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03 June 2025

USA - PPDS will be showcasing the latest evolutions in sustainable screen technology and design, including new Philips dvLED and digital signage reveals, plus a new global partnership announcement.

PPDS will also be paying tribute to Martijn van der Woude, VP global business development and marketing of PPDS, who sadly passed away in April. This special event is set to take place on Wednesday 11 June at 3pm on the Philips booth, with full details being confirmed shortly.

Ron Cottaar, director of global marketing at PPDS, commented: “Since the sad passing of Martijn, InfoComm 2025 will be the first time we have the opportunity to come together as a global team and industry. Martijn was a deeply regarded personality at InfoComm, whether speaking at industry keynotes, chatting with customers, or being interviewed by the press.

“With so many

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03 June 2025

USA - With the music festival season right around the corner, Harrison Audio has announced LiveTrax 2, the latest version of its live performance recording and virtual soundcheck software. LiveTrax 2, built in close collaboration with Allen & Heath and SSL Live sound engineers, delivers powerful new tools to the live sound market - making live capture and virtual sound checking simpler and better sounding than ever.

An efficient multitrack recording and virtual soundcheck software designed to capture live performances ranging from small, intimate events to large-scale concerts, LiveTrax 2 focuses on the essential tools needed to record quickly and efficiently, without complexity. The software offers seamless integration with both Allen & Heath and SSL Live consoles, while boasting several new and enhanced features such as an RTA analyzer, a phase cor

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03 June 2025

UK - Midas Consoles has announced that the HD96-AIR console, Cobalt converter and AS88 expander are now available and shipping.

The HD96-AIR is an ultra-portable console, purpose-built for sound professionals who demand uncompromising performance in a compact, flyable format. It brings the full power of Midas’ 64-bit summing engine and Midas sound into a lightweight design - even with the flight case (sold separately), the full package weighs in at under 30kg.

With enhanced I/O flexibility, seamless AoIP integration, and a fast, intuitive multi-gesture touchscreen workflow, HD96-AIR is built for engineers on the move.

Cobalt is a pocket-sized USB3 audio protocol converter. With up to 192 bidirectional channels at 48 or 96 kHz via Dual Redundant HyperMAC In/Outs, Cobalt ensures ultra-reliable performance in

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03 June 2025

Future-proofing - Virtual avatars as stand-ins for performers is one technological innovation to feature among proposals at a Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre online event. A panel entitled Future-proofing For The Next Generation, featuring director Suba Das, Theatre Royal Wakefield boss Katie Town and Diverse City joint artistic director Claire Hodgson, discussed suggestions that AI could help the industry make strides forward in terms of accessibility and cost-cutting.

Panellists also vouched for the use of AI to help theatres achieve "the easy stuff" more efficiently, from administrative tasks to ice cream and drinks sales during performances. Town and Hodgson both welcomed the idea of digitised ‘avatar’ performers who they suggested could alleviate problems of cast absences, save money for subsidised theatres and appear "on-demand" f

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02 June 2025

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds 2025 returned to the Royal Armouries on 13-14 May, drawing a vibrant cross-section of the live entertainment technology sector for two buzzing days of connection, innovation and learning.

This year’s show welcomed 2,852 professionals, an increase on the 2024 show. The quality of attendees continues to thrive, with 687 directors, owners, or chairs representing 16% of the audience. Significantly, when combining senior roles and those in sales, procurement and specification, nearly 40% of the professionals on site held final decision-making responsibility, underscoring the event’s commercial impact.

A broad spectrum of industry roles was represented, including sound and lighting engineers, technicians, production and tour managers, lighting designers, venue and operations staff, as well as consultants, buyers, lecturers, conte

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02 June 2025

UK - Sound Devices has announced the acquisition of US-based in-ear monitoring developer and manufacturer, JH Audio. The deal brings together the two audio technology brands under the Audiotonix group portfolio, focused on ‘delivering pristine audio to artists and performers, on stage, on location, and in the studio’.

With over 48 years’ experience in live sound combined with more than 30 years of designing and building in-ear monitors (IEMs), engineer and JH Audio founder, Jerry Harvey, is synonymous with custom fit IEM moulds for many of the most demanding ears and artists in live touring.

Matt Anderson, Sound Devices CEO, comments: “We couldn’t be more excited about bringing the JH Audio team into the Sound Devices fold. The timing is perfect as we continue to build on our Astral RF range of solutions that are rightly being recognised as

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02 June 2025

UK - Adlib has been awarded the service and support contract for the Barbican’s theatrical lighting system infrastructure.

The Barbican Theatre and The Pit studio theatre are major venues in the Barbican Centre, the largest performing arts centre in Europe. The Barbican Theatre was purpose-built to host large-scale theatrical performances and has a 1,156-seat auditorium for drama and dance, while The Pit is a smaller scale, fully flexible, black-box studio space dedicated to experimental live performance.

