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

USA - Rapidly rising folk and indie star Lizzy McAlpine’s The End of the Movie tour featured a set that was designed around her actual living room space. “All the items in the room were chosen by Lizzy, and were very specific to her inspiration and interests,” said Kat Borderud, the tour’s lighting and scenic designer. “The set contained her own personal clothing, family photos, books, and other cherished items.”
Borderud intensified the effect of this living room set by accentuating its various elements with light and shadows. “My role was to fulfil Lizzy’s vision and transform the stage,” she explained. “Darkness and shadow play are incorporated in this design for bringing the room to life as another character in Lizzy’s show. Shadows and light move and reflect on the walls from inside and outside the windows to move us through the set in a narrative form with the moods of the songs.”
Helping Borderud and the tour’s lighting programmer Amy Melia create different moods on the 16-city tour were six Chauvet Professional Maverick Force S Spot fixtures supplied by Squeek Lights.
In addition to producing a variety of captivating colours, the 350-watt fixture, played a critical role in adding depth and texture to the set with its gobos. “This fixture has an amazing selection of gobos,” said Borderud. “My idea initially had to do with pointing the lights in new directions and cultivating a new dimension on the rooms walls to reflect the feelings of Lizzy and her songs.
“The Force S spots manifested the song

UK - On Stand F6 at PLASA Show 2023, Glensound will be displaying new additions to its range of Dante products. PLASA Show will see the launch of the completely new Charles Interpreter Unit which adds networked audio to this important product category. As with all Glensound products, it is designed to precisely cater to the needs of a single translator whilst providing significant redundancy for power and Ethernet to ensure the message is delivered. Experience gained with other Interpreter units has defined the advanced specification.
Dual PoE connections plus a mains and DC input provides the security needed to keep the unit live at all times and there are RJ-45 connectors on the rear panel for primary and secondary Dante connections. A floor input from the Dante network and alternative XLR sockets for the translator’s microphone are featured with network output for the microphone only, the floor plus microphone and two talk outputs completing the I/O. Single button selection of the talk outputs allows the user to flip/flop between them as required for multiple languages.
As a major supplier of commentary units, Glensound has shipped thousands of its various CU-001 variants, so features and usability are assured, but the ability to take advantage of the extra functionality that networked connections offer suggested that including a Dante Brooklyn board would be a valuable addition.
This important upgrade adds one more device to the many Glensound products that are already in the range. The CU-001 Dante is a 3-user unit with direct analogue outp

Canada - Theatrixx Technologies, the Montreal-based manufacturer and distributor of technical equipment specially adapted for the performing arts, events and entertainment sectors, has announced the launch of its new premium high refresh rate Nomad TPEP+ 2.6 indoor LED panel, now available with Brompton Technology processing.
The panels incorporate a new proprietary Titanium Polymer Edge Protection technology (TPEP+) which ‘ensures unparalleled module protection and durability’. They designed to meet the demands of event production and rental.
A liquid shader now replaces the traditional brittle plastic shaders, resulting in an impressive +170-degree viewing angle. The innovative polymer compound forms mechanical bonds between each pixel without covering the LED lenses or altering their colour spectrum.
Individually batched premium SMD diodes, a 1/16 driving mode, and 16 bits of greyscale depth, coupled with a refresh rate of 7,680hz, make the Nomad Brompton series suitable for high-end XR studios and Virtual Production applications.
Interested event and production companies in the UK and Europe can now view the combination of Nomad and Brompton in a demo suite at Brompton Technology HQ, Gunnersbury, West London.
Kris Hill, the UK & Ireland sales manager for Theatrixx, comments: “We are pleased to offer our range of popular Nomad TPEP+ panels with industry-leading Brompton processing, and we are delighted to showcase our innovation at Brompton’s impressive West London headquarters. Our new collaboration will give our coll

France - International light artist Christien Methot enabled Parisians to see the River Seine in a new light when he created the first Light:Bridge with Ayrton Cobra phosphor laser source luminaires. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
For one July night, Methot, the principal lighting designer at New York City-based Design One Lighting Design, added a new bridge across the Seine using 10 powerful parallel beams of light to project a ‘bridge’ across the water near the Passerelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor footbridge, which links the Left Bank’s Musee d’Orsay with the Right Bank’s Jardin des Tuileries.
From far away, the light beams appeared to be a sturdy, physical crossing. But as people approached it, the ethereal nature of a bridge built of light was revealed. Only light could achieve that dichotomy linking the two sides of the river with elegance and grace.
“Art that’s larger than a gallery, a river that seems as if it has no bounds, large-scale public art based on light - these ideas have been percolating in my brain for years,” says Methot. “Until now the technology wasn’t there, but with Ayrton’s Cobra laser phosphor fixture [the possibilities] are outrageous. I saw Cobras at ACT Entertainment and got super excited about them. They need no haze to be seen for miles.”
Cobra is Ayrton’s speckle-free laser source that pushes all the limits when it comes to beam definition, with native contrast never before achieved by a digital light source. It is the only luminaire on th

