UK - PLASA Focus Leeds has announced its line-up of seminars and speakers for this year’s event, taking place on 14-15 May at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Alongside the sold-out show floor with brands from across audio, lighting, AV, and staging, the seminars and training sessions provide opportunities to pick up essential technical know-how and gain insights into notable industry developments. A programme highlight looks to the Royal Albert Hall, which recently received a multi-million-pound audio system upgrade. Ollie Jeffery, head of production and technical at the Royal Albert Hall, and Steve Jones from d&b audiotechnik will discuss their technical process and reveal how the new system is already impacting the audience experience. Renowned audio consultant Roland Hemming is presenting a series of seminars, kicking off with an introduc
Germany - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera will use the strategic importance of the Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt as a vibrant meeting place and European entertainment technology hotspot to launch some new products and showcase its most popular current ranges on stand C20 in hall 12.1. The new Helios range of LED tubes - smaller, lighter, brighter and more portable than ever - is launched at the expo - available like all Astera products - with “an assortment of accessories to cover every rigging and positioning eventuality”. Helios tube has all the features and functionality of the popular TitanTube in a smaller, lighter and more transportable package - a neat and powerful little tube which can be mounted in places where a TitanTube might be too long or impractical to rig. This is also the first time at Prolight+Sound that Astera will show i
Germany - Robe celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and its high-profile stand (hall 12, stand D10) will reflect this journey. There will be another spectacular live show, which will feature the concluding chapter in Robe’s Lost Worlds trilogy, which began in London at PLASA 2018. The show will play every hour on the hour and the accompanying lighting design will be utilising products from all the latest Robe product ranges. Robe uses the strategic importance of the expo and its cosmopolitan international visitor base to highlight several important new products. The T1 Profile, launched at LDI 2018, is specifically designed to fulfil the challenging requirements of three very diverse disciplines - theatre, television and touring - in one comprehensive fixture. The new MSL (Multi-Spectral Light) LED light source is impressively bright, yet th
Germany - StageSmarts will introduce their new C24 power distribution at the upcoming Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt. The C24 incorporates all the core elements of the company’s larger and award winning smartPDU series that have serviced numerous arena tours and events since its launch just over two years ago. The C24 is designed to deal with the challenging loads that today’s LED lights and screens represent. Each of the 24 channels has a load sensor that detects possible overloads as well as accidentally disconnected loads. A fast responding ‘lost neutral’ sensor disconnects the C24 from the mains to eliminate damaged due to excessive voltages. A 32A three-phase outlet with an adjustable RCD is also part of the package, useful for feeding a hoist controller and front-of-house power. Output options include Socapex, Harting, Powercon and Powercon Tr
Germany - Highlite International will be present during Prolight+Sound 2019 in hall 12.1 at stand C90 and C91. Here, Highlite will showcase the latest entertainment solutions and innovations from Showtec, DAP Audio, DMT Dutch Media Tools and Infinity Intelligent Light. Showtec is going to be present with various new products including a sturdy, powerful range of outdoor lighting solutions, an energy efficient blinder and a very special ‘Special FX’-unit which is nearly invisible. The Infinity Furion family has expanded and will showcase their latest additions. Visitors will also have the possibility of getting hands-on experience with the Infinity Furion S601 full feature moving head. DMT presents its latest video mixer and scaler, the DMT D1. It makes video scaling and mixing more accessible and intuitive than ever before. The DMT D1 is equipped with the la
USA - Elation Professional’s latest innovation in its Artiste series is a 45,000-lumen LED profile light capable of projecting “some of the most gorgeous colours ever produced by an automated LED luminaire”. The Artiste Monet’s colour palette is possible due to an innovative SpectraColor LED engine that uses traditional CMY colour mixing and adds variable RGB flags for richer, more saturated primary colours. In combination with variable CTO colour correction, the Monet produces colours that were previously impossible to achieve. The wide colour gamut is achieved by seven colour-mixing flags with 16-bit precision. A six-position fixed colour wheel with UV and high CRI options round out the Monet’s colour range. “With its massive output, absolutely stunning colour spectrum and precise optics, the Artiste Monet is the brightest and most feature packed framin
