UK - Blitz Communications recently made the decision to purchase a substantial number of the new Clay Paky Glow-Ups. Andy Mahaffey, head of lighting at Blitz's Elstree headquarters, says: "It's true that Blitz have owned Wireless LED uplighters for a good few years; our existing stock from another manufacturer was starting to come to the end of its life. Although still a good product, I felt that the LED market had progressed in leaps and bounds over the last few years so the decision was made to shop around rather than just replace.

"Knowing both Glyn O'Donoghue (MD) and Lee House (technical sales) of Ambersphere Solutions of old, I knew that they would give me 'honest' information regarding Clay Paky products. So I went for a beer with them at PLASA 2013 and then again at PLASA Focus: Leeds and reviewed the products."

So what was the deciding factor in the fin

Italy - As part of a deal signed with Rome's AS Roma soccer club, with which top Italian FM broadcaster Radio Italia became official partner of the club (it also has similar agreements with Inter, Milan and Italy's national soccer team), the radio station recently took delivery of 72 Outline Mantas speaker systems, to be used for pre-match entertainment at the clubs home pitch, the Eternal City's Olimpico stadium.

The set-up comprises 13 stacks, 11 of which have six Mantas vertical line array elements, an Outline DBS18-2 sub and a rack with two of the Brescia company's T5 power amps, while the other two have three Mantas and a sub.

Installed round the perimeter of the pitch prior to matches, four large stacks are deployed in front of each of the two main stands (Monte Mario and Tevere) and two cover each of the two curves (north and south), with one of the small stacks mid-way

Germany - At the beginning of August 2014, the La Folia Baroque Orchestra made recordings on several days in the historic setting of the Palais in Dresden's Great Garden. Experienced recording professionals used carefully selected audio technology components to capture all of the sound nuances at the highest quality level. Microphones from Sennheiser played a decisive role as the first links in the recording chain.

"For these recordings, we are using the best equipment available on the planet," said Günter Pauler who, as mastermind of Stockfisch Records, was primarily responsible for the technical aspects of the recording, leaving the musical management to his colleagues Jakob Händel and Hans-Jörg Maucksch.

The audio experts were in the happy situation of being able to draw on excellent resources when it came to miking. "For four or five years now, I have bee

UK - LarMac Live, XL Video and Star Events Group devised, supplied and provided for 1,300sq.m of screens across the twin main stages at Creamfields last weekend, probably the most extensive use of video on the English festival map this summer.

Designed to appear as if they were floating in the crowd space rather than flanking a festival stage, Star Events Group cantilevered the screens off the front of twin 20m VerTech platform wings, hiding the masts and roof grid supporting the seamless landscape video palettes.

Pete Holdich, head of structures at Star Events, comments: "It took a lot of planning to work out how it could all be achieved. There were 18m by 10m screens either side of both stages with a header linking them across the proscenium and a traditional backdrop screen behind the artist, all mapped together."

Production manager/director at LarMac Live, Ian

South Africa - Southern African Shure distributor Wild & Marr, were recently awarded a gold-plated Unidyne microphone as a mark of appreciation for their 20 year relationship with the company as a Shure distributor.

Shure is synonymous with legendary performance microphones and the Unidyne is one that celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. It the first directional microphone that used a single dynamic mic element and its iconic classic mic appearance has seen it being used by entertainers and celebrities since its introduction in 1939.

Joe Copans, MD at Wild & Marr received the award at a recent distributor meeting with Shure. "Wild & Marr has always been driven to provide integrated solutions," he says, "and in 1994 we were looking for a microphone that would complement our products. Shure has always been a standard of reference in microphones and so I beli

The Netherlands - The Roland VR-50HD multi-format AV mixer has been chosen by Erasmus University as the AV hub of a new purpose built video creation studio at their state of the art facility in Rotterdam.

Acknowledging that a growing trend for 'flip teaching' would affect the way in which their lectures would be delivered in the future, the university took the decision to supply comprehensive video tutorial, web lecture and online learning facilities 'in house'. In order to achieve this, a dedicated AV studio was built at Erasmus, forming part of the Media Support Centre which is the central knowledge point for audiovisual services and communication technology.

