Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Business

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UK - London-based technical solutions company Realtime Environment Systems (RES) has supplied Ai media servers and tech know-how to All Time Low's major Wembley show.

The pop punksters' first UK arena headliner One Night in London with All Time Low sold out in a matter of weeks. RES was brought on board by Video Design and the band's camera director Richard Shipman to supply two Ai S4 Media Servers as well as set up lighting designer Jeff Maker's Avolites Sapphire Touch lighting console to trigger media and effects from the Ai.

"We spent two days programming and re-encoding the media to ensure Jeff had a wide range of control over the Ai S4 Media Server from his Avolites console," says RES managing director Mark Calvert.

"The server played back a 1920 x 512 AIM super stream media and Ai effects library without the need for time code as the show was mixe

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Canada - When the Royal Theatre and McPherson Playhouse in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada needed to upgrade their digital consoles, they turned to DiGiCo and are delighted with their investment.

"In 2002, we decided that we were going to have some of the most technologically equipped theatres in Canada," recalls Warren Busby, head of audio / assistant technical director for both venues. "We undertook a multi-million dollar renovation of the 1416 seat Royal Theatre and with that, purchased new technical equipment including the very first Yamaha PM1D ever to be installed in a venue in Canada.

"We continued to be state-of-the-art for many years and then, in 2012, we decided it was time to replace the PM1D - not because it wasn't functional, but rather it was no longer supported by Yamaha and parts were no longer being manufactured."

This started War

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USA - Staging and production design company 44 Designs of Nashville, Tennessee, has provided Elation Cuepix Panels and Sniper 2R multi-effect lights for Christian rock band Family Force 5's set on Winter Jam, the U.S.'s largest annual Christian music tour.

Winter Jam, which tours the US South and Midwest through the end of March, features Christian rock, rap, and contemporary music, along with other performances and speakers. 44 Designs worked directly with Family Force 5, providing design and rental gear for their Winter Jam set.

Lighting designer Jeff Lavallee of 44 Designs mounted 12 Cuepix Panels and 12 Snipers in custom set carts on each side of the drum riser to add visual excitement and punch to the band's eclectic mix of music. The custom set carts are stationary during the performance but are on casters should the band decide to change or adjust their position one nig

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UK - The BRIT Awards returned to London's O2 Arena this February, where the best of British and international music talent were brought together for another spectacular night. Sennheiser assisted audio supplier Britannia Row Productions with both equipment and technical support, making sure that the sound quality for this RF-intensive show was crisp and clear throughout.

TV personalities Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly hosted the night and regular Sennheiser users Ed Sheeran (Mastercard British Album and British Male Solo Artist) and Sam Smith (British Breakthrough Act and British Global Success Award) bagged two awards each.

For the second year, and helping to address the RF challenges with its steep filters allowing an extremely narrow set-up of radio frequencies within the available range, Sennheiser's flagship Digital 9000 Series microphones were utilised for the hos

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UK - This year's X-Factor Live tour featured an outstanding collection of new artists including Fleur East and 2014 X Factor winner, Ben Haenow, who showcased their copious talents in a fast paced performance together with a vibrant and fluid visual environment produced and choreographed by Beth Honan and lit by Peter Barnes. The tour's technical direction was by Production North for Syco; production manager on the road was Mike Clegg. Lighting equipment was supplied by Blackburn-based rental specialist HSL.

HSL has worked on the last few X Factor Live tours and seen the production values increase year-on-year as the live tour concept has proved every bit as popular as the TV show and a great showcase and learning curve for the new talents to start reaching out and building their own fan-bases.

This year, Fleur and Ben were joined by Andrea Faustini, Jay J

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World - LD Aldo Visentin decided to include the Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE in his lighting design, and they certainly "contribute to the consensus and successes," that Andrea Bocelli's new concerts are achieving in the United States, up to the final event at Madison Square Garden "where all eyes were focused on us".

The first series of concerts illuminated by A.leda B-EYE started in November and ended before last Christmas; while the second series of concerts will commence again in June, with a summer break, and then continue throughout November and December 2015.

The production of shows, of one or more concerts in different continents does not always reflect the organisation of a tour that requires a combination of well-defined organisational, managerial and strategic activities with regard to the supply of the materials and resources required: the same materi

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USA / UK - In-ear monitor specialist Noble Audio has launched Prestige, its new flagship CIEM (Custom In Ear Monitor), billed as "an unashamedly luxurious bespoke-fit monitor offering Noble's finest audio performance and craftsmanship".

