The Profile Solaframe 3000 with its 1000 W led source, and motorized framing blades, were chosen by many prestigious theaters and opera houses in France for its punch, its quality of light, and its silence.

Sébastien Planche, Applications Engineer of ETC France, shows us the different functions of the fixture in detail which will help us find and repair any basic defaults or problems you might encounter. At the end of this presentation, there is a tour of the regular maintenance that should be done, and the correct way of doing so.

For more information with the website ETC / High End System

You can also read the bench test in SoundLightUp

Adamson, manufacturer of premium professional loudspeaker technology, has appointed Procom Middle East as its distributor in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

From left to right Raja Harfouche, Owner and CEO at Procom, Jasper Ravesteijn, Adamson’s EMEA sales director, Rami Harfouch, Business Development Manager at Procom and Anro Schroeder, Technical Sales Manager at Procom.

As part of this agreement, Procom takes responsibility of marketing, sales, and support of Adamson’s products in the region. In its inventory, Procom will carry the complete range of products, including all line array, subwoofer, and point source cabinets, as well as Adamson’s I/O Distribution units. Procom will have multiple demo systems in Dubai, including an immersive audio installation featuring the new Adamson Fletcher Machine.

Adamson Systems Engineering is one of the world’s most recognized manufacturers of loudspeaker technology and have been a mainstay in global tours and festivals for decades. Additionally, Adamson has systems installed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world.

Procom is a leading GCC & Middle East distributor of professional audio and lighting equipment. It is one of the most trusted names among the region’s AV professionals including rental companies, integrators, music venues, and in the hospitality sector. Procom offers customers project and product support resources across the region from its state-of-the-art showroom and demo-space in Dubai, and has a service center that will help administer Adamson’s factory warranty.

“Adamson has strong brand recognition among audio professionals in the region. This potential can be unlocked with hands-on product demonstration, support, training, and, last but not least, product availability. We intend to deliver exactly that” says Rami Harfouch, Business Development Manager at Procom.

Jasper Ravesteijn, Adamson’s EMEA sales director and Rami Harfouch, Business Development Manager at Procom.

“In Procom we found the ideal partner for Adamson,” says Jasper Ravesteijn, Adamson’s EMEA sales director. “Initially, we began working with Procom for Saudi Arabia. Their professional attitude and limitless enthusiasm made us expand the partnership to include the UAE as well.
We at Adamson are all excited to work with Procom and expand our network of satisfied users in the region.”

Adamson has been focused on innovation for more than 30 years with an insistence on building all components in their factory in Canada, allowing for the development and rigorous testing of new technology.

Adamson’s key developments include Controlled Summation Technology, highly engineered cone designs, manufacturing with Kevlar™, a highly innovative co-linear drive module, and a truly unique rigging system that combines ease-of-use and controllability. As a result, Adamson loudspeakers can be driven at the highest possible output while maintaining pristine clarity and can be used for decades without reduction in performance.

Kiran Tauro, Adamson Education and Applications Engineer.

Kiran Tauro, Adamson Education and Applications Engineer for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey will be working closely with Procom on training, design, and system implementation.

In 2020, Adamson launched the CS series which combines the performance of Adamson’s sub-compact S-Series loudspeakers with onboard amplification and DSP, plus Milan™-certified AVB connectivity. The CS series has been described as the “future of intelligent loudspeaker design”.

Earlier this year, Adamson launched the Adamson Fletcher Machine, an immersive audio tool that is considered one of the most advanced and versatile in the industry, relying on both amplitude and time localization so objects are clearly perceived in their intended position.

The meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail, together with compelling and cutting-edge technology, have made Adamson a brand synonymous with audio excellence and distinction on the world scene. It is time for the Middle East to experience this.

More information on the Procom website and on the Adamson website

From October 18 – 20, 2022, the most important brands in the event and entertainment industry will come together in Hamburg to launch the new and first LEaT Convention at the Hamburg Messe exhibition center.
Over 150 brands will take part in the premiere at the Hamburg Messe & Congress site and, as exhibitors, are looking forward to an intensive exchange with visitors in the four thematic squares.

From the first event – the LEaT con X, which took place in the middle of the hot pandemic phase in October 2021 with great courage also in Hamburg – the character and concept of the LEaT events has spread throughout the industry and is very popular. This year, for example, the number of brands represented multiplied from 20 to over 150.

The organizers of LEaT con are pleased to have a broad exhibitor field, which will present visitors with a wide range of solutions from the fields of audio, lighting, video, staging, networks and infrastructure in terms of topics.
“We are very proud that we were able to convince so many partners this year especially now also from the audio segment of our concept and the vision of LEaT con. We have had an open ear from the very beginning and have incorporated the needs of the exhibitors into our concept,” said Duc Nguyen, Director LEaT.

Further information on LEaT con 2022

Ayrton is proud to host the first ever in-person Entertainment Lighting Sessions for Women in Lighting at the Ayrton head offices in Paris on 20th October 2022. The full-day event promises to be one of inspiration, motivation, networking, personal and professional development and community for women.
Date: 20th October 2022 – Time: 9.30am – 5pm – Location: 2 Rue de Vitruve – 91140 Villebon-sur-Yvette – France

Ayrton is an active sponsor of the Women In Lighting (WIL) project which aims to promote the work of women lighting designers, and all women who work in lighting, across the entertainment industry by showcasing the skills and capabilities of these talented women, celebrating their achievements and encouraging others to become involved.

Ayrton invites you to come along and enjoy the company of this growing community of women who are all about connecting, collaborating and empowering each other.

