Founded in 1866, Theater Freiburg is the oldest and biggest theatre in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany. Moving to its present venue in 1910, like many theatres it has seen an almost continuous series of changes and renovations, some more successful than others.

Jonas Gottschall

Most recently, the installation of two Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing systems have brought much-needed peace of mind to head of sound Jonas Gottschall and his technical team. Featuring orchestral performances, opera, musicals, dance, plays and more, the Theater Freiburg building includes a main stage, smaller stage and Chamber stage.

The venue has a long history with Yamaha digital mixers, going back to the DM2000 and the iconic PM5D. More recently, the venue invested in systems by other manufacturers because, as Jonas – who joined the theatre three years ago – says, “At the time there was no Yamaha console that could do exactly what Theatre Freiburg needed.”

“You can only work according to the circumstances of the time,” he adds. “In 2014, the theatre had to go down a different route, but the system it invested in ran into trouble with the network connection from the control surface to its DSP.” The issues culminated in every live sound engineer’s worst nightmare, when three productions had to be stopped mid-show, in front of audiences. “It took the manufacturer six months to investigate the problem and I don’t think they ever found it,” says Jonas.

With the RIVAGE PM series, Yamaha has not only continued its long tradition of reliability, it also introduced all the features that Theater Freiburg needed. So the investment in RIVAGE PM7 systems for the main and smaller stages was an obvious solution.

Joscha Muschaln a happy sound engineer.

“Reliability is the number one priority for me,” says Jonas. “With any system, if there is ever an issue you also need the technical support to be there at the right moment. If it isn’t, it doesn’t make either us or the audience happy. In my experience Yamaha digital systems have always been fine, there are never any software issues, network connection problems or anything, so I had absolute confidence that we would be safe if we invested in RIVAGE PM.”
Not only has the RIVAGE PM7’s theatre mode opened it up more to the theatre world, its ease of installation has meant that Jonas was able to install both systems himself. “We didn’t need anyone from Yamaha to come in and hold our hand,” he smiles.
“We installed the first PM7 system on the smaller stage, which was quite challenging because we had a new PA as well, with only a short time to install both and get them up and running. But it worked out absolutely fine.”

He continues, “In terms of the features, in my opinion the sound quality is better than before. I also really like the dynamic EQs. We try to make the amplification of actors onstage very discreet but, as soon as the voice gets louder, it starts to behave differently with the microphone. So the dynamic EQ is a very useful feature.”

Theater Freiburg head of sound Jonas Gottschall.

As with all venues, 2020-21 has seen Theater Freiburg having to cope with many difficult challenges, so innovation and adaptability need to be at the heart of its present and future.
“Normally, you plan for the year ahead. But now, when we have been able to stage performances, we have had to improvise and cope with a very short preparation time,” says Jonas.
“For the foreseeable future we will need to be very flexible and fast, with limited rehearsals. So I am very happy to have invested in secure, stable systems that work exactly as we hoped they would.”

More on the Yamaha website

Like anyone who enters Tuacahn Amphitheatre for the first time, Cory Pattak was awed by the surroundings when he arrived there in 2017 to light a production of Newsies.
Located at the mouth of Padre Canyon in southwestern Utah, with its towering sandstone cliffs dotted with sage brush and yuca trees, the setting offers a quintessential image of the American West in all its rugged, untamed beauty.

Ovation E 910FC-IP

Along with this splendor, however, comes another side of nature: harsh, wildly fluctuating weather. “The theatre is subjected to every kind of environmental challenge, including rain, high wind, dust, 100-plus degree temps, and even snow this April,” said Pattak, a New York based lighting designer. “The conventional pars and ellipsoidals here have taken a beating over the years.’

Since Pattak’s first show at Tuacahn, the theatre has been working to upgrade its rig to include more outdoor rated fixtures.
Last year, during the pandemic lockdown, it took a major step in this direction when its Production Manager Craig Engel, with assistance from Pattak, replaced its old incandescent units with 58 Ovation E-910FC IP fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

Pattak is putting the new fixtures to good use this season, creating an engaging and evocative design for a production of Beauty and the Beast. Drawing on the Ovation units’ RGBA-Lime LED engine, he is transforming the stage to support the magical mood of the musical with a wide range of deep, richly saturated colors.

Discussing the upgrade and his role in it, Pattak, who has designed at the venue every year since 2017, noted: “Aside from looking for an IP rated fixture, we were also looking to reduce the overall size of the conventional plot, as it takes days to focus the entire rig all overnight of course.
The large rig required a significant amount of dimmers and cabling, not to mention lamps and gel.I advised considering Ovation fixtures, because I had used them on previous shows and have always been pleased with them.

“My friend Rob Denton, who is the lighting supervisor at the Muny, had recently replaced many of their conventional lights with the new IP-rated Ovations. They had already gone through a full season with them, and reported back all positives,” continued Pattak.

“So, last season we got one of the fixtures out at Tuacahn for an onsite demo and were encouraged by the results. Fortunately, we were able to add them to the plot between the 2019 season and this season.”

The Ovation E-910FC IP fixtures at Tuacahn today are positioned to work as three different systems of washes. Previously, the theatre had two front template washes in a warm and a cool color from its FOH towers. These have been combined into a single LED system.
The high side template system had always been NC and cool. The latter has been replaced with the Ovation LED units. The theatre also had two different back template systems, which have now been combined into one LED backlight system.

Aside from their reliability and efficiency, the new Ovation ellipsoidals increase the flexibility of Tuacahn’s lighting rig, making it better able to meet the theatre’s diverse schedule of productions.
“Since there is one rep plot for multiple shows, any opportunity to add versatility to the rig is a plus,” said Pattak. “We’ve previously had to pick fairly neutral gel colors that would work for all shows. However, with the added LED sources, the designers can now customize their color needs for each show.

“For instance, the first two shows of the season are Beauty and the Beast, which I lit, and Annie, lit by Aaron Porter,” continue Pattak. “Just due to the nature of the shows, BATB calls for much deeper and more saturated colors than Annie, which has a more naturalistic approach. Being able to tune in our own palettes was a big advantage. In both cases, we are able to achieve better color washes than we ever could before.

