Dubai Opera, located in what is claimed to be ‘the most prestigious square kilometre in the world’ in Downtown Dubai, has recently purchased 37 x Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K10s as part of a technical upgrade to the event space’s lighting rigs. 
Dubai Opera is considered a masterpiece of contemporary architecture. The ‘dhow-shaped’ building, designed by architect Janus Rostock, houses a flexible, 1900-seat venue which can be transformed into a theatre, concert hall or ‘flat-floor’ event space.

“Dubai Opera is a first-rate venue and we present and produce top-quality performances,” explains Geoffrey Wheel, Technical Director of Dubai Opera. ” We therefore invest in the very best equipment and this is demonstrated in our stake in the Claypaky brand. Its products are of an excellent quality.”

The B-EYE K10 is a popular workhorse fixture for many designers across the globe, and the fact that it is widely available to hire in the Middle East market ensures that, alongside Dubai Opera’s recent stock purchase, the venue can easily make additions on a production-by-production basis.  
“Versatility is a key factor for us when investing in new fixtures,” says Wheel, referring to the B-EYE K10’s three modes of functionality – Wash, Beam and FX. “The fixture had to suit our main-stage concerts, meet the lighting and colour standard demanded by theatrical productions and adapt for use in our studio room and foyer for the more decorative lighting needs.
Low power consumption, combined with high light output, was also top of the list when looking for a fixture.”

The zoom range of the B-EYE K10 is 4° to 60° making it suitable for environments with low ceilings and for shows in larger environments, while its high lumen-to-watt ratio means it is brighter than any LED wash luminaire with the same power rating.
The fixture runs off a universal 100-240V power-supply and, due to its advanced LED technology, can produce spectacular effects for its relatively low power demand.

More on the Claypaky website

HARMAN Professional Solutions announces the launch and availability of Martin MAC Encore™ Performance, a full-featured, LED moving head designed to produce premium white light in a wide variety of applications where critical lighting is required.
MAC Encore Performance is available in two dedicated color temperature variants: WRM for unparalleled, 3000 K warm incandescent emulation and CLD for crisp, 6000 K neutral daylight.

MAC Encore Performance integrates cutting-edge LED technology with a proprietary and innovative light engine that has been carefully engineered to generate pristine, full spectrum light with ultra-high color rendition. This is all housed in a cleverly cooled and packed optical design.

The MAC Encore Performance weaves together coveted features and dynamic effects including vibrant CMY color mixing, ultra-slow gobo rotation, Animotion™ FX system for 3D beam animations, smooth color temperature correction, dimming to full blackout, and variable frost. And it performs them all with extreme speed and accuracy of movement, precise framing shutters, all in a record-breaking, low noise engine.

Both the CLD and WRM variants of Martin MAC Encore Performance are now available. A MAC Encore line extension is planned for early 2018 to include wash fixtures in CLD and WRM variants.

For more information on Mac Encore Performance please visit Martin website

When you look for a strobe, the first thing you look for is power. GLP’s new JDC1 hybrid LED strobe delivers power through a versatile and highly creative design, the likes of which are unparalleled. Already adopted by some of the world’s leading LDs, it has been flying out the door and into rental facilities across the globe. The JDC1 unquestionably redefines the strobe function and creates a whole new class of projector that goes way beyond the standard definition of a hybrid. And the market seemingly cannot get hold of them quickly enough.

Fundamentally, the JDC1 has been designed in three sections, which can be controlled independently or as a complete synchronised unit. The fixture itself contains a traditional single tube element with a clear, bright, white output, derived from 216 white LEDs, and then combines that with a surrounding, format-filling full face of RGB LED power, utilising 1,320 high quality LED’s. Whether running independently, or together these elements a bright output with retina burning output.

Adding versatility to the design options, the two RGB plates can be divided into six separate ‘pixel’ sections on each plate and then operated with full pixel mapping control. This alone creates stunning effects, whilst the LED tube can pop through with high intensity flashes. However, in a never seen before feature, the JDC1 also allows pixel mapping of the LED tube, which is broken down into 12 individually addressable sections.
This enables the tube to create motion effects, either when forward facing or through shadow play behind a performer. Whilst the tube is operated in this mode, the RGB plates can give a solid background colour to strengthen the effect. With this level of flexibility, the JDC1 really offers a huge amount of colour, layering and operational effects, right up to the point of pixel mapping the entire array.

However, that’s not all, along with working as a powerful strobe light, both the tube and the RGB plates can be run continuously for high output blinder and wash light effects, which never reduce output or have thermal cut-out. With their wide beam angle, this allows for wide coverage of backdrops, stage areas or audience sections. Then to crown it all, the JDC1 also offers dynamic movement, with a 16-bit, 185° tilt range, allowing you to place effects exactly where and when you want them to be — to derive the most possible power and impact.
Functioning in any orientation and whether the operator wishes to use it as crowd effect at one moment and then as a stage focused strobe effect the next, the motorised tilt gives a level of functionality and effect that has never been seen on the market before. The design of the JDC1 allows adjacent units to be aligned through locking pins, which also align with their award winning X4 Bar series products.

Further features include on-board menu setup with battery operation, TRUE1 power input with variable voltage for worldwide usage, quiet operation and a low weight of just 12kg.
Across the world, rental companies have been quick to jump on board, with Rent-All in the Benelux and HELi Showequipment in Germany leading the charge in Europe, and Christie Lites, PRG, Solotech and Volt Lites being the early adopters in the US and Canada. At the same time, lighting designers on both sides of the Atlantic have been lining up to specify them on shows.

Stated GLP’s Mark Ravenhill, “This has been a real success story for GLP — early adopters have been quick to pick up on the unique features of the JDC1 and we are seeing it being used in some highly creative ways in the short time since we started shipping.”