Four keynote speakers from France, UK, Belgium and Ukraine, will be sharing their stories:

Yanina Kovalevska

Ukrainian Yanina founded rental company PR MUSIC in 2005 which has since developed to include several other companies and projects such as AVEcON – a conference of AV&Entertainment companies, EdIsOn Camp – an informal polytechnic education campus, and Stagemart – a distributor and provider of technological solutions for show business. Further expansion came with the formation of a new company in Poland in 2021. Yanina will share the skills that are key to the success of her business.

Briony Berning

UK-based Briony spent her formative years in France before returning to the UK to study at the University of Glasgow. She was the first technical apprentice a the National Theatre of Scotland and has worked for Scottish Opera and the National Theatre. Now Key Account Manager with Ayrton’s exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions, Briony will share her story of an entire professional work life spent in the perfomance lighting sector, with specific emphasis on theatre lighting.

Akari-Lisa Ishii

Winner of numerous design awards, with offices in Paris and Tokyo, Akari imbues her work with innovative touches of Japanese culture, French spirit and international experiences. Her talk, Narrative Lighting, will focus on the vocabulary and importance of story-telling within successful lighting design.

Cristina Martinez

Born and raised in Venezuela, Cristina is a Lighting Designer and Architect based in Brussels since 2014. She is Senior Lighting Designer and Project Manager at ACTLD, and also the ambassador for Women in Lighting for Belgium since 2018.
Her talk will give An insight into design processes through different project typologies

More details on the keynote speakers can be found on Ayrton’s social media pages

WIL founders Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton of Light Collective will both be at the Entertainment Lighting Sessions along with the team from Ayrton. Light Collective is a UK based lighting consultancy that has worked all over the world.
Their creative portfolio of work houses more than architectural lighting design and has grown to encompass many innovative projects which include light art installations, film making, light activism, marketing projects, competitions, curated exhibitions, lighting awards, branding, trade stands and shows, epic parties, pop up events, guerrilla lighting, community projects and light education.

Please share this invite with the women in your team and with your customers and designer contacts. Those who are unable to attend in person can still take part online. Just follow the link in the Eventbrite registration.

Registration for in person and online attendance is free of charge. Please reply by clicking on this link.

We all look forward to welcoming you to this inspiring day of networking.

More on :

– The Ayrton website
– The Light Collective website
– The Women in lighting website

Cesare Cremonini’s Stadium Tour 2022 Milano, which started in Milan and closed with a resounding event at the Imola racetrack, has just ended. The eight sold-out dates of the Tour celebrated the Bologna singer’s 20-year career with the aim of leaving behind the long period of downtime due to the pandemic and getting back on track with more drive and enthusiasm.

“We want to give the opportunity to bring back good memories to all of us, to build beauty again, not only artistic beauty, but the beauty of positive emotions and good moments to remember of one’s life …” says Cremonini himself during a monologue in the show.

The project and lighting direction were imagined and designed by Lighting Designer Mamo Pozzoli, Cesare’s longtime collaborator.
For the occasion, Mamo created an imposing wall of light built with different units but amalgamated in a look that is aggressive and elegant at the same time, thanks to very elaborate dynamics and original research on monochromaticism.
80 Ayrton Domino Profile S and 50 Ayrton MagicPanel R were included in the lighting plot.

“We built an LED wall divided into about 500 units of different types, whose spatial distribution organized in large arrays offered me the opportunity to constantly play on the dynamics of the lighting and the sudden changes of colour,” Mamo says.
“I wanted to build a show that would seek a dialogue with the audience sometimes even in an aggressive form, in which the perception of depth was linked to the interaction with the video world and its colours.

This was possible thanks to the considerable frontal extension of the stage (60m) fully occupied by light blocks that formed the two-dimensional framework of the set, while the large central screen/portal represented the 3D element through the combination of front lights cutting, and behind, the screen itself. This gimmick allowed me to seek the right light-visual interaction and characterize the look of each song in an ever-changing way.”

“For the first time I used a substantial number of Domino Profile IP65 fixtures, arranged on long linear trusses in front of the stage as well as on the floor on the catwalk.
It’s an exceptional fixture that allowed me, through power and reliability, several creative possibilities and constant performance even in extreme weather conditions, especially during rehearsals, a crucial moment in the planning of any show.

Similarly, through the consolidated matrices of MagicPanel (a product I have been using for many years), I pushed particularly on the graphics side, using the MagicPanel in Extended Mode.
As is my habit, I rarely used both fixtures in tracking beam mode, preferring instead an open management to maximize the flare effect when looking at the source. I was interested in constantly engaging the whole stadium, and the incredible zoom openness of the Dominoes, in this respect, is unique.”

A special note goes to the highlight of the tour: a rotating mechanical bridge that, from the beginning of the concert, lifted Cesare into the audience … with a single Domino positioned above the bridge itself on the opposite side to illuminate the artist in an original two-way dialogue.

The Ayrton fixtures were presented by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in Italy, Molpass, and supplied by Agora service

For more information on Ayrton Domino, MagicPanel, and its full range of LED lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu

Donny Osmond recently completed his 100th solo residency show at Harrah’s Las Vegas beneath a rig of 140 Elation luminaires with lighting design by Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design. Just getting started in what is expected to be a multi-year residency, Osmond opened the show, “Donny,” last September less than two years after he and his sister Marie Osmond ended their hugely successful 11-year Vegas residency.

The song and dance show is an energy-filled musical journey through the legendary entertainer’s musical career and includes all new songs and highly original numbers. With the former 11-year residency an indication of how long this solo residency may last, venue operators Caesars Entertainment sought to purchase lighting gear for the 544-capacity Harrah’s Showroom as a cost effective solution for an anticipated multi-year run.

“We needed something that would be able to hold its own in a room that size, something with longevity that would still look as good years down the road as it did on opening night,” stated lighting designer Tom Sutherland, who also handles production design on the show.

“We worked through some different brands and looked at some different options and knew Elation had the fixtures we wanted. It all worked within our budget so that was great.”

