Rent-All, with its head office in Bemmel, has taken over Phlippo Group, based in Lier, Belgium. This concerns Phlippo Productions, Phlippo Showlights and its branches in Germany and the Netherlands, including the total rental stock.
With this acquisition, Rent-All is taking a further step in its strategic policy of being “Your equipment supplier in Europe”.

Rent-All warehouse.

Through this acquisition, Rent-All will have a considerably larger stock of equipment at its disposal, so that it can respond even better to the wishes of the customers by means of a wider and stronger range of materials, fully up-to-date, to meet every market demand.
Rent-All states “This choice to create an even larger scale is a next step in our commitment to be your one-stop shopping partner for light, sound, rigging and video.”

The housing of Phlippo Productions in the Netherlands will be integrated into the current location of Rent-All in Amsterdam in due course. Phlippo Germany will transfer to the Rent-All location in Castrop Rauxel, Germany.
From the Belgian Lier, Rent-All can supply the Belgian, but also the French, dry-hire market even better.

Phlippo warehouse.

Phlippo Showlights will continue under the name Rent-All België bvba. Philippo Productions will continue, as it has for 55 years, to provide its customers with high-quality productions.
The complete team of more than 65 people, consisting of warehouse, production, account and technical staff, will remain intact and will enthusiastically serve their individual markets and customers as always.

Rent-All has built a reputation of versatile dry-hire rental company in Europe for 26 year for rigging, light, video and audio equipment, supplying a wide range of equipment from stock for, amongst others, theatre, television, concerts and fairs.
In addition to its head office in Bemmel, Rent-All has branches in Amsterdam, Castrop-Rauxel (Germany) and Nurnberg (Germany), and now also in Lier (Belgium).

Phlippo is in the entertainment industry since more than 55 years of experience. Philippo Productions produces more than 600 shows per year and makes every event a statement through the use of audio, light and video. Their motto is “Experience makes the show”.

More information on Rent-All.

Day1 – Morgen

Hear ye, hear ye, all ye who want to hear it all and discover what was hidden until tuesday morning! Here is the first report from our beloved team hitting firmly the German ground of Hall 12.0 & 12.1 of Prolight+Sound 2019 in the wealthy city of Frankfurt.

Just after the rainbowish and sparkling Ayrton show utilizing all the multiple facets of the dozens of Bora, Khamsin, Levante & Diablo fixtures, designed by Stéphane Migné, we scroll through another french designed show on the Minuit Une booth, and then split up to wander thru all the alleys.

ADB has inherited a very nice location this year (2019 has seen a major halls allocation for all exhibitors), and presents this year the definitive versions of the Fresnel and PC Orkis projectors. Besides, visitors could have hands-on demoes their latest Ocean lighting console, fitted with an evolution of the Hathor software, due to surprise us even more in the forthcoming days.

ADB Orkis Fresnel & Pebble.

The gigantic Robe booth, even larger than last year’s, transports us in a colorful and exotic world of adventures, mysterious temples and IP65 moving heads ready to withstand continuous waterfalls (well, at least persistent rain over the iPointes).
A flock of these impressive and waterproof newbies directly derived from the Megapointe surround the set-up in an artificial swamp. The stage area is lit up by a collection of SuperSpikie, de T1 Wash ou Spot and of the brand new SilverScan, a 2019 remix of the mythic scan issued by the Czech manufacturer 25 years ago. Yes, Robe does celebrate 25 in style.

Robe stand.

Robe SilverScan

Surprise on the Luminex booth with their high-tech new range of Luminode interfaces, packed with ideas, ease of use and digital gateways, aiming for a future 100% network-orientated.

Luminex Luminode

Astera 2 m tube, shown here by Sebastian Bueckle.

The bright Germanic brains at Astera were playing with their new very long new tube from the « Titan Tube » family, soon available in 50 cm (called “Helios”), and with the 2 m prototype, due for real delivey in a few months, stay tuned!
These three models suggest zigzags, broken lines, and trigger the imagination of a lot of designers, with the same high CRI and self-powered specs.

The Elation US guys came strongly to Frankfurt with a booth crowded with visitors and dominated by the Proteus Maximus, fitted with a LED module close to 1 kW.

Day1 – Sunny Afternoon

Still running around, the SoundLightUp journalists almost bumped into each other while looking up at the intersection of GLP and StarWay stands.

Starway is showing, amongst other members of the Vega family, a well-named Maxi-Vega and a compact little nifty Mini-Vega, with hanging points allowing the design of complete and original shapes or arrangements.
Mounting supports are also available for the FloodLite 650, HD and UV models to assemble bars or frames Molefay-like.

The Starway booth.

This funny little salamander is the new wireles DMX transceiver from LumenRadio, lightweight and fitting in a pocket. The so-called MoonLite incorporates their very latest TimoTwo chip, can run self-powered for 10 hours on an internal rechargeable battery. A Bluetooth allows direct control of parameters setting from your smartphone.

Lumenradio MoonLite

Funny “DIY” wooden display on Artistic Licence stand with a collection of various bulbs and lamps (LED, energy saving, halogen, etc) for a perfect demo of the new SunDial with impressive dimming, even on low levels, no flickering nor threshold effect.

On JB Lighting booth, two new products from the “P” range spring to visitors’attention, one of them (P12 Profile) being a good compromise between size, mid-range power and features.

