USA - With the year-long Covid shutdown turning live performance on its ear, the challenges facing music venues and organisations have been relentless. Like so many orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony has been reinventing and regrouping, finding new ways to bring music to arts-starved audiences, including incorporating the recording and streaming of audio and video content. One of the challenges, explains Jon Johannsen, audio engineer for the Symphony, is capturing the orchestra when members can’t play together as an ensemble. “With wind and brass players in particular, we can’t have that many musicians together in a common space. People still need to be isolated in individual capture rooms.” As a result, the Symphony has created literally dozens of individual capture spaces on site. “We’ve now created capture rooms everywhere – downstairs, in dressing room
USA – Northview Church, a multi-site community church serving central Indiana from nine campuses, is delivering engaging visual content for its live worship and online services using the time-saving features of a Hippotizer Boreal Media Server from Green Hippo. Located at the church’s Carmel campus, the Boreal feeds content to the 60ft x 25ft projection screen which forms a striking backdrop to services both live and streamed. “The Boreal drives all the video content on the upstage screen, plus any overlays or synchronised video on the house IMAG screens,” says Evan Rodecap, president of Signal Productions. A long-standing full-time engineer for the church, Evan knew Hippotizer from the touring world, and consulted on the specification of the Hippotizer Boreal. “The Hippotizer had the outputs and resources, within a single frame, needed to drive the projecti
The Bahamas - Doughty Engineering has supplied a range of custom kit for the MSC Ocean Cay Lighthouse project in the Bahamas. When White Light was approached to supply kit, crew and project management for the lighting aspects of the project, Simon Needle, WL special projects director, realised that a bespoke solution would be required for mounting the moving lights to the handrail of the lighthouse. He explained: “We were approached by John Coman of Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD), who we have previously worked with on several projects (including Secret Cinema, Rolling stones’ EXHIBITIONISM, Dinosaurs in the Wild to work on the MSC Ocean Cay Lighthouse. “Our remit was to supply kit (in particular the moving light), project management, crew and associated levels of support in respect of lighting the lighthouse, including ‘local’ console hire for programming wit
Singapore - Harman Professional Solutions recently partnered with Light Collab to outfit the atrium at Parkroyal Collection, Marina Bay with a Martin Professional lighting solution. Parkroyal is a garden hotel in the city’s central business district with close proximity to many major Singapore landmarks. The hotel offers ‘contemporary design and eco-friendly lifestyle experiences to conscious and mindful travellers’. In order to enhance the guest experience, the hotel hired Light Collab to implement a cutting-edge Martin Professional lighting solution to provide dynamic visual effects in the garden atrium. Light Collab reported that the hotel requested an impressive lighting system for an immersive treetop experience, including a short light show that could be programmed for performances every hour on the hour. The hotel’s goal was to transform the garden atriu
USA - Artists continue to be creative and inventive in presenting themselves during these pandemic times, and musician, singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren’s new virtual ‘tour’ concept is no exception. The 25 shows were broadcast live over a five-week period from Radius Chicago, a new 3,800 capacity live performance venue in an old Pilsen steel factory. Each day was orientated towards a particular city, complete with special locally related video content, and people living in the relevant area able to access advanced tickets before the box office was opened further. Lighting designer Hans Shoop utilised Robe BMFL Spots, Spikies and a RoboSpot system controlling three BMFL Follow Spots to great effect on the rig – among other lights – fulfilling a brief to create as much normalcy as possible for a live band show. They specifically didn’t want the production
UAE - More than 200 Martin Audio speakers, spanning many of their front-line ranges, have been installed throughout a massive new beach club leisure complex in Dubai. Bla Bla features 20 bars, a beach club and three restaurants (as well as sound stages) all under one roof and is the first independent property in the area licensed for alcohol. Set on 100,000sq.ft of beach-front, in the fashionable Jumeirah Beach Resort (JBR), overlooking Bluewaters and the Big Wheel, Bla Bla is the brainchild of CEO Mohammad Islam. He worked alongside co-founder Steve Taylor from Autus Partners Management Consultancy, who masterminded the design and managed the project. The Martin Audio solution was specified by design consultant, Bengan Hovgard, from Loud and Clear Audio Visual, and installed by Pulse Middle East. Pulse operations director, Greg Brown, said, “We have worked a lot wit
