XL Video continued its record breaking summer streak supplying over 2000 square metres of LED screen plus control and crew across eight stages and arenas at the UK’s biggest and highest profile EDM event, Creamfields, staged on Daresbusy Estate near Warrington over the August Bank holiday weekend.

Asot

It was the largest amount of screen supplied to date to the festival with which XL has been involved for the last five years via creative and technical production specialists, LarMac LIVE. The production values for this year’s event were significantly increased following excellent results last year and to keep at the forefront of the vibrant European festival scene.
Three XL Project Managers  – Steve Greetham, Paul “Macca” McCauley and Connie Glover – co-ordinated the project on site due to its scale and the tight timescale.

Afrojack

Around 70,000 dance music fans enjoyed an absolutely amazing line-up including North and South Stage headliners Avicii, deadmau5, Calvin Harris and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike plus other amazing sets from Hardwell, Afrojack, Steve Aoki and Fatboy Slim, Armin Van Buuren in A State of Trance, Steve Angello in Size Matters, Axwell & Ingrosso in Departures and many, many more.
The two main side IMAG screens on the North and South stages were made up from a combination of XL’s robust high brightness Radiant MC-18 and Pixled F12 products. F12 for the centre areas with MC-18 surrounding.

Radiant MC18 Hybrid

Onstage, the majority of the screen sections were made up from Pixled F15, with the front of the DJ booths clad in Radiant MC-18 Hybrid – a standard medium 18 mm pitch tile with 32 x 32 pixels per panel, and 4 x 4 higher brightness (7700nit) low resolution pixels embedded in the same panel.

A stage header / border across the top could also be run as high or medium resolution using Radiant MC-7T. The final two DJs playing on each stage also had their own video designs, so the overall set ups on the stages for Saturday and Sunday were based on being able to replicate these as near as possible.

Control on the North and South stages was the latest Catalyst systems run, as mentioned above, in conjunction with Resolume and Barco Encore screen management to output to the different areas. They were operated by James Cooksey and Jack Banks.

Annie Mac

Most of the main artists supplied their own content formatted to a pixel-map of the screen surfaces that was supplied in advance by XL. “The demand for more screens at EDM events like Creamfields reflects the growing importance of visuals to leading DJ sets,” comments Steve Greetham.

As well as delivering more screen to the outdoor stages, XL also deployed more LED around the arenas than ever before this year, with areas 03 – 08 receiving between 80 and 140 square metres each, of which Arena 03 A State of Trance / Departures – was the largest single surface with a 140 square metre screen design.

The products used in the arenas included MC-18 and MC-18 Hybrid, and 100 square metres of surface to cover the set structure in 07 for Annie Mac Presents / London Warehouse Events, and almost 100 square metres of 9 mm screen in the Cream Arena, 08.
All the arena control systems had Resolume platform at their core – specified for its DJ/LJ friendliness – with a Green Hippo Hippotizer in 07, chosen for its straightforward mapping capabilities to map content onto the set structure.

Calvin Harris

Over 35 XL crew worked in shifts to deal with overnight de-rigs and re-rigs on the North and South Stages and in four out of the six arenas as the hosting clubs swapped venues overnight. The main challenge was the sheer scale and amount of screen onsite.

Creamfields follows soon after XL’s construction of what is believed to be the largest temporary LED screen in Europe for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which used 1000 square metres of Radiant.

More informations : www.xlvideo.com

DPA is giving away 100 d:screet™ Necklace Microphones as part of an exciting competition that launches on september. All you have to do to win is be inventive about how you might wear one…
As part of an exciting competition that begins on September 1 2014, DPA is giving 100 lucky people the chance to win its d:screet™ Necklace Microphones, which were launched earlier this year.

The competition, running on DPA’s Facebook page and website, asks contestants to come up with ingenious ideas for how and where to use the d:screet™ Necklace Microphone. Five microphones will be awarded to the five most liked submissions on Facebook, while the remaining 95 will be given to the people who, in DPA’s opinion, come up with the best, most creative and most original ideas.

An example can be found at this YouTube video, created by DPA Microphones.

This plug-and-play microphone solution from DPA is ideally suited to situations where mounting and consistent audio output are the primary requirements. By housing a d:screet 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Capsule in a soft rubber necklace, DPA has created a microphone that anyone can use. There is no need to worry about attaching it to clothing because the only fitting skill this microphone requires is the ability to do up a necklace catch.

DPA’s competition also has a second phase, which will be open to those who win one of the initial 100 necklace microphones.

Once winners get their microphones, all they have to do is document their idea by sending the company a picture or a video. The two best entries will win a grand prize – a choice of DPA Microphones up to a value of 1,000 EUR (list price).

Entry to this competition is via the DPA website or DPA’s Facebook page. All ideas need to be submitted by September 28, 2014 and the 100 initial winners will be announced on October 1, 2014. Contestants can win multiple necklace microphones, but only one microphone will be awarded per idea.

Entry to phase two of the competition will open after October 1, with the two ultimate winners announced on November 10, 2014.

