Europe - On Tuesday 9th October, the EU released a revised version of their proposed new Ecodesign and Ecolabelling Lighting regulations. These are the intended final versions of these regulations. The full texts are available to read via the links below. From an entertainment lighting perspective, this version is almost entirely unchanged from the draft published in July. There is a minor addition of a new exemption for some specialist fluorescent lamps used in the film industry. And the exemptions established in the July draft, which cover many areas of entertainment lighting, remain in place. However, this draft does not address any of the issues that the entertainment lighting industry’s Ecodesign Task Group have been trying to raise with the EU since the publication of the July draft. This means that some key issues remain: - requirement for lig
UK - After a successful year of headline festival slots and TV appearances, Rob Broderick, a.k.a. Abandoman recently embarked upon a sell-out tour to take his comedy hip-hop around the UK. Like his multi-talented client, LD Robbie Butler also went outside the box to create something original. Helping him in this endeavour were 21 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B and 21 Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures. Although lighting for a live music venue tour, Butler followed his client’s wishes and created the kind of “stadium looks” more commonly associated with large rock concerts. “Rob (Abandoman) is a big fan of Kanye West, so he wanted the show to rival a Kanye concert in terms of production value,” commented Butler. “All this had to be achieved on a modest budget, and the show had to be able to turn around within the space of a half hour, so there were significant
Canada - Lighting designer Robert Sondergaard of Electric Aura Projects and Solotech recently deployed Martin by Harman VDO Sceptron10 LED lighting fixtures to create a dynamic and innovative stage design for Toronto’s Veld Music Festival. Now in its seventh year, the annual EDM and hip-hop music festival was held in Toronto’s Downsview Park. The line-up featured Marshmello, Martin Garrix, DJ Snake, Benny Benassi, Lil Yachty and more. Each year the festival strives to create an ambitious and eye-catching stage design, and this year they wanted to incorporate the VELD logo as a dynamic centrepiece. Festival organisers hired production and lighting designer Robert Sondergaard, who collaborated with video and sound provider Solotech to create an ambitious design using Martin VDO Sceptron10 LED Fixtures and custom-fabricated set pieces. “The big thing they wa
USA - Obsidian Control Systems will be showcasing the first three lighting control products under the ONYX lighting control platform. Designers, programmers and operators are invited to Obsidian Control Systems Booth 1135 for a first look and hands-on demo of the powerful NX 2, the portable NX Wing and the convenient NX DMX. The NX 2 is a compact yet fully-integrated lighting controller with all the connectivity and power the ever-increasing size of shows demands. As a member of the innovative ONYX platform from Obsidian Control Systems, the NX 2 is feature rich and never restricted in its capabilities. Utilizing the latest in industrial components, the NX 2 contains a powerful Intel Hexa-Core processor, high-speed NVMe SSD drive and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. Fast boot times, instant operation and the ability to process 64 Universes right inside the console without the need f
USA - UK lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 will have a strong presence at the 2018 LDI expo, for the first time in several years following on from the success and buzz of their FLX range of lighting consoles, first launched in 2015. Zero 88 product specialist Jon Hole, commented, “LDI is well known for the high-quality of its visitors which includes a big percentage of lighting designers, directors and programmers. In addition to all those from North America, Canada and Latin America, we are also expecting to see people from Asia and the Pan Pacific regions. It should be an excellent chance for us to get the brand and products in front of new contacts and a completely different audience.” An international Zero 88 product specialist team will be demonstrating the FLX and FLX S ranges of powerful and intuitive lighting desks on Booth 962 (co-exhibiting alongside
USA - At LDI 2018, TMB will again show a wide selection of new technology in a comfortable, social atmosphere on booth 1568. The new ProPlex IQ Tester LV, Ethernet/DMX tester/analyzer, recognised with a PLASA 2018 Innovation Award, is a must-see. The first Ethernet tester designed for entertainment production, this tall-in-one device easily performs many functions essential and useful for setting up and trouble-shooting today’s show networking. A short list includes: Wireshark for analysis of any Ethernet protocol, plus network troubleshooting; PoE tester; SMPTE Timecode, LTC receiver/analyzer and LTC transmitter; full DMX analysis, control, and testing; RDM controller; and bidirectional Ethernet-DMX gateway. Also, update Solaris/ProPlex firmware without a PC! Extremely compact and rugged, the ProPlex IQ Tester goes anywhere. TMB will also introduce ProPlex Cat 6a e
