For 75 years, RCF has pushed the boundaries of audio innovation. Founded in 1949 by a group of passionate engineers, RCF’s heritage is rooted in a relentless pursuit of superior sound quality and technological advancement.

RCF’s fully integrated approach leads the way in the professional audio industry today. With R&D, manufacturing, and distribution all under one roof in Reggio Emilia, Italy, RCF can rapidly turn ideas into market-ready solutions. This vertical integration model gives an unparalleled competitive edge in quality, reliability, and value.

RCF the transducers factory back in the seventies.

Part of the transducers assembly line today. Rest assured, the ladies’s magic hands are still on duty for the pro line.

RCF’s versatile product portfolio includes everything from installation-grade speaker systems to portable PA solutions and large-scale line array technologies. Flagship offerings like the new TT+ Audio GTX series redefine the standards for clarity, control, and setup speed in demanding touring and fixed install environments.

RCF’s huge new logistics center.

Beyond products, RCF provides full-cycle support capabilities to integrators, engineers, and end users. The in-house acoustics team, RCF ESG, assists with complex design projects, while the Audio Academy shares applied knowledge with the global pro audio community.

Arturo Vicari, RCF CEO.

“I am proud to lead a company with such a rich heritage and bright future. There is no way I can’t be filled with pride for what we have achieved together as RCF over these past years and all that is still to come” comments Arturo Vicari, CEO.

The solid technical expertise, built on 75 years of history, its modern manufacturing facility, and its continuous technological improvement make RCF a fundamental reference for all audio professionals and enthusiasts. RCF distributes products directly in the United States, France, Germany, Benelux, Spain, and the United Kingdom, plus a network of over 120 trusted professional distributors throughout the rest of the world.

Italian pop rock star Ligabue at his 2023 summer concert at Rome’s Olympic Stadium thanks to the new TT+ Audio GTX series.

RCF MILESTONES

To find out more about RCF and their presence at NAMM and ISE, visit the RCF website

Seen from the sky, it is breathtakingly beautiful, majestic, and silent. What if this was the paradise promised to us if we were good? Has a prankster reversed the pages in our book of life?
When in doubt, let’s work twice as hard to be happy and to bring happiness, give a little more than we take and do rather than say, especially in these times when man shines too much by his negative sides.

In paradise we imagine there is always love, nature, and friendship, but also art and thrills of pleasure thinking of everything that happens in our professions to increase the attractiveness of the live shows and the happiness of the spectators. 2024 promises to be full of new developments.
It’s a true constellation of events, technicians, services, technologies, fixtures, places, and innovations that we will talk about and bring to you every day on a silver platter. Wherever you are, on a tour bus or a ski lift, we will be there. Thanks to you and for you.

In 2024 in SLU, the immersive will be in all flavors, from Lompal to the Théâtre du Temps with Gaïa, from Pitto Cha to the Lido. New laser sources will tear the sky apart. The acoustics of the rooms will change with a click. Mériadeck (an Ice Rink housing concerts in Bordeaux) will have multi-diffusion sound. The LED sources will exceed 1,200 W. The speakers will amplify, lengthen, and tame the bass.

`Rivale, Storm4, LTX, and IP65 will chase away water, not Lux. The sound of Vegas will make you dizzy. The Voice of Johnny (Hallyday), The Playback Engineer, Jehenny Beth, CQLP, your talent will shine so brightly. A new dry-hire company from Brittany will arrive on the market and the Olympics will dust off your parks. And all this is just an appetizer of what is being prepared for us in 2024.
So it’s true, you probably won’t be able to read our articles everywhere in the galaxy because we still don’t know if there is life on Mars and/or beyond, on the other hand, we will be omnipresent on the little blue planet and we even have a surprise in store for you very soon. A big one and, as always, it is free.

Happy (and healthy) New Year from the entire SLU team.

Novelty is pleased to announce the acquisition of the company CHS – Creative Productions. Founded in 1994, this company co-founded by Carlos Esteves is specialized in technical services for festivals, concert tours and events.

