Controlling your ETC Unison Paradigm® system just got easier. The Unison Paradigm Mobile Button Station App turns your handheld device into an eight-button station, giving you more control from more places.
This app enables you to configure up to eight individual buttons to control everything your Paradigm system can. You can recall lighting presets, combine spaces, control zones, and record, activate, and deactivate presets all from your phone or tablet.

All standard Paradigm touchscreen themes are available from within the app and it is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Paradigm Mobile Button Station App is compatible with all Paradigm Control Systems running version 3.1.0 or newer software.
For more information, visit our website at etcconnect.com

L-Group, holding company of L-Acoustics, announces the acquisition of Camco, the manufacturer of high-end amplified controllers, DSP and audio network solutions for the professional audio industry. A world leader in electronics for the professional sound industry, Camco has over twenty-five years of experience developing amplified controller technology and holds several patents in the trade.
Based in Wenden, Germany, Camco counts 50 employees and distributes its products in 60 countries around the globe, in addition to supplying components to the industry’s leading professional sound system manufacturers.

From left to right: Hervé Guillaume, managing director at L-Group; Reiner Sassmann, managing director at Camco; Joachim Stoecker, managing director at Camco; Christian Heil, founder and president at L-Group.

“For over a decade, Camco has been a key supply partner of L-Acoustics. Their expertise in electronics for the professional sound industry has contributed to the success of the L-Acoustics amplified controllers”, explains Hervé Guillaume, Managing Director of the holding company.
“Welcoming them into the L-Group family of companies will allow both L-Acoustics and Camco to continue growing our research and development expertise. This merger will give us the tools to develop future products to better serve our clients and explore new markets.”

“We are excited to join forces with a leader in the professional sound industry,” said Reiner Sassmann, managing director at Camco. “Our recognized expertise in the design and manufacture of electronics, combined with L-Group’s excellence in the varied domains of sound reinforcement will allow us both to deepen our skills and enhance our ability to innovate. The united strength of our teams will open up multiple and exciting opportunities for mutual future growth.”

Camco will maintain its full team and headquarters in Germany and will continue to manufacture its signature i-series, Vortex, D-Power and Q-Power amplified controllers while also developing OEM solutions for L-Acoustics and other manufacturers. Camco will keep its brand name and will become a sister company of L-Acoustics, woodworking manufacturer Simea and L-ISA, creator of immersive sound art solutions.
L-Group is an independent company owned and operated by the executive-partners of the Group and its subsidiaries.

More informations :

• www.camco.de
• www.l-acoustics.com
• l-group.com

Lighting designer Durham Marenghi chose Robert Juliat followspots for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, employing 10 Robert Juliat Lancelot 4000W HMI followspots and 4 Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W HMI followspots for the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The long-throw RJ Lancelot units were rigged on the highest ring of the tribunes covering more than half of the stadium’s perimeter and provided strong key lights for the camera shots on the main performers as the much-anticipated event was broadcast around the world.
With the stage positions changing in both of the Ceremonies, and the Box City set at the far end of the stadium during the Opening, the top spots were required to perform at throw distances between 100m and 300m.

Crédit photo : Dave Crump CT

The four RJ Cyrano followspots were sited at field-level on the four ‘corners’, and used where the critical angles of the top spots would have created unacceptable shadows on the projection floor surface.
The Cyranos were positioned on dollies that allowed them to be moved clear of cast movements and to be retracted into the shelter of tunnels during heavy rain. These dolly mounts were also used during the Closing Ceremony to move the Cyrano spots into position for specific cues whilst clearing the athletes’ seating located in the central Field of Play.

Crédit photo : Dave Crump CT

Chris Henry, the spot captain employed by Marenghi, worked alongside Agora, the Italian-based lighting supplier for the Ceremonies, and was very happy with the Robert Juliat performances: “The Lancelots and Cyranos did just as well as we expected them to, even at the longest distances,” she says.
“The light was seamlessly blended throughout the whole illuminated surface and the glass frost filter in the Cyranos at field level proved very useful during Closing.
We were also able to use this effectively, in addition to a light frost in the magazine, to light the tree as it was raised during the Closing Ceremony. We were able to balance the spots for colour and light output which was vital given the level of projection in the show. “I was sure of the good qualities of Robert Juliat spots and I was not disappointed. The operators felt comfortable with the followspots, the controls are ergonomic and spots are well balanced.”