The first grand prize will go to the most liked picture or video on Facebook, while the second will go to the application idea that DPA perceives to be the best and most well documented.

To enter and for more information please follow these links:

Website : http://www.dpamicrophones.com/100freemics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpamicrophones

When Smoky Mountain Opry in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, sought to replace their aging lighting rig they turned to the Elation Platinum Spot 15R Pro and Platinum Wash ZFX Pro luminaires to provide the dynamic color and effect needed to support the high-energy 2-hour spectacle.

A good variety show includes a little bit of everything. Featuring a variety of music that spans from rock n’ roll to gospel, as well as dancing, aerialists, comedy, magic and more, Smoky Mountain Opry includes something for everybody and the lighting system needs to be able to keep up and transition accordingly.

Smoky Mountain Opry is produced by the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, one of the largest show production companies in the southeast. Technical director for Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment is Marshall Whaley who was looking for something to replace the large variety of fixtures they had, some 1200W discharge fixtures, and met up with Chuck Dillingham, Director of Lighting Operations at Elation dealer TMG Production Services of Nashville, to discuss options.

“Over the years this theater just had such a mixture of fixtures and we wanted to get down to only a couple of fixture types,” Marshall explains. “I also had a budget to work with and Chuck’s recommendation was the Platinum Spot 15R Pro. When we did a shoot-out against our MAC 2K’s we were surprised by the brightness of the Elation 15R units and decided to go with them.” Marshall was looking for an affordable light with CMY color mixing, lots of gobo options and an output as bright as or brighter than the MAC 2000 Performance II units they would replace and found it in the 300W Platinum Spot 15R Pro.

Lighting designer and programmer for Smoky Mountain Opry is Susan Rose (Ringo Starr, Louise Mandrell, Hank Williams, Jr.) who was at the January shoot-out when both the Platinum Spot 15R Pro and Platinum Wash ZFX were chosen.

“We picked the Platinum Wash ZFX because it’s a good wash light and has excellent visual effects,” she says. “I really like the individual control of the LEDs and use the macros for some nice effects,” she says referring to the fixture’s chase zone effects that are rings of LED array controllable zones. “They are used for a lot of purposes – eye candy, lighting for set pieces, or as front wash and stage wash.”

By purchasing the Platinum Wash ZFX Pro units, the venue was also looking to lower the cost of running the show by no longer having as many expensive lamps to replace. The high-energy ZFX fixtures, which also house a zoom, are equipped with 19x 15W RGBW LEDs yet its 190W LED engine draws only a maximum of 350W of total power. Because the show is so visual (Susan likens the stage to a big media server), bright lights were needed to compete with the huge amount of LED on stage.

That’s where the Platinum Spot 15R Pro’s step in which she uses for a big variety of beam and graphic looks, as well as to light set pieces or specific performers on stage. “I’ve been really happy with the 15R’s,” says Susan, who staggers the Platinum 15R’s with the Platinum ZFX’s in a symmetrical design. “They function well, have great punch and brightness, and are a great light at the price point.”

Although product features and functional flexibility were keys in choosing the fixtures, other factors stood out as well. “Elation has reasonable pricing and parts are affordable when you need them,” Marshall states, adding that the warranty repair service they’ve had over the years has been excellent, also at other Fee/Hedrick venues. “We had purchased Elation Design Spot 575E’s for another theater and have had great service out of those lights for the past six years.” 

For more informations www.elationlighting.com

Wireless lighting control manufacturer, LumenRadio, is expanding to keep up with its strong growth. The company is appointing a new CEO, Alexander Hellström, and ramping up in-house development.

Alexander Hellström

“Today LumenRadio is profitable and experiencing strong growth as our wireless products are becoming the preferred choice of lighting professionals. To keep up with demand and manage the continued success we are appointing Alexander Hellström as our new CEO to lead us through this next phase of growth”, explains Per Hulthén, co-founder and former CEO of LumenRadio.

Hulthén transitions to a new role in the Board of Directors of LumenRadio where he will continue to lead the development of wireless control for building automation.

Alexander Hellström comes with a career spanning from senior management at Capgemini, CEO at Experis IT and CEO of Primas Invest and is well versed in technology and managing growth in emerging markets.

Alexander Hellström : “LumenRadio has an admirable reputation as the recognized leader in professional wireless lighting controls. Of course we will continue to expand in our core entertainment market. However, we look beyond and will now build on this success to expand into other markets such as general lightning and building automation.
It doesn’t matter if it’s devices in a building communicating with each other, or machines communicating with other machines – we have the patents and innovations that make it possible to finally cut the cable. We are also expanding our in-house development team to further strengthen the technology lead we have over our competitors in the rapidly developing wireless market.

Our ambition is to become the worldwide leader in reliable wireless communication for the professional market.” 

More informations : www.lumenradio.com/

Lighting for the recent edgy Royal Court Theatre (RCT) production of  Tim Crouch’s ‘Adler & Gibb’ was designed by award winning and leading theatre lighting designer Natasha Chivers, who included two of Robe’s MMX Blade fixtures in her lighting scheme which were used extensively throughout the drama.