“The ability to turn nearly 60 lights all the same color before you even have to touch a moving light is an amazing tool in our design toolbelt,” continued Pattak. “Also very important to lighting designers at the theatre is the savings in time resulting from the installation of the new fixtures. In the past, when working with the larger rig of mainly conventionals, the crew would spend long hours at night dealing with maintenance issues that come from non-outdoor rated fixtures.”

Freed from this task, they can now devote more time to working on creative issues, or perhaps take an extra moment or two to savor the beautiful natural setting that makes Tuacahn Amphitheatre so special.

For more information about Chauvet Professional and their range of products, you can visit: www.chauvetprofessional.com/

dBS Solutions’ roadmap through Martin Audio’s evolutionary control technology shows no sign of abating. In 2014 they purchased an XD/DD combination rig for deployment on a successful theatre tour.
This was followed by the acquisition of a 40-box Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) system, specifically for the Mercury at Abbey Field pop-up theatre space in Colchester. This ran for an entire outdoor season and was a direct replacement for their old Martin Audio W8LM rig.

Then in February 2020—immediately before lockdown—two hangs of 16 WPM, supported by flown SXF115 subwoofers and DD6 front fills, went out on the Queen Symphonic tour.
Fast forward to the present, and after carefully considering all options, the company made its first investment in Martin Audio’s more powerful WPS system. “We’ve dipped our toe in the water with a package that will enable us to provide coverage for 2,000-plus capacity concert halls,” confirms dBS Solutions MD, Chris Bogg, taking up the story. “However, we will definitely be increasing that inventory.”

His earlier entry into the world of Wavefront Precision had been driven by the fact that the Abbey Field site is surrounded by local residencies. “This called for a system that could minimise offsite noise while maximising coverage in the tent.”
dBS Solutions were able to use the unique Hard Avoid feature in the proprietary DISPLAY control software to equal benefit with the Queen Symphonic UK tour. “The balance of rock music in a classical environment is always a very difficult one, not least in some of the most reverberant performing spaces in the UK. We chose the WPM as the even coverage and on-stage noise levels were critical to the tour’s success.”

The Queen Symphonic UK tour.

Explaining further, he said, “In addition to the 35-piece symphony orchestra, there was a rock band and four West End musical vocalists. Traditional classical musicians don’t like a loud stage, and in terms of levels we were able to use Hard Avoid to remove much of that.”

As to mitigating venue reverberation, he remarked, “I have never heard a system sounding so consistent across three or four levels [of a venue] or so tonally balanced, when compared with other systems we’ve used.”
In summary, he said, “WPM has been amazing for us and it was the confidence we had in this that led us to invest in the bigger WPS system.” But it hadn’t been an automatic decision, as Chris Bogg had been well down the line to purchasing an alternative system before reverting to Martin Audio. “I decided to take a different view, and I’m pleased we stuck with the option we knew,” he admits.

Credit Nathan Garwood

He believes the timing of his latest investment is perfect as the country slowly emerges from lockdown. “It will certainly help raise the profile of dBS,” he believes. “It gives us a larger system that really works in terms of our brand profile and ticks the rider boxes.”

However, above all he is in love with Martin Audio’s unique optimisation technology. “We had already been aware of how fantastic WPM was at the point of purchase, as two of our techs had already done the training. It was the flexibility of being able to drive the system off the iKON amplifiers and the scalable resolution options that swung it for us.

“If something less sophisticated is required we can drive the system in 2- or 3-box resolution, and carry less inventory, whereas we can use 1-box where a cleverer approach is required.”
He is referring specifically to those reverberant concert venues. “That’s where Martin Audio really excels,” Chris Bogg exclaims.

For more information on the Martin Audio website and on the DBS Solutions website

The #WeBelieveInLive campaign becomes the “We Are Live” event! On 30 June 2021, the Adam Hall Group marked its live relaunch, and with it an emotional end to a seemingly never-ending standstill for the entire event industry.
Representatives from around the live entertainment industry paid tribute to a special evening that showed how the challenges ahead are being tackled with renewed vigour.

Joint exchange about the future of the event industry

Since spring 2020, the Adam Hall Group has been searching for ways out of the crisis with unwavering confidence, while also seeking dialogue with politicians, its own community and business partners in order to proactively advocate for the closed industry. At the “We Are Live” event, this dialogue was finally transferred from virtual distance to physical proximity again. Together with 100 invited guests from German-speaking countries and further abroad, the event technology manufacturer sent a clear signal at its Experience Centre in Neu-Anspach: we are here, and we are here more than ever! In compliance with the current hygiene and distancing regulations, the event not only celebrated the restart, but also explored the question of where the event industry of tomorrow is heading and what hurdles need to be overcome in a top-class talk.

#webelieveinlive panel: individual experiences for collective challenges

“It’s going to be stressful, but awesome!” – satisy&fy CEO Nico Ubenauf gave probably the most appropriate description of the outlook for the industry. Alexander Pietschmann, CEO of the Adam Hall Group, Carsten Heling, press spokesman for the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, and moderator Felix Uhlig took part in the #webelieveinlive panel talk alongside Timo Feuerbach, managing director of the E.V.V.C. & representative of the Forum Veranstaltungswirtschaft, Julian Reininger – organiser of BonnLive – and the guests in the Experience Centre’s auditorium for almost an hour. They came to a unanimous conclusion: the industry’s mood of optimism is unbroken, but the upcoming challenges must be dealt with responsibly.

In the political arena, the industry is advocating now not only the extension of economic aid, but above all the extension of the cultural default fund to B2B events, along with uniform federal guidelines. When it comes to the cultural relaunch, the problems of event congestion and staff shortages are already becoming apparent – these are perhaps inevitable after more than a year of event cancellations and the events sector being shut down. The conclusion of the discussion partners on stage and in the audience was clear: the shortage of resources must now be identified as an opportunity to structure future working conditions in a more appropriate way. Future calculations will also need to be adjusted, and companies will need to act to position themselves more sustainably.

