Dear Reality releases latest monitoring plugin dearVR MIX to turn any professional studio headphones into an ideal stereo mixing environment with a compensation feature, supporting the 44 most used studio headphones and 3 virtual reference stereo mix rooms

– Plugin for headphone mixing suited for all professional studio headphones
– New Spatial Headphone Compensation feature, supporting the 44 most used professional studio headphones
– 3 virtual reference stereo mix rooms with 4 selectable loudspeaker positions
– 6 additional, non-studio listening environments

With dearVR MIX, immersive audio expert Dear Reality is bringing its iconic room virtualization to the stereo world. The dearVR MIX AAX/VST3/AU plugin turns any professional studio headphones into an ideal stereo mixing environment, placing the user in the sweet spot of carefully designed mix rooms – all through spatial audio technology.

Christian Sander, CEO of Dear Reality

With dearVR MIX and the built-in Spatial Headphone Compensation (SHC) feature, audio producers, artists and content creators can ensure that their stereo productions translate reliably to any sound system – regardless of production type or music genre.

Whether you’re in the studio or on the road, dearVR MIX lets you create outstanding sound experiences and assess positions, stereo width, reverb, and low-end frequencies with total reliability, anytime and anywhere.

“When developing dearVR MIX, it was all about creating ultimate virtual acoustic environments for headphone mixing,” says Christian Sander, CEO of Dear Reality. “All the experience we have gained in the field of spatial audio comes together in one stellar plugin. dearVR MIX puts this technology in the hands of everyone.”

One of the rooms where you can recognize Neumann virtual speakers and a number of settings to recreate your * ideal * studio. Be careful not to move them too much …

The plugin offers three world-class reference mix rooms with four selectable mono and stereo loudspeaker positions. Furthermore, each mix room can be adapted to the user’s taste by controlling the amount of diffusion and setting the perfect balance between overall coloration and localization based on the patented Clarity algorithm from Sennheiser AMBEO.

A choice of six emblematic and very different places where music could be played.

dearVR MIX also lets users easily and accurately monitor their production in six non-studio acoustic environments, such as a car or a club – all without leaving the workstation.
Together with dearVR MIX, Dear Reality is also introducing its Spatial Headphone Compensation (SHC) feature to all dearVR virtual monitoring plugins.

Some of the 44 headphones taking advantage of a specific preset.

The unique technology adapts the 44 most used professional studio headphones to the virtual mixing room, enabling a model-independent and stable simulation of a perfect acoustic environment.

“By carefully compensating for the sound characteristics of individual headphones, dearVR MIX ensures the best binaural playback experience with the highest degree of out-of-head localization,” explains Christian Sander.
Each model has been carefully optimized by Dear Reality and expert mastering engineers to create a target frequency curve that perfectly matches the room virtualization.

Dear Reality offers a free 14-day trial at www.dear-reality.com

And you can watch the dearVR MIX video:

The Brooklyn Mirage is an aptly named open-air live music venue located in the heart of New York City’s most populous borough. The unique sanctuary in the East Williamsburg area of Brooklyn recently reopened after a 15-month hiatus and now greets crowds of eager live music fans with a state-of-the-art IP-rated lighting package from Elation Professional.

The Brooklyn Mirage lies in the Avant Gardner complex, an 80,000 square foot site that occupies an entire city block. The vast complex includes an indoor space, The Great Hall, and an intimate club space called The King’s Hall, as well as the outdoor The Brooklyn Mirage. The outdoor music space in the midst of a large urban area is not only unique for New York City, it is a rarity along the entire U.S. East Coast.

Large, multi-tiered courtyard
Introduced in 2015 as a temporary party a few blocks away, Brooklyn Mirage opened in its permanent Avant Gardner location in 2017 and has been a success from the start. The large courtyard is surrounded by towering walls and is lined with palms and other foliage.
The cloistered yet immersive space is extraordinary, the perfect place to hold a party for up to 6000 guests. Multi-tiered, it includes a balcony that encircles the courtyard, as well as a fourth level overlook called The Crown. The venue hosts all types of events – corporate or private – but thrives as a bastion for electronic music lovers.

Creative outdoor lighting package
Head of production at Avant Gardner is Stephen Wyker, who verifies what many had expected after an extended absence of live music. “Not only are people back, they are back at 150%! Artists were ready to get back on the road and demand for tickets has been sky high.”
Wyker handles lighting design at The Brooklyn Mirage and says lighting wise the overall need was fairly simple. “We wanted a creative lighting package we could use outside and the only way to do that was to use IP65-rated fixtures. When we were looking for IP fixtures in 2019 there was really no other competition to the Proteus Hybrid. We had used 16 of them in 2019 along with 24 Paladins and had really good luck with them so we decided to go with even more this year.”

Elation IP package
The new Elation package, installed in May for their summer 3-month season, consists of 16 Proteus Hybrid moving heads, 18 Paladin LED wash/strobe/blinder, 60 Cuepix 16IP DTW matrix LED blinder and effect panels, 28 DTW Blinders™, and 12 SixPar 300 IP™ six-color PAR lights. Wyker worked closely with Elation rep firm The Healy Group on fixture choice for the venue with all units supplied by Gateway Productions of Newburyport, Massachusetts. The in-house team at Avant Gardner handled installation of the products.

Proteus Hybrid
The Brooklyn Mirage stage is 48-feet wide with an upstage truss and number of projection towers scattered about for AV gear. Eight Proteus Hybrids work from the towers with the remainder occupying the upstage truss together with Paladin units and the 60 Cuepix 16IP DTW. The rest of the Paladins are spread around the room as blinder/strobes.

“The Proteus are clearly reliable and we’ve not given up anything going with IP65 units,” Wyker comments. “They are punchy with great optics and have a great gobo package. They look great as well. We’ve really been happy with these fixtures.” Multifunctional as a spot, beam, or wash light and housing a host of design features, Wyker says it was the IP rating that was the major selling point.
“We’re a rain or shine venue so the show goes on even if we get a downpour. For our opening weekend, we brought in an additional 20 Proteus Hybrids for a huge grid of Proteus right on the stage and sure enough, it rained. Being able to have something we could continue to use was huge.”