The Barbican Theatre has one of the largest stages in London, equipped with a fly tower and advanced rigging for complex staging and scenery changes. It is renowned among professionals for its technical sophistication and infrastructure, making it suitable for bold and innovative productions.

The technical systems are integral to the opera

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02 June 2025

UK - Prolight Concepts (UK) has announced the addition of two prestigious brands, Allen & Heath and Instagrid, to its extensive product inventory. Effective immediately, both brands are readily available from Prolight's UK warehouse, ensuring swift delivery and enhanced service for clients nationwide.

Allen & Heath has been delivering premium-quality mixing consoles and audio technology since 1969. Trusted by professionals in live sound, studio recording, broadcast, and installations, Allen & Heath products combine innovative design with exceptional audio quality, making them the go-to choice for sound engineers, musicians, and producers alike.

Instagrid, an innovative German technology company, is transforming the portable power industry with its groundbreaking, eco-friendly battery systems. Offering clean, quiet, and reliable electricit

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02 June 2025

India - Coldplay's Music of the Spheres world tour, which is led by production manager Chris Kansy, has called upon Clair Global for comms solutions and powerful IT deployments. When the large-scale tour visited India, the band performed for almost 223,000 fans over two nights at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the world’s largest cricket ground.

Clair Global designed a comms system comprising two Riedel Communications Artist64 digital intercom network frames, 50 x Bolero wireless beltpacks and six panels. The band’s busy showcaller, Julia Whittle, communicates via Clair's main show channel, which has a one-way transmit to Motorola radios, while multiple radio interfaces are deployed to offer seamless coverage for distant positions, such as pyrotechnic gags, which on a production of this size, can be fired from up to 400m away from

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02 June 2025

USA - Coachella has always been about stepping into transformative spaces. And over at the Yuma tent it’s clear what that magical zone is all about – an urban EDM nightclub.

Forget that you’re in the middle of a desert, step inside this tent and it’s easy to feel like you entered a hot club in Brooklyn, LA, or Tokyo’s Shibuya district. This effect isn’t due only to the power of the music either, it also springs forth from the space’s immersive club-like lighting design with its intense plays on darkness, brightness, and geometric patterns.

Designer, Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting, who has been lighting the Yuma Tent for years, described the setting this way: “Yuma is not a typical festival design. The approach is more immersive and follows the philosophies of nightclub design. The tent is very long; and this year we added more bays to

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02 June 2025

The Netherlands - Muziekgieterij is a lively music hub in the southern Netherlands city of Maastricht with two live performance spaces that showcase a vibrant and varied artist lineup featuring all genres of music. Other music-related facilities at the site include a studio and rehearsal rooms.

The 1,100-capacity large hall and 420-person small hall are both now fully equipped with Robe moving lights, with packages specified by the chief lighting technician Mathieu (Mat) Huveneers and his team to deliver full flexibility and high production values for all performers. During the pandemic, regular livestreams were broadcast from the studio.

Muziekgieterij initially opened in 2007 and has been on its current former ‘Sphinx’ ceramic factory site on the outskirts of the city since 2013, with the large hall built from scratch in 2019. The venue now sta

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02 June 2025

UK - Mumford and Sons withdrew from their self-described “almost nonstop touring schedule” to channel a new more organic and personal wellspring of creative energy. Ultimately, this led the iconic band to record Rushmere, their first album since 2018.

"Because we're no longer as rushed as we used to be, the creativity of Rushmere comes from us carving out more space for our best artistic selves," Marcus Mumford told an interviewer after the album was released in March and instantly reached the top of the charts.

Mumford and Son’s longtime lighting designer, Ed Warren reflected this mood in his work for the band’s Tour Before The Tour, a limited run of shows at mid-sized venues before their 32-city North American arena-amphitheatre tour scheduled for this summer.

Like the band’s new creative outlook, Warren

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02 June 2025

Kenya - When mobile cinematographer and filmmaker Cassius Rayner set out to document the work of UK-based charity Healing Little Hearts, he knew that capturing pristine audio in busy hospital environments - without cluttering the space with gear - would be as crucial as the visual storytelling.

Sennheiser’s compact MKE 400 shotgun microphone proved essential to the success of this award-winning documentary, My Little Heart, which shines a light on NHS medical professionals volunteering their time to provide free heart surgeries for children in Kenya and other regions.

“I’d already shot a documentary about a professor who does these missions overseas, so I was already familiar with that world,” Rayner explains. “But I still felt that the general public weren’t aware that many people in the NHS were volunteering in their holiday ti

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30 May 2025

UK - Backup Tech, the charity supporting those working behind the scenes in the entertainment technology industry, has announced the latest additions to its ambassador lineup. Under the guidance of Backup trustee Koy Neminathan, who oversees the ambassador programme, the organisation has welcomed Suzi Green and Gemma Fletcher into its growing roster of representatives.

