Armenia - A Europe-wide TV audience of 33m viewers tuned into the 20th Junior Eurovision Song Contest, held in Armenia, in December 2022. Thirteen-year-old Lissandro from France was crowned the winner in a live broadcast from the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in the country’s capital city, Yerevan.
The size of the audience in the venue demanded a major sound system and this (plus all the sound crew) was provided by Poznań-based Gigant Sound Letus, whose owner Jurek Taborowski commented, “We provided a large Outline audio system for the event, the main PA clusters comprising a total of 48 GTO C-12 modules with GTO-DF down-fills, all hidden from the cameras above the lighting installation, with another hang of C-12 cabinets installed in front of the Green Room platform.
“Extensive out-fill and side delay lines were also used, using 48 Superfly modules, around 60 Mantas boxes (including front-fills) and 24 DBS 18-2 subwoofers. Core system processing and control was by Outline’s Newton FPGA processors and the whole system was powered by GTA Otto / X8 and T-Eleven / K10 / K20 amplifiers.”
Armenian TV1 was the main organisation behind the event and their Vahagn Mikayelyan remarked: “One of the most important goals for the sound system was to provide equal sound all around the hall. As the event was going on in the sports complex, we had to find good solutions for a difficult audio environment, which is why we decided to choose the Gigant sound team.
“Also, the JESC show is mainly directed to broadcasting so the speakers

France/USA - L-Acoustics has announced that it has been named for the second time to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.
This year’s list highlights the businesses at the forefront of their respective industries, paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow.
“Being recognised by Fast Company for the second time in three years as a top innovator is a great honour and a testimony to L-Acoustics’ heritage of innovation and passion for connecting artists to their audiences,” says L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié.
Notable innovations highlighted by Fast Company include the release of L-ISA Studio that facilitates access to spatial audio creation and listening, as well as Ambiance, L-Acoustics’ award-wining active acoustics solution that turns any studio acoustics into a real live concert environment.
Additionally, the nomination also honours L-Acoustics' ongoing efforts towards inclusion with its monthly Women in Pro Audio editorial series, which puts the spotlight on women in live sound, a predominantly male industry. Through the series, the company has supported careers and provided a platform for amplifying the voices of dozens of professional women over the past two years.
“What a strange and thrilling year it has been to honour this year’s Most Innovative Companies. This year’s list compiles some of the most cutting-edge ground-breakers who are changing our world every single day, from legacy organisations like McDonald’s to upstarts like MrBeast and institutions such as N

USA - RatPac Controls has announced that founder and chief innovation officer Craig Brink is stepping down after 12 years with the company.
Since its inception in 2011, RatPac Controls has experienced tremendous success with its innovative approach to lighting controls. RatPac Controls has expanded its portfolio to over 25 products, including silent dimming, data distribution, and wireless DMX control products. Craig Brink's contributions helped change how gaffers rig and control lights on film and TV sets and earned RatPac Controls its reputation as an industry leader.
Before founding RatPac Controls, Craig Brink worked as a rigging gaffer, with credits including The Big Lebowski, The Fast, and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Fracture.
Craig Brink stated, "RatPac Controls has grown tremendously over the last 12 years. We've built a deep and talented team focused on innovation, new product development, and customer satisfaction. It's time for me to move on and let our team continue their great work. I will miss the RatPac Controls family, but I know the company is in great hands as it moves forward."
RatPac Controls' EVP of sales and marketing, Nick Stabile, stated, "It was an honor to build this company with Craig. We will miss Craig's passion for lighting controls, and we wish him all the best."

