In order to meet the demand of the installed sound systems market, Electro-Voice offers a series of specific products under the name “EV-Innovation”. Within this series, four different formats can fulfil almost all the needs of consultants, installers and system integrators. The speaker we tested is part of the EVU line, where U stands for ‘Ultracompact’, and it is designed specifically to respond to the problem of supplemental sound reinforcement.
Design
EVU-1082 is an enclosure designed to be used as a fill speaker, wherever you need sound reinforcement to fill in the gaps in the main sound system’s coverage. The trapezoidal shape and the asymmetric profile of the cabinet are meant to minimize the protrusion from the wall, the bottom of a balcony or the edge of the stage that needs to host it.
The rear panel connection. The Euro block connector clearly identifies its application: Installation. Optionally, this panel can use a Speakon NL4.
The model name 1082/95 indicates that it is a two-way system, with a single 8” HP woofer (1082) and a 90° x 50° waveguide (/95) – there are also 1062 and 2062 models, a two-way with dual 6” woofers and a two-way with dual 8” woofers, respectively. All of these feature the same tweeter (1,3” diaphragm) coupled with a rotating, constant-directivity horn.
In order to ease installation, the provided universal support allows you to position the speaker horizontally and to aim it precisely in elevation and azimuth. The enclosure can also be positioned vertically. For this purpose, four integrated metal M8 threaded points on the front can be coupled with an OMNIMOUNT™ support. The 9-ply, hardwood plywood cabinet is finished with a textured paint giving a water-drop effect. The transducers are concealed by an acoustically transparent cloth behind a nice, perforated grille. More than anything, design-wise this little enclosure aims at going unnoticed, so much that, to fit in with the surrounding environment, it can be customized either with an anthracite black or an ivory finish.
The front panel without the grille.
By the lack of handles or pole-mounting flange, but also by the presence of the very specific Euroblock connector, we know we are dealing here with an installation enclosure, no doubt about it. Though minimalist, the connection panel informs us of the essential features. In particular, it is a two-way model with 175 W power handling and 8 ohm impedance, the dispersion angles are 90° x 50° and the M8 inserts should never be used to suspend more than one unit at a time.
As the law requires, it also notifies that, though Electro-Voice conceived and designed the project in the land of Uncle Sam, the manufacture was carried out in the middle Kingdom, in other words, the People’s Republic of China.
Finally, to facilitate a 70 V or 100 V constant voltage distribution line, an optional EVU-TK60 transformer can be fitted to the back of the box in place of the existing panel.
Once the grille is removed, the front reveals the constant directivity horn and the little eight-inch woofer mounted in direct radiation. No bass reflex loading for the latter transducer, whose primary purpose is not low-end efficiency.
The transducers
LF
The traditional 8
The ICT-8 woofer was designed with the help of FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling software to refine its dynamic behavior. According to Electro-Voice, this method optimizes both sensitivity and intelligibility in the spectral band of the voice. This did not, however, hamper the creation of a classic design. Let’s take a look: a ferrite magnet with a centralized ventilation shaft, a rigid paper cone, a stamped metal basket, and a spider suspension device in half roll of coated fabric… technological solutions that mostly date from the very genesis of the electrodynamic loudspeaker. Yet this little massive and powerful woofer, despite its old technology, displays good performance from a modern standpoint, especially with a maximum half-space SPL of about 123 dB.
HF
The HF driver mounted on the 90° x50° CD horn.
The small high-frequency driver also uses a relatively large ferrite magnet. Its 35 mm titanium diaphragm is coupled with a one inch throat. The concentric rings of the phase plug open into the horn. While at the front of the motor assembly, a fine wire mesh prevents dust from entering the horn and travelling back towards the air gap. At the rear, a thick acoustic foam inserted in the front casing is responsible for damping the resonant modes of the membrane. Finally, the 90 ° x 50 ° constant directivity horn can be adapted to the topology of the audience and the orientation of the enclosure by simply rotating it 90°.
Filtering
The relatively sophisticated electronics use two separate printed circuits. One serves the woofer and provides a simple 3rd order low-pass filter. The other, more important, is for the tweeter and implements the 3 rd order high-pass filter, the equalization circuit charged to linearize the frequency response in the vocal range and finally, a limiting system to protect against thermal overload.
The crossover frequency of the filter network is set at 2.3 kHz.
The high-pass filter with EQ and limiting circuits of the tweeter.The low-pass filter for the woofer (3rd order).
