Croatia - AV solutions provider HUST has completed the design and installation of new audio and video systems for the largest conference hall of the Croatian Catholic University (Hrvatsko Katoličko Sveučilište) in Zagreb.
HUST was commissioned to provide the main conference hall with a triple projection system and high-quality audio throughout, with a focused sound system for the centre screen.
To deliver uniform sound levels and clarity throughout the hall, HUST designed a distributed system using Community D8 two-way high output ceiling loudspeakers, with D10SUB ceiling-mount subwoofers adding extended response and low frequency impact. An additional pair of Community V2-28 dual eight-inch full-range two-way loudspeakers is positioned above the stage to focus sound on the main 5.5m wide screen.
Two further 3.6m screens and three high output Epson 3LCD full HD projectors complete the video system. For people with hearing difficulties, HUST also installed a Univox induction loop system. The whole system is controlled by a Biamp TesiraFORTÉ, with a Windows PC-based custom interactive interface.
With basic controls, users have the ability to manage the content source, audio configuration, motorized lowering of screens and room light dimming with predefined scenes. The system is managed at several different levels of administration in accordance with the privileges assigned by user name and password. Designed as a modular system, HUST has future-proofed it to be easily expandable, both at the current location and in additional remote micro-

Australia - Adelaide Oval has been described as one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia. Its importance on the international cricket circuit is undisputed, being headquarters to the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). Its sporting credentials extend to other areas, with South Australian National Football League (SANFL) also calling it home and the venue playing host to Australian rules football, rugby league and union, soccer and tennis, as well as regularly holding concerts.
It has three stands, the Western, Eastern and Southern or Riverbank Stand, all constructed as part of a major refurbishment completed in 2014. The Riverbank Stand boasts a new L-Acoustics Kara system, supplied by Jands, L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for the region. The system delivers improved coverage and intelligibility, all without the need for expensive acoustic treatment.
The 14,000-capacity Riverbank Stand’s 12 stories are covered by a single curved roof which has complex rigging requirements. US-based acoustic design and consulting firm Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW) were brought in to recommend a system for its upper tier audience areas and determined that Kara would be the ideal solution. With a throw distance requirement in excess of 50m in some audience areas, Kara provides coverage and SPL for the entire upper tier audience in a high performance yet lightweight package.
Supporting WJHW designer Greg Swindle, the L-Acoustics Applications team provided electromechanical and system support, with L-Acoustic

UK - Situated on The Green in the gentrified North London suburb of Winchmore Hill, Buckle and Vaughan is a spacious bar / dining space that is all about atmosphere.
Owned by Neil Friar, it was atmosphere that was sadly lacking when the venue opened four years ago, largely because the sound system was insufficient for the venue’s needs. Several years later and Penguin Media Solutions have been brought in to upgrade the sound with a potent Martin Audio CDD6 ultra-compact solution, using Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology.
CDD series has provided the solution for many Penguin installations since its launch, and according to director of operations and project manager for this job, Dylan Thompson, “It’s difficult to justify installing anything other than CDD. It’s an attractive box, produces a great sound and has a useful dispersion. On top of that, it’s a recognised brand and it’s sensitively priced.”
He recalls that his company had originally been introduced to the project at its inception. “We have done previous work for the owner but for budgetary reasons they went for a local electrical contractor, and the 100V line system, with 3” drivers, created no atmosphere whatsoever. It would only go a couple of dB above the ambient noise and then sounded trebly and strained, with no bass, warmth or intelligibility whatsoever.”
Second time around Penguin were given free rein, and determined to match the aesthetic of the bright décor they commissioned a total of 10 CDD6 (with powerful 6.5” drivers) in white. A Blackline X2

