The Netherlands - Over the course of their 20-year career, Dutch rock stalwarts Racoon have woven their way through an array of evocative sounds, being as comfortable collaborating with Armin van Buuren on a trance version of one of their hits as they are performing with the London Chamber Orchestra. Reflecting the multi-faceted style of Racoon in light calls for a design that can convey a wide range of moods in a clear, but subtle fashion. Erwin van Lokeren, the band’s long-time lighting designer, is accomplishing this feat on the band’s Fall ’18 tour with a lightshow that (like his client’s music) is at once straightforward and complex. An indispensable tool in helping van Lokeren achieve this is his ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. “I have been Racoon’s designer since 2006, and it is always exciting and challenging working for them because their music is so
UK - Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply production lighting and AV solutions to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls as a part of the venue’s highly anticipated redevelopment. Working with the Contractor, Vinci Construction, and the theatre consultant, Sound Space Vision, the Stage Electrics team, will be starting on site this month. “Stage Electrics has a long-standing relationship with this venue,” comments Richard Phare, Stage Electrics regional commercial manager. “I was personally involved with Fairfield’s last technical refurbishment over 20 years ago. It’s fantastic that Stage Electrics can, again, play a part in this venue’s continuous development.” The Stage Electrics team are completing works within the venue’s three main performance spaces; the 1800-seat Concert Hall, the 750-seat Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery - plus a new multi
UK - British rock band Simple Minds is still thrilling crowds with its larger-than-life sound. The band has been out on an epic world tour, selling out venues wherever it goes and supporting its latest album, Walk Between Worlds. The band's FOH engineer Oliver Gerard, and monitor engineer Mike Gibbard, have both chosen SSL Live consoles for the tour. Even though Simple Minds is touring a new album, it would never neglect the classic songs, and this has probably been one of the biggest challenges for Gerard, Gibbard, and their gear. "I have to cope with music from the late 70s, through the 80s and the 90s rock and roll stadium thing, and on to now," says Gerard. "I try to recreate the true sounds of those moments because everyone knows those songs in certain colours." Gerard has been working with the band for over 10 years, so he has built an extensive range of b
Europe - “When the call came to make a Michael Jackson show, I knew immediately: that's exactly what I wanted,” says lighting designer Marcus Krömer "Beat it! is a show inspired by the life and career of Michael Jackson, from his first steps with the Jackson 5 until his death,” he said. “The entire production is characterised by great respect for the artist and his work, but at the same time is not a tribute-show. Rather, we wanted to present his show and his music in a modern context, but still remain authentic,” states Krömer, outlining the idea behind the production. Also, the fact that this could not be achieved without a large slice of rock 'n roll was made clear to the Beat It! team. "Paul Happ, our programmer, and I worked a lot with his music and found so many details and little things that we all wanted to work out,” the designer ad
Ukraine - A digitally controlled Electro-Voice and Dynacord sound system has improved audio quality at Kharkiv National University, one of Ukraine’s three major higher learning institutions. Powered by award-winning L Series amplifiers, the new installation exceeds audience coverage and sound pressure level requirements with fewer amplifiers than the previous system. To meet the client’s brief of providing powerful and intelligible sound reproduction in the University’s events hall, systems integrator M-Art had to overcome the acoustic challenges of a high ceiling and numerous reflective surfaces, including a balcony at the rear end. Following a detailed acoustic analysis of the room, M-Art and Electro-Voice partner SoundHouse Pro looked to the high sound pressure level and tightly focused dispersion of Electro-Voice Expandable Vertical Array (EVA) to solve the r
