The Netherlands - Equipment rental company Ampco Flashlight Rental has made a major investment in Robe's new multi-purpose moving light fixture - the Pointe.

The order for 100 Pointes is due to the current demands of the rental market and the fact that Robe's highly adaptable, super-bright, multi-functional unit is becoming increasingly popular and appearing more and more frequently on equipment riders.

Marco de Koff, Ampco Flashlight's operations manager reports that they were impressed by the functionality of the Pointe, its output, the unique design and the fact that "LD's love them" ... and that having Pointes in rental stock puts them "Right in the front seat".

The first batch of 60 Pointes was delivered to the Utrecht based company by Robe's Benelux distributor Controllux.

It is the first Robe investment by Ampco Flashlight Rental, which also is c

The Netherlands - Adamson Systems Engineering has announced that Stagelight, based in The Netherlands, has joined the Energia Partner programme.

Stagelight's audio manager Robert de Lorijn first used Adamson's Y-Axis line arrays in 2005 while a FOH-tech for Eagles of Death Metal at Pukkelpop & Rock Werchter.

Stagelight-owner Jacco van der Heijden was introduced to the brand when Stagelight provided European support for the 2006 Simple Minds tour.

The sound production company purchased their first Y10-system in 2008 and added Spektrix line source arrays in 2010 and 2012. They recently added Energia E15 line arrays to their Adamson arsenal.

"The Energia E15s are incredible," explains Stagelight owner Jacco van der Heijden. "The sound quality is very clear and direct with many musical characteristics."

"We are delighted that Stagelight has added the

UK - With the sale of an MLA Compact System 36 to Oxford-based W E Audio, Martin Audio has boosted its UK-based network of Multi-cellular Loudspeaker partners to four.

W E Audio's experienced MD, Wayne Barker, has long favoured new technology adoption, and by becoming the first UK customer for this flown Compact system the company has kept that reputation intact.

Deciding it was time to retire their existing front line system he first discussed his options with Tim Bamber, who handles technical sales at the Birmingham office of LMC Audio Systems, the Martin Audio dealers.

Remembers Bamber, "When Wayne initially discussed the possibility of a new loudspeaker system, I believed it had to be a solution that would match the quality of service that W E Audio offers. I knew that an investment in a technology-led, multi-cellular array system such as MLA Compact, as well as giv

Spain - Mojo Barriers has announced Sensei Producciones, as part of Live Nation Barcelona, as its first exclusive Spanish distributor; building on the company's success providing its patented barrier systems across the country.

Sensei's director Kata has worked in the Spanish production industry for over 30 years on major tours and festivals. An admirer of Mojo Barriers' system since it was first developed by John Mulder in Holland in 1988, Kata was announced as official Spanish distributor earlier this month.

Kata comments, "Mojo Barriers are known for being the very best at what they do. There are many suppliers throughout the world who have tried to copy their crowd barrier equipment but there is only one original. They are the first and most trusted crowd safety experts and I'm confident that that every event I put on will be as safe as it can be now that we have thei

Brazil - A major Brazilian country music venue, Villa Country, has installed an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system at FOH. Located in Sao Paulo, the huge club hosts American country music and sertanejo Brazilian country music artists, and has a restaurant and various bars, including a 3500 capacity room where the iLive system has been installed.

The system was spec'd and installed by sound contractor and engineer, Ceara, who evaluated all of the major digital mixers on the market before choosing iLive, selecting an iLive-112 Control Surface and iDR-48 MixRack.

"iLive is so easy to work with, It is ideal for the continual stream of engineers who mix in the venue," Ceara comments. "Plus, the audio quality of the system is second to none, the sound is transparent. As soon as I plugged the system in, I knew immediately it was the one."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Clockwork Audio Systems has recently completed an installation of 75 Multiple ESD series speakers from KV2 Audio on a high profile installation project in the South West of England.

Having conducted a shoot out of several competing brands, Nick Western and Dave Monk of Clockwork Audio settled on the ESD series for its superior sound quality and ease of set up. Nick Western explained, "The KV2 Audio ESD products not only sounded great, but didn't require any external DSP or processing. We also were able to use third party amplification without any issue and as the only passive pro audio speaker on the market utilising an internal analogue delay line, the phase response and overall performance was just brilliant."

