Italy - Rental company CLS has upgraded its Martin Audio inventory by investing in a new Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) PA rig. The sale to the company, which was set up in the Florence region last year by Duccio Mitola, was handled by Audiosales, Martin Audio’s Italian distributor. However, Duccio’s experience of the brand extends back seven years earlier when he was operating a W2 as his PA; when he started CLS Martin Audio was again his first port of call as he purchased a Blackline S15 and F10 rig (along with some EM series speakers). As the company expanded its work base he upgraded to a W8LM Mini line array, and it is this that the new technology of the WPM has replaced. Explaining the purchase Duccio says he had initially been looking to extend his stock of W8LM and approached Audiosales. “But they said ‘why do you want to take the old W8LM when there is
UK - For the 14th year running, dbnAudile has installed the technical infrastructure for the Sacha Lord/Sam Kandel promoted Warehouse Project pop-up, through its various venues in Manchester. Originally working under separate guises, before dbn Lighting merged with Audile, the technology specialists recently put in infrastructure at the Project’s latest home, the 10,000 capacity Mayfield Depot, which sits adjacent to Manchester’s Piccadilly Station; this includes large quantities of GLP X4 Bar 20 battens and JDC1 hybrid strobes in the main room for the four-month season which runs until January 2020. Starting life at the old Boddington’s Brewery, the event now sees high-profile dance acts including MK, Diplo, Disclosure, Aphex Twin, Soul II Soul and Hacienda Classical performing under a lighting rig designed by dbnAudile director, Pete Robinson. He says the
Brazil - Sao Paulo-based R3 Estudio Movel has chosen a Calrec Artemis Ray audio console for its OB truck ‘PowerTruck’. Isaías Rosa, R3’s recording/mixing engineer and multi-Latin Grammy nominee, says: “The Artemis met all our requirements. The truck is set up for mixing and recording music. The Artemis Ray has excellent sound quality; we use it in a 72-fader configuration, which is great for mixing live music as we have the faders set up on one layer.” R3 Estudio Movel uses two Waves cards, one Dante card and six MADI cards in the truck. The on-stage setup includes 128 mic pre-amps and two MADI cards. The company creates about 40 music DVDs a year - including one recently for Sony Music’s Brazilian funk artist Nego do Borel, in addition to its work on live broadcasts and streaming. “This project is a great example of how the Artemis console can r
UK - Lighting designer Derek Jones utilised the Vista by Chroma-Q lighting and media control system to meet the diverse stage lighting needs of New Wine’s United 19 summer worship conference. Held at the East of England Arena and Events Centre in Peterborough, the annual two-week event gathers together thousands of church members to celebrate God with daytime and evening worship and entertainment activities. With the varied programme encompassing seminars, evening entertainment, and a live TV broadcast around the site and online, Jones needed a flexible lighting control system that was able to handle structured cue lists in addition to live busking scenarios. As a Vista user for nearly a decade, Derek was an early adopter of the next generation Vista 3 software. He recently upgraded from his Vista S3 console to the recently launched Vista EX and Vista MV contr
Australia - Splendour in the Grass has quickly risen to become one of Australia’s premier music festivals attracting a 30,000+ crowd over the weekend around Bryon Bay. Rental company Creative Productions from the Gold Coast looked after house lighting on all five main stages supplying Robe moving lights for a line-up of local and international music artists. In three days, over 100 acts embraced every conceivable music genre on those five main stages and numerous other sites across the North Byron Parklands. The house rig for the main Amphitheatre Stage featured 11 Robe BMFL Blades and 36 Robe BMFL Spots, with other Robe products added for floor packages, many of which were also supplied by Creative Productions. Tame Impala’s extensive specials package was one such example, with 12 Robe BMFL WashBeams and 12 MegaPointes providing huge punch for a bunch
USA - Life is Beautiful Festival organisers posed a challenge to lighting designer Rob Ross in the run up to the 2019 event in Las Vegas – get more attendees to use an alleyway corridor to travel between stages instead of the over-packed main street thoroughfare. Ross succeeded with a 450-ft long, immersive environment that featured alluring lighting effects from Elation Professional Proteus series luminaires. Getting festivalgoers to use an alternate path however was no small task as the main street between the festival’s main stage and ancillary stages was lined with vendors and art installations, which naturally attracts people, and besides, the alleyway was a longer route, uninteresting and somewhat dimly lit. “The festival came to us and asked us to make the alleyway feel cool and more exciting so people would want to walk that way instead of along the over