Marenghi states: “Followspots are our most important key lights, especially for the protocol moments such as the flags, the speeches and torch sequence, so their qualities are fundamental to the success of the show – as is pointing them in the right direction at the right time and in the right colour, which Chris coordinated superbly with some excellent operators.” Following their work on the Olympic Ceremonies, the Lancelot and Cyrano spots were brought back into action for the Paralympic Games which were held at the beginning of September.

Crédit photo : Dave Crump CT

Marenghi was assisted by his Brazilian associate lighting designer, Joyce Drummond, and programmers Andy Voller and Ross Williams from the UK and Paulinho Lebrão from Brazil. The Brazilian followspot operator team was coordinated by Chris Henry from the UK, and overseen along with several Brazilian technicians by lighting team manager, Jennie Marenghi. The TV lighting director was Nick Collier, and Nicola Manuel Tallino and Giulio Ravelli headed the Agora team.

To find out more, visit www.robertjuliat.com

Lighting Designer Stéphane Migné combines 40 Ayrton MagicBurst™ in a new amazing video demonstration of the industry’s first high-power graphic LED strobe to offer continuous, unlimited rotation on its pan and tilt axes.

AYRTON – MagicBurst – 40 Unit Demo from Ayrton on Vimeo.

MagicBurst’s 384 x 384 mm squared face supports 3,840 high-output white LEDs grouped into 64 pixels on an 8 x 8 matrix. With a new, state-of-the-art, ultra-compact 1,300W power supply, MagicBurst can deliver a peak light output of over 240,000 lumens –calibrated at 5600K – for several seconds, and put it into continuous rotation.

Ayrton présente le MagicBurst™, le premier stroboscope motorisé à LED de l’industrie, fournissant 240 000 lumens

The strobe duration, speed and intensity of each LED pixel group can be individually controlled, and individual sections controlled to create graphic arrays, moving checker-boards, flashing letters, etc.
MagicBurst also has a library of fixed images and pre-programmed dynamic effects.
With a minimalist design and reduced visual footprint, MagicBurst is similar in panel / head dimensions to the MagicPanel™-FX and DreamPanel™ product family.

This standardized format allows it to be combined in arrays with units of the same size like Ayrton’s MagicPanel™-FX, and Imaging Display units, DreamPanel™ Shift and DreamPanel™ Twin, to create giant graphic arrays.
MagicBurst has selectable Auto, Stage and Studio ventilation modes, with self-adjusting variable speed fans for quiet operation in Auto mode.
Its extended serial connectivity means MagicBurst can be controlled via DMX-RDM, ArtNet™, sACN or a wireless link using CRMX TiMo RDM from LumenRadio™.

More details and full technical specifications can be downloaded from the Ayrton Website

Beyoncé’s “Formation” world tour is one of the highest profile and most talked about of the year so far, with everyone wowed by the massive ‘Monolith’, a 4-sided LED / video sculpture that moves and rotates and is right at the heart of a spectacularly elegant production fusing expressionist art and innovative stage technology.
The 20 metre high by 20 metre wide Monolith is 10 metres deep and was created by production designer Es Devlin working in close conjunction with Beyoncé herself who is involved in all the major details of her stage presentation. It takes the striking beauty, isolation and simplicity of a Monolith design concept to amazing new levels.

The object opens 7.3 metres in the middle, tracks – as two sections on sliding grids – and rotates 360 degrees, a feat of engineering enabled by Belgian automation specialist WIcreations who designed the rotation and sliding system for Stageco, who built the moving elements of the stage. The Monolith is clad with 9mm Winvision LED on the wide sides and 18 mm on the narrower sides, weighs a mighty 180 tonnes … and is easily the largest object in all the stadiums they are playing.

Hans Willems from WIcreations led the automation side of the project. During two brainstorming sessions with Dirk De Decker (DDD) from Stageco, Hans convinced DDD that he had a simple and reliable solution to move the two sliding grids manufactured by Stageco. Right at the bottom of the Monolith structure assembly is a circular base track designed by Stageco and manufactured by TCS.
On top of this are two large bogie frames, rolling on 8 x 30-tonne rated caster wheels, four of which are driven by the WI control system which works similar to a 4×4 vehicle to produce the rotation … via four drive motors which are perfectly synchronised via the WI control software!

