USA - One London-based lighting programmer took home a brand-new MagicQ MQ70 console as he triumphed in ChamSys’ Programmers Competition, which took place during the LDI 2019 tradeshow in Las Vegas.
The contest required programmers to programme a large Chauvet Professional rig for a one to three-minute song of their choice using MagicQ with MagicVis Visualization, with the top three entrants invited to playback their entries live at the trade event.
“We were blown away by his incredible work,” said the panel of judges in a statement announcing that Matt Blake had won the contest.
Chris Kennedy, director of ChamSys, added: “Matt made excellent use of the different fixtures on the lighting rig, created lots of different visual effects some static, some movi

Vietnam - Prolights has announced the appointment of Vietnam Pro AVL as its distributor for Vietnam.
The developing company has been founded in Hanoi by a young and resourceful team, whose main goal is to ‘bring the highest standards throughout the Nation, focusing on the establishment of the world class brand which represent and providing to the Vietnamese clients professionalism and the best AVL solutions suitable to their needs’.
Lê Mạnh Thắng, Vietnam Pro AVL president, says: "I've been following Prolights for a few years, and I was deeply impressed by the fast process of growth the company has brought to the market. When I visited their HQ in Italy, I saw up close the hard work and the long term vision of the team about the brand establishment, as well as the attention to details in the products that perfectly meet the core values we aim to bring in our e

Czech Republic - Adamson Systems Engineering has added BaSys CS s.r.o. to its global network as its exclusive distributor for Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Based in Prague, BaSys CS is a division of Swiss-based technology distributor BaSys, which represents a number of AV and consumer electronics brands in Central Europe.
“We’re proud to represent a prestigious brand like Adamson in the Czech and Slovak markets,” begins Ondřej Tureček, the head of sound for long-time Adamson Network partner ZL Production and now the Adamson brand manager for BaSys CS s.r.o. “Having worked closely with Adamson products and representatives through ZL Production, one of the biggest Adamson rental partners in Central Europe, I’m very familiar with the brand and its many competitive advantages, and see plenty of exciting opportunities and potential for growth in our region.”

UAE - Allen & Heath has appointed Dubai-based NMK Electronics as its exclusive distributor for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
Responsible for the full Allen & Heath range, NMK will offer a broad range of solutions to customers, from MI and pro audio through to AV installation. The partnership takes immediate effect, with plans for regular training and product support activities now in place.
“We are extremely proud to partner with such a legendary brand. NMK has witnessed Allen & Heath grow at an increasing rate over the last few years,” comments Dino Drimakis, business development manager at NMK. “Thanks to the highly talented and friendly team at A&H and with the addition of Avantis joining the flagship dLive, SQ and Qu Series, we feel A&H perfectly complements the NMK portfolio and feel confident that we can continue to r

USA - Behind the Scenes (BTS) - the US charity that provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals who are seriously ill or injured - has now awarded $1,000,000 in grants.
The milestone has been reached with the support of the wider industry, with numerous companies and organisations backing the charity via direct donations or by donating portions of its sales profits or service fees. “Every person or organisation who has made a donation, bought a raffle ticket or a holiday card, organised or participated in a community fundraising event, or become a Pledge-of-Support Partner has made it possible for Behind the Scenes to bring help and hope to our colleagues during some of their most difficult moments,” says the charity in a statement.
Grants have been provided to individuals from across the US and Canada working in every facet of th
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - The bi-annual Classical Spectacular, held for six performances in London’s Royal Albert Hall in November, featured the first Claypaky Xtylos used in the UK. The Xtylos is the first moving head with a laser light source.
The Classical Spectacular debuted in October 1988 and has been marked by perennial extravaganzas - lasers, lighting effects, fireworks - accompanying a classical music repertoire.
Lighting designer Durham Marenghi joined the Classical Spectacular family 30 years ago in an era before there were moving lights. But Marenghi quickly began to introduce lighting innovations, including many lighting fixtures used in rock ’n roll but new to the concert hall. He designs a new architecture for the lighting rig every two or three years using the best technology on the market to keep pace with a production that lives up to its name in

Big Issues - Industry bodies have highlighted the biggest issues for the arts following the general election result – with Equity stating it is “extremely concerned” about the impact of Brexit.
Following the Conservative win in last week’s general election, organisations, also including the Creative Industries Federation, UK Theatre, Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Back for the Future Campaign, have outlined their priorities for the creative industries.
Equity general secretary Christine Payne said: “As the largest union in the creative sector, representing more than 48,000 professionals, we strongly encourage the government to take up the offer we make today of expert guidance on matters that are crucial for the future health of the UK’s creative industries.
“Equity remains extremely concerned about the impact Brexit will have on our memb
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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

