Switzerland - Seventy Robe BMFL moving lights – 48 BMFL Blades and 22 x BMFL WashBeams were used on the 2017 Basel Tattoo, one of the leading military tattoos in Europe, which is staged for a week in a temporary structure erected in front of the Kaserne former military barracks in the centre of the city in northwest Switzerland. The BMFLs were part of a lighting scheme by Rolf Derrer for the week-long Tattoo which features 10 shows and capacity audiences of 7500 for each one. Working closely with Rolf was programmer and his right-hand person Reto Engler, who has worked on the event since 2013. The BMFLs were supplied by Winkler Multimedia Events AG from Wohlen together with the rest of the lighting kit and the full technical production. Winkler’s technical director Roni Huber first started looking for new and more powerful fixtures after the 2016 show, when Reto an
Italy - An Allen & Heath dLive S Class mixing system was selected for a recent large scale classical music production at Mandela Forum, Florence, which saw over 460 musicians and choristers perform a selection of works to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Florence Foundation. La Piazza Incantata included members of the Choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with the soloists of the May Academy, the Orchestra of the Conservatorio Cherubini, the Italian Youth Orchestra of the Music School of Fiesole and the Orchestra of Tuscany. Production company ABC srl Rome was responsible for the audio for the event, which required 148 mic inputs, over six stereo matrix, and multiple Aux groups for monitor mixes. To achieve this, ABC used a dLive S7000 surface, with a DM64 mix rack and three fully-loaded DX32 I/O expanders to handle both FOH and monitor mixing.
South Africa - With the aim to inform, inspire, mobilize and educate community members involved in the arts, the fourth Hello Community Arts Development Programme and Festival was hosted at the Breytenbach Theatre from 16 - 26 August, with DWR Distribution and the SOS Charity fund supporting the event. Hello is the vision of Hardus Koekemoer and Wandile Mgcodo from the Department of Entertainment Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology, has seen its state funding slashed, but the university, alongside DWR Distribution and radio broadcaster 93.6 Tshwane FM, have continued to invest in the project. “We were presented with vast talent around Gauteng, and with the introduction of a poetry evening added to the theatre and music productions, we gained a new audience,” explained Wandile Mgcodo. “My highlight is always seeing the groups performin
USA - SGM’s G-Spot LED moving head fixtures can be found poolside at the Orlando World Centre Marriott hotel in Orlando, Florida. Enduring the Florida climate year-round was a main concern when choosing a product for this installation and SGM’s patented dehumidifier works consistently to keep all unwanted moisture out of the fixtures. For the installation, K-System’s Mitchell Piper was contracted to put together an entertainment package that would suit the permanent Light Up the Night show that was to take place over the pool area. The nightly spectacular has four rotating shows as well as unique holiday and special occasion shows. The shows originally planned to have only lasers, but quickly morphed into a spectacle that required moving heads, audio and more. Piper then reached out to his business partner, Ken White of Millennium Waves for assistance wi
USA - Covering 650,000sq.ft and rising eight stories above the ground, the new Little Caesars Arena stands as a symbol of the comeback taking place in America’s Motor City. On 12 September, Detroit’s hometown hero Kid Rock christened the multi-use complex by performing its inaugural concert as part of a six-night home stand that sold out in one day. Just before he took the stage, the big arena’s house lights went dark and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ (the city’s unofficial anthem) blared over the sound system. When the song’s famous line Born and raised in South Detroit came on, the entire hall erupted with cheers and, as if on cue, the darkness was simultaneously blown away by intense bright light. This lighting salvo would be the first of many ballyhoo moments in the rollicking Little Caesars Arena kickoff concert that designer Nook S
UK - London-based electronics engineering company PEL Services was commissioned to design and install upgrades to the public address and emergency sound systems at Celtic FC’s 60,000-seat stadium Celtic Park. With a stadium-wide IT network and existing public address infrastructure already in place, PEL advised the selection of Bosch Praesideo digital Public Address and Emergency Sound System with Electro-Voice pro audio loudspeakers to improve coverage, clarity and fidelity within the main bowl area of the stadium. Because both systems can be interfaced to the Dante networking standard, the Bosch Praesideo system and all Electro-Voice loudspeakers are monitored and controlled remotely via Electro-Voice N8000 NetMax digital matrix controllers. Vic Swain, engineering director for PEL, says: “The club wanted a state-of-the-art emergency notification system, an