Measurements
Impedance
The impedance curve is typical of a sealed, two-way enclosure. The peak at 100 Hz is the resonance of the woofer in the enclosed volume of the EVU-1082/95. The minimum impedance occurs around 250 Hz and corresponds to the nominal impedance of the speaker. This minimum is 8 ohms and fully conforms to the indications on the rear panel. At around 3.5 kHz, a second resonance peak appears but it is less pronounced. This is the tweeter’s one. The undulations between 1500 Hz and 2500 Hz represent the overlap zone of the filter network.
Measurement of the impedance versus frequency with Smaart V5.
Phase and amplitude
The full-axis phase response reveals a delay of 90° of the treble relative to the bass. This value, which represents a quarter wavelength at the crossover frequency, is quite small and disappears when the measurement is performed on the horn axis.
On-axis responses of the phase and amplitude, as a function of frequency.
The amplitude response is remarkable, remaining within 0/+3 dB from 250 Hz to 20 kHz. Below this band, the curve drops steadily with an average slope of 6 dB/octave down to 30 Hz This response is nearly ideal for a fill speaker whose main objective is to restore intelligibility in areas with poor coverage by the main PA.
Off-axis responses
For these measurements, the horn was positioned to provide a dispersion of 50° in the horizontal plane and 90° in the vertical plane.
Variations of the response in steps of 5 ° off-axis in the horizontal plane.
Measured in the horizontal plane and in the coverage area of the horn, the 50° coverage is verified and the tonal balance is homogeneous up to 8 kHz.
Variations of the response in steps of 10 ° off-axis, in the positive vertical plane.Variations of the response in steps of 10 ° off-axis, in the positive vertical plane.
In the vertical plane, away from the axis of the enclosure, the horn does a remarkable job within 90°, but the difference in the acoustic paths between tweeter and woofer induces significant interference in the octave band centered around 2 kHz.
Listening
Listening on the axis of the small EVU1082/95, the spoken voice is quite convincing. This speaker sounds clear and without noticeable distortion. Intelligibility is good, surely made easier first by the presence of small boost of the horn in the upper midrange and, second, by the lack of bass presence in the lowest decade of the audio bandwidth.
Listening up to 25° off-axis in the horizontal plane, the response is properly preserved. In the vertical plane, however, the midrange becomes compromised and quickly loses its fullness.
Conclusion
The EVU 1082/95 meets the specifications of a very specialized rienforcement speaker. It is not intended to replace the main system. Its power, scope and its bandwidth in the bass are therefore restricted.
But in the application where it excels – the installed fill enclosure – this small speaker with its discreet aesthetic is quite appropriate and should appeal to specialized integrators.
Characteristics of the manufacturer
Freq. Response1 (-3 dB):
110 Hz – 16 kHz
Freq. Range1 (-10 dB):
65 Hz – 20 kHz
Rotatable Coverage:
90° x 50°
Rec. High-Pass Frequency:
90 Hz
Passive Crossover Freq.:
2300 Hz
Axial Sensitivity1:
95 dB (1 W/1 m)
Max. Calculated SPL1:
123 dB
Passive Power Handling2:
175 W continuous, 700 W peak
Impedance:
8 ohms (nominal), 6.0 Ω (min.)
LF Transducer:
ICT-8-8, 8” (203mm) driver
HF Transducer:
ICT-1-8, 1.3” (33mm) diaphragm compression driver
Connectors:
Single four-pin 12 AWG Phoenix/Euro Block screw-terminals
Enclosure:
9-ply hardwood plywood with textured paint
Grille:
18 GA steel with cloth
Environmental:
IEC 60529
Suspension:
(6) M8 threaded suspension points
Dimensions (H x W x D):
9.73” x 16.11” x 9.34” (247.2 mm x 409.1 mm x 237.2 mm)
Le stack de trois Kara posé à même la scène sur son bumper à jardin. Son rôle avec celui placé à cour est de « tirer » vers le bas l’image sonore et redonner cohérence à ce que voit l’œil, 45 musiciens, et ce qu’entend l’oreille, un son venant des étoiles. En arrière-plan l’accordeur a fort à faire avec un piano qui subit des variations de température extrêmes.