The 'flipped classroom' is a form of blended learning in which students learn new content online by watching video lectures away from the classroom. As a result, time in the classroom is used by the teaching staff for p

Germany - Adel Salah Mahmoud Eid El-Tawil, or Adel Tawil for short, is a successful musician, songwriter and producer. He became famous thanks to his work with bands such as The Boyz and Ich + Ich.

For his current tour, Bertil Mark (art director), JoJo Tilmann (image director) and Justus Molthan (lighting director), who together form LesUrbanProgressives, relied on 25 Clay Paky Sharpy Beams and 16 Sharpy Washes, two full-size grandMA2 consoles, one grandMA2 light, two grandMA2 fader wings and four Network Processing Units (NPUs), all made by MA Lighting.

Justus Molthan, who took part in the tour with JoJo Tilmann, explained: "We used both Sharpy Beams and Sharpy Washes on the rig. I already know the Sharpy Beam well, and there is nothing else to add. On the other hand, I worked with the Sharpy Wash for the first time on this tour, and it was a pleasant surprise, especiall

Trinidad - Michael Pereira of Trinidad & Tobago based creative design and engineering practice Streamline Systems enthusiastically specified Robe and Anolis lighting fixtures for a new installation at the landmark night destination Club India Nex 5.0HD in Chaguanas, Trinidad.

This was an integral element of a major refurbishment and technical upgrade to the 800 capacity club which has enjoyed great success and a high profile over the last five years. The owner wanted a fresh new look to ensure they keep at the forefront of trend-setting on the island.

Pereira chose 10 Robin LEDBeam 100 moving lights and two Robe Faze 800 FT Pro hazer for atmospherics; together with 72 Anolis ArcSource 4MC LED fixtures for the ceiling grid, with another 16 used to downlight a set of glass-bead chandeliers.

The LEDBeam 100s are positioned at the front and back of the stage areas and are used i

UK - Monty Python Live (mostly) brought together five of the six original Pythons - John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones - for 10 sell out dates at London's O2 arena this summer. DiGiCo consoles were deployed at both FoH and monitor positions for something completely different.

With an audience of Python aficionados requiring that every word be heard, the challenge of delivering perfect audio for this full-on theatre show in just two weeks was taken on by sound designer Rory Madden and a crack crew. "They're the best I've ever had in 40 years working in the business" he says.

Rory's company Sonalyst also supplied all the sound equipment. His familiarity with the venue - he works on between 15 and 20 shows at The O2 each year - means that he is well versed in what works and what doesn't and his choice of three DiGiCo SD7s (two at

The Netherlands - Mennegat Trading B.V. and Audioprof N.V. have joined forces to further strengthen the position of the Apart brand in The Netherlands. From 17 September 2014, Mennegat Trading will be the exclusive Apart distributor for The Netherlands.

"We are excited to welcome Herjan and his team as our exclusive distributor for The Netherlands. We are convinced that Mennegat Trading B.V. will join us in our vision to grow the market in a sustainable way. We share the same vision on professionalism and dedication towards our customers and the audio business," says Kris Vermuyten, sales & marketing director at Apart Audio.

"Mennegat Trading is delighted to be representing the Apart brand in the Netherlands.", says Herjan Mennegat, director of Mennegat Trading. "Mennegat Trading has built a strong local reputation in this market with contractors and d

South Africa - The Rivers Church in Sandton recently purchased 26 Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams wanting a discreet fixture that could be used for effect and mood lighting. Rivers is part of the Hillsong Family and the church is active with worship services, various projects and seminars and community outreaches.

"There are many reasons why we chose these fixtures," explained Edward Helliwell, head of lighting, "but the main reason is that they are incredibly punchy, small in size but big in effect. They respond well to commands and the pre-programmed effects in them make it easy for our volunteers to use. I also like the three LED Zones that allow for various colour chases.

"We originally looked at getting eight fixtures, but when we saw them in action we felt that 26 would be a better option."

Rivers have built a substantial Robe retinue over the years an

USA - The demands that a large musical variety show can place on a lighting rig are great so when Smoky Mountain Opry in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, sought to replace their aging lighting rig they turned to the versatility and reliability of Elation Platinum Spot 15R Pro and Platinum Wash ZFX Pro luminaires to provide the dynamic color and effect needed to support the high-energy two-hour spectacle.

Featuring a variety of music that spans from rock n' roll to gospel, as well as dancing, aerialists, comedy, magic and more, Smoky Mountain Opry includes something for everybody and the lighting system needs to be able to keep up and transition accordingly.