Germany - Robe Deutschland officially opened its new HQ in Ismaning near Munich last week in an event which also showcased Robe’s brand new MegaPointe moving light. Guests, including lighting / visual designers, programmers, technicians as well as professionals from various venues, TV studios, theatres and rental companies, could tour the new office, warehouse and Light Lab facilities, then experience a specular lightshow designed, programmed and operated by top Swiss LD Ronald Huber, illustrating the many features and functionality of the new MegaPointe and fixtures from Robe’s current ranges. In addition to enjoying the spectacle, guests could see products close-up and engage in a number of full demonstrations including the DL Series, the VIVA CMY and the RoboSpot series of follow-spotting products. “We are extremely happy that all our German customers h
USA - In San Jose, California, the Cathedral of Faith has been providing powerful and encouraging worship services for its congregation since its inception in 1965. Believing in the power of multimedia arts to help convey their message, the technical team behind those services is asked to create the ideal worship environment each week. Knowing that they needed to renovate their production design with LED video to maintain a high level of creativity and performance, the church recently worked with Nashville-based PixelFLEX and installed a new FLEXTour 3.9mm LED video system. “I initially looked at LED video technology about 10 years ago, but at that time it was too cost-prohibitive so we ended up installing anLCD TV wall for our worship design,” began Kurt Foreman, director of operations, Cathedral of Faith. “It worked well, but it had its limitations, and we cou
South Korea - Sungeun Church in Uijeongbu has selected a Qu-32 compact digital mixer, two AB168 remote IO racks, and a ME personal monitoring system from Allen & Heath as part of a new digitally-based AV system upgrade to its main chapel. The new system needed to manage live sound reinforcement for services and events, multi-track recording for web streaming content, and personal monitoring for the musicians. “The Qu-32 is intuitive, with plenty of outputs, great handling and quality faders and rotaries. The touchscreen is a good size and sensitivity, and gives a great overview as well as enabling fine control with a screen-dedicated rotary. And thanks to the custom layer function, you can assign fader strips as you want. I also really like the GEQ. Unlike other consoles, I can apply GEQ on every output channel, and there are 4 different EQ models in the library
The Netherlands - The latest AV and display tech were deployed at the Canon of The Netherlands exhibition which opened at the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem in September. The exhibition, which covers the highlights and low lights of Dutch history since the Stone Age, combines historical objects on loan from collections throughout the Netherlands with deployments of the latest audio-visual and display technologies. Working in intimate collaboration with exhibition architects Kossmann.dejong and a multi-disciplinary team of film, animation and interactive designers, Rapenburg Plaza of Amsterdam were engaged to implement the lighting, show control and audiovisual technologies for the exhibition. “We work in parallel with Rapenburg Plaza in most of our projects and they help bring our ideas to life. They have an expert, specialist team who work t
Germany - Elation moving heads were specified for this year’s German EDM festival Parookaville held in Weeze in July. The POOLgroup, who once again acted as general contractor for the main stages, as well as the Cloud Factory and Centre Shelter stages, was responsible for the conception and implementation of the media and lighting design, in coordination with the stage concept and content creation, as well as a successful ‘show control and ceremony’. POOLgroup’s Robert Sommer, who was responsible for the lighting design and concept, took the opportunity to test Elation’s hybrid Platinum FLX moving head under live conditions, where a total of 60 units were used on the main stage. He said: "The Elation Platinum FLX was introduced to me at LMP and sparked my interest. As a result, I decided to test the fixture under real-world conditions,” recalls Somme
UK - Technical producers LarMac LIVE once again chose to bring in PRG XL Video as a supplier of video, lighting and rigging technology across multiple stages at this year’s Creamfields 2017. PRG XL’s team supplied rigging, indoor and outdoor video screens; a broad variety of lighting; LED signage; media servers and content manipulation technicians; and broadcast equipment and support. For all the video elements, PRG XL senior account manager Paul ‘Macca’ McCauley took care of the specifications, with project manager Ian Jones taking care of the technical delivery. For lighting, account manager, Gordon Torrington, and event services coordinator, Chris Scott, took care of the design and implementation on site. On the main Arc (CF01) and Horizon (CF02) stages, PRG XL Video supplied festival technology including lighting, rigging and video across both struct