Focal point
The 60 Cuepix DTW fixtures – 4×4 white-light matrix LED blinder and effect panels used for pixel mapping – create an eye-catching visual barrier on the upstage. “It’s a really cool piece that we designed as a focal point,” Wyker explains. “We’ve done some really nice eye candy looks and punchy blinder effects with those – it creates a lot of great dynamic looks and our operators love to create with them.”

Warmth and landscape lighting
The DTW 700 Blinders work from the projection towers to add additional warmth and dancefloor looks around the room. Wyker comments, “Our CEO, who is also our creative director, loves the warmth of analog light so he was aching to have the Cuepix and the blinders to add some warmth to the space. We had seen them at LDI and knew we wanted them.” In what the lighting designer calls a type of audition, the 12 SixPar 300 IP lights are used for landscape lighting to highlight the courtyard’s plants and floral, a touch that reflects the venue’s theme of regenerate.

A rig that gets a workout
With a public hungry for live entertainment, The Brooklyn Mirage has been busy hosting four shows a week throughout the summer. Considering doors open at 4 pm and the party usually goes until 4 am, the lighting rig gets a workout. Wyker says that offering guest LDs a reliable package was important.
“Part of our concern was how much push back we might get because we weren’t using one of the bigger manufacturers, but it never came. I think that really shows how much Elation has upped its game. The rig has been great not only because it works in a challenging environment but it offers what LDs want as well.”

Wyker sends kudos to The Healy Group, whose level of support he says has been key to a successful installation. “The support team at Healy Group has been amazing. They well exceeded my expectations. They’ve been able to meet any challenge and take care of any issues within days. That really sealed the deal for me, and our CEO, knowing that we could get a quick response when needed.”

For more information about Elation Professional and their range of products, you can visit www.elationlighting.com

Photo © Come Roll Media Limited

Malo Ma, a young and budding gaffer in Hong Kong, has selected ETC’s fos/4 fixtures to light several new video productions. With over a decade of research realized in these studio fixtures, the fos/4 series of luminaires are specifically dedicated to the studio and broadcast market.

Photo © Come Roll Media Limited

The fos/4 Panel was used in a recent music video production by the rising female Hong Kong singer Cheronna Ng. Malo leads the lighting of this video production. The music video portrays how the girl pulls herself together from failures and challenges.

A fos/4 Panel Daylight HDR (8” x 24”) is used in a few shots in this music video.
“The color is very natural. I like how the color-mixing with deep red LEDs makes the skin color tone and other scenes look real and delicate,” commented Malo Ma.

Photo © Come Roll Media Limited

“The lightning strikes effect is surprisingly real. It flashes naturally and makes the mood of the scenes better especially highlighting the complicated feeling in this song,” added Malo.

Due to his positive experience with the fos/4 Panel, Malo also added fos/4 Fresnel to his gear list when he was preparing for a fashion video production.

Here is the final result of the music video which specified ETC fos/4 Panel as part of the gear :

In this picture, Malo and his team were adjusting the color, angle, and brightness.

Photo © Come Roll Media Limited

“The brightness is good. And I like the intuitive and simple UI with the four backlit encoders, making it easy to change color and other settings quickly and accurately,” commented Malo.

Malo and his partners, Hero Pun, set up their own business, Come Roll Media Limited, in 2013 focusing on movie production and equipment rental.
The young entrepreneurs are professionals from the filming industry and now expanding their reach to TV commercials, music videos, events, post-production, and more.

Learn more about Come Roll Media Limited here

For more info about ETC, you can visit etcconnect.com

London’s The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama staged a production of the musical Spring Awakening recently, which saw lighting and video design students create, programme and operate the visual aspects using Hippotizer Amba Media Servers.

Central student Jack Fone took the helm in the pre-production process, alongside fellow Central students Adler Williams on animation and Simon Moss, who’s studying Production Lighting. The team created a striking set dominated by a huge crucifix stage back, flanked by projected images designed to augment the narrative.
The two Hippotizer Amba Media Servers were fed three live camera inputs, comprising two operated cameras back stage, and a locked off camera overhead. These fed four projectors, two for the header display and two for the back wall adjacent to the crucifix centre stage.

Hippotizer Amba Media Servers were fed three live camera inputs, which fed four projectors for the header display and two for the back wall © The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

“I’ve been blending video and lighting design as part of my course, as I realise the lines are blurring,” says Fone, who is in his final year at Central. “Spring Awakening was one of the first productions we staged after the pandemic, so everyone was excited to create a big ‘comeback’ musical, and we decided to integrate visuals as much as possible.
I’d had some experience of Hippotizer Media Servers before, but I was fairly new to the programming process. Thankfully, the simplicity and user-friendliness of the platform made learning an engaging and rewarding experience, enabling me to quickly understand the amazing capabilities of ZooKeeper and the SHAPE feature and establishing a great workflow.”

Fone masterminded some shoot days to capture pre-recorded content, which was edited and mixed with the live feeds during each performance. He used Hippotizer’s media management capabilities to handle all of the visuals, and a grandMA console to control everything, which he says “worked like a dream.”
Fone is taught by Central’s Light Design Course Leader Nick Moran, and had Jack Foxx as his professional mentor as well as the assistance of the Media Technical & Production team at Central, including Jay Mobbs-Beal who in more normal times is Head of Project Management at Universal Pixels Limited. He also called upon Green Hippo’s Suzy Stenning for support.

© The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

“Suzy’s involvement started last year, when she trained and then helped to supervise a team of students who were tasked with mapping content onto the outside of Central’s Swiss Cottage buildings,” says Moran. “She has remained a fantastic source of support and inspiration for the students, without which it would not have been possible for the video design to be so ambitious.
“The whole process of realising the video design was remarkably smooth, which speaks not only to Jack Fone’s deep research into the tech required to realise the design, but also to the generous support offered to Jack and his team by industry professionals, including Green Hippo staff.”
“This experience has cemented by desire to be a hybrid lighting and video designer,” Fone concludes. “The Hippo servers are powerful and allow me to create in a clear way. I can’t wait to use them on future productions.”