The fixtures were rigged on an upstage bar, either side of the centre and used for two distinct and different effects. Firstly as back-light specials, and secondly, with the addition of gobos and crossing to downstage centre, they formed part of a forest break-up look that focussed on a grave.

The MMX Blade units were recommended to Chivers and Jack Williams, Chief LX at the Royal Court by Matt Prentice, Head of Lighting at RADA – after they have been very successfully used on productions there. (Williams is an ex RADA student). The MMX Blades “Ticked all the boxes” says Williams because it is “Small, lightweight, very punchy and has great optics and shutters” … BUT, most importantly … because it’s a quiet fixture … and this is absolutely essential for any drama performance.

“Noise is our biggest issue,” he explains, which really restricts the moving lights that are appropriate for their shows. “It’s nice to be able to add the MMX Blades to a very small list!” he declares!

The RCT is one of London’s most cutting edge production houses, bringing a constant stream of new, experimental and challenging works to the capital. They don’t have any moving lights in house, but will hire units as and when needed and according to a designer’s specific wishes.

Adler & Gibb – the tense headspace occupied by Janet Adler and Margaret Gibb, two major 20^th century conceptual artists who hated the commodification of art and retreated to a remote location where one of them died – is a complex narrative that questions the authenticity and realism.

It was the first time that Chivers had used the MMX Blades and she was “Particularly impressed” by the remote hot spot control. She really likes the way this feature “Allows the beam to soften and fade away at the edges but retain a rich, dynamic centre which is more exciting and easier to blend with the rest of the lighting state than the normal flat, even beam  of most moving lights”.

She also appreciated the smooth colour mixing and the animation wheel which she was able to utilise as an “Elegant and delicate” water ripple effect, rather than the cruder ones that can be created with other fixtures. She also thought the intensity was good compared to other moving lights in the rig.

The MMX Blades – based on Robe’s new technology MMX discharge fixture, which is comparable output to 1200W luminaires and with a framing shutter system into the optical path – were used in most scenes on the drama, integrated with some moving spot lights and TV lighting.

Jack Williams – who has used Robe products on various projects for around six years – comments, “I think they are fantastic and we will definitely be using them again!”

He believes that Robe’s reputation is now gaining traction in the theatre and the ROBIN series in particular and he is happy to specify the brand.

West London based rental specialist Entec Sound & Light renewed its long association with  the three day Guilfest music festival in Surrey, supplying sound design and equipment to the Main Stage in Stoke Park, central Guildford. The event is renowned for its eclectic line ups and friendly, family orientated atmosphere … and superlative audio, which has been supplied by Entec since 2006!
This year Mark ‘Magic’ Ellis-Cope, newly installed as Entec’s Head of Sound after the legendary Dick Hayes’ recent retirement, led the team who worked closely with Guilfest’s Production Manager, Paul Warner.

Magic comments, “It is always a pleasure to work at Guilfest and we did miss it last year when there was a short break. The atmosphere is fantastic and everyone really pulls together to make it one of the nicest festivals on which we work”.

The d&b system design utilised by Entec is based on a concept developed by sound engineer Liam Halpin which has been hugely successful for producing the ultimate listening experience for festival goers … as well as containing the noise levels, as the site is not only amidst a major residential area, but this is also in the leafy green Surrey heartlands, where music festivals are more of an anomaly than remoter locations!

Entec again utilised all d&b products, with a distributed sub array run in a cardioid configuration to minimize the off-site noise, but still provide a real punch to the system which kept all the bands on site happy.
The main left and right PA hangs featured 9 d&b J8 large format line array speakers and the distributed bass array across the front of the stage comprised 6 stacks of subs – two 3-way stacks of B2 and four 2-way stacks of the J-SUBS. For front fills they used four  J12s, two Q7s and two Q10s.

The system EQ was taken care of by one of Entec’s drive racks containing Lake LM44s for the matrixing, with EQ all controlled wirelessly via a tablet computer. Using Pro-Box AES and Redbox AES distribution offered the flexibility to supply multiple signal streams to many locations all within the digital domain.
This year a full flip-flop system – featuring two Avid Profile consoles – was utilized to optimize the time allowed for ultra-quick changeovers, while giving visiting engineers plenty of time to set up between bands. About half of the bands playing brought their own engineers, and those who didn’t were mixed by the Entec engineers.

A Midas PRO1 was used as the house desk, for mixing the compere and switching between the two Avid Profile FOH Consoles.
A Neutral Audio DREi Pro Audio system was used across the whole PA for streamlining the sound, which was well received by many of the engineers resulting in lots of positive comments. At the stage end, Entec provided two Yamaha PM5Ds for monitor consoles which were also run in flip-flop style, again to offer engineers plenty of time and a stress-free window in which to prepare for their artist.

Onstage d&b M2 wedges provided the monitoring – which are small and unobtrusive as well as sounding extremely smooth – and these were augmented with some V-Series side fills and C7-Sub drum subs. Eight channels of Shure PSM 900 and 8 channels of PSM1000 IEMs were available to cater for band’s individual IEM requirements. All of the d&b D12 amplifiers were driven digitally from the desks which made them really ‘come alive’ observes Magic.