Canada - CHCH, a television station located in Ontario, produces local news content every week, positioning itself as a prominent news source for Hamilton and the surrounding areas. To enhance its broadcasting capabilities, the station recently inaugurated a versatile studio space and equipped it with broadcast-optimised lighting from Elation Professional.
Aaron McCormack, the lighting designer for CHCH's newly constructed studio, has prior experience working with Elation fixtures from his time at a production company in St. Catharines, Ontario. McCormack notes that he was impressed with the fixtures' build quality, light quality, and output. “Also, the value per fixture met our budget needs and after doing some research, we decided that Elation would be a good choice for our new studio.”
The team at CHCH demoed several fixtures from a variety of companies. “But the cost was too high for what you would actually get,” he said of the other options. According to McCormack, they were seeking basic yet high-quality lights to illuminate the television set and were confident the Elation fixtures would adequately fulfil their requirements.
After finalising their camera selection (4K resolution), it was determined that approximately 60-80ft candles of light on the talent was required. “The KL Panel soft light provided the output that we were looking for and the quality of light,” the designer states. “Most of the set is lit with these and we use the Elation KL Fresnel 6 CW as key lights to provide depth and also as backlights.”
In addi

USA - Ed Warren has experienced many special times in his career as a lighting designer and programmer, citing Saturday, 18 February at the famed Madison Square Garden as special.
The big arena was filling up with fans for the back-to-back DJing show by Four Tet, fred again.., and Skrillex , an event that had sold out in only two minutes. DJs were playing as the large crowd filed in. Then, at a prearranged signal after a huge drop, Warren used his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 to kick up his lights and lasers as the crowd, encouraged by the lighting crew, simultaneously turned up their cell phone lights.
“Instantly the arena was magically transformed, and you felt a huge lift in the energy,” said Warren. “So simple, but oh so powerful!”
For Warren, that was just the beginning. Throughout the show, he created all-embracive looks that seemed to involve every inch of the 820,000 sq ft (76,000 m2) venue in every moment of the show.
“I wanted to make sure I lit the entire arena as equally as I could throughout,” he explained. “Everyone needed to be seen and everyone needed to know they were seen. I tried not to create a ‘light show’ as such, it was more a matter of translating the feel of the music into light. Then it was more about adding a few party tricks and relying on my busking skills for the rest of it. I had an excellent rig from Christie Lites. I also had access to the MSG house rig, which helped expand the show when needed. They have an extensive array of fixtures up in that roof. More people should use it.”
Warren used t

Slovenia - The Delavski dom Zagorje Cultural Centre venue was opened in 1960 in the Slovenian town of Zagorje tucked away in the Central Sava Valley, once one of the country’s principal mining regions.
Originally built as an entertainment space for the mining community living in this and surrounding towns, it now thrives as a municipal hub for performing arts, staging a multitude of shows and events including cinema, theatre, dance, music and visual arts. Due to its excellent acoustics – enabled by an audio upgrade in 2008 – it hosts the annual National Children's and Youth Choirs Competition of Slovenia, and the building also incorporates the Mile Klopčič Public Library.
The New Robe moving lights – Robe T1 Profiles and LEDBeam 350s – were part of a major technical refurbishment also involving all the stage machinery for their 460-seat main hall.
These are the first moving lights in the house and replace a lot of older lighting technology, some dating back to the 1960s.
The installation took place in 2021, whilst the Cultural Hall was closed due to the pandemic, so they re-opened this year ready to roll with a brand new fully contemporary setup, which is proving invaluable and has upped the production value for everyone from the artists to the audience.
The stage machinery upgrade included new lighting hoists to automate selected lighting bars, so six out of the venue’s 22 lighting bars can now be brought to the stage level meaning less working at heights, speeding up changeovers and dramatically increasing the overall f

Botswana - Having last year launched Headstock Group’s HH Electronics brand in South Africa, distributor ApexPro recently introduced the company’s range of audio products to professionals and end-users at an AV Expo in Botswana. Staged at the Town Lodge Convention Centre in Gaborone with partner SixDots, the well-attended showcase allowed visitors to experience close-up the quality and flexibility of HH products, giving insights into the wide range of applications they can address.
Demand in sub-Saharan Africa for robust, cost-competitive, high quality professional audio for live sound and installation is growing, with HH Electronics ideally placed to take advantage, according to its global sales director Ian Wright:
“In the relatively short time we’ve been working with ApexPro, they’ve demonstrated a very strong commitment to delivering the HH message to the region. They have a long and successful history in the African pro audio market, with a strong tradition of offering the very highest levels of support and training to their customers. Events like this one in Botswana are invaluable, enabling the very knowledgeable ApexPro staff to really highlight the benefits of our systems in a close-up and personal environment.”
Justin Acres, director at ApexPro adds: “With an emphasis on line array and portable systems for small to medium sized live applications, and a wide variety of scalable installation products, we have every confidence in HH Electronics’ range to provide just the right balance of quality, durability, and affordability