The industry looks forward to optimistic times with new impetus

A sense of euphoria was felt consistently throughout the evening. As soon as the guests arrived, it was noticeable in countless faces: the anticipation of finally getting together again, meeting old and new colleagues, business partners and friends from the industry on-site, and exchanging ideas.

“In 2020, we started out like an ICE train at 300 kph… then the emergency brake was pulled without any warning!” Adam Hall COO Markus Jahnel recalled in his speech the beginnings of the worldwide Corona pandemic. With the “We Are Live” event, the Adam Hall Group is now picking up speed again.
Following the talk, the event technology manufacturer showed that it had been anything but idle during the long phases of the lockdown. In an impressive light show, the new Cameo OPUS Series spotlights, among others, were able to show how creativity can be used to create the magical moments that we have all missed so much.

Gentleman’s first appearance in a year-and-a-half as a symbol of an entire industry

The crowning highlight of the evening, however, followed: an exclusive performance by global reggae star Gentleman and his band to kick off his 2021 festival tour, which reminded all the guests once again of what has been missing over the past 18 months: music, people and emotions. On this evening, the event industry showed that it is not afraid of change and is looking forward to the restart with great anticipation: WE ARE LIVE!

Further information:

event.tech
adamhall.com
cameolight.com
ld-systems.com
gravitystands.com
palmer-germany.com
defender-protects.com

The San Francisco Opera utilised a complement of Ayrton Perseo-S fixtures when it brought opera back to town in a COVID-safe outdoor production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Marin Center in San Rafael, California.
Ayrton Perseo is the first compact, multi-function luminaire with an IP65 enclosure rating developed for intensive outdoor use.

The Barber of Seville, directed by Matthew Ozawa, ran from April 23 – May 15 at Marin Center, 15 minutes from San Francisco, where the audience pulled up their cars alongside the lagoon with the beautiful hills of Marin in the background. They watched the production, on a custom-built stage with soaring LED videowalls, from their vehicles.

“We have staged concerts before in Golden Gate Park, but nothing to this extent has been produced outside in the three years I have been with the company,” notes Justin Partier, lighting director for the San Francisco Opera. “We considered several venues and found Marin Center to be the best location. So we constructed a stage and used the set from a yet-to-be-produced production of Fidelio in a new configuration.”

Partier says the lighting team was looking for a fixture that offered shuttering, gobos, colour and diffusion, which was small enough to place inside the set. The lights also had to be able to withstand any inclement weather during the opera’s three-week run. Perseo-S ticked all those boxes.

“The fixtures had to be small and bright – they were the only way to get light underneath the set from side light and footlight positions,” he explains.
“They also needed to be rated for outdoor use. As it turned out, we had only one really wet day with the rest California sunshine and rainbows.”

Partier says that Aaron Hubbard with ACT Lighting helped steer him to Perseo. “Early on I looked at a bunch of lights with them, and when I said something smaller was required for the production, they led me to Perseo and were very helpful in giving me all the information I needed.” Felix Lighting of Burlingame, California supplied the fixtures.

He notes that Perseo’s gobos were especially in demand for the production. “Any time the four video panel back walls were in the open position we painted gobos onto them with the prism,” he explains. The gobos were particularly effective in the storm and shave sequences.
“The Perseos looked great and were actually much brighter for their size than I thought they would be,” Partier reports.

More information on Ayrton Perseo can be found at www.ayrton.eu

This flexible luminaire is a truly multi-functional light source with the power of Astera’s Titan LED engine coupled with the practicality of its popular AX3 LightDrop product, all in a completely new and fully adaptable housing.

Great for concerts, events, filming, or broadcast scenarios, PixelBrick is compact, light (1.1kg) and handy as an up-lighter – like an AX3 – or it can be hung anywhere and become a light for accenting and texturing buildings or facades. For exterior use, it is IP65 rated and therefore resistant to rain and other elements.

The PixelBrick has 450 Lumens and 1200 Lux at 2 metres – both at 3200K and can also be used like a PAR as a general-purpose fixture complete with a bracket.

PixelBricks can be joined together and built into an impressive array of geometric shapes and clusters. With the help of adjustable connectors, shapes like circles, hearts, numbers, etc. plus other illuminated scenic pieces or signage can be created. These can be used in a plethora of contexts, like performance spaces, on live events, on location or in the studio for film projects and photo shoots.

The lights can be arranged in matrix patterns or as numbers and letters spelling out a name, a word or a tag, and they can be pixel-mapped to produce yet more stunning effects.
The combination of the LED light source and wireless control is a solution for so many aspects of a stage or an event space.

Diffuser Domes are available to switch the PixelBrick beams to softer eye-and-camera-candy effects and ‘pixel’ looks.

PixelBricks are physically interconnected via a bespoke engineered track system on all four sides which gives maximum scope for creativity. These tracks can also be used to mount airline track accessories like TrackPin, Hangar, Handle, etc., and brackets can be mounted to the PixelBrick using the same track system.

Other major features include RGB Mint Amber for creating stunning colours – from the richest saturates to the most delicate pastels – authentic white tones from 1,750 – 20,000 K and an impressive CRI & TLCI of 96 or above.
Several different beam options are available. The fixture’s native 13-degree angle can be customised with the use of a 17-degree diffuser for a soft-light effect or a 30-degree flood filter to enable smooth coverage of larger surfaces and areas.

The PixelBricks can be wirelessly controlled via the inbuilt LumenRadio CRMX DMX receiver and the units can also be run via wired DMX through an Astera PowerBox. Up to four PixelBricks can be daisy-chained using a single power / data combination cable, and units are compatible with the Titan PowerBox.
Additionally, the AsteraApp can be used for local control, either via the ART7 AsteraBox or by directly connecting the PixelBrick fixtures to the App when ART7 is not being used.

