Serbia - As the frontman and founder of the band Balkanopolis, Slobodan Trkulja has collaborated and performed with renowned jazz and symphonic orchestras including the Grammy Award winning Metropole Orchestra from Holland, Belgrade Philharmonic, Jazz Orchestra of Concertgebouw, and Eddy Martinez Latin Big Band, as well as artists like Mariza (Portugal), Oleta Adams (USA), and Babba Maal (Senegal), to name just a few. DiGiCo’s authorised distributor in Serbia, AVL Projekt, created the sound system comprising of DiGiCo SD11 and SD12 consoles and a KLANG:fabrik immersive in-ear monitor system, empowering Slobodan Trkulja & Balkanopolis to deliver the sound for the band’s sonorous and emotional performances. Trkulja can play up to 20 instruments including clarinet, bagpipes, kaval, acoustic guitar, flute, Cretan lyre and Cretan lute, various types of tambourines,
UK - STS Touring Productions has chosen Van Damme as a key partner to help deliver the many live music and sporting events it has become known for. Founded 25 years ago, STS Touring has long provided complete technical and logistical solutions to large-scale live and entertainment events. Its bread and butter is backline – essentially all the necessary gear, including guitars bass and keyboard amplifiers, drums, microphone stands and cables. Portfolio clients include Midge Ure, Mott The Hoople, Frankie Vallie, plus many world class sporting events and major music festivals. With a constantly full diary of challenging and high-profile projects, STS Touring needs to ensure that every element of its kit will stand up to rigorous use. Will Hurn, senior audio systems engineer at STS Touring, commented: “Van Damme is a key part of our offering because its cables
USA - Based in Los Angeles, Impossible Objects is a creative studio and lab combining artists and engineers, specialising in virtual production for both commercial projects and original IP. Founded by Joe Sill and Jerad Anderson, Impossible Objects has established key relationships and partnerships across film, gaming, and technology, and has built innovative projects and workflows with a growing list of clients including Blizzard, Google Play, Western Digital, Honda, and Toyota. Having worked with numerous clients in a variety of different settings, Impossible Objects’ preferred LED stage partner is NantStudios – a service provider of Virtual Production and Visual Effects stages. NantStudios’ 24,000sq.ft LED stage, powered by Unreal Engine, in El Segundo, California houses some of the most advanced and established technology in the industry, including Brompton’s Tes
UAE - The UAE’s National Day celebrations are always delivered on an impressively large scale and 2022 did not disappoint. The high-profile event staged in a purpose-built 100m long enclosed arena with seating along both sides, took the audience on a generational journey of the UAE’s inspiring pioneers. Viewers were transported from sea to space through the media of stunning projection-mapped visuals, supported by transformational spatial audio effects delivered by TiMax SoundHub, the trusted spatial audio engine for precision-positioning of complex and dynamic audioscapes. TiMax SoundHub spatial processing was specified by event sound designer Scott Willsallen for its ability to control and place the show’s many diverse audio sources, which included live orchestra, music playback as well as spatialised soundfield effect elements, to support the action provided by proje
Finland – The Cultural House Martinus in the Finnish city of Vantaa hosted a concert to raise money for sick children in December 2022. Some of Finland’s biggest stars performed in front of eight LED screens, displaying graphics driven by two Hippotizer Montane+ Media Servers. The event, known in Finnish as Kummit JouluMielelle, was broadcast live on MTV3 and recorded for streaming on-demand. It was organised by The Association of Friends of the University Children’s hospitals charitable organisation, founded in 1993, which is a longstanding client of the event projection, graphics and immersive media experts at Visual45. “Christmas was a key theme that guided our design work, so that’s what we aimed for,” says Varpu Sipilä, operations manager at Visual45’s parent company, Creative Technology. “We worked with the setlist and curated the visuals accordi
USA - The 23rd The Latin Grammy Awards, which took place at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort’s Michelob Ultra Arena, defied easy categorisation, being big, bold, and sensuously stunning one moment, then delivering soft, intimate moments the next. This was evident right from the start of the three-hour show, as it began with a brief, but intense display of light and background music, before segueing into a tribute to Person of the Year winner, Antonio Solís, by three of the event’s co-hosts: Thalía, Luis Fonsi and Laura Pausini. Regardless of the image it projected, each element of the diverse programme flourished for the live audience, as well as the millions watching on television, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Univision set designer Jorge Domingues, and lighting designer Tom Kenny. “Jorge and I worked very closely together,” said Kenny. “On a sho
USA - The St. Louis-based Pink Floyd tribute group El Monstero played seven sold-out nights at the city’s The Pageant Theatre in December, backed by a fittingly psychedelic lighting design by Chip Self using Vari-Lite VL1600 Profile luminaires from Signify. Self, who is the founder of Midwest lighting production specialist Logic Systems, has been working with El Monstero for more than eight years, and has seen the band rise to Christmas period stardom in St. Louis. “The December 2022 shows were very production intensive, incorporating audio, video, lighting, lasers and pyrotechnics,” says Self. “Logic Systems invested in the VL1600 Profile last year, and I wanted to use them on this show because I needed a high CRI key light fixture that could keep up with the overall intensity of the show and maintain a stable look in a very wide variety of colors and light levels.
