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21 October 2024

France - Young people from around the world participated in the 47th annual WorldSkills Competition in Lyon.

Founded in the aftermath of WWII when there was a global shortage of skilled workers, WorldSkills is dedicated to promoting vocational education. The 2024 edition of this biannual event fulfilled this mission in style.

Beyond being enriched by the exchange of ideas and knowledge, however, participants and guest from 70 countries left WorldSkills energised by the uplifting mood that resonated throughout Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium during the closing ceremonies.

Enhancing this inspirational aura and taking its energy to a new level was the production design by Frédéric (Aldo) Fayard working with set designer Simon Fouillet, and lighting-multimedia designer Theo Broche Cannone, along with the rest of the team at Concept K that featu

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21 October 2024

Australia - Centrestate Sound & Lighting has expanded its inventory with the acquisition of the Prolights Smart BatWash to enhance the efficiency and the versatility of their productions. 

Centrestate Sound & Lighting provides production services even in the most remote areas of New South Wales, often facing the challenge of working in environments with limited technical infrastructure. In this context, adopting battery-operated fixtures like the Smart BatWash proves to be a strategic choice to ensure high-quality productions even in the absence of traditional power sources. 

Allan Brown, CEO of Centrestate, comments: “The Smart BatWash units have proven to be extremely versatile and suited to a wide range of events, from conferences to stage live. With features like IP65 rating, wireless DMX, and the battery operation option you can't go

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21 October 2024

UK - Tiger Bay, one of London’s late-night shisha lounges, has continued its expansion with the opening of a new venue in Enfield. This new location marks the brand’s fourth UK branch and its seventh internationally.

With this new venue, Tiger Bay wanted to create an environment that easily shifted from a dining experience to a lively party destination. As the evening progresses and guest DJs take over, the space needed to deliver ‘an immersive sound experience that elevates the entire atmosphere’. To meet these requirements, a quality, scalable sound system was essential – leading Tiger Bay to KV2.

“The client reached out to us via word of mouth, bringing a set of detailed drawings,” explains Toby Jones, AV designer at Middlesex Sound & Lighting, the team responsible for the sound system installation. “They were looking for a dis

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21 October 2024

USA - Elation has announced the hiring of professional brand strategist Braven Greenelsh as the company’s chief marketing officer. In addition to being an entrepreneur and award-winning thought leader in brand development, Greenelsh has a strong background in corporate identity and product design. He has collaborated with the Elation team for many years and contributed to the success of several of Elation’s top brands, including PROTEUS and Obsidian Control Systems.   

Toby Velazquez, CEO of Elation and president of the ADJ Group, comments: “We have always valued our brand as a vital part of our business, and as we continue to relentlessly push boundaries in design, engineering, quality, and reliability, I’ve personally recognised the need to amplify our marketing efforts. This is why we made the decision to invest in a proven visionary like Braven

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18 October 2024

UAE - Sphere Entertainment Co and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi have announced that they will work together to bring the world's second Sphere to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

“The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said James L. Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer, Sphere Entertainment. “Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact. We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.”

H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “We are excited to bring Sphere to Abu Dhabi in partnership with Sphere Entertainment, providing our residents and visitors with an extraordinary new form of entertainment. S

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18 October 2024

USA - Bob Marley was larger than life, and the sheer scale of The Marley Brothers: The Legacy Tour reflected that. The recent outing, featuring five of his sons - Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian - boasted a total of 19 musicians, singers, and one Rastafarian flag-waver onstage for the tour, which kicked off in Vancouver and concluded in Miami in early October.

The Legacy Tour is notable in part because it marked the first time that the siblings have performed together on the road in two decades. Monitors alone required two engineers manning two consoles - both DiGiCo Quantum338 desks - in addition to a Quantum852 used at front of house.

The three desks collectively shared three SD-Racks with 32-bit Stadius pre-amp cards on an Optocore loop, with one SD-Rack on the secondary loop at front of house providing AD/DA conversio

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18 October 2024

USA - Labour Day weekend saw the quiet mountain town of Telluride, Colorado transformed into the epicentre of global cinema for the 51st annual Telluride Film Festival. For the 24th year, Meyer Sound supported the festival as signature sponsor and cinema sound partner. Together, they brought state-of-the-art cinema sound technologies to the festival’s marquee cinemas, delivering the audio experience for filmmakers and audiences alike.

“It’s been a privilege to support the Telluride Film Festival for nearly a quarter century,” says Meyer Sound’s programme manager, cinema & residential, Jay Wyatt. “The festival’s bold, boundary-pushing spirit aligns perfectly with Meyer Sound’s commitment to innovation and superior sound, making it the ideal place to showcase our advanced cinema technologies.”

