UK - PLASA Focus 2016 sees Yamaha sharing a stand with loudspeaker manufacturer Nexo and highlighting the interconnectivity of the company's professional audio systems for installation, broadcast and live production.

A focal point of Yamaha's presence will be the MRX7-D open architecture signal processor, the RMio64-D Dante/MADI conversion i/o unit and the RSio64-D Dante/mini-YGDAI convertor. In addition, the latest V4 software for CL/QL series digital mixing consoles will be on demonstration.

Complementing the Yamaha Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) range of MTX series fixed architecture matrix processors, the MRX7-D delivers simple yet outstandingly flexible control for complex, high-capacity sound systems in hotels, ballrooms, houses of worship, schools, libraries, theatres, convention centres, conference rooms and many other applications.

Featuring eight mic

USA - Norwegians Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund, better known as Lemaitre, can be considered a two-man melting pot of music. In the tradition of bands like Phoenix and Daft Punk, the red-hot duo effortlessly blend dance, indie, pop and even heavy swing brass into a fast smooth electro tinged sound that's all their own. Their most recent release "Closer" already has 12 million streams.

Expectations were high when Lemaitre performed at this year's Coachella festival, and the pair didn't disappoint, blending their eclectic sounds with a mesmerizing lightshow created by LD Michael Sheck of L7 Productions. A key component of Sheck's show was the 'sizzling pixel-mapped eye candy' served up on Chauvet Professional Nexus Aq 5x5 LED panels, supplied and installed by Kilroys Lighting and Production of Las Vegas.

The RGBW Nexus units were rolled out quickly on the Gobi Tent stag

USA - Video display manufacturer PixelFLEX has announced a West Coast open house designed to showcase of its innovative line of LED technologies.

Highlighted by the FLEXLite Plus, FLEXLite NXG, reFLEXion, trueFLEX, and FLEXCurtain HD, the open house will take place at INVENT (Institute of Venue and Entertainment Technology) in Los Angeles, CA, on 26-27 May, 2016. The event is free and open to all video designers, integrators and production rental houses throughout the area who may be interested in taking an in-depth look into the latest in LED video technology.

"With Los Angeles being at the epicenter for touring on the West coast, we know how important this market is for our continued growth," said David Venus, PixelFLEX Director of Marketing. "Through our headquarters in Nashville, we are able to routinely visit with clients on the East coast, but we also understand how

UK - DPA microphones played a key role in delivering exceptional sound quality to the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, which made its London debut over Easter with a special concert at the Barbican.

Formed by Comhaltas Ceolt

USA - Sean Palmer, Front of House engineer for US rock band The Used, has been mixing audio for almost two decades. He has recently discovered the delights of DiGiCo's new S21 digital mixing console, supplied by Clair Brothers, PA rental company for the band's current album celebration tour. It has, he says, changed everything for him...

"I haven't used DiGiCo consoles much before," says Sean. "I've always loved the sound of the consoles and thought they were incredibly capable, but I just couldn't get my head around the workflow.

"Then I went and did training with Tom Williams at DiGiCo HQ. I learned how to create the workflow I wanted and there's nothing I haven't been able to do with the S21 since."

Sean had been using what he describes as 'an insane amount of plugins' on previous consoles. "They were all great, but there's this sterile tone to them and still a lot

UK - Arena Group supplied 59 temporary tower structures and 2,031 temporary tiered covered seats to the Virgin Money London Marathon.

Along the 26.2 mile route through the UK's capital city, Arena Group installed all the mile and kilometre marker towers, beginning at Blackheath Common's start line right through to the last marker before the finish line on The Mall, in front of Buckingham Palace.

Each tower measured 1.077m wide by 2.115m deep, stood 6m high and was cladded with Virgin Money branded Mile Marker boards. The towers that stood on opposite sides of the road were adorned with red and white helium-filled balloon arches.

Arena Group installed a total of 2,031 temporary seats across the course, with 579 seats within two covered grandstands lining either side of the Start Line. A further 1,452 seats in 12 grandstands lining The Mall offered optimum views of runne

UK - The 2016 Bhangra Showdown (TBS) event produced by Kudos AV and the Imperial College Punjabi Society is the world's biggest Bhangra dance competition and this year moved to Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena. Once again, the bar on production values was spectacularly upped.

