At ISE 2017

Geo M10 makes rapid entry to germany rental market

The launch of NEXO’s new GEO M10 sound reinforcement package has been enthusiastically received by audio rental companies in Europe, with Satis & Fy narrowly winning a good-natured race to become the first rental house customer in Germany to stock the new mid-size line array.
Global Director of Audio Services Martin Ramrath attended the ISE in Amsterdam to put in Satis & Fy’s order for a GEO M10 system, complete with MSub15 subbass cabinets and a comprehensive inventory of rigging accessories. This was a ‘satisfying’ moment for Ramrath, who has been involved with the M10 project since conception.

On the left, Reinhard Steger, Nexo’s Germany Sales Manager and on the right the Global Director of Audio Services Martin Ramrath.

“This is a true utility product,” says Ramrath, “the M10 can service so many different events and productions, this will be the workhorse system in any rental inventory. We are particularly pleased by the practical rigging features, such as the fact that there are no loose parts. And the flange fixing system, which makes it so easy to change the horizontal dispersion from 80°to 120°, is very practical design engineering.” Ramrath anticipates that the high-output system, featuring a 10” driver and an unprecedented ratio of LF response to cabinet size, will “mainly be used for our corporate events, especially suitable where there are after-show parties with a band.
With its ability to groundstack, it is great for shows where we are under time pressure on the load-in and load-out, for example, when we work at the airport; the M10 allows us to get a lot of PA into a venue at high speed.” The M10 takes its name from the single 10” neodymium LF driver, paired with a 1.4” HF titanium diaphragm HF driver. With a footprint of 531(W) x 288(H) x 355(D) mm, this 2-way passive module will deliver a frequency response of 59Hz-20kHz with nominal peak SPL of 131dB.

Satis & Fy’s initial order includes the two versions of the M10 cabinet, offering 12.5° and 25° of vertical dispersion. Both have 80°/120° horizontal dispersion which can be configured manually, without tools, by removing the magnetic grille and adjusting NEXO’s innovative flange fixing system.
The GEO M10 is partnered by a dedicated subbass cabinet, the MSub15. Weighing 36kg, the new sub is presented in a robust touring package with steel grille, or in an elegant installation version with cloth grille. It has large composite bumpers on each corner, and side handles. It flies with the M10 in an aesthetically pleasing and low profile array, operable in omni or cardioid mode, thanks to front and back connection plates.

More informations on :

MDG ATMe Haze Generators Go Along with Catfish and the Bottlemen

Two of the very latest MDG haze generators, the ATMe, recently joined up-and-coming British rock band, Catfish and the Bottlemen, playing medium to large arenas during a three-week tour of the UK in support of the band’s second studio album, The Ride.
The band, which formed in Llandudno, Wales in 2007, first had success with their debut album, The Balcony, which reached number 10 in the UK albums chart, since when they have toured the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. The release of The Ride in May 2016 saw the follow up tour visit Derby Arena, Bournemouth BIC, Victoria Warehouse Manchester, Plymouth Pavilions, Glasgow SECC, Wembley Arena and the Ricoh Stadium in Coventry.

Photo : © Alex Alevroyiannis

Newcastle-based Nitelites supplied the full lighting, audio and staging to the tour and hired the MDG ATMe haze generators from Impact Productions which purchased two of the models specifically for the tour. Nitelites, which has a special relationship with the band, having looked after them for the last three years, wanted to provide the best possible products for the tour, and Nitelites’ director, Jamie Moore, knowing he would need a reliable, high performance haze generator, naturally turned to MDG.

Moore said, “These guys trust us to come up with the goods for their tours that perform well during the show and are reliable and completely tour-durable. MDG produce the best hazers in the world and, from a rental company point of view, are worth every penny you pay for them”. MDG’s ATMe haze generators are renowned for producing the finest haze with the longest hang time from a unit that has added DMX control and extremely quiet noise levels. The ATMe has the lowest fluid consumption on the market and a well-earned reputation for being rock-solid on tour.

ATMe from MDG Fog Generators on Vimeo.

Lighting designer Scott Galloway was happy to use the MDG haze generators on the advice of Nitelite’s lighting crew chief Joe Dowling, declaring, “they worked great and I will be sure to spec them again.” Dowling’s recommendation was based on his previous experience with MDG Atmosphere haze generators on the UK touring production of Chicago. He commented, “the haze they produced for Chicago was perfect in every venue, so I knew the new ATMe machine would be a good option for the Catfish tour”.

The ATMe generators were located at stage level, upstage left and right, from where they performed perfectly. “Ironically, we ended up using them in stand-alone mode rather than taking advantage of their variable output and DMX control,” said Dowling. “We simply turned them on and left them to fill the room nicely on each show, with the aid of a couple of small DMX operated fans for the larger venues. We were able to just forget about them and the result was a perfect, even coverage of haze, which showed Scott’s lighting to perfection.”

Photo : © Alex Alevroyiannis

Dowling was also very impressed with the low fluid consumption of the ATMe units and the quietness of the operation. He said, “the consumption is really good, we took two bottles of fluid on tour but didn’t break into the second bottle. MDG has an automatic purge system so the maintenance requirements were minimal – just a clean of the fan and bodywork and they were ready to go back into their MDG flight cases and on to the next show. They travelled easily and started with no trouble each day.”

For more information on MDG’s ATMe hazer and other MDG atmosphere generators, visit MDG Website

 

Barco in discussions over acquisition of High End Systems to ETC

ETC and Barco announced that they are in the midst of serious discussions wherein ETC would acquire High End Systems. While the timeline for the completion of this acquisition is still unknown, both parties are committed to moving forward with a successful transaction.

Wim Buyens, senior vice president of Barco’s Entertainment division, commented:
“For Barco, the divestment of its lighting activities is in line with its strategy to sharpen the focus on its core activities. We believe joining forces with ETC would enable High End Systems to realise its full business potential while providing ongoing support and opportunity development for its customers, and we appreciate ETC’s commitment to maintain High End’s operations in Austin and fully support the development of High End’s products.”

Fred Foster, ETC CEO commented today:
“ETC has been executing a strategy to grow our company. We want to offer our employees opportunities for greater success and continue to give our customers innovative products and services. We see adding HES to the ETC family as an opportunity for both of those things.
Our plan is to continue High End operations from their current location in Austin, TX. High End products like the Sola family of LED automated fixtures, Wholehog consoles, and Axon media servers are innovative tools for the live-events industry. Our intention is to make the investments needed in order to restore these products and the High End brand to market-leader status.”
Foster continues, “We place a high value in not only the High End products, but also the employees that will join our ETC family with the completion of this acquisition. Both companies have similar core values when it comes to innovation and I know working together will be a great success.”

More information will be announced in the coming weeks, once the acquisition reaches final stages.

 

Purpose World Tour

Justin Bieber starts his tour with Chauvet Mavericks

Last year’s spectacularly successful Purpose World Tour made it crystal clear that pop icon Justin Bieber has hit his stride again. Blending passion with polish and featuring thought provoking hits like “Life Is Worth Living,” the 87-city North American and European tour finally put the teen idol Bieber to rest and introduced the world to a new more mature singer capable of reflecting life’s experiences, both good and bad, in his music.

On February 15, Bieber kicked off Year Two of his comeback tour with a sold-out concert at Monterrey, Mexico’s Estadio BBVA Bancomer arena. Accenting the star’s performance was a powerful and evocative Corey FitzGerald lightshow that featured 88 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Wash fixtures, supplied by Serpro Producciones of Monterrey.

“We were very honored to have provided lights for this concert,” said Renato Betancourt, CEO of Serpro Producciones. “Recently, we made an investment in the Maverick MK2 Wash because we wanted a fixture that could deliver the output and colors that would be needed for major productions – and at the same time would be flexible enough to work well for a range of musical styles.”
With 12 40W Osram RGBW LEDs, the Maverick MK2 Wash met Betancourt’s criteria for output and color rendering, while its 7°-49° zoom range provided the flexibility to cover widely different areas on a stage. All of these features came into play at the Bieber concert, where the Maverick MK2 Wash was the principal fixture on the main stage truss, with added units also being arranged on the stage deck.

The Mavericks were used for backwashing performers, general stage washing and aerial washing at the Bieber concert. “It was exciting to see how the Mavericks performed,” said Edi Sosa, Lighting Manager at Serpro Producciones. “After Monterrey, the Justin Bieber tour is going to other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. We’re proud that the 2017 tour started here with our lights.”

More informations on Chauvet website

 

For the Sorceress world tour

Opeth Sorceress tours with Ayrton DreamPanel-Twin

Kicking off with twenty dates in America at the start their Sorceress world tour, Swedish band Opeth brought their show to Europe in November, opting for a single show at Wembley Arena for their UK audience.
Magnus Boyd has been lighting Opeth for the last eighteen months: “During the tour,” he says, “we have done two special extended sets at Radio City and Belasco in LA, featuring songs from the Deliverance and Damnation albums before performing a third at Wembley Arena. The final extended set will be at the Sydney Opera House in February. These are impressive spaces that really deserve a large production.”

Boyd’s lighting and visual design featured 40 Ayrton DreamPanel™-Twin fixtures rented from S-Group, a French rental company. DreamPanel-Twin is a hybrid fixture, capable of full continuous pan and tilt, which presents a specialised MagicPanel™ with 8 x 8 RGBW 45-mm optic array on one side, and an 6-mm pitch RGB 64 x 64 pixel video display on the other. On the Sorceress tour, the 40 units are rigged in four double columns as a backdrop to the band and form a focal point of the lighting set.
“Myself and Petter Nilssen had a brainstorm and decided to use the Ayrton DreamPanel™-Twins,” says Boyd. “The DreamPanels were chosen to replace a relatively well used three-part video wall setup. Almost every song in the set includes their use but as they are so versatile, we were able to change looks continuously, starting out with content relating to the songs and progressing into more abstract material that would include fixture movement.
For the encore, all hell breaks loose with some beautiful abstract video, rotation and full use of the beam side of the DreamPanel-Twin. The content was created from a mix of video designers with Sorceress artwork by Travis Smith animated by Scott Rudd, abstract artwork created by Pekka Stokke at LJOS AS, and some content created by myself with footage from Jonas Åkerlund.”

High Wycombe based rental company, Siyan Limited, were chosen to deliver Boyd’s Wembley and European lighting requirements. Project manager, Tom Grant, comments: “I thought they were an impressive fixture with some very unique features,” concluded Grant, “…as you would expect from Ayrton! Magnus has used them very creatively and they are THE feature in his design.”
As we go to press, Opeth is currently engaged in a tour of Australasia, but will take their backdrop of DreamPanel-Twin fixtures with them on the forthcoming dates in South and North America from March, before concluding with dates at a number of European festivals in June.

