Finland - The University of Applied Sience of Savonia in Finland is marking its 30th anniversary in 2022 and wanted to light Kuopio’s landmark Puijo Tower in pink and white.
For this purpose, the executing company Viking Pro Rentals relied on products from Iridium. A total of 33 different devices were used for a wide variety of lighting tasks on the ground and on the 75m high tower.
The devices from Iridium ran over a period of three weeks, each for 18 hours a day, with outside temperatures down to -25° C, harsh wind and snowfall.
“We have been using Iridium products for years and have only had positive experiences with the products so far,” says Juha Jäppinen, managing director of Viking Pro Rentals. “There were no problems with the devices in this project either. We only had to occasionally clean the lights if it had snowed during the six hours the un

UK - Singer-songwriter and BRIT Awards nominee Joy Crookes has captured hearts with her debut album, Skin. Her current European tour, which started in the UK last year and continues until May, is proving equally successful, with festival appearances secured for the summer.
For its theatre-sized venues, Triplex Productions is providing an audio system that centres around DiGiCo’s SD9 and SD11 consoles. This compact yet powerful set-up is ideal where space it at a premium. “I was invited to join the team last summer by the producer of Joy’s album and the creative on this show, it’s the same live production team as British rapper, Kano, who I was working with previously,” says Triplex technical manager, Joe Hawley, who is manning the SD11 at the FOH position. “As the tour is visiting intimate venues, the SD11 and SD9 are an obvious choice given the power of t

USA - When promoting the Cali Vibes festival, organiser California Vibrations, promised fans a chance to step into the SoCal reggae scene with a “stacked line-up” of stars.
That’s what they delivered for three days in early February, as their outdoor festival featured 54 performers, from stars like The Marley Brothers and Wu-Tang Clan, to newcomers eager to showcase their talents.
The event may have been a feast for reggae fans, but for the production crews responsible for setting up the stage for the various artist, it was also a steep challenge, defined by 10-15 minute change overs and a revolving platform deck.
Justin Casey, who designed and setup the show for one of the festival’s headliners, Slightly Stoopid, met this challenge by creating a distinctive and compelling look for his client with a rig that loaded in and out with ease. Key to helping hi

Germany - Global medical technology company Olympus moved into its new Hamburg headquarters for the EMEA region and for Olympus Deutschland last summer. The sustainably constructed new building focuses on interaction as well as new ways of working and offers space for more than 1,200 employees on 11 floors and an area of 35,000sq.m. To promote flexible and hybrid collaboration, Olympus relies on efficient media technology and activity-based working in the new office building. Whether areas for collaborative working or variable conference areas - by means of innovative AV media technology, a future-oriented environment was created that fully supports the collaborative working approach at Olympus.
In the new building in Hamburg-Hammerbrook, Amptown System Company GmbH (ASC) equipped more than 400 rooms with media systems.
Crestron as the central media control system n

USA - Casas Church launched in the Tucson area in the early 1960s and has kept moving forward ever since, pacing the vibrant region’s own continuing growth. They’ve done the same with their audio technology, becoming an early adopter of the KLANG:fabrik monitoring solution several years ago.
Most recently, however, the church became the very first user in North America to acquire the new KLANG:konductor immersive in-ear monitor mix processor. The system, which was purchased through AVLX in Franklin, Tennessee, is now paired with the church’s existing Yamaha Rivage PM5 front-of-house console and Shure PSM 1000 in-ear monitor system.
“We upgraded our audio systems in 2020 with the new console, and we integrated three KLANG:fabrik units into our workflow, and they were great,” says Casas Church production director Tyler Moss, who mixes the church’s worship mus

UK - Dance Passion returns to the BBC in early 2022, celebrating all forms and genres of the UK’s vibrant dance sector, in a special collaboration between BBC Arts and One Dance UK, supported by Arts Council England.
Nick Jevons was brought onboard by technical production supplier JHAV to light and production manage one of the competition’s regional rounds, staged over two days at TR2 (the Theatre Royal Production Centre) in Plymouth. Nick specified Astera Titan Tubes as a core element of the lighting rig.
The Titan Tubes were rigged on their floor mount stands around the dance floor, running fully wirelessly. “The performances all had to look great on multiple cameras,” explains Nick, “and the Titan Tube was a perfect solution that was completely versatile and very easy to re-position which ensured that all the performers had distinctive and differe