The rear panel display has dedicated buttons for brightness and colour adjustment, just like the Titan Series tubes, for tweaking when running in stand-alone mode.
A handy PixelBrick set of 8 units is available from Astera, complete with filters, a PowerBox charging flightcase complete with cables and connectors.
The PowerBox can be used for in-case charging and to wire the lights – power and data over a single cable – for longer installations. An Accessories Set is available for 8 PixelBricks which expand the flexibility of this fixture event further!

Astera sales director Sebastian Bückle stated, “We are really excited to bring this ultra-adaptable light that can be used for a zillion different occasions to the market. I think our customers will have plenty of fun with PixelBrick and use it imaginatively, discovering many

For more information about Astera and their products line, you can visit astera-led.com

The team at Electori (from left to right): Ms.Yui Takase, Atsushi Shimizu, Akashi Matsuura and Haruo Abe .

Electori, a prime provider of technological solutions and services for venues, puts its trust in Frenetik’s Dante and PoE audio solutions and becomes the exclusive distributor in Japan.

Alain Hercman Frenetik International Sales Manager.

Alain Hercman Frenetik’s International Sales Manager says: « We were particularly impressed by the professional approach of Electori’s team who deeply and accurately evaluated the Frenetik products range. We are confident we have found a very good partner in Japan for a long term and fruitful collaboration »

Atsushi Shimizu – Acting GM, Electori says: « When we saw Frenetik products, it was our first thought that their design was very unique and impressive. »

Atsushi Shimizu Acting General Manager, Electori.

« Since there were many interests to check out real products, we had to take a couple of sample products, which convince us about the sound quality. The balance between price and sound quality along with its unique design has great value for our customers, we believe. »

Founded in 1962 and located at the heart of Tokyo, Japan, Electori boasts a tremendous experience in importing and representing professional brands on the Japanese market. With teams dedicated to broadcast and professional installations, Electori is a prime provider of technological solutions and services for venues such as amusement parks, stadiums, government offices, hotels and more.
Part of Hibino Group since 2016, Electori benefits from its resources for sales, marketing, logistics and technical support of the highest level in this industry.

Frenetik is a French brand that designs and manufactures professional Dante and PoE audio solutions. All our products share the same DNA that make our solutions unique on the market:
– Use the latest available technologies
– Provide original solutions and complementary tools to the professional audio market
– Make innovation accessible by offering exceptional value for money Since its introduction in 2019

Some Frenetic iconic products.

Frenetik immediately received an enthusiastic welcome from AV integrators, distributors, IT services and AV planners, confirmed by our rapid development on the international market.

More on the Electori website and on the Frenetic website

RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems are continually improved with regular firmware updates, providing mix engineers with the highest quality features and intuitive controls.
Version 5.0 is a major, free update, which includes a number of new features to deliver the industry’s best, most flexible and sonically pleasing mixing experience.

The « real » Master Buss Processor, now recreated and included in V5.0 release.

The Portico II Master Buss Processor (P2MB) is a Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM) recreation of the RND Master Buss Processor, delivering the ultimate in dynamics, tone and stereo field control for the stereo master buss.

A view of the Portico II Master Bus Processor VCM replica.

Based around the high voltage, discrete, class A signal paths made famous in the RND 5088 mixer, the P2MB redefines the boundaries of traditional two channel compression and limiting. Though originally developed for mastering applications, the MBP quickly became a favourite of mix, tracking, front of house and live streaming engineers.

Josh Thomas

“When we first launched the Portico II Master Bus Processor, we expected it to be used primarily for mastering and studio mix applications.
Rupert and the entire team were pleasantly surprised when it became a standard for FoH, with hundreds of tours trusting it as the final piece in the signal chain,” says Josh Thomas, General Manager and Co-Founder at RND.

“With its VCM technology, Yamaha has come up with an extremely faithful digital replica of the MBP, one of the most complex analogue processors we produce. We look forward to hearing the benefits of this new emulation at concerts in the coming months.“

RIVAGE PM Version 5.0 firmware also provides additional flexibility for mix engineers with several new features. These include:

– Monitoring and operation of wireless receiver systems from Sennheiser, Shure, and Sony.

The complete monitoring and operation of wireless receiver systems from the best Sennheiser, Shure, and Sony HF series.

– Monitoring and operation of NEXO and Yamaha PC-D/DI series power amplifiers, as well as Yamaha DZR series loudspeakers.
– Direct control, naming and colour selection for Steinberg Nuendo Live recording software.
– A new, enhanced Global Paste workflow, which is faster and more intuitive to use during rehearsals or performance, without having to interrupt the flow of mixing live.

– Following the announcement of Yamaha’s new, proprietary AFC Image, which gives users full control over immersive imaging in a given space, the RIVAGE PM Version 5.0 firmware brings remote control to AFC Image. Object-based 3D panning and other features help to create streamlined, efficient workflows to deliver innovative, immersive audio experiences in the live environment.

Do not ask who owns this index, it’s Andy Cooper who shows the choice offered between L-ISA and now AFC Image.

– Finally, the updated firmware adds full compatibility with the Open Sound Control (OSC) network control protocol, which allows remote control of a range of parameters, including fader levels and mutes, pan, mix and matrix sends, delay times and Scene Memory recall.
It’s ideal for use with theatre and broadcast automation systems and software, such as Figure 53’s QLab. Alternatively, users can create custom control panels with a variety of apps and touch-screen devices.

“RIVAGE PM firmware Version 5.0 includes many user-requested features. We are confident that everyone – from existing customers and RIVAGE PM users involved in live streaming and other new forms of entertainment, to those people considering investing in the series – will find this significant update beneficial,” says Chihaya ‘Chick’ Hirai, General Manager of Yamaha’s PA Marketing and Sales Department.

Rupert Neve on a 5088 desk and Josh Thomas, legendary past and brillant future.

“We are very pleased to continue our successful collaboration with RND, which has been instrumental in the sound of our digital mixing systems since 2012.
Plugins for SILK processing, EQ, compression and more add appealing colour to the input stage of RIVAGE PM systems and the P2MB plug-in is the culmination of our first foray into the output stage with RND.

