USA - Disguise is partnering with UK House to bring a virtual production studio to SXSW for the first time. Visitors to the venue at Downright Austin can hop on a motorbike from the UK to the US in an immersive experience created in partnership with the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG).
Visitors will also experience first-hand how a commercial can be filmed using a virtual production studio in the Accelerator course taster for advertising along with other special events and talks.
“Disguise sits at the intersection between technological innovation and creative storytelling - unleashing game-changing possibilities for immersive experiences and entertainment. In our first-ever appearance at SXSW, in partnership with UK House, we are thrilled to bring a taste of the same technology powering Adele’s Las Vegas residency, the NBA’s state-of-the-art LED court for All-Star 2024, Snapchat’s AR integration and Hollywood blockbuster films to Austin,” says Disguise CXO Alex Wills.
“Together we will explore how to stand out from the crowd, get people talking about your brand and create the most immersive, engaging concerts, experiences and films the world has seen.”
Starting 8 March, Disguise will host a four-day programme with five different talks, demos, a taster course for virtual production and a full-day immersive activation.
Aisling Conlon, international trade director for UK Advertising, comments: “UK Advertising is thrilled to join forces with Disguise for our debut immersive activation. SXSW is renowned for fostering
UK - On Friday, 8 March 2024, Adlib is hosting an open day in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The open day is tailored for young women who are navigating their professional development journey. This year's theme, Inspire Inclusion, aims to provide insight into our industry through the perspectives and achievements of women already established within it.
The day will feature short film screenings and women-led panel discussions, in a relaxed and inclusive setting. Adlib’s experienced female staff members will be available throughout the event to engage in conversations and share their personal stories from the live events industry. Additionally, there will be practical equipment demonstrations led by Adlib engineers to highlight the available technology.
The event will follow a ‘trade show’ format, allowing attendees to come and go as they please.
The event takes place at Adlib House, Kitling Road, Knowsley Business Park, L34 9JS, running from 10.30am - 4.00pm. Attendance is free, booking is available through ShannonSmith@adlib.co.uk.
UK - Dark winter nights in the northern English city of Leeds were brightened by a series of ‘magical’ animations recently, when visuals were projected onto the façade of The Queens Hotel driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers.
The elegant architecture of the historic hotel - which has hosted notable guests including Princess Grace of Monaco, Cary Grant and Nelson Mandela - served as a huge canvas for the projections, which were designed to give audiences a glimpse through the doors of the hotel during the winter season.
The project, entitled Magical Night at The Queens, was initiated by Leeds Business Improvement District in collaboration with the Barcelona-based creative studio Onionlab. Pro Audio Systems (PAS) was commissioned to co-ordinate and supply every technical aspect of the installation. Every evening at 30-minute rotations over four hours, passers-by were treated to seasonal graphic displays with a voiceover by Olivier Award-winning English actor Celia Imrie.
Projection mapping experts at Motion Mapping supplied four Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers - two active and two used as backups - to PAS for the installation. “The Hippotizers were sourced due to their compact size and flexibility with their deployment, as there was limited space available in the on-site control cabin,” says Chris Beardwell from PAS, who worked on the technical aspects of the projection. “The Karst+ servers provided more than enough power and outputs for this installation.”
The Karst+ MK2 Media Servers drove
USA - Florida’s Pensacola Christian College (PCC) has unveiled the transformation of its Dale Horton Auditorium, thanks to a collaboration with All Pro Integrated Systems and Elation lighting. All Pro Integrated Systems, a Sweetwater company based in Pensacola, spearheaded the project, seamlessly integrating a new LED lighting system that elevates the overall experience for both performers and audiences alike.
Pensacola Christian College is celebrating its 50th year of service in the Florida panhandle. The 3,500-seat Dale Horton Auditorium, a spacious multifunctional space with large lower bowl and upper balcony, is used for theatrical performances and other special events. The venue’s existing lighting, dating back to the building’s construction in 1986, lacked dynamic capabilities and was in dire need of modernisation. All Pro Integrated Systems collaborated closely with PCC to address specific challenges within the venue and provide a modern, dynamic lighting solution.