More informations on the GLP Website

Representing the culmination of rich feature sets offered by Soundcraft’s acclaimed Vi Series, the new Vi1000 offers 96 input channels with 24 mono/stereo mix busses, plus LRC master busses, and support for Dante audio networking – all in a compact form factor, ideal for smaller touring projects, corporate AV applications, as well as music venue and theatre in search of a versatile digital mixer.

Key among its many features, the Vi1000 incorporates Vistonics II ‘knobs-on-glass’ functionality, making it easy to see and access the power and versatility of the mixing environment; along with Soundcraft Faderglow colour coding, which illuminates the fader slots according to function using clearly defined colours. With Vistonics II, each control is always clearly labelled as to its function, despite the assignable nature of the various controls.
The functions are colour coded and use icons to clearly indicate the type of parameter being adjusted – whether it’s a signal level, filter frequency, or attack/release time. A simple touch of the screen is all it takes to access all the parameters associated with a particular channel strip processing function. Regardless of whether a fader is assigned to Matrix outputs, sends on faders, VCA groups, or graphic EQ, Faderglow makes it quick and easy to identify what function is being controlled by what fader at any given time.

Faderglow

Vistonics

The Vi1000’s DSP functionality is equally impressive and includes Studer’s SpiderCore DSP engine, built-in Lexicon reverb, delay, and pitch effects, plus onboard BSS DPR901 II dynamic EQ digitally modelled after the original, industry-standard BSS analog unit. The SpiderCore DSP utilizes 40-bit floating point audio processing as used on Studer’s high-end broadcast consoles—ensuring pristine audio quality while the console’s reverb and delay effects come from the Lexicon PCM81 Multi-Effects Processor, known for its smooth, natural sounding reverb.

“For years, the DPR901 II has been known for its superior performance. While this classic analogue audio problem solver has been imitated by all BSS’ competitors, users will find the only officially-approved digitally modelled version of the original onboard the Vi1000 – further contributing to this console’s superior audio performance,” says Soundcraft. “Users will also appreciate the Vi1000’s integrated microphone monitoring for AKG, Shure, and Sennheiser wireless systems along with the included vMIX Automatic Microphone Mixing capability.
The Vi1000’s built-in monitoring support for AKG, Shure, and Sennheiser wireless microphone systems makes it easy to check battery power, RF levels, plus the mute and clipping status of the attached wireless microphones – right on the channel strip that controls each mic. Similarly, with the console’s vMIX Automatic Microphone Mixing capability, engineers can automatically mix up two separate groups of to 16 microphones in conference or theatrical applications to free up hands or reduce the number of snapshots needed to control ambience in multi-mic speech applications.”

Andy Brown

The new Vi1000 is flexible and offers expandable I/O capability. Linked directly to the SpiderCore DSP engine, the Vi1000’s comprehensive I/O system provides a total of 212 x 212 simultaneous inputs and and outputs. These comprise 16 channels of on-board HQ mic preamps, 16 on-board line outs, 2 pairs of AES/EBU inputs and outputs, in addition to two 64 channel expansion slots for connection of remote stageboxes or optional I/O cards, plus an additional 64 channel MADI and Dante recording interface. Optional I/O expansion cards can be chosen from the extensive ViSi Connect range, which include MADI, Dante, Aviom, Rocknet, Blulink, SDI, TDIF, ADAT and other formats.

Andy Brown, Soundcraft Product Manager – Vi Series, commented on the company’s new Vi1000: “The Vi1000 represents all that we’ve learned over the years with our Vi Series line and channels that knowledge and experience into a new desk that delivers superior audio performance and a world-class feature set—all in a compact form factor with intuitive operation that enables engineers to quickly and easily grasp its layout and functionality. From cutting edge attributes including Vistonics II and Faderglow technology, integrated Dante support, and DSP capability that only HARMAN can deliver, every aspect of the Soundcraft Vi1000 exudes painstaking attention to detail—ensuring a mixing environment that streamlines workflow and inspires one’s best efforts.”

Under the pseudonym Ludovic Monchat, he has been signing articles about audio in the technical press for more than 20 years. Under his name Jean-Luc Emanuele, he is co-founder of SLU and President of Art&Show s.a.s., the company that owns SoundLightUp.
Jean-Luc “Ludo” Emanuele Monchat has an immeasurable passion for audio, a lively editorial style with a touch of cheekiness, and two excellent and analytical ears. He is prying and critical, straightforward and incorrigibly human.

Photomontage made without digital manipulation and without the consent of the subjects: Stéphane Plisson on the right, Maxime Ménelec in the center and Ludo on the left.

It was with very great respect for all of his qualities that we, his associates – namely Claude Ducros, Monique Cussigh and Jean-Pierre Landragin – proposed to him to assume the role(s) of editor-in-chief of SoundLightUp, as he is now able to devote all his time to SLU…
And he accepted. Hallelujah! He can count on us and our support well into the future, as we could never easily leave behind such a great human and professional experience – but we are delighted to hand him the reins.
SLU will become stronger and even more dynamic!

Four Robert Juliat’s 4000W HTI Lancelot fixtures were the followspots of choice for Frédéric “Aldo” Fayard, the lighting designer behind the prestigious Opening Ceremony of the 17th FINA World Aquatic Championships, which took place in Budapest and Balatonfüred in July this year.
The FINA World Championships is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the largest sporting showcase Hungary has ever hosted. With over 2,500 athletes from 180 countries and 200 events over a period of 17 days, this was a massive undertaking.