USA - Symetrix has announced the promotion of Tylene ‘Ty’ Robinson to international sales & operations manager.
Robinson began her career in web design and digital marketing, graduating from the University of Advancing Technology with a BA in Digital Media (summa cum laude). She made her way up the corporate ladder at a fast-paced Seattle software company where she discovered a passion for project management and business operations.
After joining Symetrix, Robinson’s focus on managing order and fulfillment processes while getting to know the key players in the global sales channel became a strategic objective. In her new role, she will direct strategic accounts and an international salesforce as well as driving global sales enablement programs and managing critical sales KPIs.
“Symetrix is growing fast and expanding Ty’s role formally into internat

Germany - d&b audiotechnik has announced the availability of two new software enabling technologies: CPL for SL-Series (coupling), and Temperature Humidity Control (THC) realtime high frequency compensation for loudspeaker arrays.
The CPL for SL-Series technology allows the extraordinary d&b SL-Series line arrays to be easily adjusted for specific venues. THC provides high frequency compensation due to temp/humidity as part of the d&b ArrayProcessing software: fluctuations in both temp/humidity can now be addressed in real time via the R1 Remote Control software - simplifying control and saving time. These software updates are available now.
“Visiting many SL-Series installation sites and working with the users and tech teams in the field, we realized that there was still room to improve the system workflow,” says Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer, d&b produc

UK - Arena Birmingham has offered audio description to its visitors for the first time at Marvel Universe LIVE!.
Following a request from a customer whose sons are visually impaired, Arena Birmingham partnered with VocalEyes to offer audio description of the action-packed show. The describers, who saw an earlier performance of the show and prepared a script, were able to offer the real-time description via headsets, making the show more accessible to those with all levels of visual impairment.
The describer’s audio is broadcast using a digital radio system, ensuring a good quality reception with a range of between 50-100m.
Claire Eccles, who wrote in to the Arena to request audio description, says: “It meant so much to my family that we were able to enjoy Marvel Universe LIVE! with audio description. My sons are both severely visually impaired and lo

UK - Pearce Hire was selected by the Royal Variety Charity as the sole contractor for the Royal Variety Performance post-show party.
With the show taking place at the London Palladium, the after-party took place at the Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane where Pearce Hire’s project manager Jake Vernum and the Pearce Hire team were loading in a full production package including lighting, sound, AV and cameras.
Giles Cooper of Giles Cooper Entertainment is the chairman of the Royal Variety Charity, and executive producer of the Royal Variety Performance and has been in this post for the past 14 years. He states: “My working relationship with Pearce Hire is long-standing as they are our main power and lighting suppliers on a year-on-year basis for many outdoor summer events run by my own company GCE LIVE, and so I know the Pearce Hire team to be amongst the best in the

USA - Robert Morris University is a private institution tucked into the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that instructs close to 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Although a relative latecomer to the scene, RMU’s men’s and women’s Colonials sports teams have made up for lost time, winning 45 league championships since joining the NCAA Division I in 1976.
In support of its successful athletic programmes, RMU raised private funds to construct the new UPMC Events Centre, which includes the Peoples Court, a 4,000-seat arena for men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball, an auxiliary gym, and other event and conference spaces. Local AV integration firm Horizon Information Services worked with the architect to design and install a highly-efficient, and thus value-engineered, sound reinforcement system that uses Danley Sound Labs’ patented point-

USA - Like many passengers on the flight from Nashville to New York, Landon Bloss donned headphones soon after take off. He wasn’t listening purely for pleasure though. Instead, he was taking a crash course in the music of Billy Currington.
“I was on a load out when I received a call from Gene Jung, Billy’s PM, saying that they needed a LD to fly out the next day to start running his show immediately,” recalls Bloss. “They booked me a flight and off I went. Of course, I knew Billy’s music, but I really wanted to get deep into it, so on went my headphones.”
Bloss proved to be a quick study. Taking over the rig originally designed by Ian Saunders, he supported Currington’s 90-minute set on the star’s Stay Up Til Sun tour with an intense, fast-moving lightshow that showered a rainbow of colours on the stage. Helping him in this endeavour was a co

Germany - Fans of Seeed have had to wait a long time for a new record and tour from the 11-piece Berlin-based dancehall and reggae ensemble. In fact, almost a year was spent even before the completion of this disc in the preparation. The design collective HELL, based around Nik Evers, Timo Martens and Philip Hillers, took care of the lighting, stage and content design for the tour, in support of the current album, BAM BAM.
"One year of preparation sounds like a long time ago," states Nik Evers, but this is put into perspective very quickly when considering the complexity of the design process, which included an intense rethink at different stages along the way. Timo Martens also explains the idea behind it. “A Seeed concert is very special in its own way,” he says. “The show's central elements in the stage design were two oversized box towers, with the band rise

