SIXTY82, one of the leading manufacturer of trussing and staging systems for the entertainment industry, announced today that it has appointed Omikron Electronics as its exclusive distributor for Greece and Cyprus.

Left : Giannis Tziakos, General Manager of Omikron Electronics, Right: Henry Schuil, Executive account manager for Sixty82

Omikron Electronics is a well-established company with years of experience, great product portfolio and a strong customer network in the Greek market. They have already built a substantial stock of SIXTY82 products in Greece to meet the quick demand of their customers. They will also organize open days together with SIXTY82 to welcome customers and introduce them to SIXTY82’s innovative products and solutions.

“We are very excited to partner with Omikron Electronics and expand our presence in Greece and Cyprus,” said Rainier Smeding, Sales Director of SIXTY82. “Omikron Electronics shares our vision of providing high-quality products and services to our customers. They have the expertise and resources to successfully promote our brand and grow our business in this important region.”

Giannis Tziakos, General Manager of Omikron Electronics, said: “We are honoured to be chosen as the exclusive distributor of SIXTY82 in Greece and Cyprus. We have been impressed by their products’ design, performance and reliability.
We are confident that they will meet the needs and expectations of our customers who are looking for innovative trussing and staging solutions. We are looking forward to working closely with SIXTY82 and building a long-term relationship.”

Henry Schuil will be the Executive Account Manager of the Greek territory and will work together with Omikron Electronics to provide support and guidance to their customers.

Canberra-based Elite Event Technology (EET) supplied 96 x Astera AX1 PixelTubes for an eye-catching lighting design to illuminate a special Ministry of Sound Orchestral concert staged at Stage 88, a permanent venue ensconced in the leafy green environs of Commonwealth Park, Canberra, ACT.

EET’s client was promoter Zaccaria Concerts and Touring, and the lighting designer was Jayden Sutherland from design studio The Bakery Design Co.
The AX1s were used along the three over-stage trusses – front, mid and rear – and to define the edges of all the orchestra risers on the deck, creating elegant architectural looks as well as high impact effects.

EET’s Darren Russell explained that they suggested Jayden use the AX1s as there was a very tight overnight changeover after a Crowded House gig the night before, also with lighting, video and sound production supplied by EET.

“We suggested Astera due to the wireless operation which basically made it seriously quicker and easier to complete the changeover over in the early hours of the morning and be ready on time delivering the rig for 10 a.m.” noted Darren, adding that both of these show days were long. They also suggested AX1s because “We love our Astera products and thought they were a perfect practical and creative solution!”

Jayden had not used Astera products before, but took EET’s advice and agreed that they were a good option. Jayden also commented after the show that he was initially mildly sceptical about the AX1’s potential performance, but was very pleasantly surprised with the result!
Running in full pixel mode, the AX1s helped him run a stunning, high-energy show keeping the pace and flow pumping with a succession of MOS bangerz and other music. They were used for producing solid blocks of colour to fluid kinetic effects to strobing and other flashy stuff.

The overnight changeover between the two shows was the biggest production challenge for Darren and his team. They had to be fully programmed and ready for sound checks and rehearsals by 10 a.m. on the day of the MOS show, with lighting also operated by Jayden on a grandMA full size console.

EET is the largest production and rental company in ACT with a great reputation. It is also constantly busy and now has over 400 Astera fixtures – approximately 300 x AX1s and 100 x AX5 TriplePars – in its inventory. These were all supplied by Astera’s Australian and New Zealand distributor, ULA Group.

Darren thinks the lights are “great value” and they are in use perpetually on a wide range of shows and events.
EET started investing in Astera as soon as they became readily available on the Australian market.
“The versatility of the products, their ease of use and deployment is what makes them work so well for us,” stated Darren.

“The products are well engineered and the R ‘n’ D is excellent,” he concluded, adding that a strong distributor is also paramount, and that they “enjoy great service from ULA Group team.”

Other recent EET Astera projects include the design and fabrication of a custom chandelier from 200 x AX1’s for the 2022 Master Builders and Asset Construction Hire Building Excellence Awards at Canberra’s National Convention Centre. A further 140 x Astera AX1’s complete with custom 3D printed toppers with string beads hanging around each tube were used as the feature part of the table centrepieces.

For more info about Astera LED, you can visit the Astera website

The cabaret-style Cologne Stunksitzung is the original father of the “alternative carnival session” and the largest format of its kind. From December 7 2022 to February 21 2023, 46 Stunksitzungen took place at the E-Werk venue, including a TV broadcast on February 16 on the WDR channel.
The lighting technology for the Stunksitzungen was once again provided by the Cologne-based event and media technology service provider al-media. Together with lighting designer Jojo Tillmann, the team relied almost exclusively on Cameo spotlights.

The al-media firm has been active as a technical service provider for the Stunksitzungen for many years and is located in the immediate vicinity of the famous E-Werk and Palladium venues. In 2021 and 2022, al-media owner André Lyrmann invested in a broad Cameo portfolio ranging from ZENIT W600 washlights to OPUS SP-5 profile moving heads and OPUS H5 beam moving heads, to F-Series LED Fresnel spotlights.
After the 2021/22 stunt sessions were cancelled due to the Corona situation at the time, the spotlights finally came into their well-deserved use.

Stage lighting

A total of 15 OPUS SP5 profile moving heads serve as front light, back light and for gobo use; the EVOS W3s are used as lighting for the live band and as side and effect lights.
The Elferrat, placed on a gallery above the stage, is illuminated from behind by four compact F1 T Fresnel spotlights with Tungsten LEDs and additionally staged with eight F2 T PO (rod-operated), which are simultaneously intended for various individual positions and offer even more power than the F1 T with their 12,500 lm luminous flux.

Eleven more F2 T POs are used as general front lights to bathe the stage in bright light when required. Furthermore, al-media integrated 20 ROOT PAR 6 WH PAR spotlights (RGBAW+UV) at various positions in the stage setup. The stage lighting is rounded off by powerful beam effects from six AZOR B1 Beam moving heads.

