A key element in the wide-ranging design and structural renewal at ADB is unquestionably the launch of a number of innovative new products. The innovations incorporate cutting-edge technology, with products such as Klemantis and Oksalis, which have fundamentally reshaped the LED concept, as well as solid tradition, with the launch of the Lexpert line of white-light LED fixtures for theater lighting.

Besides these professional lighting products, ADB recently released an updated enhanced version of its well-known Hathor software, intended not only for the numerous lighting operators who already successfully use the system, but also for everyone wanting to try it for the first time. Hathor has always been known for its outstanding reliability, and now it features a continually updated fixture library and a special video tutorial and technical assistance service.
A new logo accompanies the market launch of Hathor 2.0, whose extensive functionalities make it a firmly forward-looking system. Together with the new version of Hathor, ADB has launched Wily! – an invaluable and practical smart tool for remote control (via iPad or iPhone) developed by the young French company Pangolab, and that’s not all!

ADB is posting a series of English- and French-language tutorials on its new YouTube channel. In the tutorials, an expert operator explains in detail how to use the Hathor system on ADB lighting control desks.

Hathor 2.0

Designed with Theaters and Opera House in mind, HATHOR has always been offering a user friendly and comfortable programming environment, with an impressive multi-users networked architecture, a unique drag’n drop function along with right-click contextual menus, an advanced track window with extensive overview of recorded intensities and moving light parameters, that makes immediate editing possible.

Recently, ADB has released version 2.0 of its renowned lighting software, with the following main new features:

• Over 10,000 templates with bi-weekly updates independent from software updates
• Fixed faders in submasters not included in page management like Playbacks with IN&OUT
• Grand Master, Independents, and Fields
• Innovative HSI colors handled by a Color Picker
• The exclusive Park Function, by Device or by Parameter.

WILY! – Exclusive software for Hathor

Wily! synthesizes the best of hardware and software in an elegant and practical virtual console. Mobile, scalable, and modular, Wily! gives you access to a level of control over Hathor lighting software never achieved before.
The Wily! console can be used alone or as an extension of a conventional console. Wily! interfaces with a computing unit that runs the Hathor software. It is a computer that can be found in several forms: independent tower, laptop or included in a hardware console. Once connected to the computing unit, Wily! behaves like the front panel of a classic lighting console.

Tutorials on YouTube
ADB is working on a series of in-depth video tutorials on using Hathor software on ADB lighting desks. Some of them are already available online and provide a valuable guide for users who want to explore all the benefits and features of Hathor and ADB lighting desks fully.

Work is nearing completion on other important initiatives to support ADB users and promote our products among lighting professionals all over the world. Stay tuned!

For more, please visits

• The ADB Stage Light Website
• The ADB YouTube channel
• The Pangolab website

“Nouvelles Pièces Courtes” is a collection of short contemporary dance pieces, created in May 2017 by world-renowned French choreographer Philippe Decouflé and his Compagnie DCA. Each piece tells a different story, which in turn calls for a very separate visual identity to each work.

©Laurent Philippe

“My interest in the short form comes to me via rock’n roll: short, efficient tracks gaining in power what they lose in duration,” says Philippe Decouflé. “For me this system works well for dance, where the composition is often more poetic than narrative, where the format needs to be adapted to its subject, to go through different worlds in a same programme and take the pleasure to get lost.”

©Laurent Philippe

Lighting designer Begoña Garcia-Navas used Robert Juliat fixtures to complement each different dance piece through her use of lighting, choosing 20 Robert Juliat Dalis 860 Cyclight LED batten fixtures to light the massive cyclorama backdrop, and Robert Juliat profiles, including 613SX, 614SX, 713SX and 714SX fixtures, as conventional lighting.

Garcia-Navas also specified three RJ followspots, with the models changing according to which venues the company visits. “In France we use Robert Juliat equipment enormously,” she says. “They are so reliable, ergonomic and practical, and the light rendering is of good quality.”

For “Nouvelles Pièces Courtes”, Begoña Garcia-Navas positioned ten Dalis 860 Cyclight LED battens in the grid and a further ten at stage level, with a minimum distance from the back wall of 40/50cm depending on available space at each venue. From these positions the Dalis were able to cover the 6.5m tall drop with smooth, even colour.

©Laurent Philippe

Begoña Garcia-Navas says her inspiration for the cyclorama ambiance came from the paintings of Mark Rothko, from which she developed a theme based on two-coloured backgrounds.
Using the Dalis fixtures, she created a series of dramatic imagery with the dancers’ bodies framed as stunning silhouettes, formed by the use of strong backlight, against perfectly smooth colours that range from pastel to saturated, solid or graduated.

She selected her Dalis fixtures carefully after trying out several options. “Initially we used some architectural LED fixtures, and then tried around 60 tungsten fixtures with colour gel filters, but I was not satisfied with the result,” says Begoña. “I decided to compare some LED battens and, over several tests, was finally convinced that the Robert Juliat Dalis was the one I wanted.

“Everything about Dalis – the colour quality, smoothing, gradation and colour blends – were by far the best on the list of fixtures we compared. But while the colour possibilities are a great advantage, the determining factor for me in making my final choice was Dalis’s power and brightness.”