USA - LightenUp, a Los Angeles-based professional lighting company that supplies the full range of lighting equipment and power distribution for all types of events, has added a large complement of Ayrton Zonda 9 FX and Zonda 3 FX fixtures to its inventory. The new luminaires join Ayrton Khamsin, Perseo Profile, Diablo-S in white and black housings, and MagicDot fixtures available for projects and rental. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
“We’re always looking at new equipment. We do our due diligence and have biweekly meetings with lighting designers about new gear and keeping our inventory up to date,” says lighting designer Nathan Megaw, president of LightenUp. “A lot of new equipment is always coming out, and there’s always the risk of, ‘Will you pick right? Will the gear be hot in the market? Can we cross-rent it?’ We were the second company in LA with Diablos, so we picked correctly, but there’s a lot of homework involved.”
ACT provided demo units of the Zonda 9 FX, which LightenUp quickly felt would fit well in the company’s inventory for a broad roster of projects and to serve a smaller rental market. “The Zonda 9 FX’s features are a step above any competitive wash fixtures in that weight class,” says Megaw. “The effects capabilities are a bonus and offer effects no other units have. We not only like what the Zonda 9 FX can do, but how the instrument looks with its clean and simplified shape, quality and craftsmanship.”
To the Zonda 9 FXs, which have just been de

Portugal - Auditiv - Audiovisuais Lda. has more than 25 years of experience in the audio rental market. Under the direction of João Escada and Daniel Bekerman, both experienced broadcast engineers, it maintains a strong position in both broadcast and live sound, suppling audio systems for major national and international productions. A long-standing DiGiCo user, the company has recently invested in a Quantum 338 console, ensuring it has the latest technology in its inventory.
“Working on national awards ceremonies such as the Golden Globes, well known musical TV shows including Got Talent, Ídolos and The Voice, and with bands such as Xutos & Pontapés are some of the highlights in our portfolio,” says Auditiv’s João Escada. Internationally, Auditiv has participated in spectacular events including the Eurovision Song Contest, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and in major Spanish TV formats.
“For all this, our equipment options have to guarantee all the reliability and operability compatible with the events, and so DiGiCo is our choice,” he continues. “We started our association with DiGiCo in 2007 with the original D series, and that naturally evolved to the SD Series. Our choice is mainly because of the great I/O capacity of the system, flexibility, reliability and operability. Now, we have started our entry into the Quantum range with the acquisition of a Quantum 338.”
Auditiv took delivery of its Quantum 338 at the end of last year, immediately deploying at front of house for television show, Gala Do

USA - EAW has announced Techrep Marketing as its new representatives in the Ohio Valley region.
Techrep Marketing, founded by Ted Bahas and Jeff Mcpherson in 1998, has been serving the Ohio Valley for over 22 years. “We saw the opportunity and value of having a technically oriented sales force serving the AV marketplace,” says Bahas, president, Techrep. “We have always envisioned ourselves as solution specialists for the products we represent. Our goal is to act as a multiplier for our vendor’s sales and technical teams.”
Bahas expanded on this idea, building out a team of almost 20 professionals. Now working with commercial installs, live sound and music retail customers, Techrep represents various manufacturers such as EAW in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. The company also has reach in Michigan and Indiana for some of its clients.
“EAW has been a respected name in the audio business for a long time,” says Bahas. “When the opportunity for representation came to us, it was very appealing. EAW fits very nicely with our Blue-Chip brand strategy. We are thrilled with the opportunity.”
“In our territory, live sound production and commercial install for performance venues, arenas and stadiums are a staple of our business,” adds Chris Bednar, VP of Sales, Techrep. “The EAW brand has some truly innovative products in those areas, so it’s a nice fit with the echelon of brands that we represent. Techrep tends to excel at the things that are a little more complex – our team and their technical abili

Europe - ETC has introduced Navis 100 Sidekick, a local LED driver compatible with ArcSystem Navis 100 luminaires. With this addition to the Navis line, specifiers now have even more installation options.
Debuted in 2020, Navis luminaires deliver pristine light and a modular design. The new Navis Sidekick attaches to Navis 100 fixed white or Fade to Warm luminaires, dimming via direct 100-277 AC power. This small, local driver is designed for areas where level setting and smooth in-and-out dimming are key, such as hallways, guest rooms, and more. Sidekick is also a solution for retrofits to buildings already utilising mains dimming systems.