Martin VDO Atomic Dot

Approaching the Denmark area marked with a familiar Martin Professional logo, the little VDO Atomic Dot offers a central and bright COB LED surrounded by a circle of individually controllable LED segments, along with ingenious hanging or coupling possibilities.

That’s all for today, stay tuned!

Justice “Woman Worldwide Tour”, Light Designer Vincent Lérisson

The Prize-winners of the “Opus – German Stage Award” have been announced. This noted award for particular achievements in theatre and stage production goes to two projects this year: the winning project in the category of “Tour – Lighting design” is the “Woman Worldwide” tour by the French band Justice.
In the category of “Theatre – artistic and technical realisation”, Opus has picked the innovative stage production “The Parallel World” (Die Parallelwelt), which is being performed concurrently at the Dortmund Theatre and the Berliner Ensemble.

Vincent Lérisson, concepteur lumière de la tournée Woman Worldwide

The honorary award is given annually on the occasion of Prolight + Sound, International Fair of Technologies and Services for Entertainment, Integrated Systems and the Creative Industries, in Frankfurt.
The jury and board of trustees of the award are made up of representatives of the The German Entertainment Technology Association (VPLT) and the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC), as well as experts, representatives of the trade press and Messe Frankfurt. On 4 April those in charge of these projects received the prize during a festive evening event.

The “Tour – Lighting design” Opus 2019 is a personal award to Vincent Lérisson for the unusual and variable lighting design for the “Woman Worldwide” tour by the French electro-band Justice. As LD, he is a permanent member of the band.

© Sébastien Sacco

The show largely dispenses with the video content often used in stage productions of this genre. Instead, Lerisson relies on the use of the very latest technology, great depth through focused lighting from the wings and various levels in the roof, and extremely precise timing.

©Sébastien Sacco

His impressive light show enjoys a perfect symbiosis with the songs played and the two artistes.
The particular highlight of his stage design were the movable stage elements, consisting of triangular structures, mounted on media spinners from Robe.
On each of the three sides different surfaces were installed – a mirror, Chromlech Elidy and a video surface with 6mm pixel pitch.

A further element in the stage show are the walls of sound, more familiar in rock concerts, which optically broaden the stage and in the course of the show surprise by becoming light sources themselves.
The whole set design is extremely efficient for the surface employed: it opens out the space and frames the artistes, who in front of the Chromlech Elidys frequently appear as silhouettes.

© Sébastien Sacco

The starting date for the Woman Worldwide Tour was March 2018 in Bogotá. There followed performances in over 20 countries on five continents.

“Theatre – artistic and technical realisation” Category: “The Parallel World”

Two theatres, two stages, two auditoriums with a dual audience in two cities, who act as if they were one. “The Parallel World” is a play which tells the story of one person from birth to death. The stages present the plot in opposite directions (birth – death, death – birth).

The strands of the plot meet only once in the middle of the play. The two theatrical groups are a counterpoint to each other. At this moment all certainties about our existence finally falter. Natural laws go mad; images of reality begin to dance.
At the Dortmund Theatre and the Berliner Ensemble seven actors each take the stage. They are filmed and wear microphones. What they say and what the cameras see can be viewed on a screen in the other city in as good as real-time.

In each of the theatres, along with the screen story, the audience see the “genuine” events on “their” stage. That the actors play in parallel and also interact with each other is made possible because the delay of about 0.3 seconds is hardly noticeable.
With this production Kay Voges is consistently pursuing the path which he already began many years ago: he is developing a new theatrical
language by making modern media a part of the content and incorporating it in the overall aesthetic.

More information on the Prolight+Sound Website.

RCF is pleased to announce the release of RDNet software version 3.1. The RDNet Networked Management System sees much improvement such as direct control of the on-board hi-pass filter, and new Shape Designer and Bass Shaper function. With total integration among hardware components – transducers, amplifiers, DSP and inclination – RDNet is the most advanced sound system management software in the industry.

SHAPE DESIGNER

RDNet now integrates a straight-forward prediction feature to assist with line array set-up in simple systems. The software performs a two-dimensional calculation providing system curvature, system rigging point, and cabinet angles.

BASS SHAPER

The new RCF Bass Shaper tool helps the sound system engineer adjust the desired timbre on low frequencies.
With three slides and a few steps, it is easy to correct the low-end behaviour, maintaining a tonal balance across the entire system.

HIGH PASS FILTER

RDNet takes now direct control on the internal High-Pass filter on each cabinet. This improves system flexibility and simplifying satellite-to-subwoofer phase alignment.

USER INTERFACE UPGRADES

The interface is improved for faster adjustments, with high contrast colors and comfortable controls for touchscreen devices. New views like the single channel equalisation view are added.

More information on RCF dedicated RDnet Web page.

Impressive and colorful video buzz by Claypaky, showing the fantastic Beam effect of its new laser-powered Xtylos moving head.
The density of the light beam is totally unseen before, the throw is just incredible, and the colors are rich and saturated. Official launch tomorrow on Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.

Elation Professional says they’ll take this year’s Frankfurt Prolight + Sound show by storm. Making its much anticipated world debut, 50,000-lumen Proteus Maximus™, a Wash/Beam and Profile LED luminaire that premieres as the brightest LED profile on the market.
Obviously, some other innovative fixtures will be co-starring on Elation’s booth, such as the Fuze and the Paladin series …

Maximus effect, maximum impact

Elation Proteus Maximus.

