A pretty busy Cheshire Fairgrounds drive-in music venue.

New England audio production company, Paddle Out Productions is in the middle of a 16-week contract with M.E. Productions at the Cheshire Fairgrounds drive-in music venue, a huge open field, allowing up to 425 cars parked in every other space hosting performances from the likes of Guster and Grace Potter.
To ensure every spectator could enjoy the live performances, Paddle Out Productions deployed its recently expanded Martin Audio WPM system.

Small yet able to perform as a long-throw box, the 12 Martin WPM at work.

Organising such an event in a large and socially distanced space has had its challenges for the events team, and Ryan Burhans of Paddle Out Productions admits that in a space like Cheshire Fairground, sound quality and audience coverage were his top priorities.

“I was nervous with the size of the field that we weren’t going to fill those ‘Rock and Roll’ shoes that are expected now and again,” he explained. “For example, we had a louder band, Blue Oyster Cult, who were due to perform and I was worried if we would hit the right SPL the guys were expecting. But we were cruising from the beginning.”

Martin WPM

Paddle Out Productions equipped the venue with 12 Martin Audio WPM speakers per side, powered by two iKON amplifiers using a two-box resolution for the main PA.
In addition to this, hangs of W8LM were used for the delay towers at around 250 feet, of the 650-foot-long field.

“All our concerts right now are long-throw because of the cars and spacing but we nailed it with two amps for the whole PA, 12 per side, and we were rockin’,” says Burhans.

8 channels, a lot of DSP, meet iKON iK81, WPM best companion.

Having originally bought 16 WPM cabinets, Burhans was so impressed with the quality and the clarity of the boxes, he committed to purchasing an extra eight.
“Because originally I only had eight per side, those extras have been awesome for this event. We almost didn’t need the delay tower. Their sight lines are all clean, and they are super speech friendly because the clarity is so clean.”

Budget is a high priority for any company, and adding COVID-19 into the mix has made it all the more pertinent within the entertainment industry. Fortunately, the ability of the Wavefront Precision family to be deployed in different resolutions provided a cost-effective solution for Paddle Out Productions without compromising on quality.

“I would have liked to have gone to one box and that is where we were at with the 16 boxes, but it was nice to be able to know that I could add more speakers without buying more amps,” reflects Burhans. This flexibility was key to the company’s initial purchase of WPM. “It can be pulled apart into smaller systems. You can still work big without having a lot of big cases to move around.”

The company is hopeful for the future and believe they have impressed both the resident team at Cheshire Fairground and the artists with both the quality of sound and its impressive visual presence.

More information on the Martin Audio website

Last year Spanish lighting designer Juanjo Llorens compiled his design for Circo de Hielo 2 (Ice circus), the latest winter show from Madrid-based Productores de Sonrisas (Smile Producers), creators of large scale multidisciplined extravaganzas like Circo de Los Horrores and many others.
The newest arena show, directed by Suso Silva, played in a bespoke 1800-capacity circular tent that was erected for the run of shows at IFEMA Madrid that combined premium ice skating with acrobatics, breath-taking stunts including a skater fighting with a violinist playing live and heaped with theatricality, pumping live music and incredible visuals!

Photo Pepe Castro

Juanjo chose 40 x Robe LEDBeam 150s, 24 x MegaPointe and 24 x Spiider moving lights to be central to his lighting rig, and these were purchased for the run of shows by Productores de Sonrisas.

Juanjo has worked on several previous Productores de Sonrisas productions, a challenge he always enjoys, and his first ice show for them was in 2016. The new tented venue for this one was also designed to provide more precise rigging positions to accommodate the various technical disciplines lighting, audio, video and scenics – which made it a hugely exciting space in which to work.

The story is set on a frozen planet filled with mountains, glaciers, igloos and northern lights and based around an Inuit Eskimo village, so the two big environmental elements that needed emulating were the constant cold, the long nights, the magical quality of light that permeated the landscape … and all encompassing sunsets!

Photo Pepe Castro

For the latter, they had assistance from a large upstage LED screen and the team at Romero Studio projections! The ice, a 16-metre diameter circular track, also helped evoke the overriding feeling of cold and the ‘special being’ of the show was a giant puppet – Dundu – completed with hundreds of LEDs operated manually by five people!

Photo Pepe Castro

Juanjo used all the Robe moving lights fully for this show and chose them “to have the endless possibilities that I needed at my fingertips to animate and finesse an already highly visual show.”
Some of the LEDBeam 150s and all of the Spiiders and MegaPointes were rigged on a box truss flown 12 metres above the circular ice track ice, where they produced washes and general lighting to complement the more specific spotlighting, highlighting and key lighting.
The other LEDBeam 150s were on three trusses further off stage, and together with the MegaPointes, they provided the front light.

As well as general light, Juanjo was able to use the distinct quality of the LEDBeam 150s luminance to soften the cast’s faces without losing brightness, and to make their constant motion even more dynamic and exciting. With it being a circular tent, sold 270 degrees, another goal was to achieve similar lighting looks from all viewing angles.

Photo Pepe Castro

The Spiiders give the ‘kick’ and intensity needed to bathe the ice in so many colours and textures, and at times it was transformed into a massive cyclorama. “The power of both these fixtures (LEDBeam 150 and Spiider) means they can work from all over these high trims without losing power,” he commented.

The MegaPointes on the outer sections of the box truss were used for creating effects and ratcheting up the drama, combined with practical lights in the set pieces. They offered plenty of diversity and the brightness enabling Juanjo’s ‘lightcraft’ to stand out even when competing with the imposing 15 x 8 metre rear LED screen and the track cyclorama.

Juanjo has been a loyal Robe user for some years. For him, the brand is ideal for the range of performance he covers – including a fair amount of circus-style shows plus musicals and circus cabaret. He enjoys the contrasts and variety of working across all these genres: “I think it’s really interesting to be able to ‘crossover’ and cross-reference between different styles and disciplines.”

Major challenges in tackling a show like Circo de Hielo 2 were dealing with light and dark and making lighting and video work harmoniously whilst building the visual architecture of the piece. “You have to adapt your approach and be flexible about the way you program lights to deal with scenarios like very bright and obvious ‘hot spots’ in the picture – in this case, the LED screen and the ice!”