Full-service production company 3G Productions supplied and installed an Elation rig made up of 46 SixBar 1000 LED battens, 18 Smarty Hybrid moving heads, 30 Fuze Wash Z350 LED washlights, 22 Dartz 360 LED moving heads, 20 Proton Eclypse effect lights, and 4 Artiste Picasso LED moving heads. Lighting maintenance and support for the show is from Blue Planet Lighting.

Because “Donny” isn’t the only show in the Harrah’s Showroom, the designer needed a rig that was useable for other shows coming in. “I couldn’t get overly bespoke with a design that was only for one show,” Sutherland said. “It had to be a flexible rig for whoever they put in on the months that Donny is off.”

That flexibility of rig meant that hybrid fixtures would need to play a role. “I knew we could get big effects out of the Smarty Hybrids,” Sutherland said of the compact, multifunctional CMY moving heads, luminaires that can easily transition from beam to spot to wash light.

One of those impactful looks takes place in Osmond’s performance of “Close Every Door” from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” in which the designer uses the Smarty fixtures to create a cage of light around the singer. “That’s a moving part of the show and always an audience favorite,” he said.

It was important for the designer to line the edge of the stage with lighting, which is where the Dartz 360 come in. Sutherland has used the narrow 3-degree-beam LED moving heads in the past on Dancing with the Stars and Celestia and is familiar with their performance. “They are one of my favorite fixtures,” he says, “so bright and really compact and work in a space like the Harrah’s Showroom so well. They bring a huge amount to the show.”

Another fixture Sutherland knows well from his designs for Dancing with the Stars, as well as American Idol, is the SixBar 1000 linear LED bar. “It was vital to me to have one key light that would hug the video wall and give the set a framing so that’s where the SixBars came in so well,” he said.
Filling out the rig, the Fuze Wash Z350 wash lights function as “workhorses of people lighting” while Artiste Picasso moving heads provide key light from the front truss. The Protron Eclypse units provide strobe firepower when needed.

“Donny” is a real crowd pleaser with numbers that range from rock ‘n’ roll to romance. The show includes several highly original moments such as a ‘rapography’ that covers Osmond’s entire career and a segment where audience members can request any song from any of his 65 albums. “It’s really a heartfelt show and it was a real joy to work with him,” Sutherland closes. “You really leave the room feeling like you get your money’s worth.”

For more info about Elation Lightin, you can visit www.elationlighting.com

Roskilde – Denmark’s largest and highest profile international music festival and a glorious and diverse celebration of music, art, activism, and freedom – celebrated 50 years this year with a fantastic line-up across multiple stages, with Robe moving lights playing a major role on the famous Orange Stage and in the expansive Arena Stage venue.

The fiftieth anniversary had been due to take place in 2020 but was delayed two years due to the pandemic, and while a small version of the festival took place in 2021 in one of the barns on its site just south of Copenhagen, this edition had an extra special resonance in addition to guests being able to enjoy the fabulousness and dynamics of live music and real in-person human interaction again!

Arena Stage

Lighting designer Sune Verdier and his team once again ran production lighting for this stage, ensuring that all visiting lighting designers, directors, and operators were well accommodated and that all artists on the stage – bringing their own LDs or not – looked great.
Due to the substantial ground support at its core, the Arena Stage tent can accommodate the largest amount of flown production elements – and the greatest headroom – of all the performance areas on site.

The production lighting design featured 40 x Robe MegaPointes and 48 x Spiiders at the heart of the rig, positioned on 10 automated trusses plus front and back fixed trusses and left and right side-ladders. This setup meant that even if a single performer was onstage – like a singer-songwriter or a DJ – the space could be filled with lights and look very cool!
Sune has been heading up the Arena Stage lighting team since 2013 and involved in the festival since 2005, and the main objective is to offer “the smoothest and best festival lighting technical experience.”

Multiple Choice

In advance, guest LDs are presented with a lighting rig ‘Menu Card’ featuring 8 dynamic and different trussing configurations created using 10 trusses on an automation system, so each performance can look unique. Once selected, the stage is set by Sune and his FOH team during the changeover.

Some will bring in additional touring lighting and LED specials packages which are dovetailed with the house ‘top rig’.

Above and beyond the standard technical requirements, there is always a warm welcome waiting at FOH together with a supply of festival essentials, energy drinks, water, beer, sweets, chocolates, and other snacks for those needing a sugar boost whilst working there. And, naturally, the famous Arena Stage FOH sofa and coffee table zone, which is squeezed in each year despite an ever-expanding production area!

“We want to make guests feel comfortable in all ways and ensure that everything from programming to getting refreshments is easy, efficient, and convenient and delivered with a smile!” underlines Sune, who advances the concept and the overall attention to detail each year based on assorted feedback.

Teamwork

He once again worked with his key regular team including Nicolai “Gubi” Schmidt, Fredrik Heitmann, Christian Olsson and – making his Roskilde debut – August Thede.
New for lighting production this year were the two side ladders, each rigged with a 3×3 matrix of Robe Spiiders, which made a real difference in emphasising the depth of the stage and were also great for filling back-of-camera shots for the IMAG video mix.

Dust is a massive issue in the Arena Stage as that part of the site is normally an equestrian arena, so the ground is covered with a special fine mulch specifically for horses, which with all site activity and stage action results in clouds of super-fine particles everywhere, including in the fixtures. Sometimes, haze is not even needed!
Sune is a big advocate of Robe fixtures and usually there will be some Robe products somewhere on whatever rig he is working on, and while the sealed optical chambers of Robe’s Forte and Esprite would be ideal in this situation, he also has to work with the appointed rental company’s stock and to budget!

