Europe - Czech moving and LED lighting manufacturer Robe celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 2024 Prolight + Sound expo in Frankfurt and looked forward to another 30 years of lighting innovation.
The entertainment technology brand presented the finale of the Power of Imagination show, that entertained packed audiences five times a day and also staged a Rock ‘n’ Robe stand party on the evening of the second day, featuring Queen tribute band Queenie. Additionally, an array of new lighting products was launched and on the eve of the expo, Robe announced the acquisition of LSC Control Systems.
LSC joined the other Robe businesses – sister architectural brand Anolis, console manufacturer Avolites and control solutions provider Artistic Licence
The two public ‘dark demonstration’ rooms on the booth were constantly busy throughout the four days with the iBOLT, iFORTE LTX and the T32 Cyc attracting interest.
Robe CEO and co-founder Josef Valchar commented, “We enjoyed a truly amazing Prolight, the stand was busy, we saw a diverse mix of people from many sectors and from all around the world including so many of our own distributors who rocked up for the party, all of which made it very special.
“Everyone from our talented creative team who produced the show to our equally brilliant logistics, planning and administration teams that paid attention to every detail of the organising – from the products to the merch to the graphical elements, the refreshments and data gathering – both in advance and on site. A LOT of pe
World - The 1975’s appetite for touring is considerable and their schedule is gruelling, so their touring equipment needs to be able to keep up. Eighteen rounds of air and road freight can take its toll and reliable consoles that can withstand dust, heat, cold and humidity are vital as the team and their equipment cross multiple time zones. The tour relies on a DiGiCo Quantum 7 at front of house, and a Quantum 5 at the monitor position.
Monitor engineer Francois Pare states, “I don’t think I’ve used any other desk since 2016. Nowadays the shows are so involved, there aren’t many desks that can handle the number of channels we need. On The 1975, we have an eight-piece band, and the show is quite theatrical, there’s a lot going on effects wise on stage, so it all adds up.”
At front of house, Lee McMahon’s comments, “Building this show has been an amazing journey; the band really care about sonics and how to interpret album production elements in the live domain. That’s something I take very seriously. I want to present their craft in the best way possible, sometimes pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally achievable within occasionally hostile acoustic spaces. It’s been a lot of fun bringing this show to fans all around the world. I’ve toured with SD11i, SD12, SD10 and SD5 consoles at different times over the years, but the Quantum processing has given me a lot more room to do things the way I want to.”
Touring the world for 18 months is a mammoth undertaking and having a strong team behind you is essential. Demands
USA Country singer Scotty McCreery’s Cab in a Solo Tour is making its way through the US with a versatile setlist that transitions between upbeat anthems and touching ballads, backed by three upstage LED screens driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer media servers.
Landing at Boston’s new MGM Musical Hall at Fenway at the beginning of March, the North Carolina native’s production was ramped up as fans flocked to see McCreery. Striking graphics, animations and imagery from McCreery’s music videos were displayed on the three portrait LED walls, which were made up of ROE’s ultra-fine 8.33mm pixel pitch CB8 LED panels. The content was delivered by two Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 media servers sourced from 4Wall Entertainment and controlled using a grandMA3 console.
Production designer Drew Hornback of DH Production Designs created the concept for the 2024 tour in collaboration with McCreery and his production team. “This is the first time in a while that Scotty is carrying an LED wall on tour,” explains Hornback, who designed the set, lighting and video elements. “I chose Hippotizer Karst+ because it is quite the workhorse. Scotty and his band are playing many different types of venues this year, including festivals and varying-sized spaces, and I knew that this server could handle the amount of different content and output at each gig.
“Some festivals will only require a 16x9 output for a centre LED wall, others will only use house side screens. Using the Karst+ system, I knew the team would be able to pull off each
USA - John Garberson created the lighting rig for the Powerhouse hip-hop celebration at the Desert Diamond Arena outside Phoenix.
Garberson and his team at Creative BackStage positioned a potent lighting rig on the 60ft wide by 40ft deep stage, using fixtures supplied by LIT Lighting. At the same time, however, they made sure to arrange things so there was a generous amount of open space at the stage’s centre. This gave headliners Kevin Gates, Tech N9ne, Young Nudy, and other performers a chance to standout, and connect to the sellout crowd of 20,000 without distractions.