UK - Peerless-AV has announced the dates for this year’s AV Showcase at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Back with earlier dates in the AV calendar – 16-17 May 2023
“Now in its third year, we’re pleased to announce our return to Lord’s and new May dates,” said Keith Dutch, managing director – EMEA, Peerless-AV. “Our event attracts professionals and decision-makers not only from the UK AV community but all across Europe; recognising the value of Peerless-AV’s strong partner relations and industry connections and ability to bring all the leading players from the audio, workplace technology, wireless, UC/VC, digital signage, interactive touch and signal management markets together, under one roof. This year we have over 30 leading brands, returning and new, to the exhibition floor and we will have some new features to reveal soon over the two-day schedule.”
New for 2023 will be Tech Talks and workshops; educational and informative technical sessions in which multiple vendors will team up to present full solutions with ‘forward-looking market insights, product competencies and real-life examples of successful installations’. In addition, Peerless-AV’s ‘mix and mingle’ evening drinks reception will return on Tuesday 16. Registration is now open.

Australia - Operating out of Wodonga, Victoria, Professional Audio Services (PAS) is defined not only by its dedication to quality entertainment experiences, but also its dynamic father-son duo: managing director Tony Boon and lighting & technology specialist Adam Boon.
Having carved a reputation for itself as a provider of quality audio for theatre shows, council events, concerts and more, PAS sought to elevate their production capabilities further by streamlining their systems catalogue- pivoting to Nexo’s point source offerings.
“We were reorganising our business, as we had lots of different speaker systems and older things from separate places,” recounts Tony. “Ultimately, we decided to go with a framework that operates together more seamlessly. From cables to amps and speakers, we now have a variety of Nexo equipment to call on, all from the same family.”
Eager to road-test the new technology by the end of 2022, PAS recently assisted the community of Wodonga with two well-reviewed events: Borderville’s Circus in Junction Square and the city’s Wodonga Brass Carols by Candlelight.
“Junction Place was a circus gig that used four P15+ cabinets and four Geo MSUB18’s,” says Adam. “We also used a pair of P10+’s to fill where the tree foliage ate up our HF. Wodonga Brass Christmas Carols was six Geo M10 modules per side, four Geo MSUB15’s and six Geo MSUB18’s in an array that was designed in NS-1 for even coverage across the massive audience space, and to minimise the onstage bass build-up. All console-to-amp conne

UK - In response to significantly different market conditions in the UK following Brexit, ADJ has announced the moving of distribution of the brand’s products to a new UK-based company. Audio Visual Security Limited – AVS – will be led by two familiar faces to ADJ customers in the region and provide vastly improved delivery times – next day in most cases – as well as local service, support, and repairs.
Kris Dawber and Andy Howarth are the directors of AVS. Kris has been a part of the ADJ family for 15 years, was instrumental in first bringing the brand to the UK and has previously served as UK & Ireland sales manager as well as European sales manager for ADJ Europe. He has an extensive knowledge of the UK and Irish markets as well as a vast network of industry contacts. Andy has worked with Kris within ADJ’s UK-based business for over 10 years and has an in-depth technical understanding of the company’s extensive product range.
“Recently, due to situations beyond our control, we haven’t been able to offer our usual high level of ADJ service to customers here in the UK,” explains Kris Dawber. “Through AVS we’ll be able to change that immediately. By holding stock here in the UK, we can dispatch orders to customers for the next working day. Andy and I have worked together for a long time and are excited to move into this new chapter together, serving our existing customer base and growing ADJ’s market share across all facets of the industry, including production, rental, integration, and retail.”
“Kris and I both be