Entec also used the new Shure Beta Drum mics. “The performance of the Shure Beta91A, Beta98Amp/C and the Beta181 drum mics was superb” says Magic. The instrument mics were a mix of the standard Shure, Sennheiser and Evolutions etc. and vocals were all handled by SM58’s, with some requests for Sennheiser e945’s, with everything supplied from Entec’s own stock.

The biggest challenge of the weekend was managing the radio frequencies. With the Guildford Transmitter being in close proximity and the site and also falling into the coverage catchment area of Crystal Palace, the RF spectrum is very busy. Entec also ensured that all of the other stages could function RF wise while everyone has everything turned on, so the ideal target was to get upwards of 30 channels working simultaneously, and accommodate those turning up with extras. It can be a little fun at times but we didn’t experienced any issues, and with careful planning  the show again went off very smoothly” concluded Magic.

Magic multiplexed, working as Crew Chief as well as Patch and RF Tech and was joined by one of Entec’s highly talented teams : George Breaker who co-ordinated everything at FOH and mixed multiple bands; Ian White who looked after everyone’s monitor needs and also engineered as required; James ‘Kedge’ Kerridge the systems tech who fine-tuned everything to perfection and stage techs Luca Stefani and Stuart Filbey.

More informations : www.entec-soundandlight.com

Peavey Electronics Corporation was founded by Hartley Peavey on his passionate commitment to be the most innovative organization in the music and sound industry.
As it approaches its 50th anniversary, the company is redefining itself in consideration of the evolving and increasingly competitive market. In order to remain effective, the company announces intentions to restructure its international operations.

The headquarters of Peavey in Meridian (Mississippi)

Peavey has been a manufacturing force with multiple US factories throughout Mississippi and Alabama as well as having distribution facilities in the US, Europe and Asia. While prices from China lowered the cost of the products in the marketplace, Peavey has continually examined its operating structure and made adjustments to compete with the lower cost structure of its competitors.
The company has now determined that it will close the UK distribution facility. The UK facility was originally set up as a manufacturing plant for large items to minimize international shipping expense but with advancing and lower cost Chinese manufacturing, this hasn’t been needed for some time,

It is intended that these changes will improve the international supply chain and the sharing of global resources, bringing manufacturing and international customers closer together. A reduction of complexity in operations will take place over the forthcoming months and will result in a more competitive international market accelerating growth for Peavey and its brands. Peavey are confident that this approach will be a significant benefit to its dealers and customers.

“Europe is a key market for us,” commented Clive Roberts of Peavey Electronics Limited. “The company has been looking closely at the structure of its European operation and what the best fit will be for the business moving forward. Our organisation needs to become more efficient and improve the allocation of international resources, especially if we are to continue the mantra and market niche that Hartley Peavey set in place; providing quality gear at a fair price.” 

Peavey will be announcing more details of the restructure over the coming months.

The Public Theater in New York City has been a symbol of culture and community since its opening in the 1950s. The theater has facilitated a variety of performances throughout the years, and is committed to nurturing both artists and audience.
From the world premiere of Hair, to the annual, and beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park, The Public Theater constantly searches for new, creative opportunities to fulfill its mission. In 1998, the non-profit organization in the heart of the East Village opened the two hundred seat live performance venue known as Joe’s Pub.

Joe’s Pub at The Public is one of New York City’s most celebrated venues for emerging and established performance artists. Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe’s Pub plays a vital role in The Public’s mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary, Joe’s Pub recently invested in a new sound system. While the interior was renovated a few years ago, Joe’s Pub waited on audio, taking time to find a system capable of addressing the somewhat complicated needs of the venue.

Director Shanta Thake expands, “Our venue space is very unusual. With the stage positioned in the corner of a large bar, and the sound mixer located in the balcony, there are so many nooks and crannies to address. With over three hundred and sixty days of performances per year, big name productions, and a variety of performance styles, we needed a system that could be ready for anything. When Acme Professional introduced us to d&b audiotechnik, our sound guy’s eyes just lit up. I took that as a good sign!”

“It’s a fact that d&b has a few systems now, including the White range used at Joe’s Pub, that will be a game changer for the US market,” says Tom Clark of Acme Professional, the audio consultants engaged for the Joe’s Pub project.

Clark has used d&b for many projects recently, including other events for The Public Theater. “It was important to understand that Joe’s Pub wanted to buy a system, not rent it. Our goal was to offer them security in a system that would last and one that would function well with their extreme versatility as a venue. Plus, with the busy performance schedule at Joe’s Pub, we only had one day to install; in that respect, d&b rigs easily and sounds great with little adjustment.”

Due to the unique acoustic ‘nooks and crannies’ of Joe’s Pub, as Thake so vividly described them, Acme’s design solution pulled from various d&b systems to create custom coverage for the venue.