Poland - Jacek Chojczak and his team from Polish creative production design company Green Beam Design (GBD) utilised 82 x Robe MegaPointes for a high-profile outdoor installation in central Warsaw marking the 29th anniversary of WOSP (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy) – The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity – which is the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organization in Poland raising money for paediatric and elderly care. Each year, Jacek explains, WOSP stages a major outdoor concert in central Warsaw called Light to Heaven, but this year due to Covid-19 restrictions this could not happen. Instead, the organisers decided to build a large scenic pyramid which was 21m wide and 12m high, designed by set specialist Giorgos Stylianou – in the square adjacent to the Palace of Culture and Science. Jacek’s lighting scheme ensured that th
UK - Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Charlie Simpson (Busted, Fightstar) has been getting acquainted with his new Audient ASP4816 console, which he installed in his Surrey-based studio recently. “I love using the ASP4816. It’s the perfect size for my studio and the routing capabilities are amazing. Though the desk is fully analogue I have managed to set it up in a way that it can be used in a modern/hybrid way,” he says. It’s that hybrid capability that really appealed to Charlie, especially when it came to recording drums. “I love playing and recording drums, so to be able to have a space where I can now record live drums through a desk has been a game changer,” he says. With the ASP4816 at the hub, he has everything running through three UAD Apollos, and asserts that the ASP4816 has “massively expanded” his creative possibilities. Having recorde
Italy - In late January, the people of Aosta gathered, as they have every year since the start of the first millennial, to celebrate the life of their patron saint. The streets of this ancient town were lined, as they always have been on this occasion, with artisans showcasing their world-famous Valdôtain artwork. It was one of the last such moments, the people of the Aosta Valley would enjoy, before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public gatherings were still prohibited this January when the time came for La Fiore de Sant’ Orso, but the townspeople were still able to enjoy this tradition virtually, as Fumasoli Audio and Lights Rental worked with local officials to create a livestream version of the two-day event. Produced at the improvised warehouse studio, created by Fumasoli early in the pandemic, and broadcast on television, the livestream served up a rich
USA - Despite the pandemic, and all the restrictions it has created, Gerry Dintelman has been in a groove of late, firing up hard-hitting livestream looks for metallic heavyweights like Fister, Dead Pilgrim and Chaos Collective. Recently, he had to change gears and focus his creative vision in a softer, more romantic direction, when he lit a Valentine’s Day ‘love-stream’ for indie/rocker Le’Ponds. He welcomed the opportunity. “It’s always fun to mix things up a bit,” said Dintelman. “Our last livestream was designed around hard angles and industrial looks. To reflect the mood Le’Ponds was after, we had to do things differently so we could arrive at a more intimate place.” That “place” was a captivating romantic dream come to life, with sharp edges replaced by smooth flowing natural forms that seemed to spring organically out of the stage, and j
Finland - Design and production house Sun Effects offers out-of-the-box visual designs and full-service concept-to-execution solutions from offices in Helsinki and Tokyo. When the company sought a line of outdoor-rated moving head luminaires that could withstand Finland’s brutal weather conditions but also be an effective tool for creative expression, they turned to Elation’s award-winning Proteus line. “There aren't many companies that take their gear into the types of environments we do,” said company founder and artistic director at Sun Effects, Matti Jykylä. “We’re a good benchmark and only go for top quality gear. We needed a reliable outdoor automated moving light with good design options and came to the conclusion that the Proteus is the best out there.” Sun Effects has enjoyed consistent growth over its 25-year history, covering projects from sp
Estonia - The five-decade old Saarepeedi Cultural Centre recently sought out a new PA for its facility and brought on Heliart OÜ for the project. Priit Kivimägi, CEO of Heliart OÜ, and his team were looking for a system with high SPL, consistent coverage and exceptional vocal intelligibility. Eastern Acoustic Works’ QX300 Series speaker system along with its RL18S Active Subwoofers were selected for their audio capabilities as well as its ease of use. The Saarepeedi Cultural Centre, located in southern Estonia near Viljandi, is often considered the heart of Estonian folk music. Serving as a multi-functional venue for the local community, the space is used for different activities and performing arts including theatrical and dance events, seminars, rehearsals, sports and musical acts including choirs and live bands. The main PA consists of two EAW QX364’s flown
