USA - Thousands of college students of faith descend on Oklahoma City each year for the Student Mobilization Conference (SMC), four-days of worship, camaraderie, inspiration and, in the evening, lively entertainment. Relevant Audio + Visual has collaborated with SMC the past eight years to create an inspiring audiovisual experience for attendees and this year tapped into their inventory of Elation Professional luminaires to help create the uplifting atmosphere. The 2020 conference took place 2-5 January at the Cox Convention Centre in downtown Oklahoma City. Relevant Audio + Visual’s challenge was to create an engaging, impactful environment to motivate and encourage attendees to spread the word about Student Mobilization’s Global Impact/Mission and summer discipleship training opportunities. The Wichita-based AV production house designed a complete 3D visua
Slovakia - The strength and power of PR Lighting’s Aqua 580 Beam was put to the test by major event specialists Kvant Show Production, when they projected onto the 111mhigh National Bank of Slovakia HQ in Bratislava. Complementing Kvant’s own Laser Spectrum 30W lasers, 24 of PR Lighting’s IP66-rated fixtures were deployed as searchlights, with 12 positioned directly on each side of the Bank building terrace and firing into the night sky. Due to the tight and well-focused 2° beam, with output generated from a Philips 25R 550W engine, calibrated at 7800K, two infinite fat white beams of light from each pair, soared into the distance, and were visible over 5km away. Meanwhile, Barco HDX-W20 FLEX projectors were set-up on another building’s rooftop, opposite the Slovak National Bank, and projecting over a distance of 130m-150m. The projection itself was comm
UK - Lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 has seriously ramped up its available online consultations and training opportunities. A busy and dynamic schedule includes 42 x Zoom training sessions each month which will run for as long as the crisis lasts. Zero 88 product manager Jon Hole commented, “With the whole live music, events and performance industry shut down, we want to be as positive, forward-thinking and helpful as we can to anyone who is already using or keen to know more about some of the core Zero 88 products.” The Zero 88 Home Page https://zero88.com/ has full details of what’s available and interested parties can sign up on the spot. The 42 x Zoom training sessions are divided into 10 categories – which are scheduled to be repeated over the monthly period, offering different time slots and also ensuring that those in different time zo
Belgium - Cordeel knows how to finish projects with a flourish. The Belgian construction company demonstrated this in convincing fashion recently when it completed the Temse shipyard dry dock headquarters. After finishing the construction of the building at ground level, Cordeel’s engineers hoisted the 1,200 ton still and glass megastructure into its final position where it now perches majestically 20mabove the shipyard. For the inauguration of this distinctive building, CREATE.eu and Panama Group were brought on board to transform the space around the dry dock into a one-off Cirque du Soleil-style show for Cordeel's 1,600 employees. Instrumental in creating this transformation was a collection of over 50 Chauvet Professional fixtures that included eight COLORado Panel Q40 units, eight Maverick MK2 Washes, 24 Rogue R2 Washes, four Rogue R3 Washes and 12 Ovation E-260WW ell
Mexico - A popular nightlife venue in Mexico has undergone a complete internal transformation ready for its 2020 season. This included the installation of a totally new lighting system comprised exclusively of ADJ fixtures including Vizi Beam RXONE and Vizi Q Wash7 moving heads alongside Sweeper Beam Quad LED motorized battens and Saber Spot RGBW LED pinspots. Located in Villahermosa, the capital city of Tabasco State in southeast Mexico, Dbar is well-established as a gathering place for the area’s elite. With a top 40 music policy, the venue attracts a client base predominantly in the 21 to 40 age demographic who dress to impress and come to let their hair down. Offering premium drinks and bottle service to a upmarket crowd, it is essential that the venue’s décor sets the right tone, which is why the management completely overhauled the interior space ahead of the 2020
