Through regular software updates to its RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems, Yamaha is able to bring sound engineers the very best quality and most user-friendly features. The latest of these, to be released with Firmware V4.7 in mid-December, is the premium Y7 reverb, developed in close collaboration with Bricasti Design.
Bricasti Design is known for being the world’s premier manufacturer of hand crafted, hardware digital reverbs. The delicate expressiveness, exceptional sound quality and ease of use of Bricasti Design is characterized by the rackmount M7. Considered to be the company’s masterpiece reverb, it is widely used by many professional studios and live sound engineers.
Yamaha and Bricasti have now collaborated to design a revolutionary new reverb for RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems. The superb Y7 will be available at no cost as part of the Firmware V4.7 update, bringing the highest level of expressiveness, sound quality and operability to live sound engineers, further expanding the high quality options available to RIVAGE PM users.
Brian Zolner
“Together with Yamaha we are pleased to announce the release of the Y7 reverb. By working closely with the Yamaha development team, the Y7 was specifically designed for use in Yamaha RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems,” says Brian Zolner, CEO of Bricasti Design.
“It brings to the live market a Bricasti reverb that is integrated in the console for simple, fast, and familiar operation, as well as bringing the renowned ‘Bricasti sound’ to users of Yamaha products. We feel the Y7 will offer new art to the sound engineers and fulfil their requests for a premium reverb product from us for their consoles.”
Motome Tanaka
Motome Tanaka, Yamaha Group Manager, PA Marketing & Sales Group, adds, “We are very pleased to announce the release of the Y7, which we have co-developed with Bricasti Design. “All Yamaha mixers are built on the philosophy of allowing engineers to capture the on-stage sound accurately, without colouration. Plug-ins play a vital role in allowing engineers to take this transparent sound and apply their artistry to the mix. High quality reverb is one of the most important tools to achieve this and we are confident that the Y7 will become a key part of the creative expression for many sound engineers.
“We at Yamaha will continue to listen to the opinions of our customers and work hard to provide the most flexible systems and comfortable mixing environments.”
This August saw a magnificent production of The Flying Dutchman, Richard Wagner’s fifth masterpiece, brought to Lithuanian opera fans for the very first time. Staged in a unique open-air setting by the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre and featuring leading Lithuanian soloists including Sandra Janušaitė, the event became one of the most celebrated musical productions of the year, selling out all of its socially distanced 1,000 seats to lucky spectators.
Dual DiGiCo SD12 96-channel consoles with two SD-Racks and D2-Racks were selected by one of the largest audio rental companies in the Baltics, NGR Service, to bring the magic of this one-act opera to life.
Fitting its original theme, the opera production took place on the slipway of Paul Willy Lindenau shipyard complex in Klaipėda, with its colossal structures and hoists, as well as frequently changing weather conditions, presenting the NGR team with some major challenges right from the start. “The setting in the historic cruise ship terminal made for a unique and spectacular location, but it also meant dealing with rain and winds of up to 20 m/s whilst thinking of how to make the orchestra and soloists sound as natural as possible, as this would be staged in an acoustic concert hall,” reminisces NGR’s FOH Engineer, Tomas Ždanovičius.
“On top of the weather challenge, we also had to deal with constantly moving actors across a 50-metre stage, or even outside the stage at time, as well as special effects such as falling water and a real-life ship appearing during the performance. There were definitely one or two ‘firsts’ for us in this production.”
FOH Engineer, Tomas Ždanovičius.
In order to deal with such a challenging odyssey, NGR chose the DiGiCo SD12 console, which offered their team the ease of operation, fast function selection, and “without doubt, the best sound of any console currently on the market,” adds Ždanovičius. Deploying their best technical minds and top-quality sound equipment on the site allowed the team to fully realise the creative production ideas of Concept and Artistic Director, Dalius Abaris.
“When it came to sound, it seemed that everything was against the NGR team,” says Abaris. “On location, the sound engineers repeatedly analyzed and evaluated wind speeds as well as rigging positions of the sound system depending on where the audience would sit, which would sometimes change on a daily basis due to the latest COVID restrictions. One day we had one ground floor layout, the next day another.”
Impressed by the professionalism the NGR team showed in the face of such adversities, Abaris explains how the team worked relentlessly to ensure they could transmit every sound to each member of the audience. “Another complexity was, of course, the stage size,” he adds. “This was a big challenge, not just for the sound team but also for the performers. When people are separated by over 40-metres distance, the monitoring systems visibility and relationship with the conductor all have to be watertight, so to speak, not to mention the main PA and the delay systems.”
The « ground zero » orchestra and first floor choir and placed even further away.
NGR deployed two SD12 consoles, with the main one serving the soloists, orchestra, and special effects and submixer return groups; the other was used as a submixer for the choir’s 48 personal headsets. In total, between two consoles, 146 channels were utilized, not including FX returns.
“The scale of this production was just immense, and I didn’t hear a single artist saying that they felt uncomfortable singing, which is a major credit to the team’s abilities,” shares Abaris. “The installation of the sound equipment was a long process, as the team had to rig the system on an over-a-century-old shipyard construction. They had to measure everything very precisely before putting up the three main PA clusters and the delay lines. The panning of the soloists was so accurate that the audience’s attention was focused on where the sound was coming from. It was definitely a feat to behold.”
The entire set-up included 70 wireless systems for the opera performers with omni-directional headsets, and a further 50 systems for the orchestra with clip-on lavalier mics and more. DiGiCo’s SD12 became invaluable when dealing with the soloists, who were in seven fixed positions across the stage, which was configured in ‘layers’ of around 50 metres in width.
