South Africa - Cape Audio College, The Institute of Sound Technology, recently acquired the JBL VRX900 Series Constant Curvature Line Array that will be used as a portable sound system when training student sound engineers as part of their Live Sound Module.

Cape Audio College's Head, Rae de Jager says, "We were looking for a scalable sound system that could deliver power and offer flexibility and the VRX does just that, whether as a single point system or expanding it to a larger format. It is also budget friendly, which was an extra plus point."

Their JBL VRX System comprises a total of six JBL VRX932LA-1 line array loudspeaker, two VRX-AF rigging frames, six VRX918S 18" subwoofers as well as four PRX715M 15" loudspeakers that will be used for stage monitoring. Amplification is through four Crown IT 9000HD running V5 tunings.

"We are excited that t

UK - White Light has helped to transform London's Old Sorting Office venue for a temporary exhibition which focuses on ideas and perceptions of environmental conservation. Titled Here Today... after the phrase "here today, gone tomorrow", the exhibit brings together works from more than 50 international artists including Andy Warhol, Gavin Turk, Peter Blake and Douglas Gordon to recognise the 50th Anniversary of The IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species.

The venue, once the largest sorting office for the Royal Mail in London, now serves as an events space hosting private events, fashion shows, and exhibitions. For Here Today... the space was completely transformed with additional walls, scenic pieces, and lighting. Made up of eight distinct chapters, the exhibit's path takes visitors on a multi-media journey which includes paintings, sculptur

South Africa - The Market Theatre in Johannesburg was forced to purchase a new grandMA2 Ultra Light desk after the theatre was flooded recently.

The unfortunate event was sparked when an intruder broke into the theatre, breaking a drencher pipe in the process. This resulted in the release of 80 000 litres of water into the auditorium, damaging the MA2 Ultra Light in the process.

A replacement console was purchased from Dave Whitehouse of DWR. Nomvulu Malpo, head of lighting at the Market, and her team received training on the desk's latest software and features, presented by Gareth Chambers.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The British Comedy Awards is returning once again to Fountain Studios. Hosted by Jonathan Ross and transmitted on Channel 4, the evening is renowned for bringing together the top talent in the industry to acknowledge and celebrate the continued success of British television comedy, showcasing some of the most outrageous, successful and hilarious comedy moments of the year.

Working on the Unique TV-owned award show on behalf of CPL Productions, Creative Technology (CT) has been commissioned to supply the LED and plasma screens for the ceremony, delivering the solutions for on-set video and graphics, autocue displays and press room video relay.

In the centre of the stage a 4m x 4m Flyer 12 LED screen is visible through the middle of the iconic circus-themed stage dressing, sitting behind a back projection surface to create a subtle diffusion for the graphics.

In addition,

USA - When the 15th annual Latin Grammy Awards were broadcast live on Univision from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) once again supported Univision's system with a custom RF communications package for the network's green carpet pre-show and star-studded main event.

The Latin Grammy Awards, presented by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Awards, which primarily honours music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammys recognize music recorded in either Spanish or Portuguese, produced anywhere in the world.

During the festivities, the PWS team, led by lead RF coordinator James Stoffo, was onsite to monitor the RF spectrum and ensure that the show ran smoothly, with any potential interference issues quickly resolved. Brooks Schroeder was the

UK - Calling all event professionals! Drapes and rigging specialists Blackout have launched a social media campaign to support Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day, and they need your help to raise funds for the cause.

Blackout will be donating up to £1,000 to support the charity initiative which aims to Make the World Better with a Sweater. The team got together for a festive-themed photo shoot, featuring Christmas jumpers, props, and a festive star cloth backdrop. The photos are currently being shared on Twitter and Facebook, with £2 donated for every re-tweet, like or share.

Louise Nomes, marketing manager from Blackout explains all: "We always donate to charity at Christmas time but this year we were feeling particularly in the Christmas spirit and wanted to do something a bit different.

"In addition to donating money to a good cause the

South Africa - Clay Paky's Massimo Bolandrina and Giovanni Zucchinali spent two weeks in South Africa carrying out demos everyday as they introduced the super heroes of lighting, The Projectors, to the market. In fact, a photo taken during this roadshow of a SuperSharpy beam projecting onto a cloud reached the second most "Likes" ever recorded on the Clay Paky Facebook page.