UK - Entertainments venue, Grimsby Auditorium, has recently upgraded its sound desk to an Allen & Heath Avantis. Based in North East Lincolnshire, Grimsby Auditorium is an intimate custom designed venue. Since opening its doors in 1995, it has played host to a number of high-profile performers as well as international touring acts and shows, including: Starlight Express, Blood Brothers and Calendar Girls, Jimmy Carr, Peter Kay and Sarah Millican), and international rock acts Morrissey, Kasabian and The Stereophonics. Shane Jackson, Grimsby Auditorium’s stage manager commented: “After having our previous sound desk for around 15 year we felt it was time to upgrade to some newer technology. We have no doubt that this will have a positive impact on upcoming productions as well as our customers experience. Having researched our options and cons
Croatia - Popular duo 2Cellos released a new music video together with a hi-energy rendition of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer this month which was recorded in an abandoned military warehouse near the Croatian city of Pula. Lighting was created by the band’s long-term LD Crt Birsa of Blackout using an all-Robe moving light rig. Lighting was the critical and only visual technical element for the dramatically stark, moody noir-style video directed by Kristijan Burlovic and as such it became almost a fourth band member joining Stjepan Hauser, Luka Šulić and drummer Dušan Kranjc. Crt chose 38 x Robe MegaPointes as the key lighting fixtures, creating a tunnel effect down the length of the 33m tube like space which was pitch black inside. His design also used 16 x Robe BMFL Spots, three LEDBeam 150s and 10 x LEDWash 600+s, all supplied by Pula-based rental co
USA - Although TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour has been an annual late-winter tradition for a number of years now, this year’s trek was particularly joyous as it represented one of North America’s first proper arena tours following the pandemic blackout year. True to form, Nashville-based Blackhawk Audio, the long-time touring sound provider for the seven-time Grammy Award-winning Christian hip-hop/pop artist, carried DiGiCo consoles - SD10s at both FOH and monitors, plus a smaller-format SD9 support desk at FOH - which were used to mix 18 arena shows in 13 cities during February and March. In addition to TobyMac, the 2021 Hits Deep Tour featured a full lineup of special guests, including Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers, Unspoken, Cochren & Co., and Terrian. All of the supports acts performed each night in a seamless awards-show format, bouncing between the main sta
USA - New York quintet Lousy Sloughter delivered their Couch Tour from High Peaks Event Productions’ livestream studio in early April. For 50 minutes, the band wove its way through a blend of blues, funk and jazz. With them every step of the way was a fluid, artfully crafted lighting design by Christine Sharp that drew on the colour and gobo rendering prowess of over 30 Chauvet Professional fixtures. “The looks I create are pretty varied depending on the genre of music, even and down to the song being played,” said Sharp, who runs High Peaks with her husband Roger. “For a low-keyed show, or an acoustic performance, I try to create an aesthetic frame around the musicians on stage. If I know the vibe of the song, I saturated the stage with colours that reflect the feelings, at least as I interpret them.” Following this design approach, Sharp kept the area
USA - Chroma-Q has been pre-production testing in collaboration with Green Voltage zero emission generator units. Working with a selection of Brute Force lampheads, the crew, plus Green Voltage director and experienced operator Adam Baker (Wonder Woman 2, No Time to Die) tested the LED Wendylight alternative, together with Green Voltage’s 5kW VOLTstack E-Gen remote power systems. The Chroma-Q product range has become a regular feature on lighting lists the world over, delivering low energy illumination to all manner of productions. Deceptive in both stature and output, the Brute Force draws just 15 amps @ 240V making them suitable for use in conjunction with the GV power units. With the Brute Force running at full power, the generators provided over 2.5 hours operation. The fully dimmable LED fixture, with its extended CCT range between 2,000K an
USA - Home Church has been a rock for Christians in the South San Francisco Bay Area since 1977. This past year, they vowed to keep their congregation connected during the coronavirus lockdown via online and outdoor services. There was just one problem: Their aging analogue wireless audio equipment had almost become obsolete because the available radio spectrum in the region is changing and shrinking almost by the day. Home Church turned to worship A/V experts Zamar Media Solutions, who specified Lectrosonics’ fourth-generation, all-digital D-Squared system, including two DSQD four-channel receivers, six DHu handheld mics for the praise musicians, and two DBu belt-pack transmitters for the pastors’ headset mics. “I’m the nerd that went out there to evaluate the situation,” begins system designer Tim Fairbairn. “Because of the repack of frequencies in the Ba