It represents a huge step forward in our relationship and we are very happy to help further the legacy of Rupert Neve, RND founder and pro audio legend, and his limitless passion for sound. “We will continue our ongoing efforts to listen to our customers and give them what they need for the best and most efficient mixing experience.”

RIVAGE PM Version 5.0 is a free firmware update for RIVAGE PM owners. It can be downloaded here

For more detailed information, please check Andy Cooper presentation:

Levels Audio Visual was established in 2015, with a primary focus on specialised high quality AV solutions for the entertainment and leisure industry.
Its work focuses almost exclusively on permanent installations in restaurants, bars, beach clubs and nightclubs, along with AV rental and production solutions for DJs, live music, festivals and wedding events. It has recently become part of the L-Acoustics Certified Provider install (CPi) network.

Level AV’s Daniel Ball (left) and Hassan Alwan with a selection of their L-Acoustics equipment
.

“Over the years, we have built a reputation as one of the leading providers of AV solutions for these industries, largely stemming from our strong personal passion for music and live entertainment,” says managing partner, Hassan Alwan. “This passion has and continues to drive us to be the best in all disciplines and capabilities.”

Levels treats each project as if the venue and concept were its own, striving to achieve the best for its clients, and mandating its solutions to be of the highest calibre. The company’s portfolio of clients and projects is testament to this philosophy and includes some of the leading operators in the entertainment and leisure industry, including Amazonico, Berklee College of Music, Boiler Room, Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE, Cove Beach, Industrial Avenue, Le Petite Maison, Mutek, Nammos and Zuma.

“Becoming an L-Acoustics CPi is an acknowledgment of our high standards, putting Levels in a rare group of professional organisations, each at the top of their game,” Alwan continues. “At the same time, it’s a motivator for us to continue to strive for improvement each time we approach an opportunity.

“With a global presence and an internationally regarded best-in-class reputation, the opportunity to become a part of the L-Acoustics CPi family will allow us to expand our business by being associated with an industry leader, as well as satisfying the demands of our clients at the highest level.
Our company has grown through direct partnerships with manufacturers and this direct engagement will provide our business with the necessary tools and services to achieve our goals collectively.”

Chris Mead

“We are very excited to have Levels AV onboard to join the L-Acoustics family as an integration partner in the region,” concludes Chris Mead, L-Acoustics Sales Manager, Middle East, India, East Africa.

“The dining and entertainment market is ever growing in the UAE and the greater Gulf area, and there is a definite expectation from patrons for high quality loudspeaker systems to go with the superior food and entertainment, and so we see this as a big opportunity for growth.
It’s important that these premium systems are supplied to the end users by an integrator like Levels, who hold a similar appetite for perfection as we do!”

The first L-Acoustics project Levels completed was for Ninive, a luxury Middle Eastern dining and lounge just outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As part of the exciting Riyadh Oasis project, Ninive launched a four-month pop-up destination in the middle of the desert, around an hour and a half from Riyadh city centre, where Levels provided a system comprising twelve X8 speakers and two SB15m subwoofers, all controlled by LA4X amplified controllers.

The company currently has several projects in development, with an initial four venues already confirmed to be delivered and opened with L-Acoustics systems by the end of 2021.

More information on the Level SAV website and on the L-Acoustics website

Postponed from 2020, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its 65th edition, was held at the Rotterdam Ahoy in The Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlands Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS and AVROTOS.
Specialist rental and sales company, Ampco Flashlight, was the Official Technical Supplier, providing lighting, rigging and audio requirements, which included DiGiCo Quantum 7 mixing consoles at both Front of House and monitor positions.

Working on the lavish production fans have come to know and expect were Erwin Rintjema, ESC Head of Production, Thijs Peters, Head of Broadcast Sound, Ampco Flashlights’ Remco Verhoek as Senior Project Manager and Dennis van der Haagen taking up the role of Operational & Commercial Director, along with Jeroen ten Brinke, ESC Head of Live Sound, who specified the Quantum 7s as part of his audio design.

A competitive tender for the show had been sent out in October 2019, with Ampco Flashlight pitching alongside competitors. “We were awarded the contract in January 2020,” recalls Verhoek, who oversaw proof of concept, prepping the equipment including constructing custom racks and scheduling and taking care of his team.
“We were prepped and ready to go, then the show was postponed because of the pandemic. But we had been chosen and that didn’t change for the 2021 edition. Audio-wise the stakes are always high for Eurovision, and this was a complex system, but not the most complex we’ve ever built and with all the experience we have with DiGiCo it was a good set up and straight forward for us.”

Whilst Ten Brinke had free rein on the design of the audio system, he kept previous productions in mind, particularly the 2018 Lisbon edition which he had visited, where Daniel Bekerman was sound designer.
Ten Brinke drew on Bekerman’s experience. “The first thing I did was call him to make sure he was happy to answer any questions,” he recalls. “We created our design and then I checked with him to make sure we were doing the right thing.”

Along with mirrored DiGiCo Quantum 7 consoles at FOH and monitors was a soundcheck room with an identical set up where in-ears systems on different frequencies, transmitter packs and handhelds microphones were housed, ensuring the in-ears systems were properly balanced before the acts went on stage.
In the arena, Ten Brinke wanted to have the consoles as close together as possible, taking social distancing regulations into account, ensuring short cables that were easy to trouble shoot. The monitor desk was positioned behind glass, so the monitor engineer would not have any issues with spill from the L-Acoustics PA.
“The consoles were approx. 1.5m apart so we could all see each other,” says Ten Brinke. “This made things easier, more fun and meant we could keep our spirits up for the month we were on site.”

A significant reason for the position of the consoles was the tight change over times for the artists. “Thirty to 40 people had to [literally] run with everything,” Ten Brinke notes. “You’re always in the way or in the camera view at the side of the stage, so we were on the top of the first rake of seats and all together, which kept my wish for short cable runs.
Additional cable runs were only to the PA and a few analogue inputs for backup mics, the rest was all local with the receivers, Dante machines, and split boxes to OB kept together. But with social distancing, of course.”