Already keen exponents of the Active and Active driven ranges of KV2 Audio products, Clockwork were very aware of the high benchmark for quality set by

Morocco - Everything about the Nice to Meet You tour exudes confidence. This production is not scheduled to begin the arena venues in the UK until October but, rather than start quietly and unobtrusively, Jessie J's first show was to an audience of 50,000 at an outdoor show in Rabat, on the East coast of Morocco. Lighting designer Vince Foster's rig reflects that same sharp and self-assured poise that the artist herself is renowned for.

Aside from the audience lighting of 4 light Mole Strips, this is an all Clay Paky rig, a design choice that Foster has opted for previously. "I took out an all Clay Paky rig with Duran Duran last year; it proved such a success that I didn't hesitate to repeat the choice with this production. I went to Neg Earth with a shopping list stacked full of Clay Paky units with the Sharpy Washes and A.leda right up there at the top.

"Acr

USA - Aviom, manufacturer of the A-16II Personal Mixer has licensed Audinate's Dante digital audio networking technology. Integrating the Dante networking solution into its line of personal mixing products allows Aviom to simplify the connection of its personal mixers to those digital consoles that offer Dante connectivity.

The Dante networking solution is widely accepted among many pro audio manufacturers because it is a self-configuring network that uses standard Internet Protocols over both 100Mbps and 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Set-up is easy, with devices that automatically discover one another and one-click signal routing with user-editable names. Dante has now been adopted by more than 95 OEMs, and is recognized as the most interoperable media networking solution in the market today.

"Audinate's Dante has become a standard in digital audio networking for the pro audio ind

The Netherlands - J&C Joel Limited has announced the opening of its new Benelux office headed up by new appointee Martin van Hekken.

Van Hekken, who lives close to Amsterdam, has been in the theatre and entertainment industry all his working life and has an enviable mix of practical and 'in the field' customer service experience. He will be using his expertise to advise both current and new customers on all aspects of the J&C Joel range including fabric, drapery, flooring, printing, projection screens, tracks and stage engineering.

The opening of the office and the appointment of Martin van Hekken represents a significant commitment to J&C Joel's customer service in the region and we are looking forward to developing existing and new relationships, says the company.

Office Details: J&C Joel Benelux, Kalkoven 16, 9351 NP Leek, Netherlands; T: +31 (0) 5945 14787; F: +31(0) 594

Italy - Built in the early 12th century, the stately Romanesque Cathedral of Sessa Aurunca in Italy, recently installed a Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeaker system to solve a speech intelligibility problem commonly found in highly reverberant spaces.

The cathedral's high, vaulted interior is acoustically reflective, with stone walls and columns surrounding a tile mosaic floor, and hard plastic seating. To bring speech clarity to this reverberant space, two CAL 32 loudspeakers were deployed to focus acoustic energy precisely on the congregation seating area with minimal energy exciting the adjacent hard surfaces. The CAL loudspeakers are adjustable to one degree of vertical dispersion.

"The cathedral is an ancient and historic building, and almost nothing is permitted that would alter the appearance of the interior," says Lorenzo Benigna of system provider Linea

Japan - Martin Audio's MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array) provided coverage for three principal stages at the famous Rock In Japan 2013 in August.

One of the country's largest, and most pre-eminent events, the picturesque Hitachinaka Seaside Park location, bathed in sunshine, was the backdrop for Martin Audio's flagship system to flex its muscles in front of 177,000 people who attended over the three days. And its innovative control solved problems of sound escape that had hitherto proved problematic at the three-day festival.

The system was provided by MSI Japan. At Sound of Forest and Park Stage nine MLA modules and one x MLD Downfill were flown at each wing, along with double stacked MLX centre subwoofers, in six rows. Park Stage returned for the first time since 2011, the year of the great earthquake in the east of Japan - and in both locations, Martin Audio's Display2

USA - Looking to create a new stage ambience for country legend Toby Keith, long-time LD Seth Jackson has become the first production designer to use GLP's new impression X4S LED wash light.

He has specified 83 of the compact 'S' fixtures, which introduce a new level of functionality, incorporating RGBW homogenous colour mixing, a 7 to 50 degree zoom range and high output level within a smaller footprint than the original X4. Supplied by Bandit Lites, they dominate the set for Keith's current Hammer Down tour.