UK - In September, drama school Mountview moved from its temporary home in Wood Green, north London, to a purpose-built building in Peckham. The new building houses all of Mountview's undergraduate and postgraduate performance and production arts courses under one roof and includes a 200-seat theatre, the 80-seat Backstage Theatre and a rooftop bar and restaurant with views across London.
As part of its Theatre Production Arts (Lighting) Course, Mountview receives generous support from White Light. So when the school needed to find a way of storing its equipment when it moved into its new home, they approached the technical solution specialists.
Alex Cann, senior lighting tutor at Mountview, explains: "We've operated out of our 'temporary' Wood Green home for around 30 years now. It’s a small space with a very compact lighting and sound store and nowhere near enough space for all our equipment. The new building in Peckham gives us the room we’ve all craved for some time. That said, we knew that we needed to be organised with our kit from the word go so decided to invest in some Doughty Transporter Trolleys through White Light."
Alex continues: "We previously had an undersized rack in our store that was not fit for purpose. We’d heard great things about the Doughty Transporter Trolleys and so contacted the Doughty team through White Light. We wanted to discuss making changes to the design of the original trolley so that they were suited to our exact needs. As such the bases are off the shelf but the rest of the design is bespoke using off-the-s

UK - An Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition is now installed at the new recording studio in LIPA Sixth Form College, Liverpool, where sound technician, John Kershaw - a LIPA graduate himself, therefore fully conversant with Audient products - is very pleased at its arrival. “It is our hope that tech students from LIPA Sixth Form will graduate and gain a place at LIPA HE to study on the Sound Tech degree programme. Having already used the ASP8024-HE in college, they should feel right at home with LIPA’s studios housing two original ASP8024s,” he says.
With a variety of courses on offer including Sound Technology and Music, the studio is already enjoying heavy footfall. “We take in around 15 sound technology students every academic year, who will spend most of their time between the recording studio, Mac lab and theatre. All our music students will complete a recording module during their time here too,” he explains.
“We also have a couple of Audient iD4 audio interfaces dotted around the college. These little boxes are great for recording vocals, dialogue and for re-recording individual tracks on studio projects. They look and feel like the master section of an analogue desk,” concludes Kershaw.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Influential New York music venue My Father’s Place has been equipped with a Danley Sound Labs sound reinforcement system as it reopened in the Roslyn Hotel ballroom on Long Island.
The venue played a critical role in the New York music scene of the 1970s and 1980s, helping to launch the careers of scores of musicians including Tom Petty, Tom Waits, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oats, 38 Special, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Meat Loaf, John Prine, Charlie Daniels, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Runaways, The Ramones, Blondie, Blue Öyster Cult, Rush, Iggy and The Stooges, Lou Reed, The Talking Heads, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Police and Emmylou Harris.
The new My Father’s Place is set up as a 200-seat supper club, a twist that harkens back to an era that massively predates the original venue and gives it a new sheen. The original owner, Michael “Eppy” Epstein, is joined by two other music industry veterans, Alex Ewen and Dan Kellachan, as co-principals of the new venture.
Between the three of them, there is scarcely a modern musical act of national or international stature that they haven’t worked with. “We’re not your average club owners,” says Ewen. “We were very systematic about getting the perfect sound reinforcement system for our new room. Its acoustics are excellent, so we were really looking for a system that would complement the room. We didn’t need a system that would fix problems.”
The trio invited numerous loudspeaker manufacturers and system integrators in to demo their best products and

UK - Dundee’s landmark new V&A museum beamed its way onto the world’s cultural map in September with a spectacular light, sound and pyrotechnics-focused opening ceremony. At the helm of the bold colour washes and intricate shapes was lighting designer John Rogers, armed with two Avolites Tiger Touch II consoles.
Rogers was commissioned for the project by Jon Pugh of JMP Productions. The pair employed 30 Robe BMFL WashBeams in weatherproof domes and eight Prolights SunBLAST IP rated LED Strobes to achieve their design. These were rigged at ground level around the exterior of the V&A, pointed directly at the building’s unique architecture.
More than 10,000 people gathered at the city’s docks to experience the launch, with thousands more watching it live on the BBC and later on catch-up. The entire show was synced to music composed especially for the occasion, triggered by MIDI from Logic on a laptop.
One of the stand-out moments of the show was the words Hello World, beamed onto the external slats of the museum in Morse code. But the visual highlight came as each section of the angular structure was perfectly washed in markedly different, bright colours.
“What we were aiming for pushed the boundaries of what’s possible using fixtures instead of projection mapping,” says Rogers. “This could have been challenging, but I was backed up by some of Titan’s signature features, including Key Frame Shapes. This made it much simpler to create an animation of the BMFL’s shutter blades, for a start, meaning that the Mor

