UK - Audiologic in collaboration with integrator GVAV, has announced the implementation of a versatile hybrid workspace at the University of Hertfordshire. This project incorporates Q-SYS audio, video, and control technology to create a seamless learning experience for students, whether they are physically present or participating in remote learning off campus.
Recognising the need to adapt to evolving user demands, both corporate and higher education institutions are transforming their workspaces to embrace greater flexibility. The University of Hertfordshire identified the outdated Prince Edward Hall lecture theatre as a space that had the potential to be transformed into a much more optimal learning environment catering for the needs of both in person and remote students. In response, they developed a new multi-use learning space, within a dynamic setting, designed to provide a new CDIO (Conceive Design Implement Operate) style of learning for individuals and groups for all university students.
The lecture theatre underwent a complete renovation, resulting in a new flat-floor space that prioritises audio-visual performance. This includes the incorporation of acoustic treatment on the walls and ceilings, to reduce the room’s RT60, as well as adding modern geometric LED lighting to rejuvenate the space.
The University of Hertfordshire partnered with GVAV for the audio visual requirements of the project.
Sukh Basi, sales director for London and the South East at GVAV, comments: “We worked with Audiologic for the equipment supply and techni

USA - A 500-mile-long NASCA cup race, the Daytona 500 is an annual event held at the Daytona International Speedway. This year’s event marked 75 years of NASCAR, and to celebrate this anniversary, the event included a special virtual final lap. The Famous Group were chosen as NASCAR’s preferred partners to bring this ambitious project to life.
“We were asked to recreate 18 historic NASCAR racecars and show them racing in a single lap together on the Daytona racetrack,” explains Erik Beaumont, head of mixed reality at The Famous Group. “The fantasy lap would include a Dale Earnhardt Jr. No.88 car and a Dale Earnhardt Sr. No.3 car, a nod to some of the most important moments in Daytona 500 history.”
Creating a virtual mixed-reality event for live broadcast required careful tracking to ensure the seamless fusion of the imaginary and the real. Stage Precision’s SP data and control management software was identified as a crucial tool for crafting this historic production.
The project also marked the first use of Stage Precision’s Shield for Unreal Engine 5 plug-in, specially designed for virtual production and augmented reality applications. “This was our first big project using SP. We had tested it and found it filled a hole in our workflow and toolchain but had yet to use it on a major project,” explains Beaumont. “SP provided us with an extraordinary level of control, making it an indispensable asset for this project.”
The Famous Group used SP to ensure the maximum level of control over tracking, timing, signals and to t

USA - A premiere public arts school in the greater Orlando area, Osceola County School for the Arts (OSCA) has a long-standing tradition of excellence with many alumni having gone on to attend various prestigious university programs, such as The Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music and more.
Osceola County School for the Arts’ Jazz A Ensemble, specifically, is a two-time winner and five-time finalist at the Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival and has performed at many jazz festivals throughout the United States. When the programme was in need of new and improved microphones, director, composer and veteran educator Jason Anderson turned to MXL Microphones.
“After learning more about the kind of instruments we were using, what the band was like and what we would be using the mics for, MXL came through big time and within a month or two we were using new microphones,” says Anderson. “Especially with jazz, you want to hear on the recording exactly how it sounds live and I feel like that's exactly what we get with MXL. It can be challenging with so many different instruments trying to capture the balance of the band as well, and I feel like the microphones do a good job of capturing the specific essence of each individual instrument.”
In total, OCSA’s jazz band now has over 30 MXL microphones, which include two R77s, eight 770s, one 890, four R144s, six V67Gs, the brand’s Studio Drum Kit, which includes an A-55 Kicker, a 606, two Drum Cubes for toms, two 603s, along with the shock mounts and hard mounts that go with the

