In November’2018, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, performed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, South Australia. It was the first ever use of L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound in the southern hemisphere and took audiences even deeper into the magical world while the symphony orchestra performed the entire score live to picture.
L-ISA was deployed by leading Australian technical production company Novatech, which has been using L-Acoustic systems for events of all sizes and scope around Australia, from music festivals to live concerts and corporate events, for over a decade. A keen innovator and early adopter of creative event technology, the company has always endeavoured to improve the experience for guests and artists alike and has invested heavily into new technology over the years.
L-ISA : ground-breaking technology
When L-ISA was released, Novatech looked for opportunities to use the ground-breaking technology in Australia. The search quickly focused onto one of its long-time partners, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, which has gained a reputation for outstanding contribution to the world of music and, with the nature of the entertainment perfectly matching the application of L-ISA, was a natural fit. “With L-Acoustics being the backbone of our audio inventory, we were excited by the introduction of L-ISA and we were keen to bring it to Australia for a live performance,” remarks Novatech’s Production Manager, James Sacca. “It seemed fitting to partner with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for this Southern Hemisphere first. As always, L-Acoustics was professional to deal with and extremely supportive as we planned this technically complex event.”
The L-ISA set up included 126 input channels and 96 L-ISA objects and used an L-ISA Wide design solution, deploying a total of 84 L-Acoustics Kara cabinets in seven hangs of 12 Kara, each spaced above the performing zone to provide source separation and localization, two extension speaker groups of 12 Kiva II and two flown subwoofer arrays of four SB28 in and end fire configuration in the centre. The monitor system comprised ten X15 HiQ cabinets and eight X8. Control was via a DiGiCo SD10 mixing console at front of house and an AVID S6L at monitors, connected via three Optocore optical loops.
Charles Gagnon, who mixed the show, made adjustments to the soundscape using the L-ISA Controller software to address the processor and create the soundscape for static information such as object panning, source width, distance, etc., based on input channels bussed from the SD10. Gagnon found the L-ISA Controller software intuitive, with a well-designed GUI that made it easy for him to quickly make broad adjustments to the soundscape. “I was pleased with the result, especially with dialogue clarity and localisation, and overall clarity and coherence of the soundstage,” he says. “It was a great experience and I would most definitely like to use it again.”
“Intrigued, but not surprised”
“I have long been a fan of so-called surround sound and immersive audio,” says Gagnon. “I’ve done numerous recordings and broadcasts in ‘traditional’ 5.0/5.1 surround and have been involved in experimental immersive audio projects going back to the early 2000s. Advances in processing power and algorithms now make object-based systems practical so I am intrigued, but not surprised, about the emergence of these systems in the competitive live sound market.”
“Novatech works closely with us as our technology partner to bring the sounds of the orchestra to audiences both small and large,” comments Vince Ciccarello, CEO of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. “We were thrilled and excited to learn of the new L-ISA technology that would more faithfully engage our artists with the audience and are proud to be a part of this collaboration with Novatech and L-Acoustics.”
“As we roll out our L-ISA technology, we look to trusted partners around the globe who have the drive and creative vision to innovate alongside us,” concludes L-Acoustics Regional Sales Manager, Tim McCall. “Novatech has a history of always embracing new technologies to bring a little extra to its shows. Combining this passion and experience with a full symphony orchestra and L-ISA Hyperreal Sound brought a more natural and vibrant experience to the audiences of Australia for the first time. Congratulations Adelaide, you’ve made history!”
Volt Lites, Inc. of Burbank, California has taken delivery of a complement of Ayrton Ghibli™ and Mistral™TC fixtures, expanding its lighting roster with its first-ever Ayrton purchases. Ayrton is exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Lighting, Inc. Helmed by co-founders Harrison Lippman and Matthew Shimamoto, Volt Lites is a lighting production shop for the greater LA rental community and a wider national clientele.
“Both the Ghibli and Mistral-TC are exquisite LED profiles that hit all the marks and complement each other,” says Lippman. “The Ayrton line has really impressed us, and we’re excited to get the new fixtures into our clients’ hands: Volt Lites is one of the first companies to offer Mistral-TC in the US. The fact that ACT Lighting added Ayrton to their line card means we’ve been able to add Ayrton fixtures to our inventory.”
New workhorse
Ghibli is Ayrton’s first LED spot luminaire with a factory-equipped framing system. Ghibli delivers a light output of 23,000 lumens in a highly compact format. Its proprietary optical system produces an extremely uniform fat beam with no hot spot. Ghibli’s selection of gobos and colours was made in collaboration with lighting designers to meet the needs of the entertainment industry.
Shimamoto sees Ghibli as “a new workhorse for our growing line of spot and profile fixtures. The Ghibli produces bright vivid colours, has a flat, even field for key light and razor sharp optics for mid-air projection. This allows for the light to play a variety of roles. I also love how quiet they are for our more sensitive environments.”
The Ghibli’s factory-equipped framing system is another plus, according to Lippman. “Clients have come to expect shuttering capabilities, and it’s very challenging when a fixture does not offer framing shutters.”
Mistral-TC is a new versatile and fully-equipped LED spot luminaire designed for applications requiring perfect colour reproduction. The ultra-compact fixture has an entirely new LED module using a monochromatic light source calibrated at 7,000K with a native colour rendering index greater than 90 and extremely high TM30 readings, which enables Mistral-TC to produce more than 14,000 lumens. Its optics achieve an extremely uniform flat beam that can render images perfectly in all conditions and at any beam angle.
He finds Mistral-TC to be “a superior, compact LED profile with a very similar range of functions as its big brother, the Ghibli. I like the form factor, the output and the light quality as well as its close-to-silent operation.”
“They are the perfect solution for our clients’ needs when a small, light-weight, high-output fixture body is required,” adds Shimamoto.
Both fixtures have already been in demand by Volt Lite customers. “The Ghiblis are very popular for film, commercials and live television while the Mistral-TCs are starting to go out on all types of live events and corporate projects,” Lippman reports.
More information on Ghibli™ and Mistral™-TC and Ayrton’s extensive portfolio of LED fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu
PRG Germany have wasted little time in adding large quantities of GLP’s new impression S350 next generation LED moving head to its hire fleet in a deal which will see them taking a minimum of 100 of the fixtures on stock. Some of the units were immediately commandeered by leading LD Jerry Appelt for use on the second MTV Unplugged appearance by rock musician, Udo Lindenberg.
Unparalleled feature-set
The impression S350 profile light offers an unparalleled feature-set in the mid-sized fixture category. This includes unique controllability, a very high colour rendering, a full four-blade framing system with rotating gate and near silent operation. A comfortable optic zoom from 8°- 47° provides an even and flat field with a considerable light output of up to 7.500 lm, with less than a 15% drop in output within the zoom range. But that’s not all. Other features include GLP’s signature ‘baseless design’, an 8-facet prism, a dual frost filter, and a 0-90° positionable animation wheel. This versatility makes the impression S350 the perfect tool for the wide variety of shows and events supplied by PRG and PRG customers.
Product training
GLP product manager Michael Feldmann and key account manager Oliver Schwendke had already conducted a product training following delivery of the first tranche of 40 units.
Schwendke welcomed the fact that PRG Germany now has the equipment in stock: “We are proud to have supplied such a significant number of units to PRG Germany and to have them as an early adopter,” he said. “The impression S350 offers just the kind of package they need, given the broad range of productions that they service.”
Feldmann added: “We believe that the impression S350 with its high colour rendering, framing unit, form factor and weight, offers the perfect package to our customers.”
Meyer Sound has introduced the USW™-210P Compact Narrow Subwoofer, a self-powered loudspeaker providing robust forceful low-frequency reproduction in a slender form factor that is ideally suited to space-restricted installations or very small performance stages. The dual 10-inch driver configuration produces greater output than typical single 12-inch designs, making the USW-210P a preferred alternative wherever convincing bass power must be combined with minimal cabinet width and depth.
Meyer USW-210P Sub
”We created it for a customer who wanted superior, full-range music reproduction in retail outlets,” says Pablo Espinosa, Meyer Sound’s vice president & chief loudspeaker designer. ”Because their architect and interior designer had limited the dimensions allowed for loudspeakers, we made USW-210P to fit the space. It exceeded all performance expectations and we decided to make it available in our product line.”