Ghana - Van Damme cables has announced that it has partnered with a new distributor in Ghana to supply its portfolio of products to a strong and varied customer base in West Africa.
Audiovisual Systems is a well-established professional sales and integration company that designs, supplies, installs and maintains professional audio visual equipment. Its approach is simple and innovative, with the business providing a variety of training programmes and maintenance to support every installation.
The new distribution relationship marks a significant step forward for Van Damme as it starts to ‘reach out to new geographies’.
Adam Jafrabadi, export director at VDC comments, “We are really excited about this new collaboration. Van Damme is recognised globally for its innovation and reliability and has a broad range of products to meet customers’ every need and Audiovisual Systems’ expertise perfectly complements the emerging growth sectors for Van Damme. I believe this relationship is an important step in continuing our business growth with a long-term strategic partnership.”
Caleb N. A. Ashong-Katai, manager, Audiovisual Systems – Ghana, adds, "Our goal has always been to provide the best possible service to our customers and Van Damme has offered us the opportunity to take on a wide-ranging portfolio of products suited to our customer base, which are not only market leading, but also fits into our long-term vision. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for both parties as a result of this association.”

USA - Powersoft has announced the appointment of Thomas Howie as a business development manager in the US, to further support the company’s exponential growth in the region. Howie, a pro-AV industry veteran, will be responsible for new and existing clients, as well as global key accounts.
Howie brings a combined 40 years of experience in the AV industry to his new role. In his most recent position as vice president of sales and marketing at Glidecam Industries, he successfully led the department that developed, coordinated and conducted live and remote training programmes. Prior to Glidecam, Howie spent 15 years at CBS Broadcasting.
“I believe that my diverse experience in AV, broadcast, manufacturing and technical fields will be highly advantageous for our customers,” states Howie. “I am thrilled to join Powersoft’s innovative team and I am particularly excited about the growth prospects that lie ahead in the US marketplace. Powersoft is positioned for tremendous growth and I am eager to play a role in this.”
“Thomas’s direct experience in key verticals makes him an excellent addition to our senior team at Powersoft US. Bringing depth of experience, he will help us deliver the highest level of service that our customers have come to expect. I look forward to working closely with Thomas,” says Tom Knesel.

UK - Shure has introduced its new and improved GLX-D+ Dual Band Wireless system, providing a ‘solution for guitarists, bassists, vocalists, and presenters who want to go wireless with confidence and without complexity’.
A major enhancement from the previous generation that more than doubles available bandwidth, the system’s new Dual Band Wireless Technology can operate in 2.4GHz and now 5.8GHz, providing reliable and consistent signal by automatically scanning for and selecting the cleanest available frequencies. GLX-D+ Dual Band intelligently avoids interference and ensures dropouts won’t stop the show, enabling users to focus on performing while benefitting from superior, transparent wireless audio.
GLX-D+ is available in rack-mount, tabletop, and guitar pedal receiver options with a wide selection of lavalier, headset, and handheld microphone choices – including the legendary SM58.
Featuring improved battery life over the previous generation, GLX-D+ now offers up to 12 hours of runtime. The system’s useful quick charge capability provides 1.5 hours of use from a 15-minute charge for times when getting and staying on stage swiftly is a priority.
GLX-D+ features multiple smart rechargeability options. The new lithium-Ion SB904 battery can be charged directly on the tabletop and half-rack receivers or through a USB-C connector on the transmitter.
“Equipped with our legendary Shure audio technology, GLX-D+ users are guaranteed to experience exceptional digital wireless audio that captures their tone and includes everything

USA - Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the Georgia-born sisters, better known as the roots rock duo Larkin Poe have been touring in support of their sixth studio album, Blood Harmony. Tony Caporale of Infinitus Vox has been reflecting its richly textured music in light.
Caporale, joined by lighting director Alex Molinaro, has captured the deep emotional currents of Larkin Poe’s performance with a multi-faceted design that draws on the colour-mixing prowess the Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M and COLORado PXL Bar 16, which, like the rest of the lighting rig, were supplied by 4Wall Entertainment.
Positioning six of the motorised strobes in a horseshoe configuration on the floor around the performers and arranging an equal number of the battens along the upstage deck, Caporale and his team created transformative colour scapes to reflect a wide range of emotions.
“We are definitely painting a more scenic look on this tour that can translate as day, or night, with saturated colours to establish a vibe,” said Caporale, who has lit Larkin Poe before. “Since my main intention was to create these night and day looks, I tried to stay in blue and orange family of palettes as much as possible. However, there are also times when we opt to do a complete 180 and take off to go with some psychedelic looks. A beautiful thing about Larkin Poe is that they are true to their core style, but at the same time are also able to take it in different directions.”
While Caporale designed the production and programmed the lighting, Molinaro is running the