On top of the two bogie frames, Stageco manufactured a large static grid to support the two sliding structures that open and close the Monolith. The idea was that the box rides on top of the static grid which takes all the vertical loads, while the horizontal loadings (wind and movement) are transferred via 16 x BGV C1 hoists running in unison via the WI hoist control system.
This design can move the structure safely in wind speeds of up to 20 m/s (around 72 Km/h or 45 mp/h) and provides all the stability needed as well as being tourable. Working directly for production, the WI team also designed and manufactured the two ‘halo’ grids.

Hans was joined by project manager Yves Vervloet who looked after the ‘halo’ elements while he concentrated on the automation part together with the WI R’n’D department. The ‘halo’ arrangement comprises two square grids placed on top of the StageCo sliding grids that have all the LED screen rigging hoists housed inside them. With this ‘halo’ metalwork in place, the hoists are always in the same position, so when the LED ‘skins’ cladding the structure are raised … the screen panels line up perfectly flush at the top and appear to be floating in the air!
The horizontal tracking of the two Monolith sliding grids called for the application of more physics, engineering and lateral thinking. Each sliding structure weighs 60 tonnes and has to move left and right in potentially high wind conditions, producing substantial dynamic loading.
The solution for this part of the automation puzzle utilizes WI’s 800Kg BGV C1 zero-speed hoists and a custom triple reeving system to ensure that the wind load can be handled.
WI created the two complete automation systems which are leap-frogging with the tour’s production, so all hoists were built into custom frames to maximize speed on get-ins and outs. The custom hoist frames were supplied with transparent skins for rain protection and to give a clear view for visual checks to the system.

Engineering the rotation and tracking itself wasn’t so much the challenge for WI … it was the delivery timescale, which after receiving the green light from production required the two complete systems to be ready and at production rehearsals in Florida in just 5 weeks. Hitting this target was helped by WI having an extensive stock of automation rental elements already at base in Heist-op-den-Berg.

Two WI crews of supervisors Dion Pearce & Lander Michielsens and Miro Kusik & Stefan (Xumi) Schumacher are travelling with each of the two touring systems and operator Ross Maynard is working with the universal production. “It was fantastic to work with Stageco’s account manager Dirk de Decker, engineer Tom Frederickx, R’n’D manager Gert Hulsmans and his team, as well as project manager Mark Van Gorp and the Stageco contingent onsite” stated Hans Willems, “Together with the many other talented individuals and leading companies making this one of the most exciting and interesting touring spectacles of 2016”.
These include three top international production experts : production manager Malcolm Weldon and production consultants Jake Berry and Chris Vaughan, lighting designer Tim Routledge and video content producers Ed Burke and Todd Tourso who all worked in close collaboration with Beyoncé’s creative director, Erinn Williams.
Lizzie Adshead is production co-ordinator for the steel and advance crews, working alongside four site co-ordinators : Charlie Boxhall, Nick Evans, Jez Craddick and Robert Hale, and Albert Lawrence did site co-ordination for the rehearsals. The production’s head rigger is Yose Lawson.

Stageco built the revolving/sliding section of the stage, WI designed and supplied the automation elements and custom ‘halo’ rigging grids, TAIT delivered various other parts of the staging, Neg Earth is the major lighting provider for US and European legs of the tour, and PRG Nocturne is supplying video equipment.

More informations on WIcreations website

Nota : Photos were taken during the get in at Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium

Gothenburg’s renaissance style Stora Teatern was originally built in 1859 and is one of the most popular historical buildings in the bustling Swedish port city. It now presents a lively mix of concerts, theatre and dance shows and is also a must-go weekend destination during the summer season as ‘Backstage’, a popular club / DJ performance experience in the region.
Due to its truly multi-purpose entertainment programme and many different configurations depending on the event, the show lighting rigs are constantly changing. Saving time and hassle, head of lighting Joel Karlberg has installed a LumenRadio wireless DMX system which enables data signals between the lights and the control desk to be re-routed quickly and easily.