Hall lighting

For flexible and atmospheric illumination of the hall, including the audience, Jojo Tillmann and al-media relied on 28 ZENIT W600 washlights. The E-Werk’s permanently installed equipment also includes numerous Cameo Q-SPOT LED spots, which were also integrated into the lighting design.

“The contact with Cameo and Adam Hall came about through JoJo Tillmann,” explains André Lyrmann. “We felt we were in the best possible hands here right from the start. The advice and support are excellent, and the spotlights work very reliably.
Over the entire playing time of the Stunk sessions, we only had one defect, which we were able to fix quickly and effectively ourselves thanks to the help of Cameo Support.”

Further information:

al-media.com
jojotillmann.de
stunksitzung.de

cameolight.com
adamhall.com
blog.adamhall.com/fr/

The industry is getting ready for four full days of business, networking and positive energy. At Prolight + Sound (25 to 28 April), visitors can discover all the latest trends and technologies for spectacular events. For the first time since 2019, the show will take place without major global travel restrictions.

As a result, exhibitors from all over the world, including Asia, will once again be represented in large numbers. Prolight + Sound will thus be a global meeting place for companies, decision-makers, professionals and for young talents on the threshold of a career in the event industry.
The show offers a broad spectrum of products and themes, from lighting and lasers, via PA systems and studio technology, to projection and LED as well as event services. Particularly in the field of theatre and stage technology, the event has evolved into Europe’s largest meeting place.

“Together with our partners and the whole team, we have worked unceasingly to create the platform the industry needs and deserves. We are looking forward to numerous premières in the programme, to the exhibitors’ innovations and interesting encounters. Particularly, I am looking forward to celebrating the successful future of the event industry with the exhibitors and visitors at the get-together on the evening of the first day of the fair”, says Mira Wölfel, Director Prolight + Sound.

The exhibitors at Prolight + Sound include the sector’s key players. Photo: Robin Kirchner

The key players showing their new products and innovations at the show include ADJ, Adam Hall, Area Four Industries, Artthea Bühnentechnik, ASM Steuerungstechnik, AV Stumpfl, Ayrton, Bütec, Cast, Chainmaster, Chauvet, Chemtrol Division, Clay Paky, ComputerWorks, DAS Audio, Dataton, Elation, ETC, Eurotruss, FACE, Focon, Gala Systems, Gerriets, GLP, Highlite, International, HOAC, HOF, Igus, InEar, JB-Lighting, Kling & Freitag, KS Audio, Kvant, L-Acoustics, Laserworld, Lawo, Lightpower, Link, LMP Lichttechnik, MA Lighting, Major, Martin by Harman, Meyer Sound, Mipro, Osram, PK Sound, Portman, Primacoustics, Prolights, Radial Engineering, Riedel, Robe, Robert Juliat, Rosco, SBS Bühnentechnik, SGM, TAIT, TMB, Unilumin, Waagner-Biro and Zactrack.

Top attractions for audio professionals

More extensive than ever before is the spectrum of presentation and programme formats in the audio sector. For the first time, the ProAudio College offers a specialist training programme for audio technicians working in the live and studio segments. To be held on all four days of the fair, the focal points of the programme include immersive sound systems, psychoacoustics, live sound in difficult environments, home-studio productions and tips for newcomers to the profession. The programme has been developed in close cooperation with the Association of German Sound Engineers (VDT) and is being held partly in German and partly in English.

Successfully launched last year, the Performance + Production Hub is being expanded for Prolight + Sound 2023. In cooperation with the makers of the Sample Music Festival and well-known brands, Messe Frankfurt is creating an elaborate Experience Zone revolving around innovative sound tools in the ‘Portalhaus’ building. The events include daily workshops and showcases on DJing, remixing, beat-making, field recording and sound branding.
Also part of the Performance + Production Hub is, for the first time, an action stage organised by PRO MUSIK – Association of Freelance Music Creators. Here, visitors have the opportunity to participate in discussions with professional musicians, to explore career scenarios and to attend performances, interviews and lectures. Another highlight in the audio segment is the Vintage Concert Audio Show in Hall 11.0. This curated exhibition includes over 200 showpieces covering the history of sound systems over the last sixty years and presents fascinating discussions with personalities from the audio business.

Prolight + Sound 2023 offers numerous new highlights in the audio segment. Photo: Robin Kirchner.

The meeting place for tomorrow’s professionals

Given the ongoing process of demographic change, it is incumbent on the sector to inspire young talents for a career in the events and entertainment business. The Future Hub in Hall 11.0 brings together content of particular significance for newcomers to the industry and gives young talents the chance to meet companies with suitable vacancies as well as educational institutes in the event sector.
Additionally, the Future Talents Day returns to Prolight + Sound this year, on Friday 28 April, with an open invitation for all trainees, students and young people interested in the industry. The programme includes lectures on career scenarios in the event business, networking events with exhibitors, behind-the-scenes tours and much more.

Moreover, Prolight + Sound is spotlighting gender equality in the event business with the inclusion of the Women in Lighting Lounge in Hall 12.0. This is a central meeting place for female professionals, as well as interested newcomers. It is also the venue for interviews with inspiring personalities and a source of information about career options.
Organised in cooperation with Light Collective, the initiator of the ‘Women in Lighting’ (WIL) project, lectures and discussions on relevant subjects are being held on the Theatre + Light Stage throughout the fair. Rounding off this part of the programme are daily WIL Meet-ups at the Ayrton stand.

Full commitment to a greener event industry

Taking steps to conserve natural resources is not just a social obligation. It can also help make events more economically efficient. Thus, lectures and panel discussions on sustainability in the event business are being held within the framework of the EVVC Green Sessions on all four days of the fair. The main topics covered include not only organisational and technological steps towards climate-neutral events but also social sustainability, environmentally friendly tour management and sustainability communication.

