Since 2004, fans eagerly anticipate the Weibo Night award show, which celebrates Asia’s biggest entertainment stars in a live event broadcast to millions.
This year’s event was live streamed on social networking platform Weibo and broadcasted on Dragon Television from the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.

Stage right. The main system and 10 Kara II as side fills.

This year’s gala hosted the nation’s most popular stars and industry executives, who experienced the six-hour extravaganza over an L-Acoustics K Series audio system provided by Pro Group.

Nan Hu, Marketing Director of Racpro.

For the past 16 years, Shanghai-based Pro Group has supported countless live events across China, working with the nation’s top audio professionals.
In 2020, Pro Group became China’s latest L-Acoustics Rental Network Partner, purchasing their system through L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor, Rightway Audio Consutants (Racpro), whose team also supported Pro Group for Weibo Night.
Racpro and Pro Group used L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modelling software to design the perfect system for the massive production at Mercedes-Benz Arena. “We’ve been to this venue many times before, so we had it laid out already in Soundvision,” explains Nan Hu, Marketing Director of Racpro.

For Weibo Night 2021, a massive round stage, topped with a giant, metal-crafted Sina Weibo eye logo which took centre stage above the main floor of the arena. “When the stage design was sent to us, we were able to add it to our venue file and easily plan an audio system design that made perfect sense for this intricate production,” say Hu.

Soundvision 3D mapping of the K2 main rig and Kara II side fill sound coverage.

Fourteen K2 and eight SB28 subs per side, rigged up and ready to be flown.

The sound design consisted of 14 L-Acoustics K2 topped by eight SB28 subs per side. Four Kara II, with two X8 coaxial were used as front fills. Twenty additional Kara II were used as side fills.
Syva and Syva Low were discreetly placed just behind the award presentation backdrop, to ensure presenters never missed a stage cue.

Hu adds, “With its wide coverage, visual discretion and plug-and-play installation, Syva helped us to address both side stage audience and backstage needs for Weibo Night.”

Due to the exclusivity of the gala event, most of the second and the third-tier stands were empty, leaving large swaths of area that could pose reflection challenges, but Hu explains that they were able to anticipate and overcome this challenge using the Panflex technology of L-Acoustics.

The LA12X for half the main rig and side fills.

“The top boxes of the Kara II front fill hangs used a 90° angle, to keep sound away from the walls and empty spaces, and the bottom cabinets used the wide, 110° angle to give even coverage over the audience area.”

Mr. Xi Pei, the Director of Sound for the award show and the lead engineer for this event, Mr. Shao Yong were thoroughly satisfied with L-Acoustics system performance.
“A superior L-Acoustics sound system like the one used for this show, guarantees that the production and presentation of the award ceremony goes well,” says Mr. Shao Yong. “The L-Acoustics system did a fine job of supporting an event graced by some of China’s most popular media stars.”

Find out more on RAC Pro at www.racpro.net and on the L-Acoustics website

The 19” processors are based on a hybrid architecture and allow users to load DSP templates in order to adapt the Matrix to varying installation requirements without reconfiguration or rewiring.

With its twelve analog inputs and eight analog outputs, the models are suitable for a wide range of audio and sound applications from the simple switching of microphones and loudspeaker groups to complex multi-room installations with modern DSP processing and calendar-controlled routing in schools, hotels, and more.
In addition to the ZONE X 1208, which features analog inputs and outputs and an Ethernet control interface, the ZONE X 1208 D also offers 64 x 64 Dante channels for the seamless integration of audio-over-IP.

The ZONE X 1208 and ZONE X 1208 D hybrid architecture DSP Matrix processors offer integrators and end users a wide range of remote control options and allow DSP templates to be loaded for a range of various installation requirements.
Templates are selected and operated via the universal Xilica Designer control software. In combination with the integrated event scheduler (planner), calendar-specific workflows can be created to automatically change presets.

The front face of the 1208 D.

The Zone X 1208 D for Dante with, from right to left the analog inputs, outputs, the GPI/GPO ports and the Dante Card.

As a flexible signal matrix, the ZONE X 1208 and ZONE X 1208 D each have twelve balanced microphone/line inputs with high-quality microphone preamps that include 48 V phantom power per channel, eight balanced line outputs, and 8 GPI and 8 GPO logic ports. The integrated Ethernet interface makes it possible to connect to Xilica Designer software.
The ZONE X series also features a remote bus for the seamless integration of wall panels and paging microphones from LD Systems. Dedicated remote control applications for iOS and Android are also available for customizing the software’s user interface.

The ZONE X 1208 and ZONE X 1208 D hybrid DSP Matrix processors are available now.

More information on LD Systems Série ZONE X and on the Adam Hall Group website

Hope Fellowship Church in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas, made a recent purchase of Obsidian NX4 and NX Wing lighting controllers and runs the intuitive Onyx platform across the ministry’s four campuses.
Mark Ellis, Production Development Director at the church, is a past user of M-PC lighting control software but made the smooth transition to the Onyx platform when Hope Fellowship upgraded their lighting control system.

Mark Ellis, who has been with the church for the past eight years, explain “When it was time to upgrade the controller to something new, I was looking for something userfriendly that all my volunteers knew.
We looked at consoles but many were more than what we wanted to pay and overly complicated. The Obsidian gear was a great value plus it let me keep familiarity with all our gear, also for our voluteers.”