USA - The aquarium at the aptly named Dive Bar in Sacremento draws crowds in large part for its huge 7,500-gallon saltwater tank above the bar. This serves as a performance space for the fabled sirens of the seas, who are now being illuminated by elektraLite eyeBall Outdoor fixtures.
After the massive Titanic themed aquarium was built and installed by Carmel Valley based Tenji, Inc., Dive Bar’s management called upon Jay Ingram of local aquarium maintenance and design firm Aquaticbox to maintain it. “The aquarium was amazing, but its original lighting system was flat and felt like fluorescent office lighting,” Ingram recalls. “It didn’t have character or depth to what a possible underwater scene should look like.”
Ingram initially tried remedying the situation by adding PAR38 LED lights (22k, 12k and 6500k) to create sunlight shimmers, darker spots, and blue areas in the tank for a bit of change and drama. However, he felt that it was still missing the right extra “something” to make this delightfully kitschy vintage spectacle truly mesmerizing. “Seeing that this aquarium is essentially an underwater performance stage, I suggested to Dive Bar that we put in some proper theatrical lights that could actually change colours,” he says.
The management team agreed, and Aquaticbox turned to Jeff LaPell at Jacksonville, Florida based Stage Lighting Store, who shipped out half a dozen IP65-rated elektraLite eyeBall Outdoor fixtures for the task. Ingram then spent a couple of evenings mounting the water-resistant Quad (RGBW) fixtures above

South Korea - Bethel Church in IllSan has invested in a new SSL L500 Plus live console and SSL stageboxes for FOH duties. The system was supplied and installed by South Korean SSL distributor HANSEO Broadcast & Music Tech Inc.
Bethel Christian Church has two chapels, one in Ilsan and one in Paju, NorthWest Seoul. The Bethel Church Pastor travels between the two, delivering a sermon from one, which is transmitted live to the other. Daily attendance at the Church is 8,000 - 10,000 people, with six services on a Sunday and a total congregation of around 20,000 people.
The input channel count on a typical service at Bethel Church is 64, with drum kit, bass, two guitars, keyboards, piano, orchestra, choir, soloist, and Pastor from stage. These go from SSL SuperAnalogue stageboxes, through the SSL BL II.D Blacklight II MADI Concentrator, and to FOH via a redundant optical pair. The console itself has an additional touch screen connected, as well as the SSL SOLSA online/offline control PC application.
Ilsan Bethel Church picked the SSL L500 Plus console after a carefully considered move from an older analogue FOH console to a new digital replacement. Tae Young Kwon, chief engineer at the church, notes: "We looked at a lot of consoles from all the main manufacturers. Our criteria included reliability, scalability, intuitiveness, price, and service. It was a difficult process, but in the end the deciding factor was sound quality. We chose the L500.”
(Jim Evans)

Taiwan - Quanta Art Foundation has recently installed two Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W HMI follow spots into the Quanta Hall at Hwaya Technology Park in Guishan Township, in Taoyuan County, Taiwan.
Personally designed by Quanta Computer chairman Barry Lam and built by Taiwan master architect Kris Yao, Quanta Hall embodies a blend of technology and art; its creation was based on the “Trans-Art concepts” promoted by the Quanta Art Foundation.
Adorned with simplistic yet elegant Chinese carved wood seals, Quanta Hall has served as a medium-sized theatre and multi-functional exhibition centre since its opening on 21 April 2009. The 1,000sq.m hall with 576 burnt sienna seats is used as a venue for a wide array of performing arts through the year.
With the help of Taiwan distributor DLHG Co. Ltd., two Robert Juliat Cyrano followspots found their new home in this hall and have been installed in the Follow Spot Room located on the second floor.
The stage manager of Quanta Hall commented, "The Cyranos are much brighter than the previous follow spots" when he was testing the new 2500W HMI followspots.
(Jim Evans)

