Stagelight AG of Switzerland has been celebrating the receipt of the very first Robert Juliat Merlin followspots to roll off the production line. Merlin is Robert Juliat’s new 2500W HMI sturdy followspot designed specifically for the touring market.
Merlin worked its magic on the Stagelight team at Lucerne’s Light and Sound show in October 2014, where they immediately placed an order for four of the 2500W HMI touring giants from Robert Juliat’s Swiss supplier, Electric Claudio Merlo. “ It was time to replace our old, big followspots, so we were looking around for a good alternative and found Robert Juliat’s new Merlin, ” says Stagelight’s Managing Director, Peter Lemmenmeier. “ We decided on Merlin because of its excellent new technology: the newly developed integrated PSU with the 2500W HMI arc lamp provide great brightness; the zoom range from 3° to 12°allows an extremely wide spectrum from 30m to 100m; and, finally, the low consumption of electricity with the 16A connector is really good and convenient. There is nothing similar on the market. ”
The brand-new Merlin followspots arrived in time for the busy Swiss Festival season and have been put to full-time use from the day they arrived. “ Our very first use for the Merlins was Olly Murs’ show in Bern, ” says Lemmenmeier. “We then took them to Open Air St. Gallen, one of the oldest festivals in Switzerland for which Stagelight has been providing lighting for the last 30 years.” The Merlins were rigged front of house and used on a stellar line up of bands which included Placebo, Paolo Nuttini, Royal Blood, The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
“ Last weekend our Merlins were at the Open Air Frauenfeld Hip Hop Festival and this weekend they are again booked for the main stage at the Gurtenfestival. Many festivals are to follow, including Heitere Open Air and Summerdays. The Merlins are going to have a very busy summer! ”
“ Merlin works well for me as a lighting designer and I had good feedback from the spot operators, ” says Stagelight’s LD for Open Air St. Gallen, Michael Hochrainer. “ The handling is smooth and the weight ratio seems good. I like the lamp as it is bright enough to hold its own against LED-walls and the VL3500s across the distances that we used it. The technical details and features are less important to me as a designer as my focus is on the lamp itself. A good lamp is a lamp which is there when I need it and I don’t have to worry about it – Merlin’s reliability certainly fills this criteria!”
The technical and operational features become important to those who install, maintain and operate the fixtures and Robert Juliat pays full attention to this when designing its profiles and followspots. Stagelight’s technician for Open Air St. Gallen, Stefan Rüttimann, was very happy with the new giant: “ Merlin is a device that covers all I need as a lighting technician,” he says.
“ Size is a problem almost everywhere when positioning powerful followspots, but Merlin’s size and built-in power supply require minimal space. Merlin’s good optics mean distances in excess of 100m are no problem. The operation is very simple – it includes all the features you could desire – and the production and processing are very clean. All in all, for me, Merlin belongs at the top of the followspots. ”
Robert Juliat also takes care to ensure operation of its followspots is a pleasure : Stagelight followspot operator, Juri Schmid, is equally excited by Merlin’s easy operating features. “ Merlin takes followspot operating to a new level, ” he says. “First of all the handling is just amazingly good and easy: the levers for adjusting the beam size, the dimmer and even the different colour filters are within arm’s reach. And you don’t need to be strong to move it as Merlin just glides from side to side and up and down ”. “ The rapid cooling is another advantage: the followspot doesn’t get hot and can be boxed right after the show. This followspot is well thought-out right down to the finest detail: the power supply unit is integrated, the case is practically built and, if you want, you can even charge your smartphone from Merlin! ”
“ Stagelight has been in the industry since 1989 and we know when it’s time to invest in carefully selected new equipment,” concludes Lemmenmeier. “We are always happy when we get new ‘babies’ and are proud to be the first to take stock of the Merlins. It means we have our finger on the pulse of new innovations and shows we care about investing new technologies and high quality equipment for our clients. ”
Last April, at Prolight+Sound, Ayrton presented their motorized video panel, DreamPanel Shift, and its counterpart, DreamPanel Twin, a moving-head, dual-faced video/light panel. The group of gifted young French video and light designers, All Access Design, was contacted by Ayrton and responded to the manufacturer’s request for a show program that highlights both the technical and artistic aspects of the panels.
36 DreamPanel Shifts are showcased in this first demo that combines video with Pan/Tilt effects, with the goal of going further off the beaten path with the use of video, and does so remarkably well.
To the multiple media server layers used by the designers to manipulate the images, they add the effect of motorized rotation in pan and tilt, enhanced by the useful characteristic of these new video panels, which disappear completely when turned off.
Osram has provided LEDs for them that have black housings and reflectors. All these parameters are used to play on the pitch and depth of the media content, which is custom made to produce a result that is both surprising and confusing at the same time.
Novelty is equipped with 48 x P-5 wash lights, 6 x G-Spots and 12 x Q-7 RGBW color LED flood blind strobes.The very first trial between Novelty and SGM was with the G-Spot.
They carried out a so-called crash test, using the G-spot on the ice rink of Paris City Hall during three cold winter months.
After this period, Jérôme Gasselin, Technical Director of Novelty, said : ”Okay, the new SGM products are serious. Let’s test the entire range!”
Novelty is an industry leader in France that brings technical audio-visual solutions for the fashion, luxury, live performance, event, exhibition and TV industries. Thanks to the company’s experience, Novelty works on more than 6,000 projects each year. Due to this fact, Novelty is always looking for new, reliable and efficient products.
With its IP65-rating, wireless connection, design and of course light output, the P-5 brings Novelty the tools they need to cover what they do best, which covers agency events, fashion shows, sporting events and trade shows.
Subsequently, the Q-7 also made a strong impression. Novelty invited their best clients to demo them privately. The small G-1 Beam was also included in this event.
Wash P-5 Couleur
Flood Q7 RGBW
CEO of Novelty, Olivier Hagneuré, proclaimed that this product line shows something very new with a strong identity.
However, the choice of SGM products is also a result of the network surrounding them, says Jérôme, highlighting the local rental support with Sonoss and a direct contact with SGM as arguments that meant a lot in Novelty’s decision-making. Immediately after being launched on the Novelty website, all of the P-5s were booked for a fashion show in Paris. Jérôme states : ”I did not expect this so quickly. That’s a good start!”
Michel Brouard (on the left) and Denis Baudier, Sales Director of Nexo
To be based in Hong Kong in the newly-created position of Greater China Business Development Manager, Michel will play a critical role in increasing the presence and success of Nexo in the Asia Pacific area.
