794 GLP fixtures for Indochine last Stadiums Shows designed Jean-Christophe Aubrée

The French production designer Jean-Christophe Aubrée has taken over the lighting for two major stadium shows, featuring legendary French band Indochine (enjoying a remarkable almost 40 years career), with aver 1,000 fixtures, including 794 GLP impression X4.
All were supplied via PRG France from their bases across Europe.

It was a comfortable position for Aubrée, to find himself in. Having previously worked with other well-known artists, and formerly operated in an assistant design capacity with Indochine, he stepped up for the last two shows of the long-running 13TOUR, which had hit the road back in February 2018. The LD then was Thomas Dechandon.
Nicola Sirkis, Indochine’s leader, decided to create a whole new show for these two last stadium dates as a big surprise and experience for the fans. And helping provide a fitting finale were well over 1,000 lighting fixtures, including 794 GLP impression X4. All were supplied via PRG France from their bases across Europe.

Lighting roof

The vast majority of the X4’s were consigned to the lighting roof with another 36 populating the cross-shaped stage and proscenium edge, creating volume and depth, and 36 of the smaller impression X4 S positioned around the band on stage.
Jean-Christophe Aubrée has regularly turned to GLP’s LED solutions on festival rigs across Europe. “Most recently, I have been using the impression X4 Bar 20 and the awesome JDC1 hybrid strobe to create very interesting looks,” Jean-Christophe Aubrée says.

At the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, where the shows took place to sell out audiences of 30,000, the lights were hung 30 meters high, and therefore needed to deliver full power.
“I was looking for a reliable product that would achieve consistency over 758 units without any variation in terms of colour or dimming curve. Accuracy was my major concern as they would be responding all together, as one huge piece of light.” This synchronicity and choreography was an essential element.

Shapes, abstract, graphic

“The X4’s zoom helped me a lot, even at this height, turning this big lighting piece into many different shapes, sometimes abstract or at some point graphic.”
Another concern, he said, had been the mounting system – but again GLP was equal to the challenge. “When you have 722 fixtures following a precise layout it is so nice to have an easy and space saving clamp system, as with the X4, making the setup highly efficient.”

As Nicola Sirkis was looking for this stadium experience to be as immersive as possible, Aubrée was tasked with “making the audience forget about the place, land lose the feeling of dimension and distance.” Aside from the 50 x 15 m video screen, onto which live video images of the band (and other effects) were projected, it was the 72 x 34 m lighting roof, containing the 722 impression X4, that held the key.

“This roof sometimes washed all the audience in a static way, as a big architectural piece, and sometimes more dynamically to involve the audience in the band’s energy. It was a cross between modern architecture and a sci-fi vision, helping the audience to feel they were somewhere other than a regular stadium venue.”
“At some points in the show I got the feeling the lighting roof was way closer than it actually was, and it was a nice feeling to lose my bearings in this way. But the most exciting part was lighting the band themselves, he said. “This is what created the biggest onscreen impact from the live broadcast cameras – the energy pulsing 20 times bigger and brighter.”

Discreet and bright, side and back lights

“It was nice to have such a tiny fixture as the X4S, so discreet on stage but also very bright. I used them as side and back lights to light the band and create depth of field for all the cameras shooting the stage and broadcasting the images onto the screen.”

“These GLP fixtures were reliable, particularly considering the high temperatures we experienced in the stadium. They are powerful, flexible and most of all very smart in terms of mounting solutions, menu setup, and programming mindset. When working with that many fixtures it is nice to have something so easy and efficient to set up.”

“When we turned all the roof fixtures on together for the first time we were so happy to have every response tight and smooth. Sometimes the roof was lit with regular cues and sometimes through pixel-mapping; both methods were super fluent and all in sync.”
Jean-Christophe Aubrée credits the close relationship built up with production and Nicola Sirkis in particular for the success of these shows. “This helped to push the project and ideas further than we had ever imagined.”

He was also fortunate to have such an accomplished crew. This comprised Laurent Boillot and Antoine d’Halluin as project managers, and Matthieu Bruni and Patrice Giono (lighting crew chiefs), surrounded by a team of 20 top technicians. “They all helped to make my work so fluent,” concludes LD Jean-Christophe Aubrée.

More information on GLP fixtures.

 

A Dozen Years at Outside Lands’ Main Stage for Meyer Sound in San Francisco

Widely heralded as one of America’s premier music and arts festivals, Outside Lands has been staged every August since 2008 in San Francisco’s expansive Golden Gate Park. Since the event’s inception, audio for the “Lands End” main stage has been delivered through a Meyer Sound system as supplied by legendary Bay Area rental company UltraSound.
2019 also marked the eighth time UltraSound has deployed a LEO® Family line array system to support the headline acts, which this year included Paul Simon, Childish Gambino and Twenty One Pilots.

Photo ©Steve Jennings.

This twelve-year run at Lands End underscores the close working relationship the sound providers have forged with the festival’s promoters, Another Planet Entertainment and Superfly. “It’s a relationship that goes back to the beginning of Outside Lands,” says UltraSound Director of Operations Josh Osmond. “Since this event is held right in the backyard for both our company and Meyer Sound, it just makes sense. It’s been a no-brainer for us all the way around.”

Speaking on behalf of Another Planet Entertainment, Production Director Mary Conde notes, “In the beginning, when we were carving out roles and responsibilities for vendors, I was insistent on using UltraSound and Meyer for the main stage. We knew that the quality had to be there, it could not fail, and it had to be great from the first note to the last. I’m happy we made that decision, and every year it just gets better.”

High audience levels while confining sound within the boundaries

View of the delay towers. Photo ©Steve Jennings.

Prior to this year’s event, the promoters held several community meetings to address concerns about sound bleed into adjacent residential neighborhoods. As a result, the LEO Family system at Lands End was reconfigured to maintain uniformly high levels across the audience area while better confining broadband sound within the festival boundaries.
The main front arrays of, per side, 13 LEO over three LYON™-W line array loudspeakers were boosted by two sets of largely down-firing delays. The near set comprised three towers, each with 11 LEO over three LYON-W loudspeakers; the far delay system had two towers, each with six LYON-M over six LEOPARD™ loudspeakers. This configuration enabled maximum control of level adjustments, when required.

Rounding out the full range complement were side hangs each with 10 LYON line array loudspeakers (six LYON-M and four LYON-W) plus 16 LEOPARD for front lip and L/R front fill. Dual flown gradient arrays of nine each 1100-LFC low frequency control elements joined with 10 1100-LFC elements in a 5×2 ground arc to deliver low frequency punch.
VIP areas were served by a mixed inventory of 34 loudspeakers including UPA-1C, UPJ-1P, LEOPARD, CQ-1 and UPM-2P. The VIP DJ system comprised six LINA line array loudspeakers coupled with four 900-LFC low frequency control elements.

Similar rig for Kenny Sellars

Kenny Sellars, Twenty One Pilots FOH Engineer. Photo ©Steve Jennings.

The LEO Family system was a welcome sight for Kenny Sellars, FOH engineer for Twenty One Pilots, as the band had toured with a similar rig the prior year. Read previous SoundLightUp article here.

“It’s always nice to walk in and see a familiar rig, because then you know what to expect,” says Sellars. “One thing I always appreciate about a Meyer Sound PA is the self-powered aspect. I can’t say enough about the transient response, how fast and tight everything sounds.

When your speaker cable is a foot long, you don’t lose much between the amp and the speaker. I can pick out and hear a depth in my mixes I don’t always get from other PAs.” Sellars also loves the system’s bass impact. “The low end information I get from the 1100s is impressive. When the kick drum hits, it just slaps you right across the chest. It’s everything I’ve always wanted from subs.”

UltraSound also equipped The Barbary tent, a “comedy and variety” venue hosting an eclectic mix of acts including Mike Birbiglia, Tony Danza and Jimmy O. Yang. The system here was anchored by eight LEOPARD line array loudspeakers per side, bolstered by two CQ-1 and four UPM-2P loudspeakers, and with four 900-LFC elements for deep bass.
“The Barbary stage has become a very popular venue,” reports Mary Conde. “We have great stand-up comedians along with a series called D.A.V.E. – Discussions About Virtually Everything. Usually it’s one person with one microphone and there’s no room for error. It has to be right from the get-go.”

Collaborative approach

(L to R) Ryan Lewis, Ian DuBois, Jeremy Miller, Tom Lyon, Scott Tkachuk, Andrew May, Aharon Lund, Andy Kaiser. Photo ©Steve Jennings.

Over the past dozen years, the working relationship developed between the main stage sound providers and the event promoter illustrates a collaborative approach to problem solving and enhancing the audience experience.
“We work closely with Mary and Another Planet on next year literally from the day this festival ends,” says UltraSound’s Osmond. “Every year we strive to improve, and we continue working through the year to make the next edition even better.”
“I’m always pleased by our partnership with Meyer Sound and UltraSound,” concludes Mary Conde.

A third Meyer Sound system was deployed at the GastroMagic stage, in this case as supplied by McCune Audio/Video/Lighting of South San Francisco. Here, the aromatic mixture of food talk (Molly Baz, Roy Choi) was spiced by music from the likes of Cherry Glazerr, Ella Mai and Adam Duritz. The system here tallied 16 LEOPARD line array loudspeakers and six 900-LFC low frequency control elements.

The Outside Lands Festival celebrates the San Francisco traditions of excellent and eclectic music, fine food and drink, engaging and extravagant art, and the exploration of new ideas. It takes its name from the far western parts of the city, today including most of Golden Gate Park, that were once largely covered by sand dunes and considered uninhabitable by early settlers.

More information on Meyer Sound.

Let’s enjoy a beer at the end of this article in the Relix Roadie Lounge at Outside Lands 2019. Cheers, mate! Photo ©Steve Jennings.