MegaPointes & Spiiders

“I was very happy to have MegaPointes and Spiiders as the main lights,” he commented, “MegaPointe is a fantastic signature luminaire – powerful, versatile and providing so many choices.” He said the same is true for the Spiider as a ‘foundation’ product that is robust and reliable, “bright, and with a great range of colours.”
Apart from not having any issues with the lights, Sune notes that all LDs and operators are happy to see Robe on a festival rig spec!

Robe MegaPointe

Spiider LED wash beams

Other lighting on the Arena stage this year included wash moving lights outlining the stage, 27 x 2-lite Moles for blinders and 20 strobes, plus a load of 2K conventional fresnels for front general lighting and six profile moving lights for keys.

The Arena Stage hosted 25 eclectic performances over the four main Roskilde days with a particularly action-packed Friday featuring 10 bands, so changeovers are tight, and with pre-programming starting at 9 in the morning and the final acts going on at 3.25 a.m., the days are long! However, the pace is steady, and Sune and the team plus their counterparts in audio and video have it tuned to a fine art.

Amazing Vibes

As well as delivering a great service they also all enjoy the camaraderie of the Arena Stage and the amazing vibes of the overall event.
While 2022 was August’s first Roskilde, Fredrik, Sune and Gubi have all been working together on this stage for some years, and it was Christian who originally passed the lighting organisation over to Sune in 2013 allowing him focus on the demands of his day job working as a top Microsoft software engineer.

The technical production co-ordination starts several months in advance for Sune, and Christian always returns to work the event weekend each year, enjoying the spirit of Roskilde, the music and staying connected with everyone.
Also integral to the lighting team’s smooth running was Joakim Krogh, head electrician on stage from the rental company, and Louise Voigt, who co-ordinates all the advance production with bands both before and during the festival.

Orange Stage

This year the Roskilde Orange Stage lighting production was also a Robe lighting rig with 82 x MegaPointes, 80 x Spiiders, 10 x BMFL Wash XFs, four BMFL LTs (Long Throws), two BMFL Spots and a 6-way RoboSpot system which was supplied by Victory Tour Production.

Orange Stage lighting technician Mathias Jensen commented that everyone was super-impressed by the RoboSpot system with the four BMFL LT fixtures shooting almost 75 meters to the stage.

For more info, you can visit www.robe.cz

Owned and operated by Viking Line Abp, a Finnish shipping company and a market-leading brand in passenger traffic on the northern Baltic Sea, Viking Glory is the latest addition to Viking Line’s fleet and commenced her daily voyages between Stockholm, Mariehamn and Turku in March 2022.

Built at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry’s shipyard in China, Viking Glory features many advanced, innovative technologies that make her one of the most environmentally friendly vessels in the world. Also on board is the state-of-the-art L-Acoustics sound system that augments the experience of travelling through some of the world’s most magnificent archipelagos by offering an unparalleled sonic experience.

Jorma Tikka, Intersonic’s Sales Manager

“We were thrilled when Viking Line got in touch with us about supplying an audio system for their new vessel,” says Jorma Tikka, Intersonic’s Sales Manager. “Along with advanced technology, delicious food and friendly service, the team wanted world-class entertainment, which is what Viking Line is known for and which is also why they got in touch with Intersonic – after all, we are one of Finland’s leading AV equipment suppliers!”

All hands on deck, the Intersonic team worked closely with Viking Line’s AV Manager Tuomas Sointula and Project Manager Aki Parkkila to design the L-Acoustics sound system that would provide perfectly balanced and evenly distributed audio across eight areas of the ship: the Vista Room Club, Vista Lounge, Torget, Algoth’s Bar, Kobba Restaurant & Bar, Fyren private restaurant, Market and Conference.

The Vista Room Club & Lounge, referred by the Viking Line team as ‘your living room onboard’, is a space to enjoy beautiful sunsets and sunrises through tall convex windows that extend from floor to ceiling.

The Vista Room Club & Lounge is provided by A Series and X Series. A couple of 5XT can be seen on the ceiling.

After the dusk, the brightest stars of the entertainment sky take the stage at Vista Room Club, with four A15 Wide, an A10 Wide, two X8, 17 5XT and four KS21 subs, powered by seven LA4X amplified controllers, offering a top quality live music experience.
The audio at the Vista Lounge area is served by two L-Acoustics X8 cabinets as well as an SB15m high-power ultra-compact subwoofer, powered by two LA4X.

The ship’s social hub, Torget. X8 provide the audio.

Torget is Viking Glory’s social hub where guests can share bubbly toasts before midnight or set up coffee meetups in the morning, all the while enjoying the spectacle of the sea outside large windows, as well as a gigantic LED screen positioned in the centre of the space and extending over two floors.

The sound is delivered by L-Acoustics X8 sound system, which offers exceptional coverage capability throughout the entire space in an aesthetically pleasing package. The entire audio set-up comprises eight X8, three 5XT, and four Syva SUB speakers, all powered by four LA4X.

The atmosphere in Algoth’s bar is provided by L-Acoustics X8 speakers and SB15m subs.

In Algoth Niska’s bar, named after the famous Finnish adventurer, guests can enjoy an extensive menu of cocktails and tune into the atmosphere thanks to the L-Acoustics X8 speakers and SB15m subs.

When the hunger starts biting, Viking Glory has plenty of food options on offer all served up with great audio.

The relaxed Kobba restaurant is complemented with discreet X8 cabinets.

The relaxed atmosphere of the bistro-style restaurant, Kobba, is complemented with discreet X8 cabinets, whilst the Fyren private restaurant can be booked for breakfast or dinner for up to 12 people and has four 5XT, delivering captivating audio that complements the unbeatable views of the archipelago.

Market is another option for those looking to enter the tasty world of the Baltic Sea’s first shopping hall. Featuring multiple food stalls offering international cuisines and delicacies baked in the ship’s own bakery, the space enjoys perfect acoustic coverage delivered by eight carefully distributed 5XT.