A well-known name in sound reinforcement circles, Michel is an industry veteran. Beginning his career in project management in his native France, he has been most prominent in the role of International Sales manager for L’Acoustics, where he worked for 16 years. Most recently, he has been part of the sales team for Italian company K-Array.
Michel says, “I am really pleased to join NEXO, one of the most innovative and respected French pro-audio companies. Although I’ll be working in a territory I know very well, this will be an interesting new challenge for me, but I know that there is great potential to build on NEXO’s existing foundations in China, and leverage that success in other parts of the region.”
Michel Brouard will be working alongside Nicolas Kirsch, Sales Manager Asia, and Denis Baudier, Sales Director of NEXO.
Lighting Designers Jamie Thompson (right) and Dave Cohen (left)
The Script performed in front of a jam packed crowd of over 80,000 people at Croke Park in June, for their biggest show of the year. Mirrad’s Jamie Thompson and Dave Cohen made full use of Avolites Titan range, with two Sapphire Touch consoles, two Tiger Touch II consoles, a Quartz, four Titan Net Processors, and ART2000 dimmers.
The show was absolutely bursting with energy, and as the sun set, the captivating lighting and visual show took over, with Thompson using the Sapphire Touch consoles as main and back-up to control the main rig of fixtures including Super Sharpys and Mythos and B Eye K20s from Clay Paky, PRG Best Boys, and GLP Impression X4S fixtures.
“The Sapphire is a great control surface,” says Thompson. “It offers quick access to everything and thanks to the large dual screens it is easy to program and view all of your palettes. I love to use Titan because of its reliability, especially in networking and for its exceptional work flow.”
Cohen took charge of Robe BMFL and Pointe TV lights with the Tiger Touch II consoles, also as main and back-up. Avolites’ compact-yet-powerful Quartz console was also employed to control B-stage lights. “Don’t let its size fool you, the Quartz is very powerful, and was completely solid,” says Thompson. “It certainly packs a punch!”
Quartz console employed to control B-stage lights.
The energetic show lighting was controlled with two Sapphire Touch consoles, two Tiger Touch II consoles.
Jeff Brown, who has been programming and operating the video for the Script’s world tour used his expertise to power the stunning visual content, created by Tom Wall of blinkinLAB and Light Surgeons, to a huge LED wall, using two Avolites Ai S8 media servers and four EX4s.
“Ai really showed off its powerful software and hardware combination on this show,” says Brown. “We ran all of the camera signals from the switcher through the Ai so that we could use the entire LED wall as a surface for content. The parts of the LED wall that are traditionally thought of as I-Mag screens were included into our content. We were able to send graphics over the entire 3168×768 resolution of the screen.”
“We had some specific requirements for the show, which needed special tools. After getting in touch with Avolites, these were made possible!” Brown continues. Avolites’ Arran Rothwell-Eyre developed a patch for Ai to send out camera signals as PIPs to various parts of the wall. “This kept everything in sync and the frame delay was minimal. I believe that patch alone saved me several hours of programming time.” “Having used Ai as the media server for The Script’s last two tours, it has been exciting to watch the development and evolution of the Ai software. I really believe that the Ai team is heading in a direction that can change the way we do these sorts of shows,” Brown concludes.
The Avolites consoles and servers were connected via four Avolites Titan Net Processors, running 32 universes. Avolites ART2000 dimmers were on stage for all the generic fixtures, including all the blinders and key lights.
One of the industry’s brightest lights dimmed on Thursday, when Fulvio Cotogni, ETC’s regional manager for Southern Europe and the Middle East, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.
A funeral for Cotogni was held on Saturday, where friends and family had the opportunity to share memories of him. ETC CEO Fred Foster gave a eulogy in which he noted: “I am incredibly honored to have known Fulvio for a couple of decades, and to have been his colleague for much of that time. My wife, Susan, refers to Fulvio as an ‘ancient soul,’ not because he was old, but because he had the wisdom and patience of the ages. It was in his eyes, it was in his rich voice and in his wry smile. Fulvio has taught us all more than we even realise.”
Cotogni was known for his immense personality, sense of humor and infectious laugh. He began his career in lighting when he was 25 years old, joining Rome-based broadcast lighting company Quartzcolor Ianiro as a salesman, where he stayed for 11 years. In 1985, Fulvio and his wife, Assunta, founded Arri Italia. The company grew quickly under their direction, and they began selling the very first ETC controls, branded as Arri lighting products. Arri Italia eventually became one of the top broadcast lighting firms to gain a major foothold in the entertainment lighting market. Eventually Fulvio left Arri Italia and returned to Quartzcolor – which was under the Strand umbrella by then – where he worked for four years, ultimately becoming the general manager for the Italian market.
Fulvio then made the decision to work with longtime friend Mario De Sisti. In that job, he was responsible for promoting ETC products in Italy. Just a couple years later, in 1999, he officially joined ETC, overseeing the opening of the company’s Rome office. In his role as regional manager, he ran ETC Italy, and grew the sales territory in Southern Europe and the Middle East.
“Fulvio was a very dear friend,” says ETC Vice President of Sales Mark Vassallo. “He was one of the best salesmen I’ve ever worked with, and he cannot be replaced. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Assunta and [their son] Valerio. He will be missed and there will be a hole in our hearts from his passing.”
South America’s biggest sporting event, the Copa América international football tournament, has kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony in host country Chile. The event saw stunning firework displays and musical performances, with an array of Clay Paky Mythos delivering spectacular wash and aerial effects to the proceedings.
Lighting designer Toni Amoros worked alongside choreographer Hansel Cereza to specify 24 of the award-winning Clay Paky luminaire from leading Chilean event production house Producciones Icardi.
Francisco Yañez
The company purchased its Mythos stock from distributor Iluminación Profesional Valook S.A., with one of Valook’s senior technical specialists Francisco Yañez covering the ceremony.
“Toni chose the Mythos on account of it being a fantastically multi-purpose fixture,” explains Yañez. “He used them to wash the entire field of the National Stadium with vibrant colour and texture, for striking beam effects in the night sky and as a precision follow spot.” According to Yañez, Producciones Icardi previously used searchlights for events such as this, but switched to the Mythos because of its remarkable output yet low power consumption.
“If you compare a Mythos with a 4000-watt searchlight, you’ll see the beams are identical,” says Yañez. “However, the Mythos only consumes 10% of what the searchlight uses in terms of power, so you can use the same energy to turn on 10 Mythos against only one searchlight.”