The keynote address at the Green Sessions is being given by the Austrian cultural and social anthropologist Bettina Ludwig at 12.00 hrs on 25 April. In her lecture, she will discuss the elements linking people across all geographic and cultural borders, and deduce recommendations for actions to be taken by the event industry. Additionally, suppliers of solutions that contribute to a more positive CO2 balance are marked accordingly in the catalogue and the exhibitor search engine.

Four days of training and direct product experience

Experts from the industry are ready to pass on their knowledge on several stages at Prolight + Sound. At the Main Stage in Hall 11.0, trade-association representatives focus on the most urgent subjects of superordinate relevance for the industry as a whole. In Hall 12, the Theatre + Light Stage presents new technological trends in action.
Moreover, there is the Manufacturers’ Forum where exhibitors demonstrate their innovative solutions and areas of application. The International Event Safety Conference (I-ESC) also makes a welcome return and focuses on occupational safety, infection protection at events and tools for the regulation-conform implementation of the large number of projects in the post-Covid era.

All lectures, workshops, showcases and product demonstrations are free of charge for holders of a valid Prolight + Sound ticket, which also gives admission to the grand Gettogether with live music and drinks in the evening of the first day of the fair (from 18.00 hrs).

Full details about Prolight + Sound can be found at www.prolight-sound.com

As an international trade-fair brand, Prolight + Sound is represented by events in Germany, China and Dubai. Further information about the global activities of Prolight + Sound is available at www.prolight-sound.com/weltweit

Social media:

– Facebook
– Twitter
– Instagram
– YouTube
– Linkedin

The beautiful Cultural House Martinus in the Finnish city of Vantaa hosted a magical concert to raise money for sick children in December 2022. Some of Finland’s biggest stars performed in front of eight LED screens, displaying graphics driven by two Hippotizer Montane+ Media Servers. The event, known in Finnish as Kummit JouluMielelle, was broadcast live on MTV3 and recorded for streaming on-demand.

It was organised by The Association of Friends of the University Children’s hospitals charitable organisation, founded in 1993, which is a longstanding client of the event projection, graphics and immersive media experts at Visual45.

“Christmas was a key theme that guided our design work, so that’s what we aimed for,” says Varpu Sipilä, Operations Manager at Visual45’s parent company, Creative Technology. “We worked with the setlist and curated the visuals accordingly, noting that the range of songs and performers was quite wide. The cheerful songs clearly required more colourful and joyous screen visuals than the more ballad-like numbers.”

On stage, the team set up eight LED screens consisting of 179 Roe Black Pearl 3.9mm panels. They powered up two Hippotizer Montane+ Media Servers, using one for live and one for backup, alongside a high-spec laptop running Zookeeper at the FOH position. To control the Montane+ servers, Visual45’s Tero Kärpijoki used a grandMA2 console.

“Hippotizer is always my first choice for shows, big or small, because it’s really reliable, powerful and fast to work with,” says Kärpijoki. “Hippotizer makes it easy to test different visuals and looks to get to the final result. I also like the possibilities to tailor the Zookeeper UI for your needs and it’s also easy to operate using a touchscreen. I also really like the combination of Hippotizer and grandMA2 because it’s so easy and reliable. During the half-day rehearsals, when changes needed to be actioned quickly, Hippotizer was the perfect tool.”

As the concert was created for a live audience as well as for broadcast, the overall visual design was thought through accordingly. “Although the final adjustments were of course made for television, we served a great show also for the live audience,” adds Sipilä.
“The show included some inserts for TV and they were also shown for the live audience on the in-venue LED screens, via a live input.”

The team created and curated screen content in advance, editing them together during pre-programming at the venue.
The screen content for the songs was created by Visual45’s graphic designer Jani Saranpää and visual designer Tero Kärpijoki.

The visual design for the show was originally made by Visual45’s Mikko Linnavuori in 2021. This content was the driving force for the on-stage LED screens, mixed occasionally with pre-made video footage.

“I like to test different looks with the blending modes and it’s really fast with Hippotizer,” Kärpijoki continues.
“I also really like the Montane+’s internal effects. It’s a very fast way to manipulate visuals and for those reasons I used them a lot in order to create different visuals.
The relay feature was also used a lot from submixes, and VideoMapper was used to get all the pixels lined up for outputs and LED processors.”

The Hippotizer Media Servers were supplied to the event by Creative Technology Finland, within which Visual45 functions as a design unit.

According to their website, the Association of Friends of the University Children’s hospitals has made donations of approximately €42 million to-date. The music for the concert was performed by the Vantaa Viihdeorkesteri ensemble orchestra, conducted by Ako Kiiski.
Some of the major singers included Arja Koriseva, Pete Parkkonen, and Laura Voutilainen. It was hosted by Sara Parikka and Jaakko Loikkanen.

The Teatro Donizetti is a true institution in the city of Bergamo. It was built in the late 18th century and was originally named Teatro Nuovo (new theatre). It has been the city’s most important opera house for more than two centuries and hosts an extremely intense schedule of plays, operas and symphonic music.
In November 2022, Claypaky signed an agreement with the Teatro Donizetti to supply our new Sinfonya Profile 600 moving heads, specially designed for use in theatres.

Our Sinfonya Profile fixtures have enhanced the lighting stock at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo’s città bassa (the relatively more modern “lower town”) and at the equally famous Teatro Sociale in the città alta (the hilltop medieval “upper town”), which is also part of the Teatro Donizetti Foundation.

Lighting Designer Emanuele Agliati of K 5600 Design told us how he used our Sinfonya Profiles for the opera semiseria Chiara e Serafina: “I used the Sinfonya fixtures mainly for side lighting, which often acted as key lighting. This opera is a dramaturgical reworking of the original libretto in a 1930s variety show setting. I tried to reproduce the atmosphere of those years as best I could by using very warm lights and huge contrasting shadows.”

