Projects

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28 November 2024

Germany - On 9 November, the city of Berlin – representing the entire country – celebrated the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Instead of a central celebration at the Brandenburg Gate, this time it decided on a decentralised concept with five stages. In addition, 5,000 posters, designed by Berliners, lined up in a row to trace the course of the former wall.

The artistic collective phase7 performing.arts, led by Sven Sören Beyer, was responsible for the creative concept of the celebrations on behalf of Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH. Flo Erdmann was entrusted with the lighting design of the large main stage at the Brandenburg Gate (design by Sven Sören Beyer and Janik Albrecht), as well as the four side stages at the Futurium, Checkpoint Charlie, Paul-Löbe-Haus and Potsdamer Platz.

The stage production thus stretched over 4km throu

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28 November 2024

Germany - The 189th edition of the Oktoberfest took place recently on the Theresienwiese in Munich. Across the event’s 16-day duration, more than six million guests of all ages visited the site, spreading out across streets, tents and beer gardens to take advantage of a huge variety of entertainment on offer, and slaking their thirst with more than seven million litres of beer. One key venue at the site is the Paulaner Festzelt tent, which has been an integral part of the event since 1895.

Germering-based event production specialists Dora Showtechnik handled the audio for the festival’s Paulaner Festzelt venue, where two bands alternate throughout the day, and this year deployed the XTA MX36 console switcher to simplify their workflow.

The MX36 was designed to offer a uniquely simple solution to the long-standing problem of routing multiple mixin

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28 November 2024

Malta - The flourishing Maltese bar hotspot of St. Julian’s, overlooking St. George’s Bay, is where you will find both Hugo’s Lounge and Hugo’s Terrace & Rooftop. Established by the late leisure entrepreneur Hugo Chetcuti, the operation is today run by his son Luke, who is CEO of the Hugo’s Group.

It is more than a decade since Stefan Farrugia, MD of Martin Audio distributor Futuretech, installed CDD5 in the former venue. While CDD5 remains a firm favourite with the installer, when he was called in to upgrade the sound system that he originally installed at the Terrace many years ago, he only had one series in mind: Martin Audio’s potent BlacklineX.

“The venue needed a more powerful sound system, because although in the beginning the style had more of a lounge feel, with a DJ and live music they now needed something more powerful to

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28 November 2024

Europe - UB40 recently completed their eight-city UK leg of the Red Red Wine tour, which ended 23 November at Belfast’s SSE Arena. Lighting designer Martin Dudley, owner of Martin’s Lights, is bringing the band closer to the audience through some adroit fixture placement, and the inspired use of Chauvet Professional.

“The Strike 4s are on the front truss as good old-fashioned crowd blinders, and the Rogue R2X washes are in three sets of four fixtures on the floor, one set behind each band riser,” detailed Dudley. “As everyone knows, there’s a lot of crowd participation in a UB40 show, so the blinders help the audience become part of things, in addition to helping the band see who they are singing to.

“On this tour, the Rogue washes do a lot of traditional ACL-style looks from the floor. Of course, with the Rogues, we’re able

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28 November 2024

USA - Located within walking distance of the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall Expansion, a new resort is gaining popularity. The resort has over 3,600 rooms and suites, a 170,000 sq.ft casino, 550,000sq.ft of meeting space, 36 bars and restaurants, spa, 3,800-seat theatre, a nightclub, and 90,000sq.ft of retail space.

Early in the construction process, resort staff contacted Richard Reisig, owner of Technology West Group, to design and install the AV throughout the massive property.

“It was a struggle during the pandemic to get products from anyone,” said Reisig. “We were far down the installation path when we discovered the originally specified amps couldn’t be delivered on time. Everything was on the network already, so we needed network-based amplifiers. There was no going back, so we pivoted to LEA. It was our first time working with

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27 November 2024

The Netherlands - The Dutch National Opera & Ballet has selected 13 ETC Prodigy P2 stage machinery hoists and 32 ColorSource V fixtures for its Studio Boekman theatre.

ETC dealer Ampco Flashlight Sales worked on the installation and supplied the equipment, which includes P2-300kg hoists and ColorSource V luminaires; 20 ColorSource Spot V and 12 ColorSource Fresnel V fixtures.

The Dutch National Opera & Ballet – the largest theatre production house in the Netherlands – transformed a former municipality space into Studio Boekman, a premier black box theatre in Amsterdam. The Dutch National Opera & Ballet has a reputation for excellence and a commitment to innovation. Its investment in ETC’s products aligns with the venue’s efforts to use advanced technology and improve their efficiency.

