Asia - Dutch lighting designer Jan Kortbeek has selected a powerful Ai Infinity RX server from British manufacturer Avolites to control complex new media content for an updated version of the live musical theatre show of DreamWorks Animation's cartoon blockbuster Madagascar.

Featuring the same four anthropomorphic heroes as the film franchise - Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe - and a combination of real and video scenery, Madagascar Live! was launched in the US in 2011 by Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks.

The animation studio's first ever theatre production, the show is a family-friendly extravaganza that celebrates freedom, friendship and fending off the evil 'Foosa'. Stage Entertainment Touring Productions brought the production from the States to the UK, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina,

USA - Surfing the lighting industry web just got a lot better with the launch of Elation Professional's newly designed www.elationlighting.com website, a thorough makeover that features a more intuitive and modern look.

The redesigned website makes it easier for visitors to find the information they need in a more visually appealing interface and marks another important step as Elation continues to grow and increase its market presence.

The new-look website is easier to navigate and features an enlarged format with enhanced rich content. Major improvements of the new site include an adaptive screen size and mobile responsive design for phones and tablets, more video content, larger images, and enhanced product photography. The new site is compatible across multiple platforms/browsers and includes increased social media share options. It features multi-language support so u

USA - A historic gathering of rock's biggest legends known as the Desert Trip festival took place during the first two weekends of October. Showcasing six of the biggest acts in rock history, Desert Trip pushed each of these headliner acts to stand out. One act that is especially recognized for his outstanding visual design is Roger Waters, and his Desert Trip effort was no exception.

During a tune-up concert held in Mexico City a couple of weeks before Desert Trip, Waters used 10 Syncrolite SXL's to wow the audience with their power and punch. For Desert Trip the count was increased to 50 fixtures that were lined up behind the stage to create incredible effects that could be seen for miles above the Empire Polo Club field, the site of the festival.

Earlier this year Roger Waters' creative team tested several fixtures at the festival site and concluded only the Syncrolite

Sweden - Woodlite is a large, well-stocked dry hire specialist with an HQ just outside the attractive university town of Karlstad, the capital of V

Poland - Over 600 d&b loudspeakers, nearly 150 D80 amplifiers, and 29 delay towers for one stage; this was an event on an almost unprecedented scale. Blonia Park, near Poland's ancient city of Krak

UK - Terry Tew Sound and Light, specialists in audio visual hire and sales for events, conferences and broadcast, has recently purchased microphone hire company, Origin Audio.

Origin, which was formed over 24 years ago by Stephen Higgs, specialises exclusively in the hire of Schoeps microphones.

"I started the business when I left the BBC, slowly building up the company and investing all profits back into stock," says Stephen. "I decided to invest solely in Schoeps because I've always used them and believe they're the best and most versatile microphones on the market."

Origin now has a stock of over 150 Schoeps microphones and more than 140 active rods and cables, but it is not only this that has made it a success.

"When I started, I was working with film makers and I produced bespoke stereo kits that made the audio production of day-to-day stereo drama film making

Serbia - Headquartered in Belgrade and with branch offices in Russia and Macedonia, Svetlost Teatar was recently appointed Outline distributor for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

The company is one of the leading stage equipment contractors and theatrical system integrators and for over 20 years has designed, manufactured and installed stage, studio and theatrical equipment for the performance industry.

Regarding the company's appointment, PR manager Jovan Dunjic states, "With its superb quality, Outline will definitely open the doors to markets we were not previously involved in. Outline's large, medium, and small format loudspeakers, as well as its innovative DSP-based and related technologies, enable us to ensure top-grade equipment for a really wide range of applications, such as performing arts venues, cinemas, sport halls."

Svetlost Teatar creates solutions wit

UK - Tannoy has announced the appointment of Jamie O'Callaghan as head of global sales for its Lifestyle Division.