More information on :

  • Ayrton DreamPanel™-Twin fixtures and the full portfolio of Ayrton LED lighting at Ayrton website
  • Siyan Limited can be contacted at Siyan website

In South Korea

Amadeus Installs a Dante Speaker System for ‘ACT Center’

Amadeus, based in France, one of the premiere manufacturers of high-end sound reinforcement systems and custom studio speakers, has announced the install of a massive speaker system, featuring the newly-released PMX 12 D self-powered active speakers, within a new multi-disciplinary institution, the Arts & Creative Technology Center (ACT), in Gwangju, South Korea.
ACT Center puts Gwangju, South Korea, at the forefront of global art, design, and culture dialogue. Launching with a major festival and exhibition in November 2015, ACT Center commenced a dynamic year-round program of activities that brought together leading Asian and international talents to share, collaborate, and inspire.

The ACT center building

One of the primary initiatives of the ACT Center is the ‘Arts & Technology Convergence Lab’ which disseminates cutting edge research and is a breeding ground for new work in media arts, interaction design, engineering, and digital fabrication. ACT Center will further continue to research, produce, exhibit and distribute innovative contents and artworks that demonstrate the creative use of emerging technology, cultural diversity and traditions of Asia. ACT Center is part of Asian Culture Center (ACC) that is one of the major cultural initiatives of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Located on the site of the former provincial government building in Gwangju, ACC hosts several institutions and facilities that include the ACT Center, the Research Institute for Asian Culture, Library & Archive, Center for Children, multiple theaters, and exhibition halls, and the ‘May 18 Memorial’ event.

The multipurpose PMX12 D shaped to be used also as a wedge.

The Amadeus PMX 12 D speakers installed in the ACT Center feature built-in 24/96 DSP, and analog, AES3 and Dante inputs; a coaxial driver with a 12-inch woofer and a 2-inch tweeter with compression driver; and is bi-amplified using two dedicated high resonance digital amplifiers, featuring outstanding efficiency. The PPM-PWM fixed frequency class-D amplifiers are equipped with a switched mode power supply, delivering 1500W (LF) + 400W (HF).

Michel Deluc, Amadeus’ Director of Research & Development, says, “We were among the first manufacturers of electroacoustical equipment to look into audio transfers over Internet Protocol. We are committed to minimizing latency as well as unnecessary AD/DA conversions that impact signal quality. This started ten years ago, the year we wrapped up development of our first line of bi-amped coaxial systems featuring EtherSound I/O, which was designed for the French Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustic/Music (IRCAM). The technological gains offered by the Dante protocol and its widespread adoption by professionals led us to consider its implementation within our systems.”
Each speaker channel is under control by a 64-bit digital processing unit capable of a 118 dB dynamic range. Each of these on-board DSP units include a module dedicated to managing core system parameters including system EQ, time alignment between sections, limiting, and transducer thermal protection. This level of control makes the PMX D Series fully protected and able to operate at the full extent of its abilities. Given that digital-to-analog conversion should happen at the latest possible stage in an electro-acoustical speaker system, the PMX D Series also integrates two digital inputs/outputs conforming to the AES3 digital audio data transfer standard. These are coupled with a high resolution 24-bit/96kHz converters placed as close as possible to the electronic amplifiers, thus working in perfect combination with them.

Space 1, the main room, featuring the Amadeus actice and Dante enclosures and in the center, the Panasonic projectors.

Dongyup Kwak, A/V Consultant and CEO of ‘C2 Artechnolozy’ explained, “Before meeting the ACT Center President, I had no sound system installation ideas for this venue, ‘Space 1’ (called The Ground) was a really big area for Media Art Installation & Exhibition – the room is 70m by 30m with 18m ceilings. The President’s wish was to create a platform for artists, designers, engineers, and researchers to develop forward-thinking ideas, aiming for the ACT Center to become a multicultural interface that fosters knowledge and skill exchange between creatives in Asia and the rest of the world.”

The mapping on the ground of Space 1.

“We proposed a state-of-the-art audiovisual immersive ‘canvas’ containing among other things, an immersive giant screen, a 3D spatial sound environment, and a multi-layer video mapping system capable of showing the biggest installations,” continued Kwak.
“For immersive installations and exhibitions, we had to create an intelligent ceiling, equipped with chain motors, including audio, video and network connections. So, I designed a custom steel truss ceiling featuring 64 chain hoists and 64 digital cable reels, combined with CAT5E network cable reels with mercury wetted contacts. After many experiments, the Mercury wetted contacts were found to be quite stable solutions,” reveals Kwak.
Movecat’s PLUSlite 500 Series chain hoists were selected as rigging hoists by the ACT Center. C2 feel they are the first choice when it comes to the safe and reliable hoisting and positioning of trusses, stages, ground support structures and other devices used in media applications. All chain hoists are under control by the Movecat’s I-Motion Expert-T II System Controller, a high-end product for the systemic control of kinetic drives in larger and complex projects. Developed for applications with up to 240 drives, it allows the control and supervision of any application, in the field of rigging. “In Korea, we apply Europe’s D8 Plus regulations which require a double brake system, double gear box, and a 1:10 safety factor,” explains Kwak.

Space 1 during a performance.

For immersive video, C2 selected the 4x4Pro flagship media server from “d3 Technologies” able to drive up to four 4K outputs or 16 HD outputs, transfer content in minutes instead of hours, and switch video signal formats as the industry evolves. It is connected to twelve Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors with unique built-in quad-lamp system, with new high-power UHM lamps, helping to make the body extremely compact while providing an astounding 20,000 lm*1 of brightness. The series is compatible with both passive and active 3D projection systems.

Graphic performance made thanks to the Panasonic projectors.

The Panasonic’s color rendition.


Dongyup Kwak adds, “For immersive audio, we selected a Sonic Emotion WAVE I 3D wave field synthesis rendering unit for processing of up to 32 input and up to 64 output channels.” Based on Huygens’ Principle (1678), the idea of Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) was developed in the Netherlands in the 1980s by the Delft University of Technology. WFS concept makes it possible to synthesize “sound holograms” by simulating acoustic waves produced by virtual sound sources.
To do this, the system uses a large number of loudspeakers, regularly spaced and used conjointly. They are each controlled with a delay and a gain to form a wave that emanates from the desired location of the virtual source. This process is repeated for each sound source in the sound scene. The major benefit of the WFS technique is to create a coherent sound field in an extensive area, therefore preserving the fidelity of the spatial image – the position of the sources – even for listeners located at the periphery of the zone or for listeners moving within the zone.
“The piece de resistance within this installation was the speaker system design. The requirements were practically unrealizable. The technical, networking and acoustical constraints pushed us to develop a new series of bi-powered and Dante-enabled point source loudspeakers, allowing remote control of each built-in DSP for an optimal adjustment to the acoustical properties of the listening space. The Amadeus ‘PMX D Series’ speaker was born from creating the sound system for this installation by enhancing our original PMX speaker design with these new technical capabilities,” states Gaetan Byk, Marketing Manger at Amadeus.
“Amadeus has been an excellent partner for the ACT Center,” offers Kwak.

The SSL’s Live 300

The sound system is completed with an SSL Live L300 digital mixing console. Philippe Guerinet, Director of International Sales for SSL and SSL France Manager, said, “There are several significant benefits that are key reasons to implement this network based routing solution. Audio over IP allows us to put the stage-boxes where needed, with minimal cabling, which in this complex exhibition hall setup is very important.
And it easily lets us connect all kinds of Dante-enabled gear: Amadeus PMX D (Dante-enabled) speaker systems, SSL L300 console, SSL Network I/O stage-boxes, and every other ancillary equipment needed. This network approach notably allows us to solve classic constraints, especially channel count, synchronization, redundancy, latency, and signal distribution without adding any traditional TDM solution.” “Last but not least, the technical solutions chosen by ACT ensure total flexibility and an astonishing audio quality, while surprisingly reducing overall cost and making expansion straightforward as well as cost-effective’,” added Guerinet.

The specially developed Amadeus PMX D Series features a refined Dante I/O section, an on-board 24/96 kHz DSP unit dedicated to managing core system parameters including system EQ, time alignment between sections, limiting, transducer thermal protection. “This studio-grade speaker system combined with the legendary sonic signature of SSL is a very good marriage, which makes listeners, attendees and artists very impressed,” concludes Dongyup Kwak.
In addition to legendary Amadeus reliability and sonic excellence, PMX D Series incorporates a newly refined Dante I/O section, offering options for full integration with leading third-party networking. Audio signals are selectable from one channel of analog, two channels of AES3 digital, and two dual redundant Dante networked digital inputs. Input signals are individually selectable for each channel.

The most powerful sub in Amadeus’s lineup, the ML28L, featuring 2×18’’

As the first company to include Audinate’s Dante technology in a high-end active coaxial speaker series, Amadeus joins 275 other manufacturers utilizing Dante, making it the industry-leading audio over IP networking solution with more than 675 Dante-enabled products now available worldwide. Each Dante Ethernet RJ-45 network input allow remote control of the PMX D’ processor for an optimal adjustment via dedicated software to the acoustical properties of the listening space. The software is an App that runs on Macintosh, Apple iPad and Windows computers.

A very well made video shows the ACT center, the contractors at work and some exclusive footage of its innovative contents.

ACC Creation – ACT Festival from ACT Center on Vimeo.

Audio equipment installed in the new South Korea “ACT Center” building:

  • Amadeus speakers: PMX 12 D with built-in Analog, AES3 and Dante I/O cards (12” LF + 2” HF): 74-unit
    ML 28 High-efficiency Subwoofer (2 x 18” LF): 10-unit
  • Lab.gruppen amplifiers: PLM 20000Q (4 x 4400W/4Ω, Analog, AES3 & Dante I/O): 3-unit
  • Sonic Emotion software: WAVE I 3D wave field synthesis rendering processor: 1-unit
  • Solid State Logic console: SSL Live L300 digital mixing console: 1-unit

Plus d’infos on : website Sonic Emotion, website Solid State Logic and website Amadeus,

With the M28

Ireland’s Sound Design debuts STM Series with Gavin James

The main PA and the outfill stage right, entirely made with M28 cabinets. Flown behind, six S118 help creating a full range system.

Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Gavin James has played one of the biggest shows of his young life, at the 3 Arena in Dublin.
It was also one of the biggest indoor shows of the year for Irish rental company SOUND DESIGN, using its new NEXO STM Series modular line array systems for the first time on an arena-sized live music event.

This was in fact the first deployment of Sound Design’s newly-purchased STM system with M28 omnipurpose cabinets, purchased after a successful pilot event in Croke Park stadium, a multimedia spectacular for the 1916/2016 commemoration, and the RTE Centenary show in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin.

With 12,000 people attending Dublin’s 3 Arena, high production values were in place for the Gavin James show. At FOH was well-known live sound engineer Marc Carolan, supported by Eddie O’Brien, one of his regular techs who is also system engineer for Sound Design.
Initial system designs for the production were generated on NEXO’s proprietary NS-1 modelling software by John Vickers and Eddie O’Brien of Sound Design, as well as Val Gilbert from NEXO’s Engineering Support Team. All three reached near-identical conclusions regarding the configuration of NEXO’s versatile STM elements.