Frederic Fayard, who is founder and designer with Concept K in Paris, created and programmed the lighting for the opening ceremony event, which was conceived and produced by the French production ECA2 Group with MUPA from Hungary. The four 4kW Lancelot followspots were supplied by PRG France and were rigged on two technical towers front of stage. The Ceremony also provided the ideal opportunity for Aldo to test out Robert Juliat’s newest product, SpotMe, where he put it through its paces under live conditions for the first time ever.

SpotMe is a 3-D real-time tracking system that turns the followspots into an innovative solution to give the position of performers on stage, without the need for emitters and/or cameras. The followspot is equipped with sensors which send signals to the server and communicates all the positions and beam size parameters to the lighting console through PSN and DMX protocols.
The parameters can then be used by the console to control any automated, or static, lights. Any moving light can therefore also turn into a followspot at any time during a show which is precisely what Fayard was able to do. The Opening Ceremony took place on an 80 x 10 meter floating stage, situated directly on the Danube river close to the main bridge, with the iconic Buda Castle perched beautifully on the hill as a backdrop. Aldo chose to work with the Lancelot followspots for the prestigious event as he believes them to be “the most powerful and flexible followspots on the market.”

The Lancelots performed well in the rather humid conditions created by a combination of the weather and the spectacular dancing water fountains, which were designed by ECA2 Group, and certainly handled the demanding throw distances of between 50 to 90 meters effortlessly. Aldo comments, ‘I have used Robert Juliat lights many times in my 30 years of international experience and I believe they produce the best profiles and followspots in the world.
I know the Lancelot well, and for me, the most important features are the optics, their sheer power, and the zoom range, all of which were invaluable for the distances involved and the televisation of the event. I have worked with many manufacturers around the world, but wherever I am working, I always request Robert Juliat first.’

The wonderfully creative opening ceremony was attended by Hungary’s prime Minister Victor Orbán and other government ministers, along with former Hungarian Olympic champions. Taking part were over 510 artists, including some of Hungary’s biggest superstars Péter Eötvös, Ágnes Herczku and Gergely Bogányi and three-times Grammy Award winning artist, CeeLo Green. The Opening Ceremony ended with a rendition of the official song of the World Championships, performed by Gigi Radics and Nikolas Takács, followed by a concert by CeeLo Green.

Aldo was able to test Robert Juliat’s SpotMe in conjunction with the Lancelots, on the singers during these key performances and also to follow one of history’s best-ever female swimmers and five-time Olympic gold medalist, Krisztina Egerszegi, during the launch of the water flame which initiated the amazing dancing water display. “We are happy to report SpotMe worked well in coordinating the moving lights with the movement initiated by the Lancelots,” says Aldo. “I can see this becoming a very sought after system.”

“The FINA Opening Ceremony was a good test for SpotMe, both as a trial under live conditions, and to ensure it meets the true requirements of lighting designers in all aspects prior to releasing it to market,” says Robert Juliat MD, François Juliat. “Live testing gives us the opportunity to fine tune the details and make sure it is a viable – and valuable – product in ‘real’ conditions.”

For more information on Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots, SpotMe visit the Robert Juliat website

Ayrton is very excited to announce the appointment of Zane Cretten as the latest member of its expanding sales team. Based in South Africa, Cretten will take on the position of Regional Sales Manager, with responsibility for sales across Africa and the Middle East, from 15 September 2017.

Zane Cretten

Cretten brings with him 11 years experience in the live events industry, specialising in video and lighting.
During this time he has worked with major global brands including High End, Barco, Pandora’s Box, d3, CreateLED, Wings and Caliber.
“When the opportunity arose to join Ayrton I jumped at the chance,” says Cretten. “I am very excited to be joining such a highly-specialised, innovative lighting company. I’m really looking forward to working with such a creative manufacturer and growing the market share in Africa and the Middle East.”

“Zane will be a valuable addition to Ayrton’s international sales team with a key role representing the company in this fast-developing region,” says Ayrton’s global sales director, Michael Althaus. “We are delighted to welcome him to the team and ensure customers across Africa and the Middle East benefit from the full Ayrton service.”

Clients looking for innovative LED lighting fixtures and wishing to discuss upcoming projects and events can contact Zane Cretten on Tel: (+27)836299227 and/or Email: [email protected]

More information on the extensive portfolio of Ayrton LED fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu

The recently opened La Seine Musicale music complex just outside Paris center is a marvel of performance spaces. Amadeus, based in Paris, one of the manufacturers of high-end sound reinforcement systems, was chosen to equip the two main concert halls of the Seine Musicale building complex with their specially developed speaker systems.
As the sole speaker manufacturer chosen for the momentous project, Amadeus also installed their speakers in multiple rehearsal spaces throughout the new music center. La Seine Musicale is a large-scale cultural public infrastructure, over 36,000 square meters, committed to host every type of musical performance.

The exterior of La Seine Musicale at the end of Seguin Island. Crédit: Gilles Letang

The building houses two main concert halls, five recording studios, and several rehearsal spaces – the main ‘Auditorium’ has seating for 1,150 guests. This hall is the symbol and the signature of the building with acoustics designed by acousticians Nagata Acoustics and Jean-Paul Lamoureux, and features a speaker system custom designed by Amadeus.

Mickael Dinant, the head of the Scenography Department and Concert Halls Construction at Bouygues Construction, elaborates on the particular electro-acoustical challenges of the new sound system install, “We attached a great importance to the equipment reliability, performance, and flexibility for the Auditorium and the Grande Seine. These aspects were very challenging, and the modularity as well, because we had to be able to change from one configuration to another, very quickly and easily. In this sense, the manufacturer’s involvement, as well as their professional integrity, were key aspects to guarantee a final result matching the Seine Musicale’s goal, of both prestige and ambition.”