The event featured a stunning lighting design created by Tom Grant and Nathan Wan, which used 80 Robe moving lights at its core - 16x BMFL Wash XFs, 18x MMX Spots, 24x LEDWash 600s and 12x Pointes.

Kudos AV's Hardeep Kataria was the production director and Tom, who also served as production designer commented, "The organisers wanted a wide and angled look this year and something a bit different to a 'standard' big LED wall upstage", so the stage design evolved into an LED screen at the back comprising five flown columns of Absen A3pro 3.9mm pitch screen.

Each column was hung on pairs of motors that

UK - Cadac is debuting CDC Console Software V3.01 in the UK at PLASA Focus, alongside the new CDC MC Optical Bridge and the CDC MC AES3 Stagebox.

CDC Console Software V3.01 includes a range of new features and performance enhancements for the Cadac CDC six and CDC eight live sound production consoles; the outcome of Cadac's on-going CDC development programme, driven by customer feedback and our desire to exceed the expectations of a rapidly evolving live sound market.

One of the major features found in V3.01 is Custom Fader Layers, or CFL. The current implementation allows the engineer to create a user definable layer, or group, of any mixture of inputs, busses, VCAs and Monitor faders, which can then be accessed by faders on the right hand bank. Each CFL can be named and colour coded.

Richard Ferriday, Cadac's sales and marketing director, summarises, "CDC six has fas

USA - Middle Tennessee State University's athletic teams compete in Division I of Conference USA, and its Blue Raiders athletes do most of their indoor training in the Charles M. Murphy Athletic Centre, which houses a basketball arena, multiple gymnasiums, training rooms, and a well-appointed weight room.

Local A/V integration firm Southeastern Sound Inc. recently upgraded the weight room sound system using Ashly Audio processing and amplification, which greatly improves the system's impact and simplifies the ease with which student athletes can operate it.

"The system was originally installed with excellent loudspeakers," explained Brian Cook, senior audio designer at Southeastern Sound. "However, the electronics in support of those loudspeakers were of poor quality and difficult for students to operate.

"We went in and replaced the existing processing and amplificati

UK - For the past 50 years, Plymouth-based Princess Yachts has been building motor cruisers which epitomise the last word in luxury, gracing all the world's most exclusive marinas. The company recently hosted a dinner for its international dealers, where a K-array KR102 system helped event production company SXS Events ensure that the quality of the evening's entertainment matched that of the Princess vessels.

SXS works closely with pro audio equipment supplier LMC Audio, whose service goes much further than just supplying equipment, as SXS founder and director Johnny Palmer explains. "We work with very high level clients with demanding expectations. Far from being just a 'box shifter', LMC is key in helping us to deliver the necessary high level of service. The company's London sales manager JP Cavaco is almost like another member of the SXS team - offering proactive support,

UK - KV2 has once again been chosen as the system of choice for a successful and high profile dance event taking place on 30 April in Belfast.

Cream - one of the world's most iconic Dance brands - took their Cream Tours to the T13 warehouse where a host of acts were all experienced courtesy of KV2 Audio's flagship VHD products.

The T13 warehouse is a former shipbuilding warehouse and the sold-out event saw almost 5,000 revellers take in sets from John O'Callaghan, Bryan Kearney, Will Atkinson and Standerwick amongst many more.

Production was overseen by KV2 Audio's Irish partners Just Lite who supplied a complete double VHD System from their substantial KV2 hire inventory.

In spite of the size of the venue - also notorious for noise problems - just two VHD 2.0 mid/hi's were deployed per side. The clarity and definition of such a compact system always astounds audie

USA - Renowned California-based PA company Rat Sound recently purchased an Allen & Heath dLive system, which was immediately put to work on a nationwide tour with Los Angeles based indie band, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros (ESMZ).

Formed by band leader Alex Ebert in 2007, ESMZ plays a wide range of original music that draws from folk, rock, gospel, and psychedelic roots. Promoting the band's newly released fourth album, 'PersonA', the tour is visiting venues ranging from smaller 'underplay' houses to larger auditoriums.

Comprised of a dLive S5000 control surface and DM64 MixRack, Rat Sound's dLive system is managing FOH and recording duties.

