Europe - Leading audio technology companies d&b audiotechnik and L-Acoustics have joined forces in a collaboration to advance technologies and tools for the benefit of the industry. The first result of this alliance is a project to jointly develop an innovative software platform designed to revolutionise the configuration and management of Milan AVB networks. In a departure from traditional competition, born from the companies’ shared commitment within the Avnu Alliance, L-Acoustics and d&b audiotechnik are co-designing a new software platform that addresses some of the
UK - PLASA has acquired BPM, the UK’s only dedicated trade event for the DJ sector. The annual show is set to take place at Birmingham’s Cranmore Park from 12-13 October 2024, spanning the mobile, radio, club and karaoke DJ markets. The event offers a unique opportunity for professionals and enthusiasts to get hands-on with pro equipment and discover services available to support a successful DJ career. The show’s acquisition by PLASA means that BPM will now align with the association’s market-leading trade events for live entertainment technology: PLASA Show and PLASA Focu
UK - Production Futures has confirmed that its next On Tour event will take place at the AO Arena, Manchester on Tuesday 30 April. The venue, recently underwent a £50m makeover, making it one of the most cutting-edge facilities (and the largest) of its kind in the UK. As its first Arena outing, this will be Production Futures’ largest and most ambitious On Tour event to date. Set to attract a wide range of young people from across the North of England and beyond, this free-of-charge event will promote employability, transferable skills, diversity, free training, networking, an
Europe - Claypaky continues its efforts to improve its environmental performance with the CP Green project launched in 2022. The company has already implemented several aspects of the long-range project, which is constantly revised to make Claypaky’s sustainability strategy more effective and efficient. The main objective of the project is reducing Claypaky’s impact on climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To achieve this goal, the first and most important step is calculating GHG emissions, since it is not possible to improve what is not measured. For
Spain - #WeMakeEvents BikeFest returned to Spain with the 18-strong team cycling over 360km towards ISE in Barcelona. Together, they have so far has raised £16,000 for industry charity Backup Tech but are hoping to reach £20,000 with your donations. This year, the BikeFest team included representatives from AELTC, Autograph Sound, AVIXA, Clair Global, Equipson, FLUX Creative Consultancy, PLASA, Reclaim Audio, Sharp, Stage One Creative Services, and Wonder Works. Furthermore, due to the strong community element of the event, BikeFest is now seeing familiar faces returning each y
Grammy Debut - Joni Mitchell will make her Grammy Awards performance debut at this year's show on 4 February. The singer-songwriter is nominated for best folk album. She has previously won nine Grammys and received a lifetime achievement award in 2002. The 80-year-old only recently returned to performing after suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015. In June, she played her first headline show in more than 20 years after she re-learnt how to walk, talk and play guitar. Billed as a ‘Joni Jam’, Mitchell performed for nearly three hours and was accompanied by famous admirers like
USA - Bandit Lites recently held its Annual General Meeting to launch 2024, celebrating the previous year’s accomplishments and revealing the company’s new goals and updates. Following a ‘wildly successful 55th year’, Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland offered remarks and insight on Bandit’s successes and its continuing goals in the New Year. Milestone awards were handed out, with multiple Bandits celebrating decades at the company. Arie Zaky, Scott Wesson, Chris Noll, Jacob Edge and Mark Scherer accepted accolades for five years. Andy Reese was honoured for 10 years, a
UK - Build solutions specialist Star Live has invested in a QC-Check safety inspection system from Data Strategy following its recent investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group. QC-Check embeds safety into the processes of Star’s new lifting division which underpins the safety and compliance issues for the company’s four pillars of business. QC-Check streamlines the process of professional electrical appliance and cable testing in bulk, with full electrical-safety test records referenced to an individual asset level. For Star Live’s purposes however, QC-Check’s abil
The Netherlands - TEC Audio, based in Landgraaf, has invested in DMT's Alpha Series LED panels and hardware in order to expand its services. They have purchased a significant number of Alpha Series A2.6i - Indoor and the necessary rigging to create a complete set for corporate events and dry hire. These panels are designed to meet the demands of diverse events, offering clarity and vibrant colours. The A2.6i panels are very versatile, making them a suitable choice for corporate events and dry hire setups. To ensure a seamless and dynamic display, TEC Audio has acquired eight
UK - The Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) has announced The Zone of Interest as the winner of the Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film 2024. The winning sound team comprises Johnnie Burn, Tarn Willers, Mateusz Stasiak and James Ogden AMPS chair Andrew Wilson said: “The Zone of Interest is a compelling piece of filmmaking and a truly remarkable achievement in the artistry of film sound. The grotesque picture of happy family life next to the horror of Auschwitz is stark, disturbing, and visceral, and it is here that the power of the soundtrack excels. The
Spain - Audinate Group announced at ISE 2024 that it now has reached 50 manufacturers licensing Dante AV technology to build networked video devices. Kramer, Blustream, Magewell, Kiloview, Zenwin, Aavara, and Infobit AV are a few of the most recent partners that have joined the Dante AV ecosystem. There are now over 60 products available or soon to launch, including cameras, encoders, and decoders. AMX by Harman, Lumens, Antrica, Bolin, Laiatech, Avonic, and Alfatron are announcing Dante AV-H video endpoints at ISE 2024, while Kramer, Netvio, and Tight AV are launching Dante AV-A
