USA - Sound and lighting specialist, Infinity Sound, has completed the design and installation of live and background music sound systems for FireHouse Gastro Park (FHGP) in Grand Prairie, Texas. Within the original buildings of a 20th century fire station, FHGP is now a diverse hang-out-and-eat location. The venue has been created by owners Jason and Carlee Smith, in collaboration with Rouch Architecture. The FireHouse aesthetic and philosophy was inspired by the Smith’s roots in southern California, their passion for the historic building rehab revolution, and Grand Prairie’s commitment to preservation and economic development. The original fire station remains at the heart of the FHGP and the sprawling and evolving space now features indoor and outdoor dining, a secret garden bar, a family-friendly green-space, coffee shop and a smoke house. Music is a key eleme
UK - Adlib supplied full technical production to the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup staged at the 11,000 capacity M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. Adlib’s rental departments implemented a fully integrated video, lighting and audio package linking in with broadcast elements for BBC and Sky. The spectacle took place over 10 glorious days of top sporting action which delivered world class netball to an international TV audience and many thousands packing into the court-side seats which were sold out for the duration. This quadrennial event featured two distinctive criteria. First, a spectacular opening ceremony which wowed the crowds and got everyone in the mood for the sports to follow. Adlib’s technical team worked closely with curators of the ceremony Culture Liverpool and Iluminos. Adlib provided six Panasonic RZ21K 20,000 lumen laser projectors mounted v
USA - Chris Young kicked off the North American leg of his Raised on Country world tour 2019 in May, playing to over 300,000 fans through the summer. The fall leg of the tour has just started and runs until 23 November at Lexington, Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. Integral to the stage design - created by production designer Chris Lisle - is a 30-axis Kinesys automation system being used to move six lighting pods and four video screens which are essential visual elements of the show, together with the general lighting and video. Production manager (and lighting director on the road) is Michael Stanley. Chris Lisle explains that from the initial meetings with Young and his management, they knew that they wanted some motion in the show to offer a variety of looks. He then started drawing and experimenting with exactly which production elements would move, and how, when a
Spain - Florida Retiro is a popular downtown Madrid club. Adding to the vivid images that make this venue memorable are the swirling, colourful lightshows that accompany the dinner and post meal entertainment. House designer Fernando Rodriguez-Berzosa creates the stunning spectacles, and powers them with his ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. Having been responsible for programming visuals at Florida Retiro since 2016, Rodriguez-Berzosa works with director Juan Ramos to create shows that reflect the passion and style of the popular venue. "The biggest challenge of designing for the dinner show here is to ensure that the light always matches the audience's experience," he says. "In addition to supporting the entertainment, we must create the right atmosphere to accompany different dishes.” Inspired by the likes of Wassily Kandinsky, one of the first artists to outline the
USA - High End Systems’ TurboRay made its TV debut on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The entertainment talk show is using eight of the new fixtures onstage for its musical guest performance segments. TurboRay’s deep saturated colours along with aerial beams - with twinkling rays of light, digital breakups and dynamic effects from the animation and gobo wheels - enhanced the Zac Brown Band, Mark Ronson (featuring Yebba), Bastille, and more to come in its Studio 6B location in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Centre. WorldStage provides all the gear - including the TurboRay - for The Tonight Show. HES East Coast regional sales manager Bobby Hale says, “We are happy to work with Fred Bock and the Tonight Show team to showcase the new TurboRay. It is a fantastic scenic LED effects wash. The combination of four RGBW LED engines and the r
USA - CP Communications has announced that it will add MultiDyne’s 22ft mobile van to its growing fleet of production vehicles. MultiDyne introduced the van in 2018 as a ‘mobile marketing van’ that doubled as an exhibition showcase for MultiDyne products at North American tradeshows, and as a mobile showroom for MultiDyne road shows and training initiatives. CP Communications, a long-time MultiDyne customer, recognised an opportunity for both companies to collaborate on smaller live productions, including high school and college sports projects. “Many high school and college sports venues have live production needs, but lack the workspace to accommodate a flypack or a large truck,” said Kurt Heitmann, CEO, CP Communications. “The MultiDyne van offers the perfect footprint for a four-to-six camera shoot, and solves our problem of carving out a workspace for