Above center stage hang three 10A d&b loudspeakers with a single 10AL-D loudspeaker hung above. In a rather unconventional design, the single 10AL-D is to address some seating in the back of the room. It avoids the balcony, where the audio mix is located with it’s own E8 mix fill loudspeaker, and helps target an area of the venue where the center cluster needs some extra support. The design also used a set of four floor understage 18S-SUBs to provide the low end.

While on each side of the stage, a single 12S-D, a two way point source loudspeaker with ninety degree rotatable HF horn, provides 110 h x 55 v degree coverage. Clark explains, “The fact that all these loudspeakers are passive boxes meant the number of d&b amplifiers required to drive the system is minimal. Due to the location of everything within Joe’s Pub, the design was a bit tricky, so we had to get creative. That said, d&b was an easy choice due the options in coverage and size of loudspeaker, especially since all systems work together seamlessly.”

“It’s always a goal to cater to the people who will have to use our sound systems every day, especially at Joe’s Pub where they pretty much have a show every single day,” concluded Michael Eisenberg, d&b audiotechnik Regional Manager for the Northeast United States who supported Acme Professional. “Design was the biggest challenge on this project, but Tom was able to find a solution so the center cluster could carry audio for the whole room. Like most New Yorkers, I have attended a few shows at Joe’s Pub throughout the years. It’s a high energy venue, and fun to be in the audience. I can say with confidence that the new sound system makes a big difference.”

“We love it. We wanted to provide the best possible experience for every seat in the house, and feel confident that we have the best sound in New York for a venue our size,” added Thake, “Now, we most certainly can say both.”

More informations :  http://www.dbaudio.com/fr

Tomorrowland is a renowned electronic music festival held in Belgium and this year’s event, which took place in the town of Boom, marked its tenth anniversary. Now recognised as one of the most notable global music festivals, Tomorrowland was held over two weekends in July, with MTV promising a two hour long feature and a documentary surrounding the event’s anniversary.

Therefore, with the eyes of millions around the world watching, it was vital that the event’s organisers, the Creative Factory, pulled off a festival to remember that was technically seamless both on- and back-stage. Getting in touch with Luc Buytaert at AVL Lighting, an order was placed for 10 ELC Buddy nodes.

Luc said: “Patrick Bellens and David Smeets at the Creative Factory were keen to have one interface connected to each console on the DMX output at the festival. This way they would be guaranteed to have no network problems between all the stages. Budget was a factor due to the quantity of consoles at the event and also the timescale between order and delivery needed to be short.”

The ELC Buddy is the latest product in the ELC Lighting range. Launched in June this year, the Ethernet to DMX node has all the functions required to enable a user to get DMX out of their laptop but with an entry level price tag.

Designed with students and newcomers to the market in mind, the Buddy has already proven itself to be much more than a budget tool, with established lighting designers and industry experts hailing it as a must-have product which gives them access to DMX and the ability to unexpectedly test a network.

Luc continued : “The team at the Creative Factory immediately recognised that the Buddy was the right tool for the job, having read about it a few weeks previously. Price and size were the two big factors initially but they were soon convinced that such a small piece of kit could do so much yet cost so little.”
He continued : “Everything about the Buddy makes it a perfect device for an event like Tomorrowland.

Freelancers and technicians all want one in their tool box because you can use it for everything. It’s perfect for testing the rig without having the console, testing the outputs of the console, expanding the outputs of a console or using it as a small controller with the free ChamSys MagicQ software. Since we started stocking the Buddy just a couple of months ago, they’ve been flying off the shelves and we don’t envisage the demand to lessen any time soon. As more people hear about Buddy, demand to have one in their back pockets will continue.”

Specifications :

• 2 x DMX Universes (1024 DMX channels)
• Power over USB port
• Ethernet port supporting sACN, Artnet and ShowNet
• Ports can act as input or output
• Simple programming through specific software application
• Compatible with dmXLAN v4 software as any ELC dmXLAN node
• Integrated web page available on any pc, laptop, tablet or Smartphone
• Will convert the device into a simple DMX controller – just like the famous ELC focusHAND remote. 
• Dimensions : 90 x 65 x 40mm
• Power : 2.5W Max
• Controls : RGB indicator LED

Connections:

• 2 x DMX 512 on Neutrik XLR 5 pin Female
• 1 x Ethernet 10/100MBit on RJ45
• 1 x Full-Speed USB (for easy setup and power)

When it came to lighting superstar Katy Perry’s current ‘Prismatic’ world tour, lighting and show designer to the stars Baz Halpin selected the Clay Paky Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330 to create a series of poptastic surprise special effects.

Engaging in a bit of theatrical trickery Halpin designed a series of 36 bespoke hydraulic flippers onto which are attached 36 individual Sharpy fixtures supplied as part of a lighting package provided by UK Neg Earth and US hire outfit Upstaging. The flippers are built into the sides of show’s giant onstage triangular LED screens to provide a range of fast paced special effects.

“As the LED screens move up and down the stage the Sharpys ‘flip’ up or down allowing the screens to pass by each other,” explains Halpin. “At one point in the show the dancers interact with the fixtures by using mirrors attached to their hands. They bounce the beams across the stage achieving a really retro-mirror effect that’s in keeping with the kitsch feel of the show.”