UK - At PLASA 2018, J&C Joel launched a new grant scheme with the Theatres Trust, the company’s chosen charity for the year.
The Setting the Stage Fund will provide up to £10,000 of in-kind support to one UK-based not-for-profit theatre. The support will be offered in the form of J&C Joel’s products and services which can include but isn’t limited to front of house drapery, masking and black out drapery, tracks and servicing of stage engineering equipment.
J&C Joel CEO, James Wheelwright, comments: “Theatrical drapery and stage engineering are at the heart of what we do at J&C Joel. We are extremely proud to be able to work with the Theatres Trust to give something back to the industry which has been the key to our success. We hope the Setting the Stage Fund will make a real difference to a theatre in need whilst also benefitting the community it serves.”
Jon Morgan, director at Theatres Trust, adds: “Being chosen as J&C Joel’s charity of the year means that the Theatres Trust will be able to support even more theatres to thrive. And we are delighted to be working with them on the Setting the Stage Fund, providing our expertise to find a deserving theatre for this generous support.”
Theatres will be able to apply by downloading an application form from the Theatres Trust website. The deadline for entries will be Friday, 30 November, with the shortlist announced in January. The shortlisted venues will then be visited by a panel of judges from J&C Joel and the Theatres Trust and the successful applicant w

UK - The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School utilises an Electro Kabuki system to stage a kabuki drop.
The system uses electromagnetic technology and a load hook. At its heart is the same technology used in life-critical safety applications on oil rigs and shipping to release heavy-duty shuttering to prevent the spread of fire. The solutions is also a more reliable theatrical reveal technology compared to solutions deployed in the past, such as strings and ropes, loops and pins, or wooden spars fitted with cup hooks.
The system was supplied and is supported by Electro Kabuki distributor and theatrical chandlers, Flints.
The syllabus at the Bristol Old Vic school includes staging and rigging for events and shows, with a focus on the history of special effects, including staged reveals. Over the centuries, productions have used a huge variety of techniques and mechanisms to deploy a kabuki drop (from the ancient Japanese tradition of Kabuki theatre), with wildly varying degrees of certainty and success.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Sound Space Vision joined forces with architect Alan Berman and Berman Guedes Stretton to deliver a revitalised Garden Quad Auditorium to better serve the needs of St John’s College’s busy calendar of events. The newly modernised Garden Quad Auditorium begins its season of events this autumn.
The College’s aim was to make the room more comfortable, with improved sightlines and acoustics, wheelchair access to both the seats and the stage, and reduced services noise whilst maintaining a seat count of at least 180. There was also a desire to bring the lecturer/performer closer to the audience, and a need for the auditorium’s technical, production and acoustics capabilities to match a busy calendar of lectures and musical events of all kinds.
Sound Space Vision (SSV) joined architect Alan Berman to develop a new interior form which met these requirements, with Marion Brereton of architects Berman Guedes Stretton (BGS) taking it through to detail and completion.
The result is an auditorium that has been shortlisted for the AJ Retrofit Awards 2018 (Higher and Further Education).
After a thorough assessment by SSV of the acoustics, technical systems and the spatial aspects of communication and intimacy, Berman and SSV took a holistic approach, developing a new interior form while remaining respectful of the original architecture. SSV and BGS worked together to integrate the new acoustics, audio, lighting, and seating into the revered original as well as the modernised, revitalised architecture

USA - With its mission to create environments where identity is realised, authority is revealed, and destiny is engaged, Seattle Revival Centre is a non-denominational house of worship located in King County, Washington. To improve the sound reinforcement capabilities of its sanctuary, the church recently elected to deploy a new sound system. To ensure first-rate speech intelligibility and music reproduction capabilities, loudspeakers from the Event and Action Series catalogues of DAS Audio were installed.
One Pro Audio Video Lighting of Bellevue, WA, a design / build firm servicing the commercial and worship markets in addition to operating live sound production and sales and rental divisions, was contracted to coordinate and deploy Seattle Revival Centre’s new SR system.
Working in close coordination with Quincy Owen Solutions of Lynnwood, WA, a consulting firm servicing both AV integrators and churches, the One Pro Audio Video Lighting team ultimately deployed a sound system consisting of DAS Audio Event-208A 3-way active line array enclosures, Event-218A powered subwoofers, and Action M12A stage monitors. Darren Chilson, owner and CEO of One Pro Audio Video Lighting, discussed the project.
“Seattle Revival Centre’s worship services are both contemporary and charismatic,” Chilson explains. “The sanctuary’s stage spans almost the entire width of the room, which accommodates a good 350 or more people. Seating is moveable, and the ceiling height is 35ft at the room’s centre point.
“The church makes regular use of both a live v