Prestige is a high-end progression of Noble Audio's flagship custom K10 and universal-fit K10U IEMs. Like its K10 siblings, Prestige also employs Noble Audio's advanced 10-driver balanced armature technology to deliver its quality audio.

This month, Noble Audio also 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.

Noble Audio has partnered with a high-profile Harley Street audiologist, Gisele Flower, to demonstrate the range and take personal ear im

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USA - Sunny Sweeney's duet with Will Hoge of My Bed addresses the heartache at the end of a failed marriage while bringing the memory of classic country days like a George Jones and Tammy Wynette duet. The Parnelli Award-winning FLEXCurve LED tiles from PixelFLEX gives the boldness and contrast needed to shoot a music video for the song off the country songstress' new album, Provoked.

The video is a two-scene set up, with Sweeney and Hoge performing on a white bed against a stark, black background. The idea for the chorus was to have a complete opposite, almost oxymoronic feel to the forlorn meaning of the song. Sweeney and Hoge sing into a vintage microphone while the FLEXCurve blasts imagery of blissful wedding days and happier times.

Music video director Michael Poncé worked with PixelFLEX project manager Mark McIntosh to design the scenes to convey a d

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France - Celebrating its 30th year, Les Victoires de la Musique is France's most prestigious annual awards ceremony, akin to the Grammy and BRIT Awards, and is broadcast live from the 5,000 seat Le Zénith arena in Paris.

The nearly four-hour show, in which the French Music industry recognises the year's top recording artists, featured performances by David Guetta, Brigitte, Jean Louis Aubert and Christine and the Queens, among others, who were all supported by a full orchestra. For this year's live performances and broadcast, the ceremony's audio crew turned to four SSL Live L500 consoles to deliver the audio for FOH and monitors, supplied by Parisian rental firm Silence

The production was technically sophisticated, with 10 SSL stageboxes on stage. Fabien Chanier, who handled the FOH mix for the performers, and Stephane Pelletier, who mixed the orchestra, handled the im

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USA - Established in 1985, Pro Tech Marketing is a professional manufacturers' representative firm supporting AV integrators, system design firms and end users in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and the Western panhandle of Texas including El Paso. The firm offers product and system design training, product demonstrations and sales support and has warehouse facilities in both Louisville (Denver area) and Tempe, Arizona.

Pro Tech's success in the AV industry comes in large part from its emphasis on building lasting relationships and its tradition of on-site product demos and training.

President Dean Hinton commented: "Community is a well-respected company with a great product line and an excellent technical support staff. They'll be an important part of our image as a 'Systems Solutions Provider'. I'm looking forward to working with Community to grow their sal

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Australia - TDC - Technical Direction Company - has announced a pioneering partnership with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), which will see TDC provide expertise, guidance and support to the next generation of Australia's artists, technical theatre designers and practitioners.

Through this partnership, TDC will give NIDA students access to expert training and the latest cutting-edge stage and live performance technology including LED screens, large-scale projections, videos and broadcast camera systems.

Michael Hassett, managing director, TDC, said: "As one of Australia's largest suppliers of video technology solutions the company is honoured to partner with NIDA and looks forward to working with the staff and students to provide technical knowledge and industry-readiness."

The collaboration will see TDC provide specialist consultation and support on

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UK - The Oxford Union has for many years been a forum for high class debating, both competitively and otherwise. In fact the Debating Society's Chamber been described as "the world's most prestigious" - having hosted speakers including President Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, Senator Bobby Kennedy, Michael Jackson and the Dalai Lama.

The Union, founded in 1823, is Britain's second oldest Debating Union. The Chamber itself was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1878, and today it has a Grade II* listing. With a seating capacity of 450, for the first time it recently took delivery of a Harman Pro integrated sound system, provided by local multimedia specialists, City AV.

Their MD, Peter Gunn, has been providing the Chamber with temporary PA equipment for these high profile events for many years. But as Bursar Lindsey Warne points out, with its growing commercial use, and

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Slovakia - Bratislava-based rental company Q-99, has expanded its already extensive stock of Robe moving lights with the purchase of 24 of the new BMFL Spot multi-functional moving lights. The company is headed by Martin Kubanka, who is also one of the country's leading lighting designers and a leading practitioner in European television and special event lighting and visuals.