The Clay Paky Roadshow, put together and run by DWR's Robert Izzett was a wonderful success. Instead of having a central venue where clients were invited to see the products, The Projectors consisting of SuperSharpy, Mythos and Stormy were taken to rental companies and theatres in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

"This has been an amazing experience for the Clay Paky team," commented Massimo who loved meeting old and new friends and sharing interesting talks about lights and life. &q

UK - Outline was again at Wembley Stadium for the NFL International Series. Three matches were held, featuring the Miami Dolphins vs the Oakland Raiders, the Dolphins winning 38-14, the Atlanta Falcons vs the Detroit Lions, won in the last minute by the Lions 22-21, and the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Dallas Cowboys, won by the Cowboys 30-17.

Robert Lawrence Event Production Resource installed an extensive range of Outline loudspeaker systems, including Butterfly, Mantas, DVS 118 SW subs, Doppia, DVS 12 and DVS 10, to distribute sound over large areas outside the Wembley Stadium.

Each game had sold out Wembley's 90,000-seat capacity, fans had the opportunity of being entertained by the Main Stage, Merchandising, Tailgate, Game Pass and VIP areas during the pre-game build up.

The final game of the year, the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Dallas Cowboys, saw a large mobile Orbit

USA - Hero Ventures, a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, has announced that technical elements for The Marvel Experience, an epic-scale, immersive adventure experience in which guests step into and interact with the world of Marvel's Super Heroes and Super Villains, are being led by entertainment event technology and service provider, Production Resource Group (PRG).

"The Marvel Experience has evolved into an amazing, premier touring experience, complete with unique technical elements such as 3D 360° video projection, first-person 'live' interactive gaming and a dynamic 4D motion ride. It became apparent early on that we needed an elite team of seasoned professionals in entertainment production that could offer us real solutions to help execute our complex vision - that's why we went to PRG," said Hero Ventures' chief production officer, Jason Rosen.

The t

UK - Sennheiser UK has released the dates for its first training courses for 2015, which include new location Theatr Clwyd in Mold, Wales.

For new and existing users of wireless microphones and in-ear monitor systems wishing to further their understanding, the Basic Wireless Mics and Monitoring Course is suitable. Anyone wishing to attend should register for the session at Theatr Clwyd on 14 January, or on 14 April at Sennheiser UK's headquarters in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Wireless Mics and Monitoring: The Master Class Course will run on 15 March at Sennheiser UK in Marlow. This intensive two-day course is designed for those who have already completed the Basic Wireless Mics and Monitoring Course.

Both courses are run by Sennheiser UK's engineering and technical services manager, Tim Sherratt, and chief engineer Andy Lillywhite.

(Jim Evans)

Turkey - Asimetrik hosted an open day on 5 November for Clay Paky, DiGiCo and Meyer Sound's newest and latest technology products. The event was held on Asimetrik's HQ and Kucukciftlik Park (Outdoor Culture and entertainment centre). VPs of sales and Europe sales managers Alberico D'Amato from Clay Paky, James Bradley from Digico and Scott Gledhill from Meyer Sound also attended the event.

The event attracted considerable interest from sector professionals all around Turkey. All day long, brands' representatives continuously showcased their latest technological developments and products.

Clay Paky introduced the brand new masters of light 'The Projectors': SuperSharpy - a powerful beam light for long throw applications, Mythos - the most advanced combined spot light and beam light and Stormy - a strobe that uses ultra-modern LEDs, but still offers classic strobe effects as wel

Italy - Robe's new Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire (BMFL) Spots made their debut on the vibrant Italian electronic music and arts scene, featuring prominently on the main stage at the two-day C2C (Club2Club) International Festival of Music & Arts in Turin, where they were specified by production lighting designer Walter Lutzu.

Walter also utilised 16 x Pointes, 12 x MMX Spots and 12 x LEDWash 600s on his versatile and spectacular design, which had to be flexible enough to deal with an action-packed line-up of DJs and artists, all requiring their own distinctive visual styling and settings.

It was Walter's second year lighting the main stage at the multi-venue event which was again set in an atmospheric disused former industrial plant in the Lingotto area of the city.

As well as offering the best in Italian and international electronic and experimental music with over 48 si

UK - Debenhams flagship Oxford Street store revealed a spectacular Christmas lighting display at the beginning of November, which was delivered by lighting design and installation specialists Mushroom Lighting.

