Germany - A year on from the launch of Yamaha's hugely successful CL series of digital mixing consoles, the flexibility of the system's Dante networking will be a key focus of the company's presence at ProLight+Sound 2013.

Exhibiting on Stand F50, Hall 8.0, the advantages of Yamaha digital solutions will be amply shown by the majority of products being integrated in a live Dante network.

The CL5, CL3, CL1 consoles will be on display with the expanding range of i/o options, including the Rio3224-D, Rio1608-D, Ri8-D and Ro8-D. Yamaha M7CLs and LS9s will be included on the network, showing the seamless integration provided by the DANTE-MY16-AUD interface card, as well as Yamaha's industry-leading power amplifiers and the DSR, DXR and DXS series loudspeakers.

Yamaha and Steinberg'

Sweden / USA - Wireless Solution Sweden AB, manufacturer of the W-DMX wireless DMX technology, reports that it has been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to Interlite AB (mother company and patent owner) an invention patent in regards to their new technology for wireless communicating using adaptive frequency hopping (US 8,340,157).

In accordance with the granted patent, it is possible to in a more precise way handle an adaptive wireless environment including a plurality of wireless devices competing for the available bandwidth. Accordingly, this new technology makes it possible to increase the reliability of wireless transmission and control of wireless devices for example used in relation to the entertainment, architectural, commercial, industrial, street and/or event industry.

What this patent means is that W-DMX can now protect this technolog

Nigeria - The Money Drop (Nigeria) is a new version of Endemol's high-tension TV games show and the first such series to be aired on the African continent.

It was recorded in Kew Studios in Johannesburg with lighting supplied by leading SA rental company, Blond Productions.

Robe moving lights - including new Robin LEDBeam 100s, MMX Spots and 600E Beams plus ColorSpot 250E ATs, ColorSpot 700E ATs and 575 XT Scans - were used extensively. The fixtures were a major element of an impressive lighting design by Peter Reick, while Anolis ArcLink optic 4 LED strips were used to illuminate key parts of the set.

Centurion based Blond Productions was involved right from the outset through their close working relationship with Endemol South Africa.

They came up with a staging concept and supplied the full technical production as well as production management and co-ordination,

UK - XL Video UK supplied LED screens, projection system and Catalyst media server control for Rita Ora's first full production tour of the UK promoting her debut Ora album.

The tour's video treatment was designed by Ora's creative producers Bronski (also production manager and FOH sound engineer) and Amber Rimell (also stage director) in close conjunction with lighting designer Andy Iliffe.

It's based around creating big epic looks, lots of movement and interest, as well as working with a series of props to produce a constantly changing visual environment.

Ora supported Coldplay last summer and Bronski was impressed with the service they received from XL's crew on this, so he approached XL project managers Jo Beirne and Macca (Paul McCauley) to help devise a suitable package for the tour.

Pixled's FX-11 indoor / outdoor product was selected - 60 tiles for the main

USA - Multi Grammy Award-winner Barry Manilow returns to Broadway for the first time in more than two decades and this time he's accompanied by grandMA2 consoles. Bandit Lites supplied the grandMA2 ultra-light consoles to the St. James Theatre for the entertainer's limited-run engagement featuring a catalogue of his hits.

Production designer Seth Jackson began using grandMA2 consoles during the programming process. "We did a lot of the programming while the band was on the road, then we had a lot of stuff to re-program and no window to do it all at once," he recalls. "So we did most of the programming with a MA onPC command wing in California during rehearsals. Then we took the MA onPC command wing to New York to do a lot of ESP programming. It was a massive amount of work, and with the MA onPC command wing, it was like having a real grandMA2."

Once settled

Austria - The best ski athletes in the world gathered in Kitzbühel to celebrate the highlight of the World Cup calendar - the Hahnenkamm Race Week from 22 - 27 January 2013 including the renowned Streif downhill.

The "Streif" is considered the most spectacular and dangerous downhill in the world 80m jumps, 85-percent base slope and top speeds up to 140 km / h. The race does not allow any margin of error.

To celebrate the conclusion of the races a VIP party, KitzRacePartywas held, with the top act for this year Gloria Gaynor playing to the crowds.

Austrian L-Acoustics rental network agent, Light and Sound, set up a Kara and ARCS wide and ARCS Focus system for the party. As main PA, Light and Sound specified vertically hanging three ARCS (one focus and two wide) for left and right to cover the dance floor area. Five Kara were flown for outfill and three Kiva

South Africa - In the Pretoria CBD, the South African State Theatre is doing phenomenal work as it produces successful shows which play to full houses. It can be described as a theatre that keeps up with the times. In 2012, it not only appointed a new and passionate CEO, but it was also the start of implementing LED technology to the venue.

When DR Quinton W Simpson was assigned CEO in May 2012, he was open to new ideas to further enhance the theatre including the request to transform the theatre to LED. "I asked if we could start changing to LED due to the power, gel and weight of conventional fixtures," said Simon King, senior lighting technician at the State Theatre.