UK - TechLED will showcase its range of UK-manufactured lighting effects on stand G30 at this year’s PLASA Show. Contributing the lowest possible airmiles to low-energy LED effects, the show-stopping range from UK-based Abstract, is a must-see for any UK installer with a green agenda and an eye on sustainability.
Recognised as one of the pioneering market leaders in effects lighting with a manufacturing legacy spanning over 30 years, Abstract’s key lighting effects units will be demonstrated, including the Abstract Candi Blox and Abstract Candi Bar, the Abstract X-Lite Pro freestanding lighting system and the Abstract X-Drive. The popular Abstract-supplied, Pixel Neon lighting system will also be at the forefront of stand G30.
Pixel Neon is a square neon flex lighting effect supplied by Abstract. Flexible, weatherproof, and easy to install, Pixel Neon is perfect for highlighting architectural features with a homogenous line of dynamic colour changing light. Controllable via DMX or a dedicated smartphone app, Pixel Neon has proven a popular choice with installers and Pro DJs alike.
The Abstract range on stand will include the attention-grabbing Candi Blox unit that delivers one of the most sought after looks of the moment via a five-by-five array of high performance, mix-at-source, multi-chip LEDs. Configured as a central array of 25 LEDs with an edge halo effect surround featuring a further 20 LEDs, Abstract’s Candi Blox is a 200mm x 192mm ‘square’, IP20-rated, RBGW LED lighting system. Precision manufactured in the UK, the Blox is robust

UK - Display specialist PSCo (part of the Midwich Group) has announced the introduction of the Absen MR2.5 high resolution LED floor display. The high impact floor display is exclusively available from PSCo in the UK for trade-only rental and purchase.
The MR series LED floor panel is available in 2.5mm pixel pitch and uses a GOB SMD packaging process resulting in deep blacks with a non-reflective surface. Specified with Brompton R2 processing, the wide colour gamut and high-contrast performance of the MR2.5 produce impressive in-camera performance versus other LED floor technologies.
The Absen MR floor can be combined with Absen PL2.5 Pro Brompton LED walls to create seamless floor-to-wall 2.5mm displays running from the same Brompton controllers. These products are perfectly suited to xR stages and virtual studios, as well as eye-catching corporate and live events.
The product adopts a two-in-one design featuring an aluminium chassis cabinet and a separate optional carbon-fibre sub-floor frame, allowing the option to install a thinner and lighter LED floor solution resulting in increased versality for a wide range of applications where the floor can be built without adding sub-frames at the bottom.
The MR2.5 adopts a high-strength frame design with a maximum load-bearing capacity of 2500kg/㎡, which ensures safety and durability through challenging on-stage activities. The surface of MR is covered with a matte finish which is easy to clean and features a scratch-resistant layer, creating a long-lasting and high-impact visual staging effect.

USA - Christie has introduced two new RGB pure laser projectors: the M 4K15 RGB and M 4K+15 RGB. Part of our award-winning M 4K RGB Series, they deliver 15,750 lumens and are designed for the most demanding applications, including staging and live events, projection mapping spectacles, and theme park attractions.
“Our original M Series projectors, first introduced in 2007, were our most successful line of Pro AV projectors with over 16,000 units sold,” says Joel St-Denis, director of product management, Christie. “Our new models continue the tradition of innovation which has made the M Series so popular, combining ruggedness, reliability, and brightness into a compact chassis.”
Christie has simplified installation and operation by delivering full brightness at 120V or 220V, omnidirectional rigging capabilities, and TruLife+ electronics, which eliminates the hassle and cost of removable options cards. At 83.8 lbs (38.1 kg), the M 4K15 RGB and M 4K+15 RGB are the lightest 3DLP projectors in their class.
The new projectors are compatible with legacy M, J, and Crimson Series lenses and M Series rigging frames for additional cost savings.
With RGB pure laser illumination, the new projectors produce vibrant, bright, and true-to-life visuals that approach 98% of the Rec.2020 colour gamut, while operating at a quiet 43 dBA to ensure that the focus remains on the screen.
The M 4K15 RGB offers a 2700:1 contrast ratio and 4K UHD (3840x2160) resolution, while the M 4K+15 RGB offers a contrast ratio of 2200:1 and 4K UHD+(3840x2400) resolution