Photo ©Joel-Wolter

Joel co-ordinates all the lighting technical elements and has found the wireless DMX system to be a flexible and practical solution for addressing and re-addressing around 30 moving lights in the rig which are used constantly but in different locations and set ups for all the shows and events. When the Backstage club is running, the main dancefloor and bar occupies what is normally the stage area and the space expands through the backstage and stage wings and outside right into the back of the venue with a large outdoor area … enabling a capacity of 1200 party people to be accommodated.
The lighting rig for the club is completely different from that of a visiting dance or drama show using the stage, so lights are re-rigged in different places, but with the LumenRadio system in place, Joel doesn’t have to worry about running data cables to any of them or linking back to the lighting desk, he does it all wirelessly.

The main club session lights this season comprised 10 x Robe Pointes, 12 x Robe LEDWash 800s, four Clay Paky Mythos and four Vari*Lite VL1100s plus strobes – running via wireless DMX, plus an additional 30 x static LED bars and washes. Using the inbuilt wireless cards on the Robe LEDWash 800s units, it’s possible to feed the whole rig with wireless data signals.
They have one permanent LumenRadio double transmitter (permanently installed in the roof), two receivers, one flexible unit (that can be configured as a transmitter or receiver) and one more transmitter, and the lights can be linked through these without having to mess around with running a whole chain of data cables … saving valuable time in set up.

Photo © Fredrik-Sundqvist

A standard stage lighting rig, when the venue is receiving theatre productions, will utilize three LX pipes which are usually rigged with the 12 x LEDWash 800s, 10 x Martin Quantum Profiles and four Robe DL4S LED Profiles together with 8 x Vari*Lite VL1100s and an additional 50 x conventional fixtures.
Additional lighting fixtures or devices like smoke machines can be seamlessly linked to the lighting control console using the wireless system.
For concerts and performance style shows, the DL4Ss and LEDWash 800s can be taken down and moved to other active LX bars or the floor position – wherever they are best placed to light for the show being staged – and easily patched back into the system without running data lines.

Before committing, he consulted several other LumenRadio users including the Riksteatern performing arts centre that also has a wireless DMX solution. They said it was solid and very stable, so Joel went ahead and specified the brand for Stora Teatern.
“We honestly save so much extra work,” says Joel, concluding that in addition to that, the service and support from LumenRadio is “excellent”.

For more product and general info, check www.lumenradio.com

In September, Novelty Group joined the Ghost™ Pilot program and received its first ones units to supply his numerous autumn shows. Novelty is thus the third company with Melpomen and On-Off Audio ti sign this agreement to provide technical support and Ghost™ products range sales.

David Rocher, Ghost™ product chief: ” With a setup of 24 devices, Novelty adopts Ghost™ as the central network solution of its various operation units and applications. This is the best demonstration of the Ghost™ versatility such as we imagined.”
Bruno Gondrecourt, sales manager: “Jérôme Gasselin (Novelty CTO) approached us about a true network solution. The Novelty Group arrival in this program, his expert knowledges and their prestigious customers is a wonderfull opportunity for the product.”

Jérôme Gasselin, Novelty CTO: “We know that the all-kinds ethernet network (digital audio, intercoms, light,…) became the first communications core behind the largest family of devices.
Above all we looked for a job-ready ethernet switch which allows to free the technicians about configuration and setup constraints. Our technical staff must do their job and not loose precious time in network configuration.
Moreover, the Ghost™ introduction in our stock is going to increase our capacity on special demands as signal distribution for all audiovisual professionals with the maximum safety”.
Novelty is in charge of Ghost™ products range sales and technical support.

For further informations please contact Jérôme Gasselin : [email protected] and on the Novelty website

Just home from Rio where he designed the lighting for the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, Durham Marenghi shared with us his reflections about the project, for which he brought a massive lineup of SGM lighting fixtures including P-2, P-5, Q-7 and G-1 Beams, supplied by Italian rental company Agorá.
Marenghi is no stranger to lighting design in an Olympic context. He has been involved with the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006, the London 2012 handover at the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony in 2008, and the Sochi Winter Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies in 2014.

The Olympic design challenge

Marenghi and his team were hired by Cerimonias Cariocas 2016 and were only involved about ten months before the forthcoming opening ceremony, which may be considered relatively late considering the fact that Marenghi worked on the Turin Winter Olympics for four years. As the theme and the content for the Rio opening and closing ceremonies had already been determined, Marenghi’s brief was to enhance the projected environments of both ceremonies in a more subtle manner than the beam and flash effects commonly used on many Olympic events in the past.