USA - Church of the Highlands recently updated its main Birmingham, Alabama, facility with a complete lighting package by Harman Professional Solutions comprised entirely of Martin fixtures.
Founded in 2001 by senior pastor Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands is a non-denominational multi-site church with headquarters in Birmingham and 16 additional satellite campuses across Alabama.
With technology playing an integral role in creating meaningful worship experiences for the church’s thousands of members across separate locations, church leaders wanted to ensure high production standards for the video simulcast
Lighting director Patrick Hentz made the decision to upgrade the church’s aging lighting system with a state-of-the-art lighting solution. Hentz selected an extensive range of Martin fixtures to ensure premium image quality for the video simulcast, in addition to providing immersive lighting for high-energy worship events.
“There were many reasons behind the upgrade, but the greatest benefits we gained from the new Martin fixtures are brightness, reliability and versatility,” says Hentz. “With 80% of our congregation watching the sermon via the video simulcast, it’s very important that we deliver excellent video quality, and that requires powerful and consistent lighting.”
The church’s new lighting rig features an array of 12 MAC Encore Wash fixtures which provides key light across the entire stage, resulting in rich colour and highly accurate white light on camera.
“A few years ago, we added a 60-feet-b

UK - Stage Electrics returned to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama to install its house lighting systems to significantly improve energy reduction.
Having previously integrated technical infrastructure and production lighting for their venues, back in 2013, Stage Electrics have returned to fit over 90 new house lights within the Richard Burton Theatre and the spacious foyer area.
The Royal Welsh College wished to upgrade their pre-existing light fittings; their new house lighting system consists of GDS’s range of modular LED lighting, the ArcSystem. Whilst offering highly efficient LED’s, low glare optics and energy reduction, the ArcSystem also comes with very low maintenance requirements.
“GDS’s ArcSystem is the fitting choice for the Royal Welsh College for several reasons” explains Martin Woodage of Stage Electrics. “The huge potential in energy reduction was of course a strong selling point, however due to some of the venues 13m high ceilings, it was important that whatever fixtures were chosen required minimal maintenance.
“These new houselights are highly efficient and won’t need to be changed for years. We were also able to integrate both the theatre and the foyer’s new house lights into their existing ETC Unison Paradigm system - this was advantageous for the client as one system would control all the lighting.”
Between supplying the quotation and the project completion, only nine weeks had passed. “This project had a tight turnaround time due to bookings within the spaces,” adds Martin “

UK - Tech hire and events company SLX has restored the Rose Theatre’s rotational lighting on a long-term hire as a part of the theatre’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
The company provided Rose Theatre Kingston with 34 Martin by Harman MAC Encore Performance CLD fixtures on a five-year hire basis. SLX will also supply the theatre with 24-hour support and an annual maintenance visit as a part of the deal.
Dave Starmer, head of lighting and sound at the Rose, comments: “Due to the theatre’s intimate nature and configuration, our lighting was no longer effective as the units were becoming rather noisy and losing their brightness. We met with SLX to specify a new system and a new long-term hire deal to help us consistently upgrade and maintain it.”
SLX’s new head of lighting, Derek Lee, adds: “The lights are perfect for a space like this with hard reflecting walls, as they produce next to no noise and have great shutter ability. They also replicate tungsten very well and can be changed to warm tones with ease.
“The theatre stages a wide variety of productions so the new rig needed to be flexible, powerful and robust for use by both the in house and visiting technicians.”
Over the last 10 years, Rose Theatre Kingston has hosted many memorable performances, including a modern rendition of Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothingstarring Mel Giedroyc, and John Malkovich’s London directorial debut on the UK premiere of Good Canaryby Z