Stage Left, 4 meters and a half of M28 cabinets ready to fly.

The main PA was rigged with 18x STM M28 cabinets per side, with flown STM S118 subs to create a full-range left/right system. On the ground, another 20x subs were used to create a supplementary subbass arc, something of a Marc Carolan trademark.
In the wide auditorium of the 3 Arena, outfill hangs consisted of STM M28 cabinets. And at the rear of the arena, under the balcony, Sound Design placed NEXO’s compact GEO M6 line array modules. “These cabinets were firing in towards the bars, which made a massive difference to the show and the atmosphere,” says John Vickers, MD of Sound Design.

The flown system seen from the side

Monitor engineer Paul Moore (“Mini”) also used NEXO for the monitor system: 12x 45°N-12 array monitors on stage, and 2x RS15s on the drum mix. Side fills used a stack per side, each with 1x STM M46, plus 1x STM B112 and 1x STM S118 sub. Power was provided by a total of 4x NEXO NUAR racks.

“Gavin James is a great entertainer, and this was, in my experience, an exceptional show,” confirms VIckers. “It was a combination of the right system, a fine FOH engineer and a damned good engineering team to put it all together.
The key was having one source – a full system in the air, including the subs, to provide outstanding overall coverage.”

More informations on Nexo website and on Sound design website

 

L-Acoustics to Unveil Syva Segment Source at ISE 2017

Three colors for the same new enclosure

L-Acoustics announces the launch of Syva, a new format, high power speaker system which features six medium-frequency and three high-frequency speakers in a sleek J-shaped progressive curvature format.
The groundbreaking transducer arrangement called segment source* (*patent pending) produces an H/V 140° x 26° (+5/-21°) directivity pattern that is optimized for exceptional surface coverage and 35 meters of throw.

Syva is an outstanding choice for corporate events, fashion and trade shows, as well as for sound reinforcement in amphitheaters and performing arts centers. The modern, sleek design will make it an attractive option for houses of worship as well as intimate settings such as home cinemas or lounge bars.

Syva showing his J shape offering an exclusive directivity pattern of H/V 140° x 26° and a 35 meters of throw.

Syva can be accompanied by the Syva Low high power subwoofer or Syva Sub infra extension to achieve a 142 dB max SPL. Its companion Syva Low enclosure features two K2-grade 12” drivers designed to provide low frequency contour and extended bandwidth down to 40 Hz. Similarly Syva Sub features one KS28-grade 12” driver, to further extend the bandwidth of the system in the infrasound domain down to 27 Hz. One LA4X amplified controller can drive up to four Syva enclosures.

Syva laying on top of Syva Low, the high power sub, and at the right of the image Syva Sub in charge of the infrasound domain.

Syva can be wall- or pole-mounted, as well as flown, or used alone with its baseplate. Alternatively, Syva can be rapidly mounted on top of Syva Low or Syva Sub using the AutoConnect plug-and-play audio and physical link. A RAL color program allows Syva to melt into any architecture.
“The introduction of Syva is a landmark for L-Acoustics,” says Stéphane Ecalle, director of marketing at L-Acoustics. “Syva is a new breed of sound system combining the benefits of line source technology with a plug-and-play approach, in a sleek design, tailor-made for places where elegance and discretion are paramount.”

The Syva system will be on display at the L-Acoustics booth #7-X220 at ISE in Amsterdam from February 7th through 10th and first orders are expected to be shipped in early June 2017.

 

After Lab.gruppen

Klas Dalbjörn takes on product management role at Powersoft

Powersoft’s mission to strengthen the company further in 2017 has begun in the most dynamic fashion, by announcing the appointment of the highly experienced Klas Dalbjörn as Product Manager. The former Lab Gruppen and Lake Product Research Manager will add considerable strength and gravitas to the development team, headed by co-founder and R&D director, Claudio Lastrucci. His role will extend across the entire product portfolio.

Klas Dalbjörn

Speaking of his appointment, Dalbjörn said: “After 24 years in the pro audio business I felt ready to embrace a new challenge. For many years I have been impressed by the level of innovation and growth of Powersoft. I share many of the values held by the owners, so I am very excited about contributing to the future growth of the company. I look forward to assisting in the process of growing the product portfolio to cover both new and existing applications for our global customers and partners.”

In welcoming Klas to the company, Powersoft’s Sales & Marketing Director Luca Giorgi emphasised the philosophy of the company, stating that people are the key ingredient in a sustainable business. This is particularly true in a professional industry which depends on personal relationships. Maintaining a dynamic and progressive one-on-one relationship with our clients and partners is key in consolidating our leadership in innovation.”
“This has been our vision from Day 1— but we cannot implement this without highly skilled professionals like Klas who share our passion and ambition. “He understands that what drives a company’s success is not just about having a revolutionary idea but those who contribute to making it real” added Claudio Lastrucci. With this appointment, he believes that Powersoft’s leadership in product conception and development in the pro audio industry will be beyond doubt. “It will reinforce our position as clear leaders in the field”. Klas’ appointment is effective immediately.

Here’s an interview of Klas explaining more in detail his appointment and role within Powersoft

 

Valerio Tiberi lights at West Side Story with Claypaky

A musical masterpiece returned to the stage at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan. The moving scenery designed by Cristiano Colombi dynamically creates the various different settings.
All of them recall the Upper West Side of New York, where the story is set, and Claypaky’s light beams shine out.

Federico Bellone was asked to direct the show: “To set the scene, I decided to focus on two elements: the theme of fear, a feeling shared by all the characters in the two rival groups, the Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, and red, the colour that has become a trademark of the musical, along with the five iron fire escape staircases which link the various levels of the scenery.” The work of the creative staff involved in producing the musical was focused on these pieces of scenery.

Valerio Tiberi was asked to design the show lighting.

Did the presence of the fire escape staircases and their movements on stage make the lighting design very difficult? There are shadows everywhere.
Valerio Tiberi: “Yes. So I decided to use them. At different times during the show, there are scenes with shadows projected onto the backdrop. In the last scene, one of the most emotionally difficult moments in the show, we decided to turn off the video projection, as it seemed too invasive, too beautiful and too well defined. At that moment, I was able to project the long shadow of the towers onto the black backcloth.”

Did you achieve the lighting you were hoping for?
Valerio Tiberi:”I am happy with the overall set-up I gave the lighting design. I preferred to use incandescent lamps and especially side-lighting in the wings. I pointed the whole sequence of lights in various directions with various incident angles, from the ground up to 13 feet up, along the side towers, or vertical trusses. There are 8 in total: a sequence of two beam shapers, a B.Eye K10, 4 PAR lamps, another 2 beam shapers, an Alpha Profile 700, and lastly another B.Eye K10 on the top of the truss.”

Is there any room in the wings at the Teatro Manzoni?
Valerio Tiberi: “Not a lot, but we placed upright trusses on the right and left of the stage without any problems, in compliance with the distances needed by the moving heads and for the entrances and exits of the actors, dance troupe and props.

Did you need compact lighting fixtures?
Valerio Tiberi:  “I managed to install exactly the number of lights I had envisaged in my design. The body of an Alpha Profile 700 is incredibly compact (head length = 455 mm / 18 inches). It is about as big as a theatrical PAR lamp.
I wanted to pursue my initial idea of communicating through side lighting, which is a useful tool for loading a scene with dramatic tension, like during the clashes between the two opposing gangs, I put very few lights in the overhead rig. Their colour, where they come from, and their angles – mostly on the proscenium and further down the stage – help recount the story through the direction of the light. I used lights that could fill the scene, like the B.Eye K10s: basically lights that could back-light at least three levels, the whole floor and the stage.”

How did you deploy the B-Eye K10s in your lighting design?
Valerio Tiberi: “I arranged them symmetrically. Four on the first batten, four on the second, four on the third, and only two B.Eye K10s on the fourth batten. There are also other beam shapers on the overhead rig: a total of six, two on the first batten, two on the second and another two on the fourth.
They work as special lighting units during Tony’s first meeting with Maria, during the dance scene that follows, when all the couples are on stage, when they project windows inside the bridal shop, on the bed in Maria’s room, and when they light the grocery store from the side.” The lighting programmer used a GrandMa2 light desk.
Marco Moccia’s Leader Sound provided both the sound and lighting systems, and – above all – Marco helped reproduce everything that was part of the original design.”

More informations on ClayPaky website

 

With the E and S series

Eight Day Sound send Adamson down under

Eighth Day Sound, an early and influential member of Adamson Systems Engineering’s global network, has further expanded its inventory with a substantial investment in Adamson E-Series and S-Series products for their Australian base in Sydney.
Headquartered in Highland Heights, Ohio, with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney, Eighth Day provides sound reinforcement for top tours and festivals around the world. Subsequently, the company has invested heavily in Adamson products in recent years to keep up with the global demand for high-performance audio systems.

A happy team posing with their new canadian toys, from left to right S10, E12, E15 and E119 from Adamson

“Having Adamson available globally has been a part of our strategy since day one,” says Jack Boessneck, Executive VP with Eighth Day Sound. “With the acclaim it is garnering around the world, we have to be prepared to meet the growing demand.”
Members of Eighth Day’s Australian team travelled to the company’s Ohio headquarters in December 2016 where they and dozens of their colleagues completed Adamson’s brand new Applied Certification Program, which will formally launch in February 2017.
Eighth Day’s new complement of Adamson loudspeakers includes over 140 E-Series and S-Series cabinets and subwoofers. “The E-Series is a powerful addition to our system offerings in Australia,” comments Damo Pryor, General Manager, Eighth Day Australia. “These products are a standard in the European festival circuit and are now exploding in North America. We’re proud to have been the first company to bring the complete range to the Australian market.”
“I had the chance to work with E-Series products for the first time this year in a stadium application in the U.S. The PA threw for days, and we did the entire stadium without delays,” adds Eighth Day’s Lead System Tech, Tristan Johnson.

Thanks to Benoit Cabot’s hard work, the E119 delivers just 2 dB less than the E219 in the 31 Hz band

“The new E119, designed with input from our team, had a shocking amount of power. I can’t wait to roll it out in Australia and show people what it’s capable of.” Now boasting an in-depth knowledge of Adamson’s high-performance systems, Eighth Day Australia is wasting no time putting their new fleet of E-Series and S-Series products to use on major events across the country, including dates on the upcoming RÜFÜS tour and some soon-to-be-announced festivals.
“We’ve had the chance to work with Eighth Day Sound globally for several years now” concludes James Oliver, Adamson’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “Their commitment to standardize their equipment offering with unmatched service across the globe makes them an industry leader. We’re looking forward to exposing the Australian market to an alternative product currently only available with Eighth Day Sound.”

More informations on Adamson Website

LED Strobe-light fixture

SGM X-5 : the StrobFather ?

