Israel - The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was hosted by Israel at the Expo Tel Aviv and boasted over 700 Ayrton fixtures in its massive lighting rig. Set designer, Florian Wieder, and Tel Aviv-based lighting designers, Ronen Najar and Dakar Azulay created individual looks for each of the 41 competing countries. Wieder’s stage design was based on triangles and the number 12 - important symbols for Israel - while Najar and Azulay chose a large number and variety of lighting fixtures which allowed them to create enough unique looks to handle a show of this size and diversity. Key to their enormous and extremely adaptable design were over 700 LED lighting fixtures from Ayrton. “Our main idea was to maintain the special stage design developed by Florian,” explains Najar. “We therefore chose to use a significant amount of Ayrton MagicBlades to create new geom
Belgium - Ancienne Belgique is steeped in musical history and is one of Brussels' most revered live music venues. A multi-application space spanning several floors and incorporating two live rooms and a recording studio, it’s often the first stop on the touring calendar for international acts, as well as a hotspot for up and coming local bands. Over the last 18 months, the venue has invested in two DiGiCo consoles in a bid to stay as flexible as possible: first, an SD5, which sits at monitor position and most recently, an SD12 which is now the venue's go-to FOH board. “All of our crew are capable of doing everything, and what's nice is that we are also interchangeable between the main hall and the club,” opens Ancienne Belgique's technical manager Mark Vrebos. “For example, a rock and roll show might be all-standing and full to the brim, but if we have jazz mus
USA - After outgrowing its long-time location in Tustin, California, Calvary Chapel Tustin (CCT) moved to nearby Santa Ana in 2015 leasing the main sanctuary from the First Church of the Nazarene. The two churches co-exist on the property with CCT occupying the 700-seat main sanctuary and First Nazarene holding services in the recently remodelled chapel. Based on the success of BESA-Bowls Engineering Sound & Acoustics’ recent sound system upgrades at Wildwood Calvary Chapel in Yucaipa, California, CCT contracted the design-build firm in early 2018 to facilitate much needed audio upgrades. BESA founder and senior sound designer, Darren Bowls, worked through a sound design that addressed the extremely high ceilings, split-block wall surfaces, and the voluminous nature of the room. Bowls felt CCT would benefit from a similar equipment combination he first implemented at W
UK - With less than 30 hours from load-in to showtime in a 600-capacity theatre, Orbital Sound’s Mike Thacker needed true plug-and-play functionality from his audio production package of Yamaha control systems and Nexo Geo M10 mid-size line array. Mike Thacker, Orbital Sound’s head of education, was commissioned to creatively design and facilitate the audio systems for a production of Starlight Express by the Coventry Youth Operetta Group. The assignment was a challenging one. The 65 young artistes of the YOG, many of them wearing radio mics, would be performing on roller-skates, dancing and singing on a track that encircled the stalls of the Albany Theatre. “Yes, right in front of the PA,” explains Thacker. “My main concern was whether we would be able to get enough gain before feedback.” The one-man audio crew took just 90 minutes to load in and ri
USA - Howards Grove is a small community and suburb of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Howards Grove High School serves over 300 students from Howards Grove and nearby communities. Its music department is well-developed and extremely active, with three choirs, and concert, jazz, symphonic, and marching bands. It also has an active drama department that puts on a performance every year. Surprisingly, Howards Grove High School made do for years without an auditorium of its own by appropriating the gymnasium, the cafeteria, classrooms, or even neighbouring schools’ auditoriums. That’s all changed now with the completion of its own 450-seat auditorium adjacent to the gymnasium, complete with the high-fidelity and even coverage of Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers. “The students at Howards Grove High School are very active in the performing arts, especially musi
UK - Following the release of their studio album Ephyra, Woman’s Hour brought their musical journey to a close with a final show in their hometown, before parting ways to work on separate projects. The band performed a farewell concert at The Dome in Tufnell Park, London, on Friday 22 March. Creating an appropriately ethereal vibe for the concert was a production concept that drew on simple, but impactful imagery, while it played with negative space. Created by David Howard, and based entirely on lighting, this design was controlled by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. Forming the foundation of the band’s entire stage aesthetic was an illuminated structure of a house. The aim of the house was to provide a softly-lit space that the dancers and band could interact with, perform inside and use to show contrast and progression over the course of the show.