USA - Fire blasts, frenzy and rock ‘n’ roll bombast is bolstering American emo-pop-punkers Fall Out Boy’s current US tour, which is playing amphitheatres across the country backed with LED and projection driven by Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
Screen content is guiding the audience through the hitlist set via colour, with strong orange content for the daytime and cooler blues, greens, and purples for the night time scenes. The Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers are running pre-made content and Notch Blocks as well as live feed for the IMAG screens, with one live and one as backup.
BAFTA and Billboard Award-nominated creative directors, TAWBOX, consisting of London-based visionaries Amber Rimell and Bronski, have created a theatrical show for the band as they tour to support their 2023 album, So Much (for) Stardust. It sees an array of high-production-values pyrotechnics and effects alongside the visuals and live feed IMAG action to create a truly cinematic experience. The TAWBOX team created all visual content, with Notch Blocks provided by Pixels and Noise.
Chicagoan production designers at So Midwest delivered both lighting and video design, production design and additional cameras and video infrastructure processing. “We are returning to this tour as the lighting designer after our successful previous work with Fall Out Boy,” says So Midwest’s Connor Sullivan.
“The band wanted to step away from a big LED surface for this tour, so we created visual staging that was focused on a modest 2m x 2m LED screen place

Australia - Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre features the Joyce Schneider Auditorium, a 500-seat theatre with modern facilities including a comprehensive, computerised sound and lighting control room. The theatre completed a significant lighting system upgrade, transitioning from outdated halogen lamps to more advanced technology.
David Brown, the technical coordinator of the venue, explained that the upgrade had been planned for some time, but the increasing difficulty in finding and the high cost of halogen lamps expedited the need for a change. The Covid-19 pandemic, which temporarily suspended performances, provided the perfect opportunity to carry out the upgrade, and David took the chance to conduct an in-depth market research and compare various options. After careful evaluation, he presented a comprehensive report to the council for approval.
Show Technology, the distributor of Prolights in Australia, was chosen to handle the lighting system upgrade. They installed 42 Prolights EclProfile CT+ and 20 Prolights EclFresnel TW.
David says that the tungsten emulation offered by the Prolights EclProfile CT+ is exceptionally good, which is important as some of the touring shows simply want to use them as a conventional lantern with a colour in them. They are positioned on the bridges for easy access and from where they can do their traditional thing.
“They are an excellent fixture, as are the Prolights EclFresnel TW, and they've just fitted in and done the job,” said David. “I like their bright, clean output as well as their

UK - Audio-visual and entertainment technology company, Anna Valley has officially opened a new, multi-purpose studio complex in July 2023. The facility is located on the same block as Anna Valley’s headquarters in West London, in premises previously used to produce content for a broadcast shopping channel and includes five professional studio spaces that can be tailored to suit the production needs of media and entertainment, commercial and event clients.
The idea for Anna Valley Studios originated due to the audio-visual company’s success in using their headquarters as a virtual production and event studio during the pandemic. Despite the lifting of Covid restrictions in 2022, the demand for affordable studio spaces has remained high across their event and production client base. In addition, while the number of studios with volumes have increased in recent months, there is a shortage of affordable virtual production testing facilities available.
Anna Valley Studios aims to satisfy this demand by providing simple but professional spaces that a range of clients can use to create and share video content. The soundproof studios provide a budget-friendly but fit-for-purpose location for corporate clients to produce virtual events and high-end presentation videos or for production teams to conduct camera, lighting or virtual production tests and film pilots and programme segments. With all the supporting infrastructure in place, the technology in the studios can easily be upgraded to support more ambitious commercial and film shoots.
The Anna Val

UK - PCL Live, founded by Adam Wilson, is a leading audio-visual company in the Northeast of Scotland. With impressive industry experience in installation projects, event equipment hire and operation, live streaming, and video production services for over 15 years, Wilson has driven PCL Live to operate using modern technology, with a focus around Leyard Europe products.
“One of the main benefits of Leyard screens is that they’re modular, so we can build them in any configuration needed, which gives us a unique selling point,” says Alex Sherman, business development and technical manager at PCL Live. “Adam has always wanted to push boundaries, and expand delivering the latest low power, green technologies and we didn’t see any other AV companies in the area doing this.
“One of the reasons we wanted to work with Leyard Europe is because they offer a complete range of screen solutions with a strong clear environmental policy as well as super power efficient products that will fit with any project we’re asked to do. I don’t see us going anywhere else.”
“Using Leyard Europe products has given us the opportunity to assist in some truly unique and exciting projects,” says Sherman. “We have provided two 6x3m outdoor video walls for the Gothenburg Greats event for Aberdeen football club, which was a huge occasion for the city. We have also provided a host of different sized video walls for events and conferences that have blown the clients expectation out of the water.
“The feedback we have had from using these products to dis