Germany - Hooke Audio Verse is a binaural recording device comprising a microphone/headset combination and a dedicated app. 3D audio is recorded wirelessly, via Bluetooth at 16-bit 48 KHz, or wired, using the included adaptor. The system is compatible with Android, iPhone, Go Pro, Field Recorders, DSLRs and Computers and has a continuous-record battery-life of nine hours. A proprietary codec delivers almost zero latency - 4.3 microseconds - so any associated video is in perfect sync. Hooke Verse has been available in the USA for two years and has established an extensive customer base of musicians, podcasters, vloggers, producers and sound engineers. Grammy-winning producer Tchad Blake and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian are among its advocates. Now Hooke Verse is available in Europe via distributor Mega Audio. Burkhard Elsner, CEO at Mega Audio, comments: “I first
UK - More Accurate Audio Solutions, a studio in Offenbach am Main, Germany, is run by audio expert Robert Hauck. The studio offers a wide range of services from production to mixing and mastering, as well as delivering training seminars that cover all aspects of studio craft. With two studio spaces - one for production and training in modular synth setups, and the other for mastering, Robert was looking for an integrated solution to provide deep routing and audio resource sharing. After careful research it was decided that a DiGiGrid system could achieve all routing possibilities he required to connect every part, analogue and digital, of his studio infrastructure. With Robert providing a permanent DiGiGrid training and demonstration facility, an education partnership was formed and a full DiGiGrid setup was installed, including an IOS-XL as well as IOX, IOC, MGO, D De
France - There are three Café Oz locations in Paris and one in Bordeaux. Each has décor suggestive of the Land Down Under with Australian flags, posters and artwork. Setting an engaging and friendly mood at the clubs is a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures. Each venue has its own rig of lighting fixtures depending on its design and the general nature of its customer base according to Remy Zakine, artistic director of Café Oz. Zakine, who began working at Café Oz 15 years ago as a DJ, believes that lighting is essential to creating an inviting atmosphere at Café Oz locations, which draw large crows of French locals as well as tourists from Australia and many other countries. “I have always been passionate about the technical side of club design and what it can contribute to our guests,” says Zakine. “We place the projectors on the ceiling above the d
Australia - The discreet design of DPA’s Core 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone, combined with the fact that it is quick and easy to fit, helped secure an order for 18 units from Australian sound design, equipment hire and production services company LSS Productions. Based in Melbourne, LSS Productions initially wanted the headsets for a recent production of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 musical, Sunday in the Park with George. However, now that the units are part of the company’s permanent stock it is already deploying them on other productions including the Australian premier of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s musical The Beautiful Game. Bringing high quality sound to musical theatre and events is a key reason why Marcello Lo Ricco established LSS Productions in 2001. With his background as a performer and musician, plus 20 years’ experience
France - Amadeus has announced the installation of their Holophonix sound processor along with a variety of Amadeus speakers and subwoofers creating a new re-imagined immersive sound system at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris. Built in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Parisian district, the theatre hosts at least four productions each season involving classical or contemporary texts, presented in a series from September to the beginning of July. In 1993 the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier became the second theatre for the Comédie Française. originally created in 1913 by Jacques Copeau. Threatened with closure, the theatre was bought by the French government in 1986, becoming the second Comédie Française hall in 1993. In recent months, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier has undergone an in-depth renovation of its stage infrastructure. The electro-acousti
Italy - Once again this year Visarno Arena, in Florence’s Parco delle Cascine, hosted Decibel Open Air, following the success of the 2018 event. The show, organised by Decibel Eventi, has become an important reference point among international music events. Over 30 performers from the international EDM scene performed on the two stages, with Holland’s Armin Van Buuren as the headliner. To ensure the thousands of fans a memorable sonic experience, Tuscan rental company Emporio On Stage from Scandicci equipped the two large stages with Outline GTO sound systems. The hurdles to be overcome to achieve the results requested included ensuring the highest possible sound pressure in the chosen area, while reducing sound spill outside that zone, and Giancarlo Paladini (the PA man and system engineer responsible for the rigs) explains: “This is done by means of a correct p
