UK - Tech hire and events company SLX has restored the Rose Theatre’s rotational lighting on a long-term hire as a part of the theatre’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The company provided Rose Theatre Kingston with 34 Martin by Harman MAC Encore Performance CLD fixtures on a five-year hire basis. SLX will also supply the theatre with 24-hour support and an annual maintenance visit as a part of the deal. Dave Starmer, head of lighting and sound at the Rose, comments: “Due to the theatre’s intimate nature and configuration, our lighting was no longer effective as the units were becoming rather noisy and losing their brightness. We met with SLX to specify a new system and a new long-term hire deal to help us consistently upgrade and maintain it.” SLX’s new head of lighti
USA - Signify reports that the famed Warfield Theatre in downtown San Francisco has upgraded its stage lighting with its latest LED technology. Now using the new Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Spot fixture, plus wash lights from Signify’s Showline range, the venue is enjoying the many benefits of the company’s latest innovations. The Warfield, operated by Goldenvoice, has a rich history. Since opening in the 1930s it has hosted a Who’s Who of stars, from Al Jolson and Charlie Chaplin to Bob Dylan and Nirvana. With an eye on the future, the lighting upgrade had two aims. Firstly, to continue to deliver the highest standards of performance lighting, and secondly, to exploit the latest advances in LED technology to reduce both environmental impact and operating costs. The choice of the VLZ Spots, along with the SL BEAM 500fx and 300fx wash fixtures, meets all these criteria
USA - 311’s Unity tour is criss-crossing North America with a full video rig powered by Avolites’ Ai. The American rockers worked with production designer Bobby Grey, from Sightline Design Group, who created a video-focused show to add dynamic and fast-paced eye-candy. The band is backed by a 38'x16' 5.9mm upstage LED screen and considerable lighting rig. “For this tour, the band and their management felt strongly about bringing hi res video into the mix,” says Grey. “Touring with full video is somewhat new territory for 311, and the song catalogue that they pull from nightly is well over 120 very different sounding songs. This means that while we have mainstays that are frequently used in the set that we can plan for and timecode, there are also some deep cuts that require some fast, on the fly punting.” To find the right solution, Grey teamed
UK - To mark its 30th anniversary, HSL will stage two special open days at its HQ in Blackburn - on 3 and 4 October 2018. This will include a Supplier Showcase, a lively expo-style environment located in HSL’s Gallery Space - complete with panoramic views across the undulating Lancashire countryside just outside of Blackburn - where HSL’s industry partners will demonstrate and highlight their latest technologies and innovations. Brands like Robe, Philips, Martin, Claypaky, Chauvet, High End Systems, ETC, Avolites, MA Lighting and many more will have a presence in this relaxed, convivial and highly social atmosphere featuring 32 x stands and three bars. Other highlights will include guided tours of the 165,000sq.ft HSL premises including its extensive training facilities, warehouse and prep areas. There will be presentations by different companies within
Thailand - Mahajak Development and Baan Rig recently deployed a complete Harman Professional Solutions audio system featuring JBL, Soundcraft, Crown and BSS solutions at Rajamangala National Stadium. Home to Thailand’s national football team, Rajamangala is a 65,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that also hosts international events such as the AFC Asian Cup, pop concerts and political rallies. Rajamangala’s management recently decided to upgrade to a high-impact audio system that could deliver even coverage and intelligible sound to every seat, while also streamlining and simplifying production requirements. They hired audio integrators Mahajak Development and rigging experts Baan Rig to deploy an array of JBL Precision Directivity loudspeakers along the roof of the stadium. The system also includes a robust network of Crown DCi Series amplifiers, Soundcraft
Located on a picturesque bend of the Brda river in Bydgoszcz, Opera Nova is one of Poland’s leading opera houses, and it has recently upgraded the audio installations for its two main performance halls with Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems. With a world-class repertoire including The Nutcracker, Orpheus in the Underworld, Swan Lake and Madame Butterfly, Opera Nova opened in 2006 and completed its latest audio installation last year. Supplied by Konsbud Audio, the new dLive systems were installed in two locations. The Main Hall features a dLive S5000 surface, alongside a DM32 MixRack, a DX32 Expander and a Dante card. While the Chamber Hall has a dLive S3000 surface and a DM48 MixRack combined with another Dante card. Adrian Michalski (head of the acoustics department and main sound engineer for Opera Nova), comments; "I’
The Netherlands - Dutch supergroup De Toppers take over the 68,000-capacity Amsterdam Arena annually for a string of sold-out shows billed as “the sing-along party of the year”. As usual, the 2018 Pretty in Pink - The Circus Edition concerts were among Holland’s hottest tickets so far this year, and it was a substantial Adamson E-Series system from Ampco Flaslight Rental that brought the hits to the capacity crowd on 25, 26, and 27 May. The high-profile foursome - consisting of singers Rene Froger, Gerard Joling, Jeroen van der Boom, and Jan Smit - combined a spectacular circus-inspired stage design with a set list combining crowd-favourite covers and originals for the one-of-a-kind experience. Presented in-the-round, the shows were supported by over a dozen flown E-Series arrays to ensure complete coverage and high-impact sound for every single seat.