9 DIVA M² enclosures. The shape and modern look of DivaM² definitely help it to find his way into this fabulous space.

To overcome these challenges Dinant explains that it was only possible due, “to the professionalism of Videlio, which was in charge of the audiovisual integration, and to Amadeus, who designed, developed, and built the speaker systems. Amadeus have been completely involved in the project during the past 3-years. With Amadeus’ inventiveness and expertise, they developed new speaker array enclosures perfectly adapted to our needs, and played a major role in the success of this magical venue.”
To create a solution for the Seine Musicale project, Amadeus completely redesigned its middle format ‘DIVA’ speaker array series, which already equips some of the major musical, theatrical and public institutions – both national and international – including the Philharmonie de Paris, La Gaîté Lyrique, the National Assembly of South Korea, and the National Theatre of Brittany, among many others. The Seine Musicale is the first install anywhere in the world featuring the newly released DIVA M² (pronounced DIVA M Squared) array speakers.

Gaetan Byk, Marketing Manager at Amadeus explains, “The DIVA M² is not a simple evolution of the DIVA M speaker series created in 2006, it is a revolution, a total and radical reinvention. This new version raises the bar much higher. Its new design incorporates a dramatic collection of over one hundred major changes, compared to the previous DIVA model.” “The structure of the low, medium, and high frequency transducers, the geometry of the cabinets, their internal and external structures, the active filtering design, and more – basically all major acoustic, electro-acoustic, electronic, and mechanical components have been completely rethought, reinvented,” adds Byk.
“The location was not picked by chance. It is an island amid the Seine, the center, the beating heart of Hauts-de-Seine’ Culture Valley,” says Patrick Devedjian, President of the ‘Hauts-de-Seine’ Departmental Council. “Thanks to La Seine Musicale, the Seguin Island becomes its lighthouse. Beyond the symbol, it is a reality. To materialize, the La Seine Musicale project needed to gather skills, commitment, and ambition.”

Auditorium Hall. Crédit: Olivier Ravoire

The design of La Seine Musicale building was tasked to Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who partnered with Jean de Gastines. Outside, its rounded shape evokes an egg. Inside, the concert hall is in the style of a ‘vineyard’. Listeners are spread on several levels surrounding the stage, thus creating a proximity feeling with the musicians.
The surfaces on which the seats are banked create early reflections radiating from the orchestra to the audience, enhancing the intimacy.
Designed with the same precision used for a musical instrument, with painstaking work on the materials, the auditorium evokes an art of craftsmanship. Treated like a jewel, the rounded shell of the auditorium is protected by an outer envelope made of a lacing of glued laminated spruce wood, mimicking the image of a bird’s nest.
Besides the main Auditorium, dedicated to acoustical music, La Seine Musicale can host a wide range of shows. The ‘Grande Seine’ performance space was designed to be simple and versatile, and it hosts every type of equipment needed for any type of modern pop music concert, musical, or other live or corporate event. Equipped with three different stages and retractable tiers, the Grande Seine performance space has a capacity of 4,000-seats, or up to 6,000 utilizing sitting and standing areas.

A partial view of the Grande Seine. Photo Olivier Ravoire

The Amadeus DIVA M² installed in La Seine Musicale is the newest middle format line source system of the Company’s DIVA Series. The system has a 3-way enclosure, bi-amplified design, with two active drivers. The enclosure features one direct radiating 8” neodymium low frequency transducer, mounted in a bass-reflex enclosure, and two neodymium diaphragm compression high frequency drivers, which are coaxially-mounted with a single acoustical output, and coupled to an individual proprietary waveguide. Its unique diffraction horn has been optimized to get a vertical dispersion of 10° and a horizontal dispersion of 100°.

The DIVA M² array speaker offers a revolutionary HF (High Frequency) ensemble tweeter featuring a unique combination of extended frequency response, high efficiency, and wide dispersion pattern. To obtain an optimal full-spectrum sound quality at the Seine Musicale live event spaces, the new DIVA M² SUB was paired with the DIVA M² speakers. Each subwoofer is equipped with two 12-inch transducers, mounted in a bass-reflex enclosure to reproduce the lowest sonic sound sources.
The new design of the Amadeus DIVA M² speaker array needed to solve some particular issues, “Achieving a perfectly uniform coverage and an excellent spectral quality throughout the whole listening area were especially challenging within the Auditorium – because of its 360-degree configuration,” reflects Dinant. “Within the Grande Seine area, bleachers are segmented subspaces, each of them with different slopes, and to top it off they are asymmetric. The bleacher’s curvature is almost exponential and the distance from the stage to the last spectator is almost 50-meters.” The new DIVA M² speaker arrays solved each of these sonic requirements perfectly.

For more information visit : La Seine Musicale and new DIVA M²

When WestJet Airlines Ltd., Canada’s second-largest air carrier and the number one international carrier into Las Vegas, wanted to celebrate its 21st birthday, the company decided to go all out and set some Guinness World Records in the process. WestJet treated passengers on one of its Toronto-Las Vegas flights to a massive light show in Utah’s Mojave Desert featuring 126 Claypaky Mythos fixtures
Creative agency Rethink devised the rather daunting concept, which Westbury National Show Systems Ltd. in Toronto executed. “We don’t scare easily,” laughs Westbury Vice President Rob Sandolowich. The full-service AV company provides lighting, staging, video and audio services for shows and permanent installations.
Rethink’s idea was to create a giant, ground-based spinning wheel of lights with a prize-winning seat number revealed in the center. The lights would be seen from 12,000 feet in the air in a 20-second fly-over by a scheduled WestJet flight. A flight attendant would signal passengers to peer out the windows to see the light wheel and the changing digits inside: The digits finally froze on a seat number whose lucky occupant won an array of vacation-themed gifts.