Lahlou Benamirouche, Technical Director for Compagnie DCA, is also very enthusiastic about Dalis: “All the operators are convinced by Dalis and recognise the extreme quality of these luminaires,” he confirms. “Dalis are totally trustworthy and reliable. I’ve been using them for the past two years and I recommend Dalis to every other Technical Manager I meet – I am probably the perfect flagship for it as I cannot recommend it highly enough!”

©Laurent Philippe

“Nouvelles Pièces Courtes” toured France throughout 2017 before returning to the Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris in April 2018. The production is currently in Japan, where the Robert Juliat equipment has been supplied by Robert Juliat’s distributor, Sogo Butai, overseen by Kohei Nishida. The tour started at the Saitama Arts Theater before moving to the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center and Biwako Hall, from where “Nouvelles Pièces Courtes” will travel to Brazil and Russia later this year.

For more information on the Dalis family (Cyclight, Footlight and Washlight), visit the Robert Juliat website

Meyer Sound has been awarded a United States patent on proprietary digital technologies that enable the Bluehorn™ System to reproduce complex musical signals with absolutely flat frequency and phase response across the full audio bandwidth, an unprecedented achievement in high-power studio monitors.
The new patent, number 9,992,573 B1, is formally titled, “Phase inversion filter for correcting low frequency phase distortion in a loudspeaker system.”

Le brevet

The award document outlines the digital signal processing techniques involved in canceling out the phase anomalies inherent in all loudspeaker systems due to the physical mass of the loudspeaker drivers and resonance of the loudspeaker enclosures.
The patented technology restores the original phase relationships, even at the lowest audio octaves, by applying an inverted phase response.

The patented filter algorithms are hosted in a dedicated hardware processor placed in front of both the two-way, mid-high loudspeaker and the separate low-frequency loudspeaker.
The system-specific correction algorithms hosted by the processor were developed by meticulously analyzing all physical and electrical non-linearities throughout the entire system, from 25 Hz to 20 kHz, in order to bring acoustic output — at any level — into phase and frequency alignment with the input signal.

Essentially, the digital processing nullifies the non-linearities of drivers and enclosures, resulting in a phase-coherent response previously achieved only by open-air electrostatic headphones with their extremely low mass diaphragms.

“This patent award covers the unique digital technology at the heart of the Bluehorn System, and underscores why it has become such an important tool for audio professionals,” says Meyer Sound CEO John Meyer.
“Some studio monitors may flatter the program content with potentially pleasing colorations generated in part by phase anomalies, but that is only misleading to the mixing engineer.

The Bluehorn System is absolutely true to the input signal, and it retains the same precise phase linearity from a delicate whisper up the highest listening levels that would be prudent for even short-term monitoring.”

Complete Bluehorn Systems are available in either stereo or LCR configurations, with each channel comprising a two-way mid-high loudspeaker, a separate low frequency element, and the dedicated digital processing.

Bluehorn System is designed for high-resolution monitoring applications in mid-sized rooms for music recording, cinema post-production, music mastering or other applications requiring the highest accuracy in sound reproduction.
Externally, Bluehorn System’s two-way component shares the same cabinet footprint, driver dimensions and waveguide configuration as Meyer Sound’s Acheron Designer loudspeaker. On the inside, however, it utilizes an upgraded HF driver and new amplifiers with ultra-low noise and distortion.

Among the first users is noted film composer John Powell, who relies on the accuracy of the Bluehorn System monitoring in his Los Angeles-based 5 Cat Studios. “For the work that I do, I need monitor loudspeakers that do not flatter the music at all,” he says. “I have no time when working to enjoy what we did right; I need to hear when things are wrong so we can fix them, and I can hear those problems better with the Bluehorns.”

More information on the Meyer Sound website

As soon as Nashville-based Premier Global Production took delivery of 26 Ghibli fixtures, Ayrton’s first LED spot luminaire with a factory-equipped framing system, they quickly sent them on tour with country music singer/songwriter Brett Eldredge The Long Way Tour is Eldredge’s first headlining tour, in support of his latest single of the same name, the first leg of which kicked off in April.
Premier Global Production, which provides lighting and staging equipment to some of the biggest musical acts in the world, obtained the units from ACT Lighting, Inc., Ayrton’s exclusive North American distributor, having already had 60 Ayrton MagicBlade fixtures in its inventory prior to purchasing Ayrton Ghibli.

Ghibli delivers a light output of 23,000 lumens in a compact format. Its proprietary optical system produces a 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.

Lighting Designer Nick Whitehouse, one of seven partners in Fireplay, explains the storytelling scenario of the show. “Another of our partners, Kelly Sticksel, was Production and Show Designer for the tour. He took the lead in creating the different seasons of Brett, each showing a different side of Brett’s personality. The narrative is fun and engaging for the audience, and the videowall backgrounds and the props placed in front of them help define the various moods and environments.”