USA - Sprint Centre, a flexible arena in downtown Kansas City, has recently reached out to local integrator Digital Sound Systems, Inc. (DSS) to explore options for updating its arena sound system used for sporting events. DSS was tasked with updating portions of the arena’s control room, as well as audio and video facilities. After thorough research and consideration, DSS was able to provide Sprint Centre with an entirely new front-line sound system, including new speakers, subs and amplifiers, thanks to the powerful and cost-effective solutions provided by L-Acoustics Kara(i) loudspeakers, SB18i subwoofers, and LA4X amplified controllers. “Sprint Centre consistently ranks as one of the top venues in the US, so it was important for us to make sure that we were advising them on the best plan of action for years to come,” says DSS CEO Jeremy Dixon. “A simple am
UK - Wakefield-based Backstage Academy recently presented a graduation showcase, which saw third-year students assessed across five presentations. The students were assessed in a project-based environment, with each team working under a project manager. The event was supported by many industry partners, some of whom had arrived fresh from attending PLASA Focus Leeds. Vice-principal Rachel Nicholson explained the idea of designing real world concepts - effectively transforming black box studio/stages into coruscating jewels - had grown out of the Live Visual Design & Production course. “It’s the first time we’ve presented the work in this fashion,” she confirms. “The team looked back at last year and decided they wanted more scope to visualise. Our live visual design course has always been project based, so we adapted that to the other courses - which seem
UK - On Joe Bonamassa’s current world tour, system engineer Michael Grabarczyk relies on Outline’s Newton FPGA-based processing platform. Bonamassa played a three-night residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall in April as part of his European spring tour, for which Adlib provided a full audio package, including part of their Newton stock. Michael comments, “Newton is an extremely capable device. A single 1RU unit replaces a multitude of current industry standard devices. The clocking flexibility, simplistic routing, and plentiful IO makes Newton a dream to use. Each output has gain, delay, polarity, layers of EQ, and every filter type including both types of all pass filters. The possible uses for the device are incredible. “Not only can the Newton make a whole rack of gear disappear, but sonically it is very transparent. When applying a filter, you hear the f
Ireland - AC-ET Ireland has been supplying Prolights StudioCOB FC LED PARs across the country following demand for eco-friendly, yet high quality, lighting solutions. This full colour LED PAR has become an increasingly popular fixture amongst a variety of venues, including the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Siamsa Tíre. The Dunamaise Arts Centre, situated in Portlaoise, is comprised of workshops, a gallery, a café and a 240-seat theatre. The centre hosts a range of national and international performances including live music, theatre productions and dance shows. Siamsa Tíre, in Tralee, is home to the National Folk Theatre of Ireland. Across the summer the centre hosts a variety of folk theatre productions, leaving the rest of the year for a wide range of different events including touring drama, classical music, comedy, dance and opera along with productions by lo
UK - White Light has recently supplied new LED lighting packages to two ATG venues: Aylesbury Waterside and the Grand Opera House York. When Stuart Graham, head of technical operations at Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), was looking to begin an LED upgrade at the group’s venues, he contacted WL. WL’s business development manager Jonathan Haynes comments: “Stuart got in touch saying that ATG wanted to implement an LED upgrade and had chosen two theatres as a starting point: Aylesbury Waterside and Grand Opera House York. The organisation wanted to upgrade its offering to support its diverse range of productions, as well as reduce the energy consumption of the house equipment in order to make the rig as green as possible.” WL was asked to put together an LED upgrade package. This meant substituting the tungsten rig with LED, replacing the overhead and cyc li
UK - London-based technical event specialists Light Fantastic Production Services supported Voxburner with a full design and technical solution for YMS London. YMS LDN is Europe’s largest youth marketing festival, part of a series of global events demystifying the changing trends, habits and attitudes of the consumers of the future. Held over two days at the Old Truman Brewery, YMS19 LDN was the largest Youth Marketing Strategy event to date, welcoming almost 2,000 delegates and over 150 speakers. Working closely with Voxburner to deliver an engaging visitor experience, Light Fantastic Production Services provided a comprehensive equipment and support package covering all technical elements, including lighting, audio, video, set and staging. Commenting on the show, LFPS project manager Andrew Maxted says: “Handling all aspects of the technical requireme