The ceremony began with a dance in honour of the people of ‘Easter Island’, a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean, with LED balls flying through the stadium representing each of the 12 countries involved. Popular Chilean band ‘Noche de Brujas’ then took to the stage before the ceremony’s explosive finale.
“The Mythos was the ideal tool for this highly significant event thanks to its versatility and fantastic output,” says Yañez.
Copa América is contested between the men’s national football teams of CONMEBOL, determining the continental champion of South America. It is the oldest international continental football competition and occurs every four years.
On May 18, 2015, Bastian Villeflose was finally able to recover the proprietary rights to his Elidy fixture, the first LED array capable of projecting images in mid-air.
The manufacture of Elidy has resumed, this time by the company Ereimul Lighting which now also provides service for all Chromlech products. It took six months to get everything in order and rebuild a stock of Elidy. The adventure in Brittany continues, with more projects on their way. Yesss!
A little history The meeting between the lighting designer Bastian Villeflose and Chromlech dates back to March 2009. Bastian was seeking a practical lighting solution for the scenography of the tour of the group from Rennes “X Makeena” His first idea was to integrate Jarags but that idea was quickly abandoned, due to the weight of the fixture and the heat emitted by its halogen sources.
At the time, Bastian thought that a LED-based solution, defining a matrix of 5 x 5 pixels in a 30 cm x 30 cm square with a pixel pitch of 60 mm, would be the ideal module to have the maximum application possibilities, with sufficient resolution to create a moving image. The price of development was high, but Bastian decided to invest its own funds. He foresaw being able to recover his investment in the project through rental and marketing of this innovative light source with obvious creative possibilities.
He then passed control of six of the nine modules to Chromlech. The product was called PratX (Practicable/Xmakeena). Chromlech, as part of its manufacturing of “Custom made” products, supported the project by agreeing to work with a small margin. This was an opportunity for them to continue their work on LED fixtures. The specifications for PratX were based on the form-factor defined by Bastian, who also chose the source – warm white – and the projection angle of each lens (8-10°). The PratX was manufactured in 15 days & nights, just in time for the show premiere, on the 25th of September 2009.
In 2010, Bastian established the Ereimul company to invoice the rental of its PratX to the Flow Festival in Helsinki, for the main stage of Transmusicales, a TV studio of France 3…It started off slowly. In 2011 he decided to update prototype modules to be used in small, 30 x 30 cm, panels. Chromlech handled the redesign of the connections.
In September of the same year, the director of photography Eric Brancherie chose to integrate PratX into the lighting kit for the new season of the weekly program “Des Mots de Minuit” (Midnight Words), broadcast on France 2. This was a real breath of fresh air for Ereimul – a rental that would last two years (until the end of the program). Eric Brancherie confirmed his enthusiasm for the concept by presenting Bastian with an “Etoile du Siel” (“Star of SIEL” Award) in 2013, an award for the most innovative products.
It was not until 2012 that Chromlech asked Bastian for an agreement to start manufacturing PratX 2.0, in exchange for royalties on sales. The product was officially released in 2012 at the Plasa Show, with the name Elidy. Bastian was then hired to write the specifications, patents, and to supervise the project. The feedback and results from that show were huge and orders were soon pouring in. Over all, the product was widely acclaimed by all the professionals in the industry. But Bastian would never receive his royalties: more than € 200,000. And we all know the reason why…
The return of Elidy
Quite legitimately, Bastian Villeflose has regained his full industrial (patents, model deposits) and sales rights to the Elidy range in the name of his company Ereimul (an anagram of lumière – light). He begins today a new adventure in Brittany with Mickael Tessier (electronic engineer). Ereimul also provides service for all products from the Chromlech catalog.
SLU : You are reviving Elidy production in France ?
Bastian Villeflose : Yes, almost all of Chromlech’s suppliers have agreed to work with us.
SLU : Is it profitable to produce in France or not ?
Bastian Villeflose : Yes, today it is profitable for the Elidy.So yes, we are keeping all our production in France, because it is in our DNA to manufacture locally. Brittany is a powerful and dynamic technological basin with a strong pool of lighting talent. Secondly, because it is also much easier for us right now. And afterward? My visibility is still too limited to be able to tell you whether it really will be cost-effective to produce newer developments in France.
SLU : So, perhaps, you’re sniffing around in Asia…
Bastian Villeflose : In Europe, perhaps, but in China… I don’t think so. What I have undertaken would then no longer make much sense. In any case, what really makes us keep the production in our region is the belief that, in the end, it is still possible and that relocation offshore is not inevitable.
SLU : You have projects in the works ?
Bastian Villeflose : Today we are working on a small Dimmer Pack.
SLU : What is it ?
Bastian Villeflose : The control electronics of Jarag in a small rack, with an integrated sequencer and 25 outputs of 75 W/220 V on a terminal block. It is a popular accessory. It will be available within one or two months, I think. It is not revolutionary, but it can be very useful. The Jarag electronics are reliable and well known. In fact, there are really no low powered dimmers on the market. They are either very expensive, or they operate at low voltage. Typically, there is a customer who has purchased some nice vintage lamps but the only way he has to dim them is with 4-circuit blocks, which, in the end, cost a fortune in wiring. Therefore, we custom-made him a small rack of this type . It is really a product that we are able to develop in a short time. Apart from that, we are working on a more sophisticated fixture, but we will talk about that later.
SLU : You have maintained the distribution chain ?
Bastian Villeflose : Partially. There are a dozen Chromlech distributors around the world who want to work with us, including Alterlite in France. And we kept the relationships with lighting designers, who pass us specific requests to give us a little bit of a helping hand. They are doing their best to get us started.
SLU : Do you receive a helping hand from banks, as well ?
Bastian Villeflose : Right now I’m using my own money but, actually, the bank I work with always follows me.To develop the new product I was talking about, it will, indeed, be necessary to raise funds”.
We missed this team of cheerful, gifted and passionate Bretons who were completely involved in this company that, due to Chinese copies, strong competition or management errors – it really doesn’t matter now – closed its doors in 2014. The intelligence of the team is alive and kicking and the desire to develop new projects remains intact. We hope they will receive all the help they need, it is still possible in France. In any case, they’ve got that of SoundLightUp.
Here, Stéphane Migné controls a matrix of 144 MagicDot fixtures and it is a sea of effect possibilities – with power or finesse – that washes over our astonished eyes. This demo is incredible!