The Sinfonya Profile 600s were installed on battens about twelve feet above the singers. “I used them for two purposes. Firstly, to recreate the warm atmosphere typical of incandescent light sources, in perfect combination with the PARs and Svoboda ADBs already installed in the opera house.

Secondly, when the scene suggested, they conjured up cooler atmospheres, with peaks of up to 7000K-8000K. I kept to these two different colour temperatures throughout the whole opera, and the Sinfonyas were perfect in allowing me to recreate every shade required.”

Emanuele Agliati also told us that he predominantly used blue for the night-time scenes but chose pastel shades: “LED light units normally have highly saturated hues and colours.
So, I was concerned about getting the right shade. I wanted to avoid an ‘electric blue’ effect at all costs. The Sinfonya Profiles provided an almost endless colour palette, and very soft pastel shades, which were perfect for building the scenes.”
The Sinfonya Profile has a wide colour temperature range from 2500K to 8000K. Its five-LED-source combination means it can generate a ‘rich’, versatile white.

Emanuele Agliati explained that the lighting loses some of its nostalgic atmosphere in the second act, and colours appear: “Again, the Sinfonya Profile provided me with perfect support: soft colours, in just the right amount, without green peaks. I worked with a very wide zoom, to paint the whole scene.”
Colours were used even more in the show “Chiara or Serafina?”, a reworking of the original opera for children. Soft but intense colours were chosen to recreate positive and negative feelings to adapt the opera for a very young audience.

Agliati told us more about the Sinfonya Profile’s outstanding features: “This light is truly excellent in every way. It performs really well when I use the zoom, focus, gobo, shaper and dimmer all at the same time. I can get all the beam shapes I want with great precision. I can even focus both the gobo and the beam-shaping blades perfectly. In a moving head for theatrical use, this is definitely a winning plus.”

Since they were used for side-lighting, the lighting designer had to pay attention to the sharpness of the beam, while using the blades to shape it and the gobos to recreate a beach, the sun, a forest, or the window of a derelict building, as required.

Emanuele then went into detail over two very innovative features of this unit: “I was extremely curious about the way Claypaky’s much vaunted ‘absolute position’ function worked. I must say that I have now experienced the enormous benefits of this feature first hand. Firstly, since the unit no longer moves back to a reset position when you switch off, there is no risk of it hitting things in the wings.

You can therefore install the unit in tight spaces or where it would not normally be possible, such as on the proscenium or in front of the fire curtain. Secondly, there is no risk of the batten that carries the lights swaying. Moreover, the precise return of the beam shaper to its previously programmed position was also very useful, and crucial in my case.”

A last well-deserved mention went to the Sinfonya’s very quiet operation: “I know that the fixture comes with a number of features to cut the noise down to a minimum. I didn’t even have to adjust the fans: no one complained, even though I was using the light at full power on the battens directly above the heads of the singers and stage performers.”

The Donizetti Festival Season also featured performances of the operas “La favorite” and “L’Aio nell’Imbarazzo”, with lighting design by Peter Van Praet.

For more info about Claypaky, you can visit the Claypaky website

LD Tobias Schwietz creates major impact from a compact lighting design. In mid-2022, pop musician Alice Merton released her second studio album, S.I.D.E.S.
After a few dates in the USA, she began her European tour in mid-July to promote the new work live. LD Tobias Schwietz took 12 GLP impression X4 Bar 20 with him on the trip.

The idea behind the lighting and stage design was primarily about creating as tidy a look as possible, with little visible technology on the stage. As the designer explains: “We basically worked with the three classic layers of light of ‘alley’ light (side lighting at head height), backlight and backdrop lighting so we could give depth to the stage, and create three-dimensionality in the backdrop.

The whole show is characterized by strong backlighting, silhouettes and strobe effects. The backdrop featuring a coloured sky with Alice’s initials in front, made of two-metre-high wooden letters form one of the main elements.
The show starts off very dark and gets brighter and happier as it progresses. This is intended to illustrate different phases of life from panic, fear and madness to light-heartedness and happiness.”

The impression X4 Bars are used by the designer to illuminate the entire surface of the backdrop, but also as backlight and alley light.
The backdrop is provided by eight X4 Bars placed in a row on the floor, while two vertically stacked Bars each on the left and right near the edge of the stage create the side lighting. Tobias Schwietz explores all the possibilities of this GLP classic in single pixel mode.

“For the flat backdrop illumination, I pull the zoom all the way up,” explains the designer. “With the help of the single pixel control, movement can be brought into the sky, so that the impression of animated clouds is created. The Bars offer a contrasting look when they shine in the opposite direction and with a narrow or wide zoom in the direction of the audience.
The narrow zoom creates a modern look, which also reveals a certain mysticism through slow tilt movements. On the other hand, with the zoom open, there is a super even wash across the entire width of the stage.”

Schwietz also plays with the creative diversity of the impression X4 Bars in the alley lighting: “In the dark beginning part of the show, the devices only produce narrow, symmetrical walls of light in order to put the artist in the spotlight. Various dimming effects create further drama.

Later in the set, I zoom in more and more, so that the band is also illuminated and everything seems brighter and more joyful. With a very narrow beam, the X4 Bars placed on the side also serve as a blinder/effect light in the direction of the audience.”

Unsurprisingly, it is precisely the versatility of the GLP Bars that the designer particularly appreciates: “The narrow zoom and the resulting light walls are definitely my favorite in the design. The really impressive, flat wash also makes the X4 Bar a great hybrid device, which showed me completely new possible uses on this tour.
When it comes to color effects, the simple rainbow remains an eye-catcher and still provides ‘wow’ moments. The X4 Bar is a classic that is still exciting because of its quality and the abundance of design possibilities.”