For more info about Green Hippo and their products, you can visit www.green-hippo.com

ArKaos, a real-time visual processing technology provider for live performance and all types of spectacular displays. They just released a significant features update for MediaMaster real-time video control software platform, MediaMaster 6.

This MediaMaster feature update not only provides a brand new, streamlined user interface, it also unlocks multiple dynamic new features and offers more performance, power, and speed*compared to previous versions – taking creativity and imagination to new levels, enabling users to produce the most spectacular high impact shows.

The brand-new Remote Player is one stand out feature – a cue-based programming tool especially designed for those working on long term and permanent installations and other fixed environment scenarios.

Remote Player is a network-based media player allowing the control of multiple servers from a single point on the network. A central programming hub can control cue lists that can be allocated to one or more separate MediaMaster entities in the network. The cue lists can be triggered manually or run via external triggers.

MediaMaster 6 expands the software control options. It brings compatibility with the popular Elgato Stream Deck AND adds two new DMX fixture profiles – Layer Extended 2.0 and Layer Full 2.0 – which can control up to 112 DMX parameters per layer, available with the MediaMaster Pro licence.
For full flexibility, MediaMaster 6 significantly increased the number of available layers. MediaMaster Express doubled from 12 to 24 layers while MediaMaster Pro provides 48 layers. Bringing even more power to MediaMaster’s layers, Single Layer Transitions add a vital new tool with massive potential, allowing crossfading between two visuals on a single layer.

On each layer the software also adds a second Effects Generator and a brand-new Mask Engine so a mask can be loaded directly. This greatly simplifies the programming of visual transitions and – again – boosts the speed and efficiency of the process.
In addition to a broad group of popular codecs, the software is expanded further to run the streamlined proprietary ArKaos patented SAGA codec, guaranteeing the best performance, maximum number of visual playbacks and ultimate visual quality with 10-bit definition per colour and an Alpha Channel.

Other advantages of SAGA include lower disc usage than with a standard HAP codec, also boosting the speed, with the ability to play clips backwards and accelerated CPU and GPU rendering. There is no chroma re-sampling, and the resolution size is unlimited.
Another important new feature includes compatibility with any HDR 10 / HLG screen, and with the specific HDR modes used by most major LED screens, which is the result of a collaboration with top processor manufacturers Brompton and Novastar to ensure a match with their products.

ArKaos has been ahead of the game in developing an engine for HDR 10 and HLR screens which enables the display of fuller colour ranges, greater depth, and more detailed, exquisite, and realistic images.
Upgrades are available from MediaMasters 4 and 5 to 6 as a one-time payment with guaranteed free updates for the next 12 months included. For those who simply must always have the newest and greatest features, a subscription is available covering all updates within a year.

For more info on Arkaos, you can visit www.arkaos.com

Schouwburg Kunstmin is a theatre and performing arts venue in the Dordrecht, the Netherlands, which has invested in Robe’s T1 Profile LED moving lights that meets with the demands and precision of theatre lighting at its core.
The sale delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor Controllux was just before the pandemic shut down the industry in March 2020, and with re-opening now on the horizon, the theatre is looking to add more T1s to the inventory to replace their aging 2Ks on the FOH bridge with an LED source.

Head of lighting Bart Meester and head of technical and facilities Martijn Lohuis were both involved in this latest Robe investment. Bart has been head of lighting at the venue for 15 years.
It followed another set of T1s, LEDWash 300+s and LEDBeam 150s purchased in 2019 for M3, a fully flexible ‘bare floor’ performance space just up the road at Energiehuis, a reimagined old power station building now dedicated to culture and the arts.

Left to right: Martijn Lohuis, Leon de Bruin, Bart Meester, Eric Verbeek and Controllux’s Kuno van Velzen.

This vibrant multiple hall, multi-purpose venue is used by several different promoters and organisations, and M3, its largest space, is programmed and run by the team from Schouwberg Kunstmin.
Separate to that, other halls and rooms in Energiehuis also contain various Robe fixtures that have been supplied over recent years by Controllux.

The current spectacular neo-renaissance style Kunstmin building dates to the 1930s when what is now the Main Hall was added and it is now a designated national heritage-protected ‘monument’. It has seen several renovations over the years, the latest in 2012-14 which saw a substantial reworking and enlargement of the production and backstage facilities.

Normally Kunstmin, run by an independent foundation and subsidised by the City of Dordrecht, will showcase a diversity of performances and shows, from bands with their own productions to dance and drama shows which are often lit by the in-house. They also host parties, conferences, and corporate events for which the team will usually supply the production kit as well as all the technical creative skills.

They did have some older moving lights there before the eight Robe T1 Profiles and some LEDBeam 150s arrived in 2019, but these needed replacing with something more modern and carbon-conscious, so they looked at several options.

Bart and the crew were using Robe products regularly in M3. Before that venue’s 2019 upgrade, these were LEDWash 300s and 600E Spots which are still there and going strong – now supported by newer fixtures in the form of LEDWash 300+s.
They were also seeing various Robe products increasingly regularly at the Kunstmin with touring productions, so much so that they wanted to buy their own!

The T1 Profiles were chosen primarily for the range of colours including whites plus the “excellent colour mixing and shutter system,” commented Erik, while Bart added that the zoom was another major factor, as it was with the LEDBeam 150 FWs (Fresnel Wash) that were ordered at the same time. The zoom dramatically increases the versatility of the LEDBeam 150 offering very smooth coverage with even edges and superior colour homogenization.
The price of the LEDBeam 150 FWs was also very attractive, so 16 of these joined the eight T1 Profiles for the 752-seater Kunstmin Main Hall. Having these new moving lights in the house has already facilitated faster build and more efficient tech periods, which combined with the better quality of light, has resulted in a visible improvement in the way productions can be lit.

