USA - Connectivity specialists DirectOut is celebrating a decade as a Ravenna partner with the launch of a limited edition of their EXBOX.RAV AoIP-to-MADI converter. Only 50 units of the anniversary edition will be made, distinctive by its striking Ravenna green livery.
EXBOX.RAV, a popular edition to the well-established EXBOX converter range, was launched in late 2020 based on DirectOut’s proven RAV2 board, also available as OEM product and already adopted by other manufacturers.
Four gigabit ports with an internal switch and PoE, plus three MADI ports in BNC, SC and SFP format offer bidirectional conversion and routing of up to 64 audio channels, with built-in SRC functions (FastSRC™) and automatic redundancy switching (EARS™). In addition to fully supporting R

Europe - Ayrton has announced the arrival of Huracán LT, the latest in its range of long-throw fixtures designed specifically for stadium and arena use.
Huracán LT generates an ultra-intense beam with the utmost precision and is ideal for creating the kind of choreography that is as graphic as it is breath-taking.
Huracán LT can project over extreme distances, targeting a far-off subject with ‘nuance, finesse, power, and true precision’. A 225mm front lens forms part of the proprietary optical system of 13 lenses delivering a 15:1 zoom ratio and an impressive zoom range of 3.5 to 53°. A new, high-efficiency 1000W LED module delivers a record light output of 51,000 lumens at a colour temperature of 6700K, with a CRI greater than 70, and a factory-equipped, removable high-transmission diffusion filter erases the edge of the beam without changing its angle, ensur

Estonia - ERR is the largest media organisation and government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company in Estonia. For its mobile units, the organisation relies on the experience of Lithuanian-based TVC Solutions, who have been designing and coach-building OB vans for over 20 years, and the fit-out includes specifying the most efficient, state-of-the-art technological infrastructure.
A key feature of the latest 12m long 18-camera van (designated ‘OB-1’) is an efficient use of internal space. They were able to create five working areas, and in total 19 separate workplaces on a chassis-based design. This includes: Main isolated equipment racks with redundant cooling system; Shading area (four workplaces); Second programme area (three workplaces); Main programme and slow-motion operators’ area (10 workplaces) and an advanced Audio room with improved sound
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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

USA/UK - The DALI Alliance has published two new technical guides that give more details about the DALI specifications for wireless and IP-based connectivity. One guide examines wireless lighting control with DALI gateways, whilst the other explores the DALI+ specification for providing DALI lighting control over wireless and IP-based networks. Both guides are available for free at www.dali-alliance.org/downloads.
Based on the open global standard IEC 62386, DALI was originally built around wired networks, but has recently broadened its scope to encompass wireless applications. The two new guides set out different ways of using wireless connectivity for lighting control, giving designers the flexibility to match the control system to their specific requirements.

Europe - Back in June, Elation Coffee Break hosts Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif discussed lighting livestreams and other broadcast environments like a pro using the full-spectrum KL Panel LED softlight. But can a softlight do more? A new XL version of Elation’s broadcast-quality luminaire can, the KL Panel XL, and the next Elation Coffee Break is an opportunity to get a closer look.
The KL Panel XL offers the same precise colour temperature control, full-spectrum colour rendering, high CRI and even wash coverage of the original but extends the size, emits nearly twice the power (44,000 field lumens) and offers multi-zone control for dynamic effects. Tune in to the Elation Coffee Break on Thursday, 28 October 11:00 a.m. CEST to find out more. No registration is requi

South Africa - System integration specialists Livingstone Productions have provided a sophisticated end-to-end Audac background music (BGM) system for IntegriSure, one of South Africa’s largest motor and home insurance brokers and its subsidiary company VIA Soft, which specialises in extended IT and administrative systems for financial services.
Based in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, the IntegriSure Group required a reliable and stripped back audio system that would seamlessly blend with their modern corporate environment. As the exclusive distributor of Audac in South Africa, Stage Audio Works (SAW) oversaw the design of the project, the supply of the equipment, and the commissioning of the system before handing back over to Livingstone Productions, who carried out the integration, delivering a solution that places the end-user experience at the heart of the operation, and wi

UK - Jalsa Salana is the annual three-day international gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community which takes place on a 200-acre farm in Alton, Hants.
Over the three days, up to 35,000 people from across the world have traditionally congregated at the location, where the Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMC), Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, delivers a daily address.
Back in 2016, Simon Honywill helped Jalsa Salana celebrate its 50th anniversary by completely redesigning the audio infrastructure around a uniquely Martin Audio set-up. By turning to the MLA platform for the first time he could achieve supreme control and vocal projection in a challenging environment. Since the address itself is in the form of a very quiet and humble series of speeches, sermons and teachings powerful projection is required. There is no music, it is all about speech intelligibili
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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. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