UK - When the new lights are turned on at Southwell Racecourse this Saturday, it will not only usher in a new era of floodlit racing at the historic venue, it will also be the first time a European racecourse is lit using LED technology. Opened in 1850, Southwell is one of just six all-weather tracks in Britain, the only one with a fibresand surface, and now operates some of the most the most advanced lighting technology of any racecourse in Europe. The LED lighting was designed and engineered by Musco Sports Lighting, and features the same technology that’s been installed at several English Premier League football stadiums, Manchester Arena, and Wimbledon’s Centre Court, in just the past few years. The system was highly customised to meet the distinct needs at Southwell. It includes 641 of Musco’s Total Light Control fixtures, mounted to 56 poles, providi
USA - Michael Bublé’s world tour, An Evening With Michael Bublé, in celebration of his 10th studio album, Love, marks the singer’s return to touring after a two-year hiatus. It is a major production with an intense schedule, with 12 performances already taking place in just the first two weeks of the tour. The inaugural show opened at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Florida on 13 February, from where it will travel to arenas throughout North America until April, then on to Canada, Europe and Australia later in 2019, and onward into 2020. The show has a ‘big band’ feel to it and the elegant set, designed by international entertainment architects, Stufish, provides a stylish backdrop for the Canadian crooner. “It’s all aimed to focus on the man and his music,” explains Bublé’s long-term show and lighting designer, Kurt Wagner, who has worked with Bublé for the pa
UK - Backstage Academy has been shortlisted for an Educate North Award in recognition of its industry partnerships. Based at Production Park in Wakefield, the live event production educational facility is a finalist in the Business/Industry Collaboration HE/FE Sector - one of 19 categories. Now in its fifth year, the Educate North Awards is an awards event which celebrates, recognises and shares best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North. In their awards submission, Backstage Academy highlighted the substantial impact their industry partnerships have on the development of their students. The institution’s partnerships take a variety of forms including product support from manufacturers of live events technology, masterclasses & specialist training from industry professionals and work placement opportunities. “We are delighted to
India - Bangalore-based freelance lighting engineer, Guru Somayaji, recently worked on a production designing shows for premier local live music venue and festival / events production company, The Humming Tree. One recent show was the concert for rising Indie artiste, Prateek Kuhad, when PR Lighting fixtures unexpectedly came to the rescue. The design brief for the show was that it should be ‘minimal and space like’, and the visual brief was to bring together the stars through the signs of the Zodiac. The show was to have been operated by the artiste’s lighting engineer, Mumbai-based Abhishek Roy. “Using this brief, I wanted to design a rig that would have a lot of colour wash, and spots that would focus on key moments from various positions,” said the LD. “I settled on specifying 16 Spot fixtures, 24 Wash fixtures, 10 Profile Spots, eight Par Cans and fou
UK - Classical Spectacular, one of the UK’s most popular classical music showcases, returned to the Royal Albert Hall over the weekend to celebrate its 30th anniversary at the venue, backed by a major production featuring an indoor firework display, rifles and cannons. Lighting designer Durham Marenghi selected a variety of Claypaky fixtures for the Raymond Gubbay production. “Each season I create a different truss architecture to keep the show fresh for repeat customers,” says Marenghi who has worked on the production for 30 years. “In addition to being visually entertaining, the structure must create the correct positions for lighting the orchestra, choir, military bands, and solo singers without glare, so they can read their music.” Marenghi specified 16 x Claypaky Sharpy, 48 x Claypaky Sharpy Wash, 12 x Claypaky Scenius Spot, four Claypaky Scenius
USA - Continuing Fred Foster’s legacy of caring for entertainment technology professionals in need, ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a cheque during USITT for $14,937.81, representing the most recent proceeds from the company’s iRFR and aRFR (Radio Focus Remote) applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have now generated almost $370,000 in donations. The iRFR and aRFR mobile apps enable convenient, touchscreen-based remote control for Eos family consoles and controllers. You can learn more about the apps from the ETC website and download them from the iTunes or Google Play stores. “Behind the Scenes provides great relief to members of the extended entertainment production industry family who are dealing with financial hardship due to injury and illness,” said Kate Foster, ETC’s marketing scenic designer, upon presenti