Like many artists before him, Julien Clerc (a famous French singer) has succumbed to a symphonic sound and has enlisted a group of 40 musicians, with which his songs present and past take on a special importance. Faithful to the artist and assisted by Laurent Midas at the monitor desk, Laurent “Bellote” Delenclos was given the responsibility of the sound on this tour – which is more pop than classical – and has some tricks up his sleeve.
Laurent “Bellote” Delenclos, standing on the left, and Wilfried Mauret, his assistant, on the right. No, this picture was not taken outside, even if it feels just like it: it
He met us at the Mériadeck ice rink in Bordeaux, (town in the south west of France, word famous for it’s wine) a venue with a very carnival-like sound and where the sound waves bounce around like hockey pucks despite a complete acoustic treatment. This little cha-cha…lle-lle…nge-nge is complicated by the freezing mid-February French temperatures, which bite even more inside the venue!
It is in this tough place that we find Bellote early in the morning while he is checking the installation of heavy black cloth over of the high plexiglass panels that protect the public from the pucks at the back of the hall where the goals are, but also where the front-of-house has been set up on a modular floor laid on the ice, right in the firing axis of the V-DOSC.
Bellote : and you get here just now ? We were waiting for you to give us a hand ! (laughs)
SLU : How long have you been mixing for Julien ?
Bellote : Since 2006. I will also work with him at the Victoires de la Musique Award this year where I will be working anyway. The last tour was pretty minimal and I covered all positions myself. This year, however, Laurent is taking care of the monitors andI am assisted at the front of house by Wilfried Mautret.
The new rules of the game, simplified by Vista
The FoH sound and lighting desks. The videoprojector is located directly behind FoH: a classic set-up, effective and easy to assemble.
SLU : Could you give us the details of this symphonic ensemble?
Bellote : To keep a rhythmic foundation, there is a drummer without a hi-hat and no tom-toms other than a floor tom. He covers the percussion together with the timpanist and sends just a few sequences. Bass is provided by contrabasses and cellos. In fact the arrangements were written by Philip Uminski, who has no classical training, therefore the result was, say, classical-pop in which the classical musicians have had to find their bearings. For example, the basses have to play the staccato notes with the bow, something that initially did not thrill them at all!
A detail of the way Bellote “built” his Vista. Blue: the VCA Piano which hides the tranducers of this instrument. Gray: the so-called normal inputs with Julien
SLU : I imagine that changes quite a bit the approach with DI-boxes and…
Bellote : …seven musicians for the low string section: three basses and four cellos! It does change! The basses provide the infrabass and the cellos provide the attack. The sound is also somewhat unusual as each bass provides a signal from a microphone and from a Schertler transducer. This relative luxury requires a mixer with a high capacity in terms of inputs, the Studer Vista 5SR. I stuck my nose in it and it’s a damned fine console! A great surprise
The heart of the Vista 5SR and, marked orange, the fibres that come and go between the stage, the returns and the Mac. Underneath the rack on the left you can see the Mutec iClock with, underneath it, the effect rack of the TC 6000 and, at the bottom, a power inverter. Under the right rack you can spot the “Orchestra” generator, the Lexicon 960L, some babe!
I can for example have EQ and dynamics on the VCAs. Take, for example, my eight violins called V1. I equalize all eight out of the VCA. It allows me to have forty-six musicians on thirty faders. Out of habit I placed the VCA fader low against the kick-drum and the snare, even if we are talking about a symphonic ensemble (he laughs). With the Studer console you can really can completely configure the console and this is not an exaggeration. This is the first time I am actually using a digital console without fiddling with it, not adding to it whatever it takes to give it a sound, preamps, summers. I just use an external clock and I find the result amazing, really good.
To each his clock? Yes, it’s possible !
SLU : An external clock on a Studer ?
Bellote : Actually, you can really tell the difference. I don’t know what they put in it, but it does work better with a Mutec iClock. It’s loud and clear. The only desk I can use without an external clock is the SSL. Since the Vista is really conceived as a broadcast console, I reference it to black burst. You can do anything, it’s the hacker’s dream and you can go really far with it.
SLU : On LoMid’s (Laurent Midas) racks I think I saw his Antelope Trinity clock for his console reference. How do your two clocks get along ?
Bellote : Normally we should both be locked to the same clock, but in our case MADI somehow accepts this double reference. Just in case, we ran a BNC between the two boards and, as his Trinity is more stable than my Mutec, I had planned to sync mine to it, but 100 meters of coaxial struck me as too long… then well, as it works anyway, we left it as is (he laughs). We were told that this is possible because MADI is very flexible as far as its clock goes, however there is no guarantee that if I switched my Mutec to WordClock it would work as well!