Indonesia - The seventh Ubud Village Jazz Festival (UVJF) was staged at the Arma Art Museum in the Bali Uplands, welcoming a host of local and international artists. They and an enthusiastic audience embraced the true spirit of jazz presenting a wide range of genres and styles, celebrating the art of improvisation in a peaceful and harmonious setting, tagged Certainly! Indonesia. As the event has gained status in the jazz world, the production values have steadily increased. This year, event curator Yuri Mahatma, gave a clear brief about the ambience he wanted to see and achieve on all of the stages, which was interpreted by set designer and artistic director Klick Swantara who also co-ordinated the production lighting design for the main Giri Stage. This involved several Robe lighting fixtures - with 24 LEDWash 300+s, six Pointes and six PicklePATTs - su
Italy - The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international music festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini. The festival and its technical team have always paid close attention to technical innovation, often leading new trends in the field of operatic lighting. “Here we’ve experienced the whole journey of theatrical lighting, starting 40 years ago with analogue systems, incandescent or discharge sources. Then there was the transition to digital, the advent of the scroller, the first scanners, the yoke, the moving head and now we have LEDs used to their full capabilities,” says Fabio Rossi, head of the festival’s lighting department. For an event like the Rossini Festival, where almost all the shows are like intricate works of art, the technical equipment used is of utmost importance. “The products
Japan - As one of Japan’s host venues for the Rugby World Cup, the Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, is gaining a high international profile for its newly-installed Nexo Geo S12-ST line array sound system. With a capacity of around 44,400, the Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture is one of the largest football stadiums in Japan, and is also used for rugby. A major upgrade of its sound system was undertaken in preparation for the 2019 World Cup, equipping it with a world-class installation of Nexo loudspeakers and amplifiers, and Yamaha electronics. M&H Laboratory undertook design and sound consulting for the project, working closely with Yamaha Sound Systems (YSS) and the Nexo engineering support team. The loudspeakers in the new system, primarily featuring Nexo’s high-spec Geo S12-ST line array modules, are discreetly installed amongst the steel beams of the stadiu
South Africa - Unlimited Events Group has purchased 16 Astera Titan Tubes through DWR Distribution with plans to double up in the future. They also invested in two ART7 AsteraBox CRMX, the interface between lights and controller. “I had been looking for a product like this for several years,” says Marius van Rooyen from Unlimited Events, head of technical for one of the largest décor providers in South Africa. “The cabling and processing of some of the other systems I had seen made them complex, high risk for technical failure and time consuming to install.” The Titan Tubes have already been incorporated into a range of events, from exhibition spaces where they were used at AutoMechanika Johannesburg held at Nasrec, to the Midstream Spring Fest, an outdoors event. The units were utilised at the TrendVision Awards hosted at Emperors Palace and the Afri Group Aw
Canada - Punjabi music star Gurdas Maan is guided by a simple theory when pursuing his art. People, he says, listen to songs “from their hearts, not just their ears”. Appreciating this, he makes it his mission to touch the emotional core of his audience, leaving them feeling better about their lives and the world around them. This spirit was evident as soon as Maan took the stage at The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on 22 September with his trademark tambourine in hand, and dressed in traditional Indian costume. His audience erupted with an outpouring of affection, and he proceeded to treat them to stirring performances of his classic songs like Sajna Ve Sajna and Heer while also weaving in inspirational stories and sharing heartfelt emotions. Underscoring the deeply moving tone of the evening was an immersive Roosevelt Dsouza lightshow that fe
USA Rock back Halestorm are out on the road with a lighting system supplied by Bandit Lites, blasting audiences with both lead singer Lzzy Hale’s powerful vocals and a deluge of light that matches the ferocity and energy that the Grammy-award winning band is known for. The tour recently wrapped a co-headling tour with Alice Cooper and is now out with Godsmack on a fall run. “As the co-headliner, we had access to the whole air package, however Alice Cooper had a large set piece that needed to be covered,” said lighting designer Craig Richter. “We had to trim the blackout truss low enough so that I could shoot over it with the US lighting truss, but high enough to not give away the Cooper set.” To that end, Richter crafted a design with an old-school, massive wall of light behind the band. Using custom-built set carts made by Gallagher Staging on a mast in a