The USW-210P has an operating frequency range of 30 Hz to 140 Hz with a conservatively rated linear peak SPL of 126 dB free field at 1 m using pink noise. The long, slender bass reflex cabinet employs the same port design as Meyer Sound’s flagship 1100-LFC low frequency control element for high efficiency and low port distortion. Cabinet dimensions are 41.33 inches (1,049.78 mm) high, 12.0 inches (304.8 mm) wide and 12.0 inches (304.8 mm) deep. A slanted connector panel allows mounting flush to a wall surface with cables connected. Weight is 56.0 lbs (24.6 kg).
The USW-210P cabinet houses a two channel Class D power amplifierwith dedicated onboard processing including crossover, driver protection, and frequency and phase correction. The built-in crossover accepts full-range signals, facilitating daisy-chain system configurations for signal distribution, and eliminating the need for external crossovers in smaller systems. The Intelligent AC™ power supply provides automatic voltage selection, EMI filtering, soft current turn-on, and surge suppression.
Meyer Sound USW-210P
The optional RMS™ remote monitoring system module provides comprehensive monitoring of loudspeaker parameters from a Mac® or Windows®-based computer running Compass® control software via the RMServer interface. Optional XLR 5-pin connectors allow the use of composite cables for carrying both balanced audio and RMS signals.
The USW-210P cabinet is constructed of premium birch plywood and is coated with a durable, black textured finish. A stamped steel grille protects the drivers. Options include Meyer Sound weather protection and custom color finishes for specific cosmetic requirements. The USW-210P is supplied standard with M8 mounting points at top and bottom. In addition to horizontal placement, the USW-210P also may be mounted free-standing in a vertical orientation (connectors at top or bottom) using an optional aluminum base plate. A U-bracket for wall or ceiling mounting also is available as an option.
The versatile USW-210P integrates easily with Meyer Sound full-range loudspeaker systems, including CAL™ and UltraSeries™ loudspeakers. Applications include retail and hospitality installations, theatrical sound reinforcement, houses of worship, conference rooms, high-end home theatre and corporate AV systems.
The Queen of Country Pop’s “Shania Now” 2018 world tour is using a large complement of Claypaky Mythos2 and Scenius Unico fixtures to enhance the show’s dazzling visual palette. “Shania Now” takes multi-Grammy winner Shania Twain across North America and to South America and Europe this fall before culminating in a swing through Oceania prior to Christmas. Twain has sold over 100 million records making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and among the best-selling music artists of all time. Last year she released her fifth studio album and her first in 15 years, entitled “Now.”
Workhorse of the lighting rig
The production features 48 Claypaky Mythos2 and 80 Scenius Unico fixtures. “The Unicos are the main workhorse of the lighting rig: They provide key light, back light and floor lighting,” explains Creative Director and Production Designer Rob Sinclair. “The Mythos2 are hung on upstage torms and side ‘cakes’ to provide fill and big-picture looks during the show.” He notes that the lighting design for the tour “needed to be big, flexible and rectilinear to match the video cubes,” which comprise the core of the show’s visual canvas. Five 12-foot moving video cubes, covered with a total of 18 LED surfaces, continually reconfigure and recombine during the show to create an ever-changing environment for Twain, the band and the dancers. “It was hugely complex to rehearse as the stage reconfigures for every song.”
Sinclair adds that, “we also needed key lights that could reliably and sympathetically light Shania for camera. The Unico is my favorite light at the moment. It’s bright, has an even field, is easily corrected and has great optics.” Lighting Director Michael Straun uses a light meter on the key lights every day “to ensure we always have the same brightness and color temperature. On the whole I only need to tweek them slightly.” He likes that the Unicos offer “lots of options within the one unit. We are able to use the framing blades for a couple of songs, and they remain consistent every day.”
Upstaging supplied the lights and consoles for the tour. Joel Eriksson is the Production Manager for the tour and Chris Connor is the Tour Manager. ACT Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky lighting in North America. Francesco Romagnoli, Claypaky Area Manager for North and Latin America, added, “Shania Twain always puts on a great show and we’re proud to be a part of this tour as well as many in the past.”
JB Lighting has been able to combine small format and design.
First presentation of the P7 first occurred at Prolight+Sound 2016 exhibition, the Varyscan P7 won the PIPA (Prolight+Sound International Press Award). It must be said that this German brand has upped its game to offer the market an attractive LED fixture. Size (58 cm), weight (17 kg), power consumption and price: everything about this new spot has been reduced. We’ll try it out and see if the power, features and quality are all there. The first advantage of this spot is that it benefits from the know-how and experience of JB Lighting, a manufacturer whose products are entirely made in Germany and, against all expectations, are rather aggressively priced.
The silhouette of this new spot is sleek. The combination of curves and lines is harmonious and the measurements nicely proportioned. On the face of the base are the display and five keys. The two keys on the right are used to enter the menu and confirm the options, while the two on the left are for navigation. The center key inverts the display. Direct access to this function is a good idea, but its central position is quite tricky when scrolling through and activating functions. The menu is comprehensive. Among other things, there are three cooling modes that allow you to adapt the light output and ventilation noise to your needs. There are also two dimmer curves, as well as three camera modes: 50 Hz, 60 Hz and “Flex”. It is also possible to create an internal sequence, either by recording a DMX signal or by programming directly on the projector. The menu shows that the DMX input is either wired or wireless, thanks to the factory-integration “JB Lighting Wireless” receiver.
Playing with a screwdriver in the test room :
[private]
Connections: Power and DMX in/out.
The connection panel on the opposite side of the base features the mains input on one side and its throughput link on the other, using Neutrik PowerCON connectors. Of course, with a maximum power absorption of 380 VA, this spot leaves plenty of power for other sources. In the center are four XLR sockets for the DMX signal, two male, two female in 3- and 5-pin connectors. A ring is placed on one of the sides to attach the safety cable. This is one of the best positions, because it is accessible regardless of the position of the projector and, even when it is installed, the safety cable doesn’t get in the way.
Moving up towards the head, we get to the yoke, which is protected by two covers, each of which is held in place by four Torx screws. On one side is the tilt drive system with the sprockets, the belt and the tensioning roller. On the other side are the cable conduits from the base to the head and the control board for the pan and tilt motors.
For the tilt, a proven system.
On the other side, the pan motor, cable conduit and the control board for the pan and tilt motors.
A removable plate on the back of the head allows for quick cleaning of the dust filter.
To discover what’s inside the head of the P7, one simply has to remove the two covers, held on by three Phillips screws.
The circuit board in the head manages all the parameters (except pan and tilt).
On one side is the single circuit board that manages all the parameters – an interesting choice that makes production more efficient and simplifies maintenance, but which may generate a higher cost in case of the failure of a single component. On the other side is access to the effects hardware.
Starting from the light source – a 270 W matrix of white LEDs – the first removable module that you come to carries the CMY filter flags. The second removable module contains the color wheel and the two gobo wheels. The iris is also here. Of course, being able to remove this module makes it easier to change the wheels. Another interesting detail is that, while more and more wheels with interchangeable fixed gobos are being replaced by a disc with the gobos cut into it, in the P7 even the fixed gobos are interchangeable and they are all the same size, so it is very simple to interchange them between the wheels. Since the two elements are installed on rails, assembly and disassembly are very simple. The empty space left when both modules are removed is also quite useful when cleaning the fixture, especially the zoom. The last part of the optical chain is fixed and contains the zoom and focus, as well as the frost and rotating prism.
Near the output end: zoom, focus, prism and frost.
The effect hardware side is convenient and well organized.
The second module houses the color wheel, the gobo wheels and the iris.
The cyan, magenta and yellow flags of the color mixing system, each fixed to an aluminum plate to balance the motors, thus optimizing speed and precision.
A view of the LED matrix and the two fans of the cooling system. The original 8000K color temperature of the LED engine is lowered to 6500K at the projector light output.
The other side of this module: five motors and the iris.
The rear of the fixture can be removed easily. Here, one finds the two huge heat-sinks, cooled by fans placed on each side of the source LEDs. This solution, combining active and passive methods, allows the source and the inside of the head to be cooled by creating two air flows.