Kubanka first saw the BMFL in action during Robe's BMFL World Tour roadshows after its launch in September. "The technical parameters were so impressive," he says, "- the speed of the fixture, the ultra-smooth dimming and colour mixing, special features like the auto-focus, and the consequent wide range of applications . . . made them a 'must-have'."

Having now had the chance to put them into action on his own shows, Kubanka is extremely happy with his decision. "The BMFL Spot is

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Italy - Wireless Solution Sweden has appointed Music & Lights as the exclusive distributor of W-DMX for the Italian market.

Wireless Solution has worked with Music & Lights for years, as OEM W-DMX systems are already installed in several products in the Music & Lights portfolio, including projectors by Prolights and ArchWork. "W-DMX has been recognized as a standard of high reliability and quality for professional performance and demanding environments," the manufacturer says.

Fabio Sorabella, CEO of Music & Lights, states: "It has been proven that Wireless Solution Transmission Systems are the best choice to sustain our lighting solutions. The use of a W-DMX is a guarantee both for us and for our customers and partners worldwide. We strongly believe in this technology and we consider it to be much more than just an alternative to transmission cables since it al

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USA - A new contemporary live entertainment venue, Livewire, opened recently in Scottsdale, Arizona, outfitted with a large, professional lighting and video system from Elation Professional supplied by Elation dealer Fyxx Entertainment.

Located in the heart of Scottsdale's Entertainment District, Livewire is Arizona's newest premier concert and performance space, playing host to a spectrum of national touring acts (Jeff Bridges, The English Beat, Boyz II Men) and up-and-coming local bands all supported by state-of-the-art sound, lighting and production.

Designed from the ground up for live music, the 14,000sq.ft venue occupies the same location that iconic Scottsdale nightclub Axis/Radius did for 16 years. Les Corieri, owner of Evening Entertainment Group, shut down the club last summer to make way for the 1,100-guest live entertainment destination.

Adrian de Pamphilis, owne

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UK - Le Maitre is supporting Punchdrunk Enrichment in Against Captain's Orders: A Journey into the Uncharted - an adventure on the high seas of maritime history at the National Maritime Museum.

In an exclusive first for the museum industry, the National Maritime Museum is collaborating with Punchdrunk Enrichment to take six to 12-year olds and their families on the adventure of a lifetime. Against Captain's Orders combines the National Maritime Museum's wealth of maritime history and artefacts with Punchdrunk Enrichment's innovative practice and commitment to creating captivating, educational experiences.

The immersive theatrical experience will be further enhanced with Le Maitre's four MVS haze units along with a G300 and Freezefog Pro atmospheric low smoke system. The haze units are positioned in four rooms throughout the show, with one haze unit and the low sm

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UK - SPIE has been appointed principal contractor of the £2m, A55 Pen Y Clip tunnel refurbishment. SPIE will be working with Philips Lighting to introduce LED lighting technology into the tunnel which is expected to reduce energy and emissions by up to 50%.

The scope of work involves the design, supply and installation of the A55 Pen Y Clip Tunnel LED lighting scheme and infrastructure upgrades. This includes the electrical and mechanical services, covering the installation of the 900m linear support grid and containment, fitting the LED linear base and boost lighting system along with finally testing and commissioning.

Steven Nanda, managing director of industrial services at SPIE UK comments, "We are thrilled that we have been chosen to manage the upgrade of the Pen Y Clip tunnel. This is a major contract for the Industrial Services North West division; the Welsh

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USA - Live production company L3 Productions was hired by a corporate client to build a themed night club environment for a large holiday party for 1,400 people and turned to Elation Professional lighting and video products to fulfill the brief, including Elation's new EMAG4 LED panel for graphics, playback and live video.

Held in December at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, California, L3 Productions handled the entire creative production for the event including CAD, decor, lighting design, stage design, audio, video, DJ stage build and live broadcast.

The room's lack of space did not allow for rear or front projection, which also would have required moving equipment, so L3 placed three EMAG4 screens over the stage for optimal viewing anywhere in the room. According to L3 Productions CEO Laine Rinker, although the client was worried that

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UK - London's Sadler's Wells Theatre stages a richly diverse range of national and international collaborations. In 2013 Sadler's Wells embarked on a comprehensive upgrading of its infrastructure and technology, to improve both front of house and backstage environments in its 1568-seater main auditorium. Renowned theatre consultant Roger Spence was placed in charge of the project and engaged a team comprising designer Graham Large of Chapman BDSP, integrators Stage Electrics and lighting manufacturers GDS.