Ayrton has produced a demonstration video showing a new configuration of MagicDot-R fixtures, the small, single-source moving head with high-speed rotation and unlimited pan/tilt. Concept: Stéphane Migné. Programming: Arnaud Pierrel. 180 000 candela on axis, – this is the intensity that this new source emits, focussed into a 4.5° beam. Ayrton uses a new multichip, 60 watt RGBW source and a 94 mm lens (200 g), specifically developed for this application. Ayrton’s R&D has designed a cooling system adapted to the small size of the head and to the 60 watt power of the multichip. The circuit of the RGBW LED is mounted on a copper plate in contact with a heat pipe and a one-piece, cast-aluminum heat sink.
With its source composed of seven base colors of LED and its profiling module, Robin DL7S aims for perfection in colors, pastels, saturated colors and whites, with a nominal CRI of >90, regardless of the white balance.
An 18-bit dimmer allows extremely fine control at low levels – it is between 0 and 10% that makes all the difference. DL7S, with its 800 W light engine with seven different colors of source LEDs, is not a contender in the race for power but is designed to offer a rich color spectrum and precise nuances. This was especially noteworthy in the range of whites during the demo at Prolight + Sound.
It incorporates a framing module with four profiling blades, each with independently controllable parameters for position, orientation and speed, and all mounted on a cradle which can be rotated ±45°. Each blade can cover more than half of the beam, so that, using two blades, the beam can be completely closed. The progressive frost filter allows control of the diffusion.
Another strong point is the 18-bit resolution LED control, which will be implemented in all Robe LED fixtures. This delivers high precision even from the lowest intensity settings.
The Robe Lighting France team, from left to right: Kevin Migeon (Sales Engineer), Elie Battah (Development Manager) and Bruno Garros (General Manager)
The DL7S offers a wide range of physical functions : 8°-45° zoom, a wheel with eight fixed gobos, another with six rotating glass gobos, a rotating, 5-facet 10° prism, a quick motorized iris (up to 3 pulses/second), an animation wheel, a rotating effect wheel with a X4 prism effect, and the famous, patented EMS stabilizer for movements and vibrations of the fixture.
The color can be controlled in CMY or by direct 7-color mixing (8 or 16 bit), with variable CTO and Robe has programmed the fixture with a virtual color wheel of 237 shades and five temperatures of white (2700 K, 3200 K, 4200 K, 5600 K and 8000 K), as well as a simulation of tungsten dimming at 2700 K and 3200 K.
The control panel features a touch screen, internal battery and inclinometer for auto-orientation of the screen.
What sets this fixture apart from others on the market of LED spots or profile moving heads is the spectral richness that allows you to have the precise whites required by :
Award-winning lighting designer Al Gurdon made spectacular use of a predominantly Clay Paky rig for The Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Celebrating its 60th anniversary with the theme, ‘Building Bridges, Eurovision was sponsored by OSRAM and hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.
UK based Gurdon, whose previous lighting triumphs include the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sochi Olympic Games and the American Super Bowl, has now lit Eurovision three times. This time he chose 172 of the new Clay Paky Mythos, 48 X Sharpy Wash 330, 83 X A.leda B-EYE K20 and 74 Stormy fixtures to deliver a dazzling, party atmosphere bursting with vibrant colour, varying shape and dimension. All equipment was supplied by Production Resource Group (PRG), supplemented by Clay Paky UK distributor Ambersphere, and supported by a team of specialist technicians led by Lighting Crew Chief, Richard Gorrod.
Working alongside Eurovision’s creative director, Kurt Pongratz, Gurdon and his programmer Mike Owen delivered a sharp, beat perfect lighting design that complemented each act’s stunning video content, which was conveyed via the floor, the backdrop screen of the stage and across the end lit array of aluminium pipes, which made up the eye shaped set.
With almost 40 different nations taking part, each demanding its own defining look, Gurdon had his work cut out: “The challenge for us was to guarantee each nation’s song felt unique,” explains Gurdon. “At the same time we had to deliver a cohesive feel to the overall look of the broadcast. Because of this I wanted to ensure the backbone of my lighting rig was consistent.”
Gurdon needed a fixture that was bright, punchy and versatile: “Ultimately I chose the Mythos because it offered everything I was looking for. It performs just as well as a beam light as it does as a spotlight. The color mixing facility was also a crucial decider because it allows me to fine tune and color match to all the other mediums being used on stage.”
Designed specifically for television, Eurovision presents a number of its own unique challenges. Pulling performers out from a video heavy backdrop, conveyed on a 2D medium, while keeping color and intensity balanced across all the output mediums can be testing.
Bringing additional visual depth to the lively stage and some stunning beam effects, Gurdon designed a matrix of Clay Paky B-EYE K20s. These were rigged in such a way as to evoke one giant B-EYE and the whole matrix could migrate from behind the main video backdrop to above the screen, offering a number of different effects and looks. “For some of the performances we would remove the rear video screen and use the B-EYE matrix as a dynamic, high impact backdrop or beam effect generator. We could also move it overhead to shine down and twinkle through the array of end lit pipes that framed the stage,” explains Gurdon. “This was extremely effective, especially for Ireland’s forest scene.
The fixtures allowed us to generate a look that felt organic from something very high-tech. They also brought a great dynamic into the room and could be used to extend the height of the set, such as during Italy’s big operatic number.”
Further supporting the Mythos, Gurdon rigged numerous Sharpy Wash 330s towards the back of the set. PRG Lighting Crew Chief Richard Gorrod explains: “The power of Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures complemented the Mythos and at the same time, their compact size proved ideal for the venue, as it has quite a low roof.”
Adding further dimension and for those moments requiring additional ooomph Gurdon peppered his rig with a number of Clay Paky Stormy CCs, which delivered intense strobing and super bright swathes of colour across the back of the stage. “Clay Paky fixtures have definitely become the standard in stage and TV lighting,” says Gorrod. “The looks they can achieve and the fact that they are robust and reliable make them a great rental investment – you hang them up and they work. Plus, they’re relatively lightweight and use remarkably little power for their resulting output. The Mythos is just 470W. This means that, compared to prior Eurovision events, the power consumption on this year’s contest has been significantly reduced.”
Every year some 180 million viewers watch the Eurovision Song Contest. This year Sweden was victorious, with its entry ‘Heroes’ by Måns Zelmerlöw.
Lighting designer Laurent Chapot (left) and Yvan Peard, Ayrton product designer (right), with the new NandoSpot-SC.