With engineer duties organised in a slightly different way to the norm to account for their time being divided between the soundcheck room, where artists’ in-ear systems received their initial balance, and the arena, Ten Brink wanted to keep things as simple as possible.
Deploying Quantum 7s gave both familiarity to his favourite engineers and exceptional speed of operation “To create Snapshots and transfer them to another desk only took a minute in total,” he says. “No other desk can do that, so for me the choice was clear and with Ampco Flashlight as technical supplier it was an easy decision, as I use their DiGiCo consoles on many different shows.”

With simplicity being key, anything that was not essential was eliminated, whilst a DiGiCo Orange Box allowed the radio mic channels to arrive at the mix position and be relayed to the OB truck over a Dante network.
“We also had an analogue set up in one of the SD-Racks,” Ten Brinke adds. “And there were two Optocore loops with FOH and monitors on one loop, and backups on the other. Simple is always better as if something goes wrong it’s a lot easier to handle.”

As the timecode for the entire show was running through the consoles, the Quantum 7’s double power supply and engine gave the team a feeling of ultimate security.
“If the timecode stops, everything stops as all departments are running through our timecode,” says Ten Brinke. “I’ve done a lot of big shows with Quantum 7s, so I trust them; they are so safe and reliable.”

Despite the teams’ experience and confidence in their equipment, there was still much to take into consideration. “It was intense,” notes Verhoek. “We were working from a standstill (we hadn’t done much work since lockdown) and were going into a full-on production that covered 45 – 50 days. But it all went perfectly.
For me, the DiGiCos and all their infrastructure performed as we’re used to them performing. There was a backup set up, but we didn’t have to make use of it as there wasn’t a single issue.”
“Everything exceptionally well,” concludes Ten Brinke. “In fact, it couldn’t have been better.”

More information on the Digico website and on the Ampco Flashlight website

When the energy group E.ON SE launched its ‘Networks of Tomorrow’ campaign to highlight the importance of energy networks for the success of energy transition, it decided to stage a spectacular drone show in which a new world record was set: 150 drones flew 13 dynamic and static formations in a row over the Berlin Olympic Park.
Nocturne Drone Shows, Jens Hillenkötter and E.ON SE achieved the Guinness World Record in the category ‘Most consecutive formations by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) single group’.

Photo Ralph Larman

Jens Hillenkötter, Executive Creative Producer of the show, designed a 30m diameter circle of light from 24 GLP FUSION Exo Beams in alternation with other beam fixtures, which simultaneously marked the take-off and landing point of all drones. Consequently, the compact beamlights made their greatest impact during take-off and the perfectly choreographed multi-stage landing of the drones.
In addition, Hillenkötter used the moving lights, with their super narrow 1° beam angle, to support scenic looks such as the ascent of the drones or the shining sun. “In the sun, I used the Exo Beams to create ‘sun rays’ on the ground, which created grazing lights on the meadow,” explained the designer, describing the impressive show scene.

The Exo Beam 10 from FUSION by GLP is a powerful, yet very compact IP65-rated moving light. Thanks to the 1° beam angle, the crisp beams are visible even at great distances. The Exo Beam 10 uses a highly efficient 90 watt LED engine with a colour temperature of 7,500 Kelvin. These properties, in combination with a super-fast response, allow unbelievable mid-air effects, both indoors and outdoors.

Several factors favoured the Exo Beams during the world record drone show that lasted approximately 10 minutes. “First of all, the Exo Beam 10s from FUSION by GLP have an insane light output with a very defined beam path for their performance class,” stated Hillenkötter. “In addition, they do not outshine the motif in the sky, but simply create a structure from the ground that supports the light show in the sky very well.

Photo Ralph Larman

I am also impressed with the extremely compact design, because that is by no means the norm for outdoor fixtures. The functionality of the Exo Beams is reduced to the bare minimum, yet I don’t miss any essential features, and as a designer don’t feel particularly limited in my creativity. Since the FUSION by GLP product line is also competitively priced, this choice ultimately saves on the budget.”

Hillenkötter generally favours fixtures from the GLP catalogue. “I have been working with GLP for many years as they are a manufacturer who continually supplies me with new creative tools and is never afraid to respond to my sometimes very particular requirements. Working with Andreas Brandt is always a pleasant and totally constructive experience. That is why GLP is one of the few manufacturers with whom I am in constant contact.”
Nocturne Drone Shows were responsible for the drone show itself, while Technology Arts handled the overall production. The Berlin office of the ressourcenmangel agency was in charge of the strategic concept, creation and campaign management.

In addition to further information about the ‘Networks of Tomorrow’ campaign and its important contribution to the success of the energy transition, a video of the drone show can be seen on the campaign page: https://www.netze-fuer-morgen.de/drohnenshow-weltrekord/

More information on the GLP website

The inaugural Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) event – a European Union initiative to reform its policies and institutions – took place in May at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, at the very heart of EU politics and legislation!
The elegant hemicycle debating chamber sits inside the striking Louise Weiss Building designed by Parisian-based Architecture-Studio and opened in 1999. It includes a 60-metre-high tower which is left looking deliberately unfinished and was inspired by Roman amphitheatres and the mythical Tower of Babel.

European Union 2021 © Michel Christen

The event included a welcome speech by French President Emmanuel Macron and contributions by other high-ranking politicians and EU officials. As CoFoE was aimed primarily at a younger audience of under 40s’, production company Nimblerr asked lighting designer Dimi Theuwissen of Belgium-based creative practice ID2Q to energise the distinctive hemicycle ensuring it looked dynamic and different on camera for this special broadcast.
Dimi decided to change up the look and mood completely with a fresh approach, lighting the room architecture in the background, and in doing so, bringing its presence right into the foreground and camera shots. Helping him to achieve this unique aesthetic were over 200 Robe moving lights – Spiiders, Tetra2s and LEDBeam 150s.

CoFoE was livestreamed and joined by 300 gen-public via zoom together with various ministers, dignitaries, and VIPs, all of whom appeared on seven large LED screens strategically deployed in a circular around 300 degrees of the hemicycle. Erasmus students from all EU member states were present in a socially distanced live audience, sitting in pre-designated states.