The goal was to design “theatrical-style lighting that would highlight the video set and props then take you into an almost pop music show,” Whitehouse says. He also had to consider the tour’s budget, size and the long-term efficiency and servicing of the equipment.
“One of the production manager’s stipulations for lighting gear was reliability and easy servicing,” he reports. “He insisted we find LEDS that would do the job. But I wasn’t happy with the LED profiles I’d used, so I asked ACT Lighting if they had anything new.
They showed me the Ghibli and put it up against other lights, and I was really impressed. I really like Ayrton products and quality. Ghibli was a nice size and weight; it was a LED source that kept up with the brightness of a 1200W fixture, and the beam looked great too.”

Twenty-three of the Ghibli units on tour are active fixtures and three are back ups. “They act as spot fixtures for theatrical lighting on the set, Brett and the band, and they deliver effects – including aerial big-beam looks – and textures on the stage. They’re real workhorses,” says Whitehouse.

According to Mike Marcario, a Lighting Designer and Programmer who serves as the Board Operator for the tour, six Ghibli fixtures hang in the upstage truss and seven in the midstage truss. Six T-bars hanging off the upstage truss at different lengths have a Ghibli unit at the bottom of each pipe.
Downstage left and right are floor-mounted stick truss each with two Ghibli fixtures inside. “I’m very impressed by the fact that for the first leg of the tour we left with 23 fixtures and came back with the same 23,” says Marcario.

“We had no need of the spares. That’s a testament to the reliability of Ayrton. I hope to use Ghibli in future lighting designs that I’m part of.” “The end results have been fantastic – I’m really happy with the Ghiblis,” says Whitehouse. “I’ll absolutely use them again.”

“We’re pleased with the Ghiblis,” says Dominic Smith, Lighting Designer and Programmer for the tour and also Creative Director at London’s Neon Black. “Ghibli is a perfect fit for theatres and small arenas. It stands up well against discharge sources.
Its flat field is beautiful, it renders colour very well, it doesn’t want for brightness and it focuses well. It also has nice sharp gobos and a good selection of break ups. It offers all the tools you need in a moving spot.”

Eldredge’s The Long Way Tour resumed in June and will play dates in the US and Canada through October. ACT Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
More information on Ghibli, including a video presentation, and the extensive portfolio of Ayrton LED fixtures can be found at Ayrton website.

Young Danish singer, guitarist and chart-topping rising star Jacob Dinesen played two spectacular arena shows to kick off his 2018 summer tour, one in his home region of Aabenraa and one in Copenhagen … with Robe MegaPointes and Spiiders prominent on the rig! Lighting for these two shows was a completely new design, also programmed and operated by LD Niller Bjerrgaard.

Niller had only just joined the Dinesen production team for these shows after being recommended by FOH sound engineer Mad Mikkelsen – the two also work for high profile DK heavy metal heroes Volbeat. In fact four of the crew are involved on the production of both artists, and although Dinesen’s material is somewhat lighter … the vibe is solidly and most definitely rock!

Niller took on the Dinesen project with a skeleton design already in place created by Jacob Beckman. He discussed this with the band and their production manager Jonathan Koch, added in some of his own ideas and the resulting rig and brief was to create a big expressive rock rig, which was perfect for Niller’s current visual mind-set!
“I wanted the style and feel of the show to be a bit raw and improvisational, so I constructed the lightshow using a combination of cue lists and live busking pages which enabled me to combine the two MOs,” explained Niller.

Some of the 30 x MegaPointes and 20 x Spiiders at the centre of the rig were actually already specified by Jacob Beckman, however when Niller took over the project, he added some extra fixtures and was very happy to work with both of these Robe products for the first time!

The initial idea had been to have PAR cans on the ladders, but this was changed to the Spiiders, which was ‘ the right move” says Niller. They also moved some of the trussing around to give it a more rocky and attitudinal look and added more LED products. The MegaPointes and Spiiders were purchased new for the tour by rental company Vigso.

Niller commented, “Right now MegaPointes and Spiiders are the most popular fixtures appearing on the specs and riders in Denmark, so it was a great opportunity for me to get to know them a little better!” The MegaPointes were positioned on the four roof trusses – three of which were straight with the back one curved to accommodate a wide backdrop and add structural dynamics to the picture. Eight of the Spiiders were on the trusses with another 12 on six upstage vertical ladders which flanked a portrait LED screen in the centre.

Also on the ladders were Elidy LED panels, used sparingly for maximum impact, adding a touch of tungsten. He also had a few other moving lights, some LED strobe / flood fixtures for blinding and bumping and a bunch of 2-lite Moles.
Niller was well “Impressed” with both MegaPointes and Spiiders. “I have used many, many fixtures in my work and this is the first time I have really had the chance to discover what these can do,” he stated. He thinks the Spiider is “a great wash light” and “loves” the flower effects which he optimised in these Dinesen shows.
“There are so many possibilities,” he says. He has used a competitor brand of wash beam frequently in the past but, on the upcoming Volbeat summer tour, that’s now been changed to 36 x Spiiders, 32 x MegaPointes and 12 x BMFLs which will be used with a remote follow spotting system.

He appreciates the brightness of the MegaPointe “even with a saturated colour or a gobo in the light path they are still literally ‘mega’ bright” he enthused, adding that the movement is stable and “super-smooth” for the slower and more subtle shifts and tempo changes as well as all the high speed effects.
Niller operated these shows in Aabenraa Arena and Copenhagen Forum using his own ChamSys MQ500 Stadium console. On these two Jacob Dinesen shows, he worked alongside lighting crew chief Martin Jepsen and Niels Stenger from Vigso.

