USA - We Came As Romans recently wrapped the fall leg of their Darkbloom II headlining tour, a 30-date run with a lighting system from Bandit Lites. The metalcore band kicked off on 10 October in Indianapolis and made its way throughout the country, culminating in Nashville, Tennessee on 19 November. Lighting designer Corbin Alvae worked with guitarist Lou Cotton and bassist Andy Glass who sought to recreate a ‘black hole’ style stage design and update it with a space feel. A 10ft diameter circle truss was outlined with Elation ACL 360i fixtures as well as Elation DTW
New Zealand - JPRO is celebrating 35 years of success and dedication to excellence. Since its inception in 1988, JPRO has been at the forefront of the AV distribution industry, supplying world leading brands, providing local support and customer satisfaction. Established in 1988, JPRO began as the demand for JBL Professional products increased in New Zealand. Over the past three and a half decades, the company has evolved into a powerhouse, with a diverse portfolio of brands, customised solutions, technical expertise and consistently exceeding customer expectations. JPRO's
UK - Burna Boy took to the stage at London Stadium in June as part of his Love, Damini tour. The production team trusted professional audio and video partner Solotech, which relied on Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System and software solutions to deliver audio and a spectacular show. The production team aimed for a robust and reliable sound system that could handle 40 channels accommodating Burna Boy, his core band, an 11-piece marching band, and a 10-piece choir. A sophisticated range of the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System equipment was selected and deployed by J
UK - Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Howard Jones this year celebrated 40 years in the music business. Having toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America during 2023, Jones returned in October to conclude his live schedule with a UK theatre tour. The 10-night tour, which included nights at the London Palladium and Birmingham Symphony Hall, demonstrated the star’s versatility. A full-on synth-driven electronic attack was complemented by acoustic trio and solo sections which showed off Jones’ talents as a pianist. Liverpool-based production specialists Adlib
France - ETC’s automated fixtures range Halcyon has been selected by the noted Parisian theatre, la Comédie-Française. A total of 27 Halcyon Platinum fixtures and 12 Halcyon Gold fixtures have been installed at the famous theatre, which has several productions including French plays by Molière, Racine, Corneille and others. A cultural institution, la Comédie-Française is the only French national theatre since 1680 to have a permanent drama troupe. Sales manager for France Nicolas Da Canal comments: “la Comédie-Française already has High End Systems SolaFrame Studi
UK - Manchester-based sound design specialists and audiologists tube uk are supplying audio systems to eight popular Christmas trails throughout the UK and one in Germany this season - totalling an impressive 168 individual sound systems, consuming 1,681 loudspeakers. Working closely with the production team from Culture Creative, a specialist in creating trail experiences and numerous other live events, Melvyn Coote and the tube uk crew have developed a fully weatherised distributed sound system hardware concept for trail experiences. They have also optimised techniques for deliv
UAE - Sennheiser was the official audio sponsor of the United States reception during World Radio Conference 2023. Organised in the opening week of the conference, the event was a resounding success, welcoming more than 1,200 delegates who enjoyed a captivating gig by the Sonic Crusaders. The band used Digital 9000 wireless microphones, with a hand-built WMAS development prototype ensuring crystal-clear digital in-ear audio for the band members. Dubai-based event service provider 3DB, with project manager Stuart Andrews, supplied all audio, video, lighting and stage production re
UAE - Powersoft is further expanding its distributor network in the GCC market by welcoming Dutco Tennant as its newest distributor. The appointment of Dutco Tennant will play a significant role in strengthening Powersoft’s presence in the Middle East. The company will join historical Dubai-based distributor, Pro Lab, and Saudi Arabia based aDawliah. Established four decades ago, Dutco Tennant LLC has built a strong reputation in providing a wide range of products and services, providing audio, video and UCC (unified communications and collaboration) solutions in the GCC region.
