UK - Entec Sound & Light helped the smiles flow by supplying full production - lighting, sound and video - to the high profile Roar With Laughter event staged by ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo.

It's the third year in a row that Entec has supplied equipment and crew to the fundraiser, which featured another impressive line-up of top comedy talent in Seann Walsh, David O'Doherty, Sean Lock, Ed Byrne, Stewart Lee, Lucy Porter, Phil Nichol and Greg Burns.

Entec's ability to supply all the technical elements from one source made co-ordination easy for the client as well as enabling a high quality yet cost-effective technical production solution which looked and sounded great.

Entec invited Simon Tutchener to join in the hilarity and create a lighting scheme for the evening. "It was a great show for a worthwhile cause and I tho

UK - Fifteen years after providing the complete audio-visual system for the Our Dynamic Earth attraction, Electrosonic returned to help the science centre bring Scotland's Time Lords to life. Electrosonic was charged with the design and systems integration of the AV elements, under subcontract to Studio MB, engineering the new exhibition with reliable components within a simple system architecture.

Scotland's Time Lords introduces visitors to the Scottish scientists who laid the foundation for the modern paradigm of plate tectonics. Three new interlinked galleries take visitors from an 18thcentury themed classroom with magic blackboards and talking portraits back through Deep Time to the Big Bang and beyond. Visitors learn the impact of James Hutton and Arthur Holmes on the evolution of earth science, and celebrate the fact that scientific discovery is at the heart of Scottish c

UK - Greg Walsh, sound design and front of house mixing engineer, chose a selection of DPA microphones to capture the sound of Kate Bush's successful Before the Dawn series of concerts at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

After 35 years away from the live stage, these much anticipated concerts received high praise from reviewers and fans who frequently commented on the exceptional audio quality and the clarity of Kate's vocals.

The decision to use DPA microphones was made following extensive testing by Greg Walsh and the production team, which included renowned audio engineer Stephen Taylor who was responsible for Kate's vocal processing and monitor engineer Ian Newton, who sadly passed away earlier this month.

"I knew about DPA, having originally discovered Bruel and Kjaer [DPA's predecessor] in the mid-1980s," Walsh says. "The larger capsule microphones su

South Africa - Lighting designer Willie Bothma once again lit the Kings of Chaos on their latest tour to Sun City and at GrandWest's Grand Arena in Cape Town with a grandMA2. The full technical was supplied by Gearhouse Group's Cape Town branch and supported by Gavin Taylor, Sean Caie and the team at the Grand Arena.

Kings of Chaos featured special guest Steven Tyler alongside Billy Gibbons, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Duff McKagan, Robin Zander and Nuno Bettencourt and was brought to South Africa by Andrew Mac of AMP Events.

"It was a great show to do," said Bothma from Gearhouse who also lit the performance in 2013. "The only request was that the band should be seen all times and this was done. At the end of the day it's about the band and that is why people come to the show."

The rig and design were the same at both venues. The main challenge was setting

UK - The divisions between architecture and art have become ever more blurred in recent years, so no one should be surprised to find room-spanning mirrored structures suspended in the Raphael Gallery at London's Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the London Design Festival. Designers Edward Barber OBE and Jay Osgerby OBE, in collaboration with BMW, devised 'Double Space for BMW', a kinetic installation that altered the viewers perception of space and movement in relation to themselves and the Raphael Cartoons on display. Total Solutions Group (TSG) were tasked with suspending the structures in the revered halls of the V&A.

"Manufactured by Millimetre and engineered by Arup, the two structures are in fact shallow ellipses 15m long and 10m deep made from polished Alucore panels mounted to a lattice framework, much like the construction of an aircraft wing," explained

China - Created by DreamWorks Animation, the How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular was produced by the storytellers at DreamWorks Animation and Global Creatures, the masterminds behind the international phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs, the #1 grossing world tour of 2010. Following its launch in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a successful run in North America, How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular landed in China. Over 145,000 spectators turned out to enjoy the premiere at a newly built theatre on the grounds of the Beijing National Stadium - the famous Bird's Nest, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics

Featuring more than a dozen impressive dragons with 40-foot wingspans, the audio challenge for Rightway Audio Consultants and sound supplier Dadong Huahan was to make the dragons sound as impressive as they looked, while also superbly representing spoken voice and so

Spain - Effective 1 December 2014, NEEC Audio Barcelona acquired the Ecler pro audio brand and business including the personnel and management team under the leadership of Enric Casimiro who will continue to manage the business.