GDS was invited to supply a comprehensive, low-energy, LED house-lighting system to cater for virtually every functional and architectural demand. This was to include everything from panel lighting at the front of the circle, to row-end markers, emergency lighting, emergency exit signs, cleaners and house lights. In the initial stages of the project GDS worked closely with all

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Germany - The International Film Festival (Berlinale) is one of the most important events for the international film industry and is at the same time the largest public cinematic festival in the world. The 65th Berlinale enthused hundreds of thousands of spectators with some 400 films in 52 venues. Dutch loudspeaker manufacturer Alcons Audio supplied its pro-ribbon sound system for the Berlinale Palast (Berlinale Palace).

Each year, since the Berlinale of 2000, the Stage Entertainment Theater am Potsdamer Platz, which is actually a musical theatre, is transformed into the main venue of the Berlinale: the 1,600 seated Berlinale Palast. Here the glamorous gala opening with an international star cast takes place, as well as the premieres of the competition films. In addition, the Berlinale Palast is the setting for the award ceremony of the Golden and Silver Bears.

For the Berlin

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UK - There is little than can compare to the sheer joy of listening to the assembled voices of several thousand youngsters singing their hearts out. In motivational terms alone, what Young Voices does for the primary school age children of the UK is sensational; to be planted front stage centre in one of the UK arenas and perform in front of an equally large audience is a memory most of them will carry for the rest of their lives. How do we know this?

Arthur Mazzer who works for Britannia Row Productions Ltd (Britrow), the company that has provided the sound system for these events since their inception, was once one of those early choristers. "We all like music," he said, "I don't think you can work in this industry unless you love it, and for me singing was what started me off. In that sense Young Voices was a magical experience."

Astute readers will also

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South Africa - A star studded line up including Bok van Blerk, Theuns Jordaan, Jay du Plessis, BlackByrd, Elvis Blue, Claire Johnston from Mango Groove, Peter Mitchell, PJ Cruz and Martin Bester (Jacaranda FM) showcased at Carnival City's Big Top Arena on 27-28 February after running in London. With 70 Robe fixtures, the Big Top Arena was brought to life with effects and colour.

Carnival City was the main in-house technical supplier for the main PA, rigging, staging and lighting equipment. MGG Productions provided the back line, monitor and main sound desk.

Lighting designer Magz Schoeman from Carnival focused on creating a fully washed stage and literally painted with lights.

"The Robin 600LEDWash and Robin 300 LEDWash really made it easy to create a pretty picture and enriched the mood," said Magz.

Six super-fast Robe Pointes created sharp beams and the show al

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UK - In a busy year where some seriously talented and influential artists are hitting the road, Adlib is audio supplier for The Script's new No Sound Without Silence world tour which has kicked off in the UK and Europe in great style.

It's the fourth album campaign on which the Liverpool based company has worked with the popular Irish rock band, alongside production manager Bob O'Brien and tour manager Quinner, supplying the audio system and crew to work with engineers Richy Nicholson (FOH) and Paul 'Mini' Moore on monitors.

Adlib's crew is led by crew chief Marc Peers who is also co-ordinating monitor world, with Tony Szabo KSE as the systems engineer, charged with the dextrous task of fine tuning a perfect system every day whatever the venue or surroundings, delivering continuity and sonic confidence to Richy's rich animated mix.

They are joined by Adlib's Michael Flaherty

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Spain - As Barcelona hosted the biggest mobile industry show in the world in March, Orbital Sound's conference and events team moved into action with a high profile corporate event organised by global creative agency Imagination.

Staged at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the project involved a VIP evening's entertainment hosted by the MWC's headline sponsor, a major Chinese telecoms manufacturer. The project involved over 100 performers, taking part in an extravaganza that included flamenco dancers, hip hop, a 50-piece orchestra, and a full choir across three central stages, as well as in the balcony space - performed in front of an invited audience of some 1200.

The inspiration of Imagination's head of sound design John Del' Nero, the show sound was supervised by Seb Frost, and involved a technical crew of seven from Orbital Sound, under events director Eric Simpson. F

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