SGM X-5

LEDs have replaced most of the lamps in our fixtures for show lighting, although certainly in each case with more or less success. There is still one type of product in which no one had thought to install them: the strobe. Peter Johansen, who marks his return to the industry at the command of SGM, had this great idea and offers us his X-5, a strobe loaded with white LEDs. We put on our sunglasses and take a closer look at it.

SGM, an Italian company founded in 1975, led a prolific career in automated lighting before being acquired by the RCF Group in 2009. While in France SGM is not very well known, the connoisseur will remember perhaps some innovative products such as Synthesis, its advanced (for the time) battery-powered display and solenoid-controlled yoke locks, or the Digital 1500 and its digital gobos. In short, evidence of a sharp research and development department. I have fond memories of the Pilot 2000 Controller, which was the first console I put my hands on and, as they say, your first always leaves the strongest impression.

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After leaving Martin Professional, which he had founded and directed until 1998, the Danish entrepreneur Peter Johansen went on to develop wind turbines and audiovisual systems for luxury yachts. Then he met Arturo Vicari, president of RCF, who managed to convince him to take the reins of the SGM development department in 2010. Peter Johansen then moved rapidly in Denmark with engineers of his former team and those of the SGM Team, to become head of the new SGM consortium in 2012 and begin to develop LED products in earnest. Plasa visitors in London in September could find a very innovative stand and Peter in great shape. Between a ceiling animated with 3D graphics using its LT-100 tubes, armored walls and LED products, SGM has awakened this autumn. Two original products caught our attention, two very innovative strobes: the X-5, which is more powerful and mounts exclusively white LEDs, and the RGB XC-5.

2970 white LEDs at 5700K

HD-008

The 2970 LED canvas impressive 10 mW. You can recount. Top and bottom appear once the glass removed the power resistors in CMS.

Encased in a black aluminum rectangle 50 cm wide and weighing a little less than 6 kg, the X-5 makes an immediate impression with its exaggerated matrix of 2970 white LEDs rated at color temperature of 5700 K. It is a veritable embroidery of surface mounted components crimped onto an aluminum substrate that we suppose is in direct contact with the heatsink, which is also made of cast aluminum and covers the entire rear of the projector. We can not do more than guess, because this circuit/heatsink assembly is not removable. The diodes are without optics or course, which would be unnecessary for a strobe where maximum luminous impact is desired, but they are protected under a solid glass plate surrounded by a nice rubber gasket. This glass is relatively easy to replace (just 8 Torx screws to remove) with a frost filter, for example. Without modification, the opening of the “beam” is 110°, which effectively covers a stage. A thin, rectangular and sturdy aluminum yoke holds the head of the X-5, allowing tilt adjustment of the fixture over a range of 110 ° – manual only – using the clamping wing screws on each side. Surprisingly, these are plastic and stand out a bit on the all-metal chassis of the fixture but this relative fragility does not hinder it from perfectly locking the strobe in all positions.

Cabling and menu. Simple and functional.

Cabling and menu. Simple and functional.

The base of the lyre, larger, while perfectly complementing the simple design and the net X-5, welcomes the various connections, food and electronic control unit 5 points DMX input / output socket Neutrik PowerCon for the current. A copy will Powercon electric chaining four X-5 on a single PC16, which will not fail to leave the appliances dreamers who leave their cables 32 mono closet. For camera settings, a small screen with its 5 buttons OLED complete the rear. Below the base has 4 sockets ¼ turn judiciously arranged to install a single central hook or two symmetrically spaced plants for more acrobatic. Finally if strobe is naturally upright, an aluminum plate is fixed by four Torx screws under the unit assures maximum stability while allowing access to both sockets ¼ turn in the middle.

The 4 ¼ turn fasteners and brackets for 4 threads to attach the ground plate. However, it lacks a safety cable and a small bracket to be truly complete.

The X-5 is naturally stand

The X-5 is naturally stand when the plate is fixed by four screws

 


A smart choice of DMX channels

Les entrailles, accessibles en enlevant 10 vis Torx, avec de gauche à droite l’alimentation à découpage, le fusible de protection caché derrière le fil de terre, les MOS de puissance au milieu et le micro-processeur.

The menu is very simple. Fortunately, because the navigation is not obvious at first (ie without reading the instructions, like any good technician). We selected DMX address indicating the next free address please, its mode of operation (from 1 to 7 channels), complemented by a menu and test information and a witness indicating the presence of DMX.
This whole process is carried out in record time, the strobe is ready to work even before my test console does eventually come on. So I finally potash instructions and I noticed three very interesting features. On the one hand the choice of DMX channels and their parameters strangely reminds me of one cult Danish strobe ago launched more than 10 years and I strongly suspect Mr. Johansen you have been for something at the time. By laziness so I use the same library and everything fits perfectly!

And new features

Secondly, we can independently control the intensity of three adjacent third matrix of white LEDs X-5, so I add just 3 parameters to my library. If you use the color strobe XC-5, just these 3 parameters correspond to the intensities of red, green and blue.
Finally, do not expect to use the projector for fixed lighting. As its name suggests it is a strobe effect and if a “shield” exists, it is by combining the frequency of flashes with a duration wise (eg 4 flashes per second for a duration of 25 ms) but electronics unit intensity decrease rapidly flashes … in exactly the same way as a Xenon lamp strobe traditional sees his current decrease when the continuous requests!

Simulation of a Xenon lamp

The explanation is simple, and we then see the choice of manufacturing: Each white LED 3000 is given for 50,000 hours of operation, the total average consumption is 360 W. Before this pile of LED, we will look obviously on the cooling capacity of this projector. To generate high light intensities with the same LED, they are warming up very quickly after the peak current of the feeding, the risk of burn must therefore provide cooling or passive with heavy and bulky radiators or active with expensive ventilation or cooling. But assuming that the user is accustomed for nearly 15 years using traditional flash strobes and their continuous use at full load drastically reduces their light output Xenon lamp in a few seconds, just to simulate what mode to protect the LEDs. Electronically and by blocking the flow of supplies to the LEDs when they are overstretched, SGM brilliantly simulates the operation of a “real” strobe while greatly reducing the weight, size, complexity and cost of the product!

The 3 independently controllable segments, so pedestrian.

The 3 independently controllable segments, so pedestrian.

That understood, I began to drive the vehicle. I 3 increases the intensity parameters of each segment and increases the maximum dimmer general. A simple flash occurs if the strobe speed is zero, allowing me to manually trigger pulses with dimmer fader general. The result is stunning! The flash is pure white, not too pale, covering a large area without any problems. Mode if you lose the famous blinding retinal scan horizontal pencil Xenon lamps, projection it is close enough for a standard strobe not really make a difference to the eye.

Released the carton with leaflet, the power supply cable, the aluminum plate and screws.

Released the carton with leaflet, the power supply cable, the aluminum plate and screws.

I set the speed from 0.5 to 25 Hz carefree time glare can she vary from 0 to 650 ms. All answers perfectly except dimmer usually not from more accurate, but since the use of this type of device, it is not really harmful. When increasing the length of too flashes, electronics automatically limits the intensity, applying a curve similar to that of a stroboscope lamp. Pushing the projector to its limits, eg effects “shield” closer, I noticed a limitation of the overall intensity if I do not observe a period of fifteen seconds between flashes more continuous 3 seconds. Again this is a perfect copy of the operation of a common strobe subjected to the same regime. The only difference is that the radiators of X-5 quickly reach 55 ° Celsius, but not enough to burn, however. Separation into three zones is more anecdotal, unless a large amount of line machines, especially that there is no time for random effects on these three areas. Finally I found the effects parameter curves archi-known “ramping” random “lighting” and “spike”. The values for each parameter strobe SGM are so similar to those of our preferred atomic we can replace the strobe kit tour with virtually touching the console light! Of course the light output of the X-5 is still slightly down for the moment, it lacks the golden aura and particular effect if the Xenon lamp. Some may even regret the faint sound of cicada very old strobes where still find it too “high-tech” an impressive array of LED in traditional kits, but this remake of a standard stage lighting is really successful.

Conclusion

Near 1750 € (price list), but with real savings and lamp operation and effects very similar to those of a conventional strobe, I imagine that a number of providers will be interested in the strobe ultra-modern. If its little brother, the XC-5 running three colors is too powerful, it really marks the return of the “godfather” Peter Johansen in business for the greater good of SGM and madmen flash we all a little behind our console

mesures-X5

 

DMX-SGM
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Independence Day Boss in Paris ...

Bruce Springsteen

An evening of fun, an evening of excess and an evening of dreams, this is what Bruce Springsteen gave us on the most wonderful Independence Day France has ever witnessed. With the E-Street Band as tight as ever and the Boss rock-solid despite his 63 years, they managed to throw the breakers at the Palais omnisports de Paris in Bercy four times during the soundcheck! With Avid Venue and 160 L-Acoustics enclosures brought to bear, John “Coop” Cooper as Chief blaster and Soundlightup as a lucky witness, we can now certify that rock and roll is still alive!

Coop himself came and showed us in at the Palais Omnisport door and announced that the venue’s transformer failed and resulted in complete loss of power three times (four, if you consider the one that occurred during our interview – editor’s note). We thought to ourselves that we would have to make ourselves scarce and forget about the interview. John’s smile and serenity were quick to cheer us up, though. The show WILL go on, you’ll see! He led us directly into the backstage area where we did see the enormity of this tour, which looks almost cramped in a room that is actually quite large. We took advantage of our being near what we believed was the only console devoted to monitors to question him briefly on the monitoring before starting with questions on the front of house.

John Cooper

Mister passion in person, John

On stage: 18 artists, 104 sources on the patch and high levels

SLU : Can you tell us a little bit about monitors?

JC : We have two DiGiCo SD7s, one on the right and one on the left, because, with 18 artists on stage, one console would actually have been enough, but one brain wouldn’t have! (Laughs – editor’s note) We have 104 sources in the patch. I do not even know how many outputs Troy and Monty manage. I know Troy (Milner, Left-side Monitor Engineer) has about fifty busses because everyone is in stereo and Monty (Carlo, Right-side Monitor Engineer) must have even more, plus all of Bruce’s wedges and the sidefills flown vertically on the stage: four JBL Vertec 4888s per side. Bruce has four main wedges, two internal ones for his voice and two external ones for the musicians, not to mention the sidefills for the entire group. The sound that you hear (very loud – editor’s note) is the level of his amplifier. So we had to direct them 60° upwards to keep them out of the vocal mics… at least a little! The stage is very loud. To return to Troy & Monty, I do not know how, even with two of them, they manage to deal with so many mixes, I have a simple left/right to manage, sometimes a little more, and I find that to be plenty. I cannot picture myself keeping up with 16 to 18 stereo mixes. They do it every night, though.

Scene

SLU : The stage is really high.

