Rental News

Rental News Schlagzeilen

Young designer Tegan Rehbein chooses Chauvet fixtures for The Conference Live at Lititz

10/01/2025

Mediapool setzt Martin Audio WPS in Oktoberfestzelt auf dem Cannstatter Wasen ein

09/01/2025

“Parapapam” at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique lit with Chauvet

09/01/2025

Mehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in Stockholm

08/01/2025

Nearly 500 Martin Audio speakers help bring Tulleys Farm Christmas Light Festival to life

08/01/2025

Jonas Brothers’ engineers choose DirectOut solutions for worldwide tour

07/01/2025

Lighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4Wall

06/01/2025

Esteban Tosta lights Maluma with Elation

06/01/2025

Interpol’s “Antics” shows lit with Ayrton Cobra

06/01/2025

Events United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with Chauvet

03/01/2025

Netron nodes manage multi-faceted “Lysfald” light show at Fårup Sommerland

02/01/2025

Alain Corthout powers versatility at Los 40 Music Awards with ChamSys

02/01/2025

SeeSound calls on Wisycom for theater applications

05/12/2024

Allen & Heath bei „The Grand Jam“ in Frankfurt mit rund 1.000 Musikern und über 200 Kanälen als Mischzentrale im Einsatz

04/12/2024

EAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park Live

04/12/2024

Brian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet Professional

04/12/2024

CTC Events realisiert Jubiläums-Veranstaltungen der GWW Wiesbaden

03/12/2024

Ed Warren serves up dramatic looks for The Last Dinner Party with ChamSys

02/12/2024

Datum Creative and Elation Pulse Bar pay tribute to NYC skyline at We Belong Here

02/12/2024

Dora Showtechnik deploys XTA MX36 console switcher at Oktoberfest in Munich

28/11/2024

Manuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-Klang

28/11/2024

Martin Dudley connects UB40 to fans with help from Chauvet Professional

27/11/2024

Coda Audio CiRay bei Rheingrün Open Air im Einsatz

26/11/2024

Mathias Kuhn lights Creed shows with Robe

22/11/2024

Adlib supplies Coda Audio VCA system for Aurora European tour

21/11/2024

Young designer Tegan Rehbein chooses Chauvet fixtures for The Conference Live at Lititz

In keeping with its mission to foster “innovative creativity” within the live event industry, the Conference Live at Lititz selects one young designer to light the main stage at its popular event every year. In 2024, that honor belonged to Tegan Rehbein. She worked with a rig supplied by the 4Wall Entertainment team led by Project Manager Zack Spadaccia. Anchoring the rig were 246 Chauvet Professional fixtures.

 

Rehbein painted the stage in an array of vivid colors, while filling the venue with dramatic aerial patterns and audience lighting. Key to helping her create her show were 48 Color Strike M motorized strobe-washes in full pixel mode. “Very early on in the design process I knew from the event organizers that Studio 1 had three different uses over the course of the conference: party, speaking, and a gathering place for meals”, says Rehbein. “They expressed the desire to have it lit well and evenly for the speaking and the dinner.”

 

“With the space having three distinct modes, there were some changeovers regarding the lighting”, she continues. “When I was given a list of available gear from 4Wall, I knew that the Color Strike M was the perfect light to meet these goals. The color pixels provided a nice color wash for the event, while the center white LEDs provided bright and even work light for the room flips. I used twelve of the Color Strike Ms on the six overhead torms that were along the upstage wall. The rest were placed approximately 20-feet or so from each other on the trusses throughout the room for that nice even down wash.”

 

Rehbein’s talent was also evident in the way she used the rig’s 22 Maverick MK3 Profiles to accent the set created by Tait and Atomic. “I placed four of the profiles out by FOH to provide texture on the chandelier that the set designer from Tait had made using Atomic Designs’ Gaus”, she details. “I wanted to have the ability to cut shutters in the production as I saw fit.”

 

The eighteen remaining MK3 Profiles were placed in the air around the stage to provide key, fill and hair light for the various speakers - six of them were positioned on the farthest downstage part of the inner curves, six others were on either side of the stage, while the final six were flown over the stage. When the room was reconfigured for the final party, Rehbein repurposed most of her fixtures.

 

Also featured in the rig were the Maverick MK3 Wash, Rogue R2X Wash, and Rogue R1 BeamWash. Rehbein arranged the MK3 Washes on vertical torms to compliment the MK3 Profiles and positioned most of the R2X units on the four fingers over the stage to work with the MK3 Spots. The R2X units we positioned in the “Plaza”, an area that featured hanging set pieces from Atomic along with material from Tait that highlighted client projects. “I ran the R2X in 33 channel mode in case I wanted some visual movement in the rig with the ring control”, says Rehbein. “They provided a really good wash for this very unique set element.”

 

Throughout the show, she paid careful attention to color rendering. “I color balanced everything in the rig for the party using my C-800 meter”, she explains. “I was really happy with the CRI that I was able to achieve in the MK3 Profiles to make the video team, and myself, very happy. I went with 4200K for the key, 3200K for fill and 5600K from the top. I felt like this gave me a good and flattering wash on all of the panelists.”

 

Rehbein appreciated the team she had around her: “I want to give a shoutout to Project Manager Zack Spadaccia and Lighting Crew Chief Steve ‘Scuba’ Onoszko along with the entire team from 4Wall. They prepped and built this design and it worked flawlessly. Also want to thank James Weir from Tait. He worked on the set design and truss layout. He handed me great bones to put some meat on. Thanks too to Emily Cassidy, the Conference Director for Rock Lititz, and Natasha Benne, Senior Producer at Atomic. Every one of them was great to work with and get to know.”

 

Looking back on the event Rehbein sums up the experience this way: “This project is one of the biggest things I have designed to-date. I also knew my peers in the industry, as well as some legends, would be there, so I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward in this design.”

 

(Photos: Chauvet Professional/The Conference Live at Lititz)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

www.theconferenceliveatlititz.com

 

Mediapool setzt Martin Audio WPS in Oktoberfestzelt auf dem Cannstatter Wasen ein

Grandls Hofbräu-Zelt auf dem Cannstatter Wasen ist vom Event- und Mediengestalter Mediapool Stuttgart mit dem WPS-Line-Array-System von Martin Audio ausgestattet worden. Das Festzelt auf dem zweitgrößten Oktoberfest der Welt hat ein Fassungsvermögen von bis zu 8.000 Besuchern.

 

Insgesamt 24 WPS-Elemente, kombiniert mit zwölf SX218-Subwoofern, kamen im Hofbräu-Zelt zum Einsatz. Angetrieben wurden die Systeme durch sechs iK42-Systemendstufen, die je viermal 3.000 Watt Leistung lieferten. Das WPS-System von Martin Audio hatte Falk Gruber, Inhaber der Mediapool Stuttgart GmbH, zuvor gezielt für Veranstaltungen wie den Cannstatter Wasen, aber auch für Live-Veranstaltungen in vergleichbarer Größe mit Rock- und Popmusik, angeschafft.

 

„Martin Audio ist ein englischer Hersteller, und in England ist Rockmusik die Volksmusik - das spiegelt sich auch im WPS-System wider“, erklärt er. „Das System von Martin Audio hat in den Mitten deutlich mehr Druck als andere Systeme in der Liga. Damit ist es für Rock, Pop, Punk, Blues und ähnliche Stile in besonderem Maße geeignet.“

 

(Fotos: Thomas Niedermüller)

 

www.martin-audio.com

www.audio-technica.com

 

“Parapapam” at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique lit with Chauvet

In December 2024, lighting designer Pierre E. Roy was called upon to light the holiday show “Parapapam” at La Maison Symphonique in Montreal, Canada. “The director wanted the stage to be kind of dark - but not black - to make it dramatic”, he shares. “He also wanted to make the solo artists more prominent by having most of the stage a bit subdued. When the soloists weren’t singing, the orchestra, and or choir, became more prominent and brighter.”

 

But the darkness also created challenges when it came to key lighting a cast that included thirty musicians and more than twice as many chorists. Complicating matters further, the soloists often roamed the stage. “When the solo artists came to do their numbers, they had specific places to sing, but of course, they never stayed on the X, so I had to follow-spot them on the show”, says Roy. “I had to rely on the fixtures on the FOH to follow them. In other words, I had their starting X and I had made myself an override sub that moved the fixtures from stage right to stage left, in addition to being focused on the operation of my show. Nevertheless, this was a very fun project and all of us were happy with how the five shows in the series turned out.”

 

Roy’s use of color was one reason for the lighting design’s success. Throughout the concert, he created different depths, tones, and auras on stage through color changes. “I used the colors that I felt best represented each song”, he explains. “Another designer might have chosen different colors. The choice of colors is a personal signature for every designer.”

 

Roy used 38 Chauvet Professional Colorado 2 Solo RGBW LED washes, supplied by Solotech. Arranging the fixtures on three levels - the stage, Balcony One, and Balcony Two - he filled the venue in deep, vivid colors from cool blues and greens to soft ambers and purples, to powerful reds that popped against the relatively subdued stage.