Poland - Creative visual director, lighting and multimedia designer, Paweł ‘Spider’ Pajak, of Percepto incorporated a wealth of Ayrton’s latest lighting products into Dawid Podsiadło’s three sold-out stadium shows in Poland, which included a record-breaking attendance at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow. Singer-songwriter Podsiadło is one of Poland’s biggest touring artists with whom Spider has worked for the past ten years. Pajak chose the latest Ayrton IP65 rated fixtures including 68 Perseo Profile, 21 Domino Profile and 46 of the new Cobra laser-sourced fixtures. The remainder of his rig consisted of 24 Ayrton Huracan Profile fixtures which were sited under the protection of the stage roof. “IP rated fixtures are essential for the type of outdoor work I do,” Spider explains. “Recent years have seen a massive change in the development of IP rated
UK - George Ezra completed his third album Gold Rush Kid in July last year, swiftly followed by a UK arena tour from September to November. DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles took up both the front of house and monitor positions, offering monitor engineer Oliver Weeks and FOH Mike Timm a user-friendly interface, complete channel freedom and faster processing speeds. Both Weeks and Timm have worked with the singer for a number of years, with Timm joining in 2015, halfway through Ezra’s first album campaign, and Weeks mixing monitors since early 2018, around the start of Staying at Tamara’s, Ezra’s second studio album. Previously using an SD10 on monitors and SD12-96 at FOH, the setup worked well until Timm started running short of channels. Both he and Weeks knew they would need to up the ante for the new album campaign. “This new album cycle was t
UK - Based in West Yorkshire, Universal AV has been designing and supplying innovative audio-visual solutions for more than 30 years, winning an AV Award for Reseller/Integrator of the Year along the way. A recent move to new company offices presented an opportunity to design the ideal meeting room space, for both face-to-face and hybrid meetings with staff working from home. Once the integrated screen and camera technology was installed in the room, it became apparent that there was a need to address the effects of an acoustically challenging space, as marketing manager Shelley Townend explains. “The first Teams meeting took place in the office with employees also working from home,” she says, “and those at home complained that they just could not hear us clearly, and that every time somebody moved the noise was unbearable. It was so bad that we ended up avoidin
UK - Bellowhead’s UK tour was an 18-city voyage that celebrated the tenth anniversary of the band’s Broadside album. Reflecting the nautical theme of that seminal recording, the stage and backdrop on this tour were adorned with evocative seafaring scenery, like barrels, decanters, and wooden decking platforms, which, combined with multi-coloured stage blocks, created what one critic called “a visual delight”. Contributing to this engaging panorama was a very flexible and dynamic Martin Dudley design that featured Chauvet Professional Rogue R2X Wash fixtures that were recently added to the inventory of Martin’s Lights Ltd. Flown over mid-stage, the RGBW moving fixtures were used to enliven the stage’s 12m wide by 6m high backdrop with a variety of rich colours, a task they had no trouble accomplishing thanks to their high output. ”I had a spe
Italy - Located in the heart of ancient Rome, within the historic Palazzo Roccagiovine, FOROF is an exhibition space which combines the archaeology of the ancient city with contemporary art. The venue is right in front of Trajan’s Column and is a two-level space which features subterranean rooms that allow visual access to coloured marbles and the flooring of the Basilica Ulpia, in addition to the remains of the eastern apse. It was created by, and is managed by, Giovanna Caruso Fendi and its inaugural exhibition (Lovotic) took place in the first half of 2022. Lovotic illustrates the blending of human and machine, with narrative voices intersecting and being reprocessed by an algorithm, resulting in a composite and unprecedented language somewhere between human and robotic. The event relied on an immersive sound installation created by New York based Soundwalk Collective
Europe -Hip-hop artist and producer Kid Cudi recently wrapped the European leg of his To the Moon 2022 World Tour with dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Paris and Milan that featured an extensive Ayrton lighting rig. ACT Entertainment, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton products in North America. Lighting director and programmer, Austin Schneider, who does lighting design and programming for US-based full-service production company, Raw Cereal, chose Ayrton Khamsin LED profiles and MagicBlade R LED moving lights for the European shows. The dates followed the North American leg of the tour and a stop in Japan. During the same period, Kid Cudi released his eighth studio album, Entergalactic, the companion to an animated special of the same name. For the European tour, Schneider handled lighting only, modifying the design of the just-con
