Lighting designer and console operator Nicklas Dam, from rental and production company Explosion Danmark Light and Sound APS, is an Avolites user and fan.
Explosion has also been a long-term investor in the UK-based lighting control manufacturer, and in 2022, purchased an Avolites D9 console – currently the largest in Avo’s “D” series range of consoles – which was added to their existing inventory of Avolites consoles which includes Sapphire, Tiger Touch II, and Titan Mobile, making Explosion among the largest Avo rental houses in the country. The company was founded by Henrik Larsen in 1999.
Nicklas, who is a full-time employee at Explosion, has been using the D9 ever since the purchase in 2022 for multiple projects including numerous festivals and some high-profile sporting events which are a core area of business. Nicklas observes that Avo consoles are being utilised “increasingly” in Denmark. His own Avolites journey began 6 or so years ago, after being introduced to the system by a friend who lent him his console, which proved to be a complete revelation to him!
“After getting to know it over about 3 weeks, I realised what a brilliant tool it was,” he commented, adding, “I was able to establish my own workflow, and this made a massive difference to how quickly and efficiently I could program a show with different levels of complexity!”
He liked it so much that when the time came to return the console to his friend, he decided to purchase his own!
This then led to his first freelancing job at Explosion as they needed an Avo programmer for a project, which then turned into a regular stream of work, and he started working with more Avolites consoles. His favourite features include the graphical interface.
“Everything you need to see is right there in front of you, and in all the right places,” he noted, declaring that it is “easily THE best busking console on the market” and therefore ideal for multi-artist shows and festivals where house crews will invariably run lights for any artists who don’t have their own LD or operator touring.
He also appreciates Avo’s “state-of-the-art” build quality. “It just feels great to have your hands on an Avo console, especially something like the D9. The hardware is rock solid!” He also finds the software smart and intuitive, and appreciates the Key Frame Shapes function, a “very powerful” asset for creating dynamic shapes and effects and something he uses daily.
He and the rest of the Explosion team are looking forward to receiving their new Avolites D7-215 that has been ordered from Light Partner, Avo’s Danish distributor. Nicklas thinks that the D7 range is an “exciting addition to the console line up, and to have it available in such an “ultimately portable package” is fantastic.
Explosion’s work covers touring, live events, concerts, festivals and many sporting fixtures as well as looking after a string of venues as a ‘preferred technical supplier’, and they are definitely a company to watch on the ever-vibrant Danish production scene.
More information on the website Avolites