 

Beyond setting the tone on stage, the colorful lighting from the Colorado fixtures accented the architectural features of La Maison Symphonique with its curved balconies and walls and Quebec beach wood facade.

 

(Photos: Chauvet Professional)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

 

Mehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in Stockholm

Mehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in Stockholm
Mehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in Stockholm

Mit einem Konzert vor 40.899 Zuschauern hat der schwedische Hip-Hopper Ant Wan kürzlich den von Madonna aufgestellten bisherigen Besucherrekord in der Stockholmer Tele2 Arena gebrochen. Es war erst das zweite Live-Konzert des Künstlers überhaupt (nach einem ausverkauften Gig in der Avicii Arena im vergangenen Jahr).

 

Lichtdesigner der Show in Stockholm war Jakob Larsson von Light it Production, der mit dem szenografischen Konzept des bildenden Künstlers Alexander Wessely interagierte, welcher gleichzeitig als Showregisseur fungierte. Larsson integrierte eine ihm vertraute Familie von Hybridprodukten in die Show: JDC1 und JDC Line von GLP. Er hatte sich in der Vergangenheit schon oft für diese Kombination entschieden, das JDC1 nach eigenen Angaben „im Grunde seit dem ersten Tag“ spezifiziert und später Schwedens führende Verleiher motiviert, auch in die JDC Lines von GLP zu investieren.

 

Diesmal wurde das Equipment von Soundforce bereitgestellt und umfasste 84 JDC Line (ein Mix aus JDC Line 500 und 1000) und vierzig JDC1. Die JDC Lines wurden hauptsächlich zur Beleuchtung der Laufstege und der B-Bühne verwendet, während die JDC1 mit einem Abstand von jeweils etwa einem Meter hauptsächlich als Gegen- und Gassenlicht auf der Hauptbühne dienten.

 

Ihre Rolle war allerdings nuancierter, da sie auch Wesselys Bühnenarchitektur in Szene setzten, welche aus einem großen LED-Screen, neun Säulen und einem Altar mit Thron als Centerpiece bestand. Die Inszenierung verlangte vom Lichtdesigner, die Lichtquellen möglichst zu verbergen. Gleichzeitig sollten die JDC1 in der von Lasern und Pyrotechnik dominierten Show bestehen können.

 

„Daher wollte ich die Lampen im Bühnenbild verstecken und es wirklich klar und sauber halten“, sagt Larsson, der die JDC Lines entlang des Laufstegs um 45° neigte, während der Künstler zur Bühne B hinunterging. „Wir haben sie im Vollpixelmodus verwendet, während er den Weg abschritt, und ihn jeweils einzeln beleuchtet. Aber die JDC Lines konnten auch die gesamte Arena bis zur gegenüberliegenden Seite beleuchten. Außerdem brachten wir JDC Line 1000 auch hinter allen Säulen an, sodass wir, wenn wir sie anstrahlten, neun wirklich große, dramatische Schatten auf der Bühne erzeugen konnten.“

 

Einige der JDC1 wurden am Rand der Hauptbühne eingesetzt, „um viel Farbe in das Bühnenbild zu bringen“, wie Larsson sagt. Programmierer war Nikolaj Brink, selbst ein versierter Lichtdesigner. „Wir haben alles in Depence vorvisualisiert und hatten dann zwei Tage Vorbereitungszeit in der Arena“, so Larsson weiter. „Die gesamte Show lief über Timecode und wurde von Nikolaj überwacht. Ich habe die Verfolger und Nebelmaschinen bedient und die gesamte Kinesys-Automatisierung gecallt.“ Wenn das Kinesys-System bei einigen Songs das Overhead-Rig absenkte, feuerten die JDCs auf dem Boden nach oben, wodurch ein dynamischer Effekt entstand.

 

Die JDC Lines wurden im Modus 3 SPix (68 Kanäle) betrieben. „Wir stehen gerade total auf Pixelmapping“, lacht Larsson. „Das JDC1 haben wir jedoch im normalen 23-Kanal-Modus betrieben. Ich verwende das JDC1 sehr gern im Normalmodus, da man mit den Makros und Effekten im 23-Kanal-Modus fast alles machen kann.“

 

(Fotos: GLP)

 

www.glp.de

 

Mehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in StockholmMehr als 100 GLP JDC1 intensivieren Ant Wans Rekordshow in Stockholm

Nearly 500 Martin Audio speakers help bring Tulleys Farm Christmas Light Festival to life

Based in Crawley, Sussex, Tulleys Farm turns into a seasonal theme park in the Autumn and Winter months. It’s then that they promote a programme of festivals and visitor attractions with “Shocktober” (developing into a Pumpkin Festival), now followed by a newly inaugurated Christmas Light Festival through its various woodland trails, occupying the month of December.

 

When Martin Audio partners SWG Events were brought in to create an integrated and immersive sound and light trail - part of an overall Christmas experience - it required around 400 of the manufacturer’s Adorn A55T series loudspeakers, spanning forty zones. SWG Events were introduced to handle the inaugural Christmas Light Festival, which occupies an entirely new trail through the woods.

 

Simon Purse, Head of Audio, says the installation is an extension of the Pumpkin Festival where Adorn speakers already featured. For the Christmas light trail, wooden fencing follows a pathway through the trees where the Adorn speakers, weather-protected by their IP kits, are festooned along the route. These are powered by a series of Martin Audio Via2004 and Via5004 amplifiers.

 

According to Purse, the 26 dedicated DX0.4 2-in/4-out network system processors also play a prominent role: “The client wanted to be able to control everything from a central position, and with the DX0.4s all on the same network we were able to use the Martin software in a single location. From here, any adjustments could be made to the sound remotely - and all 26 devices can be controlled from anywhere with access to our wireless network.”

 

“Of the forty different zones each might have a different track or require a different level - all fed and adjustable from that master control location over a Dante network”, he adds. In terms of security there is a live mic override which ducks the system in the event of an alert.

 

Since the experience needs to be constantly evolving in and out of different themes, SWG are also sending timecode down the same network to various locations, as the content, played out from a media server, works through different genres - from love songs, to classical, rock and disco - synced to the various areas that require programmed lighting. Projection video reinforcement is also tied into the show control. Leading the project for SWG Events is Dan Jenkins. “It’s very much Dan’s vision of system deployment and flexible control”, says Purse. “In fact it took eight of us a month to put everything in.”

 

However, it doesn’t end there: the trail opens out to a pair of large lakes which offer views of the lights, and alternate between different shows. To match this dynamic, SWG Events have beefed up the sound system, installing 48 Martin Audio Blackline X12 speakers. “Since the lightshows are more impactful it required a bit more SPL and low end”, says Purse. A further area provides a live band stage and lasers.

 

(Photos: Martin Audio)

 

www.martin-audio.com

 

Jonas Brothers’ engineers choose DirectOut solutions for worldwide tour

Jonas Brothers’ engineers choose DirectOut solutions for worldwide tour
Jonas Brothers’ engineers choose DirectOut solutions for worldwide tour

DirectOut’s Prodigy.MP has been selected for the Jonas Brothers’ “Five Albums. One Night.” world tour. Adam Robinson, Front of House engineer, along with systems engineer Cameron Manes, explain how they came to decide on Prodigy.MP for Jonas Brothers system and redundancy requirements.

 

“In the past we were using different system processors, but it felt like it was coloring our sound, so we wanted to look for a new solution that gave us the flexibility we were looking for without affecting the signal”, says Manes. “We needed a way to future-proof our system and respond to the growing demands of the production throughout the tour, but also retain the clarity we were looking for.”

 

Self-confessed geeks, both Robinson and Manes were excited by the opportunity to expand control of their audio system and were interested in the level of autonomy that DirectOut and Globcon offer. Hand-in-hand with long-term vendor partner Clair Global, their investigations have been a success. The rental company helped them try different cards. Manes is now using Globcon and a Stream Deck interface, to control multiple Prodigy devices and his playback system, as well as using the Prodigy.MP to control their Smaart acoustic test and measurement software.

 

“Prodigy has become my Smaart interface. I no longer have a separate Smaart computer and that means that I can route all my wireless mics wherever I want”, says Manes. “We’re running quite a few wireless mics for system measurement and tuning. With Prodigy I can route that to our Front of House console, which makes it visible to Adam at the console and on Smaart.”

 

When doing one-off performances or fly-ins, the team sometimes find the supplied sound system is not exactly what they were hoping for; there could be a little less energy in the front fills or stage thrust loudspeakers than they need. With Prodigy powering the system, Manes can send an extra feed via MADI to the Front of House (FOH) console which then gets passed on to the stage rack, where it can be split into additional powered speakers that can be placed exactly where required.