The Ecler business is known for its focus on technology. The brand is also well known by its creative design of Audeo speaker cabinets, in collaboration with the Italian company Italdesign Giugiaro.

NEEC intends to invest in innovation in the pro audio field and to ensure that the Ecler brand is associated with both advanced technology and excellent design.

Over the last decade Ecler has focused its efforts in commercial audio solutions, always striving to improve sound quality, innovation and sustainability. Its main markets include retail shop fitting, education, corporate, hospitality and sports & fitness. ECLER product solutions can be found in w

Italy - Audiosales has taken over as the exclusive Powersoft distributor for the Italian market, adding the audio manufacturer to its portfolio of leading brands.

Audiosales will be managing the nationwide distribution and sales of Powersoft rack amplifiers, for both the touring and fixed installation markets.

"We are very pleased to begin this collaboration with Powersoft," says Stefano Rocchi, owner of Audiosales, "The products and technology embraced by Powersoft perfectly match the requirements of the market in both the touring and installation sectors. With the addition of Powersoft to our brand portfolio, we can now provide our clients with solutions at the very cutting edge of innovation. Our goal is to make Powersoft amplifiers the standard on the Italian market."

"With Audiosales, I believe that we have found the right partner to continue to

Norway - The Nobel Peace Prize is probably the highest profile and best known honour in the world, bestowed since 1901 on those who have made an outstanding contribution to peace between people and nations. The 2014 award ceremony took place on 10 December in Oslo City Hall, Norway, with Yamaha CL5 and QL1 digital mixers entrusted to mix the prestigious event, broadcast live to an audience estimated at one billion.

Over the years, the Nobel Peace Prize has been presented to many of the world's most foremost statesmen and women, but it also recognises less well-known figures. This year the award was to children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel laureate.

The event's mix engineer Bernt Austad has used Yamaha digital consoles since 1995. "I choose them because of their stability, they never crash or need re

South Africa - The first Barco Auro 3D 11.1 cinemas in Africa have been completed and audiences were recently treated to the first screening in Nu Metro cinemas at The Glen in Johannesburg and Menlyn in Pretoria.

The installation of Auro perfectly fits Nu Metro's list of firsts in Africa, as Nu Metro was the first cinema chain with an all-digital Cineplex and now again leads the way with the Auro immersive sound system.

Being a first in Africa required collaborating with leaders in the professional audio industry and so Nu Metro called upon JBL importers and distributors Wild & Marr. They assisted with the system design, calibration and setup of the Auro 3D system to integrate it with JBL Screen Array loudspeakers. Wild & Marr's technical team met up with the international team from Barco and went through training to become certified Auro 3D engineers.

Wild & Marr worked in

UK - Panto is one of the most fun and also one of the most demanding genres of performance to light, requiring busy cueing, lots of bold and fast moving multiple scene and location changes and several touches of visual magic to help the action flow, all with simultaneous split-second timing - a challenge that lighting designer Andy Webb fully embraced for the Qdos production of Dick Whittington at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe, where he chose Robe for all the moving and LED elements of his design.

Actor, comedian and singer Shane Richie - best known for his role as Alfie Moon in the long running BBC 1 soap EastEnders - was back in the lead role at The Swan due to popular demand after his success as Buttons in last year's Cinderella.

Andy, a freelance LD based in Cirencester, has worked with Robe products over the last 10 years and was impressed - in par

USA / Germany - Christie, the specialist in visual displays and audio technologies, has announced that it has acquired Cologne, Germany-based coolux GmbH, the developer and supplier of 3D compositing and rendering systems, best known for its Pandoras Box product family. coolux will be integrated into Christie's Global Market Solutions team, maintaining its office in Cologne, Germany.

Jennifer Smith, Christie's executive vice-president, Global Market Solutions, said: "Christie is committed to deepen its marketplace lead in supplying a total solution for advanced applications such as projection mapping, broadcast delivery and all manner of large-scale digital canvas creation, so the fit between our products and services and those of coolux is a natural one."