Each one of the Viking Glory’s 14 conference rooms deliver sound by 12 X8 cabinets and two SB15m subs.

Finally, Viking Glory’s brand-new conference facilities feature 14 flexible conference rooms that can accommodate up to 400 people and all feature cutting-edge technological solutions, which also include a top class sound system delivered by 12 X8 cabinets and two SB15m subs, amplified by two LA4X.

Pauli Molnár Intersonic’s system designer

Intersonic’s system designer Pauli Molnár comments that he deployed an L-Acoustics P1 processor and M1 software to calibrate and tune the system.

“I have used the M1/P1 system for all my calibrations since it became available. The tuning workflow is a bit different compared to previous methods, but once you get the hang of it you won’t look back.
The entire journey from using L-Acoustics Soundvision, with its quality indicators and Autosolvers, to M1 and all the tools available in Network Manager, is now all part of the integrated service that L-Acoustics delivers and which we find exceptional!” exclaims Molnár.

“We are very pleased to bring the industry-renowned L-Acoustics sound signature to the Viking Glory, making it the first ship in Viking Line’s fleet to have an L-Acoustics sound system integrated throughout the entire vessel,” concludes Tuomas Sointula.

“The sound quality of the system matches the highest standard of this ship’s facilities and is so versatile. Whether you want to enjoy your favourite tunes at the restaurant and bar, organise a conference or dance until dawn at the club, L-Acoustics brings a new level of audio experience which is all part of Viking Line’s promise to deliver the travel experience of tomorrow.”

More information on the L-Acoustics website and on the Intersonic website

Visitors to The Air Force Museum of New Zealand are seeing its collection of historic aircraft in a whole new light, thanks to a new LED rig and control solution from Vari-Lite.

The museum took the opportunity during a rearrangement of the main Aircraft Hall display area to replace the existing lighting system to the LED rig to dramatically reduce power consumption and provide a more flexible, long-lasting and dynamic solution.

More than 100 powerful, honeycomb-lens SL Punchlite 220 fixtures are now installed, beaming rich, blended and saturated colors onto classic airplanes such as a Spitfire, Hudson and Avenger, and washing the space with hues.

To control the luminaires in the Aircraft Hall, and for multi-room control of six other spaces including further display areas, lecture theaters, restrooms and the main atrium, the technical team invested in a Neo Compact 10 Console.

A Vision.Net architectural control system has also been installed for a seamless, integrated lighting control experience across all the sites to help the team manage looks, power lighting scenes and simplify management.

“We needed a replacement control system that would be able to manage a large number of fixtures, run multiple cue lists, accept inputs from a variety of sources, and run time-based events,” says David Nicholson from the museum, who oversaw the project.

“The Neo and Vision.Net combination offers this solution and we are now using the C10 for programming the lighting states in the Aircraft Hall with great success. There were many benefits, including the C10’s compact size enabling us to easily move around the museum doing programming as we moved from plane to plane.”

In addition to the lighting, the Neo C10 and Vision.Net duo are also being used to run timeclock-based events such as audio announcements, video playback via screens around the venue, as well as building start-up and closedown each day.
The museum’s technical team is using the full-featured Neo operating system software on a PC to control more than 500 desk channels, with regular events activated by its internal timeclock scheduler.

“Vision.Net screens provide all the human interface requirements around the complex,” Nicholson explains. “There are touchscreens in five locations, and three physical button panels. The panels allow local control of some features, as well as more general functionality such as turning full complex on or off, putting the system into Event Mode to disable or play announcements and activating on-demand display features.”

The Vision.Net system’s preset commands are all monitored by Neo, which in turn runs shortcuts to turn on and off required cuelists. Commands that Neo initiates are run back through the Vision.Net system to keep all Vision.Net screens in sync with the real-world system status. The Vision.Net system also facilitates the customization of each screen depending on its location, as well as password-locked and hidden screens for additional setup and maintenance options.

The new rig was designed by Nicholson in collaboration with lighting designer Joe Hayes, as well as Grant Robertson from Christchurch-based Vari-Lite supplier The Light Site, who also managed the initial design concepts of the Vision.Net and Neo setup.
Glenn Stewart from Kenderdine Electrical supplied the Neo and Vision.Net hardware and conducted all the Vision.Net programming. Darren McKane from The Light Site did all the Neo cue and integration programming.

For more info about Vari-Lite, you can visit the Vari-lite website

Headquartered in Mocksville, North Carolina, Special Event Services (SES) offers audio, lighting, design, video, staging and live event production to a wide array of clients.
The company recently invested in Ayrton Domino LT fixtures expanding its inventory of Ayrton luminaires and putting the fixtures to work on a variety of projects across the country.

Special Event Services (SES) ensures its new Ayrton Domino LT fixtures have a busy 2022 season.

SES had already purchased Ayrton Bora fixtures, which have been used for television key lighting and aerial effects for country music artist Luke Combs, Rod Stewart and Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM), as well as Khamsins, a full-featured spot which travelled with band, Glass Animals.
“Our Ayrton purchases have performed way above and beyond our expectations,” reports Vice President and Lighting Designer, Jeff Cranfill, one of the Founding Partners of SES. “So we decided to look at Ayrton’s full product line and base the majority of our lighting inventory on it. Anybody designing a lighting system would be happy with Ayrton fixtures.”

Domino LT offers the style and minimalist design of the Domino Profile in the first all-terrain LED luminaire in the Long Throw range. With an IP65 rating it can cope with the most extreme weather and environmental conditions while presenting designers with the full palette of features they demand.

SES had been exploring followspot systems for use in large-format events, says Cranfill, when ACT Entertainment brought a Domino LT demo unit to test in the 300-foot-long SES shop. “Our shop was a good place for a long-throw test,” he notes. “The light had a beautiful output, flat field and colour temperature plus all the additional features of an intelligent light. So we decided to buy them.”