 

Mucho Colorado for Glasto: Chauvet rocks on lotsa stages

36 and still rockin’ and well! The 36th edition of the Glastonbury Festival was sprinkled with vivid colors and dazzlingly bright light, with the help of a lot of Chauvet Professional Colorado fixtures, from the Pyramid Stage, where LD Tim Routledge used the Colorado Solo Batten to accent a stirring performance by headliner Stormzy, to the magical Flying Bus Stage and Greenpeace Field, to the jam-packed Acoustic Stage.

@Timmsy

Chauvet Professional fixtures enlivened some of the festival’s biggest acts and most popular attractions. On the main Pyramid Stage, a massive collection of Colorado Solo Batten fixtures helped outline the architecture of the set and provided immersive color washes from multiple directions.
At the Unfairground, the GLX Productions team, led by managing director and lighting designer Glenn Gridley, used an extensive array of Maverick fixtures to create transformative moments. This was most notable on the Flying Bus Stage, where they conjured up an engaging and surreal effect with help from 12 Maverick MK Pyxis, 12 Maverick MK1 Spot and three Maverick MK1 Hybrid units. Positioning these fixtures inside and under the bus, they endowed it with a glowing other-worldly vibe.

Maverick fixtures also had a transformative effect on the festival’s Greenpeace Field, where the Bailes+Light team relied on the IP65-rated Maverick Storm 1 Wash to create an eco-friendly forest of light. Adding to the wonderous outdoor panorama were Colorado Solo Batten, ÉPIX Strip IP, Colorado Panel Q40, STRIKE 1 and STRIKE P38 fixtures, along with F4IP video panels.

@Timmsy

Rob Sangwell and Simon Johnson of Fineline Lighting added a powerful punch to the Acoustic Stage for artists like The Mavericks and Keane with a festival rig that featured 16 Maverick MK3 Spot and 18 Maverick MK3 Wash fixtures. The quality of the color and the intense brightness of the Maverick fixtures made Fineline excited to include these lights as an essential part of their Glastonbury plans.
Apparently, visiting LDs shared this enthusiasm. When Landon Bloss, lighting director for The Mavericks (Grammy-winning country band), first saw the Maverick MK3 Spot on the Acoustic Stage, his reaction was, “What on earth are those?” He says that he thought that the brilliantly bright fixtures “must be lamps” and never expected they were really LED units. But Glastonbury has a tradition of serving up great surprises… and on this stage that didn’t just happen for fans, but visiting LDs too.

More information on the Chauvet Professional Website.

 

Ligabue at his best on nine-stadium tour with 236 RCF TT+ speakers

Believe it not, non-italian readers, but Ligabue, famous (and long-lasting!) Italian rocker has reached a 29-year career at the top of the charts. He’s just finished his Start Tour 2019 with an impressive stage set up in nine Italian stadiums with his five-piece band.
Following a risky vocal chord operation just over a year ago, Ligabue returns on the stage with his electric guitar, his powerful voice, a brand new stage, and no less than 236 RCF TT+ speakers.

RCF TT+ system, here with 236 devices, all interconnected to the RDNet management software, now in version 3.1.

The sound system is RCF’s trusted TT+ system, consisting of a total of 236 devices, all interconnected to the RDNet management software, now in version 3.1, that controls and monitors every component of the system.
“We have been using Ligabue’s TT + system for a long time and I am very satisfied with the results we get at every concert. Since the introduction of the FiRPHASE algorithms in the DSP, the system has improved the performance even more and always guarantees me the neutral and pleasant sound I am looking for. ” states the FOH engineer Alberto “Mente” Butturini, alongside Ligabue for many years.

Ligabue 2019 Stadium Tour stage front view.

The sound system designer Emanuele Morlini describes the audio system: “The main system combines 24 TTL 55-A modules for the MAINS suspended in L & R configuration with 100 Hz cut-off frequency (total 48 modules).
Then we have 12 TTL 36-AS subwoofer modules suspended behind the mains in L & R configuration. Operating in a range of frequencies between 60 and 100 Hz (total 24 modules), they are able to extend coverage on low frequencies over the entire listening area.” Twenty TTL 55-A modules have been set up to extend the coverage up to 180° on the Left and Right sides (total of 40 modules).

The low frequencies are managed with 60 TTS 56-A subwoofer modules in straight-line – on cardioid stacks of three modules – with 100° electronic arc. The external segments, made discontinuous by the presence of two frontal runways, are balanced with some tweaks on the RCF RDNet management software. The subwoofers on the extreme sides have been rotated offstage in an EndFire configuration for coverage beyond 180°.

Threequarter view giving an idea of the solutions chosen for ideal horizontal coverage.

How can you adapt the sound design for a stage that is 58 meters long, 22 deep? The backdrop of the stage is a mighty metal structure that supports the three LED screens that recall the two “L” of the artist’s name and a huge amount of light sources to create impressive visual effects.

“The coverage of the first few rows is backed by 16 TTL 33-A modules used as frontfills on the front stage. In addition, 4 clusters of 12 TTL 55-A modules were used as DELAY systems in the stadiums where there were no delays on the spot (all with the exception of Milan and Rome), “explains Morlini showing the sound system draft.

Winning pair: Ligabue & RCF.

“Thanks to this conformation the SPL coverage is stable and without significant cancellations throughout the entire listening area. At the same time, excellent attenuation on stage is guaranteed to have a dry sound for the microphones and optimal acoustic comfort for musicians.”

“I would like to be able to pilot this system more often. The quality of the system is remarkable and still valid even more than 10 years after its introduction on the market.” concludes Alberto Butturini.
“I am happy to have had the chance to help in the optimization process of this system. RCF is doing a good job with large systems.”

More information on RCF TT+ System.

 

TPMEA Award Winner LD Aaron Russ triggers Protec Dubai investment in Robe

The largest and most prolific full production company in the Middle East and globally one of the largest is the Protec Group’s Dubai branch.
It has started investing in Robe moving lights in the last two years, a move that’s seen a range of fixtures – including BMFLs, Pointes, MegaPointes, Spikies and RoboSpot systems – delivered and deployed on various projects.

Protec’s Aaron Russ (left) with Elie Battah from Robe Middle East (right).

The company, founded in 1999 by Steve Lakin, delivers innovative and imaginative full technical production solutions across entertainment, leisure and commercial sectors – from corporate presentations to music festivals – throughout the UAE, Middle East and UK / Europe. With fully operational branches in KSA, UAE and the UK, Protec is delivering world-class events across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa & Asia.

The Robe huge investment has been spearheaded by Protec’s head of lighting Aaron Russ, recent winner of the 2019 TPMEA Award for Lighting Designer of the Year. As that implies, Aaron is also an accomplished production lighting designer and takes on this role – often collaborating with a team of designers – to creatively light up event spaces varying from intimate shows to stadium spectaculars.

Lighting Designer Aaron Russ with 2019 TPMEA Award for Lighting Designer of the Year.

He thinks the products are generally well designed and have been engineered to make life as easy as possible for those using them. The crews greatly appreciate the fact that they are not “needy lights.”
From the design perspective, Aaron says the optics are “impressive” and he likes flat beam field, the gobo selection and the fact that they make good workhorse lights for both theatre and rock ‘n’ roll.

He cites the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Presidents Cup Football in the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain as a good example, where he positioned 24 x BMFLs on one of the balcony handrails at the top of the seating bleachers shooting a long way down to the field-of-play. “They were completely still – rock solid – which was noticeable compared to some of the other lights on the job!” he confirmed.
In addition to these creative advantages of using these Robe units, he appreciates the great service and support from Robe Middle East which is headed by Elie Battah.

“Robe has come a long way, especially in the last five years,” he observes. “When I arrived at Protec from New Zealand, it was the launch of the BMFL (ca. 2014) that really alerted me to how much Robe had advanced in a short time.”
Aaron explained that it was a case of the right product at the right time with Robe. Obviously, they had other moving lights in stock up until this point, but the first batch of 96 x Pointes were sourced to replace a competitor beam light product, together with 48 x Spikies on the same order.

LD John Featherstone, Lightswitch.

Then in 2018, for the ground-breaking Opening Ceremony of the Qiddiya Theme Park in Riyadh, KSA with a design by US-based LD John Featherstone of Lightswitch, they needed a powerful wash light … and purchased 24 x BMFL XF Washes with the barn door module.
“Every design we receive from John specifies a lot of Robe,” commented Aaron, and he has been a big champion of the brand in the US across his portfolio of work.

Also delivered by Robe Middle East with this second batch of luminaires were another 24 x Pointes and 12 x MegaPointes, followed (no pun intended, ED.) by two RoboSpot base stations with two BMFL Blades luminaires and separate motions cameras used as remote-controlled follow spots on which he comments: “I love them, they work really well, especially outdoors in adverse weather conditions.”

Robe is now regularly on his event and show designs. This includes the Opening Ceremony of the Nas Sports Challenge at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex in Dubai, a high-profile gig that Protec approached with its characteristic enthusiasm, zest and vision.

Example of stage installed by Protec, with the help of “some” Robe fixtures.

Robe wise, he utilised Pointes, MegaPointes and RoboSpots amongst other fixtures, and the RoboSpots turned out to be the stars of the show! The event was staged in a room with no follow spot rigging facilities other than flying a special truss, and the 6 to 8 hours show standby times meant that having operators up there for that long was totally impractical.

A young football star needed highlighting as he showed off some of his playing skills and when his performance position was changed right at the last moment … Aaron was still able to get two of the RoboSpots to point almost vertically down to cover his new area, a feat that would have been impossible using conventional spots.
“They are fantastic ace to have up your sleeve,” Aaron Russ concludes.

More information on Robe products.

