What was your first album? Or maybe it was a CD? A download? What was your first concert? Your first real gig? Did you grow up in an entertainment family? Do you remember connecting to the internet for the first time? Or maybe, you’ve always had access to it, born into a world that was already changed. Pop influence, family values, and technologies all help shape how we grow and have a major impact on who we become. As we share impactful cultural experiences, shifts in human behaviour can be felt worldwide, and generations begin to emerge. No one knows…
Author: Jacob Waite
TPi readers are more aware than most of radio spectrum’s importance. It is critical to wireless audio content production and has a fair claim to be considered as the raw material on which many events depend. Yet within the arcane world of spectrum regulation, discussions are taking place that could have profound long-term consequences for the future of wireless audio production. The past 15 years have seen successive losses of radio spectrum for wireless microphones and in-ear monitors, principally in spectrum shared with digital terrestrial television. In most cases, the spectrum has been re-purposed and auctioned to mobile phone networks.…
What challenges did you face bringing A20-HH to the market? “Handheld microphones have been on the market for decades, so when it came time to design Sound Devices’ first, we knew we wanted to create something that improved on every aspect of the category while also adding some new features that had not been attempted before. Development was informed by relationships with end users. The ability to easily swap the threads out of the microphone to utilise any capsule design was major. Furthermore, the ability to customise the shell of the microphone was also crucial. When it came to features…
The path from YouTube covers to worldwide success is one that has become increasingly well-worn in recent years, with some of the biggest stars of the past decade beginning their careers in their bedroom with a guitar. Teddy Swims’ emergence at the top of charts worldwide also began online, and with his popularity now seeing him perform at the biggest arenas in Europe. TPi caught up with his team at Co-op Live to gain an insight into the complex production behind his biggest shows to date… Meeting TPi at the gate was a familiar face; Production Manager, Rob Bright, who…
Having worked for multiple years in the live events sector, Simon James and Tim Roberts joined forces with Dick Tee and Mike Richmond to form The Event Safety Shop (TESS), offering support for concerts, tours, technical providers and festival organisers as a ‘Creative Safety’ partner. With some of its first clients in the early 2000s being big names such as The Rolling Stones, the company was quickly elevated to the international events scene. Its list of clients now reads like a who’s who of headliners, having provided their services for the crew of AC/DC, Genesis, Green Day, KISS, Queen +…
Indie-rockers The Wombats recently embarked on an arena tour to celebrate their first album in three years, with a lighting design from Rosie Haigh, who started working with the band in 2023 at the end of the previous album campaign. “For the band, it’s all about how it feels on stage, as much as it is about how it looks,” Haigh began. “They play a high-energy set, so they like to feel the energy close to them on stage, hence a good-sized floor package, but also, they aren’t afraid of the dark, which really helps me build dynamics for the…
Could you explain the journey behind VLHive 151 Digital FX’s development? “The VLHive platform has been in development by the Signify R&D team for eight years, and leverages a significant number of patented technologies, with the goal of creating a digital light fixture with fewer mechanical parts and more long-term customisation capabilities. We wanted the fixture to be bright, fast, and controllable, rather than just a projector with a pan/tilt motor.” What challenges did you and the team face? “The key challenges in developing the VLHive – apart from the technical challenges and physical hardware – was ensuring that what…
IPS (Impact Production Services) recently invited TPi to Milton Keynes to look around its new state-of-the-art, purpose-built warehouse and site, the latter of which spans six-and-a-half acres. With the company completing the move over the Easter period, the new facility signals new life for IPS, bolstering its operations further and doubling its capacity. “Next year will be 25 years of IPS, so it feels like the right time to double the size of our site,” Tom Warden, H&S and Marketing Manager at IPS began. “We moved into our previous site in 2013, which was also doubling our capacity at the…
One of 197 organisations to be recognised with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise, Adlib has received the King’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales. The Award recognises Adlib’s international reputation and commercial success in delivering projects outside of the UK. Founded in 1984, Adlib is headquartered in Prescot, Merseyside, with locations in Glasgow and London. Between 2022 and 2024, Adlib’s overseas turnover saw significant growth, supported by the company’s prominent position within the international touring market. Adlib’s strong relationships with their North American client base has consistently ensured that Adlib are relied on for…