Germany - The Adam Hall Group’s innovative competence has been officially confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. With the award of the BSFZ seal by the Certification Body for Research Grants, the Adam Hall Group is now recognised as a researching and developing company.
By awarding the BSFZ seal under the Research Grants Act, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research recognises, among other things, the development of the LD Systems MAILA (Modular All-Round Intelligent Line-Array) sound reinforcement system as well as a digital mixer platform that will be used for the first time in the upcoming MAUI G3 MIX column systems.
The BSFZ seal certifies the innovative competence of companies in the areas of research and development. After a positive review of the submitted R&D (research and development) projects, companies also receive funding through the federal government's research allowance.
The Adam Hall Group's history of innovation is inextricably linked with its brands. In addition to Defender and Palmer, which already set new standards in their respective fields in the 1980s and 1990s, LD Systems, Cameo and Gravity in particular have shaped the reputation of the Adam Hall Group as an innovative developer of event technology in the past decade. The world's first portable line array - CURV 500 - and the MAUI P900 column system (developed in collaboration with Porsche Design Studio) are two ground-breaking examples of the company's innovative strength.
With the opening of the Experience Centre in 2018 at the compa

USA - By any measure, summer 2023 in the U.S. has been extreme with intense heat, severe rainfall and unrelenting smoke. So when a number of outdoor festivals and events are on the program, the challenge for any production company is immense. “This is a very current issue,” states Ryan Knutson, president of Brown Note Productions in Colorado. “We've seen some really intense changing weather patterns and IP fixtures have become critical in outdoor applications.”
Knutson credits Danny Wimmer Presents for initiating their move to weather-resistant lighting solutions, a client they have worked with since 2014. “DWP was really the first client we worked with who stressed that the dynamics of weather and shows had changed and therefore a change was needed in how we approached these events. Specifically, we needed to stop the behaviour of plastic bagging fixtures whenever there was inclement weather,” Knutson said, remarking that there were both efficiency and environmental issues to consider.
“Not only is it stressful for the crew with hours of additional work but we’re messing with our environment by using 100s of bags that just end up in the landfill. They trusted us to find a solution and that solution was IP-rated fixtures.”
Brown Note began making the change in 2019 when they added Elation Professional’s Proteus Maximus, Proteus Rayzor 760, Protron Eclypse, and DTW Blinder 700 IP to their inventory, all IP65-rated luminaires. Since then, they have supplemented their stock with several IP-rated lights including the powerhouse Prot

South Africa - d&b audiotechnik recently concluded a workshop tour in South Africa in collaboration with local distributor, Stage Audio Works. The workshops were led by Janko Ramuscak, senior application, training and support consultant at d&b audiotechnik, Germany. The event aimed to equip audio engineers and system technicians with advanced knowledge and practical skills related to the deployment and optimisation of d&b line-array systems.
The workshops took place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, where attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry expert Janko Ramuscak and gain insights into the intricacies of d&b’s systems. The participants were able to enhance their understanding of electroacoustics, line-array configuration and ArrayCalc software through comprehensive theoretical sessions and valuable time spent hands-on with the products.
"Our workshops were tailored to address the needs of regular users of our line-array systems,” explains Janko Ramuscak. “We explored the physical design of loudspeaker cabinets and the underlying principles of line-arrays, helping demystify common misconceptions along the way. The sessions also focused on subwoofer deployment and emphasised the importance of robust sound system planning, especially in line-array setups. Our software ecosystem, featuring ArrayCalc for planning and R1 for remote control, significantly streamlines this process, and it is important for us to share these technologies with our users."
The workshops were attended by audio engineers and system technicians

