UK - This April, Volkswagen UK took over Stage A at Millennium Studios in Thurleigh, one of UK’s premier music, film and TV production facilities, to deliver its annual conference. Traditionally hosted as an in-person event, Volkswagen opted for a virtual setting built around a live, complex agenda that included keynotes, videos, presentation slides, and more. Volkswagen’s team delivered an immersive presentation in front of an LED screen backdrop supplied by technical production and LED screen hire company, iMAG displays, with iMAG’s sister company Graymatter delivering the control infrastructure for a headache-free Virtual Production event. IMAG’s involvement stems from an initial conversation between its technical sales and relationship manager, Jonathan Dyson, and Simon Garrett, who was working with event producer Second Sight to source a reliable company t
USA - The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in the United States that helps to fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of two and a half and 18 years. Towards the end of last year, when Becci Smith of the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Chapter in Northern California received five-year-old Valeria’s wish to sing on a big stage, she decided to contact the team at the Concord Pavilion. Operated by Live Nation and owned by the City of Concord, the venue has a capacity of 12,500. What followed was a display of cooperation between entertainment technology professionals that not only made Valeria’s wish come true, but reminded everyone involved just how much they’d missed the shows that are the lifeblood of the industry. Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic where access to venues was naturally difficult, the
USA - William Mooney, lighting designer for BYB Extreme Fighting, a bare-knuckles form of boxing, is using an IP-rated Elation Professional lighting rig to highlight the action inside the ring while supporting the atmosphere outside the ring. With BYB’s three-sided triangle cage, known as the Trigon and the smallest ring in combat sports, there is plenty of that. “It’s the most exciting franchise I have ever been involved with,” states Mooney, a man who has worked on boxing and mixed martial arts projects such as ESPN’s Friday Night Fights (2008-2015) and Combat America MMA Fights. “I’ve worked on all the major networks but I feel more excited about this show than anything I’ve ever worked with in my life.” Although the fights take place indoors, Mooney uses a multi-environmental IP65-rated rig as a peace-of-mind layer of protection. “To have most
USA - The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama had long struggled with inadequate sound system performance due to the cathedral’s high curved ceilings, large stained-glass windows, wooden pews and other acoustically challenging design features. An upgrade to the sound system became a necessity, but to preserve the beauty and historical nature of the cathedral’s large sanctuary, the ministry leadership decided against acoustic treatment. Instead, they trusted a high-performance sound system backed by Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers. The cathedral’s sanctuary was plagued by a great deal of acoustic shadowing due to the building’s columns, with sound sources out of the sightline of the congregation, which significantly diminished levels and effective coverage. The previous attempt to redesign the sound system over-compensated with pairs of
Germany - Frankfurt Opera is one of the most renowned opera stages in Europe, having paved the way for many successful operatic careers. Recently, with an extensive d&b audio system already installed, the venue chose to enrich its audiences’ sound experience with d&b Soundscape technology. A d&b DS100 Signal engine was duly purchased in time for the 2019/2020 season and the staging of a world premiere at the Bockenheimer Depot - Frankfurt Opera’s second venue. "It was a spatially complex work, with moving actors and an orchestra spread across the stage” explains sound engineer, Margit Baruschka. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the production was postponed to 2021. The decision was then made to move the entire Soundscape system to the Frankfurt Opera. Here it could be used to adapt some of the regular programme to allow for social distancing
South Korea - TechDataPS Cocollaborated with All That Sound to equip YeonCheon Sureul Art Hall with a Harman Professional audio solution. Located in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Yeoncheon Sureul Art Hall is a cultural facility that offers a variety of performances, including small plays, musicals and solo concerts. The venue houses both a 580-seat grand concert hall and a smaller 166-capacity concert hall. Organisers wanted an audio system that evenly transmitted sound, achieved a sound pressure deviation of +/- 3dB for over 90% of the audience and provided impactful performances for shows of all genres. To supplement the venue’s existing JBL VT4887A line array loudspeakers, the installation team equipped the venue with a range of JBL solutions including VTX V20 and VTX S25 line array speakers, VTX M20 stage monitors, AC18 two-way speakers, 308P MkII studio monitors,