USA - The famed Levoy Theatre in Millville, NJ has undergone a full audio renovation, under the consultation of KMK Technologies, utilising 1 Sound speaker technology and designs.
Two Contour CT28 Point Sources were installed on each side of the proscenium, with an additional two dedicated for balcony seating, replacing the pre-existing line array system. The Contour CT28 is a compact, 3-way, horn-loaded loudspeaker, that has a medium-long throw and is capable of delivering a max SPL of 145 dB. CT28 Wall Brackets were used for mounting to the proscenium, allowing for horizontal and vertical aiming of the speaker without having to remove it, in order to focus the loudspeakers easily for optimal coverage.
Six Panorama MS34’s were utilised as front-fills on the lip of the stage, linked to each other to run off of one cable. These are used with an M+S Controller, running all the MS34’s in Mono + Stereo mode, this way, all the seats in their field hear stereo no matter what side of the audience they are in. These were selected to be flexible for when the stage thrust is removed and the layout changes from an orchestra pit to a rock band format. Three additional Panorama MS34’s were mounted under the balcony as fills.
For comprehensive low-end coverage, two SUB2112’s were deployed on either side of the stage.
Sean Pedrick, technical director for the Levoy, comments, “Since the early 1900s, the Levoy Theatre, positioned in downtown Millville, NJ, has been an intersection of culture, education, and entertainment in the South Jersey area. Thr

Luxembourg - Founded in 2013 by two friends eager to shake up the dining and night life experience in Luxembourg, Concept+Partners is a young and dynamic company always on the lookout for new and innovative ideas and dedicated to ensuring an exceptionally high quality of customer service.
Among an impressive portfolio of Concept+Partners properties, Hitch is a restaurant, bar and nightclub in Luxembourg city that describes itself to be ‘where food meets party’. So, when looking for a sound system that could deliver on that promise, the owners turned to local AV technology specialists Lemon Event Support.
“The brief was simple but uncompromising,” reports Lemon Event Support MD Paul Thyes. “The system had to deliver a clear but unobtrusive soundtrack for diners, then shift through the gears for punchy, full bandwidth, floor-filling sound when the DJs arrive and the restaurant morphs into a club – and all without imposing upon the high-end interior design. Our philosophy is to work only with products we trust and know can perform at the highest level. So, for Hitch, we immediately thought of a Nexo P+ Series point source system.”
Lemon Event Support chief engineer Christophe Becker takes up the story. “The space comprises of two main areas separated by a wall. Using NS-1 software, we designed a ceiling mounted system that’s mirrored on both sides using a pair of P15s and two P12s with one on a delay for each. P10s cover the corners and the bar, which is located behind the system, with an additional P10 in the DJ booth as a monitor. L

Germany – Dry-hire company NicLen has invested in VL3600 Profile IP fixtures from Vari-Lite. The popular German firm has purchased a large quantity of the high-output, IP-rated fixtures, citing superior optics and build quality as the reason for the purchase.
“We have a long history with Vari-Lite and strong fondness for the brand,” explains Jörg Stöppler Co-CEO/CCO at NicLen. “We have VL2600 Profiles and VL5LED Washes in dry hire at the moment, so we know that Vari-Lite makes quality fixtures. It was unsurprising, then to find the VL3600 had a premium feel and build quality with a solid construction and no plastic. Overall, it’s exactly the sort of well-made product you expect from Vari-Lite in an IP rated fixture.”
“The NicLen service quality is excellent, and it’s something known in the market,” says Franck Tiesing, Vari-Lite key account manager, DACH at Signify. “The fixtures are always clean, and everything is in top condition. So, NicLen understandably has very high expectations for the fixtures they buy, and that’s why they went with the VL3600 Profile IP.”
After first being introduced to a prototype of the VL3600 Profile IP at Prolight + Sound 2022, NicLen worked closely with Vari-Lite, providing feedback during development. “Vari-Lite has been helpful throughout the entire process,” adds Stöppler. “From the initial conversations to after-sales support, they’ve been very responsive to anything we needed.”
NicLen reports an uptick in interest in the VL3600 in recent weeks as word of their VL3600 purc

