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Portugal - Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe recently held a workshop on lighting at the Teatro Ibérico in Lisbon.

In the tenth edition of the seminar Lighting The Stars, Patrick Woodroffe, who has designed the lighting for the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, the London Olympic Games and numerous other events of international significance, shared his most notable and thrilling experiences, including a touching tribute to Michael Jackson, with whom he was preparing a tour mere days prior to Michael's early demise.

He then proceeded with a live practical exercise, in which he created a lighting design for a musical piece chosen without his knowledge, revealing some of the secrets of his art and technique.

The event was organised by SLS, Claypa

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Ireland - PSI Production (PSI), a lighting, visuals and rigging production specialist with offices based in Belfast and Dublin, recently made a significant investment in Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance fixtures through Ireland’s official Martin distributor, Entedi.

This new addition to PSI's inventory complements last year’s investments in the MAC Aura XIP, MAC Aura PXL, and MAC One.

"The acquisition of the Martin MAC Ultra Performance units not only elevates our portfolio but assures our clients that they are working with a company at the forefront of live production capabilities," said Brian Reilly of PSI. "I was particularly impressed by the impactful punch and striking beams that are sure to redefine audience experiences at live events."

Brian further commented, "It is always a pleasure to work with the Entedi team. Their to

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Spain - Ibiza Rocks recently replaced its aging sound system with a comprehensive Harman Professional live audio solution consisting of JBL Professional loudspeakers to ensure high-impact audio for its guests while minimising disturbances to local residents.

Originally conceived as a live music night at Manumission, Ibiza Rocks aimed to introduce a performance dynamic to the island, initially emphasising live bands. Over time, this focus evolved to include both live bands and DJs as headliners. In 2008, Ibiza Rocks transitioned into a hotel, featuring an iconic poolside stage and a full schedule of events throughout the season.

The Ibiza Rocks team recently collaborated with Harman Professional Solutions to enhance its pool parties with a new stage position and upgrade to a JBL Professional VTX A-Series sound system, allowing for increased sound leve

Leeds - Main Banner - Apr24
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ETC Ministar

ETC introduces the High End Systems Ministar, a game-changer in our automated lighting product line. Ministar brings exceptional versatility and performance at an affordable price point; with a compact footprint, punchy output, and a professional feature set, Ministar fits the spec and budget for small to medium-sized venues.

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USA - CAST Group of Companies has announced Visual Endeavors (VE) as a creative solutions provider for BlackTrax in the United States.
Based in California, Visual Endeavors is headed by Aron Altmark and specialises in technical producing for XR, live events, and immersive experiences, integrating BlackTrax into its tech stack to enable clients to ‘leverage the power of real-time tracking and automation across projects’.
Aron, having first encountered BlackTrax in 2018, has since utilised the technology in various projects including installations with over 500 moving lights and 200 static lights. With BlackTrax also being used on numerous high-profile projects including Carrie Underwood’s Reflection, Las Vegas residency, and the 2024 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the company is well placed to take BlackTrax further.
As a creative solutions provider, V

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UK - PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the north from 14-15 May, along with a programme dedicated to delivering knowledge and inspiration for all those working in the live events and entertainment technology industry. Sponsored by Vectorworks, this year’s programme is the biggest ever, and the first wave of seminars has just arrived. Register for PLASA Focus Leeds to gain unlimited access to all these sessions, and more.
Lighting design and sustainable tech
Jonathan Haynes and Stuart Porter from White Light will discuss the processes and challenges of enhancing your lighting rig. This seminar follows on from last year’s seminar on sustainability and is aimed at venue managers and technicians as well as sustainability advocates and manufacturers.
Robe will host two seminars: a journey into why CRI and colour rendition matter when choosing LED lighting – aimed