Slovenia - For the second year running, a lighting rig comprised exclusively of ADJ fixtures was used to illuminate the 2022 Miss Earth Slovenia pageant. Following an online only event the previous year, due to the global pandemic, the 2022 contest took place in front of a live audience of over 500 people. Seventy-two ADJ lighting fixtures – including the new Focus Profile and Focus Flex moving head luminaires – created a dazzling lightshow while also lighting the contestants for the judges. The event’s production also incorporated an ADJ LED video wall, ADJ haze machines and the lighting was all controlled using ADJ’s myDMX 3.0 software. Founded in 2001, the Miss Earth Pageant is an international contest with the purpose of ‘utilizing the beauty pageant entertainment industry as an effective tool for the promotion of environmental awareness’. Culmin
Spain - The 17th edition of the Los 40 network’s Los 40 Awards Show showcased a wide range of talent representing a broad mix of musical styles and personalities. Taking place at the 17,00-capacity WiZink Centre in Madrid, the show celebrated the achievements of artists, ranging from Rosalia and Adele to Yungblud and Bad Gyal, to The Black Eyed Peas and Dani Martin. The eclectic mix of artists appearing during the ceremonies satisfied fans’ taste for a variety, but the breadth and sheer number of performances on stage presented a challenge for lighting designer Alain Corthout and his team. “This was a big production,” said Corthout. “We had over nine different types of spots and six types of washes, so we had to keep things simple to avoid becoming messy. We also had to be fast, due to the number of acts and the volume of last-minute changes.” Helping
Europe - With catchy hooks driven by pummelling rhythms, Volbeat’s intoxicating fusion of rockabilly, metal, and punk has built a loyal following since the Danish band launched in 2001. After co-headlining a North American tour earlier in the year, Volbeat closed out 2022 on the three-month European/UK leg of their Servant of the Road World Tour. While the springtime tour carried a Meyer Sound Leo Family system, this leg of the Servant of the Road World Tour was powered by new Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers supplied by POOLgroup of Emsdetten, Germany. The venues on the tour spanned a wide range of capacities, from halls and arenas to over 30,000 at a roofed football stadium in the Netherlands. Ensuring that all Volbeat fans enjoyed the same experience at every seat in every venue - while drawing from a common production package - presented a cha
South Africa - Audio-visual production specialists, Sound Stylists, have recently invested in two new Yamaha PM3 Rivage consoles to add to their extensive inventory. Shortly after, they had the opportunity to test them in situ, deploying them as part of a networked audio solution at the Samsung Galaxy Move Festival, hosted by 947, a South African radio station, on 4-5 November. The consoles were supplied by Stage Audio Works (SAW) who were also on hand throughout the festival to offer technical support. In recent years, Sound Stylists have embraced the future of networked audio by updating their entire audio structure onto the Dante format. This allows all their devices to talk to one another and makes life easier for everyone. “We were already aware of the Rivage platform, but simply didn’t have the need for it at the time. However, recently we were doing some res
France - Dark Matters is one of Europe’s most advanced and innovative virtual production complexes. From Simulcam and LED in-camera VFX technology to motion capture, it offers filmmakers and visual creatives a complete end-to-end service and unparalleled control to the very last shot. Having heard only positive things from industry colleagues about Brompton Technology LED processing, the Dark Matters team chose 10 4K Tessera SX40 4K LED processors for their studio complex. Dark Matters was founded last year by industry veterans Romain Cheminade, Jean-Louis Eude and Yaniss Boulanouar. Located 27 kilometres outside Paris, the complex features six customisable virtual production stages spread across 15,000m², and a 700-strong fleet of high-quality custom built LED panels powered by industry-leading Brompton Technology LED processing. “At the forefront of every