USA - Bandit Lites has installed the lighting system for the theme park attraction SkyFly: Soar America. Located in The Island in Pigeon Forge entertainment park in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, the attraction transports guests to an immersive adventure as they join explorer Peter Wilder and his daughter Hannah on a steampunk airship. They are then whisked away on a flight created by a 50-tonne ride platform that lifts guests into the air before a 50ft spherical screen that showcases America’s most beautiful and iconic locations. The ride was named the # 1 Best New Attraction in the US for 2021 by the readers of USA Today.
“It was crucial for us to have a first-class lighting programme that not only defined that world but integrated with the dynamic special effects to make it engaging and magical throughout the guest journey,” says Clay McManus

USA - On 13 February, all eyes were on SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI where hip-hop stars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige took the stage, with surprise performances from 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.
Super Bowl halftime veteran Al Gurdon of Incandescent Design was back lighting the show and had a large lighting package at his disposal. This was the Emmy-winning designer’s sixth time lighting the event and with ambient lighting conditions to contend with chose a powerful package that included Proteus Maximus, new Proteus Excalibur, and Protron 3K Color luminaires.
Entertainment design group 22 Degrees supported Gurdon in his design including lighting direction. The lighting system, made up of over 600 lighting fixtures, was supplied by PRG. Executive producer of the show was Roc Nation.
In terms of what is most impo

UK - Cirque du Soleil has reopened its spectacle, Luzia - A Waking Dream of Mexico, at London’s Royal Albert Hall for a seven-week run. The show transports audiences to an imaginary Mexico where light quenches the spirit and rain soothes the soul.
With a combination of grand visual surprises and breath-taking acrobatic performances, Luzia brings the places, faces, and sounds of Mexico to the stage, taking its lead from the country’s extraordinary mix of influences and creative collisions.
Alongside a host of carefully chosen suppliers, live audio rental specialist Britannia Row Productions was brought in to ensure that the sound design in London could match the variety of visually striking performance routines that appear on stage.
Since 2007, freelance sound system engineer & designer, Sergiy Zhytnikov, has worked on a wide range of Cirque

USA - All Mobile Video (AMV) managed the pool feed for New Year’s Eve in Times Square, capturing audio and video of the crowd, its various stages, and the ball drop itself for the major broadcasters.
The company worked closely with production directors from multiple networks, such as ABC and Univision, to capture key events, including Journey’s performance for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. When AMV built out its new all IP, Dante enabled Eclipse truck this past year, the company relied on intercom solutions from Studio Technologies.
AMV incorporated Studio Technologies Dante compatible beltpacks into the new Eclipse truck, including 25 Model 374A Four-Channel Intercom Beltpacks and eight Model 348 Intercom Stations. According to engineer-in-charge Ian Vysick, building a new IP-based truck meant AMV had to reinvent its entire workflow for

USA - Todd Weaver has mixed such hit productions as Good Girls, Doom Patrol, Stranger Things and I,Tonya. Throughout it all, Lectrosonics equipment has always been his trusted sound solution.
For his latest project The Menu - a film in which a revenge-bound chef (played by Ralph Fiennes of Voldemort fame) invites unwitting guests to his island restaurant for more than a gourmet meal - he deployed a combination of the company’s time-tested Digital Hybrid Wireless all-digital line. On the Hybrid side were original Venue receivers plus SSM micro belt-pack, SMV, and SMWB wideband transmitters. Heading up the digital arsenal were DSQD receivers and DBSM transmitters. Thanks to Weaver’s Dante skills and Wireless Designer software, this diverse roster of gear functioned as a seamlessly integrated system.
“The biggest challenge

USA - iHeartRadio’s ALTer EGO concert 15 January at The Forum in Los Angeles reflected the sold-out crowd’s joy to be back at a live event. Production designer Patrick Dierson of The Activity was delighted as well and lit some of the biggest names in alternative rock using a large lighting package that included Elation Professional’s Artiste Mondrian LED profile supplied by 4Wall Entertainment.
Coldplay, All Time Low, Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon, Måneskin, Twenty One Pilots and Willow all rocked the venue with a surprise appearance by Avril Lavigne. Presented by Capital One, the show was streamed live on LiveXLive and broadcast on iHeartRadio stations. The Activity was first engaged with the event back in 2017 in what Dierson calls “one of the most fun shows in which we were ever involved”.
The Activity handles the overall production design of the show,