Mushroom's managing director Paul Butler was contacted by the Debenhams team at the beginning of September and asked to come up with some ideas that were worthy of a flagship store, particularly as the Oxford Street Debenhams had recently undergone a complete modernisation - including the exterior - which was designed by Ned Kahn.

"I met with Ian Dorsett, creative windows designer at Debenhams to show him some lighting products," says Paul. "One of things I took with me was LED fluorescent tubes. I suggested that we could do something similar to a sculpture I had seen that had a seemingly random design.

"We played around with the idea and I ordered

UK - The hugely successful musical Jersey Boys recently set out on its first ever tour of the UK and Ireland, complete with a sizeable sound system based on Steve Canyon Kennedy's original design delivering the high octane Four Seasons' show sound. At the heart of the system is the Meyer Sound M'elodie ultra compact high-powered curvilinear array speaker, complemented by d&b audiotechnik E5 and E6 compact speakers and, for the first time on a Jersey Boys' production, a DiGiCo SD10 mixing console.

Jersey Boys is no stranger to the touring scene, with two US productions plus South Africa and Australia already notched up, so the teams already have a great deal of experience behind them. For the UK version, associate sound designer Andrew Keister and his team did an extensive study of some 18 venues in order to arrive at the a "best fit" touring design

USA - Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington, recently converted the visual platform in their main worship space from a traditional projector and screen system to Elation EZ Series LED video screens, a high-resolution system designed, integrated and installed by Agility AVL.

Church personnel were looking to replace a pair of 10,000 lumen projectors whose optics were going bad and initially looked at two 15,000 lumen projectors as replacements. "The church was ready to go with projectors and they seemed to have already had their mind set on it," states Agility's Kevin Hill, account manager on the project. "They had a few companies come in with projectors but there were issues with the ambient light that comes in from some windows overhead that can wash out the screens. Although the new projectors looked good they just weren't bright enough. They

USA - The School of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) is once again getting into the holiday spirit with DPA Microphones for its third annual Keyboards and Carols at Christmas event.

With 13 Steinway Grand Pianos, one organ and a choir of over 180 adults and children, student and professional musicians performed holiday songs for the packed house at the 3,500-seat venue. In addition to using a stereo pair of d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones on each of the pianos, the school also utilized four wireless d:facto Vocal Microphones for the event's soloists.

DPA mics were chosen for their clear, pristine sound as well as their ability to reproduce the natural beauty of both the Steinway pianos and the exceptional voices of the singers. With the addition of the large choir, this year's event featured a significant change in the setup from prev

World - For Judas Priest's world tour, FOH engineer and production manager Martin Walker has selected Leo-M and Lyon linear line array loudspeakers from Meyer Sound's growing Leo Family of products. With the power and linear response of both products, the crew can easily adapt the system for a wide range of venues, which includes casino showrooms, arenas, large theatres, outdoor amphitheatres, and festivals.

"The response of the system is pretty seamless, whether going from main Leo arrays to Lyon side arrays, or going from a main Leo hang in an arena to a Lyon hang in a theatre," Walker says. "You turn on the PA and there's really no difference to worry about. The headroom is there, the weight saving is there, and the clarity and fidelity are there. It's a great system with either box out front."

The main and side arrays for the tour are assembled from the

Bulgaria - L-Acoustics has announced that Forte Music has signed on as the distributor of L-Acoustics systems in Bulgaria, a country enjoying rapid growth following its recent entry into the European Union.

More and more customers in the region are seeking high-end professional audio solutions according to L-Acoustics sales manager Tim McCall, who comments, "We have been monitoring Bulgaria for some time and we believe it is the right time for L-Acoustics to have a reliable partner there. Forte is a strong local player and we feel they are the perfect partner to bring our products to this market."

Forte joins a strong worldwide network of L-Acoustics provider distributors and has already sold an important system to rental stager Joker Media after inviting them to a K2 demo at L-Acoustics headquarters. The purchase, which includes an inventory of L-Acoustics K2, KARAs

UK - Dubstep/garage star Katy B's current UK tour is bringing a moody nightclub atmosphere to venues up and down the country thanks to Tom Campbell's audience engaging, silhouette rich, strobe heavy lighting design. Built around the dramatic effects that the new Clay Paky Stormy CC and the award-winning A.leda B-EYE K20 and K10 can deliver, Campbell has created a stunning design with relatively few fixtures.