 

Hermes Music flies in as Mexican Distributor for Adamson

With a long and faithful presence on the Mexican market, Pro Audio Comercializadora, a division of Hermes Music, is appointed as the exclusive distributor from Adamson Systems Engineering. The partnership leverages Pro Audio Comercializadora’s decades of service in the Mexican pro audio market and further bolsters Adamson’s position in the Americas.

Hermes Music General Manager Juan Perches & Adamson CEO Marc Bertrand;

Founded in 1996, Pro Audio Comercializadora serves the pro audio, DJ, broadcast, and recording markets with a catalogue of brands producing cutting-edge technology.
Based in Mexico City, Pro Audio Comercializadora will work in close collaboration with Adamson’s Canadian headquarters to develop educational programing, provide client support, and propel further growth in the national market.
Uriegas states that customer and user support will be at the core of their efforts from the outset, with plans already in place to deliver Adamson’s globally-standardized Applied Certification training in the near future.

“Pro Audio Comercializadora has been in the professional market for several decades, and in that time, we’ve watched Adamson become a market leader in terms of innovation, product performance, and brand profile,” comments Raul Carlos Uriegas, Director of Pro Audio Comercializadora. “The development of their various patented and proprietary technologies over the years makes it clear Adamson is proud and passionate about the audio industry, and that’s exactly the kind of company we want to partner with.”

“A very important part for us is to assist those who have trusted Adamson over the years, regardless of the origin of the sale,” he asserts. “Pro Audio and Adamson share a common bond in the way we care for our customers, and we plan to live up to both companies’ reputations with education opportunities and second-to-none service and support as part of the Adamson Network.”

One example of a Show Production done by the Hermes Music team.

Uriegas says in closing that his team is looking forward to working in tandem with Adamson based on their shared core values. “We see ourselves as an extension of the Adamson brand, and take great pride in the opportunity to represent their principles and overall vision in our country.”

“We’re glad to know that our present and future partners, customers, and users in Mexico will have the support of an esteemed company like Pro Audio Comercializadora and Hermes Music,” asserts Adamson’s James Oliver, Director of Sales and Marketing. “They take pride in a client-first mentality and have already shown their dedication to working together to ensure we have strong support in this very important market.”

More information on Adamson Systems Engineering and on Hermes Music.

 

City of ParookaVille, pop. 210,000 attendees, shining with the help of CLF

CLF Lighting fixtures galore on ParookaVille Time Lab stage, including Orion hybrids as sky beams on top of the round bunker structure.

The 2019 edition of ParookaVille at Airport Weeze featured an impressive number of CLF fixtures. The festival with 210,000 attendees took place for the fifth time.
CLF fixtures were used in the Time Lab, Wacky Shack, Brainwash and in all the sales outlets throughout the festival area. Rent-All GmbH supplied over 700 fixtures.

LD Janik Hensen (Dekor Event) for Lighting Design, Stage Design by Stefan Dicks and lighting concept of Robert Sommer.

LD Janik Hensen (Dekor Event) took care of the lighting design, including the Time Lab, based on a Stage Design by Stefan Dicks and a lighting concept of Robert Sommer.
In addition, his company took care of the site layout, production and material planning.

In the Time Lab, Aorun were used as main fixture, accompanied by the LEDbar Pro as a continuation of the LED surfaces. CLF Conan fixtures were used as washlight, because of their zoom function. All fixtures had to be lightweight, since the load capacity of the roof was limited. On top of the round bunker structure, Orion hybrids functioned as sky beams.

CLF Lighting LEDBar Pros at work at ParookaVille 2019.

Janik Hensen explained, “Thomas Koppers and I have set two stages exclusively on CLF fixtures. The many effect variations, the fast movements and the creative product approaches convinced us. But the reliability and outstanding rental availability were also important. All in all, the complete package was there. Especially worth mentioning is the LEDbar Pro is, it’s a multifunctional talent among the outdoor LED bars.”

Besides the Time Lab, the Wacky Shack area was also fully equipped with CLF fixtures. Furthermore, a huge number of Yara, Hera and Ares fixtures were used as ambient lighting. “All fixtures endured three weeks of rough festival conditions with dust, storm, extreme heat and colour powder parties, but we didn’t have a single technical failure from over 700 fixtures”, says Hensen.

Detail of CLF Lighting Beam6 installation.

Hensen’s main activities are event production and lighting design. With his company, Dekor Event, he develops sustainable concepts in the light and video area. The company relies on CLF products during many of their events.
Recently, the historic St. Mary’s Basilica, the largest point of pilgrimage in north-western Europe, was illuminated during a visit of Germany’s president. Also, the company has a beautiful set of CLF Apollo retro fixtures.

  • Project Lead: Christian Bergers (ParookaVille)
  • Project Lead Assistant & Design: Janik Hensen
  • Production Lead: Thomas Koppers
  • Lab Operator: Thomas Koppers, Janik Hensen
  • Wacky Shack Operator: Matthias Grah
  • Supplier: Rent-All Gmbh

CLF Orion hybrids as audience beams.

More information on:

 

Jazzin’ under 12-inch apple trees: Nexo M12 lands in Normandy with JM Roussel

The Marcel-Hélie hall, as seen from the top of the bleachers, the FOH is down at first row. You can see the 2-color tulle ceiling, the acoustic dampening and the absorbing panels down the sides’ bleachers.

Long-lasting jazz festival institution able to gather the biggest names in Coutances, Normandy, Jazz sous les Pommiers has received this year one of the first big Nexo M12 systems. SoundLightUp went there for an in-depth interview of sound and acoustics maestro Jean-Marie Roussel.

Jean-Marie Roussel, on one of the very few occasions he could actually pose for a SoundLightUp photo… we did take him by surprise.

When the spring burns with the desire to dress in summer fashion and colors and swing a little, Coutances in Normandy metamorphoses and lives jazz music in every corner of its city. A true common passion.
We decided to meet Jean-Marie Roussel, essential player and technical support of this festival, to discover it and the city / festival and incidentally listen to good FOH mixes. Bet is won all the way!

Since we’re introducing Jean-Marie Roussel to you fellow international readers, you have to know that his spectrum is more than broad. Jean-Marie is a shareholder of the Atech / Atl company, which is the Norman vendor of the festival. He is also a partner of Auvisys, which is active in France and abroad in distribution of Pro audio, lighting, video and events’ automation, for institutional markets, but also for broadcast. Last but not least, JM Roussel it imports solutions for insulation and acoustic treatment, plus all the necessary measurement and analysis tools that go with this stuff. Suffice to say that this guy is the reassuring kind!

Eight M12, cabled here in passive mode behind some NXAMP4X4s.

SLU: The Marcel-Hélie hall seems pretty versatile, and includes here quite a number of acoustics solutions to improve its listening rendering.

Jean-Marie Roussel: Very, very versatile. It welcomes, in addition to this Jazz Festival, the indoor market of Coutances, sport events, or exhibitions.
I made measurements and specified membranes which were made by the city technical crew and are installed throughout the entire festival on all its walls.
I also specified lateral panels of Melamine foam, leg drops of heavy drape, and a long tulle ceiling for decoration, but also to dampen the high frequencies generated by the reflections on the concrete walls.

The acoustic treatment of the live venues becomes a very important market (and that is understandable, why stack loudspeakers to get a lousy result? Ed.). For example I did the treatment of the Marciac Jazz Festival marquee, another one for the Epau classical music festival in Le Mans. It’s useless to have super cars on a bumpy road (laughs).


One of the four cardioid M-SUB18 stacks hidden underneath the stage.

SLU: So, what’s the relation between Nexo and the “Pommiers” festival?

Jean-Marie Roussel: It’s an old story. I know the Nexo teams since very long, and I even worked as a subcontractor for them. It’s very good and affordable equipment. I have installed some in Africa and it is still doing well after all these years. The new M range is really good and the M12 is perfect for this hall. (He rides up a fader and the voice of Cecile McLorin Salvant warming her voice resonates, pure and crystalline). We have 8 M12 per side, 8 M-SUB18 in cardioid set-up and small bow under the stage.

One of the iD24s, the nifty versatile Nexo units, perfect to discreetly fill the first ranks of the audience.

I tighten it deliberately because I have to be careful not to make the hall resonate by its sides, otherwise it does go booming in the low frequencies.
There are also four iD24s as lip fills and a pair of Nexo PS to precise the sound for the first rows on the sides.

Coutances swings as well

We let Jean-Marie completing his FOH rehearsal adjustments because he’s at the helm of the house mixing board, a venerable, still standin’, good ol’ Soundcraft Vi6, and it does sound like he knows where it’s at. I have a walk through the empty hall with fully-fledged deployed bleachers in the rear part, and it proves the merits of the treatment work up there.

Jean-Marie at the helm behind his SoundCraft Vi6 complemented by nice analog and digital peripherals galore.

The reverberation time if acceptable and you obtain a convincing rendering everywhere, including in the rear part of the venue, a mere 40 meters away from the PA system. Only the three last upper rows between the tulle ceiling and the target of the first M12 on top sound a bit dull and lack a bit of SPL, and some rows in the middle of the bleachers enjoy some dBs of extra low-mid. Were the system cabled in active mode, it would have been easier to smooth it all.

Nevertheless, when near FOH and our back turned to the first bleachers’ rows, one can appreciate the very nice phase rendering of the M12 and the quality of the Nexo waveguides, with tight mono recomposition. The M series might be positioned in an affordable segment of Nexo’s offering, no saving was made on the choice of the transducers, as Joseph Carcopino, the head of R&D in Plailly, hometown of Nexo, explained us recently. And you sure can hear it.

Cécile McLorin Salvant during rehearsal. A treat for the ears.

The extremely natural and respectful FOH mix from Jean-Marie unveils the natural rendering of these boxes. The treble is lovingly soft and fine, the medium is precise and present but without being agressive in any case. The lows are more discreet, but as we’re listening to a piano & voice set rehaersing with subtleness, this impression is quite inevitable.