Ireland - Some 35 years ago, a young Irish singer was performing a gig when she met another aspiring musician who invited her to perform on one of his demo tracks. Decades later, Maria Doyle Kennedy and her husband Kieran Kennedy are still going strong with over 12 albums recorded, multiple awards, and their own record company. For good measure, Maria has also gone on to become one of the most prolific Irish actors, known throughout the world for her starring roles in hits like Outlanders and Downton Abbey.
In February, the duo celebrated their musical odyssey with a two-person show at Dublin’s popular Button Factory. Supporting their performance was a light show by Steven Douglas of Craorag Lighting Design that created a deeply evocative mood aided by some Chauvet Professional ÉPIX Strip Tour fixtures from the venue’s house rig.
For Douglas, whose

UK - Housed in a former sheep-trading market, now a grade II listed building, The Fleece is Bristol’s largest independent music venue and has welcomed the likes of Radiohead, Oasis, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Coldplay, Sea Girls, Amy Winehouse, Frank Carter & Rattlesnakes, Queens of the Stone Age, George Ezra and Ed Sheeran.
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced The Fleece into temporary closure, it presented a rare opportunity for a complete refurbishment – one that the management seized with both hands. The Fleece has been offering live music and club nights seven nights a week since 1982. The ambitious project comprised a full interior redesign including a new, larger stage with new LED screens, new lighting systems and a comprehensive KV2 sound system.
Technical manager Rich Munday explains that the previous PA had been in place and working hard for twenty years, so w

USA - Multi Emmy Award-winning lighting design company Darkfire Lighting Design has found its 125 Claypaky K-Eye K20 and K10 HCR wash lights with LED light sources to be workhorse fixtures for an extensive roster of television shows, including the long-running competition series, The Voice.
Oscar Dominguez, Darkfire’s founder and head designer, remembers being impressed with the K-Eyes when he saw them in a demo. “We had been talking about HCR fixtures, and these lights didn’t have a lot of gimmicks: They were a straightforward, beautiful wash light – robust, bright, with exceptional colour and without things we didn’t need,” he says. “They’ve been an excellent addition to our inventory and become a popular tool among our designers.”
LA-based Dominguez, who has been the lighting designer for The Voice since it premiered in 2011, thought

USA - Opera Philadelphia recently presented An Evening of Vocal Fireworks: Amici e Rivali (Friends and Rivals), a socially distanced outdoor concert held at the city’s Mann Music Centre for local music lovers, conducted by Maestro Corrado Rovaris.
While the amplified event was viewed live, outdoors on large-scale screens at the Mann Music Centre, the crew also recorded the performance for archival purposes. Producer Joe Hannigan of Weston Sound & Video selected DPA Microphones to ensure a cclear, rich, full and intelligible sound for both the House PA and multi-track recording.
The soloists, tenors Michael Spyres and Lawrence Brownlee (pictured), were arranged on either side of the conductor and miked with legacy 4023 Compact Cardioid Microphones on flamingo stands (today known as 4011 mics with floor stands and modular booms).
Hannigan and Maestro Rovaris

USA - The 380-seat McLaughlin Theatre at St. Ignatius Prep is long on charm and character. With an interior modelled after the Chicago theatres of the late 19th century, it provides an evocative setting for audiences. But its Bob Newhart Stage isn’t the most capacious in the city, measuring only 28ft wide by 18ft deep.
This relative lack of space can create issues when staging a musical that’s as grand as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. But these challenges can be easily met, as director Kevin Bellie and his crew demonstrated at a recent production of the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber classic.
Helping to capture the ebullience of the show on the small stage was an immersive and colourful lighting design by Dustin L. Derry that featured Chauvet Professional COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour fixtures.
“This was a fun project, getting to work wit

Belgium - Guitarist Isaac Delahaye says music is “in his genes” and, looking at his history, there’s no denying that. Raised in a musical family, Delahaye spent his childhood and teenage years learning, teaching, and performing with different hometown bands. After going to school for music and touring internationally through his 20s, he settled down as a guitarist with Epica, a Dutch symphonic metal band.
Delahaye has been performing with and mixing demos for the band for the past 13 years, but it wasn’t until recently that he discovered the KRK V-Series 6 Studio Monitors, which he now relies on for all his home studio mixing needs.
The guitarist was first introduced to KRK while visiting Gibson’s showroom in the Netherlands. Having heard good things about the brand, he wanted to test some products himself, and eventually settled on the V-Series. “Compared