CHS is now part of the Novelty-Magnum-Dushow Group and becomes the reference agency for Portugal (CHS by Novelty – Novelty Portugal).

The executive team includes Jacques de La Guillonnière as President, Olivier Hagneré and Christian Lorenzi in General Management, and Carlos Esteves, co-founder of CHS, who will continue to lead the team.

CHS by Novelty-Novelty Portugal will benefit from the entire infrastructure and support services of the Group to ensure clients the same expertise. The Group will support this new Portuguese structure by investing in new audiovisual equipment and relocating to new premises, 30 minutes from the center of Lisbon.

Carlos Esteves

Carlos Esteves, Head of the Portuguese subsidiary says: «It is an honor to join the Novelty-Magnum-Dushow Group, to serve the Group’s clients in Portugal, and to expand our technical offerings in the Portuguese market.»

We welcome the CHS by Novelty-Novelty Portugal teams in the Group.

Feel free to contact our teams: Carlos ESTEVES | Director | [email protected] | + 351 212 321 926

Nashville-based PTP Live has invested in 60 Ayrton Argo 6 FX lights for its live production work for music, festival and corporate clients and to bolster its rental inventory of lighting and video equipment. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton fixtures in North America.

The new Argo 6 FX lights expand PTP Live’s roster of Ayrton fixtures, which already includes Ayrton Khamsin S and MagicPanel 602 units.
“We’re doing a lot of shopping this year, adding a lot of new inventory,” says President Andrew Sparks. “We were looking for a fixture that was super bright, versatile and for outdoor use, and had great eye candy effects as well as general wash capabilities. We saw several different brands of fixtures, and the Argo 6 FX lights filled the bill.”

The Argo 6 FX is a versatile, fully-equipped luminaire designed for a multitude of applications. It offers all the features of a wash light and can generate many complex effects, including the graphic LiquidEffect, for new creative opportunities.

“ACT introduced us to the Argo 6 FX and enabled us to stage a demo with it for a handful of lighting designers who bought into it pretty quickly,” Sparks reports. “We liked its overall intensity and built-in feature set, you can run video through it for cool effects, and its price point was great. We already had 80 Khamsin S fixtures, which have been on tour since February, so we knew the reliability factor of Ayrton lights is very, very high.”

PTP Live took delivery of the fixtures in August and dispatched them for a September 26 concert by country star Lainey Wilson at Morrison, Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre where the company handled all of the lighting. Wilson is a winner of the CMA Awards’ “Female Vocalist of the Year” title, and PTP Live had previously worked with her on tour.

Mitch Mueller, Lighting Designer and Touring Lighting Director for the Red Rocks concert, was one of the designers that PTP Live invited to the Argo 6 FX demo. “He told us, ‘if you buy them, I will use them!’ so he took them to Red Rocks as a front wash and to provide eye candy effects,” says Sparks. “We didn’t even drive them at 100 percent, and they kept up with other fixtures with no problem. The Argos also gave us the security of an IP rating, which was key to working outdoors in Colorado in September.”

Sparks notes that PTP Live is “pushing to buy outdoor-rated fixtures” as it expands its lighting inventory. “With the amount of festivals and stadium shows we do, having an IP rating has become a high priority,” he says. “With IP-rated fixtures we don’t have to worry about weather conditions, and we keep our uptime higher.”

PTP Live is hoping to work with Lainey Wilson again when she does a four-day Las Vegas residency in December. A number of conversations about 2024 tours are also taking place, which have prompted Sparks to plan to add 60 more Argo 6 FX for delivery in Q1 2024.

“ACT was great about working with us through our first Argo order, and now we hope to double that order,” says Sparks. “ACT kept us updated about delivery time and even managed to get the Argos to us a week-and-a-half before they were due.”

More information on Ayrton Argo 6 FX, and the full portfolio of innovative Ayrton LED and laser-sourced products can be found at www.ayrton.eu

The artist Alligatoah is not easy to pin down. He nonchalantly marries rap with catchy pop melodies, slips into ever-changing personae and has been delighting large audiences for years with his unique overall package.
The theatricality certainly suits him, and in Autumn 2023, this phenomenon of German rap will continue with the latest leg of his ‘Retour’, which will introduce tracks from the current album ‘Rotz & Wasser’.