The Netherlands - May saw Faber Audiovisuals join forces with many of the Netherlands’ world-class technical production companies to deliver a successful Eurovision Song Contest at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena. Sint-Annaparochie-based Faber Audiovisuals were selected as official supplier for all video display technology, providing both the video hardware and the skilled team of technicians that installed and operated it. "Eurovision is an unparalleled show,” says Faber Audiovisuals CEO Cees-Jan Faber. “To be able to deliver to such high expectations during a pandemic is an achievement that makes us extremely proud.” Designer Florian Wieder, who celebrated his seventh Eurovision set design in 2021, created a stunning set design for this year’s event. Perhaps the most eye-catching element was the 508 sq.m LED wall, which was built using the new ROE Visual BQ4, con
USA - Avinext and Shalleck Collaborative recently equipped 10 learning spaces in Texas A&M University’s new Learning Classroom Building with Harman networked AV systems featuring AMX, JBL and Soundcraft solutions. Serving more than 71,000 students, Texas A&M University is one of the largest college campuses in the country. In response to increasing enrolment and population growth in the state, Texas A&M University recently launched a large-scale campus expansion project, which included a new Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB). The new facility houses 10 different learning spaces suited for different applications, with capacities ranging from 72 to 605 students. The spaces include small, medium and large in-the-round arena-style lecture halls, a fan-shaped lecture hall, an egg-shaped classroom, three-tiered learning spaces and two smaller learn
UK - Christie’s London has announced a digital companion piece to Leonardo da Vinci’s penetrating study Head of a Bear, via a collaboration with digital artists Hackatao, an artist duo born in Milan and who have been pioneering the crypto art space since 2018. To be offered in the Exceptional Sale in London this July, Hackatao have created a work inspired by this Old Master drawing, bringing the bear majestically to life. This specially commissioned digital work will be unveiled at Christie’s King Street from 3 July, as part of the Classic Week view, visible via the Aria AR app. The digital work has been donated to The Museum of Crypto Art where it will subsequently appear. Hackatao’s response to the masterpiece Head of a Bear by da Vinci is based on the concept of the continuum; a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibl
Gibraltar - Pixel Artworks has created an immersive light and sound installation within St Michael’s Cave on the Rock of Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Government awarded the project to WrightTech Media, a local digital marketing solutions company with extensive knowledge of the site. Pixel Artworks collaborated with WrightTech Media on the pitch as well as the design and delivery of the complex show, which is scheduled to open to the public on 20 June 2021. While the project sought to enhance the current Gibraltar Upper Rock Nature Reserve visitor experience, there was no specific site in mind. WrightTech Media and Pixel Artworks showed how St Michael’s Cave could be used in a unique way to take the audience on an unforgettable journey through Gibraltar’s natural history, using projection mapping technology, lighting design and immersive audio. Christian Wright, dire
USA - The Robson Performing Arts Centre in Claremore recently completed a stage lighting and control upgrade with over 300 LED luminaires and a networked control solution from Vari-Lite and Strand, Signify entertainment lighting brands. “We wanted LED equipment that would give comparable functionality to our previous fixtures, along with some added ‘eye candy’ elements to enhance our performances,” explains technical director Pamela Neuok, who turned to theatre consultancy Schuler Shook, the original theatreconsultant for the building, to advise on the specification. Schuler Shook prioritized high quality light output and technology that would be both accessible to students and powerful enough for a professional theatre programme. “The Strand products met our design criteria very well,” says Schuler Shook’s Jack Hagler. The final design and install
Germany - Cover band Lonely Hearts Club isn’t likely to achieve the fame of the British quartet that inspired their name. But the six musicians from Gescher were greeted with a level of enthusiasm worthy of the Beatles or any superstar when they appeared on the open-air stage at Freilichtbühne Coesfeld at 5pm on Saturday 15 May. For the 160 entertainment-starved fans in attendance, the band’s show, represented a small, hopeful step back to enjoying live performances as COVID-19 lockdown rules begin to ease with safety protocols still in place. Part of a regional test to demonstrate how outdoor events could be conducted safely, the concert ended at 9 pm, so people could return home in time to comply with Germany’s 10pm curfew. The early closing time made sense from a health and safety standpoint, but it nevertheless posed special challenges for André Entrup and hi