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UK - The Profile Awards, a new lighting design awards programme, has launched in the UK. Created and coordinated by Durham and Jennie Marenghi in association with the ABTT, the ALPD and the STLD, the awards recognise lighting design excellence in Theatre and Television in the UK and will take place at the Alexandra Palace theatre on the 6 June 2024.
Alongside eight Theatre awards and six TV awards there will be a Student Virtual Lighting Design competition and the Richard Pilbrow Lifetime Recognition Award in the name of Richard Pilbrow, by kind agreement with Richard’s family and sponsored by Theatre Projects.
The Theatre Awards are judged by UK theatre critics and are not open to nominations, whereas the Television Awards are judged by broadcast professionals and can be nominated by anyone. Winners will receive special trophies - Patt 23M fixtures on

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Gender Pay Gap - The gender pay gap in the cultural sector has increased for the second year running and is now wider than the overall UK gender pay gap, latest figures reveal. Data published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport last month shows an estimated gender pay gap of 15.2% in the cultural sector as of April 2023, up from 14.2% the previous year. This means that for every £1 men were paid, women were paid just under 85 pence.
This disparity is greater than the average gender pay gap for all employees in the UK, which stood at 14.2% as of April 2023. The culture sector includes performing arts, literature, visual arts, public broadcasting, museums and galleries, libraries and the visual arts. The data marks the second successive year of increase in the gender pay gap in these industries. Between April 2021 and April 2022, the gap increased by 3.1 percentage
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Strictly FX Highlights

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!

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USA - For Silver Spoon, a real-time graphics and animation company, the 2024 Super Bowl live broadcasts on CBS and Nickelodeon presented an opportunity ‘to redefine the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of augmented reality and live broadcast’.
Central to this endeavour was Stage Precision, whose SP tracking and control solutions played a pivotal role in orchestrating several broadcast firsts during this year's show.
"The scale and complexity of the Super Bowl demanded a bullet-proof solution that could seamlessly integrate across multiple broadcasts and platforms,” recounts Matthew Houstle, director of technology at Silver Spoon. “SP's tracking solutions emerged as the linchpin of our operations, providing us with the precision and reliability we needed to execute our vision.”
Part of the vision was to bring the Super Bowl to a younger aud

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UK - Full Production, the Berkshire-based specialist in the design and delivery of entertainment technology solutions, has completed the move to a much larger premises, with significant new facilities.
Located in Ruscombe, between Reading and Maidenhead, with fast access to the nearby M4 motorway and Heathrow Airport, the new site offers an attractive new working environment for staff and clients alike, including enhanced workshop, prep and testing areas, a meeting and training room, increased office space and a new, fully equipped Vis Suite.
Founded by Steve Richardson in 2010, Full Production offers complete technical resources to the entertainment production industry, from lighting, sound and rigging to staging and video. The company has also been focusing on adding facilities and capability to its in-house workshop, increasing its activity in advanced solutions R

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Europe - The inclusion of Holoplot products in the latest EASE 5 update, will allow users to investigate the possibilities and impact of using Matrix Arrays in their venue, or any venue. Users can model Matrix Arrays and Beam Optimisations in the company's Plan system design software to view sound pressure level simulations. The resulting array configurations can now be exported to EASE 5 for further analysis based on closed-room simulation.
AFMG’s managing director Stefan Feistel and Emad El-Saghir, fellow at Holoplot, explain how the collaboration came about and how the inclusion of Holoplot’s advanced loudspeaker systems in EASE 5 Second Edition will benefit all end users.
“The changes required to accommodate the complexity of Holoplot X1 and X2 data will benefit all end users of EASE 5, with the enhanced support for cluster-type GLL files recently released

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UK - Described as “a futuristic VR experience”, Sandbox VR offers teams of six the opportunity to visit original worlds, experience journeys to space or survive zombie ambushes.
Inspired by Star-Trek’s Holodeck and described by customers as “the greatest VR experience they have ever had”, the advanced audio-visual specification and installation for this attraction was entrusted to London-based Crossover.
Sandbox approached the specialists to fit out the three floors of the Post Building in London's Covent Garden - a former Royal Mail Sorting Centre that had previously sat derelict for 20 years.
Selection of the right products was paramount and careful consideration had to be given to the challenges around the acoustics and structure of the building. For sound reinforcement they opted for Martin Audio’s CDD coaxial differential dispersion series, as th