New Elation’s 50,000-lumen Proteus Maximus™, is announced as a Wash/Beam and Profile LED luminaire with a top-of-the-line design package. It should be measured as the brightest LED profile on the market.
With a custom designed 950W LED engine and large 180mm front lens, Maximus has the power to cut through at even great distances and its IP65 protection means it can be used exposed on outdoor shows.

Proteus Maximus provides the designer a comprehensive FX package with 6 rotating and 7 fixed glass gobos, full animation wheel, dual prisms, dual frost and a high-speed Iris. Its indexable framing system provides full blackout shutter cuts for precise beam shape control.
With a fast zoom range from 5.5° to 55° and an impressive 180mm front lens the Proteus Maximus has the power to cut through at great distances in any outdoor concert, special events and with its fully dust and water proof design it is an ideal fixture for theme parks and cruise ships.

Monet makes the world (of colors) go round (or any shape you want)

Elation Artiste Monet.

The brilliant 45,000-lumen Artiste Monet™ is a full-featured LED Profile offering outstanding projection quality, a comprehensive FX package, dynamic framing and a wide array of colors via an innovative SpectraColor engine.
SpectraColor uses traditional CMY colors but adds variable RGB flags for rich and vibrant primary colors.
In combination with variable CTO color correction, the Monet produces colors that were previously impossible to achieve from theatrical pastels to the purest reds, blues or greens ever produced by a color mixing system.

Unique to the Artiste Monet is its full blackout, 4-blade framing system for full control of the beam shape.
Not only does the adjustable system allow for refinement of the beam shape and projection at any angle, newly designed unlimited indexing and continuous rotation control allow shapes to rotate while morphing and transforming, allowing for creative transitions, projections and aerial effects not previously possible.

Lend an ear to Van Gogh specs

Elation Artiste Van Gogh.

Also on display in the award-winning Artiste line will be the powerful Artiste Van Gogh™, a state-of-the-art LED Wash luminaire with internal framing that boasts an excellent color reproduction for color projections of the highest quality.
Housing CMY and CTO color mixing as well as a 7-position color wheel, it offers a choice of PC or Fresnel lenses and is the ideal partner to the profile luminaires in the Artiste range.

Providing up to 16.000 total lumens from its efficient 380W LED engine allows the fixture to be utilized in many applications.
Due to its high color rendering index and its whisper quiet operation it is ideally suited for Television, Theater and Corporate Events, or any application where powerful and even coverage is desired.

Fuze blowing or mind blowing?

All new Fuze series fixtures include the Fuze Spot™, Fuze Profile™ with a full color spectrum LED engine, and Fuze Profile CW™ with Cold White LED engine, all automated LED moving heads.

The Fuze Spot and Fuze Profile – designed for theater, television and a wide array of precision lighting applications – house a 92 CRI engine that utilizes a 5-color homogenized LED array of Red, Green, Blue, Mint and Amber sources.
The carefully tuned LEDs ensure accurate color reproduction while delivering a powerful output of over 9,000 lumens. Virtual color temperature, magenta / green adjustment plus color gel emulation give designers access to an impressive LED color array.
Compact, quiet and lightweight, both fixtures house a 7° to 46° zoom. Dual gobo wheels, animation wheel, frost, prism and iris round out their comprehensive feature sets.

Elation Fuze Profile.

The Fuze Profile CW™ with Cold White LEDs and framing system is designed for trade shows, stages, television and a wide array of AV event applications.
A 91 CRI 380W LED engine ensures accurate color reproduction while delivering a powerful output exceeding 12,000 lumens.

Designed to illuminate objects like exhibits and banners, texture areas, and keylight persons with its flat field of light and accurate framing, it can be used anywhere a fully automated ellipsoidal fixture is required.
Housing a 7° to 46° zoom, its comprehensive feature set includes a rotating gobo wheel of breakups, two color wheels featuring solid colors and correction filters plus an iris.

Take it to the MAX™

Elation Smarty MAX.

Also showing will be the Smarty MAX™, an extreme-output Spot/Beam/Wash hybrid moving head featuring a new Platinum FLEX 400 lamp rated at 480W with up to 4,000 hours of smart lamp life.
This innovative new compact fixture shows interestingly that, besides LED products, lamp-equipped fixtures can still have a place in a complete intelligent lighting inventory, as long as their discharge source can bring power and light quality to the overall projector and features.

Combining CMY and variable CTO, this is the world’s first hybrid incorporating a full iris for dynamic beam effects.
Compact and lightweight with a large 160mm front aperture lens, four prisms on two planes, dual frosts plus dual gobo wheels and dual track animation round out the design package.

Sparkling FX cutting thru with Rayzor 760

Elation Rayzor 760

The Proteus RAYZOR 760™ is an IP65 LED wash effects luminaire with precise, yet continuous pan & tilt rotation, and mostly with patent-pending SparkLED™ pixel effect technology. Compact yet powerful with super wide 5 to 77-degree zoom, the fixture’s seven oversized front lenses create a large surface that is enhanced by SparkLED™, 2W white LEDs strategically placed inside the lenses themselves to create a unique additional layer of effect.

