UK - Martin Audio has released details of a new book, The Martin Audio Experience. A glossy hardback book featuring nearly 150 photographs, it charts the history of Martin Audio, from its humble yet highly transformative Dave Martin origins right through to the modern day era of MLA.

It has been edited by James King, director of marketing, who said of the project, "It's been a labour of love over the last four months and we've been so lucky to have some really insightful interviews and amazing photographs from our partners covering the Dave Martin era, as well as leaning on some superb stories and photos for the current MLA success."

King continues, "We wanted to produce something for everyone in Martin Audio so they could always be connected to the company's roots, as well as a thank you to our long serving partners around the world, and of course our pe

UK - When Gary Willn reviewed the varied roster of work being serviced by his long running company, CSR Lighting, he sensed that the versatility of SGM's LED portfolio would not only provide unique solutions for him, but also his many dry hire customers.

The Nuneaton-based company opened their account by ordering a batch of P-5 LED washlights. "I have an enjoyment of outdoor projects and SGM's IP-rated products are wonderful - taking the industry to the next level," he says.

Aside from providing RGBW colour washes of building exteriors he has also found great application of the fixture for permanent side stage washes on theatre shows, using the white light through the 43° lens. "On the other hand we also undertake a lot of corporate work and for these a complete colour mix, or mix of pastels and whites, is essential."

He said that in the regular Ch

USA - Belying its modest exterior, The Troubadour has featured prominently in the entertainment history of Los Angeles almost since the day it was opened in 1957 by the late Doug Weston.

Showing no signs of slowing down after nearly six decades, the legendary venue, which was named by Billboard in 2014 as one of the top five must-play clubs in the country and by Rolling Stone the year prior as the second best rock club in America, has just become even more attractive to touring artists with a major upgrade of its PA system to L-Acoustics components. Rat Sound Systems, Inc. of Camarillo served as the designer, supplier and installer of the venue's new house system.

Dave Rat, president of Rat Sound, and general manager Paul Freudenberg began discussing the upgrade - the first for over two decades at the club - with The Troubadour three years ago. "With the ven

UK - British alt.rock band Dry The River spent the second half of February on a UK tour to promote their latest album Alarms Of The Heart. With budget and space requirements at a premium, a Yamaha QL1 system was the ideal solution for engineer Lee McMahon to mix both front of house sound and monitors.

Last year, Lee and the band decided that the best way of getting consistency from show to show was to move from wedges to in-ear monitors, with touring a console making it possible for Lee to mix them as well as the house sound.

"I had to consider the logistics of carrying an audio control package in a splitter van alongside a full backline, so the QL1 and Rio3224-D combination was the ideal lightweight, powerful system," says Lee. "The tour took in venues where floor space was at a premium, so I wanted a solution that wouldn't eat up sellable areas. The siz

Ireland - High Kirk Presbyterian Church in Ballymena has upgraded its PA system with a Martin Audio MLA Mini Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array, supplied and supported by Ireland distributors, Rea Sound.

After two years of research - visiting trade shows and suppliers, reading specifications and reviews, and listening to systems - it was going to take something special in a speaker system to please the church's technical team; and they found what they wanted in Martin Audio's award-winning MLA platform.

The requirement had been for a complete replacement of the PA system in the 600-capacity church. According to Rea Sound's account manager, Roger McMullan. "Shifting emphasis to modern worship music meant that the old system, which was 20 years old, could no longer cope."

After extensive listening tests, the team came down unanimously in favour of the MLA Mini.

Restr

UK - On 28 February the Odyssey Arena in Belfast played host to the boxing match relayed on live TV in the UK, featuring super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton defending his title against American Chris Avalos. Boxing in his home city, Frampton, also known as 'The Jackal', defeated Avalos inside five rounds and continued his winning streak.

Creative Technology's (CT) services were engaged to supply the IMAG screens rigged above the ring. Four 18sqm displays were flown from truss using CT's new ROE MC7 LED tiles and fed with the live footage also broadcast on ITV.

Paul Seeger, CT project manager, commented, "This was an important fight in the boxing calendar with 11,000 people watching in the sold-out Arena.

"Our aim was to enhance the audience's experience which was achieved through the use of our new 7mm resolution tiles. With their high levels of brightness an

Indonesia - With the opening late last year of The Mirror Lounge & Club, Seminyak, the international vacation hotspot on the west coast of Bali, has become an even more popular tourist destination. With a capacity of 1,000, the club is the latest, and one of the largest, high-profile additions to the Seminyak scene.

