UK - Wigwam Acoustics has implemented DiGiCo and Optocore's latest software to build the first Multiplexed DiGiCo Fibre Ring systems for use in the live environment, which in addition to audio, also incorporated video transport. Deployed on Top Gear Live and the annual Hillsong Conference Europe, the systems allowed a range of DiGiCo mixing consoles and Optocore devices to work seamlessly together.

DiGiCo is the only console manufacturer to benefit from OEM Optocore and is running the native 2.21 Optocore protocol. Launched at ProLight+Sound in March, the system allows Optocore devices to seamlessly function on a DiGiCo optical loop. This allows, for example, Optocore X6R and V3R mic preamps to be controlled directly from DiGiCo consoles.

"Being long term associates of both Optocore and DiGiCo, we are keen to embrace the technologies afforded to us as they progress

UK - BroadWeigh's exclusive UK partner, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (Rigging Division), has announced the supply of three full kits of 12-point load monitoring to UK-based Load Cell Rental, in a major deal to kick start the company's wireless equipment hire offering.

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point.

Central to the design of the BroadWeigh system are Crosby shackles equipped with a high accuracy, wireless load pin that reports data remotely to a computer or a handheld display. The system is able to monitor multiple load cells and can trigger an alarm should a load exceed a preset parameter.

Load Cell Rental's BroadWeigh wireless package includes 36 of the 4.75 to

USA - From touring sound to special event projects and everything between, Northeast Ohio's Aggressive Sound offers a full range of services, including sound, lighting, and video equipment rentals as well as the engineers needed to manage the equipment.

The company operates both locally and internationally, with the bulk of the company's business taking place throughout the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. As the company expands its operations, the ability to have a sizeable equipment arsenal available to handle a wide range of projects is essential. That's why, for live sound reinforcement, the company relies on loudspeaker systems from Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio.

Over the past three years, Aggressive Sound has invested in a variety of D.A.S. Audio equipment, including products from the company's Aero Series 2 and Action Series catalogues.

Jeff Ha

Canada - Cypress Mountain is a world-class resort for all forms of winter sports and leisure. Located just outside Vancouver on Canada's west coast, it was also host to the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Allstar Pacific Integration Media Solutions based in Vancouver was asked to find an audio system solution for the Patio Ski and Snowboard Park at Cypress Mountain. As the weather can include sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow, rain and direct sunlight, all within a 24-hour period, careful consideration had to be taken to find loudspeakers that could withstand these extreme conditions and ensure good performance for both music and speech applications.

After detailed evaluation, Myk Shaflik, Allstar Pacific's system engineer, felt the Community R.5-99 was the best fit, both from a performance perspective as well as ease of installation. Desi

USA - In only a few short years, French artisanal bakery Maison Kayser has opened five successful bakery/café locations in New York City that complement its dozens of locations throughout Europe and Japan. Its US licensees have taken care to make every aspect of Maison Kayser NYC resonant with the brand's international prestige, and, as a result, its French-trained bakers and upscale service and atmosphere have raised the bar in The Big Apple.

High-fidelity sound is an important component of that atmosphere, and local AV integrator Essential Communications specified Ashly Audio integrated signal processors/amplifiers to deliver high fidelity with 24/7/365 reliability.

"This client is understandably particular and demanding," explained David Schwartz, owner of Essential Communications. "Canned music through a stereo wasn't going to cut it. Added to the cha

USA - Robe's Cyclone combined LED washlight / fan fixtures literally joined thousands of excited fans of Pittsburgh's National Hockey League (NHL) team - the Pittsburgh Penguins -for the all-important players entrance at their 2014-15 season opening match.

This was part of a spectacular pre-show event staged at the Penguins' CONSOL Energy Centre home venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The opening match show was lit by Kevin Hogan from Process of Illumination, LD to the Penguins' shows since 2005, and broadcast on Root Sports and the NHL network.

The four Cyclones were placed in the runway tunnel used by the players as they come onto the ice. At the start of the match, the tension builds and the players each make their individual entrances onto the ice.