USA - Snowbird Restaurant & Lounge opened aiming to bring the cocktail lounge scene to Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas where the dining scene is booming. This 4,100sq.ft space includes dining seating, lounge seating, and a 35ft-long bar, aiming to set a sultry lounge setting with cocktails as the star. Bespoke Technology Group based out of Dallas, was contracted to bring this after-dinner destination to life by integrating the audio system. Snowbird has DJ booths upstairs and downstairs and had to have an audio system fit for dinner ambiance as well as for private events an
USA - Tempest enclosures have been used to protect Epson projectors at a projection mapping installation in Carmel, Indianapolis. EOS: The First Dawn is a permanent installation created by Blockhouse Studios and features 12 Epson EB-PU2220B 20,000-lumen large venue laser projectors, each safeguarded by a Tempest Cyclone enclosure to ensure they run at peak performance. Mounted on the roof of the James and Tarkington buildings, these powerful projectors tell the theatrical story of Eos, Greek Goddess of the Dawn, presented in a dream-like projection onto the face of the Car
UK - Georgia Browns in the town of Hindley, Greater Manchester is a destination sports and entertainment venue. Recently re-furbished and re-launched, and featuring a large media wall, the venue also hosts multiple additional screens showing a wide range of sports, as well as staging live bands, DJ sets and karaoke. The team at Georgia Brown gave careful consideration to its technical needs, and having invested in its media wall through Richer Sounds, consulted with the company’s custom installation design team over the best way forward for its audio requirements. Richer S
Spain - Broadcast live for the first time in history from Seville, Spain, the 24th Latin Grammys trusted the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System and Shure software to enable quality audio for the biggest night celebrating Latin culture, passion, and music. Shure Axient Digital Wireless was selected for its robust and reliable signal quality. Sound company Fluge provided 60 channels of Shure Axient Digital Wireless and 32 channels of Shure PSM 1000 In-Ear Personal Monitoring System, delivering consistent RF coverage over the whole venue. “Shure PSM 1000 continues to be a c
UK - ABTT’s popular Pyrotechnic Safety Awareness Training was a sell out in September 2023, and booking is now open for the 2024 course which takes place on 11January at The Elgiva Theatre, Chesham. Equipment and devices used, demonstrated or viewed during the course include products from: Le Maitre: Pyroflash - ProStage II - Virtually Smokeless (VS) - Illusion - Skyhigh - Torch - Blakes - Viking - Theatrical Pyrotechnics - Wells - Ultratec - LunaTech - PyyroPak. The course will provide candidates with an opportunity to keep ‘up to date’ with ‘considered best practic
UK - Prolyte is set to collaborate with long-standing partner Stage Electrics, one of the UK's premier Prolyte suppliers, for two exclusive campus events in Glasgow and Birmingham this January. Prolyte and Stage Electrics invite industry professionals to join these insightful events, helmed by Prolyte's expert, Eric Laanstra. With over 23 years of expertise, Prolyte's seasoned product manager, promises a profound exploration into the intricacies of rigging, trussing, and staging. The Glasgow event takes place 23 January 2024 at RCS Glasgow; Birmingham’s venue is MAC Birmin
South Korea - The Starnetworks group has become the official distributor of Holoplot Matrix Array systems in South Korea. This marks Holoplot's first foray into the Asian live entertainment market. “Our philosophy is to look at sound as both an art and a science,” says Su Keun O, CEO at Starnetworks. “This philosophy aligns perfectly with Holoplot technology, which is science-based, software-driven, and hardware-enabled, offering unparalleled sound experiences through sound control.” The Starnetworks team had their first opportunity to witness the Holoplot X1 Matrix
USA - The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) in Arizona, has installed two Solid State Logic Origin 32-channel in-line analogue mixing consoles in July. The two new consoles are installed in Studio B at the main CRAS campus in Tempe and Studio B at the satellite campus in Gilbert, where students are first introduced to the signal flow and operation of large-format recording consoles. “Students who enter our programme have access to both consoles,” says Robert Brock, director of education at CRAS. “On any given day, we're running the same class at both locat
Germany - The artist Alligatoah is not easy to pin down. He marries rap with catchy pop melodies, slips into ever-changing personae and has been delighting large audiences for years with his overall package. The theatricality certainly suits him, and in 2023, this phenomenon of German rap will continue with the latest leg of his Retour, which will introduce tracks from the current album Rotz & Wasser. Christoph Schneider is responsible for the lighting design on this tour, which is promoted by ibb Booking and Boldt Berlin. He specified 46 GLP JDC1, 10 JDC Line 10
USA - Shure received a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The results of the 2023-2024 CEI showcase how US-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the US and abroad. Shure’s efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a score of 100 and the designation as recipient of the Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion. In addition to Shure’s LGBTQ+ inclusi
Australia/USA - RØDE Microphones has announced the acquisition of US-based pro audio pioneer Mackie from Transom Capital Group. “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Mackie to The Freedman Group’s roster of iconic audio brands,” says founder and chairman Peter Freedman. “They are true legends, with a pedigree of live sound expertise that is simply unmatched. Today, RØDE and Mackie are both leaders in audio, and we share the same passion for creating innovative, high-quality products with a strong customer focus. “With this acquisition, The Freedman Group is now a
Sustainable Theatre - Bristol Old Vic has installed solar panels on its roof as part of its commitment to sustainability. A redevelopment in 2019 allowed the installation to happen, which was carried out by Solarsense. Productions and operations director David Harraway said: "The phase of refurbishment we completed five years ago helped ensure our building was working hard to be as sustainable as possible, but this was a missing piece until now." He explained that previous renovations have seen the building install LED lighting, a community greenhouse, automated building managemen
UK - The University of the Arts London (UAL) recently sought to update its audio-visual systems in classrooms at three key campuses. London-based integrator, Tateside, was approached directly to work on the project. “The project encompassed classroom refurbishment works at South London-based campuses and a full installation at a further campus in High Holborn,” explains Joby Morris, audio visual and networks specialist at Tateside. “We selected Tateside because it was clear from the start that they really understood our vision for using NDI and Dante to create learnin
Germany - The 12th season of the annual Rocket League esports Championship took place in August 2023 at Düsseldorf’s PSD Bank Dome. The tournament marked its biggest season yet, with $6m in prize money up for grabs. bright! studios - a visual design and technology studio based in Frankfurt - created engaging visual ‘hero shot’ content for the tournament using innovative show control software from Stage Precision. “We were tasked with creating modern player introduction videos that were shown before each team to hype up the crowd,” explains Leon Herche, creative p
UK - As Optocore dealers fac365 end the year, they can reflect with satisfaction at having further helped to establish the company’s portfolio, notably Festival Box - not merely during the festival season - but for major international tours with bands like The Killers and Coldplay, with four Festival Boxes making up Coldplay’s control package and network infrastructure. One major source for this success has been fast-expanding rental house, Solotech UK - which has a historic relationship with Optocore - supporting production with gear supplied from four warehouses spread acro
