Luxembourg - Located in Senningerberg, on the outskirts of Luxembourg City and close to the country's main airport, Pro Audio Sound Light Vision is a steadily growing company, providing rental, production and installation services to a variety of clients. It has just invested in Yamaha TF1 and TF3 digital consoles to join its existing stock of M7CLs and LS9s.

Founded in 1989 by John Schreiner and currently employing five staff members, the earlier Yamaha consoles are a firm favourite with the company and its clients alike.

"Our existing Yamaha consoles are very user-friendly and they have always been extremely reliable," says Dan Schreiner, the company's manager since 2000. "As our customer base grows, we needed to invest in new equipment and felt that now is the right time to expand our Yamaha inventory."

Yamaha's Jan Prins visited Dan and his team to

UK - Robe gets into the great tradition of English Panto this festive season with over 50 fixtures - including the latest in the DL series luminaires which are built for theatre - specified by lighting designer Andy Webb for a lively and colourful production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, produced by UK Productions at Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Andy immediately thought of Robe again after pioneering the large scale use of LED moving and static lighting luminaires in commercial panto for Dick Whittington last year at High Wycombe, when he was approached to light another popular fairy-tale story laced with slapstick humour, hi-jinks and audience interaction.

One of the classic references to this Brothers Grimm story is the 1937 Disney animated musical fantasy film, and Andy "wanted to bring that truly 'Disneyesque' surface optimism and style to lighting t

France - A new installation of Fohhn Audio loudspeaker systems in the Opéra Bastille, Paris, has ensured that each of its 2745 seats is "the best in the house" with regard to sound quality and audibility. The German manufacturer's Focus Modular systems with Beam Steering capability beat off stiff competition in the quest to deliver highest levels of speech intelligibility and music reproduction to every seat, without impeding audience views or spoiling the hall's stunning architecture.

The opera house's main auditorium has seating on three levels - stalls and two main balconies, as well as eight side balconies. With the top tier 18m high and 40m from the stage, and other seating covered by the balconies, how to replace the existing system with a more effective solution posed a challenge for planners.

Focus Modular loudspeakers proved first choice for the mai

UAE - The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, recently inaugurated at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, is one of the largest and most spectacular places of worship in the world.

This architectural work of art can host up to 28,000 worshippers and features 65 domes, six minarets (more than 80m) tall, 24 carat gold-plated accessories and precious hand-woven carpets. Work focused on a newly-built atrium area

Because of the mosque's size and its architectural features - in particular the high ceilinged domes that are typical of the Islamic style - the mosque is an extremely reverberant venue. Similar to other large-sized places of worship, the main challenge for RCF's engineers was to attain good intelligibility across the entire listening area without neglecting the requirement for minimum visual impact.

For these reasons the choice of the main audio system fell t

The Netherlands - Lighting designer Luc Peumans of Painting With Light has cast Clay Paky Mythos and Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures to play a starring role in his design for a Dutch stage production of The Bodyguard.

The musical, produced by Stage Entertainment, opened in September at the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht. Peumans specified 24 Clay Paky Mythos and 36 Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures from Ampco Flashlight, using them to swing his looks from the intimate during the more tender scenes, to the big and bold for the numerous concert moments.

"The narrative is well known as the 1992 movie, so one of the objectives was to give the show a 'cinematic' feel but also present the story in a contemporary setting using current technologies and high production values," explains Peumans.

Peumans worked alongside set designer Carla Janssen Hofelt, content producer Ad de Haan a

Germany - HK Audio's Contour series continues to be the stage monitor of choice for Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, who used his favoured pair of CT 112 speakers and CT 118 subs on the band's mammoth 2015 fall/winter tour.

Deep Purple co-founder Paice has the setup placed directly behind his kit for live shows, a solution he prefers to in-ear monitors.

Paice said: "I've been using HK Audio for 20 years, and there's something in the way the systems are put together which for drums just seems to work. They pick out the depth and the sweetness and the clarity at the top end that you need. The drums just seem to stay in balance and the frequency response seems to be working perfectly for everything I need. When you've got that, it just makes the whole process of playing an instrument you can't physically hear a lot easier."

During an interview with HK Audio before th

UK - The University of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world, A familiar landmark at this renowned university is the Students' Union of St Andrews, founded in 1885 to give support and provide representation to its students.