Atypical miking for a symphonic introvert
One of countless DPA4099 politely waiting for its instrument on the music stand. DPA4099 is a microphone with two crucial assets beyond its audio performance: a very clever clip and a gooseneck.
SLU : Let’s get back to your miking of the strings. You play with proximity.
Bellote: Yes, absolutely. I started by putting Schoeps everywhere and tried overhaed and distant miking, but I quickly calmed down. This symphony is so crammed together that I end up with the drums a metre away from violins, which never happens in “real life”. I love Schoeps but they pick up too generously, so I backed up to more reasonable and manageable choices.
The timpanistAs there was no hi-hat, the tempo of almost every tune was given by the drummer with the tambourine kick or by the timpanist with various eggs and shakers. It
I chose the DPA 4099 that sounds good, is highly directional, stable and has a handy clip. For flutes I chose AKG C535, Audio-Technica ATM350 for clarinets and two for the oboes, one at the mouthpiece and one at the fingers. For horns I used Neumann TLM102s and AKG C414s on the brass. The plexiglass shield behind the horns absorbs some of the bleed from the basses which are right behind them and from which I take more air than string sounds!
SLU : A drumset without a hi-hat: interesting…
Bellote : It does not really fit, however there is a nice trick with a foot pedal and a tambourine to punctuate certain songs. For the bass drum and floor tom I placed a Beta 52 that I deal with very softly. The snare for example is picked up only by a C414 above. It is not rock’n’roll. On the timpani I have Sennheiser 421s and a Shure SM137 for small percussion.
SLU : And for the voice of Julien?
Bellote : A Sennheiser 5000 with a classic dynamic head, the 5500,which is no longer on the market, and that’s a real shame. I like that much better than the Neumann head that fits on the same transmitter, that is to say I like it better than the way that the HF compander on the transmitter reacts to condenser heads with a response as wide as the Neumann’s. I love the wired Neumann, but not the wireless version. I unfortunately failed to convince Julien to sing with a wired microphone, at least this time! He told me he likes to be able to walk in the orchestra.
The couple of Schoeps used for picking up Julien Clerc
SLU : I see two pianos : that’s not very symphonic either…
Bellote : That is normal! Julien plays his own and Alain Lanty, his old friend, plays on the other, which is in fact a fake piano that allows him to vary the accompaniments. Sometimes he switches to Julian’s when the latter stands to sing facing the audience. To get signal from the main piano and have several options, I work in three ways. First I have a couple of Schoeps CMC6 mounted on MK4 placed underneath, as he plays with the lid closed. These two microphones, as does the piano as a whole, stand on rubber isolators (silentblocs). Then I have a pair of Yamahiko pickups, which are accelerometers that are placed between the soundboard and the structure to strengthen the bass a little, that go into DI boxes. It’s a Yamaha Silent Piano which we use acousticly because I find the sound nicer, but sometimes I have to switch to the electronic output during the concert because it cannot keep the tuning. It gets shaken a lot and especially exposed to excessive temperature variations. We could rent a piano in each city, but we’ve had some surprises in the past, so we’d rather carry around our own.
A Schertler sensor positioned in the bridge of a bass.
SLU : How do you and Laurent share the mics ?
Bellote : We chose to be on the same Studer preamps, mine, therefore Lawrence’s Vi6 is fed by the redundant output of my stagebox. Microphones are connected only to one set of electronics: a guarantee of quality. As I’m wired to output 1, my console controls the input gains.
SLU : But this creates a bit of the latency and the boss does not like that… (On a previous tour, Bellote had invented a zero latency output not to bother Julien’s ear monitors – Ed.)
Bellote : That’s right, but back then it was a Digidesign that reaches 3 milliseconds and thus creates a comb filter stack where it should not be between head voice and monitor voice. The latency of the Studer is less than 2 milliseconds, which pushes the comb to higher and less noticable frequencies. He is delighted because he also has the lastest EARSONICS EM6. Laurent will tell you better, but they are the first ear monitors that he doesn’t have to equalize!!!
Two nice reverbs and a Multirack Waves
On the left, displaying the Flux analyzer, is the Mac screen supporting at the same time the effects of the show, the recorder and the background/walk-on music – the icing on the cake. On the right, the laptop controlling the Lake processors.
