South Africa - For the first year, Blond Productions supplied the full technical for the Main Stage and second year at Kyknet Stage at ABSA Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (Little Karoo National Arts Festival - KKNK), with extra equipment and crew supplied by MGG Productions. The Prolyte grid, with the inclusion of 12 new Prolyft Aetos 500kg motors, was lit with Robe fixtures.

The festival, some 1,120 kilometres from Johannesburg and 400 kilometres from Cape Town, is now embraced by all the towns people as accommodation is booked up with people flocking in to see theatre on a big scale - some are hosted in the 'veld' - and to enjoy the big names on stage and wonderful Little Karoo hospitality. This year's festival was hosted from 3 -11 April.

Besides the main stage, which inclu

Switzerland - Derived from their successful Horus and Hapi family of RAVENNA-enabled networked audio interfaces, Merging Technologies has taken their expertise into the consumer market with the launch of their high-end audiophile D/A converter, NADAC.

NADAC, the first ever Network Attached Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC), is available in two versions - stereo or 8-channel - NADAC is the first device to bring the power of RAVENNA networking into the home, thus removing traditional limitations to boost performance to levels never yet experienced in a consumer setting.

So why a networked DAC, and why use RAVENNA? Merging's Chris Hollebone explains: "The modern world has become increasingly dependent on networks, both at home and in our professional environments. As network capacities have increased, more and more people are turning to IT networks for carrying both audio

USA - The New York State Department of Labour is responsible for enforcing labour laws and administering unemployment benefits in the Empire State. This is no small task, of course, and the department's huge team of lawyers, administrators, and investigators do their work in Building 12 at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany, New York.

Constructed in 1963, Building 12 shelters 675,000sq.ft spread over five floors plus a basement, and, until recently, its antiquated emergency paging system was failing in one way or another in most zones. Prime contractor SimplexGrinnell (Clifton Park, New York) subcontracted the design of a replacement emergency paging system to Pro Sound Associates (Guilderland, New York), and Pro Sound Associates owner Dominick Campana relied on Ashly Audio processing and multi-channel amplification to make the system reliable, powerf

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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

USA - Sensaphonics has just completed its first two music industry audiology seminars of 2015 - one for new members, the other a refresher course for Gold Circle audiologists. The Gold Circle programme supplements traditional audiology teachings by addressing the specific needs of the music industry, specifically the need to preserve hearing through the proper use of in-ear monitors and hearing protection.

"Musicians are at high risk of hearing damage, and in-ear monitoring is the perfect opportunity for musicians to listen more safely while actually improving their stage experience," says Sensaphonics president Dr. Michael Santucci. "The Gold Circle programme teaches audiologists how a little knowledge, the right equipment choices, and smarter behavior can help musicians save their hearing."

Six Gold Circle audiologists returned to Chicago for a one-day re

Germany - Audinate, developers of the Dante Audio-over-IP technology, are partnering with leading audio manufacturers to present a day-long workshop dedicated to Audio-over-IP for the broadcast market in Germany. The event will take place on 3 June 2015 at the Senats Hotel in Cologne, and will feature the largest demonstration of interoperable AoIP Broadcast products available and shipping today.

This agenda features informative roundtable sessions covering the latest topics in Audio-over-IP, including WAN and geographical IPs, understanding AES67, the role of control standards, and the importance of network security in a broadcast environment. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from some of the leading audio manufacturers for the broadcast industry, and experience their Dante-enabled products first-hand through several interoperability sessions.

Represen

Tanzania - HK Audio is making sound reinforcement waves in Tanzania thanks to the ongoing work and commitment of the brand's French distributor, Algam.

Two years ago, Algam managing director Jean-Luc Dubois set up a new company - ECAM (East Coast Africa Music) - with the goal of improving the pro audio situation in the country.

Dubois said, "The pro audio market in Tanzania, like in many African countries, is complicated: there are only a few points of sale there, and they only supply extremely cheap products made in the Far East. This results in installations of generally poor quality.