With the ice being a reflective and prominent surface not unlike a projection screen, “you have to be constantly diligent about unwanted spillage and light pollution in the wrong places.” At other times, it was finding a happy balance between intensities screen and lighting to the point of sometimes switching off the screen and relying totally on lighting for some scenes.
Juanjo as always enjoyed working with the Gonzalez family Manuel, Rafa and María who are Productores de Sonrisas, and is continually impressed with their “ongoing commitment to quality and high production values.”

Photo Pepe Castro

His programmer, friend, and right-hand person on this was Pablo Zamora, and the show’s technical production team was managed by Mario Ortega, owner of Smart Fussion, the company taking care of all the technical elements.
Rubén Franco was chief LX, assisted by Alba González and Sebas García de Alveniz, while Marco Monteiro and Flavio Bañuelos from Productores de Sonrisas maintained the tent infrastructure and skating track, ensuring that everything remained in perfect condition. LED screens were supplied by Smart Fussion.

Right now, the producers, creative team, technicians, and cast are anxiously awaiting a possible announcement of dates for 2021, when this mega production can hopefully be reprised after its original run from November 2019 to February 2020.

For more info, check the Robe website

First established in 1936 as Glad Tidings Church, Good News Church, located atop the hill at 75th and Hickory in Omaha, Nebraska, eventually chose to modernize its name to better reflect the language of current times.
Much more recently, that same impetus to remain fresh and relevant also prompted the church to modernize its sound system with the addition of a DiGiCo SD12 mixing console and KLANG:fabrik immersive IEM mixing solution, both supplied by the local office of Conference Technologies, Inc.

Good News Church’s worship team during a service.

According to Good News Band Leader Aaron Ott, who has also served as the lead keyboard player there for the past 13 years, the church took on an extensive update of its audio facilities, upgrading everything except the loudspeaker system of its 750-seat auditorium, which was built in 1975 following the destruction of the previous worship space by one of the worst tornadoes in Omaha’s recorded history.

Good News Band Leader Aaron Ott with the three KLANG:fabrik units during the system’s pre-staging prior to the final installation.

“Our monitor world, in particular, was actually quite behind the times,” he shares. “We’ve used in-ear monitors for a dozen years, but we were using mono mixes directly from our old mixing console.
We really needed additional monitor mixes for our team, and we knew we needed stereo, at least, but we had never been sold on other personal monitoring solutions due to their limited channel counts and extra clutter they brought to the stage.”

Having read about KLANG:technologies online, Ott mentioned to Greg Peteler, the church’s sound engineer, that he was interested in learning more, feeling that “it stood out as a truly unique and flexible system.” Upon learning that Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas used a KLANG system, the two reached out to coordinate a visit during a weekend service to experience their system and see how they were using it.

The three KLANG:fabriks permanently reside in the church’s equipment rack.

Both Ott and Peteler were duly impressed and quickly contacted Ben Shipman at AVA Reps, who supplied Good News with a DiGiCo SD12 and KLANG:fabrik for a few days of testing, solidifying that this combination was the right solution for moving forward.
“We needed eight to ten discrete monitor mixes with 48 input channels,” Peteler says. “Considering the DSP-to-channel count balance in the KLANG system, mixing 48 channels with surround processing allowed each fabrik to deliver four fully immersive monitor mixes, requiring three fabriks to meet our minimum with a few extra mixes.”

Good News Church’s new SD12 is paired with MADI and Dante audio networks, three KLANG:fabrik units for 12 immersive monitor mixes, and a Dante based multitrack recording system. Audio arrives at the SD12 via the MADI SD-Rack or via Dante. The console then pushes out 48 monitor channels via MADI to the daisy-chained KLANG:fabriks.

The church’s own tech team pre-staged most of the new system in a second location to build the network, test the signal chain, and configure all the routings. “Lifting and shifting” into the auditorium was then seamlessly accomplished mid-week between services.
Like many of today’s other churches, the Good News worship team performs a wide variety of musical styles, including modern pop-rock, contemporary Christian, gospel, electronic, acoustic, and jazz, and occasionally brings in additional instrumentalists, violin, cello, saxophone, and more for special events.

Prior to the pandemic, the church also regularly hosted a diverse 40-voice gospel choir that Ott describes as “a huge part of our culture,” which has now been temporarily replaced with smaller vocal ensembles.

KLANG:app running at the church’s mix position.

Each musician and vocalist has a dedicated iPad for managing their monitor mix during rehearsals as well as for displaying chord charts or lyrics during the services. Ott additionally has the KLANG:app running on his keys rig computer, while Peteler also has the same app on his computer at the front-of-house mix position if assistance is needed.

“Moving to the new setup, I figured it might take us a while to fine-tune everything, but the transition was quite fast and painless,” the band leader notes. “Over the first few weeks as we rehearsed with it and adjusted to mixing in surround, trying different configurations, our confidence quickly grew.

Each musician and vocalist has a dedicated iPad running KLANG:app for managing their monitor mix. Seen the level of the “Lead 2 female” track, guess whose iPad is ?

The KLANG system is so good! Looking back, it was clearly the best decision we could have made, and the difference in quality and separation is astounding.”
“Most of my sound design and keyboard work is prepared in my own studio,” he continues. “I had built such a habit of eliminating most high frequencies and cutting certain mids in every sound I designed.
With the new DiGiCo/KLANG system, my sound design elements translate directly to the system as they should sound beautiful and enveloping. No more weird ‘for the system’ adjustments.”

The rest of the worship team has wholeheartedly embraced the new setup as well. “KLANG has helped me to play inspired again,” enthuses Eric Klebba, one of the electric guitarists.
“I’ve been able to find that motivation and excitement in playing live guitar that I hadn’t realized how much had been missing. Now, I’m not only able to hone in on my own tone and technique more precisely, but also narrow in on the nuances of what all of my other fellow musicians are producing.”