While the hip-hop stars performed their art against the ‘blank canvas’ they were surrounded and supported by dynamic lighting displays above them and to their sides. Principal lighting designer James Simpson and the visiting LDs used a rig anchored by 48 Chauvet Professional fixtures to create a rich variety of powerful, fast-moving looks that reflected the personalities and musical styles of the artists on stage.
“Our stage lent itself to creating a lot of majestic looks with its 40ft high front truss,” said Garberson. “We wanted to give the LDs a variety of lighting fixtures with different performance features, so they could go in any direction they wanted.”
Included in the show rig were 24 Rogue R2 Wash and Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures, as well as eight STRIKE 4 blinder and eight Rogue R3 Beam units. Garberson and L2 Matthew Berg arranged these fixtures in different configurations on overhead trussing and on five-foot and seven-foot truss stands to create a wid
UK - More than 200 students from institutions around the UK tuned in live to Production Futures’ new YouTube channel for the launch of the Production Futures Studio TALKS podcast last week. Cheshire College, LIPA, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Norwich University were all represented, with in some cases, tutors bringing whole classes to the session.
The inaugural podcast with lighting designer Tim Routledge was presented in conjunction with the BBC’s Bring the Drama Festival, which sees the Corporation joining forces with some of the UK’s prominent cultural organisations to open doors of opportunity for the next generation of behind-the-scenes talent.
The 90-minute live broadcast Q+A, which saw Tim take part remotely from a secret location - he is currently working on production rehearsals with Take That - provided the young audience with valuable and inspiring insights into the world of lighting and production in general.
Hannah Eakins of Production Futures hosted the podcast, and reflects on a successful launch: “We received great feedback from everyone involved in this first edition of the podcast, and owe a debt of gratitude to Tim for generously taking time out of his busy schedule to participate.
“In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be broadcasting conversations with inspirational figures from across the sector, of all ages and at all stages of their careers, including our own Breakthrough Talent award winners - people who are ‘paying it forward’ to help newcomers access and better understand the produ
USA - Elation Professional has introduced the Fuze Teatro, a refined moving head luminaire that can be used to visually craft any scene without drawing attention to itself. Designed for any application where a noiseless, fully-automated framing fixture with full-spectrum colour range and quality is required, the Fuze Teatro is fanless for completely silent operation.
Illuminating the performing arts with automated luminaires has traditionally been a challenge. The technology required to provide the desired lighting levels, colour quality and remote positioning usually creates unwanted noise from fans, mechanical color mixing modules and other components, making their use in carefully-designed acoustical venues less than ideal. The Fuze Teatro has addressed these concerns with a fanless design and soundless color mixing system that makes it ideal for noise-sensitive environments. The convection-cooled system ensures absolute silence, and because less dust and other particles are not being distributed throughout the luminaire, it results in lower maintenance and a longer product life.
The Fuze Teatro is the first fanless automated luminaire incorporating an additive colour engine, which further reduces noise levels compared to conventional CMY systems. The 480W homogenized RGBMA LED array with CRI of 92 offers outstanding colour rendering capability, calibrated white points and a full-spectrum colour gamut from soft pastels to intense primaries.
The carefully-tuned LEDs ensure accurate colour reproduction and dynamic whites from 2400 - 850
USA - “I don't know that there's another desk that we could really do it all with,” says Chad Olech, front-of-house mix engineer for Fall Out Boy, talking about managing the band’s complex comms infrastructure that sees three separate talkback lines coming into his DiGiCo Quantum5 console, as well as mixing a great show for fans.
“I don't think there's another manufacturer that makes something that would do what we need it to do in this situation. I'm sure we could work our way around it, but it wouldn't be as seamless and as easy.”
Rob Smuder is one of those comms sources, as he mixes the band’s monitors from a DiGiCo Quantum7 console, along with the stage manager and backline crew lines. “The main reason that I use the Q7 out here, honestly, is the matrixes,” says Smuder, who has worked with the band since 2018. “We have a ton of talkback mics that are routed all over the place; each backline person has two talkbacks, one to talk to the crew and one to talk to their band member; and all the radios go through the console.
“Meanwhile, the front-of-house has three talkbacks to go to various places. There’s a pretty robust network of us talking to each other during the show. It can get pretty chatty! But the Quantum7 matrix helps me route all of that stuff so much more reliably and effectively, and that lets me focus on the stage mixes.”