FOH engineer Steve Taylor says ESMZ's 10 members are multi-talented artists who move from one instrument to another, often in the same song, resulting in as many as sixty microphone and direct sources in the FOH mix. In many

Poland - Cloud Electronics has announced Digital Audio as the exclusive distribution channel for the full range of Cloud audio mixers, zoners, multi-channel amplifiers, and audio distribution systems, for Poland, effective 1 May 2016.

Digital Audio, Poland was established in 1998 and has a reputation for quality audio system design with the emphasis on high-end acoustics. Piotr Has, owner of Digital Audio commented, "The Cloud Electronics range of products complements our existing offer to the commercial audio market. The heritage and reliability of Cloud products sits nicely alongside Digital Audio's longevity in the Polish market too."

Simon Curtis, managing director for Cloud Electronics adds, "We are very confident Digital Audio are perfectly placed to best represent and support Cloud products in the Polish marketplace. We are very pleased to be working with such a sol

Cuba - Electronic dance music artists Major Lazer has become one of the first major American acts to play in Cuba since diplomatic ties were restored between Washington and Havana in July last year.

The trio played a free concert to a reported 500,000 fans at the Tribuna José Marti in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana in an historic event presented by the Musicabana Foundation in association with the people and government of Cuba.

The Diplo and Major Lazer show was a ground-breaking multi-cultural occasion, opened by Cuban DJs Lejardi, Adroid, Raith and IA, and a rumba band called Osain del Monte. It came ahead of Musicabana, the first international music festival staged this weekend in Havana which will featured more than 30 artists at three venues.

Sound reinforcement for the landmark event was provided by OKeventos, one of the largest sound rental companies

USA - LED video display manufacturer PixelFLEX has announced Intellasound Productions as its newest production rental partner. With its headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin, Intellasound Productions has been supplying audio, lighting, staging, backline and touring support for a wide variety of live events, and they have now added FLEXCurve 6mm LED video technology from PixelFLEX to their rental inventory to strengthen their client support nationwide.

"Our decision to make the investment into the FLEXCurve technology was really driven by the fact that many of our clients have been requesting an LED wall for their events," says Tim Woodworth, Intellasound Productions. "As this started to happen more often, we would sometimes have difficulty finding an LED wall to rent in our area, and would have to typically bring one in from Chicago. Ultimately, we decided that if we were to make

Qatar - In what has been the largest broadcast project for Sennheiser in the Middle East, Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster, has utilized cutting-edge wireless microphone and in-ear monitoring systems at its studios in Qatar. The deployment enables Al Jazeera to deliver crystal clear audio for its viewers and will now serve as the standard template for all the broadcaster's major studios across the globe including those in London, Washington DC and the Balkans.

A highlight of the project was the use of Sennheiser's flagship Digital 9000, an all-digital wireless system that can transmit completely uncompressed audio, artifact-free and with superb dynamics. The system has been meticulously designed for the highest channel counts and operation in dense frequency environments. Infrared (IR) synchronization between receivers and transmitters greatly aids setting up of the syst

South Africa - Inspired Stages hosted their first Inspired Mentors programme from the 21 to 24 March at the GrandWest Casino. Ninety-two youngsters between the ages of 17 and 25 and who had previously been involved in Inspired Stages workshops, were trained up as mentors.

"Young adults from within the community with a passion and talent for music, dance, singing and performing were carefully sourced and identified through schools, colleges, community centres, youth groups and churches," explained Karen Burt, founder and facilitator of Inspired Stages. "They were nominated by teachers and peers as individuals who showed potential as both a performer and role model and who would be best suited to the mentorship opportunity.

"The programme was intensive," says Karen. "We went further than natural talent and passion. We trained the mentors in a fully comprehensive programme in

UK - Making a welcome return to the Maidstone Studios, LD Chris Rigby, who picked up the Royal Television Society 'Lighting for Multicamera' Award for his work lighting Later, is once again adding some creative illumination to the wonderfully eclectic blend of performances featured in this, the 48th season of the BBC flagship music show.

Speaking about the show, Aurora project manager Ben Taylor says, "Later is an exciting project to be involved with - it's a show that is serious about music and Chris is an LD that is serious about lighting. The brief is to complement rather than over shadow the performances and creativity paramount throughout."

The main installation features over 100 automated fixtures, primarily Vari-Lite VL3000 and Martin MAC 575 heads which help maximize versatility and movement whilst providing the ability to quickly phase in different l

Germany - When the multi-genre German artist who goes by the name Alligatoah took to the road recently prior to the summer festival season, his sound production company, Berlin-based Complete Audio, knew they had their hands full.