USA - The sun broke through the clouds on Easter Sunday, setting a bright, uplifting mood outside for the opening of the new worship centre at Christ Fellowship church in Port St.Lucie, Florida. Stepping inside the building, one of eleven Christ Fellowship campuses, worshippers encountered a sleek and spacious room with a curved thrust stage, two-tiered auditorium seating, three IMAG LED video panels, a larger wall centre stage and two smaller units to either side of it. Surrounding the larger panel and located at other positions around the stage was a collection of 161 Chauvet Professional LED fixtures, supplied by Mankin Media Systems. Although the 161 lighting fixtures may not have been obvious to most people entering the worship centre on Easter Sunday, once services started they transformed the room, creating an immersive field of colour and light that engaged eve
Columbia - Bogota’s landmark 14,000 capacity Movistar Arena (originally built in 1973 and previously known as the Coliseo Cubierto El Campín) is in the final stages of a two-year renovation and complete refurbishment which will see it re-open with state-of-the-art facilities to stage multiple sporting and entertainment events. Robe moving lights will be part of the house lighting rig which is being provided by Medellin based rental company Linea Estrategica, and this will include 60 x BMFL Spots, 60 x MegaPointes and 84 x Spiider wash-beam moving lights. Linea Estrategica owner and CEO Conrado Santamaria explained that the company tendered to be the full technical supplier - they are also providing audio, video and rigging - and won the contract which will be administered as a long-term rental over the next three years. Conrado explains that it was a straightf
UK - Avolites’ lighting and video integration software, Synergy, debuted on Gary Numan’s Savage tour in November. The flagship performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall saw the British synth-rocker’s dramatic end-of-days video content emerge from LED screens into the 3D space as the multitude of GLP and Vari-Lite fixtures pixel-matched its colour and effects. Creative designer Luke Edwards’ two Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles and dual Avolites Ai Q3 media servers were loaded with the new Synergy software. “Synergy is the future and as a designer it’s making me very excited,” says Edwards. “It’s not just lights anymore. In fact, the term ‘lighting designer’ is one day going to be a thing of the past - Synergy integrates lighting and video so beautifully, so simply, so powerfully, that ‘multimedia designer’ is the new thing. It
Germany - Despite strong gusts of wind in cold and rainy weather conditions, around 600,000 people celebrated German Unity Day in Berlin that featured several event stages and the worldwide debut of two Milos Steel PA towers. The motto for the celebration was Only with you and consisted of numerous events that took place at historically significant sites in the city. A highlight of the three-day celebration was the Citizens' Festival at the Brandenburg Gate, which included a concert and fireworks display. With artists such as Nena, Namika and The BossHoss, freedom, tolerance and cultural diversity were celebrated. The company responsible for putting together the stage areas was Germany’s Black Box Music. An advantage that Black Box Music brings to the table is their own fleet of vehicles, workshops, case building, and other services like tailoring and pa
UK - Eaton’s Zero 88 lighting control brand is ramping up its free training opportunities in 2019 - open for all those utilising lighting consoles running ZerOS architecture - as part of a wider comprehensive product support programme. This is as a direct result of an increase in the number of active ZerOS users in the UK, which has doubled in the last 12 months. The trend reflects the success of the FLX series of powerful, flexible and affordable lighting consoles – the FLX and FLX S24 and S48 - which have enjoyed popularity especially for small-to-medium applications running rigs with some moving lights and a quantity of LED fixtures together with conventionals. Zero 88 has always been known for its commitment for training. In 2018, well over 500 individuals benefitted from this which including regular dedicated sessions at Eaton’s bases in Cwmbran, Wales
Israel - KLANG, 3D in-ear mixing technologies specialist, has reported the partnership with its recently-appointed Israeli distributor AEM of Tel Aviv has already reaping rewards. AEM, which was appointed by KLANG earlier this year, has been promoting the brand through a series of seminars and product demonstrations, including discussions on best-practice for in-ear monitor mixing. This autumn, Shalom Hanoch and Matti Caspi took their show The Main Thing is The Songs on a tour of the country, with a KLANG system. Shalom Hanoch sums up his feelings: “The KLANG system is a new era in hearing the stage. Everything feels so precise and deep that I can hear every note without disturbing my vocal - how on earth have we worked without it for so long?” The tour was sold out and high demand has seen further performances added for later in the year.