USA - Audinate has announced a catalogue of free, live webinars and online learning opportunities – some available in a variety of languages – over the coming month. The webinars will allow participants to officially obtain new Dante certifications, learn about Dante Domain Manager and other Audinate solutions, and join discussions on case studies and Dante design principles. Registration for the webinars is available at http://go.audinate.com/lp-events/webinar-series-20 The webinars are currently scheduled between 14 -30 April. Additional courses may be announced at a future date. Topics in the series include: Designing and Managing the World’s Largest Single-Room Speaker System at the Royal Albert Hall – a discussion with the manufacturers, solution designers, integrators and the Royal Albert Hall head of production. Learn how they addressed chal
USA - Owing to overwhelming response to an initial daily offering of online training content the past few weeks, the Meyer Sound education team has launched an ongoing comprehensive webinar programme. The content blocks will offer a natural progression of subject matter, providing attendees both practical knowledge for honing skills as well case studies for reference. The instructors will review specialty tools that cover a diverse set of solutions across all industry verticals. The education team also welcomes attendees to choose from an à la carte menu to create every other Friday “On Demand” programming via a weekly poll through the Meyer Sound Users Community Facebook group. Later in the spring, special guests, including Meyer Sound CEO John Meyer, will be invited to join and lead some of the discussions. “Education has always been a pillar of the hol
Grant Support Plea - Two fifths of creative organisations estimate their income has dropped by 100% since the coronavirus outbreak, new data from the Creative Industries Federation has revealed. The data comes alongside an open letter to the government from CIF, calling for urgent grant support for creative businesses and charities that “fall between the gaps” for existing financial support, to “ensure the UK doesn’t become a cultural wasteland post-Covid-19”. According to the survey of 2,000 creative businesses and individuals, 42% of organisations estimated their income has decreased by 100% since the outbreak. One in seven creative organisations believe they can last less than four weeks on existing reserves, while 63% of creative organisations predict a decrease in annual turnover of more than 50% by the end of 2020. Among creative organisations, 45% said
USA - As the nation and entertainment industry navigate the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic, all Bandit offices have made available to local governments and hospitals, power distribution systems, IT data distribution systems, and portable structures and lighting, completely free of charge. Bandit has also made available, free of charge, its Nashville rehearsal facility, Venue One, for use by any artist that needs a place to perform a live stream event during this critical time. “Tennessee has been known as The Volunteer State since The War of 1812, and it was only right that Bandit step up and offer this free support,” said Bandit Lites chair and founder, Michael T. Strickland. “While all Bandit offices are under Safer-At-Home Orders, the entire staff is on full payroll. No one has been laid off at Bandit. “When individuals are needed to accomplish a task, they ar
Europe - In an effort to make educational training more accessible, K-array Webinar Series will host free, live presentations of its audio solutions on a weekly basis. Two new topics are being offered this week. Control Software is a one-hour webinar dedicated to sound technicians, audio engineers and system users will explain how to configure, tune, modify and manage your K-array system to give you maximum control. Live Sound I and Live Sound II will detail the cutting-edge features employed in K-array's Live Sound solutions. Live Sound 1 will discuss at length the technology featured in the Pinnacle line, like Pure Array Technology, ideal for theatres and concert halls. Live Sound 2 is dedicated to the technology employed in the Mugello and Firenze lines, such as Slim Array Technology, Electronic Beam Steering and Advanced Bass Control, perfect f
Italy - RCF has introduced a series of webinars focusing on RCF technologies and best practices in live sound and installed audio. The webinars - live streaming on RCF’s online platform - will be presented by RCF specialists in multiple languages. Viewers and students will also be able to ask questions via a chat window during each live stream. There’s no need for an account or to download any software in advance. Register for each session individually, then you will receive notifications one day and one hour before the webinar. Go to the RCF Online Education page for the complete schedule. Topics include: Voice Alarm and Evac Systems according to ISO 7290-19 and CEN/TS 54-32; Line array sound system design PRO for LIVE events – Use of prediction software; Sub design with RD-NET, and Live Sound Design for Professionals: Line Array Systems with Oscar Mora.
