Australia - The Australian College of the Arts Pty recently outfitted their new flagship campus with JBL by Harman audio systems for their audio and music production programmes. The Australian College of the Arts Pty (Collarts) is an independent tertiary college specialising in degrees and diplomas in the creative industries, including audio engineering and music production. With four campuses throughout Melbourne, Collarts teaches their students the fundamentals of studio recording, live production, and sound for film. When the college moved its main campus from South Melbourne to Collingwood, they used the opportunity to equip their recording, mastering and post-production studios with JBL by Harman audio systems, including Studio One, Critical Listening and an immersive Dolby Atmos Room. Collarts equipped their primary recording space, Studio One, with soffit
USA - In January 1996, what is now Life.Church was founded as Life Covenant Church in a two-car garage equipped with an overhead projector and two construction lights purchased at Lowes for under $40. The church and its technological prowess have both come a long way since then. Ranked among the largest houses of worship in the US, Life.Church has 34 different campuses stretched out 2,078 miles, from Rio Ranch, New Mexico to Albany, New York. Live stream video has been key to helping the church reach worshippers throughout this far flung network of satellites. Since July of this year, these videos have emanated from a sprawling new broadcast campus, engineered by Summit Integrated Systems, that features equipment, including a lighting rig anchored by a collection of over 100 Chauvet Professional Maverick, Ovation, and Rogue fixtures. The product of a two-year pr
Finland - The University of the Arts recently upgraded some of its AV facilities to improve the student experience. Electro Waves, a local integrator, carried out the work which includes new Christie APS and the GS series laser projectors in a number of lecture theatres and music performance halls. With its combination of disciplines including fine art, music and theatre studies, the new university offers varied education opportunities to students in Finland and overseas. And, with increasing numbers of students attracted to the university through its growing reputation, the in-house AV team were keen to add first-class projection to enhance the teaching and presentation facilities. Kai Tuovinen of Electro Waves organised a trial period to test which projectors would be suited to the university’s requirements. “In partnership with the in-house AV team we decided to
USA - After auditioning nearly every industry standard microphone capsule for multi-platinum recording artist Khalid, production manager and FOH Engineer CJ Blair found that DPA Microphones’ d:facto 4018VL Vocal Microphone “perfectly complemented” the singer’s deep R&B tones. Now out on Khalid’s Free Spirit World Tour, Blair initially sought out a new vocal solution as a means of bringing the singer-songwriter’s studio sound to the live stage. “Khalid, like most artists, doesn’t want a technical explanation of why something does or does not sound great,” says Blair. “He just wants a great sounding solution; and we found that with the d:facto 4018VL.” Blair has used the DPA d:factos for the entirety of the Free Spirit tour and has been impressed with the sound he’s attained. “When Landon (Storey, Khalid’s monitor engineer) and I started u
UK - Ben M Rogers, lighting designer for Penguin Cafe, recently deployed Martin MAC Allure Profile and VDO Atomic Dot lighting fixtures on the band’s 2019 UK tour. Penguin Cafe was founded by Arthur Jeffes in 2009, bringing together a group of musicians from the likes of Suede, Gorillaz and Razorlight to perform his father Simon Jeffes’ legacy of world-renowned Penguin Cafe Orchestra music. In 2019, the band released their latest album of original music, Handfuls of Night, a collaboration with Greenpeace to help raise awareness for the endangered Antarctic seas. Penguin Cafe recently set out on a UK tour from 28 September through 7 October, performing songs from the new album along with hits from both Penguin Cafe and the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra. To compliment each performance with immersive visual experience, Penguin Cafe hired lighting designer Be
USA - For more than half a century, the Dove Awards have recognised exceptional achievements in the Christian music industry. This year, the industry’s best gathered to pay tribute to their history and celebrate the future of Gospel and Christian music with performances ranging from modern rock, rap/hip hop, pop/contemporary, inspirational, southern gospel, bluegrass, country, worship and more taking the stage with a lighting system from Bandit Lites. “The logistics of putting this event on are quite boggling and its success is due to a veteran staff calling all of the right shots,” says Bandit Lites vice-president Mike Golden. “Because of their focus and attention, this year’s Dove Awards was another resounding success from a production vantage point. This year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Dove Awards and, coincidentally, Bandit celebrated our fiftieth