The heat-sinks in charge of dissipating the heat emitted by the LED array.
Let’s measure it!
To test the efficiency of the cooling system of an LED fixture, we always start with the derating measurement.
JB Ligthing has mastered the cooling of LED sources indeed.
With the fixture positioned 5 m from the target, we turn it on at full power. We take a reading of the illumination at the center with the fixture started up cold, T0, then at 30 s, which serves as the maximum reference value, and then every 5 min until the light output is stable. From this, the time of stabilization of the luminous flux at full power is deduced as well as its minimum value when hot. The P7 has three levels of cooling: Standard, Silent and High Power. We choose the Standard mode. In less than 10 minutes, the illumination stabilizes with only a 4.5% attenuation.
Narrow beam.
At the minimum zoom, after derating, the center illuminance reached 31,600 lux (33,060 lux at cold start).
The luminous flux calculated from this is 7300 lumens (7640 lm when cold). A higher light concentration is observed on the first two rings, which intensifies the effect of the power of the beam. Note that the tightest zoom setting is 8.5°.
20° beam.
With the zoom set for a beam divergence of 20°, our standard setting for comparison, we measured 8930 lux at the center with the fixture hot (9340 lux cold). From our calculations, we obtain a luminous flux of 9730 lm (10,180 lm when cold).
Wide beam.
The widest zoom setting corresponds to a beam angle of 48°, which is exactly the value quoted by the manufacturer. In the center, we measure 1,592 lux (1,665 lux when cold) and a luminous flux of 9,730 lm (10,180 lm when cold) is calculated. The intensity curve is fairly regular and always shows the maximum intensity on the first four rings, or a diameter of 80 cm, like all the hybrid fixtures on the market.
We also plotted the two dimmer curves – Linear and Square Law – that this fixture offers. The progression of the intensity is perfectly mastered.
Let there be light
We flip through the menu to choose one of the three DMX modes: 26, 31 or 24 parameters. Mode 2 is selected to control the color mixing and the rotation of the gobos at 16 bit resolution. No need to get the feel for this classic fixture, we get directly into it! It’s always a pleasure to start with a good dimmer and the P7 is very clean, as we saw from the measurements. It responds instantly in cut from bumps or blackouts, either with manual or automated timing for smooth transitions or more groovy effects. Like the dimmer, the shutter is completely virtual but with equally high performance. Besides On/Off and classic or random strobes, the parameter has several other interesting effects such as pulsation and cut/fade mixes.
Watch our own Soundlightup video presentation of the fixture to discover the main features.
For color, there are two options available: either the color wheel, with eight interchangeable filters, or CMY mixing. Personally, I prefer to program my own color libraries in order to make any transition between two colors or to be able to modify the hue if I change fixture type. But sometimes the color wheel is really useful, either to have a precise hue (to match with a logo) or a color outside of the range of the CMY color space. The color mixing is well managed and the transitions between the hues are clean at fast or at slow speeds.
The color palette is one of the most interesting on this type of fixture, offering a wide range from saturated tones to very fine pastels and, even if the fixture is not equipped with a progressive corrector, it is easy to get a CTB with a touch of cyan or a CTO with a touch of yellow and a hint of magenta.
A nice range of uniform colors.
The size and weight of this projector are major assets when it comes to movement. We timed a 180° displacement at 1.16 seconds in pan and tilt, and the test of the diagonal movement was a simple formality for the P7. It is equally at ease with all movements, whether fast, slow or even very slow: the pan and tilt remain accurate and extremely effective. This is an essential point for a spot.
Another essential point for this type of fixture is obviously the choice of gobos. The P7 is equipped with two gobo wheels: one equipped with nine fixed gobos, and a wheel of six indexed, rotating gobos. Strangely enough, for once I find the original gobo palette well thought out. It has a comprehensive selection that can be used for the majority of applications. There are textures and aerials, round and square, wide and fine, metal and glass… with these, you can create a multitude of looks, while avoiding returning too often to the same patterns.
Watch JB Lighting’s video presentation of the fixture to see the precision and speed of the indexing of the gobos.
To multiply the image, the P7 has a 3-facet prism with indexed rotation. A macro parameter, along with a velocity parameter, provides quick access to combinations of the gobo wheels and prism.
Some examples of the gobos.
The timeless and always effective cone effect.
The available gobos.
Another parameter with surprising speed is the zoom. It can very quickly traverse its entire range, thus offering another tool to designers for energizing atmospheres. As we saw in our measurements, there is a hot spot, no matter what the beam angle, and without a gobo we also notice stray light on the outside of the beam. At the widest zoom setting, one also notices a fairly uneven brightness around the perimeter of the field. When the zoom is fully tightened, the aperture can still be reduced using the iris. Again, a pleasant surprise, we arrive at the extreme end of the range of the iris to find a very, very fine beam. This parameter also has a series of macros that allow you to have useful effects quickly programmed and at your fingertips. And finally, the fairly light frost can be used to erase the edges and homogenize the center of the beam. It is also useful for creating less defined color fields.
And there was light.
Keeping in mind the quality and price of the P7, one can quickly understand that this fixture embodies an excellent value for the money. The luminous output is really very good and, if you add the size and weight, as well as the quality of the features, you get a great combination. It is also an entirely German-made product and the quality of the design and construction are a guarantee of high reliability. The fixture is well thought out, has an attractive design, and will become indispensable in many situations. The P7 is a good spot to use as a back light to dress up a scene with beams, energize atmospheres or decorate a space with gobos. Its features are reactive and effective but they also know how to work with gentleness. The P7 should have a bright future and bring JB Lighting to the forefront in French productions!
Over the years, Ibiza’s storied venues and their associated parties have achieved mythic status among the initiated, and one of the White Isle’s most infamous hotspots, DC10, recently celebrated its 28th birthday, as well as marking two decades since the introduction of its keystone event, Circoloco. In order to properly acknowledge this momentous double anniversary, owners and co-founder of DC10 and Circoloco, Andrea Pelino and Antonio Carbonaro, gave the green light to a large-scale overhaul of the venue’s already impressive audio setup.
New installation for three main areas
The new installation was set to encompass three main areas of the club – including their individual DJ booths – and required a major system architecture redesign. This vision became a reality thanks to a number of key relationships; and resulted in a comprehensive and professional audio system for the club – driven by a substantial backbone of Powersoft amplifiers.
Valerio Cherubini, owner and founder of project integrator, Loud Professional, explained: “For the last few years we have been extensively testing Powersoft gear, especially the X Series, and have had our best ever results. The optimisation of the system installed at DC10 became more precise thanks to the amplifiers’ fidelity and to the great potential of Armonía for truly detailed and smooth sound reproduction – we’ve never heard anything like it! This is why we decided to it was imperative to have Powersoft by our side.”
The massive amplifier inventory previously installed at DC10 (which has been in place for the past six years) was substituted for 20 of Powersoft’s powerful and energy-efficient X8 units. “It was an important investment for the future of this venue,” said Cherubini. “The club owners trust our professionalism thanks to a long period of collaboration, so they gave us free rein to decide – and we only ever ask to have the best!”
They deliver something truly unique to the audience
“Powersoft and Armonía are often behind the best the Loud Professional performances, as they deliver something truly unique to the audience,” he continued. “Thanks to the amplifiers’ power and the fast transient response from the speakers, the audio at DC10 now packs an unrivalled punch. We also achieved a flat and smooth frequency response due to the precise Armonia presets, which made all the three installations extremely pleasant.”
Club owner Pelino agreed: “The systems have performed so well everywhere in the club. The amplifiers are really powerful and able to deliver a great amount of well-defined low frequencies, as well as the finest medium-high frequency response, to give a crystal-clear sound without ever causing listener fatigue. We strive to create comfortable rooms where you can listen to the music and I believe that’s what we have done with this upgrade.”
Creating mythic audio
The ambitious project required an elite international team, which was comprised of George Stavro, director of Sonic Lab Audio USA / Integral Sound, Christophe Chappelle (also from Sonic Lab Audio) and Loud Professional Italy’s Cherubini, Fosco Cicola, Michele Azzimonti and David Mandaradoni. There was also a local in-house team that comprised of Pedro Comesaña and Adil Jaabak, who provided additional assistance and were responsible for the day-to-day operation of the sound systems throughout the season.
