USA - Following a "rapid increase" in demand for Void Acoustics products in North America, the British sound system manufacturer has set up a base of operations in the USA. The move follows the recent signing of a network of system integrators and distributors throughout North America who will now be able to receive stock almost immediately.

Void Acoustics is in the process of implementing strategic international expansion plans and is rapidly expanding its global distribution network as there is significant worldwide demand for both their touring and installation products. Void has also hired long-time ally, sound engineer and system integrator Nathan Short to oversee all things technical in North America.

"After representing Void in North America and some exotic places aro

Benelux - Arkaos PRO has appointed Controllux BV as its new, exclusive distributor for the Benelux countries. The agreement, reached in February 2016, gives Controllux exclusive distribution of the full ArKaos PRO portfolio of professional media servers and software across the Netherlands and Belgium.

Controllux is a leading distributor of professional lighting equipment and handles a large range of well-regarded industry brands from its offices in the Netherlands and Belgium. The company will be responsible for promoting the ArKaos brand across its wide remit of theatre, broadcast, film, entertainment and architectural markets.

"The Controllux portfolio, with all its brands and its disciplines, is a perfect match for the ArKaos PRO products," says Bram de Clerck of Controllux BVBA. "Our team and myself are looking forward to this new challenge and aim to become an interes

USA - John McKernon and City Theatrical have announced that Lightwright 6, the newest version of the multi-award-winning software for managing entertainment lighting paperwork, will be released in April 2016.

An industry standard on Broadway and in other areas of live entertainment, Lightwright was created to help designers and electricians record and keep track of the vast amount of data needed to install and maintain a lighting installation. Lightwright 6 was launched at USITT 2016 in Salt Lake City.

As the lighting world has increased in complexity due to the proliferation of moving lights and LEDs, the organizational demands on lighting designers, design assistants, and electricians has continued to grow. Lightwright 6, for the first time, fulfils a long-time industry dream of controlling the flow of lighting data from design to console without needing to enter data mu

Germany - Doughty Engineering is set to debut three new items at this year's Prolight+Sound show. Stand E24 in Hall 3 will see Doughty display and demonstrate its new Super Lightweight Drop Arm and Projector Mount - both new additions to the award winning Modular Rigging System - as well as its new Floor Stand. Visitors to the stand will also be able to see Doughty's extensive range of grip, rigging and suspension equipment and address any queries to the Doughty team.

Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty, said, "Prolight+Sound is without doubt one of the most important shows for us. It allows us to introduce our products to a truly international audience and gather feedback from them. What works for our customers in one corner of the world doesn't necessarily work for others and this sort of information gathering is vital to our product development."

This year, fans of

Germany - MDG is set to unleash its most powerful fog generator ever, the Me8, at Prolight+Sound 2016, Frankfurt.

The biggest of the Me Series, the Me8 is an eight-nozzled monster that pumps out a massive 800m3 of fog per minute to deliver exceptional results on a vast scale.

Designed primarily for large-scale applications, both indoor and out, and destined for huge venues and stadia, the Me8 is also designed for fire fighter and military training, ventilation testing and special effects for movies.

Yet, despite its enormous power, the Me8 is extremely economical on fluid, using only 8L of MDG fluid an hour at maximum output, says the company.

The arrival of the Me8 marks the completion of the Me Series of fog generators which has been designed as the latest stage in MDG's evolution of fog. The Me Series represents a new family of generators with a higher degree of

Germany - BroadWeigh's newly updated wireless load cell monitoring system will make its Prolight + Sound debut at this year's show. Distributors for the brand, including AC Entertainment (Hall 5 Level 0, Booths A26 & A27) Hof Alutec (Hall 3.0, Booth A44) and Louis Reyners (Hall 3.0 Booth C14) are all set to feature BroadWeigh's latest offering on their stands.

Jonathan Purdue, sales manager at BroadWeigh who will be on hand for the duration of the show to meet with customers, said: "We're delighted to have three of our European distributors demonstrating our updated system at Prolight+Sound.

"BroadWeigh has worked hard to develop a new radio module which gives four times the range of the previous system. Improvements in the omni-directional antenna have provided increased performance in more challenging environments such as high concentrations of truss or wall. We want our

Germany - Making the future of audio technology tangible - that is audio specialist Sennheiser's aim at Prolight+Sound. The centrepiece of the Sennheiser and Neumann.Berlin stand is the Sound Experience Room, which offers listening sessions with the Sennheiser HE 1 headphones, Sennheiser AMBEO 3D audio, and stereo and surround-sound demonstrations with Neumann loudspeakers.

As part of the AMBEO demonstrations, tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky will not only play original 9.1 recordings but also upmix stereo material generated using his own special algorithm to show the full potential of the reproduction format. His reference set-up consists of Neumann KH 310 at all front positions, KH 120 for the four rear speakers and a KH 870 as a subwoofer.