Europe - Yamaha Corporation has announced its latest portable, professional PA, the compact and feature-packed Stagepas 200. The cube-shaped enclosure measures just 30cm on each side, and - for the first time - a battery-powered option, the premium Stagepas 200 means you can take your performance literally anywhere. A 1.4” HF + 8” LF high quality coaxial compression driver is powered by a 180W Class D amplifier, delivering exceptional sound pressure, phase response, natural high frequency dispersion and detailed sound. An onboard, five-channel (3 mono mic/line and 1 stereo line) digital mixing section offers ‘unprecedented flexibility’ for a compact ‘one box’ PA system With 1-knob EQ/preset and 1-knob Effect controls, plus a ‘Mode’ compressor on the main outputs, you can easily and intuitively create the sound you want. Input channels 1-3 feature a buil
USA - Located near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Pomona College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. College faculty and staff actively encourage students’ intellectual curiosity to help them discover their passions while making numerous resources available to support students’ emotional and physical well-being. The college’s 30-year-old recreation centre no longer met the student body’s needs, so it embarked on a large-scale $55m project to revitalise and expand the centre’s offerings. Due to their high directivity and speech intelligibility, beam steering arrays from Renkus-Heinz were deployed in the main sports venue, Voelkel Gymnasium. Joseph Brennan, director of IT operations, turned to Darryl Lima, president of DJL, to design the audio system for the gym and supporting facilities. “Basketball courts and other spor
Australia - Sydney Catholic Schools presented four special performances of School of Rock - The Musical in an arena spectacular based on the original Broadway show and staged at the 16,000-capacity Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Lighting designer Mark Hammer created the lighting design and found an ingenious Robe RoboSpot solution for his extensive follow spotting needs. Mark worked under the direction of Great Big Events, who produced the show on behalf of Sydney Catholic Schools. The stage was designed with a 270-degree viewing angle, complete with a full choir at the back for some sections of the show, and a prominent ‘B’ stage in the middle of the arena floor for ‘rock out’ moments, so Mark needed multiple follow spots. He thought it was a perfect time and scenario to specify four Robe RoboSpot systems to run 12 x BMFL FollowSpot movi
Tunisia - A vibrant artistic and cultural centre, Hammamet in Tunisia is a place that connects Europe to Africa, and East to West. Now in its 60th decade, the 56th International Festival of Hammamet brought together a host of international artists to this Mediterranean city for a diverse programme of events taking place over a five-week period last summer. The sound system for a main stage that would see performances ranging from opera and orchestral to jazz and rap was a Nexo Geo M6 compact line array, deployed by local events services specialists Sybel Event Company. Hangs of nine Geo M620 cabinets on either side of the stage were each complemented by ground stacks of two NEXO LS15 and two LS18 subs, with six Nexo ID24 and 2 x IDS110 used as front-fills. Amplification and processing for the front of house system came from three Nexo NXAMP4X1 and one NXAMP4X4 powered
UK - Bristol-based SLX was asked by DB Partnership to work alongside them to create a spectacular after-dark illuminated experience Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Excited by the opportunity to extend its presence within the experiential market, SLX called upon its skilled technical and creative team to work together with Nic Beeby, DB Partnership’s creative producer and designer to create a stunning outdoor design that transformed the castle gardens, ruins and woodland into a magical and immersive experience. SLX combined its extensive knowledge of creating light shows with the latest technology to bring this ambitious creative vision to life. This included designing bespoke projections and displays, to developing audio streams that would synchronise with the light movements. "As leaders in the industry, we're vigilant in our search for cre
USA - Greg Klimetz and the team at Relevant AV Solutions gave themselves a clear mission statement when they began planning the Transformation Project at New Covenant Church’s worship centre in Valdosta, G, in the spring of 2021. “The key word in our planning was ‘yes,’” said Klimetz. “As in when the church asked us “can we do…” our answer had to be ‘yes we can!’” It was a simple, direct, and succinct goal, but one that was not without its challenges, given the diverse mission of this dynamic church, which was founded in 1980. In addition to embracing Sunday services, the church hosts vibrant touring concerts, multiple conferences, and events for community members of all ages. Built in 2004, the church’s worship centre served the purpose of its time, but the building wasn’t supple enough to meet the multi-faceted needs of today. Fixe