Why hurting your back when you can actually roll’em in? ;0)

We will have the opportunity to get more bass some hours later with the beautiful set of saxophonist Sophie Alour, backed on this occasion by high class guests including Mohamed Abozekry playing oud, and then an Electro Deluxe set that closed the day with their legendary punch, all in this same hall.

Hats off to the technical teams coming in with total zen approach and attitude, and great kindness to achieve four rehearsals and sets in total smoothness for 4 different artists, and the local and national media crews and inevitable requests. Of course we’re far away from the festival’s beginnings, and a dinner beside Jean-Marie in the middle of the techies and artists gossiping about the former editions can testify this, in Coutances they know how to mix pleasure and discipline.

Black out (well, almost)

Cécile McLorin Salvant, a show all in subtlety and in complicity with the audience.

The audience enters the hall for this evening’s concerts, a demanding and connoisseur public who evolves, according to artists and tastes, Coutances now burst of a thousand performances during eight days, with plenty of choice.

Sophie Alour shares the stage with Mohamed Abozekry for a very classy, yet unclassifiable moment, the true definition of Jazz with a big J.

Jean-Marie stays on course and gives us a neat 83 dB(A) and 3-4 dB more in dB(C), without any frustration with a precise low spectrum. The last numbers will reach 87 dB(A), showing the capacities of the M units at low level.
Some hours later, the strategy of the FOH guy of E2Lux, on the opposite, will be to tease 102 dB(A) et mask the low resonances by the SPL generated by the M12s and the M-SUB18s.
It all goes smoothly with a well filled and fat medium, still very enjoyable highs and a real “concert” bass even if slightly restrained, proving that a 12” can hit as well as a pair of 10″ and go down a bit lower.

Electro Deluxe without Thomas Faure and its others “usual” horns, but with enough energy to make apples fall off the “Pommiers”.

The neutrality of this M12 box is not about its versatility. Confronted with sweetness it knows how to be cuddly and throw far, whereas facing a very dense and well compressed mix, it responds present and does not appear reaching the end of its potential, despite the reasonable number deployed in this not that small venue here, while working in passive mode only. It is true that there are 4X4s amps connected behind, the kind of processed amp that is difficult to take in default when it is necessary to deliver.

More information on:

 

Wash, decoration and architectural fixtures for Starway

The Starway stand during last Prolight&Sound exhibition, relying a lot on their many decoration projectors.

Very much into the re-creation of vintage projectors fitted with LED sources, Starway declines its Vega in two versions. The biggie’s name is Maxi-Vega, the tiny is called Mini-Vega.

Mini-Vega and Maxi-Vega

The Mini-Vega, presented as a prototype on the stand, will see its outer ring fully integrated in its final version.

This small ancillary “lighting firefly” comprises a large warm white LED in the center, a RGB module behind the reflector to illuminate its golden dome, and two stripes of RGB Ledstrip inside and outside its peripheral ring to multiply multicolor effects.
Practical, it is not only designed to be hung with a single hook or stand on its floor plate, but can also be assembled into a circular frame to group seven Mini-Vega altogether.

The Maxi-Vega, bigger and more powerful, is a replica of the standard Vega, XL size. Like the Vega, it has the ability to divide its rings into 8 individually-controlled sectors.
On these brand new Vega models, the mains connectors are now PowerCON True1 in&out, the DMX512 is connected to two 5-pin XLRs (in/thru), and a silkscreened label on the unit body unveils a clever QR-code to display directly the DMX chart and the user manual on the user’s smartphone.

The Maxi-Vega is hung up on the left of the picture, while on the right you can see a matrix of seven Mini-Vegas.

– The Maxi-Mega is launched with a list price of 1,990 € excluding V.A.T.
– the Mini-Vega is announced with a list price of 2,890 € excl. V.A.T. for a kit of 4 units coming into a flight-case.

FloodLite

Two newbies are launched around the Floodlite 650, a small “pocket” IP65 LED Blinder, IP65 rated, as well as its connectors.

The first is a Floodlite UV version, tiny as well, with a very nice glow. Designed from the request of a famous French Light Designer, Jérémie Bargues, for latest Mathieu Chedid (successful French hitmaker) tour, it comprises a 100 W COB UV LED with 60° angle. It can be controlled between 1 and 6 channels, weighing less than 3 kg, with a a list price of 390 € excl. V.A.T.
The Floodlite HD, same format, includes a 200 W COB RGBW LED. The color mixing system has undergone a specific researches to deliver at the same time saturated colors and a halogen mode, with “filament inertia” and color correction while keeping a high level of light output.

Some of the different Floodlite range supports.

As for the rest of the range, it has specific and separate dimmer and strobe channels, and can be controlled 4 to 15 DMX channels.
All the COB LED sources in this range have an adjustable PWM between 1 kHz and 50 kHz to prevent any flickering. Its list price is slightly higher at 450 € excl. V.A.T.

Particularity of this range, a collection of hanging accessories allows to group them in pairs or in quartet, in line or in square. As for the Mini-Vega, a circle support allows to group seven Floodlites, including a central one.

Kepler 350

In the lineage of the Newton, a fixed profile spot equipped with a RGBAL LED was unveiled last year. This Kepler 350 demonstrates the architectural interest of Starway.

Waterproof and dustproof, these IP66 products lower a lot the need for maintenance, thanks to their LED source. The one inside the Kepler 350 is a cold white 350 W and 7000K LED module.

As an effects projector, it comprises a mechanical CMY color mixing system, a motorized 8-40° zoom, and can deliver 16,000 lux at 5 metres distance in tight zoom, and 642 lux at widest open angle.
It also includes a 3-facet prism, a 7-color wheel, an animation wheel, a Frost filter and a 7 rotating customizable gobos wheel. A waterproof hatch makes it easy to interchange them when needed.

With grey finish (quite common in architectural lighting) it can communicate back and forth to any controller using DMX/RDM in/out or via an optional Wireless Solution receiver, with two different modes the user can choose, 17 or 20 DMX channels. This 23 kg nice chubby newbie is launched with a list price of 4,200 € excl. V.A.T.

More information on the Starway Website.

 

Beer Never Broke Luke Combs’ Heart, nor L-Acoustics his audience ears

This one’s about beer… and pleasing people’s ears! For his new US stadiums’ tour, the rising star of Country Music is well served by a L-Acoustics K1/K2 combination supplied by Event Services (SES), configuring the system for each show with Soundvision’s new Autosolver tools.

Special Event Services supplies the L-Acoustics system of this tour. © 2019 David Bergman – www.DavidBergman.net

In the two short years since he released his debut album, This One’s for You, Luke Combs has absolutely soared in popularity, distinguishing himself as the only artist to ever have his first six singles hit Number One on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Recently honored as the newest member of the venerable Grand Ole Opry, the North Carolina native is now taking a breather between the first and second North American legs of his Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour, which is being reinforced via Special Event Services’ (SES) L-Acoustics K1/K2 loudspeaker rig.
The first stretch of Combs’ arena headlining trek initially ran from March through July and quickly sold out every venue, prompting the musician to add a 29-date fall leg running from late September through early December.

The Luke Combs’ Beer Never Broke My Heart audio team, from left to right: Jeremy White, diffusion/system technician from SES, Jerry Slone, Porduction Manager, Michael Zuehsow, Monitor Engineer, Dan McLaughlin, audio/RF technician, Andrew Steelman, SES main audio technician (replacing Joey Lefebvre), and Todd Lewis, FOH engineer. © 2019 David Bergman – www.DavidBergman.net

“When putting together my production budgets for the 2019 tour, Michael Brammer from SES and I discussed the PA options in their inventory,” notes Production Manager Jerry Slone.
“When I found out that K1/K2 would fit within our budget, it was a no-brainer! Although I’m currently serving as the production manager on this tour, I’ve also spent many years working with other artists as a front-of-house engineer, so I’m very familiar with L-Acoustics, which made it easy to choose K1/K2 as the rig we’d both need and want to have out with us.”

The loudspeaker complement for the tour is comprised of a dozen K1 flown over as many as six K2 downfills per side, with 12 additional K2 per side serving as outfill arrays, plus four ARCS II for sidefill as needed.
Robust low-end reinforcement is delivered via a dozen KS28, deployed in a variety of configurations depending on each venue’s geometry. Three LA-RAK II, each housing three LA12X amplified controllers, provide the power and processing for the K1 and KS28 enclosures, while three LA-RAK, each with three LA8, drive the rest of the system.

The loudspeaker complement for the tour is comprised of a dozen K1 flown over as many as six K2 downfills per side, with 12 additional K2 per side serving as outfill arrays, plus four ARCS II for sidefill as needed. Robust low-end reinforcement is delivered via a dozen KS28, deployed in a variety of configurations depending on each venue’s geometry.

The main line arrays of this tour comprise twelve K1, with up six K2 as downfill. © 2019 David Bergman – www.DavidBergman.net

SES System Tech Joe Lefebvre spearheaded the system design for each tour stop using L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D simulation software.
“I pre-planned every show I could with the Soundvision room data files that I had access to, and Vic Wagner [L-Acoustics Application Engineer, Touring] was super helpful in hunting down any room drawings I did not have,” Joe Lefebvre says.

“Having the files gave me a great head start on how I wanted to deploy the rig, and Soundvision’s new Autosolver tools are really nice!
I’ve had particularly great results with the Autosplay and Autofilter features, which very quickly get the arrays to cover the whole audience evenly right out of the gate without me having to tweak much. The FIR filters and AIR COMP especially make tuning the rig a breeze and allow the system to throw energy where we need it and minimize it where we don’t. Even at the farthest distances from the arrays, we can still provide exceptional clarity and a full-bandwidth concert experience.”