All Pro, who previously carried out an audio upgrade at Dale Horton Auditorium, handled the complete integration and project managed the lighting upgrade from concept to completion. Justin Schwartz, design engineer at All Pro Integrated Systems, played a pivotal role in the project and says the mission was clear: replace outdated conventional fixtures with new automated LED technology, offering dynamic colours, textures, and positioning while addressing specific infrastructure challenges within the venue.
Elation rep firm Freed Sales provided a large number of fixtures onsite
Korea - Singer-songwriter Younha celebrated 20 years since her stage debut with concerts on 3 and 4 February at the 15,000 capacity KSPO Dome in Seoul, formerly the Gymnastics Arena for the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Titled Twenty, the concerts were among the first large-format popular music events to feature immersive sound, with Yamaha AFC Image creating a thrilling, three-dimensional soundscape delivered by a total of 210 x Nexo STM line array elements comprising nine clusters of STM M48/B112 with M28 down-fills hung across the front of the stage, supplemented by three central clusters of 12 each STM S118 subs in an end fire configuration. Power and processing came from multiple Dante-equipped Nexo NUAR Universal Amp Racks.
The system was designed and deployed by local event sound specialists and STM rental partner Way Audio, where they used AFC-compatible Nexo NS-1 design and simulation software to configure the system which was tested and tuned at the warehouse for a period of a month leading up to the concerts.
Drawing on songs written throughout her career so far, Younha recalled her debut performance at a small café in Shibuya, Tokyo. Twenty years later at the KSPO Dome, a venue known for its challenging acoustics, each audience enjoyed immersive sound with sources dynamically mixed on 72 channels and localised within the space.
When Younha greeted the audience, her voice surged around the arena like a wave, and fans knew they were in for something special. “When the performance began and the band began to play, a sound that no on
Slovakia - Show designer and director Martin Hruska wanted to create a sense of spectacle coupled with edginess and idiosyncrasy for Slovak rap star Kontrafakt’s two much-anticipated, high-profile New Eras concerts which were staged at Prague’s O2 Arena.
Kontrafakt was celebrating two decades at the cutting edge of rap, so Martin, the artist and event producers Mafia Records were on a mission to “present the biggest and most memorable show possible” in that venue, explained Martin, outlining his ambitious visual aesthetic for which he also leaned heavily into Kinesys automation.
The specialist technical discipline of automation was utilised to dramatically shift the architecture and vibes of the performance space throughout the show, all the time ensuring that the artist, who has a great connection with his fans, remained right at the centre of the action.
Martin asked automation specialist Kosma Szostak and his company Showstak, based in Poland, onboard to assist in realising this epic element of the production, which was delivered with the help of 48 x one ton and half ton Kinesys motors. These were a mix of Apex hoists and EXE hoists running with Kinesys Elevation 1+ drives, with inbuilt load cells plugged into a Kinesys Libra PRO system and safety-under-load / overload cut offs linked to a Kinesys Mentor 4 unit. All the hoists were programmed and run via Kinesys Vector control.
With a set up window for the full production of only nine hours ahead of the first show, it was imperative that the automation was practical, achievable, an
USA - Pensacola-based All Pro Integrated Systems selected 12 Ayrton Huracán LT long-throw LED moving head profiles and two MDG ATMe hazers for a recent technology upgrade in the Dale Horton Auditorium at Pensacola Christian College. Both brands are exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Entertainment.
Pensacola Christian College was founded in 1974 to provide a Christian-traditional liberal arts education. Named for the founder’s father, the Dale Horton Auditorium is the home of the college’s fine arts events, recitals and other programs.
“The auditorium is a 3,500-seat, multi-purpose space that mostly had technology original to its building in 1986,” says Justin Schwartz, design engineer at All Pro, an audio, video and lighting systems integrator serving the needs of organisational, commercial, educational and governmental clients nationwide. “They were overdue for a change and wanted to transform the auditorium to better serve its multiple uses.”
One goal was to replace all the conventional lighting with LEDs. “The catwalks are on two levels with the farthest at a pretty steep angle to the stage; they struggled to get good light downstage and on the thrust,” Schwartz explains. “Performers were actually trained to keep their heads tilted up to catch the light. The auditorium couldn’t change the catwalks, but they could put moving heads on automated truss.”