Tasked with providing a modern lighting solution for the refurbishment of the Student Union theatre and club - two traditional hubs of student life - Audio Light Systems installed 12 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Spot fixtures to award the Students' Union venues with an arsenal of modern lighting solutions.

The central wish of the Students' Union was for both the theatre and club venues to be upgraded with high performing fixtures to give both venues unique looks - a task which initially looked impossible due to budgetary constraints. However, thanks to the lightweight and tour ready Rogue R1 Spo

Norway - The need to accommodate a host of different activities as well as making operation as straightforward as possible for staff tend to inform the audio design for most educational establishments. These factors were certainly in play when technology supplier and installer Lindbak AS Gjovik set about a recent audio project at Storhamar High School in Hamar, Norway.

Work focused on a newly-built atrium area that was conceived to host presentations, cultural and educational events, performances, open meetings and more. Therefore, as well as tackling the reinforcement challenges resulting from a high ceiling and reflective surfaces, Lindbak A/S Gjovik needed to provide a mixing and processing solution that was both flexible and easy to use.

The answer came in the form of a Symetrix Jupiter 8 (8-in, 8-out) app-based digital signal processor - a product that project equipment

UK - Doughty Engineering is set to celebrate its first truly green Christmas this year, following the installation of 200sq.m of solar panels on the roof of its Ringwood headquarters.

Installation of the panels, which are estimated to produce 4000kW hours of energy a month, began earlier this year with an initial 98.5sq.m of panelling. Work has recently been completed to install the final 100sq.m.

Julian Chiverton, sales director at Doughty explained: "It's vital that manufacturers like us are doing everything within our power to become more eco-aware and eco-friendly. With initiatives like SiPA being set up to help businesses achieve their environmental goals and with support from the government, companies are running out of excuses for not doing their bit."

The move is an economical one as well as environmental - production at Doughty's factory is thriving and

UK - The first pilot assessment of the new National Event Lifting Certificate has taken place at Unusual Rigging's headquarters in Bugbrooke, Northampton.

The certification has been designed by the The National Rigging Advisory Group (NRAG), with contributions from NRAG members including Harry Box from UK Rigging, Mark Armstrong from RTM Rigging, Paul Riddiford, PLASA's NRC manager and Unusual Rigging's Robin Elias. It is being offered to those working in the entertainment industry - in lighting, sound, video and scenery - who are often called upon to undertake rigging work, and to carry out lifting operations, without possessing the relevant qualification.

Robin explained, "The one-day assessment consists of; practical exercises in marking out, a practical assessment of a rigging related task leading up to and including carrying out a lifting operation, an hour long ex

UK - Ambersphere Solutions will be running free training sessions on the dot2, MA Lighting's new console designed for smaller and mid-sized projects and venues, during PLASA Focus Glasgow at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).

The sessions will take place in the Morar and Ness rooms at the SECC on Wednesday 20th January 2016 at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm and on Thursday 21st January 2016 at 10am and 1pm. Upon completion of the 90 minute session participants will be well on the way to running their first show on the dot2 lighting console.

The 90-minute intro sessions will cover all the basic operational features of the dot2 console including an overview of the whole dot2 product range, before diving into controlling fixtures, creating pre-sets and cue lists. Building chases, creating and using effects, managing speed and time, and a host of other features will als

Austria - Since 1982, the Kulturhaus (culture house) Dornbirn, Austria is a popular event centre for the entire Vorarlberg region. After an extensive planning and implementation phase, which was administered already in 2013 by the company Tonplan from Dornbirn, the final step of the installation of an Alcons sound system in the main hall of the cultural centre took place in 2015.

The sound department of the Kulturhaus Dornbirn, under the direction of Thomas Bischofberger, installed a sound system for the main stalls area consisting of four Alcons QR24 line-source columns (2x 12" pro-ribbon tweeter, 4x 6.5" woofer), which is particularly suitable for installations in difficult acoustic environments.

As centrefill four pieces Alcons LR7 micro line-array (4" pro-ribbon tweeter, 1x 6.5" woofer) and an Alcons VR12 (6" pro-ribbon tweeter, 1x 12" woofe

UK - GSA at the University of Surrey is to present a one-day symposium Light Mapping on 13 January 2016 at The Ivy Arts Centre, Stag Hill Campus, Guildford. GU2 7XH.