More information on the Robe website

Best-selling hip-hop artist Post Malone recently wrapped up the North American leg of his 2018 tour in support of his latest album, Beerbongs and Bentleys, which broke streaming records on Spotify the day it was released and zoomed to the top of the Billboard Hot 200.
The 26-city tour of mixed arenas and outdoor sheds was supported by a massive Meyer Sound LEO® Family reinforcement system supplied by VER Tour Sound.

Post Malone

”The LEO system is a beast,” states FOH engineer Joe Hellow, who has extensive studio experience as well as touring credits with Big Sean, Tyga and Miguel. ”This kind of power could be scary for some engineers just starting out, who might be intimidated about keeping control of such a powerful box.
But working with VER I’m backed by great system techs who give me the tools and the confidence to make it happen. I’m really happy with the results on this tour, and everybody has raved about the sound.”

Though system configurations vary somewhat by venue type, with larger arenas and outdoor sheds the main front hangs are — per side — 14 LEO line array loudspeakers over four LYON™-W wide coverage loudspeakers. Outfills per side are six LYON-M line array loudspeakers over six LYON-W, front fills are eight LEOPARD™ loudspeakers, and four UPJ-1P loudspeakers are available for utility fill. Chest-slamming bass is supplied by a total of 30 1100-LFC low frequency control elements: 12 flown and 18 ground-stacked.

A « light » version of the main hangs. 10 Leo, 4 Lyon-W and 6 subs 1100-LFC per side.

”The 1100 is a monster that is rounded and thick,” says Hellow, ”and it doesn’t interfere with my mix. I use the flown subs to keep a linear sound, then I use the ground subs as an effect to just wrap around your body. You can actually feel your shorts moving. In some venues I have to reach for the sub master and pull it down because it’s so massive.”

Beware of your shorts facing such -fans-. They’re falling down ;0)

Production manager Dennis Danneels has been impressed — and gratified — by the throw distance of the main arrays. ”The LEO/LYON rig is one that just doesn’t stop,” he observes. ”It always seems to have more power in the tank. We’ve had some challenging sheds with house delays that haven’t been updated to today’s demands, but we had enough extra horsepower from our own stacks to pick up the slack.”

Post Malone happy enough to fly behind a Leopard !

Danneels also credits the Meyer Sound system and the VER crew for keeping the tour running like clockwork despite the varied venue sizes and configurations. ”In today’s touring market we’re seeing more inconsistencies in the venues on a run, so you need to adapt quickly.

The LEO Family PA has met those challenges, and VER has some great young talent in their dugout, with great skill sets and work ethic. I’ve begun to call them ‘the future’ on this tour.”
Summing up his experience, FOH engineer Hellow concludes, ”I’ve mixed on every modern-day system out there, and now when I go on the road Meyer is first on my rider.”

The VER audio crew was headed by systems engineer Kevin Valind, aided by PA techs Justin Stiepleman and Colten Mortensen. Under the direction of account manager Jeff Priepot, VER supplied a turnkey package that also included lighting and video.
The Post Malone team was filled out by monitor engineer Blair Bondy and tour manager Kurt Kuehn. Creative direction was by Bobby Greenleaf, an associate of the artist’s manager, Dre London.

The front end of the Post Malone tour was anchored by a DiGiCo SD10 paired with a fully-loaded Waves SoundGrid server. Vocal microphone for Post Malone was a Shure Axient digital wireless topped by a DPA d:facto capsule, with vocal processing via a Rupert Neve Designs Shelford channel strip.

Left to Right: Dennis Danneels, Kevin Valind, Blair Bondy, Joe Hellow, Willie Linton, Kurt Kuehn; Top: Colten Mortensen, Justin Stiepleman.

More information on the Meyer Sound website and on the VER website

Integrated Systems Events, the producers of the Integrated Systems Europe exhibition, has announced that its 2021 editionwill be held at Gran Via, part of the Fira de Barcelona exhibition complex in Spain on 2-5 February, To give the exhibition a chance to grow.
The new venue will become the permanent location for the world’s largest AV and systems integration show.

The decision to relocate the ISE exhibition comes after 18 months of research into the viability of remaining at the RAI Amsterdam. With annual growth in ISE exhibitors and attendees approaching 10%, and the international AV market forecast to grow by 5% per annum through to 2021, it was concluded that ISE was outgrowing its popular Amsterdam location.
ISE 2018 attracted 80,923 attendees, of which 22,000 were visiting the show for the first time while 1,296 exhibitors filled 53,000 net sqm of floor space in 15 halls. ISE 2019 is expected to increase on these record breaking figures.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director Integrated Systems Events, commented: “The RAI and Amsterdam have provided a fantastic location, been great partners and contributed to the success of the show. But, demand from exhibitors, and the continued increase in the numbers of attendees, showed us that limited floor space was in danger of putting a brake on the show’s development. In spite of all our best efforts this was not an issue we felt could be solved by staying at the RAI Amsterdam.
“We conducted extensive exhibitor and attendee research and visited many major exhibition centres in Europe before making this important decision. By announcing our move to one of Europe’s largest and most prestigious convention complexes, we can now continue to focus on creating a unique experience for everyone and confidently plan for long-term development.
At the same time, we will ensure that the remaining two editions of ISE at the RAI Amsterdam are the best in its illustrious history and a fitting way to bring our 14-year relationship with the venue and city to a close.”