Four locations, all running Onyx
Ellis’s position involves managing volunteers and interns across the church’s four campuses, but he also handles lighting, lighting design and production duties.
About three years ago, the church opened a 1700-capacity main sanctuary building at its Frisco East location, a site that serves as a broadcast campus to its other three locations.

A Frisco West campus and a campus in the nearby town of McKinney, both remodeled supermarkets, hold about 1400 parishioners each while a mobile campus in the town of Prosper currently holds services in a high school. All told, Hope Fellowship attracts around 7-8000 to services each weekend (pre-covid).

Seamless transition
The church acquired an NX4 lighting console for their Frisco East building along with NX Wings for their Frisco West and McKinney satellite sites. The Prosper campus uses Onyx software on a PC. Hope Fellowship acquired their Obsidian gear from Full Compass.

“It was really a very seamless transition,” says Ellis, who remarks that it was easy to load files from the old console into the new one and then make updates. “I was able to just drop a show file in and go. I’ve been on other consoles and they can be a bit intimidating but with Onyx, we show it to a volunteer and they can run a service after only a couple of run throughs. It’s been rock solid and the ease of use is great. At Frisco West and McKinney we use a lot of MIDI control and again it was easy to setup and easy to use.”

Dylos a big plus and “real bang for the buck”
With a well-arranged combination of motorized and manual faders, along with an array of playback buttons, the NX4 offers 44 total playbacks in a compact yet powerful package. Up to 64 Universes can be processed right inside the console. Another aspect of the console that Ellis finds valuable is the built-in pixel composer Dylos, which allows users to eliminate an external media server with presets.

“Dylos was one of the biggest selling points for why we went with the NX4 console and Wings. Getting rid of that media server computer connected to the console has been great,” Ellis states.
Integrated into the Onyx platform, Dylos is an intuitive toolset of media composition, effects, animations, and text generators that isn’t overly technical and eases the creative process. “I’m still learning it but right now I have a layer pixel-mapping some LED strips in solid colors or slow moving patterns and for our student services we go a little more flashy. It’s real bang for the buck and has been a big plus.”

For more information, check the Elation Lighting website and Obsidian Control Systems

The Weizmann Institute of Science is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel which offers graduate and postgraduate degrees in the natural and exact sciences and hosts an annual event honoring the work of Israeli scientists and their contributions to an assortment of projects.
This year for the first time, the format went fully digital in delivery – due to you know what – it was still staged at the Weizmann Institute campus’s Sela Auditorium, without a live audience but with as much ‘live’ presentational content as was possible.

© Yael Ilan

Lighting designer Eran Klein of Cochavi&Klein was asked to creating lighting for the event and chose an all-Robe moving light rig to provide the flexibility needed to deliver this high-profile broadcast which was co-ordinated by communications agency FaZa.
Their team comprised Liron Zabari, Yoram Friedlander, Dana Klein and Hadas Vilensky, and the goal of all involved in the production was to ensure that director Liron Zabari brought an essential ‘as live’ ambience to all those tuning in to the stream.

In addition to the action being broadcast, recorded, or streamed from the venue, more presenters joined in live by Zoom, Teams and other remote conferencing platforms and three live entertainment segments featured performances by Miri Mesika, Ilanit and Arik Davidoff.
Set designer Izaq Ronen Wasserstein created an impressive diagonally orientated stage that was dramatically minimal in aesthetic with some bold features including a lightning flash shaped walkway with a plexi top which was lit from below. This dissected the whole stage area and ended mid-way through the first tier of audience seating. Eran also accentuated the form with pixel-controllable LED strips.

© Yael Ilan

Onstage a substantial LED screen on stage right was contrasted with five graduated columns of LED on stage left. The tops of all these LED sections were masked so they slanted, keeping the distorted perspective styling which looked fantastic on camera.
This brought a huge depth to the space on camera and also created some keystoning challenges which had to be corrected through good lighting, elegant camerawork and some other visual trickery. People moved to multiple positions all over the stage, with most of the presentation positions decided last minute to give a feeling of improvisation and enhanced the live vibe specifically sought after by Liron Zabari.

Eran utilised six Robe BMFL Blades, two of which were positioned out in the audience area on flightcases which was a perfect angle for TV! The other four were rigged on two V-shaped trusses that mimicked the shape of the lightning flash on the stage.
“Basically, I needed to know that wherever Liron put a guest in the auditorium or on the stage … I could quickly and easily get key lighting onto them,” explained Eran, adding that in some shots, sometimes these key lighting positions also became back-lighting.

He deployed 10 out of 15 x Robe MegaPointes on the trusses with the other five on the floor – for effects – and ten LEDBeam100s were also on the floor along the front of stage as footlights and to enlarge the overall picture. Seven Robe Spiider LED wash beams were on the overhead trusses with the MegaPointes.
Eran often uses Robe products for his shows – which span a wide range of disciplines – from slick corporates to flamboyant dance and EDM festivals. For television work, he likes using a combination of different Robe products for the colour continuity between them. “In this environment, color harmony is extremely important, and Robe fixtures all have nice, refined and organic color systems that produce such a great range of high-quality colors.”