On this occasion, they emerged from the corridor through a fog screen with a special 'Pittsburgh Penguins' animation pr

Australia - Qlight Technical Resources in Brisbane has chosen 48v MM-4XP's with the MPS-488 power supply. The MPS-488HP IntelligentDC power supply delivers power and balanced audio to up to eight Meyer Sound loudspeakers that require an external DC power supply. The single-space 19-inch rack MPS-488HP can be used with a number of products that feature IntelligentDC technology, such as: the UPM-1XP ultracompact loudspeaker, MM-4XP miniature loudspeaker, MM-10XP miniature subwoofer, and UPJ-1XP and UPJunior-XP loudspeaker.

Qlight is often tasked with providing paging and programme audio services to acoustically difficult locations as part of its event communications," says Qlight technical resources MD, Matthew Strachan. "We were seeking a product with superb clarity for the spoken word, and the MM4-XP really delivers that.

"Even in extreme circumstances, we have

Croatia - Rock band Prljavo Kazaliste recently played a sold-out concert at the prestigious Pula Arena - a historical landmark only made available for performances to a handful of selected artists - and this gave their regular lighting designer Sven Kučinić the chance to use Robe Pointes and MMX Spots to great effect.

Zagreb based Sven, the MD of Croatian rental and production company LumiLas LLC had a completely open brief for the lighting and stage design which also included the video concept. He wanted to make the arena look modern and high tech for the occasion, whilst also retaining a heritage feel to the show as appropriate to the surroundings.

The magnificent arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders completely preserved. It was constructed in the first century AD during the reign of E

UK - For several years, UK-based Yes Events has been investing in Elation Professional products to service a wide variety of applications from outdoor concerts to opera and corporate events. The most recent outing for some of their Elation units saw Platinum Series moving heads deployed for a corporate awards night at the exclusive Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking. Products used included Platinum Spot 5R Pro, Platinum Beam 5R Pro, Platinum Spot 15R Pro, and LED-based Rayzor Q7 moving heads.

Yes Events managing director Nick Ratcliffe explains why Elation is their choice. "The Elation units provide great performance and are very reliable at a price point that makes them extremely competitive against other brands," he says.

In this recent application the Platinum 5R Spots and Beams were used on various flown trusses, providing dynamic awards lighting and room wash. The L

Australia - Dance floor specialists Harlequin Floors has announced a commercial and artistic tie in with Melbourne City Ballet.

Announcing the news, Harlequin's group marketing manager, Mark Rasmussen said, "The innovative partnership brought together the commitment of an enlightened manufacturer with an artistic dance company, both driven by an obsession with excellence in their respective fields."

"Dance floors are where dancers perform and rehearse and indeed spend much of their working lives. As a manufacturer, it is our aim to provide floors and dance surfaces which inspire confidence in dancers to fully explore their artistic creativity without any fear of slipping, falls or even longer term injury."

Melbourne City Ballet is described as "The city's newest and most exciting Neoclassical Company. A dance company based on new ideas; where indepen

USA - Continuing a series kicked off at InfoComm MEA in October, Audinate and Bose Professional will hold their next session of the AV Networking Roadshow - focusing on Dante technology - at the Holiday Inn Midtown - Embassy Ballroom in New York City. The session, titled Introduction to AV Networking, is a one-day session on 19 November, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by Bose Professional and Audinate, with support from Attero Tech, Audio-technica, and Digital Audio Labs.

Intended for AV and IT professionals who have a novice or intermediate understanding of AV networking, these sessions expose attendees to the current state of audio networking and control for AV systems, emerging technologies and trends in AV networking.

The instructor-led training uses a variety of components from Bose and other participating manufacturers, and provides an opportu

South Africa - DWR Distribution is offering the industry the annual Prolyte Rigging Course, presented by Rinus Bakker from Rhino Rigs. Due to popular demand an extra day for practical training has been included extending the course from five days to six.

Delegates are welcome to join DWR at their Johannesburg premises from the 2 - 7 February 2015 and on 9 - 14 February 2015.

"We are hosting the course for the same price as last year and it will once again be subsidised by DWR and Prolyte," explained Robert Izzett from DWR. "The last day will be a practical day, it's what people have been asking for."

The internationally recognized course includes certification. Delegates, who attended the course in previous years without passing the final examination, are welcome to rewrite the exam at no extra cost.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Engage Production Ltd's FLUX Innovation Lounge is set to unveil the latest LED innovations from LG at a special event on 6 November, as part of a new Tech Innovation venture between the two companies. The LED displays on show include video walls and huge touchscreens, and Engage is "utilising its specialist knowledge of interactive technologies for branded environments to transform them into captivating hubs for experiential events, retail centrepieces and for engaging audiences with corporate messaging".