Christoph Schneider is responsible for the lighting design on this tour, which is promoted by ibb Booking GmbH and Boldt Berlin GmbH. He specified 46 GLP JDC1, 10 JDC Line 1000 and five impression X5 Wash to fulfil the artist’s vision.

“Alligatoah is a very creative person who is heavily involved in the show design,” states Christoph. “He designed most of the set himself, as well as the intro and choreography for individual songs.
To complement this, I created the lighting design and programmed the show, further developing Alligatoah’s ideas and bringing the concept to life.

This influenced, for example, the positions of the risers in the individual songs and the question of when everything stands still or when (and how much) it moves.” The artist himself made the prop selection for the individual songs.

Show in three acts

In keeping with the musician’s passion for skillful theatrics, the show is divided into three acts: Act 1 takes place in a parcel sorting office, Act 2 takes place outdoors, where the packages are delivered (including using illuminated drones), and Act 3 is set in a monochrome orange world, that initially doesn’t bode well.
The show is generally lit in a reductive manner, and often only from one direction. The classic lighting of the treadmills is provided by alley towers. The lighting design itself is predominantly monochromatic until it emerges in a colourful finale.

Christoph explains: “My designs are always about contrasts and the greatest possible dynamism … very small looks versus very large ones, monochrome versus shimmering colour explosions. The goal is to tell a story and take the audience on a journey.”
Show design

‘Retour’, the title of the tour, defines the style of the design. The stage depicts the supposed heart of modern society: a parcel warehouse. Two 14-metre-long conveyor belts send packages, musicians and props back and forth, with the lighting on the belts varying fundamentally throughout the three acts.

While in the first act the impression X5 hidden inside old industrial lamps sets the lighting mood, package drones with beamlights are used in the second act. The third type is characterised by two light lines made of GLP JDC1, which float above the conveyor belts as variable light objects.

In addition, two movable risers for DJ and drums ensure constantly changing light images. The trapezoidal dystopian stage set is closed off at the front by a roller shutter. The look of the entire show in this instance is rather dark and disturbing.

Stage architecture with JDC1

Using the GLP JDC1 one of Christoph’s favourite tools—the designer traces the trapezoidal shape of the stage. A second trapezoidal truss that tapers towards the front deliberately reverses this shape. Together with compact beam lamps, JDC1 also forms the floor set and creates a minimalist-looking architectural space, especially in the third act.

“JDC1s basically have a permanent place in my designs because they are so incredibly versatile,” states the designer. “I regularly use them to replace classic wash lights, strobes and floodlights. I also like to use them very graphically. The amount and density of hybrid devices in the rig allows me to stage them almost like a coarse-pixel LED wall.”

Christoph chose the impression X5 because of its baseless design; thanks to this, it fits into the limited space of the industrial lamps selected. “I wanted to make the moving lights completely disappear in the lamps, but still allow for some movement. Therefore, I chose an appropriate compact device.”
For the third act, which culminates in a gigantic rainbow after all the predominantly monochrome and reduced-lit looks, Christoph designed a clear architectural space with LED bars and a central light object made of JDC Line 1000, which looks like a light art installation in a museum.

The lighting object consists of two lines of light, which primarily shape the dynamics in the third act. For the last song ‘Willst du’ they repeat this, changing the entire light space again.
Through strobe effects and sometimes faster, sometimes slower chasers, they emphasise rhythm and tempo… from the gently flowing to the lightning fast and blindingly bright, while the JDC1s mainly illuminate the curtains in this final act.

In addition to the lighting design, Christoph Schneider programmed the show purely in timecode, with only a few ‘live’ cues (e. g. Blinder, Followspot, Fog machine). Adrian Schmidt operated the first tour segment in February of this year, while Thomas Stranzl took over the festival shows and the Autumn tour.