USA - When it comes to finding a place to listen to live music, choices range from dive bars to more acoustically refined venues. Among the latter in the Mile High City is The Soiled Dove Underground, which recently upgraded its sound with the addition of a dLive C3500 digital mixing system from Allen & Heath. Found in the heart of Denver’s Lowry Field neighbourhood, the Soiled Dove was built cabaret-style with a lofty stage and three levels of tiered seating. Widely known for its sonic and systems quality, the room features ample acoustical treatments. “This environment was built properly,” notes Chris Steele, the venue’s production manager and audio engineer. “That fact allows me to focus on bringing what’s happening onstage to the audience with every bit of the artist’s true intent intact. I don’t have to focus on problems of any kind like a hars
Finland - Helsinki City Theatre is putting on the Disney magic this season with its lavish musical production of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The production plays in repertoire in the 950-seat main theatre for over 120 performances from August 2019 to Spring 2020, including the all-important Christmas period. Helping to create the magical underwater atmosphere are haze, fog and low-fog generators from MDG. In this Disney adaptation of the original story, mermaid Ariel falls in love with human Prince Eric, and sells her beautiful voice to the sea witch Ursula in exchange for legs so she can join him in the surface world. The ambitious production has been put together by director Samuel Harjanne, set designer Peter Ahlqvist and costume designer Pirjo Liiri-Majava and choreographer Gunilla Olsson-Karlsson from Sweden. Characters are also brought
UK - Avolites and Weigl partnered on The Wildwood Tree, an installation located within Wildwood Grove at Dollywood. The centrepiece of this new land was designed and built by LifeFormations with creative from The Imagination House. All involved were able to bring this to life using “pioneering lighting and video technologies”. Weigl designs and manufactures a range of software and hardware products for permanent theme park and interactive experience installations. The story of their collaboration with Avolites starts back in the mid-2000s where Weigl used Avolites’ DMX Pearl and Azure consoles to create single universe ‘single pass’ moving light profiles for their animatronics shows. Weigl worked closely with Avolites, providing clear and concise feedback without the pressure of a live performance setting. In June 2019, Wildwood Grove opened with the me
Germany - Since the end of October, Sarah Connor has been touring arenas, with 15 dates in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Already announced for the summer of 2020 is an open-air tour, and in March 2021 there will be a further seven arena dates, reflecting her huge success. Lighting designer Bertil Mark has been working with the artist for several years and has accompanied the current Herz Kraft Werke tour as lighting and set designer as well as creative director. He says that he had arrived quickly at a concept with the artist and the production managers after initial ideas had been exchanged. Although the stage is dominated by powerful LED surfaces, Bertil manages to create versatile and fluid organic looks. “We start the show on a largely veiled stage and work with multiple gauzes that are removed step by step,” he explains. “One last gauze, situated directl
France - Parodic metal band Ultra Vomit and EDM solo act Sebastian are in the middle of popular autumn club and festival tours throughout France. The two artists have something else in common too, each is supported by high-energy light and video shows created by Chirac Design and run with ChamSys consoles. “We tend to have intense clients, and we strive to match their intensity with our shows,” says Chirac co-founder and Marilyn Manson LD Nico Riot. “I have been a ChamSys user for quite some time, because the simplicity of the console frees me up to do the things I envision.” Riot’s enthusiasm for ChamSys is shared by his partner and Chirac co-founder Romain Dronne, who is using a ChamSys MagicQ MQ60 to run shows for Sebastian, and Gregory Dutein, who is powering Ultra Vomit shows with a MagicQ MQ80 plus an extra wing. “Sebastian is an EDM light sh
UK - AJ Tracey played two sold-out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace earlier this month. “I certainly felt this was a career highlight,” explains production manager Joel Stanley. “Bronski (creative director) and I had a long chat; the show would be streamed live so we knew it had to be the best quality for everything. Time was short, we hit the ground running, there was no time for introductions.” Two intense production meetings later saw Video Design chosen to supply the four-sided LED display above the stage that Bronski conceived to contextualise the energy of AJ Tracey’s performance beneath it. Neg Earth supplied lights and rigging, while SSE provided sound. “Bronski’s creative side knows no bounds,” continues Stanley. “He confounds us all with ever more amazing platforms for his performers. “Video Design are a good example of wha