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JC : It is designed to be that way, it allows us to have a little world below, and when we play in stadiums, it is indispensable. We call our underground space the “underworld” and this is where you find all the backline technicians who take care of keyboards, guitars, drums and so on. Every one of them has a passageway to hand the instruments up and receive ones that need to be tuned or simply put away.

riggers

The riggers?They worked a lot, but how else could it be when the with an in-the-round show?

SLU : We were told that Solotech is the supplier for the tour and that they are quite Meyer-oriented but, apart from eight JBL Vertec sidefills, I see only L-Acoustics …

JC : Now they have a few, and many more than before (laughs – note). As you know, historically Audio Analysts has been Bruce’s supplier and that company was acquired by Solotech last year. For this tour we took bids from four companies knowing that I wanted to have K1s and KARAs. One of the selected providers was, of course, Clair Brothers, because of its history with Bruce, but they were proposing their I5 line and I was really looking for K1 for the main rig.

SLU : What do you like about K1 and KARA?

JC : I think this is the best system available today, the best sounding. This is only my opinion, but what I look for is what sounds best, and I think I have heard almost everything. It is also the most reliable and predictable in its daily use.

K1 and Kara

From left to right we find the main system consisting of 12 K1s and 6 KARAs which are coupled with 8 K1-SBs and 4 LA-Raks visible at the top of the connection between the K1s and KARAs. Still on the right, there are 12 very arched Kudos, it is one of four lines dedicated to the audience at the rear of the stage and finally the side hang with 12 K1s and 6 KARAs.

SLU : Have you heard the new JBL system?

JC : No, but frankly I have used a lot of JBL products and JBL Vertec in particular, and I am now looking for something else. To be very clear, I have a goal: to deliver Bruce Springsteen’s music to his audience in the most pure and natural possible way without having to compensate for any specific material weakness. I am not asking for anything more, neither for me nor for anyone else, just the best sound for my artist. I have been fortunate in my professional life in that I have always been able to work with and mix the singers and the bands I like. I know many colleagues who certainly work, but without enjoyment and without any desire to listen to their artists’ music through their headphones on a day off. I do. I was happy to learn the craft and learn the ropes over the years, but my real drive is the passion for the artist, and I have more than an artistic technique. I am passionate about the performance on stage, which is the same performance that I must deliver in the best possible way to the public each evening.

Coop likes L-Acoustics…
210 enclosures on the tour, including 60 K1s!

dV-Dosc

This is the

8 V-Dosc

A view of two delays comprising 8 V-DOSCs to cover the back of the room.


SLU : To return to Solotech, so they had only a few L-Acoustics in their inventory and now …

JC : To service this tour, which hits both stadiums and small venues such as Bercy, they now have about 210 enclosures, 60 K1s, 24 K1-SBs, 48 Kudos, 24, KARAs, 24 SB28s, 32 V-DOSCs and a number of lipfill dV-DOSCs. Tonight we have unloaded only about 140 enclosures (in fact nearly 160!- Editor’s Note). The two main arrays are composed of 12 K1s with 6 KARA downfills, and on the sides they are reinforced by 8 K1-SBs. For sides we have two other arrays with 12 K1s each. To cover the rear seats, we have 4 arrays of 12 KUDOs each. For infrabass, we have two sets of four SB28s stacked with one of the four enclosures turned 180°. Both stacks are hidden beneath the stage as well as a variable number of dVs we use for frontfills. Tonight we also have flown a central cluster of six dVs, to fill between the two main arrays.

SLU : This is perhaps the reason why the L-Acoustics staff is coming to visit you tomorrow, isn’t it?

JC : (laughs) Yes, they expressed some curiosity and want to come and listen to what we do! They are especially interested in the way I use the K1 as lateral reinforcement, whereas in L-Acoustics this is the role of KUDOs. We chose to use the K1 as main and side hangs and to reinforce the rear with a large number of KUDOs – 4 arrays of 12 enclosures. As we cover 360° of every venue on the tour, I chose to do it with with 6 points and, as here in Bercy, a seventh small center fill.

Network Manager width V2 and SIM3

Side by side two softwares created by two sound reinforcement manufacturers. On the left, the new V2 LA Network Manager and, on the right, the old faithful SIM3.

Not too many subs

SLU : The number of subs seems very low compared to the number of full-range units…

JC : In the stadiums we put 12 on each side. Here in Bercy we have eight SB28s under the stage, and that’s enough. If I were mixing a big metal band I would not work in the same way, but for Bruce’s style, all I need is to find the same bass level near the stage and away from it and to have an effective coupling between the arrays. The SB28s only cover the pit, the privileged area facing the stage. Beyond that, the K1s and K1-SBs take over really well. Bruce himself does not like too much bass, and it doesn’t fit his music. He likes his sound to be warm and full, but not with an overloaded low end. We therefore do everything possible to properly match the bass near the subs to the bass from the arrays.

4 SB28

« Bruce does not like too much bass

SLU : The front of house console is close to the stage, it seems.

JC : We are at just 35 meters. It is right here that the coverage of the two K1 arrays of the main system meet.

SLU : A person invited by Coop and impressed by his Olympian calm might wonder how he does it…

JC : If this type of event makes you nervous, then you’ve really chosen the wrong job (laughs – editor’s note). There are hundreds of things that can drive you crazy every day. Here is an example: I remember one evening at a concert at the Giants Stadium (80,000 seats in NY – editor’s note) behind me I had the president of JBL, next to him the president of Harman and Albert Leccese, who’s since deceased, but at the time was the President of Audio Analysts, Ron Borthwick, the chief engineer at Clair Bros, and that was only one side. On the other, there was Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig (I will not insult you by saying who these two are, whose pedigrees are as a starry as a summer night – editor’s note).You guessed it, I was surrounded, no expert ears here, everything was just fine (laughter!). And it’s in this case that you need to distance yourself and – like standing on stage and pretending the audience is naked – you just need to say, “OK, I’m here, nobody knows who I am and I am going to mix in the most beautiful way”. Also you have to keep that distance and keep this in mind whether you are in front of 1,000 or 100,000 people. If you let your mind work too much, you will quickly be overcome with anxiety and you will begin to pile up blunders.

JBL VT4888

Four of the eight JBL VT4888s used as sidefills to complete the coverage of the stage. On the right side one of the two hangs of 12 K1s and 6 KARAs.

8 V-Dosc

One of two delays composed of 8 V-DOSCs that cover the audience in the back of the room.


SLU : I saw a multitude of semis outside. This is a good way to measure the “size” of a show …

JC : That’s true, but like all great shows, we have a triple-team structure. One sets up, one operates and one disassembles constantly. This means 12 to 14 trucks. We have 24 semis, for sound, lighting and backline. Anyway, a normal stadium tour has, including generators, about 40 semis. We have tandem Caterpillar generator groups with two coupled diesel 3840s. Just one generator is enough to ensure complete security: we’ve never lost power. They are on their way, some by boat and the rest by air.

SLU : Is the tour going well?

JC : Very well. You should always know that, for Bruce, we agree to do something rather special. For example, we unloaded on June 20 at the stadium in Sunderland. The next morning, the day of the show, we were on the job at 6:00 am to get everything rigged . Guess what happened? It poured down non-stop until the end of load-out that night, show included. The next morning, at 6:15 we started on the stage in Manchester… and there we got downpours almost all day long! One day off and we were on the Isle of Wight for the festival, and well rinsed, I might say! You know, there are not many tours of our size that allow such speeds. For us the impossible is the norm, but frankly, we do it with pleasure. When we see Bruce on stage, what he is capable of giving, we no longer feel the fatigue. The least we can do is to keep up his pace!

A very secure show
Two FoH engines for one Venue

Coop's FoH position

Coop

SLU : Who designed and created the sound system as I see it tonight?

JC : I would say that’s me and the Solotech technicians made my wishes possible. We talked a lot with the lighting and video crews so that the three could live together as well as possible. I also have the best audio team I have ever had. Including me, there are eight of us. Each monitor engineer has an assistant and, as for me, I have three system engineers, which is not a luxury because I don’t only mix the show, I also record each date on two Pro Tools, 104 tracks in all. I also have two FoH engines for my Avid control surface, and I think I am one of the few who does that with this brand. They are linked to each other in MIDI and everything I do on the first is immediately mirrored on the second. Of course the 104 audio lines are sent to both in parallel by the RME MADI Bridge. I use an APB-Dynasonics MixSwitch as an output matrix and to cover, in addition to the two mixes, a playback and also Bruce’s voice from one of the SD7 returns, in the very unlikely event that both FoH engines were to give up on me.

A closeup of the rack placed just below the Avid surface

A closeup of the rack placed just below the Avid surface with, from the top, one Big Ben Apogee used to transform a black burst into a more digestible clock, an RME Octavio II, used to go supplement the 96 preamps of the Avid stagebox, APB-Dynasonics MixSwitch used to switch automatically between the two FoH engines working in tandem, a Millennia HV-3D, an excellent preamp used as a spare and, finally, four RME MADI Bridges used to distribute mic signals to the two FoH engines.

SLU : Your console looks a little full…

JC : I have only one input left out of 96 so I had to add a rack of 8 RME preamps. It covers only secondary sources of ambient mics. All microphones on the stage come in on Venue preamps . The split on stage to both engines is made via an RME MADI Bridge. Finally we work linked to a time code and to a common clock so we can work confidently with the people from video and take some audio on a Pro Tools. In fact, do not tell anyone that I still have a free input on my desk, otherwise someone will want it!(laughs)

Three “good” reasons to choose a Venue

SLU : Coop, explain to us why you choose a console, I guess you have mixed with just about everything in your career!

JC : First of all, I can have any model I want on this type of tour. The choice of a Venue is due to a number of reasons. First of all, this is the first console that allowed me to use plugins, and that’s very important for me, plugins from several different developers. Even though I use Waves a lot, I am also a fan of retro or even newer plugins . The second reason is the sound quality and the third is reliability. I’ve never had any problems with Venue aside from what I would call minor bugs. Among all digital mixing platforms on the market, I think this is the most stable and that is precisely what I’m looking for for Bruce. I am in touch with the people who are developing the next model, so I encouraged them to double the engine to operate at higher frequencies and have more outputs. I’ve always had a good relationship with them.

SLU : Why did you first choose this brand?

JC : The first time I could get my hands on a Venue was pretty special (laughs). Maybe you’ve never noticed, but we kind of do things at the last minute in our business (oh yes, we have noticed – editor’s note) and I remember we had a last minute rehersal planned and could not get the gear from the shop there in time feeling there was an opening, I quickly contacted some friends in what was then called Digidesign to ask if somewhere on the east coast there was a desk available the following Monday because, of course, it was on a Friday night, which never makes things easier. Stroke of luck, I was informed that Tony Bennett would end his show in Atlantic City the next evening and Monday morning I could have it all. I then pushed my luck a little further and also requested a Pro Tools rig for recording and – it was six years ago – someone to connect everything and explain how it worked. They said “OK, we’ll send you a Pro Tools from New York with a senior technician “.”How much will that cost?” I said. “Unless you wanna keep the drives with which you record, it is free for two weeks,” they said.