The Fira de Barcelona is one of Europe’s most prestigious convention and conference locations. The complex has two exhibition venues and hosts 140 international trade shows each year, featuring over 30,000 exhibitors and attracting over two million attendees. In total it has over 400,000 sqm of floor space and 14 halls.

Gran Via is one of Europe’s largest and most modern exhibition venues. It blends outstanding architecture with exceptional functionality across 8 halls and 200,000 sqm of exhibition floor space. It also offers unparalleled visitor flow and state-of-the art services and logistics. It is conveniently placed for access to the nearby international airport and public transport.

Fira is one of the Europe’s leading trade fair organisations and is closely linked to the Barcelona brand, a city with over a century of trade fair tradition. Its annual economic contribution to the city of Barcelona and its surroundings is estimated at over €2,600 million. Fira is a consortium comprising the Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Generalitat and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, which combines public ownership with autonomous company management.

Both, the ISE 2019 and 2020 editions will take place at the RAI Amsterdam and are forecast to be the largest and most successful in the show’s 16-year history.

Further information on the move to Barcelona for exhibitors and attendees will be available from a live webcast, hosted on the ISE website at 13:00 CET on Thursday 19th July.
Join us to find out more about ISE’s exciting plans for future growth.

The Sage Gateshead as seen from the river Tyne.

One of the most unusual deployments of 40 RCF’s active HDL 6-A line array compact speakers has taken place at Sage Gateshead in Newcastle to coincide with the Great Exhibition of the North.
The installation of these compact elements was sensitively carried out by RCF partner Nitelites, to contour the curvilinear glass and stainless superstructure of the magnificent building. Its purpose is to reproduce a unique and newly commissioned work by Sheffield-based ‘sound sculptor’ Mark Fell, called Protomusic #1.

Half of the HDL 6-A, the little black narrow rectangles visible on top of the glazing frames.

The installation was carried out in just three days and involves bespoke mounting bracketry, manufactured in house by Nitelites, so that each speaker can be optimised at the correct tilt angle, while remaining discreet.
Fell’s soundscape of real world sounds that represent the north of England, have been reproduced by 60 traditional instruments from around the world by Royal Northern Sinfonia, as well as non-professional players and independent musicians, in what amounts to three hours’ worth of material, recorded over a two-month period.

The bespoke mounting bracketry, manufactured by Nitelites, sets the correct tilt angle, while remaining discreet.

Sage Gateshead already enjoys a close relationship with RCF as Nitelites have previously installed flagship RCF systems in their two main rooms. The venue is now exclusively an RCF house.

The soundscape plays using a non-repetitive algorithm at low-level from 10am-9pm daily, with each of the 40 speakers receiving its own independent feed.
At the end of the exhibition, a quantity of the HDL 6-A will be returned to Nitelites’ hire inventory while Sage Gateshead will take ownership and repurpose the remainder. Said their Technical Manager, Clair Willis, “We have a number of halls in which we stage events and the PA is receiving positive feedback. It was based on this experience that I suggested the use of RCF within this project.”

Tracing the background to the commission, Willis said, “With the opening of the Exhibition, the organisation had wanted something to animate the concourse and Mark’s idea was selected by the programming team as the immersive experience it wanted.”

Nitelites’ project manager Ed Gamble said, “To convince Mark about the merits of the HDL 6-A we shipped him a unit to try out.”

Mark Fell picks up the story of his latest excursion into psychoacoustics and his love affair with the HDL 6-A. “Within about 15 minutes of setting up the speaker in my studio and playing different sounds through it I knew that it was exactly what I needed.

Two neodymium 6’’ woofers, a 1,7’’ voice coil neodymium compression driver, FIR processing, 1400 W two-way amplification and a wopping 131 dB max SPL, that’s the HDL 6-A.

“When I arrived on site at Sage Gateshead and considered its spatial and sonic characteristics, I could see it was a particularly complex and challenging acoustic environment, with hard surfaces that there was no point fighting against.
I knew that this project needed a great deal of care and forethought, which was why finding the right speaker unit was so imperative.”

In fact the results surpassed his expectations, he said. “It displayed a stunning level of controllability, clarity and detail. This allowed me to work with an exceptional level of precision within the space, turning what seemed like challenges into creative opportunities. Basically I was overjoyed with the results: the team at Nitelites were meticulous in their planning and execution and I was very impressed with the HDL-6A’s performance.”

From an installation perspective he said, “From the floor of Sage Gateshead it looked amazing — a super neat job. PA companies often have an approach to cable management that I find aesthetically challenging so this was a very different experience.”

A shot a bit distorted but showing most of the speakers inside the concourse.