Live stream with JDC Line and XDC1 IP Hybrid

As part of the album promotion, a live stream show also took place in the summer, for which lighting designer Patrick Rabus used 16 impression X4 Bar 20, 11 XDC1 IP Hybrid and eight JDC Line 500.
Paul Grauwinkel, the artist’s manager and lighting designer himself, says: “The collaboration with GLP and Andi Brandt has grown over the years, so that we quickly get new products on the screen. With the JDC1 and impression X4 Bar, GLP has set the bar very high for fixtures that can be used universally. It is, of course, interesting to see what new developments follow. The JDC Line 500 can also be used very flexibly and the output is considerable.

The new XDC1 also makes a powerful impression with its enormous output. Thanks to the IP certification, they can be used even more flexibly and served us well during the rainy outdoor live stream show. I certainly look forward to seeing these fixtures in an Alice Merton set in the future.”

For more info about GLP, you can visit the GLP website

This year’s “Opus – German Stage Award” honours the “Pandaemonium”, a completely new kind of box theatre concept that realised a wide variety of scenic areas and sightlines and brought the audience close to the action.
The sophisticated construction and safe distances between the seats made it possible to realise large opera productions such as “Wozzeck” or “Tosca” with a large orchestra and choir in front of the audience at the Staatstheater Kassel, even in times of pandemic challenges. The Opus will be presented on 27 April 2023 at Prolight + Sound, the leading international trade fair for the event and entertainment technology industry.

As a renowned industry award, the Opus honours special achievements in the fields of staging, technical realisation, set design and lighting design. The award has been an integral part of Prolight + Sound since 2002. The Opus is granted by the Association of Media and Event Technology (VPLT), the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) and Messe Frankfurt. An expert jury consisting of association members, industry experts, media representatives and representatives of Messe Frankfurt chose the project as the winner.

The Pandaemonium: a spatial structure which integrates the audience into the space.

Pandaemonium: 60 tonnes of scaffolding material against the Covid tristesse

As hard as the restrictions of the past few years have hit the entire event industry, so great is the amount of creativity and visionary power that the pandemic has unleashed among many professionals in the arts, culture and stage business. The Pandaemonium is downright emblematic of the forward-looking approach to the challenges of the crisis.

Not only did the innovative stage concept provide maximum planning security through the extended distance between the individual visitor seats. The team around Florian Lutz (Intendant/Artist Director Staatstheater Kassel, Director of Wozzeck), Sebastian Hannak (Scenographer) and Mario Schomberg (Technical Director) also succeeded in exploring new theatrical forms of use and successfully realised a visionary concept.

As a three-story, cross-shaped installation on the main stage, back stage as well as the side stages, the Pandaemonium connected the auditorium with the different performance areas into a space for shared theatrical experience. The entire stage was equipped with a scaffolding construction with a total height of 7.90 meters – a 16-metre-long bridge led diagonally across the main stage area and connected the side stages. The orchestra was located in the centre of the stage, while up to 270 audience members were seated around the stage area on all three floors of the complex construction.

The entire scaffolding of the Pandaemonium had a length of over one hundred metres.

The scenographic concept allowed the performers to move freely within the entire installation, which led to completely new possibilities for involving the audience in the productions. In addition to the large screens, numerous flat screens ensured that the stage action, which was spread throughout the entire space, could be seen from every seat. Video artist Konrad Kästner was responsible for the video concept and video design of the two opera productions.

The openness to explore new approaches was an essential element right from the start of the project. Prior to the set-up, the planning and preparation took place in digital space due to the pandemic. Vincent Kaufmann, a member of the “digital.DTHG” team of the German Theatre Technical Society, modelled the project virtually and accompanied the entire production process digitally from the first sketches to the stage mockup with VR Headsets until the premiere. In times of contact restrictions, this approach was an elementary foundation for the successful cooperation of all those involved.

The architect Oliver Mann supervised the project as construction manager, Björn SchmidtHurtienne from EHS was in charge of the statics, and head of workshops Harald Gunkel supervised the building of the set design within the installation. As head of the sound department, Karl-Walter Heyer and his team were responsible for the operation of the spatial sound system. Stage manager in charge Andreas Lang and his fellow stage managers as well as the stage technicians and props department under the direction of Anne Schulz contributed a lot in advance to the preparation and supervision during the run of Pandaemonium.

The event Prolight + Sound will be held from 25 – 28 April 2023.

More information about Prolight + Sound can be found at www.prolight-sound.com

As an international trade fair brand, Prolight + Sound is present with events in Germany, China and Dubai. More on the global activities at www.prolight-sound.com/worldwide

Everyone wants to get close to Adele. The 16-time Grammy Award winner has a knack, through her lyrics, vocal delivery, and vulnerable-yet-strong personality onstage, of bringing concertgoers into her world.
And she’s been doing just that during Weekends With Adele, her current residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a five-month series of weekend-night shows running from November 18th through March 25th.

Helping to enhance her artistic flair is a fully immersive sound system using L-ISA technology from L-Acoustics. USA Today called it “a spectacular two hours,” while the venue’s “sound matched Adele’s flawless vocals,” wrote the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Johnny Keirle

“Adele is very aware of the importance of sound quality—it’s always been a high priority on her earlier tours,” says Johnny Keirle (pronounced like “curl”), the production’s system engineer, who began touring with Adele in 2016 and has also worked on past tours with Billie Eilish and P!NK in similar roles.

“We began the conversation about using L-ISA early on with Adele and her management team.” Although there had been some initial caution on the subject of budget, he recalls, a demo of the system in London followed by further discussions with production manager Paul English very quickly led to a decision that the immersive environment that L-ISA brings would add a valuable and unparalleled sense of intimacy to her performances.

Paul English

“With tight load in and out times of only 72 hours, this production is quite literally a 40-truck stadium show being staged in a remarkably intimate 4,100-capacity theater each weekend,” says Paul English.
“But the size of the room is only part of the equation. L-ISA gives us the best quality sound for this show and perfectly helps foster Adele’s personal connection with her audiences.”