Musicians can expect to find a wide-ranging portfolio of wired and wireless microphones from the evolution to the 2000 series on show, wh

Germany - Robert Juliat returns to Frankfurt in 2016, in a new location, where it will celebrate the show's re-imagined layout with its German distributor, Lightpower GmbH, in the Lightpower Village (Hall 3 Stand C44).

The award-winning Dalis LED cyclorama and wall wash light will be on show, and promises some exciting new developments this year. Since its introduction 12 months ago at Prolight+Sound 2015, Dalis has really taken off with demand coming from all corners of the globe.

Compact, lightweight and easy to install with a quick-rig mounting system, Dalis' eight-colour mixing LED system and 16-bit control result in an almost infinite range of repeatable colour possibilities, including true tunable white from 6500K to 2200K.

This year's Prolight+Sound stand will demonstrate the Dalis effect in large format as 20 Dalis units are used in unison over an 8m x 7m cyclo

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UK - Hungry Horse pub and family value restaurant chain, operating more than 200 family value pubs in the UK, recently chose Bolton based AV integration company TVC Technology Solutions to provide a complete audio visual solution for its Rotherham Riverside public house in readiness for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament in France, starting in the Summer of 2016.

To encourage patrons to stay longer and enjoy the summer experience, Hungry Horse has invested in a number of large LED screen solutions alongside a distributed audio system to allow zonal control of the audio and visual systems, including the provision of screens and audio in dining booths and outside in the garden/patio areas.

TVC Technology Solutions, a family business established in the mid 90's by Jim Brown and his two sons Matthew and Daniel is part of the TVD Group. Growing rapidly and with the agility

Mexico - Lighting designer Dave Maxwell has been involved in Luis Miguel shows since 2008 and for a string of recent sold out dates at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City used 60 Elation ACL 360 Matrix moving panel LED effect lights to complement the Latin American music icon's show.

On his current 2016 tour, Maxwell serves as show designer, handling all creative and visual aspects of the show including set design, content, video and lighting. Lighting and video vendor for the shows was Serpro Productiones, one of the biggest rental houses in northern Mexico. Elation's Mexican partner ADIMSA sold the Elation fixtures to Serpro and provided them with support on the tour.

"I had been using some other LED panels and was offered the chance to switch to the ACL 360 Matrix by Serpro for a run of shows at the Auditorio in Mexico City and very much liked them," Maxwell comments. "Ty

USA - Chapman University students and faculty and the Orange, California community can look forward to a new era of cultural and educational opportunities with the 19 March opening of the 88,000sq.ft Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Centre for the Arts.

Located at the gateway to the university, the new $82m arts centre - designed by architect Pfeiffer Partners in collaboration with Theatre Projects, acoustician Nagata Acoustics, and AV consultant Sonitus - gives Chapman University a characteristic architectural icon designed to meet the needs of their award-winning Conservatory of Music, and the Departments of Music and Theatre.

The building features the 1,044-seat Julianne Argyros Orchestra Hall, a remarkable and versatile multipurpose theatre. Theatre Projects worked with the design team to create an intimate auditorium - with a mezzanine, side boxes, and two levels of b

Singapore - Renowned Singaporean PA company, The Production People (TPP), recently took delivery of Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system. Supplied through distributor, Electronics & Engineering (E&E), the system comprised an S5000 Control Surface with a DM48 MixRack, which will be joining TPP's existing iLive system.

"In terms of the features and speed, dLive is amazing, and it is future proof as the expansion options are huge. It was a no-brainer to add dLive to our inventory," says Sheldon Gooi, director of TPP.

Following the launch of dLive last year, E&E hosted a product seminar in Singapore providing an in depth run through of the system. TPP attended the event and placed their order shortly afterwards.

"Coupled with the excellent back-up and support from E&E, it was easy to go ahead with this purchase. We are confident that we will be able to maximise its

USA - On the show floor at USITT, A.C.T Lighting made their first Pledge-a-Product donation to Behind the Scenes reflecting proceeds from the sale of the dot2 Series of Lighting Control Solutions from MA Lighting.

Brian Dowd, vice president of sales for A.C.T Lighting, presented a cheque for $5,000 to members of the Behind the Scenes Foundation Board of Directors stating, "A.C.T is committed to supporting Behind the Scenes. We are honoured to participate and assist in the fantastic support they provide."

Rick Rudolph, chair of the Behind the Scenes Foundation, accepted the cheque, saying, "I was thrilled to have A.C.T join the Pledge-a-Product programme last year during USITT. Today, that commitment to Behind the Scenes became dollars for the charity and I hope that dot2 programmers realize that Behind the Scenes is there for technicians in need due to serious illness or i

USA - On the show floor at USITT, Rosco Laboratories presented their eighth annual royalty check from the sales of Roscolux #359 Medium Violet to Behind the Scenes, the charity that assists entertainment technology professionals in need due to serious illness or injury.