© Dave Crump CT

To reflect the direction given, Marenghi grouped the fixtures together, rather than spreading them out along the trusses, in order to create a more defined key lighting as well as a more minimalistic and theatrical feel. The opening ceremony was delicate and theatrical, whereas the closing ceremony was all about partying Brazilian style. Each section of the opening ceremony had an associated artist and style, so Marenghi created designs that followed their palettes. The closing ceremony was themed with carnival and samba, so here the theme also guided Marenghi’s design.

To Marenghi and the team the challenges included hitting the right balance between ‘kissing’ the projections with lights to illuminate the performers, while not washing out the projected images in the performance arena. So compared to a regular stadium show the light levels were extremely low. This made it all the more important to deploy lights that were easy to control from a distance, which the SGM fixtures according to Marenghi: “fitted that bill perfectly”. Another challenge was the fact that all artistic segments ran to a time-coded show, so even minor edits had a significant impact on the lighting.

Speccing suitable lights for tricky Brazilian weather

Marenghi has been a regular user of SGM products for some time. As the Brazilian weather can be rather unpredictable, which was to be proven on the stormy night of the closing ceremony, it was crucial to spec fixtures which would do the job in any weather conditions. Another requirement of Marenghi’s was low power consumption and good optical control from a distance. And so he decided to use a truckload of SGM fixtures to realize his designs.
Marenghi used the Q-7s to backlight the audience and to create stadium-wide effects and chases. Also during the Athlete Parade, they reflected the individual colors of the athletes’ various national flags. He said about the Q-7: “It is a particular favorite of mine due to it’s bright washes and dynamic effects which are great for highlighting points in the soundtrack.”
The P-2s were placed as footlights around Maracanã Stadium’s field of play and equally as footlights for the more than 50 “box city” stages during the opening ceremony. The P-5s lit the box city cyclorama for the opening ceremony, and then re-rigged with a lens change to light the athletes seating blocks for the closing ceremony. Further, they were used to light the mirror section of the sculpture part of the cauldron sequence of the closing ceremony.
Marenghi said about the P-5s and P-2s: “They are great wash lights; bright, compact, efficient and weatherproof. Because of the optional barndoors they were also completely controllable, which was key to stay off the projections.”

Finally, G-1 Beams were deployed in the opening ceremony just below the cauldron and placed on the floor around the stadium to provide beam effects after smoky sequences, such as fireworks. Marenghi is particularly fond of the little wireless beam fixture because of its high suitability for events requiring quick deployment.
He explained: “The G-1 is just unique and allowed us to quickly deploy them where cabled units would not have been possible in time for certain events, such as the all-important torch-lighting sequence. And because they are waterproof, they were ideal to use under the rain effect for the beautiful cauldron extinguishing sequence in the closing ceremony.”

© Dave Crump CT

In the wake of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Marenghi and his team can now look back upon two successfully conducted ceremonies. Reflecting on his cooperation with SGM, Marenghi concludes: “SGM were very supportive of the project and were able to facilitate some last minute lens changes as the athletes seating got moved. SGM managed to overcome the hurdles of Brazilian import procedures, and we had the right lights and accessories in due time before the show.”

Summary table

More informations on the SGM Website

Robert Juliat is proud to be the first manufacturer to collaborate directly with ETC to have its award-winning 8-colour Dalis cyclight fully calibrated with the Eos^® family of lighting desks. Operators and lighting designers will benefit from the ease and transparency of using Eos consoles to gain full, precise control of Dalis’ complete colour spectrum.

Robert Juliat’s Ludwig Lepage (centre) and ETC’s Matt Halberstadt (right) and Ray Hill (left) demonstrate the perfect calibration of colours between RJ’s Dalis and ETC’s Source Four Lustr made possible by the new collaboration with the ETC Eos lighting consoles.

Encouraged by requests from theatre lighting designers, Robert Juliat and ETC decided to collaborate to fully integrate Dalis cyclight into the Eos desks. From now on, lighting designers can harness the full power of the Eos family desks and easily select and calibrate any colour they wish – by whatever method they prefer. They can synchronise their Dalis cyclight to a precise colour, or match any manufacturer’s gel palette, and rapidly fine tune and modify the colour spectrum at will.