Technical director at the National Ope

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27 November 2024

China - When DND Club opened its doors in Maoming, it wasn’t just the impressive 3000sq.m design or the $7.7m investment that caught people’s attention. Instead, it was the immersive audio experience that established DND as a destination in the nightlife scene. At the core of this auditory experience is KV2 Audio’s flagship VHD5 system, a high-definition, point-source system.

"Our goal was to create an atmosphere where every beat and every note feels alive,” says Peter Chen from YueShun Entertainment Company, the club's investors. “We needed a system that could deliver not just volume, but clarity, even at peak energy levels."

Nestled at 328 Maoming Avenue, DND Club’s mission goes beyond conventional clubbing. The space aims to provide an unforgettable, high-energy environment where patrons can truly feel the music. “From day one, we kn

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27 November 2024

France - The closing ceremony of the 2024 WorldSkills Competition was staged in the 60,000-capacity Parc Olympique Lyonnais (OL Stadium) at the Eurexpo complex, Lyon, with Paris-based creative agency Concept K providing full scenography, lighting design, laser effects, video and art direction plus show calling.

Concept K’s artistic director Frédéric ‘Aldo’ Fayard was the closing ceremony’s show director, working closely on the lighting side with Theo Cannone who programmed and took on a lighting DoP role, ensuring that everything worked on camera for the broadcast and livestream channels.

The lighting specification included 72 iForte LTX and 150 MegaPointe moving lights among other fixtures, chosen for their power and versatility.

The Concept K team collaborated closely with event production company La Franco European Image

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27 November 2024

UK - The spectacular new production of the musical Mary Poppins is currently embarking on a UK and Ireland tour. Presented by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Group, this record-breaking show recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and continues to dazzle audiences on a nightly basis. Starring Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers as Mary Poppins and Bert, it features a lighting design by Hugh Vanstone who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his touring lighting rig; with the company having also supplied the show’s first UK tour back in 2008.

As lighting designer, Vanstone finds himself returning to the show once again, having first lit a West End run five years ago. He comments: “When I first became involved in 2019 at the Prince Edward Theatre, it was in a ‘revival schedule’ so I had to tailor my ambitio

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27 November 2024

Denmark - Grand Joanne Hotel, just a short walk from Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, reopened with a fresh vision from hospitality specialists Midstar AB. The hotel blends heritage, lifestyle, fashion, and design within a restored 19th-century building. At the heart of its new chapter is a Smart IP loudspeaker solution from Genelec that delivers bespoke sound to every corner.

Consultancy and integration firm, Effektgruppen was tasked with bringing yet another ambitious vision to life for Midstar. The brief was for ‘uncompromised sound quality with a sleek design’. “We always begin by understanding the client’s expectations for both the aesthetics and functionality of the sound system,” explains Fredrik Nordström, project manager at Effektgruppen.

“Initially, we designed custom loudspeakers that blended with the décor, but it quickly beca

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27 November 2024

Germany - St. Laurentius Church in Westerwiehe has unveiled a new lighting installation that enhances the spiritual experience with adaptable and dynamic illumination. This transformation, coined ‘Lichterkirche’, integrates advanced Prolights technologies to redefine how visitors engage with the sacred space.

After a year-long renovation, the church now features a state-of-the-art media system by MediaKi, enabling visitors to control personalised lighting and soundscapes via a touchscreen terminal. Spearheaded by Schröder & Partner engineering firm, the project harnesses Prolights' LED fixtures to create effects that range from serene to celebratory.

Key Prolights products deployed in this project include ArcPod 15Q LED floodlights for vibrant sidewall and ceiling washes and ArcPod 27Q LED floodlights illuminating the altar dome.

Arc

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26 November 2024

Egypt - 64 Digital Projection Titan 37000 WUXGA laser projectors were at the heart of a 3D projection mapping show, which took place on 26 October at the newly constructed New Administrative Capital Stadium in Egypt.

Located 30 miles east of Cairo, the stadium, aimed to be the centrepiece of the Olympic City, is the largest sports arena in Egypt and the second largest in Africa, seating 93,940 spectators.

For the show, HiLights Group installed an edge-to-edge 3D projection technique that integrated the stadium's floor and walls, into a cohesive display. “The immersive visuals, achieved through meticulous planning and cutting-edge technology, brought a 3D experience to life in a way that had never been attempted in the region,” says Yara Mahran, senior digital marketing specialist at HiLights Group.