UK - Audient has announced that both the iD and EVO mixer apps now offer accessibility support for vision impaired users. Users can navigate the entire mixer app using just the keyboard and a screen reader by downloading the latest drivers, which now include accessibility for each relevant product.
Thanks to Audient’s Frank Chavez, who oversaw the project, users can easily switch focus between UI elements. There is audible feedback about the state of the currently selected element, e.g.: ‘mic 1 fader +2’. It is also possible to interact with the same element according to its type, e.g.: using the enter key to toggle a phantom power switch, or up-and-down arrows to adjust the level of a slider.
“With the screen reader you can now save and recall presets, change the Loop-back source, install firmware updates and even monitor the Smartgain status on EVO,” says Frank. “The mixer app also notifies the user of changes happening on the actual audio device. For example you will hear ‘talkback on’ when pressing the talkback button on an iD44.”
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the valuable input of Scott Chesworth, Nick Giannak III and Toni Barth, advocates for - and members of - the vision impaired community. They acted as the contact points between Audient and a 30+ strong group of beta-testers, offering suggestions for improvements and critiques along the way.
Hobbyist internet radio broadcaster, Nick bought his first EVO back in the spring of 2020. “I was one of the first blind people to own one,” he says, a

UK - Flashlight Ltd has announced that Ged Murphy has been promoted to the board of directors as operations director. Ged joined the company 17 years ago as a technical sales advisor and the company has watched him continue to flourish and evolve to the current day.
“I am privileged and proud to have been appointed to the board of directors as director of operations at Flashlight. I will continue to serve the company, streamlining procedures and continuing to refine processes in order to maximise our impact within the industry”, comments Murphy.
“We are excited to welcome Ged to the board at Flashlight. His commitment to the company has been unwavering over the past 17 years and we look forward to continuing to watch Ged develop within his new role. We are confident customers and suppliers alike will share our enthusiasm for this appointment”, comments David Manister.
The company has also announced the appointment of Andrew Woodfin as business development manager. In his new role, Andrew will help develop further Flashlight’s sales in the UK Film, TV, Event and theatre markets providing advice and solutions to customers around the UK.
Prior to joining Flashlight, Andrew was lighting technical sales manager EMEA at Videndum production solutions for the Litepanels LED lighting brand. In this role, Andrew was responsible for the technical sales development of all Litepanels’ lighting products to the broadcast and film market across EMEA. Andrew has over 20 years of experience in working in sales and 13 years in the broadcast industry

UK - Voting is now in process for this year’s Gottelier Award, which has received a record number of nominees. Named in memory of renowned industry innovator and commentator Tony Gottelier, this special award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products.
LSi readers, pre-registered PLASA Show visitors and PLASA members are eligible to vote for the Gottelier Award. The recipient of the award will be announced during the PLASA Awards for Innovation ceremony at PLASA Show on Monday 4 September. The nominees for the 2023 Gottelier Award are:
Mark Ager - XM Automation
Mark’s influence over the past 40 years has been intrinsic in creating and defining the theatre automation industry as we know it today. Known by some as the father of automation, he co-founded and managed Stage Technologies (STL) which developed many of the innovations (from standard automation desks, racks and winches, 3D flying performer systems, to free-roaming stage trucks) that form the bedrock of the modern industry. He built STL to become a worldwide industry leader and innovator - winning multiple awards and working with leading-edge clients. Post-pandemic Mark created XM Automation, a disruptor enabling wider automation uptake within the industry and defining a future vision.
Andrew Bruce - Autograph Sound
Andrew Bruce co-founded Autograph Sound Recording in 1973 and his company has been the pre-eminent supplier of audio equipment and sound design services to the live entertainment industry, both at hom

