Denmark - Lighting designer Niller Bjerregaard, of Happy Light Guy, who has achieved global acclaim for lighting metal arena tours, has found that his current work for singer-songwriter Jacob Dinesen’s 40-city 2024 tour of Europe has led him to reignite many ideas from his early work for King Diamond.

“I joined Jacob Dinesen Band in 2017 for a lengthy tour of Denmark as the new LD and production designer,” said Bjerregaard. “Now, I am with his current tour, and it’s been a great learning curve for me to get involved in that scene coming from metal music. This is a genre of music with a fan base that is absolutely dedicated to the genre and style, but believe it or not, there are many similarities between this and metal from a design point of view. Th

USA - AtlasIED has announced the appointment of Michael Bridwell as vice president of commercial audio sales.

Bridwell will report to Michael Peveler, vice president of sales, and will support the growth of AtlasIED’s performance audio segment, featuring the Atmosphere platform, Aimline Series, IsoFlare Series, AS Series, and all commercial audio products.

“I’ve known Michael for quite some time, and I couldn’t be more confident in this addition to our team,” said Peveler. “His commitment to professional development, team building, and cultural

USA - 1 Sound is releasing a high-powered cardioid floor monitor called the CM38. 1 Sound drew inspiration for this monitor from the experience of founder and designer, Lou Mannarino, as a front-of-house engineer. The need arose from a spectrum of experiences, from working televised live orchestral concerts, where producers did not want to see monitors on stage in the camera frame, to mixing rock concerts for renowned musicians and singers and understanding their needs.

This is an efficiently run, bi-amped floor monitor that has an impactful sound with outstanding

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ETC Hyperstar

ETC introduces the High End Systems Hyperstar: a new, companion to the popular Lonestar automated luminaire. Powerful, compact, and optimized for projection versatility, Hyperstar will help create uniquely beautiful designs for a variety of venues. Hyperstar is the same size as Lonestar, and is just as bright, compact, and affordable.

UK - Office rentals specialist Halkin recently opened new premises on King William Street, in the heart of the City of London’s financial district. Distributed across four floors, the workspace required an extensive AV system that would fit the brand’s technology standard and enable collaboration and ease of use for clients. London-based AV and IT specialists, Tateside led the integration of a complete AV system across a total of eight meeting rooms.

“We have worked with Halkin on several workspaces over the past couple of years,” reveals Jack Cornish, tec

Europe - Shure has introduced the Nexadyne dynamic microphone platform with Shure Revonic Dual Transducer Technology.

Available now in cardioid and supercardioid polar patterns, Nexadyne vocal microphones achieve state-of-the-art polar pattern consistency, unparalleled noise reduction, and best-in-class professional touring performance, so sound engineers and performers can confidently provide front-row vocal clarity to every corner of the venue, every time, says the manufacturer.

“Nexadyne is the next chapter of Shure’s storied history as the leader a

Italy - Prolights’ VersaPar has been included in the lighting setup for 100Minuti, the new prime-time show on the La7 network, hosted by Corrado Formigli and investigative journalist Alberto Nerazzini.

Provided and installed by AMG International, the VersaPar units will be used throughout the duration of the show, illuminating the studio's perimeter and contributing to creating a captivating setting. These LED PARs are ideal for broadcast environments, thanks to their high luminous output, extensive zoom range, and advanced colour mixing capabilities.

Qatar - The opening ceremony of the AFC Asian Cup at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, on 12 January 2024 featured an impressive lighting design by Roland Greil and his team.

Greil chose a grandMA3 system to control the lighting. This comprised four grandMA3 full-size consoles for the production and four grandMA3 light as mobile consoles in the stadium, supported by 12 grandMA3 processing units XL. In addition, a further three grandMA3 full-size consoles were used for preparatory work at the previz studio.

“The full redundancy as well as the incorporation of t

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Strictly FX Highlights

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

Australia - American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan played a vibrant, sold-out show at Perth’s Red Hill Auditorium in Western Australia in front of 5000 fans.

Lighting director, programmer and operator Alexandra Lutz-Higgins utilised a largely Robe lighting rig supplied for this show by lighting and visuals rental specialist, Showscreens, also based in Perth. The company has recently invested in Robe Fortes.

The Robe count totalled 22 x Fortes, 21 x BMFL WashBeams (four running on a two-way RoboSpot system), plus 32 x Spiider LED wash beams.

Chase

UK - The multi-use requirement of Cardiff Students’ Union’s Great Hall presented SWG Events with several challenges when designing and installing a frontline PA. The venue is a multipurpose space with a capacity of 1,500 and a variety of needs. First, the PA system needed to meet the approval of incoming circuit bands and productions, and at the same time be completely adaptable to a wide range of events. Since live music events are hosted in more than one space within the building, the PA needed to be demountable and reappropriated together in various locations.

USA - Creative Technology is the first in the US to take delivery of Elation’s new high-intensity Proteus Radius beam light. Powered by a Solid-State Phosphor-Converted (SSPC) light engine, the Proteus Radius emits an ultra-narrow 0.9° beam that looks breathetaking mid-air and can reach astounding distances.