"I created ECAM - which has just one supplier, Algam - with the hope of introducing high quality European products into the African pro audio sector. Even though budgets are much smaller in the African market, we want to make the people aware of the elevated European standards.

&q

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The Many Looks of Zeo

Delivering ultimate brightness and unique looks, Zeo’s distinct face design is defined by a central LED monolith and four reflectors, backed by four RGBW engines. As a blinder or strobe, Zeo promises powerful impact with 30,000+ lumens. With its sheer brilliance and playful effects, Zeo is ready to amplify the energy on any stage.

World - One of the most successful advertising campaigns of 2014 saw multimedia designer Matt Button of Button Light use hundreds of Clay Paky Sharpys in his design for the Castrol EDGE oil viral advert. The ad, which was shown online and in cinemas, sees four cars race the lights in a stunning video that now has over eight million hits on YouTube.

With the concept created by Barney Steel, director of Marshmallow Laser Feast, Button was brought on board to bring the idea to life.

"I was first contacted by event producer Mark Logue who put me together with Barney," says Button. "We sat down and worked out that the best way to do it would be to use lights rather than hundreds of lasers. It was then I knew the Clay Paky Sharpy would be the ideal tool for the job with its fantastic brightness and pure beam."

Set in an old airfield east of Berlin in a dark for

Japan - Popular Japanese singer, voice actress and anime (animation) artist Yukari Tamura played two shows - Lantana in the Moonlight Live 2015 - for 20,000 devoted fans at the Nippon Budokan venue in Chiyoda, Tokyo. These were lit with around 250 Robe fixtures including 24 x Robe BMFL Spots in a design by Kenichi Taira.

Lighting was supplied by rental company M-Tech Style, and as well as being the LD and operator, Kenichi also project managed the event, which was staged with audience sitting 360 degrees all around the back of the stage.

Kenichi is one of the country's leading lighting designer / directors, and has used Robe products in his work for around 10 years. This was his first chance to use the BMFL Spots on such a major and high profile show.

The brief for lighting the shows was to enhance the feeling of moonlight, magic and special starry nights relating to

USA - Willow Creek Community Church has recently expanded its arsenal of Meyer Sound systems with JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers and 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements for two of its facilities. Following these upgrades, every major venue on Willow Creek's main campus in South Barrington, Ill. and three of its regional campuses are now equipped with Meyer Sound.

On the church's DuPage campus, the JM-1P loudspeaker system supports contemporary worship music services in an 800-seat high school auditorium. "The quality and clarity of the JM-1P system is like night and day compared to our old setup," says Stephen Kendeigh, technical director for the DuPage campus in West Chicago. "I had heard the Meyer Sound system at our main campus and was impressed with the sound quality - I knew using Meyer Sound would be a positive experience."

The portable system compr

Italy - Visitors to the Kazakhstan pavilion at the World Expo 2015, which opened its doors in Milan on 1 May, will be taken on a virtual journey through Kazakhstan's rich and varied landscape. Barco Audio Technologies, the Germany-based audio expert that Barco acquired in 2014, delivers the immersive sound system that helps envelope the audience in a fascinating 360-degree virtual experience.

Occupying a total area of 2,396 m2, the Kazakh pavilion aims to introduce visitors to the theme of protecting natural and agricultural resources, culture and the idea of sustainable development. The centrepiece of the pavilion is the Main Show, an immersive 3D stereo full dome theatre supplied by Munich-based dome technologies developer Sky-Skan Europe.

Under the 15m domed projection screen, visitors are whisked away on a virtual flight over Kazakhstan's vast and magnificent landscape, pa

South Africa - At the glittering Naledi Theatre Awards, hosted recently at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg, DWR Distribution sponsored the Best Lighting Design category, which was presented to Daniel Galloway from The Fugard Theatre for his innovative lighting of the hit production of The Rocky Horror Show. Forming part of the prize, Daniel Galloway in turn, will nominate a new up-and coming technician who will receive free mentorship and training from DWR.