Ayrton doubles up its imagination to create unique effects fixtures: CosmoPix-R, a moving-yoke globe with 12 punchy beams, MagicDot-R, a small, mono-source fixture, the motorized video panel DreamPanel Shift, its counterpart DreamPanel Twin, with a video face and a lighting face, and the NandoSpot-SC, which marks the entry of the French manufacturer into the next generation of LED spot fixtures.
Laurent Chapot is the lighting designer who was approached to create the design of the Prolight + Sound show. We met with him on the Ayrton stand. As the first user, he gives us his opinion on these new fixtures and some ideas for making the most of them.
Here is his show. It was programmed by Arnaud Pierrel.
More than 300 fixtures
SLU : Laurent, had you ever created a demo show before ?
Laurent Chapot : Not really. I’ve done a lot of events over the years, but had never created a stand for product presentations. On the other hand, I have long wanted to participate more closely in the development of fixtures and I’m happy create the demo of the new Ayrton products for the exhibition where they are making their debut.
SLU : What was your creative approach here ?
Laurent Chapot : I’ve made sure to show off the unique features that make the fixtures interesting and make people want to use them. This is a very different approach from that used to design the lighting for a show, though in both cases the purpose of the lighting is to make people dream. Whereas, in a show, one tries to dispense with the technical aspect, here it becomes important. I placed the fixtures so as to generate alluring effects, while taking into account the particular features of each luminaire. The idea was to create stunning overall effects based on conventional sets, so it would therefore be the individuality of each fixture that makes the difference.
The MagicDot-R, small mono-source fixture
SLU : there is a quite a number of this little fixture in this show !
Laurent Chapot : Yes, more than 130. When the products were presented to me, I thought about their positions, and especially that of the MagicDots. I thought about creating this giant MagicRing R9 that you see hanging over head, where each of the 61 sources is replaced by a MagicDot and is therefore able to move 360° in pan and tilt.
Laurent Chapot : Then, I also wanted to use them to create a curtain of light and, for this, I have hung 37 of them in a 10 meter line. The idea was to create wave effects, “spirographic” beam crossings, helical rotations, etc. To produce a spectacular third group effect, we placed 36 in a circle on this flat bracket, slightly inclined in front the big letters “Ayrton”. Nothing very original in these two implementations, but the advantage with MagicDot is that you can really place the fixtures right up against each other.
SLU : It is indeed spectacular when you get to play with large quantities, but do you imagine it also playing solo ?
Laurent Chapot : Yes, of course, because it is a tiny fixture that can fit anywhere on a small stage, around a drum kit, for example, or in a television studio to “fill holes”. It fits in more easily than a PAR, its shape is very discreet and photogenic at the same time: it is impeccable.
The CosmoPix, a rotating globe with 12 punchy beams
SLU : What do you think of CosmoPix ?
The Cosmopix-R, a small globe with big sources: 94 mm collimating lenses, each coupled with an 60 W Osram RGBW LED
Laurent Chapot : The CosmoPix is an amazing fixture with a devastating look – somewhere between Sputnik and a deep-sea-diving helmet. It is a successful remake of a nightclub classic, which needs space around it to express itself well. The units were therefore distributed in the structure and on the floor.
The way in which the LEDs are arranged is unique and this alone causes the beams to dance by simply rotating the head on one of its axes. It is not easy to get a handle on, however, if you want to use it for illumination, which would be quite interesting, but, for its intended role, it offers a sufficient variety of presets to keep the user happy.
You turn it on, you make it rotate, and it’s beautiful! I would wager that it will find its home in the big clubs, but I can also see it used in festivals and, of course, concerts. It should appeal to directors of photography in television, who will understand that one of these fixtures alone provides 12 sources on 12 different axes.
NandoSpot-SC, white LEDs with 20,000 lm of flux
Ayrton presents their first spotlight, a 100% Ayrton projector. The light-engine module, which integrates sources and optics, is patented. Ayrton uses white LEDs in this fixture and declares a luminous flux of 20,000 lm.
The SC-NandoSpot promises a luminous flux of 20,000 lm in white with a very uniform beam.
Its beam is very uniform with no hot spot, and its zoom, with a range from 10° to 50°, is a record in the category of LED spotlights. With a 14-element optical system and an output lens 180 mm in diameter, Ayrton has achieved a 5:1 zoom ratio !
NandoSpot SC has two wheels with six rotating glass gobos each – selected according to the preferences of a panel of surveyed lighting designers – an animation wheel, an iris, a 4-facet prism. Ayrton has also developed a new heat pipe cooling system to ensure consistent luminous flux from the sources. The color is obtained by a subtractive CMY mixing system, a CTO filter and a color wheel.
SLU : Laurent, what do you think of starting out with white LEDs and working in subtractive color synthesis ?
Laurent Chapot : Yes, Color behaves differently, especially during the transition from one to another. A simple and well known example: Congo Blue (Lee 181) is sometimes difficult to obtain with additive synthesis, and is necessarily brighter than the dark blue provided by subtractive mixing. To transition to red in additive mixing, you simply have to lower your blue and bring up your red tone. In subtractive mixing you must employ an additional filter and, thus, potentially pass through completely different colors, if only you delay certain parameters.
The glass gobos of the NandoSpot-SC were chosen by a panel of lighting designers.
On the other hand, if you can take advantage of real power in white, I do not think that you are left wanting for primary and secondary colors because – contrary to what one might think – when you are emitting blue in additive mixing, it is certainly native and unfiltered, but with only one LED, the blue, so that you have 1/3 or 1/4 of the power of the fixture (depending on whether the source is RGB or RGBW). I would be curious to compare the difference between the two systems using LEDs equal in power.
Ayrton submitted a collection of gobos to various lighting designers to find out which they liked the most and which seemed most effective. When you consider that, for reasons of budget and logistics, fixtures almost invariably go out with their original gobos, this is important and, unfortunately, all too rare. It should be noted that there is a real glass cone! But on a rotating wheel… It is a pity that it is not off-center, as I had suggested.
DreamPanel Shift, single sided video, and DreamPanel Twin, dual-face video/luminaire
The DreamPanel Shift, ultrathin, with unlimited pan and tilt movements.
Osram has developed a black diode in a black package with a black reflector for video applications. Ayrton have adopted it with a pixel-pitch of 6 mm into square panels 384 mm on each side. They then mounted this panel on a motorized yoke with continuous rotation in pan and tilt.
The result is amazing contrast and definition. They have called it DreamPanel Shift. It is cascaded in HDMI and the movements of the yokes are controlled in ArtNet or sACN.
The side of the DreamPanel Twin with 64 RGBW sources and new 45 mm lenses. Its other face features a video panel.