The Netherlands - A custom stage setting designed by RF Shows and featuring hard-hitting visuals from Chauvet were used at Crave Festival 2017. Central to this design were 14 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures, which provided hard-hitting visuals in support of the industrial theme of the electronic music festival held in The Hague. Positioned within the metallic shipping containers placed around the central stage area, the STRIKE 1 fixtures provided RF Shows with multiple blinding, strobe and wash looks - perfect for the aggressive and sparse techno beats of headliners such as Octave One and Deniro. “Given that everything about the festival design revolved around an industrial theme, we wanted to create the same feeling with the lighting design,” commented Jeroen Kwakernaak, project manager from RF Shows. “The single source of the STRIKEs was instrumental in
UK - While the overarching memory of BBC Radio 2’s big weekend in Hyde Park was of James Blunt crowd-surfing in a dinghy at the end of his set, for Capital Sound it was just another monumental production, successfully deploying their Martin Audio MLA PA to bring the summer season to a close. Radio 2 Festival in a Day followed BBC Proms in the Park. Sir Ray Davies headlined the first day, designed to coincide with the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, joined by Steps and Sir Bryn Terfel, while Take That and Shania Twain were the headline acts on the Sunday, bringing the curtain down on another wonderful Weekend in the Park for the BBC, despite the weather. With PA control and set up in the capable hands of system tech Toby Donovan production standards again met and exceeded the requirements of promoters, Festival Republic, and thei
USA –ETC has selected seven recipients of its annual LDI Student Sponsorship, giving them an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas and a full conference pass. The students will get to see the latest entertainment technology, have access to LDI seminars and training, and the opportunity to network with industry professionals at special events. Each sponsorship recipient will be matched with a mentor as the students transition from academics into the working world. The 2017 recipients of the ETC LDI Student Sponsorship are: K. Jenna Ferree: A graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, K. Jenna Ferree is earning a master of fine arts in lighting design, and holds a bachelor of fine arts in lighting design and technical theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her lighting design credits include The River, Detroit, and The Pillowman.
Sweden - Adamson Systems Engineering and Benum Sweden have announced a strategic new distribution agreement for the Swedish market, which finds the two companies working in tandem with previous distributor Stonehouse Show Technologies AB to build the premium loudspeaker brand’s sales and profile in Scandinavia’s largest economy. In the new arrangement, Benum will oversee Swedish distribution while Stonehouse will maintain its strong focus on AV installations as an Adamson integration partner. Stonehouse’s sister production rental company Soundforce Scandinavian AB will remain a key Adamson rental account and provide senior consultancy and demo support across the country, especially for larger and higher-profile projects. “Our partnership with Adamson is built on a shared set of values and has been very successful in Norway,” begins Peter Engström, CEO of Ben
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) was recently appointed as the UK-exclusive distributor for Swedish-based StageSmarts AB's smartPDU intelligent power distribution system, which received a PLASA Award for Innovation at this year's show at London Olympia. The appointment extends AC-ET's portfolio of innovative and leading power, distro & dimming brands for all entertainment applications, including touring, theatre, education, and TV / studio. AC-ET's UK sales & purchasing director, Jonathan Walters, commented: “We are delighted to add StageSmarts to our portfolio. As a company always looking for the next true innovation in entertainment technology, the smartPDU really stands out as a game-changer in its product category - something which both the PLASA Awards judging panel and visitors to our stand seemed to agree with.” (Jim Evans)
USA - Grace Church’s new campus in North Carolina’s Research Triangle benefits from AVL system installed by the CSD Group. With its sweeping inwardly curved stage, gently arched ceiling, fanned seating arrangements, the inside of the church resembles a contemporary theatre or conference centre yet makes worshippers feel at home by projecting a sense of warmth and intimacy via the Chauvet Professional Ovation and COLORdash LED luminaires that CSD used to anchor the lighting system. “This church is fully contemporary in style, but its leaders also wanted an immersive environment with a sense of transcendence,” says Doug Hood, president of the CSD Group. “The even warm white front and stage lighting we got from the Ovation fixtures makes it easy for worshippers to see the stage and connect to the people on it. When you look at a well-lit stage, you are more like