Now in its eleventh year, the Naledi Theatre Awards has grown into a prestigious event that recognises excellence in professional theatre. This year's striking set was designed and built by Dream Sets

The awards have honoured over 60 lifetime achievers who have dedicated their lives to SA Theatre. This year, the Award was presented to Shaleen Surtie Richards. Naledi also pays tribute to people in

UK - The green generators of Film & TV Services are a familiar sight on many events and are responsible for powering the location shoots and OBs of countless TV shows and sports matches across the country and around the world. It was started by Eddie and Julie Fegan back in September 1977, their first job being the fire services annual conference in Bridlington, which they lit for BBC News. The work for the BBC grew and they took on two part time staff and a transit van loaded with a couple of redheads and blondes, which ran around doing reactive news and conference work all over the country.

Around 1995, during their early years of the European Golf Tour, Julie and Eddie had been in talks with Barry Johnson from Carlton TV about building their first broadcast twinset. In conjunction with specialist coachbuilders A Smith of Great Bentley and sales manager John Evans, they built

UK - The new Crestron AIR Landscape speakers (LS4T and LS6T) and in-ground subwoofer (IGS82T) offer flexible installation in a range of popular sizes for outdoor applications. Weatherized construction, versatile installation options, and selectable 8 Ohm, 70 Volt, or 100 Volt operation make AIR speakers an iappropriate choice for enjoying music out on the deck, around the campus grounds, or in the garden, says the company.

"These powerful speakers fill the outdoor space and surround you with audiophile sound as if you were indoors, and they blend in with the landscaping so you can't tell where the music is coming from," said Stijn Ooms, Crestron EMEA product manager. "The long stakes and optional tether ensure that the speaker stay exactly where you put them."

The new speakers can be attached to a post or wall, or secured directly into the landscape using t

UK - Reachmaster is a robust, easy to use mobile scaffold tower, that is suitable for a whole range of jobs, from working on low ceilings or decorating internal walls, to maintaining the outside of tall buildings.

Available now, Reachmaster offers "more working heights than virtually any other aluminium scaffold tower in its class", from 2.5m to 8.5m.

Setting up the Reachmaster is made easy, thanks to its folding base frame, which can be wheeled into position even when it's closed. Opening out the base frame and locking the folding gate is quick and easy. Braces snap into place and are colour coded for identification.

Unlike many scaffold towers, Reachmaster includes a folding base frame (measuring 1900mm x 960mm x 360mm when closed), making it compact enough to store and transport easily.

(Jim Evans)

Spain - D.A.S. has launched the Sound Force series of club systems, designed for today's high-level dance venues where exceptional sound, imposing power and impressive looks are key requisites. The new series presently offers four models comprising mid-high, mid bass, and subwoofer options.

The SF-112 is a powerful mid-high 3-way cabinet which allows for passive or bi-amp operation. The mid-range is handled by the new D.A.S. 12HQ loudspeaker. High frequency reproduction is trusted to the D.A.S. M-75N neodymium compression driver used by D.A.S. on a number of their high-profile systems. Both components are mounted to fibreglass horns with a quality "polished" finish. The ultra-high frequencies are handled by twin "bullet" type tweeters mounted on supports.

The SF-215 is a bass system comprising two DAS 15" loudspeakers in a fourth order bass-reflex conf

South Africa - A team from DWR Distribution entered The Jeep Warrior Race hosted by Advendurance at Hakahana Trails near Hatebeespoort Dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa on 10 May.

"It looked like fun," said Nicolet Britz, the only fearless female competitor from the DWR team. "And it was. The best part was the mud pit and jumping from a 6m high platform into the water."

The idea to enter the competition came from Robert Izzett and the team included Keith Pugin and his son Tyler, Eazy Moeketsi, Schalk Botha, Grant Joubert, Nicolet Britz and Duncan Riley.

The Warrior Race is an obstacle course racing series that spans eight events across four provinces. The event features three distances of increasing difficulties, sparking an obstacle-racing craze that has seen the event grow from 40,000 people in the first year to 80,000 since Jeep S

USA - A team of Avolites' powerful Ai EX8 media servers is driving spectacular visuals in Las Vegas's new superclub, Omnia.