Smoky Mountain Opry is produced by the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, one of the largest show production companies in the southeast. Technical director for Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment is Marshall Whaley who was lookin

Australia - As the clock ticks down to the January 1, 2015 deadline that will see most existing wireless users vacating their spectrum, the University of Sydney have carefully plotted their exit strategy with Shure and integrator Rutledge AV. A major user of RF devices in teaching and performance spaces, the university was faced with the enormous task of replacing every single wireless microphone device, which are soon to become both illegal and unusable.

"For a university our size, the government changes to frequency laws were a big deal" said Jason Wheatley, manager - Interactive Learning Services at the University of Sydney. "By the time you add all the labour, it's a million dollar proposition. It's a big investment, and one we carefully considered the options for over a long period of time."

Not only did Jason and the team have to replace all of their

Denmark - In the spirit of the current Ice Bucket Challenge craze that has swept the world, SGM has handed down a challenge to its closest competitors to submit their automated lighting fixtures to the ultimate 'soak test' - all in aid of charity.

They have invited Martin Professional, Clay Paky and Vari-Lite to participate alongside their own G-Spot, the world's first waterproof moving head.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity that generally involves dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It immediately went viral on social media during July-August 2014.

"If people can do it, so can products," says SGM CEO Peter Johansen. "After all, these are 'intelligent' lights, so let's see how brave our competitors are in putting them forward."

USA - The Union League Club of New York City was founded by Union loyalists during the Civil War and has grown since then to become one of the city's most exclusive clubs, where the public-minded members of New York's upper class meet away from the bustle of urban life.

Its elegant clubhouse on East 32nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan thus serves as an oasis, and the Union League recently refurbished many of its rooms to add modern audio/visual technology where appropriate. Based on its functionality and rock-solid reliability, AV integration firm Audio Production Services specified an Ashly ne24.24M Protea DSP Matrix Processor and an Ashly ne4250.70 Network Four-Channel Amplifier for the Union League Club's new system.

Although most of the clubhouse areas provide a refuge from technology, club members requested video and audio in one of the large lounge spaces, the nearb

UK - London-based lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting to Festival Republic for several stages at the 2014 Reading and Leeds festivals - Lock Up, Dance, BBC Introducing, Silent Disco 1 & 2, Piccadilly Party, the Action Aid and Oxfam tents plus all of EBCs Bars - plus LED screen for the Dance arena.

Furthermore, 2.5 Km of LED festoon lighting was used to enhance the ambience around the main arena. A team of 10 Colour Sound techs were crew chiefed by the unfazable Andy Melleney at Reading and two artics worth of kit was dispatched from the company's HQ in Park Royal, North West London.

The historically significant and ever-popular Berkshire festival signalled almost the end of another busy summer season for Colour Sound, on which MD Haydn Cruickshank comments: "It's been massively busy again and we have been lucky enough to be involv

UK - Saville Audio Visual, one of the UK's longest established conference and event services providers, will be holding a free to attend event showcasing the latest large screen and digital event technologies for events and conferences. The Saville Event Technology Expo will take place on Wednesday 10 September at the Centenary Pavilion, Elland Road, Leeds between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

The event is aimed at meetings professionals, conference organisers and event planners. Visitors will be able to experience the latest technologies designed to provide maximum impact and engagement at any event.

Saville business manager for Leeds, Ann Seddon explained: "The Pavilion is an excellent venue and offers the opportunity for us to demonstrate our large screen and LED videowall technologies in an authentic environment. Visitors can see exactly how these new technologies can enhance th

USA - Clay Paky Shotlight Wash fixtures really rock. In fact, they took to the stage for two back-to-back concerts in May: the MMR*B*Q, the annual show from Philadelphia rock radio station 93.3 WMMR where Rob Zombie headlined, and the WRFF-FM Seventh Birthday Show where Foster the People headed the bill.

John Duncan of Pinpoint Lighting, the festival lighting designer for both shows, says the same rig stayed in place for MMR*B*Q and WRFF's Seventh Birthday Show at the outdoor Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey. Ten Shotlight Washes obtained from Main Light Industries in Wilmington, Delaware were mounted on the downstage truss for the shows.