John Lawman, another electric guitarist, agrees: “Having the capability to place every instrument in the area I want, to give myself full surround sound, is extremely beneficial. I can much more easily distinguish every other musician and hear if I am playing overly similar or conflicting parts, which helps me know that I should play something different.”

Good News Church doesn’t have a separate monitor console, but, as Peteler points out, “With as easy as the KLANG system is, it’s not a position we would consider necessary at this point. Even if we have new vocalists or entry-level musicians join the worship team that don’t know how to dial in a good monitor mix, we find that recalling presets from the lead instrumentalists provides them with a great place to start. It’s all very intuitive.”

And, as Good News Church Worship Director Carissa Carter sums, “I absolutely love being able to feel the music every instrument and vocal all around me. It helps us each perform our very best and has been such a tremendous blessing for both the worship team and our congregation.”

– For more information on Good News Church, visit the Good News Church
– Conference Technologies can similarly be found at conferencetech.com
– For more details on the manufacturer, visit the KLANG website

One of Austria’s more iconic live event venues, Arena Wien, sought to upgrade its storied performance stage with a new profile luminaire and chose Elation’s high-value Fuze Profile LED framing moving head for the job.

Arena, Vienna’s top alt-music venue, grew to prominence in the 70’s and 80’s as a platform for cultural and social activities and is still an important center for Viennese youth and alternative culture today. Located in a former slaughterhouse and possessing an old industrial charm, the venue houses a large hall for concerts, as well as two smaller rooms for events of all types.

Elation partner AVL-Medientechnik (avl-medientechnik.at) of Traiskirchen, located just south of Vienna, has been supplying consumables to Arena Wien for years so it was only natural that they were contacted about the lighting upgrade.

“Together with the lighting technicians at Arena, we looked for a suitable full-color lighting fixture that met the requirements of the location and one that had a good price-performance ratio,” stated AVL-Medientechnik CEO Christian Walter, who says he learned about the Fuze Profile from Elation sales representative for Austria Karl Lager.

“After thoroughly looking at the luminaire, Arena Wien decided on 12 units as it was the best fixture and in the right price range.” Another important selling point, according to Walter, was AVL-Medientechnik’s in-house service workshop in which they fully service lighting equipment with personal, individualized service and no worries for the client.

Elation Fuze Profile

Elation’s Fuze series has found a niche in the market whenever outstanding price:value ratio is an important factor like at Arena Wien. The Fuze Profile, with its 305W RGBMA LED engine and high CRI, is loaded with features:
two gobo wheels, animation wheel, a full blackout framing system, 7° to 42° zoom, variable frost, prism, iris and more, and also provides color manipulation features like virtual color temperature and Magenta / Green adjustment plus CMY emulation. Output is over 10,000 lumens.

“It’s a very high-value series of lights and one that appeals to many clients,” Walter says. “You get a full range of features and at a quality and price that is hard to beat.”

AVL-Medientechnik handled the complete upgrade project, including installation of the Fuze fixtures. The new lighting does not have a fixed position in the Arena rig but moves about as required by the variety of happenings the classic venue hosts from concerts by world-renowned bands and musical legends to festivals and a host of other live events.

For more information check the Elation website

Badensound Event company has worked out a new concert concept that uses existing infrastructure to host performances complying with the local COVID regulations. This concept led to a partnership with Edeka Südwest supermarkets to create the “Shopping Cart Festival.”

The Shopping Cart Festival fully complying with the COVID regulations and still rocking !

Taking place from August 31 until September 5 in Offenburg, Germany, the festival featured famous German artists performing in front of 500 people, the maximum number of people currently allowed for large gatherings, in the parking lot of an Edeka supermarket. Shopping carts were used as social distancing tools to adhere to the COVID regulations.

The new Dynacord mix matrix MXE5.

On the technical side, Badensound used the festival to give Dynacord’s new MXE5 matrix mix engine its German debut.

“Now is exactly the right time to organize an attractive festival in the region, to offer artists a platform and to support the Corona-impacted event industry,” says Rainer Huber of Edeka Südwest, describing the idea behind the new festival.

The Electro-Voice X2 line-array system being lifted up. Notice also a cardioid stack of X12-128 subwoofers.

Badensound deployed an Electro-Voice X2 line-array system to ensure powerful main PA sound for the festival, featuring two hangs of 12 X2-212 elements per side, with low-frequency support from 16 X12-128 subwoofers.

12 Electro-Voice MFX multi-functional loudspeakers were used as stage fills and stage monitors, complemented by Dynacord V17 subs and Cobra cabinets as drum fills. Near and out fills consisted of an additional 24 Electro-Voice XLE compact line-array elements.

State-of-the-art Dynacord amplifiers powered the entire sound system. A dozen TGX20 four-channel and three IPX 10:8 eight-channel amps delivered a stunning total of 270 kW. The MXE5 matrix mix engine served as the system head.

All electronics have OMNEO IP architecture on board, allowing the entire sound system to be run flawlessly on Dante audio without the need of retrofitting. System setup, tuning and monitoring was handled by SONICUE sound system software.

The monitor position with an A&H iLive T112, 10 years old and still up and rocking. Notice on the right racks quite a lot of TGX20 and IPX 10:8 amps.

The line-up of well-known German artists included among others Michael Schulte, Christina Stürmer, Kelvin Jones & Jeremias, Glasperlenspiel and Laith Al-Deen.
All performers were very keen to return to performing live on stage, and after the budget was released by EDEKA, it took Badensound’s company owner Johannes Moeck only four weeks to make the whole event happen.
“We are extremely pleased with the positive response to the idea of the Edeka shopping cart festival. The success proves to us that we have hit the right tone with this event,” adds Florian Heinzmann of Edeka Southwest.

“In hindsight, the event turned out to be a blast,” reflects Moeck. “I’m very thankful to be back to work, even limited by the current restrictions. Everyone had a wonderful time, the audience, the artists and the Edeka officials.

Our sound equipment from EV and Dynacord proved once again to be the best choice to guarantee a flawless event. I have already been approached regarding a repeat of this event. Thanks to Dynacord’s support, I was privileged to work with the MXE5 for the very first time and I can only tell you that it will revolutionize the business!”