USA - Celebrated for its relentless touring and engaging live shows, San Diego's Slightly Stoopid has been out on the road for a good chunk of 2019 in support of its 13th and most recent album, Everyday Life, Everyday People. To visually bring its shows to life in concert, Slightly Stoopid now turns to Pulse Lighting, which supplies a full complement of Avolites gear, including a Sapphire Touch console, Ai software, and the lighting manufacturer’s new Synergy feature set. “Every design starts with a conversation. The more we interact with our artists, the better the design translates,” says Mikey Cummings of Pulse Lighting. As a lead designer at Pulse’s Nashville headquarters, Cummings has designed for a long list of Grammy-award-winning artists, including Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Every tour he designs goes out wit
UK - White Light has supplied the lighting for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, which has recently opened at Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End. First performed in 1967, the play tells the moving and heart-warming story of a couple trying to keep their family together whilst raising their only daughter who has cerebral palsy. Directed by Simon Evans, this latest revival stars Toby Stephens and Claire Skinner and features a lighting design by Prema Mehta. Prema comments: “Having discussed the script with Simon, it became clear that my brief was to ensure the lighting design supported the naturalistic setting of the family home, with juxtaposed moments of characters directly addressing the audience. We knew these two visuals of naturalism verses direct address had to have a completely different feeling to help the characters tell their story and form a relat
Argentina - Known as ‘El Chaqueño Palavecino’, in reference to being born in the province of Chaco, Oscar Palavecino undertook a recent theatre tour, with an inventory of sound, lighting and LED screens provided by Buenos Aires-based Caio Sonido, and including a large number of fixtures from PR Lighting. The tour comprised in excess of eight shows in different cities — all within the province of Buenos Aires. The lighting rig was scalable, depending on venue size, but the full inventory of PR Lighting fixtures comprised 16x PR Junior BWS 350; eight XR1000 Spot and eight XRLED 590. These conformed to the rider prepared for the tour between Chaqueño Palavecino’s production team and Caio Sonido. On the production side, the team responsible were lighting engineer, Cristian Saieg, supported by Caio Sonido’s president and founder, Ricardo Olivares and Guil
UK - Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom provides an elegant setting for events. The 3,000-capacity venue also offers lighting designers a magnificent canvas on which to ply their art. Ollie Wilkinson of ArranPaul Audio and Lighting Design took full advantage of this recently when he lit the 2019 Enterprise Vision Awards at the century and a half old ballroom with a rig anchored by 22 Chauvet Professional Maverick fixtures. Drawing on the output, gobo capabilities, and zoom range of 14 Maverick MK2 Spot, and eight MK2 Wash fixtures, Wilkinson created an enchanting atmosphere in the cavernous room. "The thing about lighting the Empress Ballroom is that I like to let the venue talk for itself," he said. "Once we start lighting the beautiful pillars, the extravagant ceiling, and other aspects, such as the balconies, the venue really starts to come to life." To ensure the larg
UK - The Royal Academy of Art’s new Benjamin West Lecture Theatre in London presents some unusual acoustic challenges. Ensuring high quality sound is a prerequisite for such a prestigious building and it was therefore imperative that the right microphones were chosen – ones that could cope with the unusual acoustics and with the wide variety of uses that the lecture theatre covers. “DPA microphones have proved to be the ideal solution because they allow any technician or engineer to jump in and achieve quality sound.” says Benji Fox, AV events manager at the RA. “We are using a selection of the company’s products in a number of different ways, including acoustic mics for lectures, belt packs and lapel mics for panel discussions and the new 6066 CORE Subminiature Headset Microphones for smaller panel discussions, filming and live streaming.” Opened i
UK - This year’s Hackney carnival was the biggest to date, with its attendance expected to be confirmed as well above the 60,000 who attended in 2018. The borough was awash with colour as the streets played host to dancers, entertainers, food stalls, children’s areas and sound stations. , with seven sound stages around the Hackney Central area, one of which was supported by online radio station NTS and Island Records. The stage was located in a large supermarket car park on Morning Lane and featured artists such as Wiley, Donaeo, Ms Banks, Lil C, Felix, Kemal, Rockers LDN And Dubplate Pearl. NTS approached Pioneer Pro Audio with a view to providing a top quality sound system for what was effectively a day-festival briMusic played an integral part in the eventef, covering a broad range of live music styles. Keen to help, Pioneer Pro Audio in turn consulted with The