Germany - Robert Juliat will take its place at Prolight+Sound trade show in the Lightpower Village as the company marks its 100th anniversary this year. Occupying a purpose-built stand in hall 12.0, C62, RJ will present its range of recently released LED profile fixtures, the Charles 960SX series. This range of powerful 600W LED profiles is available in three variable zoom ranges (29°/50°, 15°/40° and 8°/16°) for short to long throw applications. Charles exhibits a high optical efficiency, a 6000K colour temperature and a CRI in excess of 90. The fixture delivers the maximum high output, a flat, even beam and excellent image projection at all beam angles. Smooth electronic dimming and an in-built power supply gives silent operation that is perfect for front of house positions. From its range of followspots, the 600W Alice and Oz short and long throw follows
Germany - GLP is celebrating a landmark year in its history as it marks its 25th anniversary in 2019 Founded by Udo Künzler in a 200sq.m workshop in Karlsbad, southern Germany, the operation has developed into one of the leading stage and event technology companies. Occupying their biggest stand to date - a 380sq.m space in hall 12.1, D36 - there will be plenty to entice lighting professionals, from the signature lightshows (this year choreographed by American designer, Nate Files) to the GLP beer, enabling LDs to chat informally at the bar with company representatives. The KNV series of modules is this year extended from the original KNV Cube and KNV Arc with the addition of the KNV Line and KNV Dot, offering even more creative opportunities for production designers. Launched alongside, is the impression S350 Wash - a logical partner for the S350 unveiled last
Belgium - As trampoline parks jump in popularity, proprietors seek new ways to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. For the owners of JumpSky, creating this point of distinction involved adding bright colour-mixing Chauvet DJ SlimPAR fixtures, installed by Wim Zwarts of DiverZe. “Our client wanted to create a better atmosphere in the trampoline park by enhancing the sound and light,” says Zwarts. “Being a former indoor tennis court, there were only general discharge lamps in the park, which limited the kind of looks they could create. I met with the client to present a total sound-and-light solution. From the lighting standpoint, the ability to create colourful, vibrant looks was a top priority.” To achieve this goal, Zwarts installed 76 SlimPAR Pro H USB and 26 SlimPAR T12 USB fixtures throughout the trampoline park. Flown on truss above the tram
Singapore - To create an enchanting ballroom experience for weddings and special events at their luxury hotel in Marina Bay, Pan Pacific Singapore hired Mynalight to design a dynamic LED ceiling installation using Martin by Harman VC-Dot 1 strips. Pan Pacific Hotels Group operates upscale hotels, resorts and serviced suites throughout Asia Pacific and North America for the redesigned 800-capacity ballroom Pan Pacific Singapore wanted to create an immersive and customizable lighting experience for thematic weddings and events. Pan Pacific Singapore hired Mynalight to design and deploy a LED lighting installation in the ballroom ceiling that could complement the elegant colour schemes, table settings and flower arrangements of the hotel’s wedding themes. "Lighting the ballroom for Pan Pacific Singapore was an ambitious project, which we approached in our uniquely coll
USA - Progressive rockers Tauk began their national Let It Be tour on 31 January at the Portland House of Music, running through a June appearance at Michigan’s Electric Forest Festival. Supporting the band’s long, winding riffs, as they take audiences on a mind-expanding journey, is a bright, and distinctly original, Scott Light lightshow anchored by Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Beam fixtures. Positioned on truss columns ranging from 1.5ft to 6.5ft in height, the 10 Rogue R1 Beam units in Light’s rig create an intricate matrix of overlapping beams across the stage. Shot in different directions and from varying heights, light from the 132W fixtures creates alternating areas of intense brightness and dark space, an effect that reinforces the shifting reality spirit of the band’s sci-fi inspired sound. This effect is amplified by the Rogue R1 Beam
Germany - Artistic Licence will be launching sunDial quad, its new DMX/RDM or Xicato GalaXi controlled mains dimmer. Using trailing edge technology, the product provides smooth fades with dimmable replacement LED, CFL or incandescent sources, with exceptional performance even at very low intensities. Also on show will be the award-winning DMX controller, matisse, along with the latest splitters, gateways and media server, dVnet. Artistic Licence CEO and product designer, Wayne Howell, will be present throughout the show to answer questions. sunDial quad offers a professional solution, with four user-selectable dimming curves providing optimum results for a broad range of fixtures. sunDial quad has been designed to be extremely resilient, with intelligent features that reduce ongoing maintenance needs. The standard product, sunDial quad dmx 1k, is controlle