It was Stavro who was originally approached by the club’s owners to design new sound systems for the all three rooms. He began: “On the first site visit, I was introduced to the team from Loud Professional Italy, who had an existing relationship with the venue. It was requested that I worked with them, but only if they were able to provide the speaker products that met my performance specifications. They did not have any speakers in their product line that did – so they offered to build some new ones.”
Loud worked closely with Stavro on the new speakers, taking time to focus on presets that would help to achieve the desired results. “Once we were both happy with the acoustic and electrical performance of the speakers, we auditioned them for the club owners,” said Stavro. “They were extremely happy with the results, so we designed systems that included these speakers for all three rooms.”
KEY TO THE INSTALL
As Cherubini alluded to previously, Loud’s relationship with Powersoft was also key to the install. Stavro explained: “Power density and control was so important, as we required a lot of channels. Loud already had a great relationship with Powersoft and their X Series amplifiers were chosen as priority on the project. The company’s Armonia software was also a fundamental tool during the intensive research and development phase.”
In the main room at DC10, the new system was designed with an L/C/R configuration consisting of 4 x Loud Professional Formula F215’s, 4 x Loud Professional VH Sub121Hs, 8 x Loud Professional VH Sub118Rs and 4 x Loud Professional VH F15’s; while the DJ Booth is rigged with 4 x Loud Professional VH F15’s and 2 Loud Professional VH Sub118Rs. It takes 5 Powersoft X8’s to drive this configuration, with a pair of Xta DP448 audio management systems and a Cisco Router also in place.
On the terrace, the main system, again in L/C/R configuration, is made up of 8 x Loud Professional Formula F215’s and 10 x Loud Professional Formula F221’s, with the DJ booth housing a similar setup to the main room, consisting of 4 x Loud Professional VH F15’s and 2 Loud Professional VH Sub218Rs. This setup requires 7 x Powersoft X8’s, as well as two Xta DP44801’s and a Cisco Router.
Finally, in the garden area, the main system consisted of 6 x Loud Professional Formula F215’s and 4 x Loud Professional VH Sub218Hs, with two delays – a larger L/C/R configuration consisting of 4 x Loud Professional VH Layer112H+EMDs and 4 x Loud Professional VH Sub218Rs; and a smaller L/R setup made up of 4 x Loud Professional VH Layer112H+EMDs. While the garden DJ booth rig was identical to that on the terrace, the system required 8 x Powersoft X8’s, 2 x Xta DP448’s and a Cisco Router.
Stavro gave further detail: “The final layout shares some resemblance to the original design as far as some of the speaker locations were concerned, given that the architecture of the rooms remained the same. The relocation of the air conditioning ducting in the terrace allowed for better speaker placement, which aided the immersive coverage that we aimed to achieve. Sub arrays were also moved to distribute the low frequencies more evenly throughout the spaces. We made good use of Armonía to design all three of the systems, using the software mainly for the wiring system and configuring all of the DSP and racks in advance.”
Despite the crack team assembled and the quality of the new kit, the install was not without its hurdles. “The rooms provided more challenges than we would have liked,” explained Stavro. “The roofs of both the rooms had reached their weight limits, so additional reinforcement had to be installed to handle the weight of the new sound systems. Elsewhere, the cavities for the sub bass speakers in the terrace were moved and enlarged to allow a better configuration. Speaker positions were also relocated in the main room to provide better and more even coverage.”
Further still, the team had to build an additional rigging structure in the patio area to handle the increased weight of the main arrays, as well as an additional delay sub position to reinforce sub bass towards the back of the space. Stavro added: “Most countries in Europe have introduced stricter voice level limits for entertainment venues and this venue was no exception. Our designs included more speakers distributed throughout the spaces to work with these requirements by having speaker sources closer to the patrons.”
FUTUREPROOFING AN ICON
With the installation complete, this tightly knit team was able to sit back and reflect on a successful collaboration. Stavro’s first impressions of Loud echoed this sentiment: “I found the team at Loud to be very knowledgeable, extremely flexible and very nimble when it came time to design new speakers that were never part of their product outline; delivering some great speakers that met our performance criteria. On top of their professional expertise, their entire operation was super friendly, warm and personable. This was the first collaboration between Sonic Lab Audio and Loud Professional and the start of what we hope to be a long relationship.”
“I strongly believe that is our best club installation,” Cherubini exclaimed. “Everyone is already speaking so well about it and about the new Loud Pro Formula Series. We achieved exactly what we promised to George at the beginning of this process, and his experience in managing sound systems expressly dedicated to ‘club culture’ proved to be fundamental.”
“In the past we met a lot of sound engineers and system integrators – but no one like George! His point of view was the key. For the first time, Sonic Lab Audio and Loud Professional came together – along with the unwavering support of Powersoft and their product specialist department – and DC10 is the amazing result.”
DC10 owner Andrea Pelino added: “In my opinion, this is the best installation we have had at DC10. Everybody seems to agree, from DJs and producers, to promoters, booking agencies and visitors. We did it for all of them, ensuring that the sound quality is at its best and guaranteeing the maximum comfort.”
The last word though, must go to DJ / producer Seth Troxler – a regular at DC10 and one of the most authoritative voices when it comes to appraising the teamwork between these audio heavyweights. He said: “The collaboration has been definitive in changing the sound of the club. There is a precision and pressure now that allows me the definition I need to play my music to the best of my ability. Circoloco is a canvas for me and this sound has come to define how I able to paint.”
Philips Vari-Lite powerful new intelligent effects luminaire, the VL10 BeamWash, is delivering a dynamic performance for the current European tour by popular British singer-songwriter, Tom Odell. Lighting designer Joe Beardsmore is among the first lighting designers in the world to use the VL10 BeamWash on a touring show.
With a set ranging from gentle, solo ballads to big, high energy rock numbers, he looked for lighting fixtures capable of producing endless effects versatility. The VL10 BeamWash delivers this, along with the brightness, beam quality and color palette typical of the Vari-Lite brand. “The VL10 honestly blew me away,” he says. “Tom trusts me to complement his show with my best design ideas,” says Beardsmore, who has worked with Odell for two years.
Silhouette from the VL10s on the rear truss
“For this tour, I wanted to add some more theatrical elements, to supplement some of the quieter songs in particular. On the UK leg I used six VL10s on the rear truss for big looks, scaling down to single spots for each band member, and punching up for big beam looks and bright washes for the rockier songs. I love that Tom is happy to have a dark stage. I like dropping down to a blackout between most songs, and then building again.”
The VL10’s flexibility helps Beardsmore to deliver a show rich in contrast and atmosphere, a fitting visual complement to Odell’s varied musical palette. And, as the UK tour transitions to Europe, Beardsmore will experiment further with the VL10’s impressive battery of effects. “In Europe I’ll be aiming for more flexibility,” he says. “On some shows they will go onto back- or mid-trusses in the air, while for others I’ll place them in an arc on the floor, for a mixture of mid-air effects and silhouette looks.”
Magnetised by the precise subtlety of this light
Beardsmore concludes, “Other fixtures come nowhere near to the precise subtlety of this light. When we drop down to maybe one or two lights for a solo number, if I have a gobo rotating or animating, it needs to be super-smooth to not detract from the music – and the VL10 just delivers.”
More information on the Philips Vari-Lite VL10 here
Canadian singer songwriter and all round ‘Queen of Country pop’, Shania Twain, is hitting the road with her long-awaited Shania Now tour. Twain has wowed audiences in North America and Europe this summer and autumn with her fast, exciting and ever-changing stage show. The constant motion and changing looks on stage are aided and abetted by Ayrton’s MagicPanel™-602 fixtures. Creative director and lighting designer Rob Sinclair, and lighting director Michael Straun were very specific in what they needed to achieve the stunning visuals for this show which are based around five large, automated LED video cubes with dancer platforms placed on top.
Fast-paced show
Sinclair stated that, “Shania wanted a fast-paced show where the appearance of the stage and people constantly changed, with the band, the video cubes and the dancers in constant motion. We needed to find some square-faced lights to complement the square video cubes, and the MagicPanels were the perfect answer.”