To accentuate the club's distinct layout and features, local integration firm Monalisa Tunggal Jaya (MJT) selected a wide array of Martin Professional lighting fixtures, which they've been installing across Indonesia since 1996.

Owned by Indonesian entertainment organization All In, Mirror caters to an eclectic mix of both local and foreign clubbers. Panelled mirrors are mounted in the corners of the club, which features high ceilings and a rectangular floor plan oriented around the DJ, dispersing the crowd to the sides of the stage.

"Even with Mirror's high

South Africa - Metric Halo, maker of high-end professional audio interfaces, plug-ins, and sound analysis software, has appointed Benjamin Pro Audio as its distributor in South Africa.

Based in the South African capital of Pretoria, Benjamin Pro Audio specializes high-end equipment for studios, acoustic consultation, and acoustic design. It will handle Metric Halo's entire product line, from its flagship eight-channel ULN-8 preamp/converter to its Production Bundle of plug-ins - and everything in between.

"Benjamin Pro Audio's extensive knowledge of the gear they sell for use in the studio and on location, as well as their commitment to finding the right solutions for their customers, will serve Metric Halo well," said Stu Buchalter, Metric Halo's vice president of worldwide sales

"They're passionate about audio, and they only sell equipment that they believe

USA - Verizon Wireless is turning up the wow factor in stores and malls around the United States, from their two-story flagship store in Chicago to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, to Houston, Santa Monica, and Boston.

Smaller "Smart Store Plus" locations that include some, but not all, of the new design features of the flagship stores are also making appearances around the United States starting in Seattle.

One of the first video features customers see when entering the stores is the Brand Focal, a video column consisting of over 100 Christie MicroTiles. The feature sits at end of the entrance walkway and displays the Verizon logo on a dynamic, animated background that interacts with shoppers using the motion tracking technology of Microsoft Kinect.

Further into the store, shoppers can explore features of various phones and service plans on the Product Wall, a

UK / USA - Noble Audio, the California-based IEM and CIEM specialist, has unveiled its first UK demo facility. The new resource, which is based in London, makes the entire Noble Audio range of IEMS available for demonstration. Visitors can also have ear-impressions taken for Noble Audio's bespoke-fit models.

As of March 2015, Noble Audio's full product range, which starts from just £230, will be available to try from an easily accessible smart London facility. Noble Audio has partnered with a high-profile professional audiologist, Gisele Flower, to demonstrate the range and take the impressions.

Based in north London with a regular consultancy in Harley Street, Gisele Flower is also known as the 'musician's audiologist'. Gisele's clients include some of the world's best-known musicians and bands. Noble Audio's uncompromising high-performance in-ear monitor range has prov

UK - A final few tickets are available for Rob Halliday's Computers in Entertainment talk tonight at the National Museum of Computing, Bletchley.

In his talk, Halliday will look at how computers moved into entertainment lighting, from pioneering systems such as Strand's IDM up to the remarkable Lightboard created for the National Theatre, which still has some tricks that the current generation of PC-based control systems in use today can't replicate. The common link across all of these systems: lighting's critical need for things to happen right now, right on the beat of the music or the snap of an actor's fingers, not a few moments later when the computer decides it's ready.

The event takes place at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley, Milton Keynes on Thursday 12 March 2015. Doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets range in price from £4.50 - £7.50.

To purc

UK - Star Events took a depth of infrastructure and technical expertise to Southampton for the Queen to officially name P&O Cruises' new £473m flagship, Britannia - at 143,000 tons, the biggest ship built for the British cruise market.

Subject to strict accreditation and security checks in step with the event's Royal profile, Star Events supplied a 20-20 roofed grandstand, seating 1,325 invitees, a performance stage, ground support for an LED screen and PA, as well as a tiered press platform.

The company also devised a solution for the quayside fix of the zip wire behind the bottle smash. Working closely with the technical production manager Kal Butt and a US specialist team led by Mike Walsh, Star had to overcome the tidal effect on the height of the ship and the fixing point at the middle of the grandstand.

Star Events' project manager, Phil Addyman, comments, "

UK - Lively US pop punk band All Time Low have just completed a co-headlining UK arena tour with UK rockers You Me At Six, and are kicking off their new Future Hearts album campaign.