Lighting control for both Kunstmin and M3 at Energiehuis is via GrandMA3 consoles.
Bart and Martijn also mention that Robe cross rentals – should they need to boost the numbers for a show – are easy as there is a lot of Robe in rental stock circulation throughout the Netherlands thanks to the hard work and tenacity of Controllux!

Since the pandemic, Both Kunstmin and M3 have been active in hosting livestream concerts, broadcasts and some other TV and video shoot variants.
Looking ahead, there are some encouraging signs coming from the Dutch government and market about reopening live entertainment with theatres and events returning, so Kunstmin is hoping that it will be operating a full season from September.

For more info about Robe lighting and their products line, you can visit www.robe.cz

© Carlos Garralaga

As a child, Dutchman Albert Diks fell in love with the old castles and palaces of Catalonia while on holiday in Spain – today he is the lord of the castle himself. In 2001, Diks opened the 4-star hotel “Castell d’Emporda” in an old 14th-century castle along the Costa Brava, which with its mixture of medieval stone buildings, modern spa and lounge flair and a breathtaking hillside location became the perfect retreat.

© Carlos Garralaga

20 years after the opening, the owners decided to update the sound system for the hotel’s extensive terraces and outdoor areas to the latest state of the art. A tailor-made task for the LD Systems DQOR and MAUI i1 installation loudspeakers.

LD DQOR_series

The Castell d’Emporda’s outdoor areas, arranged on several levels, include a pool, a restaurant, a lounge area and a multi-purpose area for parties and other occasions. The brief was to create an independent, individually controllable sound reinforcement zone for each of the four areas – each perfectly matched to the surroundings and also suitable for outdoor use.

The rental service provider Kamal Productions & Events was responsible for the project, and Elecson Sonido Profesional was the subcontractor for the on-site installation.

LD MAUI i1

Elecson had only recently carried out a comparable installation on the island of Formentera and had already had the best experiences with LD Systems loudspeakers of the DQOR and MAUI i1 series there – so Francisco Perez and his team didn’t have to think twice about which systems would also cut a good figure in the Castell d’Emporda:

“LD Systems products are perfect for this kind of outdoor installation. With the combination of DQOR and MAUI i1, we created four sound reinforcement zones, each of which generates its own sound atmosphere tailored to the requirements of the environment. The integration went without a hitch.”

In total, Elecson installed 24 DQOR 5 T B 5” 2-way speakers, 10 MAUI i1 column speakers and 10 SUB 88 2 x 8″ subwoofers. One ZONE X 1208 DSP matrix serves as the control centre for the four zones, each controlled by a DSP 45 K 4-channel DSP power amplifier and an MDi8-6K 8-channel amplifier.

For Kamal Sukhwani, Managing Director of Kamal Productions & Events, it was the first project with LD Systems – but certainly not the last: “The combination of product and sound quality, design and fast availability more than convinced us.”
According to Kamal, the hotel staff is also enthusiastic about the easy operation of the sound system via the touchscreen controllers with specially programmed user interface.
“Anyone can control the individual zones or the entire system without prior instruction. This is extremely practical and user-friendly and contributes greatly to the special vibe at Castell d’Emporda.”

© Carlos Garralaga

Further information:

hotelcastellemporda.com
kamal.es
elecson.es
ld-systems.com
adamhall.com

Partech Lighting recently completed an installation package of 12 High End Systems SolaSpot 3000 luminaires in the Andrew Brady ICON Music Center, a new music venue on Cincinnati’s riverfront. The state-of-the-art venue features one main floor and two balcony levels overlooking the inside stage.

Based in Cincinnati since 1988 , Partech’s focus is entertainment lighting production as well as LED video walls, media servers, and related services. Their history with High End Systems goes back 30 years with use of products such as Intellabeam, Studio Spot and Studio Color, Cyberlight, and DL2s. They’ve also enjoyed a long and successful relationship with their client MEMI Music & Event Management Inc., supplying services for multiple venues throughout the Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio areas.

SolaSpot 3000

Partech developed a system specification for The Andrew Brady ICON Music Center that they felt would be widely acceptable to most visiting LDs, while also working within a rough budget outline.
Partech’s Dave Groh comments, “Naturally, throughout the process, budgetary restraints affected some of our recommendations and substitutions were agreed upon. The SolaSpot 3000s were the one item that we felt strongly needed to remain in the specification to fulfill those original requirements.”

“We needed a profile fixture that was bright and had a good feature set. It also needed to be a LED source, satisfy any LDs coming into the facility, and most important be from a reputable manufacturer with an outstanding, accessible service network. As one of the major component workhorses of the system, and with reliability and support being crucial, the choice was clear; High End Systems and the SolaSpot 3000 easily met that criteria.”

I.A.T.S.E. Local 5 handled the installation with assistance from Partech. The entire system was built, labeled, tested and documentation created for the client prior to install.
The install called for a dozen SolaSpot 3000; six are hung on an upstage electric/ truss and the other six on a midstage electric /truss. Groh says that additional HES fixture purchases are forthcoming as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic.

Other ETC equipment was installed throughout the facility by another integrator and designer contracted by the general contractor; Partech also supplied an ETC Ion XE 20 12k at the client’s request. The first show to play the venue was KEM with LD Donald Koleber.

Groh emphasizes, “We had really great communication and support – top notch as usual – and what we expected from High End Systems. Paul Hancock was instrumental in obtaining the latest updated fixture personality file for the SolaSpot 3000 and for Donald Koleber’s Hog 4 console.”

For more info about ETC and their products line, you can visit the ETC Connect website

Moving and LED lighting manufacturer Robe enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of industry professionals reconnecting in person at the 2021 PLASA trade expo in London Olympia last week, which was the UK’s first such entertainment technology ‘post’ pandemic event.
This year PLASA was staged in conjunction with the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians).

Robe took the opportunity to showcase a raft of recently launched products, also returning to the show as the headline sponsor as in previous years. This underlined the brand’s confidence in the UK market moving forward and ramping up generally, and in PLASA as a strategic point of convergence for key players.