Driven by 7, independently controlled, 60W RGBW LEDs, delivering over 8,000 lumens of output with a total power of 420W, the Rayzor 760 provides a powerful beam that stands out on any stage. The oversized front lenses create a large surface on the fixture that is enhanced by the exclusive patent pending SparkLEDs technology.
SparkLEDs consists of 28 individual white LEDs, strategically placed inside the lens itself to create a unique additional layer, allowing designers access to a new and innovative way of creating interest on the stage. Rayzor 760 offers this never seen before style of internal lens illumination for depth and visual impact. SparkLEDs are controllable by the lighting console or driven by a multitude of internal FX patterns.

Smarty Hybrid, intelligent and versatile

Elation Smarty Hybrid.

The Proteus Smarty Hybrid™ is the world’s first compact CMY hybrid fixture with true IP65 rating. Encompassing the same full feature set and using the same highly-efficient Platinum FLEX 200 lamp with exceptional 6000-hour lamp life, the Proteus Smarty Hybrid’s IP65 dust and water protection means this compact and versatile effect can be used indoors or out.

Features include 11,000 total lumen output, motorized zoom ranges of 1° to 18° in beam mode, 3° to 27° in spot mode, and 5° to 33° in wash mode, a full CMY color mixing system, a full frost filter for wash effects, 13 dichroic colors with quad-color filter, CTB, CTO, and UV, 8 rotating—glass and 12 static-stamped metal gobos, a 16-facet and 4-facet linear independent rotating prisms, multiple CMY color, gobo, and prism macros, motorized focus with auto-focus.

Paladin is blinding’

Elation Paladin series of three units.

Three new versatile fixtures in Elation’s Paladin series of Blinder/Strobe/Wash lights will also be on display at PL+S tomorrow – the Paladin Cube™, Paladin Brick™ and Paladin Panel™ – all with IP65 protection.
These compact and powerful outdoor flood lights are useful for a wide variety of applications and can flexibly be used from either a floor or truss position.

Using 15W RGBW cells – 9, 24, and 50 respectively – they add vibrant and powerful color to outdoor events while individual cell control and strobe make them versatile effect lights or audience blinders.
Certified to IP65 with IP rated connections and solid build quality, they eliminate any dust and water ingress worries.

LMP Partnership

Elation is proud to reinforce its partnership with LMP to distribute Elation products in Germany. All worldwide visitors are also welcome to attend their booth number D56-58 in Hall 12.1,to see these latest innovations and much more.

More information on Elation products here.

Smart is beautiful when it adresses the actual needs of the industry. Starting from there, StageSmarts announces the introduction of their new C24 power distribution at the Prolight + Sound exhibition in Frankfurt next week.
The C24 does incorporate all the core elements of the company’s larger and award winning smartPDU series that have serviced numerous arena tours and events since its launch just over two years ago.

The C24 is designed in Sweden by Mats Karlsson and Erik Davidson to deal with the challenging loads that today’s LED screens and lights represent. Each of the 24 channels has a load sensor that detects possible overloads as well as accidentally disconnected loads.
A fast responding ‘lost neutral’ sensor disconnects the C24 from the mains to eliminate damaged due to excessive voltages, and make your expensive equipment safe when powered thru the C24.

Important part of the package is a 32A three-phase outlet with an adjustable RCD, useful for feeding a hoist controller and front-of-house power. Output options include Socapex, Harting, Powercon and Powercon True1.
Icing on the cake, a communication port enables remote monitoring of all loads and system status via an external multi-port server.

This new addition to the StageSmarts portfolio is described by the Company to make serious power distribution available to a much broader range of customers and applications.

StageSmarts can be found in hall 12.1, stand D55 at Prolight+Sound April 2-5.

More information on the StageSmarts Website.

“Take your breath away”, Chauvet warns, as the Maverick MK3 Spot and MK3 Profile will do just that, with an eye-popping output from one of the most powerful single-source 820 W LED engines in any moving head fixture currently on the market. Prolight+Sound Premiere.

In 2016 CHAUVET Professional made major waves at Prolight + Sound when it introduced its line of Maverick fixtures. This year, the company will be celebrating the anniversary of its wildly popular moving lights at the Frankfurt show with the first public preview of the brightest, most feature-rich fixtures ever in the Maverick line.

Albert Chauvet during the Chauvet France subsidiary inauguration, March 2019.

“These are the brightest lights ever in the Maverick line,” states Albert Chauvet, CEO of CHAUVET. “We listened very carefully to the designer feedback we received at an invitation-only private showing of fixture prototypes last year to refine and develop the features that fit the real-world needs of touring LDs.”

Delivering all the brightness needed for any arena or stadium application, the two 820W LED fixtures are nevertheless user-friendly in terms of their weight and dimensions.

The two fixtures are include a wide range of performance features, including full-loaded static, rotation and animation effects. Both fixtures also have a 6° to 54° zoom angle, the widest CHAUVET Professional has ever offered.

The Maverick MK3 Spot and Maverick MK3 Profile will be on display at the CHAUVET Professional PL+S stand (Hall 12.1 E11).

Following Prolight + Sound, CHAUVET Professional will be hosting exclusive Maverick MK3 Spot preview events around the world.

Radial Engineering is pleased to announce that the DiNET DAN-TX2 and DAN-RX2, 2-channel Dante-enabled network interfaces, are now shipping.