All Time Low's Boston based lighting designer Jeff Maker lost no time in specifying Robe's BMFLs on the rig, together with an all-Robe floor package comprising 24 x Pointes, 27 x LEDBeam 100s and 11 CycFX 8s. These joined the overhead rig - shared with You Me At Six - comprising 18 x BMFL Spots and 18 x Robe LEDWash 600s.

Jeff worked closely with You Me At Six's LD Louis Oliver from Okulus on creating the production design for the tour, with Leeds based Zig Zag Lighting appointed as the tour lighting contractor. As the second UK rental company to commit to buying Robe's new signature moving light, Zig Zag actually purchased their BMFLs to go on the Gaslight Anthem UK tour at the end of last

UK - CUK Audio has announced a series of training seminars across the UK and Ireland, to coincide with the release of the new X Series amplifier platform from Powersoft.

The amplifier platform is designed with the most advanced power supply present in any power amplifier, says the company. This is combined with the most powerful DSP platform, an impressive power density of 44,000 Watts in just 2U of rack space, and Dante enabled versions. CUK Audio advises there is much more, which will be revealed during the training. The training will be centred on the X Series, but will include training on Powersoft's Armonia amplifier control and monitoring software platform.

CUK Audio's MD, Stuart Thomson says, "We can guarantee it won't be a boring death by PowerPoint. Based around the new Powersoft X Series amplifier platform, the sessions will give a thorough introduction to the n

UK - On 26 March Oran Burns of d&b Education and Application Support will present the timeless d&b Electroacoustics seminar at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, in London.

The focus of the Electroacoustics seminar is 'achieving intelligibility' and the session is pitched at anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the principles of electroacoustics for sound system design and engineering.

"The Electroacoustics seminar provides a comprehensive guide to the principles of acoustics. It covers the basics of sound in an accessible and fun way through practical demonstrations," explains Burns. "The seminar has been evolving for over a decade and has become an industry standard."

The Electroacoustics seminar is suitable for all levels of experience, for anyone wanting to know more about how loudspeakers interact with their envir

Norway - Located 200 kilometres northwest of Oslo, the Quality Spa & Resort in Norefjell is a facility designed exclusively for relaxation and recuperation.

Opened in early 2009, the resort nestles serenely into its mountain setting 800m above sea level, taking its visual design cues from the local nature and wildlife. Including 244 hotel rooms plus a further 161 apartments, the resort offers a luxurious range of facilities including an indoor climbing wall, ice rink, ski in-out, spa, pool and restaurant. The resort also leads the way in their use of renewable and environmentally friendly bio-energy sources which provide almost all the power necessary for heating.

The resort also features a modern conference and entertainment complex, into which Outline's Norwegian partner EHS Proshop AS has recently installed a sound reinforcement system utilising a range of Outline loudspeak

Austria - Vienna has hosted the Wiener Eistraum (Vienna Ice Dream) every year since 1996. This huge mobile ice rink measures over 75,300sq.ft. It is assembled in Rathausplatz, the square in front of the town hall, and is one of the largest public attractions in the city. Nearly 250 miles of pipes are laid and connected to three chillers to chill the rink. Alongside the always long-awaited skating and curling rinks, the 'Traumpfad' (path of dreams) made its debut in 2005. This 2460ft -long path leads visitors through the southern part of the city park.

This year, an inauguration party was held in grand style for the Eistraum's 20th anniversary. One grandMA2 light and three MA 4Port Nodes were used to control 40 moving lights, including Clay Paky B-EYE K20s. Christian Weisskircher was the show designer and Jürgen Erntl was in charge of programming and setting up the lights.

UK - Drapes, soft goods and LED special effects specialist S+H Technical services supplied large quantities of silver lame draping for the series and final of ITV's new Get Your Act Together talent show, where assorted celebrities had the chance to let their hidden talents shine by learning and polishing new skills ... and performing live onstage.

The eye-catching set was designed by Patrick Doherty with whom S+H has a long-standing working relationship. Patrick's design was a nod towards bringing a touch of classic 'variety' nostalgia to the performance space . . . but with a contemporary twist. One way of doing this was through the smart application of softs.