The striking and stylish Robe booth had a high visual impact and reflected the mood of the moment.
A large meeting area out front and a substantial demo area ‘back-of-house’ proved a streamlined hub for meeting, networking, and in-depth product-related discussions and demonstrations.
A timecoded lightshow utilising the newest products was based on a mixtape of epic West End production numbers.

There was a heavy emphasis on the previewed T11 Profile fixture and the recently launched T2 Profile and Fresnel luminaires, all optimised and finessed for the demands of theatre and performance applications including silent operation and outstanding colour mixing.
The T11 made an instant impression – and generated intrigue and excitement, being a preview product – its look and features resonating with people watching the lightshow. T11 will be a valuable addition to Robe’s growing theatrical LED ranges.

Other products attracting intense interest included the new CUETE moving light, a fantastic, highly affordable entry-level moving light, perfect for clubs, bars, and event companies representing outstanding value for money and ROI.

The ProMotion – moving head effects and video projector – was another new product receiving attention, complete with digital gobos, graphic effects, etc., perfect for retail and any live event scenario needing custom or special visuals.

Products like Forte and Esprite highlighted Robe’s unique and patented Transferable Engine (TE) LED technology, a hugely flexible concept offering the option of having different and interchangeable LED engines – high powered, high CRI, ‘tungsten’, etc., – in the same fixture hardware, which can be quickly changed / ‘transferred’ in 5 to 7 minutes.
TE brings yet more positive value to all areas of professional and entertainment lighting, from rental companies to installers.

Both areas of the Robe booth plus the section occupied by architectural brand Anolis were constantly busy throughout all three days with quality visitors. A diverse cross section rocked up to the booth to see the products and say hello in person after months of lockdowns, from lighting designers and directors to rental companies, freelancers, and other interested parties, representing multiple sectors, from cruise ships to theatres, venues, and touring.

Theresa Gibson, head of marketing at Robe UK commented, “Robe’s commitment to the show as headline sponsor was equalled by PLASA’s delivery of a great event that helped in uniting the industry under one roof in challenging circumstances.
“People and relationships are the lifeblood of our industry and what makes it so very special. PLASA and the ABTT gave us the opportunity to showcase our new fixtures and engage in meaningful conversations in a return to some form of normality and demonstrated that the industry is back with a vengeance! It was just the tonic everyone needed!”

For more info about Robe lighting you can visit www.robe.cz

Lighting designer, Tim Lutkin, employed two Robert Juliat SpotMe systems in their first double use at the National Theatre on this summer’s hugely successful production of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood.

SpotMe is a unique performer tracking system that uses the skills of a followspot operator to determine positional data which can then be used to control any number of lighting fixtures in the rig, giving it a distinct aesthetic advancement over wholly automated tracking systems. Lutkin, who has extensive experience of automated tracking systems – but none with a real person behind the light – was curious to explore the features of SpotMe. The result was a lighting design full of sculptural subtlety and creativity that went far beyond traditional tracking.

photo Johan Persson

Jack Champion, National Theatre’s lighting supervisor for Under Milk Wood, explains: “Tim used SpotMe in a different style, hardly using the actual light output from the front followspots, but using instead the positional data generated by SpotMe to control the moving lights to follow the actors. He assigned one SpotMe system to lead actor Michael Sheen and the other SpotMe to cover the rest of the cast, and could use SpotMe to cherry pick the lights he needed at any certain moment, picking the actors up and ‘releasing’ them when he wished.

This way he could, for example, follow an actor to a position with moving lights, then instead of fading off that set of lights to pick up someone else, he could remove just some of those moving lights from SpotMe control to leave them covering the stationary actor, then assign different lights to SpotMe with which to pick up another actor.
It was clever, and a subtle and sophisticated way of using SpotMe that was much more fluid and organic, especially with the followspot operator being in control of the movement. It felt very smooth and theatrical and much more in keeping with the nature of the play.”

“SpotMe brilliantly re-creates the finesse, beauty and accuracy of real human follow spotting in your moving light rig,” says Lutkin. “The ability to grab a group of fixtures from anywhere in the lighting rig and then for them to accurately follow the actor in the space without the complications of wearing tags etc truly takes your design to the next level.
“The real magic of tracking is when it is used to subtly enhance a design and not just replace front of house follow spotting.”

Dan Murfin, National Theatre’s lighting controls manager agrees: “As a general rule, although actors move around a performance space organically, lighting is very cue based and we rely on effects and clever fades to build dynamism. We may program fades to take people from one position to another, but effectively we are still moving from one lighting state to another.
You never really ‘follow’ the actors and a lot of tech time is required to tweak the position and timing of the lights to achieve that effect. But SpotMe can do this instantaneously and in real time. It almost becomes a cueing tool with which to build the scene, creating dynamic lighting in conjunction with the movement of the followspots so you are not simply moving from one lighting state to another.

SpotMe 3D tracking system installed on a Cyrano tracker.

“I think one of the strongest points for SpotMe is the fact you have a human controlling the lights. Everything that a fully automated followspot system requires – switching into fast mode for rapid movement, dealing with overshoot, the latency when you have to use heavy prediction – is not necessary with SpotMe because the anticipation required is a natural extension of the followspot operator’s skill.
“Plus you are no longer restricted by number of followspots you have – now you can utilise the whole rig and even include video and other mediums. This type of lighting is very exciting and it’s an interesting creative area that is fairly new to this industry.”

SpotMe is much more than just a tracking tool, allowing full control over a fixture’s parameters. “Set up and calibration (which only needs to be done once) is the most time consuming part of the process,” says Murfin, “but once the markers are in place and the lights are calibrated the programming is straight forward. Fine tuning of the fixture parameters can all be done via SpotMe.

You can, for example, track the zoom to reduce as a performer moves upstage, keep the same sharpness of beam, increase or decrease intensity of the beam to maintain a relative brightness as the actor moves closer or further from the light source, which is especially valuable for filming/televising. Once you know where a person is, you can do a lot more than just point the light at them. You simply attribute the same parameters as you would for any light, send it to SpotMe and let the technology do the rest. This makes SpotMe very useable for a lighting designer within the standard process of programming.”