Campbell's budget defying rig comprises his own floor package, however he also has to rely on venue house rigs for the overheads. This means he chooses his floor package carefully and works it hard to bring the signature look he wants to every venue. To that end Campbell has specified Clay Paky Stormys, alongside just four Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20s and ten B-EYE K20s from Siyan Ltd.

"I'm using the RGBW Stormys as block colour washes," explains Campbell. "T

The Netherlands - Innovox Audio has named Tau Audio Solutions of Groningen, The Netherlands, as its European distribution partner.

This new arrangement means that Innovox's SL and SLA model ranges, which feature ribbon-type high frequency drivers for extremely fast and controlled transient response, will be available within the European market for the first time.

The SL series models feature ultra-thin point source designs, with enclosure depths ranging from just 45 to 50 mm. The series is designed for high quality presentation and conference rooms up to six meters long.

The SLA series, meanwhile, are frequency-shaded columnar array speakers that are designed for larger conference rooms, university classrooms, churches and other reverberant spaces. All Innovox Audio loudspeakers are made in the USA.

"We're delighted to add Innovox to our range of products," says

Italy - ArKaos PRO has announced the appointment of Music & Lights as its exclusive distributor for Italy.

With immediate effect, Music & Lights will handle the full portfolio of ArKaos products which includes ArKaos Stage, Studio and Stadium media servers, the dynamic MediaMaster PRO and MediaMaster Express software and Kling-Net, ArKaos' user-friendly control protocol.

Music & Lights first made the headlines with ArKaos PRO in October 2014 when it adopted ArKaos Kling-Net into a number of its pixel-based LED lighting fixtures.

The arrangement between the two companies proved such a success that ArKaos PRO expanded the collaboration to incorporate the full promotion, sales and support of all ArKaos products across Italy.

"We are happy to increase the range of our solutions for the AVL market through the ArKaos brand," says Fabio Sorabella, product manager at M &

UK - Premier Cardiff nightclub and live music venue, Clwb Ifor Bach - originally set up in 1983 as a Welsh-language club and community centre - has continued its long tradition of using Soundcraft mixing consoles, by purchasing a next generation Vi3000 digital mixing console and Vi Stagebox from nearby dealers, AB Acoustics.

AB Acoustics director, Rob Ashton,said that the venue's technical team of Phil Williams and Richard 'Chill' Hawkins had been quite specific in their requirement when they placed the order, and had wanted to remain loyal to the Soundcraft brand. "Many bands started off playing there and they host a lot of different music genres, which is why they wanted the 64 channel capacity of the stagebox."

Bands that have played at the club over the years include Strokes, Killers, Pavement, Coldplay, Bloc Party, Foals, Kiesza as well as locals such as Super F

UK - Amp Pack Cases and Packhorse enjoyed a successful PLASA show at Excel London in October. Both companies were showcasing their wide range of innovative cases and received a fantastic response.

John O'Neill, Founder of Amp Pack Cases, commented: "The show was a very successful event and we received a great response for our products. As well as showcasing our range of Amp Pack cases we were exhibiting the Packhorse range, which also witnessed a great deal of interest from potential clients. We very much enjoyed the show, meeting new and existing customers and are definitely planning to attend next year."

With over 100 years of combined experience, Amp Pack Cases design and hand-build flightcases for the music, TV, science, motorsport and military industries. By producing the best quality cases for all types of high value and delicate equipment, the company have bui

UK - Festival Republic called Midas into Blondin Park, Ealing in December, to provide power for the first Plant to the Beat, a Trees for Cities initiative.

More than 200 volunteers met the challenge of planting a mixture of 10,000 trees in a day, sowing the seeds for biodiversity in Ealing, and Midas provided for Festival Republic's 'Beat'.

The 'woodland village' featured a stage for a choir, drummers and DJs, along with structures providing participants with free vegetarian food, hot drinks and arts facilities for children.

Laura Pando, Festival Republic's sustainability co-ordinator, comments, "We worked with Trees for Cities to make Plant to the Beat a sustainable event and Midas' commitment to 100 per cent biodiesel was a perfect fit."

Buoyed by their Ealing success, Trees for Cities/Festival Republic have big ambitions for the event, in multiple cities, plan

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