USA - Middle Tennessee State University's athletic teams compete in Division I of Conference USA, and its Blue Raiders athletes do most of their indoor training in the Charles M. Murphy Athletic Centre, which houses a basketball arena, multiple gymnasiums, training rooms, and a well-appointed weight room.

Local A/V integration firm Southeastern Sound Inc. recently upgraded the weight room sound system using Ashly Audio processing and amplification, which greatly improves the system's impact and simplifies the ease with which student athletes can operate it.

"The system was originally installed with excellent loudspeakers," explained Brian Cook, senior audio designer at Southeastern Sound. "However, the electronics in support of those loudspeakers were of poor quality and dif

UK - For the past 50 years, Plymouth-based Princess Yachts has been building motor cruisers which epitomise the last word in luxury, gracing all the world's most exclusive marinas. The company recently hosted a dinner for its international dealers, where a K-array KR102 system helped event production company SXS Events ensure that the quality of the evening's entertainment matched that of the Princess vessels.

SXS works closely with pro audio equipment supplier LMC Audio, whose service goes much further than just supplying equipment, as SXS founder and director Johnny Palmer explains. "We work with very high level clients with demanding expectations. Far from being just a 'box shifter', LMC is key in helping us to deliver the necessary high level of service. The company's London sales manager JP Cavaco is almost like another member of the SXS team - offering proactive support,

UK - KV2 has once again been chosen as the system of choice for a successful and high profile dance event taking place on 30 April in Belfast.

Cream - one of the world's most iconic Dance brands - took their Cream Tours to the T13 warehouse where a host of acts were all experienced courtesy of KV2 Audio's flagship VHD products.

The T13 warehouse is a former shipbuilding warehouse and the sold-out event saw almost 5,000 revellers take in sets from John O'Callaghan, Bryan Kearney, Will Atkinson and Standerwick amongst many more.

Production was overseen by KV2 Audio's Irish partners Just Lite who supplied a complete double VHD System from their substantial KV2 hire inventory.

In spite of the size of the venue - also notorious for noise problems - just two VHD 2.0 mid/hi's were deployed per side. The clarity and definition of such a compact system always astounds audie

USA - Renowned California-based PA company Rat Sound recently purchased an Allen & Heath dLive system, which was immediately put to work on a nationwide tour with Los Angeles based indie band, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros (ESMZ).

Formed by band leader Alex Ebert in 2007, ESMZ plays a wide range of original music that draws from folk, rock, gospel, and psychedelic roots. Promoting the band's newly released fourth album, 'PersonA', the tour is visiting venues ranging from smaller 'underplay' houses to larger auditoriums.

Comprised of a dLive S5000 control surface and DM64 MixRack, Rat Sound's dLive system is managing FOH and recording duties.

FOH engineer Steve Taylor says ESMZ's 10 members are multi-talented artists who move from one instrument to another, often in the same song, resulting in as many as sixty microphone and direct sources in the FOH mix. In many

Poland - Cloud Electronics has announced Digital Audio as the exclusive distribution channel for the full range of Cloud audio mixers, zoners, multi-channel amplifiers, and audio distribution systems, for Poland, effective 1 May 2016.

Digital Audio, Poland was established in 1998 and has a reputation for quality audio system design with the emphasis on high-end acoustics. Piotr Has, owner of Digital Audio commented, "The Cloud Electronics range of products complements our existing offer to the commercial audio market. The heritage and reliability of Cloud products sits nicely alongside Digital Audio's longevity in the Polish market too."

Simon Curtis, managing director for Cloud Electronics adds, "We are very confident Digital Audio are perfectly placed to best represent and support Cloud products in the Polish marketplace. We are very pleased to be working with such a sol

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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. 

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Cuba - Electronic dance music artists Major Lazer has become one of the first major American acts to play in Cuba since diplomatic ties were restored between Washington and Havana in July last year.

The trio played a free concert to a reported 500,000 fans at the Tribuna José Marti in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana in an historic event presented by the Musicabana Foundation in association with the people and government of Cuba.

The Diplo and Major Lazer show was a ground-breaking multi-cultural occasion, opened by Cuban DJs Lejardi, Adroid, Raith and IA, and a rumba band called Osain del Monte. It came ahead of Musicabana, the first international music festival staged this weekend in Havana which will featured more than 30 artists at three venues.

Sound reinforcement for the landmark event was provided by OKeventos, one of the largest sound rental companies

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the addition of Shay Simpson to its corporate ranks at its world HQ in Knoxville. A 13-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Simpson brings her expertise to Bandit's accounting team as senior accountant, and will manage all aspect of the accounting systems while developing and maintaining accounting policies and procedures.

A Johnson City, TN native, upon graduating from East Tennessee State University with a degree in accounting and finance, Simpson first worked in public accounting before joining the finance team at Regal Entertainment Group, the United States' largest theatre chain. While there as senior accountant, she oversaw the month-end close process, reviewed monthly financial statements and provided detailed analysis of budget and prior year variances.

Regarding her new position with Bandit, Simpson said, "I am very blessed

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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.

