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26 September 2024

Germany - Following the successful Las Vegas production Weekends with Adele, the British singer took on the challenge of a month-long residency in a Live Nation-backed, purpose-built, 80,000 capacity open-air arena in Munich.

The singer, who has sold over 100m albums to date, told fans via her Instagram: "A one-off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on? I couldn't think of a more wonderful way to spend my summer."

The ambitious concert series was led by production manager Paul English and sought technical expertise from a variety of disciplines within the Clair Global organisation, overseen by account executive Andy Walker.

"A great thing that Andy did was get the IT team on board, supplying fantastic internet across the site. It made our lives easy throughout the entire backstage area, which is an im

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26 September 2024

Europe - The Disney in Concert series has been bringing Disney magic onto the large concert stage for many years. The production has been on tour once again in 2024, visiting arenas in Germany and Austria with the Hollywood Sound Orchestra.

To keep the numerous soloists under the spotlight in front of the large LED wall at all times, gruppe20, the lighting technology service provider in charge, decided to rely on a zactrack SMART system.

“Stage production has continually developed in terms of technology over the years,” explains Klaus Mayer, managing director of gruppe20, which has overseen lighting and rigging for Disney in Concert since 2016. “The number of performers appearing on stage at the same time in musicals has grown as well. When eight or more artists are on stage, using followspots is no longer feasible. Also, with

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26 September 2024

USA - Martin Castañon’s design for the lighting rig at the 27th annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival called for 12 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe-washes and 12 blinders. But instead, he got zero blinders and 18 Color Strike M fixtures.

“The rig was originally supposed to have the Color Strike Ms on the up and mid truss for a total of 12 – blinders were specced out for the downstage,” recalled Castañon. “Somehow when the rig was built, we accidentally got the extra six Strikes instead of the blinders. In the end it worked out beautifully as it tied the whole rig together. It was great having the horsepower to punch things up for the crowd, especially in colour, not to mention when riding the beams on them. It looked like the night turned to day. I didn’t miss the blinders at all.

“I used the Strikes mos

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26 September 2024

USA - Independent live sound engineer Jade Payne’s career began over 15 years ago in New York’s vibrant music scene, where she got her start in some of the city’s most famous venues. Today, Payne can be found touring with musical trio Khruangbin, for which DPA Microphones play a pivotal role in her meticulous audio setup.

“We use a lot of DPA mics for Khruangbin,” says Payne. “We have the 4055 [kick drum mic] on kick, 4099 [instrument mics] on snare bottom and floor tom, 2012 [compact cardioid] on snare top, 2011 [twin diaphragm cardioid mic] on hi-hat and 4007 [omnidirectional mic] for rim/sidestick. These mics work coherently together, even when in close proximity.” As one of the pioneering users of DPA’s Kick Drum Mic, she adds: “The 4055, especially, has been a revelation. Its natural sound capture means I barely have to EQ the drum.”

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26 September 2024

USA - Songwriter and publisher Chas Sandford is the recipient of 12 ASCAP Most Performed Song awards, including John Waite's Missing You, Chicago's What Kind of Man Would I Be and Stevie Nicks' Talk To Me. His songs have also been recorded by Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Brooks & Dunn, Alison Krauss, Rick Springfield, Sammy Hagar, and many others. His base is the Secret Studio, located on 50 acres of farmland outside Nashville.

When Sandford wanted to expand his studio’s capabilities to include Dolby Atmos, he turned to amplifiers from LEA Professional.

“In reviewing the specific requirements for our installation, LEA Professional amps checked all of the boxes perfectly,” said Sandford. “It was a breeze setting them up, we basically set them up once and forgot it. Once the system was tuned, I was floored by how gre

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26 September 2024

USA - Three Powersoft Quattrocanali 8808 DSP+D and one Quattrocanali 2404 DSP+D amplifiers are at the heart of a new audio system delivering maximum power, efficiency and connectivity to worshippers at Upstate Church Haywood in Greenville, South Carolina.

Elevate AVL, founded by Jordan Tripp, is a specialist AVL design and integration firm based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Focusing primarily on houses of worship, the audio, video and lighting upgrade for Upstate Church Haywood is its latest project with Upstate Church, a Baptist church with locations across upstate South Carolina – many of which are equipped with Powersoft amplifiers, Elevate’s ‘go-to’ amplifier platform for HOW installations, explains Tripp.

“When it comes to reliability and performance at an affordable price point, Powersoft amplifiers are hard to beat,” says Tripp,

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25 September 2024

UAE - West Midlands-based event design and production agency Taylex Group has announced its strategic expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This international expansion marks “a significant milestone for Taylex Group”, aiming to “bolster its support for existing clients while tapping into new opportunities in the dynamic Middle Eastern market.”