South Korea - To enhance the visitor experience at Pororo & Tayo Theme Park Jeju, TechDataPS Co recently upgraded the park’s aging sound systems with Harman Professional audio solutions. Based on the popular characters Pororo the Little Penguin and Tayo the Little Bus, Pororo & Tayo Theme Park Jeju features numerous ‘edutainment’ attractions that encourage children to learn while having fun. However, the park’s sound system was becoming a detriment to the experience, causing auditory fatigue for park employees and visitors due to an abundance of echo and harsh frequencies. To provide a better experience for guests, Pororo & Tayo Theme Park Jeju’s audio system required a complete overhaul. After being impressed by the performance of JBL Control 60 loudspeakers at the BSS Harman Zone in Yongin, park organisers hired TechDataPS to equip the facility
The Netherlands - Heading the production lighting department for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest finals at The Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, was LD Henk-Jan van Beek from Light-H-Art working closely with associate designers Bas de Vries and Martin Beekhuizen. In addition to creating an overall lighting style for the show, they liaised with all the delegations – many had their own consulting LDs and artists directors – creating 39 individual performances within the overall show design. Henk-Jan specified 740 x Robe moving lights for the event, which made up over a third of the total lighting rig which came in at a count of 1,782 active fixtures. These and all the event’s lighting equipment – plus audio and rigging – was delivered by ESC 2021’s official technical supplier for lighting, audio and rigging, leading Netherlands rental specialist, Ampco Flashlight.<
Germany - Founded in 1866, Theater Freiburg is the oldest and biggest theatre in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany. Moving to its present venue in 1910, like many theatres it has seen an almost continuous series of changes and renovations, some more successful than others. Most recently, the installation of two Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing systems have brought much-needed peace of mind to head of sound Jonas Gottschall and his technical team. Featuring orchestral performances, opera, musicals, dance, plays and more, the Theater Freiburg building includes a main stage, smaller stage and Chamber stage. The venue has a long history with Yamaha digital mixers, going back to the DM2000 and the PM5D. More recently, the venue invested in systems by other manufacturers because, as Jonas - who joined the theatre three years ago - says, “At the time th
Belgium - Kristof Van Mensel from lighting and visual design company TCF (The Creative Factory) uses Astera products extensively – particularly AX3 LightDrops – in his projects which range from live performance to festivals to television studio lighting work. The tiny AX3s are particularly useful for ‘pop-up’ scenarios, he explains, or for shifting between mobile locations. “Two cases of eight AX3 LightDrops are always in the back of my car ‘just in case’ and are infinitely useful,” he states. Kristof is long term lighting designer for the Scala & Kolacny Brothers women's choir, a highly visual act that has gained worldwide recognition. He regularly incorporates Astera fixtures into their live show designs and loves the fact that something as small as the AX3 can give the artist such a dynamic a tool to work with. “I ensconce them in the se
UK - ETC fos/4 LED panels prove a complement to natural light for cinematographer Lily Grimes during shooting of art film Horsepolish, an artist’s response to de Sica’s neorealist 1946 release Shoeshine. This recent art film project saw Lily re-acquainted in a professional capacity with a familiar London-based artist - her mother, Oona, who also lectures in art. It was shot in and around the The Ragged School Museum on the Regent’s Canal near Mile End in London. Lily argued for and succeeded in her quest to film in black and white Super 16mm, feeling it was the best medium to capture the rough landscapes favoured by neorealists. Her approach to lighting combined the use of a lot of natural light with supplementary fos/4 LED panels from ETC, as she explains: “The film was planned rather than written, leaving us many more creative decisions to
Spain - Flight simulator manufacturer Simloc is now using Audio-Technica BPHS1 stereo headsets and PRO70 cardioid condenser lavalier microphones for its innovative Fixed Base Simulator (FBS) flight training devices and Extended Reality (XR) simulation environments for civil and military markets. The relationship between Audio-Technica and Simloc began following contact between Jaime Valle, software engineer and certification manager at Simloc and Audio-Technica commercial manager Yusti Blázquez, who had previously collaborated on another clinical simulation project. Valle said of the BPHS1 headset, “It delivers very high quality audio transmission and reception for intercommunication and it’s a really robust product. “For the simulation to be as realistic as possible, the exclusion of distracting ambient noise is crucial. In flight simulators there are man