The project aimed to create an unforgett

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26 November 2024

France - Amadeus and Holophonix were chosen to design and install a new sound system for the Amphitheater d'O, part of the Domaine d'O – a multidisciplinary arts and entertainment complex in Montpellier, South of France. Because the open-air theatre accommodates up to 1,800 people in a semi-circle of nearly 180°, this presented an electroacoustic challenge for audience coverage and directivity control.

The Amphitheater d'O hosts four major festivals during the spring and summer seasons, including Le Printemps des Comédiens (a theatre festival held throughout June), Folies d'O (a musical theatre festival held in early July), and the Radio France Occitanie Festival (July).

Over the 15 past years, the Amphitheater d'O has been equipped with various traditional front-of-house reinforcement systems, from Amadeus, L-Acoustics

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26 November 2024

France - L'Aéronef, a music venue in Lille, has installed a new L-Acoustics professional sound system with the help of certified partner SLS. This upgrade marks a new era for the venue, blending power and precision in a compact package that enhances sound quality and coverage, invigorating shows for everyone.

Olivier Wils, technical manager at L'Aéronef, comments on the upgrade: "The new L-Acoustics professional sound system significantly improves our audio capabilities. The clarity and coverage are impressive, allowing us to offer an enhanced experience for both artists and audiences."

L'Aéronef, established in 1989, sought to address the challenge of delivering high-quality sound in an intimate setting and with significant rigging constraints. The venue found its solution in the new L-Acoustics L Series, marking the first installation of this sy

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26 November 2024

Italy - Dancing with the Stars is one of the most popular shows on Italian television. Each performance is meticulously planned to deliver not only the dancers’ routines but also a remarkable visual experience for the audience, complete with stunning sets, lighting effects, and graphics. This year, to make the atmosphere even more magical, the production chose to use Ayrton Cobra fixtures, provided by Emmedue s.r.l., which played a key role in creating the scenic effects.

A total of 30 Ayrton Cobra laser-sourced fixtures were strategically placed to ensure impactful lighting and to create evocative atmospheres. The layout was carefully planned: 10 Cobra were positioned on the platforms to the right and left of the main LED wall, eight were placed on crossbars to create angled lighting effects and sharp, distinct silhouettes, six were mounted on th

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26 November 2024

UK - Concrete Voids at London’s Southbank Centre is described by creator Tony Birch as anti-acoustic. The experimental audio project explores the acoustic possibilities of the empty concrete spaces that surround the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium to create an unconventional and organic sound environment. A social media moment and subsequent collaboration with TiMax panLab originator, Dan Higgott, provided the keystone for audio control in the project, which will see the first instalment of commissioned artist performances in March 2025.

The goal was to turn away from traditional soundscape designs and instead celebrate the unique hidden acoustics of the venue. Over the course of a year, sound engineer Birch, who has over 17 years of experience within the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium space, positioned a variety of repurposed and custom-built sp

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26 November 2024

Namibia - Jared Geyser has been behind many successful businesses in Namibia, including festivals and bars, for a number of years. But it was when his son, Guy, left university in Cape Town and wanted to get involved in a New Year’s Eve festival a couple of years back, that they first forged a relationship with Martin Audio loudspeakers. Shortly after, their company Plug & Play Event Solutions was set up in the capital of Windhoek to further develop their interest in PA and backline.

A friend in South Africa had tested Martin Audio products and recommended them. “So we bought Blackline XP12 and XP118 active subs, and eventually ended up owning 20,” said Jared. “While they are great speakers, they obviously couldn’t do the bigger work, so we then bought a Torus system.” But the latest prize is the acquisition of a flagship WPC line array – 2

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26 November 2024

UK - The recently opened Kingpins in Manchester’s Arndale Centre – the largest establishment to date in the estate of UK sports venue brand, Roxy Leisure – has opted once again for Linea Research amplifiers. Leeds-based Audioserv, the group’s audio supplier and integrator for over a decade, installed a zoned and distributed audio system, powered and intelligently controlled by a system of Linea Research amplification and Symmetrix.

Audioserv’s founder and MD, Pete Rollinson, explained that the audio for the new Kingpins followed a similar template to its sister brand venues across the UK, with distributed audio throughout the venue, from the front door to the furthest gaming area and on to the restrooms. “Having worked on all of the Roxy and Kingpins sites so far, the brief for the audio generally stays very similar. There's no stage, so there is

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25 November 2024

USA - Floridian hard rockers Creed reunited and hit the road for their first tour in 11 years, creating a maelstrom of energy and momentum so successful that it propelled their music back into the Billboard charts, together with this year’s new Summer of 99, and Are You Ready? tours, which were among the fastest selling rock shows in the USA.