True to style Halpin has designed a genuine lighting spectacular for the Katy Perry tour. Angling a series of straight truss to echo out from the stage’s LED screens onto which Halpin attached a generous lighting package giving the appearance of endless prisms and points of light that majestically explode out from the stage. 

“In this show there are so many other on-stage elements to contend with that the design had to be clean but big,” explains Halpin. “The idea was for the lighting system to embrace the shape of the set and also to enhance the dramatic mood of the show.”

Halpin rigged 36 x Sharpy Wash 330s across the six angled trusses either side of the show’s LED screens. These fixtures provide everything from powerful onstage backlighting for the band and dancers to far-reaching aerial effects that blast out across the venues. Lighting programmer Eric Marchwinski has worked closely with the Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures on the Katy Perry tour.

 “The Sharpy Wash 330s have a very high output and rapid colour mixing,” explains Marchwinski. “They’re becoming more present in many lighting rigs because they’re such a great fixture.”

Both Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures are renowned for their lightweight body, with the Sharpy weighing in at only 19Kg and the Sharpy Wash 330 at 18.5Kg respectively. This feature makes them an ideal addition to any large rig where weight is always a growing concern.

“The Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330’s compact size and high output made them the perfect lighting tool for the Katy Perry tour,” finishes Halpin. “They were able to fit into tight spaces and help keep the rig’s weight to a minimum whilst blasting out powerful beams akin to those produced by much larger fixtures.”

The Katy Perry Prismatic world tour is currently completing its North American dates before moving onto its Oceanic leg.
For more information please visit www.katyperry.com

Robert Juliat’s mighty Lancelot followspots have been chosen to illuminate yet another prestigious international venue. The Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany has acquired four of these titans of the Robert Juliat followspot portfolio.

Lancelot in situ in Lanxess Arena.

The 20,000-seat Lanxess Arena offers unique facilities as one of Europe’s largest and most modern multi-functional indoor arenas and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology which, Robert Juliat is proud to announce, now includes their 4000W HTI Lancelot long-throw followspots.

“We chose the RJ Lancelot products because we were not completely satisfied with the American manufacturer we worked with before and therefore preferred to use a European product,” says Lanxess Arena’s technical manager, Martin Rebiszewski. 

Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, home of Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots.

Lanxess Arena has played host to a string of top international performers that include Paul McCartney, Sting, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton and Luciano Pavarotti, and stages spectacular large-scale shows like Holiday on Ice, Carmen, Nabucco and Riverdance.

It has also been the scene of prime sporting events that include the 2001 and 2010 Ice Hockey World Championships and Hockey World Cup, as well as the 2007 World Handball Championship.

“The spots are used for almost all of the events hosted at the Lanxess Arena,” continues Mr. Rebiszewski. They are specifically utilised to follow the artists and highlight their performance on stage.” 

Without doubt, the long throw distances within the Arena require a followspot of high calibre and power to highlight the stellar performances of the world-class performers who play there.
Performances from Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Michael Bublé and Bryan Adams are just some of the shows lined up at Lanxess for later this year when Lancelot is expected to perform.

Lancelot at work in Lanxess Arena.

Robert Juliat’s Lancelot followspot offers 4000W of crisp, flat beam, a very narrow 2°-5° variable zoom, and extremely powerful output. This is combined with perfect ergonomic features designed with the operator in mind, excellent heat management and a wealth of modular accessories that include progressive effect and colour changing, diffusion and colour correction, and an optional gobo changer.

The Lancelot followspots were supplied to Lanxess Arena by Robert Juliat’s long-term German distributor, Lightpower. “When Lanxess approached us with their requirements, we knew that Lancelot was the obvious choice for this multi-purpose, high profile venue,” says Lightpower’s Bjoern Gaentzsch. “Lancelot has the muscle to cover the distance, the reliability always to put in a top performance and the flexibility to do whatever is required of it.”

“We are very satisfied with the manufacturer, Robert Juliat, and with their German distributor, Lightpower,” concludes Mr. Rebiszewski. “The consultation process and the whole customer care have completely satisfied our expectations and the delivery from Lightpower was carried out very quickly.”

The Rolling Stones have just finished the European section of their “14 On Fire” tour with another spectacular lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe of Woodroffe Basset Design (WBD) … Which included 54 x Robe ROBIN Pointes amongst 200 plus other moving lights.

The 54 Pointes – the first to be incorporated into a design for the iconic band and the first time that Woodroffe has used Pointes on a major concert touring show – were provided by award winning UK lighting rental company, Neg Earth.
They were located on 12 sections of HUD truss running upstage / downstage either side of the massive stage. The Pointes were used extensively thought the show to create high impact washes, gobo looks and big beam effects shooting right out into the audience.

WBD’s Design Associate  Terry Cook explains that the team particularly liked the brightness, the linear prism, the zoom and the ability for the unit to be swapped between a beam and a spot fixture.  They also proved very reliable both during the rehearsal period and on the road. WBD had used Pointes and other Robe fixtures that were supplied as part of the ‘house’ rig, to light an Elton John special performance at Battersea Power Station in London.

