was responsible for the eight-day tour of the musician through Germany. The lighting concept was realised in cooperation with AVM from Schwanewede.
As to be expected, the requirements for the sound engineering in this case were particularly high, as Timo Hille, junior project manager and audio specialist at PM Blue confirms: "Since Alan Parsons was and still is very successful as a producer and recording engineer, his requirements with regards to the sound quality are particularly high. In addition, musically there’s a lot going on with Alan and his seven-member band; The complex arrangements of the songs, in which many instruments overlap, especially in the low-mid range between 120Hz and 800Hz, demand a good mix on one hand, but also a really high-resolution sound system on the other hand."
Pro-ribbon systems from Alco

UK - Prolight Concepts Group has appointed Ollie Wilkinson, who will represent the company as in-house technical sales manager. Wilkinson has been working in the lighting and entertainment industry for over 12 years and was previously employed as head of lighting for ArranPaul. He brings a broad working knowledge from his experience of planning and organising equipment and staff for nationwide touring shows and lighting large scale events.
“I am looking forward to stepping into the role of technical sales manager here at Prolight,” says Wilkinson. “I feel my wealth of experience and knowledge of working hands on in this industry will benefit the company in many ways. It’s a fantastic team and I am excited to be part of the journey.”
(Jim Evans)