Poland - The Workshop Musical Academy in Warsaw is a performing arts school focused on developing young musical artists' interests and skills and preparing them for original theatre, film, and music projects. With classes held in two professionally-equipped rooms, including the school’s own recording studio and a performance hall, the facility was looking for an AV system to amplify performances. Earlier this year, the Workshop Musical Academy made the decision to upgrade its performance hall sound system. The school frequently hosts a wide range of productions, from solo performances to full theatre and concert performances. The academy brought in local AV integrator ESS-Audio, to design and install the new sound system, the integrator has been providing comprehensive audio and integration solutions for more than 30 years, and recently became a provider of amplifiers from
UK - Vestel Visual Solutions has been selected by Wycombe Wanderers FC as its official AV partner. Vestel’s digital signage and interactive displays have been deployed throughout Adams Park as part of a major infrastructural project to digitally transform the stadium and boost fan engagement. Over 50 Vestel displays have been fitted to enhance key supporter areas across the ground. Within the club shop, which fronts Adams Park, a 75” PDX75 screen provides a window display, with 2500 NIT brightness ensuring incoming fans can see the latest content in vivid detail as they approach the stadium - visible even in the summer. Within the store itself, a slimline 55” UHD model, alongside multiple 37” stretched displays, offer eye-capturing visuals to promote the latest club merchandise, as well as wider news from the club including ticketing information for upcoming matches
USA - St. Mary’s Cathedral is one of the most popular Catholic churches in the Portland, OR area. It serves as its parish’s diocese, hosting weekly masses, services and sometimes daily visits for a large, devoted congregation. The church needed to ensure its audio-visual equipment could convey its important messages in a smooth, intelligible manner - something that was previously lacking due its domed cathedral and marble walls. When it came time for an AV upgrade, St. Mary’s turned to Alpha Sound. With 40 years’ experience, the Alpha Sound team was ready to tackle the live acoustical issues at the cathedral while also choosing equipment that would not impede the church’s elegant décor. To accomplish this, the installer selected more than 20 mics from DPA Microphones, the largest DPA install to-date in the area. “Everything about this space is elegant and
USA - As the bassist and backup singer for Bon Jovi, Hugh McDonald admits that his performances rely on trusted legacy equipment and he doesn’t concern himself too much with following the latest performance gear and technology. But after a year of cancelled tours and countless hours using the integrated webcam and microphone on his laptop, McDonald recently recognised that, in his own words, “There has to be a better way to do this.” After a brief chat with some industry friends, he found the upgraded gear he needed: the ClearOne Aura Versa 50 audio and video solution. “When I finally had to do a recording, and I was setting up the laptop, positioning it in the room, it really felt cobbled together, like a subpar solution,” McDonald said. “The band ended up doing a lot of video from our homes for various organizations, plus solo videos to prepare for a liv
China - Installed for China’s Consumer Rights Day gala, a 1,000sq.m LED wall dazzled viewers with graphics, all powered by Pixotope. Broadcast live on 15 March, the two-hour slot was dedicated to “informing consumers of consumer habits and business practices from major brands”. Great Wheel, a production company working within China Central Television (CCTV), designed and implemented the live graphics using Pixtope’s engine. Since early 2020, China Central Television has been rapidly expanding its virtual production capabilities for its programme delivery, with Pixotope becoming the station’s primary virtual production solution for a range of AR projects. Traditionally, CCTV opted to build real-world sets for its Consumer Day television broadcast, but the studio found it could significantly improve both the quality and flexibility of its productions af
UK - Channel 4’s Lucy, the Human Chimp documentary aired this month with a mix of archive footage and newly filmed ‘jungle’ reconstructions, with the latter made possible by Bristol-based virtual production studio Vero. The film, which tells the real-life story of chimp Lucy’s return to the wild after being raised in human surroundings, required cutting edge technology to re-enact scenes of Lucy’s carer, Janis Carter, living on an uninhabited island off the coast of The Gambia. Production was scheduled to take place in the real-world jungle surroundings but, due to the COVID pandemic, had stalled. With no international travel permitted, and flights grounded, the team were searching for a new solution. Multi-award-winning production company KEO Films approached VERO on behalf of Channel 4, with a view to using Vero’s pioneering studio space. Thi