The DAN-TX2 transmitter and the DAN-RX2 receiver are designed for use with any Dante or AES67-compliant network, utilizing low-latency audio-over-Ethernet protocol while featuring 24bit/96kHz digital converters for exceptional audio quality.
Both devices will appeal to commercial installation and professional touring applications, as they feature locking EtherCON jacks to ensure secure and protected connection to the network, and they can be mounted in standard equipment racks with the optional SA series rack adaptor kit.

Power for the DAN-TX2 and the DAN-RX2 can be supplied using Power over Ethernet (PoE) or a 15V adaptor (included), and both power sources can be used simultaneously for redundancy.

DiNET DAN-TX2

Radial Engineering DiNET DAN-TX2.

The DAN-TX2 is able to feed any line-level audio signal to a Dante network, using a number of connector types to suit multiple applications and source devices.
Two input channels can be accessed via XLR/TRS combo jacks for balanced pro audio equipment, RCA’s for consumer playback devices, and a 3.5mm stereo jack for use with smartphones and tablets.

Individual level controls and input pads are provided for each channel, or they can be linked to a single set of controls for easy operation with stereo sources.

DiNET DAN-RX2

Radial Engineering DiNET DAN-RX2.

The DAN-RX2 is a receiver that can be connected anywhere on the network and provide balanced analog audio outputs over XLR connectors, for reliable distribution to PA systems, powered speakers, or any other destination as needed.

A separate headphone output section is also provided, with 3.5mm and 1/4″ TRS outputs to use the DAN-RX2 as a personal monitoring system or for testing purposes. The case is made of thick folded metal and globally sturdy, as usual with Radial Engineering models.

More information on RADIALL DiNET DAN-TX2 and RADIALL DiNET DAN-RX2.

As well as launching an impressive collection of new products, such as T1 Wash, iPointe, SilverScan…, Robe celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and is extremely proud to be attending Prolight+Sound 2019 as one of the market leading brands.

There will be another spectacular and unique live show, which will feature the concluding chapter in Robe’s “Lost Worlds” trilogy, which began in London at PLASA 2018. The show will play every hour on the hour and the accompanying lighting design will be utilising products from all the latest Robe & Anolis product ranges.

What’s new in Frankfurt this year

As a very good buddy of the already unveiled here T1 Profile (tested in SoundLightUp here), Robe will launch the T1 Wash and the T1 Profile FS, both equipped with the same MSL (Multi Spectral Light) LED module.

Robe T1 Wash.

T1 Wash
The T1 Wash is the latest fixture in Robe’s amazing T1 LED series of products specifically designed for theatre, television and touring.
Robe’s MSL™ (Multi-Spectral Light) LED engine is right at the heart of the T1 Wash, providing an impressive output of 10,000 lumens.

Using either the fresnel or PC lenses, the T1 Wash delivers the specific type of light output required by theatres and television studios. Like its T1 Profile and T1 FS counterparts, a closed optical system prevents dust and dirt.
CMY colour control and DataSwatch™ filters include a selection of pre-programmed colours accessible via the next generation RCC™ (Robe Colour Calibration) algorithm, and wide ranging 2700K to 8000K CCT control ensure that all variations of colour are possible.

The precise needs of theatrical dimming are addressed via the new L3™Low Light Linearity dimming system which takes ‘smoothness’ to new levels of delicacy and refinement. The high CRI of 90+ provides the excellent natural skin tones required for performance and broadcast scenarios.

For television work, there’s a plus and minus green channel, while the implementation of Cpulse™ flicker-free source management will ensure that the T1 range is a rock-solid reliable source for all vision systems including HD and UHD cameras.

For finessing, there is a precise +/- 90° rotatable individually controlled internal barndoor system. The flexible zoom range is 7° to 50°, a beam shaper tool and a graduated scrim with 180° rotation, plus light and medium frosts offer full and detailed control for all lighting designs in theatre, television and touring.

Robe T1 Profile FS.

T1 Profile FS
The T1 Profile FollowSpot has a digital camera on the head and can be connected to the RoboSpot BaseStation as part of Robe’s popular remote follow spotting system which is perfect for use in theatres, TV studios, concert halls, auditoriums and other assorted venues.

With the RoboSpot follow spot system it is no longer necessary to send operators into the rafters of venues to operate heavy and cumbersome traditional follow spot fixtures that take up valuable space in the world’s live entertainment venues.

Operators can now safely control multiple fixtures such as the BMFL range of products (exc. BMFL Wash), T1 Profile (TS now), T1 Profile FS, DL7S, DL4S, MegaPointe and Pointe from any location within the venue, reducing set-up times and operating costs.

The Robe RoboSpot system features a BaseStation with a large 15.6-inch HD touch screen for the operator to observe the performance from a “first person” viewpoint and a full range of hand controls for operating the fixtures such as pan, tilt, intensity, focus, faders and many others, all of which are fully customisable for the operator’s benefit.
The screen receives the live video feed from the RoboSpot MotionCamera or from the fixture-mounted RoboSpot camera and the operator’s commands are instantly transferred to the luminaires via DMX control with no lag for perfect motion tracking across the stage.

Extra controls are available through the touch screen display as well as four programmable jog-wheels with an additional 10 fully configurable buttons for a truly customised user experience. The remote lighting desk still retains control of the internal features of the fixtures such as light intensity and colour. All these features combine to make RoboSpot an innovative follow spot system.

iPointe

Robe iPointe.