Paired with a DiGiCo SD12 desk at FOH and SD-Rack loaded with new 32-bit input cards, the loudspeaker system’s smooth setup and tuning process ultimately translates into FOH Engineer Todd Lewis having a terrific experience with the rig night after night.

“We heard very positive comments from a lot of people on the sound during the first run, including from country star Mark Wills, who told me that he could hear every detail of every instrument, and could close his eyes and know where every player was on stage,” Lewis recalls. “I couldn’t ask for a better compliment than that!
“Prior to starting with Luke in 2016, I was primarily a festival guy, and a production manager at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina,” he continues. “I had limited exposure to L-Acoustics up until we landed spots on some of the larger festivals, including Stagecoach. After having my ears on K1/K2, I knew it was the right choice for us.

Until now, all the 2019 Luke Combs Noth-American tour are sold out. © 2019 David Bergman – www.DavidBergman.net

Luke’s show demands power; not just sheer volume, but the ability to actually move you. The production isn’t particularly loud—102dbA max—but when we do go for it, we hear comments like, ‘That was one of the most physically aggressive shows I can remember being at.’ When I first heard this from a system tech, I wasn’t too sure I liked it. But I now know what he meant, and that it was a very positive thing.”
From a logistics standpoint, Lefebvre points out that he appreciates the efficiency of K1/K2’s rigging and portability. “We have a great workflow and always get the PA up in a timely manner,” he says. “It’s definitely the quickest PA to get up and down that I’ve worked with, so zero complaints there. Loading out the rig takes about an hour, or less, which is very acceptable, and the PA’s modular design can always be configured in a way that works very well for us.”

The tour’s production manager agrees: “In addition to high fidelity and even coverage, regardless of the configuration, the ease of getting the rig up and down each day helps to keep the tour’s production schedule on schedule,” says Slone. “The system also packs nicely in the trucks helping, again, with time and budget. The L-Acoustics system sounds amazing, especially in the hands of SES as our sound reinforcement vendor and our great audio team using the tools available to them to make each show a success.
It’s been a ‘win-win’ so far, and we’re excited to carry it out again on the next leg of the Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour.”

More dates of the next Luke Combs on the Luke Combs Website.

And more informations on the L-Acoustics Website. and on the Special Event Services Website.

 

Ayrton Khamsin-S and Bora-S, the winds of madness

To the great credit of Ayrton, the new spot/profile Khamsin-S and wash/beam Bora-S, which were unveiled in November, were ready to be measured and dismantled in April for our usual SLU tests. Our only problem was: how could we test such powerful units in field conditions?

Wash/Beam Bora-S et Khamsin-S

The answer to this question was provided by Titian Parrot, technical director of La Sirène (a concert hall in La Rochelle, in western France), who opened his doors to us on one condition: that we would bring Stéphane Migné (lighting designer) and the two fixtures to his venue, which also benefits from a large selection of other Ayrton fixtures already installed there: Ghibli, NandoBeam and MagicBlade.

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Perfect! So, my former mentor and I reformed our old designer/operator duo for the occasion. Stéphane Mocret (lighting designer and writer for SLU) stayed back home in the Paris area and honed his measurement equipment for the entire technical aspect of the Khamsin and Bora in Ayrton’s showroom, brilliantly supplementing our observations and field tests.

Stéphane Mocret: “Each new Ayrton range is a challenge and a step forward. With Bora and Khamsin, it’s more like a leap. As for Bora, which is a very unusual and innovative wash fixture, the main advance is optical. On the other hand, the Khamsin is a rather conventional profile spot, but its mechanical design is an innovation.”

A protective shell for a flight case is supplied as standard with each fixture.

The first two examples of the premium class from Ayrton were shipped to the concert hall. Stéphane Chapron – decidedly a fashionable first name among lighting designers – settles us into his lighting control booth.
He enthusiastically opens the cartons with us and takes out the two foam inserts protecting the Bora and Khamsin.
As one of the first manufacturers to provide original protective shells that can be installed directly in flight cases, Ayrton has taken this idea to the point of stamping them with the name of the fixture. This is a useful detail, since Bora and Khamsin are completely identical to the naked eye, except for a small logo on the base, which is blended into the carbon black of the projector.

Ayrton fixtures are now available in two versions. One, called “TC” for “True Color”, has a quality of LEDs that ensures faithful colorimetry, while the other, more powerful and punchy, version is called “S”, for “Stage”. The “S” could also stand for “Sport”, and it is this one that we chose for our tests, as it is by far the best option for concerts. So we finish unpacking the Bora-S, a wash/beam hybrid, and the Khamsin-S, a profile spot, some of the most exciting units out there right now.

The two Stefs: Stéphane Migné, on the left, and Stéphane Chapron.

With just these two fixtures, we set ourselves a couple of additional challenges: first, to ensure a complete demonstration on a 12-meter stage, a minimalism that is the complete opposite of the mind-blowing cocktail of Ayrton’s shows, and secondly, to propose a double article for our readers, as these two fixtures are so complementary.

We start by installing the Khamsin-S on the frontal truss, offset towards stage left. Meanwhile, the stage manager of La Sirène, accompanied by two apprentices, arranges a small set at our request: a white riser, a canvas, a drum kit and some amps… enough to test the precision of the profiling shutters and the projections of the Khamsin.

Positioning the brackets.

The wide handles of the spotlight are perfectly integrated into the aerodynamic design created by Ayrton’s designer Yvan Péard, without any breaks to disrupt the broad curves with no joints of the luminaire, except for the louvres on the sides and the rear for the ventilation.
With almost 40 kg in your arms, the visual impression of lightness is somewhat diminished, while the slight lack of depth of the handles also surprises you the first time you use them. Once it’s switched on, however, the density of the unit becomes just a detail. Eight ¼-turn inserts are distributed under the base of the unit, between the four large reinforced rubber feet for positioning the unit on the floor. We place the Omega brackets parallel to the display, using the wider of the two proposed center spacings. It is possible to orient the unit perpendicularly, but not diagonally.

The connectors are grouped together at the back: the yellow socket of the PowerCON True1 power supply, the two male and female XLR DMX connectors, and the two EtherCon RJ45 connectors. The fuse holder is located in the middle, while the antenna of the LumenRadio CRMX TiMo receiver remains invisible, perfectly integrated under the polycarbonate layers that form the shell of the Khamsin.

Khamsin: DMX, sACN, ArtNet, with or without wires, at Ayrton the variety of control choices is not an option. The wiring reminder for the DMX connectors and the maximum power consumption are written directly on the connector panel, so there’s no need to run to the manual or search on your phone.

Coupling with a LumenRadio transmitter is done by selecting WDMX as the control signal, then resetting the wireless section to release the receiver and link it to a new transmitter.

Khamsin-S hanging on the stage-left front truss.

We use one five-pin DMX per truss, as well as a 10 A mains supply.
With a peak power consumption of 1,150 W, we prefer to play it safe.
While the power supply module with its active voltage regulation system is able to stabilize the current and operate between 100 and 240 V, at 50 or 60 Hz, the power required by these LED monsters is similar over time to power-hungry discharge moving heads.

Stéphane Mocret, back in the lab, explains the standards of the power supply installed in the base of the fixture:

Bora-S: Under the fireproof casing of these parts moulded from class V0 ABS PC, we find the PFC section.

Bora-S: on the other side of the base, there is the DC-DC section, which does not exceed 48 V. The two fans on each side provide air circulation that cools both power supplies.


The menu has remained identical to that on the Ghibli, with this LCD screen with automatic inversion and the famous navigation wheel, aesthetically beautiful but not very popular with technicians.

The display and its selector wheel.

I must admit that I am always in doubt when it comes to validating my options: one or two clicks?
And to validate all my settings, how many long presses do I need to close it?
The battery integrated in the menu display allows me to do some thinking while waiting to power up the fixture. The RDM link, previously quite limited at Ayrton, seems to have evolved in the right direction. I’ll have the opportunity to test it when I start it up.*

Jeff Vivier and Stéphane Chapron use the ramp on stage to transport the Bora to a truss that is ready to be hoisted up in the back. They position it opposite to the Khamsin. It’s a mirror image: the two moving heads being strictly identical on all the previous points, except the logo, of course, and for the slightly lower weight of the Bora.
I will subsequently have the opportunity to discuss the secrets of the assembly of Ayrton fixtures with Stéphane Mocret.*

Stéphane Mocret : “Bora and Khamsin use the same yoke. Here, Ayrton has adopted a concept that has proved its worth on all the fixtures. On one side, there is the pan/tilt control circuit board, the three-phase stepper motor and a wiring harness that runs to the head. Inside the other arm are the mechanical components of the tilt system and the second cable run. The actuator for this axis is in the horizontal part of the yoke.

The interior of Bora is all very conventional. At the top of the image is the 178 mm spherical lens that was specially developed for Ayrton. It is this set of 13 lenses that gives it its optical qualities and originality.

An internal view of the Khamsin. Unlike with Bora, the chassis and cowling of the head are one and the same. This technical solution, although more expensive, offers many advantages, as well as saving space. The structure is notably stronger and also more rigid. This results in greater reliability and durability of the fixture.


Just remove the two ¼-turn screws that hold the Khamsin cowls in place and you’ll see this. Ayrton has optimized it to make everything fit! Even the safety attachment for the cowling has been redesigned to minimize space. And it is also very practical for disassembly on the ground and when it is flown.

This might seem like a detail to you, but for Yvan Péard, Ayrton’s development director, it means a lot. There is no room for improvisation inside the Khamsin, everything is meticulously designed to make it more compact.
Although their design is completely different, Ayrton has managed to maintain a uniformity between the two fixtures without removing any parameters in the Khamsin.”