USA - Signify reports that the famed Warfield Theatre in downtown San Francisco has upgraded its stage lighting with its latest LED technology. Now using the new Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Spot fixture, plus wash lights from Signify’s Showline range, the venue is enjoying the many benefits of the company’s latest innovations.
The Warfield, operated by Goldenvoice, has a rich history. Since opening in the 1930s it has hosted a Who’s Who of stars, from Al Jolson and Charlie Chaplin to Bob Dylan and Nirvana. With an eye on the future, the lighting upgrade had two aims. Firstly, to continue to deliver the highest standards of performance lighting, and secondly, to exploit the latest advances in LED technology to reduce both environmental impact and operating costs.
The choice of the VLZ Spots, along with the SL BEAM 500fx and 300fx wash fixtures, meets all these criteria and is paying multiple dividends for the Warfield. “The LED sources mean a drastic decrease in power consumption, heat generation and, perhaps most importantly to management, the possible zeroing out of our lamp-restocking budget,” says the Warfield’s lighting director Rob Robertson.
At the same time, the Warfield needed quality optical systems for smooth fields of light, powerful output, high-level colour rendering and all the features and effects capability expected of market-leading stage lighting tools. The fixtures from the Signify Entertainment portfolio are meeting these requirements too. Of the VLZ Spot, Robertson comments: “The dimming is fantastic. In particular I’

UK - Hawthorn has been newly appointed as the in-house technical production partner at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester’s historic landmark venue.
As part of a long-term partnership agreement that started on 1 September 2018, Hawthorn will provide exclusive in-house rigging services and will be the preferred technical production supplier for corporate events across Victoria Warehouse’s diverse event spaces.
Renowned for its highly flexible event spaces with an industrial vibe and situated in the heart of Manchester, Victoria Warehouse offers event spaces for a huge range of corporate events, from conferences and exhibitions, to gala dinners, award ceremonies, brand activations and parties.
James Cohen, owner of Victoria Warehouse, comments: “I’m delighted to welcome Hawthorn to the team. Victoria Warehouse is a unique, iconic and carefully restored industrial venue and with that in mind, it’s vital that we work with a highly knowledgeable and trusted technical partner like Hawthorn who can help enhance our clients’ experience in our event spaces.
“We’re always looking to take what we offer our agency and corporate clients to the next level. With Hawthorn’s impressive track record of building successful partnerships with prestigious venues, alongside their reputation for delivering creative technical solutions for events of all shapes, sizes and budgets, we’re looking forward to what we can achieve together for our clients.”
This new relationship represents an increased presence for Hawthorn in the north, with the tech

Thailand - Mahajak Development and Baan Rig recently deployed a complete Harman Professional Solutions audio system featuring JBL, Soundcraft, Crown and BSS solutions at Rajamangala National Stadium.
Home to Thailand’s national football team, Rajamangala is a 65,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that also hosts international events such as the AFC Asian Cup, pop concerts and political rallies.
Rajamangala’s management recently decided to upgrade to a high-impact audio system that could deliver even coverage and intelligible sound to every seat, while also streamlining and simplifying production requirements. They hired audio integrators Mahajak Development and rigging experts Baan Rig to deploy an array of JBL Precision Directivity loudspeakers along the roof of the stadium. The system also includes a robust network of Crown DCi Series amplifiers, Soundcraft digital mixing consoles and BSS signal processors.
“Rajamangala is a huge stadium, so covering every seat evenly was a challenge in itself,” says Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom, project director of Mahajak Development. “Mounting the speakers on the roof of the stadium was highly challenging as well, and we had to carefully balance their weight and position when rigging up the system. We worked in close coordination with Baan Rig to secure everything safely while ensuring optimal audio coverage.”
Mahajak chose JBL Precision Directivity 6212, 564, 595, and 5122 loudspeakers for their high output, focused dispersion patterns and WRC weather protection. Strategic placement of t