This is an IP65 version of the MegaPointe. Tailored for festivals, concerts and outdoor events or any scenario needing to deal with inclement or unpredictable weather, the iPointe is a bright, powerful multifunctional luminaire that works equally well as a beam, spot, effects and wash fixture.
It was already discreetly part of the show last year mid-september at Plasa in London, but now launched in its definitive version.

The ingenious ingress protection has been designed and developed diligently over two years by Robe’s R’n’D team and comprises a series of interconnected filters and air chambers which prevent water ingress into the fixture.
There’s also a unique new dust-free environment for the optical, gobo and colour systems eliminating the need for frequent cleaning and maintenance.

The iPointe’s impressive lightsource is a 310W lamp which has been specially developed for Robe by Osram. It produces a brilliant, crystal clear, razor-edged beam, adjustable from a tight, punchy 1.8° to a wide 42°. The beam can be accurately shaped and positioned by using the smart framing shutters.

Both static and rotating glass gobos produce precision in-air effects and projected images with a sharp, high-contrast flat field. A new effects engine can produce 12 varying beam and ‘flower’ effects, taking this winning combination of creativity and weather-resistance to new levels.

SilverScan

This is the first of Robe’s special edition “silver” range … to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary and Silver Jubilee. The SilverScan highlights 25 years of ROBE lighting fixtures and their continuing evolution resulting in new advanced technology whilst bringing moving light design back to its roots – a small, good-looking performance-based LED scan.

Robe SilverScan.

This fixture revisits the spirit and pioneering days of moving lights, as it all actually started with moving mirrors in the seventies with French innovators Telescan in motorized version, but actually dates back from the roaries 30’s on Broadway if we refer to very old patent showing manual mechanism.
It combines it with the latest tech and best engineering available, offering all the features everyone loved from the ‘scan era’, when the concept of moving lights became etched in the consciousness of the entertainment technology industry.

Speed, outstanding colours and beautiful gobos have always been Robe’s top priorities – and these are all exceptional in the SilverScan.
The 350W white LED light engine provides over 9,000 lumens, giving an extra bright beam with an even flat field and an impressive 20 000 hours of operation.

Smooth colour transitions and vivid, radiant colours can be created using the CMY colour mixing system and colour wheel, with 7 rotating or 9 static gobos added for outstanding projections and mid-air effects.
The seamless zoom can go out to 27° at its widest, while the minimum 9° zoom produces a retina-piercing beam that can be trimmed with an ultra-fast stepless iris for even more potency.

Apart from new Coating Technology for Spiider + Tarrantula + LED Beam 150, IP67 Anolis range architectural projectors will be presented, such as Eminere 1,2, 3 & 4 LED battens and the Divine 72.

Robe Anolis Eminere 2.

Robe Anolis Divine 72.

As usual, the high-profile stand Robe booth – Hall 12 Booth D10 – will be impressively big, with every subsidiary or distributor represented, so come and have a look on all these new “Jubilee Newbies” and the rest of the Czech family of products.

More information on Robe products here.

Allen & Heath continues to update its flagship dLive mixing system with the release of the latest firmware version, V1.8, adding a huge raft of power-features that engineers will appreciate, from MCAs and Talkback Groups through to a hotly-anticipated new DEEP processing plug-in – the OptTronik.

Allen & Heath S-Class system.

Mix Control Association & 12 assignable Talkback Groups

Particularly welcomed in monitor world, V1.8 adds Mix Control Association (MCA), bringing the convenience of DCA groups and spills to monitor engineers, enabling simple control over multiple AUX/MTX sends via a single fader.
This update further improves ease of control by introducing A/B/C/D inputs, enabling up to 4 input sockets to be assigned to every input channel, and provides fast and seamless selection of sockets via SoftKeys – perfect for rapidly switching to a backup microphone, or to pre-recorded files on a playback system.

The addition of 12 assignable Talkback Groups, which can be populated with any combination of the available mix busses, simplifies talkback routing with SoftKey controls enabling the engineer to quickly switch between different talkback destinations such as musicians, technicians or other production staff.

OptTronik compressor

New DEEP processing plug-in – the OptTronik.

Joining dLive’s acclaimed suite of DEEP processors, V1.8 sees the introduction of the ‘OptTronik’ compressor.
Inspired by a legendary tube-driven, electro-optical levelling amplifier, OptTronik’s smooth, musical compression makes it the perfect match for many sources, including vocals and bass guitar.

New features and improvements

V1.8 also brings other new features and improvements to the system, such as Undo Scene Store, Mix to PAFL and Solo in Place (SIP).

Himself an in-demand monitor engineer, Mike Bangs, Live Sound/Touring Manager at Allen & Heath USA, says: “V1.8 is the next step in our string of user-driven updates, as we continue expanding and adapting the platform to the needs of modern engineers.
I’m particularly excited about the addition of MCAs, which bring the power of DCA functionality to monitor mixers. Such a cool feature and engineers are going to love it.”

Ben Morgan, Allen & Heath’s dLive product manager, adds, “We’re really excited to launch dLive V1.8. This update brings powerful new features all round that are valuable to all types of engineers, whether you’re FOH or monitors, in touring sound, houses of worship, or installations.”

Download dLive V1.8 now and get more information on Allen & Heath dLive consoles.