Australia - The sleepy rural town of Kilkivan in Queensland was recently transformed into a hive of activity as thousands of horse lovers - and their horses - descended for the first edition of Cowgirls Gathering; three days of interactive workshops and clinics with educators, trade stalls, competitions, music, art and entertainment to celebrate the western lifestyle of women all over Australia and beyond.
Production specialists Gigawatt Sound & Light based just north of Brisbane were contracted to supply clear, precise audio throughout the festival, which they chose to do with KV2.
The requirement was broad ranging, from background music, to paging, to foreground audio distribution and speech reinforcement. All systems were in use from 7am to midnight every day. Gigawatt’s technical systems manager, Andrew Wood takes up the story: “This was an unusual assignme

UK - Describing itself as ‘the UK's foremost narrative ballet company’, Northern Ballet performs a repertoire that ranges from traditional to contemporary. A key part of its work is taking shows on tour, performing for audiences away from its Leeds base. With touring now resuming, the ballet has looked to the future by investing in two Yamaha Rivage PM3 digital mixing systems. These were first put to use on the world premiere of the ballet Merlin, which started its tour at Nottingham Theatre Royal.
Founded in 1969, Northern Ballet has used Yamaha digital mixers for a number of years, starting with the M7CL. “As a touring company, reliability is of primary importance and we’ve always been really happy with Yamaha in that regard,” says Steve Wilkins, the ballet’s technical director. “We’ve only ever lost one fader and socket through touring damage, where

Canada - To bring a combination of hyper-realistic daylight looks and classic theatrical lighting to the production of Schmigadoon!, director of photography Todd Elyzen, lighting programmer Jason McKinnon and gaffer Bill Kassis deployed more than 200 Martin Professional MAC Encore Performance CLD fixtures supplied by Christie Lites.
Schmigadoon! is a six-episode Apple TV+ streaming series based on the 1947 musical Brigadoon, starring Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who find themselves transported into a golden-age musical. Set in an idyllic mountain village and full of dance numbers and homages to iconic musicals, Schmigadoon! required a combination of realistic daylight illumination and exaggerated theatrical lighting. Since much of the show was shot on elaborate sets with a 40ft-high, 360-degree blue screen for digital set exten

Spain - AFIAL 2021 closed one of its busiest editions in Madrid on 7 October, the event’s organisers have reported. Three intense days before, the trade show highlighted, once again, the capacity of unity, strength and resilience of the AV industry.
AFIAL 2021 was attended by PLASA in the framework of the collaboration that it recently has signed with AFIAL after more than one year of joint effort in the #WeMakeEvents movement - a relationship that will be expanded in the near future with new projects and initiatives.
One of the success stories of this edition was the AFIAL Conecta space, where visitors had the opportunity to attend a powerful panel of conferences, in addition to a comprehensive programme of activities complemented by demonstrations of outdoor sound carried out in the Pavilion of Crystal esplanade, which welcomed visitors interested in knowing first-

Canada - Founded in 1930, Glad Tidings Church has served Vancouver for over nine decades in three different locations. Established in its current location since 1963, the church built a new 1900-capacity sanctuary in 1983 which remains its home today.
Whilst the structure of the auditorium has changed little over the years, it has continued to evolve at a technical level. The most recent development has been the design and installation of a new HALO-C compact line array system from British manufacturer, EM Acoustics.
Recognising the need to replace their aging point source system with something more modern and efficient, Glad Tidings approached Canadian production company and AV integrator, Gearforce, headed by Bryan Adams’ long-term monitor engineer, Rob Nevalainen.
Whilst the touring scene is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nevalainen has turn

USA - The 2021 MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) was back in-person, in style and with a live audience at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York City as the event celebrated its 40th year.
Lighting designer Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design worked closely with a team including creative director Paul Caslin, camera director Joe Demaio and set designer Julio Himede of Yellow Studio. Over 300 Robe moving lights featured.
The Robe count included 204 BMFL WashBeams, 80 MegaPointes and 50 Pointes which graced the rig together with a 16-way RoboSpot remote followspot system.
Last year was Tom’s first lighting this high-profile entertainment industry event and 2020 had also been special as it was the only VMAs to be staged virtually with an array of remote performances.
This year, Tom’s starting point for lighting was Julio’s striking set which included a 45ft hi

USA - ACT Entertainment, the newly-formed entity borne from the merging of the ACT Lighting and RHC Holdings families of companies, will exhibit under its new branding for the first time at InfoComm 2021 (stand 5753).
With a heritage in several key markets such as pro AV, installation, broadcast, touring/live, retail, house of worship, film and television, and industrial markets, ACT Entertainment streamlines all of its brands into ‘a collective, market-focused approach’.
In recognition of this new business objective, the company will be showcasing its recently-launched Just Networking brand, along with MA Lighting, ProCo Sound and Ayrton products, at the show.
“With the entertainment industry among the hardest hit through the pandemic, we recognised the importance of creating one unified, efficient approach to servicing each of our markets as they rebound,

