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21 January 2025

Iceland - Located in downtown Akureyri, Hof Cultural Centre is at the heart of the northern Icelandic music and performing arts scene and provides visitor services across the entire north-east corner of the country. Architecturally, the circular building also provides one of the town’s landmarks. Inspired by the Icelandic igneous rocks, Hof Cultural Centre attracts tourists all year round.

Owned by the Municipality of Akureyri, and with operation of the Centre in the hands of Akureyri Culture Company, one of the key features is its new Martin Audio sound reinforcement upgrade in the main auditorium, provided by Reykjavik-based Atendi –the manufacturer’s territory distributor.

According to Atendi project manager, Gunnar Gunnarson, his company bid successfully on a public tender put out in December 2023 and were duly awarded the contract in Septe

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21 January 2025

Australia - The Unity high-performance power switching and dimming system from LSC Control Systems is delivering a secure and reliable solution to one of Australia’s leading performing arts centres, the Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC).

CTC’s technical director James Tighe explains: “Our previous system was at the end of its life, and we were seeing intermittent faults, which were becoming less intermittent. Random dimming curves, channels powering up without control, and an increasing number of failing modules meant we were no longer able to reliably support performances to the expected standard.”

The search for a dependable replacement was also driven by the need for a system capable of supporting and powering a range of moving, LED, and incandescent lighting fixtures. “The existing system wasn’t capable of hot-powering circuits,” contin

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20 January 2025

The Netherlands - A new installation of Robe T11 Profiles in the 200-capacity Small Hall at the Theater de Bussel in Oosterhout, southern Netherlands is helping to save electricity and enhance the scope of lighting shows and events there, explained the venue’s head of technical, Evelyn van ‘t Hof.

The 32 x T11s are the first Robes in the house, and they are replacing a larger number of ‘conventional’ profiles and PC luminaires.

The new fixtures are part of a general drive to reduce energy consumption, an initiative shaping new investments in all venues across the Netherlands.

Adaptability was also a key consideration here, as the programme encompasses theatre productions, musicals, symposiums, parties and assorted other performance genres.

Evelyn has been working at this busy producing and receiving house since 2008. The 450-c

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16 January 2025

The Netherlands - A leading theatre organisation has chosen Unitour racks from LSC Control Systems to provide power management and dimming solutions. With five Unitour racks specified for its three auditoriums in Heerlen, Parkstad Limburg Theaters (PLT) is one of the latest performing arts hubs to adopt solutions from the Australian manufacturer.

PLT operates seven venues across the cities of Heerlen, Kerkrade and Sittard in the country’s south-eastern region of Limburg. Ranging in capacity from 120 to 1,100, these venues play a significant role in the cultural lives of the communities they serve. Across the organisation, PLT hosted almost 1,500 events in 2024.

Amid this busy environment, PLT’s head of lighting, Rob Debets, recalls his team looking for a “very flexible and reliable rack” when they saw the Unitour on the LSC booth at Frankfurt

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16 January 2025

USA - The Luckman Club, an exclusive lounge space at Soho House in West Hollywood, offers members a sophisticated bar and lounge with musical performances while serving as a venue for hosting events.

The management sought a sound system that could support a variety of corporate events, private parties, and more, all while seamlessly fitting into the room’s aesthetic. Pinnacle Audio, Video, & Lighting spearheaded the installation of the distributed 1 Sound system, resulting in an audio upgrade that prompted the Soho House operations team to say: "The sound quality is amazing. The form factor and the custom paint and fabric match our elevated aesthetic. The combination of both is exactly what we wanted as we elevated the space for our members."

For the two main lounge areas audio design, 1 Sound’s Cannon coaxials were the loudspeaker that fit t

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15 January 2025

UK - The Roof Gardens in Kensington, West London, has re-emerged as a social club, featuring a bespoke L-Acoustics professional sound system.

Perched 100ft above London's bustling streets, The Roof Gardens has been a constant in the city's ever-changing skyline for over eight decades. Now, with a renewed mission and purpose, this nearly acre-wide Art Deco oasis opens a new chapter. The Roof Gardens celebrates London’s modern diversity while honouring its rich history rooted in community and cultural evolution.

Tasked with bringing the audio vision to life was L-Acoustics certified provider, Marquee AV. Its challenge was to design a system versatile enough to complement the diverse areas of The Roof Gardens while maintaining the venue's aesthetic integrity.