UK - In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, disguise has launched disguise OnDemand - a virtual hub that features access to free training and webinars exploring key features and elements of the disguise workflow. Held in multiple languages, multiple times a day, the platform will feature exclusive content, including the opportunity for the community to take part in specialist discussions on key industry topics, and hear from customers during spotlight discussions on showstopping case studies. Designed as a place for the community to learn and keep up-to-date on all things regarding disguise, free online training sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are planning on running a condensed version of the Fundamental and Pre-Production Workflows Training, broken down into a series of six one-hour sessions where attendees can learn the core features, including t
UK - Martin Audio’s new weekly education webinar programme has got off to a flying start with all sessions for its Low Frequency System Design ‘sold out’. The popularity of this session highlights the appetite for industry education during this difficult time. “Our new webinar series seems to have been embraced by the industry,” reflects James King, marketing director at Martin Audio. “We had over 1,000 registrations for the first webinar session, which is around 10 times the average registration for one of our webinars. In fact, we had to upgrade our software package to accommodate everyone. Added to this, the training area of our website is now the most visited page after our homepage, and that has never happened before. “These are very challenging times for the pro audio industry, and we wanted to play our role in helping industry professionals to stay
Russia - UK-based specialists in immersive spatial audio, Out Board, has appointed Hi-Tech Media to distribute TiMax SoundHub spatial audio processors and TiMax TrackerD4 stagetracking systems throughout Russia. Hi-Tech Media represents a network of partners and dealers whose end-customers rely on the latest technical solutions to complement the status of their projects and take them to a new technological level. Hand in hand with Hi-Tech Media’s technical support and educational programs, dealers can now benefit from the integration of TiMax spatial audio and showcontrol to realise cost-effective and versatile immersive live performance and AV installation solutions. Pavel Shemiakin, brand manager for Hi Tech Media’s pro audio department, says, “We are very pleased to begin our partnership with Out Board TiMax, whose products will offer our partners and dealers
UK - The Association of Independent Music (AIM) has launched a support fund aimed at contractors and freelance workers in the independent music industry whose source of income has been severed without warning due to lost work in April and May as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund starts with assets of £500,000 committed by AIM and its members, with further contributions invited from all sectors of the music industry and beyond. The target is to distribute £1,000 to each of 1,000 workers within two months. AIM CEO Paul Pacifico comments: “Despite government initiatives and the groundswell of support from the music industry, there are still many thousands of workers being left behind without the help that they need to get through this difficult time. Many of these people have suddenly found themselves with no source of income and with famili
UK - A survey carried out by PLASA has revealed the financial struggles faced by businesses in the entertainment technology industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted from 18 March and completed by 145 PLASA members, the study shows the early impact that various restrictions triggered by the pandemic have had on the industry, with PLASA currently conducting a follow-up survey to gain insight into the ongoing challenges that the sector is facing. From those surveyed, half said that they’ve lost at least 50% of the business for the year, with a fifth saying they’ve lost between 80% to 100% of all their business. PLASA is currently pushing for the government to include the events supply chain in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business category in order to qualify for much needed Business Rates cash grants which are already available to shops,
Europe - Powersoft has scheduled further additions to is online training programme. Says the company, “It's a pleasure to share with you the updated programme of our free training sessions. Join us from the comfort of your home to learn more about ArmoníaPlus, our experts will guide you through the creation of a project, its set-up, networking, and monitoring options. “We are also offering free webinars that focus on Powersoft products network connections and Dante/AES67 integration, Powersoft HealthPlus, and to discover the features of our multimedia device, Deva, from advanced networking capabilities to its integrated applications.” The training sessions are offered in English, Spanish, and Italian. The programme includes: Armonia Plus 1.4 How to set-up your project using all options (7 and 9 April); Deva multimedia system for safety and
World - Chroma-Q is offering free Vista by Chroma-Q lighting and media control training. Aware and saddened by the current market situation, they will be hosting weekly webinars to help you develop your knowledge and skills, from the comfort of your own home. Says the company, “Understanding the importance to continue to support loyal clients and to continue education in the wake of cancelled events and one-to-one meetings, last week Chroma-Q hosted the first round of one-hour Vista 3 webinars, with an overwhelming 260 attendees. Each session ran twice, once each in BST and CDT time zones, making the training accessible to a wider audience.” “Nurturing and developing the skills of our new and existing customers is so important to us. During a time where people may be unable to get on with their ‘usual’ jobs, we wanted to provide learning opportunities that w