The ghost boat, the stage and singers quite everywhere. Wireless is your friend !
“This was all dealt with by having pre-programmed panoramas in different Snapshots, with manual pan movements as necessary,” explains Ždanovičius. “The audio material for the entire show was recorded in multitrack and having the ability to expand the console with DMI cards was very convenient.”
Speaking about the functions on the SD12 that were particularly useful in this complex production, Ždanovičius notes the importance of the ergonomics of the console, as well the easy accessibility of the worksurface, which helped him react fast. “Additionally, it was useful to be able to arrange the layout of the console in any way needed, as well as having all necessary channels next to each other independently of the input list positions. Finally, having two separate touch sensitive screens made my work as fluid as it can ever be,” he adds.
No way to mimic such extraordinary sky colors palette elsewhere than in the open air when and if the weather wants it.
Broadcast live on Lithuanian national television, LRT (Lietuvos radijas ir televizija), Wagner’s operatic feast passed with flying colours and was met with standing ovations by the fascinated audience. “This was probably the first opera in Lithuania where there was no criticism from musicologists, critics or sound professionals certainly that I’m aware of so it was a complete success all the way,” states Abaris proudly. “Working with the best orchestra and leading soloists of Lithuania requires the best sound quality, because everyone, from production directors to choir members, knows how the orchestra should sound,” concludes Ždanovičius.
“This is why DiGiCo consoles are chosen for these types of events, we can always trust the equipment. We particularly valued the system flexibility we gained with DMI cards: in this particular production, with the help of DMI cards and UB MADI we could split all the inputs to the OBVan, multitrack recording (main and backup), submixer and FX computer, which made the entire workflow seem like a serene ocean breeze amidst the storms and salvation of this magnificent production.”
Below, to watch the video of the story of the production:
The new Chauvet Professional COLORado Batten Q15, RGBW LED bar, rated IP65, comes with a range of mounting options that adapt it to a wide variety of configurations. The adjustable trunnions on this one-meter long RGBW LED batten, which can be adjust without tools on its integrated track, have been given an even greater degree of versatility with the addition of ¼ turn omega brackets.
Les différentes possibilités de montage de la Colorado Batten Q15.
Adding to the COLORado BattenQ15’s adaptability is a new system for joining different units together. Integrated into the end caps of the fixture is a system to connect units seamlessly for perfect row alignment. Since these attachments are weight bearing, the COLORado Batten Q15 can be hung “icicle style,” or arranged in tower configurations using the included hanging/floor mount plate.
“Given the demands of today’s market, when lighting rigs are being set up in many different types of settings, we feel that adaptable rigging options have never been more important,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “The COLORado Batten Q15 combines a high degree of rigging versatility with outstanding performance features.”
Video presentation
Among those performance features is the intense output from the new fixture’s 15 20-watt LEDs, which render beautiful and vivid colors and lend themselves to sizzling pixel mapped displays without the “skittle” look often associated with battens.
Capable of transitioning quickly from a smooth color wall wash to a stunning effect, the COLORado Batten Q15 features an elliptical 42 – 15-degree beam spread, a stowable glare shield, color temperature presets from 3200 K to 10000 K, and selectable smooth dimming curves. Designed to excel indoors or out, and in broadcast studios as well as on concert stages, the COLORado Batten Q15 is intended to be as versatile as it is reliable.
“Our customers are being asked to be more flexible and imaginative than ever today,” said Chauvet. “We developed this product to help them meet that challenge.”
When his international tour with the San Francisco symphonic orchestra got cancelled due to the spread of the pandemic, renowned French cellist, Gautier Capuçon, decided to bring music back to the towns and villages of France all while respecting healthcare and social distancing measures with a free tour entitled Un Été en France. And when his concert in Mansle got threatened by the weather on the 11th August, he was able to relay on a sound engineer and a sound equipmentthat could adapt to the various challenges that were bound to rear their heads on that day.
The rehearsal with Gautier Capuçon close to his pianist. Clearly visible, one of the UC206W coupled to its UC115B subwoofer.
“When Gautier Capuçon’s team announced that he was going to tour France, the towns and villages wishing to host the shows were invited to contact him,” explained sound engineer Léopold Randon de Grolier. “He received well over 600 requests in 48 hours!”. Depending on the dates, the French virtuose was accompanied by either pianists Jérôme Ducros or Samuel Parent. “During the exchanges with the artist, we received a technical sheet with expected references in terms of microphone placement and preferred sound systems,” he said. “The precision and fidelity of the sound required for classical music is extremely important, but thanks to APG and Radio Semnoz, we were able to supply a top-of-the-range sound recording and PA system that was perfectly adapted to the configuration and style of music.”
The concert poster before the storm gets involved !
While APG’s Uniline Compact (UC) range is flexible enough to support a wide range of musical genres, it is particularly well suited for classical music, according to APG’s sales and support engineer Maxence Castelain: “APG’s embedded ISOTOP technology provides a more natural sound from the lower midrange level thanks to a coaxial arrangement of a paper cone loudspeaker and a compression chamber loaded by a phasing piece. This reduces distortion and offers a more natural sound”. A major advantage for sound reinforcement of classical musical instruments such as the cello.
“Classical music concerts are usually happening in venues that are acoustically adapted to this genre, so sound reinforcement isn’t the norm,” explained Randon de Grolier. “Therefore, you must be reasonable in your approach and try to support the acoustic sound, faithfully, without distorting the artists’ sound.
This means having experience with classical instruments, knowing the qualities of particular microphones, and combining dynamic and static microphones to achieve accurate sound. The quality of sound expected by classical artist is close to the one they’ve used to when recording albums.