 

“We are using two additional Prodigy.MPs, one on either side of the stage”, continues Manes. “They send AES signals directly from the FOH Prodigy.MP into our d&b amplifiers. Should there be any issues, I also have the signal in analog. Our primary transport is AVB. A lot of manufacturers are integrating AVB into their products now, so we have transitioned to that format for our networking.”

 

With Globcon software, Robinson and Manes can view and edit any part of their system simultaneously. Manes’ interface layout displays only what he needs for the show ensuring a streamlined look, while Robinson’s screen shows just system EQ, as a reference. “Cameron has given me an ‘All’ page, so I can just make a quick EQ change to the whole system if needed”, says Robinson. “It’s great that we can both interact with the system, making changes at the same time, even to the same EQ. If I add a filter and Cameron adds a filter, we’ll both see them.”

 

“I’m the type of person that only wants to see the things that are relevant to me at any given time,” adds Manes. “With Globcon, you can create floating objects and configure a page where everything that’s relevant to you can be right at your fingertips. I have also integrated a Stream Deck for tactile control of my scripts.”

 

Manes has written scripts that send OSC commands to automate functions throughout the show, including switching from work-mode into being ready for the audience to enter. With a single push of a button on his Stream Deck, Manes can switch to the correct music playlist, start the audio, un-mute the correct loudspeakers in the system and bring music to the correct level with a gentle fade-up.

 

“My scripts are executed seamlessly”, concludes Manes. “When I first started playing with automation, I was a little apprehensive, but Prodigy has quickly become the most reliable part of the entire audio system. Whatever I ask it to do, it does it, and exactly how I want it to.”

 

(Photos: DirectOut GmbH)

 

www.directout.eu

 

Lighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4Wall

Lighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4Wall
Lighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4Wall

For the first time in its over 50-year history, the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” TV special, broadcast from New York’s Times Square, had an all IP rated lighting rig. This was the result of The Lighting Design Group adding the Chauvet Professional Colorado Solo Bar 6, supplied by 4Wall Entertainment, to its rig for the five-hour broadcast, which is watched by 18 million.

 

“Over the past handful of years, we’ve been slowly migrating our equipment to IP rated gear because of the sometimes terrible weather conditions that we deal with”, says The Lighting Design Group’s Mike Grabowski, project manager of the New Year’s Eve broadcast lighting. “The Solo Bars joined the other Chauvet IP units to complete the package.”

 

“With the show being live all those hours straight, we have limited opportunities for swap outs”, he continues. “I specifically do the broadcast stage, where the midnight countdown happens, as well as taking care of Ryan and his co-hosts as they run all over Times Square on the big night. There’s a lot happening, so we don’t want to have to worry about unreliable fixtures in the elements. This year was a prime example. We had rain during our setup day, but we didn’t have to worry about putting out fixtures. Additionally, we had several pretty gnarly storms that soaked us right as we went live and well into the show.”

 

Grabowski has been working NYE shows in Times Square for almost twenty years and can only think of “maybe two years when the weather wasn’t bad for at least part of it”. Weather concerns are often compounded by the tight setup schedule the production crew has in advance of the NYE show. “You can only shut down chunks of Times Square for so much time”, says Grabowski. “We are in the shop to prep right after Christmas, and then are out on site on the 28th. We try to get things setup on the 28th and 29th, allowing 30th for programming and rehearsal, but sometimes weather has a big say in that. We’ve had years where the 30th is projected to be absolutely awful weather, so rehearsals get pushed up and my team and I have to be nimble to roll with how things go.”

 

As for the new Colorado Solo Bar 6 fixtures, Grabowski says the 24-cell linear fixtures played a key role in the NYE broadcast, specifically in creating a bright, colorful backdrop. The fixtures also help focus attention on the on-air talent by blocking out distractive backgrounds. “We have about a dozen of the Colorado Solo Bar 6, landing right in that big background that you see as you watch Ryan and guests have the countdown to midnight”, says Grabowski.

 

“Our platform is about 12-feet in the air”, he furthers. “This means we have pretty extensive railings. Even if they’re pristine, these railings are not terribly interesting to look at. Add to that there are egress lanes left in the middle of Times Square for emergency responders and the production crew - and it can get pretty bland looking. We want to show the energy and the vibe of the event, not gaps in the crowd and streetlights. It’s a little visual sleight of hand to help the mayhem of energy translate to the viewer at home.”

 

The rig also featured a generous amount of Chauvet Professional’s Maverick Storm 4 Profile and Color Strike M fixtures among others, all supplied by 4Wall, led onsite by Drew DeCorleto and Tara France. “The Maverick and Color Strike fixtures were doing a wide range of things”, says Grabowski. “They were covering railing, hiding, and masking. Why put up tape and black fabric, when we can add to the energy with these fixtures! The Storm 4s are just big old beasties in terms of output. That’s the other end of things - we had a helicopter shot covering our show, so not only did we need the small picture to look bold and dynamic, but the entire overview as well. Having these fixtures has made life easier for me and my very wonderful team: veterans Joey Cartagena and Paul Braile, along with newcomers Sam Short, Jeremy Dominik, and Nyle Farmer, not to mention programmers Ryan Philip and Cypress Staelin.”

 

Sarah Jakubasz, a well-established lighting designer and Grabowski’s longtime collaborator and member of the NYE show team, who was instrumental in converting the NYE rig to all IP65 rated, could not see the completion of her vision as she passed away last year. “Sarah set me down this path of slowly getting this rig to an IP rated place”, shares Grabowski. “She was the one who, when we discussed going IP rated, pointed out that it wasn’t just the waterproof aspect of the IP rating that mattered so much, but also the temperature rating. There are some IP rated fixtures that are fine in rain - but we also deal with temperatures well below freezing and for extended periods.”

 

“As we discussed it, ‘heat sink’ rapidly becomes ‘cold sink’, and once you push a fixture below its operating threshold, it takes a long, long time for it to recover”, he adds. “Because of her insight, we’ve taken our time to migrate everything over to IP rated. We want new and pretty and interesting - but we also need it to work in what is sometimes fairly adverse conditions. Now we have all of this Chauvet Professional IP gear out, not just in wet conditions but also frigid conditions, and it’s all been pretty bulletproof.”

 

(Photos: Chauvet Professional/The Lighting Design Group)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

 

Lighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4WallLighting Design Group turns iconic Times Square NYE rig all IP with Chauvet and 4Wall

Esteban Tosta lights Maluma with Elation

Esteban Gil Arcila, professionally known as Esteban Tosta, has risen to become a well-recognized reference in the lighting design community of South America. Working alongside stars like Colombian singer Maluma, he turns to Elation’s new lighting technology to fulfill his clients’ vision.

 

At 38 years old, Tosta has travelled a path full of challenges and learning experiences, from small youth parties known as “minitecas” (mobile music and light events very popular in Colombia), to illuminating the world’s biggest stages for talent like Maluma. His relationship with the Elation brand goes back over a decade. He says that the influence of lighting technology is essential in his design process.

 

“Every show we imagine is tied to the type of equipment we use”, shares Tosta. “That’s why the constant innovation of brands, offering new equipment and fresh ideas, is key. This not only facilitates the design but also allows for testing and experimenting with new setups, which boosts confidence when integrating them into the riders.”

 

Early in his career, working for one of Medellín’s biggest production companies, Genesis Producciones, gave him the chance to work with international artists before eventually venturing out as a freelancer, which opened doors to new opportunities. One of the key moments in his career came when he began working with Maluma, who was just starting to rise to stardom at the time. As Maluma’s fame grew worldwide, Tosta became a key part of his team. Not only did he design the lights, but he also got involved in video, special effects, and even took on the role of general producer for a year.

 

“My focus has always been to make him look impeccable, both for those who see him up close and for those who see him on the screens”, explains Tosta whose collaboration with visual director Camilo Mejía has been essential to achieving the cohesion between the lights and the visuals displayed at each show.

 

For Maluma’s most recent show, Tosta chose a variety of Elation fixtures - Proteus Maximus, Proteus Excalibur, Proteus Rayzor 1960, Pulse Panel FX, Sol I Blinder, and Chorus Line 16. One particularly impactful moment during Maluma’s show came in the final stretch, when Tosta decided to maximize the power of the 100,000-lumen Pulse Panel FX. “This not only enhanced the atmosphere of the song but also created a play of shadows and shapes that highlighted the musicians and dancers on stage”, he says.

 

(Photos: Carlos Alvar/Elation)

 

www.elationlighting.com

 

Interpol’s “Antics” shows lit with Ayrton Cobra

NYC post-punk band Interpol concluded the penultimate leg of its world tour with five dates in the UK at the end of 2024. The tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s “Antics” album, which the band played in full. Ed Warren’s stripped back lighting design employed 21 Ayrton laser-sourced Cobra fixtures - Warren’s only moving lights - in what the LD terms an “extremely considered and precise” show.