France - The Amphithéâtre de la Verrière, located in Aix-en-Provence, recently added Robert Juliat Dalis 863 Access lighting fixtures to its in-house inventory. These LED battens can be used to illuminate a cyclorama, or as front of stage lighting. Located inside the Cité du Livre, the Amphithéâtre de la Verrière is a 450-seat multi-purpose hall. Jean-Marie Albaladejo, technical director of L'Amphithéâtre, was looking for an LED solution to replace old luminaires and provide effective low-angle lighting. Until now, this had been problematic in this amphitheatre-shaped venue, with an audience that sits very close to the stage. "We are already equipped with many long-standing Robert Juliat luminaires, so it was only natural that we should turn to the same brand with confidence to find an appropriate solution, and choose LED sources that are more energy efficien
USA - The 53rd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena, saw the biggest names in country music come together once again for an evening of live music and industry recognition. Millions of viewers tuned in to see performances from both breakthrough artists and established acts. Throughout the evening, Sennheiser delivered the audio through its new Digital 6000 wireless system. Early in the evening, Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Kelsea Ballerini took the stage to deliver a stripped-down version of Homecoming Queen, the leading single off her latest album. Every detail of her intimate vocal performance was captured through a Sennheiser SKM 6000 handheld transmitter, coupled with an MD 9235 capsule. Ballerini’s microphone, adorned with dozens of black Swarovski crystals, faithfully rendered the raw emotion of her
Hungary - Supernova Techno presents The Boris Brejcha Showcase is how the event at Budapest’s 12,000-capacity László Papp Sports Arena (aka Budapest Arena) on 5 October billed itself. The DJ was supported by Deniz Bul, Ann Clue & Theydream. Once again, the German DJ / producer, who performs in a Joker’s mask, delivered a powerful three-hour set through Martin Audio’s MLA PA, provided by Hungarian partner, BG Event. The set-up featured a main PA comprising 15 MLA elements (and one MLD down-fill enclosure) on each flank of the stage, with a first delay line comprising eight MLA per side and the second delay position with eight MLA Compact per side. Some 24 MLX enclosures were placed in a sub array, eight stacks of three, with the bottom box in each flipped to cardioid. In addition, 2x6 W8LS rigged subs were set up in end fire configuration behind one side of
UK - Temporary power specialist Midas will take the UK’s first rental LPG genset into Kew Gardens this month as part of its low emission package that will drive Christmas at Kew from 20 November to 5 January. A premier dealer with Himoinsa, multi-award-winning manufacturer at the vanguard of developing gas generator sets, Midas is the only power supplier in the country with these engines in its fleet. Fully EU Stage V emission standard compliant, they feature a three-way catalyst which slashes CO, CO2 and NOx emissions. Appointed to Christmas at Kew on a multi-year deal, Midas will also provide Stage 3A machines, and HVO fuel, to the contract - all of which it will monitor remotely via DSE Gateway and Livelink to ensure optimum performance. Dáire Basra, head of event operations at Kew Gardens, comments: “Midas’ innovative approach to power g
USA - To create a natural and immersive sound environment for The Rose Tattoo in Broadway’s American Airlines theatre, associate sound designer Bradlee Ward specified a TiMax SoundHub 2 audio spatialisation engine to create localisation of the actors’ voices as they moved around the multimedia-adorned set of Tennessee Williams musical drama. TiMax was also used to spatialise the evocative music and redolent sound effects created by sound designer Fitz Patton. Ward says: “I knew I needed some kind of movement tracking for the actors. I’ve always wanted to use TiMax on one of my shows and based on prior work with Robin (Whittaker, director of TiMax developers Out Board) I felt this was the perfect solution.” The audio creative team included Sun Hee Kil, also associate sound designer, working with sound designer and composer Fitz Patton. This same sound t
The Netherlands - Robe’s new Esprite LED moving lights made their live debut in The Netherlands at the high-profile AMF event staged in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, a showcase concluding five days of electronic music conference sessions, debates and live events related to the 2019 Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). The production design for AMF - with 40,000 visitors and high-energy sets from David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Alesso, Don Diablo, Timmy Trumpet and many more - was created by Maarten Hoogland from organiser ALDA, who is also the overall production manager and Andre Beekmans from creative visual design practice, The Art of Light. The look featured a series of ‘crosses’ and other large geometrically-shaped video pieces flown 360 degrees round the 40,000 capacity (for this event) Ajax stadium, and involved approximately 1000