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

ETC is thrilled to introduce the High End Systems Ministar, a game-changer in our automated lighting product line. Ministar brings exceptional versatility and performance at an affordable price point; with a compact footprint, punchy output, and a professional feature set, Ministar fits the spec and budget for small to medium-sized venues.

Automated Lighting Product Manager Matt Stoner dives into key features that define the Ministar. “What sets this fixture apart are the dual color wheels that create the VersaColor technology, offering a spectrum of 60 pure and elegant colors that are accessible via a single channel. This empowers users to create beauty with an extensive range of color options.”
Complementing the VersaColor is QuadraTech, an innovation that harnesses the power of four colors within the projection. Matt Stoner elaborates, “QuadraTech revolutionizes the creation of stunning visual effects, both in washes and aerials, offering a unique edge that sets the Ministar apart. This technology unlocks a realm of beautiful color combinations that are easy to use and provide unique projections and aerials.”

Video presentation

Ministar uses a 300 W custom LED to generate an impressive output exceeding 9,700 lumens. Its feature package includes dual pattern wheels for gobo morphing and textural manipulation, variable frost for softening edges and washes, a prism to elevate theatrical applications and create breathtaking aerial effects, and swift pan & tilt functionality for dynamic movements. Notably, its ingeniously engineered 6.5° – 48° zoom function is housed within a remarkably lightweight 16 kg/37 lbs. design.

Tania Lesage, ETC’s Market Manager, outlines the Ministar’s position within ETC’s lineup, emphasizing its outstanding performance and reliability. “The Ministar exemplifies ETC’s commitment to industry-leading innovation while remaining costeffective. It heralds a new era in lighting solutions, empowering professionals with budget constraints to elevate their creativity without compromise.”

For more information on Ministar, you can visit the ETC website

Astera is thrilled to announce the establishment of a new Product Management Department as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing product development and customer satisfaction.

Simon Canins, newly appointed CTO of Astera said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ben Díaz to the Astera family and embark on an exciting journey of growth and innovation together. Ben’s unique ability to listen to and understand the evolving needs of our customers makes him the perfect candidate to head up our busy product development.

Being able to delegate responsibilities to someone of Ben’s caliber gives me strong confidence in reaching our company’s goals. Together we will create a seamless integration of product excellence and user-centric strategies, aligning with our ongoing mission to remain at the forefront of technological advancements.”

In this exciting development, Ben Díaz, a seasoned industry professional with a proven track, has been appointed as the Head of Product Management. He brings a wealth of experience and a forward-thinking approach to the role, ensuring Astera’s products continue to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Since 2014, Ben Díaz has been working for two leading lighting companies specializing in premium LED technology. As Astera’s new Head of Product Management, Díaz brings over two decades of experience in Product Management, Business Development, Sales, Technical Marketing, and User Experience Design for top-tier brands.

Notably, his role as Senior Product Manager at ARRI resulted in the creation of the award-winning SkyPanel X, earning the Best of Lighting Innovation Award at IBC 2023.
Before that, he had been working for SGM light as Head of Product Management where amongst other things he developed the first IP66 lights for the stage lighting industry.

Speaking of his upcoming role, Ben Díaz said: “Leading the product vision in a high-quality, user-centric brand for both film and entertainment is the logical step forward in my career. What I really like about Astera is that the company solves the real problems of Filmmakers, LDs and lighting crews through careful listening, premium quality and smart innovations.”

More information about Astera and its products is available at Astera-led website

Back in October, Fohhn has appointed STIRLING Communications Supply Co. as their distribution partner in the US as well as SYMCO Inc. as its exclusive representative firm for the US North-East region.
Stirling inventory and logistics capacities will be an advantage for Fohhn products availability in the US, while SYMCO’s experienced sales team focuses on actively developing the market in the region.

During the last few years, Fohhn has been focusing on expanding its presence in the American continent. After exhibiting at InfoComm in 2022 and 2023 and establishing new partnerships in the US and Latin America, Fohhn decided to create the Miami-based Fohhn Audio Americas LLC in June 2023. Fully owned by Fohhn, the new subsidiary will guarantee seamless sales and support to partners, consultants, end users and integrators alike, in both North and South America.