Supplied by Clair Global, Weekends With Adele’s L-ISA Scene system, which comprises the body of the mix and the focal point of the performance, features L-Acoustics K2 loudspeakers configured in seven arrays.
Kara in two hangs make up the Extension arrays and out-fills. KS28 subwoofers, in two columns, are hung directly behind the center K2 array, and more ground-stacked subs are deployed in a distributed line across and underneath the downstage edge.

Compact 5XT spatial fills are distributed across and in front of the downstage edge, along with larger X8 that are deployed as out-fills. All are powered by LA12X amplified controllers, and the system is managed by an L-Acoustics P1 processor and L-ISA Processor II units. The signal is distributed over a Milan AVB network via a combination of L-Acoustics LS10 and Luminex AVB switches.

En regardant en haut de l’image, on aperçoit les deux boîtes du bas de quelques-unes des sept lignes de K2 du système Scene.

Keirle was new to L-ISA himself, but he says the online training he took while home in New Zealand got him up to speed and confident quickly. “The L-Acoustics Application team were very accommodating,” he says. “We did the training online over Teams, where I learned the practical and theoretical aspects of immersive audio, and I felt comfortable with L-ISA as soon as I walked into rehearsals.”

Keirle and FOH engineer Dave Bracey quickly established a workflow for themselves. Keirle created a combination of automated and manual movements for each song in the processors, while Bracey concentrated on perfecting the mix of the vocals, band, and orchestra.

Dave Bracey

“Johnny and I collaborate through L-ISA in a very unique way—it’s not the typical relationship between a front-of-house and system engineer, and he’s not doing a typical system engineering role,” Bracey explains. “He has creative input into the show’s sound.

We discussed how we should approach every song in the set, and he created a series of automated and manual snapshots that fit the song and the production. He takes my mix and places it into the Scene, creating an immersive template that I’m mixing into. It’s a very new way to approach a live music mix, and it’s thrilling.”

Keirle says the mixing and system engineering roles are distinct but integrated into the immersive L-ISA environment. “We haven’t worked in this kind of environment before, so we developed our methodology as we went along,” he says.
“It needs people dedicated to each role. I’m focused the entire time on the processing and positioning of the sound taking 96 post fader feeds from the FOH console and determining parameters like depth and width while Dave is completely focused on the console and the mix, not worrying about the processing behind it. It’s a workflow we established during rehearsals, looking at how L-ISA befitted each individual song and building around that.”

Photo Stufish

Keirle has plenty of engineering to manage at FOH. From Bracey’s DiGiCo Quantum7 house audio console, he has Optocore DD4MR-FX digital I/O and interface units as part of the optical control loop. Channels are sent from the console, via direct outs, to the DD4MRs, where they output as optical MADI.
The optical MADI is received by an RME MADI Bridge, which outputs MADI over BNC to both the primary and secondary L-ISA Processor II units. For output signal distribution from the processors to the amplified controllers, the LA12X take Milan AVB from a series of LS10 and Luminex GigaCore 26i and 14R AVB distributed network switches.

“AVB also feeds directly from each L-ISA Processor into my AVB V-LAN, and I have each L-ISA Processor outputting MADI into a second RME MADI Bridge as well,” Keirle explains. “This outputs optical MADI to various Ferrofish A32 converters. The RME MADI Bridge acts as an input matrix, and the Ferrofish A32s convert the chosen MADI stream to analog, which feeds the analog inputs of the LA12X amplified controllers.”

In terms of philosophy, Keirle and Bracey follow Adele’s dynamic cues, generally starting songs quietly often with just a solo piano and voice keeping the immersive soundstage relatively tapered and focused center stage. The soundscape then widens and deepens as additional musicians and sounds are introduced and revealed.

It’s a good approach to immersive sound in general, Keirle believes. “This is something we discussed early on: the key to making an immersive mix effective is using the technology sparingly and subtly,” he explains.

“You allow the audience to get accustomed to one level of it, then you increase the intensity, changing and broadening the image. Once the audience’s ears and eyes are settled, they’ll notice the slight changes you’re progressively making to the sound, moving her voice back into the instruments and then pulling it forward. Even small moves can make for a very emotional and effective contrast.”

Together, Keirle and Bracey form a model of a workflow that will likely become increasingly common in the live sound industry for immersive productions, particularly for high-profile events such as Weekends With Adele. At the same time, the initial novelty of immersive live sound will give way to it becoming a more customary way of working.

“Once you’re comfortable with the technology, you find that it’s an easier way to mix music,” says Bracey. “It’s easier to place a vocal in with instrumentation instead of using EQ and dynamics to try to squeeze it in. In fact, with L-ISA, it’s easier to find a place for everything.”

For more details on Weekends With Adele, visit www.adele.com
Clair Global can be found online at www.clairglobal.com
For more details on L-ISA, visit l-isa.l-acoustics.com

Even a basic biography of Adele can approach book length. Her first album was released just 15 years ago and her accolades since include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. And she is all of 34 years old.
Weekends With Adele, her residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which comprises a five-month series of weekend-night shows between November 18, 2022 and March 25 of this year, is but the next step in a singular career.

But it’s a momentous one, presenting Adele in an immersive-audio environment for the first time, and DiGiCo—in the form of two Quantum7 consoles supplied by Brit Row/Clair Global—are there with her to assure a fantastic and flawless show.

In true Vegas style, it’s a big show, says Dave Bracey, who has worked and toured with Adele for much of the last ten years, after stints with Depeche Mode and the Cure in the 1990s, and later with Robbie Williams, Björk, Massive Attack, and P!NK, among others.

Ten weeks into the weekends-only schedule they haven’t yet had to move out to let the venue be used by another production during their breaks, but he estimates that it will be at least a four-day affair when that time does come. “It’s Vegas, so it has to be more magnificent than the other shows, right?” he says. “The Quantum7 lets me handle it all without a problem.”

From left to right: System engineer Johnny Keirle, production manager Paul English, and FOH engineer Dave Bracey.