ProTools

One of two Pro Tools for recording shows every night, tucked in its 4U Magma rack case just above one of the FoH uninterruptible power supplies, very handy when the power is playing tricks!Some equipment, like the racks, still carries labels featuring

SLU : It was earned…

JC : Of course, who could resist such a commercial policy? With it, we could stop carrying around the remote recording system that had been with us on previous tours; I also got the Virtual Soundcheck, a very useful function that did not exist at the time. I had to sort out the opinions of people who were constantly telling me that this or that console sounded so much better, had more stuff, had more outputs, thus making me ask myself the right questions as to whether I needed any of it; if I really wanted to complicate my life or if this alleged superiority would be heard in stadiums. Finally, was it worth the trouble? I asked these same questions with all the products I’ve been offered since and the response has been that I do not always feel the urge to get into a new adventure. DiGiCo SD7 is a great desk but, I felt the digidesign platform was the way to go for me. For me, sound quality should balance with reliability and convenience. Being able to pass a show between a Profile and D-Show or an SC48, according to its possibilities, is a plus that I asked Avid to keep on its next line.

SLU : Because of your switch between engines, your console output is analog…

JC : That’s correct, but tranquility has no price. We convert to AES in one of the Dolby Lakes, back there in the area where I no longer venture (laughs)! I used to always run my own system, but for this tour, honestly, I had to quit. It has become too technical for me, especially because I can count on a trio of experts in the field, Etienne Lapré, Klaus Bolender and John Bruey. I much prefer to concentrate on mixing and recording each show, which is already not an easy task.

Atop the drive racks, LTO cartridges waiting to be loaded

Atop the drive racks, LTO cartridges waiting to be loaded with the countless tracks and songs recorded each evening.

SLU : I see indeed that recording is becoming increasingly important in live work.

JC : It is essential in Bruce’s case. Just think that every show of the tour is recorded by two machines in parallel. Each individual disc is then archived on an LTO cartridge. The first goes to the Sony underground storage center in Stone Mountain, Georgia where they keep all of the Sony artists’ recordings, the second goes to Bruce Springsteen’s own archive in New Jersey, where he has been keeping his entire career and shows for thirty years. He has a FileMaker Pro database which allows him to find each title easily, as everything that enters the underground storage repository is give a specific barcode. You can imagine the variety of materials and media that he has archived…

A kit of standard microphones

SLU : Is there anything special as far as microphones on this tour?

JC : Nothing special, I am using the market standards, the good old timeless, indestructible SM58 for vocals, SM57 for guitars and some reconditioned Sennheisers, some Heil PR22 and PR28 mics for toms, some Shure KSM137s …

Max Weinberg's DW

When Coop says he does not splurge with transducers, he does not lie. Here is a view of Max Weinberg

Almost completely reclined to shoot for the stars, and not for the vocal mics, these two Voxs have very separate miking, with a plexiglass panel isolating them.


SLU : There’s nothing strange!

JC : Oh, do not expect to see a surge of Royer ribbon mics or stuff like that with me. This tour is a steamroller bordering on a jackhammer when it comes to the levels on the board. I wish I could place large diaphragm condensers on the guitar amps but the bleed would be so much that it would be suicidal. I have three guitarists on stage playing as hard as they can throughout the show…

On stage, they play very loud…

SLU : Despite the size of the room, is the sound that comes from the stage giving you trouble?

JC : No, not necessarily. I live with it and I cover it, which sometimes makes me run it a bit louder than I like but there is a threshold below which you hear a color and the origin which can be problematic. Also, covering the stage sound reduces phase problems between direct sound and the reinforcement, which is necessarily delayed by the digital chain of the microphones. It is true that if you ‘re in the front row, you can perceive some differences but from the fourth row on, you’re in the coverage of the main system, and everything is in order. That said, I’m sure there are perfectionists – and, luckily, I am not one – obsessed with the phase or the reflection or “how do you accept this little echo from the bay window…” who will always be disappointed. I spent my life learning how to circumvent these problems and now I’ve come to ignore and live with them. It is true that this venue (Bercy – editor’s note) does not seem great but, hey, it is useless to fixate on things that you can not perfect, or you’ll miss out on those that you can. You have to concentrate on the essential, on what really matters to your audience, and that is the music.

Coop: a real passion for music …

SLU : You like music …

JC : Yeah, more than anything. It moves me deep within my being since my childhood. I’ve never played an instrument, but I believe I have a good ear for music. I’ve also always had the chance to work on the music I love and in which I believe. I can even go as mere spectator to attend concerts without being obsessed with the sound.

SLU : You can turn off the “Coop” in you whenever you want?

JC : Absolutely. If you ask me a critical opinion on the sound, I can give it to you, but I’d rather just enjoy the songs. It happens sometimes and during Bruce’s concerts; I become an average spectator for the space of a song. I lift my fingers from the groups on the desk and I listen, I enjoy myself too. I have colleagues who sometimes do too much or not enough, but when your mix is done and everything is moving, what good does it do to tinker with what’s already working, adding that unnecessary ingredient? Let your artist have fun and enjoy his show! For example, at times Bruce voluntarily moves the microphone away from his mouth to give his voice a more ethereal, almost ghostly color. He absolutely does not want me to chase after him with some gain to catch it! I had to learn to recognize and respect his choices. Two years ago during a concert at the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, in addition to Bruce on stage, I had John Fogerty, Billy Joel, Sam Moore …

SLU : Did you mix or listen to them? (laughs).

JC : Holy sheet! Can you imagine being the guy who mixes all those legends at the same time? I could not believe it, all those stars that rocked our youth on stage with Bruce introducing them, singing with them, while I’m at the console… I still can’t believe it (Coop is really in seventh heaven – editor’s note). The day I get bored with what I do, I will have to find another job quickly. My job is pure emotion.

The time to do the line check arrives and Coop requests a few minutes to do it. We take the opportunity to photograph as much as possible of what is probably, as of today, the largest L-Acoustics installation ever seen in Bercy. Besides the front with K1s and KARAs and the KUDOs in the rear, John forgot to mention a few delays for the back of the venue, a mere detail, just two hangs of 8 V-DOSCs that, together with the front fill dVs hidden in the structure, brings our count to about 160 enclosures. Now I understand better his very conservative choices of mostly dynamic microphones…
The house lights go out. Yes, but no, it is much more than a house blackout, much more, .The sound system has just shut down and only Coop’s FoH position, saved by its UPS, remains lit like a ship in the middle of the waves of audience that continue to arrive. I watch John’s eyes, he seems fatalistic and relaxed while behind the scenes they are getting ready to give, once again, some juice to the room. As he announced in welcoming us, the power in the building keeps acting up this 4th of July, but he is confident in his team to find a solution before the show. In three minutes flat, Bercy lights back up and we find the courage to grill John for a few more minutes…

And legendary artists

SLU : Tell us how you met Bruce and how you got to be his FoH engineer for so many years …

JC : During a break as FoH engineer for Contry artist Wynonna, they sent me as the system for Natalie Merchant, whose manager was Jon Landau, the same as Bruce. As it happens sometimes, Natalie’s engineer ended up leaving the tour, and Travis George, the tour manager, asked me to take over and mix for Natalie. As Jon liked my work, he asked me to take over the FoH for Shania Twain, another artist of his, which I declined as I was already booked. The same fate happened to me shortly after when I was offered to mix around 132 dates of Bruce’s Reunion Tour between April 1999 and July 1st, 2000. For family reasons I had to turn it down. In late 2001 I picked up the phone and I called George Travis who is also Bruce’s tour manager. “George, I don’t know what your plans are with Bruce, but I’d love to mix the Christmas shows that are coming.” 11 years and 500 concerts later, I’m still here, I have not missed one of his shows and frankly I would like to keep on working for him until the end of his career.

SLU : And apart from Bruce, who do you work for?

JC : For Lionel Richie – quite a guy – Sheryl Crow, a very lovely singer and, when I am available, for Ringo Starr. What can I say, he’s a legend himself. Of course there’s a lot of us who work for these three artists, depending on our work schedules. I, of course, consider myself privileged because Bruce and three more great artists personally ask for me, which is extremely flattering. This does not prevent me from working with many other companies and artists and, who knows, maybe I’ll work again for Solotech.

SLU : Going back to Ringo, so you have had the chance to mix a bit of the Beatles…

JC : Actually two (laughs): for Ringo’s 70th birthday, I had also Paul McCartney on stage! I don’t want to brag, but I have had the amazing chance to work this job at this level.

SLU : When did you begin, exactly?

JC : In 1975. I finished my studies in 1976 and started to live off of it in 1977.

SLU : One last question: What did you think when you discovered your first line array?

JC : It was in the mid-90s, a V-DOSC, and I owe it to Brad Snow and his company, Snow Sound, in the north-eastern United States. I was floored. For the first time in my life I heard good sound everywhere in the room. Yet I have worked for many years with excellent designers with traditional speaker systems with optimized couplings, but what Christian Heil makes is by far the best in terms of waveguide and God knows it has since been imitated, but without, in my opinion, anyone succeeding at it! Meyer makes very good products and also d&b, but L-Acoustics is the champion and… (walkie-talkie sounds – Editor’s Note)…and now I gotta work (laughs).

The Concert

Thousands of people waver, others perhaps a little less, with fingers crossed in the back. For the record, no interruption disturbed this magnificent show – 3h35′ of one standard after another like a parade and punctuated with an “encore” of more than 45 minutes. I didn’t doubt for a moment: Solotech has hit hard in its first collaboration with the Boss. Maybe it’s the Canadians who have a good ear or the company who knows how to select the best system engineers, but that huge amount of material nevertheless delivered a consistent and flawless coverage. One can only congratulate the Boss’ team, who have managed to successfully combine almost the entire L-Acoustics range. Something that, instead, did not happen on a previous Celine Dion tour at Bercy with Solotech, using Mica and Milo. Maybe because of the size of the room, which is small if compared to the usual stadiums, or maybe because of the levels on stage, the overall level was too high with 103.7 dBA Leq measured over 90 minutes of the first part and 104.3 for the whole of the encore. For the record, the next day the concert averaged 3 dB less. The power delivered by the K1 arrays with exhilarating ease seems to never end and its treble literally gushes out of the enclosures with precision and clarity. It should be handled with care. Coop creates a good mix with a voice that fits precisely in a perfect symphony from start to finish. Maybe it’s a little too compressed or over-produced, taking away part of the rock’n’roll, beat-driven brute force of the E-Street Band. This is especially true, I think, on Max Weinberg’s snare, which was a little too inside of the bass and the kick drum and that, for my taste, could have been a bit drier and more dynamic to take better advantage of low end of the K1 and K1-SBs on the sides.

The house lights finally come back up. Numbed by the rare intensity of a damn good show, the audience leaves with a big smile. The same smile is on Coop’s face as he turns to us, his eyes rimmed, and says : “The three hours we have just experienced are on me, I prefer to be paid for the remaining 21!”