On 27 February, with the successful conclusion of the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show (GETshow), the cooperation between Leading Audiovisual Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Stage Art Society also came to an end. This four-day audio-visual feast not only showcased the industry’s top technology and artistic achievements but also witnessed the in-depth cooperation and innovative practice between Leading Audiovisual and Guangdong in the field of technology and art integration. As one of the most influential performing arts equipment exhibitions in the world, GETshow has attracted professional buyers and industry elites from more than 100 countries and regions around the world. The…
M&S Showtechniek is a full production and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Directors, Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap. They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated – deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights. The first Robe fixtures to join the M&S inventory were 24 LEDBeam 150s in 2017. M&S Showtechniek…
Love GOSH, the annual fundraising event developed by Great Ormand Street Hospital charity, GOSH, has raised over £3.2 million over the course of three appeals and is currently working towards a state-of-the-art Children’s Cancer Centre. At the heart of its vital donation activities are philanthropic events which help the world-renowned children’s healthcare facility to gather supporters through live entertainment. Keen to assist this incredibly worthy cause, Britannia Row Productions client Duran Duran performed at the charity’s winter event. More recently, Britannia Row returned for another evening of fundraising endeavours at The Peninsula London, a high-end hotel in the heart of…
Lithuanian pop superstar Donny Montell recently returning to the Žalgiris Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania to offer the 10,000 or so spectators an extraordinary concert experience. Baltic Production Service on board as the overall technical service provider, along with Marfa Lights, which was responsible for the stage, video and lighting design and relied on 350 Cameo lights. Marfa Lights and Baltic Production Service created a multi-level stage design that combined huge LED surfaces, sophisticated visuals and a diverse lighting set-up to create depth on multiple stage levels. “We arranged the visual elements on the stage in several layers to create an…
Elation has rolled out KL PAR IP COMPACT, designed for indoor and outdoor productions and delivers exceptional lighting performance, making it the ideal backbone of any production. This IP65-rated broadcast-grade luminaire pairs modern technology with classic design, serving as an excellent key, fill, and area wash light source for broadcast environments, theatre, film, or any production requiring outstanding colour quality. The KL PAR IP COMPACT houses a powerful 150W 6000K RGBMA LED engine with 16-bit CCT adjustments possible from 2,400K-8,500K for precise colour temperature control. The full-spectrum LED engine emits beautifully diffused saturates, soft-field pastels, and tunable white light, allowing…
After a seven-year hiatus, two-time GRAMMY Award winners Linkin Park are back on the road. Their 50-plus-show From Zero World Tour will take them from Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros on 31 January through to 15 November in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and pretty much everywhere in between to stadiums and arenas globally. Playing key roles on the tour are a pair of DiGiCo consoles: a Quantum852 console at FOH and Quantum338 desk on monitors, all sharing two SD-Racks – one each stage left and right, and one SD-MiNi Rack for track playback – on a dual Optocore loop. These are…
22live has appointed Aaron Boothe as Hire Project Manager and James Rose as Service and Manufacturing Manager. These key additions further reinforce 22live’s commitment to delivering pro-audio solutions through expertise, innovation, and service excellence. A well-known name in the pro-audio industry, Boothe brings extensive experience as a sound engineer, production manager, and the founder of his own loudspeaker brand, Aaron B. With a strong reputation among touring professionals, Boothe has been trusted to deliver some of the biggest tours and live events. Boothe has been working with 22live as a Hire Consultant since 2022, collaborating to support his vast network of hire…
Disguise has appointed Brian Allen as its Vice President of Creative Services. In this role, Allen will lead the continued growth of Disguise’s creative services division — delivering innovative content solutions that empower clients to realise their boldest ideas across virtual production, broadcast, and immersive installations. Bringing more than a decade of experience designing at the intersection of storytelling and cutting-edge technology, Allen has shaped immersive experiences for major brands and cultural icons. His past work includes immersive art venue Illuminarium, the American Express UNSTAGED: Taylor Swift Experience, National Geographic’s Genius: Studio, and more. “My true passion is storytelling,” said…
Teatr has been named the exclusive distributor for Ayrton products in the Polish market. This new partnership marks an exciting milestone for both companies. With nearly two decades of collaboration, Ayrton’s Matt Hallard and Teatr’s Michał Frackowiak, Marek Gumiński and Krzysztof Klak have built a strong and lasting friendship, and this next chapter is a natural evolution of that longstanding connection. Founded in 1971 by engineer, Mr. Jerzy Gumiński, Przedsiebiorstwo Specjalistyczne TEATR is the oldest, and one of the leading, Polish companies specializing in the provision of stage technology and the installation of stage lighting systems, trapdoors, trussing, lighting bridges,…