© Yael Ilan

BMFL Blades – as was the case with this event – are his go-to key lighting fixture. Initially, his client for this show had wanted to use another type of profile moving light, but Eran put his foot down and insisted on his BMFL Blades!
Lighting rental company Simul had to cross-rent the BMFL Blades from Danor Theatre and Studio Systems for this event for which they also supplied audio and LED screens. All the scenic elements were delivered by Gideon Rokach.

Eran programmed and ran the lights on a grandMA2 system with full redundancy. Eran recalls how a massive effort made the live entertainment segments truly spectacular. Ensuring there was plenty of scope for producing effects and that production values were high was a key for all the creative team.
With no live audience, lighting and video effects were used to help create an atmosphere, a task that is “easier said than done”. Eran worked very closely with the OB truck team from Central to ensure that the process went extremely smoothly.

“The Weizmann Institute has a great reputation for high-end science and that needed to be reflected in the presentation which had to look official but be cool, sharp and on-point. It was a demanding task, but we all love challenges and being imaginative! Everyone was delighted with the results.” The set-up, technical and rehearsal period was two weeks before the three-day streamed event went live.

For more info about Robe lighting and their products, check their website www.robe.cz

ETC launched two new theatrical fixtures as part of a two-day-long international online event. The Source Four LED Series 3 and Desire Fresnel are a nice pairing for any theatre looking to launch themselves into the modern day with good brightness andcolor mixing as well as wireless DMX/RDM features.

Source Four LED Series 3 is the third generation of the color mixing LED fixture. As technology advanced, so did the fixtures. Now boasting an eight-color mixing system that includes deep red LEDs and nuanced colors. “With Series 3, you finally get your swatch book back,” says Broadway lighting designer Justin Townsend.
Uncover a depth and richness to fabrics, scenery, and skin tones with the Lustr X8 array. Tunable white-light is also an option with the Daylight HDR array.

Source Four LED Series 3

The newly designed XDLT lens tubes for ultimate brightness from every location in your theatre. Hang these in a box boom, on a catwalk, or from the farthest back of house position, and know that with up to 13,000 lumens, their brightness should meet with your needs. Designers should also appreciate a reduced light leak and near-zero chromatic aberration.

Desire Fresnel DFL7

ETC also adds a redesigned classic to their portfolio with Desire Fresnel. This Fresnel is a full eight-color array, wireless DMX/RDM and has an intuitive user interface.

NFC configuration from mobile device using ETC’s Set Light app is an easy way to have access to this fixture parameters.
Smooth light, barn dooring, and adjustable zoom has been incorporated into the Desire Fresnel.
ETC has reworked how the lamp and lens work together in order to get more light through the entire zoom range.

For information on ETC visit etcconnect.com

A multi-venue arts centre in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Arts Commons (formerly EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts) has invested in a complement of Ayrton lighting fixtures and Robert Juliat followspots from Sapphire Sound.

Arts Commons is located in Calgary’s downtown Cultural District and is one of the three largest arts centres in Canada. Its five theatres and concert hall are home to six resident companies and host a wide array of guest performers annually. While Arts Commons is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre has been busy upgrading and expanding its lighting inventory in anticipation of reopening.

According to Kris Ladd, Head of Lighting at Arts Commons, 16 Ayrton Huracan-X and four Ayrton Diablo-S fixtures were purchased for the Jack Singer Concert Hall, the permanent home of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the largest venue in the centre. It seats 1,800 and boasts the 6,040-pipe Carthy Organ.

Three Ayrton Mistral-TCs have been installed in the Engineered Air Theatre, a 185-seat space used for concerts, films, plays, weddings, receptions and galas, while a pair of Robert Juliat 800W LED Arthur followspots have been added to the 750-seat Max Bell Theatre, home to Theatre Calgary.

Brian Cloutier, in sales and design for lighting at Sapphire Sound, worked with Ladd during the upgrade process, providing equipment for demos and shootouts and furnishing the fixtures selected for the three venues. “Kris knows what he wants, which makes it very easy for me,” he notes. “I’ve also had a long relationship with ACT Lighting, and they give us amazing support for everything we purchase.”

Ayrton Huracan

Ayrton’s versatile, high-performance Huracan-X fixtures have become the main profiles for the Jack Singer Concert Hall. “Our current fixtures, bought when LED moving lights were a new thing, are RGBW lights that produce excellent colours but not very bright white,” says Kris Ladd.
“White sources, on the other hand, tend to lose intensity on colours, and most can’t make red. I wanted something that was a lot brighter in the white and enabled me to mix a red. A lot of our orchestra shows call for us to fade colours, so I need to be able to mix to that colour.
“With Huracan-X I can get a nice red and very bright white. I can even use a whole bunch of colour flags, multiple layers of gobos and animation wheels and still get good intensity that really punches through,” he reports. The new Huracans allow Ladd to get full stage washes of gobos, too. All 16 fixtures are mounted on several trusses on dollies so they are “ready to go” for concerts.

Ayrton Diablo

“ACT Lighting’s support of Ayrton made these fixtures a viable option for us,” Ladd points out. “I had looked at Ayrton products before ACT began distributing them but knowing that ACT was behind them made me feel comfortable that this would be a good purchase for us.”