O'Callaghan comments, "Tannoy's renowned 90-Year heritage along with Music's extraordinary resources and capabilities has drawn me to this amazing opportunity. I am very honoured to be part of a fantastic team that will execute Tannoy's ambitious vision to deliver outstanding customer experience and products that represent that vision. We are assembling a team of very passionate sales people to build even stronger relationships with our global distribution partners."

Vice president, lifestyle, James Bradbury adds, "We are delighted to welcome Jamie to Tannoy. His industry experience, deep understanding of the global Hi-fi market and enthusiastic drive are exactly what we need. We have big ambitions, and are putting in place a team that will deliver."

(Jim

Germany - Creative Technology (CT) has had another strong year delivering some spectacular events across all of its world-wide operations. In the continuing drive to improve efficiency in an increasingly competitive marketplace will be substantially restructured.

The business will retain key customer facing resources in Stuttgart, Cologne and Berlin but will, in future, service and administer its business from one of its major hubs in Holland, UK, Spain or further afield in the Middle East, USA or Asia Pacific.

Sales and project management will be centred around the Stuttgart office and lead by Mike Dörfling who assumes the role of business development director.

Christ Elsten will assume the role of managing director for Holland and Germany alongside commercial director Albert Deltour.

Albert Deltour comments, "The refocus of knowledge, people and equipment in a s

USA - Focusrite Novation Inc., the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the UK-based manufacturer Focusrite Audio Engineering, has announces the appointment of industry veteran Craig Lewis to the position of director of sales for the Focusrite and Novation brands. Focusrite Red and RedNet will continue to be handled by Kurt Howell, national accounts manager.

The announcement was made by Focusrite Novation Inc. president Phil Wagner, underscoring the ongoing growth and expansion of the Focusrite and Novation brands and their sales channels in the US.

Phil Wagner stated, "Craig is well respected. He is an exceptional addition to our expanding team. Craig's industry accomplishments demonstrate his dedication and expertise in both M.I. and pro audio market segments, making him uniquely qualified for this new role. We welcome him aboard, and look forward to his contributions into 20

UK - Award-winning Muse tour director and founder of Cato Music, Glen Rowe, has been appointed managing director of Backstage Academy with immediate effect.

Backstage Academy is a centre of excellence for the future of the live industry, created solely for the next generation of touring and creative professionals. Located next door to Europe's largest production campus, Production Park, the Academy continues to provide real-life training and exciting employment opportunities for students.

Rowe's appointment brings his successful Cato Academy - the only 'Roadie School' in the world - under the educational umbrella of Backstage Academy. The two Academies will continue to provide the best-in-class short courses and degree courses respectively for students wishing to undertake careers in the live events and live music sectors.

Commenting on his appointment, Backstage Acade

UK - Lode Audio, the UK-based audio company that creates products dedicated to the custom installation market, has introduced the LA1 - a single-zone music server that combines Hi-Fi quality performance with the control and reliability demanded by the custom installation industry.

The next stage in the Lode Audio product road map, which has already seen the LA4 4-zone music server receive wide acclaim from installers and users alike, the LA1 is 1U tall and 9 ½ "wide (two units can fit side-by-side in a 19" rack) features high-end DACs capable of high-resolution audio playback, compatibility with the leading music streaming services including TIDAL and full integration into automation control platforms such as Creston, AMX, Control4 and RTI.

Built on Lode Audio's patented LodeNet, the LA1 can be used as a stand-alone unit in a single-source multiroom audio system/dedicated

USA - The new Christie Pandoras Box 6.0 media server and Widget Designer 6.0 are officially launching at LDI in Las Vegas this week. The Pandoras Box system combines the newest rendering technology with intuitive media and show control. Pandoras Box is used around the world for live experiences including multi-media events and projection mapping. The system can be set up as a standalone playback device, network playback client or in console mode for direct DMX Control.