More information on:

– The Electro Voice website
– The Dynacord website
– The Baden Sound website

Digital Projection today announced the launch of a bright single chip DLP laser phosphor projector : the 23,000 Lumen M-Vision 23000.
The Digital Projection M-Vision 23000 WU boasts 23,000 lumens output and 10,000:1 contrast ratio, to bring budget-sensitive applications a large-screen imaging solution and near 3-Chip performance at a 1-Chip price point.

The new lamp-free, laser-phosphor projector is charged with ColorBoost + Red Laser technology to provide realistic and saturated colours at previously unreachable luminance levels. Venues needing powerful, yet budget-conscious, large-format imagery without sacrificing colour accuracy, as well as those contending with ambient light, will directly benefit from the M-Vision 23000’s market leading light output, contrast ratio and colourimetry.

Its DisplayPort accepts frame rates up to 60 Hz and HDMI 1.4b for Side by Side, Frame Packing & Top Bottom 3D formats. Motorised shift, zoom and focus across the whole lens range offer extra flexibility and ease of setup. The 0.96” DarkChip DMD, teamed with blue and red lasers and a four-segment colour wheel produce unrivalled image quality and brightness in the single chip projector market.

For complete versatility, Edge Blend and Geometric Correction are standard features of the M-Vision 23000, including the ability to blend stereoscopic images. A complete suite of professional lenses offers throw ratios from 0.9:1 to 7:00:1, all featuring motorised shift, zoom and lens memory.

Commenting on this product launch, Chris Axford, Digital Projection’s international sales and marketing director said “The introduction of the M-Vision 23000 is another leap forward in single-chip technology. Digital Projection established itself as the leader in this growing segment with the introduction of the world’s first large venue Laser Phosphor product in 2014. Our latest development demonstrates our continued commitment to providing cost effective projectors without compromise across our full product range.”

The M-Vision 2300 will be shipping in November 2020.

More information on the Digital projection

From esports to awards nights and live music, Studio45 provides a state-of-the-art setting for event professionals to continue producing and hosting live events which are streamed worldwide. Created by Australian audiovisual supplier WooHah Productions, the space features top of the range equipment, including Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 LED processors.

The idea for Studio45 came to WooHah Productions just days after the country was forced into lockdown in March. The team wanted to offer a safe yet creative environment as an alternative to traditional live event settings. By investing in the world’s best equipment and people, WooHah has ensured that Studio 45 is now the largest, ready to use studio space in Melbourne.

“Within one week of shutdown, we were able to build the physical studio in our new 2,000m2 warehouse and build the complete video backend through our Studio45.live website,” says WooHah Productions and Studio45 MD, Arosh Fernando. “We were also able to add a Pay Per View Online Ticketing Platform, which enabled our first customer to make revenue on their live stream event.”

Based at WooHah Productions HQ in Braeside, Melbourne, Studio45’s broadcast space includes 14m wide LED video wall. The space has been designed to be agile and dynamic, with fast turnarounds and impressive results for any client.

“We have ROE Diamond 2.6 panels running from the Tessera SX40, with almost 50m2 of 2mm used as the backdrop for the stage. We are mainly displaying 4K content, as the screen has two 4K inputs running via a Barco E2 processing system,” explains Fernando.
Additionally, the team is using four of Brompton’s Tessera XD 10G data distribution units to reduce the complexity of mass cabling down to a bare minimum and be able to run fibre to the large LED display system.

According to Fernando, the colour reproduction on the screens has made Studio45 stand out from other offerings on the market. “Brompton’s products have a proven history of being used for live events and on camera, and we made a promise at WooHah to ensure any LED screen we buy must have Brompton as the backbone.
Simple things like being able to quickly adjust the colour of the panels, match the refresh rate of the broadcast cameras, or easily fault-find has made a big difference to the workflow and significantly reduces set-up times,” he adds.

What WooHah’s customers say also speaks volumes, with numerous event producers and technical directors telling them that the quality of their screen is simply the best. “The screen’s high resolution together with Brompton processing makes these great looking events possible,” states Fernando.

Australian Arnold Body Building Championship, an Easter Sunday church service, livestream service at funerals, Australian True Crime Podcast, as well as multiple product launches, fashion roadshows, music live streams and news bulletins are among the projects that the team has successfully delivered despite the current uncertainty.

“It’s been super tough, and it doesn’t matter which corner of the world you live in, the events industry as a whole has suffered in a dramatic way,” says Fernando. “In Melbourne, it has been harder than the rest of Australia and the second lockdown has hurt the business even further. But we wanted to show our industry that we are not down and out.
This is not the end of events. If we are willing to listen to our customers, innovate and come up with new ideas, or keep on improving the product, then we can survive through this period.”

WooHah continues to deliver innovation and create new features or products within its existing offering to help clients communicate with their customers or their internal staff. Brompton has always been a vital part of the journey.

“To us, Brompton Technology is a world leader in what they do; their products and 24/7 technical service is the best in the industry. That’s why we had made a promise to only buy Brompton for our hire/rental stock,” Fernando concludes.
“Brompton’s Tessera SX40 amplifies the virtual experience and helps us make that all-important human connection. This what we all miss the most about live events such as concerts. Studio45 makes things more ‘human’ thanks to genuine, true-to-life image quality, and that is thanks to Brompton.”

More on the Brompton Technology website

Situated in the Melbourne’s east, the community at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was being crowded out by a suburb fast-tracked for urban growth. Needing to relocate to a quieter location with room to expand, they became aware that a short distance down the road the St. James Uniting Church, with its striking mid-century early modern architecture, was looking to sell.

A view of the renovated St.Paul’s Lutheran Church with the beautiful work done by the acoustic engineer Andrew Nicol with his reflective diffusers meant to bring back some live reverberance, the all time signature of any church.

It looked a perfect fit. A deal was done which duly led to a full-blown renovation of the church, including a sensitive, high quality audio visual fitout in the heritage-listed building. This included a Martin Audio O-Line as the sound reinforcement system.
St. Paul’s Lutheran found an integrator in Mozaix that really understood house of worship requirements, and director Paul Tucker immediately struck up a rapport with the Church’s building committee.