Ladd also added Diablo-S fixtures to the concert hall. “They are the smallest, full-featured LED profiles I could find,” he explains. “I will tuck them into the canopy for specials, especially with the orchestra.” A large laminated spruce-wood acoustical canopy is suspended over the stage; it can be raised or lowered to tune the hall according to the specific needs of each performer.
“Before, if the orchestra did a pop show with lead singers there was no way to highlight the singers, to make them separate out from the orchestra without adding ugly truss,” says Ladd. “Now, with Diablos in the canopy, we can give them a full wash.” Both the Huracan-X and Diablo-S fixtures are “extremely quiet in silent mode, which is very important for the orchestra,” he adds.

Ayrton Mistral

The Engineered Air Theatre, which has no permanent company and hosts a variety of shows year-round, has hung the Ayrton Mistral-TCs from the grid above the stage.
“We needed a fixture to add more interest and jazz up a show,” says Ladd. “Given the small size of the theatre these lights are as big as I could go, but they are still a full-featured LED in a small and lightweight package. Three Mistrals will easily fill the whole stage.
“I looked at cheaper options, but everything else that size typically did not have enough features, but the Mistrals had everything.”

Arthur LED followspots

The Arthur LED long-throw followspots from Robert Juliat replace followspots installed in the FOH cove in the Max Bell Theatre for its opening in 1985.
Prior to the closing of Arts Commons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ladd demo’d Robert Juliat’s 600W Oz followspot in search of a medium or long-throw spot for greater intensity.

“Oz was tempting; it was brighter than what we had, but we felt we needed a little more intensity and wanted an LED instead of an arc source,” Ladd recalls. “We were fortunate that Arthur, an 800W LED, came out soon after and was everything we needed!”

More information on the Ayrton website and on the Robert Juliat website

DJ Teddy-O has already achieved great success, which he has celebrated around the world as the official DJ of the DFB German national football team, resident DJ at the legendary PACHA Club in Ibiza, concert DJ for global stars such as Jay-Z and Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Flo Rida and David Guetta, remixer for acts like Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Sean Paul.
Another of his highlights was the world championship victory ceremony of the German national soccer team in 2014, for which Teddy-O was flown from Germany to Brazil.

Teddy-O mixant durant la “Night of Light – Red Alert” au siège de Adam Hall.

This exceptional DJ also demonstrated his abilities behind the DJ desk as part of “Night of Light – Red Alert” on June 22, 2020.

Together with his colleagues Paul van Dyk and Gestört aber GeiL, DJ Teddy-O delivered the soundtrack for the special edition of WORLD CLUB DOMES, streamed live from the Adam Hall Group Experience Center.

Baptiste Languille

Baptiste Languille, LD Systems’ Senior Global Brand Marketing Manager, said: “Since the Night of Light, contact between DJ Teddy-O and Adam Hall Group has remained strong, because we have noticed that we share the same values: we live for music and love products that enable people to live their passion in a simple and professional way.
Teddy-O is not just an outstanding DJ with a lot of experience and skill, he is simply a great guy who never lets up with his positive attitude and creative curiosity – just like our team at LD Systems.”

DJ Teddy-O said: “The concept behind Night Of Light spoke directly to my soul! It was immediately clear to me that I wanted to be there to support our industry. At Adam Hall, I feel very strongly supported as an artist, because you constantly notice how much passion the team has for everything they do.

I have to be able to identify with a brand 100% and I look for partners where the interpersonal communication is a good fit only then is it honest and authentic. This is totally the case with LD Systems.

Sometimes, I’ve never heard my songs quite the way I hear them on LD speakers. With the MAUI® P900, it was love at first sight. I’ve never seen a more aesthetic loudspeaker before and the sound is equally unrivaled.

Along with many innovative future projects, I am already really looking forward to having the MAUI® P900 with me at exclusive events, and inspiring other people with my music.”

More information on the LD Systems website and on the DJ Teddy O website

The pandemic period will surely be remembered for many things including the invention and creativity manifested by an entertainment and technical production industry determined to keep music and performance accessible and relevant during a world public health crisis and the resulting enforced isolation.

© Morten Rygaard

Danish DJ and music producer Martin Jensen has played a series of livestream concerts in unexpected, innovative and cool locations around the country including Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium, aboard Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS “Niels Juhl” and aboard historic paddle-steamer “Hjejlen”, atop the Camp Adventure nature reserve forest tower in Rønnede and amidst Copenhagen’s famous Illum department store … blending superlative, pumping dance beats with the concept of art “intervention”, delighting his fanbase and so many others who tuned in to Twitch to catch the action.

At the heart of ensuring that all concerts on this tour were unique visually and sonically engaging experiences … was lighting designer Mathias Skall Hansen from Frontsound.
For five of the seven shows, Mathias specified and used quantities of different Robe moving lights – MegaPointes, Spiiders, BMFLs – which were supplied by leading Danish rental company Nordic Rentals.
Mathias’ company Frontsound specialises in visual design and SFX, and he has worked with Martin Jensen since the artist’s international career took off in 2014. Martin is very much involved in the production of all his shows and fully tuned in to the power of lighting and visuals, so Mathias was hugely excited to be a part of these ground-breaking shows.

© Morten Rygaard

As Robe is one of Mathias’ favourite moving light brands, especially the MegaPointe, he spec’d the fixture for all these performances where his starting point was the various camera angles including overhead drone shots. Getting that 360-degree central overhead shot was a key to the optical WOW factors and capturing the symmetry and form of the lighting schemes in each case.