Leopold Randon de Grolier
“I generally record the sound checks to broadcast them into the sound system, so that the artist can listen and give his opinion on the sound in the venue. The feeling of the artist is more important than anything else, because they know the sound of their instrument best, and the accoustic result they want to achieve.”
Although the sound system itself was perfectly reliable, the same could not be said for the conditions in which it was to be deployed; Because of high risks of thunderstorms in Mansle that day, the organisers decided to move to an indoor venue, thus reducing capacity from 3,000 to 800 people.
“We had to adapt ourselves and the sound system accordingly,” said Randon de Grolier. “The intended system for the racecourse consisted of two stacks of four APG UC206W on top of two UC115B bass speakers, per side. To this main system, two UC206N per side were to be added on stands to cover the crowd on the outside. Obviously, this would have been beyond overkill for the smaller town hall in Mansle.”
APG UC206 Uniline compact
APG’s Uniline Compact system allowed him to set up a ‘distributed point source’ PA system in the town’s multipurpose hall, using two UC206Ns on stands on both ends to reach the audience at the back. In addition, a UC206W was stacked on top of a UC115B, per side, placed in the centre, which were used to cover the first half of the hall across its entire width.
“The Uniline Compact loudspeakers allowed easy adaptation from outside to inside, simply by reducing the number of boxes and distributing them in a thoughtful way in relation to the acoustic characteristics of the room,” said the sound engineer. “The combination of the W (wide) and N (narrow) m loudspeaker models makes the system truly adaptable, and the APG Uniline Compact range proved very well suited to classical music sound reinforcement, as it provides faithful sound reproduction in a musical style that is demanding at this level.”
The UC simplicity and speed of set up allowed the sound engineer to fine-tune the placement of microphones. He knew he could also count on the technical support of APG’s Maxence Castelain and Alexis Reymond who assisted him from the logistical planning phase through to the concert day.
APG DA:50
“Mansle multipurpose hall’s concrete walls, ceiling, and floor made intelligibility a major issue,” said Randon de Grolier. “Thanks to APG Live Manager, it was fairly easy for me to set up the system quickly and obtain accurate and precise sound, with faithful rendering of the sound sources. On the amplification side, we had a DA:50 integrated DSP amplifier (for the UC206W and UC115B) per side and a DA:15 (for the UC206N).
For the microphones, we kept the same configuration as for the outdoor show: DPA 4099 and AKG C414 on the cello, 2 DPA 4099 and 2 Schoeps MK4 (active booms) for the piano, plus a suspended pair of DPA 4015’s and a public ambience pair DPA 4006’s. For control, I used a Yamaha TF3 console with Dante, in conjunction with the Yamaha TIO1608-D stage box.”
Léopold’s Yamaha desk.
Despite the last minute changes, the show was a resounding success; helping to give a glimpse into how the live production industry might be able to claw its way back from the brink in these most challenging unpredictable of times.
“I received wonderful feedback from the artist and his team on the sound of the concert, both during the sound check and afterwards,” said Randon de Grolier. “The artist’s wife, who is also a trained cellist, attended all the concerts on the tour and singled out the quality of the sound on the Mansle date. As for the audience and the press, there was excellent feedback. In short, everyone seems to have had a great time, and the adaptability of the APG system we chose had a lot to do with that.”
The concert. Barely exceeding the plateau we guess a UC206W attached to its UC115B.
The concert was so successful in fact, that the city of Mansle decided to rename its multipurpose hall “Salle Gautier Capuçon” during a ceremony which will be held later this year.
The Georges-Pompidou Cultural Centre in Vincennes near Paris is the first venue in France to be equipped with an Arthur followspot, the latest addition to Robert Juliat’s range of LED followspots.
With nearly 800 events a year, the town of Vincennes offers a rich cultural life and has three venues with quality facilities, including the Georges-Pompidou Cultural Centre. The 525-seat venue hosts many shows throughout the year during the cultural season, including music, theatre, dance, comedy and shows for younger audiences.
The Cultural Centre wanted to replace its 1200W HMI RJ Korrigan followspots and was looking for an LED model. “It was important for us to play the safety card in regard to quality and, of course, the feedback we had on the Robert Juliat luminaires. In addition, I personally consider LED equipment to be the future of our technical profession,” explains stage manager, Stéphane Agasse. “The energy consumption of this LED followspot is minimal thanks to the efficiency of its source. This is perfectly in line with the environmental approach of the town of Vincennes, which has been running an action programme for several years as part of Agenda 21.
“The electronic dimming of Arthur’s LED source makes it possible to vary the light intensity and, therefore, also modulate the power consumption accordingly, which is not possible with our discharge fixtures whose consumption is constant throughout the show.”
Thanks to its powerful 800W 6000K cool white light source and narrow optics (5.5° – 15°), Arthur offers a massive output of over 2000lux at a distance of 40m, while at the same time providing a superior-quality light rendering with a high CRI (>90).
The electronic dimming of the LED source allows the light intensity to be varied from 0 to 100% without visible stepping, even at low levels, with exceptional smoothing and a constant colour temperature. With several ventilation modes, Arthur is particularly quiet, ruling over its discharge counterparts!
Supplied to the Georges-Pompidou Cultural Centre by the Auvisys company, the RJ Arthur followspot will soon be at work, as soon as shows and other events resume.
More information about the new Arthur LED followspot and all Robert Juliat luminaires can be found on the Robert Juliat website
ETC representative organization 3LR Lighting has added broadcast, film and TV; lighting and control to its portfolio for the UK and Ireland.
