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20 May 2025

Europe - tarm, one of the pioneers in the show laser industry, is entering the world of professional lighting technology with the tarm Blaze, its first beam moving head with laser light source. The company, which has been known for many years as an expert in high-quality laser systems and laser technology, is now applying all its knowledge and experience to moving heads with laser light sources.

The first product, the tarm Blaze, is a beam moving head with a 100W laser source. It is characterized by an extremely narrow beam, which achieves an expansion of only 0.7°. This low angle ensures that the light output is maintained even over a very long distance, making the beam visible over long distances.

The tarm Blaze is a beam moving head for special effect accents and was specially designed for outdoor use with its IP66 rating. Its metal housing makes

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20 May 2025

UK - Penn Elcom has launched Case Designer 2, a new version of its software platform for the streamlined all-in-one design, costing and production of high-quality flightcases. v2 features a completely rebuilt software stack and is subscription-based.

Case Designer 2 builds on the success of global manufacturer Penn Elcom’s original v1 Case Designer flightcase design software. It offers an agile, fast, and user-friendly build-and-order programme that optimises flightcase construction utilising Penn Elcom’s extensive range of robust and reliable hardware components.

The programme offers improved performance from v1, an intuitive interface, and expanded hardware compatibility with real-time 3D rendering, STP file support, and links to Penn Elcom’s continuously updated component database.

New Case Designer 2 features include the support of

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20 May 2025

‘Absolute Losers’ - Sir Elton John described the government as "absolute losers" and said he feels "incredibly betrayed" over plans to exempt technology firms from copyright laws. Speaking to the BBC, he said if ministers go ahead with plans to allow AI firms to use artists' content without paying, they would be "committing theft, thievery on a high scale".

Last week the government rejected proposals from the House of Lords to force AI companies to disclose what material they were using to develop their programmes. A government spokesperson said that "no changes" to copyright laws would be "considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators". Generative AI programmes mine, or learn, from vast amounts of data like text, images, or music online to generate new content which feels like it has been made by a human.

Sir Elton said th

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19 May 2025

Middle East - EM Acoustics has announced its partnership with 7Hertz, a prominent supplier of audio technology across the Middle East. This partnership will strengthen EM Acoustics’ reach into new markets and bring the brand’s portfolio of loudspeakers, including point sources, line arrays, subwoofers and related electronics, to new audiences.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with 7Hertz, who are truly aligned with our ethos in terms of their expertise and their commitment to quality,” says Roger Harpum, business development manager at EM Acoustics. “We are excited to introduce our product portfolio to this rapidly expanding market with such an outstanding operation, and we trust in Chadi, John, and the expert team at 7Hertz to uphold our high standards.”

Established in 2009, 7Hertz is a leader in the professional audio market

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19 May 2025

Thailand - Sennheiser participated in the 11th Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference as the official audio partner. Held in Bangkok, Thailand from 13-14 March 2025, this event brought together global policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders to address the most pressing spectrum issues shaping the future of wireless communication and connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region. This event is part of The Global Spectrum Series, the world’s largest collection of regional spectrum policy conferences.

Sennheiser has been an active participant and sponsor of the Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference since 2013, promoting the inclusion of PMSE (Programme Making and Special Events) in spectrum policy dialogues and, more specifically, highlighting the inherent need for allocation of frequency bands to operate wireless microp

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19 May 2025

USA - When the world’s biggest names in electronic music came together in Miami to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ultra Music Festival, expectations were naturally high. Fortunately, The Activity, along with trusted lighting partner TAG and cutting-edge gear from Elation, came fully prepared to deliver a Main Stage experience worthy of its celebrated legacy.

Held at Bayfront Park March 28-30, Ultra Miami’s 2025 Main Stage performers read like a who’s who of DJ names – Dom Dolla and John Summit, Alesso, Afrojack, Tiesto, Hardwell, Skrillex, Armin van Buuren, Zedd, Martin Garrix, and others. Tasked with managing the technical design of Ultra’s Main Stage, Patrick Dierson and the team at The Activity juggled artistry, technology, and logistics to deliver a flawless production.

“We knew going into it that this show had to

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19 May 2025

South Africa - Founded and headed by the charismatic Kagiso Moima Wa Masimini – KG to those who find the pronunciation a little complex – Blackmotion is a busy, innovative, and well-respected technical production and rental company based in Kew, Johannesburg.

KG’s passion for lighting has driven the company’s successful path since 2005 and there are now over 100 Robe moving lights in its inventory, which has been part of the success, and these fixtures are constantly busy servicing a range of high-end corporate, business, and social events.

Backmotion invested in Robe right from the start. In 2005, and for the next four years, KG was initially focused on lighting design work. The trajectory shifted around 2009 when he started purchasing kit, and the first moving lights – six Robe ColorSpot 250E ATs – joined the company.