Mathias has been using Robe products consistently in his lighting designs for the last six years. “They are very powerful with good colour mixing and gobo selection, very fast, easy to programme and above all reliable and well-engineered,” he commented.

© Morten Rygaard

For the Parken show, Martin was positioned right in the middle of the pitch, his DJ booth set up on a 10 x 10 metre video floor. Around this were three concentric circles of moving lights, the first and second comprising 42 x Robe BMFL Spots in total and the third outer ring made up by 56 x MegaPointes.

These fixtures were chosen for their intensity and impact, and Mathias was able to create a series of fantastic kaleidoscopic looks and geometric shapes that combined seamlessly with the video content and SFX permeating the gig for the overhead shots, together with multiple high-impact pyro cues. The lighting setup looked equally dynamic from the ground-based cameras directed by Marco Villarroel.

© Morten Rygaard

The 139 metre long Niels Juhl – a fully working Navy frigate – was anchored at the Navy base in Korsør at the time of the concert. Martin’s DJ decks were set up on the helipad with the 24 x MegaPointes arranged in a V-shape behind him, used to create assorted patterns, looks, and camera candy effects, while the FOH area was set up in the helicopter hangar immediately behind.

© Morten Rygaard

The SFX included flames and gas jets, and the trademark Martin Jensen show fireworks were rigged on barges positioned around the ship for a massive wide-shot panorama.

The challenges for this gig included craning all the kit onto the ship for which the Navy fully embraced the show and made their considerable resources available. One thing that no-one could control on the night was the wind, so the multiple strategically positioned smoke machines had their work cut out, but the MegaPointes were so bright that they pierced the night sky even without enhancement from the smoke.

The Hjejlen is one of the world’s oldest operational paddle-steamers, built in 1861 and now used to ferry tourists between Silkeborg, where she is moored and Himmelbjerget one of Denmark’s highest points.

© Morten Rygaard

Picturesque Silkeborg is also Martin’s hometown, so this show was a big deal for him and the city that nestles on the Gudenå River in eastern Jutland. The ship is considerably smaller than the Niels Juhl, so there was room only for the DJ booth and some minimal battery powered wireless LED key lights on the deck.
A smoke machine was secreted in the boiler room and atmosphere fed in from behind a large seat, with all the major lighting and effects elements – including 24 x Robe MegaPointes – deployed on pontoons rigged around the boat in the harbour, with the FOH control on another.

© Morten Rygaard

© Morten Rygaard

Camp Adventure Tower is in the middle of a forest-climbing park in the breath-taking Gisselfeld Klosters forests of southeast Zealand, and Martin took his show and music to the top of this spectacular 45-metre-high hour-glass shaped observation tower which allows visitors a bird’s eye view across the massive beech forests.

© book1drone

The technical crew pushed all the DJ equipment and the flightcased MegaPointes – which were positioned right on the top level of the tower – up its 800-metre ramped access route.
The fixtures were spaced out equidistantly around the top loop and their patterns elegantly programmed in sequences matching the shape and form of the tower. They were the main visual effects as no pyro could be used due to the woodland environment and extensive wildlife.

© Morten Rygaard

Copenhagen’s ILLUM luxury department store was the pop-up location for the final show of this series so far. Known as one of the most exclusive and architecturally interesting retail destinations in the city, its massive main atrium is finished throughout with white marble surfaces. Martin’s DJ decks were set up on a platform flown – impressively – right in the middle of the space at 16 metres off the floor and approximately level with the third storey!

To accentuate the opulent interior, Mathias used 86 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams positioned on flightcases deployed around the ground and first three floors, allowing the whole inside of the building and all the shopping areas to be illuminated.

The 16 x MegaPointes used for this show were set up in a circle on the floor directly below the flown DJ riser. Two Robe BMFL Spots at one end were used to shoot gobos all around the atrium including onto the escalator structure opposite.
Mathias enjoyed the many challenges and great fun of working in these different found spaces and off-beat locations which were full of surprises!

© Morten Rygaard

“Each show was completely unique, and while you might have had an initial idea in your head about how everything would work, the design had to be flexible enough to be changed and adapted to find the best solution once on site,” he explained, clearly relishing the spirit and spontaneity of the concept.

Mathias programmed and operated lighting for all these events – where the sets typically ran for between 4 and 5 hours – using his grandMA3 light console.
Frontsound also co-ordinated the audio, and supplied the pyro, fireworks and SFX for locations where they were used. Mathias production managed the series of shows, ending up in the slightly novel position of also controlling his own lighting and SFX budgets!
Trust Rental was the video supplier for the ILLUM and Parken performances, while the drone footage was supplied by Book1drone and cameras by Mike Sønderby AT Rafnpv.

For more info about Robe range of products please check www.robe.cz

The Phoenix Suns Arena had multiple names since it first opened in June of 1992, but the Phoenix Suns Arena formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, and PHX Arena has been the home of the NBA Phoenix Suns since day one.
What has changed recently is how the venue sounds, with a new L-Acoustics Kara II loudspeaker system in place just in time for the 2021 NBA season.

Designed by AV consultants at WJHW and installed by Pro Sound & Video, a Solotech company, the new Kara II system is part of the $230 million Project 201: PHX Reimagined, designed to convert the nearly 30-year-old arena into a state-of-the-art sports entertainment venue for Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury fans.