Spain - Fantek International, a company that specialises in manufacturing tower lifts, trusses and stage platforms, played a key role in the success of this year's San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) by providing a custom-made truss frame for the festival's main projection screen. Inaugurated in 1953 and held annually at the Kursaal Palace in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, SSIFF attracts numerous A list actors and directors whose presence brings star appeal and glamour to this week-long homage to celluloid. This year's top names included Penélope Cruz, Donald Sutherland and the director Costa-Gavras. Over the course of the festival, approximately 200 films are scrutinised by judging panels who award different prizes in various sections. On the final night the winning actors and directors attend a closing gala at the Kursaal Palace, immediately followed b
USA - Premier Productions’ stellar 2019 Worship Tour is running across the USA this fall. Earlier this year, Seth Jackson was approached by Josh Chambless of Premier Productions to create a unifying design for a tour that would feature three of worship music’s most prominent groups: Casting Crowns, Elevation Worship and Hillsong Worship. Multiple Dove Award nominees all, and in two case Dove and Grammy winners, each band has its own distinct look on stage, created by its own talented production team. Jackson’s mission was to come up with a design that would pull together each band’s stage persona, while still presenting a smoothly flowing and harmoniously balanced look on stage. Working with his partner Nate Alves, Jackson met this challenge, creating a sweeping panorama that embraces the visuals of each band, while also projecting a unified image that is uniqu
France - The French Open tennis tournament is held in Paris at Roland Garros Stadium, a complex of three main courts with a total capacity of over 30,000 spectators. The largest of the courts, Court Philippe-Chatrier, was rebuilt between the 2018 and 2019 tournaments and now accommodates over 15,000 spectators. For the 2019 tournament, two Danley J3-94 Jericho Horn supported by four Danley THmini15 subwoofers covered Court Philippe-Chatrier’s seating cleanly and with unprecedented intelligibility. “The sound reinforcement system at Roland Garros is used mainly for speech reinforcement for the referee, players and organizers, as well as for advertising and the national anthem,” explained Etienne Bérard, director of Demoa, a French AV distribution company. The AV consultant on the project, Creaprag, asked Demoa to find an efficient, high-intelligibility sound re
Belgium - Painting with Light (PWL), working for television producers Dedsit, supplied lighting and video content design, creation and control for De Battle – a co-production between Belgium’s SBS and Netherlands broadcaster, RTL – which was recorded at the Pop Up Theatre in Puurs. The TV series is billed as ‘the next level of studio entertainment’. Four celebrity contestants, divided into two Belgian and Dutch teams faced brain-teasing quizzes, gravity-defying stunts – from drifting cars to traversing a high wire plus a host of manual dexterity and physical exercise skill tasks – testing them to the max in front of a live audience. Studio 100’s Pop Up Theatre includes eight moving seating tribunes to fit 1600 people and eight remote-controlled LED screens which can be moved into any position and configuration. These large moving assets ena
USA - Brown Note Productions, a full service production company based in Thornton, Colorado, has purchased a large fleet of Elation Professional IP-rated outdoor lighting fixtures and immediately had the gear out on a fall run of music festivals. “We chose to go with IP rated fixtures to be part of the solution for our industry,” stated Ryan Knutson, president of Brown Note Productions. “With the changing climate and the desire to be outdoors listening and seeing your favourite performers, the stakes in the game have changed. The visual designs now call for non-traditional stage layouts to complement the artists’ performances. These visual platforms require lighting and other production technology to be directly exposed to the elements.” Knutson says that Brown Note’s historical approach was to bag fixtures with bulky, expensive weather domes but that was
USA - Rock band Sum 41 embarked on their US and Canadian Order In Decline Tour with a JRLX touring lighting package onboard. Lighting designer Nick Stabile of Helm Projects specified a rig of Elation Professional Dartz 360s, ACL BAR 360s, Cuepix WW2 Blinders, and GLP JDC1 Strobes. Nick Stabile Explains, “Sum 41 has moved past their pop-punk days. Their set is a lot of straightforward rock - quick and heavy songs with slow and beautiful moments peppered in. There is a lot of dynamism in the show, so I needed a lighting rig that was super punchy, yet able to accommodate the more theatrical points in the show. “The fixtures I selected are small, yet powerful and multifaceted. The Cuepix WW2s have been my go-to for years now for stage blinders. The ACL BAR 360s can give me utter madness on stage for those crazy moments -and pixels. But it is the Dartz 360s that are rea