Together with Stéphane Migné, we choose to control them in Standard mode – 42 channels for the spot Khamsin and 32 for the wash Bora – an already impressive DMX envelope. Configuring them in the Basic mode would not make much sense, as this mode has overlooked the fine pan and tilt settings while keeping secondary functions such as LED matrix effects. Switching them to Extended mode doubles almost all parameters to 16-bit resolution.

Stéphane Migné at the console.

At sixty-four channels for a spot, this practically forces you to control them in Art-Net or sACN if you don’t want to multiply the DMX universes as soon as eight machines are connected.
The built-in mini-switch will prove very useful in these cases for connecting the fixtures together via RJ45, with a preference however for the sACN protocol, which, unlike Ayrton’s integrated Art-Net protocol, does not require being limited to the first 100 universes, a limitation specific to the Ayrton switch.*

With the GrandMA2 console on, and with the libraries that we downloaded from the Ayrton website loaded, we turn on the two fixtures. Our first impressions are that the flux and the zoom are impressive. Accustomed to the standard dimensions of the stage at La Sirène, with sources hanging about eight meters from their targets, the stage managers rub their eyes and smile.
Titian sums up his first introduction perfectly: “If I’ve understood correctly, with only these two units I can cover my entire stage? This changes everything!”.

Bora at stage right and Khamsin at stage left.

The optical section of the Khamsin is uncompromising, with its zoom and focus complemented by two frosts and two prisms.

To our right, the Khamsin, in its S version, offers a cutting, cold and steely beam. Its optical system provides a 9° to 58.5° zoom, shifting from one extreme to the other in record time. This a well thought-out range and it has a much more controlled focus than that of the Ghibli, except at the extreme limits of the range, where the sharpness of some gobos is not perfect.

On the left, Bora projects a much denser beam, with a nice natural white and a slightly cottony texture. For Khamsin, Ayrton has chosen a more refined approach, almost like a scalpel. The difference in the optical output is immediately noticeable, the 178 mm diameter of the Bora lens is ideal for this Wash and makes the 158 mm spot seem almost modest.

The zoom and focus of Bora are different. You can see the two flags of the progressive frost and the high-precision drive belts that are specially designed for the optical systems.

A curious detail for the layman, the concave lens of the Bora is neither a Fresnel nor a PC, but perfectly smooth, albeit thick.
The naturally misty contours of the beam are produced thanks to an internal filter, less opaque than the usual lenticular glass of other washes.* The zoom range of the Bora is even more impressive. We measure a range from 7.8° to 63° without any problems.

Jeff, from Axente, the French Ayrton distributor, provides us with some information on the common source that Ayrton has chosen for these fixtures. It is a 750 W cool white LED module, with a nominal output of 60,000 lumens and calibrated at around 6500 K. The two fixtures, while using the same optical system with 13 lenses, have marked differences in their intended purpose, and therefore different performance in terms of photometric measurements.*

Of course, the LED matrix and the cooling system are identical on both models. The 750 W of white LEDs are mounted on a heat pipe consisting of an aluminum heat sink with copper alloy tubes running through it. The whole system is cooled using a ventilation path with six fans, three for intake and three for exhaust.

The collimator lens of the LED engine.

Stéphane Mocret: “The whole secret is in the optical section. It starts with the collimator lens; this piece of jeweler’s artwork homogenizes the matrix and creates a single beam. It then continues with the zoom module and the output lens

On these fixtures, the drive belts for the optical features (zoom and focus) have been carefully selected and come from the photo-optical industry to obtain maximum precision. The quality of the lenses was already very good at Ayrton but, for these two units, very high quality elements were chosen.

Looking through the output lens you can see all the details of the LED array!

These super-clear, anti-reflective lenses allow maximum light to pass through while providing perfectly uniform coverage.”

Stéphane Mocret’s measurements, performed after derating, show an average luminous flux of 34,000 lumens at 6500 K for the Khamsin, and 35,000 lumens at 6100 K for the Bora.
These values mark a turning point. It is now clear that HMI, HTI and other lamps are now being overtaken by LED modules, and that the advancement of this new technology will soon reach its peak with LED engines exceeding 1,000 watts.

Photometric measurements of Khamsin-S

We start with the derating of the Khamsin. It is switched on at full power and its flux stabilizes in less than five minutes, with a 5% attenuation in Auto ventilation mode.


Tightest in-focus beam angle.

20° beam.

Widest in-focus beam angle.


Photometric measurements of Bora-S

Here again, we plot the derating curve, which shows an 8% attenuation after five minutes of heating in Auto ventilation mode.


Tight beam at I/10.

20° beam at I/10.

Wide beam at I/10.


On the stage at La Sirène, the intensity is such that one fixture on the back truss and one on the front is enough to create a comfortable bonfire, over the whole set with the Bora or by zooming in on the panel with the Khamsin.
Above all, the lighting coverage is particularly uniform, normal for the wash but much rarer with a spot. Despite being comparable in stature to the famous Ghibli – to within two kilos – the Khamsin-S delivers 60% more light.

The beam of Bora-S.

Stéphane Mocret: “With the exception of the tight beam measurements – which are necessarily characterized by a hot spot in the centre – the more than 80,000 lux at 5 meters of the Bora and more than 60,000 lux of the Khamsin provide a particularly uniform luminous coverage when the zoom is opened up. If you were filming the result with a camera, you would get barely half an f-stop of difference over the entire diameter of the beam.”

In the shadow of Stéphane Migné.

Another LED source with high color rendering is available on the TC versions. The CRI of the TC models is intrinsically greater than 90 (where the S range is just over 70), at the cost of a 25% reduction in luminous flux and a lower, warmer color temperature of 5700 K (±350 K).

Obviously, the constraints of color rendering only make sense in filming applications or on the sets of a theater with highly groomed sets and costumes.* In most cases, the colorimetric properties of the Bora-S and Khamsin-S will be more than sufficient, while favoring a comfortable headroom in terms of output.
The only control parameter to keep in mind is the ventilation management in the options settings. The Silent and Studio modes will be highly appreciated for their total or acceptable discretion in theater, with the noisier Stage mode being the only one to offer an extra 2,000 lumens of flux. Our measurements are made in Auto mode.

Stéphane Mocret: “The measurements are clear, the Stage mode ventilates well. It reduces the temperature on the projector from 45° to 36.5° and reduces derating to less than 1%, but it also generates an increase in ventilation noise to 48 dB compared to 38 dB for the auto mode, which offers the best compromise.
This is extremely important for LED sources, as light-emitting diodes are notoriously susceptible to high temperatures. The fixtures are equipped with sensors and thermal protection in the event of hazards, which are activated at an ambient temperature of 45°C or higher.”

Stéphane plays with the dimmer to feel its finesse at the lowest levels. The Ayrton intensity curves are remarkable, and this impression is confirmed by our laboratory measurements.

The dimmer curve of the Bora is a perfectly straight line from 0 to 100%…
Bora-dimmer-10…

… and also from 0 to 10%.


The same applies to the Khamsin dimmer from 0 to 100%…

… and from 0 to 10%.


For a change, we start our examination with the gobos, intrigued especially by the wheel available on the Bora-S, which is classified as a wash.

Gobo projections: Bora from the left and Khamsin from the right.

Khamsin-S features two wheels with six rotating gobos each. The first one, which is really graphic, gives beautiful 3D effects in the smoke, with very fine pictograms and beautiful vortexes to rotate. On the second wheel, which is intended for set dressing, there are ambiance patterns and a dotted bar that I would have replaced with an ice texture.

A gobo from Khamsin.

A gobo from Khamsin.

The two wheels are practically attached to one another, which allows them to be superimposed and thus to create morphings, and gives full significance to the yellow helix gobo that completes the first gobo wheel.

The gobo selection of Khamsin.

The power reserve of the Khamsin has allowed Ayrton to offer particularly detailed designs, almost too refined for live electric concerts, but really interesting to work with in the theater.

A gobo from Khamsin.

A little later, while disassembling the spot, we discover a specific filter that automatically inserts itself when the gobos are inserted, to remove the natural iridescence from the lenses. The flux, meanwhile, remains unaffected.*

Including a gobo wheel on a wash/beam fixture is not new, but the design of the Bora is simply perfect.
Simple shapes such as bar(s), triangles, multibeams like telephone keypads and a half-moon are incredibly effective, both in static and rotating modes.The wide, velvety beam of Bora-S brings a huge presence to these gobos.

A blue mid-air gobo from the Wash-Beam Bora-S and a gobo projected on the screen from the Khamsin.

Another common feature is the presence of a framing module with full closure and rotation of the unit through ±45°.
The shutter blades of the Khamsin can be adjusted degree by degree. The unit is extremely miniaturized, allowing you to almost obtain a sharp focus on all four sides. The blades are reliable and precise, with relatively little distortion at wide apertures and the capability of creating an almost perfect line of light.

In the absence of any performers, we play around with highlighting the bass amp with the Khamsin, while creating a false reflection on the floor with the Bora.

Stéphane Migné, who is very sensitive to light effects in rhythm with music, enjoys being able to play the beat with openings and closures that are snapped at high speed.
The system incorporated into the Bora-S is similar to a set of internal barn-door shutters, like the manual corrections of a Fresnel fixture, but detailed enough to be suitable for diagonals in dance or theater applications.

Stéphane Mocret : “As in most cases nowadays, the head is separated into two spaces, one close to the light source for the color and beam-shaping modules and the other farther forward for the zoom and focus optics, the frosts and prisms.
The first module is the last element that is common to both fixtures, it is the framing module that also contains the iris. The modules are held by four screws and connected to the fixture by a sub-D connector. Ayrton’s development team chose to use screwed-in connectors to avoid false contacts. Reliability and safety are always the priority for the French manufacturer.”

The framing module of Khamsin. Quite a piece of machinery, in which each blade is controlled by two motors.

On the other side, you can see the iris and the rack and pinion system for the rotation of the module through ±45°.