South Africa - Johannesburg-based Sound Stylists was founded in 1987 to provide full technical turnkey solutions in event production, and has become one of South Africa’s most respected rental companies. Kevin Glover’s company has had a long association with Nexo, but recent line array technology from the French manufacturer has really hit the spot for Sound Stylists’ projects and clients. Glover has invested in the new Geo M6 and M10 compact and mid-size line array systems, which are being rolled out for a wide variety of clients. For a corporate event at the Thornleys club in the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains, Sound Stylists deployed a stacked configuration comprising of the Geo M10 mid-size line array. Main PA was eight M1012s, two M1025s and four MSUB15s with four LS18s, and six M6 compact cabinets, used as delays. The M10s were powered by two NXAMP4x2Mk2
USA - Founded and organised by Eric Clapton, the Crossroads Guitar Festival is a two-day music event and trade show that benefits the Crossroads Centre substance-abuse rehabilitation facility in Antigua. The 2019 edition was held at American Airlines Centre in Dallas, with the indoor arena augmented by an all-day outdoor Village Stage featuring special guests and surprise performances in a master clinic format, sponsored by Ernie Ball. The sound system for the Village Stage was an Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line-array loudspeaker system, powered by the latest Dynacord DSP amplifiers. Notable performers included John Mayer, Eric Johnson, Joe Robinson, Andy Timmons and Paul Reed Smith. The system was supplied by Gulf Coast Sound (Rayne, LA), with owner Larry Habetz doing most of the mixing for crowds of up to 5,000. Electro-Voice applications engineer Mike Reynolds was on
USA - The epic Utopia concert by Latin American music superstar Romeo Santos broke the all-time concert gross record for a performance at the MetLife Stadium on 21 September. At the heart of the show’s rich visual design, Yamil Charif and Richard Vicens of YC3 Lighting Design specified more than 100 lighting fixtures from Vari-Lite. Lining the wide stage and multiple walkways were Vari-Lite’s VL6000 Beam fixtures. These were partnered for the first time by the new VL6500 Wash fixtures, making their world debut on Utopia, positioned around the sides of the stage. “We were very strict about the walkway and stage fixtures being the VL6000s and VL6500s,” said Charif. “They were the only fixtures in our rig that were non-negotiable. There is literally nothing else on the market will give us that effect.” High power was essential as almost every surface of
UK - The start of the new academic year at Sherborne Girls School in Dorset has seen a welcome addition to the impressive school campus. The Merritt Centre – a new arts centre is now fully operational. Students will be able to take full advantage of the facilities including the Gransden Hall - a new build recital hall which has been fitted out with 12 custom-designed Triple E VariRoller variable acoustic banners. Triple E responded to architect Burrell Foley Fischer’s request to provide a full project service for the install which included the design, manufacture, construction, testing with bespoke laminated fabric and installation planning. “The brief was to produce effective acoustic baffling to ensure the hall was tuned for a variety of performance types as required by Sherborne Girls’ extensive music programme throughout the year,” explains David
Germany - The European summer music festival season wound up with a few notable events including Lollapalooza Berlin, which returned to the Olympiastadion site for the second year with a line-up including the Swedish House Mafia, UFO361, Kings of Leon, Rita Ora, Hozier, Twenty One Pilots, Billie Eilish and many more. Robe moving lights were in evidence site-wide, supplied by a number of different companies including TSE AG (Main Stage North) and Black Box Music (Main Stage South) both from Germany and Colour Sound Experiment from the UK which delivered lighting and video for the dance-orientated Perry’s Stage. For Main Stage North, a production design / top rig was created by Marco Hoch from TSE AG which allowed artists bringing in their own specials packages ‘underneath’ to be quickly and painlessly accommodated, and have a good, versatile all-round compliment o
The Netherlands - Dutch megastar Marco Borsato recently played a stream of sold out record breaking shows at De Kuip stadium. The set included a large scale canvas in the form of a 1,000sq.m LED screen. To power the impressive visuals needed for this event, Michael Al-Far of MalfMedia and Jo Pauly of Visual Solutions turned to disguise servers. Six disguise vx 4 and four disguise gx 2 media servers played key roles in the production, driving the video content and facilitating real-time IMAG grading of the live feed and the integration of Notch VFX and multicam AR in the massive main screen graphics. “As an artist and photographer Marco felt the time had come for him to be involved in every step of this exciting project, so we had creative freedom, but he had the final say. Together with set and lighting designer Carlo Zaenen we created the content book in which we o