Portugal - Following a series of recent meetings with distribution companies at international exhibitions including Pro Light & Sound in Frankfurt, WORK PRO has concluded new distribution arrangements for its LightShark lighting console. Effective immediately, the following companies are exclusively responsible for LightShark sales, support, training and marketing in their respective territories: United States of America — Blizzard Lighting; Canada — AVL Media Group; France — Freevox; Switzerland — Plus Music; Colombia, Panama and Venezuela — Audio Concept. “LightShark was something of a bold departure for WORK PRO, going way beyond the capabilities of any lighting control products we’ve released in the past,” explains Juan Jose Vila, WORK PRO’s chief sales officer. “Awareness of the console and its advantages and impressive price point has spre
Italy - Music & Lights celebrated the official opening of their new headquarters, dedicating a day of exclusive celebration for customers, partners and international distributors. The new base represents a further phase of development, with its over 40.000sqm surrounded by greenery and with a covered area of 10'000sqm, which brings together offices, research and development, production, laboratory and logistics. An organisation that has acquired over the years a growing international reputation, with its brands that today are at the top of the professional entertainment industry. This innovation played a central role in the distributor conference, held on the morning of the event and reserved for the international sales network. Then, in the afternoon, the doors of the new exhibition areas opened up; a complex of over 1000sqm, including a stage set up
USA - GLP will sport a new booth display and location (#573) at this year’s LDI Show. Sharing their largest booth to date with their distributed brands, Scenex Lighting and Cosmic Truss, GLP US is taking a twist away from their consecutively award winning ‘black box’ presentations in favour of a customer-centric experience with a free flow of information and hospitality. With the impression E350 supercharged LED moving head, GLP has “moved its development programme into the next generation”. The advanced LED engine offers “unprecedented output in its class, making the fixture perfect for any type of showcase event or installation where dynamic, articulated lighting is a key component”. At the same time, this quiet, flicker-free luminaire also meets the stringent criteria required by the broadcast / TV world. The impression S350 is characterised by i
USA - LDI 2018 will be all about originality for Elation Professional with a string of premiere product launches set for display at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Showing at LDI Booth 931 for the first time anywhere in North America will be two all-new visual effects that feature TwinkLED, a novel, patent-pending LED twinkle effect that uses dedicated high-brightness pixels inside large front lenses to provide additional layers of creativity for the lighting designer. Both the RAYZOR 760 and IP65-rated Proteus RAYZOR 760 incorporate the TwinkLED system. RAYZOR 760 is a compact yet powerful LED wash effects luminaire with 5 to 77-degree zoom projects intense, well-defined mid-air beams, as well as an exceptionally wide and even wash coverage. The RAYZOR 760 is available in a compact and lightweight weather and dust protected IP65 version, the Proteus RAYZOR 76
USA - Robe launches its brand new T1 Profile luminaire at the LDI 2018 expo in Las Vegas next week – on booths 2503 and 2603 – revealed for the first as the show opens. The exclusive reveal of the T1 “illustrates the strategic importance of the North American market to Robe and recognizes the growing international composition of the trade show and its visitors”. In addition to this, part two of Robe’s Lost World Trilogy is set to wow the crowds - another stunning immersive theatrical stand design, complete with an energizing new live performance developed especially for this once-only occasion at LDI 2018. The lightshow will include Robe’s newest technologies like the just launched SuperSpikie and iParFect - the first in a range of IP rated luminaires - together with Robe’s RoboSpot remote follow spotting system, Tarrantula, a large LED washb
South Africa - With a general insanity and a profound love and belief in the arts, Sue Clarence and her team staged the 26th Hilton Arts Festival, hosted at Hilton College in KwaZulu Natal. This year DWR Distribution’s SOS Charity Fund and the Hilton Festival stepped in to make a difference by bussing in 70 children from the Thembelihle Primary School to see three plays and attend two workshops. Apart from the stunning weather on all three days, which was a first, what meant the most for Sue was the massive team effort from sponsors to high quality productions at this years’ festival. Everyone stood together from technical teams to cleaners, box office to arts, crafts and foodies. “We were one team and all equally important,” said Sue. “Another vital component is that the festival inspires creativity which is essential for the soul of a nation.” Earlier thi