In total, Sinclair used 100 MagicPanel-602 fixtures, cleverly and creatively setting them into five overhead pods each with 20 units arranged in a 5 x 4 configuration.The pods fit perfectly with the LED cubes, hanging behind and above each of them on automated winches. The video cubes variously carry singers, dancers, the drummer and other band members and can be deployed at different heights throughout the show to add to the overall spectacle. The MagicPanel pods also move up and down and can be angled into different formations so no two songs have the same arrangement of cubes and pods throughout the show.
The MagicPanel-602’s square face with its matrix of 36 LED emitters in a 6×6 layout is in perfect keeping with the sharp lines of the LED video cubes and gave Sinclair a lot of options to work with. “They read as part of the same language,” he says. The MagicPanel-602 are certainly put through their paces, being used to full effect for both colourful backdrop lighting, where they show off their brilliant depth and intensity of colour, and full-on bright illumination.
Straun expands, “We are able to use the pods as ‘big lights’ for dramatic illumination from above, adding to the scale and spectacle of the stage design. While the Ayrton fixtures give us the square design we require, we also make full use of their independently programmable pixels. By using the MagicPanels in full pixel mode, we have the scope to use all the features of the fixture.
From individual pixels to larger squares
We can use the individual ‘pixels’ to create shapes such as individually outlined squares on the face of the fixture, or larger squares that emulate the windows in one video moment, or circles and other shapes, colour runs and sparkle effects. The arrangement of the pods can add a strong linear structure to the architecture of the stage or be angled in a haphazard fashion the next. The only thing we don’t use for this show is the MagicPanel’s option for continuous pan and tilt. We use an MA2 for programming and control, with 8-port nodes on the pods running the network directly to them.”
When asked how the fixtures toured, Straun confirmed they made set up and break down a much faster process: “The pods have the MagicPanels built into them. So, for freighting, they land on carts, split in half and roll into the truck. This means we are getting a lot of lights in the rig very efficiently and quickly and as long as they remain mounted straight, they are good at keeping their focus, so I don’t have to update any of their positions day to day.”
Sinclair and Straun are joined on the Shania Now tour by production manager Joel Eriksson, lighting programmer Andre Petrus and crew chief Mike Hosp. The Ayrton MagicPanel-602 fixtures were supplied for the US leg of the tour by lead lighting supplier Upstaging Inc, with Neg Earth Lights looking after the UK and PRG supplementing requirements in Australia. Shania Now is Twain’s fourth concert tour in support of her fifth studio album Now (released in 2017). It is a huge spectacular which started in May and runs until December 2018. During this time the Ayrton MagicPanel-602 fixtures have enjoyed a lot of exposure, with 46 arena shows in North America, 1 in South America, 18 in Europe and 12 in Oceania. The final leg across Australia and New Zealand commences at the end of this month and concludes in Dunedin on 22 December 2018.
MagicPanel-602 is the original MagicPanel fixture from which a complete family has arisen, including MagicPanel™-R and MagicPanel™-FX and MiniPanel™-FX.
More information on the extensive portfolio of Ayrton LED fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu
RCF Group, one of the fastest growing organizations in the Pro Audio market, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the acquisition of DPA Microphones A/S (“DPA”) from The Riverside Company. DPA, based in Allerod, Denmark, is the #1 premium brand in the high-end professional audio microphone marketfor the live, broadcast, theatre and studio end-user segments and is known as the undisputed quality leader in the industry, continuously pushing the boundaries with regards to performance and durability.
RCF Group, with Headquarters in Italy and branches in the USA and Europe, operates under the companies RCF, AEB Industriale (dB Technologies) and EAW and is an international leader in the design, production and sale of products and solutions for professional audio and installation systems. RCF Group generates over 80% of its revenues outside of Italy in 120 countries. In 2017 two prominent European private equity players, Palladio Holding and Amundi Private Equity Funds, invested in RCF Group with a minority stake in order to support and enhance the group in its ambitious growth plans. Following the September 2018 acquisition of EAW, with its iconic history in install and touring sound, the acquisition of DPA represents a second important milestone on RCF Group’s impressive growth path.
Arturo Vicari, CEO of RCF Group.
Arturo Vicari, CEO of RCF Group stated:
“Since my early days I have been fascinated by the world of microphones. Our portfolio already represents excellence in pro audio and we are very proud to add to our roster DPA – a company that also represents excellence in the microphone industry. We can now offer the complete audio chain, from microphones to speakers for the satisfaction of professionals around the world.
Kalle Hvidt Nielsen, CEO of DPA.
Kalle Hvidt Nielsen, CEO of DPA stated: We have come a long way during the past few years. Share of sales coming from new products is up from less than 5% to more than 40%, and all major areas in the business have been professionalized and streamlined. Now we look forward to a bright future under new ownership in a Group with an uncompromising quality oriented approach to the Pro Audio business – just like ours.” Chiomenti provided legal assistance on the transaction for RCF Group, which was also assisted by New Deal Advisors for financial due diligence and by Deloitte for tax and legal due diligence.
About RCF Group RCF Group, with companies and subsidiaries located in USA and Europe, is a leading player in the Pro Audio industry, designing, manufacturing and distributing an extensive range of professional audio solutions in the retail, install and touring market. With a history dating back to 1949, the passion of its 500 employees and the focus on continual technical innovation, RCF Group products and solutions are successful in over 130 countries around the world.
About DPA Microphones DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser microphone solutions for professional applications, which include live sound, installation, recording, theatre and broadcast. DPA’s products are globally praised for their exceptional clarity and transparency, unparalleled specifications, supreme reliability and, above all, pure, uncolored and undistorted sound.
More info on RCF products here More info on DPA products here
The Robe SuperSpikie, recently world premiered at London’s Plasa is claimed to deliver 4 times the light output of its smaller mate, the Spikie, well known since a few years for its funny hedgehog character. It’s larger as well, and the output lens is wider (165 mm diameter). Driven by a more powerful 250 W RGBW LED, the optics include a bigger zoom, from a 3,5° beam to a soft wash at 42° (with fast changeover between the two modes).
The beam can look either sharp or soft-edge, depending on settings, to meet all kind of requirements. The shadows are free from any chromatic blurriness, thus allowing the use of the Superspikie in a theater or on a TV set.
The CMY or RGBW color mix looks very satisfactory, and the variable CTO ranges from 2 700K to 8 000K. It includes halogen lamp emulation, what Robe describes as “Tungsten lamp effect at whites”: 2.700 K and 3.200 K, with red shift and thermal delay (switchable).
Double flower
The typical Spikie « Double Flower » effect takes the small dots inside the LED engine in a multiplying swirl, turning the colored multi-beam into a kaleidoscope equivalent. Very impressive indeed, not only for projection, but of course for exclusive aerials effects.
This effect can be superimposed with the Frost lens for fading in and out in a most peculiar way, or with the rotating 3-facet prism to beef up the graphics and cover even more space or fill more volume, depending on the use.
The two rotating gobos (four dots and a thick line) are designed mostly for aerial effects. The whole idea behind the Spikie and SuperSpikie family of two is giving all they can for graphic efficiency, not “real gobo projection”.
Infinite rotation
Another key point of this wiry, yet compact animal is the infinite Pan and Tilt rotation, alongside with its 18 kg lightweight feature. This never ending and constant new models presentation all year round by Czech world industry leader Robe confirms the impressive momentum of its R&D, and the general good health of the whole group, now hosting more than 900 employees in many main countries. Thanks to its new second factory (now up and running), too, customers should then suffer less backorders delays than for the (too !) successful MegaPointe one year ago, now only a thing of the past, luckily enough …
Presenting a sizzling hot and eclectic line-up of great music and generating some amazing vibes, Lollapalooza Berlin 2018 was staged at the Olympiastadion and Maifeld – it’s fourth site in as many years – bringing huge waves of positive and creative energy to Werner March’s stoically powerful architecture.
Leading German rental company TSE – also based in Berlin – supplied lighting and sound for Mainstage 1, complete with a full Robe moving light rig with over 100 fixtures including BMFLs, Spiiders, Pointes and MegaPointes.
For the Weeknd’s Saturday night headlining set, they boosted the Robe count with a specials package of another 174 Robes – almost double the amount of lights in the production rig – part of an eye-catching design by LeRoy Bennett which was overseen and operated by Steven Mills.