According to Pro Sound & Video, the arena’s management specifically requested an L-Acoustics PA system as part of the ongoing and extensive venue renovation, including new distributed sound systems for the arena’s concourses and back-of-house areas.
“The venue’s management has had positive experiences with L-Acoustics in other locations in the past, and the brand has become widely accepted by NBA arenas,” says Pro Sound.

Qui dit aréna dit gros système, de là la présence de 43 contrôleurs amplifiés LA4X, 36 pour le système principal et 7 pour les rappels. Plus de 170 pattes d’ampli…

The integrator points out that Kara II was chosen for its light weight and powerful output capability. “We had to stay within certain weight limits on the steel for this project, especially since the system is designed to be pulled up and out of the way, potentially, when touring shows come through with their own sound systems,” they explain. “We worked very closely with the structural engineers to make sure we were well within the weight limits.

Faciles à repérer, les lignes de Kara II et celles de quatre SB18 placées derrière les têtes.

At the same time, this is a large venue ”Phoenix Suns Arena has a seating capacity of over 18,000“ and the sound needs to cover the entire seating area and court.
Kara II is not only compact and lightweight, but it also has a lot of power for its size. And it offers a lot of sonic transparency as well.”

With the number of fans in attendance still being strictly limited per current safety protocols, acoustical reflection and reverberation issues from empty seating areas are a potential concern. “Thankfully, Kara II has a tight dispersion directivity and high degree of speech intelligibility,” Pro Sound adds. “Those have become more and more important in sports venue sound designs and are reasons why L-Acoustics is seen in more arenas and stadiums.”

Le directeur technique audio et vidéo des Phoenix Suns, Gary Gillespie.

Phoenix Suns Director of Engineering & A/V Technology Gary Gillespie agrees, citing hearing L-Acoustics systems installed at the NFL Arizona Cardinals State Farm Stadium and NHL Arizona Coyotes Gila River Arena in nearby Glendale. “I’m also a live-sound mixer, so I’ve had a lot of experience with L-Acoustics, and I’m a fan of their sound,” he says.
“But our team leadership also highly values the intelligibility that Kara II brings to speech in the arena and the fact that L-Acoustics WST systems never cause ear fatigue for the fans. It’s just a great-sounding system.”

The arena’s new system comprises six arrays of 14 Kara II enclosures for a total of 84 Kara II, plus a hang of four SB18i subwoofers flown in a cardioid configuration directly behind each Kara II array. In addition, there are 28 short-throw X12 coaxials deployed as a delay ring. All of these are powered by 43 LA4X amplified controllers—36 for the main PA and seven for the delays—providing over 170 channels of amplification.

Huit enceintes A10 placées sous le tableau d’affichage central précisent la diffusion sur le terrain.

Furthermore, a single LA12X powers eight A10 loudspeakers positioned underneath the center-mounted scoreboard serving as court fills.
Self-powered, coaxial 108P monitors are also installed in the new media editing suite to replicate the response of the Kara II main bowl system for accurate media reproduction.

The design of the Phoenix Suns’ new sound system originally called for eight hangs of Kara. However, this was changed to accommodate revised weight-load requirements for touring systems. With last year’s addition of Panflex to the original Kara loudspeaker model, providing four-in-one directivity, Kara II was a “game-changer” for the Suns.

Now, one box could cover any audience geometry and offer consistent coverage and SPL distribution with precise focus in four different directivity patterns: 70 degrees or 110 degrees symmetrical and 90 degrees asymmetrical, focusing directivity to either the left or right. In its 70-degree configuration, Kara II packs a full 2 dB more than in 110 degrees. That prompted design changes that allowed just six arrays to fulfill the coverage requirements of the bowl without having to alter the product specification from Kara II.

Les six petites lignes de 6 Kara II actuellement dédiées à la diffusion de l’ambiance virtuelle durant les matchs. Espérons que cela puisse rapidement changer…

L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modeling software was used to execute the system design and all revisions quickly and accurately. This particular revision provided the venue with 28 additional Kara II from the original order that Gillespie and the Phoenix Suns management team decided would serve as onsite production inventory and be used as a flexible multi-use, in-house special-events production audio system.

Anyone in arena management knows to “expect the unexpected.” As fate would have it, those extra Kara II enclosures came in very handy almost immediately after the NBA directed their teams to implement their own enhanced crowd-noise systems for the current season. The additional inventory, plus eight more enclosures rented from the local shop of Clearwing Productions, now make up six hangs of six Kara II and are dedicated to the virtual crowd-noise system developed by Firehouse Productions for the NBA’s Orlando “bubble” last season, now in place at most NBA venues.

“Kara II’s Panflex update provided us with the extra speakers we needed for the crowd-noise system at exactly the right time,” he says.

“We began to see ROI right away on what we had thought would be extra inventory, and it turned a frown upside-down. And with up to 3,000 fans allowed inside now, the system truly makes it sound like a full house. L-Acoustics, Pro Sound & Video, and WJHW really partnered with us to create a greatly enhanced experience for both the fans and the players.”

For more details visit:

– The Phoenix Suns Arena website
– The Pro Sound & Video website
– The WJHW website
– The L-Acoustics website

© Riot Games

Hundreds of GLP’s JDC1 hybrid strobes were deployed by lighting designers Mat Stovall and Trevor Stirlin Burk at the new Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai for the League of Legends World Championship 2020 Finals—the pinnacle of the eSports community and the concluding event of the season.