In April, WBD used over 500 Robe fixtures in a rig supplied by Brazilian rental company LPL Lighting for the eye-popping Opening Ceremony of the newly refurbished Beira Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The Rolling Stones’ ‘14 On Fire’ European tour opened in the Telenor Arena, Oslo on 26^th May and finished with a headline slot on the final night of the 2014 Roskilde festival in Denmark, completing 14 very special and unique shows in a combination of arenas, stadiums and festivals, for which they had nine active versions of the lighting rig.

Notably it included a landmark event playing Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv in front of 100,000 people – the first time the band had played Israel. They didn’t use the Pointes for that one, but they did have some LEDWash 600s! 

The tour’s Lighting Director was Ethan Weber, the Lighting Programmer was Eric Marchiwinski and Miriam Evans was the Studio Assistant for WBD. Ron Schilling was the overall Lighting Crew Chief and Fraggle was the Neg Earth Crew Chief for all the gigs where the west London based company provided the kit. 

More informations :  www.robe.cz

ITALY – The first “Radio Italia Live” concert was held in 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Radio Italia. On that occasion, the well-known radio station organized the show in Piazza Duomo in Milan for the first time. An amazing 150,000 plus people turned out for the event, which was broadcast live on Radio Italia and Video Italia and repeated on Italia 1.

Since then, the organization has decided to turn the Radio Italia Live concert into a fixed appointment at the beginning of Milan’s summer calendar, and today it is one of the few public showcases for Italian music with top-ranking performers. In 2014, Biagio Antonacci, Laura Pausini, Elisa, Negramaro, Edoardo Bennato, Emma, Claudio Baglioni and Alex Britti were on stage.

Giancarlo Toscani, who was in charge of the lighting design, graphic design and art direction, explained that “the first to the third years were marked by continuous project development: using Milan’s most central square means complying with loads of safety, environmental, and light and noise level regulations, all against the clock. Despite these limitations, this year we strongly desired to give the event a very ‘live’ look, by interpreting each of the three pieces per artist with a specific lighting design and at the same time enhancing the venue, the audience and the orchestra.”

Given the tight deadlines and the difficulty of organizing rehearsals in Piazza Duomo, it was necessary to prepare most of the art and lighting design in a studio, as well as the stage arrangement and entire rig design. Giancarlo Toscani supervised every aspect of the artistic process and harmonized the difficult coexistence between a large LED wall behind the artists and the lighting effects: “The LED wall behind the artists was essential for displaying some advertisements, but it forced me to put the lights in certain places to ‘break through’ the video. In these cases, it is essential to choose lights that stand out: the 92 Clay Paky Sharpys and 20 Sharpy Washes were a real godsend for this.”

Another big problem was the transition from dusk to darkness, which was solved by updating the LED wall brightness level every fifteen minutes “in order to smooth out the change between daytime and night-time viewing without rifts. This was only possible by managing the video content completely independently: generally speaking, I am really happy that the management of the LED wall was entirely entrusted to the lighting designer!”

This is a point Toscani got quite heated about: lighting designers should return to their original role, namely designing the stage lighting as a whole by combining video and visual effects so that everything fits into a single artistic interpretation of the music.

In recent years, the two things have often been separated, almost as if they were part of different contexts, making many shows look very similar to each other. Instead, as Giancarlo Toscani puts it, “today more than ever, it is essential for the lighting designer who puts the project into practice to interpret and manage the structure, lights and video as a whole.
We created special visual effects for each song in the Radio Italia Live concert, and true video clips in some cases. No graphics were retrieved from the media server libraries. My assistant, Ivan Lavezzoli, and I spent more than twenty days with the Event Management graphic designers to create them!”

Lastly Giancarlo Toscani spent a word or two on Clay Paky’s latest offspring: the award-winning A.leda B-EYE K20, an extraordinary LED wash light which is rapidly spreading to stages all around the world.

“In agreement with Radio Italia, we decided to be the first large production in Italy to use A.leda B-EYEs massively. I installed them as front lighting, around the edge of the curved proscenium, so that they met the needs of both the audience in the square and the TV viewers.
The B-EYEs were used in every possible way: as wash lights, as beam lights and for visual effects. It is an incredibly versatile, bright light, which stood out well despite the brightness of the background LED wall. The shape functions took a good deal of work off my hands and let me program very beautiful, original effects in half the time.”

We completed the rig with 120 other lights including Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s, Alpha Spot HPE 700s, Alpha Wash 700s and Alpha Profile 1500s, as well as other LED and conventional lights.

The lights for the Radio Italia Live concert were provided by Audiolux. The event was produced by Radio Italia, in the person of Gaetano Notaro, and directed by Lele Biscussi. 

Giancarlo Toscani’s website: www.visionariagroup.it
Clay Paky web site : www.claypaky.it

Messe Frankfurt confirmed its commitment to expanding its presence in the Indian market today by announcing the acquisition of two of the country’s leading trade fair brands : LED Expo and Media Expo fairs. Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, the Indian operation and subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt, will acquire the rights to organise and manage the LED Expo and Media Expo fairs from Media Exposition & Events being promoted by MEX Exhibitions Pvt Ltd.

