Eurovision Song Contest was selected ROE Visual again to supply LED technology for the 2024 edition of the song contest, including the Black Marble BM4 Floor, Vanish V8T cubes, over a kilometre of ROE Strip, and the stunning Black Quartz BQ4 main wall. This combination provided visuals that captivated the in-house audience and over 160 million viewers worldwide. Creative Technology executed the event, ensuring integration and performance. The stage design, masterminded by veteran Eurovision production designer Florian Wieder and international lighting and screens designer Fredrik Stormby, showcased a harmonious blend of lighting and visuals. The event utilised 1100 meters of…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
DPA Microphones and Wisycom have announced a strategic alliance in the United States. The partnership marked a step forward in aligning the strengths of the two brands while preserving its distinct identities. Consolidating operations under one roof at DPA Microphones’ existing corporate headquarters in Longmont, Colorado, enabled the companies to leverage shared resources. The structure in place at the DPA facility allows Wisycom to benefit from an expanded service department, augmented customer support team and enhanced logistics infrastructure. Sales and support efforts have integrated, pooling the expertise of staff from both companies. Area Sales Managers will assume responsibility for driving…
Allen & Heath have announced the release of dLive firmware V2.0 and the new RackUltraFX card, bringing effects processing and extensive workflow enhancements to the mixing platform. “dLive V2.0 ushers in a new era of integrated creative FX and advanced workflow features, completely redefining what is possible in-the-mixer,” said Jack Hughes, Head of Marketing at Allen & Heath. “Four years in the making, this exciting update gives engineers the tools to supercharge their workflow and improve the mixing experience in every live sound environment.” The workflow improvements included an overhauled Cue List system, simplifying cue list creation with manual and…
Big Church Festival made history in 2024 by powering its main stage with green hydrogen for the first time. Big Church Festival has taken a proactive step towards mitigating climate change, cutting air pollution, reducing noise and safeguarding the well-being both of event workers and of local communities. When looking at how to further improve Big Church Festivals carbon footprint, Pearce Hire, the Event power supplier, engaged with GeoPura to investigate the option of powering the main stage and surrounding services entirely from hydrogen. Working in collaboration with Pearce Hire, GeoPura provided sustainable electricity, using green hydrogen, throughout the duration…
JLL has announced the promotion of Chris Colegrove to the position of Project Manager, to recognise his contributions and dedication over the years. Colegrove joined JLL back in 2018, initially serving as Warehouse Manager, where he quickly became an integral part of JLL’s operations. His journey has been marked by continuous growth and impactful achievements. Colegrove advanced to the role of Asset Manager, overseeing critical aspects of their asset management strategy. Now, as Project Manager, Colegrove brings experience and expertise to lead complex projects and drive innovation within JLL’s organisation. Phi McMichael, JLL’s Group Commercial Director, remarked, “Chris’s journey at…
James Blunt’s production team relied on Skan PA Hire for additional sound reinforcement due to audience demand. Tour and Production Manager Robert Hayden has worked with James Blunt since the ‘Monsters’ singer first ventured into full time musicianship. He began: “James and I started off doing little club shows around England before we went to mainland Europe where we played to even less people! When we returned, everything just took off for him, first with the single, and then the album.” “I’ve used Skan since the beginning of needing production,” he explained. “They always send us people who like to…
At the centre of the Stereofunk Festival was Steve McCracken of Mac-Events, who used the ChamSys Stadium MagicQ MQ250M to busk lightshows for Wanda Dee, Vengaboys and Urban Cookie Collective along with a wide range of other global acts. “None of the artists brought their own LDs, so we busked the entire festival,” said McCracken. “There was a bit of time pressure in this project, the user-friendly features of my MQ250M really helped me manage my time more efficiently.” McCraken appreciated how the Cloning and Morphing features of his console made it easy to take elements from his collection of show…
DirectOut has announced that Commercial Audio is now its exclusive distributor in Poland, providing its audio solutions with a new home in Poland. “We are delighted to welcome Commercial Audio as our new distribution partner in Poland,” said Jan Ehrlich, Managing Director of DirectOut. “Their extensive industry knowledge and commitment to the highest quality and excellent customer service makes them the perfect partner for DirectOut. Together we want to offer our Polish customers the best audio solutions.” Commercial Audio provides exclusive distribution services for brands such as Amadeus Active Acoustics, Solid State Logic, ATC Loudspeakers, Bose Professional, Clear-Com, Marian Audio…
The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) has launched the third document in its ‘W’ for ‘Welfare’ series of Guidance Notes. Following work with RB Health & Safety Solutions and the AAPTLE Well-being Working Group during the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2024, ABTT Guidance Note W3 Mental Health and Well-being in the Workplace: Respect & Dignity Policy Template was launched at the “New Guidance: Revolutionising Physical Well-being and Mental Health” seminar on the 6 June 2024 at the annual ABTT Theatre Show. ABTT Guidance Note W3 Mental Health & Well-being in the Workplace: Respect & Dignity…