All Pro began by getting a generic model of the auditorium and spending 60 hours rendering the room to show new lighting placement. “They liked the idea of
Columbia - Bogotá’s Movistar Arena staged the 2023 Red Bull Batalla World Final, celebrating the creativity, importance, and popularity of freestyle rap culture in Spanish-speaking communities. The event was fully loaded with energy and excitement and lit by Madrid, Spain-based lighting designer Edu Valverde from design studio Experiencias Visuales.
Edu utilised over 200 Robe moving lights to realise an eye-catching show design for the tournament which was attended live by a 14,000-capacity audience and streamed worldwide.
On Edu’s lighting plot were 105 x Robe MegaPointes, 66 x Spiiders and 53 x BMFL WashBeams, all delivered by Bogota-based rental company, Linea Estratégica, who also take care of all things technical for the venue and were picked to deliver specific results for this spectacular show.
Edu has previously lit Red Bull Batalla tournament finals in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the previous one in Madrid, in addition to several national finals in Spain, so he knows the brief, and was very excited to be working with a great team in Colombia on this one.
The 2022 event featured an LED screen and video heavy design, so in 2023, he wanted to turn this around and produce an equally dazzling environment but this time with “light being the main protagonist”.
The set design was - similar to 2022 - a collaboration between producers Babbla Studio, the Redbull Batalla team and Experiencias Visuales. A long and slightly quirky shaped runway stage allowed contestants to strut their stuff and connect with fans in th
Denmark - SGM Special Projects, a group within SGM Light specialising in creating custom lighting solutions, is a core group comprised of key personnel in Product Management, R&D, and Customer Service. The group is experienced in developing state-of-the-art products for demanding lighting professionals and has a vast prior background in both project management and lighting design.
SGM Light’s ability to deliver custom solutions is made possible by utilising in-house software engineering, extensive rapid prototyping facilities, full photometric lab, as well as a diverse network of local fabrication partners with the latest equipment. In-house testing and total control of supply chains means guaranteed quality and speed to market.
By combining design, manufacturing, approbation, delivery, as well as testing & commissioning assistance, SGM Light Special Projects can deliver production runs of custom solutions that mass market enterprises can’t, says the company.
Frank Hoehn, SGM sales director states: “Far East manufacturing is improving steadily on standard volume products. But SGM can engineer solutions on a different level than most as all aspects of development and sourcing are controlled by SGM.”
Jason Osterman, SGM product manager adds: “SGM has a lot of high-profile experience both in live entertainment and in fixed installation. We’ve completed some stunningly successful projects already and I’m excited to see even more new projects make use of our capabilities.”
UK - TAIT has confirmed partnership agreements with industry groups LIVE Green and Music Sustainability Alliance to support the industry-wide mission to advance sustainability awareness and learning.
The Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA) is the hub for the music industry to learn, innovate, and collaborate to advance sustainability in the music business. They provide community, science-based solutions, resources, best practices, and tools for operational change across the industry. This month, MSA hosted the Music Sustainability Summit in Los Angeles, supported by Billboard, which marked a key milestone as the first summit of its kind in North America. TAIT’s principal sustainability advocate, Carol Scott, joined the Haul It All panel on the day to discuss what artists and tours are doing today to reduce their environmental and social impact.
LIVE, the voice of the UK’s live music and entertainment business, is a federation of 16 live music industry associations working to ensure that the interests of live music in the UK are understood and communicated to Government, policymakers, regulators, the public and the wider music and entertainment industries. LIVE’s sustainability work is coordinated via LIVE Green. Carol Scott is currently the chair of this group, working with them to enable all in the live music industry to commit to climate action by providing the necessary support, resources, and advice.
Carol Scott comments: "I believe the whole industry is at its embryonic stages in the sustainability journey, and I see 2024 as a mass
Austria - Gerdon Design, based in Mainz, Germany, specialises in show, content and lighting production. In late 2023, the team at Gerdon Design were approached to work together with client, Revolution Event, on the upcoming Nukranox Festival, a celebration of hardstyle music, which was to be held in December 2023 at an arena venue in Salzburg.