The production design was created by Mathias Kuhn and included 80 Robe moving lights and LED fixtures – 36 MegaPointes, 30 BMFL Spots, four BMFL FollowSpots, 10 Footsie2 LED footlights and four RoboSpot remote follow systems – all supplied by Bandit Lites out of Nashville.

The initial summer tour played a mix of arenas, theatres and amphitheatres with 10K to 36K capacities and the most recent leg stepped up to arenas, including Madison Square Garden, which were all completely sol

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25 November 2024

France - With a population of 57,300 and listed in the 500 cities where Life is good in France, Blanc-Mesnil is located just to the north of Paris, midway between the Stade de France and Charles de Gaulle airport.

Cultural life in the city revolves around the 710-seat Théâtre du Blanc-Mesnil which stages a variety of productions ranging from comedy and theatre to dance and music.

Sound reinforcement at the theatre comprises a Nexo STM system provided on a long-term rental basis by Loiret-based technical sound and lighting solutions specialists SPL, supplement by the theatre’s own inventory of Nexo speakers and powered controllers.

Clusters of six STM M28 main modules are flown beneath three STM B112 bass extension modules either side of the 22m-wide stage, with further sub-bass extension from ground stacks of three Nexo S118s.<

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25 November 2024

USA - The David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Centre – home of the New York Philharmonic – has various Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) products installed, including 18 Anna Adaptive Loudspeakers, six AC6 Adaptive column loudspeakers and four Otto Subwoofers.

The venue was modernised in collaboration with AVI-SPL and acoustical consultant Akustiks.

The David Geffen Hall project included an extensive redesign of audio-visual systems, acoustical systems and major infrastructure. AVI-SPL was responsible for the implementation of the PA and distributed audio, cinema systems and LED displays for closed captioning and projection, all supported by robust networking solutions.

EAW was chosen for the project by Akustiks' senior consultant Sam Brandt. Having worked with EAW for many years, Akustiks and AVI-SPL knew the brand’s Adaptive technology was right

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25 November 2024

USA - The building at 2103 Lyon Street, Houston, had a very good run. Home to Moncrief Lenoir Manufacturing, it turned out an impressive array of metal fabrications for eight decades, until it closed in the 1990s.

Today, the venerable structure has come alive again, only instead of producing metal products, it’s creating shiny new vistas of imagination for guests as the home of Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave.

Occupying over 25,000 sq.ft. of the former warehouse, Radio Tave, which is Meow Wolf’s fifth permanent exhibit in the USA, opened on Halloween. Like its four predecessors, the newest Meow Wolf site ‘immerses visitors in a fantastical, mind-expanding universe formed through the fusion of imaginative scenic art, engrossing sound, and transformative lighting’, which in the case of Radio Tave, was created by Chris Werner

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25 November 2024

Japan - CLUB CITTA' is a popular venue in Kawasaki. Opened in 1988, the club has seen historic performances from Nirvana, Oasis, Radiohead and many more and is a popular stop for many Japanese and international touring bands. The input from touring engineers was enough to convince Toru Yamamuro, general manager of stage production at CLUB CITTA', that their planned console upgrade should be to a DiGiCo Quantum 338.

“We introduced our SD8 back in 2012, updating the SD with a 32-bit card in 2019, so when the time came to upgrade our system, we asked various people about the Quantum and the feedback was very good,” Yamamuro says. “We also received enquiries from overseas artists who wanted to use the Quantum 338, so we had a strong desire to install it ourselves, and we were able to make it happen.

“With the addition of Mustard Processing and Sp

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25 November 2024

USA - Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Integrity Lighting has invested in Ayrton Cobra2 laser source luminaires for its production and rental inventory. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.

“The Cobras are our first Ayrton fixtures and they won’t be our last,” says lead lighting designer, Joshua K. Hall. “When ACT demo’d several Ayrton fixtures, we were so impressed by the Cobras that we couldn’t not buy them. Their versatility as a searchlight and a great hybrid light on stage is great for us.”

Hall likes “the smoothness of the overall beam – no hot spot, very even throughout” and Cobra’s IP65 rating, which is “absolutely essential for any kind of weather, and we get it all.”

Lighting designer and marketing director, Carter Nance, notes that the fixture’s “CMY mixing system gi