USA - In 2009, a friend introduced Jason Bullock to an early model of the ChamSys MQ100. After playing with the console, Bullock took it out on the Summer ’09 NINJA tour he did for Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction. “After the tour, I was convinced the ChamSys was the console for my style of show,” recalled the New York-based designer. That style, with all of its big looks, bold statements and roaring intensity was on full display this summer in Bullock’s work on the 27-city Wiz Khalifa and Rae Sremmurd Dazed and Blazed tour. Running the boards for both artists, Bullock took audiences on a breathtaking visual ride. Only now, instead of his original MQ100, he ran his 25-universe (not counting video) 250-fixture show with a ChamSys MagicQ MQ300 Pro supplied by Upstaging, Inc. out of Chicago. “Justin Collie and the team at Nimbilist were responsible
UK - The new Flower Bowl Complex in Preston has recently installed Anolis’s Ambiane LED RGBW downlights. The lighting scheme brings colour and vibrance to this three-cinema screen complex, part of a new multi entertainment and leisure destination concept developed by the team behind Barton Grange Garden Centre, designed to entice customers to spend more time having fun in one space. The single storey building has an undulating ‘living’ grass roof designed to blend into the surrounding countryside. It is a ‘mixed leisure’ venue which offers three premium cinema screens, a four-ice sheet curling rink, an 8-lane ten-pin bowling alley, golf simulators and several food and restaurant outlets. Russell Winteridge, general manager for Barton Grange and MD Guy Topping contacted Anolis and asked if they could design and supply a colour-changing and sustainable
The Netherlands - There’s a roar of excitement coming from the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and it all has to do with their installation of quiet High End Systems SolaFrame Theatre LED fixtures. The historic venue installed eight of the silent, fan-less fixtures – customised in an off-white colour to blend in just below the ceiling – in its Main Hall (Grote Zaal). The venue uses them to generate general front light for orchestras, as well as specials for soloists, and for shining on private events such as receptions and dinners held in the hall. Head of lighting, Alfons Hutschemaekers, says a lighting designer friend saw the SolaFrame Theatre fixture at a trade show and urged him to check it out. “The fact that the fixture is silent when it does not move is our first priority,” he notes. After a demo at the AED Group, he says, the SolaFrame Theatr
Germany - For quite some time consoles from China have been brought onto the market by a German distribution company. With regards to the key arrangement, these consoles are based on the MA onPC wing devices. In addition, these consoles - if the grandMA2 software is installed - illegally unlock parameters. By preliminary injunction of the Munich Regional Court, the distribution company concerned has now been prohibited from distributing MA Lighting grandMA2 onPC software on devices other than original MA Lighting hardware. The infringer now faces a fine of up to 250,000 Euro for each case of a violation of the court ban and up to six months in custody if the amount cannot be raised. In order to avoid further legal disputes, the distribution company concerned has also committed itself to the complete cessation of sales of ‘Kolibre’ devices from the Chinese manufacturer Y
UK - The Palace Theatre in Redditch has invested in Prloights LED fixtures, to reduce its running costs further and improve its in-house lighting rig. The theatre, which first opened in 1913, went through a refurbishment in 2005 as part of a process to make the venue more energy-efficient. To help meet its target of an ‘A’ rating for energy efficiency, it worked with Andy Mahaffey, external sales at A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET), to choose the right fixtures. After looking at a range of options, the majority of the stage lighting has been upgraded to Prolights fixtures, including LUMA700 and DIAMOND7 LED moving lights, StudioCOB FC LED PARs, plus Eclipse Full Colour LED Profiles and Eclipse Tuneable White LED Fresnels. Theatre manager, Tim Mackrill has been impressed with the new fixtures. He commented: “The Prolights fixtures offer an excelle
UK - As the temperatures soared to record levels, Adlib’s Glasgow based Scottish operation has enjoyed a busy and proactive summer supplying a full complement of technical services - lighting, sound and video - to a number of high profile events including the Glasgow and Edinburgh Summer Sessions, Rewind Festival’s Scottish date at Scone Palace plus sound and lighting to the 2018 TRNSMT festival on Glasgow Green. This reflects a healthy schedule of locally based business for the company who opened their Scottish operation in 2016. Adlib has worked carefully and conscientiously to expand this offering technical services and equipment that are new to the region, in the process collaborating with a network of partners, promoters and other Scottish companies. For Summer Sessions, two completely different sound and lighting systems were supplied.