Located on a picturesque bend of the Brda river in Bydgoszcz, Opera Nova is one of Poland’s leading opera houses, and it has recently upgraded the audio installations for its two main performance halls with Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems.
With a world-class repertoire including The Nutcracker, Orpheus in the Underworld, Swan Lake and Madame Butterfly, Opera Nova opened in 2006 and completed its latest audio installation last year.
Supplied by Konsbud Audio, the new dLive systems were installed in two locations. The Main Hall features a dLive S5000 surface, alongside a DM32 MixRack, a DX32 Expander and a Dante card. While the Chamber Hall has a dLive S3000 surface and a DM48 MixRack combined with another Dante card.
Adrian Michalski (head of the acoustics department and main sound engineer for Opera Nova), comments; "I’ve had the opportunity to work on many consoles but with dLive, I appreciate the intuitive operation, the ability to drag and place many parameters on the touch screens and of course the sound.
With an additional screen placed in the control room, it’s great that we have the ability to monitor all in/out signals at a glance.” Adrian continues, “And of course, the ease in which the system can be expanded (using DX expanders) is fantastic.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Troxy has joined forces with DICE to become a mobile-only, and “now tout-proof venue”.
The move to digital will put fans first by implementing DICE’s mobile-only tickets to stop reselling, as well as selling tickets through the night and allowing refunds up to moments before an event starts.
The secondary ticketing market continues to be a nightmare for music fans, and this partnership ensures that touts are locked out of Troxy for good, says the venue.
Adam Webb, campaign manager for FanFair Alliance, comments: "DICE have been long-time supporters of the FanFair campaign, and this is another welcome step forward to ensure ticket resale works for fans and not touts. Recent legislative and regulatory changes are helping reshape the market, but some of the most exciting developments will involve adoption of new technology that improve the gig-going experience."
Tom Sutton-Roberts, general manager at Troxy, comments: “We may be one of London’s oldest independent venues but we’re proud to say that we’re still standing strong. Teaming up with DICE showcases a new chapter for us. As the world’s biggest mobile-only venue, we’re embracing innovative technology that favours fans and artists to bring spectacular performances to our stage.”
Russ Tannen, UK managing director at DICE, comments: “We have to beat the touts. Troxy joining the DICE family is a big win for fans who won’t be seeing inflated prices at this iconic venue. The team and owners are as passionate about live music as they are about the building, and t

UK - Academy Music Group Limited (AMG) has announced a new lease agreement with Manchester-based live entertainment venue Victoria Warehouse.
Situated in the heart of the city, the venue was originally the Liverpool Warehousing Company, two huge warehouses built in 1925 and 1936. Their monumental scale and exuberant architectural style dominated the canal-side, and Victoria Warehouse is now one of the only surviving warehouses of its kind; retaining its classic internal structure of cast-iron columns, supporting wooden beams and joists.
Victoria Warehouse was renovated in 2009 to become a premier events and hospitality venue, with multiple rooms, formats and configurations. The main auditorium capacity is 3,500.
Graham Walters, chief operating officer, Academy Music Group, says: “Manchester’s warehouses are so important to the history of the city. They give Manchester its local distinctiveness, identity and character. Iconic venues are the life-blood of what we do, and we have significant expertise in running some of the most historically important entertainment venues in the world. We are delighted to welcome this stunning venue in a prime city to our Group; especially as Manchester is such an integral part of the UK’s live music scene.”
Academy Music Group, whose shareholders include Live Nation Entertainment, has had a long-standing partnership agreement with O2 since January 2009. As part of the deal, Victoria Warehouse, will be rebranded O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester from 01 September 2018.
Gareth Griffiths, head of sp

Germany - Hamburg-based theatre producer, Stage Entertainment brings nearly four million visitors a year to its musical theatres and is recognised as a market leader for live entertainment in Germany. The company is well-known for showcasing productions such as Mary Poppins, The Lion King and Aladdin. The celebrated musicals, run by the Dutch Stage Entertainment group are typically programmed by an Eos console from ETC.
Andy Peistrup, lighting coordinator at Stage Entertainment confirmed that the Eos consoles are regularly in use at the establishment in Hamburg. Shows on New York's Broadway or London's West End are frequently produced by ETC consoles.
Peistrup comments: “When the production changes, the console moves with the show. We are very satisfied with Eos desks; it makes our work easy and straight forward as there is already a show file and structure on that system.” The lighting expert has been with Stage Entertainment for nearly 20 years and believes that reliability is a key asset: “We usually play eight shows a week, therefore, it is important that the lighting programming runs smoothly with a second desk ready to pick-up where we left off should a component fail.”
Following the relocation of the celebrated musical Mary Poppins from theatres in Stuttgart to Hamburg, Stage Entertainment invested in two more Eos consoles. The company further invested in the Eos Remote Processor Unit (RPU) for its musical theatres, a unit that can provide primary and backup control during the shows.
After 25 years