Europalco has announced its achievement of ISO 20121 certification for sustainability performance across its corporate events. The ISO 20121 standard, established by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), is a global framework for improving sustainable event organisation practices. Its main objective is to help organisations elevate sustainability throughout the event management process. The certification highlighted Europalco’s focus on sustainability throughout its operations, which means adherence to strict criteria for sustainable event management. For the Portuguese provider, the certification reflects its commitment to several principles, such as a sustainable approach, brand elevation, legal compliance, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, promotion of innovation…
Eladio Carrión’s The Sauce Tour was lit by Lighting Designer, Andrés Campos. Campos’ rig varied by locations on the multinational tour. For the Latin American leg, it featured 68 Color STRIKE M motorized wash-strobes and 54 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorised battens from CHAUVET Professional. In the United States, the tour was driven by 30 Color STRIKE M units, 32 COLORado PXL Bar 16 battens, 32 Rogue R2X Beams, and 12 Maverick MK3 Washes. The lighting design of this tour was created to be carried out in three scales: one large, one medium and one small for the United States.…
Vortex made its debut at Göppingen’s EWS Arena pumping techno, trance and hardcore, continuously over 12 hours, through Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision line array series. Jürgen Schuster, from Skyeline Live, who provided the technical equipment for the Vortex Festival, commented: “There were no noise complaints and zero problems with the volume for the audience.” Martin Audio’s advanced DISPLAY software had been essential in controlling the WPS and WPC line arrays deployed. “It was a real blessing,” he explained. “I was able to calculate the entire system cleanly and deploy it accordingly. This made it possible to predict in advance exactly…
Clear-Com has announced the latest release of Arcadia, the updated version of the intercom platform Arcadia. This update is equipped with new features, offering connectivity, and expanded device support. Features include I.V. Direct Interfacing, which allow interfacing with LQ, Eclipse E-IPA, and other Arcadia systems over LAN, WAN, or the Internet, ensuring connectivity options for operational needs. HelixNet HXII-DPL Powerline Device Support expands intercom capabilities with enhanced support for HelixNet devices. The increased capacity for FreeSpeak II digital wireless system beltpacks and IP transceivers means that Arcadia can now support a higher number of these devices, accommodating larger teams and…
Showlight is set to return in May 2025. The host city for the 12th Showlight will be the city of Dijon in France. The event will take place from Monday 19 to Thursday 22 May 2025 and once again supported by headline sponsor Robert Juliat. Ranked as a must-visit destination, Dijon is located at the centre of France’s Burgundy region – the vineyards of which were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with city centre – it promises to be the perfect setting for next year’s Showlight. The Showlight organisation is in the midst of creating brand-new programme…
Allen & Heath has unveiled the CQ firmware V1.2. The release introduced a host of features including DCAs, Mute Groups, and a freely configurable Custom Layer, enabling a new level of user control. “Since launch CQ has quickly become the smart choice for bands, engineers, venues, and AV installers looking for a small, easy-to-use mixer packed with our renowned processing and effects,” said Keith Johnson, Senior Product Manager at Allen & Heath. “For V1.2, we set out to incorporate the most commonly requested features from our fantastic digital community forums, with this user feedback driving a new level of control…
Midas Consoles has powered the sound for Symphony X’s North American tour, expertly managed by FOH engineer, Alexi Keito. For the North American leg of the tour, Keito relied on his trusted Midas set-up. He utilised the M32R LIVE for FOH, connected to a DL32 on stage, and an M32C on monitors that he wirelessly controlled from FOH using the M32 Edit app for real-time adjustments during shows. Emphasising his loyalty to the brand, he commented: “Going with Midas was my only and absolute choice since I’ve been a Midas guy forever”. He further highlighted the versatility and portability of…
The loudspeaker technology supporting the Luke Combs tour continued unchanged in 2024, with SES of Mocksville NC providing a stadium-filling Outline system, combining the flagship GTO enclosures with GTO-LOW, Mantas 28, GTO C-12, LAB21-HS subs and LIPF-082s. The venues required 220-degree coverage due to the size of the crowds so the sound system is deployed as a main left / right with LL/RR arrays and then outfill LLL / RRR arrays beyond them to deliver the required horizontal and vertical dispersion. FOH system control is via two Outline Newton FPGA processors. One of the changes to the part of the…
HARMAN Professional Solutions has announced the promotion of Michael Schoen to Vice President and General Manager, North America Sales, following the retirement of Roland Rice. Schoen previously served as Senior Director of Pro AV Sales for North America for HARMAN Professional Solutions and brings more than three decades of experience in sales and marketing to his new role. “Mike Schoen’s ascension to this critical leadership role is ideal because he not only provides important continuity to our sales channel, but his enthusiasm and creativity will bring new opportunities for us in the future,” said Jaime Albors, Senior Vice President Global…