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Germany - The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is known for its scientific research into molecular biology. Created in 1974 and funded by public research money from its 28 member states, EMBL’s Heidelberg headquarters now houses the new permanent exhibition World of Molecular Biology. It offers a vibrant, interactive exhibition celebrating the work, people, and technologies at EMBL and in molecular biology.
EMBL recently commissioned an innovative audio installation undertaken by AV specialist D J Willrich, a UK-based systems integrator with experience in AV visitor attractions, including the National Motor Museum in the village of Beaulieu in the New Forest. As part of the EMBL project, K-array Tornado speakers were installed throughout the facility, delivering highly intelligible narration to accompany the informative exhibits.
“We were brought on boa

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The Netherlands - Robe’s Netherlands distributor, Controllux, recently staged a new workshop concept dedicated to television, film, studio and broadcast lighting and multi-camera environments, highlighting how specific Robe product ranges and innovations can be a huge asset for DoPs, lighting designers, directors and gaffers.
The one-day event was the brainchild of Controllux’s Romec Berendsen and was hosted at Allard Studios in Amsterdam, reaching a capacity attendance of 35 comprising gaffers, DoPs, lighting board operators and technicians active in the film, television, and commercials sectors.
The idea was spawned following a Robe factory tour that Romec had conducted in the Czech Republic, with gaffers from all around the Netherlands. The idea was to collect everyone in the familiar surroundings of a studio and introduce products with which some would be fam

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Mexico - The Adam Hall Group is further expanding its international sales network with the appointment of OHM Distribution as sales partner for Mexico. OHM Distribution is one of the leading distributors for AV installations and is now the exclusive distributor for the Adam Hall Group brand Cameo's lighting technology solutions.
"We are very much looking forward to working with the Adam Hall Group," comments Bernardo Moya, who together with Hector Ortega and Jens Hollich forms the management team of OHM Distribution. For Bernardo Moya, Mexico is one of the most dynamic event markets in Central and South America, offering a wide range of opportunities for modern event technology manufacturers. "The distribution partnership marks another milestone in our company history and it fills us with pride to distribute Cameo's pioneering lighting solutions in Mexico. Together, we will

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UK - Midwich UK&I companies, PSCo and Sound Technology, have signed an exclusive distribution deal with StageSmarts, the manufacturer of intelligent power distribution used in touring, festivals, and prestigious venues all over the world.
From this week, the full line up of intelligent power distribution solutions from StageSmarts is available through both companies in the UK.
Steve Fay, managing director at Sound Technology, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome StageSmarts to our market-leading professional audio and professional lighting portfolios. We’re always looking at ways to support our customers in delivering successful events and adding the intelligent power distribution products into our mix means they can have peace of mind by protecting their equipment, the event, and their investment.”
Stuart Holmes, executive director for solutions at PSCo

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USA - Bandit Lites has announced the promotion of Craig Richter to project manager- designer. With more than 14 years at the company, Richter began his touring career at Bandit as a lighting technician on Rascal Flatts, and then progressed as an LD for various artists, including Seether, Miranda Lambert, Chevelle and Halestorm. He’s also acted as crew chief for countless productions such as Bonnaroo’s Main Stage, Firefly Festival Main Stage and Nashville’s NYE Mainstage.
“One of the best things I have always liked about working at Bandit is the stability and ability to grow through the company,” said Richter.
“Craig and I have worked closely during his entire tenure at Bandit,” said Jake Tickle, Bandit’s vice president of business and innovation. “He brings bold ideas, a truck load of passion and well-seasoned knowledge base that will help Bandit to