Recent Taylex projects include delivering the Media Oasis event in Paris hosted by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Media within the Pavilion at Place Vendôme, plus the installation of the Saudia Arabian Ministry of Sport Pavilion in the Rome-based Saudi Village through HQWS.

Lee Forde, general manager at Taylex Group UAE, brings over 30 years of industry knowledge to the expansion, with a track record including being former general manager of Creative Technology Middle East.

“I’m th

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25 September 2024

Europe - Monitor engineer Jeffrey Löwe has an impressive list of clients, including Álvaro Soler, who he has been touring with extensively throughout the summer. He relies on his DMI-KLANG and DiGiCo Quantum 338 to let his artists perform at their best. With KLANG, Löwe can count on ease of workflow and powerful processing, providing each artist with a recognisable, clear, fatigue-free experience for their in-ear mixes.

Álvaro Soler rose to fame in 2015, achieving massive success across Europe and receiving many nominations and awards for his music. His latest tour of Germany is booking into November, with shows and festival appearances across the country.

Whether the venue is a giant, outdoor festival with crowds of over 100,000 people or a more intimate gig in a cosy club, DMI-KLANG offers a consistency in the in-ear mix that is impossible to f

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25 September 2024

France - Marseillais comedian Redouane Bougheraba’s On m'appelle Bercy tour, produced by Gilbert Coullier Productions, included sold-out performances at the Accor Hotel Arena in Paris, the Velodrome Marseille, and other large venues.

Supporting Bougheraba’s performance on his tour is an Andreas Monschauer lighting design that, like the popular comedian himself, is versatile, free-flowing and always engaging.

Monschauer is powering his shows with ChamSys consoles: a MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console with a wing at Marseille, and a MagicQ MQ250M at the Accor Hotel Arena. Working with a scenic design by Vincent Rautureau (G the Imagineers), Bougheraba uses lighting and video to set a tone that is “at once dramatic and inviting”. He uses up to 80 universes of lighting. Supplied by MPM (which also furnished the sound), the lighting is run thr

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25 September 2024

UK - Shure has announced the introduction of its new cloud-enabled centralised management platform, ShureCloud. At launch, the platform enables unified control and management of Shure Microflex Ecosystem devices and IntelliMix Room DSP software licences from a single user interface. Additional features, including self-registration and an expanded monitored device portfolio, will be introduced in the coming months.

ShureCloud offers intuitive workflows that are familiar to IT Managers and AV Integrators. The platform provides real-time remote management access so users can manage, monitor, remotely update, and control devices and licences from anywhere, ensuring flexibility and convenience. ShureCloud provides unified control and remote access for organisations of all sizes, whether you're managing a few devices for a small business or handling large-scale de

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25 September 2024

USA - 1 Sound offers all its products in custom colour variations and natural wood finishes, and has now added metallic finishes to the catalogue.

1 Sound offers metallic finishes for loudspeaker cabinets and metal plating for metal grilles and select accessories. Metal plating can use various materials such as chrome, brass, gold, nickel, and more. Like the other custom options, 1 Sound Custom Shop’s metal finishes will apply to both indoor and outdoor applications.

With local sourcing of building materials, 1 Sound is able to manufacture custom loudspeakers in a quick turnaround time of as little as two-four weeks.

“We are seeing a direct change that has reached as far as end-users and venue owners,” says Julia Mannarino, creative director at 1 Sound. “After experiencing how 1 Sound loudspeakers sound and understanding that it is in

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25 September 2024

USA - Bandit Lites continues its transformation in its Gen8 leadership with the promotion of Sophie Phillips to technical services manager.

Phillips earned her BFA in Lighting Design and Technology from Kent State University. While in school, she worked at Cedar Point, Porthouse Theatre, and was the president of the technical theatre group for two years. She joined Bandit Lites in 2021 as a moving light technician. Now as the technical services manager, Phillips will oversee the entirety of Bandit’s Technical Service Department, a move that she says makes her feel “empowered”.

“I have grown a lot over the last three years and am ready and willing to start a new generation of Bandits,” said Phillips. “Michael T. Strickland is at his core a leader, and his ability to trust people and move forward is a skill. He has taught me that being a ma

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24 September 2024

Spain - The initial phase of Gran Canaria Studios, one of Europe’s largest virtual production stages to date, has been completed, offering an environment for international content producers looking to “leverage Gran Canaria’s film location incentives”.

Located on the 1,200sq.m stage 1 of the Gran Canaria Platos studio lot, the virtual production infrastructure has been designed and delivered by ARRI Solutions, integrator Video Cine Import (VCI), and ROE Visual. The Economic Promotion Agency of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) commissioned the studio to accommodate both independent and high-end national and international productions.