© Riot Games

Organised by Riot Games and ConCom Inc, the event took place on a massive scale. ‘The Worlds’ was broadcast in 16 languages and across 21 platforms setting a new record; an indicator of eSports’ increasing appeal.
The live event saw 888 active JDC1 heads in use—corresponding to a lucky number in Chinese numerology. Senior project manager Bobby Braccia; worked closely with CT Shanghai’s Aaron Ross Durdin and the rest of the CT team to facilitate the visions of the designers.

© Riot Games

Most notably the versatile JDC1’s were used during the Opening Ceremony to highlight a giant free-standing, 33m high, 65-tonne Paifang (traditional Chinese architectural central arch), fabricated by Star Live.
They also back-lit two giant 18m x 32m LED screens, on which the gameplay was displayed.
Finally, they formed the centrepiece of a rectilinear, so-called giant ‘poppy field’, interspersed with beam lights in the 33,765-capacity arena (socially distanced for a maximum of 6,000 people).

© Riot Games

Stovall and Burk explained that, given the constraints placed on them by Covid-19, Riot strives to create a unique show every year and even with the obvious challenges, that goal remained the same. This was Stovall’s ninth year at the event, working alongside Opening Ceremony director Sam Wrench. He stated that massive safety precautions had been taken.
“There were 24 competition teams from all over the world taking part, and like most productions we were all wearing masks. There was regular testing and a two-week quarantine before starting work, as mandated by the Chinese Government.”

© Riot Games

The ceremony itself was split into different parts, opening with K-pop group K/DA performing via augmented reality, followed by a medley of anthems from past Worlds events. At the end, as the players were introduced, a virtual, towering version of League character Galio known as the stone colossus appeared on stage.
The whole rig was used as the main story unfolded, running into a reveal of the players, and then going into the championship gameplay itself.

Although the design went through several iterations the large creative canvas of the JDC1 hybrid strobes had always been central to the creative dynamic, according to Stovall. “We fixed on the JDC1 before we could commit to the rest of the rig. I knew they would really define the show.”

© Riot Games

To give an idea of the JDC1’s versatility, each module contains a traditional single tube element with a clear, bright white output and combines that with a surrounding full face of RGB LED power, utilising 1,320 high quality LEDs. These two elements have independent control and can be used as separate pieces or combined for stunning effects.

Along with working as a strobe light, both the tube and the full-face sections can be run continuously for high output blinder and wash light effects, while the RGB face can be divided into 12 separate ‘plate’ sections, and additionally the bright white tube also can be divided into 12 sections and then the whole array can be fully pixel mapped.

© Riot Games

Of the 888 JDC1s used, 540 were distributed across the deck, with the remaining 348 lining the arch. “We had lots of Chinese variant products in the rig, but we insisted there should be no substitute for the JDC1,” confirmed Burk.

© Riot Games

As for the event itself, there may only have been 6,000 people admitted to the arena but this year’s viewership stats for the finals revealed an Average Minute Audience of 23.04 million and 45.95 million Peak Concurrent Viewers.
There were over 1 billion hours of competition watched over the course of the entire tournament.

More info about GLP range of products can be found on the GLP website

Optocore has further upgraded its popular M-series MADI interfaces, making it compatible with DiGiCo consoles, and providing additional functionality with all the advantages of Optocore’s DD-series, and more, at the same price point, making it super cost-effective.

Three M12 (8 ports) and two M8 (4 ports) and as always with Optocore, the back shows off more than the front !

Furthermore, the new, advanced versions have all the advantages of Optocore’s popular DD-series, and much more, at exactly the same price point, making it super cost-effective. M-series devices are now the principal means of plugging MADI streams directly into the DiGiCo loop to enable MADI streams to be input and output (other than DD-series and DiGiCo’s own devices). This includes the channel count recognised by the DiGiCo devices, which is identical to the channel count provided by the DD2FR-FX and DD4MR-FX.

Maciek Janiszewski

This upgrade applies equally to the entire M-series, as all available channels can also be freely distributed through all MADI ports on any of the five M8 and M12 devices.
For example, one show could use an M12-BNC/OPT, and provide one (1) 64/64 MADI fiber port and two (2) 32/32 MADI BNC ports, while for another show it could be two (2) 64/64 fiber MADI.


States Optocore Applications Engineering Manager, Maciek Janiszewski, “The compatibility of the M-series, along with the ability to control Optocore preamps from the console, makes DiGiCo/Optocore systems by far the most effective solutions for essentially all installations.

“Furthermore, when not incorporated within the DiGiCo loop, M-series functions as standalone, full-capacity MADI routers; for example the M12 allows for routing of 512/512 channels @48K.”

La face avant du M12

The new routers are shipping with immediate effect.

For further information visit the Optocore website

The Snowboard World Championships returned to Valmalenco (Italy) in January 2021, albeit behind closed doors due to the health emergency. Four days of competitions on the snow after a nine years absence of the Alpe Palù competition, down the area’s 60 kilometers of ski slopes.

Fabio Frate

Frate Professional took care of setting up the audio and video systems, installing a wireless system consisting of various stacking stations with RCF HDL 26-A line array and HDL 35-AS subs.