From left to right : Nico Schwarz (Marketing Fohhn), Fernando Vidal Wagner (Sales Fohhn), Uli Haug (Sales/Marketing Director Fohhn), Frank M. Culotta (President Stirling), Jochen Schwarz (CEO Fohhn), Daniel Pilar (General Manager Stirling)

Fohhn’s sales director, Uli Haug: “We are very happy to have found a highly experienced and specialized distributor in Stirling who emphasises the highest quality in the pro-AV audio sector.”

Excited about the new partnership, Stirling Communications is eager to distribute Fohhn’s products in the North American market. “We are thrilled to add Fohhn to our portfolio, we know their products and solutions will receive an enthusiastic welcome amongst our customers” commented Frank Culotta, Stirling Communications’ CEO.

“Fohhn’s expertise and products offering is the perfect combo. We are glad to have the opportunity to collaborate with them and help them reach new goals!” added Daniel Pilar, General Manager at Stirling.

More information on:

– The Fohhn website
– The Stirling Communications website
– The Symco Inc. website

ETC announces F-Drive compatible versions of Irideon FPZ, Irideon WLZ, and Source Four Mini LED. These additions make it even easier to pair ETC luminaires with ETC’s flagship LED driver solution. Direct connection to the F-Drive system enables facilities to build more cost-effective lighting systems, all backed by a state-of-the-art lighting control solution.

The award-winning F-Drive LED power system is both modular and centralized for easy installation and maintenance. Swappable driver cards and power supplies in the F-Drive R12 rack make all critical components readily accessible. A wide variety of LED systems, including Irideon and Source Four Mini LED, can take advantage of the centralized drive and power structure of F-Drive to reduce costs and simplify the remote lighting positions.

Source Four Mini for F-Drive offers a compact LED solution that fits seamlessly into any lighting system. The Source Four Mini LED delivers everything users expect from the Source Four brand: ease of use, superior optics, crystal-clear image projection, and a bright, even field with the superior characteristics of DMX control. This luminaire is ideal for museums, retail outlets, restaurants, light labs, children’s theatres, and more.

Irideon FPZ for F-Drive and Irideon WLZ for F-Drive bring a sleek design to any F-Drive system. Both Irideon architectural luminaires feature exceptional light output and intuitive controls that are built right into the fixture. With an unassuming industrial design, the Irideon family fits right in any space.

Video Presentation

For more information on F-Drive, visit ETC’s website at www.etcconnect.com

GR-Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre (GR) is a bustling 23-hall venue operating in the middle of the Slovenian capital, hosting a variety of national and international expos and trade fairs. It is also used for television productions, special live events, and some music concerts.
Recently, the venue has boosted its Robe moving light stock with the purchase of Esprites, LEDBeam 350s and LEDBeam 150s which have been added to their existing ParFects, Spiider LED wash beams, MegaPointes and LEDBeam 150s. All this equipment has been delivered by Robe’s Slovenian distributor, MK Light Sound.

GR’s head of AV, Boris Kutin on the left with MK Light Sound’s Dean Karov.

“We own a quantity of equipment which is available site-wide for different events as needed, and if more is required, we cross rent,” explained Boris Kutin, the venue’s head of AV and part of a technical team ensuring all GR productions are delivered smoothly and with high production values.
The Esprites were specified as a quality profile luminaire for their excellent white light, versatility, accurate shutter system and the remote beam shaping which can be executed via the lighting console. Also, they are popular and commonly available in Slovenia thanks to the MK Light Sound’s proactivity and hard work.

The initial batch of LEDBeam 150s proved so handy and useful that it made sense to get more. Providing fantastic power for the tiny size, they can be fitted into sets and stages almost everywhere!