Thailand - Following extensive renovations starting in 2019, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok reopened in late 2022 with 300,000 square metres - three times larger than the original venue layout - available for a variety of events and activities.
Along with increasing space, deploying state-of-the-art technology throughout the QSNCC was a key priority. Owners of the centre hoped that doing so would not only ensure the QSNCC’s long-term success and adaptability, but also strengthen Thailand’s global position as a world-class MICE destination for both national and international events. To meet this request, Harman Professional Solutions partnered with Mahajak Development, Stonehenge Inter and Atkris Co to tailor a bespoke solution combining world-leading products from JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, dbx and BSS.
The QSNCC consists of three main zones: eight large halls, four plenary rooms and four ballrooms. Each area sports an audio system featuring JBL Control 300 Series ceiling speakers and VPX700 Series speakers. The former incorporates JBL’s sound quality and technology into discrete mounted enclosures designed to blend into ceilings and walls, while the latter utilises custom JBL transducers for higher power handling, lower distortion and reduced power compression.
All three zones’ respective systems are powered by Crown CDi Series amplifiers with BSS controllers providing system control.
Additionally, there are 50 meeting rooms spread throughout the conference centre with individual audio and control systems. In ea

USA - At 46, Floyd Mayweather still packs a punch, even five years after the former champ retired undefeated from professional boxing. This was plain to see during his recent exhibition bout against John Gotti III. But the Boxing Writers of America’s ‘Fighter of the Decade’ wasn’t the only one flashing impressive firepower at the sold-out FLA Live Arena. Also displaying its prowess was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue Outcast 1L Beam fixtures from The Design Oasis that were used to rev up excitement during the exhibition.
“The 1L beams really created an impact throughout the arena,” said Abbas Ritscher, of The Design Oasis. “They were small, which allowed our lighting designer John Hollingshead to bunch a lot of them together, keeping the cables clean but still creating impact by directing beams of lights across the entire venue. They have a very tight (1.4ﹾ) beam angle, so they looked thick and bright even when their light was a hundred feet in the air. We used these fixtures very effectively during fighter intros and for background lighting during the fights, as well as for effects with the musical acts.”
Capture Studio Group had a vision of more than just lighting up the fight, they wanted to light up the arena, and have depth and excitement in all the camera shots. The lighting became a way to take the event to the next level, adding production value to the live shots and revving up the excited crowd.
Also creating a suspenseful air of expectation during the walk-ins were the rig’s Maverick Storm 2 Profiles. The 580

South Korea - RealProtec is a technology company that offers innovative solutions for South Korea’s film and media industries. Its strong focus on virtual production enables production teams to streamline processes and bring their clients' creative visions to life in a fast, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Supported by a highly skilled team and leveraging cutting-edge LED technologies from Brompton Technology and INFiLED, RealProtec collaborated with CJ OliveNetworks and Jinwoo M&C to create Gwangju Content Cube (GCC) VX Studio, the country’s largest VP studio operated by a Korean government organisation, the Gwangju Information & Content Agency.
GCC was created as a multifaceted space equipped with content production infrastructure for movies, games, and animations, alongside immersive content experience facilities like VR, AR, and MR. Its setup is expected to act as a breeding ground for cultural content-related start-ups and drive the job market in Gwangju. “This is particularly significant as Gwangju boasts the only cultural industry investment promotion zone in Korea, closely connected to the National Asian Culture Centre and the Gwangju CGI Centre,” says COO of RealProtec, Sungbaek Choi.
Part of GCC, the new VX Studio covers 1,466sqm of the overall facility and features an AV system from Sony and a disguise vx4 media server and rxII render system, while the camera tracking system in operation is by STYPE.
The main LED wall comprises INFiLED DB2.6 S8C LED panels, measuring an impressive 30m wide by 6m tall. INFiLED

Canada - OVG360, a full-service venue management and event programming company, which manages FirstOntario Centre and FirstOntario Concert Hall, recently upgraded its outdated intercom systems to enhance communication throughout the multi-purpose venues.
Head of audio Michael Stewart worked in conjunction with AVL Media Group sales director Rob Poretti in selecting a precise intercom system that provides reliable communications across the spacious production venue.
After an off-site coverage test with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom 900MHz wireless intercom system and a DECT-based wireless intercom from another manufacturer in order to compare overall performance, the choice was clear. Poretti explains: “I placed the CrewCom Radio Pack on my left hip, the DECT-based radio pack on my right hip and sent both devices program audio. I then went for a long walk down the street to test range and also how long it took to come back on-line after I was out of range.
“I could hear that where the DECT dropped out, the CrewCom continued with great coverage, about 25 percent further. I then noticed once I was out of range, the CrewCom system re-reconnected right at the edge of coverage, but the DECT system, by comparison, had to come fairly close to the antenna to reconnect. CrewCom easily passed the test and I immediately called Michael and told him we found our solution.”
Once they had a chance to consult together in person, Stewart and Poretti conducted an RF coverage test at the venue and the duo was immediately sold. Shortly after, AVL system