India - With its large glass doors and smooth tile interior, the Sri Sathya Sai Premamrutham ashram in Muddenahalli is an awe-inspiring place of devotion. These very same features also make the edifice a highly reflective - and acoustically challenging - space. Coupled with the sheer size of the hall, which can seat close to 10,000 faithful, it was clear that a sound system was required inside the venue to maximise intelligibility during talks, concerts, and devotional activities. For this landmark project an L-Acoustics Kara system, provided by the French manufacturer’s certified distributor provider for India, New Delhi-based HiTech Audio Systems, offered such a solution. “For the management of Sri Sathya Sai Premamrutham, the project is a milestone and the audio install was a prime consideration,” adds Sri Sathya Sai Premamrutham’s, Bharat Kumar. “We didn
Germany - The Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin was transformed into a giant live e-sports battle environment for the PUBG Global Invitational 2018, the first major international live tournament organised by the PUBG Corporation, and the first world championship in competitive PUBG. Teams of 24 competed for a share of some serious prize-money over four days. The first-person shooting action was boosted by an energy-fuelled opening show. Event producers Production Associates asked visual specialists Live Legends to create a high-impact lighting design for the Opening Show and the championship, for which around 600 Robe moving lights played a central role. Between the start of the project and getting to site in Berlin, Live Legends’ initial brief for the lighting design was also considerably expanded to include lighting control, set design, video content and control and fu
Belgium - Pukkelpop, held over four days at the end of August, showcases a variety of musical genres and also hosts theatre, street entertainment and food from around the world. A major part of the audio production for this eclectic mixture of entertainment that has elevated Pukkelpop to being Belgium’s biggest and best alternative festival, is handled by production company PRG. DiGiCo was its choice of console for three of the festival’s stages including the Main stage, which hosted some of music’s biggest acts, including Dua Lipa, N.E.R.D, Arcade Fire and Kendrick Lamar. The DiGiCo line up was SD10s on the Main and Marquee stages at both Front of House and monitor positions, and SD7s at both spots in the Dance Hall. Most bands took advantage of the house consoles, but if they did not, it was because they had brought their own DiGiCos with them. “In the
Canada - Since its inception in 2013, the Glowfair Festival in Ottawa has grown substantially with the two-day event attracting roughly 60,000 people this past June. The name itself is an indication that lighting is an integral part of the event hosted along 10 full blocks of Bank St. in Ottawa. As it has for the past five years, Ottawa Special Events (OSE) provided a substantial package of Elation lighting fixtures for Glowfair - some drawn from their own inventory and others rented from Christie Lights. In all, nearly 100 Elation fixtures were deployed, a combination of Platinum HFX hybrid moving heads, ZW19 LED moving head beam/wash effects, compact ACL 360i beam effects and SixPar 200 LED Par lights. This year the festival featured performances by EDM act Cash Cash, Virginia to Vegas, Iskwé, Ria Mae and others on the main stage, as well as DJs and street artists
Germany - The television programme Let’s Dance has been a perennial fan favourite throughout Germany. Now in its 11th year, the show, which features 14 celebrities and their professional dance partners competing for a coveted trophy, has added even more colour and glamour to its presentation by expanding its lighting rig to include 12 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK1 Hybrid fixtures. Lighting designer David Kreileman explained why he specified the 440W moving fixtures for the programme: “For one thing, the price-performance ratio is remarkable, and that's no exaggeration. A further factor is that the Maverick MK1 Hybrid that we are using on this set is unique and unbelievably versatile. Above all, I would single out the CMY colour mixing system, which is superior to fixed colour images.” As a hybrid fixture with advanced optics, overlapping 8-facet and 4-