“Revolution Event had come up with an idea for an immersive festival experience,” recalls Marek Papke, CEO at Gerdon Design. “They wanted to take a holistic approach and provide a narrative for the upcoming show and future shows in the series. The concept for Nukranox was to create a realistic forest environment and tell an ever-evolving story throughout the night through visuals, special effects and, of course, music.”
Nukranox aimed to offer customised and immersive experience to its 5,000-person audience. “A huge 24-metre LED wall covering the entire back wall of the stage was the focal point of the design,” continues Papke. “On the screen we planned to synchronise the visuals, depicting a dynamic, constantly changing forest environment with lighting effects to mimic day, night and weather conditions such as fog, rain and snow.”
Gerdon Design went beyond traditional approaches by introducing a 360° backdrop printed with the same forest scene as on the LED screen. They also incorporated scent machines emitting forest aromas and burning wood scents, along with snow machines, creating a multisensory experience, largely unprecedented in the world of music festivals.
To realise their v
UK - Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) has embarked on a comprehensive refurbishment and modernisation initiative, including the high-profile St James’ View event space. The objectives were to create a space with a high-spec aesthetic finish incorporating the latest hybrid meeting capabilities - a distinct improvement on the original twin projectors and drop-down screens with a podium.
Newcastle University Audio Visual Department consulted with Audiologic on the design and equipment specification for this space based on previous hybrid teaching solutions. GVAV won the tender exercise and subsequently outsourced the equipment supply, design and commissioning expertise to Audiologic.
Facing challenges such as a room layout with two glass walls and an awkward shape, making acoustics difficult to negotiate and sightline and speaker positioning challenges due to the lectern position, the team embarked on a mission to create a facility tailored to meet the evolving needs of the students and faculty.
The large space is also divisible into three areas, depending on use, and it was an essential requirement that content could be routed from anywhere, to anywhere.
Darren Mitchell, technical lead at the university for the project, specified a spread of equipment based on the Q-SYS Ecosystem, driven by a Q-SYS Core 8 Flex, conferring with QSC technical support directly to confirm suitability. Given the requirement for high quality aesthetic finish to the room and the amount of speakers required to provide the best audio solution throughout th
Slovenia - Comedian and TV personality Lado Bizovičar set lofty goals for his live show Slovenska Muska A-Ž (A-Z), in which he went through the entire Slovenian alphabet, linking it to a recording artist (A for Avsenik Ensemble), or genre (R for rap) to reflect on the state of music in his country.
Like the star and his many guests on stage, the production team that supported this show at the sold-out Arena Stožice in Ljubljana aimed high, creating a 360-degree stage and working with hang points that reach 34m. And just like him, they delivered a spot-on performance, thanks to the inspired efforts of director Nejc Levstik, set designer Greta Godnic, and TD Rok Lozar, along with lighting designer/programmer Crt Birsa and his ChamSys MagicQ Stadium Connect.
“This was the first 360-degree stage in the history of Arena Stožice (13,000 capacity),” said Birsa. “There were 540 fixtures in the show, probably the most in any project in Slovenia’s history. Programming and focusing for a two-hour circular stage show, along with an hour of supporting acts, was a challenge. My ChamSys was invaluable in helping me meet it.”
Birsa elaborated on how the MagicQ Stadium Connect helped him achieve his vision. “I liked that it has all the features and the layout of the Stadium consoles that I’m familiar with,” he explained. “Some additional programming buttons make the workflow go faster, which is very important at a job like this one. Also, the LTC is already built in the connect, which is very helpful, because you do not have to carry a separate
The Netherlands - As part of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), electronic music fans partied the day away at the combined Dockyard Festival x Mystic Garden Festival ADE 2023 in the Havenpark in Amsterdam on Saturday 21 October.
Think! AV supplied and set up lighting equipment for several of the areas at the festivals with the company's Niels de Feij managing the light project. He also created the light design along with YES! Your Event Support's Itai Joosten who also worked as the technical producer.
The Dockyard Festival x Mystic Garden Festival ADE offered revellers the chance to enjoy electronic music in contrasting settings. While the Mystic Garden Festival had a magical, fairytale-styled theme, the Dockyard Festival went for dark and industrial. In total, there were six stages with Chris Liebing, Dax J, East End Dubs, HI-LO, Olympe and Vuur headlining the Mystic Garden, Vision, Dockyard, Terminal One vs HE.SHE.THEY., _UNPAVED_, and TIJDMASJIEN stages, respectively. To ensure each area had spectacular lighting effects, Think! AV used a large number of lights by Infinity and Showtec to fulfil the ideas of the light designers.