The result is a technologically ambitious yet discreet and sophisticated installation

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15 January 2025

UK - Gateshead’s Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (Baltic) – a repurposed flour mill along the city’s scenic Quayside – stands as a premier arts and cultural venue in Northeast England.

Opened in 2002 as part of a local regeneration effort, the gallery has hosted work from celebrated artists including Yoko Ono and Anish Kapoor. Now, Baltic has worked once again with integrator ArtAV to showcase a bold new exhibition by British artist Hannah Perry. Utilising Genelec's 8330 studio loudspeakers, Perry’s work delves into themes of labour, motherhood, and class in an experience that is ‘as auditory as it is visual’.

A long-standing collaborator with Baltic, ArtAV specialises in integrating audiovisual components into artistic presentations. “Our focus is always to provide high-quality equipment that matches the vision of galleries and ar

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14 January 2025

UK - Inspired by the hit movie The Greatest Showman, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is an immersive production that opened its doors last October at the Empress Museum in Earls Court, London. Visitors are invited to explore a vibrant backstage world for an interactive pre-show experience before entering the 700-seat Big Top for a spectacular show where circus blends seamlessly with musical theatre.

Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD) was tasked with the lighting design for the new production. It partnered with White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.

Come Alive! offers an immersive pre-show experience that gives visitors a peek behind the scenes of the Big Top, featuring secret performances and intriguing characters, all while enjoying delicious food and drinks. The m

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14 January 2025

UK - A new production of The Devil Wears Prada has hit the runway at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End, fresh from its out-of-town previews at Plymouth Theatre Royal, with an original score and a dozen new songs by Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub and Mark Sonnenblick, and direction by three-time Tony Award winner, Jerry Mitchell.

The show’s lighting was supplied by PRG, a company with a long pedigree and strong tradition for supporting West End theatre, from its origins on Broadway to its current dedicated ambassadors, Jon Cadbury and Peter Marshall, who have been active in supporting West End and fringe theatres for many years.

PRG executive chairman, chief creative officer and founder, Jere Harris, worked hard to secure PRG as the lighting supplier for Bruno Poet’s sleek and elegant lighting design, simultaneously choosing

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10 January 2025

USA - Located in the heart of Central Florida, Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) offers a supportive environment designed to help students succeed. As the fastest-growing college in Florida, serving 8,600 students annually and a 25:1 student-to-faculty ratio, LSSC is experiencing growing pains in its classrooms and campus facilities. The college recently upgraded the audio system in its multipurpose gymnasium by deploying amplifiers from LEA Professional.

The Everett A. Kelly Convocation Center is home to LSSC’s National Junior College Athletic Association volleyball programme. With seating for up to 1,100 spectators, the convocation centre also hosts local high school basketball games and tournaments. Outside of athletics, the facility can be transformed to hold events such as award ceremonies, banquets, and special events.

A key event each semeste

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09 January 2025

UK - Based in Crawley, Sussex, Tulleys Farm turns into a seasonal theme park in the autumn and winter months. It’s then that they promote an evolving programme of festivals and visitor attractions with Shocktober (developing into a Pumpkin Festival), now followed by a newly inaugurated Christmas Light Festival through its various woodland trails, occupying the month of December.

Owned for the past four generations by the Beare family, to give an idea of scale at this pumpkin farm, when Martin Audio partners SWG Events were brought in to create an integrated and immersive sound and light trail – part of an overall Christmas experience – it required around 400 of the manufacturer’s Adorn A55T series loudspeakers, spanning 40 zones.

SWG Events were introduced to handle the inaugural Christmas Light Festival, w

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09 January 2025

Canada - Holt Renfrew, the luxury retail department store, recently unveiled ON 3, a newly renovated shopping floor in its flagship Downtown Toronto location. ON 3 showcases men’s and women’s fashion while offering exhibitions, pop-ups, panels, and entertainment. In an online statement, Holt Renfrew president and CEO Sebastian Picardo described ON 3 as “a place where style, culture, and community intersect into an exciting new space for our customers”.

To create an immersive shopping experience, Holt Renfrew partnered with GAV MGMT to design the audio-visual elements needed to support store events, activations, and conferences with special guests. The goal was to have an integrated audio system that not only enhanced the luxury atmosphere but also accommodated their diverse event needs.