Jeremy Roberts, Regional Sales Manager for the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa comments: “It is great to have 3LR supporting the broadcast sector for ETC and especially well-timed as we have recently released our innovative new studio line of fixtures fos/4. The new Fresnel and Panel lights are designed specifically for the broadcast market with their unique 8 color LED mix and in-tense brightness.”
The addition of broadcast lighting and control goes alongside 3LR’s work in the growth of ETC’s architectural product lines. 3LR acts as an additional resource to ETC’s dealer network, bringing its expertise in the field to progress the company’s studio and architectural products in the market. As part of this extension into a bigger market, 3LR Lighting has announced the appointment of two new industry figures to its team: Barry Grubb and Sean O’Callaghan.
Barry Grubb
Barry Grubb joins 3LR as Business Development Manager for Broadcast, Television and Film Lighting. In a 25-year career, Barry has worked with some of the biggest names in the imaging in-dustry both in the UK and overseas, and has forged lasting relationships with stakeholders at all levels. He has contributed to a host of large productions and delivered a wide range of theatre and broadcast solutions with leading brands.
Sean O_Callaghan
Sean O’Callaghan takes up the post of Business Development Manager for Architectural Lighting. Sean’s career has seen him occupy a variety of sales and marketing roles for several global lighting manufacturers, during which time he has acquired a thorough grasp of the architectural lighting market. Sean’s background in street, amenity and area lighting, naturally steered him into architec-tural, commercial, decorative and bespoke projects on every scale.
3LR Managing Director Matthew Lloyd adds: “We’re very pleased to be adding ETC’s broadcast lighting and control products to our portfolio and welcoming Barry and Sean to the team. With their combined industry expertise and our team’s experience in the sector, we look forward to building further customer relations and enhancing ETC’s market presence.”
The SavoiExpo red walled complex. The Hall E is in he right side of the shot, photo taken by Clarisse Mériel her architect.
Savoiexpo is located in Chambéry, in the Alpine heart of France’s second tourist region. Strategically placed to take advantage of close links to Lyon and Geneva, as well as both winter sports and summer recreation, the venue organises a range of trade fairs and exhibitions and hosts major seminar and conference events.
Hall E was opened earlier this year, a substantial and versatile auditorium which can offer 2000 sq. metres of exhibition area, conference facilities for 1000 people, or accommodate 1200 people for a formal dinner.
Equipped with retractable seating, the auditorium required an audio system that would adapt to its different configurations, looking to NEXO for system design input and to the Chambéry-based ELYPSE Group for installation and integration services.
The E Hall with the retractable seats facing the system during his commissioning and fine tuning.
NEXO Engineering Support specialist Christophe Girres visited Chambéry to fine-tune the finished system. “We are asking the system to work in three different ways, so the final tuning session went through these settings.
Christophe Girres
In the first configuration, we had the stage immediately in front of the seating stands. In the second configuration, the stage is set up further away, but the audience are still seated in the stands. In the third configuration, there are no seating stands so the audience is standing around in a large free area. In order to achieve these three iterations, all elements of the PA system are mobile, with a special square truss to hold the sub clusters and suspend the point-source P8 outfill and centre fill cabinets. The GEO M10 line array is rigged on points in front of the truss, and these are mobile too.”
The 6x M10 hangs with a P8 acting as a centre fill, fixed on the same black truss as the MSUB15s.
Each array of NEXO’s mid-size GEO M10 is set up with 5x M1012 plus a single M1025 module with 120 degree flange. The L/R clusters are completed by left/right pairs of MSUB15s, which fly behind the main arrays, presenting a very tidy aesthetic.
A pair of NEXO’s new compact point source P8 cabinets with 100 degrees x 100 degrees dispersion are used for the outfill, with a single P8 (110 x 60 degree dispersion) handles the centre fill. The whole system is powered by two NXAMP4x2Mk2 amplifiers.
The NEXO system as seen by the audience
“We listened to a lot of different tracks, including EDM at high levels, and the Savoiexpo engineers were surprised that the system was not at all aggressive, even at such high SPLs. The system is very clear in the mid-range, and the low end is perfectly suited to the applications, mainly conference and video, and small concerts.”
The AC Entertainment Technologies Group announces the appointment of the new CEO of ESL company which it owns. Holder of an MBA (HEC Paris), Jean-Philippe Colonna worked at Philips Lighting for 10 years before joining ESL in September 2019 as Managing Director.
Jean-Philippe Colonna: “My first feeling is humility and solidarity because of the serious COVID 19 crisis which deeply impacts all of us (my thoughts go to the rental community which is suffering a lot). ESL is and will continue to deliver the best service to its customers during these difficult times.
Of course, I am glad and honoured to take this new role at ESL as I have always admired this company. Since 2005 when I started to sell lamps to ESL (as a Philips sales rep.), I knew this company has something special compared to its competitors: its internal culture which brings professionalism, technical expertise and sympathy to its customers and also, inspires attractiveness to employees and potential new talent as ESL is a fantastic company to work for.
On top of its image and technical expertise, ESL offers further strong assets such as a solid balance sheet (very little debt) and being part of the well-known AC Entertainment Technologies Group. This gives us hope and confidence to enhance our customers added value in the years to come. Furthermore, we just entered in a brand-new building based in Saint-Jean-de-Védas South of France: larger, well equipped and more suitable to our daily business and growth ambition.
Our day-to-day focus remains on the management of this crisis. However, this gives us some time to reflect and put in place new development strategies which we will be able to communicate on in the next few weeks/months. ESL will continue to increase its customer value and contribute to create culture and passion to people.”