“It’s so easy to create an elegant workflow on this console, which lets you concentrate fully on the mix,” he says.
“I make good use of the Mustard parallel compression I’m using on her vocal and the FET Compressor on the bass, for instance.
The Spice Rack also has some very nice tools, such as the dynamic EQ that I apply to her vocal.

But what’s amazing is that anything I’m using is with a very light touch; if you were to look, for instance, at the channel EQ on the screen, you’d have to squint to see any deviation from flat. That’s how good the vocal chain in the console itself sounds.”

The production’s use of immersive L-ISA technology from L-Acoustics is helping that too. Bracey says that the infinitely variable image the loudspeaker system delivers across the stage means he can keep Adele’s voice very much in a place of its own in the soundstage, lessening the need for processing. But when it’s called for, the Quantum7 delivers.

“I’ve barely mixed on anything other than DiGiCo since I first used a D5 in 2002, but the Quantum software is just wonderful,” he says, adding that he first used the Quantum7 during P!NK’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour. “But the new software takes it even further. I’m looking forward to diving in even deeper during this residency.”

Monitor engineer Joe Campbell at the Quantum7 desk.

In monitor world, monitor engineer Joe Campbell, who has worked with Adele for a dozen years, as well as stints with Seal, Ellie Goulding, and One Direction’s Niall Horan, was also pleased to have the Quantum7 in front of him again.
“I’ve been using the SD7 for years, and I went with the Quantum upgrade as soon as it came out,” he says. “It’s just a natural progression.”

Campbell cites the console’s routing and work surface flexibility, but emphasizes that it’s the Mustard processing that’s become particularly useful for him. “Especially the Mustard optical compressor, which I find I’m using all the time, on vocals especially,” he says. “This console allows me access to parallel compression on every input and output channel. What that can do for dynamics is amazing.”

While he’s using the Quantum7’s onboard processing, such as reverb and dynamic EQ, for virtually every channel, Campbell still brings his favorite outboard pieces—four Bricasti Design Model 7 stereo reverb processors—with him, for use on vocals and acoustic guitars.
“It’s easy to integrate external processors into the Quantum7, just like it’s easy to do almost anything on this console,” he says. “If someone on stage wants an extra mix and wants it now, I can do it. There is nothing else like the Quantum out there.”

Like Bracey, Campbell sings the praises of the Quantum7’s sonics, which, they will both tell you, let Adele’s vocals do what they’ve done so well. “I’ve got virtually no EQ on her vocal in the monitor mix for her IEMs,” he says. “She sounds fantastic, and the Quantum7 doesn’t put anything between her and the monitors. It’s about as transparent as it gets.”

For details on Weekends With Adele at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, visit www.adele.com

Britannia Row Productions and Clair Global can be found online at www.britanniarow.com and www.clairglobal.com

A cluster of events celebrated the 30-year career and 50th birthday of Finnish lighting designer, Mikki Kunttu last autumn.

Finland’s Tampere Hall hosted Lucid Dreams, a photographic exhibition of Kunttu’s work, Light & Shadow, an international lighting seminar that included contributions from LeRoy Bennett, Christopher Bauder, Benjamin Dupont, Ralph Jörg Wezorke and Ola Melzig, a performance by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra of Gustav Holst’s The Planets suite lit by Kunttu, and A Night of Light international gala concert lit by one of Finland’s talented young lighting designers, Alex Hautamäki.

The germ of the idea came from Tampere Hall’s managing director, Paulina Ahokas, who has worked with Kunttu extensively. The result was a collaboration with many artists with whom Kunttu has worked throughout his career, with Kunttu himself lighting the seven-part masterpiece, The Planets, in cooperation with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

“The Planets is one of the best-known classical compositions of the last century, and for a visual designer it provides a fantastic canvas to paint on,” he says. “In practical terms it was straight-forward enough to design within the tight and busy timeframe of the weekend, yet gave me plenty of scope to create some exciting space-themed looks. It is already written in the music, a journey into space!”

Kunttu chose to design, program and operate the lighting and video for The Planets to give it an artisanal, back-to-roots feel. Centred around a circular video screen above the orchestra, the design featured over 100 Ayrton fixtures, including 26 Ayrton Cobra laser-sourced fixtures.
“I really wanted to use the new laser fixtures because they go together so nicely with the space theme!” Kunttu says. “I was able to create some fabulous beamy looks on stage and into the audience knowing they would read perfectly because the laser sources are so piercing.”
Kunttu used the moments between the Planets movements – when a series of NASA space recordings were played – to create stronger, dramatic beam effects, toning them down when the orchestra was playing to avoid deflecting the attention away from the music and the performers.

Kunttu used Ayrton Cobras mostly as back lights, along with 20 Ayrton Huracán LT (long throw) fixtures. 41 Ayrton Eurus S profile units were rigged on three overhead trusses as top and front lights, with additional Eurus S profiles on the side ladders for cross light. More Huracán LT fixtures were added as floor specials behind the orchestra.

“This gave me an excellent palette to work from and the chance to get to know some of the latest Ayrton fixtures,” says Kunttu. “As an artist and a designer, I feel very strongly you should not bury yourself in the technology.
It’s important to protect your artistry so you don’t become a technocrat! The answer is to learn the technology really well so it becomes a paintbrush or a tool. Lighting is art, and if you don’t know the tools you don’t paint with your own brush.

“I’d not used Huracán and Eurus in this way before. I really liked the quality, especially Huracán. And Cobra – wow! It’s a super-nice fixture and I’d love to try it in a bigger venue using that brightness!

Cobra also functioned really well as normal back lights, almost keeping up with Huracán, which shows you don’t have to use Cobra only as a laser, especially with all those colours and gobos. You just know that any light with ‘Ayrton’ written on the side is going to be high quality – a good quality light which also looks good!”