Production Design
Heading up the 35-person TSE team on site was Marcel Kuch. The company has supplied lighting and audio to the main stage since Lolla Berlin started in 2015, and Marcel has also been involved for all that time.
He specified Robe for Mainstage 1’s production lighting design for all the reasons that it has become such a popular festival choice, “The reliability, brightness and versatility of the fixtures, plus the fact that international LDs, lighting directors and operators are all happy to work with Robe” he stated.
The generally light weight of Robe products was also a consideration, especially when video screens are also part of the rigging and overall load calculations.
The production rig installed in the StageCo structure was very straightforward, providing three trusses of wash, spot and beam lights as a dynamic and flexible rig for all acts to use including The Weeknd and Sunday night headliners, influential iconic techno innovators Kraftwerk, who closed the 2018 event.
The Spiiders were distributed between the floor and the roof. The 12 x MegaPointes were all on the floor, while the BMFLs and Pointes were deployed in the roof. The working stage space was 18 metres wide by 10 deep with 13 metres of clearance, and with these Robes on the rig, there was more than enough lighting options for the different artists and lively mix of musical genres.
The design was also kept simple also to allow both The Weeknd and Kraftwerk enough space to install their stage set ups.
Something for the Weeknd
The Weeknd’s substantial extras package comprised 27 x 6 metre runs of trusses, strapped together in 9 sections – each one comprising three truss sections and measuring 1.8 metres wide. They were built at TSE’s warehouse and installed on rolling carts 1.5 metres high at the back and just off the floor at the front
These ‘wedges’ were each loaded with alternating rows of Pointes and strobes as well as a fog machine and fans and weighed 1 tonne each! They were transported to site in three trucks. Upstage of the wedges, a row of 24 x Robe BMFL WashBeams was positioned to blast through the metalwork, and two downstage left and right dollies provided low level front light positions ideal for highlighting the artist, each loaded with six BMFL Blades.
“It’s definitely the biggest specials package we have ever handled at a festival” confirmed Marcel, “and this was the big physical and logistical challenge”.
Meticulous pre-show communications and prep, coupled with a skilled and highly experienced crew on site ensured that everything ran like clockwork, giving Steven the best possible festival show working conditions.
The Weeknd has been playing a series of festivals and high-profile one-offs throughout the summer, with lighting designed by the always inventive LeRoy Bennett. This started at Coachella, where they performed complete with Es Devlin’s spectacular abstract fallen head / hand set pieces, which brought a highly sculptural tone to the aesthetics.
Where it was not practical to travel or install this set, the trussing wedges, while different and more industrial, also subtly physically alter the shape of the stage in an architectural way, together with the effect of the integrated lights which also can radically alter visual perceptions of the space.
Pointes were selected for the wedge structures due to their small size, light weight as well as their speed, genuine multi-functionality and universal availability worldwide.
In this set up they enabled Steven, who programmed the show with Roy’s assistant lighting designer Jason Baeri, to create some fabulously fluid kinetic chases, waves and other effects evoking a stark edginess and perfect backdrop for The Weeknd’s distinctive and diverse R ‘n’ B jam style music … and often provocative lyrics.
Steven uses Robe frequently in his work and finds the products generally “reliable and resilient”. He’s also Beck’s LD and has just specified BMFL WashBeams for their current tour.
The Weeknd’s show director LaMar Taylor co-ordinates the video content – produced by Strangeloop – as part of the overall stage visual design. At Lolla Berlin, their screen was upstage centre, starting at the back / top of the wedge trusses, augmented by an IMAG mix onto two side screens to ensure the large and enthusiastic audience received great views.
To accommodate the Weekend’s lighting rig Marcel ordered some additional power! Usually one 400A three-phase feeds all the onstage lighting including guest packages, but this year they upped it to two 400As plus another 250 Amps of 3-phase.
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk’s extras were a little more minimal … just 18 x BMFL Blades to compliment their renowned projection-heavy performance, totally different but equally awesome!
TSE has also supplied Kraftwerk’s most recent tour for LD Francesco Resch which included some Robe luminaires.
The ‘house’ lighting desks were two grandMA2 full sizes, and looking after everything at FOH was Ludwig Laudan, who also ran lights for any bands not bringing an operator / lighting director.
TSE
TSE was founded by Marcel Fery and Peter Weinert 20 years ago and is now a leading rental and full-service technical production company – lighting, audio, video, rigging – working across Germany, throughout most of Europe and internationally.
They have built up an excellent reputation and cover all sectors – from rental and staging to concert touring, festivals, live events and corporates, and currently have 70 people working full time at the Berlin HQ.
There are also around 20 people at any time engaged in their comprehensive technical training programme. Marcel is passionate about offering young people serious about the industry a career stepping stone to becoming a professional … and there have been some notable successes.
The company has a large stock of the most recent Robe products, including Pointes, BMFLs, Spiiders and MegaPointes – around 350 fixtures in total.
Their first investments in Robe started a decade ago, and their original 700 series ColorSpot and ColorWashes are still going strong!
Over this time, they have built up a close working-relationship with the manufacturer which is something Marcel feels is fundamental to keeping both the brand and TSE’s investments as a customer moving forward.
“Robe has made many smart moves over time, and one of these is remaining independent and in control over its whole design, development and production process. This and their accessibility and willingness to listen give them a definitive edge” he concludes.
Dear fellow readers of SoundLightUp, you might have noticed that we’ve undergone a quite complete series of L-ISA presentation recently, in three parts (see previous articles on this subject).
Now here is an impressive case study we’d like to share with you as well. Having already made history as the first band to use L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology at their ground-breaking concert at Forest Hills Stadium in New York earlier this year, UK indie rockers alt-J recently clocked up another first. This time it was on home ground at London’s Royal Albert Hall (RAH). For the final two dates of their world tour in support of their 2017 album “RELAXER” and its more recent counterpart “REDUXER”, the UK’s first ever deployment of the fully immersive revolutionary audio system brought more fans closer than ever to the band’s combination of ethereal harmonies and striking sound effects, which lend themselves perfectly to this 360-degree audio experience.
alt-J’s front of house engineer Lance Reynolds appreciates that the band’s music includes “a lot of interesting sonic nuggets and sound effects,” and that L-ISA has allowed him to bring these to the fore in his 360° mix. This, in turn, allows the audience to truly appreciate the difference in comparison to conventional stereo live sound reinforcement and “feel completely immersed in alt-J’s music.” For audience members surveyed after the show, it was mission accomplished. “Spectacular, perfect, mesmerizing, powerful, and involving,” were just some of the adjectives that came to mind amongst spectators to describe their experience. One concertgoer summed up his delight as, “by far the best sound of any gig I’ve ever been to. Unforgettable.” Another enthused, “It couldn’t have been better.”
“Such ideas need to be embraced. This is progress”
Music critics in attendance were similarly enthralled. The Evening Standard, who gave the show an exceptional five-star rating, reported that L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound “literally caused heads to turn when the synth pulse of ‘Hunger Of The Pine’ began to blip across the space.” The Telegraph further noted that the enveloping sounds of a children’s choir as the song ‘Pleader’ reached its crescendo were “astonishing” and concluded that “such ideas need to be embraced. This is progress.”
For the L-ISA system at the RAH, alt-J’s long-time production supplier Rat Sound deployed three central hangs of 12 K2 with three Kara down each, flanked by two hangs of 16 Kara either side of the K2 hangs to create the Scene system. Two hangs of four KS28 were flown behind the K2 hangs. Two hangs of 12 Kara formed an extension system and two hangs of 10 Kara provided sidefill coverage. Two ARCS II, left and right, sat on the stage lip, with two ARCS Wide centre stage for frontfill and three X8 per side for stalls fill. Four SB18 were positioned below the front of the stage for low end frontfill.
The surround system comprised ten Syva positioned around the top of the Gallery (Level 5), plus ten X12 evenly distributed around the bottom of the Rausing Circle acting as a delay ring for the main Syva surrounds. The audience was on its feet for much of the show, confirming that the band’s adoption of L-ISA helped bring this world tour to a vibrant finale.