The DreamPanel Twin has kept the same video panel on one side and, on the other side, a new version of MagicPanel with 64 LED sources. In order to accommodate as many pixels as possible on a small surface, Ayrton has developed a new collimating lens capable of firing a 6° beam with high on-axis intensity, 73 cd/lm.
Associated with these two products, DreamPanel Box is specially designed to simply drive a universe of full-HD in HDMI on a screen that will be matrixed and mobile. It manages the image, resizes and positions it in real time in the matrix of video panels, whatever their orientation. It also manages the movement of the panels in ArtNet.
SLU : And for the video/lighting panels, what effects did you plan ?
Laurent Chapot : We have, on the one hand, to present the DreamPanel Shift, a video panel with a 6 mm pixel-pitch with the peculiarity that the RGB LEDs are matte black with a black reflector, thus completely non-reflective – a fabulous look and very good contrast. On the other hand, we have the DreamPanel Twin, also motorized with continuous rotation, but one side features 64 powerful LEDs and the other side the same video panel as the DreamPanel Shift. The main wall of the stand consists of a matrix of 7 rows by 11 columns. The Shifts form a “circular” core of 37 elements, surrounded by empty space, and then framed by 26 Twins. The moving heads are spaced as closely as possible, measured to the millimeter, so as not to touch during rotations. When they line up with their corners touching, they form a perfect checkerboard, with alternating DreamPanel Shifts and spaces.
Between light and video, these panels are an inexhaustible source of effects.
SLU : Tell us what you think of the whole point in using moving-yoke video panels.
Laurent Chapot : If you reproduce with the movement of these panels the same effects you would get by manipulating the images by computer, they are useless. Once again, you have to create applications that demonstrate the usefulness of these products. For example, a matrix of Shifts will transform simple media content into infinite combinations. Splitting up the image moving its components in three dimensions provides amazing effects. You can also play with the form of the matrix itself. You can do this by simply turning away the panels you want to hide.
The DreamPanel Twin really is the big brother of the MP 602 on every level. While the type of panel with large LEDs used on the Twin has proven its worth, we can easily imagine the effectiveness of a surface with 64 LEDs, and the advantage of the video side, replacing the optional mirror in the 602 is obvious: it’s the perfect complement. The Shift is itself much lighter in weight and in terms of required resources. It is perfect, where the use of single video panel is sufficient and, as here, to supplement and integrate into a system of Twins. You can create large virtual-image surfaces even with the elements fairly spaced, provided they are numerous.
The matrix of DreamPanel Shifts is at the center, flanked by the Twins, reproducing the same content…
… And the DreamPanel Twins showing off their lighting role.
The rotation of all these elements helps bring to life the image physically, and to switch quickly from content to powerful, highly directional beams. Undulations, disappearances, dislocations, image orientation on all axes – the applications are numerous; it is a new product that will generate new effects that have never been seen before. These are the HD and high-level versions of all the LED panels with which we’ve had to make do up until now.”
The moving panels make it possible to create unique screen profiles.
The MagicDot-R and CosmoPix-R are currently available. La NandoSpot-SC et les DreamPanel will be available in Q3 of 2015.
It took three years of Robe’s R&D to develop BMFL and to meet all of its design requirements – a new 1700 W Osram short-arc lamp, a 5-55° zoom range, a new, optimized CMY color mixing system, an electronic stabilizer and only 36 kg on the scale – for an exceptional fixture. Since early January, the date of its release, 1500 projectors were sold worldwide and production for the next three months is already reserved. It has certainly hit the ground running!
After Aladdin, now Robe has its magic lamp
Starting from the principle that even a moving fixture has to be, above all, a light source, the project is built around a new lamp developed by Osram according to very specific criteria established by Robe. This is a 1700 W short-arc HTI lamp with a color temperature of 6000 K.
The heart of BMFL, the 1700 W lamp specially developed for Robe by Osram
In BMFL, it can be corrected using full- and ½-minus green filters, the CTB filter on the second color wheel and a progressive CTO filter. According to measurements made available to us by Robe, when the lamp is new, with less than 20 hours of use, the CRI (Color Rending Index) reaches 90 (with zoom at 50%), can be raised to 92 with full minus green filter and up to 96 with the ½-minus green.
After 100 hours of lamp usage, the CRI measures 92 in white, 89 with a ½-minus green filter and 78 with a full minus green. One can understand the value of minus green filters to optimize the color rendering based on the number of lamp operating hours.
After a new series of tests, Osram has just confirmed a service life of 750 h, indicating, however, that after this period of use at 1700 W, the lamp loses 40% of its light output and suffers a color temperature drift of about 300-350 K.
The user can select via DMX channel 6 or using the control panel to use the lamp in 1700, 1500 or 1200 W modes. Called “Silent” mode, the latter reduces the noise produced by the fixture by 3 dB and expands its potential use because 1700 W is not always necessary. Indeed, for reasons of security, the clearance (the safe distance between the source and the object to be illuminated) at full power is 8 m. The 1200 W mode reduces the power consumption and helps to integrate the fixture more easily into a lighting rig. The choice of the lamp was also motivated by the desire for maximum uniformity; the short arc option was wiser.
All photons and no picturey !
During the first day of testing, we were able to take advantage of the presence of Ingo Dombrowski, Key Account Manager Europe for Robe. With the help of Kevin Migeon, sales engineer for Robe Lighting France, we set up and connected the fixture.
The tilt lock, recessed into one of the yoke arms for protection
The first detail that makes us very happy is the locking Pan and Tilt, which allow us to move the fixture and get it into its flight case easily.
After a few quick adjustments of the library available at Robe, we unleash the 1700 watts and… how should I say this… it knocks us right on our asses! The light output is impressive – literally and figuratively dazzling. With a tight beam, it’s hard to look at the white canvas that we are using for the measurements.
Ingo tells us that the “Hot Spot” feature, a Robe patent that allows DMX control of the position of the lamp relative to the reflector for a big hot spot or for a wide diffusion of light, has not been implemented in order to ensure uniformity between all BMFLs in terms of beam and color.
Wide beam
The luminous intensity curve is very smooth despite a small hollow in the center, probably due to a slight downward shift of the hot spot.
We begin with the widest beam, measuring illuminance every ten centimeters on two axes around the center. Our magic table calculates the luminous flux for 10 cm rings and adds them up to give us the total flux. Although the safety distance is 8 meters, we remain at 5 meters from the target for comparison with other fixtures we’ve tested. The first step is already not trivial, 4420 lux at the center of the beam and a total flux of 35,000 lumens!