GAV MGMT chose 1 Sound’s Cannon C5s for this distribut

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08 January 2025

Croatia - The Church and Monastery of St. Francis, a landmark of Croatian heritage nestled in the heart of the seafront city of Pula, has served as a place of worship and cultural gathering for centuries. Recently, the church embarked on a transformative journey to elevate its acoustics and improve sound clarity.

With its recent collaboration with Renkus-Heinz, facilitated by the brand’s new Croatian distributor, LAV Projekt, the church achieved an impressive integration of audio technology.

Dating back to the 14th century, the Church and Monastery of St. Francis combines Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. Dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, the church comprises a central hall, elevated sanctuary, and apse areas, along with a gallery featuring a historic pipe organ. In addition to its role as a place of worship, the church frequently hosts

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08 January 2025

UK - Cornwall’s Eden Project has transformed an abandoned clay pit into a series of geodesic domes containing biomes that celebrate the rich diversity of nature. The nonprofit attraction drew 1.8m visitors within a year after it opened in March 2001.

This tribute to nature is still going strong, engaging visitors in compelling ways, just as it is doing this year with its Winter Holiday Shows, which take place at its different domes. Artfully designed by Glenn Gridley and his team at GLX Productions, the immersive displays ‘capture the mystical quality of the season when winter light and nature interweave in a timeless transcendent dance’.

Helping the design team achieve this transformative effect is a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures run by two ChamSys control systems with two GeNetix GN10 rack mount nodes for data distribut

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07 January 2025

UK - An Audient ASP880 eight-channel mic preamp was chosen for the new production studio at Soho House|Soho Works in Dean Street. Consisting of a spacious control room and live room, the studio is tailored to meet the needs of artists, writers and producers and is available to Soho House members.

The equipment was supplied and installed by studio installation specialist, Arcadia Solutions. The live room is cabled directly to the control room patchbay so clients can patch into an array of outboard, which includes the Audient ASP880.

Gavin Miller, owner of Arcadia Solutions explains: “The live room has the space to be able to record up to eight vocals and instruments at one time and Soho House needed an option for a bank of preamps to cater for multi-channel recording. ASP880 was the natural choice.”

Studio manager Sarah Haycox comments:

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06 January 2025

Denmark - Travel up the Jutland peninsula to Denmark’s northwest coast and you find one of the country’s largest and most popular amusement parks, Fårup Sommerland. The park showcases a popular light festival each autumn, Lysfald, which this year ran for 16 days in October and attracted over 12,500 guests per day.

Pivotal in ensuring that the lighting installation ran smoothly were Netron EN6 IP nodes, award-winning data distribution devices by Obsidian Control Systems that played a critical role in managing the large-scale, synchronised lighting display.

Fårup Sommerland is home to seven roller coasters and the country’s largest amusement park water park. Four years ago, in collaboration with AV solutions provider Profox, the park sought to extend its season into the autumn by creating a new attraction – an immersive, park-wide li

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06 January 2025

Mexico - The newly inaugurated Potosí Arena stands as a symbol of innovation in support of culture. With a capacity of over 20,000 people, this venue is set to host concerts by national and international artists and various sports and cultural events. The governor of San Luis Potosí, Ricardo Gallardo, officiated the opening of this new space, which is expected to boost the city's tourism and economic appeal after 23 years without a venue of this scale.

The construction of the Potosí Arena took approximately 22 months and involved more than 4,000 tons of steel. This arena was designed and built entirely by engineers and architects from the University of San Luis Potosí, making it a testament to the ingenuity and capability of its local talent.

The lighting system installation played a key role in the arena's opening, combining advanced technology

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06 January 2025

UK - Blue Thunder Sound provided full production for the London Film Music Orchestra concert at St Paul's Cathedral, using over 200 lighting fixtures, including 102 Prolights Smart Bat units.

Blue Thunder Sound strategically placed the lighting fixtures to enhance the architectural features of the cathedral, minimising cable runs by employing wireless signals for lighting and audio control. The setup focused on achieving stunning stage effects without the use of haze machines, utilising the power of the Smart Bat to create an immersive visual experience that highlighted the historical beauty of the structure.