USA - Created to bring the high-energy of Lucha Libre professional wrestling to the United States, the sports and entertainment media firm Aro Lucha produces a number of live events and television productions. Led by founders who have already achieved success in the professional wrestling industry, the production team understands they must create a dynamic environment that can match both the passion of the fans and the wrestlers taking the ring. Working with their partners at UNO Branding, Aro Lucha decided to enhance the impact of their design even further with the addition of a high-resolution video wall using a FLEXCurtain HD 6.25mm LED video solution from PixelFLEX. “This is a relatively new production design as we only started the company in late 2017,” says Jason Brown, chief executive officer, Aro Lucha. “When we decided to launch the promotion, we wanted
China - When car maker Audi introduced its A8L luxury saloon to the Chinese market, technical service company Redline turned to the BlackTrax real-time motion tracking system to help deliver the wow factor to the launch show. Each of the cars featured in the show was fitted with ‘BTBeacons’ which transmitted the exact position of the vehicles as they moved around the stage to ‘BTCams’, which then relayed the information to the lighting console so that any lighting look could be designed while automatically following the cars on the stage, regardless of speed or direction, with an accuracy that would not have been possible to achieve manually. Another big part of the reveal, was the futuristic graphics projected on the floor and not only accented the car, it also helped explain some of the A8L’s new built in technology and features. The mapped projection int
USA - Bandit Lites has added a complement of Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20 high-performance wash and beam fixtures to its inventory. “We invested in the B-EYE K20s for their output and versatility,” says Jake Tickle at Bandit Lites. “Claypaky is a tried-and-tested industry standard.” The B-EYE K20s have already been deployed on a number of shows and tours. Bandit provided the lighting package, including K20s, to Rascal Flatts’ Back to Us Tour and the K-LOVE Fan Awards show in Nashville’s famed Opry House. Bandit also furnished K20s for Logic’s set at the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama and for Chris Young’s Losing Sleep 2018 World Tour whose lighting designer Mike Stanley specifically requested the fixtures for their kaleidoscopic effects. The B-EYE K20s have also been used by Garth Brooks, Steven Wilson, Ha
Spain - Medusa Sunbeach presented the fifth serving of its electronic music festival to a 300,000-strong crowd this August. Held in Cullera, Spain, the festival offered the very best of world-class DJ’s to entertain audiences over three days of performances. Madrid-based rental company, Delta Sound Spain, was appointed to provide audio for the Little Bird stage which was one of three stages within the public access festival area. Having only acquired their Bose ShowMatch system this year, they worked closely with Bose distributor Gaplasa to quickly secure a busy summer schedule for the new system. The agreement to debut ShowMatch for one of its first appearances on a European festival stage was one which at first raised a few eyebrows. Jose De La Torre, CEO of Delta Sound Spain, comments, “As we loaded the system into the Little Bird Stage, operators of the sound s
Europe - As part of an upgrade programme that has seen FOH engineer Jon Schumann regularly adding upgrades to the touring Waves SoundGrid LV-1 rig that he has designed, the MØ FOH engineer has recently upgraded their network infrastructure with the addition of a new Luminex based Fibre backbone for their fully featured LV-1 system. Whilst the Danish Pop Star has been steadily amassing an increased following, her FOH engineer has been amassing an increasingly impressive audio system for touring. Rather than going down the route of a rented touring system, MØ have chosen to purchase most of their touring rg and build a flyable system that can accompany them to every gig. The addition of the four Luminex GigaCore 14R switches, along with the two redundant PSUs that provide full power redundancy at each end of the wire for both sets of switches, has added the Rosetta s
Singapore - Every evening visitors flock to the Singapore Zoo. They aren’t coming to see the facility’s animals, who by then have been safely tucked away in their sleeping quarters. The attraction that draws them is a winding 1km magical path that immerses the senses with the sights and sounds of simulated rainforest landscapes, complete with a shimmering island, cavernous hills and virtual animals, including an orangutan, a flying fox and hornbills. Created by Moment Factory, a multimedia studio based in Montreal, Canada, Rainforest Lumina is a triumph of technology and imagination. Lighting plays a key role in crafting Rainforest Lumina’s mesmerizing spell. Not only does it add greater depth to the exhibit’s scenery and video projection effects, it also evokes powerful emotions along pathways and creates a surreal impression, standing out against the night sky.