The LEDBeam 350s were new to the venue

LEDBeam 350s

They were chosen as a solution to sit between the LEDBeam 150s and Spiiders. The excellent 3.8 to 60 degree zoom means they can be an effective wash light as well as a piercing beam and an efficient spot, while the compact size is perfect for events across all the spaces at GR, which are both large and small.

“We need a full range of different lights at our disposal, that’s our strategy and this will shape our future investments,” confirmed Boris. Their decision-making process involves plenty of dialogue with lighting designers, programmers, technicians, and those regularly working around the venue, alongside general market research into current and popular technologies and trends. GR’s CEO Iztok Bricl is also involved.

Most events staged at the venue have lighting designed by the in-house team, and the schedule encompasses a mix of conferences, expos, hybrids, product presentations, brand activations, concerts, corporate events, gala evenings, awards shows, prom dances, new year celebrations and even some weddings. It is a truly ‘multipurpose’ venue in every sense of the word! They also present their own massive trade shows like the annual International Home Fair, which is the largest specialized construction industry fair in Slovenia, primarily aimed at builders and renovators.

“Nature Health” is another big one. Running for the 53rd time later in 2023, these highlight businesses operating in ecological construction, renewable energy resources, landscaping, and waste recycling in addition to wellness, healthy food and cosmetics.

The venue also frequently showcases the work of young and emerging fashion designers, and there is never a dull or a quiet moment all year round! During Covid, GR was a regular venue for TV broadcasts and one hall was converted into a streaming studio, with the help of all their Robe lights.

“We fully trust Robe’s quality and reliability as a brand,” confirms Boris when asked what they considered the main advantages of the ongoing investments. The team enjoys working with Robe fixtures when they are staging shows lit by their own LDs, and the brand is frequently requested on riders and technical specs and by visiting LDs coming to work at the venue for specific projects.

Boris added that technical back up and support is “obviously” another consideration, and they have full confidence in MK Light Sound taking care of this aspect of the relationship.

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit www.robe.cz

Indie Rockers Joker Out are the hottest musical act of the moment in Slovenia. 2023 has been a mega-busy year with lots of touring shows, representing Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK, and recently playing a concert at Stožice, the Ljubljana’s biggest arena venue, … which was lit by Klemen Krajnc, from the Blackout design studio.

© Matic Kutin

This was an fully Robe moving light rig – with 100 Robe luminaires breaking down as 32 x MegaPointes, 64 x Spiiders, 19 x LEDBeam 150s and 13 x FORTES plus a quantity of strobes and LED floods.
Klemen started with the band in 2021 when he was asked to light the launch of Umazane misli, their first album. Robe is is still his mobile lighting brand of choice, and it’s a popular choice for all his Blackout LD colleagues including Crt Birsa who is another big Robe advocate from Slovenia.

© Crt Birsa

The initial point for this gig was a semi-circular LED screens upstage screen to define the stage space. It was masked into an elegant semi-circle, and in front of that was a semi-circular truss, with 12 floating ‘finger’ trusses in the upstage / downstage orientation – eight above and two per side – providing the overhead lighting, all of which looked a lot more interesting than a regular rectangular design.

© Crt Birsa

The stage also had a front thrust allowing the band to get close up with their very enthusiastic fans. They wanted four follow spots for the mobile members of the band and one static one for the drummer rigged on the venue’s own rectangular truss. Initially he’d specified Robe BMFL WashBeams for this, but as lighting contactor Intralite had recently invested in FORTES, when they were offered for this gig, Klemen jumped at the chance! “I was super impressed,” he reiterated.

© Crt Birsa

Four of the FORTES were located on camera platforms at the back of the arena and – fitted with the special handles – used as manual follow spots. Klemen ran all parameters from the desk so the operators were free to concentrate just on getting smooth and nice movement.

Eight more FORTES were rigged on trussing flown in the middle of the venue, used for front and key lighting, with another single upstage centre for back lighting the singer. Klemen has used FORTES before on some corporate shows, so he knew that they were “extraordinary lights” but using them on a concert like this really assisted how he could light the show.