A key stop on the r

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18 October 2024

MENA - Brompton Technology has announced the appointment of Hassan Abu Minshar as technical sales manager for the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Hassan brings to his new role over two decades of experience in the Pro AV industry and in live events.

Prior to joining Brompton, Hassan worked with image processing manufacturer Analog Way where he successfully managed sales and operations in the Middle East, and built strong relationships with rental and staging companies, AV system integrators and LED manufacturers. His proven track record makes him an excellent addition to Brompton's team.

Hassan states, “I am thrilled to be part of a company that I have long admired for its commitment to delivering exceptional award-winning products. Brompton’s reputation for innovation and customer support aligns perfectly with my own values. I look f

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18 October 2024

Europe - JOYNED has announced that Morten Lave, former CEO of TC Applied Technologies and most recently principal of All Access Consulting, is joining the company as chief technology officer (CTO) effective immediately. Lave will spearhead JOYNED’s R&D efforts, using his AVB/Milan software expertise to elevate the company’s audio networking solutions and drive innovation.

Lave’s' AVB/Milan software will now be integrated into JOYNED’s suite of offerings, providing a complete end-to-end solution - from endpoints to AVB switches - while remaining true to JOYNED’s commitment to open standards. This is a significant step in JOYNED’s mission to democratize network technology for the audio industry, ensuring that cutting-edge solutions are accessible to everyone, from engineers to musicians.

"As the audio industry moves towards greater stan

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18 October 2024

USA - ACT Entertainment has appointed James Oliver to the position of vice president of strategic partnerships. Oliver has been tasked with developing a live sound division that mirrors the success ACT has created for its other partners in the entertainment space.

“We are pleased to have James join us in our efforts to increase ACT’s position as a leader in the professional audio market,” says Dale Williams, president and COO of ACT Entertainment. “James brings decades of technology-focused sales, marketing and strategic planning experience that will be pivotal in our initiatives. PK Sound has been a welcome addition to our wide array of product offerings, and I am confident that James will help further drive growth across all our product lines.” 

Oliver previously served as partner and chief strategy officer at PK Sound. During his tenure

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18 October 2024

Europe - Blaze Audio has announced that its Ci series loudspeaker product line is now available globally. The Ci series was acquired earlier this year from Cornered Audio ApS of Denmark and make a match for use with Blaze Audio’s PowerZone amplifiers, software, and controllers.  

The new Ci series of products - the Ci2, Ci4, Ci4-V, Ci5, Ci5-V, and CS8 and CS12 subwoofers - are designed for use in commercial and hospitality locations. These surface-mounted loudspeakers make for a discrete and elegant installation while offering quality sound reproduction with wide and uniform coverage, clarity, and reliability.  

The IP-rated Ci series is a feature-packed family of acoustically superior 2-way full-range loudspeakers that are designed for a wide range of indoor and outdoor commercial applications such as retail stores, restaurants, cafes, and mee

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18 October 2024

The Netherlands/Slovakia - The global launch of the SRS Lighting VLAN-toolbox has been announced. This product is the result of a collaboration between Podiumtechniek B.V., a leading player in the entertainment industry, and SRS Group, a globally respected name in lighting, rigging, and power distribution technology. Together, they have developed a solution that will ‘significantly simplify the lives of AV technicians worldwide’.

The idea for the SRS Lighting VLAN-toolbox was first introduced by Paul van Schaik, co-owner of Podiumtechniek B.V. During the initial presentation of the prototype at CUE 2024 in Rotterdam, it quickly became apparent that there was a high demand for a simple yet powerful tool for network management specifically designed for AV professionals.

"After the presentation, we immediately saw the potential," says Paul van Schai

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18 October 2024

Canada - Although bad weather cut Ottawa’s Escapade Festival 2024 from three to two days, 45,000 fans attended the EDM extravaganza.

The ever-popular Bet99 Stage featured performances by the likes of Slander, Isoxo, Seven Lions, Kayzo, and Subtronics, all supported by a versatile, dynamic rig created by Onedot that featured 29 Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, and an equal number of STRIKE Array 2 fixtures.

Animating every performance on this stage was a massive video wall measuring roughly 124’ wide by 10’ heigh. Comprised of two sections, the wall displayed a variety of evocative images and IMAG content on its surface, which rather than being configured as a straight plane, was arranged accordion style, with different sections protruding out further than others. This design endowed the stage with a greater sense of

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18 October 2024

South Africa - FBT’S distributor StageOne hosted the ArtOfTech event in Johannesburg, marking the South African launch of the FBT Myra Line Array System.

Peter Berry, founder of StageOne, tasked his team with transcending traditional demo events to deliver an extraordinary experience. "ArtOfTech was more than just a product launch; the production successfully merged technology with creativity to produce something truly special,” said Berry.