Fall Out Boy were the perennial punk-pop favourites of MTV and the Teen Choice Awards and after a hiatus from late 2009 to 2013 came back, driven by their tight package of two guitars
Germany - Under the motto ‘Claypaky: leading through innovation. And Beyond’, Claypaky celebrated its participation in the 2024 edition of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt.
The primary focus was on the latest addition to the ‘Multispectral family’ – Rhapsodya. Claypaky hosted a pre-recorded product presentation, including a short light show lasting about 12 minutes, which ran every hour. Following the demo, the Buddylight automated followspot was showcased in action during a special performance on stage, featuring singer Nevio Passaro.
Claypaky presented some innovative lighting solutions including:
Volero Cube is a compact IP66 fixture that seamlessly merges beam, wash, and strobe effects. This new, multi-function, multi-effect moving head is a real “4-in-1 fusion fixture” boasting 4 powerful 60W RGBW LEDs and plus-shaped cool white LED strips for strobe that can be pixel-to-pixel controlled.
Orkis Cyc is the game-changing cyclorama light from ADB by Claypaky. This innovative wall-washer combines theatrical colour perfection with FLOW Active Liquid Cooling technology. Built on a multispectral six-colour HCR LED technology, Orkis Cyc offers a wide selection of colours and precise dimming capabilities.
Mini-B Aqua PX is the newest member of the Mini-B family that inherits the core strengths of its predecessors, adding the pixel-to-pixel control of each LED.
Panify 2 IP66 motorised platform offers endless PAN operation and various speeds, and can handle fixtures up to 30 kilograms.
Claypaky sales director Alberico D
UK - Voyage Audio, the San Diego-based creators of Spatial Mic have appointed Emerging as their exclusive distributor for UK and Ireland.
The original Spatial Mic product employed USB/ADAT connectivity and this has been joined more recently by a Dante version. Both microphones have eight-capsule arrays that support 2nd Order Ambisonics. The body of the mics contain high-quality A/D conversion using a high-resolution Skyworks clocking scheme and built-in 32-bit XMOS processor.
The applications for the Spatial Mic are as diverse as its specifications. It is equally at home in studio, broadcast, field and live concert recordings where the remote control of the capsules and the output are obviously valuable, says Voyage.
Emerging’s MD, Paul Mortimer comments, “We already have an impressive range of products to manage immersive audio for mixing and mastering, and having a product like Spatial Mic that can capture live such an impressive range of immersive formats, completes the picture for us.”
Colin Ritchie and Steve Silva are co-founders of Voyage Audio and have extensive experience in the design of microphones and software for recording and production. Colin remarks; “We were impressed with Emerging’s focus on quality products that support immersive audio production. Clearly, they have the technical expertise and practical experience to properly support the product, so we think this partnership will be hugely successful.”
USA - The inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival Miami made waves this March, marking the festival’s first venture onto US shores in decades. The event presented diverse musical performances against a backdrop of waterfront vistas, with sound from the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami’s official sound partner, Meyer Sound.
The intimate 1,500-person festival held March 1–3 at The Hangar at Regatta Harbour, showcased a lineup led by headliners Jon Batiste, Daniela Mercury, and Daryl Hall, topped off each night with the Montreux Jam Sessions.
The Hangar - built in 1918 as the first continental naval air station in the United States - is a cavernous 20,000sq.ft space, with thin corrugated metal walls and vast expanses of windows, that presents significant acoustic challenges.
For 38 years, Meyer Sound has been the strategic partner and official sound provider of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. The Miami team comprised Jeremy Arditi, co-chair of Montreux Festival Miami and Sig Greenbaum, festival director for MJF Miami.
Navigating the venue’s acoustical intricacies, Pete Diaz Productions A1s Richard Gomez and Oliver Quintero worked with Meyer Sound’s sales and technical support services to optimize the audio experience for performers and audiences alike.
The Hangar was equipped with nine Meyer Sound Leopard compact linear line array loudspeakers and four 2100‑LFC low-frequency control elements per side, with Leopard and 900‑LFC side-fills; MJF‑210 and MJF-212A stage monitors and Ultra‑X40 compact loudspeakers as front-fills,
UK - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (ISCVE) celebrated a successful ISCVEx 2024. The two-day symposium, which took place from 19-20 March at the historic Coombe Abbey, near Coventry, brought together more than 250 attendees in a showcase of knowledge, technology and community.