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UK - AV specialist Adam Brown has joined POLARaudio as a business development manager in the company's Installed Audio Team. His appointment reflects POLARaudio's continuing growth in this area and its commitment to delivering high levels of service and expertise to its customers.

Adam's audio credentials are impressive, encompassing everything from live sound with A-list performers to large high-end installation projects. A sound technology graduate of the Liverpool School of Performing Arts, he holds numerous technical industry qualifications as well as a formidable array of skills developed in the studio rental sector.

POLARaudio head of installation, Stuart Leader comments, "We're experiencing strong growth in this sector and investing in the skills that someone like Adam can bring to the team is a surefire way to maintain that position. To say that he is compatible wi

Spain - D.A.S. has announced the launch of the powered UX-218A. The new subwoofer joins the UX Series range of low frequency systems available in both powered and passive versions. The UX-218A incorporates the latest low frequency transducer designed and manufactured by D.A.S. in Valencia.

The UX-218A makes use of two of the newly developed 18UXN4 transducers. The loudspeakers incorporate features such as a 4" sandwich split winding voice coil, a remarkable 52 mm peak-to-peak excursion, and a powerful FEA optimized neodymium magnet assembly. Thanks to the double silicon spider, the 18UXN4 controls the moving mass with high linearity. An aluminium demodulating ring benefits lower distortion and the effective ventilation of the voice coil gap provides for a high thermal rating, and reduced power compression. The speaker has an AES power handling capacity of 1,100 W.

The ampl

USA - LED video display manufacturer PixelFLEX has announced Intellasound Productions as its newest production rental partner. With its headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin, Intellasound Productions has been supplying audio, lighting, staging, backline and touring support for a wide variety of live events, and they have now added FLEXCurve 6mm LED video technology from PixelFLEX to their rental inventory to strengthen their client support nationwide.

"Our decision to make the investment into the FLEXCurve technology was really driven by the fact that many of our clients have been requesting an LED wall for their events," says Tim Woodworth, Intellasound Productions. "As this started to happen more often, we would sometimes have difficulty finding an LED wall to rent in our area, and would have to typically bring one in from Chicago. Ultimately, we decided that if we were to make

Qatar - In what has been the largest broadcast project for Sennheiser in the Middle East, Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster, has utilized cutting-edge wireless microphone and in-ear monitoring systems at its studios in Qatar. The deployment enables Al Jazeera to deliver crystal clear audio for its viewers and will now serve as the standard template for all the broadcaster's major studios across the globe including those in London, Washington DC and the Balkans.

A highlight of the project was the use of Sennheiser's flagship Digital 9000, an all-digital wireless system that can transmit completely uncompressed audio, artifact-free and with superb dynamics. The system has been meticulously designed for the highest channel counts and operation in dense frequency environments. Infrared (IR) synchronization between receivers and transmitters greatly aids setting up of the syst

South Africa - Inspired Stages hosted their first Inspired Mentors programme from the 21 to 24 March at the GrandWest Casino. Ninety-two youngsters between the ages of 17 and 25 and who had previously been involved in Inspired Stages workshops, were trained up as mentors.

"Young adults from within the community with a passion and talent for music, dance, singing and performing were carefully sourced and identified through schools, colleges, community centres, youth groups and churches," explained Karen Burt, founder and facilitator of Inspired Stages. "They were nominated by teachers and peers as individuals who showed potential as both a performer and role model and who would be best suited to the mentorship opportunity.

"The programme was intensive," says Karen. "We went further than natural talent and passion. We trained the mentors in a fully comprehensive programme in

UK - Making a welcome return to the Maidstone Studios, LD Chris Rigby, who picked up the Royal Television Society 'Lighting for Multicamera' Award for his work lighting Later, is once again adding some creative illumination to the wonderfully eclectic blend of performances featured in this, the 48th season of the BBC flagship music show.

Speaking about the show, Aurora project manager Ben Taylor says, "Later is an exciting project to be involved with - it's a show that is serious about music and Chris is an LD that is serious about lighting. The brief is to complement rather than over shadow the performances and creativity paramount throughout."

The main installation features over 100 automated fixtures, primarily Vari-Lite VL3000 and Martin MAC 575 heads which help maximize versatility and movement whilst providing the ability to quickly phase in different l

Germany - When the multi-genre German artist who goes by the name Alligatoah took to the road recently prior to the summer festival season, his sound production company, Berlin-based Complete Audio, knew they had their hands full.

Operating under different persona, the German rapper, singer, producer and DJ would be covering a wide variety of venue sizes in a theatre style presentation.

But Complete Audio MD, André Rauhut, who has been working the artist since 2013, knew that once management had specified Martin Audio's award-winning MLA Multicellular Loudspeaker Array (and smaller MLA Compact) the show would be in safe hands - particularly since FOH engineer Claudio Malaguti was already familiar with the unique properties of the system.

"[Alligatoah] is supported by an unconventional five-piece backing band who are constantly switching instruments," André

UK - The annual House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards was held at London's Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank and attended by some of TV's most well-known faces including Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston & Mary Berry.