When Richmond, VA-based Soundworks took delivery of their Martin Audio WPS and WPC line array systems in February this year, they little knew that the world was within one month of lockdown. “The pandemic shut down all of our bookings from mid-March forward,” recalls CEO, Steve Payne. The company had to wait until the end of summer for the maiden voyage for both systems. But when it came in the shape of two socially distanced outdoor concerts by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra—it really set tongues wagging.
Soundworks CEO Steve Payne.
Soundworks have been contracted to provide sound reinforcement for all Richmond Symphony Orchestra’s community outreach concerts since 2015. “Each season the RSO will incorporate the performance of a popular local or regional artist into one of their ‘Big Tent’ gigs,” he explains.
“The arranger will write scores for orchestral accompaniment to six or so of the guest artist’s songs. Past musical artists have included a wide range of musical styles and genres, and this year’s featured artist was the Commonwealth Bluegrass Band.”
The Big Tent with 8 WPS, 3 SXH218 subs in cardio mode and a single CDD-LIVE 15 as outfill.
Still to thoroughly road test their new scalable Wavefront Performance rigs, Soundworks used the September 12th show at Maymont Park to evaluate the power of WPS in the delay position with a view to future main FOH deployment. “The venue required that we cover a depth of 420ft, so we used two hangs of eight WPC for the main PA, with three SXH218 subs ground stacked per side, and two hangs of eight WPS for delays at 220 feet, with a CDD-LIVE 15 at each of the main hangs as outfills.” The audience size was capped at 700, socially distanced.
The delays of the Big Tent, 8 WPS.
“The conclusion was that WPS had plenty of impact and presence for use as a main system. We could not be certain that the WPS would be able to punch out to 290 feet as required at the next gig but felt sufficiently confident to give it a try.” The next show was two weeks later at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, VA, and around 500 socially distanced people were spread over an area that could have accommodated a maximum of 4,000 (standing).
At Pocahontas State Park, the view from the stage with the 8 hanged WPS.
“The performance of the little WPS in this space just seemed to fly in the face of logic and break all the rules,” exclaimed Payne. “There was little doubt that they were entirely capable of serving as mains. The first time we fired them up at Pocahontas was quite a revelation. The sound and performance were far above what one would expect from an 8” box. The rig did a stellar job of providing even, high fidelity audio out to 290 feet.”
Reflecting on both events, the Soundworks CEO continued, “The area for both concerts, but especially the Maymont Park concert, could accommodate a crowd vastly larger than the safely distanced audience. We do the Richmond Jazz Festival in this same space each year where audience size can approach 7,000. To cover the areas properly we are putting in systems capable of covering approximately 10 times the audience size under normal conditions.” Seating at the Maymont concert included close seating to the sides of the stage which were out of the pattern of the WPC arrays. “We supplemented these areas with CDD-LIVE 15s on lifts at a height of about 10 feet. We were very pleased with the tonal integration between CDD-LIVE and Wavefront Precision,” he remarked.
Steve Payne himself carried out the venue measurements and system design in Display 2.3. “Due to available amp channels [in the Martin Audio iK amps] both WPC and WPS systems were set to 2-box resolution at Maymont,” he states. “For the Pocahontas Park gig the WPS system was run at 1-box resolution.”
Bryan Hargrave
Bryan Hargrave was the system tech and Steve Payne his assistant at both gigs. Jason Misterka mixed FOH at Maymont, while Grant Howard occupied the same role at Pocahontas. As for the music source, with acoustic bluegrass and orchestral backup they had plenty of headroom in the system. “The sound was full and really pleasing, while the vocals were riding on top of the mix and right in my face. It was as good as I could have wished for. “Both gigs were acoustic performances and so the real test put to the systems on these gigs was accurate fidelity, even coverage and long throw capability. Max SPL was never tested.”
Martin Audio’s ‘Hard Avoid’ feature worked beautifully at both gigs, he confirmed. “The advantage is especially noticeable with multiple open mics and acoustic instruments on stage. On some systems low mid build-up on stage rolling back off the PA can be a problem and create the need for remedial FOH EQing.”
Little box, big sound.
Grant Howard
But in this regard, FOH mixer Grant Howard commented: “Basically all I had to do was shove the faders up. I left the house EQ flat and I barely touched the channel EQ.”
Steve Payne believes the main difference between a socially distanced audience vs. a tightly packed audience is that the system can be run at a 6 to 10dB lower volume to achieve the same result. “I don’t think there is any difference in approach to tuning or Eqing. “Martin Audio guarantees measured system performance will be within ± 1dB of the performance predicted by Display 2.3. With Wavefront Precision systems we have found that measurement systems such as SMAART are now essentially verifying target performance rather than revealing information to be used for correction. It’s very impressive.”
The Richmond Symphony Orchestra also found it impressive. Stated their Production Manager, Brent Bowden, “Pocahontas sounded fantastic and I heard many positive comments.
The WPS ready to fly !
“I have heard a number of different line array systems over the years, both indoor and outdoor and some key factors stood out at these shows that I really enjoyed, apart from top notch engineering. Vocal clarity was noticeable without the dB spike that often results from boosting the human voice above other instruments. The evenness of the level in various locations was also very good, especially difficult in a flat, open park with delays.”
In conclusion, Steve Payne is confident that these systems will soon repay the investment despite sitting idle through the summer’s COVID pandemic. “We expect WPS to be capable of covering 75% of the gigs we used to cover with another manufacturer’s 10” system.
“To get the kind of performance that this system delivers out of a passive, physically diminutive 60lb box with 8” drivers is stunning. The symphony sounded gorgeous at every seat in the house, just stupid good! I am sure it will be the first rig to leave the shop at every opportunity. And of course having both WPC and WPL systems in our warehouse we can easily ramp up the performance whenever required.”