As executed by Westbury, the wheel produced over 4.5 million lumens of light in the night sky and was visible from seven miles away. The wheel set Guinness World Records for the largest circular projection (1 km of light) and the greatest light output in a projected image. “We mocked up a proof of concept in our parking lot and realized we could pull it off,” says Sandolowich.
“About a year before one of our guys had a Mythos fixture on the loading dock at night aiming at a water tower almost a kilometer from here. I looked out the window and saw the accuracy of movement and the good focus of Mythos – it looked amazing at that distance. So I filed that away in the back of my head. When WestJet came up, I said I know this amazing beam with a huge light output that we could use.”
A Utah-based site manager narrowed down possible locations to two. “We wanted a very flat area with little if any foliage,” says Sandolowich. “The plane had to come down to about 12,000 feet, and the flight path couldn’t be too close to Las Vegas where other planes were descending and coming in for a landing. So we picked this massive cow pasture, a giant alfalfa field about two-and-a-half hours outside Vegas in Colorado City, Utah.”

Claypaky Mythos2

Sandolowich wanted to use Mythos fixtures exclusively but he couldn’t find enough to complete the array so he mixed 126 Mythos with another brand of moving-head spots. In such a remote location the crew of some 40 people spent a week trucking in all the supplies and setting up everything required to make the light effects work. “We used all-terrain vehicles for equipment delivery. The days were very hot but it got freezing cold at night and we had wind and dust storms,” he recalls.
“We had to bag the fixtures when they were not in use.” Generators needed to be close to the light sources to avoid lengthy cable runs. “Fortunately, Mythos was super-power efficient,” Sandolowich reports. “We got a lot of brightness without using a lot of power.” Communication with the pilot via the light consoles enabled the light effects to be triggered at just the right moment for optimal viewing by a plane full of surprised and delighted passengers.
“The flyover lasted only 20 seconds so we really had to nail it,” says Sandolowich. “When we heard the pilot say, ‘Wow – amazing!’ we knew we got it right.” WestJet subsequently made a TV commercial commemorating its 21st birthday and sharing the record-breaking moment with a wider audience. “Mythos was the perfect light for the job,” says Sandolowich. “And we’re grateful for the support A.C.T Lighting gave us during the testing phase.” At Westbury Adrian Kent was responsible for the conceptual drawing, Thomas Stehle the infrastructure and Jason Kew the logistics; Andrew Cwierdzinski and Shawn Freeman were the programmers. A.C.T Lighitng is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky products in North America.

Francesco Romagnoli, Claypaky Area Manager for North and Latin America, added, “This is a very cool and interesting project and we were proud to be a part of it.”

More on the Claypaky website

When Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” world tour played the Hard Rock Hotel in the Dominican Republic earlier in the year, Dominican-based rental company and Elation dealer BM Eventos was there to supply Elation’s indomitable Platinum Beam 5R™ beam light’s for some classic beam looks.
LD Cory FitzGerald had 120 of the pioneering beam fixtures at his disposal to provide eye-catching barrages of thick beams from positions in the overhead rig, stage front, right and left, and from the walkway.

Elation Platinum Beam 5R

“It’s been a very important lighting fixture in the industry for many years with excellent, proven performance,” stated General Manager Edwin Belliard of BM Eventos, the rental company responsible for assembly of the lighting and lighting control system for the show.
“The Platinum Beam 5R gives a lot of quality at a low cost. On the Justin Bieber show here in the Dominican Republic, there were no setbacks with the fixtures and the lighting team was super happy with the whole system.”

Bieber’s Dominican Republic show wasn’t the only tour stop in which Elation fixtures got involved.
In India, also earlier in the year, Elation dealer Star Dimensions supplied 140 Platinum Beam 5Rs, 24 Platinum Beam 5R Extremes, 22 Rayzor Q7 LED moving heads, and 38 SixPar 300 LED Par lights for the Canadian star’s show at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

For more information, visits Elation website

Robe MegaPointe

Robe goes Mega this morning with the global launch of its new multi-functional moving light fixture … the MegaPointe! It will appear on their first international trade show at PLASA London.
This follows a series of eye-catching and intriguing teaser videos “Now there is MEGA” which have generated a huge amount of excitement globally throughout lighting and visual communities. MegaPointe is set to define new standards and expectations in moving light technology … taking the original concept of the all-in-one fixture … to a whole new level.
Utilizing an exclusive 470W short-arc lightsource, Robe’s diligently crafted MegaPointe optics produce phenomenally bright parallel beams, incredible spot gobo projections, together with super-quick movement, smooth CMY colour mixing and a multitude of effects available for splitting and shaping the light in Spot, Beam or Wash modes.

MegaPointe – The global launch from ROBE lighting on Vimeo.

The zoom ranges from 1.8 to 21 degrees in Beam mode – tight, powerful and punchy, and goes from 3 to 42 degrees in Spot mode with crystal clear high-clarity output through a 150 mm diameter front lens, with a stunning total lumen output of 20.375 and an impressive CRI of over 80. Inventive, different in-air projections can be created using the new Effects Engine, pre-loaded with 12 dynamic beam and flower effects, and can be further finessed using the beam shaper which can emulate framing shutter effects and create rectangular shapes as well as being rotatable and indexable.

Utilising the ‘light’ and medium’ frost filters with any combination of colours from the CMY mixing system produces a beautiful, smooth, even wash coverage. There is a static 14-slot plus open gobo wheel fitted with glass gobos for precision surface projections and exciting in-air impressions, and a second wheel contains 9 rotating, indexable and replaceable gobos.
These can be combined with a variable speed, bi-directional animation wheel which can be used in conjunction with any of the gobos or on its own to enhance or produce exceptionally subtle and detailed effects and projections. A remote adjustable hot-spot control can further influence the appearance of the lightsource, and there is yet more versatility with a series of pre-programmable ‘random’ strobe and pulse effects. In keeping with Robe’s commitment to smaller-brighter-lighter fixtures … It weighs only 22Kgs (48.5lbs).