 

“There was a lot of symmetry going on between all the elements, and paramount to the geometry of it all was to have clean straight beams emanating from above and below”, he explains. “Fifteen Cobras were flown on a staggered array of truss fingers over the band and six remained on the deck between and flanking the drummer and keyboard risers.”

 

“I chose Cobras because we needed a clean, crisp, bright, narrow beam for a number of key looks”, he continues. “We spot-lit the bandmembers, especially lead singer Paul Banks, from above with a single spot for many parts of the show. We also used the floor Cobras to backlight the band members and produce wide silhouettes which projected to the back of every room. I also chose Cobra for the mirrorball moments.”

 

Warren has worked with the band for fourteen years, and been a fan since their first single 22 years ago, so his feel for the design came naturally. “It’s hard to pinpoint what the concept for the ‘Antics’ tour was inspired by, as it just came together in an hour while I was on a flight in front of my computer”, he says. “The band’s music is so claustrophobic yet grand, it was pretty easy to complement.”

 

“I knew I wanted to use three projectors, I wanted it to be symmetrical, I wanted every song to be its own singular piece of art but I wanted the entire show to look as one”, he furthers. “I also wanted to limit myself as much as possible and create something from relatively nothing. Quite a few people were surprised we only had fifteen flown moving lights in venues such as Alexandra Palace and the LA Forum, but it worked.”

 

The Cobra fixtures were supplied by LCR as part of the minimalist lighting inventory. “LCR were great from the start”, notes Warren. “They were on hand for any questions and the technicians, George Milner and Matt Brown, were ace.” The operator and production manager was Christian Lincoln.

 

(Photos: Luke Dyson)

 

www.ayrton.eu

 

Events United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with Chauvet

Events United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with Chauvet
Events United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with Chauvet

There were many special moments at Boston’s 7,200-seat Agganis Arena on December 14, 2024, as Christmas came early for music fans with the arrival of Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball”. One that stood out for many was when the host performed the hit “Over My Head (Cable Car)” with The Fray, the rockers that made the song famous two decades ago.

 

Contributing to the special mood at the show was a production from the team at Events United, led by Project Manager/Systems Engineer Chase Clark. Rachael Fahey, Production Designer for the concert, describes how the fixtures were used: “When I design a show, I try to give our lighting designers a variety of tools to work, with”, she says. “Our Light Director, Meg Fiske, consistently does a great job working with these lighting rigs with amazing success.”

 

Playing a key role in making the show come alive were 82 Chauvet Professional fixtures from Events United’s own inventory, including 64 members of the Maverick family (MK2 Spot, MK2 Wash, Force 2 Profile, Storm 2 Beam, and Storm 1 Wash) ten Colorado PXL Bars, and sixteen Strike 4 wash-blinders.

 

Speaking of the fixtures in the rig, Fahey notes: “For this show we used Chauvet Strike 4, Storm 1 Wash, Storm 1 Beam and Force 2 Profile fixtures for audience light. The mixture of these fixtures gave Meg Fiske and the touring lighting designer for Teddy Swims the ability to use a variety of different colors and textures.”

 

Though their adroit fixture placement, the Events United team - which also included Stage Manager Joel Pelletier, Light Techs Ryan Lane and Zach Dafeldecker, as well as LED/Playback Tech Felipe Bida, along with Trifon Athnos on monitors and David Bickel on patching - created looks that struck a harmonious balance between power and intimacy.

 

Most of the lighting/video trim heights on the 60-foot wide by 40-foot deep stage varied between 20 and 25 feet. Fixtures on the upstage truss and two side structures were trimmed to frame the video wall. This design strategy created a “light-box effect”, focusing attention on the stage, while at the same time creating a warm, inviting glow throughout the venue. This mood was amplified by amber audience lighting.

 

“We had hanging upstage fixtures trimmed with everything further down stage slightly higher so the audience could see the entire lighting rig”, explains Fahey. “When a rig is trimmed like this, it not only gives the lighting fixtures a full range of motion, but really fills the room.”

 

(Photos: Pat Dunn/Events United/Messi Productions LLC)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

 

Events United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with ChauvetEvents United celebrates Teddy Swims’ “Deck The Hall Ball” with Chauvet

Netron nodes manage multi-faceted “Lysfald” light show at Fårup Sommerland

Fårup Sommerland is one of Denmark’s largest amusement parks. The park showcases a popular light festival each fall, “Lysfald”, which this time ran for sixteen days in October 2024 and attracted over 12,500 guests per day. Netron EN6 IP nodes, data distribution devices by Obsidian Control Systems, played a critical role in managing the large-scale, synchronized lighting display.

 

Fårup Sommerland is home to seven roller coasters and the country’s largest amusement park water park. Four years ago, in collaboration with AV solutions provider Profox, the park sought to extend its season into the fall by creating a new attraction - an immersive, park-wide light show. The result was “Lysfald”, a three-hour spectacle featuring an ambient lighting environment synced to music representing the four seasons of the year.

 

“We wanted to do something unique, and the idea emerged of turning the entire amusement park into a light show”, explains Jonas Storgaard Johannesen, technician at Profox. “There aren’t a lot of light festivals on this scale in Denmark and the challenge of covering such a large area - equivalent to 28 football fields - was daunting. We were looking for new nodes with more ports because it’s a vast area and we have everything spread out across the site. We talked to LiteNordic (Obsidian Control Systems’ Danish distributor) about a solution and were introduced to the Netron EN6 IP node. With its six ports and IP66 protection, it made the task simpler and gave us a robust, flexible lighting network.”

 

“Lysfald” is an enchanting experience where light, sound, and landscape merge to transform the park into a sensory adventure, using intelligent and static lighting to create dynamic effects that adapt to the seasonal narrative. Every area of the park offers a new experience. The first year with “Lysfald” was a challenge, says Storgaard Johannesen, but a challenge they embraced: “It is a big area, so we divided it up into smaller sections, each section a part of one large show. Then after year one, to make it more interesting, we started creating smaller light shows within the main show.”

 

The EN6 IP nodes were crucial to the lighting system. The six RDM-compatible ports on each unit enabled Profox to distribute DMX signals across the expansive park, all while withstanding Denmark’s often harsh autumn weather. “Having IP-rated devices was key”, says Storgaard Johannesen. “We didn’t have to worry about protecting the nodes from rain. We could place them exactly where they were needed and didn’t have to deal with long cable runs or protective dry boxes. That saved us time and resources. It also made everything more stable because we didn’t have to run DMX cable for 100 meters before we started to plug in the lamps, so the signal stayed strong.”

 

Throughout the festival, twelve EN6 IP nodes were used to control around 500 lights. “The ability to configure the EN6 IP nodes directly on the device, without needing a web interface, made setup quick”, adds Storgaard Johannesen. “We were able to set the IP address, Universes, and protocols right on the node.” Used for the main show and the smaller shows, Profox employed the Netron CLU software to streamline the configuration and monitoring of the entire system.

 

The EN6 IP nodes were also used to help take Fårup Sommerland’s roller coasters to the next level. Profox was tasked with making “Fønix” (Phoenix), Denmark’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, more entertaining after dark. Enhanced with a dynamic light show synchronized to the ride’s movements using sensors and time-coded lighting, the ride features a blinding burst of light followed by a 45-meter drop in total darkness. Profox also added lighting effects to the “Lynet” (Lightning) roller coaster, creating an experience with strobe lighting simulating lightning as the ride accelerates from 0 to 80 km in two seconds.

 

(Photos: Profox)

 

www.obsidiancontrol.com

www.elationlighting.com

 

Alain Corthout powers versatility at Los 40 Music Awards with ChamSys

The 19th edition of the annual Los 40 Music Awards was held in November 2024 at the largest indoor arena in Spain, the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. With seventeen internationally acclaimed artists performing forty songs, the ceremony celebrated every facet of Latin and urban music. Los 40 served as a telethon, partnering with The Red Cross to raise money for those affected by the 2024 Spanish floods.

 

Designer Alain Corthout with help from operator Timothy Demets supported the various dimensions of Los 40 by serving up a range of  lighting looks for the music of performers like Rauw Alejandro, Ana Mena, Lola Indigo, and Teddy Swims. Corthout and Demets used the ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console when creating this flow of diverse looks for the sellout crowd at Palau Sant Jordi and the millions watching broadcasts of the global event.

 

Giving Corthout and Demets greater flexibility in running the Los 40 Music Awards show was their console’s Replace Palettes feature, which worked in combination with the filter options in the Cue and Cue Stack. The Multi Console + Visualiser settings also increased efficiency by allowing one person to program cues, while another did presets. Among the most critical features of MagicQ MQ500M at Los 40 was the console’s MVR Import + Plot.

 

(Photos: Antonio Calvo)

 

www.chamsysusa.com

 

SeeSound calls on Wisycom for theater applications

SeeSound calls on Wisycom for theater applications
SeeSound calls on Wisycom for theater applications

Since 2004, SeeSound has offered professional solutions in the audiovisual market. The Barcelona-based provider often turns to a variety of RF solutions from Wisycom, including the MRK16 Ultra-wideband Wireless Receiver System, MCR54 Four-channel True Diversity Wireless Microphone Receivers, MPR50 Wideband IEM Receivers and MTP60 Multiband Bodypack Transmitters.