UK - The University of Northampton has deployed a network of interconnected Harman Professional AV solutions to facilitate a cutting-edge collaborative learning environment at their new Waterside campus. The university leadership decided to build a new, centralised campus in Northampton’s Waterside district. The project allowed the school to completely rethink how to best serve their students, resulting in a radically different approach that eschewed traditional lecture halls in favour of flexible, collaborative learning spaces. In order to achieve these goals, AV distributer Midwich supplied the university with a range of AMX, JBL, Crown, BSS and AKG solutions to accommodate the complex technical demands of the ultra-modern campus. The comprehensive Harman solution was designed and deployed by Kinly, a service-led integrator specializing in the design, implementatio
Italy - RTS is well established as a go-to intercom choice for sports broadcasters all over the world. RTS equipment continues to be standard issue in OB trucks covering international competitions at every level. A recent example is Global Production’s OB coverage of the European Under-21 football championships in Italy. The Turin-based company deployed its OB-8 truck to cover the tournament - the largest and most recently-equipped member of its fleet. In addition to this, OB-8 is also Global Production’s first truck to feature RTS intercoms. “We have two other vehicles that use different systems,” recalls Luca Manfredi, OB manager at Global Production. “But when we came to making the technical choices for OB-8, we could see that the RTS system was superior.” As a result of this decision, the large and modern production environment of OB-8 features an
USA - Lighting director Tellson James is using a High End Systems Hog 4 lighting console to drive Mark Knopfler’s Down The Road Wherever Tour 2019. The 10 band members backing the former Dire Straits front man collectively play 49 instruments - from guitars and whistles, to saxophones and fiddles. “I’m doing lots of pixel mapping of the eye candy in this show,” James notes, “and the Hog 4 is great for that. It is so easy to do on a Hog.” This is James’ second time as lighting director for Knopfler. Lighting designer Mark Henderson drew the lighting plots for the 2015 and 2019 tours, while James programmed both. The 2019 tour kicked off in April, and is more scaled down for the North American leg, which started 16 August. “The Change Type cloning feature (for swapping fixtures) is a lifesaver when working club/theatre tours, where you are faced wit
Austria - For the fourth year in a row, Austrian multi-percussionist Martin Grubinger and his Percussive Planet Ensemble, supported by the St. Florianer Sängerknaben boys’ choir, performed outside Linz Cathedral during the annual classical concert series, Klassik am Dom. Both outside and inside the cathedral, Grubinger, the professor of percussion at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and his ensemble delivered a combination of pop and classical music spanning the history of music. In addition to the audience on site, thousands of listeners followed the performance on TV, courtesy of a live broadcast by Austria’s public station ORF2. Lawo mc² mixing consoles were used for both the FOH mix and the audio mix for the telecast. The 20 musicians of the Percussive Planet Ensemble - nine horns, bass, guitar, drums, keyboard, piano, five percussionists and Grubinger hi
USA - Stage rigging specialist TLS Productions Inc. (TLS) has supplied Stagemaker hoists and rigging expertise for two consecutive tours for contemporary Christian music artist Chris Tomlin. The Hibino USA company is a distributor of R&M Materials Handling Inc.’s Stagemaker entertainment range of hoists and won two contracts to provide the rigging equipment and a traveling head rigger for the two-month-long Worship Night In America and Holy Roar tours. The 2018 tour included 24 shows, while this year’s circuit ended with an iconic 28th show, the Good Friday Concert, which took place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Jordan Yeo, production rigger / production manager at TLS, traveled with both tours. TLS reported to two production managers and a tour manager over two years to deliver all of the lifting equipment, steel, shackles a
USA - Those fans lucky enough to see horror-punk pioneers Misfits on their sporadic 2019 US tour not only get to see a band that literally invented an entire genre in 1977 - they also get to check out a plethora of “rad tricks” from the lighting and video toolbox of lighting director and designer Jon Eddy, who is serving up his visual magic on an Avolites Arena console. One of the stops on Misfits’ limited tour included headlining Psycho Las Vegas, a three-day music extravaganza held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, that featured acts ranging from Electric Wizard and Opeth to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, in addition to Lodi, New Jersey’s favourite punks. Eddy was the LD and designer for the entire festival, where he not only spec’d the rig and did the overall design but was the console jockey for all of the acts - more than 60 total - who were n