To soften the edges of the shutter blades or gobos, Bora has a centered linear frost system that further diffuses its beam. This frost is extremely variable, with a very soft and progressive insertion.
As for the Khamsin, it is equipped with two filters, one more and one less frosted, with an equally soft and effective insertion. Whether it is to break the sharpness of the projections or to simulate a wash transition, the two filters are suitable in any situation but cannot be combined.

The Khamsin.

The Bora

The progressive CTO is very dark at its maximum, descending almost to orange, but can be finely adjusted, from a cool source color temperature all the way to the low value of a halogen.

We move on to one of Ayrton’s greatest accomplishments, the colorimetry.

The Bora-S and Khamsin-S use an identical cyan-magenta-yellow color mixing system, combined with a progressive CTO corrector and one or two color wheels.
The CMY mixture allows the creation of intense or pastel tones.

The hues are fine, the nuances are precise and, besides red, the blue and magenta are well saturated, as is the bright green.
The result is even more polished on Bora, thanks to its greater diffusion and absence of iridescence.

UV / cyan

Coral / violet)


The Khamsin-S also offers two additional correctors located on a separate channel, with a very cold CTB and a very pink CRI (“tint”) filter, which is a little forced.

Instead, the Bora-S has a complete wheel of special colors, with a full- and half-minus green, full and half CTB, as well as two pink CRI filters. These CRI filters are designed to artificially increase the color rendering index by reducing some cold components of the LED source, at the expense of a decrease in luminous flux by a few percentage points.
The complementary color wheel is identical for both fixtures. Strangely enough, there is another CRI corrector, as well as ultra-saturated versions of congo blue, red, green, orange and cyan.

Working with the focus, it is possible to focus on the disc of the color wheel, even with the Bora, for transitions like an good ol’ Diafora or Wybron color changer.

The second module of Bora is different from that of Khamsin. Even if the CMY and CTO parameters are the same on both fixtures, the Bora is of course a little easier. It is supplemented by two color wheels and the gobo wheel.

On the Khamsin there are two wheels of rotating gobos, an effect wheel and a color wheel on the opposite side.

On the other side are the eight flags of the CMY system, with the CTO also present on the Bora.

Quickly, we examine the usual functions. Thanks to the high-resolution stepper motors, the movements in pan and tilt of Khamsin and Bora are surprisingly fast for fixtures of this size, yet they are perfectly smooth.

Based on our tests and lab measurements, Khamsin and Bora behave identically with most effects. This makes sense, as they have the same technologies. The shutter parameter allows continuous strobing, random or pulsating, from 1 to 25 flashes per second.

A baton of light.

The iris is composed of fifteen blades, and allows closure down to 15% of the beam. The impact remains strong, with a beautiful baton of light at the end to almost simulate a beam projection. A pulse effect is also possible on the iris, with a nice dynamic that can be regulated in speed.

The LED modules of both fixtures permit a very rare little creativity, which was the source of many questions during the Ayrton show at Prolight+Sound.
The specific scintillating effect presented in Germany consists in modulating the different sections of the LED matrix using dedicated chaser and speed channels at the start of the DMX chart. By closing the zoom tightly and playing on the focal length, this particular shimmer intensifies, something we tested at length during our stay in La Rochelle.

While the Bora stops there for optical effects, which include the CMY mixing with two color wheels and a CTO, an 8x zoom, an iris, a shutter, a gobo wheel, a progressive frost and a module with four internal shutters, the Khamsin adds two prisms and one animation wheel.
This animation wheel works with the endless rotation of a metal plate engraved with broad striations. It is simple and easy to use for water or fire effects. Its focal depth is very short and does not allow you to focus on the shapes on the disc.

The prisms available are a 5-facet radial and a 4-facet linear type, on two separate mechanisms so that they can be combined. The diffractions obtained are tight enough not to escape from the cone of projection. They are very useful for accentuating the gobos and creating more sophisticated ambiences, in which the colors will naturally shift for more detail.

The prism of Khamsin.

As the effects add up in the Khamsin, Ayrton had the wisdom not to provide pre-programmed effects macro channels, which would have made the DMX table even more complicated. On the other hand, despite a somewhat condensed manual, the last control channel of each fixture is cleverly dedicated to the setup options.
Without the use of the RDM, this allows access to ventilation modes, switching the menu display on and off, resets for each type of parameter or LED driver frequencies to avoid flickering in cameras.

At La Sirène, we spend half a day putting these latest Ayrton moving heads through their paces, under the amazed gaze of Titian and the staff there. With ease we program a series of memories while discussing the potential of each fixture.
Where we thought we had a spot for concerts and a wash for the theatre, we find ourselves with two motorized fixtures that are at the same time complementary, very similar and with two strong characters.

Here are some short demos realized with Stéphane Migné and the lighting team at La Sirène.

Khamsin-S is a complete spot and profile fixture, which Ayrton has equipped with many features without falling into the trap of overextending itself. Each effect and gobo has been designed to be as simple and effective as possible.

The refinement and precision of the various optical mechanisms and lenses is almost perfect, with a very uniform illumination field, a high zoom ratio, a fine focus and a speed of execution that is rare on a fixture of this size.
Power and color are the strong points of the Khamsin, which can be especially useful in opera or musicals, with its ventilation in silent or studio mode. The extra power in stage mode, combined with its speed, will also make it a popular choice for concerts, even if the clean lines of its gobos may surprise you.

It is a perfect match for the Bora-S, its wash/beam counterpart. This is an amazing fixture with a set of shutter blades, gobos and effects that have been particularly well chosen. Its beam has a unique density, suitable for use in fashion shows, rock concerts, conventions and theaters.

Khamsin-S. What we like:

  • The power
  • The spread of the light
  • The colors
  • The precision of the framing shutters
  • The synergy with the Bora

Khamsin-S. What we dislike:

  • The menu access wheel
  • The delicacy of some gobos
  • The handles are a little narrow

Bora-S. What we like:

  • The power
  • The spread of the light
  • The colors
  • The gobos
  • The precision of the framing shutters
  • The synergy with the Khamsin

Bora-S. What we dislike:

  • The menu access wheel
  • The handles are a little narrow

General specifications

Khamsin-S

Bora-S

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Strategic Alliance: Powersoft and Reyn Audio Join Forces in China

Italian audio innovator Powersoft has entered into a strategic alliance with Chinese audio manufacturer and rental house, Reyn Audio – the professional audio arm of Foshan YiFeng Electric Industrial Co.
The Chinese sound specialist will receive training and support from Powersoft’s Italian HQ.

Massimo Minardi, Powersoft’s APAC account manager – OEM solutions, joining forces and shaking hand with Reyn Audio consultant, Tommy Su.

The company has an established presence in China and, thanks to the lighting expertise and inventory of its sister brand, ACME, it has been able to supply many of the region’s most important local and visiting artists with full production for shows that draw fans in their thousands.

Massimo Minardi, Powersoft’s APAC account manager – OEM solutions, commented: “As their business has grown, Reyn Audio has started to get requests for systems that are comparable with the big players in the market, and with a similar level of usability. Considering the high profile and the size of the events that they are catering for, our ArmoníaPlus software and the X4 amplifier models have been the best choice for them.
As they are a manufacturer with specific needs, the best solution was to create a business alliance with the opportunity of direct support from our headquarters in Italy.” Powersoft has identified China as a market with big potential moving forward, which makes this alliance all the more important for the regional insights it can provide.

Some members of the Reyn Audio Salesforce with Massimo Minardi.

Reyn Audio consultant, Tommy Su, also gave his thoughts on the partnership: “Co-operation with Powersoft is a well thought-out choice for us. Although other manufacturers in the industry are using similar platforms, we were concerned about the integration between the speaker system and the DSP amplifier. The intuitive system design of ArmoníaPlus is very efficient and perfect for our needs.

“We hope that, through our co-operation with Powersoft, Reyn Audio users will be able to enjoy a more powerful and convenient operating environment. At the same time, we hope to take advantage of their professional division it order to optimise the speaker system and amplifier integration environment.”

Luca Stefani, Powersoft application engineer.

Powersoft’s application engineer, Luca Stefani, already conducted two technical training sessions at the Reyn Audio headquarters in Foshan, with a third session to be held in the second half of 2019. Powersoft’s international customer service manager Marco Mannucci also visited in May to instruct Reyn Audio employees on service training.

This period of initial activity has also seen the delivery of the PT-Lite – a special version of Powersoft’s end-of-line testing machine, which is mandatory to help customers such as Reyn Audio ensure that a repaired product will function just as well as a brand new one.

Minardi continued: “Our common goal is to make Reyn Audio as independent as possible in order to offer the best and most efficient support to their customers. This will also help to avoid any headaches when it comes to language barriers or issues with time zones.”
“Although Powersoft is already well-known in the Chinese market,” concluded Tommy Su, “but we also believe that the market potential will increase thanks to the suitability of ArmoníaPlus. We hope to work together with them moving forward to promote the products and educate the market further still.”

Powersoft ArmoníaPlus exclusive software.

More information on Powersoft products, Powersoft ArmoniaPlus, and Reyn Audio.

 

Glamour treatment for the Spice Girls, thanks to Tim Routledge and Robert Juliat Dalis

Wannabe in perfect lighting conditions? Just tell Tim Routledge what you really, really want is Dalis! Flamboyant ‘90s pop icons the Spice Girls’ 13-date summer stadium tour, Spice World – 2019 Tour, kicked off at Croke Park Dublin to culminate at Wembley Stadium (where else!), transforming 1990s nostalgia into 21st century excitement as they went.

© timmsy

Helping to bring the near-vintage flavour to modern sensibilities was a fan-based, fully-invested design team brought together by Creative Director Lee Lodge, comprising set designer Jason Sherwood, choreographer and stage director Paul Roberts and lighting designer Tim Routledge, under the art direction of Kate Moross, who succeeded in creating a show that was a fusion of theatricality and live music on a touring scale.