The 19 x LEDBeam 150s were rigged on the back side of the half-circular truss framing the screen where they were great for piercing beam effects and for pointing up and lighting the architecture of the trusses and of the semi-circular truss itself.

The 32 x MegaPointes were divided into two sets of 16. The first set was positioned upstage on the deck for firing through powerful effects, with the second on the half circle truss, providing fat back spot beams from this higher position. Klemen loves MegaPointes and Pointes, both are also a go-to fixture him, but only the more powerful MegaPointe was used on this show.

@Matic Kutin

He considers Spiiders are still “the best” LED washes right now and loves their fat beams but also the clarity and definition of the edges. He appreciates the added flexibility of being able to use the LED rings for different effects and looks. Three Spiiders were rigged on each of the finger trusses, with another 8 luminaires a side lining the catwalk, plus another 24 on the mid-venue rectangular house truss.

While it wasn’t a massive rig for the profile of the show or the size of the venue, Klemen is very aware that the design was “completely appropriate” and enabled him to achieve all the desired creative goals for the band. Each light worked hard and had to be multifunctional and efficient.

© Crt Birsa

He programmed and operated the lighting himself and enjoyed the show as he does all Joker Out shows for the energy and zeal that goes into their live performance. “They know how to entertain and put on a great show for fans,” he noted, “and it’s brilliant to be working in this environment.”

The half circle truss design made it a little challenging to get some optimal lighting positions, but nothing that could not be overcome by some smart positioning and rigging, explained Klemen. Naturally, being a one-day event with very little time for any programming on site, he made the most of visualisation tools and opportunities.

More information on the Robe website

World Youth Day was first celebrated in 1985 at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, who organised a gathering in Rome on Palm Sunday to celebrate the Youth Jubilee of the Holy Year of Redemption. Sixty thousand young Catholics were expected, but 250,000 people from different countries came. Today, the event is celebrated every three to four years in a different country. In 2023, World Youth Day took place over six days in Lisbon, attracting over 1.5 million attendees.

The largest event ever to be hosted in the city of Lisbon, the expansive, 100-hectare riverside Parque Tejo served as the primary location, with a massive stage and a series of screens and audio systems set up along a 3.5km-long open-air space to accommodate the international audience. Supporting the event with concert audio capable of serving the massive crowds was an L-Acoustics K Series sound system, designed and deployed by Pixel Light.

The 40-metre-wide and 24-metre-high stage conceived by architect João Matos was the platform for Pope Francis’ message of hope and unity to the world’s youth at World Youth Day.

Headlining the event, Pope Francis delivered a message of hope and unity to the world’s youth from a 40-metre-wide and 24-metre-high stage conceived by architect João Matos. For Pixel Light, the challenge of creating a sound system that could encompass such an audience while maintaining impeccable speech clarity was familiar.

An L-Acoustics rental partner since 2016, Pixel Light has a solid foundation of successful collaboration on major projects such as the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. For World Youth Day, Pixel Light’s daunting challenge was to ensure comprehensive audio and video coverage to 1.5 million people over a sprawling 3.5 km expanse, enabling everyone to fully experience speech clearly, no matter their distance from the stage.

The audio engineering crew who worked on the installation at World Youth Day. From left to right – Bernardo Jobling and Rafael Pereira from Pixel Light and Tom LaVeuf and Tim McCall from L-Acoustics.

“Our goal was to achieve a minimum of 97 dB SPLA, considering the outdoor environment, wind, and the sheer number of attendees,” explains Rafael Pereira, System Engineer and Sound Designer at Pixel Light.
“Soundvision was instrumental in helping us predict coverage and balance the SPL across the entire audience area.”

Pixel Light opted exclusively for L-Acoustics products. Given the magnitude of the undertaking, this allowed them to create a comprehensive and consistent solution. “I believe we used every available piece of L-Acoustics equipment in Europe,” says Sérgio Antunes, Project Manager for World Youth Day. “This decision not only met our needs but also significantly contributed to the project’s resounding success.”

A crowd view of four of the L-Acoustics K2 delay towers placed to ensure comprehensive crowd coverage.