The LG innovations on show include 9x 55" backlit LED displays - combined to create a huge interactive videowall - an individual UHD 84" touchscreen and three transflective 55" displays. The nine-display videowall will include PQ Labs infrared touch overlay powered by an Amari server - as part of Engage's 'transformation' process - with each indivi

USA - To project utmost audio clarity to the furthest of its 87,000 fans, Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has installed 16 SB-3F sound field synthesis loudspeakers, the Meyer Sound technology for projecting mid-high frequency energy over distances of up to 1 km.

The system was designed by Mark Graham of the consulting firm Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon, & Williams. "Having the SB-3Fs greatly boosts voice intelligibility in the far seats," reports Graham. "During the first game, when the team made a big play, I could still hear the announcements over the noise of a sell-out crowd. The boost in top-end clarity maintains good intelligibility without having to push the overall system level until it's too loud, which usually generates complaints."

Sixteen SB-3F loudspeakers project audio to the far opposite end of the stadium over 244 m away,

Canada - Robert Sondergaard's Reverse Collaboration project is a reversal of the typical production and creative processes - developing the lighting and environment design first and then adding in choreography as the final piece. The Reverse Collaboration concept is the culmination of MovEnt's annual project called Today in the Theatre that brought choreographers and lighting designers together to explore lighting without the pressure of crafting a show.

However, as Sondergaard, owner of production design house Electric Aura, sought new ways to improve the collaboration process between lighting designers and dance choreographers, he felt the project needed to take the next step. In support of this year's event, which featured the first ever dance show created entirely via Reverse Collaboration, Martin Professional teamed up with Christie Lites to provide Sondergaard with

USA - Bandit Lites continues expanding its inventory with a purchase of German Light Products impression X4 and X4S fixtures. These high output LED's utilize power, flexibility and a compact design to give designers the phenomenal lighting effects needed to take their audiences' breath away.

One audience that is currently being dazzled includes the thousands flocking to Garth Brooks world tour, where he has already broken ticket sale records in North Carolina, Chicago and Atlanta.

Bandit Lites worked with award winning lighting designer Dave Butzler to maximize the onstage look. Custom designed eight triangular Tyler truss 'pods' each contain eight GLP X4 fixtures and six of the smaller GLP X4S fixtures, making a total of 64 X4 and 48 X4S fixtures comprising a large portion of the flown lighting rig. Additionally, there are 12 more X4 fixtures that are on the floor scattered a

USA - Hip hop fans rejoiced when OutKast decided to hit the road for the first time in a decade for a 20th anniversary tour and rejoiced some more when the duo decided to play three nights at Centennial Olympic Park in hometown Atlanta. Lit using an Elation Professional lighting rig that included the new multi-functional Platinum SBX moving head, OutKast invited old and new school artists to join them for an electrifying #ATLast concert series held 26-28 September.

Lighting designer and programmer for OutKast is Daunté Kenner of DK Production Design while lighting vendor for the #ATLast concert series was Atlanta Sound and Lighting. "We chose the SBX because we needed a punchy light that would read through a very video heavy show with a very bright upstage LED wall," explains Atlanta Sound and Lighting's Brian Hatten, who handled plot and fixtures for the event

UK - London Speaker Hire, (LSH), is expanding its business by opening "a new home from home for anyone in the entertainment industry". The venue spans 12,000 sq.ft offering something for bands, musicians and production companies alike.

Based next to the Olympic Park in East London, LSH Spaces boasts a 2,850 sq.ft showcase and preproduction hall, three themed rehearsal rooms, vast storage space for bands on tour, access to the latest AV equipment, and a fully stocked pro-shop.

Grant Turner, founding partner at LSH said, "We've built up a successful premier AV rental business over the past seven years, fast becoming the go to for a trusted, quality and friendly service. Listening to our clients, we felt we could go further, hence opening our doors, literally, to the industry. We're a family business, and LSH Spaces East is our open house to those who want to deliv

USA - With the emphasis on networked technologies at this year's 137th AES Convention in Los Angeles, the OCA Alliance made considerable progress in promoting the benefits of its proposed Open Control Architecture (OCA) - both in committee and on the floor of the exhibition. OCA is a standards-based control and monitoring architecture for networked audio devices employing any media transport protocol.