Hungary - A plethora of Ayrton lighting fixtures provided striking visual impact on the popular televised music contest, SztárbanSztár Leszek (In the Star, I’ll be the Star), on Hungary’s Tv2 television channel last month.
Lighting designer, Balázs Varga, chose Ayrton Khamsin-TC, MagicBlade-R and MagicDot-XT to delineate the complex outlines of the stage for this visual extravaganza. Balázs Varga was assisted by Bálint Marafkó, CEO and Chief LD at television and film lighting specialists, Two Men’s Show, which provided the fixtures, which were supplied by Gábor Kele, executive director of Lisys-Project, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Hungary.
Twenty-four MagicBlade-R fixtures were rigged on upstage trusses to outline the stylised shape of the performance area and provide a ‘top shutter’ for the cameras, with MagicBlade-R’s svelte

Canada - Equipson’s Work Pro LS-Node RDM/DMX streaming device played a key role in ensuring the success of URA: A Celebration of Water, a multimedia experience installed along a one-kilometre stretch of coastline in Québec, Canada.
Designed by cadabra, the creative division of AV integration company XYZ Cultural Technology, URA is open throughout the summer and operates in both daylight and evening hours in Chandler, a place where the sea is both symbolically and economically important.
URA visitors are transported into a timeless maritime universe where they experience storms, shipwrecks, equinox high tides and even life at the bottom of the ocean with a chance to meet a host of sea creatures including a black whale. Guided by the voice of Lamia, a fantastical being descended from Basque legend, visitors spend an hour walking through eight storytelling stati

Australia - Following the successful integration of the largest TiMax TrackerD4 system to date into the TiMax SoundHub-driven spatial audio reinforcement system of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (see LSi December 2019 for more on this), the sound and logistical teams behind the event have also introduced its stage-tracking capabilities during its recent events in Sydney.
Staged in the ANZ Olympic Stadium, the four ‘super-sized’ shows performed to a Sydney audience which featured over 1500 international performers. The event was scaled up at every level to accommodate a smaller number of shows in a much larger arena.
The ANZ stadium presented a big step up for the team behind the Tattoo and therefor

UK - Green Hippo’s Hippotizer media servers were behind an ambitious and hauntingly atmospheric son et lumière event to celebrate Halloween in the historic city of York. Staged over three nights in two of the city’s picturesque locations - Castle Museum and Library Square - the project was the result of a collaboration between York BID (Business Improvement District) and Polestar Productions.
The event employed Karst+ Media Servers from Green Hippo and Epson 1755 projectors, supplied by Stage Sound Services and operated by Steve Jackson of InFocusAV, to deliver the spooky media creations designed by Polestar Productions. The challenges of the project will be familiar to many. “Outdoors, in the UK, at the end of October!” summarised Jackson, adding, “On top of that, the limited setup and programming time was an additional pressure.”
Despite the inherent dif

UK - Audiotonix has reached an agreement for a next-stage investment from private investment house, Ardian.
James Gordon, Audiotonix CEO, comments, “This is an outstanding opportunity to partner with Ardian to enable further growth, and it represents a significant step in the future development of Audiotonix. We have built an incredible infrastructure within the group in the past five years, which has clearly benefited all our brands with manufacturing know-how, developing new technologies, and growing their worldwide reach. Ardian’s financial support and advice, combined with Astorg’s, who are also remaining as an investor for this next phase, will help expand our brands and product portfolio even further.”
Olivier Personnaz, managing director, Ardian Buyout, comments: “How people enjoy live, televised and streamed entertainment is going through a revolutio

UK - West London rental specialist Entec has announced the appointment of Daniel Scantlebury as its new head of sound, effective immediately.
Scantlebury, who has joined after several years with Manchester-based dbnAudile as a senior project manager, says: “It was time for a new challenge and an incredible opportunity like this does not come along very often, so I’m thrilled. I’ve always respected Entec for its approach to business as well as its impressive history, and moving south to be closer to my family was also a consideration.”
The news of Dan’s appointment coincides with another major move for the company’s sound department. A committed d&b rental house since 1995, Entec recently invested in the brand’s latest generation SL-Series with the purchase of 50 KSL line array loudspeakers - 28 KSL 8 (80° dispersion), four KSL 12 (120°) and 18 card

Czech Republic - Over 300 sound industry professionals from 40 countries recently visited Prague for Yamaha’s annual System Designers Conference.
Immersive audio was the theme of this year’s SDC. Prague was an appropriate location, as the city’s long history of opera and classical music has seen many venues built with acoustics in mind. It was in the newest of these - the O2 universum, opened just six weeks earlier - that the conference took place.
Featuring a wide range of conference facilities and a 4,500-seat sports arena, the O2 universum staged demonstration immersive sound systems in both the largest conference room and the arena, as well as comparing them to a large format Nexo L-R line array system flown in the arena.
SDC 2019 featured a wide range of different presentations and demonstrations. These included the Prague Music String Quartet demonst

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