This takes the number of events organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India to 14, and broadens its participation into the LED lighting and components market as well as the signage, retail and advertising solutions industry.

Wolfgang Marzin, CEO of Messe Frankfurt, outlined the benefits the company would bring to these two fairs: “Both LED Expo and Media Expo are already well-regarded names in their respective industries, but we will utilise Messe Frankfurt’s vast experience in organising world-class trade fairs to develop these fairs further for the benefit of our customers.”

Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd, added at the conclusion of the signing: “We feel that these two industries are primed for future growth, and we are excited about the opportunity to help Indian companies gain access to our global network of stakeholders, and assist our existing global partners to do business in India.”

Media Exposition & Events (MEX) has an extensive track record in the exhibition, advertising and publishing industries. Its trade fair portfolio includes events in the LED and lighting industry, advertising and signage, retail, gifts, furniture and interiors, IT, and construction sectors across India, Singapore, Dubai and Thailand.

Mr Gaurav Jeet Singh, Director, (MEX) Media Exposition & Events, also spoke at the signing of his intentions to remain involved in the new operations: “We will continue to work closely with Messe Frankfurt to ensure a smooth transition and to further enhance these two events as they enter the next stage in their development. We also look forward to cooperating together with Messe Frankfurt on other events in India in the future as the opportunity arises.”

LED Expo takes place annually in both Delhi and Mumbai, in December and May respectively, and is the only event in the industry focused solely on LED products. The Delhi show in particular has a large international presence already, and this is expected to grow further as it becomes part of the global network of Messe Frankfurt fairs. The most recent event in Delhi in 2013 featured above 250 exhibitors from over 14 countries and 22,000 plus visitors, while the 2014 Mumbai fair had 80 exhibitors and attracted 6,620 visitors.

LED Expo will continue to be held separately from Messe Frankfurt’s Light India fair for the foreseeable future. This decision was made after consulting with local manufacturers who expressed their preference for two separate fairs to promote LED products, manufacturing, components and lighting applications. The fair is a part of Messe Frankfurt’s building and energy shows, headed by the biennial Light + Building event in Frankfurt, which will take place from 13 – 18 March 2016.

Media Expo occurs once a year in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and is the largest exhibition for the Signage & Advertising industry, presenting products for indoor & outdoor advertising, printing, textile printing and digital signage solutions, as well as visual merchandising. The 2013 event held in Delhi featured 185 exhibitors and 22,050 visitors, while in Mumbai in February, 100 plus exhibitors and 10,500 visitors took part. 55 exhibitors and 4450 buyers were present at the Kolkata event in April 2013. Media Expo will take its place as a niche brand in Messe Frankfurt’s Entertainment, Media & Creation cluster of events, and will complement the Prolight + Sound fairs which are held in Frankfurt, Moscow, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Both the LED lighting and components industry and the signage and advertising solutions industries in India are set for a period of expansion in the near future. LED products currently account for less than 4% of the Indian lighting industry, but this is expected to rise to 18-20% by 2020. There is also increasing public awareness about eco-friendly lighting as well as a number of government initiatives being undertaken which will boost demand in coming years. In the signage industry, the growing retail and infrastructure industries, as well as the increasing number of MNCs entering the country are driving demand in the signage, digital printing and point of purchase sector. And India’s growing middle class is helping boost the demand for advertising, with advertising revenue expected to grow by nearly 12% in 2014.

• The next LED Expos will take place in New Delhi in December 2014 and Mumbai in May 2015.
• Media Expo is scheduled in August 2014 in New Delhi, Kolkata in November 2014 and Mumbai in January 2015.

 For more information, please visit  : http://www.messefrankfurt.fr/

The lighting expert Osram is now offering a new generation of metal halide lamps. These lamps have often been the light sources of choice for film work and events. The new Osram HMI UV stop (UVS) lamps reduce ultraviolet emissions, in this case UVB and UVC emissions, up to 99.9 percent without suffering any loss of light output or color rendering which is close to that of natural daylight.

Osram metal halid lamps (HMI) 200 W/SE – 1800 W/SE reduce ultraviolet (UV)
radiation nearly by 100 percent without any loss of light output or color
rendering

More than 40 years ago metal halide lamps took over from incandescent lamps as the standard lighting for filming. Even now they are unsurpassed in terms of their lifetime, intensity and a color temperature which is approaching that of natural daylight and are used on film sets throughout the world.

This latest development from Osram is a version which has a quartz enclosure which filters the UVB and UVC radiation from the light, thereby reducing UV emissions overall nearly by 100 percent.

The new Osram HMI UVS lamps with the UV stop system are dimmable and achieve color temperature of approximately 6000 K, a color rendering index of over 90 and a light output of up to 100 lumen/watt. Osram offers the HMI UVS lamps in seven versions with wattages from 200 to 1800 W for different applications in the film, TV and studio sectors.

 For more information go to http://www.osram.com/hmiuvs