Australia - Tumbalong Park, a five-hectare respite of green in the centre of Darling Harbour is serving as the site of a FIFA Women’s World Cup Fan Festival this month.
A vibrant celebration of all things football, and much more, the festival features giant live streams for watching FIFA Women’s World Cup games, a variety of fun football-related activities, a cornucopia of street food, and live performances by popular Australian artists like Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Mia Wray, and Jacotene.
Enhancing the festive atmosphere and providing memorable visuals at the event, which began 20 July and runs through 20 August, is a bold and colourful lighting setup by dplr that is anchored by 108 Chauvet Professional fixtures from Showtools International. Included in this collection are 16 Maverick Storm 4 units, 20 Outcast R2X Washes, eight Colorado PXL Bar 16 motorised battens, 12 Rogue Outcast 1 BeamWashes, 12 Color Strike M motorised strobes, and 40 Colorado Batten 72X linear washes.
“The reliability of the fixtures, combined with the outstanding lighting effects and performance, has been a standout feature,” said dplr Director Andy Lysle. “Chauvet’s expansion into a wide range of IP-rated lighting solutions is very impressive.”
Arranged on four rows of horizontal overhead truss, three columns of vertical truss on each site, and along the backdrop, the fixtures were skilfully deployed by the design team to reflect the spirit of the festival as well as the individual music and personality of the preforming artists. Dazzling crowds with

Estonia - Sixty82 B.V has announced that Progear has been appointed as its exclusive distributor for Estonia.
Progear has quickly emerged as a significant player in the Estonian market. With a commitment to meet their customer's needs swiftly, Progear has built up a comprehensive stock of Sixty82 products, ready for distribution.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Progear and extend our market reach in Estonia," stated Rainier Smeding, sales director of Sixty82. "Progear mirrors our dedication to delivering top-tier products and services. Their industry knowledge, resources, and passion position them perfectly to represent our brand and fuel our growth in this region."
Brand Manager for Sixty82 at Progear, Andreas Reinula, will be at the helm of this partnership.
Raivo Sinijärv, managing partner at Progear shared, "It's an honour to be the exclusive distributor of Sixty82 in Estonia. Their superior product design and reliability have left a significant impression on us, and we're confident that our customers who are seeking cutting-edge trussing and staging solutions will feel the same. We are eagerly looking forward to a close collaboration with Sixty82 and building a lasting partnership."

Europe - UK-based rock band Marillion has built up a formidable and near cult-like following over a career spanning five decades that has spawned 20 studio albums plus a string of top 40 hits since their formation in 1979. For the last 21 years, they have staged biennial two and three-day summer convention events for fans, which include special live performances plus additional Marillion world activities.
Lighting designer Yenz Nyholm’s specification for the 2023 Marillion ‘convention tour’ included nearly 100 Robe moving lights - 31 Robe Esprites, 22 LEDBeam 150s, 16 MegaPointes and 30 Spiider LED wash beams.
Conventions were staged in the UK, the Netherlands (twice), Germany, Italy, and Canada. For the shows at Berlin Tempodrom, Leipzig-based rental company Konteg supplied the full Robe package. It was also a completely new lighting design for this year.
Marillion treat the conventions as a chance to up the production values and have a larger show than they might necessarily carry on a standard tour, seizing the moment to present an ideal stage and production design suited to their music.
Over the past five years, the band has veered away from having prominent video surfaces onstage, but this year a striking upstage LED screen was back, which provided a major starting point for Yenz’s lighting design. For obvious reasons, output was central when choosing lighting fixtures.
“I always start with Robe MegaPointes if I can fit them into the design,” he explained. “They are always on the plot somewhere as one of my must-hav