KG continu

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19 May 2025

USA - Sound Image, a Clair Global brand, has been chosen to integrate audio, video and data into the new Frontwave Arena, the first of its kind in Oceanside, San Diego County.

The 7,500 capacity, 170,000sq.ft space is home to local sports organisations San Diego Clippers (basketball) and the San Diego Sockers (soccer) and features a high-end sound system that reaches every seat while steering clear of sight line interruption, ideal for sports production. The Gold Over America Tour (GOAT), led by the world's most decorated gymnast, Simone Biles, brought athletic prowess to this court for the venue's first sports tour event.

Sound Image project manager, Hans Haas, oversaw the design and implementation of the project. He comments: "This part of San Diego County has never had a venue like this, and it has already become a great activity hub for

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19 May 2025

UK - Essential Event Management (EEM) is a full-service events organiser with a growing client base of faith-based organisations and charities. Peter Purkiss is lead events production co-ordinator at EEM and trialled the UNiKA Pro Series DIs on the recommendation of UK distributors AUX Import.

Purkiss comments: “At EEM our work is varied. Anything from single smaller meetings to tours, roadshows and festivals. I am interested to try new audio solutions, especially when recommended by Mike and Callum at AUX Import, and the UNiKA DIs looked right, felt solid and were reasonably priced. A lot of our stages are acoustic guitars and keyboards oriented, and the UNiKA DIs sound great for this. We now have every Pro Series DI model with a jack input.”

Mick Brophy, business development manager at Mega Audio adds: “It’s great that EEM has adopted the U

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19 May 2025

USA - Elation invites lighting professionals to ‘break the rules and blaze their own path’ with the new Rebel Series. Elation has introduced the first in the series, the Rebel Profile, a powerful, compact LED profile fixture with IP65 rating engineered for attention-grabbing visuals in both indoor and outdoor applications.

“Rebel is all about breaking free from traditional norms and embracing bold innovation," said Matthias Hinrichs, product manager at Elation. “The Rebel Profile was created to answer the demand for a versatile, rugged fixture that offers both high intensity and adaptability. Built for rental houses and designers who need fixtures that can do it all in indoor or outdoor settings, Rebel brings top-tier results and long-lasting value without the premium price."

The Rebel profile is highly adaptable, utilising a high-output LED

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19 May 2025

USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced the immediate availability of Martin P3 System Controller Software 6.2.0, featuring the powerful P3 Visualizer Protocol. Designed to integrate seamlessly into the Martin P3 ecosystem, this new update significantly enhances the visualisation capabilities.

The all-new P3 Visualizer Protocol enables lighting designers, programmers, and system technicians to integrate third-party 3D visualisation software with the Martin P3 System Controller, creating an end-to-end solution. By enabling real-time sharing of comprehensive fixture data – including video pixels, patch details, and more – visualisers are now able to flawlessly replicate real-world fixtures, whether driven by lighting consoles, P3 controllers, or both simultaneously.

Designed for ultimate ease-of-use, the software’s plug-and-play functio

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19 May 2025

USA - Matrox Video has announced its participation at InfoComm 2025 in Orlando next month.

At booth 2821, Matrox Video will showcase the Matrox Mura DVW appliance, a powerful IP-based 4K distributed video wall appliance that lets integrators scale out synchronised video walls by simply adding more units. Mura DVW supports a wide range of streams, including one 8K60, four 4K60, or 16 1080p60 feeds using H.265 or H.264. Additionally, Matrox Video will present its new LUMA Pro A380 Octal graphics cards and Mura C4K Quad HDMI 2.0 capture cards with HDCP 2.3 support.

Making its InfoComm debut is Matrox Avio 2, billed as the world’s first NMOS-aware, open standards-based IPMX/ST 2110 IP KVM extender. Delivering ‘superior image quality and performance’, Avio 2 supports up to 4K resolution with a choice of uncompressed or compressed video options on ei

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16 May 2025

Europe - In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Dante developer Audinate Group has announced a collaboration with the Netherlands’ Het Nationale Theater and XRAI to implement AI-enabled smart glasses with real-time subtitles for theatre-goers. GAAD promotes digital access and inclusion for more than one billion people with disabilities or impairments.

Starting this autumn, attendees at select performances by Het Nationale Theater in The Hague and on tour, including those who speak little or no Dutch or have hearing loss, can wear smart glasses for free that display subtitles in different colours to indicate which actor is speaking. Affectionately dubbed ‘LiveText’, the official launch is scheduled to take place at the end of June during the Holland Festival, the largest international performing arts festival in the Nether

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16 May 2025

UK - The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has outlined ways industry can raise awareness and find solutions to the skills gap - the primary focus of Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD) 2025 on 12 June.