Continuing, Smith said: "Pre-visualization capability when creating stunning, experiential events - includi

UK - The city of Bristol marked the start of its year as European Green Capital, by lighting up the 150 year old Clifton Suspension Bridge green on New Year's Eve 2014 into New Year's Day 2015

The innovative architectural lighting system was creatively designed by Utopium's MD Colin Bodenham, who also masterminded the complex logistics for the installation in just one day, by 12 local based technicians. The bridge lit up the city's skyline, going through a series of colour changes culminating in it being green at midnight. The image promoted the city's Green capital status and the bridge's 150th anniversary through local and national media on New Year's Day.

Colin said, "We were proud to be asked to work with the event's organisers Richmond Event Management (REM) and The Bristol Green Capital Partnership on this prestigious launch event.

"The Green Capital initiati

USA - Founded in the late 1960s, Avcom is a multi-line AV manufacturers' representative company covering the states of Ohio and West Virginia as well as Western Pennsylvania and Northern Kentucky.

Avcom prides itself on providing quality products and building long-lasting and profitable relationships with the AV integrators, engineers, acoustical consultants and end users in their territory.

President Jim Umstead emphasized the importance of a constant presence in the field including regular business meetings with integrators and consultants and frequent product demonstrations. He commented, "We are proud to represent Community in our four-state territory. Community's reputation for high-quality products, expert application assistance and great customer service fits well with our desire to provide each of our business partners with the best possible solutions to their par

UK - 2014 has been a full-tilt year for UK rock band Kasabian with a massive homecoming gig in Victoria Park, Leicester in the summer followed by their acclaimed Sunday night headliner slot at Glasto. The year ended with equal style and gusto with a sold out European and UK arena tour, complete with a daring and ambitious show design by Nick Gray from Renegade whose creative magic ensured something radical.

Kasabian's reputation for spectacular live performance continued with this maelstrom of shows, storming their way thought a set action-packed with energy, hits and material from their newest album, 48:13.

Nick Gray's starting point for the stage, lighting and visual design was in developing a video aesthetic. He and Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno discussed the initial concepts based on wanting something that was related to the band's performance, non-conventional, innovat

USA - Calling the Pebble Beach Auctions an "automobile auction" is akin to describing a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider as a mere "sports car". The annual event, which has been part of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance since 1990, is to the luxury auto world what the Cannes Film Festival is to the movie industry. Featuring some of the more valuable automobiles in the world - a 1961 edition of the aforementioned Ferrari fetched over $15m at this year's auction - the five-day event draws celebrities like Jay Leno and A-List collectors from around the world.

An elegant setting is essential to showcasing these automotive jewels, which is why LD James Schipper of Kinetic Lighting deployed 36 COLORado Batten 72 Tour fixtures from Chauvet Professional to wash the lavish drapery on the auction's stage. "This show is all about the cars, but our focus with

USA - Production Resource Group LLC, (PRG) one of the world's leading providers of entertainment and event technology solutions, has acquired Chaos Visual Productions. Headquartered in Burbank, CA, with an office in Bedfordshire, UK, Chaos provides full service video production for live events. Both PRG and Chaos have built a solid reputation in the industry for combining innovative technology with an international team of highly experienced industry professionals.

"Chaos Visual Productions will be joining forces with PRG Nocturne," says Mickey Curbishley, CEO, PRG Concert Touring. "It is very exciting to consider the creative and technical solutions that will result from this acquisition which brings together the world's two most innovative touring video companies. It also creates a single team of the most respected; experienced; and talented minds working in vid

USA - Whether Danny Michael is working on the set of a television pilot or the next box-office hit, the veteran production sound mixer relies on DPA Microphones for his diverse miking needs. Using his trusted d:dicate 4017B Shotgun for traditional booming situations, Michael occasionally turns to a variety of the company's other mics for the wide range of productions he works on.

After first discovering DPA Microphones in 2011 during pre-production for Now You See Me, Michael's admiration for the company quickly grew. "I was tasked with finding a headset mic to use during the on-stage magic scenes in the movie," he says. "We received a few different samples, but the DPA d:fine stood out as it provided the best sound. Since it was ultimately an artistic decision, I left it to the director to make the final call and, luckily, he also preferred the d:fine. Tha

Denmark - BroaMan's Danish distributor Danmon has been providing broadcast solutions to the country's public service broadcaster TV2 for nearly two decades.