 

For the theatrical touring productions of “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Producers”, SeeSound deployed the Wisycom solutions mentioned above, in combination with the brand’s SPL2208 Wideband Active Antenna Combiner/Splitter. Javier G. Isequilla, Sound Designer, SeeSound, deploys the system with DPA Microphones’ 6060 Subminiature Lavalier Microphones.

 

“Using the Wisycom gear, we are able to deliver all audio on a single data cable”, he says. “For ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ specifically, we deployed a total of sixteen receiver systems along with forty receivers. We chose Wisycom because we are able to deploy just one single rack unit for this large system.”

 

“The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Producers” had showings throughout Italy and Spain, in a variety of theaters averaging 1,200 spectators per show. “The Phantom of the Opera” was performed at Rossetti Theater in Triestre, Italy; Albeniz Theater in Madrid, Spain; Arcimboldi Theater in Milan, Italy; and Salle Garnier, a casino theater in Montecarlo, Monaco. Additionally, “The Producers” was shown at Tivoli Theater in Barcelona and Alcala Theater in Madrid.

 

“The system configuration does not change with Wisycom - you only have to do frequency calculations in each new place”, says Isequilla. “As the working band is 470 Mhz to 694 Mhz, which is quite wide, it is easy to integrate the number of frequencies required for each show.”

 

(Photos: SeeSound/Wisycom)

 

www.wisycom.com

 

Allen & Heath bei „The Grand Jam“ in Frankfurt mit rund 1.000 Musikern und über 200 Kanälen als Mischzentrale im Einsatz

Beim Live-Projekt „The Grand Jam“ mit 232 Inputs von rund 1.000 Hobby- und semiprofessionellen Musikern verwenden die Tontechniker Mischpulte und Stageboxen von Allen & Heath. Insgesamt kommen vier Mischpulte zum Einsatz: drei dLive S5000 und ein dLive S7000, außerdem als Stageboxen drei MixRack DM48, ein MixRack DM64, fünf GX4816, zehn DX168 sowie ein DX012 Expander.

 

Alle dLive-Pulte und Stageboxen sind in ein Dante-Netzwerk eingebunden. Trotz der hohen Anzahl an Verbindungen und einem aufwendigen Routing verliefen die Events im Frankfurter Stadion Deutsche Bank Park sowie die Auftaktveranstaltung im Dresdener Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion laut Veranstalter reibungslos. Die gesamte Audio-Planung erstellte FOH-Techniker Richard Redl in Zusammenarbeit mit Jens Heuser, Inhaber von Music & Lights, dem technischen Generalausstatter der Veranstaltung. Um bei der Vielzahl an Mikrofonkanälen den Überblick zu behalten, teilen sich vier Tontechniker auf.

 

An einem dLive-S5000-Pult von Allen & Heath verwaltet FOH-Techniker Michael Tischler insgesamt 122 Instrumenten-Kanäle, darunter Schlagzeug, Bass, zwei Gitarrengruppen, Keyboards, Streicher und Bläser. Drei Drumsets werden für den Live-Mix komplett abgenommen. Ähnliches gilt für Bass, Gitarren und Keyboards, wobei vor jeder Instrumentengruppe vier bis sechs Kondensatormikrofone aufgebaut sind, über die die Instrumente zusätzlich als Chor abgenommen werden.

 

Diese Spuren spielen für das parallel laufende Recording eine essenzielle Rolle, um den charakteristischen Gesamtsound von hunderten Musikern einzufangen. Für den Live-Sound werden sie nicht benötigt, da bereits das akustische Signal der Musiker das Stadion mit einem kräftigen Grundsound füllt. Streicher und Bläser werden in größerer Zahl mit Clip-Mikrofonen abgenommen. Für jede Instrumentengruppe erstellt Tischler einen Stereomix - in Summe werden sieben Stereomixe an seinen Kollegen Richard Redl weitergeleitet.

 

Nikolaus Schweiger, ebenfalls FOH-Techniker, erstellt an einer dLive-S5000-Konsole aus 110 Mikrofonkanälen von rund 500 Sängerinnen und Sängern einen Vocal-Mix. Etwa dreißig Vokalisten performen dazu vor einem eigenen Mikrofon, während die übrigen in kleinen Gruppen in Mikrofone singen. Von diesen Mikrofonen werden mittels Y-Kabel jeweils zwei bis drei zu einem Kanal zusammengefasst.

 

Schweiger stellt während der Probe EQ und Kompressor für die einzelnen Kanäle. Die Kanalpegel korrigiert er über das gesamte Konzert hinweg, denn nicht allen Sängerinnen und Sängern ist es möglich, über zwei Stunden alle Songs gleichmäßig laut zu performen. Außerdem achtet Schweiger auf ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis von Frauen- und Männergesang. Den summierten Vocal-Mix schickt er an Richard Redl weiter. Zusätzlich sind vierzehn Kondensatormikrofone zu Aufnahmezwecken ins Publikum gerichtet, um die Stimmung im Stadion einzufangen.

 

Redl erstellt an einem dLive-S7000-Mischpult aus insgesamt 36 Kanälen - einem Stereokanal pro Live-Instrumentengruppe, die Live-Stereo-Vocals und als Backup acht vorproduzierte Stereo-Spuren aus einem Qlab-System - den finalen Mix. Das Prinzip, nach dem Redl und seine Kollegen verfahren, kann theoretisch beliebig skaliert werden und wird lediglich von den logistischen Kapazitäten des Stadions beschränkt.

 

An einer weiteren dLive-S5000-Mischkonsole von Allen & Heath ist Felix Zwerger für den Monitorsound zuständig, wobei die Musiker der verschiedenen Instrumentengruppen jeweils einen vorproduzierten Stem hören, nicht aber das Live-Signal. Diese kommen ebenfalls wie der Klick aus der Qlab-Session vom FOH. Lediglich die Streicher bekommen zur besseren Eigenresonanz zusätzlich ihr Live-Signal beigemischt. Die Signale werden den Musikern über ein Silent-Disco-Kopfhörersystem ausgespielt.

 

Etwas anders verhält es sich bei den Instrumenten-Coaches, die jeweils eine Instrumentengruppe betreuen: Sie hören den Live-Monitoring-Mix über ein In-Ear-Monitoring-System, um den Live-Sound ihrer Instrumentengruppe besser beurteilen zu können. Ein weiterer Monitorweg wird für eine Tanzgruppe genutzt, die ebenfalls im Stadion zur Musik performt. Für die 16-köpfige Vorband Joker, Popup Club aus Österreich kamen weitere zwölf Monitorkanäle hinzu, die über ein In-Ear-Monitoring-System ausgespielt wurden.

 

Bei „The Grand Jam“ kommen insgesamt fünf verschiedene Stageboxen von Allen & Heath zum Einsatz. Alle drei dLive-S5000-Konsolen sind mit GigaAce-Karten ausgestattet, über die Signale zu den MixRack-GX48-Stageboxen übertragen werden. Die Verbindung zwischen MixRack und den dLive-Pulten erfolgt aufgrund der weiten Strecken im Stadion über Glasfaserkabel und ist redundant aufgebaut.

 

Michael Tischler nutzt zum Mischen von 122 Instrumenten-Kanälen an seinem dLive S5000 ein MixRack DM48, das nicht nur als Stagebox dient, sondern auch die eigentliche Mixeinheit enthält, die über das dLive-S5000-Pult gesteuert wird. Erweitert werden die Eingänge um zwei GX4816 und vier DX168-Stageboxen, die als Stagesnake angeschlossen sind. Das dLive S5000, über das Nikolaus Schweiger 110 Vocal-Kanäle mischt, besteht aus einem ähnlichen Setup mit einem MixRack DM48, einem GX4816 und sechs DX168 als Stagesnake.

 

Weniger physische Eingänge benötigt Richard Redl am dLive-S7000-Pult: Er nutzt ein MixRack DM48 mit 48 Eingängen, an dem diverse Kommunikationsleitungen zu einem Ü-Wagen sowie Intercom-Kanäle zur internen Kommunikation im Team angeschlossen sind; die acht Live-Stereokanäle werden hingegen über Dante in das Pult eingespeist. Außerdem sind an seinem dLive-Pult die zwei Computer angeschlossen, über die alle vorproduzierten Stems ausgespielt werden. Diese werden über MIDI vom dLive getriggert. Über den verwendeten Audio-Expander DX012 von Allen & Heath wird über die AES-Digitalausgänge die Stadion-PA angesteuert.