Soon thereafter, the work began with the two smaller venues first. Robin DLX fixtures and LED parcans were purchased. "We realised that we could not buy LED fixtures alone, we also had to change

UK - A team of intrepid international motorbike riders and vintage car drivers hailing from all sectors of the backstage theatre industry will set off from London's iconic Roundhouse this summer to raise money for The Theatrical Guild (TTG).

The First Night Riders - organised by entertainment equipment engineering experts David and Brenda Edelstein from Triple E - will this year be sponsored to tour Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and the Midlands on motorcycles and in vintage vehicles from 21 to 24 June enabling the First Night Riders to spread The Theatrical Guild word to theatre staff across Great Britain. Their mission includes raising much-needed funds for TTG - the only charity dedicated to looking after the interests of backstage and Front of House personnel.

"The First Night Riders' aim is to provide a fun way to get onto the open road for a good cause," says Bre

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UK - Watched by millions, the 2013 Brit Awards offered an A-list performance-packed show, held in London's prestigious 02 Arena.

Once again Le Mark's high gloss StudioTak studio vinyl was selected for both the beautifully curvaceous cat walk running out into the audience and also used in the after show broadcasts.

With some of the biggest names in the music industry attending and collecting their awards, the set design and production was as seamless and stunning as ever before. StudioTak high gloss floor provided a water-like shimmering reflection, enhancing the set and stage on which it's laid.

Le Mark's Sharon Marshall commented, "So far this year, Le Mark floors have been used on some of the most prestigious award events in the world: the BAFTA's, the NTA's and now the Brit Awards - an incredible achievement for all the team here.

"StudioTak itself is such a f

World - Bloc Party are currently in the midst of their biggest, most ambitious tour to date. The Four tour completed 2012 in Mexico and, so far, 2013 has taken them across the USA then on to Europe, via Japan. The end of February will see the band playing to a 19,000 strong audience at Earls Court before March escorts the tour down to Australia and the Far East.

The lighting design reflects the band's persona; direct, clean, sharp and uncompromising. Rob Sinclair, designer of both set and design sums it up succinctly, "Set, light and lasers exist as a whole, unified visual force." A designer with names such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Peter Gabriel and Pulp under his belt, Sinclair is straightforward about his choice of lights for the show: "I've been using Clay Paky products on a regular basis since I first programmed a show with four Golden Scan Mk1s in 1992!&q

Singapore - Allen & Heath's Indonesian distributor, Sindo Exports Pte Ltd, recently supplied Allen & Heath GLD digital systems to Singapore's Wala Wala live music club and Cleopatra karaoke nightclub.

Founded 20 years ago, Wala Wala started hosting live music acts 10 years later following the refurbishment of its first floor storage area. A relatively small live room, the original sound reinforcement system suffered from poor sound quality when the levels were increased so Wala Wala's management appointed an audio technician to mix the 11 weekly acts.

"Having decided to recruit an engineer in Mark Jason, we then realised that the club needed a sound system," commented operations manager Maniam Krishnan. "Bands previously mixed themselves, which was a little inconsistent as some would be too loud and others were inexperienced."

"Wala Wala previously h

UK - German-based optical fibre network specialist, Optocore GmbH, has appointed Sound Network as its new distributor in the UK.

Based in Central London, and suitably placed to serve the broadcast, theatre, install and touring segments of the market, Sound Network see the move as a logical fit. "The Optocore product line dovetails perfectly with our existing product mix and we look forward to introducing customers to the benefits of this impressive solution," stated director Ralph Dunlop.

Optocore sales & marketing director, Tine Helmle, agreed. "With our growing penetration of both large scale events and the permanent installation market we are delighted to be partnering with such an experienced and well qualified company."

Dunlop added that his company had held an interest in the Optocore product line for several years. "In 2012 we felt we had the

Czech Republic - Registration is now open for Showlight 2013, the event organised for lighting designers by lighting designers, that takes place only once every four years. This year's event, say the organisers, exceeds all previous expectations as we invite you to join us at a beautiful fairy-tale castle in the Czech Republic, home to our sponsors Robe, on Saturday 18 - Tuesday 21 May 2013.

Three days of papers from renowned international lighting designers, an afternoon of visits, which includes the castle's very own baroque theatre, and discussion with manufacturers of the highest quality lighting equipment are included. There's also the opportunity to visit the Robe factory after the close of Showlight.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Super Bowl XLVII was a memorable game, but the full Super Bowl experience started well before kickoff with a pair of live pre-game concerts broadcast on VH-1 and CMT where Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800s and grandMA2 light consoles played key roles.

VH-1 and the NFL joined forces to celebrate the Super Bowl with Train headlining on Friday night. CMT and the NFL partnered the following evening on a Crossroads special starring superstar country band Rascal Flatts and iconic rock band Journey. Both concerts were held at The Sugar Mill in New Orleans, which seats 4,000-5,000 fans.