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Lighting Designer Jeff Ravitz scores a pure Rock’n’Roll moment!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Paris

Bruce Springsteen

To our great delight the Wrecking Ball tour hit Paris Bercy for two days, allowing us to (re)discover a true American rock concert, traditional style, with a setup in which the audience surrounds the stage area and the singer for a total communion, which was an obvious pleasure to watch.

But since the sixty-year old rock star never ceases to reinvent himself and above all aims to satisfy his fans, the light show, once again created by Jeff Ravitz and the teams from Morpheus, in turn manufacturer, supplier and provider of technical support for the installation, had quite a few surprises in store for his fans from the get-go as well as for our eyes, which were focused on even the smallest projector rigged in the Paris venue.
For example the lighting design, always true to its warm whites and variations in intensity, innovates this year with the integration of Ayrton and Zap Technology LED moving heads, Clay Paky beams and even fog!
A brilliant production for 2012, which, whilst always focusing on the music and its performers, indulged in a few technological «infringements», whilst preserving its must-haves: colour temperatures at 3200K, “televisual” shading of the light ambiences, projectors assembled by Morpheus and spotlights galore.

The Morpheus technical lighting crew

The Morpheus technical lighting crew headed by Todd Ricci (right). Valère Huart, in charge of export sales at Ayrton (second from left).

We were therefore filled with wonder to meet the lighting team in situ, from operators to lighting director, not to mention the technicians. And to conclude, the icing on the cake, the American lighting designer Jeff Ravitz, who has earned numerous awards in entertainment and to whom Bruce Springsteen has been loyal for nearly 30 years, spoke to us about his choices that are always in agreement with those of the performer.



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TODD AND HIS LIGHTING KIT

By introducing a large number of innovations this year, the large rig gives the wash projectors the priority by entrusting the major task of the show’s ambiences and colours to the WildSun 500 C, associated with other innovative LED sources such as the L2D2 LED head from Zap Technology, or the Philips bars and converters, which reduce the power consumption of an installation with numerous discharge lamps that use a lot of energy.

Todd Ricci, lighting director

Todd Ricci, lighting director. He is the one who follows the tour and who adapts the lighting kit to the venues and Jeff Ravitz’s concept to the old titles that the artist chooses to sing.

SLU : Todd, what is your job here?

Todd Ricci : I am the lighting director and field designer. Each time we need to create a new design for specific songs, I step in. We adapt Jeff Ravitz’s concept as the days go by, in accordance with Bruce Springsteen’s wishes.


Wildsun

The Wildsun treat us to wonderful colours. This time, the concept places the band in the background in order to focus on Bruce Springsteen.

Wildsun 500C Ayrton

0998. Wildsun 500C Ayrton, VL3000 and VL2500 for stage lighting.

 


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SLU : Can you describe the kit you use in this concert?

Todd : Todd: We use a lot of Vari*Lites. But we also have Wildsun 500 C, which is a brand-new product. L2D2, an LED projector on a one-arm yoke by Zap Technology, with an interesting zoom system. It is one of the products that surprised us the most with the Wildsun 500 for what it brought to the show: beautiful blues and truly saturated colours.
Then, for spot effects and gobo projection we have the VL 3000, which illuminates the stage and the audience. For gobo effects and the bearings on the main stage, we have the VL 2000, which also illuminates the audience, and we have individual positions on the members of the band with the VL 2500. The foreground is taken care of by VL 1100 halogens with which we are very satisfied. In fact all of the Vari*Lite equipment has worked rather well this year. Under the stage, we have more Sharpys, under the stair riser and in front of the amplifiers, allowing us to achieve various views from different sources in several locations. On this tour, we have replaced the audience blinders with customised Par LED Morpheus, called CP7 using 7 Chauvet COLORado RGB petal-shaped assemblies to illuminate the audience. We have made a lot of major changes for this tour, compared to the three previous ones.

Mac Aura Martin

Mac Aura Martin, on and under the piano podium. A highly appreciated source at Morpheus for its small size, its feather weight and its output.

Sources

Sources can be found everywhere, under, on top of and across the stage: with LEDs for the Philips Color Kinetics, with lamps for the VL 2500 Vari*Lite.

 


SLU : The presence of LED projectors is important, does this technology appeal to you?

Un pont latéral

A lateral truss with, from left to right, L2D2 from Zap Technology, two Morpheus Fader Beams, a VL 2500 Vari*Lite, under the third FaderBeam two tungsten VL 1100 and a Panabeam XR2.

Todd : Yes, we have wide rows of LEDs. We considered everything that technology had to offer for this tour! We have many stage components marked out by LED products such as the ColorBlaze. We also use ColorBursts, just to provide a number of silver effects and lastly, we have the ColorBlast. You could say that we have quite a few Philips products on the show!
We have also introduced Mac Aura into the kit, just to add visual content that we were unable to achieve with bigger projectors.

TOP-QUALITY NEWCOMERS

With no fewer than 50 yokes, Wildsun 500 C are rigged above the Bercy stage (the kit allows for 20 more in stadiums!). Ayrton washes with efficient colour mix, which is possible thanks to their RGBW multichip and the ideal opening (45° max.), covering more than 95% of the concert’s moods.

SLU : Why did you opt for the Wildsun 500 C?

Todd : The particular aim with these Wildsun was to use their white, which could be a little warmer than that of most LED products, we have therefore defined a white that is more halogen-like. So, among all of the other whites in the show, it is difficult to distinguish the LED source. It is a processed white in order to look warmer, as all our key projectors are 3200K. We love the golds and the colours of the old CMY gels on the Morpheus Color Faders, since they are still the best colour mixing system today, but these have been removed from the kit. Obviously it is impossible to achieve this impression of golden yellow with an LED, which is what represented a major challenge. We managed to come as close as possible with the Wildsun.

Three trusses packed with very nice machines

Three trusses packed with very nice machines and notably a slew of Wildsun 500C, which are easily recognised even from a distance.

SLU : Did you run into problems with the Wildsun?

Todd : No, not really. That has just been a matter of practice. We received them, tested them very quickly, loaded them onto the truck and sent them to rehearsals. None of us was really familiar with them. I knew that we did not want to use a lot of parameters and therefore we did not immerse ourselves in the extended DMX mode. We decided that 24 channels would be our basis, which allows for a certain flexibility.
In fact, I am very happy with the general appearance of the sources. Everyone was immediately concerned about the LED and pixilation. And with the 4 in 1 chip (RGBW behind the same lens), this “pizza” effect is removed. The LED also pleasantly illuminate the crowd. Their saturation and colours on the audience are superb. The Wildsun have really performed well in this show. But there is always this big question with new technologies: how will the projectors operate after a journey in a truck on the roads in the USA or Europe? They have withstood it rather well. We have not had any mechanical breakdowns…Except for the issue of rain. The rain is our worst enemy when it comes to electronics. Especially where the connectors are concerned, just because of the humidity. It is a constant battle in lighting. But we will be working with a huge “stadium parachute” now in order to avoid these technical issues.

L2D2 Zap Technology

At the top of the ladder supporting the Sharpy Clay Paky, the L2D2 from Zap Technology with LEDs and motorised ZOOM on its single arm yoke.

SLU : Is the energy-saving aspect in this type of projector important to you?

Todd : Yes, it was, since I am one of those guys on the tour who is used to going the whole hog! I used all the current in the past, and therefore I know what it means to unwind many cables for many different projectors! Especially when you use traditional ones.
We like the fact that these machines are becoming smaller and smaller with the same yield in lumens.

When I plan, I like to have washes that are a little less powerful and I like to use my figures and content that I will integrate into the show without the need for 4 smoke machines and 4 fog machines on stage in order to see the spots. Therefore, I believe that the LED allow this to be avoided. Everyone tries to create a brighter wash. The VL 3500? They are so powerful that you can’t see anything else on stage. To me it’s counterproductive! I believe that we have found a great balance for this show with a blend of old school components and innovations. It is one way of balancing it all for Jeff.


PanaBeam XR2

The PanaBeam XR2, the pan/tilt Morpheus wash with continuo’s rotation, equipped with an MSR 1200, CMY, progressive CTO and zoom.

Light control

Light control with an Avolites Diamond II or Todd adjusts the projectors’ dimmers live, whose colours and movements are programmed in the full size Grand MA and called by John Hoffman.

BETWEEN RADICAL CHANGES AND SURE BETS

And since Todd and Jeff like to combine innovations and safe bets, the «house» projectors run with new sources in a show reproduced on two lighting consoles, which also blend old and new school thanks to a Pathfinder interface allowing an Avolite Diamond II and a GrandMa to be linked, to manage the intensities by using the dimmer (it’s Todd’s job), and the effects and colours on the automatic console.

SLU : Do you have a lot of encoded memories?

Todd : We have just programmed more materials than necessary today. We like to regularly refresh these basics. During the last tour, we catalogued some 260 different songs that Bruce has performed! Since we have to have a wide array of positions to send whenever he decides:” Hey, I’m gonna sing this song since I haven’t done it for 30 years…,” whilst this song is obviously not encoded. We have to find the best general approach in order for it to appear to have been custom-made for him.

ABOUT FOLLOW SPOTS AND MEN

With 11 follow spots to ensure the performer’s and his band’s front and back, we were only mildly surprised to see seats fixed on the galleries/catwalks/trusses, very close to the stage, in the front, but also at the back, the stage surrounded by the audience, just like in an arena, showcasing Bruce Springsteen in great form, but more importantly visible by all.

SLU : How many follow spots did you plan for?

Todd : We have 11 Robert Juliat follow spots. The Topaze in the foreground and the Manon in the background for short focal lengths. We took the Topaze and replaced the discharge lamp with a 2000-W tungsten lamp. For concerts in stadiums we also have 4 Lancelot rigged on the outer towers.

Ludwig Lepage, from the Robert Juliat sales team explains the adjustment.

The four trusses and their marvellous machines

The four trusses and their marvellous machines. Notice at the top of the image, the three LED flowers designed by Morpheus with the help of Chauvet Colorado RGB sources. Three of the five foreground Topaze follow spots, the VL1100 and VL3000 can also be seen.

Ludwig Lepage (Robert Juliat) : The Topaze were transformed into 2000-W halogens (instead of an MSD source), since during the latest tours, Bruce Springsteen and his lighting designer found that his skin was not rendered well with a discharge lamp. Only the wiring inside has changed since the sockets are identical. So, all of the foreground of the concert has been converted into halogen whilst the background is still lit with discharge lamps.

LIGHT, COLOUR TEMPERATURES AND VIDEO SCREENS

Huge or not, a Bruce Springsteen concert lit by Jeff Ravitz is unique. Very sensitive to the audience and with a constant will to maintain proximity, or even intimacy with his audience, the Boss first and foremost wants to be seen by all.
That is why his lighting designer attaches a lot of importance to skin tones, shadows and the performer’s telegenics, filmed nonstop by a host of cameras that do not lose even an instant of the live performance in order to reproduce it on the giant screens surrounding the stage.