Australia - Novatech assisted with the technical solution at the 68th International Astronautical Congress held on 25-29 September at the Adelaide Convention Centre’s Plenary Building. Adelaide’s Ding Productions & Slingsby Theatre were engaged to create a bespoke opening performance. Ding’s creative producer Jo Casson worked with Novatech’s Leko Novakovic to design an interactive setting where the live performers on stage would perform in a holographic environment in a performance, The Journey. Novatech debuted their new 4K resolution, 32,000 ANSI Laser Projectors that created an illusion of space on stage. The company also worked with Richard Saunders from Ikonix to take advantage of the latest generation of holographic technology, Hologauze. Managing director of Novatech, Leko Novakovic, said: “We were thrilled to use the latest generations
UK - Flare Audio has received recognition by the Government as a leading UK innovator, following the publication of The Parliamentary Review this autumn. The annual review, published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, showcases businesses that demonstrate best practice at every level of industry, and features a foreword by the Prime Minister, Theresa May. Flare Audio founder Davies Roberts described how, since launching in 2010, the company developed a revolutionary new type of loudspeaker and earphone technology for professional and consumer use, providing a previously unheard level of audio clarity. Sir Eric Pickles, chairman of the Review, said: “It has never been more important for government to hear the views of business and the public sector in a constructive forum. It is also a vital time to share best practice and progre
UK - The International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (ITEAC) has confirmed TAIT Stage Technologies as the principal sponsor of the 2018 conference, taking place in London on 3-5 June 2018. TAIT Stage Technologies is the event’s major sponsor for a fourth consecutive conference, having been one of the founder sponsors of the initial event in 2002. ABTT chief executive, Robin Townley, comments, “The commitment to supporting ITEAC 2018 that TAIT Stage Technologies has so generously made, is hugely important to allowing the next edition to be presented. Presented by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), the fifth edition of the quadrennial event will take place on Sunday 3 June, Monday 4 June and Tuesday 5 June 2018 at Savoy Place, the global engineering hub of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). A Call
Australia - Ariana Grande brought her Dangerous Woman Tour to Australia this September and JPJ Audio joined her on the road. FOH engineer Simon ‘Si’ Thomas specified a Clair Cohesion PA to be utilised for her entire tour – unless when unavailable in certain country when an L-Acoustics K1 or d&b J series were use. “It’s very compact and lightweight compared to other line arrays in its class and it’s got lots of headroom,” commented Thomas. “It has a really good high/mid which is very smooth. With this kind of music there’s a lot of odd sub content that goes down really low with which the CP-218’s do a really good job. The CP-218 sub is particularly good, it’s very powerful.” In Sydney, Ariana played the ICC Sydney Theatre with 16 CO-12 per side in the main hang, 12 CO-12 per side in the side-hang and three CP-218 flown per side i
Russia - The Spy Moscow Club in the city’s Triumphal Square has specified a matched system of Nexo Geo S12 and PS Series loudspeakers. The installation was completed by DJSOUND Company, which had to design a system that fitted with the club interior and met the most stringent audio performance requirements. “The system had to provide uniform coverage with awesome sound quality,” explained Gulya Zaripova of Nexo’s Russian distributor SIM. “The Spy Moscow club has a varied itinerary of entertainments and events; live music, DJs and karaoke, as well as background music, so the system had to work across all those applications. And the club wanted it installed within very tight deadlines.” For the live music stage, a main PA of Geo S12 Series was selected, together with RS18 subbass. In the VIP zones, a combination of Nexo PS8 and PS10-R2 speakers were fit
UK - Global provider of event technology services PSAV has acquired Hawthorn Theatrical. Hawthorn, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSAV, will continue to operate under the Hawthorn brand, with MD Martin Hawthorn and his senior team leading the UK-based company. Mike McIlwain, president and CEO for PSAV, said: “Martin and his team have built a remarkable business, and I’m excited to welcome them all into the PSAV family. I look forward to the opportunity to introduce their customers to the global reach of PSAV.” Martin Hawthorn added: "Hawthorn and PSAV have very similar innovative and passionate cultures focused on delivering truly exceptional experiences for our customers. We are thrilled to be joining forces with the industry leader to be able to offer our clients more services in more places.” Founded more than 30 years, Hawthorn is an award-win