MegaPointe draws on Robe’s expertise as a premium moving light manufacturer and has been developed by the R ‘n’ D team working in close collaboration with valuable input from lighting professionals to develop another outstanding product. Robe’s Pointe was launched in 2013 and led the way as the first truly multi-functional moving light taking the industry by storm and established new standards of flexibility and choice for LDs, programmers and operators. It continues to be one of the company’s best-selling products.
MiniPointe was launched in 2015 to bring all the well-loved Pointe dynamics to small-to-medium applications … and now the family is completed with the MegaPointe, which takes everything up several notches with refined touches enhancements like CMY colour mixing and blistering brightness.
This multi-functional, multi-purpose luminaire is perfect for live concerts, festivals, EDM & dance extravaganzas, TV productions, outdoor spectaculars and all types of live events and permanent installations.

The first MegaPointes were live in action a week before the launch … on the Main Stage production lighting rig designed by Sander den Otter for Mysteryland 2017, the Netherlands’ oldest and most original dance music extravaganza this year staged over two days at Haarlemmermeerse Bos, Amsterdam, and produced by ID&T.

Photo Louise Stickland

MegaPointes made a big impact on the main stage of the first ever New Horizons EDM / dance music event at Nürburgring, Germany, part of a production design by Andre Beekmans from NL based creative practice, The Art of Light.

Photo Louise Stickland

Photo Louise Stickland

The launch is supported by worldwide product demonstrations and roadshows via Robe’s subsidiaries and distributor network – so everyone has a good chance to see the product for real, and the units are ready for immediate shipping. MegaPointes will appear on their first international trade show at PLASA London, September 17th – 19th, where visitors can catch a live version of the uber-cool video launch show.

A full list of international MegaPointe events is available on www.robe.cz

Grammy Award-winning artist producer duo, The Chainsmokers, aka Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, embarked on their first arena tour earlier this year, visiting 36 cities across North America. The multi-faceted show was designed and produced by Miguel Risueño, aka Mike808, and Corey Johnson of Production Club, Los Angeles, with a stunning lighting design from Cory FitzGerald, and production management by Clancy Silver.
Signature to the show’s design were 126 MagicPanel™ fixtures from Ayrton, with 42 of the new MagicPanel™-FX and 84 MagicPanel™-R fixtures forming a dynamic, articulated ceiling of light above the duo, and 18 Ayrton MagicDot-R units fronting their DJ booth.

Photo Todd Kaplan

The tour was in support of Memories…Do Not Open, the duo’s first studio album which plays with the concept of a teenager’s ‘memory box’ in which a youngster might hide their precious objects – love letters, tickets, photos etc. The pretext gave the designers the perfect opportunity to explore the idea of using the box to create a stage and to ‘open’ that box of memories for the audience.
“Our vision was that the box would bring the band’s lyrics and stories to life,” explains Mike808, the show’s production designer and creative director. Our design reflected that concept, visualizing the stage as a box through which we unveiled the different memories, both those of The Chainsmokers and of the audience themselves.” “The box allowed us to be more ‘literal’ with the illustrated video content running on the V-Thru screen which wraps around the band; or, at other times, more ‘abstract’ with a perimeter of lights around the stage to form an ethereal box of light.”

In addition to this, Production Club also devised a way to meet The Chainsmokers unusual requirement of alternating between their DJ sections and playing live on stage, effectively dividing the show into separate sections.

Ayrton MagicPanel™-FX

“Alex and Drew were very clear that the two aspects should not merge, so they could preserve the value of the original DJ set without compromising the new live music sections,” says Mike808.
“The challenge for us was not to create a hybrid of DJ and live show, but to maintain both aspects as separate entities. The result was a mix of five DJ sections alternating with five live sections, interspersed with some ‘theatrical skits’ between songs. “We needed a set that would be flexible enough to cut and change between these and be ready for whatever the duo decided to play next.”
Key to this mutable set was the dynamic ceiling of light which could change the shape and appearance of the stage, and alternate swiftly between the sections. It was composed of 6 independent, automated overhead pods, each measuring 24ft deep x 6ft wide and loaded with Ayrton MagicPanel-FX and Ayrton MagicPanel-R units.
Each pod was mobilised by SGPS/ShowRig winches and capable of rotation in two axes, and also moved up and down. “We could organise them into custom configurations, form arches with them, bring them in low over the DJ booth and break them back up to become a ceiling once again,” explains Mike808.

Ayrton MagicPanel

“One pod became a staircase at one point, and the two central ones were used as aerial platforms for the guys to stand on to perform a couple of numbers. The Ayrton MagicPanels were ideal because they have the flexibility to perform in all these scenarios.”
Each pod carried 21 MagicPanel fixtures arranged in three rows: a central row of 7 MagicPanel-FX flanked by a row of 7 MagicPanel-R units on each side. “The pods gave us a lot of cool options in shaping the stage, in addition to which we could use all the ‘Magic’ stuff inside them,” says FitzGerald.

Programmers Davey Martinez and Brian Jenkins, both of whom have worked with FitzGerald and Production Club before, and LD Aaron Kovelman, worked with FitzGerald to build a lot of layouts and bitmapping in advance. “We created a lot of effects with different groupings, and were able to use these pre-built looks in different ways to maximise the MagicPanels’ flexibility during the show,” says FitzGerald.
“Miguel wanted to add an architectural element with some strong static statements, so we decided to keep live movement of the pods to a minimum and let the Ayrton fixtures create the dynamism.”