Lighting designer, Tom Kenny chose Ayrton Khamsin-S profiles as key lights in his design for this year’s iHeartCountry Festival, presented by Capital One, which was live streamed globally and broadcast on iHeartMedia’s country radio stations on 23 October.
Bandit Lites supplied 24 of Ayrton’s Khamsin-S fixtures for this 7th annual celebration of country music which was rescheduled from its original slot in May at the Frank Erwin Centre in Austin, Texas, and relocated to The Steel Mill in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty for iHeartMedia
Kenny is a lighting designer with over 40 years of experience on both sides of the Atlantic who moves easily between lighting live music and television spectaculars. His client list includes rock superstars like Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, David Byrne, Eric Clapton, David Bowie and The Who, and his television credits number a multiplicity of music award shows, documentaries and TV specials.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty for iHeartMedia
“I’d always wanted to use Ayrton’s new fixtures, having used their effects lighting many times before, yet never had the chance until now,” Kenny says. “So when Bandit Lites approached me with the Khamsin-S, I jumped at the opportunity.”
The Khamsin-S fixtures were installed in the overhead grid of The Steel Mill’s 200ft x 79ft studio from where Kenny used them for back, front and key lighting of the bands and as ‘scenery’ for single artists.
Ayrton Khamsin S
“The Khamsins were amazing in all aspects: the colour, power, speed and colour temperature were all perfect for television lighting the temperatures in particular were just beautiful,” says Kenny. “Every lamp was perfect on set up and stayed perfect without any adjustment. I’m very fortunate that many manufacturers ask me to try out their latest fixtures on my TV shows. I like trying new products and can be relied upon to give them an honest opinion. The Khamsins are just fabulous lights and I was really impressed with them.” The iHeartCountry Festival line up included veteran and new country stars from Dierks Bentley and Lady A to Kelsea Ballerini and Dustin Lynch, and Kenny made sure the Khamsin-S fixtures were kept busy throughout the day and night.
“On a show like this which involves so many artists from different age groups and styles, I am like a coffee shop barrista when it comes to the lighting!” says Kenny. “I need to be ready for anything in an instant… ‘What do you want? Order it up and off we go!’ The Khamsins handled it all with ease. They were extremely versatile and quick, reacting to every situation and demand in super-quick time without any problems.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty for iHeartMedia
“We were able to create some really dramatic stand-out moments such as the beautiful backlighting for Kelsea Ballerini – any time you can turn everything off and use a single backlight is a real wow moment! And for Dierks Bentley I was able to use them in a way that was reminiscent of old Leko/theatrical lighting. I didn’t treat the Khamsins as moving lights and they were perfect for lighting both young and mature artists in a sympathetic way.”
Kenny was also impressed with the output of the Khamsin, despite The Steel Mill’s throw distance being shorter than he is used to. “You could see the Khamsins had lots of power and depth to spare even though the trim height at The Steel Mill is only 25ft. They were up against a grid of very powerful other products and lots of heavy smoke effects, but they cut their way through everything with ease. They kept their colour and shape and performed wonderfully under the stress. They are just gorgeous and I’m going to start spec’ing them on many more shows.”
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty for iHeartMedia
This is something that pleases the Festival’s lighting vendors, Bandit Lites, a long-time advocate of Ayrton. “Mike Golden and I were really pleased that Tom spec’d Khamsin-S on the recent iHeart event at the Steel Mill,” says Dizzy Gosnell, Production Director at Bandit Lites who points out: “The missing link for lighting companies has been the availability of a high output LED powered profile head, and the Ayrton Khamsin-S really ticks all the boxes for us at Bandit with its features. Of course, not having a bulb in there to ‘go brown on you’ is a major deal for companies and designers alike. And add to that the thumping output coming out of the front end, great beam width capacity, colour mixing, good framing, 540º pan, good CRI for video, to name just a few. We’re really happy that we have the Khamsin-S in our arsenal at Bandit.”
For more information on Ayrton Khamsin and the full range of LED lighting fixtures, visit the Ayrton website
Sergio started working as the exclusive distributor for NEXO in Italy in 1982, just three years after the company was founded, and he quickly became a key player in the young loudspeaker manufacturing business. A former front-of-house engineer who discovered he preferred the commercial environment of equipment sales, he was able to bring real-world influence to his collaborations with NEXO’s charismatic technical director Eric Vincenot.
In 2002, he moved into a full-time role managing sales in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Albania. One of his first dealership appointments for NEXO Italy was Audio Rent, the rental and sales company run by his great friend Gianni Fantini. “I’ve known Sergio for 40 years, and he never changed: in all that time, he never grew up! He was always smiling, always joking, always in love with the audio world. Working with Sergio was never boring; he was full of funny and strange stories. Here in Italy, he was known as ‘esagerato’ (exaggerated, extreme), which tells you everything about his personality. As a business colleague, he was always in touch with the news around our world, and he was always available to us. I’m fairly sure he could sell sand in the desert!”
As one of the four subsidiary sales managers, Sergio played a key role in the NEXO team. With his peerless contacts in the Italian production community, he was equally at home with the once-extensive nightclub world of the Adriatic Coast and with the glamorous large-format concert and TV productions of Rome and Milan.
“Sergio had a special combination of technical expertise and people skills,” says Gareth Collyer, NEXO’s Sales and Marketing Director. “He was one of the most experienced members of the sales team, but his passing affects us all more than professionally; he was a valued friend and one of the true characters in our industry.”