The first outing for the Domino LTs was the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Youth Gathering, five days of worship, service and fellowship held every three years and scheduled in July 2022 for Houston’s Minute Maid Park, a retractable roof stadium that’s home to MLB’s Astros.

“We came in during daylight to focus for the first night’s event and could see the light on the stage,” says Cranfill. “Once it was night we focused a single Domino LT on the stage, dialled in for video and got plenty of intensity from a 270-foot throw. I even irised down across the stadium to the orange in the Minute Maid Park logo in the ceiling, which was easily 500 feet away. You could see the brightly illuminated orange across the stadium.”

The main stage was located at second base with lights mounted in the stands’ press box. Cranfill brought eight Domino LTs with him but discovered “we could have done the job with four. They performed so well we didn’t need eight, in fact we never turned on two of them.”
The Domino LTs served as key lights for video and live streaming during general sessions and then transitioned to followspot usage with a tracking system for evening concerts and shows.

“What’s huge for me, in putting a rig together, is that the Domino LTs are open to all creative possibilities,” says Cranfill. “For the Youth Gathering they gave us a nice stage wash and colour temperature for video for the static stage presentations in the general sessions. But every evening had an event a concert, dance, dramatic performances.

For the concert, for example, I used the Domino LTs to create aerial effects with colour, gobos and ballyhoos while the kids were walking into the stadium. Beams flying across the space created real excitement and energy. And when we needed impact lighting for the artists, we programmed the Domino LTs to work as beautiful specials light for designated areas where performers appeared.”

Next for the Domino LTs was evangelist Joel Osteen’s “Come Home to Hope” event August 6 at New York City’s Yankee Stadium. “Since we saw the fixtures’ capabilities at Minute Maid Park we took just four of them to Yankee Stadium which had a worship service with speakers and music, no concert. The Domino LTs gave us a nice even wash from the press box to the second base stage. With the stadium lights on you could still see the impact of the fixtures,” Cranfill recalls.

The Domino LTs also were featured in country artist Luke Combs’s concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. “He was finishing a string of summer stadium shows, and we decided to use the fixtures as traditional followspots with the tracking system,” says Cranfill. “They were flown at FOH and once again performed wonderfully giving us plenty of light across the stadium.”

“What’s unbelievable to me, having come up in the industry with incandescent and arc fixtures and 4K spots, is that the Domino LT is a 1000 watt LED source and I’m getting all this out of it!” he declares. “The industry has come so far. Domino LT is a great new option in our arsenal when we put together a show design. There’s always a challenge to building spotlight towers in a stadium, but now we can put one Domino LT in a seating area where we’d never be able to put a huge followspot and operator. I’m totally sold on everything about this light and its possibilities.”

Cranfill notes that the Domino LT’s IP65 rating is “a real bonus, a win-win all the way around. As we’re coming out of COVID we’re more than ever doing festivals and outdoor events. We always try to shield our gear as much as we can, but we had started looking at IP65 fixtures. So this is another big selling point in the Ayrton product line.”

SES is in the process of acquiring more Domino LTs, and Cranfill says, “As we phase out some older fixtures we are looking into suitable Ayrton replacements. Our goal by 2024 is to tell any client that they can build a really cool rig out of our stock of Ayrton lighting. No Ayrton fixture is a one-trick pony.”
He notes that SES recently finished a European tour for Joe Bonamassa on which the English lighting vendor supplied Ayrton Diablo fixtures. “I hadn’t used Diablos before and completely loved them! They were beautiful looking and had great output.”

Cranfill gives kudos to ACT Entertainment for making him aware of the Ayrton product line and its capabilities. “I’ve been in the business for a long time, but learning about new products is really important. ACT always does a great job of educating you about new fixtures and what they can do, in contrast to some reps who don’t know much about their products.
“Now it’s our turn to educate our clients about how well the Ayrton line performs.”

More information on Ayrton Domino LT fixtures and the full portfolio of innovative Ayrton LED products can be found at www.ayrton.eu

Powersoft has further enhanced its install product range by introducing AES67-compatible versions of its popular Duecanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers.

The new models, called Duecanali DSP+ and Quattrocanali DSP+, are able to receive audio-over-IP (AoIP) streams compliant with the AES67 standard, which allows high-performance streaming AoIP interoperability across different networking systems.

The new Powersoft DSP+ models – comprising the Duecanali 804 DSP+, 1604 DSP+, 4804 DSP+ and 6404 DSP+ and Quattrocanali 1204 DSP+, 2404 DSP+, 4804 DSP+ and 8804 DSP+ – can receive AES67 streams natively by connecting the dedicated AoIP networking port to an AES67 network.

The new Duecanali DSP+ and Quattrocanali DSP+ amplifiers are supported by a new version of ArmoníaPlus, Powersoft’s system design, control and monitoring software, which is now available.

Giorgio Carminati

“The introduction of the new DSP+ models will enable systems integrators to take advantage of the growing number of AES67-native audio products”, says Powersoft product management specialist Giorgio Carminati, “while the v2.4 update to ArmoníaPlus will streamline the configuration process by allowing users to configure both the AES67 inputs and DSP settings of the amplifiers in the same software.”

All Powersoft amplifiers featuring a Dante card, including Duecanali DSP+D and Quattrocanali DSP+D models, can also be configured to work with AES67 audio streams by enabling AES67 mode in ArmoníaPlus or Dante Controller.

Deux ports réseau à l’arrière de ce 1204 DSP+, un pour la commande, le second pour le flux AoIP.

“We are delighted to introduce these new amplifiers, which will give our fixed-installation customers even more flexibility by supporting a wider choice of digital audio protocols,” comments Carminati. “With almost 3,000 AES67-compatible products now on the market, there’s no better time to launch the Duecanali DSP+ and Quattrocanali DSP+ amplifiers, which act as a perfect complement to our existing DSP+D range.”