Among its many new features, Multi User mode allows multiple Pandoras Box operators to split the workload of a project and benefit from the increased efficiency by working on different tasks like warping, content encoding, timeline programming or simply work simultaneously on the same sequence. Pandoras Box 6.0 also features many workflow improvements such as editable meshes and warps, UV map adjustments and liv

Areentina - Deligio-Producciones Técnicas created spectacular looks for Argentinian superstar Abel Pintos, thanks in part to the adroit use of Next NXT-1 moving LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

Lighting designer Pablo Deligio, who co-owns the production company with his father Nestor Deligio, arranged 20 of the NXT-1 panels in four rows on a center stage truss grid for Pintos' concert at Luna Park in the San Nicol

USA - Jimmy Buffett is about to wrap his I Don't Know Tour, an ironic name considering how iconic the singer and performances have become. Having toured every year since 1976, the self-proclaimed beach bum knows how to entertain his legion of fans, many of whom make the trek to see his shows many times over.

Bandit Lites is the long-time lighting vendor of Buffett, and helps transform every stage into a paradise for both the audience and the performer. Lighting designer Steve Hoover first toured with Buffett in the early 1990s and has been the tour's lighting designer and director for about the last five years.

"When I started, I first built upon the familiar look of the show, and now it has evolved into a collaborated effort between lighting and video, bouncing things back and forth so we match and compliment the looks," Hoover said.

Bandit provided Showline Nitro Str

USA - A key member of Los Angeles' leading lighting design collective, Seven Design Works, Tobias Rylander has been making extensive use of GLP's award-winning X4 Bar 20 LED battens to illuminate various touring lighting sets, generating giant colour fields and sweeps from the innovative fixtures.

Such has been the growth in Manchester indie band, The 1975's fan-base following the chart-topping album I Like It When You Sleep, that production has had to scale up from the originally booked theatre-sized venues to full-size arenas.

"Fortunately I started by designing an arena sized show, that could be scaled back," smiles the Swedish-born designer, "because we had a feeling it would go that way."

Introduced to the X4 Bars at local Los Angeles based rental company, Volt Lites he quickly recognized that these multi-functional lights would generate a wall of colour bu

USA - Robe moving lights - 48 x Pointes, eight DLX Spots and eight ColorStrobes - are central to the lighting rig at Jewel, the Hakkasan Group's newest night destination venue in Las Vegas, designed by the Audiotek team led by Frank Murray. Dublin & London, based Audiotek has worked on a number of other premium projects for Hakkasan Group, and for this one they designed, specified, coordinated, project-managed and commissioned the club's technical infrastructure which included lighting, video and audio.

"Every project offers new and interesting challenges. Jewel was tremendously exciting, offering a dramatic backdrop for some sensational lighting effects," stated Frank.

Audiotek's lighting designer Andy Taylor worked alongside their project directors Chris Kmeic, Mags Morton and Len Bolger who all collaborated closely with local integrators NTA (National Technology Associa

Denmark - Koldinghus is a castle built in the 13th century, located in the town of Kolding. For decades the castle has been illuminated by conventional discharge lamps, which is a costly affair in regards to both power and maintenance. Therefore, Business Kolding and the Municipality of Kolding decided to implement a new and more up-to-date lighting solution.

Apart from being expensive and high-maintenance, the old lighting solution did not contribute positively to the appearance of the old castle's architecture.

The overall aim for the new lighting project was that the castle's historic and architectonic value would become properly illuminated. Thus far, nobody had been able to present a lighting solution that would match all the requirements, and therefore in 2015 Business Kolding hired

UK - Allen & Heath is celebrating global success with its flagship dLive digital mixing system, which has been specified by many engineers on international riders over its first season, culminating in over 150 touring PA rental companies investing in the product worldwide.

"dLive has turned a lot of touring engineers' heads with its smart, customisable workflows and stunning FX and DEEP processing plug-ins. The 96kHz sampling rate, plus dLive's potential for expansion and integration make it a no-brainer," explains Leon Phillips, Allen & Heath's live sound & touring evangelist.