Europe - PRG is expanding its extensive sound reinforcement portfolio with several LD Systems MAILA XXL systems including accessories. In Germany, PRG is represented by over 350 employees at five locations and has more than 20,000m2 of warehouse space. "We heard MAILA for the first time during an on-site visit to the Adam Hall Group Experience Centre and were immediately impressed," explains Udo Willburger, CEO of PRG AG. "This applies not only to the sound, but also to the efficient handling of the entire system. “Especially in the corporate events sector, a system with a
UK - LIVE has partnered with Handle Freelance Solutions, The Back Lounge and UK LIVE Event Freelancers Forum to launch a survey, The Hidden Side of Freelancing 2024, to understand and identify the changes required to improve the experience of freelancers who are crucial to the success of the live music industry. Launched this week, the new survey will explore pay transparency and the personal experiences of freelancers at live music events. The survey aims to help freelancers understand their true value and benchmark their own experience whilst also celebrating what makes l
UK - Max Webster’s intense production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, opened to positive reviews at London’s Donmar Warehouse in December. Played out on Rosanna Vize’s stark, minimalist set, comprising a flat white platform backed by a glass wall that isolates off-stage actors from the action, the audience listens through binaural headphones that catch every nuance of the actors’ speech, drawing them deeper and more intimately into the text - and Macbeth’s mental state. Lighting designer, Bruno Poet, accentuates this inten
Turkey - Lighting designer Martin Kuhn tapped into the power and reliability of a grandMA3 replay unit to run a spectacular permanent show that he designed for Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower. The landmark stands on a tiny islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, 300m from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, and has recently re-opened after restoration. Martin was working for Istanbul AV specialist ASTEL and end client, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The lighting includes 48 Ayrton Cobra moving lights which are positioned around the perimeter of t
UK - Production Futures reports that it has been chosen as a partner for the BBC’s Bring the Drama Festival. This initiative sees the BBC joining forces with some of the UK’s leading cultural organisations to create the first festival of its kind, aimed at bringing together stage and screen and opening up the doors to the next generation of behind-the-scenes talent. The BBC is supporting the UK’s world-beating creative industries by trying to ensure that the brightest and best people want to work in theatre, film and TV, and helping them to identify where the opportunities l
France - L-Acoustics has been honoured during the Décibels d'Or awards by the French government’s Conseil National du Bruit (National Council on Noise), which recognises the company's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound technology and its dedication to creating exceptional audio experiences while respecting the needs of local communities. This award, founded in 1991 and granted only once every three years, recognises the ability of the newly launched L Series line source array to manage sound, keeping it on the audience area while significantly reducing sp
Ireland - A team from Dublin-based Spectrum Productions led by David Lawless and Jack Quirke supplied a large quantity of Robe moving lights rig for a sold-out electro-extravaganza gig by popular Irish mixmasters, Belters Only, at Dublin’s 3Arena. David and the team have been working with the artists for the last year and designed the floor lighting package for their 2023 festival appearances. Their brief for the 3Arena show was to make it big, bold, and breathtaking visually, helping pump the energy and excitement everywhere in the room - from the stage to the back of the audit
UK - Over the course of the last 30 years, Prolight has grown from a small enterprise in Bolton to a global supplier of sound, lighting and ancillaries. It is now creating ‘a next-generation workplace environment that brings together industry leading innovation and distribution’. The Building Our Future project is based around a new headquarters located at the end of the M65 in Colne, Lancashire. The new headquarters will act as a catalyst for the future development of products and services, and is located in its own secure grounds on a 10-acre site which will be known as Edis
Mobo Awards - Sheffield will host a "dynamic series of events" to celebrate the Mobo Awards coming to the city for the first time. Mobo Awards Sheffield - The Fringe will take place ahead of the awards show on 7 February at the Utilita Arena. It will feature workshops and a market to shine a light on the city's African and Caribbean communities, organisers said. Sheffield city councillor Martin Smith said the festival would be "an unforgettable experience". He added: "It will see the city embrace both the beats and flavours of Africa and the Caribbean and is a testament to the pow
India - Lighting designer Milind Shrivastava has invested in a grandMA3 from MA Lighting, supplied by Hi-Tech Audio & Image, India distributor for MA Lighting. One of the veteran lighting designers of New Delhi, Milind Shrivastava has been working with theatre, dance, ballet shows, government events, music festivals, and various genres of events for three decades. His work as a lighting designer was recognised by the Government of India which awarded him the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009 for Best Lighting Designer. In 2022 he was also felicitated by the Asta
Japan - Hoshioto Camp 23, which took place recently at Budou Romankan in the Japanese Prefecture of Okayama became the first outdoor music festival in Japan to introduce immersive sound. Local sound rental company, Bright Co originally invested in Martin Audio’s award-winning WPC fully optimised system back in 2020. Therefore, when it was time to upgrade the event’s main speaker system, WPC was recommended as the best overall fit for its sound quality, controllability and sense of scale, after evaluation against other systems. Kazuyuki Oshita, president of Bright Co said
Europe - Shania Twain’s Queen of Me tour played 78 shows across North America and Europe, with audio solutions from long-term rental partner, Eighth Day Sound. FOH engineer Rob ‘Cubby’ Colby says his great experience mixing this tour has been down to the hard-working production crew: “Production manager, Denny Rich, production assistant, Libby Dostart, tour coordinator & tour manager, Joel Eriksson, stage manager Brandon Bogaert and music conductor, Marco Gamboa helped to make it a joy to be a part of.” His time with Eighth Day Sound has also been smooth sailin