Atomic Lighting of Lititz, Pennsylvania provided 40 Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800s and a pair of grandMA2 light systems with wings for the concert series. PEDG was the production design team collaborating. Bob Pederson was acting lighting designer on the broadcast truck.

"Atomic had suggested u

UK - Richard Martin Lighting has added the Chromlech Jarag-L to its already extensive inventory and they are available for hire here now.

The Jarag-L provides the performance of a conventional lighting array with the ability to create unlimited lighting effects. All the electronics required (dimmers and controls systems) are built in, making it simple and easy to use.

It provides a complete range of originally shaped lighting instruments and accessories specially conceived to give a broad spectrum of visual effects with unlimited scope for setting up designs. The system is modular and is made of units with individually controlled lamps. This fully integrated, programmable multiple light source system is a simple means of producing lighting effects.

The controller is built into the unit ready to use. Patterns and video textures can be programmed into the system and videos can

UK - The Schools' Theatre Support Group (STSG) held their fourth conference in February, sponsored by White Light, Charcoalblue, Stage Electrics and AC Entertainment Technologies. The successful event was attended by technicians and managers from schools around the country. The conference, held at Hampton School in S.W. London, included workshops and seminars by Delta Sound, Flints Theatrical Chandlers and Charcoalblue Theatre Consultants.

The STSG is a small, but established network of professional theatre technicians, designers and managers working in UK school theatres. The annual conference is the main focus of the Group, bringing together its members with suppliers and leading industry practitioners. The next conference is planned for February 2014 at The Leys School in Cambridge.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) supplied a ground support system, lighting equipment, production design and crew for the first ever Jazz FM Awards, which celebrated the work of jazz musicians, composers and contributors from across the globe.

Staged at One Marylebone in London, CSE was working in conjunction with Insight Lighting and production company Swim Productions.

CSE's Project Manager Fletch collaborated with creative director Brendan Clarke from Insight Lighting to create the lighting and production design for the much anticipated event, which saw several live performances from Cerys Matthews, Carleen Anderson, Ahmad Jamal among others.

The main room featured a stage and seated a capacity audience of 268 for dinner, and there was also a reception area that needed lighting.

The CSE team started with the installation of the four legged ground support system - meas

UK - Projection artist Ross Ashton from London UK based The Projection Studio created a special giant video artwork, Spiritus on the front of All Souls Church, Cheriton near Folkestone in Kent for the 2013 Cheriton Lights Festival.

Ashton was commissioned to produce the piece by production company Strange Cargo and collaborated with sound artist Karen Monid who produced a special accompanying soundscape.

All Souls, which stands at the end of the High Street and was consecrated in 1895, is a fairly conventional parish church of its era, however it has the unusual feature of four stained glass windows depicting the four Archangels - Gabriel, Michael, Uriel and Raphael.

Ashton and Monid took these windows and the vivid colours of the peacock feathers making up their wings as the starting point of their concept.

The idea was to produce a two centre piece which worked bo

Germany - For the first time in many years, Nexo will host an acoustic demo booth on its real estate, combining technical presentations in the Nexo Academy with live demonstrations of its new LS18 sub with classic PS Series cabinets. Overhead, the flown line arrays will include three different configurations of Nexo's flagship modular line array STM, and, for the first time, the new LS18 sub flown inline with an array of Geo S12.

Nexo will present three new products at the PL+S show this year, as well as ongoing refinements to the STM Series and its accessories.

With the launch of the LS18 subbass cabinet, Nexo brings new versatility to two of its best-selling product ranges. The LS18 is compatible with both the Geo S12 line array and the PS Series cabinets, and will please Nexo customers with its agreeable price:dB ratio, says the company.

As the order book for the STM Seri

South Africa - The upgrade and installation of a Philips Strand dimming system at The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, is now complete.

The Baxter Theatre at the University of Cape Town purchased their new Philips Strand Wallrack Dimmer units from DWR Distribution. "As time allowed and as the venue became available, the old dimmers were steadily replaced," commented Dave Whitehouse from DWR.

"We chose Strand because it is a trusted name in theatre lighting," said Patrick Curtis from The Baxter. "The linkage to Philips is a positive development, but mostly we chose the product because we are assured of 100% backup from DWR."

"We would like to thank Patrick Curtis from The Baxter for the opportunity to work on this installation," ended Whitehouse.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Since breaking into the UK music scene in 2009 with three top 20 singles, Paloma Faith has had two platinum-selling albums. Currently in the midst of an extensive UK tour, her FOH engineer, Huw Richards, is working on a DiGiCo SD10 with SD Rack.

"I instantly liked DiGiCo the minute I used one of their consoles," Richards admits, during soundcheck at London's Hammersmith Apollo. "Whatever the model, you're getting real value. Be it the great EQ, the excellent pre-amps - the list goes on - everything you're working with is always the same quality as the flagship SD7, which you really can't argue with."

Richards likes the SD10 for its functionality, user interface, and overall sound quality. "DiGiCo is always great for channel count; I'm running 54 channels here on my SD10, and what's also really handy is having 12 faders in each fader bank rather th

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