“We have made colour selection, matching and control the highest priority in our fixtures and our consoles,” says David Lincecum, Vice President of Marketing at ETC. “We are happy to have achieved such excellent results with the Dalis fixture. Designers will find the Dalis and Eos make a great team!” ETC has carried out extensive research to decode colour specifications and calibrate them with their lighting desks.
Using the same calibration process with in-house analysis of Dalis’ 8 LED colours, Robert Juliat’s cyclight now also benefits from this colour analysis and precise control. The result is the creation of a dedicated fixture library for Dalis.
“Robert Juliat is delighted to offer operators a powerful tool to maximise the creative potential of our colourful Dalis cyclight,” concludes Robert Juliat Managing Director, François Juliat.

More informations on the website Robert Juliat and on the website ETC

Novelty, which is already established in three European capital cities, Paris, London and Brussels and also in Bordeaux, Nice and Toulouse, is carrying on its growth. With the added benefit of Magnum’s teams and expertise, Novelty is to accelerate its development and will be able to meet the demanding needs of international events.

An obvious complementarity

Novelty has built its reputation in corporate events, notably in the fashion and luxury goods sectors. Magnum is particularly renowned in the light, sound and electrical distribution services for major events such as the COP21 or for special one-off lightings of the Eiffel Tower.

Together, they will offer global services and strengthen in new markets: European events, television broadcast, sports, live shows or museography. The two companies have already worked together in a complementary manner on several major events.
Between them they run the technical aspects of fifty or so Paris sites. In the light of its well-established position on the market, Magnum will continue to operate under its name as an autonomous entity of the group. New services will gradually be developed together.
The new group is to be chaired by Jacques de La Guillonnière, the majority shareholder. Olivier Hagneré and Magnum’s partners will also be shareholders. Novelty’s general management will still be run by Olivier Hagneré and Magnum’s general management by Jérôme Chupin.

« We are very happy about this deal. With the combination of our expertise in fashion and luxury goods and Magnum’s expertise on major Paris monuments, we are sure to export this unique and internationally admired French touch”, announced a delighted Jacques de La Guillonnière.
« Thanks to this deal, we will manage to supply our clients with a countrywide service. We share the same values and quality requirement as Novelty, and I am convinced that we shall excel together” comments Jérôme Chupin, CEO of Magnum.

A few numbers

Since its inception 40 years ago, ETC has come a long way. Now a global leader in the manufacturing of lighting and rigging technology, ETC employs over 1000 people, across 10 countries, in facilities totalling more than 10 football pitches in size.
In recent years, the company’s growth has been particularly remarkable; to keep pace and to allow for future developments, a global office expansion programme is underway.

The refurbishment of ETC’s London office is complete

ETC Ltd’s London base is the latest of the company’s premises to undergo a significant revamp. The recent construction work at the two-storey facility involved a complete overhaul of the upper level of the building, including the installation of a mezzanine housing multiple open-plan work areas, several individual offices and a meeting room. The lower floor has also been reconfigured to incorporate a dedicated R&D lab and new open-plan pods for the technical service, logistics and repair teams.

The new mezzanine office space

The theatrically-themed common space which the premises is famous for The Playhouse at Gypsy Corner has been preserved. Meanwhile, the remainder of the building has been refurbished to provide a general feeling of light and space.
“Employee wellbeing is very important and, with the renovations, we have created a more comfortable and pleasant work environment. ETC is not a very hierarchical company and the way the space has been configured is in keeping with this company culture,” says Matthew Brookfield, general manager, ETC Ltd.

The next phase of the programme will see the installation of a state-of-the-art container neighbourhood at the company’s headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin. Embraced worldwide for its industrial feel and funky aesthetic, shipping container architecture offers an attractive mix of fun and functionality that’s a perfect fit for ETC. The development will involve a new addition to the factory building, where R&D will be consolidated into a new “Container Hall” comprising three-high container stacks, crisscrossing walkways, meeting rooms, break spaces and workshop courtyards.

The first of many container offices at ETC’s headquarters

This expansion project underlines ETC’s long-term commitment to its staff. Fred Foster, founder and CEO of ETC, is quick to tell anyone who asks, “We have the best people. And when you have the best people, you can never stop growing. It’s also why it’s really easy to make this kind of investment to keep them happy.”

To learn more about the company and its offices around the globe, visit www.etcconnect.com

The X4 Bar GLP is available in two versions. X4 Bar 10, equipped with 10 RGBW X4 and Bar sources 20 with 20 sources, both in motorized tilt of 210 °.