ISCVE hosted a varied line-up, which started with an engaging AGM and featured an illuminating member’s presentation from Jason Williams on Species AI Capture – The challenges and rewards of working on environmental and conservation projects. Participants then enjoyed camaraderie and insights exchanged at the networking dinner, complemented by an exhilarating performance by The Pub Choir.
Highlighting the second day were three seminars. James ‘Brew’ Henry Breward led the charge with Quiet Please, bringing to the spotlight the advanced audio systems utilised at Wimbledon. Dr. Peter Mapp then captivated the audience with his talk on Myths, Maths & Morphs, exploring the veracities and misconceptions of speech communication, as well as public address systems design. Concluding the seminar series was a discussion on Tuning in to Cyber Security Risks by Mike Davies, Centrality’s lead consultant, emphasising the mounting threats of cyber incursions faced across the spectrum of enterprise.
"The feedback on the seminars underscored their captivating and thought-provoking content," Ros Wigmore of ISCVE observes. "Plans are already underway for next year's event, propelled by this year’s accomplishments.
"The energy
Canada - Montreal studio Le Lab Mastering has built an all-Focal DolbyAtmos room, adding Atmos mastering to its offerings on top of fully analogue stereo, vinyl mastering, and lacquer cutting. The 7.1.4 Atmos studio features an all-Focal powered monitor configuration with Trio11, Trio6, Solo6, and Sub6.
The room’s layout features dual Sub6 subwoofers stacked under the left and right Trio11 monitors – four subwoofers total. This subwoofer configuration gives Le Lab’s Atmos room the ability to offer mastering for movie soundtracks and other formats that would need extended low-end response; It also offers a symmetrical low-frequency coverage in a smaller footprint.
Trio6 monitors fill out the centre and rear channels, while Solo6 are on the sides. Le Lab has already mastered a lot of legacy recordings remixed for Atmos, including Celine Dion, Sia, Whitney Houston, Usher, Yo-Yo Ma, and Eric Clapton, among many others.
Le Lab also has a stereo mastering room based around Focal Grand Utopia hi-fi monitors and Utopia EM subwoofers, “On the stereo mastering side, engineers have almost always been using consumer speakers because they’re the bridge between the professional studios and homes,” says studio owner and senior mastering engineer Marc Theriault. “I always liked the sound of Focal because they’re very natural sounding and that’s what I'm looking for.”
Although the Atmos mastering room at Le Lab wasn’t built with ‘legacy’ records in mind, the studio ended up mastering Atmos versions of many famous records on Sony’s
South Africa - Audio-Technica has announced the appointment of Alpha Technologies as the distributor for its commercial product line in South Africa.
This strategic partnership aims to enhance the availability and accessibility of Audio-Technica's professional audio solutions, catering to the growing installed audio-visual equipment in the South African market. Alpha Technologies, with its proven track record in delivering technology solutions, is well-positioned to strengthen Audio-Technica's presence and provide support to customers across various industries.
John Dodson, business development manager at Audio-Technica, Middle East and Africa comments, "We are delighted to join forces with Alpha Technologies as our official distributor in South Africa. This partnership aligns with our commitment to delivering exceptional audio experiences to a broader audience. Alpha Technologies' dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction makes them an ideal partner as we continue to expand our reach in the region. Their expertise and extensive customer network make them the perfect choice to represent the Audio-Technica commercial product line."
Tiaan Hoogstad, marketing director at Alpha Technologies, adds, "South Africa is a dynamic market with a growing demand for high-quality audio solutions. We look forward to a successful collaboration that will bring Audio-Technica's cutting-edge technology to a wider audience in South Africa.
“Alpha Technologies is committed to providing excellent service and support for Audio-Technica's commercial product
Europe - Absen has announced the retirement of Ross Burling, its European industry development director OOH & sports and the appointment of James Cook as industry development director, Europe
Having worked for Absen Europe for a number of years, Ross has headed up the OOH & sports division, growing its team and securing a range of projects throughout Europe. He has devoted over 34 years to the AV industry, working for a range of leading AV manufacturers, specialising specifically in DOOH and sports for the last 25 years.
“I would like to thank all of the great friends, colleagues, and mentors who have guided and supported me during my time in the industry, and made it such a fantastic, educational, enjoyable and fun filled experience. I’m delighted that James Cook is replacing me at Absen to further strengthen and grow the Absen relationships and presence in the OOH & Sports markets in the UK & Europe.” comments Ross.