Germany - MDG will be exhibiting at Prolight+Sound in the new Hall 12.0 Stand D44 beside its exclusive German distributor, cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution. MDG will present a selection of its range of atmospheric effects which includes the Me Series of fog generators, the ATMe haze generator, the ICE FOG Series of low fog generators and the award-winning theONE dual mode haze and fog generator, plus a number of accessories including the Round Floor Pocket. Central to the display, with its new black version on show for the first time in Germany, will be the WPE Series of rugged, non-stop, variable output, IP55-rated haze and fog generators: the ATMe WPE haze generator and Me1 WPE and Me2 WPE fog generators. The new black WPE Series has been designed to encase all the benefits of standard MDG haze and fog generators in a sturdy, yet discreet, black housing t
Germany - Chroma-Q will continue to celebrate its 15th year as a producer of performance LED lighting products by showing its latest range of LED Solutions at Prolight + Sound. Chroma-Q has been a pioneer in the development of LED lighting for entertainment applications since launching the Color Block DB4 in 2004. The brand's latest generation of lighting solutions utilises Chroma-Q's proprietary homogenised optics, colour management and dimming technologies - drawing upon 15 years of LED expertise. The Brute Force LED alternative to traditional light sources such as a quarter ‘Wendy Light’, will be making a big impact this year. Capable of delivering up to 140,000 lumens and drawing just 15 amps at 240V, the larger Brute Force 6 is a versatile, controllable fixture. After its unveiling at the show last year, the Studio Force II has been adopted in a number o
Germany - Ayrton’s new compact Levante and Diablo 300W LED wash and profile luminaires are ready to ship and will be celebrated in full force at Prolight+Sound 2019. Levante is a miniaturised version of the Bora wash light, endowed with outstanding performance capabilities in an ultra-compact form that matches the dimensions of Mistral. With Levante, Ayrton has created a wash luminaire that can actually sculpture light and added a high-transmission diffusion filter to the zoom lens group to erase the edge of the beam without changing its angle. A variable linear frost system allows the user to adjust the desired diffusion level with precision. Weighing just over 20kg and with a light output greater than 20,000 lumens, Levante’s optical system is specially developed for optimum wash applications. Its many features include a barndoor module allowing shutters
Mexico - The 17th edition of Sound:Check XPO, Mexico’s leading music industry show, is taking place on 28-30 April at the Mexico City’s World Trade Centre, with the latest developments in audio, video, lighting and staging set to be showcased across more than 13,000sq.m of exhibition space. Over 22,000 attendees are expected to visit the show, which will also include a programme of masterclasses, with musician Simon Phillips, Mimi Fox and Camilo Laro from Instituto Mexicano del Sonido/Mexican Institute of Sound, the AES Mexico Annual Conference and the Tendencias (Trends) sessions. The Harman Auditorium will be the stage for product presentations that can be heard and seen in full operation, accompanied by technical talks with leading industry professionals. The AES Annual Conference will feature Sergio Molho (Waters-Storyk Design Group), Jonathan Wyner (mas
Germany - LSC Lighting Systems will once again be exhibiting at the forthcoming Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt (12.1-C67). This show will see the official release of the new DINrail range of LSC products including LED drivers, MDR DMX RDM splitters and a preview of the new Mantra Mini DINrail playback unit and Houston X software, allowing configuration and monitoring of GenVI, APS, UNITY and the entire new DIN range of products. The LED-CV4 is a four-channel, 12V or 24V LED dimmer with constant voltage, a 5A per channel output and is a True 16-bit dimmer controlled via DMX and configured by RDM. It has built-in, short-circuit protection per channel with auto-reset, current monitoring, variable frequency output and can be monitored and configured via the new LSC Houston X software system. The MDR-DIN data distribution range is a new four-way, DINrail-mounte
Germany - In 2016 Chauvet Professional made major waves at Prolight + Sound when it introduced its line of Maverick fixtures. This year, the company will be celebrating the anniversary of its popular moving lights at the Frankfurt show with the first public preview of the brightest, most feature-rich fixtures ever in the Maverick line. Marketed around the theme “Take your breath away,” the Maverick MK3 Spot and Maverick MK3 Profile will “do just that with an eye-popping output from one of the most powerful single-source LED engines in any moving head fixture currently on the market”, says the company. “These are the brightest lights ever in the Maverick line,” says Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “We listened very carefully to the designer feedback we received at an invitation-only private showing of fixture prototypes last year to refine and develop the