First (and brilliant) Las Vegas residency for Lady Gaga, the Enigma show was launched at MGM’s Park Theater end of December with Elation Professional DARTZ 360™ beam/spot effects playing an integral role in LeRoy Bennett’s lighting design. Lighting supply was by Solotech.
With an acclaimed performance in A Star is Born and recent Academy Award win for Best Original Song behind her, the multi-talented superstar is arguably today’s hottest performer. Renowned for her dynamic showmanship, showy costumes and staging, and powerhouse vocals, the pop superstar knows how to captivate an audience.

Lady Gaga Enigma in Vegas. Photo © Kevin Mazur.

Two-year residency

Headlining her own Vegas show, Enigma, and an accompanying jazz and piano show, the two-year residency will cover 74 shows and possibly more. The theatrical show relates the story of Gaga and her Enigma character and embraces a message of healing and discovery. She calls the show “a celebration of all that is unique and different within us.”

The huge Unison custom-built light pod with DARTZ 360™ LED moving heads. Photo © Kevin Mazur.

What makes Enigma even more extraordinary is a visually stunning set and eye-popping lighting design.
Although the Park Theater is a smaller venue, LeRoy Bennett, who serves as production, lighting and set designer, says he designed the show to feel like an arena concert.

To that end, a huge custom-built light pod fabricated by Unison and outfitted with over 230 DARTZ 360™ LED moving heads floats above the performer onstage and is the main lighting instrument on the show.

The oval-shaped light pod measures 38’ (0.96 m) in length and 28’ (0.71 m) in width and comprises 33 pre-rig sections. It is articulated and angled by automated hoists and is used throughout the show, sometimes as one huge wash light, at other times for individual, super tight beams.

LeRoy Bennett. Photo ©leroybennett.com

Bennett, who counts stars like Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson and Paul McCartney among his clientele, has worked with Lady Gaga since her Monster Ball tour in 2009.

He is also using DARTZ on his current Paul McCartney and Kelly Clarkson tour designs. Talking about this narrow beam luminaire, “The DARTZ 360 is a bright, reliable, fast, and compact light source. It’s proven itself to be the best when used in mass.”, LeRoy Bennett says.

A lot of smaller fixtures

Harry Forster, lighting director and programmer for the Gaga residency, noted, “We knew we needed a lot of smaller fixtures to get as many into the pod as possible so the fixture’s output to size ratio and low weight were important,” adding that they were also impressed at the quality of the fixture’s white light.

Solotech is providing lighting, video, rigging and personnel for the Vegas residency, as well as the house PA system for the Park Theater. “The low weight and low wattage of the DARTZ enabled us to handle the logistics of cabling and rigging the DARTZ fixtures with great ease,” Solotech’s Andy O’Toole commented.
The entertainment technology supplier began working with Lady Gaga back in 2014 by supplying video on the Art Pop tour. Their commitment has grown over the years, having provided lighting, video and rigging for the 2017 Joanne world tour and now the Vegas residency.

How the six-time Grammy Award-winner, Golden Globe Award-winner and Academy Award-winner maintains such a high level of creativity and quality on such a busy schedule and across genres is impressive to say the least.
Her Vegas residency shows are spectacular and reviews have been phenomenal.

Lady Gaga in animatic action during Enigma show. Photo © Kevin Mazur.

More information on Elation Dartz 360.

Did you know that Bergen (Norway) is the rainiest city in Europe? With a climate ranging from polar to temperate oceanic and humid continental, live production equipment has to endure challenging conditions in Norway indeed.
This is especially true in the touring market. Production house Amas Produksjon Lyd & Lys, based a short distance from Bergen, needs mixing consoles that it can totally rely on and is proud to be the first Norwegian rental house to offer the Yamaha Rivage PM7 system.

Yamaha Scandinavia’s Tomas Nylen with Morten Egil Paulsen and Harald Hole.

“We have tried mixers from different manufacturers over the years, but we ended up using only Yamaha because the quality is so high. We can completely trust them,” says the company’s general manager Morten Egil Paulsen.

“We have never had a single crash or other issue with a Yamaha console, which isn’t something we have experienced with other manufacturers products.” One example of this reliability happened in January, when the company’s technical head Harald Hole mixed a festival on the island of Svalbard – midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole – with a Yamaha QL1 and Rio3224-D.
“It was bitterly cold outside, very warm and humid inside, but the console and I/O rack worked perfectly. It’s the only place in the Norwegian territory where you can meet a polar bear in the middle of a city centre,” smiles Harald.

Harald Hole on a recent European tour with Sol Heilo of Norwegian all-girl pop band Katzenjammer and a Yamaha QL1.

With Amas Produksjon’s inventory of Yamaha CL, QL and TF mixers at work on many events, investing in Rivage PM7 was the obvious way for the company to increase its capacity and, at the same time, step up a level and help to raise the standards of the Norwegian event market.
Morten and Harald contacted Yamaha Scandinavia’s Tomas Nylen and the new Rivage PM7 system was quickly put to work.

“Rivage PM7 is a flagship product, with many new and improved features, but it is still easily recognizable for anyone who has used a Yamaha console,” says Harald. “The workflow is outstanding, it’s easily the fastest console that I have ever worked on.”

“We like how we can customize the console layout and there is such a good selection of high quality plug-ins that you can always find the right tools to solve any task,” he continues.
“We love the magic of the new DaNSe dynamic noise suppressor plug-in. We have also been really impressed by the RND SILK processing and the selected channel section is great. It really brings back the feeling of working on analogue consoles.”