Photo Johan Persson

SpotMe has other, logistical advantages in addition to the design benefits as National Theatre’s lighting resources manager, Paul Hornsby, is keen to point out. “With our varied programme we have to be flexible. Followspot positions can change when we switch between in-the-round and straight-on configurations or with each show; followspot operators may be required to move between FOH bridge positions and rear-of-house spot box which calls for two sets of spot ops. Bridge positions can be uncomfortable and require the operators to be in position long before and after a performance.

Riggers and operators must wear harnesses, and we have to be careful where and how tech such as cue lists, etc are placed. All of this carries Health & Safety issues and involves a lot of risk assessment. With SpotMe we can put the operators in the FOH spot box from where they can control the moving lights on the bridge as followspots, without having to be physically in that position.
We can assign any fixture to work with SpotMe, so we can reach anyone in any position on the stage and control all the lights from the normal followspot position. It’s a much more enjoyable and safer experience. With Robert Juliat followspots and skilled operators already at our disposal, it was a logical step to invest in SpotMe.”

The SpotMe systems were supplied to the National Theatre by Ambersphere Solutions, Robert Juliat’s exclusive UK distributor.

Under Milk Wood ran from 16 June to 24 July 2021to high critical acclaim.

More information on :

– The Robert Juliat website
– The National Theatre website
– The Ambersphere Solutions website

Since June 26, visitors of the Futuroscope park can admire La Clé des Songes (The Key to Dreams), a new night show presented in the park’s water theater. Designed by ECA2, the show provides the public with a dreamlike journey relying on video-projection, lasers, flames, and water jets. The immersive show is based on 10 x video-projectors, and 3 x Modulo Kinetic media servers by Modulo Pi.

The Key to Dreams is the result of a year and a half collaboration between the Futuroscope park and ECA2, a world leader in the design and production of immersive multimedia spectaculars. Established in the park’s outdoor water theater, the show offers a multi-sensory experience where animated movie and multimedia blends.

Committed to upgrade the attractions and shows offered to its 2 million visitors every year, the Futuroscope ordered a new spectacular to ECA2 to replace the show previously played in the water theater. Teams of ECA2 had to reclaim the venue and imagine a new show using the equipment already installed. In response to this challenge, ECA2 designed a new scenography around the vortex structure, a preexisting element of 28 tons whose 157 facets form a 270 sqm projection surface.

The Modulo Kinetic media servers installed in one of the control rooms of The Key to Dreams.

To magnify the vortex lit up by 5 x Christie LX1500 video-projectors, ECA2 decided to add the Modulo Kinetic media server solution to the equipment already installed. Thus, 1 x Modulo Kinetic Designer workstation was added to the control room, as well as 2 x Kinetic V-Node servers, each equipped with 6 outputs.

Projection study was made in Modulo Kinetic using the dedicated tools available in the software. Thanks to its virtual camera system and 3D calibration of projectors, the media server allowed creating a 3D mapping on the vortex, resulting in an animated fresco with varied atmospheres throughout the show.

In addition to this 270 sqm mapping, the show includes 950 sqm of projection on water screens, and 450 sqm of projection on a net suspended 35m high. These projections are based on 5 x Barco projectors from 18,000 to 44,000 lumens, as well as Modulo Kinetic for the 3D mapping and media playback.
Furthermore, Modulo Kinetic’s LED mapping function allows controlling a constellation of +300 lights spread across the water’s surface. Synced with timecode, the 25-minute show is played twice every night in front of a grandstand of 5,000 seats.

The Key to Dreams – Credits: Futuroscope/ECA2/Julien Panié

In addition, the Futuroscope park uses the Modulo Player media servers by Modulo Pi on several other attractions, including The Time Machine (Awarded at the European Star Awards 2014, and at the Thea Awards 2015) and The Extraordinary Journey (Top European Attraction, Parksmania Awards 2017).

For more information about

– Modulo Pi and their products line
– Show design and media server encoding
– Audiovisual integration

Over time, the Jack Singer Concert Hall (JSCH) has undergone many upgrades to ensure it remains a state-of-the-art performance venue, including a complete overhaul and replacement of its seating and house lighting in 2017.
Most recently, that process required a comprehensive retooling of its audio infrastructure that included an upgrade to the hall’s existing DiGiCo console and the purchase of a new DiGiCo Quantum 338.

While much has changed in recent years, the venue’s ongoing reliance on DiGiCo consoles at JSCH and throughout the Arts Commons complex’s other venues, has not.
Jack Jamieson, Head Sound Technician at JSCH explains, “I’ve been using DiGiCo since 2012. We started with a compact version of the DiGiCo SD8 in 2012 and we were so impressed with its reliability and flexibility that, in 2014, we upgraded from analogue consoles to DiGiCo digital consoles throughout the rest of the facility.”

One of Calgary, Alberta’s premier and most versatile live performance venues, JSCH is home to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Arts Commons Presents’ BD&P World Music, and TD Jazz. It’s a very versatile venue, hosting events ranging from TED talks to comedy shows and full-on rock concerts.

“There’s an interesting dichotomy in this room in terms of the artists that play here and the audiences that attend shows,” Jamieson notes. “We have a symphony audience who want a very nuanced, quiet sound system that allows us to fold the amplified sound into the acoustic sound. And then there’s another demographic, coming to see rock and pop shows, and their expectation is an extreme amount of level.”

The Quantum338.

Given the wide range of programming, for the 2020 replacement of JSCH’s audio system, added the Quantum 338 console for monitors, two DiGiCo 32bit I/O SD-racks, and upgraded their pre-existing FOH SD5 to include Quantum functionality.