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UK - Headquartered in Finland, Sunborn is a specialist in the floating hospitality sector and has aspirations to achieve a carbon zero property portfolio by 2025. While looking to provide more sustainable products with its new builds, the company is also working with a range of technology partners to retrofit its existing fleet, including TVC Technology Solutions whose technical AV manager, Tiago Borges, was welcomed on board to overhaul the London venue’s aging audio network.
Originally dropping anchor in 2003, the hotel was upgraded to a second-generation vessel in 2016 with more rooms and events spaces, and even more flexible requirements.
“The boat was still using its original audio system and was only partially operating as a network,” says Tiago. “It was a digital system made up of a mixture of different technologies and manufacturers. It used a central

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UAE - The 2023 UAE Union Day Ceremony is one of the highest profile annual spectacular events staged in the United Arab Emirates, created by the event’s creative director, Es Devlin at Dubai’s Expo City.
Lighting was crafted by Bruno Poet working with project co-lighting designer Max Narula, and the event reunited most of the technical and production team that had delivered the highly successful 2022 event.
Bruno and Max decided to run this show, directed by Fransisco Negrin and Gavin Robins, as an all-grandMA3 control system, running mode 3, making use of several features to improve the complete production workflow, from drawing to remote updates on stage.
The system comprised six grandMA3 full-size consoles (three pairs each with fully redundant backup) and three grandMA3 lights which were used for technical desks, running with 11 grandMA3 processing unit

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France - Nexo has expanded its P+ series point source loudspeaker range with three new sub-bass speakers, the L15-I, L18-I and L20-I.
Developed specifically for permanent installations, the new models are a development of the existing touring versions, and feature fabric-covered front grilles and quick-connect push connectors with IP cover protection.
Available in black, white or custom RAL colours, cabinets feature threaded inserts on the back and both sides for use with a comprehensive range of mounting hardware.
L15-I, L18-I and L20-I subs feature single 15-inch, 18-inch and 20-inch long-excursion neodymium drivers, extending the LF response of a P+ Series installation down to 40Hz, 32Hz and 28Hz respectively.
At the same time, Nexo has announced a new V3.1 release of its NeMo remote control app for a group of NXAMP and NXAMPMk2 Powered TD-Controllers, n

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USA - While spatial audio was taking over the recording industry, the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas - an immersive 5,000-capacity concert and entertainment venue - introduced it to the live music scene as well. Every year, the multi-level theatre welcomes countless musical acts that take the stage and deliver immersive performances. This includes high-profile artists like Carrie Underwood and Enrique Iglesias.
With immersive audio being a relatively new format in the live industry, audio professionals working these shows have had to approach their mixes from a different angle. This was the case for front of house engineers Tim Holder and Brad Divens, who worked on shows for Underwood and Iglesias, respectively. Knowing that the clarity and definition of their mixes was more important than ever, both engineers required high-quality microphones with detailed, natural repr

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UK - Busking Tom Odell’s Black Friday Tour on a ChamSys MagicQ 250M Stadium console, Joe Beardsmore of Phosphor moved seamlessly in sync with the Brit Award winning singer-songwriter and his seven-piece band, blending shadows and brightness, silhouettes, and distinctive light angles to underscore the heartfelt narrative of this roughly 90-minute show.
Helping him accomplish this was a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12, Color STRIKE M and Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures, which like the rest of the kit, were supplied by Colour Sound Experiment. (Phosphor supplied two ChamSys consoles.)
Beardsmore positioned 32 of his PXL Curve 12 fixtures around the top of his flared truss. He then arranged 28 additional units on the floor. The fully pixel mappable motorised battens with 12 independently controlled heads helped him achieve his vision
  1. The Thorn enthrals audiences with Elation
  2. Phoenix rises to the occasion for Ed Sheeran
  3. Broadweigh hits the road with Madonna
  4. Rock Centrum appointed Linea Research distributor
  5. Ruben Block looks to glide with Chauvet
  6. Absen LED lights up Birmingham’s Bullring
  7. Schouwburg Gouda switches to LED with Robe
  8. Quantums shine in Shanghai arts centre
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