Morten, Harald and the team have already received many bookings and enquiries for the busy summer festival season and are looking forward to showing the Norwegian market how Rivage PM7’s enhanced facilities, backed up with Yamaha’s legendary reliability, is a great festival solution.

“Yamaha consoles are a better long-term investment than mixers by other brands. Just look at the PM5D, which is still up and running worldwide, and we have an M7CL-48 that is still earning money for us. We are sure that Rivage PM7 will be at work with us for just as long,” concludes Morten.

More information on Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing console.

Already renowned as a prominent acoustician, Eric Grandmougin joins Active Audio as Marketing & Technical Support Manager. We had the chance to meet him recently with CEO Regis Cazin. Complete extensive interview here. Quite an active duet indeed!

From left to right: Régis Cazin, Eric Grandmougin and Grégory Dapsance

SLU : How was defined this new position in Active Audio, and consequently in APG?

Régis Cazin (PDG Active Audio & APG) : From the simple statement that it was difficult to talk to some of our customers or prospects who think only to already existing models on the market. We needed a kind of translator who could specify technically valid solutions with our own series, and also be able to feel the market needs and tendencies to guide our evolution and R&D for both brands.
Eric’s arrival can also be considered as the symbol of APG and Active Audio renewal. 2018 was marked by the end of the backup for APG and by a 26% increase of our global turnover. Eric comes in at the very moment when we do hold the necessary assets to speed up our growth even more. He will help us create orignal products standing out of the competition, while still demanded by specifiers.

SLU : Will the positioning of your group change?

Régis Cazin : No. We’ll still be placed between basic and cheap Chinese products, and very big and ever growing competitors, especially in their trend to always keep developing new products. Our goal is essentially the propose the “different” product to fit niche markets.
We know how to cope with big tours, but we may not have the matching commercial network. For Active Audio it is the same against major US players. Our products should not be necessarily be cheaper, but certainly better and more adequate for precise applications and needs.

Régis Cazin, Active Audio CEO.

SLU : Does this mean more network connected active loudspeakers?

Régis Cazin : (smiling) Perhaps. We already have the Ray-On models in active version with Dante. Same for the StepArray.

SLU : Where does the Active Audio name come from?

Régis Cazin : Not only from active speakers, but from the way how to modify the sound of a room in a different way than just with dampening or diffracting materials or other passive solutions. This means using active electro-acoustic devices.
Active Audio founder was always at the forefront with Carmen, an alternative to the Meyer Sound Constellation system, but the market didn’t really catch up. We working at the moment on products inspired by this patent, to make them more… day-to-day usable. I’m moving forward a bit in history here, but I think next year we’ll issue a truly revolutionary product.

SLU : (hailstorm of questions with a slight amount of assumptions)

Régis Cazin : I cannot say more. Our idea is to make people’s life simpler for whose who use microphones and loudspeakers in a room, so that the product becomes obvious. This requests some techniques connected to active acoustics concepts. We’re aiming to be ready for ISE 2020.

SLU : And for APG, is the future up and running as well?

Régis Cazin : Yes, even if our customers don’t have the culture for active products and huge power yet, there’s no spotted demand from them. Manufacturing active speakers is not a big deal by itself.
We have all the bits and pieces to make them, but achieving this in a price tag which is acceptable to the market is another more complicated story. In our mind, an active system must be intelligent, a bit like some Martin Audio products, otherwise it’s not worth it.

SLU : New products coming up anyway? For Touring, Installation, both?

Régis Cazin : Actually, both. In 2019 we’ll launch a complete range of speakers dedicated to installation. We’ll start by showing them to some customers to get comments and approval. It will include the very last generation of transducers and a very elaborate finish. (SLU comments: we did have the occasion to touch and see a 8″ sample for a few seconds, nicely finished and with a much better look and feel than the actual range).
We’ll also update the Touring range because this part of the market is still of great interest to us, even though we’re targeting it rather to small- to mid-size venue or events. A 100,000 stadium is not for us (laughs). The Uniline range, for instance, is still successful and selling very well, but its aspect is a bit getting old.

The joint booth of APG and Active Audio at ISE 2019.

SLU : Are you looking for new transducers as well, which will make the new models not compatible with the old ones?

Régis Cazin : Let’s unveil everything, but I can say we’ll keep the compatibility to a maximum.

SLU : What will you show at next Prolight + Sound Frankfurt?

Régis Cazin : We’re not exhibiting this year, neither did we last year anyway. We’ve studied the ins and outs of not being at PL+S 2018, and we were very surprised by the lack of negative reactions. A lot of people, though, said they got bored at PL+S Frankfurt, so this year we’ll be rather focussing on development and direct demoes to all kind of customers and prospects. We’ll go to PL+S Guangzhou and PL+S Dubai, as these are the places where you see all the major audio brands and a lot of Touring people.

SLU : Eric, where will you be based?

Eric Grandmougin : I’m based in Nantes (West of france, direct fast train to Paris in less than 2 hours), I will travel around a lot, it’s important to be in contact with the users and the market to understand their needs and propose the best ever solutions, existing ones or future ones.

Régis Cazin : He even invested in a boat! (laughs)

More information on the Active Audio Website and on the APG Audio Website.