France - When it came time to record the Netflix original French-language film, Oxygène, the audio team had quite the challenge in front of them. The premise of the scientific horror film focuses on a scientist, played by French actress Melanie Laurent, who has lost her memory, awakens, trapped in a medical pod and must find her way out before the oxygen levels diminish.
Given the setting, the pod is used for 90 percent of the film and, with its tight quarters, Production Sound Mixer Ken Yasumoto and Boom Operator Josselin Panchout knew they needed a reliable and unobtrusive microphone solution, which they found in DPA Microphones.
Having small, portable, easy-to-use tools became even more important when the film’s director Alex Aja and director of photography Maxime Alexandre built a second pod for ease of filming some of the tighter shots. Although there w

USA - The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, employs a campus-wide communication system that consists of Riedel's Artist, Bolero and SmartPanels.
The system supports flexible communications and audio transport for live broadcast production of Pitt Athletics events on the ACC Network for ESPN. The decentralised wired and wireless intercom systems enable clear, reliable communications while also providing exceptional flexibility of configuration across campus at all sporting complexes, and multiple studios.
Utilizing multiple Artist digital intercom matrixes, 1200 and 2300 Series SmartPanel user interfaces, and 24 Bolero wireless beltpacks scattered across campus, the Pitt Athletics production team coordinates centralized live sports production for broadcast and streaming. Riedel's Director software coordinates configuration and management of al

UK - On the East coast of Yorkshire, Bridlington is a popular seaside destination for days out and family holidays.
Lacking any major redevelopment for almost three decades, the seafront’s public spaces were in need of regeneration. So in 2019, East Riding of Yorkshire Council embarked on an ambitious £4m project to transform an area between Garrison Square and Regent Gardens, reinvigorating the space with a new, colourful look.
Crucial to the revitalisation plan was the installation of new lighting elements within the communal areas. Lighting design practice, Sutton Vane Associates, was appointed by engineering consultants Sweco to design a lighting scheme that added vibrancy to the site whilst also providing a practical benefit after dark.
To help realise their creative vision for the location, Sutton Vane Associates commissioned outdoor lighting specialis

UK - The hit Starz TV series Outlander has captivated global audiences with its intensely visceral tale centred around time travel. And with the passage of time comes change, which is something that Jon Towler can appreciate as lighting programmer and console operator for the programme.
Towler, of Nineteen Sixtyone began working on Outlander when it debuted in 2013 at the invitation of its HOD gaffer Scott Napie and has been with the programme for all six seasons since. In that time, the show has made a major transition from tungsten and HMI heavy lighting into a rig consisting mostly of LED fixtures.
“Things change, and as technology has advanced, the lighting has transitioned dramatically,” saysTowler. “The biggest surprise to me was how quickly the show embraced LED & wireless DMX. To give you an idea of how dramatically things changed, we st

UK - For the production industry the August Bank Holiday was always going to be the big heave of the re-opening, with Leeds/Reading festival leading the way. That no bad news emerged from the three-day bacchanal means the production industry could give itself a big pat on the back. Not that it was easy, but it was a blast.
“We were all apprehensive,” says Richard Larkum, LD for Biffy Clyro, echoing the sentiments of many. “As it transpired, it was a career defining show.”
Joel Stanley, production manager for Stormzy was equally relieved: “In terms of going from nothing to full-on production it did feel very natural.”
Default sound, IMAG and lights for the main stages came from SSE, CT and Neg Earth respectively. As Stanley observed, “As with Neg Earth and Video Design in our individual production packages, we felt very comfortable and well favoure

Denmark - Motor Stage Automation is a new automation specialist based in Denmark with a strategy to deliver custom and off-the-shelf solutions for entertainment industry clients wanting safe and innovative ways in which to move any element of their shows.
The new start-up launched with an investment of Kinesys Apex 500kg and 1250kg hoists, Kinesys Vector consoles, Mentor controllers and all associated infrastructure, and is a joint venture between Christian Vigsø of Vejen-based rental and dry-hire company, Vigsø, and Blake McNally, who has been involved with numerous creative automation projects, together with Kasper Sønberg who is the venture’s commercial manager.
The two met - initially via LinkedIn - during the lockdown, when both were keen to use the extra time and headspace that this challenging period offered, to enact some positive and productive results

UAE - With offices in Dubai, Sharjah and Doha, NMK Electronics has been appointed L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for the Middle East.
“Our team of pro-audio specialists with decades of experience respond to local demand and also offer technical and design support across the board,” says Dino Drimakis, commercial director at NMK Electronics. “NMK works closely with partners from several market segments of the AV industry. We are thrilled to add a world-leading audio manufacturers to our portfolio. L-Acoustics fits perfectly with our product mix. We also appreciate their drive to consistently innovate and enhance the experience for audiences and end-users. We are proud to bring their innovative technologies to the region.”
NMK’s mission is to increase the demand for high-end audio and to bring the latest technologies to market. To help accomplish

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