Nitelites project manager Ed Gamble also added that the speaker’s 100° x 10° vertical coverage was perfect for the project, focusing the sound on the listener. “Because of the control pattern, HDL 6-A provides a seamless audio experience from area to area along the concourse.
The other benefits of using the HDL 6-A are the weight and size, which are incredible.” Mark Fell also invited participation from the public. He made an iPhone and Android app whereby users could record sound, images and add text and this was automatically sent to his server.

In conclusion, the artist says, “I’m really happy with the work, it was a new experience for me to work with so many musicians and that was a great part of the process. Without doubt the HDL6-A enclosures delivered the level of sonic quality that I had hoped for. I’m super happy because I like sonic detail and clarity, and the speakers delivered that.”

The Great Exhibition of the North is run by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative and will run for 80 days until September 9. It is expected to bring a £184 million boost to the North East’s economy.

More information on the RCF website and on the Nitelites website

Marc Carolan has been Muse’s sound engineer for sixteen years. In Australia, JPJ Audio supplied their new d&b GSL System for the tour, the first time that Marc had used the System. “At the beginning of the world tour when we played in the round, we used a mixture of d&b J-Series and V-Series,” he said.

“So to use the GSL System was very exciting. Of course using something for the first time there’s always a sense of trepidation but with it being a d&b product, I was never really afraid. I had heard it before at a show and so I knew it was going to be good. I was happy to take the chance and I knew Bruce Johnston of JPJ Audio wouldn’t put me in a position where I was going to get shafted!”

Marc Carolan face à son XL4 et ses racks de goodies analogiques old school.

Bearing in mind that the d&b J-Series has been developing constantly for over ten years, Marc was surprised that when he first listened to the GSL System, as well as hearing the potential of what it will become, the resolution and detail was incredible.

“I use a Midas XL4 along with a Midas Pro2 as a sidecar to handle all of my automation and perversely, the newer technology with the GSL has made the analogue console even more relevant because its superior audio characteristics come even more to the fore with this system,” added Marc.
“The low end control is incredible and the noise rejection out the back makes it a killer for any outdoor concerts. I really like that it doesn’t rely on huge amounts of DSP which, to my ear, colour the sound quite a lot and become fatiguing when things are really super processed.

“Sonically it’s a big step forward and what’s even more exciting is that it’s just at the beginning of what it’s going to be able to do.” The Sydney and Melbourne shows saw GSL on the main hangs, J-Series on the side and rear hangs and the new GSL subs on the floor. Marc remarked that because the main GSL speakers are so good at low end in the air, he didn’t need to fly any subs.

“We had quite a small deployment of subs on the floor compared to what we would usually expect to have to get that impact,” he added. “That’s another big plus with this system; it’s going to save a lot on points and weight in the roof. As people’s collective knowledge of the box develops, I think you’re going to see smaller arrays flying.”

More information on the d&b website

NEXO’s flagship modular line array system, the STM Series, with supplementary GEO S12, was used for a very large house-of-worship event in the impressive US BANK Stadium in Minneapolis, USA. 50,000 people attended the free Pulse – Twin Cities show, with Reach Communications providing the 360° NEXO PA system.

Multiple headliners played the concert, including LeCrae, Hillsong and Jaberwockies. The recently-built US BANK Stadium is already known for its challenging acoustics, but, as one of the largest venues in the region, it has played host to many world-class touring artists and their engineers.
All eyes were on NEXO, to see how STM Series would perform! System deployment was in a 360° arrangement, with STM as Main, Out, Side and Delays, S12 as Rear, and M10 for frontfills. Subs were a combination of flown and stacked STM S118, as well as cardio stacked NEXO RS18.

From left to right 18 M28, 15 M46/B112 and, if you check closely beneath the last M46 box, 12 GEO S12 are visible.

Dan Brown of Reach Communications, with on-site support from NEXO’s Engineering Support specialist Val Gilbert and Yamaha Commercial Audio’s Preston Gray, had to specify the STM system according to the load-bearing factors in the stadium.

A hang made of 15x M46/B112 and 2x M28 ready to be lifted.

For main PA, the configuration use 15x STM M46/B112 main and bass sets per side, with side arrays of another 15x STM M46/B112.
Each of the hangs carried 2x STM M28 downfills. 8x STM S118 subs were flown per side, and on the ground were 12x RS18s (running in cardioid mode) and 8x STM S118s (omni) per side.

2 hangs of 12 x GEO S12 cabinets were used for the rear of the stage, and the performance and coverage of these arrays was outstanding, leaving nothing to be desired in the overlap areas between these and the 270° hangs of 18x STM M28s per side.

The system was run entirely powered by 62 x NX4x4 amplifiers over Dante, with an analog backup. System control, EQ, and delays was matrixed from 1 x LAKE LM26 and 3 x LM44.

A view of the large stadium floor. On the right the two delay towers featuring 18x STM M28s each.

“The system by far outperformed our expectations,” commented NEXO’s Val Gilbert, “although the system was appraoching its limits, no-one felt it was running out of headroom, and the engineers were globally satisfied. SPL reached 120dBA peak at FOH. Considering the extremely challenging acoustics of the venue, the overall sound was very good.”
Preston Gray from YCA admits to being “pleasantly surprised by the consistency in coverage we could achieve with a relatively small number of cabinets for one of the largest NFL stadiums in the USA. This is a testament to the power and off-axis response of the STM Series, which hit 120dBA Peak & 131dBC Peak at FOH on a calibrated NTI XL2 meter.”