But when last year the company decided to upgrade its SNG OB truck (DNK-47) from SD to HD, the Odense based facility moved its commentator intercom onto a Clear-Com platform and added a BroaMan Mux22 transmission device for signal routing.

This has enabled them to transport multiple data and video signals down a single fibre in the SNG truck, including 6/2 HD-SDI, RS422 and sync network, using Dante as their audio platform.

Explained TV2 workflow specialist (and project manager), Kim Hansen, "For years, the trucks have been a key component in our technical setup for major sporting events (such as Tour de France, Handball World Cup etc.) where it acted not simply as an SNG, but a small OB truck."

This latest u

Norway - The Fosnavag Cultural Centre is now the latest and largest showcase of Meyer Sound solutions in Norway. With technology covering concert sound reinforcement, cinema, and active acoustics from a Constellation acoustic system, the complex is the premium arts and entertainment destination on the Norwegian coast.

In designing the 490-seat Fosnavag Konserthus, the focal point of the FosnavagCultural Centre, the technology committee had a clear vision to create a high-performance multipurpose space. "We wanted a perfect room for acoustic music and a perfect room for amplified music, but with conventional physical acoustics we couldn't have both," says Bjørn Holum, event manager for the Municipality of Herøy and the lead of the technology committee.

Following his first experience with Constellation in Estonia's Nordea Concert Hall [formerly Nokia Conc

France - ELC Lighting's Buddy has been making waves in Paris, turning one of the world's most famous skylines orange as it helped mobile phone giant Orange celebrate its 20th anniversary. With over 1,800 guests gathered for a reception at a venue a short distance from Orange's building on Parc Des Exposition Porte de Versailles, the event's organisers wanted to illuminate their office tower with the figure 20, visible for all to see in the night sky.

Thierry Bernin, project manager at Impact Evenement, which conducted the event, was brought on board to devise a solution for lighting the windows. He selected Arcaline LED lamps from Aryton and to ensure seamless communications between the lights on different floors, he chose ELC's Buddy.

He explained, "Buddy was recommended to me by Axente who were very enthusiastic about a new product on the market that was very easy to us

Egypt - Hi-Lights Egypt are using more than 800 fixtures from the PR Lighting catalogue to build the atmosphere on one of the country's most popular TV cookery programmes, The Taste Egypt.

The largest rental company in Egypt, Hi-Lights became involved from the outset, working closely with both SYNC-MEDIA, the production company, and lighting designer Fouad Haddad of Hand Made Image (HMI).

The programme is a worldwide franchise and although the production format had been pre-arranged, according to Hi-Lights Egypt's Hamad Arafa his company had no problem in convincing the LD that PR Lighting fixtures would fulfill all his requirements - particularly after undergoing camera tests to demonstrate colour temperature, CRI etc.

The schedule of equipment deployed on the set - which was built in one of the principle studios of Al Nahar TV - included 80 of PR Lighting's recently

UK - d&b audiotechnik has restructured its UK Sales network, appointing SSE Audio and Wigwam as Sales and Installations Partners for the UK.

With d&b deciding to streamline their UK Sales network, SSE Audio Group, backed by the experience of Wigwam, are seen as ideal partners for the German manufacturer. The new Sales and Installation partnership means SSE and Wigwam are the only suppliers based in England that are able to supply d&b directly to Trade Users across the UK. SSE Audio Group has offices in the north, south and midlands, along with a highly experienced and integrated sales team.

Wigwam Acoustics, part of SSE Audio Group since 2013, has been an established d&b supplier for Hire, Sales and Installations for many years, building up a vast pool of knowledge and experience with the full d&b product range. Since the acquisition SSE has been able, via Wigwam, to provide d

UK - Orbital Sound is staging the first Flare Audio seminar on 20 January, at its dedicated training centre in Brixton, with Flare Audio's Davies Roberts presenting The Path to Better Sound. The seminar will focus on discussing the issues that have affected loudspeaker performance since its invention some 90 years ago, including a detailed technical explanation of the science behind loudspeaker design.

The half day training session is tailored to provide engineers, designers and technicians with an insight into the key issues surrounding loudspeaker technology, including: The hidden distortions inside loudspeakers; The challenges behind achieving total accuracy in loudspeaker design; Loudspeaker behaviour and its lack of predictability; A comparison between the evolution of video picture quality versus loudspeaker sound quality.

The emphasis is on providing an interacti

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