At the Mystic Garden stage, eight top-of-the-range Infinity S601 Profile moving head spotlights from the Furion series provided fast, precise movements with colourful, dynamic light effects. These were complemented by eight Showtec Helix S5000 Q4 washers, two Showtec ACT Fresnel 50 WW theatre lights and two Showtec Blinder Flex Blaze that added creative blinder effects. A Showtec Mistique hazer added extra atmosphere. Other
Italy - Indie group Pinguini Tattici Nuclear (Tactical Nuclear Penguins) played Reggio Emilia’s RCF Arena, Europe’s largest outdoor concert venue to a crowd of 80,000.
Supporting the pulsating, upbeat music of this six-member Italian pop band, which takes its name from a Scottish beer, was a vibrant light and video show by Ombra Design that featured 120 Chauvet Professional COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorised battens, imported by Zalight and serviced by Agora.
Designing for Pinguini Tattici Nuclear’s entire 11-date tour run, Ombra Design created looks that were as big and embracive as the music of the band itself. The two large IMAG walls to either side of the stage, and the immersive video display at its centre were joined visually by a smooth horizontally oriented lighting display that used vivid colours to set an emotionally engaging tone for the big audience.
Contributing to the cohesiveness of this design were the COLORado PXL Bar 16 fixtures, which ran across most of the stage, being installed on its edges, as well as on the catwalk. Additionally, four of the motorised battens were placed above the proscenium, to create particular geometric elements.
Ombra Design chose the COLORado PXL Bar 16 because of the fixture’s brightness. (The unites in this show were almost always dimmed, given their exuberant power.) Also influencing the decision to go with these fixtures was their IP65 protection they offer.
Video contributions are an important part of the Pinguini Tattici Nuclear concert, explained by Lorenzo De Pascalis, who served a
UK - London welcomed 2024 with its biggest ever New Year’s Eve fireworks, lights and drone show on the banks of the Thames River. Lighting Designer Tim Routledge returned for a second year to light the giant London Eye Ferris wheel, choosing laser-source Claypaky Skylos fixtures to deliver spectacular beam effects from each of the Eye’s 32 pods.
The festivities featured more than 12,000 fireworks, 600 drones, 430 lights and a varied soundtrack of songs and voice-over clips. Attending the huge party were 100,000 lucky ticketholders while millions around the world watched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Routledge positioned 32 Skylos in the Eye’s passenger pods or capsules to create amazing beam effects that complemented the fireworks and drone display in the night sky.
Neg Earth supplied the Skylos fixtures, which are much more than classic searchlights. Skylos is an ultra-versatile and weather-resistant fixture with incredible light output and outstanding construction features. Considering its light output and the size of the front lens, the body of this remarkable light is lightweight and compact - a must for mounting high up on the London Eye. The fixture’s IP66 rating was also a plus for this challenging application.
"We used Skylos as a new fixture this year, as we had been looking for something new that could cut through the fireworks and the sheer amount of smoke they generate,” explains Routledge. “Skylos did us proud with punchy, bright beams that looked even more stunning when used with the prism effect that gave us a unique l
India - DirectOut has announced that Sonic Evolution will be its new official distributor for the Indian market.
"We are very excited about the partnership with Sonic Evolution," says Luca Giaroli, chief solution officer at DirectOut. "This collaboration will allow us to expand our reach in India and bring professional audio solutions to an even wider audience. We are confident that Sonic Evolution, with their passion for audio and commitment, will be a valuable partner.”
"We at Sonic Evolution are excited about the opportunity to serve as the official distributor of DirectOut Technologies in India," said Dr. Rajesh Khade, CEO of Sonic Evolution. "Our team shares DirectOut's passion for world-class audio technology and we look forward to bringing these solutions to a wider market in India. This partnership will allow us to further strengthen our position in the professional audio technology space and provide our customers with world-class service.”