France - Printemps des Vins de Blaye is more than a celebration of fine wines, it is also an event that offers visitors an opportunity to savour enchanting sights of natural beauty and historical significance. Located north of Bordeaux on the banks of the Gironde estuary, the village of Blaye traces its roots back to pre-Roman times and is the home to evocative ancient ruins. It provides an idyllic setting for this popular festival, held in a region that is known for its Côtes de Blaye red wine. Contributing to the sense of splendour at this year’s wine-lover’s event was the richly coloured light from Chauvet Professional Rogue R3 Spot fixtures, supplied and installed by Societe ALS (Animation Loisirs Sonorisation). The company, which has been lighting the festival for the past three years, decided to use its recently acquired Rogue units to add colour and vibran
USA - Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas just kicked off his solo Chip Tooth Tour with an all Elation lighting rig specified, designed and programmed by Benoit Richard. Richard, who has worked with Matchbox Twenty since 2000 and has designed Rob Thomas’ first two solo tours, serves as production and lighting designer on the outing. Lighting vendor is Bandit Lites of Nashville with lighting direction and additional programming by Patrick Hayes. “My goal has always been to deliver a visual experience that is very 'clean & classy' and also offers forward thinking ideas by using new and exciting lighting technologies,” comments Richard, who has created plenty of visually stunning moments in the show, reinforcing hits from Thomas’ solo career as well as a few songs from Matchbox Twenty. “The toughest part is to avoid repeating key gags and effects more
South Korea - At a recent a stadium show in Seoul, the LA Philharmonic Orchestra took the music of celebrated composer John Williams to new level, incorporating giant screen projection and an epic soundscape provided by L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (aka 'LA Phil'), led by music & artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, has been celebrating its 100th year with the 2018/19 LA Phil 100 centennial programme. The season includes runs at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, the free Celebrate LA open-air festival, and a global tour that includes seven residencies in seven cities, and performances on three continents. That journey started with LA Phil's 2019 Spring tour of Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, and included a landmark performance of film music by John Williams in the Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics
USA - Encompass AV recently installed a comprehensive Martin Audio CDD sound system in the fashionable SX Sky Bar nightclub and lounge that occupies two floors of the luxurious new Hotel Essex across from Chicago’s Grant Park. Discussing the project, Encompass AV owner Tim Pickett explains: “We were charged with doing the audio for the SX Sky Bar on the fifth and sixth floors which includes the main bar/lounge upstairs and the dancefloor downstairs, in a night club which can also double as a corporate space during the day. “Initially the designer was spec’ing another brand,” Pickett continues, “and they brought us on board because they wanted to do something special in terms of sound and make it different and nice, so we moved them into a Martin Audio CDD system.” The sixth-floor lounge includes a combination of 16 wall-mounted CDD8s throughout the
USA - At the end of every school year, college students in Providence, Rhode Island, mark the occasion by gathering at the Strand Ballroom & Theatre for a day-long celebration of EDM music and culture. Project Mayhem, as the event is called, more than lived up to its name this year, with nonstop bass growls thundering, an exuberant crowd dancing boisterously, and a searing lighting and visual display, created with Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by JDI Productions. Lighting designer Freddy Thompson added to the firepower of the Strand’s already substantial house rig for the event by bring in a floor package that included six Maverick MK1 Spot and eight Maverick MK Pyxis fixtures. “A show like this demands a creative, energized environment to keep the audience engaged and on their feet,” says Thompson. “So, we wanted to up the excitement level this
USA - Kelly Clarkson is touring in support of her Meaning of Life album. For Chris Michaelessi, who has served as Clarkson’s FOH engineer since 2011, the availability of the new Quantum engine for DiGiCo’s flagship touring console couldn’t have come at a better time. “I’ve always enjoyed mixing on the SD7 and was really looking forward to having the new, faster and more powerful engine for Kelly’s Meaning of Life tour,” he says, getting his wish fulfilled by Clair Global, Clarkson’s long-time touring reinforcement provider. “Once I started the using SD7 Quantum, paired with the new 32-bit Stadius Pre-Amp cards for input, I was immediately struck by how much headroom the console has gained with the new engine,” he says, noting that the difference was immediately noticeable both in terms of overall sound and managing console gain structu