Billed as "a new nightlife experience" and created by international lifestyle brand Hakkasan Group, Omnia is situated on The Strip in the world famous Caesar's Palace. Designed by the internationally renowned Rockwell Group, the club spans 75,000sq.ft and prides itself on offering state-of-the-art technology. The club launched with a star-studded party featuring Calvin Harris on DJ duty in March 2015.

Frank Murray from Audiotek supplied and oversaw the AV aspects of the project, working alongside Avolites' Ai developer Ciaran Abrams, who provided support for Ai as it was installed and programmed.

Three Avolites Ai EX8 servers are powering visuals in the opulent main room of the club, which features a huge chandelier as the centrepiece of the v

Russia - This Valentine's Day saw one of the biggest dance events in Russia's history hit its capital. Over 17,000 Muscovites partied hard throughout a three-hour dance mash-up marathon, with lighting designer Konstantin Gerasimov of 4DProject employing an array of Clay Paky fixtures to deliver an electric party atmosphere.

Organised by Russia's popular station Love Radio and Brothers Entertainment Production Company, the show took place at the SC Olympisky and was directed by Anastasia Sinelnikova, with executive producer Svetlana Voronova.

The event saw a record number of acts and sound and lighting equipment used on the night. Among these were a significant amount of Clay Paky fixtures, with Gerasimov specifying 92 A.leda B-EYE K20s, 71 Alpha Spot 1500s, 72 Sharpys and 36 Sharpy Washes from Arlecchino Techno.

"As the Big Love Show was a continuous mash-up of dance we

Mexico - Robe made a big impact at the 2015 Sound Check Xpo in Mexico City working closely with its Mexican distributor Vari Internacional, who this year swapped the space they had occupied in recent years for a larger, more visible booth in Olmeca III. This reflects the success that Vari has enjoyed generally over the last year.

Robe sent Nathan Wan and Steve Eastham to work alongside the Vari team including Hugo Patiño and Francisco Canales, Bruno Carranza, Allan Fernandez, Juan Fco Alvarez (Paco) and Uriel Sanchez.

For the first time, it also featured one of Robe's famous light-shows, created with all the latest products.

On the sales side, sales director Harry von den Stemmen from Robe International rocked up, together with Robe's regional sales manager for Latin America, Guillermo Traverso.

The Robe Stage was located prominently right at the entrance of Olmeca III. I

USA - Reminders of St. Albans' rich history are everywhere in this picturesque small town at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers. There's a monument honouring one of the area's first property owners, George Washington, who worked as a surveyor here prior to the American Revolution and a plaque commemorating some of the oldest Native America artefacts found in the US. When visitors step inside the town's Maranatha Fellowship Church, however, they're instantly transported into a thoroughly modern 21st century worship environment.

Elite Multimedia of Nashville, TN worked closely with Kelly Casebolt, Maranatha's media manager, to give the church's worship centre a bold, more engaging new look using some of the latest technological tools available. At the centreof their design is a 40ft wide HD SDI video screen with triple wide projection and flanked by additional LCD scree

UK - Terry Murtha and the team at S+H Technical supplied a spectacular selection of starcloth, soft goods and video products - adding plenty of sparkle and razzmatazz - to the 2015 Herald Business Awards, which celebrated the brightest and best local business achievements in a glittering event at the Plymouth Pavilion venue.

S+H was contacted by the event's organiser Kate Nesbitt, who was recommended to the Ilfracombe, Devon based company by colleagues. It was the first year that Kate had organised the Awards, started in 2011 by the Plymouth Herald newspaper.

The 650 plus guests entered through a 12m long starcloth entrance through which they entered the venue. The tunnel was fully wrapped in S+H's red velvet Pea-Light Starcloth - the same product that has featured on Strictly Come Dancing.

As they exited the tunnel into the main Pavilion auditorium, people the

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