This event which is in association with White Light, Richmond Theatre and ETC and supported by ABTT and ALD includes demonstrations, events and workshops. These include: Demonstrations of how to run pixel mapping through lights. [am and pm sessions]; The recreation (on a much smaller scale) the epic rig of Parcans that were used for the Kayne West Glastonbury event; Talk and Q & A with Fin Ross (Olivier award winning video designer for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time); A panel discussion and Q & A with experts on video and lighting design and how they work together.

Visit to register your interest at www.surrey.ac.uk/arts/theatre/light-mapping

GSA has built an international reputat

USA - Following an award-winning 2015, concert lighting company Bandit Lites rounded out the year with its annual angel tree tradition and warm wishes to all its clients and Bandit Family.

"This has truly been a landmark year for Bandit," said chair Michael T. Strickland. "From a wildly successful festival season, winning Lighting Company of the Year, to millions blown away by tremendous lighting; we could not have done it without all the support of our world class employees, our loyal clients, and friends throughout the industry."

In gratitude for all good fortune Bandit has experienced, the world headquarters in Knoxville looked for a way to pay it forward to those in need. Now, what originally started as a toy drive at the annual holiday party more than 20 years ago has grown into a delivery of goods ranging from toothbrushes to toys to a local charity

China - Cantopop singer and songwriter, Hins Cheung, recently kicked off his Live in Passion tour at Guangzhou Gymnasium with the help of a monitor mixing system comprising Allen & Heath's new dLive and ME personal monitor mixing systems.

Hong Kong production company, A Team Plus, managed audio for the tour, selecting a dLive S5000 Control Surface and DM64 MixRack, and ME monitor system provided by Allen & Heath's Chinese distributor, EZPro.

"Due to the size of the band, there is 64 inputs to manage. Fortunately, dLive's control surface is very user-friendly and intuitive. Two screens on the surface provide a fantastic overview of what's going on, and around the screens there are some physical knobs for compressor, EQ, and gate, which are extremely helpful when I mix. I can operate very quickly thanks to the Harmony UI, which integrates screen and wrap-around control,&q

Europe - Lighting designer Amy Barnett approached Entec to provide a lighting equipment package for the recent European tour by Chris Norman. It was the first time she'd worked with the west London based lighting rental specialists which she chose because, "after a few initial phone conversations I had complete confidence in the company to deliver what I needed, and they were very helpful and friendly".

Project manager Noreen O'Riordan commented: "It was actually our second tour with Chris Norman as a supplier and our first working with Amy, which we found really interesting. We love to see new and up-coming LDs doing well, and share our many years of knowledge and experience in assistance. We will all be hearing a lot more of Amy."

Chris Norman initially found fame in the 1970s with UK soft rock band Smokie, known for their many hits and distinctive thre

Canada / Japan - Parasol Systems has announced that its patented dynamic rigging system, the ACS (Autonomous Carrier System) will be used for the first time at a live event this month in Tokyo, Japan.

The ACS system was first developed as a prototype in 2006, and functions much like a train on tracks. The ACS has 'Paracarts' which move intelligently, wirelessly, and independently along a predetermined track. Mounting moving lights and lasers onto the moving Paracarts allows lighting designers to create never been seen before visual effects. Utilising precision robotics technologies, the Paracarts are always in the right place at the right time.

This is not just the debut for the Parasol ACS System, but also for the Rizin Fighting Federation, a new global MMA promotion designed to feature the best MMA fighters at one world-wide tournament. This premier event is called the Riz

USA - With the newly renovated Frederick P. Rose Hall opening in mid-December, Jazz at Lincoln Centre (JALC) now features Meyer Sound systems in every performance space at the prestigious complex, including a Leopard linear sound reinforcement system in the Rose Theatre, a Constellation acoustic system in the Appel Room, and an Ultra Series loudspeaker system in Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.

Visitors can also experience Meyer Sound technology throughout JALC's stunningly redesigned public spaces, including the Mica & Ahmet Ertegun Atrium and the Ertegun Hall of Fame. The mission of JALC is to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy. Sound is at the heart of the company's commitment to providing the highest quality artistic and audience experience.