USA - Last year, during the height of the pandemic, Martin Castañon, Victor Ortiz and the team at Darvik Productions stayed busy, while bringing music to the public by running Concerts in Your Car, a series of drive-in shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in San Diego. In the process they learned quite a bit about teamwork, determination and self-reliance. They also sharpened their skills lighting an elevated 360ﹾ stage. All of these attributes came in handy over Memorial Day Weekend, when they handled the production of Ziggy Marley’s concert at Petco Park. Although the socially-distant live audience at this show was seated in pods, rather than cars, the configuration of the performance area and the sprawl of the crowd, required the same kind of elevated open stage that the Darvik team had used for their drive-ins. Working closely with Joël Huxtable, Ziggy Ma
Zimbabwe - Nyaradzo Group marked its 20th anniversary recently, with a livestream concert celebration that featured 21 of the region’s leading artists. The musical extravaganza was a big hit for viewers, especially since the performances on stage were supported by dynamic displays of video and light, as LD Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Sintara served up a stream of colourful looks that flowed naturally on stage. Sintara’s design may have looked effortless, but in reality it was anything but easy. Producing different looks for 21 different artists on a small livestream stage is a “fun challenge,” he says. Helping Sintara solve this puzzle was a supportive group of people. “Divine Concert Sound (DCS), the Nyaradzo Group Zimbabwe, Epic Sets and my mentor Simbarashe Bapiro were all very helpful,” he said. “I am grateful to have such support.” Also contri
USA - City Winery New York finally opened for ticketed live music events in early April at its new flagship location inside the redeveloped Pier 57 on the Hudson River after a hiatus of more than a year. As with the seven other City Winery locations, this newest venue relies on Meyer Sound reinforcement systems exclusively, with the New York location the first to anchor its system with LINA line array loudspeakers. Within the first week of sold-out shows, the sound quality in the new room already had earned accolades from audiences and performers alike. “I have some confidence in my own ears, but more confidence in the ears of musicians who have played here - and they have been ecstatic,” says City Winery founder and CEO Michael Dorf. “The combination of the room acoustic and the Meyer Sound LINA system is magic. Steve Earle said from the stage during his acousti
Germany - Dark Matter is a new permanent exhibition space for lighting, visual and sonic art, and technology in Berlin’s lively Lichtenberg district, currently comprising seven sculptural and kinetic visual works created by light artist Christopher Bauder of WHITEvoid. This experience, which opened last week, is the long-term brainchild of Christopher and his quest to curate a “parallel cosmos of expansive lighting installations blurring the boundaries between real and digital worlds” capturing and stimulating emotional, spiritual, and imaginative journeys as guests embrace the artworks – some interactive, some reflective, all fascinating – engaging and experiencing a wide range of emotions. Robe lighting is involved in this project, initially with the supply of Tetra2 and MegaPointe fixtures which will be used for special events lighting in one of the larg
Austria - Founded in 2006, Das Werk is an alternative art and culture initiative based in Vienna. Located in the district of Spittelau, between the famous Grelle Forelle and FLEX nightclubs, Das Werk is the latest Vienna venue to upgrade to Alcons Audio pro-ribbon loudspeakers. In 2018, Wolfgang Sauter of Vienna-based Pro Performance was asked to create an audio concept for Das Werk that fitted in with the neighbouring venues, including The Grelle Forelle, FLEX, SASS Music Club and The Loft. Pro Performance had previously equipped these venues with Alcons pro-ribbon systems, giving Alcons a stellar reputation in Vienna. “The customer needed a new, effective sound solution that was flexible enough for both live concerts and DJ events across a large variety of genres,” says Wolfgang. “A particular problem was that the stage was in the corner of the room, presenting
The Netherlands - Postponed from 2020, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its 65th edition, was held at the Rotterdam Ahoy in The Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlands Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS and AVROTOS. Specialist rental and sales company, Ampco Flashlight, was the official technical supplier, providing lighting, rigging and audio requirements, which included DiGiCo Quantum 7 mixing consoles at both front of house and monitor positions. Working on the lavish production fans have come to know and expect were Erwin Rintjema, ESC head of production, Thijs Peters, head of broadcast sound, Ampco Flashlights’ Remco Verhoek as senior project manager and Dennis van der Haagen taking up the role of operational & commercial director, along with Jeroen ten Brinke, ESC head of live sou