Over 350 select clients experienced live audio demonstrations of FBT's line arrays, Horizon, Muse, and the star of the show, Myra, the line array system for mid to large-size touring applications and high-end fixed installations.

Kyle Freemantle, a respected freelance sound engineer, praised the Myra for its user-friendly rigging and exceptional sound quality. "The FBT Myra features one of the most str

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17 October 2024

UK - Having completed an impressive navigational trail for the Eden Project using smaller Martin Audio components, Cornwall-based TruCru has ramped up its line array inventory, in preparation for a busy event season ahead.

The rental company has invested in the manufacturer’s Wavefront Precision (WPS) and SXCF118 cardioid subwoofers, giving them a powerful, and recognisable front-line PA. This will bring the company into the community of other Martin Audio WP users, and is the latest step in a phased move towards eventual standardisation on Martin Audio in its hire fleet.

Commenting on the purchase, TruCru project manager and audio lead, Toby Bodman, said, “This is quite an upgrade and a significant leap for us. I first heard Wavefront Precision in 2018 and I was blown away by how consistent the coverage was throughout the space, and with the gro

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17 October 2024

UK - Inspired by a summer of sport, Manchester Day 2024 was a vibrant one-day, event filled with music, dance, performance, acrobatics and a host of other interactive and audience participative events, all with a warm and enthusiastic street party atmosphere, staged in and around the city centre.

Manchester-based audio specialist, tube uk, was asked to provide PA and sound systems for the four main stages, two of which were located in the Deansgate area, two at St Ann’s Square and one on Market Street, all major city centre positions.

tube uk’s Melvyn Coote commented, “It is always fantastic to be part of this event which energises the city centre in the true spirit of Manchester, and it’s amazing to see people from all communities engaging and enjoying, making it their event.”

The main challenges for the tube team of four audio eng

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17 October 2024

USA - Working with Stageworx AV at Kemba Live, LD Matt King kept pace with Kameron Marlowe’s multi-faceted, fast-moving show on the star’s recent tour, as he supported the music with a versatile, high-powered lightshow that moved through a wide range of looks.

Helping him accomplish this was a collection of 32 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by 4Wall Entertainment. Included in this mix were 18 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-wash, 10 Maverick Storm 2 BeamWashes, and four COLORado PXL Bar 16 fixtures.

“Kameron is a very dynamic artist,” said King. “Our show can go from old school country to rock and roll really fast, so I switched between warm and cool white to guide the audience and set the tone for where we were headed. For our opener I used cool white from the tubes in my Color STRIKE Ms to drive energy though big hits and swells i

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17 October 2024

UK - RCF UK partner, JPS Sound & Light, fielded 108 RCF loudspeaker enclosures at the recent Zimfest Live 2024 festival in Hertfordshire - now celebrating its 25th year.

Involved with this event for the past five years, John Southee’s company has watched the event - a celebration of Zimbabwean music, culture and music - mature from its old Colesdale Farm site near Potters Bar to the premium Hertfordshire County Show Ground outside St. Albans where up to 10,000 people from across the UK congregate over the two days.

JPS were tasked with providing a complete technical infrastructure (sound, lighting and video as well as camera crew) - populating two stages, the enlarged main stage and a six-pole Big Top. “The SmartStage180 provided a massive 15m x 12m stage area, with a 10m high roof. This offered an impressive 20-ton weight-loading and additio

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17 October 2024

USA - Little Sister Lounge, a nightclub by Tao Group located in the Moxy Lower East Side hotel in NYC, is an underground cocktail lounge reminiscent of the LES in the 1990s. After becoming familiar with 1 Sound through its performance in neighbouring venues within the Moxy Hotel and Tao Group sister venues like Tao Downtown nightclub, this NYC staple in the nightclub scene, decided to upgrade its audio system to 1 Sound.

Inside the Moxy Hotel, 1 Sound is incorporated into Silver Lining Lounge, a piano bar, Sake No Hana, a modern Japanese restaurant, the Highlight Room, a rooftop cocktail lounge, and The Fix, a bar and all-day cafe. In the past three years of being installed these venue’s, 1 Sound systems have proved their quality and reliability, making it an exciting revamp for Little Sister Lounge to upgrade their audio system.

Installed by Anthe

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17 October 2024

UK - Avolites has announced an update to its Titan remote app, boosting performance and functionality. It is ‘a significant upgrade to the last Titan remote app’ (released several years ago) and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

The Titan remote app works alongside Avolites lighting consoles running Titan software, to provide moving light control from a mobile phone or tablet.

Using the Avolites Remote app on a mobile device, with the addition of an external wireless access point, any Avolites lighting console can be remote-controlled using Wi-Fi from an android or iOS mobile device like a smartphone or tablet. 

The remote app also enables running and storing palettes and running playbacks which is invaluable to lighting designers, directors and operators when rigging, testing and focusing fixtures.