USA - As Covid-19 impacts almost every aspect of the entertainment industry, ETCP Certified Technicians, with support of the IATSE (The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), are stepping up to put their expertise and available equipment to good use. Michael Barnes, IATSE international vice-president and business agent for Local 8 said, “This is spreading way too quickly, and we felt like we have to do something to help. If you are helping you can’t feel helpless, and that is not where we want to be. IATSE Locals across the country are contacting governors state-by-state to offer their expertise in the installation of temporary structures to assist in the development of emergency field hospitals for Covid-19.” Barnes continued, “I sincerely believe the model that is traditionally deployed in situations like this can be drastically improved upon
UK - LW Theatres has committed to paying all staff – including those employed on a show-by-show basis – and has confirmed no redundancies are currently planned while the coronavirus outbreak continues. In related news, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals are to be screened on a new YouTube channel called The Shows Must Go On. Lloyd Webber sent an email to staff in which he acknowledged “how very difficult it is to be denied the ability to be together, not only with our theatre community, but more importantly with many of our loved ones” at this time. Rebecca Kane Burton, chief executive of LW Theatres, also wrote to all staff outlining the company’s plans for the foreseeable future. “Our priority is to steer our staff and the company through these unprecedented times, so that we can continue to serve customers and provide jobs in the West End for
UK - A team of entertainment technology professionals have joined forces to form People Powered UK in a bid to help relieve the pressures of the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was started by LDs Katharine Williams and Jono Kenyon and has so far amassed 915 members and counting from across the entertainment and live event industries. Williams previously worked on Crew for Calais, a project that saw event professionals build shelters for refugees, whilst Kenyon has first-hand insight into the pressures of the UK’s health service thanks to his partner, an ITU worker. A statement from People Powered UK says: “People who usually work at venues such as the London Roundhouse and provide production services to festivals are working together across the entire UK. They’re using skills and ingenuity honed building festival infrastructure to provide structu
UK - PLASA, the Professional Lighting And Sound Association, has urged businesses and individuals to get in touch with more evidence on how the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is affecting their operations. The information is sought by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and will help the Treasury to better understand the devastating impact the situation is having on the events industry. To gather the evidence, The Events Industry Forum - of which PLASA is a member - has created a survey, which can be completed here until 5pm on Tuesday, 7 April. "We are working hard alongside other industry associations and organisations to ensure the voice of our industry is heard," says PLASA in a statement. "We hope that through this work we can secure measures already gifted to leisure and hospitality to be extended to events and the events supply chain." (LS
UK - The country may be on lockdown, but one sound designer has found a way to teleport listeners straight into the heart of London. Will Cohen, co-founder of the String and Tins collective and the person behind the Silent London project, visited some of London's most popular destinations to capture their soundscapes before the UK lockdown took place. He used a binaural microphone technique to capture the sound of each place - from Leicester Square and Covent Garden to Charing Cross and Oxford Circus - to create a 360-degree soundscape that everyone can now immerse themselves in from home. “In the final days before London was shut-down, I made sound recordings of areas that I care about as a Londoner," he explains. "From documenting spots that I skated at as a teenager, through to areas I have worked in - I wanted to see what familiar sounds still resonated at
Germany - In cooperation with the Sennheiser SoundAcademy, Neumann will be offering detailed webinars on the basics of microphone technology over the coming weeks. In three one-hour sessions, trainer John McGregor will discuss all important aspects of Neumann studio microphones: Starting with the most important theoretical principles, through practical tips and application hints, to product care and maintenance. The first session will be available on Friday, 3 April at three different times (8.30, 13.30 and 18.00 CET). The other two sessions will follow on 17 and 24 April. All webinars will be presented in English. Interested parties can register at: https://www.neumann.com/webinars For an overview of all the free Sennheiser SoundAcademy webinars on offer, please visit https://www.sennheiser.com/webinars Neumann has also created a new hashtag #AtHomeWithNe