 

(Fotos: Allen & Heath/Audio-Technica)

 

www.audio-technica.com

www.allen-heath.com

 

EAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park Live

EAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park Live
EAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park Live

Pacific Coast Entertainment (PCE), live event production company and AV equipment provider in Southern California, recently provided a sound system to the newly opened Great Park Live outdoor venue in Irvine, using Anya Adaptive loudspeakers from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW). Tom Pappanduros, production manager at PCE, led the installation of the system.

 

Nestled within the park’s picturesque setting, Great Park Live offers an entertainment experience for guests of all ages. This venue has been so successful that the city of Irvine will continue to invest in a permanent amphitheater, set to open in 2027. Great Park Live offers a unique acoustic challenge, though. “The venue is situated in the middle of neighborhoods”, says Pappanduros. “We needed a sound system with enough control to ensure an excellent audience experience while minimizing sound bleed into the surrounding community. We chose EAW’s Anya rig, which proved crucial in meeting these demands.”

 

The custom EAW sound system consists of 24 Anya boxes, twelve per side, and 24 Otto subwoofers in a centralized cluster. “The combination of these speakers allowed PCE to modify the sound based on the needs of the variety of events held at Great Park Live”, adds Pappanduros. “We’ve worked through about seven different configurations for the low-end, focusing on energy control to maximize the venue’s space while minimizing disruption to nearby homes, and the end result offers the ideal balance.”

 

One of the Anya system’s features is Adaptive Technology. “During one event, city officials noticed higher-than-allowed noise levels in the surrounding neighborhoods. Thanks to the Anya’s advanced control features, we quickly reduced the area’s effective size from 300 feet to 180 feet, lowering the decibel levels without disturbing the concert experience”, reports Pappanduros.

 

(Photos: Eastern Acoustic Works/Pacific Coast Entertainment)

 

www.eaw.com

 

EAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park LiveEAW Adaptive PA system installed at Great Park Live

Brian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet Professional

Brian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet Professional
Brian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet Professional

New Hampshire-based lighting designer Brian Courchine, the LD at the Northland Music and Arts Festival, recently designed the lightshow for a sold out Pink Talking Fish concert at Infinity Hall in Hartford. Pink Talking Fish combines the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish, each evoking a different aura - and each lending itself to a different palette. Adding a little extra spice to this particular evening was the healthy serving of Beatles songs thrown into the set.

 

Following the music with his color rendering skills, Courchine immersed each song in hues that fit the sounds. “I try make a distinction between the three musical acts in the Pink Talking Fish show”, he explains. “Talking Heads is usually a more straight forward vibe. Although this band does jam out these songs, the palette I choose will stick within boundaries. On the other hand, Pink Floyd tunes can be a roller coaster. Some of their more epic songs can range anywhere from a single solo spot to an explosive, fill-the-room-with-bright-beautiful-gobos types of looks.”

 

“Then again, they also have straight up rock’n’roll songs like ‘Young Lust’, where I stick with the same vibe throughout”, continued Courchine. “With the Phish tunes I pretty much go on auto pilot. I’ve seen Chris Kuroda do lights for Phish so many times, I just think, ‘What would Chris Kuroda do if he still only had sixteen movers?’. The night in question also included a good amount of Beatles songs which I tried to keep a unified palette. Also, I realize everything I just said can fly out the window in the moment.”

 

Courchine utilized 32 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures to create his multi-hued show. He had eight R1 Spots and eight R1 Washes in his floor package to complement the eight R2 Spot and eight R1 Wash units in the venue’s house rig. “All my spots and washes usually end up in a line upstage”, says Courchine. “I try to keep them away from the backdrop for situations when I want to project gobos back on it. It’s helpful that PTF sets up across the downstage area, so I am never fighting for space.”

 

Courchine used the lighting fixtures in his rig to create a richly textured background of colorful aerial gobo patterns. “I’m not a big fan of video. I don’t want to choose the distinct image or feeling that an audience member is going to associate with a specific song”, he explains. “That being said, I have seen it done very, very well.”

 

“I definitely use the backdrop sparingly. The song attached to the picture with the backdrop lit was ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ by The Beatles”, he concludes. “It’s one of the more psychedelic songs I know by them, so I was going for that old-school oil projection look by just swirling a few different gobos with a prism.”

 

(Photos: Chauvet Professional)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

 

Brian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet ProfessionalBrian Courchine colorizes Pink Talking Fish with Chauvet Professional

CTC Events realisiert Jubiläums-Veranstaltungen der GWW Wiesbaden

CTC Events realisiert Jubiläums-Veranstaltungen der GWW Wiesbaden

CTC Events hat für die Wiesbadener Wohnbaugesellschaft GWW zwei Veranstaltungen anlässlich des 75-jährigen Jubiläums der GWW realisiert. Das Jubiläumsjahr startete mit einer Auftaktveranstaltung vor der Hauptverwaltung, an der rund 200 Mitarbeiter teilnahmen.

 

Geschäftsführer Thomas Keller eröffnete die Veranstaltung mit einer chronologisch aufgebauten Ansprache, die die Geschichte der GWW in Form eines Comics lebendig werden ließ. Die Zeichnungen dazu fertigte ein regional ansässiger Künstler im Auftrag von CTC Events an. Unter Begleitung einer Marching Band und Trommelwirbeln wurden Fahnen mit dem Jubiläumslogo vor dem Unternehmenssitz gehisst.

 

Am 13. September 2024 folgte eine exklusive Feier im Schloss Biebrich. Rund 400 Gäste, darunter Mitarbeiter, Geschäftspartner der GWW und Vertreter der Stadt Wiesbaden, genossen in den Räumlichkeiten des Schlosses und der Parkanlage ein Programm aus Musik, Show und interaktiven Aktionen. Die WISAG bot an verschiedenen Food-Ständen eine kulinarische Zeitreise an: von 1950er-Jahre-Klassikern wie Wackelpudding bis hin zu einer Insektenverkostung als Blick in die Zukunft.

 

Auch die Inszenierung der Dekoration und des Bühnenprogramms stellte sich als Zeitreise durch die Jahrzehnte dar. Kammermusik, Swing der 1950er-Jahre und Tanzmusik aus unterschiedlichen Epochen boten emotionale Anknüpfungspunkte für das Publikum. Durch den Abend führten die Radiomoderatoren Daniel Franzen und Leni Eckstein. Die Comic-Zeichnungen zur GWW-Geschichte wurden während des Events zugunsten des DesWos-Projektes „El Salvador“ versteigert.

 

(Foto: GWW)

 

www.ctc-events.de

 

Ed Warren serves up dramatic looks for The Last Dinner Party with ChamSys

Ed Warren designed the lighting for British glam rock/art rock quintet The Last Dinner Party’s recent European tour. The show featured a backdrop adorned with a crescent moon and velvety clouds. It was hand painted by artists Beth Quinton, then scanned and digitally printed on to cloth with a definition so fine that it looks like a highly textured hand painted work.

 

Warren accented this backdrop with a variety of lighting effects that shaded the image it projected. At other times, he blocked it out altogether with outpourings of light. “Just because a backdrop is there doesn’t mean you need to light it the whole time”, he observes. “A blackout moment is good to change the dynamics and stage depth within the show. Then when the backdrop is lit again next time it pops even more.”

 

Warren programmed his design on various ChamSys setups, mostly at his studio on his MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console. “Sometimes, I programmed at other show venues where I had a desk in front of me with a bit of spare time, as well as on long haul flights on my laptop”, he shares.

 

Franki McDade was running Warren’s show live on tour using the ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console. She states that the Group Cues feature of her console were particularly important on the tour, as there were four variations of the rig for different sized venues.

 

Before this tour, McDade hadn’t worked with a ChamSys console in quite some time. “Everyone at ChamSys was really supportive in getting Franki back into the swing of things”, says Warren. “Early on, I sent her the show file and Visualiser in advance for her to get her head into things. Then a couple of days before the tour started, she spent two days at ChamSys in Southampton where they set everything up for her and walked her through all the new features such as Group Cues, FX Palettes and the Timeline.”

 

“Given the theatrical nature of the band, spotlighting played a big role in the show”, adds Warren. “The lead singer (Abigal Morris) rarely stays in one place, so it’s important to pick her out wherever she is.”

 

(Photos: Luke Dyson)

 

www.chamsysusa.com

 

Datum Creative and Elation Pulse Bar pay tribute to NYC skyline at We Belong Here

We Belong Here has been uniting EDM lovers on Miami’s Virginia Key Beach for the past three years and has now hosted their first-ever festival experience in New York City amid Central Park’s greenery and panoramic skyline views. Held October 4-6 at historic Wollman Rink, design collective Datum Creative created an immersive 360-degree experience for festival-goers, including a visual tribute to the city’s skyline using Elation Pulse Bar strobe and effect lights.

 

The We Belong Here festival, known for its “no video” policy, provided Datum Creative the opportunity to design a stage that was as visually impactful as the panoramic views surrounding it. On the southern end of Central Park, the lighting and production team utilized a series of 26 staggered truss towers lined with Pulse Bars to mimic the verticality of New York’s skyline.