Horizontal directivity. The top continuous black line is 10°, the second lower is 40°. The attenuation is regular and no hot spots are visible. We just notice a slight drop around the 750 Hz crossover point.

The audio system requested by the client body had to guarantee sound reinforcement for the entire competition area, including the start and the finish zones, with a distance of 800 meters as the crow flies between the main diffusion points. Fabio Frate and his team devised a strategic solution.

“To avoid laying long cable runs and crossing the parterre with cables, we chose to use Neutrik Xirium Wireless Bridges from the ski lift technical room up to the finish area, where the control room was positioned. An already existing balanced line of the chairlift facilities also allowed a wired connection with the sound diffusion spot of the start area.”

The HDL 26-A without its front panel. Two 6” for the lows and a 3” titanium dome drive, a double class D amplifier and an active constant phase filter for regular and accident-free directivity.

The sound system was permanently installed along the snowboard slope for 5 days, including one day of pre-setup. The system ran non-stop for 8 hours a day and was left outdoors (and under the snow) every night throughout the championship period, using only the rain cover accessory to protect the rear connection panel for each unit.

The snow was there. From top to bottom four HDL 26-A heads and two HDL 35-AS subwoofers.

“RCF assured us the system would work with great ease, as all components are waterproof and can work smoothly in sub-zero temperatures, and it did. At night here, temperatures can go right down to -25°C.”
As well as the sound system, Frate Professional also installed a 3.9mm pixel pitch Outdoor Ledwall for displaying the video contributions synchronized with the audio.

The logistical problems were not confined to the harsh climate; the inaccessibility of the stations also had to be dealt with. “All of the equipment was transported on the snow, using snowmobiles and snowcats, which, thanks to their load capacity, made it possible to integrate our RCF HDL 26-A units with HDL 35-AS subs, i.e. modules from the same RCF series, for better musical performance.

Big advantage of this small system, its weight makes it easily transportable. 14.9 kg for the head and 30 kg for the sub.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Ice too!

The low end delivered by those small subs is impressive and could be felt even at a great distance.”

The QL1 in charge of collecting the sources, mixing and routing them to the PA and the broadcast media.

In the audio control room, a Yamaha QL1 digital mixer enabled handling both all of the incoming audio signals from wireless mics and contributions and the mix routing to the TV broadcasters.
Fabio Frate continues “The performance of this small-sized line array is top notch, the audio was clear and intelligible along the entire snowboard slope.

Although the audience was small in number, the HDL system still reached everyone even hundreds of meters away. I was positively impressed by the reliability of the system.
It always delivered maximum performance, even when turned on first thing in the morning, after a night of freezing temperatures!”

More information on the RCF website

Robe luminaires were selected for another premium cultural project, this one at the Said-Galiev Cultural Centre in Derbyshki in Kazan, the capital of the Russian semi-autonomous region of Tatarstan, an area renowned as a lively melting pot of Russian and Tatar heritage.

Robe Pointe

Robe’s Russian distributor LTM with branches in Moscow, Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg delivered the order of Robe Pointes, LEDBeam 150s and ParFect 150s for its client the Altin Group.
LTM also undertook all the related installation and commissioning work for the Robe moving lights and other elements of the venue’s lighting that were extensively updated in this project.

The ornate Said-Galiev Cultural Centre has two main auditoriums, a main one seating 560 and a smaller 120 capacity hall and was originally built in 1959.
This latest technical upgrade, which also included audio, flexible rigging, LED screens and a cinema projection system enables it to stage a range of shows and events.

The Robe luminaires are all being utilised in the main hall. Four of the Pointes are positioned above the stage with more rigged in the ‘slips’ positions either side of the pros arch for high tight angled lighting onto the forestage.
They were chosen for their power and intensity. More Pointes together with other new lighting fixtures are rigged on portable side booms onstage.

The LEDBeam 150s and ParFect 150s were chosen for their high luminosity, perfectly matching optics, and quality of output. Some of these are on the side booms with others lighting from the galleries and foyer.

LEDBeam 15O

ParFect 15O

These three types of Robe fixtures have also been specified by LTM for similar installations in recent years including at the Dagun Omayev Palace of Culture in Grozny city, Chechnya, the State Drama Theater named after Kosta Levanovich Khetagurov in Tskhinvali and the Theater Crave in Moscow which is specially designed to hold cabaret shows.

For more info about Robe lighting range of products, you can check www.robe.cz

David Lincecum

ETC is hosting an online event to launch two new theatrical fixtures on March 30-31. This event starts at 16:00 CEST/15:00 BST (09:00 CDT) with a keynote message from David Lincecum, VP of Marketing.

Justin Towsend

Immediately following the keynote, attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear from Tony-nominated Broadway lighting designer, Justin Townsend, on the impacts of LED on lighting design.
Additional sessions over the next 24 hours include product demos and Q&A with the development team, and a series of classes that focus on incorporating technology into your theatrical workflow to increase efficiency and productivity.

Much of the content will be presented in multiple languages (English, French and German) and multiple time zones around the world making this truly an international launch event. Visit etcconnect.com/ETCLaunch for session details and registration information.

And still Online product demos. You can also register for a one-on-one virtual product demo at a time that works for you!

Visit ETC website for session details and registration information