With a work roster ranging from pure theatre to lighting the dreamy, ethereal post-rock music of Icelandic cult band Sigur Rós, Bruno Poet’s skill-set embraces many disciplines.
And in GLP’s award-winning impression X4 Bars he has found an led batten with a versatility for all occasions that gives him far more than a conventional light curtain.
Introduced to the Bars by White Light’s Dave Isherwood he was instantly impressed.
“I have always loved the DHA digital light curtains but they are impractical for concert touring. The GLP Bars felt like the first products I had seen that produce a similar effect, since others I had tried did not deliver the dense curtain of light that I wanted.” While prepping the Sigur Rós tour Bruno was simultaneously designing the lighting for Brian Friel’s play, Faith Healer at Donmar Warehouse, successfully deploying 16 of the X4 Bar 20s to light a rain curtain.

“They only perform one function in Faith Healer, but they do so extremely well, lighting the curtain of rain that surrounds the stage. We chose them because nothing else could produce such an intense, tight curtain beam with so little spill.” But it is with Sigur Rós that it is really making waves. Bruno started working with the band after lighting a solo tour for lead singer Jónsi Birgisson in 2010. Following the success of the initial 2012-2013 tour he was re-engaged for the current tour.

In lighting a show of this nature, the biggest challenge, he says, is the lack of narrative. “Nearly all the other work I do is for a production that tells some kind of story, and lighting becomes part of that storytelling. For Sigur Rós the lighting is a direct response to the music.
The band are in the centre of a world of light and video that should feel naturally driven by the sounds they are making. “Also in theatre and opera I am used working with a space definied by a large physical set, for Sigur Rós it is more of an environment of video and projections.” In a video heavy show, the collaboration both with Sarah Hopper and Damien Hale, the video creators, and set designer, Chiara Stevenson, had been key, he said.

“The band were keen for a set that would appear to expand and contract with different songs, from intimate to epic, from gentle and lyrical to hardcore and distorted, moving away from the softer and more organic feel of the previous tour.”
Complementing the high use of video are 18 X4 Bars (mostly Bar 20s), sourced from Neg Earth, nine on each of the two trusses forming versatile curtains of light. “Sometimes they are flickering, and sometimes static, sometimes they are used as air looks and sometimes to backlight the band,” he explains.
“I wanted some looks that got away from the triangular beams from point sources of light you normally get. The [X4 Bars] worked very well with the strong graphic shapes of the frames of the set design, especially when they are used to create a solid ceiling of light.”

Bruno has again been collaborating with his reliable and long-term touring lighting director and programmer, Matt Daw for whom he has high praise. “His input is vital and the look of the show is as much to do with him as me.”
This may be the first time Bruno Poet has used the impression X4 Bars — but following the successful induction, it will be far from the last. “These are great units and we are already in negotiations to use them on several future productions.”

More Informations on the GLP Website

In the series of Ayrton videos, this one of AlienPix-RS is original and spectacular.
Creating a cancan with the beams of a group of AlienPix-RS fixtures is the enchanting idea of lighting designer Stéphane Migné and quite a feat performed by console operator Arnaud Pierrel.
“Only” 15 fixtures were enough to recreate the Eiffel Tower, while the beams fill the entire space.

This multi-source moving head (6 sources) animated with 8 continuous-rotation movements, inspired by the fixtures in vogue in the 80s, is capable of a multitude of vintage effects: flying saucers, fans, flowers, merry-go-rounds and… the 1930s’ French Cancan.
Even if, like my neighbor, Yann, you prefer “Les p’tites femme de Paris” – the real ones – to the French Cancan, take a look just the same.This show is quite refreshing.

AYRTON – AlienPix-RS – 15 Unit Demo from Ayrton on Vimeo.

More informations On the Ayrton Website

Lighting plays an incredibly important role in enhancing the magic world of theme parks. It is far more than a tool to illuminate or decorate, but a key to connecting people with a fantasy realm.With theme-park experiences growing day by day and new digital tools developing fast, interactivity is transforming lighting designs in modern theme parks.
Planet J, located at the Sands Cotai Central in Macau, has taken revolutionary steps, putting together trendsetting interactive elements and a sophisticated lighting-control system, including ETC Selador® Desire® luminaires, Source Four® LED fixtures, and Unison Mosaic® and Paradigm architectural systems, to provide visitors the world’s first live-action role-play theme park.