Turkey - Martin Audio has strengthened its global reseller network with the appointment of Atempo as its new Turkish distributor. Established in 1985 from a base in Ankara, with offices in Antalya and Istanbul, it today has more than 145 personnel and provides full technology packages across all market segments.
The addition of Martin Audio to their distribution portfolio is a significant step, according to co-owner and CEO, Volkan Konuralp. “We have recognised the constant improvement of the brand and development of the Martin Audio portfolio since their acquisition by Focusrite and we believed the products would fit perfectly with our current portfolio and customers.”
Thus, back in late November they initiated talks with the British manufacturer, proposing the idea of a partnership deal for Turkey, which took effect at the beginning of January.
Martin Audio’s international sales director, Brad Watson, was highly receptive to the idea. “Atempo are a well-established family run organisation, serving a broad range of vertical markets,” he stated. “The business has close to 40 years’ worth of experience in the pro and commercial audio markets in Turkey and its affiliated regions.”
Atempo’s priority will be to reinstate the brand’s profile in both the touring and installation markets. “While Martin Audio has good brand recognition, in Turkey it has largely been based on an image of the past. We aim to highlight the company’s forward-thinking brand values and portfolio to grow its market share,” notes Konuralp.
In s
UK - Racquet Studios, a Sussex-based operator in the realm of virtual production, celebrated a successful student open day with East Sussex College at their Eastbourne facility on 22 February, offering more than 120 attendees from a range of creative courses a ‘deep dive into the transformative world of virtual content creation and filmmaking’.
The event, which was hosted in partnership with Canon Cinema EOS Cameras and Croatian specialist manufacturer, stYpe, illustrated the evolution of virtual production, highlighting its significant advantages over traditional filmmaking methods while emphasising the various creative and technical skills that feed into the cutting-edge solution.
The event solidified Racquet Studios' commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in the field of VP while engaging with young creatives to develop and retain skills in the region.
The day, which was split into two sessions, kicked off with a comprehensive introduction to VP, where the Racquet team guided participants through the sector's evolution.
The team also delved into the process of photogrammetry, unveiling the intricate method of creating digital twins of objects and environments through complex photography techniques. This process plays a crucial role in the complex recreation of assets that fuel the digital creative ecosystem.
Before breaking for lunch, all students had the opportunity to take to the stage and get hands-on with the professional setup, which included Canon Cinema EOS Cameras, lenses and global-leading camera tracking tec
UK - Production Futures has announced that Talks, a feature of the organisation’s On Tour events, is to be developed as a podcast and YouTube platform. The new format will feature a series of live-streamed, recorded discussions with a variety of production industry experts covering a range of topics, all of which will be designed to provide a valuable resource for young people interested in careers in the sector.
The initiative will be launched on 12 March when lighting designer Tim Routledge will join a Q&A session chaired by Production Futures’ Hannah Eakins in an online session from 11am GMT, broadcast from the organisation’s Strawberry Studios set in Manchester.
Tim, who is looking forward to taking questions from the young people in attendance, is enthusiastic about the event: “I was never academic at school and despite my school wanting me to do something more traditional, I wanted a job I was passionate about. So how do you end up flashing lights for popstars and TV shows all over the world? From a huge London New Year’s Eve show to Eurovision - how can flashing lights be a proper career? I’m very much looking forward to exploring exactly those questions with Production Futures’ young guests!”
As well as being the first in this series of filmed podcast/interviews, Tim Routledge’s session will also be featured in the BBC’s Bring the Drama Festival, an initiative which sees the corporation join forces with some of the UK’s leading cultural organisations, aiming to open doors to the next generation of behind-the-scenes
The Netherlands - Renowned trance music festival Transmission transposed to the Gelredome in Arnhem in The Netherlands for the first time, presenting its newest Elysium show concept at the end of 2023 and keeping the winning international production and supply teams that have helped make the event such a success in its native Czech Republic and globally.
Organisers United Music turned to their long-term lighting, audio and LED screen supplier, Ministry Rentals to supply the production kit - every bit of the kit came from Banska Bystrica in Slovakia - and lighting designer Bas Kempers to create an eye-catching visual environment to work in conjunction with their spectacular scenic design.