UK - British manufacturer of professional audio solutions, Wharfedale Pro, has announced its return to PLASA London, taking place at Olympia, London, from the 3-5 September. The Wharfedale Pro team looks forward to engaging with industry professionals and sharing their latest cutting-edge technologies and product offerings.
Visitors to the booth can expect to see a selection of Wharfedale Pro hardware, ranging from the flagship WLA-1 Hybrid Curvature Array to the reliable workhorse Delta-AXF series. Wharfedale Pro has long been synonymous with quality, reliability and performance, and the products they will be showcasing at PLASA are a testament to these values.
One of the highlights of Wharfedale Pro’s PLASA offering is the release of the latest version of their DSP Controller Software. DSP Controller v1.1.8 serves as a management system for the brand’s DP-F and DP-N series amplifiers and includes several new features. Users can now benefit from updated user permissions menus, offering three access levels for enhanced control and security.
Additionally, the new Q-Sys control plugin opens new possibilities for seamless integration and system management across a variety of use cases, supporting Wharfedale Pro's commitment to expanding the DP series amplification platform.
“We've been constantly developing the DP-F and DP-N series platforms and v1.1.8 now addresses a lot of market feature requests," confirms Wharfedale Pro applications and solutions manager, Alex Lane. “At Wharfedale Pro, we’re dedicated to meeting customer needs throu

UK - At this year’s PLASA Show (3-5 September, London Olympia), LSi magazine’s popular column Classic Gear will be brought to life on the show floor via a new attraction called Classic Gear Live. In association with CH Vintage Audio, the display will enable visitors to experience for themselves a range of defining products from the last 50-plus years and meet some of the people who made and used them.
Throughout its 38-year history, PLASA’s LSi magazine has looked forward, covering the never-ending stream of innovations in the live production industry, and the shows and people that create and use those innovations on spectacular new shows, events and installations. For 17 years of that history, LSi has also looked back, with Rob Halliday’s popular Classic Gear column taking a light-hearted, nostalgic look at the products that have shaped our industry from throughout its history. Now the column is hitting the show floor and linking up with the team behind last year’s popular vintage audio display.
Set to be showcased in Classic Gear Live are: The PA system from Pink Floyd’s 1973 Dark Side of the Moon tour - playing live at certain times during the show in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary. Also with a strong Pink Floyd connection, the remarkable Vari-Lite Artisan control console, along with the VL2 and VL4 moving lights that defined the modern era of automated lighting.
Also celebrating the spirit of 1973, the Midas mixing console from Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells will show, alongs

USA - The Backseat Lovers are on the road with an innovative and interesting production and lighting design created by Meagan Metcalf, who has been working with the indie rockers from Utah since 2022, with 22 x Robe Esprites and 24 Tetra2 moving lights at the heart of the lighting rig.
Meagan was offered an initial short tour with the band in early 2022 after her work with Caamp, who share the same management. While everything was quite low key then, Meagan loved being imaginative with a small lighting rig, enjoyed the music and knew that the band were ones-to-watch, a roller-coaster that gained serious velocity following the release of their debut label album, Waiting to Spill, at the end of last year.
The Backseat Lovers are now on a much larger full production tour playing 3,000-5,000-capacity rock clubs and theatres, selling out every time and amplifying the buzz and energy around them. The current tour started in April and runs until mid-August all over North America and Canada.
Meagan’s starting point for the stage and lighting design was the band’s desire to have projection as part of the show. They used it earlier on a week-long run of shows for the album launch, for which current lighting director on-the-road Gerry Dintelman co-ordinated the design (as Meagan was fulfilling other commitments). They wanted to expand the scale of the projection, but use it sparingly and judiciously at key moments.
From here the idea of the ‘pillowfort’ drape design evolved as a workable surface for projection from a single 21K source rig

Austria - With the goal of achieving a more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and sustainable lighting rig, the Schauspielhaus Graz in Graz has upgraded its main stage with an array of Claypaky fixtures.
Vienna-based distributor LB-electronics provided 15 Claypaky Sinfonya Profile, 15 Arolla Profile MP and eight Arolla Profile HP fixtures. The lights were selected and installed by Thomas Trummer, head of the lighting & video department at the Schauspielhaus Graz since 2009.
The historic Schauspielhaus Graz opened in 1776 and is the biggest theatre in the Austrian province of Styria. It presents classical drama and comedy productions as well as a wide range of contemporary drama.
The Arolla HP and MP fixtures, which replaced ageing discharge lamps, were chosen for their quality white light. With a 1,200 W white LED engine and an output of 52,000 lumens, the Arolla HP is one of the most powerful moving heads currently available on the market. The smaller Arolla MP is equipped with an efficient 475 W White LED Engine.
Since space is always an issue in the lighting rig, it’s a distinct advantage that both Arolla fixtures have a slim, compact housing. The Arolla HP weighs 44.7 kg, while the smaller Arolla MP tips the scales at only 24.5 kg.
“The transition not only saves a lot of energy, it offers far more creative possibilities and facilitates handling,” notes Trummer.
The other Claypaky fixture installed, the Sinfonya Profile 600, was developed especially for demanding, noise-sensitive theatre applications, which