Unpacking the box

The team was careful to space and align the pods with precision to ensure that, when each central row of MagicPanel-FX was turned off, the remaining rows of MagicPanel-R were all equidistant from each other.
“This trick allowed us to break down the MagicPanel ceiling into several different configurations depending on the song, each one establishing a different visual rhythm onstage” says Mike808. The ceiling alignment was put to good use on the song Young by emulating a classroom environment: “Young is about the adventures and mistakes you make when you’re a teenager, which we illustrated by turning the video wall into a blackboard and the MagicPanel pods into staple classroom lights.”
Later in that same song, one pod, which had a set of stairs embedded on top of it, was dropped down and angled for Drew to walk up it. “At this point we were able to spin the MagicPanels beneath the pod to face upwards and delineate each of the steps as he walked up them until he reached the full height of 24ft above the stage. That is a specific effect we could not achieve with any other technology,” says Mike808. “MagicPanel-FX are very cinematic fixtures that let you recreate lots of different moods and skip through them rapidly, like cutting through scenes in a movie”

Photo Danilo Lewis

FitzGerald also used the MagicPanels to make a strong visual statement during Paris – a song about a place that lets the imagination fly – when the two central pods are flown out high above the stage with Alex and Drew on the back of them surrounded by MagicPanel fixtures blazing out beneath and beside them.

The MagicPanels’ endless pan and tilt capability proved a huge bonus when dealing with the off-set of the pods which tilted and rolled in nine or ten different positions during the show. “In Bloodstream, for example, we started with the pods in great disarray, to the point that they looked as though something had gone wrong,” explains Mike 808. “This suited the narrative as Drew sang about going through difficult moments in his life. However, as the song evolves the look turned into a giant organized pattern to express confidence and control.”

Ayrton MagicDot-R

During the DJ sessions the pods were usually flown in low and tilted abruptly to meet the musician risers and DJ booth which rose up to 10ft to meet them. Here they were used as low-resolution video screens and as very impressive decorative effects behind the DJ booth.

Mike808 added the finishing touches to the DJ booth by placing 18 MagicDot-R fixtures around its perimeter. “We were bored with the typical LED DJ booth look so we put a strip of LED video across the front and lit the negative space under the video with MagicDot-Rs.
We used them to create some cool effects that drew more attention to the booth. The fixtures were so light we were able to attach them with Velcro and they stayed firmly in place despite Drew’s or Alex’s crazy, energetic jumping and dancing around!”

FitzGerald and Mike808 were already familiar with Ayrton products having used MagicPanels, MagicDots, IntelliPix, CosmoPix and MagicBlades extensively on previous projects. However, MagicPanel-FX was relatively new to them both.

“We first used MagicPanel-FX in December 2016 at an Amazon Web Services party for around 15,000 people, headlined by Martin Garrix, and I really loved them,” says Mike808. “I knew I had some big designs coming this year so it was a way of trying out the MagicPanel-FX in advance. We were super-excited by them even though we only got to run them for 4 hours. They were something different and innovative so we tried to incorporate them into The Chainsmokers design as much as possible.”

FitzGerald agrees: “I like the way the MagicPanel-FX looks. It can behave the same as a MagicPanel-R, which is convenient, and they definitely come from the same family so the colours all match. But the lensing and face of the fixture give a totally different look and feel from the regular MagicPanels and from any other fixture on the market. Looking into the lens, you can play with the way you see the light in the way it irises at some points. “They are extremely powerful and I like the flexibility the zoom gives – it changes everything in the way the MagicPanel-FX looks and the way it acts. We found we could use them to trick the eye into thinking they were all MagicPanel-R and then zoom out and use them to introduce a completely different element. It’s a pretty cool feature. I would definitely use them again.”

“We wanted to emphasize the importance of meticulous lighting programming on this tour,” says Mike808. “Cory, Brian and Davey are the dream team of lighting, and with their talents we achieved some incredible results. “The flown pods were the centrepiece of our design and were unique because we used them in so many different ways. The fact that they were populated with MagicPanel-FX and MagicPanel-R says something particularly significant about Ayrton’s involvement here,” concludes Mike808.
“The Chainsmokers are used to performing with video, yet they had the courage to do a show that was a huge mix of DJ sessions, live band and interaction with the audience. We tried to add something on every song to keep the interest, and needed fixtures that were extremely versatile to cope with a lighting design that had to cross so many different genres at different stages throughout the show.

“That’s the value of the Ayrton products – they can change from a very sterile, high tech look at one moment to a warm, classical theatrical kind of fixture the next. For us, that was one of the most important goals of the project – to be able to evoke extremely different feelings throughout the set – because the show is about the memories in all their variety. We had just not one general feeling to convey, but a whole range of different looks and emotions. I think that’s what the design, the music of The Chainsmokers, and Ayrton have in common – their ability to transport the audience to different environments and mental states. We are very happy of achieving this through the use of light.”

The Chainsmokers summer tour is currently making its way across North America, Canada and Europe until September.

More information on all Ayrton’s LED lighting products can be found at www.ayrton.eu

The Analogues is an extraordinary band with an ambitious mission. The aim is to recreate, live, the last six Studio albums of The Beatles using the same instruments, amplifiers, and so on, and the same arrangements, complete with live strings and horns. The band has tracked down and restored period instruments from all over the world, such as a rare Lowrey Heritage Deluxe Organ, as used on the introduction to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. To date, the band has conquered Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, and will start touring The White Album from January 2018.
Remko Luijten, the Front of House Engineer for The Analogues, has been working with the band for two years already, and Ger Arts, Monitor Engineer, has recently joined the tour. Because of the extreme demands of this project both engineers have selected SSL Live L500 consoles as their tools of choice, supplied to the tour by the Dutch rental company Peak Audio.

Beginning of the Ziggo Dome show for 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper.