As Backup ambassadors, Suzi and Gemma will champion the charity's mission throughout the entertainment industry, spreading awareness of the charity’s work, helping create and support wellbeing related initiatives that tie in with Backup’s remit, as well as recruiting corporate partners and supporting individual fundraising efforts. Their roles include representing Backup at industry events, meetings, and the popular annual Backup Village Fete. Here they share their personal connec

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30 May 2025

USA - At this year’s Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, innovation wasn’t only reserved for the artists onstage. Behind the scenes at the Ford Centre at The Star in Frisco, Sennheiser’s Spectera was undergoing its own critical test.

While Spectera was being put through its paces in RF testing, the Digital 6000 wireless system, paired with both the MD 9235 and MMD 935 capsules, supported the performances of Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini and the Backstreet Boys as millions of viewers tuned in.

Stephen Vaughn, RF coordinator for Soundtronics, was the engineer tasked with giving Spectera its first high-profile trial run in a live award show environment notorious for difficult spectrum and unforgiving conditions. Vaughn admits he was cautious at first. “Honestly, I was a bit hesitant. Given the environment we were in - a live show - I was al

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30 May 2025

UK - Follow-Me is inviting lighting industry professionals and venue owners to its inaugural open day at its new meeting and demo space at Underbelly Boulevard Soho. Scheduled for 17 June from 11:00 to 15:00, this special event will offer hands-on demonstrations of Follow-Me's performer tracking solutions, supported by SLX.

The open day takes place at Follow-Me's newly established demonstration facility within Underbelly Boulevard Soho, situated in London's bustling Soho district. This venue provides industry professionals with direct access to Follow-Me's remote follow-spot and performer tracking technology in a real-world environment.

Luke Edwards, designer relations liaison UK at Follow-Me, will lead the day's activities, offering personalised demonstrations, Q&A opportunities, and technical consultations. Visitors can explore Follow-Me's comp

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30 May 2025

Denmark - The We Will Rock You musical is a massive worldwide success and, since opening in London in 2002, numerous versions have been staged in every corner of the globe.

For the most recent version in Denmark, sound designer and head of sound, Magnus Hansen, has made full use of the DiGiCo SD7 T console personalisation. This preparation work ensures the complex requirements of this high-octane show do not overwhelm his team and leaves space for creativity. The extensive console programming allows engineers the freedom and flexibility to get the most out of the show, night after night.

The new Danish translation of We Will Rock You opened in the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen ahead of a nationwide tour and is produced by Lion Entertainment. The DiGiCo SD7 T at front-of-house is accompanied by a Quantum 338 and KLANG at the moni

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30 May 2025

UK - At midnight on 31 December 1999, Longplayer, a 1000-year-long piece of music composed by Jem Finer, began playing. This year, British manufacturer of professional loudspeakers, EM Acoustics sponsored the project, donating loudspeakers for a sound system upgrade at Longplayer’s Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse listening post, where it has been playing for the last 25 years.

“Many within the music industry remember Longplayer as part of the millennium celebrations back in 2000,” says Greg Clarke, brand manager at EM Acoustics. “Twenty-five years later, we are thrilled at the opportunity to sponsor this project, which is truly an expression of human and artistic legacy across space and time.”

“Working with EM Acoustics on this new spatial listening post for Longplayer at the Lighthouse has been a real pl

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30 May 2025

Iceland - Founded in 1945 and until recently the oldest operating cinema in the country, Bæjarbíó in the port town of Hafnarfjörður is today a thriving concert and event venue hosting singer/songwriters through to rock bands.

Such a varied programme requires an installed sound system that can shift through the gears to handle any scale of show that comes to town. So, venue operators contacted local AV technology and production services specialists Exton to propose a new sound system that would ensure fans of all musical genres enjoy top-quality sound at every Bæjarbíó event.

“The venue had received a proposal for a system from another manufacturer but, after visiting and taking measurements, we were able to propose a Nexo system that would meet the performance criteria at a significantly lower cost,” reports Exton sound consultant/technic

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30 May 2025

USA - GLP fielded its largest ever deployment of fixtures at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival for the recent 2025 event – including all its latest in-demand touring products.

The massive global event has been staged successfully across two weekends since 1999 at its Empire Polo Club location in the Californian desert, close to Palm Springs.

Various stages – including the main stage and Sahara tent, as well as the Yuma club tent – were awash with GLP fixtures specified by international LDs, adding extra floor package drama to the existing generic house rigs.

The industry was eager for a first look at the might of the super-powerful Mad Maxx – used by Dan Norman with rapper Travis Scott on the main Coachella Stage – while production designer Rob Sinclair gave a sneak preview of the JDC Burst 1 in a taste of what to