Paradoxically, the original St James space had been too acoustically ‘dead’ which is an almost unique problem to find in a church building. Due to its carpeted floors and construction of the vaulted ceiling, in its previous unrenovated form it didn’t suit St Paul’s style of ‘call and response’ congregational worship.

The stage left array of 12 O-Line.

Acoustic engineer, Andrew Nicol, thus applied acoustic treatment in the form of an array of signature reflective diffusers for the front wall and behind the band stage, as well as hard stone tile flooring, acoustic panels on the rear wall and acoustic absorption on the balcony fascia.
The result is an acoustically lively but controlled space that suits congregational involvement and accommodates high SPL sound reinforcement.

Nicol briefed the AV system designers Hanson Associates and their consultant Mark Thompson noted that given the acoustic design and in order to enable the church to benefit from this live reverberance the loudspeaker system best suited to meet all requirements was a Martin Audio O-Line.

This, he felt, would provide a properly engineered speech reinforcement solution and the decision to specify 12 elements per side was based on Hanson’s acoustic modelling process. Both Paul Tucker and Hanson Associates have worked on previous jobs involving the sleek Martin Audio O-Line micro-array, and all participants were confident it would deliver the goods for the St Paul’s fitout.

The O-Line without the front element. Two 3.5” LF drivers and 5 soft dome tweeters. Once the 12 elements array set, the sensitivity reaches 99 dB SPL, the Max SPL 131 dB and the lows a theoretical continous 104 dB at 76 Hz. Plenty enough for having fun !

The technology certainly suggested that it would. Every element of the Martin Audio O-Line PA is individually addressed by its own amplifier channel and processing, allowing the array to be beam steered, thereby keeping energy out of the ceiling space and the pipe organ loft.

Unlike many DSP-steered columns, an O-Line array does not produce unwanted vertical sidelobes in the audio band. This is critical in reverberant environments, since sidelobes, firing above and below the array, simply adds to the reverberant energy, impacting negatively on intelligibility. O-Line’s ability to reproduce very high frequencies without sidelobes makes it ideal for both full range speech and music reproduction in Houses of Worship.

“It’s a very transparent PA, it’s not lumpy in the bottom end,” noted Paul Tucker. “It really connects to the room nicely. Hanson Associates took care of the final tuning of the PA and it’s come up nicely. “We had a consecration service featuring a fantastic viola player, and the sound of that instrument was beautiful really stunning.”

An Allen & Heath mixing environment (over Dante) is complemented by Q-Sys signal processing. The AV booth is also the control hub of all the video and streaming capabilities (St Paul’s has been recording and broadcasting services since well before the Covid-19 pandemic). As for operation, it couldn’t be simpler: a church volunteer can fire up both the PA and the projectors with a couple of clicks of the iPad.

The Church’s tech booth with, on the left, the A&H mixer.

Finished in neutral light grey, to blend in with the architecture, the slimline, discreet and architecturally sympathetic O-Line arrays set the tone for the install. The video projection and architectural lighting sources are equally discreet, and so when it comes to technology, transparency has been the watchword.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” proclaimed David Pietsch, who heads the church’s strategic property group, in summary.

Martin Audio systems are distributed in Australia by Technical Audio Group (TAG).

And more information on the Martin Audio website

In Sioux City, Iowa, BNY Productions has been working in their production studio remotely broadcasting an average of 100 live and virtual “hybrid” events per week for the past six months.

50 msec of latency, nothing when you see what you get in terms of phase response and frequency response.

As high-profile candidates travel throughout the United States for political rallies and speeches, BNY Productions has relied on Meyer Sound Bluehorn® System full bandwidth studio monitors for accuracy and precision every step along the way.

BNY, a Meyer Sound dealer and collaborator, is a full-service production company, delivering events that vary from phone and television interviews, video conferencing, and remote recordings. The circumstances called for an audio system that would deliver transparent and linear phase response. The Meyer Sound Bluehorn System was the optimal solution for BNY and their clients.

“Bluehorn eliminates the guesswork. So if it sounds good here, that is how it is going to sound everywhere. That makes my job so much easier, it is what it is and I love that,” Bill Kristijanto, co-owner of BNY, said.

From left to right Ben Kristijanto and Bill Kristijanto, co-owners of BNY Productions.

In addition to BNY’s remote-only events, they have taken on “hybrid” events, which include physical and virtual attendees who access the event via a virtual conference room. While in-person events in cities around the country are still produced and broadcasted remotely in the BNY studio, ULTRA-X40™ point source loudspeakers have been used for on-site monitoring.
The sound reinforcement systems for the events vary by location, but are comprised of Meyer Sound equipment including ULTRA-X40 and LINA® very compact linear line array loudspeakers.

Bill Kristijanto, co-owner of BNY Productions facing a lovely series of Bluehorn subwoofers.

“When people send me materials recorded on an iPhone, for example, I’m going to have to fix it. If I didn’t have a good set of monitors, then I would be doing a lot of guesswork. So, Bluehorn has helped in a way that most monitors can’t,” Kristijanto said.

While the Bluehorn System has played a pivotal role in BNY’s “Studio A,” it is also equipped with nearly 50 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers, including MM 10XP™ miniature subwoofers, MM-4XP™ miniature self-powered loudspeakers, and UP 4slim™ ultracompact installation loudspeakers. The studio is also used as a recording studio and laboratory to test new ideas for live events.

Since 2016, BNY Productions has provided the audiovisual support for political events for a variety of clients. In March 2020, the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions forced their live operations to shift to remote, virtual-only broadcasts.

More information on the Meyer Sound website

The Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore is happy to have taken its first-ever stock of Ayrton LED moving heads with the recent addition of Ayrton Khamsin profile fixtures to its lighting inventory. 44 Khamsin-S and 6 Khamsin-TC fixtures were supplied to the landmark venue by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the region, Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd.

The majority of its new Khamsin profiles have been installed in the 5000-seat Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre’s key venue, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art stage technology.
The Star Theatre hosts a wide range of amplified music and speech events, including large scale, high-profile conferences, pop concerts and dance performances, and recently hosted the Singapore National Day 2020 Concert.