OCA defines communications protocols for reliable and secure control and monitoring of AV device networks of 2 to 10,000 nodes. AES project 'AESX210' is currently working to render OCA into a ratified AES standard.

Audio Engineering Society Standards Committee chair, Bruce C. Olson, stated, "In the AES we are very aware of the importance of networked technologies for the future of professional audio. Any wide-scale audio implementation will require network technologies from

Qatar - Milad Masaad, one of the best known TV and live event lighting designers in the Middle East, recently used over 300 Robe fixtures to light the 2014 Adha Festival staged at the Souq Waqef in Doha.

The six day event is organised by Attraction Events for Al-Rayyan Radio 102 FM to coincide with the Adha Islamic Feast, and all lighting and other technical production was supplied by Doha Based Target For Events. Live performances included a diverse selection of singers from many Arab and Gulf countries including Mohamed Abdo, Rabh Sakr, Abady Gohar, Diana Hadad and more.

A special stage structure was erected for the festival, with all lights hung on trusses below this and also positioned on the floor.

Overhead there were 40 x Pointes, 30 x LEDBeam 100s, 24 x LEDWash 600s, 12 x LEDWash 1200s all from Robe's Robin Series, together with 22 x REDWash 3-192s, making up the movi

Australia - Andrew Veitch, Channel 9's Lighting Supervisor in Sydney, included 32 of the new Martin MAC Quantum Wash fixtures in his rig for the NRL Grand Final Footy Show.

The Quantum Washes on The Footy Show were positioned above the main stage to provide the main wash for the television spectacular. Alongside the Quantum Washes were 30 Martin MAC Viper Profiles.

"The Quantum Washes and Vipers worked together really nicely," commented Andrew. "If I had been able to get more, I would have!"

A further 22 MAC Vipers were rigged on the outer trusses around the walkway from where, according to Andrew, they worked beautifully to come back into the room for the many music numbers.

"The MAC Quantum Wash is ideal for television as it is such a large, bold fixture," continued Andrew. "As they are from Martin and are LED, you know yo

Belgium - GSF Sound & Light Rental is no stranger to complex events, having worked on many illustrious productions. None the less, delivering the audio and lighting requirements for the World War I celebrations in Cointe, Liege this August was a challenge; one that its DiGiCo SD9 helped them meet.

Working directly for the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Belgium, via event agency Alice Events, GSF not only provided a complete PA on site, as well as lighting and electrical requirements, but also had to supply broadcast feeds for local Belgium television station RTBF, which in turn sent the signal to various OB vans for the multitude of television stations that would transmit the event around Europe and Russia.

"When dignitaries, including HRH King Philippe of Belgium and HRH Prince William from the UK, speak into your microphones for a live broadcast, there's no place

UK - With its neo-Classical architecture, 6000 pipe concert organ and performances by hundreds of high profile artists since its 1913 completion, Leicester's De Montfort Hall has always been one of the Midlands most iconic concert venues. But, as well as preserving its history, the owning city council has always kept the venue's facilities as up-to-date as possible. This has included the recent installation of a Yamaha CL5 digital mixing system.

The centrepiece of De Montfort Hall is its flexible 400-2200 capacity auditorium, which can be laid out in several different ways. For a number of years the main mixing console has been a 48 channel Yamaha M7CL, but a recent major audio refit saw the installation of Dante network and a CL5 console, plus three Rio3224-D i/o units. Two are in a movable patch rack, the third fixed on stage. The equipment was supplied by SSE Audio Group.

&

UK - West London-based lighting and visuals rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment is actively engaged in a work experience initiative in conjunction with Elstree University Technical College (UTC), offering a selection of students a practical and grounded introduction to the world of lighting festivals, concert tours and live events.

The scheme is being developed by EUTC lecturer Stuart 'Woody' Wood - himself a production industry professional before taking up teaching full time - and a number of professional technology partners including Colour Sound.

Embracing the Science of Art and the Art of Science, Elstree UTC is a groundbreaking learning environment for 14 to 19 year olds, with the aim that a blend of academic rigour, project based learning and industry partnerships will help spawn tomorrow's creative technologists.

The lively UTC curriculum embraces all areas of

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