Bas’ lighting scheme included over 250 Robe moving lights, a dynamic combination of Fortes, MegaPointes, Pointes and BMFL WashBeams, together with multiple strobes and LED washes.
Being the first Transmission NL and the final event of a busy year for the brand which also staged sold out events in Australia, Poland and Thailand, the pressure was on to present something spectacular.
Bas started with United Music’s creative team’s vision of 400sq.m or so of LED screen - masked into a giant spherical shape upstage evoking a large modern pros arch. As well as complementing this with lighting, he also considered the vast environs of the venue which required filling with ambience and energy.
“I needed fixtures that could make those big, bold, bright and huge multi-faceted looks and scenes … and of course they had to be super-fast for the mu
China - This year marks a significant milestone for Brompton Technology. The opening of the Shenzhen office in March 2019 strategically positioning the company in High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, was prompted by customer demand and the city's status as a hub for LED panel manufacturing.
Brompton’s decision to establish a dedicated office facilitated seamless communication and support for local clients. Fast forward five years, and the company’s Shenzhen team support Brompton’s customers with account and project management, calibration, operations, technical product queries, training, field application engineering, and marketing.
To mark the occasion, the team will host a celebratory event at the office on 7 March. Brompton’s CEO, Richard Mead, will be joined by Elijah Ebo, director of APAC operations, Pokman Chu, general manager (China), Summer Zhang, deputy general manager (China), and many other members of the team in China and the UK to unveil a cutting-edge demo stage featuring an LED volume driven by Brompton Tessera LED processors.
This demo stage facility serves multiple purposes, including hosting internal and external trainings for partners, clients, and prospective clients, and conducting Brompton and partner-specific training sessions. It also provides a dedicated space for in-house events and for partners to showcase demonstrations, fostering innovation, knowledge-sharing and collaboration within the industry.
Equipped with industry-standard technology, the stage boasts an impressive array of equipment, including an
Patagonia - George Vlad, a professional sound designer, recordist, and composer, packed his bags and set off on an adventure to Patagonia. His goal was more than just braving extreme weather conditions and noisy environments to record sounds. George was on a mission to capture the unheard symphony of nature, to bring attention to the significance of sound in our visually saturated world and the unique beauty that lies within the noise of our acoustically polluted globe. His journey wasn't just about collecting sounds; it was about making us listen.
Armed with Rycote's audio equipment, George Vlad had a clear purpose in mind. This time he wasn't just out to record sounds, he was on a mission to push the boundaries of what's possible. He ventured into extreme weather conditions and noisy environments, testing the limits and exploring the constraints of sound capture. His goal went beyond mere exploration, George wanted to underscore the importance of sound in our predominantly visual culture.
"Being a passionate sound designer, recordist, and composer, I have always been fascinated by sounds that aren't readily accessible,” says George. “It's this fascination that compels me to travel the world, to capture and reproduce these unique sounds. My eagerness to explore places where no human ears have heard is relentless. There's an indescribable thrill in being the first one to record such an untouched sound environment. However, each year, it becomes increasingly challenging due to the expanding human footprint.”
Patagonia, a region at the southern
Asia-Pacific - Void Acoustics reports that it is experiencing significant company growth across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. In the past year, Void has seen over 50 installations rely on its audio technology, solidifying its presence in key markets such as Thailand, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, and India.
Void's projects in the APAC region range from Thailand’s iconic Wonderfruit Festival to the premium nightlife experience at Zouk Tokyo, reflecting the company's commitment to pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the global audio industry.
Among the notable projects completed in the APAC region are installations at prestigious venues such as Kimpton Maa Lai Bangkok Hotel, ShiShi Nightlub, Yona Beach and White Rock Beach Club in Bali. These iconic locations serve as a testament to Void's state-of-the-art audio technology and its ability to blend into any environment or setting.
Alex Skan, managing director, at Void Acoustics, said: "Our growth in the APAC market underscores Void's dedication to setting the pace of audio innovation and the appetite for exceptional audio in one of the world’s most dynamic regions. We are thrilled to contribute to the region's entertainment landscape and look forward to bringing our cutting-edge solutions to even more iconic locations."
Void Acoustics has also established a reputation in the hospitality and entertainment industries, working with premium brands and venues such as Blitz, Studio 338, Hilton, and Radisson.