“The Khamsins are mainly rigged on overhead fly bars and FOH trusses from where they facilitate the multiplicity of diverse events that happen here,” says head of lighting, Mohamad Azhar Bin Mazlan. New Creation Church holds its weekly Sunday service at the venue which provides an opportunity for Khamsin’s capabilities to truly enrich the experience.

Ayrton Khamsin S

“The Khamsin-TC profiles are used as the pastor’s key light during the service, with the Khamsin-S fixtures used primarily for effects and occasional supplementary key light,” continues Azhar.

Ayrton Khamsin was chosen after the team at The Star Performing Arts Centre carried out comprehensive research to find LED moving head replacements for the venue’s existing inventory of 1.2kW discharge fixtures.

“Our original objective in moving to LED was to save power, but Khamsin has given us a lot more besides,” says Azhar.
“We executed a shoot-out at the venue which proved that Khamsin was the only LED fixture then on the market compatible with our 1.2kW fixtures.

Their performance in terms of output is so much more than we expected, plus they also give us rich colours and a variety of new, fresh gobo designs to choose from. To top it all off, Khamsin also has an in-built shutter/shaper function which helps us achieve a more focused and precise projection area which is especially valuable for those all-important key lights.
“Above all, we are just so impressed at the output capability of Khamsin compared to our previous 1.2kW fixtures and how much less power is required to run these fixtures.”

For more information on Ayrton and its full range of LED lighting fixtures, visit the Ayrton website

High End Systems has released the new HPU hardware for Hog 4, along with an update to Hog 4 OS with v3.14 software. HPU replaces both the DMX Processor 8000 (DP8K) unit and the Rack Hog 4 in a modern, 2U rack mounted unit. This processor unit can be run in either Console mode or in Processor mode with a 64 universe capacity.

The new Hog 4 OS v3.14 Software includes several advancements in functionality in addition to bug fixes. A new patching structure allows users to patch to internal universes, which then get mapped to outputs on consoles, DP8Ks, Widgets and Gadget II units, sACN and/or ArtNet. Individual patch universes may be mapped to multiple outputs as needed and can be moved from one output to another without universe cloning.

Adjusted keyboard shortcuts include additional mappings to make programmable USB keyboards function more smoothly. Finally, OSC/MIDI control of faders and encoders is now available for all users who have a console or Hog 4 PC system equipped with Hog-Net the requirement that matching hardware be connected has been lifted.

High End Systems also has rolled out two Hog hardware changes. The Road Hog 4-21 console replaces the Road Hog 4 with a new motherboard and 21.5” HD display. The Road Hog 4-21 update expands the console’s capabilities to include dual display port connections for external monitors or touchscreens.
Also, the HedgeHog 4X becomes the sole member of the HedgeHog product range, with the complete networking capabilities of Hog 4, dual display port connections for external monitors or touchscreens and six universes of output. The HedgeHog 4 retires with this release, but is still supported by High End Systems as are all members of the Hog 4 family.

Senior Product Manager Sarah Clausen commented, “The v3.14 software release brings a new flexibility to patching that has been requested by users for a long time. The use of linear universe numbers match more closely with how visualizers and other paperwork applications represent patching, which will make it easier to translate patch paperwork into a console patch.
Also, the ability to simply reassign patched universes from one output to another makes managing large or evolving systems easier. And the HPU brings system expansion and backup to the family at an incredible price.”

More information on the High End website

With over 15 years serving the events industry and providing a complete range of AV production services, Australian company Audio Visual Events® (AVE®) continued with its precise level of technological achievement and client satisfaction even when live events ground to a halt.
By partnering with Create Engage and Sydney Masonic Centre (SMC), the company brought ON AIR to life, offering a plethora of high-end Audio Visual and virtual event capabilities, enhanced by powerful and intuitive Brompton Tessera processing.

“AVE, Create Engage and SMC have long-standing relationships and have delivered many successful events together over the years, so we knew we could count on them when the pandemic engulfed the events industry,” says AVE’s general manager, Paul Keating. “Together, we focussed on ‘why’ we should create the ON AIR studio, with key goals being saving jobs, helping our clients, supporting our industry, and building a product we can all be proud of.”

From there, AVE and its partners created ON AIR; a state-of-the-art, semi-permanent studio in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, which provides AVE’s customers with an innovative platform to live-stream and share their messages in a timely, cost effective and safe way.
The studio is equipped with high-resolution Panasonic robotic cameras, a large, fine pitch LED screen backdrop, stage lighting, microphones, presentation computers and confidence monitors.

“We installed a 7m by 2.5m LED screen in the studio that consists of 70 Unilumin UPADIII P2.6 LED tiles,” shares Keating. “In addition, 36 meters of ROE Strip are set up at angles flanking the LED screen to introduce depth and another creative element for the space.
The LED screen and ROE Strip, both running seamlessly together on Brompton Tessera processing, create a cost-effective immersive environment which allows clients to digitally brand the space with stunning visuals.”

The LED screen is controlled by Brompton’s 4K Tessera SX40 processor, along with a Tessera XD distribution unit, fed from Barco’s E2 screen management system.
A Brompton Tessera M2 controls the ROE Strip and is also fed from the E2. Additionally, a GrandMA2 Lighting console sends DMX to the M2 allowing live adjustment of the colours of the video content on the Strip.

Brompton SX40

Brompton’s Tessera processing was chosen by the AVE team for several reasons.

“The interface is simple and easy to use, and we can minimise cable runs by having the processors in centralised positions and still configure it remotely with its network control,” continues Keating. “Setting up angled ROE Strip is very easy in the Tessera software, with the ability to rotate fixtures on a canvas.
The SX40 accepts high resolutions and 12G SDI signal from our E2 is all processed with no visible latency. With the XD 10G distribution units, we can simply run a fibre cable up to the screen then distribute the signal from the XD to the panels, saving us both time and cable runs.”

With the future for the events industry still being somewhat uncertain, Keating believes that solutions like ON AIR support its clients and help them stay connected with their audiences.