Photos : ©Derek Marion, StandardVision

“The lighting will change as players interact with their surroundings,” says Derek Warrick, the lighting and systems-design manager from StandardVision, the company that designed and specified the lighting system for the Planet J project. “This means a lot of programming and interaction between computer systems. It also means that the park will look different from minute to minute, so you will get a unique visit every time.”
In the 95,000 square feet of interior space, the park is divided into eight zones, each with a unique theme and different lighting concept. To create the magical world that makes people feel like part of the story, Warrick employs an LED system that includes ETC fixtures with the unique x7 Color System blending seven LED colours, embedded into scenic elements to complement the ambient lighting fixtures.
“The x7 Color System provides such a full colour spectrum, that people walking through the park look great, and we didn’t have too many surprises when we lit the scenery,” describes Warrick. “They are very well designed!”

Photos : ©Derek Marion, StandardVision

Planet J has hundreds of ETC LED luminaires installed, including 483 Source Four LED Lustr®+, 575 Desire D60 Vivid, 255 Desire D22 Lustr+, and 37 Desire D40 Vivid fixtures. “These fixtures have great light output and colour rendering,” Warrick explains. “The RDM capability saved countless hours and days of work.” The control system is a mixture of Unison Mosaic and Paradigm architectural controllers utilising DMX and DALI protocols across 92 universes and 16 loops. “The mix of both Paradigm and Mosaic controllers provides us a flexible yet robust system.
We haven’t put a large demand on the systems yet as interactivity is still being programmed, but I have faith that everything will work as intended,” says Warrick. A lot of interactivity comes from the game interfaces. This means final programming can only be tested when the park is fully operational.
Warrick is no stranger to ETC products. He has used ETC lights and control systems over the past 15 years and summarises: “I have been extremely happy with both the products and support of the staff at ETC.”

To learn more about ETC products and services, visit ETC Website.

No German band can be compared to the Scorpions in terms of history, success and international popularity. The group was originally called “Nameless” and was formed in Sarstedt, in 1965, by guitarist Rudolf Schenker and drummer Wolfgang Dziony.
The same year they adopted the name they became famous with: “Scorpions”. During the decades that followed, the band made history: 18 albums, an almost infinite list of awards and innumerable tours, which have taken the Scorpions all over the world. Today the group has embarked upon its latest world tour.

Photo: © [email protected]

Roland Beckerle is the tour production manager and Olaf Schröter, the production director. Both are responsible for organizing the tour. They asked Günter Jäckle to design the show’s set and Rainer Becker to design the lighting. Manfred Nikitser, associated lighting designer and director, completes the team.

Nikitser chose GrandMA2 equipment, more precisely two grandMA2 full-size desks, one grandMA2 light, 2 MA VPU plus MK2 video processing units, 2 MA NPU network processing units and 2 MA network switches. The lights used consist of 36 Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20s, 8 Sharpy Wash 330s, 10 Mythos units and 20 Stormy CCs.

Photo: © [email protected]

Nikitser said: “The stage design draws inspiration essentially from the classic rock and roll mix with spotlights, wash lights, strobes and visuals, without forgetting beam lights and effects. At first glance the video element dominates the set. In my opinion, merging videos with lights is extremely important in the look of a stage. The design consists of a big led back screen, a set screen, and two IMAG screens. The set is completed with four crossbars and ladders at the sides to close it, but also to make sure that TV cameras, wherever they may be placed, have enough background.”

“The ‘corrugated’ arrangement of the crossbars gives both depth to the stage and looks better to the TV cameras,” said Nikitser. “The live video can be moved around thanks to the large number of screens, which make the show even more dynamic to watch. The live cameras are not left unused. Thanks to the effects and masking, they are always integrated into the set, so that everything works harmoniously.”
“One special element is undoubtedly the flying platform with drum kit, with the Sharpy Wash lights placed underneath,” Nikitser added. “It was natural to choose Sharpy Wash lights: there is no comparable light with the same features: compactness, high output and speed.”

Photo: © [email protected]

PRG Nocturne provided all the equipment. MANIK Show Lighting/Manfred Nikitser managed the lighting desks and MA VPUs. The visual content was dealt with by Hans-Otto Richter and Manfred Nikitser.

More informations on the Clay Paky Website