Operating under different persona, the German rapper, singer, producer and DJ would be covering a wide variety of venue sizes in a theatre style presentation.

But Complete Audio MD, André Rauhut, who has been working the artist since 2013, knew that once management had specified Martin Audio's award-winning MLA Multicellular Loudspeaker Array (and smaller MLA Compact) the show would be in safe hands - particularly since FOH engineer Claudio Malaguti was already familiar with the unique properties of the system.

"[Alligatoah] is supported by an unconventional five-piece backing band who are constantly switching instruments," André

UK - The annual House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards was held at London's Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank and attended by some of TV's most well-known faces including Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston & Mary Berry.

For the second year running appointed production company Light Motif created the settings for the pre-awards reception, dinner and after party. A series of moving mirrors were installed to reflect light beams across the ballroom creating a dream like canopy as guests enjoyed cuisine from caterers Rhubarb Food.

For the after party DJ's Rickie & Melvin spun the tunes into the small hours behind a giant TV screen decked with colourful florals from the creative Rebel Rebel.

Rob Mills, lead creative for Light Motif, said: "It has been an absolute pleasure once again to work with our wonderful clients at BAFTA together with some of the industries most t

The Netherlands - Rigging Box, the rigging dry-hire company, has used the favourable conditions of the Truss Exchange Programme to further invest in Prolyte truss.

Rigging Box, part of the Ampco Flashlight Group, is a dry-hire rigging company with a wide range of truss, chain-hoists and other rigging equipment. Rigging Box started in 2004 and serves a large part of the Dutch market, as well as projects throughout Europe, like events, festivals, theatres or tours.

Rigging Box always has put a high emphasis of supplying well maintained and top quality products to its customers' base, just what you like to see in a rigging supplier. Although dry-hire is their main business, their outstanding service and support is what customers come back for.

Prolyte Group and the Rigging Box have worked together for a long time. A warehouse full of Prolyte truss, ranging from X30D truss

UK - American singer and songwriter Halsey kicked off the European section of her Badlands tour at Glasgow's O2 Academy earlier this year.

Creative directors of production design company Okulus, Louis Oliver and James Scott, turned to Ayrton once again when creating an adaptable lighting design which could be modified to suit all of the venues in the European tour dates. The designers chose the clean lines and angular appearance of Ayrton MagicBlade-R and MagicPanel-R fixtures to illuminate Halsey's performance at Brixton Academy in February which formed a key part of a flexible system that could be easily adapted for the whole European leg of the tour.

"Halsey gave us only one key item of direction, that she wanted a set based on 'V' shapes," says Oliver. "We continued that visual element through the whole environment, starting with a V-shaped stage, three V-shaped upstag

Canada - Forty years after their first hits climbed the charts, American rock band Heart teamed up with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for a Queens of Sheba 2016 tour through Canada that saw the Wilson sisters performing their rock staple hits beneath an automated rig that included effects from Elation Professional's new ACL 360 Matrix LED moving panels.

Dale Doucette, who has been a freelance lighting and set designer for 35 years, working with a wide range of acts from Kitaro to New Kids on the Block, also served as lighting designer/director for the Wilson sisters for eleven years prior to becoming production manager just over a year ago.

On the Canada leg of the Queens of Sheba tour he worked with Gabrielle 'Gabi' Scheff, an up-and-coming designer with previous experience from East Coast Lighting & Production Services of Rhode Island. "I gave her the keys to the car so to

France - Breton events company, Musical'Ré, recently invested in Allen & Heath's new dLive digital mixing system.

"I decided to take the leap and buy a brand new dLive. Its specs are impressive and I was really blown away during a demonstration at the JTSE tradeshow. I have a lot of experience of using Allen & Heath digital mixers, and this system is magnificent," says Bruno Damiani, owner of Musical'Ré. "Previously, when I wanted to make the transition from analogue to digital, I immediately turned to Allen & Heath and purchased GLD and iLive systems. Today, it's logical to continue this adventure by buying a dLive system. I really wanted to own the 'new baby' and take advantage of new technology."

Musical'Ré selected the S7000 control surface with DM48 MixRack. The company used the system for the first time as the main stage FOH console at the festiv

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