The stage seen from FOH.

Further information from the Yamaha Pro Audio website and the Reach Com website

Production company PogoArt, owner of the largest NEXO PA system in Poland and a recent investor in Yamaha’s new RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system, has helped Wroclaw Opera to stage an epic production of Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’.

Marcin Nałecz-Niesiołowski

The sell-out performances of one of the most recognisable operas in history was presented outdoors, with the Wroclaw Opera building itself featuring in a special stage design capable of accommodating up to 350 artists.
Wroclaw Opera is accustomed to outdoor performance, but the production of ‘Nabucco’ in Wroclaw’s central Plac Wolnosci was a most challenging one, featuring a 700 sq.metre stage with three levels for orchestra, ballet dancers, soloists and the Wroclaw Opera Choir.

Marcin Nałecz-Niesiołowski, dir of the Wroclaw Opera, who was conducting the performances, admitted that large productions are always a compromise because of the changing acoustics. Against the backdrop of the opera house, the massive 35 metre-wide stage demanded a high-performance PA system, so director Krystian Lada called upon Sławek Pogorzała of PogoArt to provide a modular line array, the NEXO STM Series, coupled with Yamaha RIVAGE PM, CL and QL Series digital consoles.

Le ballet, le décor majestueux et 12 x M28 !

“The most important issue was to achieve even coverage of the audience area, providing the highest-quality sound. STM M28 line array modules disperse over a very wide angle so this made it easy. Frontfill completed the coverage of the middle of the audience in the first rows,” says Pogorzała, owner of PogoArt.

Au premier plan la CL5 en charge du chœur, en haut de l’image, la nouvelle venue dans la famille Rivage, la PM7.

For the main PA, left and right arrays of 12x NEXO STM M28 cabinets were used, with a total of 8x NEXO CD18 18” subbass units.
The system, powered by NEXO’s proprietary NXAMP4x4 amplifiers, was set up via a Dante network, with PogoArt’s new Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 console at front-of-house, and Yamaha CL5 with R-series stageboxes to handle the choir. A pair of Yamaha QL5 consoles handled the monitor mixes.

With more than 2000 people attending each sold-out performance, expectations were high for an opera company with an international reputation. “It was vital that the system delivered the best and clearest sound to every spectator; ‘Nabucco’ is a well-known opera, so many people are very familiar with the libretto and melodies,” said Marcin Popek of LAUDA Audio, NEXO’s distributor in Poland.

“There was no doubt that this year’s production sound achieved a new standard of excellence, and this was noted in many reviews which compared it to previous events that had not had the benefit of the NEXO STM system or the Yamaha RIVAGE PM7.”

Une vue des front fills en M28, rendus encore plus indispensables par l’écartement du système principal.

Further information on the Pogoart website

AYRTON is looking for experienced, ambitious and driven regional sales managers. The ideal candidates will have experience in establishing distribution channels with a focus on the entertainment lighting market.
Knowledge of the market, excellent relationships with the major players in the region and an understanding of trends in the industry are all essential competencies for this role.

Click on the image of the ad below to access it:

Port Perry, ON (June 2018) – After much anticipation from EDM fans in the world’s most populous nation, the now-iconic Electric Daisy Carnival presented its first-ever Chinese edition from April 29-30, 2018 in Shanghai. To ensure a world-class experience befitting the festival and its headliners – including deadmau5, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, and Disclosure – every stage featured an audio solution from Adamson Systems Engineering.

Adamson E-Series system on kineticFIELD stage at EDC China 2018

The tens of thousands of fans that poured into the Shanghai International Music Park over EDC’s two-day run were treated to sets by monsters of the genre across four stages: the instantly-recognizable kineticFIELD main stage, which was shipped from overseas; the slightly smaller circuitGROUNDS; the bassPOD for low end lovers; and the Boombox Art Car. For both PA and monitoring, it was all Adamson on every stage thanks to the company’s exclusive Chinese distributor, Real Music.

Stephan Themps, FOH engineer for Martin Garrix, says that Adamson’s E-Series has become his favourite system to mix on. “Adamson delivers maximum impact every time – crystal clear with punchy bass and plenty of headroom, which is precisely what we want,” he says. “Our last experience with Adamson and Real Music at the ISY Festival was flawless, and this time, they knew exactly what we needed for a great show.”

Hardwell onstage with Adamson S-Series monitor system at EDC China 2018

The kineticFIELD system was built around Adamson’s E-Series, with the main PA comprised of 15 E15 three-way, true line source cabinets and three E12 three-way, full range cabinets per side.
The side arrays were slightly smaller, with 9 E15s and three E12s per side. Kicking out the low end were six flown E218 subwoofers per side, plus 36 E219s and 12 T21s groundstacked at the front of the stage.
Finally, Adamson’s compact S-Series was deployed for front fills and in the VIP area, as well as in the DJ booth, with stacks of three S10 two-way, full range cabinets atop two S119 subs keeping the DJs in the mix.