China - Clockenflap is one of Asia's largest multi-genre music festivals held annually in Hong Kong. Now 10 years old, the festival is a firm favourite in the region, with its extensive programme of music, art, film and other activities. In addition to a line-up of internationally renowned artistes - which this year included Erykah Badu, David Byrne, Khalid, Roni Size, Interpol, Caribou, Anpu and The Vaccines - the festival also offers a platform to local talent, helping them reach a wider audience. For the 2018 edition of the festival (9-11 November), the main (Harbourflap) stage and second stage were managed by Alto Stage Management, who called in Davide Linzi of Mister X Service as audio system designer for both and FOH engineer for the main stage (assisting productions with their own sound engineer). Linzi explains why he took Outline’s Newton multi-sour
Europe - Having recently completed a major tour of the US, platinum recording artist Hozier has just hit European shores to continue his run of successful sold-out shows in support of his Nina Cried Power EP, with FOH engineer Steve Pattison behind an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system. Supplied by Adlib, the set-up includes a dLive S7000 surface fitted with both Waves and Dante cards for virtual soundcheck and live multitrack recording. Additionally, a dLive DM64 MixRack fitted with a superMADI card is placed at FOH, which is used to feed broadcast multitrack during festival shows. “dLive was chosen primarily for its sound quality but also for its reliability and flexibility. Pretty much anything you’ll ever need is on there and the FX and processing are ever expanding with each firmware release,” comments Pattison. Pattison continues: “FX and
USA - Sitting in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, Target Field is home to Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins, and accommodates more than 39,000 eager spectators ready to cheer on their team. Though designed as a baseball venue, it also hosts football, soccer, and a wide range of outdoor concerts and various non-sports-based corporate events. Target Field is a large venue with multiple areas around the facility that require high-quality audio support. This includes distributing audio out to various areas as well as pulling signals back to the control room for mixing and processing. For example, live bands perform before ball games and during breaks, and stadium managers must be sure the audio is pleasantly experienced throughout the stadium. Technicians needed a way to easily and inexpensively expand the number of inputs and outputs to the stadium's main console
UK - Xerocon London 2018 brought together accountants, bookkeepers, ecosystem partners and industry leaders. Hawthorn was chosen by agency Taylor Bennett Partners to deliver the full technical production for the two-day event held at ExCel London on 14- 15 November. Over 3,300 delegates gathered to find out the latest news and updates from Xero, a cloud-based accounting software company. Led by group creative director Pete Harding, Hawthorn was tasked to bring Taylor Bennett’s impressive vision to life, delivering full technical production for the main conference plenary, exhibition space, break-out sessions and evening party. Featuring three technical installations including a mammoth custom-made LED sculpture and an indoor zip wire, Xerocon London 2018 proved it wasn’t a typical accounting conference. The Xerocon main stage cut an impressive figure. Measuring 57m
USA - As both the co-founder of the rock band Linkin Park and a solo artist in his own right, Mike Shinoda is one very busy performer. He’s currently approaching the end of the current leg of his Post Traumatic Tour, which will resume in early 2019 when it picks up in Europe. Shinoda’s night after night tour schedule demands equipment that maintains sonic consistency and reliability throughout - and to ensure the best audio performance at monitor world, Shinoda and monitor engineer Kevin ‘Tater’ McCarthy rely on the performance of DAS Audio Event-121A powered subwoofers and Road 12A powered stage monitors. Based in Detroit, MI, McCarthy delivers audio to Shinoda and the other band members on stage via a combination of in-ear monitors and conventional loudspeakers. McCarthy recently began using DAS Audio loudspeakers and has been very impressed. He shared
USA - Garth Brooks headlined at the Notre Dame stadium in South Bend, Indiana in front of 84,000 fans at the sold-out, first ever concert at the venue. Dan Heins, FOH engineer for Garth since 1989, reports: “By four o’clock in the afternoon, just hours before the show, because of the bad weather conditions, we still didn’t know if the concert would go on. We ended up doing soundcheck with the PA on the ground. The wind finally let up, so we were able to raise the speakers. Sound reinforcement was through Brooks’ custom-designed Clair Brothers PA. Part of the show’s magic was the star-shaped stage with a 360° rotating centre-stage on which Brooks and his band performed - a theatre-in-the-round concept where Garth moves freestyle around the periphery playing to each side of the stadium. According to Heins, “The Clair Brothers PA consistently sounds gr
Mexico - Located in Purísima del Rincón, Guanajuato, the Auditorio de la plaza Purísima is a new performing arts centre built for the benefit of the more than 200,000 citizens in the Rincón municipalities. Created as part of the Plaza Purísima complex, the new facility was backed by the Public Works Secretariat and envisioned to be a shining example of modern architecture. With an expectation to implement the latest in lighting technology into the design, Interlight Mexico worked with the design team at Genesist and installed Chalice LED downlights, PHX LED ellipsoidals, and Spectra Cyc LED cyclorama luminaires from Altman Lighting. “We’ve had the opportunity to work with the client and specifier on the project on a couple of past occasions, so they know our company well and trust our experienced design team,” says Jose Zedillo, general director, Genesist.