Artists including Fifth Harmony, Ceelo Green, Jamie Lawson, Travis, Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Morrissey and AIR, have all toured the globe with dLives this year.

"By the time we finish this run and the system returns to SSE, it will have completed its first

Norway - A Martin Audio MLA Mini Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array has been installed at the University of Oslo (UiO) flagship auditorium - replacing the previous PA system.

The integration was carried out by Atendi AS, Martin Audio's pan-Scandinavian distributors, and the installation itself is in the Aula, the University's famous ceremonial hall, known for its festive events, concerts and art. In fact, from 1947 until 1989 it hosted the Nobel Peace Prize, but when that auditorium gradually became too small, the ceremony was moved to the Oslo City Hall.

The Aula's connection with Nobel today revolves around the Nobel Lecture, which is frequently presented there, while many other civic dignitaries also give lectures. In addition, the Aula is used for a number of high profile events such as the Oslo Opera Festival, as well as classical concerts ranging from the Norwegian Rad

USA EAW has announced the addition of Bryan DiFabio to the application engineering team at the company's Whitinsville headquarters. The announcement was made by Adam Shulman, director of marketing and application engineering for EAW.

As an applications specialist, DiFabio will provide technical expertise to EAW customers worldwide. The application engineering team can provide services ranging from simple product selection and appropriate product usage to assisting with the development of a more comprehensive system solution, including acoustic modelling and design proposal development.

"We are thrilled to welcome Bryan to the team," explains Shulman. "His experience and background will be extremely valuable to our customer base. He is a great example of the new directions we will be taking the Applications team in the coming year."

DiFabio received an associates degree

South Africa - Founded by Apostle Edgar Hill Roscoe, who's ministry stretches over nearly 50 years, the El Tabernacle church in Walkerville has long suffered from acoustic issues which made it difficult for the worship leaders to be heard above the enthusiastic congregation.

Situated in Gauteng, the smallest and most densely populated province in South Africa, El Tabernacle is around half an hour from the centre of Johannesburg. Faced with considerable acoustic challenges, church elder Gustav Adams approached Richard Smith of local technical production specialists Sound Harmonics for advice on solving them.

"As part of a complete technical revamp of the building, I was asked to come up with an overall plan to achieve high quality, clear and powerful sound," explains Richard. "When sizing up a project like this, I like to analyse both the client's need as well as the hurdle

UAE - Audio specialist Sennheiser is set to participate at the inaugural Prolight + Sound Middle East trade show, taking place in Dubai from 31 October to 2 November, 2016. As a Founding Partner, Sennheiser intends to demonstrate its commitment to establishing this international exhibition as a key regional platform for the entertainment, event, media and creation industry.

"Prolight + Sound has a strong brand and reputation due to their annual fair in Frankfurt. As this is a new venture for the region, it is important that the main players in the industry support this initiative to help firmly establish it as a must attend event in the Middle East calendar for our industry," said Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at Sennheiser Middle East. "Prolight + Sound will give us the chance to place our very latest products in the hands of our longstanding supporters. Of c

UK - Manchester-based service providers VME, and its sister event company Creation Live, have provided sound reinforcement for Edinburgh's first outdoor dance festival - held at the prime Ross Bandstand, with Edinburgh's famous Castle providing the backdrop.

The 3,000-capacity semi-circular amphitheatre, set within Princes Street Gardens, was taken over by the local Fly Club, and VME were brought in since their premium Martin Audio MLA system would be able to meet the inevitable offsite noise restrictions imposed by the council.

"Given the fact that this was the first outdoor electronic dance promotion, operating between midday and 10pm, the event was highly sensitive," said VME head of sound, Mark Cleator. "We needed a system that was guaranteed to pass all propagation tests."

Their solution was to set two zoned ground stacks of four MLA and three MLX subwoofers per s

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