UK - As lighting controls specialist Pharos Architectural Controls moves into its 20th year in 2024, the manufacturer is launching a campaign in recognition of key people and projects that have played a significant part on its journey. The 20 Years of Pharos campaign will spotlight 10 lighting professionals and 10 projects that have shaped the success of the company over the two decades since its establishment. Pharos Architectural Controls was founded in 2004 as part of the Carallon group, as an independently owned specialist in dynamic lighting control systems. Al
Canada - Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) recently announced its $350m renovation for the Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Toronto Raptors (NBA). This multi-phase renovation will see improvements to almost every part of the venue to greatly enhance the fan experience. The work began on the Mastercard Executive Suites level along with state-of-the-art technology upgrades, which was the start of the proof of concept with the upgraded audio system. The initial audio design came from WJHW, a global design and consultant firm, who reached
South Korea - Soyoun Lee’s is currently working for Lite Factory in Korea, designing and programming shows for several high-profile K-Pop music artists in Singapore and Korea. One of these is Korean record producer and singer-songwriter, Crush, who recently played several Wonderego concerts - in support of his i third album - at Seoul’s Jamsil Arena, for which Soyoun designed, programmed and operated the lighting. For the first time, she chose to run the lighting control on a full grandMA3 system. Soyoun had used the grandMA3 console / hardware many times already (running in
Argentina - Rock and pop musician Fito Páez continued his El amor 30 años después del amor tour last year with a 16 December concert at the Estadio UNO - Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi in Buenos Aires where 54 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures enhanced the energy on stage. The tour marked the 30th anniversary of Páez’s breakout album, El amor despues del amor, the pinnacle of his commercial success. In 1992 the artist sold more than 750,000 copies of the album and played sold-out concert dates. Thirty years later he drew sell-out crowds to a commemorative tour from Gonna Go!
UK - Following on from the successful Performance Audio Showcase event at Troxy in January, Sound Technology - distributor of Harman Professional audio brands in the UK & Ireland - has announced JBL VTX A6 open house sessions at its demo facility in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire on 5-7 March. The A6 is JBL’s smallest VTX loudspeaker product to date, bringing flagship VTX A Series performance to a subcompact form factor. The fully passive, two-way line array is a versatile solution for small to mid-size rental houses, corporate events, theatres, clubs, houses of wors
USA - When officials at the Von Braun Centre, located in the heart of historic downtown Huntsville, Alabama, approved a transformative renovation project at the multi-purpose facility, the task of installing a new audio system was awarded to Verta Technologies, a pioneering force in audiovisual solutions. Spearheaded by Christian Tuttle, principal and CEO of Verta Technologies, the company selected an ADAPTive audio system from EAW. The Von Braun Centre has undergone extensive renovations over the past two years and sought a comprehensive update for its aging audio system at
USA - Popular Americana and R'n'B singer songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats played their sold-out annual homecoming holiday concert at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, in December. It was the second time the annual event - which has been running for some years - was staged at this venue, after moving to the larger space in 2022. The lighting was crafted by Jeremy Roth, who has been Nathaniel’s production designer since 2017. He utilised over 100 Robe moving lights - Fortes, Spiiders and MegaPointes plus a RoboSpot system - to help make it look
Rwanda - Unusual Rigging faced a number of challenges when they were briefed to provide the rigging for the Global Citizen Move Afrika event at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on 6 December. This event, organised by Done & Dusted, was the first event in a five-year large-scale effort to pioneer a first of its kind international music touring circuit throughout the African continent. Sam Carter, senior production rigger, Unusual explained: “This event was a pretty big deal - not just as a music gig but as an initiative which hopes to help expand the industry in the regi
USA - Mickey Sabbath, an aging, manipulative and sex-obsessed puppeteer is the subject of Sabbath’s Theatre, a new play by Ariel Levy and John Turturro, based on the Phillip Roth novel of the same name. The play, which recently concluded its run by The New Group, evokes the eerie pathos of Sabbath’s life as he approaches death, and his own reality frays, evidenced by his imaginary encounters with people from his past. Supporting the play is a lighting design by Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter that relied on the Chauvet Professional COLORado 2 Solo Batten for part of its
Bahrain - A Dicentis conference system from Bosch was selected by the organisers of the recent International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly and Conference which took place in Manama, Bahrain at the end of September 2023. Five new nations were added to the IPC family, taking the membership to 208 countries, and a pair of international federations recognised as governing bodies for para-sports. The event saw participation from more than 350 attendees from different National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, Regional Organisations and International Organ
USA - Pliant Technologies has recently expanded its network with several new dealers and manufacturer representatives in multiple regions throughout the United States. These technology solutions firms will now provide Pliant’s communication solutions to a broader demographic, including its CrewCom, MicroCom, and SmartBoom lines of products. Included amongst the new dealers representing the Southeast region are The Design Oasis (FL); Black Key Productions (FL); Strata (GA); Newtech Systems (KY); Avant Communication & Technology (KY); Creative Sound and Lighting (NC), and Bra