Czech Republic - Czech sound engineer Jiri Jehlar was one of the first front of house engineers in the country to use digital mixers. He was so impressed with the Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system that he has invested in one. Jiri is a long-term user of the Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console and Nexo loudspeaker systems, highlighting his commitment to delivering the best FOH mixes. When local Yamaha dealer and Nexo distributor MusicData demonstrated the Rivage PM7 digital mixing system earlier this year, the well-respected engineer chose to purchase a PM7 console and an RPio622 I/O rack. “I really liked the quality of the A/D converters, the Rupert Neve Sound Designs SILK processing, the effects and the high capacity of the system, thanks to the innovative TWINLANe network,” he says. “As soon as I heard the system in action, I did not hesitate to invest.”
Austria - Lawo reports that its new Lawo mc²96 console was installed in Bregenz, to support sound reinforcement and directional listening systems for a sold-out run of Georges Bizet’s Carmen at the annual summer Bregenz Festival, taking place on the floating stage at Lake Constance. The previously installed Lawo systems simplified an upgrade of the production console, which plays an important part in the production’s remarkable use of sound as a complement of the on-stage performance. Sound designer Alwin Bösch and sound engineer Gernot Gögele shifted from the Lawo mc²66 production console they had used at the Bregenz Festival since 2005 to a new IP-based Lawo mc²96 grand production console, which was installed just prior to this year’s live opera performances. Although memorizing the new operating sequences took a few days, Bösch and Gögele were up
USA - Playing three-hour shows with 30-plus songs and setlists that change with each performance, Pearl Jam is well known for giving audiences their money’s worth. But on the band’s most recent stadium run, there was another group that received an even more tangible financial benefit: Seattle’s homeless population. Following Pearl Jam’s two sold-out Safeco Field Home Shows - the band’s first hometown Emerald City concerts in five years - the band donated $868,189 from ticket and merch sales to a variety of King County homeless-related organisations and service providers. Furthermore, this outpouring of generosity helped prompt philanthropic donations from other organisations ultimately totalling $10.8m, according to The Seattle Times. Pearl Jam’s pair of Seattle shows followed tour legs in South America and Europe this spring and summer, and s
USA - Audio-Technica supplied nearly 100 vocal and instrument microphones for the 52nd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, presented Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Broadcast live in 5.1-channel surround sound on the ABC Television Network, the awards show featured an extensive selection of Audio-Technica hard-wired microphones, plus Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems with ATW-C6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone Capsule. Audio-Technica microphones were chosen for their ability to provide clear and consistent audio quality for live broadcast. The team of industry veterans responsible for the audio at this year’s CMA’s again included a who’s-who of broadcast audio. Tom Davis served as audio producer; Kevin Sanford served as audio coordinator; ATK/Audiotek provided the sound system with FOH mixers Patrick Ba
UK - In 2012, Sound Space Vision beat all competition to become the theatre design and acoustics consultant for David Chipperfield Architects’ master plan to unite the Royal Academy of Arts’ 18th century Burlington House with its neighbour, Burlington Gardens, and transform the interiors throughout. SSV’s brief was to modernise and equip Burlington Gardens’ 19th-century lecture theatre for 21st century presentation and performance, and this was later expanded to include acoustics advice on the new gallery spaces and the learning centre, as well as mechanical systems. In collaboration with the architectural teams, SSV facilitated a design with minimal impact on the heritage features of the Grade II* listed building, yet provides a future-proofed technical design for the Academy’s planned lectures, debates, panel discussions, conferences, recitals, and hires. <
Italy - The Teatro Galli is a stunning architectural masterpiece in Rimini, Italy. Constructed between 1843 and 1857, the original theatre was designed by the illustrious architect Luigi Poletti of Modena and when completed, was one of the biggest theatres in Italy. Until an earthquake forced its closure from 1916-1923, it enjoyed great success. Following a first restoration, the theatre flourished until it was bombed in 1943 during World War 2. Badly damaged, the theatre, by this time dedicated to the nationally famous musician, composer and critic Amintore Galli, lay derelict until 1975 when it was partly restored and the City Council moved into its refurbished foyer. In more recent times, a long and intense culture-based debate took place about how to best reconstruct the entire theatre. Following these discussions and with regional and EU support, a full restoratio