Japan - In Apri, Kraftwerk put on four sold-out shows in Tokyo. d&b audiotechnik Japan provided the system solutions used in Orchard Hall, which belongs to the Bunkamura complex. The sound solutions included KSL loudspeakers with D80 amps and d&b Soundscape to reproduce a sound immersion that totally impressed the audiences. The combined use of KSL and Soundscape was a world premiere and a complement to the visual 3D experience offered by the Kraftwerk performances. The main hangs flown at the concerts were five KSL arrays, each consisting of six KSL8 (top) and two KSL12 (bottom). Behind each of the five main hangs were two flying SL-SUBs. They supplemented the KSL arrays in the low frequency range and delivered a powerful bass which was extremely evenly distributed throughout the entire hall. The KSL Systems were driven using d&b ArrayProcessing. Arr
France - As part of the Viparis group of event sites, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition park is the largest in France and hosts over 120 tradeshows, including some of the French capital’s most prestigious occasions such as the Paris Motor Show, the Foire de Paris, the International Agriculture Show, Viva Technology and Who’s Next. With such a diverse, high-profile array of exhibitions to cater for, the venue’s sound system needed to be of an equally high standard. When the venue’s largest pavilion - the 7,000sq.m Hall 1 - required an audio upgrade, APG’s Uniline Compact was chosen as the key component. The audio system in the venue was specified as a result of an electro-acoustic study undertaken by LM Ingénierie Audiovisuel (LMI AV), while the equipment itself was supplied and integrated by Belgian company Inytium. Partner and project mana
Austria - Each year, the Festival of Light at Swarovski Crystal Worlds in the Austrian town of Wattens attracts thousands of visitors. The entire park shines and sparkles in a magical interplay of light, music, and crystal and as a recurring highlight guests are treated to a special 15-minute light show. Swarovski Crystal Worlds allows visitors to experience the wonder of crystal in all its facets. The annual Festival of Light is a spectacular show in which the seven-hectare garden is transformed into a magical luminous atmosphere. This year's event took place from 18 January to 17 February with technology having to endure four weeks of frosty, snowy conditions. With Elation’s IP65 Proteus Hybrid made for environments of this type and a record of reliable performance behind it, the all-weather moving head was chosen as the main beam effect in the light show for the s
UK - In addition to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, The Hollies have never disbanded. For the recent German leg of their ongoing world tour, the Hollies turned to lighting designer Chris Taylor to create a visual concept on which to perform hits such as Just One Look, Look Through Any Window and I Can't Let Go. Responding to the design brief, P2 Veranstaktungstechnik supplied Taylor with 50 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures for his stripped back lighting rig. "I wanted to achieve a show which complemented the Hollies' music while putting focus upon the band," commented Taylor. "What's more, as the band travels with very little kit, it was of paramount importance to come up with a versatile and practical solution. The Mavericks were the perfect solution." Positioning the Mavericks from front and rea
Italy - Claypaky, in conjunction with Iren, entirely redesigned the lighting of the Mole Antonelliana. Turin's iconic monument was designed by Alessandro Antonelli and built between 1863 and 1889. Iren took part actively in all stages of the design process, and took charge of the installation and operation of the entire system. It consists of 43 new Claypaky Odeon lights: 24 Claypaky Odeon Flood Maxi RGBW units with 15° beam angle, three Claypaky Odeon Flood Maxi RGBW units with 25° beam angle, and 16 Claypaky Odeon Flood Medium RGBW units with 25° beam angle. One of the mandatory conditions of the project was to re-fit the already equipped system installation points. The number of fixtures needed to distribute light on all four sides with a minimum illuminance of two candles per square metre (10.76 sq. feet) was calculated. On the basis of the simulations car
The Netherlands - Although the Dutch village of Vredepeel only has 245 permanent residents, it has a remarkable sense of community. Having raised over €100,000 towards the cost of combining the church and community centre, they are now enjoying all the benefits of a flexible, networked Yamaha audio system. Located a few minutes’ drive from the city of Venray, a significant decline in the number of regular worshippers at Vredepeel’s Catholic church meant that it had become too large. At the same time, the local community centre needed major work. Residents came up with the idea of incorporating the community centre into the church building, which would host all of the village’s social activities in one place, including worship, activity groups, meetings, events and the village pub/restaurant. The church and local authorities agreed, and De Kleine Loef (The Small Loaf)