Shure is strengthening its focus on software solutions by announcing a strategic investment in Finnish software company Ab Wavemark Oy. Known for its software solutions for theater, broadcast, and content streaming applications such as Wavetool and WTAutomixer, Wavemark has recently expanded its software portfolio into streaming applications.
It now offers WTAutomixer, a plug-in enabling seamless auto-mixing for uses like podcasting, remote learning, and house of worship services.
Shure WT Automixer
WTAutomixer is the first multi-channel gain sharing automixer that can be inserted to almost any DAW as a VST3, AU, or AAX plug-in. WTAutomixer automatically controls the gains of multiple microphones and is ideal for live streams, discussion panels, talk shows, religious services, and for any application that requires the use of multiple microphones.
Wavetool is a monitoring and listening solution for professional audio engineers.
Wavetool en action sur des liaisons Axient Digital aux mains du prestataire hongrois Delta Classic.
It works with a variety of wireless equipment brands and supports mobile streaming of audio channels with the Wavetool Mobile Remote app. Wavetool has been used in conjunction with several high-profile theater applications using Shure Axient® Digital Wireless Systems.
Shure’s software offerings, which include Wireless Workbench® for live events, plus Designer, SystemOn, and its new IntelliMix® Room Audio Processing Software for integrated systems, provide customers with a variety of different solutions for audio management.
Brian Woodland
“This move reinforces our commitment to the evolving needs of the pro audio and events industries,” said Brian Woodland, Vice President, Global Business Development, Shure.
“Both Shure and Wavemark have established strong relationships in the industry by understanding user workflows. Leveraging this mutual success, we will further support the growth in wireless system scale and complexity, help customers navigate the challenges of congested RF spectrum, while enabling advanced remote control, monitoring, and system management tools.”
Timo Liski
“We are very proud of this collaborative approach with Shure,” said Timo Liski, Commercial Director at Wavemark. “The ability to share ideas and leverage synergies around software will be beneficial to customers in the audio industry.”
At the beginning of this year, singer/songwriter Niall Horan had to take the decision to cancel his Nice To Meet Ya world tour. But earlier this month, he announced a special, one-off live streamed show from London’s Royal Albert Hall and promoted by livestreaming company, Driift.
Audio equipment for the show, which achieved a massive 150,000 ticket sales, is supplied by Wigwam Acoustics with Ant Carr, Niall’s long-term head of touring and production, at the helm and regular crew members Matthew Kettle and Joe Campbell handling broadcast and monitor positions respectively, both deploying DiGiCo SD5s.
Featuring songs from his two smash hit albums ‘Flicker’ (No1. in the USA) and ‘Heartbreak Weather’ (No.1 in the UK), the show streamed on 7th November and gave loyal fans a chance to be part of what they are so sorely missing.
It is also providing much needed financial support for touring crew, with all profits divided between Niall’s own crew and the #WeNeedCrew relief fund, and also helped raise further awareness for industry campaign, #WeMakeEvents. The team had been working on Niall’s radio and television promotion last autumn, which was due to wrap up in March. They were about to move into an extended period of worldwide touring, starting with a North American arena tour in April. What happened next, notes Kettle, will likely be of little surprise to anyone.
Joe Campbell facing his SD5 and the Hall !
“With his tour cancelled and unable to promote his #1 album Heartbreak Weather, Niall wanted to produce something different from some of the lockdown content we’ve seen,” explains Carr. “He wanted it to be a special experience for his fans and streamed from an iconic venue that was recognised worldwide. He also made the decision to donate the profit from the show to help his band and crew.
“Rather organically, while we were discussing this, I was working with some of my touring team from another act to start up a hardship fund called #WeNeedCrew. Niall is endorsing it and helping drive funds to it. He’s worked really hard to try to educate the public that the live industry is on its knees and any financial support for touring crew, if they were even eligible, has been minimal. His understanding of what a touring crew does for his show is beyond most artists I’ve worked for.”
Niall on stage
The console set up is not significantly different from the unusual touring configuration, with multiple inputs from various SD-Racks in different parts of the stage and performance areas going to the broadcast SD5, all connected via an Opticore loop, and shared with Campbell’s SD5 at monitors. However, there were some additions that made the broadcast its own unique experience for the audience.
“The SD5 is my favourite console in the world,” says Campbell. “I love it and, because DiGiCo products are well proven and rock solid reliable, we rarely have to include them directly in what we do. Wigwam look after us and prepare all our equipment perfectly. My desk is so clean you could eat your dinner off it – although I wouldn’t let you actually do that.
Kettle is excited that he was able to mix for a massive online audience, who will be watching from all over the world. “It was a lot of fun,” he says. “Most importantly though, I’m extremely pleased to help Niall bring attention and support to the many people behind the scenes in live music, whose working lives have come to a complete stop, and who may not be able to go back for a very long time. I hope it inspires more artists to do the same!”
“It’s good to be involved in this project and it’s the first time I’ve ever done a gig in the Albert Hall with no audience,” Campbell concludes. “I feel that artistic performance is an essential part of civilised society. What are we without music? Without the shared experience of live musical performance? Musicians and their support staff (crew) are being left behind in this pandemic, most with little or no support from government. Dedicated professional artistic people, expected to re-train? Re-train as what? Who will express the feelings of society if we are all driving vans or laying bricks?”
With ‘Big Performance – Who is the Star in the Star’, RTL has launched a new entertainment show in which celebrities slip into the shoes of other successful singers with the help of make-up artists. Half a song is performed in full playback mode before continuing with the artist’s own voice. The team of panelists, comprising Michelle Hunziker, Motsi Mabuse, and Guido Maria Kretschmer, had the task of guessing the true identity of the performers.