Jackson had been seeking a fixture with the ability to travel in the new Bandit GoGo Truss, a modified version of the 20.5" standard truss, developed by Dizzy Gosnell and Mike Golden (hence 'GoGo'). "We needed the lights to sit in the center of the truss and keep our vertical towers centred with weight," he explains. "GoGo allows the lights to

UK - How do you create a bespoke light unit that can multi-skill as a piece of set with real visual impact, be a versatile source of low level light, achieve different tones of light and colour - and become a dynamic silhouette when lit itself - all without breaking the bank?

The answer, according to Paul Normandale, is to commission a work from Specialz Ltd., the production design and manufacturing house that prides itself on tailoring every job with a sympathetic and knowledgeable eye to the specific requirements of each individual customer.

As both set and lighting designer for the Kings of Leon, Normandale went to Specialz with a very definite blueprint of what he wanted to create. "These units are a theatrical version of old fashioned surgery lights; they are deliberately quite retro in design but of course built on a big enough scale to fit accurately in proportion

USA - Clearwing Productions, a full service production company specializing in audio, light, stage and video support for major concerts and festivals, chose an Outline GTO-based speaker system to provide the sonic thunder at the Miller Lite Oasis Stage for Summerfest 2013.

Dealing with an eclectic range of music acts from Diplo (EDM), Dropkick Murphys (Celtic punk) and Imagine Dragons (rock), to Leann Rimes (country) and Nelly (rap), among others, the Outline system faithfully delivered the essence of each musical genre for eager audiences of up to 15,000 people per show.

"Summerfest 2013 was our first experience with the Outline GTO system and I can say the sound quality was exceptional," says Bryan Baumgardner, audio operations and logistics, Clearwing Productions. "We knew Outline was very good, but the system far exceeded our expectations and worked flawless

Australia - Established in 1982, JMC Academy was originally founded in Sydney to meet the demand for qualified professionals in the entertainment technology industry. Recently, the Academy relocated to a new purpose built three level campus in Ultimo, Sydney.

The PA People were called in to supply and install the audio visual requirements of the campus including the auditorium where a JBL VRX PA system was chosen.

"There are three VRX932LAP speakers per side as well as a VRX918SP subwoofer per side," revealed Brett Steele, project manager for The PA People. "As the auditorium ceiling is quite low, the sub is mounted in behind the three VRX932 boxes to maintain as much height as possible. The client wanted a system that was quite punchy and the VRX certainly delivers."

Four JBL PRX612M speakers have been provided for use as stage monitors. A BSS Soundweb L

South Africa - New Robe lighting fixtures have been installed in the Cape Town home venue of South Africa's renowned and innovative Zip Zap Circus School.

Zip Zap is a registered non-profit organisation, a circus school, a performance and technical training facility as well as being active in a number of youth outreach programmes, all aimed at taking the magic of circus and performance - together with all the elements involved with its presentation - and encouraging, enhancing and enriching people's lives with the possibilities of confidence, inspiration and self-development.

The new lighting in the Zip Zap Dome has been made possible by Robe and its South African distributor DWR, who have come on-board as technical sponsors.

Robe's CEO Josef Valchar, who is passionate about supporting the arts and particularly programs and companies interested in training and sharing skills

UK - The Beacon Arts Centre, opened in January 2013, is one of the finest new arts venues in the UK. It replaces the Greenock Arts Guild Theatre, which served the area well for more than 65 years.

The Beacon is situated at Customhouse Quay in Greenock, overlooking the River Clyde estuary, with stunning views towards the hills of Argyll and Dunbartonshire. The infrastructure of the new Centre has been carefully designed to accommodate the widest possible variety of uses, comprising as it does, a 500 seat theatre, a black box studio space, three large rehearsal rooms, as well as a bistro and bar.

The main stage itself is one of the largest in Scotland and it is anticipated that The Beacon will become a venue of choice for touring productions of all kinds, as well as providing a first rate facility for local community groups. The first spade in the ground, at the commencement of

USA - This summer's premier North American '90s group tour -- Under The Sun - is aptly named, since the five-band show plays in just about every type of venue 'under the sun' during its marathon 36-city sweep. Travelling on tour buses with limited space and having to quickly set up gear to illuminate stages of all shapes and sizes presented some tricky challenges for Ian Staer of Circuit Six, lighting designer for Smash Mouth, headliner of the show, which also features the Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, Vertical Horizon and Fastball.