When the latest project began in Spring 2019, future-proofing was a primary driver for the choice of equipment across the board, and in JSCH’s ongoing reliance on DiGiCo. Beyond sound quality and flexibility, Jamieson says: “One of the biggest selling points for DiGiCo is that there are upgrades available as their new technology comes out – more and better mic pres, I/O, and additional capability with Waves. So, you don’t have to sell your old console and buy a new one. With DiGiCo, you just move on to the next step in their product line.”

As for the Quantum upgrades, “One of the main advantages is nodal processing, which allows you to – on any given channel or auxiliary – add an extra layer of compression and EQ just on that one channel. So, where many people might use parallel channels (one being FOH, and the other being the monitor channel), Quantum lets you do that on one channel;
you can peel off your auxiliary on a per-channel basis directly after the preamp and before you’ve done anything from FOH, after the FOH dynamics, or wherever you want. Then you can apply your preference, or a musician’s preference for monitors, on that particular channel for that particular mix.”

Jack Jamieson

Additionally, Jamieson says, “Because the logic works the same across Arts Commons, operators can work in any of the rooms, on any of the consoles and find their way around easily and quickly once they have DiGiCo’s architecture down. So, for example, our original SD8 can still talk to everything from a vintage MADI rack to a product we bought, say, last week.”
Translating an older system file to a newer system file can be complex, he admits: “It requires somebody who understands the architecture of the system, but that architecture is also incredibly flexible.

” Beyond that, given Jamieson and JSCH’s lengthy association with DiGiCo, and the fact the brand is so rider-friendly, chances are those coming in to mix are familiar with the workflow, or, if not, can enlist the venue’s engineers to sort out any issues in short order. “We have this vast array of consoles, but as DiGiCo has made improvements and reacted to what users have asked for in terms of the software and the logic, it all works the same regardless of which console you’re on.”
That redundancy is expanded owing to the fact JSCH has a full Waves package for both its upgraded FOH SD5 and the SD10, which can both be used for mixing and multi-track recording for live streaming. “So, everything is a replacement for everything else.”

The venue’s four SD Racks and one SD Nano Rack provide additional flexibility. “In terms of I/O at FOH there is a two-slot rack that can house any two cards. So, it could be 16 inputs, although in our case it’s eight analogue inputs and eight analogue outputs. But it could be whatever you want it to be, and that’s changeable on the fly; you just power the rack down pull out the card and put a new card in, power up again, and the cards are immediately recognised.”
In the end, they’re exceptionally happy with the result, Jamieson says, adding that incoming artists and engineers expect to be dealing with industry-standard technology in a venue of this stature and size, and DiGiCo delivers that and then some. “So, when an engineer comes in and says, ‘I’d like to do that,’ or ‘I like this type of workflow,’ in a few minutes I can have the console architecture operating the way they want it so they can just focus on mixing.”

Beyond the benefits offered by DiGiCo products in and of themselves, JSCH also relies heavily on the expertise and support of the brand’s Canadian distributor, GerrAudio, and has for many years, says Brian Beaulieu, Associate Director, Venue Operations for Arts Commons. “Gerr was involved in the installation of our previous sound system 14 years ago and their support since then has been unparalleled. They’ve been with us every step of the way – from design through to final tuning – supporting our needs at a level that can’t be matched throughout the industry.”

Ultimately, Jamieson explains, GerrAudio and Jack Singer Concert Hall’s priorities are the same: “It’s all about the live show. When I call about a repair, return, or replacement, the first thing they ask is when the next event is. I’ve had turnaround from them in thirty-six hours, and they’re in Brockville, Ontario and I’m in Calgary, Alberta. When I was dealing with other suppliers, and discussing quotes for this project, I said, ‘Here’s the deal. With GerrAudio I regularly see a 72-hour turnaround. I’ve never had to wait two weeks for anything show critical. Can you match that?” Invariably, the answer was no.

More on the Digico website

The highly anticipated The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, San Diego Symphony’s premier new venue perched beautifully on the edge of San Diego Bay, is set to open with a state-of-the-art LED lighting system from Elation Professional.

Courtesy of San Diego Symphony

The captivating architectural construction by lead architect Greg Mueller of architecture firm Tucker Sadler, a work of art in itself and the centerpiece of a newly upgraded public park, will highlight the city’s world-class orchestra while hosting a variety of musical acts.

Designed to be one of the most acoustically superior outdoor concert venues in the U.S., The Rady Shell boasts a first-class lighting system to match supplied by systems integration, sales and production firm JRLX, Inc. out of Chicago.
JRLX provided lighting fixture specification, consultation, and application support for The Rady Shell lighting fixture package and installation. AV solutions company Solotech handled the lighting infrastructure, data distribution, audio and video.

© Jason Rothberg

Simple symmetry

Lighting design is by Jason Rothberg, who has served as Technical Director at the San Diego Symphony since February 2020 after working for more than 20 years as a touring designer/director. Acclaimed theatrical consultants Schuler Shook originally completed the initial design for The Rady Shell months prior to Rothberg’s onboarding.
As the needs of the venue were further defined and modified, Rothberg worked with Schuler Shook and JRLX to assemble a revised specification and multipurpose lighting system.

© Jason Rothberg

“As a touring LD and having worked in many venues over my years on the road, I knew we wanted the design to be very tour friendly, rider friendly and LD friendly,” Rothberg states.

“That was the idea behind the design. A super simple, clean, symmetrical design that uses only a few fixture types, something anyone could come in and clone from to make any kind of show happen.”

No ordinary lighting system

Rothberg consulted with Jason Reberski, CEO at JRLX, for hours to hash out the details of the lighting package. “It became apparent in talking with Jason early on that this was no ordinary lighting system,” Reberski comments. “The demands placed on it would be tremendous; throw distances of 300+ feet, overcoming daylight, the need to be flexible and capable of achieving many different aesthetics, and all while needing to be 100% IP65 rated. We worked closely with Elation and Jason to aid in specifying a package to achieve these goals.”

IP options

While ease of use for lighting pros who come into the venue was essential, the rig had to work best for the venue’s resident symphony orchestra, which meant lots of top down white light. With trim heights ranging from 25-40 feet, they needed a fixture that could get wide enough at the lower trims but then stay bright enough from the higher positions. Moreover, sitting right on the ocean, moisture, dew, and worst of all salt-air, were problems to contend with.