Suitable for larger installed sound reinforcement systems, the two-channel Duecanali series offers low power consumption and heat dissipation, superior audio quality, and reliable performance in a compact, lightweight unit.

With four channels, Lo-Z and 70V/100V distributed lines and low operating costs, Quattrocanali is perfect for small to medium-size installations where flexibility is key. All Duecanali and Quattrocanali DSP+ and DSP+D models also benefit from state-of-the-art built-in signal processing.

ArmoníaPlus 2.4 – which also adds support for the T Series touring amplifier – is available to download now from here.

For more information, visit the Powersoft website

Harman Professional Solutions, the global leader in audio, video, lighting and control, today introduces the Martin MAC Aura XIP, premium moving head wash light raising the bar for optical quality, featuring an even wash field with soft edge, minimal stray light, and high intensity mid-air beams. It has a radical aura filament effect, with improved light engine control and a first-in-its-class outdoor rating with close to zero compromises in weight, size and aesthetics.

Le MAC Aura XIP se distingue par un effet filament, mais pas que…

“In developing the MAC Aura XIP, we set out to build a true workhorse,” said Wouter Verlinden, Product Manager Creative LED, Lighting and Control. “Our smart outdoor-capable design intelligently seals away vital electronics while exposing the cooling system to the elements which allows for a lighter, quieter and more versatile unit that can be used anywhere, at any time, reinventing the universal indoor/outdoor-rated concept.”

MAC Aura XIP’s 12 Radical RGBW filaments deliver a brighter aura backlight effect as well as the ability to show iconic aura filaments, promising new and exciting stage effects.
The extensive feature package covers both indoor and outdoor applications with optional high CRI / TM-30 / TLCI modes, LED frequency control for a flicker-free even wash light, RGBW color mixing and multiple control options. Also included are variable calibrated color temperature control, 200+ built-in FX macros, rapid movement and 8.8 – 49.3˚ zoom range, and weighing just 8.9 kilograms.

Radical new aura filament effect and beam pixel control

Featuring pixel control with video mapping capabilities onto beam, aura, or both with easy setup mapping and addressing via a Martin P3 controller, the MAC Aura XIP promises new and exciting eye candy looks that create intriguing stage effects.

Les effets filament seuls ou couplés à l’effet aura.

Workhorse versatility

The MAC Aura XIP is lightweight, compact and silent enough for the most demanding indoor applications such as theater, television and corporate events. While being robust and waterproof for use at outdoor festivals, concerts and events, it breaks the barriers of previous workhorse fixtures with its sealed design requiring less maintenance.

Variations de l’effet aura contrôlable pixel par pixel.

Outdoor capable with zero compromise to indoor use

MAC Aura XIP is the first fixture in its class to feature innovative smart outdoor-proofing technology. The fixture is fully waterproof for weather conditions such as rain, snow, sand or ice with close to zero impact on the fixture’s size, weight, output, noise and aesthetics, making it a truly versatile workhorse that can avoid “indoor-only” and “outdoor-only” labels.

Optically robust

Le MAC Aura XIP utilise de larges lentilles.

While the MAC Aura XIP is very similar to the MAC Aura XB in size and output, it has remarkable upgrades such as a narrower zoom creating a higher intensity beam and less stray light.

The optional high CRI / TM-30 / TLCI mode is ideal for better rendering of people and costumes in demanding broadcast and theater applications, plus LED frequency control for flicker-free projection in broadcasting.

It also has additional plus/minus green control over white point which helps to match additional lights and cameras in its vicinity as well as improve skin tone optical performance.

Clean and even wash field

An extremely even wash field with zero hotspot and a soft edge allow the MAC Aura XIP to create a better stage wash. The lack of stray light removes the need for beam control accessories such as top hats in many applications. It has the cleanest wash field in its class, emitting rich, saturated colors with RGBW color mixing to deliver very bright and vibrant colors, soft pastels, and white tones.

Easier handling

Sur la base les connecteurs étanches qui reçoivent cette fois le plein de protocoles de contrôle : DMX-RDM, Art-Net, sACN & P3.

The MAC Aura XIP is built to be a workhorse with handles on the head and base and Omega bracket attachments for easier handling and rigging. It also includes a battery-powered control panel on the base for easy fixture addressing in pre-flight.
Its sealed design requires less maintenance (as less dust and pollution can enter the product) than IP20 alternatives.

“The MAC Aura XIP is truly a wash light workhorse,” added Verlinden. “It works equally well in a range of applications; from quiet and demanding theater, broadcast and other indoor applications to brutal working applications such as outdoor festivals and touring.”

While the MAC Aura XIP offers lighting designers a range of possibilities with its aura filament effect, narrower beam and better wash quality with improved light engine control; rental customers will appreciate a workhorse that is lighter and more versatile with optical improvements and a sealed design, allowing the product to be used virtually anywhere and require less maintenance.

For complete product details and specs, visit www.martin.com/products/mac-aura-xip

Anyone familiar with Frankfurt, Germany’s club scene knows immediately where they are when they enter the new ZOOM: in the former Cocoon Club, Sven Väth’s techno temple.
The membrane walls with the unmistakable honeycomb structure are still there, and characterise the visual imagery of the place.

To ensure that ZOOM is nevertheless perceived as an independent club with its own recognition value, the operators of Zoom Frankfurt GmbH and client Ardi Goldman called on the expertise of lighting designer JoJo Tillmann, among others.
For the individual areas of ZOOM, he planned for the project with spotlights from the Cameo portfolio.

Ardi Goldman and JoJo Tillman had already worked together in the past on the club known as “Fortuna Somewhere”. Tillmann also had plenty of creative leeway with the ZOOM project, and was responsible for the complete lighting design in the building.