"The rig's overall design was a standard festival plot," he says. "It's just that every year everyone wants it brighter. So the Shotlight was perfect for this application."

Duncan had previously used Shotlig

UK - XL Video continued its record breaking summer streak supplying over 2000sq.m of LED screen plus control and crew across eight stages and arenas at the UK's biggest and highest profile EDM event, Creamfields, staged on Daresbusy Estate near Warrington over the August Bank holiday weekend.

It was the largest amount of screen supplied to date to the festival with which XL has been involved for the last five years via creative and technical production specialists, LarMac LIVE. The production values for this year's event were significantly increased following excellent results last year and to keep at the forefront of the vibrant European festival scene.

Three XL project managers - Steve Greetham, Paul "Macca" McCauley and Connie Glover - co-ordinated the project on site due to its scale and the tight timescale.

Around 70,000 dance music fans enjoyed an impressive

Russia - D.A.S. Audio professional systems were recently at Moscow's spectacular Race of Champions Biathlon competition. One of the indisputable stars of the event, D.A.S. systems brought the race to life at the Russian capital's Olympic Stadium, the start and finish line for this urban race. The army of D.A.S. systems installed at the stadium provided crystal-clear sound over the noise of the shooting range and cheers of the 60,000 spectators who packed the venue over the course of the competition.

Perm-based lighting and sound company Lightmaster was contracted to head the sound system design and installation for the event. The sound technicians were faced with the challenge of designing a system that would stand up to the power and magnitude of Moscow's massive Olympic Stadium. After studying the particular features of the venue Lightmaster opted to fly the entire system from

France - A British-made Audient ASP8024 console was first choice for Jean-Christian Maas, owner of Studio des Bruères, a highly spec'd studio situated in a tranquil, yet accessible country location in the French countryside.

Dedicated to the production - and co-production - of artists, Jean-Christian prides himself in offering a different service to that of standard commercial studios. "We prefer to work on projects that we record and mix, so that we can maximize the synergy and efficiency," says Jean-Christian. "The bulk of our work is recommended by word-of-mouth and are mostly jazz and classical music, but more recently we have also had some pop/rock.

"The Audient ASP8024 console is exactly what we were looking for because it suits the way we work in both the analogue and digital domains. We use a wide range of software and hardware outboard and therefo

UK - West London-based lighting and visual rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment supplied over 550 moving lights plus hundreds of other lighting fixtures, rigging and trussing - including for the video elements - to the North and South open air stages at the 2014 Creamfields EDM extravaganza, staged at Daresbury Estate, Near Warrington.

Colour Sound's team was again led by crew chief Jon Rickets, and they all worked closely with creative and technical production specialists LarMac LIVE to achieve spectacular results as the clubbing event, which sold out to its 70,000 capacity, pushed new heights of production excellence. Colour Sound has enjoyed an association with Creamfields since the first event in 1998.

Now a global brand of huge significance in the buzzing world of EDM, this year the line-up included open air stage headliners Avicii and deadmau5 (Saturday) plus Calvin

UK - Riding high on its students' recent exam success - a 100% pass-rate achievement from students completing the Arts Award, for the second consecutive year - Entertainment Workshops (EW), is throwing open its doors to the industry for the EW Open Day, on Monday 22 September from 3.30pm - 7pm.

Entertainment Workshops educates young people of secondary school age, in the technical skills of production, video, audio and lighting, with a view to creating the next generation of technicians, designers and sales representatives for the Entertainment Technology industry. As a charity, EW relies on the support of patrons in the industry to ensure students learn best practices on the latest industry-standard equipment - and so EW welcomes you all to meet the students at this successful time.

The Open Day will showcase the EW charity's students past and present, as they demonstrate com

UK - GMG Network is a new consultancy; a community who work collaboratively and consistently at every stage of the event journey.

Corporate, commercial, local, global, front of house, back of house, consultancy, delivery, advice, support - GMG Network has it covered, says the company.

"GMG has created an environment whereby all those associated with their network can benefit from the knowledge within," says director Matt Green. "Be it an event concept looking for a creative edge, an event planner looking for a technical solution, a conference looking for a sponsor or a roadshow looking for venues. GMG Network is your network."

Having spent years working for others across all aspects of the global live event industry, including a recent period at Eclipse Presentations, directors Matt Green, Jayne McFahn and John Gibson thought "the time was right to c

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