© Jason Rothberg

“We wanted to avoid ugly-looking enclosures so we needed the rig to be fully IP-rated,” Rothberg says, adding that they tested many possibilities. “There were already 12 Proteus Maximus on that original spec when I came onto the project, for the towers out on the lawn, but I didn’t know anything about them. As I looked into them, and then the rest of Elation’s IP-rated line, I discovered they had all the options we needed Leko, moving wash, static wash, and profiles.”

The original spec listed a wash, a profile and a spot fixture but Rothberg found the Maximus could do it all in one fixture. “I went from three fixture types to one fixture type that could do the same thing and then some. Plus it gave me a purer white, was brighter and had CMY!” A shootout with other fixtures proved the deciding factor. “As soon as we turned it on we knew that was it. The Maximus was so much brighter and had everything we needed, plus a nice gobo selection to boot. It was really the only option.”

Concert shell and towers

The Rady Shell has a capacity of up to 10,000 with terraced seating that guarantees excellent views from every seat. The 13,000-square-foot concert stage is covered by a canopy of concentric, oval rings with an inner liner (effectively a scrim ceiling) slit five times to expose catwalks. Here, 37 Proteus Maximus hang from five overhead electrics while 12 units work from six towers (2 per tower) that range from 120 to 320 feet from the stage.

“Even in red and from 320 ft. away the Maximus is insanely bright hitting the stage,” says Rothberg. “We originally thought we’d use them as followspots from the lighting towers but found that the first catwalk position is the perfect angle. We get a tight beam with virtually no light spill from that position.”
The six towers surrounding the venue also house 36 compact Paladin Cube RGBW floodlights, 6 fixtures per tower, that set the towers aglow from within. It’s an eye-catching sight that adds to the immersive feel and amplifies the overall beauty of the space.

Flexible Elation rig

© Jenna Selby

Joining the Maximus fixtures on all five overhead electrics are 34 IP65-rated Proteus Rayzor 760 wash and specialty effect lights. “We use them as washlights or eye-candy pixel effects and can access the SparkLED technology for sparkle effects for a special look,” Rothberg explains. “Their position in the rig, following the curve of the roof, they look great.”

Paladin Panels, outdoor floodlights with 50 15-watt RGBW cells, work from electrics 2-5 for toplight washes for the orchestra while doubling as strobe lights for other shows. “One aspect that I’m particularly happy with is the use of Elation Paladin Panels as symphony top-light with custom City Theatrical egg crate louvers,” states Reberski.

“We designed the accessories to both reduce glare and also accommodate an internal filter media frame to accept holographic diffusion so that as the fixture trim height changes we are able to achieve a homogenous stage wash. When Jason mixes a CTO, it looks just like a traditional tungsten top light system.” Additional Paladin Panel fixtures work from all six towers.

© Jason Rothberg

Providing front light from the first three catwalks, as well as the first two towers, are WW Profile HP IP, high power LED ellipsoidals. Ten fixtures on the towers are equipped with 5-degree lenses while 32 stage fixtures use 19-degree or 26-degree lenses. Finally, 9 DTW Blinder 350 IP variable white LED 2-lite blinders work from the downstage electric.
Not only can the rig cover a wide range of musical genres no matter who graces its stage, the lighting system is all LED, meaning the venue is saving on power, maintenance, and expendable costs like bulbs versus a traditional rig of halogen fixtures.

High standards

Rothberg acknowledges there were challenges to overcome along the way, for example lighting angles that required custom self-leveling hangers. The Covid downtime gave them ample time to find solutions however, ultimately producing a system consistent with the high artistic and functional standards of The Rady Shell.
“I’m super happy with the way everything has worked out,” Rothberg concludes. “Going with Elation, we were able to double the fixture count while maintaining the quality, performance and brightness. It’s a rig the Symphony will benefit from for years to come.”

The San Diego Symphony now performs at two venues, Copley Symphony Hall in downtown San Diego and The Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park. The Symphony’s opening weekend at The Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park is scheduled for Aug. 6-8 with an inaugural season of concerts running through Nov. 14 featuring musical talent such as Smokey Robinson, Yo-Yo Ma, Brian Wilson, the Symphony’s Music Director Rafael Payare and many others.

© Jason Rothberg

Elation gear:

55 x Proteus Maximus
36 x Proteus Rayzor 760
48 x Paladin Panel
40 x Paladin Cube
11 x WW Profile HP IP (5 degree)
33 x WW Profile HP IP (19 degree)
16 x WW Profile HP IP (26 degree)
9 x DTW Blinder 350 IP

And more information on the Elation website

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Martin Audio has recently promoted from within Phil Anthony to Associate Director of Design and Ambrose Thompson to Research Director. Together they will lead the R&D department and have over 35 years of experience within Martin Audio.

Phil Anthony and on the right, Ambrose Thompson.

Phil Anthony commented, “It’s a great responsibility to continue the legacy of Martin Audio products and one that I relish and look forward to. We have made great strides in recent years in the number of products we have brought to market and I’m confident that by investing in new tools, developing improved processes and pro-active communication across departments, that Ambrose and I will bring genuine customer value with our product roadmap.”

Ambrose Thompson added, “I’m looking forward to helping drive a more even balance between technical, design and marketing strands of the company into all our products.
On the software front, the aim continues to be removing tedious manual operations from our users’ workflows by making better tools. Equally, with Martin Audio inside the Focusrite group, there is a proactive outlook where real investment in future development success seems possible.”

Dom Harter, managing director, summed up, “Between them, Phil and Ambrose have over 35 years of experience within Martin Audio, so not only is the R&D department in safe hands, it’s a recognition of their success and commitment to the company in that time.
We have a truly exciting three-year roadmap ahead, covering both software and product hardware, and I couldn’t be more delighted that they will lead us to new heights in offering world class solutions for our customers.”

For more information on the Martin Audio website