USA - Solstice: Reflections on Winter Light is a multimedia and meditative art experience celebrating the shortest, darkest day of the year, created by Masary Studios from Boston, and presented at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts.
It started as a small two-day installation idea in 2020 during the pandemic and has grown rapidly and organically to become a hugely popular and accessible 10-day annual public art festival. Visitors engage with the magic and ephemeral beauty of lighting and sound and its relation to the algorithms, mystery, and energies at work in the greater universe.
Masary Studio’s Sam Okerstrom-Lang initially needed “high quality and durable kit to withstand tough environmental conditions of New England in the winter”, so when their technical partner AVFX introduced them to Astera in 2020, they were delighted with the results and happy to keep using the brand as the event has expanded.
The 2022 Solstice event, the largest to date, will be repeated in 2023 and 2024, with Sam and his colleagues again looking forward to utilising nearly 250 Astera LED lighting products.
Solstice now embraces three areas of the land that was dedicated as the first ‘garden cemetery’ in the USA in 1831. The special setting encompasses classical monuments in an attractive, undulating landscaped terrain, the perfect location for a contemplative and contemporary piece of multi-media art.
All three Winter Solstice areas involve the application of Astera products. A total of 48 x AX3 Lit

USA - Virginia-based rental and production company Lite Tek Entertainment has grown with Elation Professional through the years and recently continued the close relationship with an investment in Elation’s Fuze series of high performance/high value lights.
“The Fuze series products have great features and high-quality construction but come in at price points that make them fit our markets,” stated Lite Tek founder and owner Darren Lewis. “Elation has proven that they didn't forget us in the middle of the market and still want to support the smaller lighting companies with quality products. That’s why we remain loyal customers, confident in their commitment to our success and growth as partners in the industry.”
Lite Tek’s recent purchase includes 32 Elation Fuze Max Spot, 16 Fuze Max Profile and 24 Fuze Wash 500 luminaires, all automated moving heads with full-spectrum RGBMA LED engines. Lite Tek took delivery of the new gear earlier this summer.
After seeing the Fuze Max Spot at the Prolight + Sound show and later demoing the LED moving head, Lewis and his team decided it was the fixture they were looking for. “As our shows get bigger, we needed a higher power spot than our inventory contained,” he said, emphasising that LED was a route they also wanted to pursue.
“The key features for the Spot is the 21,000-lumen output and amazing colours. Because it is an RGBMA light source, we get fantastic saturated-reds, greens and blues and the added colours mean whites and pastels are just as good. The range of colour is worlds a

Italy - Massimo Pezzali, commonly known as Max Pezzali, is a prominent Italian singer-songwriter. He embarked on his musical journey as a member of the band 883, and together, they released six albums before he decided to pursue a solo career. In 2004, Pezzali unveiled his debut solo album, II Mondo Insieme a Te, which marked the beginning of his meteoric rise to becoming one of the best-selling Italian artists of all time.
Since March of this year, Pezzali has been captivating audiences during his Italy tour, accompanied by his sound engineer, Michele Nicolino, who utilises a DiGiCo Quantum7 digital mixing console at the monitor position.
By working closely with professionals such as Riccardo Parravicini and Luca Morson, among others, Nicolino honed his expertise as a monitor engineer for renowned artists such as Mannarino, Willie Peyote, Michele Bravi, Bowland, and II Teatro degli Orrori. Alongside running his own recording studio, where he primarily focuses on mixing and mastering, Nicolino’s connection with Max Pizzeli was established through his work with Morson, who served as Pezzali’s engineer during the artist’s previous tour.
"In 2018, I had the pleasure of meeting Luca, who from the outset displayed genuine interest in collaborating,” recalls Nicolino. “He generously offered valuable advice and played a pivotal role in helping me secure the opportunity to work with Max [Pezzali] while he was involved in preparations for the Eros Ramazzotti world tour," shares Nicolino.
The decision to choose the Quantum7 for this ye

UK - At PLASA Show 2023, Highlite International will be presenting a wide selection of audio, lighting and special effects products and accessories from its renowned brands Showtec, Infinity, DAP, Artecta and Wentex, as well as from distribution brand Antari.
Among many other products, the powerful Showtec Polar Wash 740 will be on display along with DAP’s new NRG speaker range and there will be some exciting developments by Infinity waiting to be discovered too.
The Showtec Lampy light controller now benefits from a major V2 software update, which has made it faster and brought countless new features including MultiCell capabilities and a CIE colour picker with XY editing - a feature unheard of for light consoles product in this price range - which is why the Lampy has been nominated for a PLASA award.
With all the extra features that the V2 software brings to the Lampy console, the Re-Load 4, an expansion kit offering four additional universes, is a very useful addition.
The Showtec Lampy and Lampy Re-Load 4 will both be on display at PLASA Show along with many other products developed by Highlite. Highlite can be found at stand B23.