Norway - To provide students of the Norwegian Academy of Music with a quality education and music-listening experience, LydRommet recently upgraded the existing JBL sound reinforcement system in the school’s Linderman Hall with JBL VTX A8 line array speakers.
Located in Oslo, the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) is the largest university-level music conservatory in Norway. Many of Norway’s top musicians received their education from NMH’s diverse curriculum of genres, ranging from church and classical music to jazz and folk music. Officially founded in 1973, NMH has academic origins dating back to 1883, when Ludvig Mathias Lindeman and his son Peter Brynie Lindeman founded a historic school for organists.
Named in honour of Lindeman’s legacy, Lindeman Hall is the Academy’s main concert hall, with a seating capacity for 365 audience members. With a superior acoustic design and a stage big enough for a full symphony orchestra, Lindeman Hall is an ideal performance venue for large acoustic ensembles, amplified jazz bands, chamber orchestras and solo performers alike.
NMH turned to Norway-based Harman distributor LydRommet to upgrade Lindeman Hall’s existing sound system. To deliver wide and balanced coverage for a diverse range of concerts and genres, LydRommet installed a modern JBL VTX live sound reinforcement solution consisting of VTX A8 line array speakers.
“NMH is the top music university in Norway, and they strive to offer the best in terms of education and equipment alike,” said Jan-Stefan Hansen, director of pro audio

UK - On Saturday 25 February, the hello stranger UK Festival of Performance Design, curated by Dr Kathrine Sandys and Lucy Thornett, launched with its inaugural event at the Edinburgh College of Art.
The festival, which runs through to April, brings together a mix of artists and designers from 13 different regions and countries across the UK, in order to showcase the best in contemporary performance design. The entire programme is free to all and includes exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops, providing an exciting opportunity for members of the public from across the UK to engage with design, through locally curated and created installations and exhibitions on their own doorsteps.
The hello stranger series of events are led by a team of locally based designer-curators who have been tasked with activating public spaces within local theatres and other public-facing cultural venues. The events take stock of the last four years of performance design in the UK and pose important questions about where we are headed, with each looking at these wider cultural questions through a unique, regional lens.
In considering the future of practice, a key element of hello stranger focuses on sustainability, and sustainable practice is centred throughout the Festival with purpose-built event and exhibition spaces created from locally sourced re-claimed and re-purposed materials.
The UK Festival of Performance Design forms part of the hello stranger: national exhibition of performance design 2019 – 2023, which has been curated by Dr Kathrine Sandys

USA - The DALI Alliance has reached two new milestones that demonstrate broad global support for the organisation and its certification programmes. The number of certified DALI-2 products now exceeds 3,000 devices, and at the same time DALI Alliance’s membership has grown to 350 members.
The 3,000th DALI-2 product is the EUM-150S150ET LED driver from Inventronics. This product includes luminaire, energy and diagnostics data (Parts 251-3), which means that it can store luminaire information (typically encoded by the luminaire manufacturer) in one of the driver's DALI memory banks, and can report operational diagnostic and energy usage data.
DALI-2 certification requires the product to successfully pass a rigorous and comprehensive set of tests based on the international standard IEC 62386. The DALI Alliance independently verifies the test results, and then lists each certified product in its online product database, providing public traceability. The database contains all certified DALI-2 and D4i components.
The 350th member is Leap Info Systems Pvt, a lighting controls and automation technology company based in Pune, India, which has joined as an associate member (view the full member list). Associate membership enables companies to participate in the DALI-2 certification program, and to use the DALI trademarks. To date, membership of the alliance consists of 35 Regular members, 267 Associate members and 51 Community members.
“We are grateful to all our members who support our certification programs, and we’re excited to continue driving