The set architecture was based around three shrinking perspective arches. The two larger (outer) ones were constructed using a steel structure with offset mirror and glitter interior, and a contrasting X-dome int

UK - London-based creative technology expert Realtime Environment Systems Ltd (RES) has provided the media server know-how in collaboration with LM Productions and Mapp3D Producciones for a 'full dome' installation celebrating Mexican culture.

The temporary 25m white dome was constructed at Potter's Fields Park on London's Southbank for two weeks as part of the official Year of Mexico in the UK celebrations. Inside, the Mexican Tourism Board pop-up featured a huge projection mapped dome, where images of the country's rich cultural and natural heritage swirled above visitors' heads.

RES's Mark Calvert worked closely with LM Productions' Tim Kingsmill and Stephen Harvey to supply an Avolites Ai EX8 Pro 2 media server running the latest software - Ai V8 - which features the powerful new Autoblend feature. This feature uses a camera-based warp and blend tool set, allowing m

UK - Avolites provided lighting control to Paines Plough's Roundabout which won Theatre Building of the Year at the 2015 Stage Awards. The touring pop-up theatre features lighting controlled via an Avolites Sapphire Touch console running Titan Version 9.

The structure, described as "one of the most exciting new spaces in the country" was praised for its unique portability by the judges. Roundabout shares the honour with The Everyman in Liverpool.

The Roundabout is one of the first venues to utilise Titan Version 9, having had close involvement with the Avolites team. Lighting designers Emma Chapman and Howard Eaton specified Avolites for the installation, with Howard particularly keen on Titan for its Pixel Mapping ability.

Avolites technical director, JB Toby and lead software developer, Oliver Waits had close involvement with the Roundabout team, developing softw

UK - The new Chroma-Q Color One 100 premium performance LED Par is being utilised on some of Northern Ireland's most prestigious opera and television projects after Belfast-based ACK Productions added the fixture to its rental inventory.

ACK Productions opened for business in 1991 and is a specialist hire company, installer, systems integrator and reseller, offering a wide range of theatrical equipment and services tailored to suit the needs of schools, theatres, venues and live events.

Owner, Alastair Kerr first encountered the Color One 100s at PLASA London 2014, and invested in a quantity of the units soon after.

"Lighting designers have historically not been interested in our LED Pars, but this has now changed as the technology has advanced," says Alastair. "I was immediately impressed with not only the intensity of the Color One 100s, but also the dimming

USA - Northern Colorado Cowboy Church, or N3C for short, is located in a former restaurant building in Lucerne, Colorado. Although a large number of cowboy boots walk through the door every Sunday, N3C is open to everyone. The "Cowboy" in its name reflects the church's down-to-earth attitude. As one might guess, services at N3C are lively and contemporary, with high-energy music complementing colourful sermons.

Although the church originally moved into the converted restaurant with a home-grown PA-on-sticks, N3C aspired to something with much greater musical impact and intelligibility to cover its five-hundred-plus seats. Local integration firm Audio Video Colorado designed and installed a new system centred on two Danley Sound Labs SM-60F full-range loudspeakers.

"They had a lot of complaints about intelligibility and the overall quality of the sound of the hom

Germany - On 9 June 2015 Stage|Set|Scenery will open its doors. With Stage|Set|Scenery, Messe Berlin and DTHG, the organisers of the event, aim to address the industry's forward-looking international markets. Leading international manufacturers and service providers from various parts of the industry will be attending and showcasing their projects, products and innovations.

International interest in the event is high and exhibitors from the following 19 countries have registered to take part: Belgium, China, Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Canada, Latvia, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Spain, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and the USA.

The participation of foreign associations cooperating with DTHG is a measure of the widespread interest in international dialogue. Thus, partnerships and sponsorships have been secured with the Organisation o

UK - In response to a recent increase in demand, Stage Electrics has decided to invest in a fifth manufacturing workshop. The already busy manufacturing function assembles a range of products including internally wired lighting bars, facility panels, equipment racks, mains and low voltage cables as well as standard and bespoke stage management desks.

This change in demand has prompted the decision to move the process nearer to the components stock, which will allow the team to cut their current production time by 15% and support the manufacturing department's effort of hitting their operational targets with greater ease.

Head of manufacturing, Richard Thompson comments: "The existing workshops are at maximum capacity therefore this new infrastructure is vital to the busy manufacturing process we have here at Stage Electrics. Much of the £1.5m that the department tur

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