So far, ON AIR has helped clients from multiple sectors, including government, associations, sport, corporates and charities. “There are some events we can mention, but a lot more that we cannot. Some of my personal favourites have been Salesforce, Palliative Care Week (which featured Dr Norman Swan) and Vinnies CEO Sleepout – an amazing event which changes people lives. Also, Events Uncovered has just announced that its 2020 event will be delivered by ON AIR team at SMC as a hybrid event,” reveals Keating.

Feeling incredibly proud of what the AVE team has achieved together with its partners, Keating shares how they all had made a commitment that they would do everything possible to support each other and be here on the other side of the pandemic.
“David [Campbell, MD at AVE] and I are very proud and thankful that the team have stepped up, been flexible, been resilient and remained positive. That has helped the ON AIR team and our clients achieve so much in such a short time,” Keating adds.

With plenty of exciting projects in the pipeline, Keating and the team are confident that ON AIR is fully equipped to deliver virtual events to suit any taste and technical requirement.

“There is one ingredient that makes our ON AIR studio future-proof and capable of delivering a fantastic array of visually stunning content and that’s thanks to Brompton Tessera processing,” he concludes.
“The Brompton team have always provided AVE with amazing advice, support, and training opportunities. Their support of the events and technical production industry during COVID is amazing, and I look forward to catching up with them in person down the track.”

More information can be found on the Brompton website

10 years ago, HK Audio set the standard in scalable line systems for live applications with the ELEMENTS series. Since then, the ELEMENTS family has become a well-established worldwide standard with well over 100,000 units sold.

Different ways to use the brand new E 115 Sub D with his tops.

With the new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D system subwoofer, HK Audio is now not only meeting customer demand for increased bass performance and smart, contemporary features such as networkability, software-based remote control and Plug’n’Play Cardioid functionality the powerful audio controlling also impressively improves the mid and high-range reproduction of existing ELEMENTS systems.

A view of the rear side of the new sub housing the digital controller & the amps and giving access to the local knobs and the Cat5 ports for a remote control.

Compared to the previous subwoofer models in the ELEMENTS series, the new 15″ high-performance woofer, together with the 1500-watt power amplifier, delivers noticeably greater sound pressure and an extended low frequency response.
The new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D now delivers a 900-watt power amplifier output to effortlessly drive up to three E 835 mid/high units.

The centerpiece of the new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D system subwoofer is the integrated latest-generation digital controller. Compared to the previous analog filters, this allows extremely effective and detailed processing of the sound characteristics in both the bass and the mid-high frequency range.
This can be heard particularly impressively with the well-established E 435 and E 835 mid/high units, which play at a whole new level in terms of frequency response, resolution and radiation when operated with the ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D.

The remote control software driving the DSP inside the E 115 Sub D. Here the powerful EQ.

The new high-performance controller also provides the basis for a range of modern, practical features. This includes full networking capability for several ELEMENTS stacks or even for LINEAR 7 speaker models.
Using the HK Audio DSP CONTROL Software available for MacOS and Windows, even complex networks can be controlled conveniently and clearly from the FoH position.
It allows you to adjust the volume of the system and the lines, as well as a fully parametric 10-band EQ, tunable high and low pass filters, delay times, limiters and other parameters.

And here the main view showing the preset, the levels and the status of the amps.

A further highlight is the efficient, simple-to-use Cardioid bass function. To use it, simply connect an HK Audio LINEAR SUB 1500 A to the Cardioid Out of the ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D.
The result is a powerful focusing of the forward bass radiation with rear bass attenuation by app. 30 dB.

A power combo made of two E 115 Sub D and two E 835 mid/high units. The amplifier fitted inside the E 115 Sub D can drive up to three E 835.

Two 15” in cardioid mode to get the best rear attenuation and forward radiation.

Lars Reime

Lars Reime, Senior Product Manager at HK Audio, says: “The new HK Audio ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D not only stands out with its impressive bass experience, efficient Plug’n’Play Cardioid function, advanced networkability and professional controlling options.
It also takes the mid and high-range reproduction of existing ELEMENTS systems to a whole new level, thus considerably boosting sustainability and value retention”.

The ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D will be available in stores from November.

More information can be found on the HK Audio website

LD Chris Penso lights closing shows at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City in spectacular fashion. A full complement of Elation luminaires gave a spectacular closing to Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra’s tour earlier this year in Mexico City, where he shared the stage with several artists, including Mexican singer Carlos Rivera.

©Carlos Alvar

Chris Penso, an experienced lighting designer who has worked with Latin stars such as Franco de Vita, Carlos Vives, Chayanne and Marc Anthony, was responsible for lighting Yatra’s tour. For two special performances at the renowned Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the amount of lighting gear was enhanced and to spectacular effect.

At Penso’s disposal were 66 Chorus Line 16™ LED pixel bars, 36 Rayzor 760™ LED wash/beam lights, 34 Smarty Hybrid™ and 28 Smarty Max™ moving heads, 10 Fuze Wash Z350™ single source par moving heads, 24 ACL 360 Matrix™ LED moving head panels, 20 Protron 3K Color™ strobes and 12 DTW Blinder 700 IP™.
Yatra worked with video engineer and content creator Williams Hincapie on the tour.

Penso commented about his lighting design: “The objective for this tour was to have a wide variety of textures, atmospheres and different sensations. Since Sebastian’s repertoire is very diverse, we wanted to be able to go from very aggressive and dynamic looks to very subtle and minimal scenes.”

©Carlos Alvar

The talented LD revealed his favorite Elation lights to be the Chorus Line 16, positioned above the LED screen in the center of the stage with others in musician platforms and on the stage proscenium; and the Rayzor 760, which were mounted in pairs on three parallel structures to project general washes or narrow beams thanks to its wide 5- to 77-degree zoom.

“The Chorus Line 16 were a vital tool for the show and offer an infinite range of scenic possibilities,” Penso said. “Whether as blinders, back light, for aerial and dynamic effects, or when used with the zoom closed, they create a truly striking visual effect.
Few luminaries can be classified as effect, wash and blinder and these motorized bars are able to give a whole show by themselves. From generating a wall of light to creating RGB pixel mapping, while zooming in and out and applying a tilt effect, all at the same time… this is definitely the future.”