USA - Stone Sour may be the opening act on the U.S. leg of Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tours 2 tour, but the American hard rock band is making an impression with the help of lighting designer Scott Warner and a dynamic wall of colour. On the road since late August with The Prince of Darkness, Stone Sour has made a serious opening act impact with a “huge wall of overwhelming colour” made up of multifunctional Elation Professional Paladin LED effect lights supplied by Bandit Lites. “I knew coming into this tour that I didn’t have access to LEDs and with Stone Sour I need to have my colours flash quickly,” said Warner, who also serves as the tour’s lighting director/programmer. “I could’ve done a pod of small moving heads, but with the amount of fixtures the Ozzy tour was giving me, who’d see them? So I took the original pod idea that was used on o
USA - Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the LDI Conference and Tradeshow, Altman Lighting is preparing for the North American debut of the new AP-150 RGBW LED Par luminaire at LDI 2018. Located in Booth 2227, Altman Lighting will be showcasing the AP-150 next generation Altman Par, along with celebrating their own 65th Anniversary, and taking part as a sponsor of the inaugural USA Knight of Illumination Awards. “As we make our preparations for LDI 2018, we are thrilled to not only be launching new product, but also to be celebrating a unique milestone of our own,” began Julie Smith, Altman Lighting general manager. “With a rich history spanning 65 years as a trusted lighting manufacturer, we are eager to both honour our past, and continue moving forward by continuing to offer state-of-the-art lighting innovations.” The AP-150 is a compact and lightweight, 13
The Netherlands - Highlite International BV reports a very successful experience day. The annual in-house event was held 1 October. Highlite presented various workshops, lectures and product presentations which attracted customers from across Europe to visit the Highlite Headquarters to be part of the experience. Checking out the latest developments in the Infinity-family, visiting the Chimp training-room, getting up-to-date on how to design and construct an outdoor stage. Or attending the Odin-shootout, taking part in the entertaining exclusive company -tour and in the meantime enjoy the Highlite hospitality, all in one day. The many visitors had the possibility to register for several different workshops which were given by entertainment professionals and the Highlite product specialists. They could enjoy the latest presentation in the Highlite showroom where the bra
USA - With the opening of the 2018 LDI Conference and Exhibition approaching, PixelFLEX will be partnering with four industry leaders exhibiting at the show. As entertainment professionals from around the world gather to celebrate the organization’s 30th Anniversary, the tradeshow experiences for Avolites, Kinesys, and Vectorworks will all feature a FLEXTour LED video system, while the FLEXCurtain HD will be on display with Froggys Fog. “LDI draws an elite audience of live design professionals that demand top-of-the-line products,” said Dan Monaghan, vice president of marketing at Vectorworks. “With this need in mind, we’ve partnered with PixelFLEX to use their state-of-the-art LED screens to showcase our award-winning entertainment design software.” Located in Booth 3139, Vectorworks is a global design and BIM software solutions provider serving professio
Europe - Entertainment engineering specialist WIcreations was asked to work on two specialist elements – a moving / tracking video wall and a ‘star lift’ – for Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s On The Run II (OTR II) stadium tour, part of an epic and spectacular set design concept designed by Stufish. In addition to all the hardware, software and bespoke engineering elements, on the administrative front, WIcreations delivered a full scenic motion risk assessment to the tour’s management, together with machinery technical files and full user manuals covering the entire system. “As automation gets increasingly important in entertainment applications, so safety is The most important aspect to watch,” underlines WI’s owner and founder Hans Willems, who also project managed all the automation requirements. WIcreations provided this documentation in accor
USA - Country singer Cam returned to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for a headlining show with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. Based off the lighting design by Gordon Droitcour of Cour Design, tour manager Gabe Hodge created the one-off design by adding ground supported fixtures to bring more depth to the stage in addition to back light specials. “There was also already a good amount of programming that existed with the previous show file and lighting design (done by Larry Foote), so we wanted to take advantage of that,” explained Hodge. “Having said that, there were a lot of special moments in this show that required Vanessa Sexton to programme a handful of new songs and looks with her own flare.” Hodge had been the LD on Cam’s previous tour and was looking for a replacement following his move to tour manager. “Vanessa and I had