Faisceau 20°, 36 125 lm, Watt else ?
At a beam angle of 20°, we measure 22,920 lux at the center and obtain 36,130 lumens. The BMFL is the most powerful spot tested to date by SoundLightUp. The luminous intensity curve has lost its little dip, but not its uniformity. The rapid drop off of the last values is indicative of a sharp edge beam.
Tight beam
With a tight beam, with the iris open, the illuminance at the center is 136,400 lux, for a flux of 34,200 lumens. The flux remains almost constant throughout the zoom range and is optimum at the middle of the range, which is one of the most commonly used values.
The dimmer
Dimming is electronic on the first part of the range and then the mechanical dimmer takes over. We control the two dimming curves. The S (Square) curve is perfectly mastered, and we note just one tiny problem at 80% on the Linear curve.
Dimmer square curve
Dimmer Linear curve
Built like a Czech watch
We also take advantage of the presence of Ingo, who followed the whole development of the fixture, to assist us in the disassembly and examination of the various elements that make up the BMFL. No need for a tool box for the disassembly; two Phillips and one slot-head screwdriver, and one pair of pliers are enough. Once the two covers of the head have been removed, we find the mechanical part of the spot.
Under the cover of BMLF, space is limited to maintain compact dimensions
The cooling system of the head uses no less than seven fans and turbines. The two most impressive, at the bottom of the image behind the grill, are used to bring in fresh air and to remove the heat of the lamp. Each function block has its own smaller fan, and there are small turbines for the most sensitive components such as gobos and the iris. Having multiple cooling sources has allowed Robe to reduce their size and, especially, their speed, which greatly reduces noise.
There is also a very neat wiring, calculated to the millimeter. Ingo points out to us that the motor control boards were located as close as possible to the elements they control. He also tells us that each card has a processor identical to that of a smartphone, to maximize the responsiveness and the performance of BMFL’s parameters. This allows, for example, 24-bit control of the movements of the head via two DMX parameters (ie: 16 bit). The eight additional bits assist in smoothing the movements. The motors are controlled by the processor according to the speed required.
On the back of the head is the plate that provides access to the lamp. It is held in place by three quarters of a turn of the screw. The lamp is then very easily removed by turning it counterclockwise.
The functions are grouped mainly on removable assemblies to facilitate maintenance. The first block comes out by removing two screws. Here’s a little tip: you can loosen some of them until you feel a slight play; that way, you can remove the plates while leaving the screws on their support, to avoid misplacing them or letting them fall if you are working on a fixture mounted up high. There are only two connectors to be removed, the power supply and the signal. The operation requires some attention in a fairly small space, and I recommend using a pair of needle-nose pliers to avoid damaging a connector or pulling out a wire. The plate can then be removed without any problems.
On one side, the two color wheels
On the top there are two color wheels, each with six dichroic glass filters, which can be easily interchanged.
One can also note that the engineering department employed two different drive methods: some functions are driven directly by the motor shaft while others are actuated via a toothed belt.
Both of these systems have been proven for a long time and allow precise recalibration.
On the filp-side, the shutter. You can see the pattern etched on the CMY color mixing filters
On the bottom – the lamp side – is the shutter. Below, we find the progressive CMY and CTO filters, major innovations incorporated into the BMFL, which are the subject of a new patent registered by the Czech manufacturer.
Building on the base used for many years, two glass plates that close, Robe has developed a laser-etched pattern that allows optimum color mixing and perfect uniformity over the entire beam from 0 to 100%.
The two gobo wheels and the surprising effect wheel system
The gobo block requires a little more effort, because you must remove one of the two large fans to release it. Here we find, on one side, the two gobo wheels and the module with the two effects wheels.
On the other side there is the iris, with a system that allows very quick off-axis drive. There are also the motors for all the features and two supplementary turbines. We can see that all the electronic boards are equipped with connectors for quick and easy maintenance.
The two dimmer blades are completely undetectable in the beam.
When the effects and color blocks are removed, we find the two serrated dimmer blades with two strips of frost.
By contrast, towards the top of the head, on the output end, are the two 6-facet prisms (one linear, the other radial), the two frost filters and, finally, the focus and zoom.
The two covers of the yoke arms are held in by six screws.
The tilt drive and locking tilt
The pan and tilt board and the pan motor
The arm that houses the tilt lock contains the drive system of the tilt via the belt, its tensioner and the large toothed wheel that drive the head.
On the other side is the impressive hybrid triphase stepper motor for the pan and the pan and tilt control board.
Two optional handles are screwed to the back of the head to use BMFL as a follow spot…
… with an associated menu
The base
The projector base, which houses the power supply and the motherboard, is cooled by two fans. On the side opposite the display, connectivity includes two XLR5 (male and female) and two XLR3 connectors for DMX control, and a Neutrik EtherCON RJ45 connector for controlling the fixture via ArtNet, sACN and MA-Net 1&2.
The connections on one side of the base
. Also, you can change certain parameters or receive various information from the fixture through the RDM protocol. Power is supplied through a PowerCON-A connector. It is protected by a 12 A fuse, just above the connector. Robe offers to incorporate a Lumen Radio CRMX receiver board as an option, allowing DMX control over WiFi.
During the disassembly, we found that the mechanisms are very neat and perfectly adapted.
All ahead full speed !
The dimmer was a challenge facing the Robe team and they come away with honors. The beam remains uniform from 0 to 100% regardless of the transition time and the change is even noticeable over the last three percent, where there is often an abrupt opening or closing. At no time did we see the blades interfere with the projection. The strobe function is also mechanical and electronic. It reaches a frequency of 10 Hz. As we said a little earlier, there is 24 bit control of both pan and tilt axes. The result is very smooth movement even with significant transition times and complicated movements. To be able to notice any defects, it was necessary to take it up to a 40-second traverse of a 7 meter, 45° diagonal
With fade times of 0, the movements of the head are impressive in terms of speed and accuracy, with sharp stops and with no slowing. It takes 1.56 s to pan 180° and the same time to tilt 180°. In the video we can see that, during reset, the dimmer switches off when the pan and tilt reset starts. It would have been better to have a little fade, followed by the reset. Unfortunately, we were not able to test the innovation brought to the movements by the EMS (Electronic Motion Stabilizer) system, which absorbs vibrations due to sound, movement of trusses or to the fixture being placed on a surface that is unstable or sensitive to sound waves.