For Tillmann, working with light in a project like this goes far beyond classic lighting design: “The work involves more than just lighting; it is much more of an artistic installation that plays with the architecture, changing and connecting it. That’s why I give my works individual titles and keep them as independent works in a catalogue raisonné,” he says. The current work at ZOOM is titled “space-encompassing light art installation (rGB zOOM)”.

For the design of the dancefloor, Tillmann combined large numbers of Cameo’s ZENIT W300, AZOR B1, MOVO BEAM Z100 and PixBar 600 Pro spotlights. While the ZENIT W300 Wash Lights wield the broad (effect) brush as area lights and strobes, the AZOR B1 Beam Moving Heads emphasise the room’s geometry at the central, round light rig in the middle of the room.

Meanwhile, the MOVO BEAM Z100 Beams and the PixBar 600 Pro LED bars are dedicated to another geometric shape – the triangle. “With the PixBar 600 Pro, we wanted to simulate an effect of a single, long luminaire on the ceiling,” Tillmann continues.

In a competitive shootout, the Cameo LED bar won out for the role, thanks to its broad colour spectrum (which includes UV LED) and the geographical proximity to the manufacturer and developer the Adam Hall Group’s headquarters are located only about 25 km north of Frankfurt.

In the surrounding lounge and gastronomy areas, 127 Cameo H1 FC houselights provide flexible coloured illumination. With its slim, reduced design, the H1 can be seamlessly integrated into a huge variety of different areas and ambiences, and it also wins the hearts of many with its flexible control options.

Jojo Tillmann says: “Cameo has made a big leap from consumer products to professional fixtures in recent years. I particularly see this with the younger generation of lighting designers, who use Cameo with conviction. At the same time, the price/performance factor still plays a big role in the choice, as well as its growing availability at the major dry hire companies.”

More information:

zoomfrankfurt.com
jojotillmann.com
cameolight.com
adamhall.com
blog.adamhall.com

Every second year, veteran American rock band 311 celebrates 11 March (3/11) with a massive party-style celebration concert for fans over two nights at the Park Theater, Las Vegas (Park MGM).

And the pressure is on LD Bobby Grey, of Notan Creative (and the entire production team), to exceed the excitement of the previous event in this biennial calendar. “We went into this wondering how we could top what we did last time… but ended up taking the whole production to a new level,” recalls Grey. Helping him along the way once again were a slew of GLP’s impression X4 Bar 20 and JDC1, which have frequently been his go-to products in the past.

Grey sat down with band management (John McKeever, Dave Belis and Evan Anderson), all from a touring background, and set out his idea of building on the band’s ‘Hive’-themed aesthetic. “We all leaned towards something that would break up the form of our usual square video wall upstage, and instead landed on this ‘interdimensional portal’ concept,” he explains.

Grey set to work drawing layers of the hexagon portals coming downstage, but feared for the budget. “But Dave, who was also our PM, loved it,” he adds, “and started reworking the budget. The band agreed and we ended up with something fantastic.”

GLP JDC1

Bobby Grey then considered how to bring the best out of the hexagons: “I knew we had to have a versatile fixture to line the geometry of those key pieces. The TV show I was working on leading up to this had several hundred JDC1 [hybrid strobes] and X4 Bar 20s.
In the past, while we have used the X4 Bars on this show to line geometry, we have only really utilised the JDC1s for their bright strobe functionality.

GLP X4 Bar 20

“I knew that by packing them really tightly it would allow us the kind of versatility this gig dictated. And of course the X4 Bars did a great job lining the hexagon pods. We were able to go from the RGB pixels framing the set to big blasting looks with the white pixels in the middle.”

The JDC1s were run in SPix mode, Grey continues: “In this way we could do complex hits, zips across them and dazzling sparkle looks. They really kept things interesting for the whole gig. And as for the X4 Bars, by running these in single-pixel mode we could really do some amazing things with the effects engine.”

This included presenting each band member in their own light ‘cage’. The LD explains: “In the initial renderings I had a look that was just the X4 Bars, tightly zoomed, sending sheets of light down from the pods. In the show we brought the pods in low multiple times and blacked out everything but the X4 Bars, surrounding each band member in their own little cages of light.”
This year, the turnkey lighting and automation package was supplied by 3G Productions from Las Vegas. Paying credit, Bobby Grey says: “Our reps Jay Curiel, Andy Ruiz, Corey Felgenhour and Eric Cruz were fantastic from top to bottom, working tireless hours with their team to pull it together.
“They brought in the brilliant Todd Turner and his crew, Ed Gomez and Virginia Squasic, who worked with the band’s longtime crew chief Chris Harshfield and master electrician Jeremy Davidson. These guys really knocked it out of the park and got this complex rig up fast and right.”

Among the large production team was touring lighting director, Alex Paralueyous. “He’s been with me since I took this gig over,” Grey adds. “We have built the show together from scratch, including all the video content… plus, he’s an amazing sounding board.”

Reflecting on the show, the LD concludes: “The biggest challenge was coming into this feeling like I had done absolutely everything we could do in that room, and yet fearing that anything I did was going to not live up to 2020’s show. Just looking back at the pictures I’d say that wasn’t a problem at all, as a GLP fixture was the key factor in every shot I look at.

“We didn’t have a single GLP failure… and that’s saying a lot considering we had 132 JDC1s and 60 X4 Bar 20s in the rig. And I’m not ashamed to say I rode them hard on both nights.
“They performed equally well, both blasting to full, burning retinas, and in subtle looks, framing in pretty down moments in the show. All around, the show was fantastic because these fixtures were the centrepiece of the project.
“I’m just glad to have a manufacturer making such beautiful lights for us to use and am extremely excited to see what comes next from GLP.”

For more info about German Light Products, you can visit the GLP Lighting website