 

Datum Creative wanted to do more than simply mirror the surrounding high-rises. “We didn’t want to just copy the skyline, but rather give it a nod”, says David Singleton, Creative Director at Datum Creative. “We’re based in New York, so we often went on-site with pen and paper to sketch out designs - that’s how it was originally conceived.”

 

With performances by headliners Kaskade, Fisher, and Monolink, along with other acts, the event’s signature 360° stage allowed attendees to encircle the stage and immerse themselves in the festival’s atmosphere. “You’re not just looking at the stage all the time but moving through the space”, says Singleton. “We created a truss circle system with custom 40-ft diameter roof that organizers will now use on all We Belong Here shows.” Gracing the circle truss were Elation Proteus Maximus and Proteus Rayzor 760 fixtures.

 

“Our approach was all about creating something dynamic that could work both day and night”, adds Singleton. “You’re not going to see any beams until it is dark, so we thought of how we could do something interesting visually that would also work during the day. That’s where the Pulse Bars came into play. We ran effects pixel for pixel, using about 78 universes to create layers of effects that were visible throughout the day and into the night.”

 

The staggered heights of the truss towers (the tallest at 24 feet), filled with Pulse Bars, wrapped around the stage in a 180-degree array that followed the natural shape of the rink itself. “Their versatility - whether used as blinders, strobes, or simple background lighting - was key to maintaining the aesthetic of the show throughout the entire day.”

 

In collaboration with Technical Arts Group (TAG), the lighting vendor for the project, Datum Creative used 120 Pulse BarS, both long and short versions, to achieve their vision. The gear’s IP65 rating ensured that all lighting fixtures could withstand outdoor elements, a crucial factor given the event’s rain-or-shine policy. TAG provided all production materials for the show, including the sound, lighting, staging, and structure, along with all lead department staff.

 

“With only sixty hours from trucks unloading to the first guest entering the venue, we needed to make sure we had a 24-hour team of leadership there getting things built and completed quickly and efficiently”, states TAG owner Kevin Mignone. “Our team spent weeks leading up to the show in prep and pre-production, fine-tuning every detail of the schedule and gear to ensure the deployment could happen within the timeframe we had.”

 

The Proteus Maximus units served as workhorse beam fixtures with gobos and were placed in various locations around the site to create layered visuals. The Proteus Rayzor 760 fixtures were used primarily as keylights and to define the circle truss, all run in pixel mode to generate eye-candy looks throughout the event.

 

“We’re always thinking outside the box with multi-layered and multi-dimensional designs”, says Singleton. “The Maximus and Rayzor 760 gave us the flexibility to achieve both symmetrical and asymmetrical looks. It’s important to give lighting designers something different to work with, and the variety we created on this stage made it a really fun project.” Datum’s Brandon Jeffries served as the on-site lead, while Renzo Cubus took charge as the lead programmer, handling the majority of the show’s lighting operation.

 

(Photos: Datum Creative)

 

www.datumcreative.com

www.elationlighting.com

www.taglive.com

 

Dora Showtechnik deploys XTA MX36 console switcher at Oktoberfest in Munich

The largest folk festival in the world, the 189th edition of the Oktoberfest, took place recently on the Theresienwiese in Munich. Across the event’s sixteen day duration, more than six million guests visited the site. Germering-based event production specialists Dora Showtechnik handled the audio for the festival’s Paulaner Festzelt venue - where two bands alternate throughout the day - and this year deployed the XTA MX36 console switcher to simplify their workflow.

 

Dominik Hähnel of distributor S.E.A. Vertrieb & Consulting GmbH had drawn Dora Showtechnik’s attention to the MX36: “Dora Showtechnik is a longtime customer of ours and during a conversation with their team about making elements of live projects more efficient, it quickly became clear that the MX36 could make a significant difference to their workflow for this and many other projects”, he says.

 

“At this year’s festival, for the first time, the bands in the Paulaner Festzelt tent used their own mixing consoles, enabling each front of house engineer a separate direct connection to the PA and the comfort of using a familiar mixing setup”, continues Hähnel. “The MX36 also allowed them to connect other essential signals to the PA, including evacuation microphones and media players.”

 

(Fotos: Maximilian Kuhn/Dora Showtechnik/S.E.A./XTA)

 

www.dora-showtechnik.de

www.sea-distribution.com

www.xta.co.uk

 

Manuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-Klang

Manuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-Klang
Manuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-Klang

During German band The BossHoss’ summer tour, sound engineer Manuel Knigge benefitted from immersive mixes via the DMI-Klang expansion card, installed in their DiGiCo SD12 console, to improve in-ear monitoring.

 

“Summer tours can involve a lot of different styles of venue, one night we would be in a field, the next a tent”, says Knigge. “Before using Klang, we had to work really hard to get the mixes right for every space. We would make adjustments at soundcheck, but then the audience would come in and change the acoustics, so inevitably I would have to spend the first couple of songs each night perfecting the mix, only to have it completely change the night after. It was pretty full on.”

 

A regular user of Klang with his other clients, Knigge had explained to the band that Klang would be the way forward for their IEM mixes, but when the opportunity to use  DMI-Klang with their SD12 finally came around, there was no pre-production rehearsal, “just a day of prep at Clair Global’s Berlin facility”, he notes. “Luckily, I had the multi-track recordings from last year, so I could make a rough 3D panned mix, just to give them a little more space in the mix. I just went for it during our first soundcheck. As soon as they started playing, their faces lifted to look straight at me. After the first song the band turned to me and said, ‘Whatever you did, don’t touch anything!’”

 

“From a playing perspective, the best show was the first one because they were all excited about the change and they loved it”, continues Knigge. “The band joked that they no longer needed a soundcheck because nothing needed changing and, by the end of the tour, they actually started ditching soundcheck!”

 

The FPGA architecture of DMI-Klang enables sixteen immersive in-ear mixes, with 64 channels available per mix, so it was a natural progression to offer the unused mixes to the crew. By the end of the tour, Knigge had control of ten musician mixes, a cue mix, a stage technician, three backliners and one guest mix that was used by the Pyrotechnic technician when not in use for guests.

 

(Photos: Manuel Knigge/DiGiCo/Klang)

 

www.digico.biz

www.klang.com

 

Manuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-KlangManuel Knigge improves in-ear monitoring for The BossHoss with DMI-Klang

Martin Dudley connects UB40 to fans with help from Chauvet Professional

Lighting designer Martin Dudley, owner of Martin’s Lights Ltd, chose Chauvet Professional’s Strike 4 blinders and Rogue R2X Washes for the just-concluded 8-city UK leg of UB40’s international “Red Red Wine” tour.

 

“The Strike 4s were on the front truss as good old-fashioned crowd blinders, and the Rogue R2X washes were in three sets of four fixtures on the floor, one set behind each band riser”, reports Dudley. “As everyone knows, there’s a lot of crowd participation in a UB40 show, so the blinders helped the audience become part of things, in addition to helping the band see who they were singing to.”

 

“On this tour, the Rogue washes did a lot of traditional ACL-style looks from the floor”, he continues. “With the Rogues, we were able to do the crowd washing in different colors, and beam widths, as well as with movement, which helped us reflect the energy of the show.”

 

Dudley arranged his rig to ensure that fans had clear sight of the band regardless of where they were sitting. “We had a video screen that is 4.5 m (14.8 feet) tall and its lower edge sat just above head height for practical reasons”, he says. “So, the lighting trusses were trimmed just above the top of the screen - around 6.5 m (21.3 feet) for the back truss and a little higher for the mid truss. The front truss was as high as we could reasonably get it to be, because we did not want it blocking anybody’s view of the stage, even if they were in the furthest away and highest seats.”

 

Also, engendering the sense of intimacy between the band and its fans was the clean look of the stage. There were no scenic pieces and minimal fixtures on the stage deck. Most of the floor lighting, as well as the ChamSys console used to run the show, taken from Martin’s Lights’ own inventory, were behind the risers.

 

“The only lights in front of the risers were six moving spots, all tucked away where they didn’t cause any problems”, adds Dudley.  “There are a lot of band members and several of them were frequently moving between the stage and the risers. So, we didn’t want to put any trip hazards in the way.”

 

Limiting the fixtures on the stage deck, Dudley created much of the visual excitement from his flown rig, which was supplied by Liverpool’s Adlib. “The excellent team of Will Sutcliffe and Tim Eastham from Adlib were doing a fantastic job looking after the lights”, says Dudley. “We were also lucky to have Nick Jackson looking after the video screen, and I had my long-term colleague Chris Davey from Touring Electrics Ltd setting up the floor lights.”

 

After the UK leg of the “Red Red Wine” tour, this team is now off on an 8-city EU run, which began November 26 in Luxembourg and ends in Berlin December 4.