Kunttu had just one day to program The Planets and only one over-night turnaround for the Gala concert the next day. “Part of the reason for choosing Ayrton was the practicality of matching The Planets rig and the Gala rig to be very versatile with as smooth a transition as possible. Alex (Hautamäki) used even more Cobra than I did for the Gala and it was great to ‘hand over the torch’ to the next generation, and see one of Finland’s most talented young lighting designers light this great production.”

So, is Kunttu setting the trend by combining classical orchestras with visual performance? “Conductor Jan Söderblom, loved the concept and we are looking at the possibility of taking the show to other countries,” says Kunttu. “This may be the start of something new but the orchestra remains the focus. It’s better to build a nice collaboration and travel together than impose the lighting on it.”

For more information on Ayrton Cobra, Huracán LT and Eurus S Profile and the full range of LED and laser sourced lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu

Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama staged a performance of the American rock musical Next to Normal recently, with a lighting design by David DeCarolis using VL2600 Spot luminaires as part of the Vari-Lite University Outreach Program.

DeCarolis employs a musical approach to his lighting designs, having studied music in the past. He structures his looks based on form, harmony and dynamics, even seeing a lighting console as something of an electronic drum kit.

He collaborated with the team at David Geffen School of Drama and Vari-Lite to deliver the right luminaires for the production of Next to Normal, choosing the VL2600 Spots as he required a high-output fixture offering a broad range of rich colors and effects.

The Vari-Lite University Outreach Program initiative is an ongoing project allowing talented students to use Vari-Lite luminaires in a real-world environment.

The program allows educational design programs to connect with Vari-Lite technology and staff to explore design solutions that are often only available to professionals.
“I needed a fixture that wasn’t too large, could perform pretty quietly, and enabled me to have fun with effects and a varied color palette,” says DeCarolis.

“The VL2600s fitted into that picture perfectly and could help me create the world I wanted for the production. In addition to being simple to rig with the universal clamps – the electricians said it was the quickest load in for moving lights – I really took advantage of the Iris, the CMY color mixing and the gobos and prism effects.

“The VL2600 really helped me to isolate and carve out different spaces on the stage, and the variable frost helped me give it all a really nice soft edge.”

DeCarolis says that one of his favorite lighting moments was the ‘Dr. Rock’ scene where the character Diana is seeing a new psychiatrist for the first time. “He does this rockstar stance and pose and we went for it with the lighting,” he says.

“Using the VL2600s the lighting state went from very realistic doctor office interior to gobo effects spinning with nice deep colors, to emphasize the drama, and then quickly snap back into the previous state.

In another scene I was trying to simulate a mirror ball and using the gobo effects I managed it using the VL2600s, beaming small dots of bright white light that punched through the blue-black backlight I was using. The rotating gobos really helped me create effects that underpinned the moments when Diana spirals, mentally, the speed and control of the gobos was fantastic.”

DeCarolis says he was able to wash the entire stage when required, using the VL2600 Spot luminaires, choosing a deep, “almost vibrating” blue to transform the space.
“I’d like to thank Vari-Lite for working with me as part of the University Outreach Program,” he concludes. “For me, the experience has built familiarity with the fixture and trust in the brand. It’s helped me to understand a new set of features and technologies.”

For more information, you can visit the Vari-Lite website

The lighting department of leading Danish rental and technical production specialist, European Touring Productions (ETP), based just outside Copenhagen, has enthusiastically started investing in Astera wireless LED lighting products.

The first purchase of 32 x Titan Tubes – four sets of 8 – was recommend by project manager John Askwith, who came on board last summer and swiftly made a list of 10 “must have” products to service ETP clients, shows and events, especially in the corporate and television sectors.

ETP’s Emil Finsen on the left with Mikael Windfeldt.

Needless to say – Titans were on it!

Before this, ETP had rented assorted Astera fixtures as and when needed. However the increasingly frequent requests together with John joining the company energised the decision to start amassing their own stock of Astera fixtures.

“It was the way to go” commented Emil Finsen who runs the lighting department with Sune Verdier. General manger Mikael Windfeldt also endorsed the purchase which was delivered by Astera’s Danish distributor, Light Partner,
Emil joined ETP as a student in 2010, and Sune, also a well-known lighting designer in his own right, joined the lighting team full time in 2019, and both are big fans of the brand.

Sune designs most of ETP’s in-house lighting projects plus his own independent design projects and will frequently specify Astera for this work. Recent projects include Astera Titan Tubes and AX3 LightDrops which he deployed as practical and imaginative tools as part of a striking lighting scheme for Danish musical, “Elsk Mig i Nat” (Love Me Tonight).

Emil and Sune like many of the Astera features. The sheer handiness of the products for a start and the fact that they come with everything you might conceivably need to use once on set or on site.
“It’s a great package and with everything already in the box, that makes a whole load of ‘warehouse’ decisions very easy” stated Emil.

On the creative side, Sune loves the quality of the light and the smooth and dynamic colour mixing, the range of hues and colours and all the effects that can be achieved. “The output is nice and bright, there are many cool functions that are great for background effects and more scenic lighting for music videos, live streams and other styles of presentation.”

ETP’s Titan Tubes are constantly out a numerous shows and events, including providing an ingenious solution for a fashion show runway staged in the Simian Gallery located underground by the Ørestad metro station.
They both note that the light weight and easy handling Titan Tubes is another bonus, making them “ultimately deployable and highly convenient” together with the wireless operation. They are also perfect as nifty ‘last minute’ or ‘get-out-of-gaol’ cards … for those inevitable moments that pop up at virtually any event!

From a rental company angle, all Astera’s products are also valuable and in demand for cross rentals, accelerating the speed and efficiency of ROI.
ETP supplies lighting audio, rigging, staging and roofing systems, seating and grandstands., etc. plus crew and to a lively and diverse range of entertainment sectors – from festivals to special events to corporates and conferences, and from concert tours to television productions to theatre shows.

For more info you can visit the Astera website