European Union 2021 © Christian Creutz

Two musical interludes intersected the 90-minute broadcast with short performances by French violinist Renaud Capuçon and the Brussels-based Karski Quartet … so all these elements informed Dimi’s proposed lighting design to take the hemicycle into a new visual dimension!
He had previously worked with Nimblerr – a subsidiary of DB Video – and currently the European Parliament’s AV co-ordinator on other similar parliamentary events and presidential debates, for which he also took a radical and more theatrical departure with lighting which everyone loved.
Reinforcing where the event was being staged by default meant the space itself was fundamental to the whole production design of the event. Normally lit by functional but stark fluorescent working light, Dimi proposed that the wall and ceiling areas were illuminated with lighting that could be controlled and changed.

Robe Spiider

“First and foremost, this was a broadcast / livestream, so it had to be lively and ‘pop’ on TV and as well as needing all the basics like great key lighting and skin tones for the speakers and performers, for me it was important to bring the building into play and involve it as a player integral to the whole vibe of the event,” he explained, rather than letting it fade sadly into the background.
One hundred and thirty-six Robe Spiider LED wash beams were placed around the two elliptical planes of the hemicycle’s perimeter wall, each fixture indirectly highlighting the individual glass panels of the wall.
He chose Spiiders for their narrow beam optics so he could play with and highlight the different texturing of the brighter and darker segments of the wall, and for their great colour mixing and rendering as well as the fact that they could also mimic the standard florescent tones and look when needed.

European Union 2021 © Christian Creutz

He used subtle pan and tilt cues to shift the lighting treatment on the walls … which looked fantastic on camera, adding a huge amount of depth and dimensionality to the picture.
An arc of LED PARs was mounted on microphone stands to get them in exact positions along the top of the wall panels.

Robe LEDBeam 150

The seven LED screens masked off the back area of the hemicycle seating – but the lit perimeter wall was clearly visible in the back of shots, so for some audience back lighting Dimi selected 40 x Robe LEDBeam 150s which looked atmospheric, intimate, and helped fill the gaps left by the socially detached seating plan.

The LEDBeam 150s effectively became part of the live audience! These fixtures were chosen because Dimi wanted a small, powerful fixture with a good zoom and great colour mixing, so the LEDBeam 150 ticked all the boxes.
The 42 x Tetra2 moving LED bars were rigged to the vertical ends of the LED screens – each of the screens was positioned to coincide with the paths of the hemicycle aisles which had to be kept clear for fire regulations.

Robe Tetra2

“I particularly wanted the tilt option on these lights in these positions,” commented Dimi, as they enabled him to create cool and dramatic lens flare effects especially for the long shot swoops coming in from the crane camera.

The major challenges of getting this event looking vibrant and contemporary were not so much aesthetic and creative, but more logistical in terms of the often-complex operational structures, systems, and protocols in place for working in the European parliament. Dimi has been using Robe products in his work for some time and loves the brand for its substantial product range, reliability and because Robe is widely available throughout Benelux and France and therefore easy to source large quantities through cross rental networking.

European Union 2021 © Christian Creutz

CoFoE’s lighting was programmed by Stijn Vanholzaets from The Creative Factory (TCF) using a grandMA2 console, which left Dimi free to concentrate on all the focussing and getting all the general looks wanted by director Yannick Gies from Nimblerr, who worked closely with Xavier Nijssen, project director for the European Parliament.

David Smeets and Christophe Hellinckx from TCF took care of the technical production management, and the video design and operation was under the control of TCF’s Patrick Bellens, Anthony Depré and Jan Lermineaux.
Lighting equipment was supplied by leading Belgian rental specialist Splendid and video by Dimitri Beyaert for DB Video, with the production also utilising elements of the European Parliament’s ‘house’ AV equipment.

European Union 2021 © Michel Christen

Dimi admitted that some aspects of the results were the complete opposite of what he had initially been told they wanted in the first lighting briefings, but everyone trusted his expertise to produce some magic even using unorthodox methodology for the European Parliament! They were all delighted with the results!

For more info about Robe and their products line, you can visit www.robe.cz

Set against a magnificent red rock canyon backdrop in the Utah desert, Tuacahn Amphitheater in the state’s southwest corner is one of the most picturesque settings you’ll find anywhere for outdoor theatre.
Lighting designer Cory Pattak has lit a production of Beauty and the Beast amid the spectacular surroundings and used the venue’s new IP65-rated Proteus Maximus moving heads as workhorse front light fixtures.

Photo Cory Pattak

FOH position

Pattak, in his fourth year lighting large-scale musicals at the amphitheater, was instrumental in the venue purchasing the 50,000-lumen LED luminaires, which were supplied by Felix Lighting. “Ever since the Proteus Maximus was announced, we had been interested in whether it might be a good fit for Tuacahn,” the designer states. The outdoor amphitheater seats 2000, with an uncovered stage that is 80’ wide by nearly 50’ deep, all backed by the red rocks of Snow Canyon.

Photo Cory Pattak

“We are often battling rain, high winds, 100+ temperatures and all other kinds of environmental challenges for shows that run from May to October. We have a FOH position that is covered, but it gets very hot in there and still can be affected by dust, wind and rain.
We’ve had some movers in there that are great lights, but not IP rated, and we were constantly dealing with lamps overheating and internal mechanics issues. This year we had the opportunity to replace them with eight Proteus Maximus and I jumped at the opportunity to get some into the rig.”

Elation Proteus Maximus

Beauty and the Beast, the first show at Tuacahn to use the new Maximus luminaires, opened on May 7th and runs through October 23rd. Pattak typically uses the fixtures to light the set with color and texture, or as front-light on performers, but he also uses them on the backdrop rock wall to project various patterns like bubbles, clouds and stars.

“The lights are extremely versatile and really do everything,” he stated, before describing their various uses in the show. “During the Act 1 Finale, I use all eight of them to create a moon and clouds skyscape high up about the Beast’s Lair.”
In the classic ballroom dance during the number Beauty and the Beast, the team chose to have the characters dance out onto a “balcony” allowing them to place the bulk of the dance inside a star field.