He went on to say, “After 47 years of full-time employment I decided that now would be a great time to take a few months to enjoy travelling across Europe in my camper van, get out a lot more on my bike, and spend more time with my family. Thank you to everyone who has been on this AV industry journey with me, and please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you fancy meeting up for a beer, or a bike ride.”
“Having always admired Ross and working with him closely in the past he will leave big shoes to fill, but I’m motivated to follow in his footsteps and am looking forward to working with such a
UK - Robert Juliat reports positive response to its latest new products at Prolight + Sound, Frankfurt where it exhibited alongside its long-term German distributor, Lightpower.
Robert Juliat previewed its new LED, cool white 6000K Tristan followspot for the first time in Germany. Tristan is an 800W LED high output followspot with a 7°-14° zoom range and an output to rival the 1800W Victor MSR followspot.
Unique to Tristan is a totally new feature, a motorised iris, which enables the creation of iris presets. More features include electronic dimming, local and DMX control, integrated power supply and silent operation, along with a remote display and accessories for the operator. Tristan is compatible with DMX/RDM/Ethernet/ArtNet and sACN protocols.
Equally at ease in front-of-hour, truss and backlight positions, Tristan is set to become the LED replacement for the ever-popular 1800W MSR RJ Victor.
Robert Juliat also previewed its new LED profile spot, Ravel, which marked the introduction of a new family of Robert Juliat fixtures due to come on-line later this year.
Ravel sports a new lamp house design with a reinforced body and enhanced, efficient cooling system. Designed to be compatible with Robert Juliat’s 600SX and 700SX Series profile lens tubes, Ravel’s light output is equivalent to that of 2kW tungsten profiles. Its 450W tunable white LED source guarantees the same constant brightness whatever the colour temperature, with a CRI >90.
Available in three zoom options: 16-35°, 28-54° and 11-26°, Ravel has the same
UK - In early March, sound designer Simon Honywill used TiMax SoundHub with TiMax TrackerD4 performer stagetracking to spatially enhance an already incredible – and quite unique – immersive performance by the Paraorchestra musical ensemble. The Nature of Why, composed by Will Gregory and choreographed by Caroline Bowditch under the artistic direction of award-winning conductor, Charles Hazelwood, was performed within a 14m circular space on the Lyric Stage at Theatre Royal Plymouth, with 100-120 audience members mingling amongst the players and dancers for each performance.
Though it wasn’t the first performance of The Nature of Why– an interpretation of the famous interview with physicist Richard Feynman which asks in empirical terms why certain physical properties occur, such as magnetic attraction and slippery ice - it was the first time the immersive theatre experience had benefitted from TiMax spatialisation. Simon Honywill described it as, “…categorically, the most mind-blowing spatial audio experience I’ve ever had.”
He explained: “TiMax SoundHub was perfect for the show especially with TiMax TrackerD4. It added so much to the performance. We realised just how good it was when, in that space full of people, heads turned immediately towards the viola solo at the beginning of the performance. The localisation was so clear and accurate.” Honywill was joined on-site by OutBoard’s Dave Haydon who assisted with TiMax SoundHub and TrackerD4 programming for rehearsals and provided support for the run of the three shows.<
UK - Event technology and production services company Encore has named Stefica Divkovic as managing director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Divkovic has extensive experience driving business growth, managing operations, and transforming corporate cultures in highly competitive environments. Additionally, she has a strong focus on delivering excellent customer experiences. She previously served as the senior vice president of the EMEA region at Everbridge Inc., focusing on scaling customer and partner relationships across the region. Prior to that, she led Verizon's DACH and EMEA businesses and held senior leadership positions at other large global organisations, such as T-Systems.
“Stefica exhibits the best leadership characteristics for the managing director role in EMEA,” said Dustin Worley, SVP of international at Encore. “Her experience across multiple industries positions her to lead a complex organization across multiple cultures and languages. Most importantly, she shares Encore’s core values and commitment to customer service excellence.”
UK - Sterling Events Group recently added to its professional audio offering through a substantial investment in EM Acoustics loudspeakers. Since adding to its portfolio, Sterling has deployed EM Acoustics systems on multiple high-profile projects.
The investment, comprised of 24 R8 Reference Series loudspeakers, complemented by 12 S215 subwoofers, has granted Sterling Events Group access to a powerful audio arsenal, enabling them to offer high-quality sound solutions to an expanding client base.