 

(Photos: Richard Purvis/RJP Photography UK)

 

www.chauvetprofessional.com

 

Coda Audio CiRay bei Rheingrün Open Air im Einsatz

Coda Audio CiRay bei Rheingrün Open Air im Einsatz
Coda Audio CiRay bei Rheingrün Open Air im Einsatz

Das Rheingrün Open Air verzeichnete bei seiner elften Auflage am 14. September 2024 einen neuen Besucherrekord. Bei dem Techno- und Electro-Festival am Rheinstrandbad Rappenwört in Karlsruhe setzte MKM Event Show Technik GmbH in diesem Jahr erstmals das kompakte Doppel-10-Zoll-3-Wege-Line-Array-System CiRay von Coda Audio ein.

 

Auf das erhöhte Besucheraufkommen reagierte MKM mit einem erweiterten Beschallungssystem: Das Main-Hang bestand aus sechzehn CiRay 90° und acht CiRay 120°. Den Outfill-Bereich übernahmen zwei Hops8 (2-Wege-Point-Source), für das Nearfill waren achtzehn Komponenten des 2-Wege-Ultrakompakt-Line-Array-Systems TiRay zuständig. Das Tiefton-Segment, bei Techno und Electro ein dominierender Frequenzbereich, deckten 21 SCP-Sensor-Controlled-Subwoofer ab. Delay: 8 x ViRay-3-Wege-Doppel-8-Zoll-Line-Array-System 80° plus 4 x ViRay 120°. Monitoring: 6 x ViRay 80° plus 2 x SCP-Sensor-Controlled-Subwoofer. Amping: 4 x Linus-T-Rack-12-Kanal-Systemverstärker-Rack plus 2 x Linus-M-Rack-4-Kanal-Systemverstärker-Rack.

 

Die in einem Zelt untergebrachte „Stage 2“, bei der ebenfalls Coda-Audio-Systeme zum Einsatz kamen, musste kurz vor Showbeginn „aufgrund verschiedener Begebenheiten“, wie es Systemtechniker Daniel Vollrath ausdrückt, von der Stirnseite auf die Längsseite verschoben werden. Vorteil: „So konnten wir getrost auf eine Delay-Line verzichten“, sagt Vollrath. Folgendes Setup wurde für die Zelt-Shows gewählt: 4 x G715-Pro-3-Wege-Multifunktionslautsprecher, 4 x G712-Pro-3-Wege-Multifunktionslautsprecher, 3 x SCP, 10 x SCV-F-Sensor-Controlled-Subwoofer. Monitoring: 2 x Cue-One-3-Wege-Bühnenmonitor, 2 x SCV-F, 3 x Linus-M-Rack und 1 x Linus-10C-4-Kanal-Systemverstärker.

 

MKM verantwortete als Generaldienstleister den Bühnenbau sowie die Licht- und Tonproduktion. Das von Kai Hanstein geführte Unternehmen nutzt seit 2019 Equipment von Coda Audio.

 

(Fotos: Daniel Vollrath)

 

www.codaaudio.com

www.mkm-event.de

www.rheingruen-openair.de

 

Mathias Kuhn lights Creed shows with Robe

Floridian hard rock band Creed’s “Summer of 99” and “Are You Ready?” tours this year were among the fastest selling rock shows in the USA. The production design was created by Mathias Kuhn and included eighty Robe moving lights and LED fixtures - 36 MegaPointes, thirty BMFL Spots, four BMFL FollowSpots, ten Footsie2 LED footlights, and four RoboSpot remote follow systems - all supplied by rental company Bandit Lites out of Nashville.

 

The initial summer tour played a mix of arenas, theatres and amphitheaters with 10K to 36K capacities and the most recent leg stepped up to arenas, including Madison Square Garden, which were all sold out. Kuhn is based in Hamburg, Germany, and brings his style and aesthetic to a lot of rock and metal bands, a genre he loves and that offers plenty of scope for imagination and dramatic lighting.

 

Kuhn talked to the band after being asked onboard, who revealed that they liked the idea of a circular halo-like shape being associated with the stage look. Kuhn took this as a stylistic starting point, basing the essential trussing architecture around two circles, a main 41-ft diameter sphere that defined the space, in conjunction with a smaller 21-ft diameter “supporting” circle flown inside the big one. Both were scalable to deal with different sized venues.

 

The fragmented LED screens were part of the look Kuhn crafted to avoid the “big TV” syndrome, complete with ladder trusses loaded with fixtures in between to further break it up and enhance the depth of the performance area. He controlled the screen outputs via his Resolume video server, triggered by the lighting desk, which ensured there could be a mix of playback content and IMAG footage from seven cameras.

 

Robe MegaPointes are consistently Kuhn’s first choice of moving light. “They are the first piece of kit that goes on the plot”, he says. Eighteen units were rigged on ladders in between LED screens at the left and right upstage corners of the rig, hung vertically in a line of nine each side, with the other 18 deployed on the floor on rolling Tyler GT truss, located directly underneath the LED screens.

 

BMFLs were chosen as workhorse fixtures. Eighteen units were rigged on the downstage half of the large circle, with four on each side of the stage on subs to extend the overall stage look. Four standard BMFL Spots were also part of the follow spotting system together with four BMFL FollowSpots (with the integral camera).

 

It was Kuhn’s first time out with the Footsies, which were used to assist key lighting, running in combination with the four-way RoboSpot system controlling the eight BMFLs. They were rigged four per side on two small truss sections flown downstage left and right. Having the follow spots at this very steep angle to the stage ensured they had a neat trajectory and minimized unsightly spillage.

 

Also on the rig were some other hard-edged fixtures, strobes, blinders and FX units with LED floodlights on the large halo, plus a few wash lights on the floor - Kuhn is not a fan of wash lights in conventional contexts. Different shades, textures and variations of white dominated the show, making it raw and contrasty, with color mainly introduced via the video content. Kuhn’s personal presence is generally to avoid distracting gawdy or “candy colored” scenes and keep it stark with the focus on the band and music.

 

The principal idea was to keep the band front and center of the action and at the epicenter of the picture. “It’s a live rock show, not a YouTube stream”, says Kuhn. Video content was commissioned by Creed and delivered by Wayne Joyner and Dave Letelier with a lot of discussion between them and Kuhn as it was imperative for the two medias to dovetail. “They did a great job”, says Kuhn. Content was shaped for each song, leaving enough black and dark spaces for him to mix and apply IMAG feeds and effects as he felt appropriate.

 

Kuhn set up, programmed lighting and ran the show for half of the first leg of the “Summer of 99” tour before leaving due to other commitments, with lighting crew member Brian Bogovic operating for the remaining dates. Bandit’s lighting crew chief was Cheyan DeBrower who was joined by Haley Elliott and Lucas Gamez, with Kenneth Ackermann working as video crew chief for this department which had equipment supplied by PRG.

 

(Photos: Chuck Brueckmann/Mark Scherer)

 

www.robe.cz

 

Adlib supplies Coda Audio VCA system for Aurora European tour

Norwegian singer/songwriter/producer Aurora recently completed a European tour which included a mixed itinerary of arena and theatre shows ranging in capacity from Brussels’ 8,000-seater arena Forest National to Edinburgh’s 2,200 Usher Hall. In total, the tour reached over 60,000 fans across the three-week period. Event production specialist Adlib provided audio and video for the tour.

 

“We deployed a Coda Audio system at the request of Aurora’s Front of House Engineer Paul Inge Vikingstad”, says Adlib Account Manager Craig Hamilton. The requirement for a scalable solution was achieved through a combination of Coda’s VCA “family” of ViRay, CiRay and AiRay line arrays with SCP and SC2 subs, supplemented by units from Coda’s Hops (high output point source) and Aps (arrayable point source) ranges.

 

In addition to Vikingstad, the touring audio team also included Adlib’s Billy Bryson, who assumed the role of a Systems Engineer, and freelancer Keiran Lowrie, who served as an Audio Technician for the tour. “In its largest configuration, the system comprised twelve AiRays and four ViRays in the main hang, with six SC2 sensor-controlled bass extensions flown behind, to allow us to steer the low-frequency pattern to suit the geometry of each venue”, says Bryson, who was responsible for system design and calibration.

 

“Additionally, side hangs of up to twelve CiRays per side were deployed”, he continues. A centre hang of three Aps flown from the front lighting truss ensured the desired coverage. “Subs were on four touring carts of three SCPs each, with one on either side also including two Aps as outfill”, details Bryson. “The subs were deployed left and right in an end-fired configuration to retain the best possible tonality and impact, with four single SCPs in the centre to fill in for the nearfield. Hops8 were utilised across the downstage edge to complement the centre hang and keep the image feeling natural.”

 

“Carrying a mix of AiRay and CiRay allowed for scalability between the arenas in mainland Europe and the theatre shows in the UK”, he concludes. “The lightweight nature of the CiRay made it perfect for split systems in theatres such as Edinburgh’s Usher Hall where three hangs were flown from the house advance truss to cover the hard-to-hit upper balcony.”

 

(Photos: Adlib/Coda Audio)

 

www.codaaudio.com