Switzerland - Signify reports that the prestigious Béjart Ballet Lausanne has invested in its next generation Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Profile luminaires. The company, which tours internationally each year, chose the new lighting fixtures to take advantage of the many benefits of the latest LED technology, while maintaining the highest quality of stage lighting for its exquisite and renowned choreography. Having used the VLZ Profiles at their home, the Beaulieu Theater in Lausanne, and on tour, Béjart Ballet Lausanne is satisfied that their investment was “the right choice”. Among many improvements over conventional fixtures, the team notes especially the VLZ Profile’s silent operation. For lighting designer Dominique Roman, the silence is golden. “We work with classical music, with quiet moments, and the fan noise from the old machines complicated things. It w
Malaysia - Mahajak Trio recently outfitted the Kota Kinabalu Marriott hotel with a custom Harman Professional Solutions audio system to deliver an invigorating entertainment experience for guests. This project was collaborated together with the AV system integrator Eastern Global Sdn.Bhd. Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel is a premium five-star resort located at The Waterfront entertainment centre on the South China Sea. Known for hosting opulent events held in their Grand Ballroom, Kota Kinabalu Marriott hired Mahajak Trio to install an audio system capable of delivering world-class sound throughout the resort. Mahajak Trio designed a complete Harman Professional Solutions audio system made up of JBL Professional speakers and power amplifiers, AKG microphones and BSS signal processors. “Kota Kinabalu Marriott needed an all-new state-of-the-art audio solution capable of
UK - Academy Music Group Limited (AMG) has announced a new lease agreement with Manchester-based live entertainment venue Victoria Warehouse. Situated in the heart of the city, the venue was originally the Liverpool Warehousing Company, two huge warehouses built in 1925 and 1936. Their monumental scale and exuberant architectural style dominated the canal-side, and Victoria Warehouse is now one of the only surviving warehouses of its kind; retaining its classic internal structure of cast-iron columns, supporting wooden beams and joists. Victoria Warehouse was renovated in 2009 to become a premier events and hospitality venue, with multiple rooms, formats and configurations. The main auditorium capacity is 3,500. Graham Walters, chief operating officer, Academy Music Group, says: “Manchester’s warehouses are so important to the history of the city. They give
USA - After sold-out performances in Europe, folk legend Joan Baez continues her 2018 Fare Thee Well tour in North America with both FOH and monitors mixed by engineer Jason Raboin of Klondike Sound on an Allen & Heath dLive C Class C3500 Surface with CDM48 MixRack. "I’ve worked for Joan for 15 years and she’s an amazing performer,” says Raboin. “At one point, she simplified to a three-piece band and I started doing both FOH and monitors so I knew I needed a better console. I did a lot of research and talked to some people I really trust. Then, I got to demo a dLive. Even with just music playback, it sounded better than what I was using. So I went for it and it has been great.” Raboin described the typical setup for a performance. “I have 24 inputs from the stage, with three in-ear mixes and four wedge mixes plus whatever is required for the hous
Germany - Hamburg-based theatre producer, Stage Entertainment brings nearly four million visitors a year to its musical theatres and is recognised as a market leader for live entertainment in Germany. The company is well-known for showcasing productions such as Mary Poppins, The Lion King and Aladdin. The celebrated musicals, run by the Dutch Stage Entertainment group are typically programmed by an Eos console from ETC. Andy Peistrup, lighting coordinator at Stage Entertainment confirmed that the Eos consoles are regularly in use at the establishment in Hamburg. Shows on New York's Broadway or London's West End are frequently produced by ETC consoles. Peistrup comments: “When the production changes, the console moves with the show. We are very satisfied with Eos desks; it makes our work easy and straight forward as there is already a show file a
UK - Built in 1855 as a corn exchange, Loughborough Town Hall has morphed into a diverse performance venue with a 522-seat theatre and space for meetings and receptions. Keeping pace with the eclectic procession of shows and events is a versatile lighting system that was recently made more robust by the addition of Chauvet Professional Maverick and Ovation fixtures supplied by Stage Electrics. Funding for the new LED fixtures was obtained through a government programme that incentivised energy savings. “The new fixtures are far more efficient than the incandescent units they replaced,” says James Cladingboel, technical director of Loughborough Town Hall. “However, their benefits extend way beyond energy savings. They’ve greatly expanded the things we can do with our lighting system.” A total of seven Maverick MK2 Spots, eight Ovation E-260WW warm white