Solid State Logic managed to talk to both Luijten and Arts shortly after a tour highlight – the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper with a sold-out show at the 17,000-seat Amsterdam Ziggo Dome. The event comprised complete performances of both Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, plus a third section of additional material with an array of special guests. The show was an exposition of The Beatles’ creative innovation, with a constant stream of vintage instruments moving on and off stage, and exceptional musicianship, from the five versatile core band members to the many guests and ensemble musicians. To accommodate the range of extra guests, a second monitor console was deployed, another SSL L500, operated by Sydney van Gastel.
While the instruments, amplifiers, and several of the vocal microphones are authentic originals, allowances had to be made for the demands of the project and the practicalities of bringing such complex arrangements to the stage. “The Beatles never had to play these songs live and so had far fewer problems with crosstalk or feedback to deal with,” explains Luijten. “For example, we didn’t want any screens on stage, so the drum kit is not isolated… And the strings are right behind it!” Even this was not an insurmountable problem for the team. They settled on a piezoelectric contact element and microphone combination, using the piezo for the bulk of the sound with the microphone signal blended in. Luijten: “Even only two meters behind a drum kit, it works… which is nice!”

The Analogue’s attention to detail, extensive instrument collection, and additional ensemble members, mean that the input count for any show is high. ‘Normal’ shows use four 32-input SSL SuperAnalogue Stageracks, while the Ziggodome special added another rack to accommodate guests and additional ensemble. “Normally we have around 100 to 110 inputs,” says Luijten. “…There are a lot of vocal positions for each musician, a lot of instruments that are only used for one song, and of course we have an orchestra and the percussionist.”
To manage such an undertaking with a ‘vintage’ console, would be unthinkable: Luijten: “If you really wanted to stay true to the original you’d obviously need an analogue desk, but you’d need a desk at least five meters wide for the inputs we’d need to accommodate! Besides that, every song is so different from the previous one that you have to do some automation on effects and on EQ. There’s no way it could be done on an analogue console… though sound-wise, this desk comes as close as you can get.”

Remko Luijten, the Front of House Engineer for The Analogues, with the SSL L500 console during the recent Ziggo Dome show in Amsterdam.

Luijten has all the instruments available on the first two fader tiles. He uses the L500’s third tile as the target for the its Super-Query function, which spills the source and destination paths of any selected Channel, Stem Group, Aux, Master, or VCA across the console in a way that can be defined by the user for each path type. Part of his mix strategy is to make a Stem group for each person on stage. “They all play so many instruments that the easiest way is to name the person” he explains. “And then whatever they’re playing in that song is on that fader.”
Luijten uses very little outboard, just an analogue tube EQ and compressor in one of the master inserts. He uses a Waves server for a few specific effects, but everything else relies on the SSL standard path processing and internal FX rack. “For every vocal I have a four-band dynamic EQ… Those old mics are really sensitive to the proximity effect, so the SSL dynamic EQ kicks in when needed and does a great job.

“One of the main effects I use is the SSL Tape Delay of course. I have it set up on a macro key so I can bring it up on screen with one button press and easily edit it.” According to Luijten, a prime factor in deciding to use SSL Live on tour was ‘feel’: “I ask, what feeling to do get when you’re behind the console? Does it do what you expect? Can you find stuff easily? The learning curve on this console is not steep.”
He explains that the original console choice for the show was made by auditioning several manufacturers’ consoles, spending a day with each one. “The first move was to sit behind the consoles and try to set up a show and start mixing without a manual. With the SSL it was easy. “Though what immediately caught my attention was the EQ. We put up a multitrack from our show via MADI and started mixing straight away. As soon as you turn a control on an EQ you realise ‘this is what I want to hear’… That was quite special. “The main thing about this console is obviously the sound. They were all good, but this one really stood out, and that’s the most important thing for us.”

Monitor position during rehearsals for the show, with two SSL L500 consoles, one is the main monitor console (Ger Arts on the picture), the other was brought in for guest monitors (Sydney van Gastel).

For Ger Arts at monitors, the sheer power and flexibility of SSL Live is a boon. For a regular show he creates 24 separate stereo in-ear mixes. The five main band members have completely independent mixes created from the original discrete inputs, while the ensemble members’ mixes are derived from Stem groups, plus each player’s own channel. His approach, specifically to IEM, has far more to it than simply trying to recreate The Beatle’s classics on headphones. “When you put in-ear monitors in, everybody is on the same spot on stage… It’s flat, one dimensional… You have to give every musician a space on stage. You use panning, EQ, and balance… And every musician gets their own spot. IEM mixing is all about giving them three dimensions. If I gave all the artists exactly the same copy of the album it wouldn’t sound right to the audience.

“Most of the time that takes a lot of EQ and panning. With the SSL, most of the EQs are flat. I’m just doing a bit of panning. Everything has space as soon as I bring the mix up – you can bring new channels in and they sit where you want them to be. To hear that from the first song of the first sound check was amazing!” The Analogues is a unique band. It makes much of the sonic quest and of the instruments that the members seek and restore. In turn, this influences an audience’s approach to listening. Luijten notes that the audience are much more aware of the technology and of sound reinforcement. “They realise it’s all being amplified, more than with other shows where they would just ‘consume it’. “…The way this band approaches the music makes people emotional. They come up to the desk and tell me what a great experience they’ve had.”
Possibly the biggest compliment came at the end of the Ziggodome event, when Engineer Geoff Emmerick – who famously worked on a number of The Beatles’ studio albums – came to the FOH position and thanked Luijten for a great show. “I think I did pretty good!” laughs Luijten.

You can find out more about The Analogues, their quest, and their sound by checking out the new YouTube interviews with Remko Luijten and Ger Arts:

More information on Solid State Logic website