Mark Engel, CEO of Rosco, commented, "Rosco is honoured and privileged to support Behind the Scenes with this check of $3,200, representing the proceeds of Roscolux 359 Medium Violet, for a total contribution to date of $21,548. Rosco's mission is to help people achieve their vision. That includes helping Behind the Scenes offer profoundly valuable assistance to our industry family. We are, as always, so grateful for the work you do."

Rick Rudolph, chair of the Behind the Scenes Foundation, accepted the cheque saying, "Rosco was our first Pledge-a-Product partner. Their long term vision of the entertainment

Germany - Located in the eastern section of Berlin, Suicide Circus is immersed in the intense techno culture that characterizes much of the city's nightlife. Like this creative cauldron of a city, the popular techno club is in a constant mode of reinvention. Most recently, this process took the form of an upgraded lighting rig anchored by a formidable array of Intimidator moving fixtures from Chauvet DJ.

Serving the Berlin techno community for the best part of two decades, Suicide Circus is located in city's so called Partymeile. Having developed from its semi legal and spontaneous beginnings in the aftermath of the Cold War, the club has grown into an internationally recognized bastion of the Berlin techno scene.

Striving to keep its intensity level up at full blast, Suicide Circus turned to JustMusic to revamp its lighting system. The company did exactly that in spectacu

USA - It took almost six years of convincing, but the legendary Kris Kristofferson finally relented to a special show honouring his legacy of songwriting gravitas to country music. What followed was an evening as rich and epic as his prolific career.

The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson took place on 16 March at Bridgestone Arena, where the all-star line-up included Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Alison Krauss, Lady Antebellum, Lee Ann Womack, Buddy Miller, Jamey Johnson, Shooter Jennings, Darius Rucker and Hank Williams, Jr.

Lighting designer Paul Hoffman trusted Bandit Lites to provide the lighting package for the event, which included MAC Vipers, Bandit 5x5s, GLP X4-10 Strips, Eurolight strips, Robe Patt 2013, & MAC 2000 wash fixtures, all controlled by a Grand MA 2 Full and Grand MA 2 Lite co

Canada - The Toronto School of Circus Arts offers circus classes for adults and children as an alternative for active lifestyles. The 15,000sq.ft training centre is housed in a renovated airplane hangar and features the most up to date circus arts equipment available.

The School prides itself on its safety record so when the school needed to set up a bungee apparatus in another venue for a performance, the BroadWeigh wireless load cell monitoring system was used to help determine the maximum dynamic loads placed on the structure during a bounce.

Michael Sorowka, CEO of Paradigm Rigging, BroadWeigh's technical partner in Canada, explained: "A friend of mine is an aerial and trapeze instructor at the school so I was familiar with the venue. Having introduced them to the BroadWeigh system, we arranged an opportunity to demo the units on their trapeze nets. The system got the

USA - Kid Cudi, known for his distinctive atmospheric and emotionally-gripping live performances has just finished the first leg of a new US tour supporting his Speeding Bullet to Heaven album, complete with a moody and evocative lighting design by Brett Lorins with Robe moving lights right at its heart.

Brett has worked with the artist for five years and coordinates both lighting and video aspects of his live performances. He's been a big advocate of Robe for the past six or seven years and includes Robe products on his riders as often as possible.

For this one, the rig included 10 MMX Spots, 12 LEDWash 300s and two LEDWash 600s with the MMX Spots being the main workhorses. This core touring package was complemented by some house lights at each venue.

Six MMX Spots were rigged on six 8ft upright sections of truss onstage, three positioned stage left and three s

Headline News - Adele has announced she will headline the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival. She revealed the news live on stage at London's O2. "Who's going to Glastonbury this year?" she asked. "See you there. I'll be there. I'll be headlining on the Saturday night this year." Glastonbury later confirmed the news on Twitter.

Adele now joins Muse and Coldplay at the top of the bill when the festival takes place in June. "What a great honour it is to have the wonderful Adele confirmed for this year's Saturday night headline spot!" said festival organiser Emily Eavis. This year's Glastonbury festival takes place in Somerset from 22-26 June. Jeff Lynne's ELO have been announced for the Sunday afternoon "legends" slot. The festival opening act will be Manchester's James.

As You Like It - Shakespeare's Globe has reported record income of £23m in 20

Germany - Martin by Harman has announced the RUSH MH 7 Hybrid, an all-in-one beam, spot and wash moving head fixture. Available immediately, the RUSH MH 7 Hybrid offers flexibility with advanced, dynamic effects in a compact form factor that doesn't compromise on Martin's high standard of quality.

The RUSH MH 7 Hybrid features include crisp optics with three zoom modes: 2.2°-15° in beam mode, 2.5°-24° in spot mode and 15°-45° in wash mode. High output is achieved from the Philips Platinum 11R 250W 7800 K lamp with eight rotating/ indexing and 12 static gobos. There are 10 selectable colours and effects via an eight-facet circular and four-facet linear prism.

"Whether elevating the energy on a dance floor, punctuating an inspiring message in a house of worship, or evoking emotions in a theatrical performance, this is an extremely versatile fixture,"

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