Pattak combines stars from other fixtures on the set and floor with the Maximus doing a star pattern on the mountain in conjunction with additional front projection, video screens, and laser stars. “We are able to create a seemingly endless star-field that usually is greeted with an audible gasp from the audience. It’s great that I can use the same light to do a 40’ saturated wide scenic wash, or a single person pale front light special, or a field of stars hundreds of feet away, and they work excellent in all instances.”

Expands the look

Photo Cory Pattak

Pattak says he rarely uses the Proteus’s without some kind of gobo in it. “Even if it’s very soft, because I prefer the more amorphous edge and the fall off is more desirable when it’s a bit textured.” In one of his favorite looks, at the end of Be Our Guest on the final verse, he uses half of the Proteus fixtures to create a champagne bubble pattern on the red rock backdrop. “It’s the first time in the show we project a pattern onto the rocks and it really knocks you back the first time they turn on,” he says.

“Suddenly the playing space, which only was as high as the overhead trusses, now expands hundreds of feet higher up the mountain and it brings the added punch needed to support the end of a show stopper like Be Our Guest. On the last note, all the bubbles are rotating covering an area of the mountain that must be thousands of feet wide, with pyro firing on stage, and fireworks launching into the air – it’s a pretty spectacular ending to the number.”

Photo Cory Pattak

Exceeding expectations

The designer remarks that the majority of the moving heads in the rig use an additive color mixing system. He knew having the white LED source of the Maximus and a subtractive mixing system would be a great balance and could produce the colors he felt were missing. “My expectations were high before actually turning them on,” he says, “but the fixtures even exceeded what we were all expecting. They are extraordinarily bright as well, handling the over 100’ throw to the stage with no problem.”

Even more exciting, he says, was the ability to achieve a level of brightness on the backdrop rock they had never seen before. “Everyone at Tuacahn, all the way up to the Artistic Director was gobsmacked at the light output we were getting, even after shooting hundreds and hundreds of feet. Also, since the first 30 minutes of the shows happen while the sun is still setting, the bright output was great to combat that ambient light.”
Pattak sums up by stating, “I’ve researched a lot of outdoor-rated moving lights and the Proteus Maximus is the brightest and best light I’ve encountered so far.”

Photo Cory Pattak

Repertory plot – shows all summer long

The Tuacahn Amphitheater lighting rig, as a repertory plot, needed to be as versatile as possible and will be in use all summer long. Other shows planned for this summer include Annie, School of Rock, and The Count of Monte Christo.
Pattak thanks Production Electrician Logan Gerring for spearheading the project to acquire the Maximus fixtures and Roger Pullis at Felix Lighting for “getting us the lights in a very short time period and providing excellent support.”

For more information about Elation Lighting and their products line, you can visit www.elationlighting.com

A newly formed group of Hippotizer Media Servers worked in total harmony for this year’s spectacular Eurovision final, feeding lighting and visual data into LED strips and LED tape on the main stage, set pieces and in the ‘green room’ artist area.

Almost 200 million people watched as a Hippotizer Boreal+ drove LED tape and strip colours on and around the main stage at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena. A Hippotizer Karst+ controlled all of the LED strips in the artist booths. © Nathan Reinds

An estimated 183 million people around the world watched as a Hippotizer Boreal+ served as lead in the band, driving all of the LED tape and strip colours on and around the main stage at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena. Contestants from 39 countries took part in this year’s event.
Second in command was a Hippotizer Karst+, which controlled all of the LED strips in the artist booths – where the all-important live interviews took place – as well as the specials for selected performers on the night. No band is complete without support, so the set up was complemented by a Karst and Karst+ Media Server as backup for the live finals.

© Andre Beekmans

Lighting designer for Eurovision 2021 was Henk-Jan van Beek from Light-H-Art. Managing the Hippotizer line up was André Beekmans from The Art of Light, who worked alongside show lighting programmers Micky Dordregter, Robbert-Jan Vernooij and Erik-Jan Berendesen to achieve the range of looks.

© Andre Beekmans

“Henk-Jan van Beek asked me to join in his team as one of the four show lighting programmers, and I was of course thrilled to be part of one of the world’s biggest events,” says Beekmans.
“Right from the start, we knew we needed some seriously powerful kit to feed around 800 universes of LED pixels, so we began searching for the right solution a powerful media server that could both handle the demands of the show, be user-friendly for all programmers working on the finals, and have a track record of reliability.

© Andre Beekmans

“I have always had a really good experience with Hippotizer servers, and have previously controlled LED strips using them. I also own some Hippotizer servers as part of my company, The Art of Light. But Micky and I still needed to decide which servers would be the right solution so we did some tests and the short version is that Hippotizer was the choice we made.”

The Art of Light purchased the Boreal+ especially for Eurovision 2021. The other servers were supplied by Beekmans’ company. “The main element of the Eurovision set was a massive LED screen which could open with two giant doors that could rotate, and at the back side of the doors was a light grip with mini panels,” Beekmans continues. “The stage was supported with ribs on the sides, filled with LED strips.

© Nathan Reinds

“When it came to the Hippotizers, PixelMapper was the main tool we used and we created some live masks to filter parts to control. For playback, we had a good library of content, comprised of a mix of standard content and custom-made content, which works well with the pixelmapping of LED strips. The features of Hippotizer made executing programming and control of the strips much easier, considering the enormity of the Eurovision requirements.”
The whole light setup was controlled using grandMA3 consoles running in MA2 mode, and all of the Hippotizer Media Servers were also controlled via this desk.
“This proved to be a very useful way to control everything from one place, so that the Hippotizers and the LED strips were in complete sync with all the lighting cues,” adds Beekmans.

© Nathan Reinds

Key light programmer was Joost Wijgers, with Bas Geersema serving as night shift programmer. Eurovision 2021 was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and AVROTROS.

More information on the Green Hippo website