GLAD, upheld by the theme Lifting Careers, Building Futures, is dedicated to tackling the growing skills shortages across the lifting industry and promoting practical tools to attract new talent. The day is a launchpad to inspire the next generation to explore careers in lifting.

LEEA will exclusively reveal the findings of its State of the Lifting Industry survey on GLAD. However, it has urged members and other stakeholders to create their own campaign contributions that can be submitted in advance and promoted via LEEA platforms on the day. LEEA wants to hear directly from the lifting industry about what they’re alre

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16 May 2025

Germany - Acoustics and media technology consultancy ADA Acoustics & Media Consultants GmbH (ADA-AMC) has officially been renamed WSDG Berlin GmbH, marking the next step in the company’s evolution and deeper integration into the international WSDG network. The change took effect at the end of March 2025.

Founded in 1990 by acoustician Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ahnert as ADA – Acoustic Design Ahnert – the company has been a pioneer in the fields of electroacoustics, acoustic simulation, and AV system design. Since 2017, WSDG has held a majority stake in the Berlin-based firm and has played a key role in shaping its development. The name change underscores the continued collaboration and alignment with the global WSDG organisation, while preserving the engineering excellence and values established over more than three decades.

“This new name refle

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16 May 2025

Spain - A football final is always a moment of high emotion – but when light joins the game, the experience becomes unforgettable. That’s exactly what happened at the 2025 Copa del Rey Final, where more than 60,000 fans at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville and 8m viewers around the world were treated to a jaw-dropping lighting show that set the tone for a night to remember.

The creative force behind this spectacle was Juanjo Llorens, one of Spain’s most respected lighting designers, whose recent book on lighting as an evolving craft sparked wide acclaim. His approach to the opening show was clear: use light not just as illumination, but as narrative. And to achieve that, he relied on a powerful combination of 60 Ayrton Cobra and 50 Ayrton Perseo Beam fixtures.

Llorens’ design concept was rooted in movement, emotion and impact, as it built

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16 May 2025

USA - On Sunday 13 April, Chase & Status brought their musical kingdom to California, transforming Coachella’s massive Sahara Stage into a giant dance club with their signature sound and guest appearances by stars like Stormzy. Enhancing the vibe and energizing the entire stage was a production designed by High Scream, with management by NTRP, programming by Olly Walker, and onsite lighting by Elliott Mountford of Ti²² Design.

The lighting element of this dynamic stage panorama drew on the intense output of 172 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Of these units, 104 were Color Strike M motorised strobe washes, part of the Sahara’s house rig, supplied by Volt. The remaining fixtures, part of the Colour Sound Experiment supplied floor package, featured 48 Color Strike M and 20 Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures. The impressive collection of Color Strike M

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16 May 2025

UK - The Theatre nominations for The Profile Awards 2025 have now been published on the TPA website. The Theatre section is judged by eight of the UK’s leading theatre, dance and opera critics chaired by David Benedict (Variety). Every single new production seen is automatically eligible for consideration and, as each judge may see around two hundred shows over the year, that is a significant amount of work that gets covered. (https://profileawards.com/theatre-nominations-2025/)

The Profile Awards Theatre Sponsors are:

@chauvet_pro  - Outstanding Achievement in Theatre Award

@elationlighting - Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award

@elctronictheatrecontrols - Outstanding Achievement in Opera Award

@fix8group - Outstandi

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16 May 2025

The Netherlands - The three-night Ladies of Soul show landed at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in April, backed by a series of LED screens and LED strips with Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers belting out live camera feed and pre-made content.

Dutch singers and musicians Edsilia Rombley, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Berget Lewis and Candy Dulfer starred in the productions, with a host of international guests including Sister Sledge, Robin S and Rose Royce celebrating the Ladies of Soul.

“We deployed our Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers because they were the models that could handle the multiple layers, three mixes, main screen content and masks, and much more,” explains Kevin Buysse from Tenfeet, which has delivered video for Ladies of Soul for more than a decade. “The show was built around the four main Dutch performers

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16 May 2025

Switzerland - For Stagelight, a Swiss event design company, Vectorworks Spotlight is the central tool for overcoming the increasingly complex requirements in the event industry. The firm relies on the software from the first sketch to detailed specialist planning to the final execution.

With consistent 3D planning, customer-oriented visualizations, and modern exchange formats such as MVR and GDTF, the company relies on efficiency and precision. In the shadow of the spotlight, the company ensures that despite hectic last-minute changes, everything runs smoothly, and the stars can offer their fans an unforgettable experience.

Head of light Stefan Rüttimann, who has been working at Stagelight for 17 years, described Vectorworks as the ultimate "all-in-one" tool. “From the first draft to the final execution – we do everything in Vectorworks: stage,