Australia - When global streaming provider 5stream needed a configurable solution to streamline their scheduling and resource management, they discovered MediaPulse was the right fit. 5stream deployed Xytech’s MediaPulse to streamline the operations of their Broadcast Services division.
“5stream is a rapidly growing business. We previously relied on a homebrew system of Google Calendars, spreadsheets and custom CSV scrapers to manage over 1000 events each month,” says Mitchell Kalika, general manager at 5stream. “With increasing resource requirements and complexity across all our jobs, our existing system is no longer suitable, and we needed a solution to streamline our operations. MediaPulse allows us to effectively book and manage the large quantity of work and helps streamline and visualise complex broadcast workflows to reduce setup time for our MCR and Presentat

UK - Tower 42, one of the tallest buildings in London, recently enlisted Light Fantastic Production Services (LFPS) to upgrade the control system powering its LED display.
The top three floors of the distinctive skyscraper, visible from all sides of London, are lit up year-round with still images and animations representing charitable causes and topical dates in the calendar. These images are shown on a screen made up of 5,905 bespoke RGB pixels, which are programmed and maintained by the LFPS team.
LFPS were enlisted in 2021 to carry out a complete overhaul of the control system which powers the display. Having been in situ for over 10 years in a hostile environment 40+ floors above London, it was beginning to suffer occasional failures. The building’s owners were keen to maintain the screen in great condition, in line with its status as a London landmark.
The

USA - In October in the depths of the pandemic, a group of backers unveiled their plans for a new live entertainment centre
“It’s time to put a positive spin out there, to have hope for concerts in St. Louis and for employment,” one of them told the press at the time. Less than one year later, their hope and vision were realised with the opening of The Factory, a bi-level 52,000sq.ft indoor venue with the capacity to serve up to 3,000 fans.
Located in the heart of St. Louis’ popular dining and entertainment destination, The District, the new venue is now entertaining fans with a wide variety of shows, following strict safety protocols. Enhancing their experience is a dynamic and flexible lighting rig featuring Chauvet Professional Maverick, Rogue and STRIKE fixtures supplied by Logic Systems, which also installed audio, video, and rigging systems at The Factory

USA - Virginia’s famous Mariners’ Museum has upgraded its lighting control to a Strand Neo console from Signify.
The Museum, situated in the city of Newport News, Virginia, holds one of North America’s largest maritime history collections and is designated America’s National Maritime Museum by the US Congress. It has a wide range of fixtures in place ranging from incandescent stage and theatre lights to LED indirect and accent lights.
“One of the key areas within The Mariners’ Museum is our theatre performance space, and we use a lot of cues that sync with timecode to create dramatic lighting effects that help tell the stories we share,” explains Tim Kines, AV exhibit technician at the museum. “We needed to upgrade our control console to add dynamics and effects via a simple-to-use interface, and the Neo fits perfectly.”
In the exhibition areas,

Poland - Founded in 1993, The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity was originally created as a one-off event to raise money for medical equipment, raising over $1.5m that year. Part of the WOŚP Foundation, the event has since grown to become Poland’s largest non-governmental, non-profit charity organisation, raising money for pediatric and elderly care and featuring annual Grand Finale live events in towns and cities right across the country.
2022 saw the 30th edition of the numerous events supporting the charity and their purpose this year was the purchase of medical and diagnostics equipment for eye diseases in children. The largest single event was held in the capital, Warsaw, where sound company Gigant Letus were commissioned to deliver, install, prepare and operate the sound systems for the various events and activities.
Gigant supplied and commissioned four se

USA - When three-time Grammy Award-winning country duo Dan + Shay hit the road in March of 2020 for their first official headlining US arena tour, they played three consecutive sold-out shows. Then COVID struck, grinding the trek - along with everything else - to a sudden halt. A year and a half later, the tour finally picked back up, rescheduling and resuming the 30 remaining sold-out shows on the three-month run, which carried an L-Acoustics K Series loudspeaker system supplied by technical solutions provider PRG.
Presented by AEG Presents, The Arena Tour was in support of the duo’s latest album, Good Things, with PRG supplying all audio, video, and lighting systems from its Nashville location. “This was our first tour with PRG, and as soon as I knew that they’d be our touring partner, I went to our production manager and said, ‘Hey, if we can have it, we’

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