“The film industry is one of the region’s economic pillars; we are very committed to the development of this industry on the island and Gran Canaria is spearheading efforts to become a leading hub for TV and film,” stat

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24 September 2024

France - The Hippodrome de Longchamp pulsed with energy this summer as Solidays Music Festival marked its 25th year, drawing a record-breaking 260,000 attendees. L-Acoustics professional sound systems ensured every beat and every message rang out with crystal clarity.

Solidays isn't just about the music – it's a movement. For a quarter-century, this festival has fused chart-topping performances with raising funds and awareness for AIDS prevention and support. "L-Acoustics has been our go-to choice for Solidays for over 15 years," said Samuel Birais, site manager for B Live, the L-Acoustics certified provider supplying audio for the event. "Their professional sound systems consistently deliver the punch and precision required for such a diverse lineup of artists."

To create powerful, consistent sound over multiple stages spanning from intimate 1,000

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24 September 2024

UK - Assembly is right at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and an integral part of this celebration of arts and culture.

The 2024 event saw Assembly – one of the largest venue operators at the Fringe – operating 26 venues featuring over 240 diverse shows embracing multiple entertainment genres, with lighting managed by Martin McLachlan, Assembly’s Festival Fringe head of lighting since 2018.

This year, McLachlan specified an abundance of Robe moving lights for several of Assembly’s key venues.

The Assembly Festival Fringe operation involves over 90 technical staff (covering sound and stage management in addition to lighting) over a six-week period, which includes two weeks of build and rehearsal before the three-and-a-half-week festival. McLachlan, together with a small team of four, oversees the house stage lighting and cre

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24 September 2024

USA - One of the more unusual events in Soundworks of Virginia’s busy summer concert schedule was the recent show at the spectacular Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC, when the Flaming Lips performed Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots live in concert.

Referring to the title of their latest album, the psychedelic band played two distinct sets. After performing the album faithfully from front to back, they followed up with a typical concert set from their general repertoire. The long-serving band held the stage throughout, with no support act.

Hired by the venue (and working with the band for the first time), Soundworks brought with them Martin Audio’s WPC line array. Nestled in a grove of stately pines, and owned by the town of Cary, Koka Booth Amphitheatre is different. “It seems they cleared just enough of the forested area to plunk do

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24 September 2024

USA - With a Jonas Brothers history that dates back to Joe Jonas’ early tours with the group DNCE, touring monitor engineer Andy Hernandez knows what it takes to keep the brothers’ concerts running. For nearly a decade, Hernandez has been devoted to providing members of the pop band with quality sound and communications at every stop around the globe. When the trio’s team came calling again for the current Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour, Hernandez jumped at the chance to get back on the road.

Hernandez says the planning for this tour was coordinated quickly and that the RF setup is very ambitious. “The group is performing in large sporting arenas, with multiple stages in each. At times when there are guests, there can be as many as 20-plus people performing. So, we need a solution that is robust, provides great performance and also w

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24 September 2024

Canada - CAST Group of Companies reports that it has been certified by Great Place To Work. The award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at CAST. This year, 85% of employees said it’s a great place to work.

"Great Place To Work certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the vice-president of global recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasises that certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that CAST stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees."

“We are thrilled to become Great Pl

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24 September 2024

UK - Based in the Cotswolds region, professional wedding DJ Neil Carter has developed a reputation for delivering bespoke events that live long in the memory of guests, each tailored to the client’s special requirements.

With a remarkable 4,000 events behind him and bookings through to 2027, Carter believes that “you’re only as good as your last show” and works as hard as ever to ensure the complete satisfaction of brides and grooms, and his corporate customers.

“I started 35 years ago doing mainly corporate events in London, but weddings are by far the largest part of my business now,” reports Carter. “More than ever they’re in big venues or marquees and with my previous sound system struggling to cope, I recently took the decision to replace it.”

Following a recommendation from trusted friend and audio guru Julian Rees, Ca

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24 September 2024

Europe - Following the worldwide success of the Rivale Profile which sold over 10,000 units in less than a year, Ayrton has introduced the Veloce Profile, the second ultra-equipped luminaire in its ‘Ultimate’ family, which has been specially designed for use in large spaces.

Veloce Profile is a versatile, IP65-rated luminaire capable of operating in all conditions, indoors and outdoors, including saline-heavy environments. Veloce Profile features a new sealed monoblock 850W high-efficiency LED module, calibrated at 6,500K, which offers a luminous flux of 43,000 lumens with optimum positioning on the black body to achieve perfect light neutrality.

Its proprietary 13-lens optical system offers a zoom ratio of 13:1 and a zoom range from 4° to 52°, its 180mm front lens capable of delivering an ultra-intensive 4° beam.

Veloce Profile, like