The Dalis 862 LED asymmetric footlight.

Into this set up Routledge, a keen advocate of Robert Juliat Dalis fixtures, introduced over one hundred RJ Dalis 862 150W LED footlights with the purpose of bringing a heightened sense of glamour to the girls on stage.
“Our main aim was to achieve two things,” Tim Routledge says. “Firstly, the show was to look amazing in daylight from the get-go – some stadium shows can be a little dull in the daylight hours and we wanted it to be ‘all guns blazing’ from the start; and, secondly, to ensure the Spice Girls and their dancers look glamorous at all times, by lighting them as beautifully as possible.”

The main challenge to maintaining this intensity of focus throughout the show came in the form of the 30m x 11m main stage and long 41m diameter catwalk that curved 34m out into the audience. “Followspots can only do so much,” says Routledge.

These were shielded by customised waterproof enclosures, purpose built by the tour’s lighting supplier, PRG. “It rained a lot on the tour so we definitely needed them! But they did the job as there were no adverse effects on the Dalis at all,” confirms Routledge.

© timmsy

“We were able to use the Dalis footlights to augment the followspots and keep the Spice Girls and the huge dance troop beautifully lit at all times,” explains Routledge. “Dalis 862 is the tuneable white version wich gives the full range of warm to cold white, so we fixed them to a key colour that was a match for daylight and utilised them as keylights throughout.
In this way we could introduce a soft light that was great for the cameras, and rounded out the faces where the followspots flattened them. This gave us the glamour lighting we were after and added a different dimension to the Spice Girls which really helped them pop out on that big stadium stage.”

On occasions, the full-on, up-tempo momentum of the pop show, gave way to moments of pure theatricality where the Dalis footlights really came into their own. “In Queer Tango, for example, we lit the two dancers using only the Dalis footlights and a couple of backlights, and they looked beautiful,” confirms Routledge. “The Dalis did a great job in lifting the performers out from the background and add a bit of glamour to the show.”

Routledge has used Robert Juliat Dalis fixtures many times over the past year on several large-scale projects including Christine and the Queens, Sam Smith and Stormzy’s famous Glastonbury headline set which has been hailed as a festival game changer. “I’m an huge fan of Dalis so it was the obvious choice when it came to the Spice Girls tour,” he says.

More information on the Robert Juliat Website.

 

New software version for Modulo Player, the Media Server from Modulo Pi

Modulo Pi is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Modulo Player v5.2, as well as a new version of its embedded live mixer which now includes full integration of Stream Deck control pads.
Modulo Player is a cost-effective hardware and software system combining the extensive capabilities of a media server and a live mixer.

The embedded low-latency live mixer is available for MacOs and Windows through a dedicated application. Operators can work at the same time on Modulo Player’s software and the live mixer application, allowing cost and time saving.
The mixer’s intuitive user interface allows to access Program and Preview screens, create an unlimited number of destinations and mix engines, work with presets, manage layer properties and transition effects including borders, keying, mask, fade, flying.

A new version of the embedded live mixer now offers full support of the Stream Deck and Stream Deck XL control pads by Elgato. Thanks to an editor directly integrated in Modulo Player’s remote software and mixer application, operators can now easily customize the LCD keys of the Stream Deck.
All parameters entered in the editor appear in real-time on the Stream Deck pads.

Modulo Player and its embedded mixer can support any number of Stream Deck pads at the same time, providing a user-friendly solution to control presets or recall tasks.
Modulo Player v5.2 further extends the show control capabilities of the system. On top of the existing wide library of video-projectors, mixers, and matrices that can be controlled through Modulo Player, Modulo Pi is adding more than 40 new devices which can now easily interact with Modulo Player.

The new devices include NDI PTZ cameras control, as well as a series of USB phidgets such as controllers, sensors, motors, GPIO, RFID tags, etc. Now included in Modulo Player’s internal library, the phidgets expand the interactivity and automation capabilities of Modulo Player.
One can easily create tasks in Modulo Player that will trigger automatically depending on the phidgets’ variables such as temperature, humidity, lux levels, distance, and more. All enhancements and references of the new supported devices are included in Modulo Player’s new user manual.

About Modulo Pi
Founded in 2010, Modulo Pi has developped a new generation of Media Servers in close collaboration with Image Studios, Venues and Technicians all over the world. With more than 15 years of experience in innovative media server solutions from its creator, Modulo Pi offers mainly 2 solutions: Modulo Player and Modulo Kinetic.
Designed for quick and effective adaptation to any project, these solutions are used on hundreds of productions acros a wide range of applications: events, theme parks, museums, tours, and more.

More information on the Modulo Pi Website.

 

Great Walls of Sound: Meyer Sound Leo Family as Main Stage Attraction on China Festivals

Leo is roaring everywhere these days in China. China’s burgeoning music festival scene is in full swing this summer, with many exuberant and eclectic gatherings across the vast nation relying on new Meyer Sound Leo® Family systems provided by Stage Arts Groups (S.A.G.), a diversified production and artist management enterprise based in Beijing.

MTA Festival. Photo ©Sound Summer Ltd. & S.A.G.

Surreal environment, fluorescent wonderland

One standout event in S.A.G.’s non-stop summer schedule was the MTA (Music Technology and Art) Festival, staged at the Tianmo Nature Scenic Area northwest of Beijing and drawing audiences of more than 50,000. For three days in late June, the stark desert landscape was transformed into a surreal environment — a fluorescent wonderland for hosting multi-media art performances, cutting-edge music and ‘disruptive technologies’.
Music performances included top Chinese acts (Li Chen, Escape Plan, Higher Brothers and New Pants) as well as international artists (Khalil Fong, Jay Park and Isaac Gracie) spanning the musical spectrum from folk to pop-rock, hip-hop and pop-punk.

Eclectic mix with full impact

MTA Festival. Photo ©Sound Summer Ltd. & S.A.G.

To deliver the eclectic mix with full impact at the main stage, S.A.G. deployed a potent system based on dual main hangs of 16 Leo-M line array loudspeakers, each with two underhung Lyon™-W loudspeakers.
12 Leopard loudspeakers supplied front fill and 27 1100-LFC low frequency control elements — arrayed as nine 3-high stacks in cardioid configurations — delivered mammoth bass impact with minimal on-stage intrusion.

“Meyer Sound LEO Family systems are ideal for festivals like MTA,” says S.A.G. Founder and Board Chief Executive Zhang Bo, who also mixed at FOH for groups without their own engineer. “They have exceptionally low distortion even when reproducing very high levels. They also have a lot of headroom, making it easy for engineers to do their job beautifully.”

Also contributing to the success of MTA was Zhugen Wang who served as sound designer, system engineer and monitor engineer. “I really appreciated the Galaxy™816 network processor and Compass® control software,” he says, “and I particularly like the way the new proprietary Low-Mid Beam Control ensures greater uniformity of coverage.
Also, deploying the 1100-LFCs as an arc in cardioid stacks allows an even spread of massive lows throughout the audience without disturbing performers onstage.” MTA was produced by Sound Summer, Ltd., a music, content and performance organization focused on youth culture in China.

Top-billed domestic and international acts at Rye Music Festival

The prior month, a Leo Family system was on hand to power the main stage for the Rye Music Festival, hosting 25,000 daily for two days at Beijing’s Changyang Sports Park. Top-billed domestic and international acts included The Jesus and Mary Chain, Jolin Tsai, Jay Chou and No Party for Cao Dong.

Rye Festival. Photo ©TAIHE Music Group & S.A.G.

The system deployed here was similar in most respects to that for MTA, though with the addition of twin outside hangs of 10 per side Lyon line array loudspeakers and two delay towers each with twelve Leopard line array loudspeakers.
“The challenge here was to deliver uniform coverage for an area 150 meters deep to ensure the best possible audience experience,” says S.A.G.’s Zhang Bo. “Fortunately, the LEO Family system makes it possible without compromises.”

Mix of acts on Mango “Future” Stage

The Leo Family moved on to Changsha at the end of July for the Mango Music Festival, produced by Hunan Broadcasting and presented in front of the network’s headquarters. Here, the system was deployed at the “Future” stage where the mix of acts spanned singer-songwriters, pop and indie rock. In Late August, S.A.G.’s Meyer Sound systems will support the Dome International Music Festival in Qingdao.
In addition, the system was tapped to handle reinforcement chores for the China Media Group’s Voice of China TOP Charts Ceremony in June.

Mango Festival. Photo ©S.A.G.

Originally founded as an AV, lighting and staging rental business, S.A.G. has expanded in recent years and diversified into a full-range service provider for entertainment design and production professionals in audio, lighting and stage design.
S.A.G. supports at least (normally) two major headline tours annually along with more than 50 live music concerts featuring popular Chinese artists.

S.A.G. also provides live sound mixing and streaming services for concerts, festivals, TV shows, award ceremonies and sporting events using their well-equipped outside broadcasting vans and highly experienced support teams. The S.A.G. portfolio also includes live entertainment production, music publishing, and production and distribution of music recordings.

Steady demand for Leo, Lyon and Leopard systems

The demand has certainly been steady for S.A.G.’s systems. Leo, Lyon and Leopard systems anchored a system for the Haunted Night 4H Trendy Music Festival in Chengdu in mid-July. This EDM and street dance festival was heavy on hip-hop and rap, with Chinese artists joined by leading acts from Germany and Canada.
Mr. Zhang also notes the marked increase in acceptance of Meyer Sound’s latest systems by leading Chinese artists and production managers. “Leo Family systems are known and accepted on tech riders by most artists,” concludes S.A.G.’s Zhang Bo. “There are not that many systems available now in the Chinese market, but we expect that to change in the months to come.”

More information on Meyer Sound Website.