One of the priorities in the specifications of the BMFL regards color and, especially, color mixing. The fixture includes two color wheels: one dedicated to saturated hues that perfectly complement the CMY color system, and the other with pastels, including three light hues and three color correctors – a CTB at 8000 K and two minus-green filters (½ and full). The CTO is also progressive, variable from 2700 K to 6000 K.
As we saw during disassembly, Robe has developed a new system of lines etched on the dichroic filters that allow the fixture to produce a wider range of colors that are more uniform. The quality and consistency of the colors are impressive. Regardless of the zoom setting or focus, at no time do we see anything but a blade of color back down the beam. We obtain sublime pastels, perfectly distributed over the entire beam. The saturated colors also stand out, both in brightness and in possibilities. However, it lacks a deep green and the red that it generates at maximum is a saturated orange. Having to choose between pastels and saturated colors is a dilemma that comes up in virtually all fixtures. The solution for LED sources is to add components to the red, green and blue primaries in order to supplement the color palette. This is perhaps one of the avenues to take for discharge lamps by giving the choice of two shades of yellow and two shades of magenta.
To complete the chapter of colors, hats off to the development team for the velocity of the CMY mixing system. I had never seen such rapid transitions from DC motors… even faster than the color wheel !
A sampling of colors using the CMY system
the pastel color wheel
The saturated color wheel
This new spot has two wheels with six rotating gobos each. The selection makes sense and is artfully arranged. The first wheel is dedicated to projections for highlighting set pieces or dressing up spaces.
A good selection of gobos for projections, enhanced by very good optics.
The second wheel is equipped with aerial effect gobos. The choice of gobos is always complicated, but the selection included should satisfy many users.
The aerial effect gobos
To animate the gobos, you can also use – or combine them with – the animation wheels. There is, in fact, a system of two rotating and indexable wheels for creating magical effects. For the impatient, there are presets that combine the effects of gobos and effect wheels. It is also possible to combine gobos and effect wheels with one of two prisms, linear or circular, each with six facets. The BMFL features two frost filters: one “Light” which, among other things, allows you to “smudge” gobos, and a second “Medium” filter. The combination of these two filters makes it possible to create a third, “Heavy”, frost.
The effect of the linear prism
The effect of the circular prism
Everything about the optics was also a key point in the development. The range of aperture with sharp beam edges covers almost the entire zoom range and, even with the iris, we remain focused until almost the end of the range. The icing on the cake is the amazing speed with which these parameters can easily create dynamic effects. Only the focus drags a bit, creating a slight slowdown if you create a “cut” with the small, sharp iris at a wide, sharp zoom setting.
The powerful and uniform beam
Even wide open, there is power and clarity
A big step for Robe
With Pointe, the Czech brand had opened up the door, but with the BMFL it has both feet in the big leagues! This new spot has no shortage of features to attract a large number of lighting designers and cinematographers
In the Impact Evénement parking lot, the BMFL goes the distance
What more can I say?
in addition to being efficient, the BMFL is extremely versatile and able to adapt to all situations. The design is very well thought out and, apart from two points – being very picky – there is nothing wrong. The optical quality is excellent, all functions have been carefully designed and implemented
It is as much a fixture for effects as for illumination. It is equally as good with dynamics as with finesse. This versatility makes it suited to all applications, be it television, events, ballet, theater or concerts.
Not having tested all the existing fixtures, we can not tell you whether it is the best or the most powerful, but it is certainly in the top lines of the chart. We can already tell you, however, that the Wash/Beam and profiling versions will be presented in April at the ProLight+Sound.
What more could Robe Lighting France have asked for a better grand opening ?
JB Lighting presents the Licon 2X lighting console. Developed primarily for live applications, it can control 128 DMX universes. It is based on a concept of simplicity, for intuitive and fast programming, thanks to its straightforward and comprehensible interface using an integrated trackball and two 12.1″, high-resolution touch-screens with motorized tilting up to 90°.
The new console from the German manufacturer is able to handle 65,536 DMX channels or 128 universes! For this purpose, it is equipped with eight XLR5 connectors to control 4096 DMX channels, plus two RJ45 outputs: one for ArtNet and the other for JBNet. In addition to the two connectors for two optional gooseneck lamps, an incorporated LED strip is mounted above the entire width of both screens to illuminate the entire control surface.
JB Lighting Licon 2X
The software includes an extensive library of pre-configured fixtures, and accepts new libraries, which are easy to create. It also has an effects generator with preset patterns, chases and matrices for LEDs. It uses a graphic time line system for the timing of all the elements of a show. The console can be synchronized via MIDI, SMPTE or a sound input.
For programming, this new desk is equipped with 208 configurable, silent keys, plus five very precise parameter wheels, an intensity wheel and a speed wheel. As for playbacks, there are 24 configurable, dust-protected, motorized faders. There are also five knobs for direct access to DMX channels and four additional faders to which special functions can be assigned. Thanks to the use of a solid state drive and to the optimization of the software, the console will boot up in less than 20 seconds. At the hardware level, there is an HDMI output for the connection of an external display and six USB ports for the connection of, for example, a keyboard or a USB flash drive. The Licon 2X is also equipped with a WiFi access point that allows remote control via a smart phone, tablet or laptop using Android, Windows, Mac OSX or IOS operating systems.
Licon 2X is one of the big surprises of the Frankfurt show. With a preliminary price announced at around €10,000, it offers a very comprehensive feature set and an intuitive software, in a compact design that allows it to fit into any size of FoH position. The market for lighting consoles is booming with new, more efficient and well equipped products and JB Lighting is well positioned.
The newly available CosmoPix-R, a small motorized globe that emits 12 punchy beams, is implemented here in a show designed by the French lighting designer Stéphane Migné and programmed by Arnaud Pierrel, which demonstrates some novel effect ideas for structuring a performance space.
The CosmoPix-R doesn’t cease to astonish us. We had discovered it at Prolight + Sound in the new Ayrton product presentation show, designed by Laurent Chapot. He had then chosen to distribute 10 of these fixtures in his rig, suspended and deployed on the floor, to let the beams dance and breathe, thus animating the entire space of the stand. Here, Stéphane Migné opts for a different application. He has chosen to form a half-sphere with 16 hanging fixtures, which shows even more interesting and diverse creative possibilities.
“ Size is a problem almost everywhere when positioning powerful followspots, but Merlin’s size and built-in power supply require minimal space. Merlin’s good optics mean distances in excess of 100m are no problem. The operation is very simple – it includes all the features you could desire – and the production and processing are very clean. All in all, for me, Merlin belongs at the top of the followspots. ”