SLU : Working the foreground and the faces seems to be very important to you?

Todd : We have VL 3000 in the air and 2500 that are nonetheless the key to the backdrop for everyone. The foreground plays a lot with theatre angles such as, for example, on the keyboard players. It works well with the camera, with the various shooting angles used during the show to achieve a nice contrast with highly theatrical profile spots. You will notice that when Bruce is filmed, half of his face is in the shade and we reproduce this each time.
Of course, when he runs all over the stage, more light is on him since we want everyone to be able to see him.

 The audience is used as a backdrop for an effect

The audience is used as a backdrop for an effect. Different lighting for the band and the Boss, which does not set off the instruments.

SLU : Do you adapt your lighting to the numerous acquisitions and broadcasts during the show?

Todd : Yes, definitely. That has been one of our concerns. It is strange since now, in the age of HD cameras, you also notice more skin hues on everyone. You have to worry about embellishing everything you possibly can, to make sure that you are not creating too much material that would be muddy. We have to keep full colours and pay attention to temperatures. It has become very important to Jeff and he is a master on the subject. He is a true specialist at this type of thing. He went as far as to put CTO corrector on the colours in order to make sure that the achieved hue was the correct temperature. He is one of those guys who thinks of all these things. It is probably the reason why he doesn’t sleep much! These are areas in which he is particularly brilliant. I have learned so much from him and from his job.
Enough to make us eager to speak with the man himself, Jeff Ravitz, lighting designer for the Wrecking Ball tour.

JEFF RAVITZ,
A DEVOTED LIGHTING DESIGNER

SLU : Can you tell me your story? How you started in the show lighting desing?

Jeff Ravitz : While I was a student, I worked in summer theatre and was influenced by the great lighting designers I met. Then, shortly after I finished college, I saw a Grateful Dead concert that changed my life. The lighting was «visible», unlike theatre lighting, which, we were taught, should be «invisible». That show was so exciting, beautiful, and expressive, that I dreamed of doing something like that myself. Three weeks later, I answered an advertisement in a local arts newspaper for a position as a lighting designer for a recording group going out on tour. I jumped at the opportunity and got the job. We toured all over, playing clubs and universities, but we also were the opening act for many headline groups, and that experience was invaluable. A few years later, I toured with Kiss as a technician, which furthered my education. And then, my major break was the chance to design for the rock group, Styx. We created highly theatrical shows and in 1977 they were the biggest American touring band. It was fun and it propelled my career forward.

 The audience is used as a backdrop for an effect.

The audience is used as a backdrop for an effect. Different lighting for the band and the Boss, which does not set off the instruments.

SLU : What is your idea of light?

Jeff Ravitz : Light is what reveals our world to us, visually. And the way it reflects off an object, whether that is a person or a wall, can strongly affect us. It’s all about shape, balance, and three-dimensionality. How something is sculpted out of light can directly affect our mood and psychology. For instance, when light falls on a mountain at sunset, or at mid-day, we have a very different reaction, subconsciously. Our whole world is a painting and it can be flat and dull, or dimensional and rich. As humans, we react to this.

SLU : And for a rock star show?

Jeff Ravitz : A concert–a rock show–depends on lighting to help the audience know what to look at for any given moment. Like a cinematographer helps choose whether a movie audience sees one person or the entire roomful of people, and how they seen them, for a concert we are guiding people through the story of the show, of each song.
As lighting designers, we make a statement with color, with angle, with brightness and darkness, and with the use of movement and texture of light. It is our job to highlight the action and to help people that are far from the stage to know what’s happening. Lighting also keeps pace with the dynamics of the music, and accents it to help connect the audience with the rhythm, the flow, the feel, and the message. We take the mood and magnify it. Lighting delivers the music to the eyes of the audience.

Total communion between the performer and his audience

Total communion between the performer and his audience: a true moment of pure American rock. It is very rare to see so many happy adults going wild.

SLU : Especially for Bruce Springsteen?

Jeff Ravitz : We all know Bruce Springsteen could put on an exciting show with no lights. But, as I said, we use lighting to help accent the big musical moments, and to visually illustrate the mood of his words and music. Bruce’s performance and songs can be very dramatic and are quite conducive to highly theatrical lighting. Bruce is a fan of good film cinematography and photography, and he has instilled the appreciation of those art forms in me. So, it becomes a matter of «revealing» Bruce and the E Street Band members in ways that depict a «point of view», a unique way of presenting them for any particular song that they are playing. We use the psychology of color to make a statement about the emotions and the story line of a song. We use texture and broken-up beams of light. And we use the angle of light very deliberately, sometimes to make the musicians look good, natural and happy, and sometimes to make them look troubled, or angry, and so on. Finally, the music has many expressive accents and rhythms, which we try to play along with.

Exceptional depth

Exceptional depth thanks to a multitude of sources and to Jeff Ravitz’s know-how.

SLU : Does Bruce Springsteen has specific demands regarding: the lighting of the team of public and of itself?

Jeff Ravitz : Yes, he insists that the band member get a lot of attention and care with lighting. They are part of the overall stage «picture» and even though they sometimes can be more in the background when Bruce is doing something where he needs to be the main focus, they always need to be given the proper lighting treatment.
Bruce loves the audience, and their energy makes him work and play and perform harder for them. And, they become part of the show, also. When they are all singing along with him, they must have good lighting in the appropriate color for the song. The audience reacts to this by being even more responsive, and it goes back and forth between Bruce, the band, and the audience. Of course, sometimes, it’s important for them to be in the dark so only Bruce and the band are visible.
Bruce Himself when he is not doing something particularly dramatic, he does like to look good on the screens and to the audience. I work hard to make sure the lighting angles are as flattering as possible, of course, so he does look his best. But, he does not like to look «flat», meaning he likes the lighting to create interesting shadows on his face and body. We also are very careful to make sure he has good light on him from behind so he appears to «pop» out of the background, and not to make him «blend in» to the background.
Bruce loves all colors and he trusts me and my team to choose the best colors for each moment of each song. But, sometimes, he has a very specific idea for the color of a song and we are happy to oblige.

SLU : Does Bruce has specific requests regarding lighting equipment especially LED projectors, smoke or haze?

Jeff Ravitz : Bruce does not have any preferences about lighting equipment or projectors. It is one area he allows me to decide on my own. I do try to show him our newest equipment after its been added to the lighting system, just to keep him familiar with what I’m doing. And he is very happy to know how much energy we are saving by the use of LED.

Atmosphere Hazer MDG

Sharpy’s batons are certainly present for the first time near the Boss but still discreet

Bruce has long worried about the effects of smoke and haze on his voice and therefore, it has never been approved. However, this year, we researched some hazers that are used on Broadway shows where singers are also quite sensitive to the issue of haze. We tried it in rehearsal, placing the machines far from the stage in order to achieve a very, very slight amount of haze in the air, just to enhance the effects of patterns and light beams in the air. Management is very happy with the results and Bruce has not complained that it has bothered him or his voice.

SLU : What do you think about Ayrton Wildsun, why did you select it?

Jeff Ravitz : I’m a big fan of the Ayrton Wildsun. I think it’s a very good fixture.
I have been wanting to explore the use of a high quality LED fixture to replace our automated wash lights, because the new technology offers many advantages. Lower power consumption and less maintenance are important issues, as well as the benefits of additive color mixing and very fast color changes. Our previous wash lights had tungsten lamps. Bruce liked the warm, natural color that they provided. Therefore, I wanted an LED light that would offer a similar foundation of color balance.
Many of the LED fixtures are smaller in size. I wanted a slightly larger LED fixture to add a sense of bigger scale to the overall appearance of the lighting system.
Morpheus Lights helped me to choose a fixture by setting up a very extensive comparison demonstration of all the best LED moving lights. We spent two days metering and comparing color, appearance, speed and smoothness of movement, and brightness levels. The Wildsun’s white LEDs are warmer than most of other lights we tested, which means the overall base of mixed colors would also shift a little bit warmer, which I liked. Its other colors are pure and bright, too. And the overall diameter of the LED surface is larger, too, just like I wanted. That means the beam is fatter and the overall light output is brighter. The fade-up and fade-down could be adjusted to be as smooth as an incandescent fixture. The cost of the light was another deciding factor. The Wildsun was affordable, which was important, because we needed a lot of them. Morpheus and I agreed the Wildsun offers great features and attractive value.

SLU : What do you think of the wildsun zoom, its speed, its aperture?

Jeff Ravitz : The Wildsun pans and tilts are extremely fast. Our movement effects, and the ability to quickly change focus from one location onstage to another are now greatly improved.
The Wildsun zooms to a wide 45 degree flood which covers a lot of territory. And it’s gives a smooth field of light.
At 11 degrees of spot focus, the light is extremely bright, tight and results in a very strong beam of light.
During the show, I often change the zoom of the lights, as needed for any particular cue. But I do prefer a medium sized zoom sie that works for most cues.

SLU : What is exactly the mission of Wildsun 500?

Jeff Ravitz : I use the Wildsun 500 as the base layer of color and ambience for the overall onstage lighting. The Wildsun are used to make a very strong, full-stage, color statement that I can change quickly as the music or mood changes. It’s the soft texture I use in counterpoint to the quality of the sharp, profile fixtures.

SLU : Will you select this Wash on TV sets?

Jeff Ravitz : can make use of this light for TV shows. Since our shows are shot in high definition for the screens, I can see that the Wildsun work well on-camera.

And between the screens, follow spots, other spots, the new LED sources and the old Morpheus moving heads, not to mention the strobes that also made their debut during the 2012 tour, some 350 projectors illuminate the Bercy stage tonight.
And even if sometimes the Sharpy’s batons or spot beams are not really recognised due to fog, they are certainly present for the first time near the Boss but still very discreet, this is not the goal pursued by the lighting designer.

Jeff Ravitz in fact designed traditional rock concert lighting, American style, multiplying the scenes with few lights dimmed, favouring a constant mood, highly coloured and nuanced, helped by the superb Wildsun colours, which form an integral part of the show. By truly showing us all of the performers present on stage, thanks to the numerous profile spots and the VL1100 installed in fore- and background, he creates a certain intimacy, enhanced by a very warm ambient colour temperature.

So yes, we are surprised not to find ourselves amid beams galore and radical changes between songs, but we are filled with wonder about the consistency of it all and the integration of new LED sources next to the traditional Vari*Lite spots and Morpheus projectors we discover. Big L2D2 LED moving heads are spectacular and the whites of the Ayrton moving heads truly add value to a lighting design, which attaches as much importance to the accuracy of the colours as to the variations of white.

We had gone to see a great performance, and we discovered a whole way of working light, of moving the artist and his audience to the heart of the show and to take up a large venue such as Bercy, to our great delight. A truly enjoyable and generous live performance.

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