“Touring is becoming a more and more important part of what you do as a band, so it’s exciting to think when you are writing a song how you can make it sound as amazing as possible live,” says alt-J’s Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals). “And now that we know what can be done [with L-ISA], it will be in our minds, for sure.”
The first product in the Artiste series, this fixture bears the name of one of the most renowned painters, Leonardo da Vinci, who illuminated the world with his knowledge and through his works, in which light plays a predominant role.
A fluid design that shows DaVinci’s mix of American and European origins. The control panel is equipped with six touch-keys to select the options.
The presentation of this spot, which uses a 270 W white LED source, is rather enticing: compact, powerful, complete, affordable. Will it be a new source of inspiration for light designers?
The birth of Elation Elation Professional was founded in the US in 1992. A little sister company of American DJ, Elation was created to develop fixtures dedicated to musical performances, theaters and TV studios. Sources were based on the US market speed and power expectations. The establishment and development of a team in Europe – which now comprises more than 100 people, including R&D – has made it possible for them to integrate the needs of European designers. This year, more than 800 Elation fixtures illuminated the Eurovision stage in Kiev.
The rebirth of Elation– a Renaissance Elation’s goal is clearly not to climb to the top end of the market, but to make a name for itself in the market for fixtures that combine quality with an attractive price. The DaVinci, which inaugurates the new Artiste Series, is a spot with the fairly slender design that shows us the recognizable touch of European R&D.
[private]
As with the great majority of moving head bases, there is a screen on the front panel to view the settings menu. The selection and confirmation of options is carried out using six buttons, and to simplify the navigation, the parameter menu has been organized into several sub-menus. On the other side of the base, its size would not allow the inclusion of all the possible connectors, so a choice had to be made. The final decision seems to me to be the most appropriate: two RJ45 etherCON In/Out connectors for Art-NET and sACN protocols, plus two XLR5 for DMX and two powerCON TRUE1 sockets for the mains.
Everything is ready for DaVinci to be plugged in!
The final connector is a USB interface which, contrary to what we read, allows the user to update the firmware: good news for all those who have had to spend a day with a kit of fixtures with different software versions, forced to pass through a proprietary box to carry out the updates… The wiring of the connectors is annotated next to the sockets, which allows you to avoid rummaging through the manual.
Two large handles allow easy handling of the fixture. To secure it for transport and/or simplify storage in a flight case, one can block the pan and tilt movements. On the base, inside one of the handles, there is a compartment containing an antenna. This must be extended when Elation’s E-FLY protocol is used, which allows wireless control of the fixture. A plate fixed under the base is where the safety cable is installed. It is equipped with eight ¼-turn slots for Omega brackets.
On the base, inside one of the handles, there is an antenna connected to the E-FLY receiver.
Under the base, a plate allows the quick installation of the fixture.
The architecture of DeVinci.
In order to offer a maximum of features, the head of the DaVinci is a fine example of organization.
SLU is the first magazine to offer you what a number of historians and scientists have dreamed of: a visit inside the head of DaVinci! The first detail that catches the eye is that there are only two screws to close the cover of the head. This may seem trivial, but when there are 50 fixtures to clean, this means 100 to 200 fewer turns of a screwdriver. It is also appreciated when you have to work on a unit while it’s hanging. A small plus is that the lens-side retainer eases up the positioning of the cover.
Once the head is open, it occurs to us that the Elation R&D team must be the Tetris World Champions! Finding the best layout to reconcile compact size, good zoom range and maximum functions must have been a real headache! The structure of the head seems to have been the subject of particular attention. It combines thick aluminum plates and thin sheets to optimize solidity and lightness. The whole assembly is very orderly.
Starting from the nose, there is a large lens that allows maximum light to pass. Behind this is the first compartment, which occupies more than half of the available space. It contains all the optical mechanisms, zoom and focus, as well as the two prisms and the frost. The technical solution for offering two prisms and one frost was to position the two image multipliers on the same plane and to place the frost in front of one of the prisms, as the combination of these two effects is of little interest. Another solution would have been to place the two prisms one after the other, but perhaps this would create more technical constraints.
On the sides are the control boards for the zoom, focus, prisms and frost.
The rest of the functions are housed in the second compartment. Service technicians will be happy since, with the exception of the color mixing, all the effects mechanisms are on a single, removable module. In order not to limit the zoom range, when the focus is at 0, the tube is in the rear compartment. One must remember to push it to remove the module… with caution, of course.
On one of the sides are the seven motors which drive the parameters, as well as their control circuit boards. On the other side are the two wheels of gobos – nine fixed and six rotating – the animation wheel, the color wheel and the iris. All the gobos are interchangeable and – as icing on the cake – we can even install them on either wheel, as they are the same size: a rare and very appreciable feature.
The back side of the module with the motors and the PC board that controls them.
On the front side: four wheels and an iris!
The last physical parameter is the trichromatic (CMY) color mixing. I should say quadrichromatic, counting the progressive CTO, which makes the DaVinci stand out. This module is conventionally placed at the output of the LED source, outside the focal plane, so that the entrance and exit of the color flags in the beam are the least noticeable. This is the first time I have seen a system like this mounted in this orientation. This doesn’t change the results, but allows for reduced width of the head.
The dichroic flags of the CMY+CTO color mixing. Also note the two fans used to circulate the air.
The rear of the head is where one finds the heart of DaVinci. It is a 270 W matrix of white LEDs. All we know is that Elation is the first to get their hands on a new generation of LEDs. They do not come from Germany, but Korea, and they bring with them a notable increase in light output. They also appear to have low thermal resistance because, even if they are under power, the cooling system is not very large.
The radiator “glued” to the matrix of LEDs and the motors of the color mixing system.
The side view shows the fans that create the air flow.
The science of DaVinci.
After discovering what the DaVinci has in its head, let’s see what it has in terms of guts!
We are, of course, anxious to rev this fixture up, but in order to take the photometric readings in the best possible conditions, we endure patiently and begin, as usual, by derating the LEDs. This allows us to test the evolution of the light output of the source with relation to the duration of heating and the temperature of the fixture. This test was carried out in the “Auto” cooling mode, in which the speed of the fans changes as the temperature of the LED matrix does. There is also a continuous maximum ventilation mode, to obtain the highest possible luminous output. A third option offers almost complete silence at the price, obviously, of a sharp decline in luminous flux. In order to avoid a sudden change in light output when the cooling mode is changed, the change to the power supply of the LED source is spread out over several minutes, which should please the teams in television studios.
After switching on the machine at full power, the luminous flux stabilizes in 15 minutes, with a negligible reduction in output – 3.20%. This excellent result reflects perfect control of the LED sources. We also note that the decrease during the first five minutes is 0.3%. Depending on the rhythm of the lighting, it is quite possible, in concerts, to do an entire song without any loss of light output. In a little extra test that has become a ritual for us, we take our lunch break and leave the projector turned on at full power. Upon our return, an hour later, since the output hasn’t decreased further, we can take our photometric measurements.
Measurements – narrow beam.
With the fixture positioned 5 m from the target on which we take the readings, we adjust the zoom to the minimum angle. In the center of the field, we read 21,890 lux after derating, then we measure the illuminance values every 10 cm along four axes: above, left, right and below. The luminous flux is calculated in 10 cm rings, using the average of the four illuminance measurements carried out on each axis at the same distance from the center. To obtain the total flux, we add up all the calculated fluxes out to the edge of the beam. The Excel spreadsheet that crunches our data gives us a total flux of 6,900 lumens.
The measured illuminance values also allow us to plot the luminous intensity curve. The sharp peak shows an emphasis in the center that enhances the visual impact of the beam.
Measurements – 20° beam.
At our standard reference measurement of a 20° beam, the center illuminance is 4,875 lux and the total luminous flux climbs to 10,200 lumens, for which it can hold its head a little higher. You can see from the intensity curve that there is a rather marked hot spot.
Measurements – wide beam.
Now we open the zoom up to 100%. At the center, we measure 1075 lux after derating. The total flux is then 10,400 lumens, very close to that obtained at 20°. The maximum zoom angle with sharp edges is 45.37°. Even though the intensity curve still shows a slight hot spot, maintaining a constant flux from 20° to 45° is not very common.
The Dimmer.