Sound Associates of New York led the coordination of all Meyer Sound sys

Poland - Specialist integrator, SLX has completed the design and installation of a state-of-the-art sound system for the new Tychy Municipal Stadium. Located in the city of Tychy, the 15,300 capacity venue is one of the finest sports facilities in the southern Polish region of Silesia.

Home to the football team GKS Tychy, the new stadium has been designed to meet the requirements of UEFA and FIFA and as a true multifunctional venue for concerts, cultural and artistic events, fairs and conferences. In addition to the main sports arena, with six commentary positions, the site comprises restaurants, conference rooms, two TV studios, VIP lounges and impressive amenities for players and athletes. The stadium not only creates a striking new landmark, but is intended to become a showcase for the city.

For the main arena sound system, SLX designed a system using 68 Community R Serie

Eagles Return - Eagles Of Death Metal have announced the dates for their postponed European tour - including a return to Paris. The American rock band was performing at the city's Bataclan venue when it was attacked by gunmen on 13 November during coordinated terror attacks. The band will perform at the Olympia Theatre in Paris on 16 February.

Announcing the new tour dates, the band said: "Unfortunately, the Bataclan Theatre will not be open again in time for the band's return on this tour." The tour, rescheduled due to the massacre, has been renamed Nos Amis (Our Friends). Fans who were at the Bataclan on the tragic night will be given free tickets.

Power Struggle - Madonna has issued a rebuke after the power was cut during her encore at Glasgow's Hydro venue. The singer left the stage at the end of her Rebel Heart tour concert on Sunday. When she returned

UK - Close to You - Bacharach Reimagined, is a magical journey through over 30 of Burt Bacharach's classic hits and features a cast of talented actor-musicians in a West End Show.

Tasked with supplying audio production were Stage Sound Services who, having been introduced to the world of KV2 Audio by noted sound designer Richard Brooker, had no hesitation in supplying a complete KV2 Audio solution.

Originally running in the Mernier Chocolate Factory, London before transitioning to the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly, the sound design team of Richard Brooker and associate Tom Marshall opted to provide the performers with conventional loudspeaker monitoring as opposed to IEM. Because the action moves around the stage floor mounted monitoring was not an option as it would impact on audience sightlines and not allow enough flexibility to follow the actors on their journey

UK - Yes Events has strengthened its video offering with a significant investment in a 3.9mm ProLights video wall, supplied by the specialist video sales division of distributor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd.

The new screen comprises 90 panels of ProLights Ultra 3+ along with appropriate rigging and processing. Ultra 3+ is the latest LED screen solution from the ProLights brand, which is distributed exclusively in the UK by AC-ET's video division.

Ultra 3+ boasts black-faced SMD LEDs for amazing contrast and colour consistency across panels. Each panel has an auto-calibrate facility allowing 'mix and match' of tiles from different batches or run times, to make seamless screens.

Tom Chennells, production director for Yes Events, says this purchase is a logical next step for the company. "Video is becoming an ever increasing part of our offering here at

UK - The hit musical and family favourite, A Christmas Carol, is arguably the indisputable Christmas classic. Charles Dickens' evocative tale, with its exuberant dance sequences and magnificent settings recreating streets, graveyards and buildings of 19th century London, excites and appeals to audiences of all ages.

Tasked with bringing the tale of Christmas to life at Blackpool's 3,000-capacity Opera House - a venue which also boasts one of Europe's largest stages - Arranpaul's Up & Coming LD, Oliver Wilkinson opted to include a selection of six Rogue R1 Spots and 16 Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional, as well as Chauvet DJ PiXPars into his lighting design.

"The fixture plot I created allowed me to light any area of the stage with Chauvet's R1 Spots, PiXPars and 560Zs," said Wilkinson, who also handled video and audio for the pro

USA - Chroma-Q Color Force 12 multi-purpose LED fixtures were recently specified by lighting sales and production company, E2i Design, for its seasonal White Christmas show at Michigan's Brighton High School.

E2i Design's Josh Holowicki passionately supports the school's theatre in a number of ways - as chairman of the board of directors, as volunteer technical director and scenic designer, and as producer. As the technical director, he's responsible for all audio, video and lighting.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas is a classic holiday show, based on the famous movie. It follows an army private and captain who were stationed in Europe during WW2 in 1944. They are performers and entertainers who do their best to keep up the spirits of the 151st division during the holidays. The show ran on the first two weekends of December 2015 at the school's 900-capacity Bri

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