For the second year running appointed production company Light Motif created the settings for the pre-awards reception, dinner and after party. A series of moving mirrors were installed to reflect light beams across the ballroom creating a dream like canopy as guests enjoyed cuisine from caterers Rhubarb Food.

For the after party DJ's Rickie & Melvin spun the tunes into the small hours behind a giant TV screen decked with colourful florals from the creative Rebel Rebel.

Rob Mills, lead creative for Light Motif, said: "It has been an absolute pleasure once again to work with our wonderful clients at BAFTA together with some of the industries most t

The Netherlands - Rigging Box, the rigging dry-hire company, has used the favourable conditions of the Truss Exchange Programme to further invest in Prolyte truss.

Rigging Box, part of the Ampco Flashlight Group, is a dry-hire rigging company with a wide range of truss, chain-hoists and other rigging equipment. Rigging Box started in 2004 and serves a large part of the Dutch market, as well as projects throughout Europe, like events, festivals, theatres or tours.

Rigging Box always has put a high emphasis of supplying well maintained and top quality products to its customers' base, just what you like to see in a rigging supplier. Although dry-hire is their main business, their outstanding service and support is what customers come back for.

Prolyte Group and the Rigging Box have worked together for a long time. A warehouse full of Prolyte truss, ranging from X30D truss

UK - American singer and songwriter Halsey kicked off the European section of her Badlands tour at Glasgow's O2 Academy earlier this year.

Creative directors of production design company Okulus, Louis Oliver and James Scott, turned to Ayrton once again when creating an adaptable lighting design which could be modified to suit all of the venues in the European tour dates. The designers chose the clean lines and angular appearance of Ayrton MagicBlade-R and MagicPanel-R fixtures to illuminate Halsey's performance at Brixton Academy in February which formed a key part of a flexible system that could be easily adapted for the whole European leg of the tour.

"Halsey gave us only one key item of direction, that she wanted a set based on 'V' shapes," says Oliver. "We continued that visual element through the whole environment, starting with a V-shaped stage, three V-shaped upstag

Canada - Forty years after their first hits climbed the charts, American rock band Heart teamed up with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for a Queens of Sheba 2016 tour through Canada that saw the Wilson sisters performing their rock staple hits beneath an automated rig that included effects from Elation Professional's new ACL 360 Matrix LED moving panels.

Dale Doucette, who has been a freelance lighting and set designer for 35 years, working with a wide range of acts from Kitaro to New Kids on the Block, also served as lighting designer/director for the Wilson sisters for eleven years prior to becoming production manager just over a year ago.

On the Canada leg of the Queens of Sheba tour he worked with Gabrielle 'Gabi' Scheff, an up-and-coming designer with previous experience from East Coast Lighting & Production Services of Rhode Island. "I gave her the keys to the car so to

France - Breton events company, Musical'Ré, recently invested in Allen & Heath's new dLive digital mixing system.

"I decided to take the leap and buy a brand new dLive. Its specs are impressive and I was really blown away during a demonstration at the JTSE tradeshow. I have a lot of experience of using Allen & Heath digital mixers, and this system is magnificent," says Bruno Damiani, owner of Musical'Ré. "Previously, when I wanted to make the transition from analogue to digital, I immediately turned to Allen & Heath and purchased GLD and iLive systems. Today, it's logical to continue this adventure by buying a dLive system. I really wanted to own the 'new baby' and take advantage of new technology."

Musical'Ré selected the S7000 control surface with DM48 MixRack. The company used the system for the first time as the main stage FOH console at the festiv

UK - Eddie Izzard recently completed a hectic spring schedule, following up a four-week residency at London's Palace Theatre by completing a staggering 27 marathons in 27 days across South Africa.

Eddie is no stranger to Martin Audio sound systems, having been performing through their line array systems as far back as 2003's Sexie tour.

For this latest residency he revved up his previous Force Majeur show into a Force Majeur Reloaded version; Martin Audio's long-term Worcester-based partner, Intasound, were on hand to provide the PA, with proprietor Francis Dale dipping heavily into his inventory.

The opportunity came along following the 10-week run at the same venue by Derren Brown, at the suggestion of the artist's production manager Blair Halliday, who recommended them to Izzard's production man, James Kelly. And so as one Intasound system loaded out, the new Martin

USA - For Selena Gomez's Revival Tour, TAIT Towers, the global company known for designing and fabricating live staging equipment and scenic design for world tours including The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, U2, Madonna and more, innovated stage design and set elements.

With ongoing relationships with Gomez's production management team and set designers, Robert 'Hydro' Mullin, Tamlyn Wright, Baz Halpin, and Chris Nyfield, TAIT executed stage designs and artistic set elements. To meet the production teams design, TAIT constructed a 49ft. rolling stage with band risers on both sides and a scissor lift behind the stage. TAIT provided a painted 32 ft. thrust performance deck which is painted to give the illusion of three runways immersing into the audience.

The thrust performance deck includes nine traps that drop into the underworld and house nine medicine ball trampolines fo

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