"EM’s R8s have proven to be a game-changer for us. We recognised the need for a an accessible, yet still high-quality option to meet diverse demands of some of our client base,” commented Tom Wright, assistant head of audio at Sterling Events Group. “The Reference Series fits the bill, offering remarkable musicality and great value when compared to other brands. Coupled with the different flying and mounting options, we’ve been able to use the R8s on all kinds of projects.”
Sterling Event Group has deployed the R8s on several recent projects, including graduation balls at prestigious UK universities, JD’s recent annual retail conference and Nottingham Light Night. The R8's adaptability has enabled Sterling to cater to a diverse mix of event types.
"On some projects, we have integrated the R8s with our existing set-up, and always tend to use EM Acoustics DQ20 amplifiers to run the system,” adds Wright. “We’ve received positive feedback from both engineers and event attendees when we’ve used the EM boxes.
“One of the key
Singapore - Wild Rice @ Funan is part of a modern performing arts complex sitting at the heart of Singapore’s lively civic and cultural district. Built in 2019, the main Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre space offers an intimate 358-capacity space with Singapore’s only thrust stage, which was inspired by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK.
In 2022, the theatre took delivery of a new Robe moving light package – 10 x T1 Profiles and 16 x ParFect 150s – which joined the original lighting rig that was specified by theatre design consultants Charcoalblue when the venue opened. More recently, the theatre invested in Robe again, purchasing Tetra2 moving LED battens and LEDBeam 350 wash beams to boost the general lighting rig.
The fixtures were delivered via Robe’s Asia Pacific office, and these lighting investments were overseen by Wild Rice’s then technical manager, Sagaya David Kanagasingam, who has worked at the theatre since 2019.
David explains that Robe T1 Profiles were first used at the Wild Rice in 2020 for a production of Peter Pan, the annual pantomime show that year, and they were specified by lighting designer Michael Chan who wanted additional key lighting for faces.
Before then, David had used them a few times at the renowned Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) where he had worked for many years. There he also worked with Robe’s original DL7 theatre orientated luminaires, which he was instrumental in getting into SRT’s main venue.
David and his Wild Rice team which inclu
Morocco - When Theatro Marrakech opened its doors in 2003, it was the very first nightclub in Morocco, and today, the 2,000-capacity is thriving. Before becoming a nightlife hotspot, Theatro was Africa’s first music hall, inaugurated over 60 years ago, and from this past, the club has kept both its décor – a mix of dramatic theatrical and dynamic Moroccan themes - and an immoderate taste for show.
Theatro Marrakech recently upgraded to a premium L-Acoustics K2 sound system to attract leading international artists who know and appreciate the brand. Inspired by a visit to Omnia Las Vegas and its L-Acoustics professional sound system, Theatro management worked with Paris-based nightclub consultant Timothée Renard of the Fox Agency and L-Acoustics certified provider integrator Potar Hurlant for the upgrade. "Our main objective was to integrate a rider-ready sound system to attract internationally acclaimed artists and provide a unique experience for all of our clubbers, from the main floor to the intimate VIP areas," commented Renard.
Timothée Renard and the POTAR team, with the support of L-Acoustics application engineer Pascal Charousset, created a different sound design for each section of the space: the central dance floor, a mezzanine, an ultra-VIP lounge facing the dance floor, and a mini-VIP zone just behind the DJ booth.
The main dance floor and an upper balcony are covered by an L/R system of six K2 per side with four KS28 in cardioid configuration flown behind each hang, while three flown A15 Wide per side provide in-fill to the main
Europe - Throughout February 2024, German rap artist Luciano worked his way across Germany, Switzerland and Austria on his Seductive tour. One of the first German-speaking rappers in the UK drill style, Luciano was Germany’s most streamed artist on Spotify in 2022. For this year’s tour, 80 Ayrton Cobra fixtures were supplied by TDA Clair GmbH.
Cobra is Ayrton’s first IP65 laser-sourced fixture. Designed for rendering a D65 white point that allows perfect colour reproduction, Cobra has an output of 386,000 lux at 20m, a 38x zoom ratio and zoom range of 0.6° to 23°. It also sports a highly innovative colour section, graphics capability and continuous pan and tilt.