Canada - Vancouver BC’s Simon Fraser University (SFU) has chosen two TiMax spatial processors as the central immersive audio processing and control platform for its new Core Facility research lab, focussed on immersive communications. TiMax will play a vital role in handling the broad scope of research projects destined for the lab.
The term “immersive communications” in this context refers to 3D multimedia, including surround video and spatial acoustic systems. TiMax, in conjunction with Advanced Audio, Direct Out, Renkus-Heinz and Innosonix technologies, forms the core of the spatial acoustic processing aspect of the facility.
On the walls and ceiling are flat acoustic absorbers and an evenly distributed matrix of 128 x Renkus-Heinz CFX41 speakers and 128 x Advanced Audio microphones. These are all hooked up via a Dante network to a specialised beamforming system comprised of two DirectOut PRODIGY-MC modular converter with mic preamps, four Innosonix MA32/LP2 32-channel amplifiers and two TiMax SoundHub-S64 delay-matrix spatial processors, which allow programmable beamforming and spatialisation operations via the versatility of the TiMax software workflow.
Project originator and ambassador, Rodney Vaughan, a senior professor at SFU, was supported by TiMax senior developer Tim Bartoo, an SFU alumnus who will also be involved with future research projects, and prominent BC-based acoustics and AV designer, Fred Gilpin, with both leading the technology selection and installation programme for the lab.
Ontario-based pro-audio distributor Co

Italy - MSC Cruises’ new Virtuosa has taken to the seas equipped with multiple theatres, live music spaces and entertainment rooms, with an AV crew communicating via a Green-GO digital communication system.
Virtuosa is taking cruisers around the Mediterranean, Middle East and across the Atlantic, with guests treated to Broadway-style theatres with West End and New York City performers on board. Biggest of all is Le Grand Théâtre, a 945-seat structure offering various shows every evening.
Italian technical consultants CM srl Multimedia Entertainment Engineering Design developed systems to support all the shows that will be staged in the ship's theatres, specifying a Green-GO package sourced from Audiosales Entertainment Solutions.
Alessandro Bertulessi, project manager at CM srl, comments: “Choosing to switch to a digital intercom system like Green-GO has allowed us to create a simple and flexible infrastructure capable of dynamically adapting to all the needs of MSC Cruises technicians on board and for the various productions. Thanks to the network communication protocol and the connection of all the devices with a simple Ethernet cable, it is possible to create different configurations in a few seconds.
“Another great advantage was that the Green-GO system enabled us to interconnect with different areas of the ship, even if they are located far from each other, in a simple way via the network and without having to lay out metres of wiring.”
At the heart of the system is a Green-GO Interface X, which links the analogue interc

Brazil - Already recognised for its high-profile appearance at Brazil’s Rock in Rio festival, Martin Audio’s MLA multicellular loudspeaker array also provided main stage artists at the annual Festival Coolritiba in Curitiba, nearly 500 miles further south, with quality sound.
Headliners included Marisa Monte, Sandy, Mano Brown and the legendary Gilberto Gil - but it was the influence of Marisa Monte’s sound engineer, Daniel Carvalho, that brought about the change from the originally specified festival system.
He had been piloting the mix on the famous singer’s Portas tour through an MLA, provided by predominant rental company Gabisom (who also service Rock in Rio). Coolritiba was part of their 100-show tour schedule where Marisa Monte was top of the bill.
Daniel Carvalho reports: “The festival had requested [another brand], but since we were headliners, and they were renting from Gabisom as well, we asked if they could switch to MLA for the festival.” And so, they shipped out the boxes to complement the touring rig.
“For many [engineers] it was their first time with Martin Audio and all techs loved the sound. The rap guys didn’t ask for additional subs and the promoter himself said he wants the same set-up for next year. Everybody agreed that it was the best sound ever heard at the site, including the Gabisom crew.
Daniel Carvalho is well qualified to have recommended the system. He has been handling Marisa Monte’s live mix since 2015 and was a studio engineer prior to that, during which time he has become an eight-time