UK - As is now customary, Hyde Park played host to the final weekend of its long season recently, with Proms in the Park on the Saturday making way for BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park the following day. This also brought the curtain down on a successful summer at the Park for Capital Sound, and their MLA PA from Martin Audio, following its 10-day stint at British Summer Time two months earlier. Designed to coincide with Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, headliner, Barry Manilow was, supported by Bonnie Tyler, the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Jack Savoretti, Gabrielle and soprano Aida Garifullina. Bigger ensembles included two choirs, while the cast of Les Miserables also shared the bill, and the 60-piece BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Richard Balcombe, performed the traditional Last Night of the Proms anthems - including Pomp and Circumsta
World - Green Hippo reports that its Hippotizer Media Servers are driving the on-stage stage screen visuals for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (NGHFB), as their 2019 World Tour continues. Production manager Michael O’Connor and lighting/video designer Rod Clay turned to event production supplier OneBigStar to service the tour’s media playback and control requirements. “We were delighted when Rod approached us to provide the control package for NGHFB,” says OneBigStar’s Steven Yeardsley. “We’ve worked closely with Rod on a number of occasions over the past few years and he’s very familiar with the equipment we stock. OneBigStar have always looked to Green Hippo and their range of media servers as a first choice for our rental inventory. The quality of the product and the support we receive is second to none.” The media servers on this tour,
USA - Dancing with the Stars has been a mainstay of American reality television since 2005. For season 28, which premiered in September on ABC, lighting designer Tom Sutherland is using Elation Professional DARTZ 360 beam/spot LED moving heads as a principal luminaire in an immersive 360-degree lighting environment. Lighting vendor for Dancing with the Stars is Felix Lighting with Nicole Barnes as account manager. After skipping its standard spring season - there are typically two seasons per year -the Emmy-winning dance competition returned this fall with changes designed to freshen up the format. A new creative director came onboard for the new season, as did Sutherland who works with set designer Florian Weider on a revamped set. Filmed at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, Dancing with the Stars is a competition that is as much about drama and
USA - Award winning lighting designer Ken Posner’s palette for the burlesque world of Beetlejuice on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre included 29 Solaris Flare Rayzr fixtures, earning him a Tony Award nomination for his design. The hit stage adaptation of the 1988 Tim Burton film opened in April this year and continues open ended. “We use the Rayzrs primarily as a colour wash and toner idea for the Beetlejuice house unit,” explains Posner. “Their small size and versatility made them an ideal choice. They work in very tight spaces, where other fixtures simply couldn’t fit. Their very bright colour rendering is just incredible. A total game changer.” The show’s associate LD, Anthony Pearson, adds, “I found the Rayzrs while sourcing compact fixtures for Disney’s Frozen. I love the high brightness from such a small form factor, allowin
USA - The latest incantation of Deep Purple are out on The Long Goodbye Tour with a lighting system supplied by Bandit Lites. The five-member group is promoting its 2017 album InFinite in addition to performing classics from their 51-year catalogue including Smoke on the Water, Highway Star and Speed King. “I first met Lothar Strunk and Louis Ball when they co-headlined with Alice Cooper in 2017,” said Bandit Lites vice president Mike Golden. “Both Louis and Lothar visited our programming facility to kick off that tour. Lothar contacted me in early spring of this year to begin talk of the Deep Purple tour and to book our programming facility for Louis. We hung the system and Lothar brought in video so Louis could have the week to prepare the system and Lothar could work out production logistics.” Venues for the tour vary from arena
UK - Blackpool Illuminations was first held in 1879. Stretching for six miles along the resort town’s Promenade, Blackpool Illuminations bathes the esplanade in light from over a million bulbs while interactive installations explore the concept of light as art. 4Wall Entertainment contributed to this year's event by transforming the city’s Theatre D'Amour into an experimental art installation that incorporated effects from Elation Artiste Monet LED moving head luminaires. Called the 4Wall Theatre of Light, the installation features a 12-minute light show that runs four or five times an hour and continues throughout the festival’s 30 August to 3 November run. Blackpool Illuminations manager Richard Williams and 4Wall UK’s Simon Stuart developed the concept with Theatre D'Amour designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to bring modern technology into the theatre, a visio