"We're playing a lot of differently sized venues all over North America, and it's important to me that no matter whether we're on a free-standing outdoor stage or in an amphitheatre, the band looks BIG," said Staer. Although bright, dynamic lights were a must for Smash Mouth's performance, the LD also needed fixtures that were lightweight

UK - The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The museum is a major London tourist attraction, attracting 3 million visitors annually and is world renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions. As well as its many exhibits, the museum provides educational and outreach resources and science shows for schools and community groups throughout the UK. As a multi award-winning corporate event venue, the Science Museum offers large and small scale facilities for conferences, product launches, meetings and exhibitions. Whilst recently considering improvements to the audio-conferencing provision in its Director's Suite, it was to be expected that the Science Museum's authorities would settle for nothing less than the highest quality possib

UK - Now in their 13th year, the Forestry Commission's Forest Live concerts are an established part of the UK's summer outdoor music season. AP Security supplies crowd management and safety services at all seven sites and, this year, their success at these shows saw them specially asked to work at a new event in Northampton.

Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, Blondie, The Charlatans, James, The Script, Elvis Costello, Olly Murs, Jessie J and Jools Holland headlined a total of 23 Forest Live shows through June and July this year, the majority of which were sold out. The nature - both figurative and literal - of the sites hosting combined audiences of over 125,000 presented different challenges to many venues. AP's experience played a major role in ensuring that the family-friendly events enjoyed such a relaxed atmosphere.

"Each site has its own quirks and variables in terms of acc

Belgium - Lighting and visuals designer Luc Peumans from Genk, Belgium based creative practice Painting With Light was commissioned to design lighting for the renowned Summer Opera Alden Biesen's 2013 season

They performed Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto - to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Italian composer's birth - in the beautiful environs of the moated castle of Alden Biesen. The season ran for a month and was, as always, completely sold out.

It was the first time that Peumans had lit a show for the company, which has a great reputation for producing quality works featuring international casts and a leading orchestra. This year's production was directed by the acclaimed Carlos Wagner.

The performance space is covered by an elegant tensile roof with four large vertical king poles, so these and the metal superstructure of the roof to some extent dictates where the

The Netherlands - Aalsmeer, Netherlands based technical solutions and rental company Eventec has recently invested in over 80 new Robe moving lights, including Pointes, LEDWash 300s and MMX WashBeams ... all to keep pace with their busy schedule.

This includes the supply of lighting, video and audio to the Aalsmeer Studio complex for United Broadcast Facilities (UBF) which produces a slew of leading TV shows including So You Think You Can Dance, its junior version The Next Generation, the Dutch Junior Eurovision Song Contest, IQ Test and numerous others.

Eventec's MD Wijnand Mol and his co-director Frans Mulckhuijse also head up the very successful events production operation Liberty Entertainment, for which Eventec is also the principal technical supplier.

In 2012, Eventec purchased 24 Robe LEDWash 300s and six LEDBeam 100s to service that series of

USA - City Theatrical is hosting a series of free webinars on wireless DMX. The first of five webinars in this series is What You Need To Know About Wireless DMX (27 August). In this session you will get a general overview of wireless DMX.

The second webinar in the series is on the SHoW DMX SHoW Baby 5 (24 September) where you will learn how to set up a simple, plug and play wireless DMX system. The third webinar is on City Theatrical's professional SHoW DMX Neo system (29 October). In this session, learn how to set up a complex multi-universe wireless DMX system and to tune it to meet the needs of a professional show.

The fourth webinar is on the SHoW DMX Vero and Vero Net where you will learn how to set up a permanent outdoor architectural wireless DMX system (10 December). The last webinar in the series is Using Specialized Antennas With Wireless DMX

Brazil - For football fans sad at the lack of a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship this summer, the FIFA Confederations Cup provided ample compensation. Hosted by current holders Brazil, the colourful closing ceremony was mixed on a DiGiCo SD8 console.

Seen by many observers as a 'dry run' for Brazil hosting next year's World Cup, the home team emerged victorious on the pitch, beating current World and European champions Spain 3-0 in the tournament final.

Held at Rio's Maracana Stadium, prior to the final's kick off, the closing ceremony demonstrated the city's well-founded reputation for a colourful party. Loudness Sound Rental & Services was tasked with supplying the audio system for the ceremony, choosing a DiGiCo SD8, plus an L-Acoustics PA and Shure wireless microphones and IEMs.

"A big challenge for us was the project only being confirmed very close to t

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