Our last two series of measurements relate to the curve of the dimmer. The DaVinci has only one dimmer curve but five response-time modes: Standard, Stage, TV, Architectural, and Theater. Since there is a delay between each measurement, our curve is the same for all of these options. It is a typical Square Law curve. A small SLU innovation: because the progression of the dimmer at low values is an important point, we also measured the response of the dimmer between 0 and 10%.
The Art of DaVinci.
It is finally time to see what this Artiste has to offer. We start with the dimmer, the curve of which we just tested. It lives up to our expectations perfectly, whether on fast closures or long transition times. As you can see from the 0 to 10% curve, the intensity control is perfectly managed, which makes it possible to work with long fades and/or low intensities. Obviously, the shutter function is well managed, as well as the strobe effects, in normal, pulse or random modes. The movements of the head are often another indicator of the quality of a fixture. As for the speed, to traverse through 180° DaVinci takes 1.16 s in pan and 1.44 s in tilt. This difference is almost certainly due to the difference in weight between the front and the back of the head. It is a rather swift mover, which allows dynamic movements but also very smooth ones. It passes the “diagonal test” without flinching. It is also possible to smooth out its movements further using the “Movement Speed” channel.
One parameter, which I was eager to see after the disassembly, is the color mixing. I am pleasantly surprised by the colors and the transitions. The color palette is diversified and it covers the majority of expectations. The DaVinci is as at ease with very fast color transitions as it is with long fade times. The insertion of the filter flags is really discreet, which makes it possible to obtain nice transitions between two colors and beautiful pastel shades. The color wheel features bright, saturated hues as well as a CTB filter and a Minus Green. As for the progressive CTO, it is very uniform as soon as the filter comes in, making it possible to work with finesse.
A wide range of colors that blend without a hitch.
The variable CTO helps to achieve nice, warm shades.
With good smoke or haze support, the beam of this spot is efficient and well defined. The zoom range perfectly meets the expectations of this level of fixture and the DaVinci boasts an iris that closes well. Both these parameters are fast and allow you to create very rhythmic effects. The use of the frost filter on a beam with a sharp edge makes it possible to obtain a more precise “wash” effect and, as the units might not necessarily have the same settings, the uniformity is better than that obtained by defocusing.
On the left, a tight, sharp beam without defects and, on the right, the frost applied to a wide, sharp beam to provide a wash effect.
The wide, sharp beam offers a beautiful surface of light and is still powerful…
As far as effects are concerned, Elation has provided us with six rotating and nine static gobos. I like the stock set, it allows you to work with projections or aerial effects without being repetitive; and some of the gobos are even good for both. The animation wheel can also be used on its own or with a gobo.
6 rotating gobos.
9 fixed gobos.
In a moment of sheer madness, you might want to add the 3-facet radial or the linear prism! A large number of combinations are available to create beautiful ambience and diversify your palette of looks.
On the left, the 3-facet prism combined with a gobo. On the right is the linear prism combined with the iris.
Our conclusions.
This small spot should attract attention. The design and assembly are neat and tidy. The power/output ratio is very interesting and, in addition, it benefits from a wide range of effective and high-quality features. The parameters are very reactive and able to create very dynamic environments. It is also a fixture that allows the user to work precisely and smoothly. It can be discreet and blend into a lot of settings. It is a versatile luminaire that can be used on live concerts, to provide volume on a small television set, or to dress up an event. With DaVinci, Elation launches a new series that favors quality over diversity. Between Eurovision and the step up in the quality of its products, the American brand is demonstrating its intentions to weigh in on the professional market. We were even told that the DaVinci was not going to remain an only child for very long…
Ayrton is looking back over a successful summer as its new Ghibli LED spot luminaire made its opera debut at one of the UK’s most prestigious events, Garsington Opera Festival. Founded in 1989, the annual Garsington Opera Festival takes place over seven weeks in June and July at the Wormsley Estate, home of the Getty family, amid the beautiful natural setting of the Buckinghamshire countryside. What an english atmosphere indeed, as patrons are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy the gardens and deer park in advance of the performance, and picnic by the lake or dine in the marquee during the extended dinner interval between acts. Garsington Opera is renowned for the quality of its productions, and engages the very best performers and musicians from around the world. It is important, therefore, to match this quality of performance with the quality of the production and, obviously, equipment.
The aim was mainly to replace some lighting fixtures with those which made less noise during the finely tuned performances, something they were particularly keen to achieve given the peaceful surroundings. Technical Manager Stephen Hawkins and his production electrician, Sam Floyd, began actively looking for quieter models and joined forces with lighting designers Malcolm Rippeth and Mark Jonathan to find a solution. “It was essential we had a quiet moving light as the acoustic at Garsington is vibrant and we needed to reduce fan noise,” says Jonathan.
“We talked to several major manufacturers before settling on a few close contenders,” says Rippeth. “White Light organised shoot-outs at their premises and again at the Royal Opera House for us to make detailed comparisons. Our main criteria were that the replacement not only had to be quieter than the existing fixtures, but must be equally as bright without losing any of the features.” The result of shoot-outs showed Ayrton’s Ghibli to be the best in several categories: brightness, quality of the beam and of course, noise reduction, and succeeded in winning over Jonathan and Rippeth who were lighting this year’s productions.
Rippeth designed for three of the four operas in this year’s programme: Strauss’s Capriccio, Verdi’s Falstaff, which earned him a nomination for a Knight of Illumination Award, and Garsington’s first ever world-premiere, The Skating Rink, a new work by leading British composer David Sawer and award-winning librettist Rory Mullarkey.
“Garsington Opera performs in a 600-seat pavilion lined with large glass windows on both sides, so any lighting design contends with huge amounts of daylight before the long dinner interval, and then moves into darkening and fully-dark conditions as the performance progresses,” he explains. “Any lighting fixture therefore has to be bright enough to register in full daylight, but versatile enough to cope with the changing conditions throughout.
“Our tests showed Ghibli to be a really impressive fixture – brighter than anything else on the market, really very quiet, and with the best zoom range. The shuttering is beautiful with a range that takes it right to the very edge. It gives a good soft beam, the colour mix is smooth right across the beam and, considering its lightsource, produces a pretty good tungsten. It was just the right fixture.” White Light supplied 24 Ghibli fixtures for the season where they became the workhorse of the rig, hung from proscenium to the back of the stage from where they were used mainly as back light and three-quarter back light. “The four operas play in rep so the Ghibli had to be adaptable to fit all our purposes,” confirms Rippeth. “They fitted in well with the other fixtures and were completely reliable throughout.”
Lighting programmer, Dan Street, worked closely with the internationally renowned lighting designer Mark Jonathan on the fourth opera of the season, Mozart’s last opera, Die Zauberflöte. He also had some positive experiences with Ghibli: “The unit is very quick and accurate with a good range of zoom and focus to suit a range of applications,” he says. “It’s brilliantly quiet in terms of heat control and operation, and with virtually no audible noise to the audience which was essential for use at Garsington.
“It has a great back-end colour temperature, which is nice, and is flat across the beam, very bright and with a nice crisp white that makes it punchy, even on top of discharge fixtures and up against the daylight we faced. “There is a good selection of colours on the colour wheel and smooth colour mixing on the CMY and CTO wheels. The dichroic mixes on the CMY are an excellent hue enabling a good control of the overall saturation. The animation wheel and effects within the Ghibli give a solid range of options with the right gobo load. “The dimming is also very good with an excellent fine range at the lower end leading to smooth fade ins and outs.”
“Ayrton’s Ghibli came along at just the right time,” concludes White Light’s technical director, Dave Isherwood. “Ayrton has a growing reputation for performance and reliability, so when we saw what the Ghibli could do during the shoot-out, we were happy to invest in a number of them for our rental stock. Garsington Opera has been their first outing and they did not disappoint. They were 100% reliable with no swap-outs for the whole seven weeks. The prep team reported them easy to work with and were impressed with their build quality. Ghibli has been a big success and have been in steady use ever since on corporate events and in television studios with demand for them continuing to grow.”
More information on the extensive portfolio of Ayrton LED fixtures can be found on Ayrton’s website
TSE was founded by Marcel Fery and Peter Weinert 20 years ago and is now a leading rental and full-service technical production company – lighting, audio, video, rigging – working across Germany, throughout most of Europe and internationally. 