Rafael broke up the massive space into more than 72 parcels of 5,000 to 10,000 square metres, each with its own screen and sound system. “I never thought it would be possible to cover a space like this with just 109 towers,” says Rafael Pereira.

Two days were required to set up the network. LA Network Manager helped the team at Pixel Light manage the close to 300 L-Acoustics amplified controllers.

“I decided to try modelling it in Soundvision anyway, and I couldn’t believe it. It was possible. I used this 3D Soundvision model to show the client how it could be done, which helped convince them to award us the project.”

In all, Pixel Light deployed a record-breaking total of 1,100 L-Acoustics loudspeakers both on stage and over an incredible 109 delay towers. This powerful assembly included 128 K1 line source speaker units, 272 K2, and 132 K3. Additionally, 528 Kara modular line source speakers were deployed, along with 24 dV-DOSC. The system was driven by 196 LA12X and 93 LA8 amplified controllers. Pixel Light built a network of audio and control systems using 103 kilometres of fibre, and more than 300 switches to connect everything together.

Some of the 110 delay towers which bore 1,100 L-Acoustics loudspeakers, each one powered by a single LA-RAK.

Pulling from a pool of several different L-Acoustics speaker lines, Rafael Pereira prioritised even tonal balance and SPL with the objective of providing speech intelligibility in the speech range. “I was limited to one LA-RAK per delay tower.

Taking this into account and to facilitate load-in/load-out, I created five varying types of arrays that included four K1 over six Kara; eight K2; 12 Kara,12 K3; or four V-DOSC over six dV-DOSC.” It took a team of 24 people and six days to fly the sound system. Two days were required to set up the network, and then two more days were used for tuning and rehearsal.
“From the onset, we knew this project was destined to be colossal in size, but the final outcome surpassed even our wildest imaginations. Our dedicated team ensured the best possible coverage, delivering an unrivalled audio experience that resonated with every single one of the 1.5 million attendees. From the start of the event to its conclusion, the feedback from the production team was nothing short of positive, not a single audio complaint was registered,” concludes Sergio Antunes.

More on Pixel Light and on L-Acoustics

On 12 November in Paris, 163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 footlights took part in the unique Chiroptera show, a collaborative project by JR, Damien Jalet and Thomas Bangalter.
The public gathered at the Place de l’Opéra watched an impressive 20-minute ballet in front of the façade of the Palais Garnier, which was dressed in a huge trompe-l’œil fresco revealing the entrance to a cave, that masked the scaffolding currently covering the façade of the building as it is being restored.

“We worked closely with the three artists behind the project, and came up with a very specific lighting concept,” says Antoine D’Halluin, associate director of Concept K, a French company specialising in artistic creation. “We had to use lighting to serve the show while ensuring all the technology required for such a creation remained invisible to the audience. We therefore deliberately decided on a minimalist use of light sources to concentrate on the human element and bring this creation to life. The Dalis footlights lent themselves perfectly to this exercise.”

A total of 163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 (1m) and 862S (50cm) footlights were used in variable white (2200K to 6500 K). A dozen Dalis 862S battens were used to illuminate the Prima Ballerina, Amandine Albisson, during the opening solo. The remaining 153 Dalis 862 footlights were clamped on the structure, in front of each of the 153 dancers spread between the uprights of the imposing scaffolding.

“The Dalis 862 footlights offered excellent intensity of colour and uniformity at very close range, with a very even distribution,” explains Antoine. “It’s also a very compact spotlight, with threaded inserts on the underside, so we were able to hang it upside down, above each dancer, and divert it from its traditional use as a foot light at the front of the stage!

“We played constantly with the dimming throughout the show, each batten having its own control based on each dancer movements. A subtle game of synchronisation and programming made it possible for the dancers to appear as required, or even create a giant matrix on which various messages were composed.”

The quality of light from the Dalis battens sublimated the faces of the dancers and their shining white and matt black costumes, putting the human element at the heart of this allegorical work about the tension between light and darkness.

For more information on the Robert Juliat Dalis family of lights