UK - Production Futures, the initiative which creates opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop careers in production across the live event industry, has signed with Martin Audio, as their latest high-profile partner.
“It’s wonderful that Martin Audio have seen the potential of Production Futures,” said CEO, Hannah Eakins. “We’re particularly delighted to welcome them as a British manufacturer.
“They are a forward-thinking company with a diverse workforce, and we’ve seen them transform over the last 20 years.”
Production Futures is also in the process of transformation, including the announcement of a new audio learning zone. Along with Martin Audio, this will debut at the 28 September event, which takes place at Production Park in Wakefield.
“In that sense the timing couldn’t be better for Martin Audio as we receive increasing interest from budding sound engineers,” continued Eakins. “These learning zones have already worked really well for video and lighting.”
The step change for Production Futures - and necessity to advance the landscape -has been brought about by attendances that have exceeded 1,000 visitors (at the recent Manchester event), representing some 55 colleges and universities. “It is attracting the 16-18-year-old age group as well as well as graduates,” she confirms “and we expect to hit those numbers again at Production Park.”
Someone who is particularly excited is Martin Audio product support engineer, Paul Connaughton. He has himself been leading a syste

Slovenia - From 23 June to 1 July, the city centre of Maribor was transformed into a large festival area for music, art and culture. Festival Lent is the largest open-air festival in Slovenia and one of the biggest city centre festivals in Europe.
For the 30th anniversary, national and international artists performed on the numerous large and small stages, including this year's Eurovision Song Contest participant Joker Out as well as funk legend Fred Wesley. To stage the broad spectrum of genres, the lighting designers of the respective stages relied on an equally versatile range of moving lights, LED bars and flood lights from Cameo.
On a total of five of the seven stages, including the Main Stage, Jože Skarlovnik, technical director of the festival, relied on Cameo fixtures. The focus was primarily on IP65-capable outdoor spotlights, with which those responsible did not have to make any compromises in terms of performance, weight and flexibility, even in inclement weather.
In addition to the Otos H5 IP65 Beam-Spot-Wash Hybrid Moving Heads as floor lights, the Zenit W600 SMD with Pixel Control also played to their strengths as strobes and eye-catchers on the Main Stage.
Anže Trstenjak, lighting designer of the band Joker Out, was also enthusiastic about the Opus X Profile moving heads, which provided plenty of dynamics as backlight and effect light with powerful gobos and animations: "The performance of the Opus X Profile is impressive."
Dorej Val Škaper, lighting designer for Slovenian folk-rock musician Vlado Kreslin, also

USA - As one of the only performing arts centres of its calibre in the area, Hult Centre for the Performing Arts regularly welcomes audiences from as far away as Portland, Oregon and the California Bay Area.
In the venue’s 2,447-seat main hall, viewers can enjoy shows by Hult’s resident companies, which includes the Eugene Ballet and Eugene Symphony, as well as established touring artists, Broadway musicals and comedy shows. In the second, 495-seat hall, Hult Centre provides up-and-coming acts with a space to perform, hoping to catalyse new artist growth and development.
Since opening in 1982, the Hult Centre has prided itself on offering quality audio for each act that comes through its doors, no matter how large or small. To accomplish this mission, the venue entrusts general manager Jeff Weinkauf, who pulls from his years of theatre sound design experience to provide solutions with crystal clear, authentic audio. A longtime user of DPA Microphones, Weinkauf credits the brand’s reliability, durability and natural sound replication for its prominence in the industry.
Since starting at Hult Centre, Weinkauf has incorporated several DPA solutions, including the 4060 and 4061 Miniature Omnidirectional, 6060 Subminiature Lavalier and esteemed 4099 Instrument Mics. Continually impressed by the long-lasting quality of DPA’s mics, Weinkauf also recently added the brand’s 2011 Twin Diaphragm and new 4055 Kick Drum Microphones to the line-up.
“Durability is absolutely key to our business,” says Weinkauf. “The demanding conditions an