"The Prolights lighting system played a crucial role in transforming St Paul's Cathedral into an immersive space, emphasising every architectural detail with extraordinary precision," commented the Blue Thunder Sound team. "Thanks to the flexibi

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06 January 2025

Germany - Founded in Ibiza in 1973, the international club brand Pacha has had a presence in Munich’s city centre since 2000. As is the case for its other sites around the globe, the Munich venue regularly hosts world-famous DJs from the techno and house scene including Sven Väth, Fat Boy Slim, DJ Hell, and Carl Cox. Naturally, given the club’s status, its audio system is of the utmost importance.

Munich-based TAPS Media has been responsible for Pacha’s sound technology for two decades and was recently involved in an upgrade to the venue’s system which relied on Coda Audio’s HOPS (high output point source) range of loudspeakers.

The TAPS team, led by managing directors Alexander Mayr and Manfred Heilmaier, installed a comprehensive system comprising six HOPS12i-Pro three-way dual 12” units, eight HOPS8i two-way dual 8”, and three G15-S

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06 January 2025

USA - Diana Kesselschmidt is creating a captivating setting for the Winter Village at Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan this season with a richly coloured lighting design at the popular attraction’s 17,000 sq.ft ice skating rink.

PRG supplied over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 95 Colorado 2-Quad Zoom LED Wash lights, and eight Ovation E-260WW ellipsoidal units for this transformative display.

“In addition to performance, weather resistance was key to selecting fixtures,” said Kesselschmidt, of Diana K studio. “The fixtures are out for an extended time in New York City. Also, all the cabling to the towers gets loaded in about a month ahead of time, before the deck is put in, so there is no access to those cables once the deck is in place. Some years we focus outdoors during a hurricane. Many years I have focused on full weather g

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20 December 2024

UK - The University of Manchester's Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama has long been a cornerstone of the institution’s performing arts and education programmes. Home to two key performance spaces, being the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall and the John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Centre recently underwent a significant AV upgrade to meet evolving teaching and performance needs.

The project was led by Stage Electrics, a trusted audiovisual partner of the University for over two decades, in close collaboration with British loudspeaker manufacturer EM Acoustics. The focus was on integrating high-quality audio systems tailored to each space to improve the audio experience for students, faculty, visiting performers and audiences alike.

Stage Electrics was tasked with upgrading the trusted existing EM Acoustics audio systems to match current standards and

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20 December 2024

UK - A heartwarming Christmas story told through projection-mapped animations in the run-up to Christmas is being driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers onto the façade of The Queens Hotel in Leeds.

The animation, To Leeds, With Love, is brought to the city by LeedsBID (Leeds Business Improvement District). It is a reimagining of The 12 Days of Christmas song, featuring a cheeky gingerbread man who is on a mission to decorate the hotel for a festive party.

Two Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers are powering video onto the front of the historic hotel via seven Panasonic projectors – five RQ50K, one RQ25K, and one RZ21K, with one other RQ50K backup being stored off-site in the event of a hardware issue. They are positioned in two 7.5m tall towers constructed in Leeds City Square, in front of the hotel buil

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20 December 2024

UK - With a capacity of 700 and located in the heart of Bilston, The Robin is one of the West Midlands’ premier live music destinations. Opened in 1998 and staging more than 20 shows a month, the popular venue hosts a varied programme of artists, including well-known names, up and coming original bands, and leading tribute acts.

Given its packed schedule, it is essential that the venue’s audio provision is of a high standard in order to cater for the variety of styles on stage and cope with the rigours of prolonged daily use. With this in mind, events manager Chris Meddings keeps all the venue’s technical requirements under constant review, and recently took the decision to upgrade and modernise the Robin’s amplification, choosing XTA amplifiers to replace the existing units:

“Our house rig is an excellent, tried and trusted EAW system, com

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20 December 2024

USA - The Liberty Public School District (LPS) is a cornerstone of the Liberty, Missouri community, dedicated to providing a high-quality education that prepares students for success in college, career, and life.

The school district has a rich history with STEM programs like Project Lead The Way, winning numerous accolades. However, LPS is also renowned for its commitment to the fine arts. For example, the high-school broadcasting programme operates cable channel 18 under the non-assigned call letters KLPS.

The district initiated an innovative programme three years ago to install mobile AV racks in every fine arts classroom, complete with speakers, an amplifier, microphones, a mixer, and a CD recorder so that teachers could record and send home CDs of student performances for parents and extended families to enjoy. Over time, district staff