©Carlos Alvar

Penso says that he has always loved wash lights, a lighting staple that he describes as “very faithful.”
He comments, “The Rayzor 760 is a fixture of incredible color accuracy with a very well-calibrated white that looks particularly different from anything on the market.
Its seven lenses project light in a very particular way and its colors are brilliant and powerful.”

He says the luminaire’s unique SparkLED™ background sparkle effect adds another layer of elegance and versatility. “The unit looks incredible when using this effect no matter its orientation; it is perfect for TV cameras and backlight effects.” In the Yatra show, the Rayzor 760s provided solid color and ambiance for each song, as well as general stage lighting as side and backlights.

Vertical ladders and diagonal podiums on both sides of the LED screen housed the Smarty Hybrid luminaires from which both gobos and defined beams of light were projected, as well as wide washes of infinite color thanks to its Beam/Spot/Wash modes in conjunction with smooth CMY color mixing.

©Carlos Alvar

The Smarty Max hybrid moving heads were hung on two horizontal structures and used as side lights while at floor level Fuze Wash Z350 LED moving heads had the important role of supporting with fill light onto the musicians and Yatra himself.
In a traditional look, DTW Blinder 700 IP fixtures were mounted on a front structure to light the audience and at times generate strobe effects.

©Carlos Alvar

Three circular arrangements of ACL 360 Matrix were an especially unique piece of design. These 5×5 RGB LED panels with motorized pan/tilt movement were placed facing down and during intimate moments of the show were used as the main light onto the singer.
Finally, the Protron 3K Color RGBW LED strobes were distributed at the top of the entire assembly, both in the vertical grids and horizontal structures.

“The idea was to have a strobe that could light the entire area of the stage,” Penso states. “Being such a varied show in musical genres, we wanted to have the option of using a light as a general strobe but also as an intense color blinder.
The Protron 3K Color are really powerful; rarely do you see a strobe with intense colors and with a real and solid white.”

Lastly, the LD expressed his satisfaction with the evolution that Elation luminaires have taken through the last few years and said he looks forward to working with new releases in the future. “Without a doubt, Elation is a brand that is here to stay. Not only does its equipment resist the rigors of installation and constant use but there is a very wide variety of fixtures with options for all types of venues, from discotheques to arenas and stadiums, and but above all, at a reasonable price.”

©Carlos Alvar

For more information, check the Elation website

Photo Picturesk

During a career that has seen him work on TV specials like European Commission’s Presidential Debate, and popular programs, including Dancing With The Stars Belgium and Liefde voor Muziek, Michiel Milbou has built a stellar reputation for his impeccable key lighting.
However, in his recent project, Belgium’s version of The Masked Singer, Milbou got to depart from his usual concerns about getting the talent’s face lit “just right.” The result was an opulent outpouring of creativity and color.

Photo Picturesk

“There were no faces to light in this show, since everyone was wearing a mask,” said Milbou, the founder and owner of Never Fear Shadows. “That was very different, and in many ways a nice change, since it opened up many creative possibilities. It allowed us to go with colors that matched the masks without worrying about key lighting faces.
So, if there was a character with blue mask, we could hit it with various blues, something we couldn’t do to a face. We used Follow-Me software to track the masked characters on stage so we could keep all kinds of different effects on them.”

Maverick-MK3

Providing the colorful light that enlivened the masks and famous costumes of contestants were 27 CHAUVET Professional Maverick MK3 Profiles, which, like the other fixtures in the rig, were supplied by Splendit.
“We used the MK3 Profile as our front light,” said Milbou. “Its CMY + CTO color mixing and zoom ratio were helpful in giving us creative options.”

The interplay of colors on the masked characters’ faces was only one of the flourishes that Milbou and his team brought to their design for the global hit TV program.
Prominently featured on the set were two large logo masks, the only requirement mandated by the international franchise for the Belgian show.

These masks took on a life of their own, thanks to some evocative projections mapped on their surface and a collection of ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures inside them.
Milbou had 128 of the 1-meter LED strips in his rig, many of them were placed in the giant masks, with mirror foil behind them. Using the strips to create bright white light, he endowed the masks with a captivating glow that translated well on camera.

Epix Strip bars equipped with several types of diffusers.

“We had the ÉPIX Strips in tunnels inside the masks and had them glow against the mirror foil we placed behind them,” said Milbou. “The white glowing light played off against the LED screens that we had inside the masks.
I am a really big fan of running these strips in white to accent everything around them.
I also am a fan of controlling strips with DMX, so I can make much sharper effects. Throughout the program, we created different patterns of movement with the strips to reflect the various styles of music.”

Coordinating lighting and video with the styles of eight different masked performers during the eight episodes of the show without repeating looks was a major accomplishment by the creative team involved in The Masked Singer, according to Milbou.

Photo Picturesk

The different color combinations and accents he used to illuminated the masked performers and the patterns created with his ÉPIX Strips contributed to this achievement; so too did the variety of dramatic overhead looks he created with the 33 Maverick MK1 Hybrid fixtures positioned in a pyramid pattern on three rows over the center of the triangular stage.

In addition to creating a camera-pleasing geometric pattern with the stage, the arrangement of hybrid fixtures opened a variety of creative options for Milbou. Running the 440W units as both spot and wash fixtures, he would, at times, direct their light outward, evoking a celestial image, and then have them serve as down lights for another song. With each move, the hybrids were coordinated with the 10 Maverick MK3 Washes that served as sidelights, helping to ensure a continuous flow of fresh new looks.

Photo Picturesk

“All involved in this production took great pride in creating something original, said Miblou, who credits the success of this endeavor to his colleagues: executive producer Olivier Deprez, producer Stien Smets, director Maryse van den Wyngaert and set designer Koen Verbrugghe, as well as a “great lighting and video team.”

For Milbou, who began working on the show in early June, The Masked Singer was a welcome opportunity after the initial COVID-19 lockdown. “All of us on the team were very happy to see each other,” he said. Looking at the program when it aired, he expressed “great happiness” with the final results.
Apparently, this sentiment was shared by many in Belgium, as this season of The Masked Singer was a ratings winner.