GLP JDC1 Hybrid Strobe
Lighting designer David Kreileman and associate designer / technical director Tim Franken specified an impressive 156 JDC1 hybrid strobes from GLP in order to effectively punctuate the big moments in the show.
The special requirement in developing the lighting design was to clearly and visually represent the exact moment of change from playback to live singing. “After some considerations, and a direct discussion with set designer Florian Wieder, the idea arose to create the stage design with partially transparent LED walls,” reports Tim Franken. “As technical service provider, Alexander Klaus from Entertainment Technology Concepts was at our side and had the right product for us.
“Behind the partially transparent LED panels, we then used double rows of the well-known and highly respected JDC1 from GLP. Due to the flat housing and the really massive output of the hybrid strobes, the application was perfect. So, we were able to meet the specifications and also work to great effect with the versatile JDC1 in order to design varied looks for the individual performances.
“When we heard about the content implementation of the show, the choice quickly fell to the JDC1 from GLP,” confirms LD David Kreileman. “These effective devices have already proven their functionality and reliability in several previous shows to generate a real ‘wow factor’. Whether for reduction, strong light changes or accentuation, we have always enjoyed using the JDC1, ever since its launch. Since we are tasked with many music and game shows as lighting designers, the 3-in-1 function allows us to always have new and fresh looks for the programmes. With the crisp strobe, the tilt function and the ability to ‘flash’ with colours as well as to animate the pixel control, we have a great and versatile device at our disposal. »
“We were also very enthusiastic about the expansion of the JDC family, the first device being the JDC Line,” concludes Tim Franken. “At the anniversary concert of the Cologne band Kasalla on 13th June, we were able to integrate 12 pieces into the lighting design. The effect was just fantastic! We will certainly use this new device more frequently in the future.”
The four Big Performance shows were produced by Brainpool in its own studios in Cologne Mühlheim in August and broadcast from 12 September to 3 October. In addition to LD David Kreileman and associate designer / technical director Tim Franken, the crew consisted of WYSIWYG designer and operator Udo Rath, show light operator Sebastian Huwig, gaffer Christian Peters, white light operator Adam Balke, video operator Ingo Rath and Server specialist Wiebke Wilde. The technical service provider was Cape Cross.
In 2005, the OVAL, designed by lauded Roman architect Massimiliano Fuksas, opened its doors at the EUROPARK shopping mall in Salzburg, Austria. The 227-seat cultural showcase stages unique shows ranging from music, drama, cabaret, cinema and more, and has earned a firm place in Salzburg’s already rich calendar of events.
Under the direction of EUROPARK Managing Director Christoph Andexlinger, the OVAL has added another attraction to its offering since July 2020: L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology from L-Acoustics. Right from the start, the room’s extraordinary architecture, which features a steep atrium grandstand and a 13-meter-wide stage that is only 15 meters from the control room, posed significant challenges to conventional L-C-R sound reinforcement systems. “Thanks to L-ISA, not only was the conventional technology replaced, but a completely new, immersive listening experience was created at every seat,” explains Rupert Pichler, Managing Director of Pansound and project manager for the L-ISA conversion in the OVAL.
From left to right: Tim Vermeer (Pansound), Martin Rode (L-Acoustics), Martin Rieder (Pansound), Rupert Pichler (Pansound), Martin Wurmnest (L-Acoustics), Tom Erlinger (Pansound), and Flo Pichler (Pansound).
The sound design by Martin Rode, Head of Application Install D-A-CH, comprises a Scene system with five arrays of three A10 Wide, evenly hung above the stage and across its entire width, along with two sets of three KS21 subwoofers each, flown horizontally behind the Scene system and configured in an end-fire cardioid array.
Five 5XT placed in front of the stage serve as frontfill. Three coaxial X8 per side are placed along the walls, with a further two X8 on the rear wall, and five ceiling-mounted 5XT create surround and overhead sound. The entire system is driven by LA4X amplified controllers. Signal Sound & Light Distribution, L-Acoustics Certified Provided Distributor for Austria, provided the OVAL system.
The OVA L-ISA design.
Even before the final choice of L-ISA was made, the project team played with the idea of immersive sound reinforcement. “The central requirement was, and is, the optimization of the listening experience,” says Rupert Pichler.
Pichler and Andexlinger first heard the L-ISA immersive sound technology at a demonstration in the L-Acoustics Creations headquarters in Highgate, London. Their decision to opt for L-ISA was based on the flexibility of the technology as well as the audio quality of L-Acoustics systems.
“When Rupert Pichler told me about this completely new kind of sound, I didn’t think that it was possible,” explains Andexlinger. “So we went to London to get to the bottom of this auditive ‘mystery’ and experience it live. It was breathtaking. Never before had I heard music from loudspeakers in such a clear way.”
On the stage, a drum kit ready to be fully and faithfully reproduced by the L-ISA immersive rig.
“The EUROPARK shopping center is considered the most successful mall in Austria. With the OVAL, we wanted to expand the offer for our visitors to encompass both art and culture. Initially, we were met with skepticism from artists and artist agencies,” says Andexlinger.
“However, we didn’t want an artistic fig leaf in a shopping center, but a stage with its own personality for jazz and world music on the one hand, and a programme of cinema and cabaret on the other and all this in a combination that makes it possible for both art lovers and newcomers to feel comfortable and be inspired.”
“L-ISA is outstanding,” concludes Pichler. “You hear what you see, and you hear it at every seat in the room. L-ISA technology has brought a completely new listening quality to the OVAL.”