Ian Dobson, technical director-lighting at Creative Technology, first saw the fixture at the LDI show in December and immediately recognized its potential. “We were in need of a fast-moving, eye-candy style light suitable for corporate settings that is li

UK - At last October’s AES Convention in New York City, Fourier Audio and DiGiCo announced that it would soon be releasing the transform.engine, a new Dante-connected server designed to run VST3-native software plugins in live environments.

Six months later, with positive reviews from touring professionals using beta test versions of the product, the two companies have announced that the transform.engine is now officially available for purchase through pro audio dealers worldwide.

“We are thrilled to have received wonderful feedback from our beta teste

Europe - Swedish metal band Amaranthe recently performed a near-sold out, 24-date tour of Europe promoting their latest studio album, The Catalyst, which was released in February.

The band’s lighting designer, operator and project manager, Lutz Neemann, together with systems technician and LD No2, Daniel Scheuch, used 14 Ayrton Diablo S fixtures as their main source of key lighting. Ten Diablo S were rigged on lighting towers and a further four on top of a truss set on a dolly as part of the floor package.

“I chose Ayrton Diablo S for this run

Ireland - Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, is on a 40-cities-in-24-countries The River Is Rising tour, travelling with Nashville-based designer and programmer Keith Hoagland.

Vendors vary from place to place, but Hoagland works hard to ensure that the Chauvet Professional Color Strike M is always in his rig.

“I put it at the top of my list,” he says of the fixture. “The Color Strike M serves a dual purpose for me. It gives me great colours and coverage as a wash unit. Then, when I want to turn th

USA - Bandit Lites has appointed Matt Day as its new human resource director. Day earned his degree in Business Administration from UVA-Wise. He joins Bandit Lites with nearly two decades of expertise in human resources.

“Working in human resources is more than just a job; it’s about being part of something bigger than yourself,” said Day. “Every day presents new challenges and opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. One of the most fulfilling aspects of this role is assisting others to resolve issues that they cannot fix them

Late Opening - Comedian Peter Kay and indie rock duo the Black Keys have rescheduled dates at the Manchester Co-op Arena due to the venue still not being “ready”. The £365m venue, which is meant to be the biggest indoor arena in the UK, was meant to open on Tuesday 23 April, with Kay set to perform an opening show. But the date has been pushed back several times amid safety problems and technical setbacks.

Writing to his fans on X on Friday, Kay said: “To everybody with tickets, my apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready an

UK - Almost a decade in the making, containing stories never before told and pictures never before seen, and written with the insight of someone who was at the very heart of it, A Sense of Theatre, a remarkable new book providing a unique, eye-witness account of the birth and subsequent triumph of Britain’s National Theatre, launches to the public on 1 May 2024.

The book is the final work of the pioneering lighting designer, theatre consultant and author Richard Pilbrow, who, with his work on the book complete, sadly passed away at the end of last year.

UK –Floridian ska punk outfit Less Than Jake are touring with video at the heart of their performance for the first time, with live feed footage and pre-made content displayed on three large LED screens driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers.

Longtime Less Than Jake Lighting designer Nikki Dickinson, owner of Rig Lite Design Limited, teamed up with the band and Pete McCrea of Production AV to specify a kit list of five Marshall CV255 and CV366 cameras to capture the antics of the five band members, live feeds from which were fed into a H

USA - Phoenix Lights 2024 featured EDM performances and light and video show created by Luis Torres on a massive 100ft-wide and 48ft-tall rig. Taking place on the Pheonix Raceway at the end of March, the festival featured performances by the likes of Kaskade, Deorro, b2b, Valentino Khan, Dr. Oliver Tree, Apashe, Alleycvt, Levity and Mamba. Torres channelled their musical energy into stunning visuals with help from 40 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M and 30 Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures supplied by Hardwired Productions.

Like the rest of the lighting fixtures in hi

South Africa - The recent hosting of the international AV Alliance's annual three-day AGM in Cape Town set the stage for a convergence of global talent, innovation, and collaboration. Industry leaders, sponsors and technical experts from around the world gathered at the Westin Hotel to exchange ideas, showcase expertise, and chart the course for the future of the event solutions industry.

Hosting this pivotal event for the second time was Gearhouse Group, technical supplier and AVA's local member. At the heart of this year's AGM was the unveiling of AVA's educatio

Australia - Fordtronic AV, a dry hire company in the AV solutions industry for corporate events, has expanded its inventory with the Astra Hybrid330 and the EclProfile CT+ from Prolights.

Jonathon Ford, general manager and chief AV technician at Fordtronic, relied on Show Technology, Prolights distributor in Australia, to purchase new moving head fixtures. “We weren't sure what we wanted,” admits Ford. “We'd been sub-hiring from other suppliers in town but knew it was time to purchase our own fixtures. Gareth [at Show Technology] thought that these hybrids w

USA - ESTA’s Technical Standard Programme has announced seven documents now in public review. These documents, along with their respective public review forms and instructions, are available from the TSP’s Public Review Documents download page, found at https://tsp.esta.org/publicreview. Return the public review form, and any comments you may have, before the deadline shown.

BSR E1.31, Lightweight streaming protocol for transport of DMX using ACN

This draft is a revision of ANSI E1.31 – 2018, which describes a mechanism to transfer DMX512A p

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