The Cobra fixtures were specified by Stop Making Sense’s Timo Martens who created the lighting design for the tour with support and cooperation from Bertil Mark (also from Stop Making Sense), and Raphael Demonthy. The Stop Making Sense design collective was responsible for the entire realisation of the stage, the lighting, the content production, as well as the programming and supervision of the project.
Martens explains why the Cobras were chosen for this tour. “In order to create the greatest possible impact with the lamps, so that we could practically make backdrops out of light, we needed a moving light that would provide maximum output with a low weight and a great CMY colour mixing. We compared a lot of moving lights and finally decided on the Ayrton Cobra, which we have not regretted.”
Forty-eight Cobra units were rigged around a specially made 10m circular truss
Hungary - After working with leading Hungarian artiste, Magdolna ‘Magdi’ Rúzsa for more than a decade, Martin Audio’s Hungarian partner, BG Event, is accustomed to rising to different challenges.
When it comes to the creative element, they strive to scale new heights with every collaboration. Two recent shows at the 12,500-cap László Papp Budapest Sports Arena proved no exception.
Rúzsa requested a 50m-long catwalk thrust, linking to a 6m x 6m ‘B’ stage. While her standard five-piece rock band would occupy main stage, there was a very different set up awaiting on the small ‘in-the-round’ secondary stage, where a 10-piece orchestra would perform. To achieve the end-result required some clever positioning and time alignment of nearly 200 Martin Audio speakers deployed by the service provider.
BG Event project manager Gábor ‘Mazsi’ Bácskay consulted with regular freelance system designer, Marci Mezei, to discuss a system that would require two unique EQ profiles in his mixer, muting and automatically changing time alignment depending on which location was being used. Also, he knew that such a long extension would obviate the need for further delay points in a venue measuring 120m distance from the stage to the back row seating.
The main stage PA comprised two hangs of MLA, each 15 elements deep plus an MLD downfill, with two hangs of 12 deep MLA used for out-hangs. A flown hang of eight MLX subwoofers was deployed on the left wing, supported by additional groundstacks of MLX, six per side, in an end-fire configuration.
UK - Jones AV, provider of advanced integrated theatre and medical training facilities in Europe has launched a new technology to turbocharge the environmental sustainability of integrated operating rooms.
As part of the development of the new ‘Integrated Operating Theatre of Things’ (ITOT), Jones AV looked to revolutionise operating room AV set-ups to overcome audio limitations, harness smart power management, reduce the number of devices via a fully digital signal chain, and scale down travel with full remote control aiming to meet Net Zero 2045 targets within the NHS.
The company installed the first ITOT system at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre in September 2023, unveiling its solution after 18 months of intensive research and development incorporating a demo operating theatre. The system is optimised to deliver superior technological performance while reducing energy consumption to less than 75% of comparable systems.
One of the main challenges in operating theatres is audio interference, particularly from electrosurgical devices such as surgical knives. Jones AV sought a digital solution that would offer superior audio quality, reduced power consumption, and remote serviceability. Producing consistent and good quality audio in training environments, without the requirement for personal microphones, which can be challenging in a sterile area, was a key objective, allowing for better legibility for lectures and recordings of teaching materials.
Ingo Aicher, managing director at Jones AV explains: “We continually struggled wit
On The Campaign Trail - Leading arts organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company and Bristol Old Vic are joining together for a UK-wide campaign aimed at creating a “powerful sector voice” that will advocate for the industry and lobby for additional public funding to help struggling venues and companies.
Culture Makes...will run from May this year and throughout 2024, creating what its organisers have called "a bold new vision for the value and impact of culture and heritage in society and as a human right which urgently needs investment" in the run up to the next general election.
It has been developed by the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, with others that have already committed to being part of the campaign including 20 Stories High, An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Cardboard Citizens, Edinburgh International Festival, Javaad Alipoor Company, Lyric Theatre Belfast, Midlands Arts Centre, Northern Ballet, Pleasance, the Roundhouse, Scottish Ballet, Shakespeare’s Globe, Talawa Theatre Company and Theatr Clwyd.
In The Courts - Organisers of rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival foresaw the crowding issues in 2021 that led to 10 deaths, new court documents claim. Ten days before, the festival's safety head raised concern about the number of people who would be near the stage. "I feel like there is no way we are going to fit 50k in front of that stage," Seyth Boardman wrote to the Texas festival's operations director. The exchange was one of many included in recent court filings.
Lawyers for some of the families, and