The circuitGROUNDS system was also anchored by the E-Series, with main arrays of 12 E15s per side and outfill arrays of six E12s per side. Bass came courtesy of eight flown E119s per side along with a complement of 36 E219s on the ground. Again, S10s were deployed for front fill and in the DJ booth atop a pair of S119 subs.

Adamson E-Series system on kineticFIELD stage at EDC China 2018

The bassPOD and Boombox stages were each built around Adamson’s S-Series, which packs the proven tour-grade performance of the E-Series into a more compact cabinet. Over the past two decades, Insomniac Events’ Electric Daisy Carnival has grown into one of the biggest music festival brands on the planet. In addition to the flagship event held every year in Las Vegas, EDC has hit major cities like Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and now, Shanghai.

“In the EDM world, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Electric Daisy Carnival,” begins Zhen “Richie” Wang, President of Real Music. “This lineup featured some of the biggest names in popular music, and we knew they wouldn’t settle for anything but the best. As far as we’re concerned, Adamson is the best, and we heard the same from several FOH engineers over the course of the event.”

More information on the Adamson website

As the professional entertainment lighting industry continues to seek an exemption for specialist lighting from the European Union’s Ecodesign regulation, an industry task force has said the situation is “far more positive” and “greatly improved” following the latest round of talks with the EU.

The EU Directorate-General for Energy has now passed a revised draft of the regulation, with its content expected to be revealed in a few weeks as it progresses through the committee stages of the process.
The Professional Entertainment Lighting Products Ecodesign task group – the body representing the industry during the public consultation has confirmed there will be a ‘comprehensive’ list of exempted lamp base types, but some specialist lamps used for non-entertainment purposes may not be included.

The full content of the regulation will be publicly available from November and the directive is set to become law in September 2020. A further update on Ecodesign will be given during the PLASA Show taking place at London Olympia on 16-18 September.

The industry task group comprises Adam Bennette (PLASA), Christian Allabauer (OETHG), Randell Greenlee (VPLT) & Silke Lalvani (PEARLE). It released the following statement:

“On 20 June 2018, the period of public consultation for the proposed Ecodesign regulation – that will affect lighting products of all types – expired. The EU DG Energy department has passed on a revised draft to the next stage of the legislative process.

We expect to know its content within a few weeks as it progresses through the committee stages of the process of turning it into a law. Although much still remains to be known, the situation now is far more positive than many had feared and greatly improved since our public meetings earlier this year.

“Our petitioning team made a clear case for exemptions for our industry – including for stage, studio, film and live event purposes – and we have received strong indications that the main arguments of the case have been accepted. There will be a list of exempted lamp base types that will include many of the specialised tungsten and discharge lamps we use.

We can expect the list to be comprehensive, but we should also expect that a few types we have been using will not be exempted if they are in use for other common non-entertainment purposes. There will be an exemption for colour tunable light sources, but the details have not yet been provided.
“The text of the regulation will be published publicly in November this year and is to be enacted in law in September 2020. More specific details will be available shortly, and these will be disseminated as soon as they are confirmed. There may be more work to do and more details to clarify but, until we see the revised draft, it would be prudent to remain calm and patient.”

Signify announced that the renowned LA Opera, located in the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles has invested in the company’s new LED-based Vari-Lite VLZ Profile fixtures as part of its stage lighting rig.
LA Opera’s current production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, with lighting design by Robert Wierzel, is the first production in its history lit with a predominantly LED lighting rig.

©LA Opera technical department

Jeff Kleeman, LA Opera’s technical director, says, “We already hold a stock of Vari-Lite VL3500 Spots and Washes, VL3000s and VL4000 BeamWash fixtures, so we were very interested in the VLZ Profile when they became available recently.
“Initially we were drawn to the impressive output – they are bright, even brighter than our VL3500s. We’ve had zero issues with the exceptional light source, which creates a large and particularly even field. But there is so much more to like about the VLZ. The color spectrum, the shuttering system, the low power consumption, which is critical for the venue, and then there’s the very quiet operation: quiet is a big deal for us.”

©LA Opera technical department

He adds, “Our work schedule means that, although we begin the design process months in advance, it is only a week prior to load-in when we pull and prep fixtures before the get-in. There is usually a pretty tight window to rig, hang and focus the light, so the small, light VLZ fixtures make that process all the smoother. They have absolutely met our expectations.”
In 1987, LA Opera was among the first opera company to utilize a complete Vari-Lite moving light rig, using the award-winning VL2 and VL3 luminaires to light Tristan und Isolde, designed by David Hockney and directed by Jonathan Miller. The company has been a regular user of the Vari-Lite brand ever since.

Martin Palmer, Philips Vari-Lite Product Manager for Signify, says, “For an artistic organization of such prestige to commit to the VLZ Profile as part of its stage lighting rig is a great vote of confidence in the quality of our world-leading LED luminaire technology. We are delighted that LA Opera has chosen to continue its long history with the Vari-Lite brand and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

Signify became the new company name of Philips Lighting as of May 16, 2018. The legal name of Signify will be adopted across all global markets in the course of 2018-2019. Signify’s Entertainment Lighting Group comprises the Philips Vari-Lite, Philips Strand Lighting and Philips Selecon brands, as well as the Philips Showline range of LED stage luminaires.

©LA Opera technical department

More information on the Signify website