Italy - Powersoft has announced a technology partnership with Ferrari. The partnership aims to ‘develop solutions enhancing the audio experience from the Ferrari brand while minimising energy consumption and offering benefits in efficiency, reliability and sound quality’. Powersoft's development philosophy prioritises reducing environmental impact through technology advancements and environmentally-conscious manufacturing processes. This commitment aligns with Ferrari's pursuit of excellence, whose aim is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Luca Lastrucci, CEO of Powe
UK - TAF has officially opened its new office and warehouse dedicated to serving customers in the UK and Ireland. Located in Walsall, West Midlands, TAF UK includes members of the TrussLite UK team, who have come on board to provide TAF’s large and small customers with their extensive knowledge and experience in the UK’s events & exhibitions sector. “As a result, TAF UK hits the ground running in the UK & Ireland market with firmly established reliability, customer service and expertise provided by Trusslite over the years to their loyal customer base. In turn
India - DirectOut has announced Advanced Telemedia (ATM) as its exclusive distributor in India. Established in 2002, ATM has earned its position as a leader in the distribution of professional audio products, known for its dedicated customer service and nationwide presence. Headquartered in the capital city of New Delhi, ATM has regional offices in Mumbai and Kolkata, ensuring that its services reach every corner of India. ATM's impressive portfolio includes exclusive distribution partnerships with premium brands. Luca Giaroli, chief solutions officer at DirectOut, is
Global Icon - Kylie Minogue is set to receive a Brits global icon award at this year's ceremony. Taking place on 2 March, it will recognise Kylie's career over five decades. She is also nominated for international artist of the year alongside Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey. Kylie has also been confirmed to perform on the night and will join the already-announced Dua Lipa and Raye on stage. Speaking about the announcement, Kylie said: "I am beyond thrilled to be honoured with the global icon award and to be joining a roll call of such incredible artists. The UK has a
UK - Following the successful launch of the new TT+ Audio brand - and its flagship GTX passive line arrays - first in Italy, and more recently to the North American market at NAMM, it was the UK’s turn this month to put the fully integrated systems through their paces in front of UK rental companies, tour managers, sound engineers and system designers. Two open days - at the Gateshead Glasshouse (formerly the Sage Gateshead) for northern professionals, followed by the Millennium Studios, Bedfordshire for those in the south paid dividends. While the prominent venue overlooking th
UK - North of England based leisure operators ARC Inspirations have developed three different brands, spread across 21 units. One of these is BOX, a growing collection of high-octane, American style, city centre sports bars. The latest 650-capacity unit in Nottingham opened recently in a Grade II-listed former bank building, to reveal an RCF HDL 10-A active line array, installed by Pro Technical (UK). This is providing the solution for the venue’s extensive schedule of entertainment and events, including Thursday night’s ‘Bandeoke’ sessions, with a live band providi
USA - A sensitive installation of Martin Audio’s Adorn ACP-55T pendant speakers has been undertaken at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) West Building Gallery in Raleigh, NC, by RMB Audio. According to RMB Audio owner, Cooper Cannady, 16 of the shallow pendant speakers were selected for their 150° conical coverage (117 Hz to 20 KHz ± 3dB, -10db @73 Hz) and off-white finish which matched the ceiling. These were approved by the architectural committee after careful review. The speakers are paired to cover the wall-to-wall open space. Three areas of the gallery were
Germany - The country’s biggest New Year’s Eve party, Willkommen 2024, took place in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and was broadcast live for several hours by ZDF Television. The event featured spectacular live performances from leading German artists. An estimated 3.5m TV viewers watched the spectacle, hosted by well-known presenters Andrea Kiewel and Johannes B. Kerner, with around 65,000 spectators present at the event. Such a prestigious occasion demanded exceptional audio, and full-service production specialist Ambion was engaged to deliver on-site sound produ
UK - Unusual Rigging has dealt with a fair few strange and, well, unusual, requests over the years. So when Gary Beestone was brought on board as technical director for Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions’ Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Unusual was chosen for the production’s complex rigging. “Bringing Stranger Things to the stage is incredibly ambitious and challenging,” explained Gary. “The Unusual team and I are old friends, having worked on some pretty major events and productions over the years. I knew they were really the only sensible choice f
Norway - Absen, has partnered with Czech sports software company, Goal Sport, to provide high-performance screens at the home of professional Norwegian ice hockey team, Stavanger Oilers. The Stavanger Oilers, a team in Norway's top ice hockey division, the Fjordkraftligaen, sought to upgrade the outdated centre cube display at the DNM Arena, its home stadium and training ground in Stavanger. The arena, with a capacity of 4,500 spectators for ice hockey matches, and 6,000 for other events, needed a modern, visually appealing display to enhance the fan experience. Goal Sport,
USA - Broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena for the second consecutive year, the 66th Grammy Awards were delivered by an expert production team who trust Shure wireless technology to ensure extraordinary audio. “Shure’s Axient Digital wireless technology delivers the high-quality sound and reliability that our team depends on for the Grammy Awards,” shared Michael Abbott, audio producer for the 66th Grammy Awards show. “Their wireless, along with the wide variety of Shure mic capsules, ensures the artists sound their best for the live broadcast.” To
India - Ragam Pro AVL has become the first rental company in India to have a DiGiCo Quantum 225 in its inventory. From humble beginnings 50 years ago, Kodaly, Kerala-based Ragam Pro AVL has created a reputation for delivering first class events. “Recently we have planned to upgrade our audio inventory to meet the growing demands of clients,” says Biju KV, Ragam Pro AVL owner. “Our first thought was to purchase one from DiGiCo’s SD series. But then they introduced the Quantum 338 and 225 to the Indian market via their distributor, Hi-Tech Audio & Image. Azhar Mee