SLU : Still using very few effects, I see…
Bellote : Two very beautiful reverbs still: a LEXICON 960 and a TC 6000. The 960 is on the strings and woodwinds to restore depth and length to a very close miking that cancels the “orchestra” consonance too much. The 6000 is for Julien’s voice. I provide him with depth by giving him small delays and reverb. I also have a MultiRack WAVES in the MAC that I use to treat Julien’s voice with a C6 multiband compressor and a CLA76 monoband compressor/limiter. I also have a LoAir plug I use to beef up the end of certain songs or short, low passages. It also seems that Multirack will soon be open to other plugin brands, which is going to be a nice touch, because not only Waves knows how to develop them!
SLU : As far as sound goes, are you satisfied with the plug-ins in general ?
Bellote : Ahh yes, I am, and above all it is so convenient … I don’t carry around any outboard anymore and with this setup and my MADI card I can do 64 inserts!
SLU : Don’t you like Studer compressors ?
Bellote : They are not bad but … The basic model is too simple, I tried the “Vintage Dynamics” which is more customizable and it does the job without being over the top. At the risk of simulating an analog effect, I chose an external algorithm on WAVES. The equalizer, however, is very effective and so are low and high peaks, which slopes you can adjust at -12, -18 or -24, that’s terrific! (A leopard cannot change its spots – Ed.). Another highlight in this console is the VIRTUAL SOUND PANNING with which in classical music I can open up my orchestra without penalizing spectators on the sides. This is the ideal classical console and this function is just great. So I put it everywhere. (He laughs!)
SLU : And your mono sends?
Bellote : I don’t have any, I took out one side. Honestly this phases a bit, it works with delays. The true mono sum is a little weird but since I did not pan anything, my two sides can do the trick! On the console stereo, outputs and groups both, you have huge stereo expanders. Vitalizers in comparison are nothing. At 200% it’s unbelievable, it turns you upside down. I use it at one point in the show when Alain Lanty makes some liner/accompanying notes and it sounds really good. I use only 20% of the console automation, but I’m thrilled with it.
SLU : Had you ever practiced with Vista ?
Bellote : No! I spent three weeks alone with my nose stuck in the manual to understand it and make my list of questions. I would have done better to get help from someone who knew it well because it’s really felxible. You can configure, everything including the number of channels on a fiber using dip-switches inside the box. Needless to say, if the previous user has put his hands in it, you can spend a while before you figure out how, especially when you’re not used to this model, whose power is definitely remarkable. Finally, you can mix three hundred inputs to three hundred outputs through the MADI.
SLU : A few words about the routing…
Bellote : I have three MADI cards. I use one with the Mac to do my 64 inserts with the Waves Virtual Rack via an RME card. I use the second one to record the show and to do the virtual soundcheck with Logic – I have two fiber runs and 128 channels for it on an SSL card – and the last one to receive signals from the stagerack on the stage. I also send all my 128 signals to Laurent so he, in turn, can record on his Logic and also do a virtual sound check. As I do not have fiber patch, I mix by hand. I lose in convenience what I gain in reliability by removing a layer of electronics that may still fail.
SLU : What are the tiny Meyer enclosures around your console ?
Bellote : They are MM-4XP. They are tiny but appearances deceive. They are powered by their MM10 sub and I measured them (really it is the first time… – Ed.) they are definitely right. There’s really nothing to say. Listen. You get a lot of bang for such a tiny size. They are as pre-emphasized as Bose but they sound better. I route the talkbacks and the PFLs into them. They are designed for installation but I thought they were just fine for traveling light. (I confirm, they sound good, clear, dry and strong, very Meyer, with of course a very pronounced directivity – Ed.)
SLU : Your Mac does a lot of tricks…
Bellote : And it is far from being overloaded. This is my all-purpose tool. It plays the background music, runs the Flux analyzer, Logic with 128 tracks and the Waves Multirack. It is a quad-core and even when everything is running, we still get 60 fps.
Sound by Bellotte
SLU : Tell us about your sound
Bellote : I opted again for complete FIR filtering that I created using four Dolbys, two for the left and two for the right connected together in Dante. The signal goes into the first processor in AES which takes care of the signal distribution in Dante via a 1GB router. I also have four spare analog output pairs in case I lose the network or AES. The only problem is that I have to correct the small latency due to the Dante protocol in the three Dolbys that receive it from the first, which generates it. In these I put small delays to keep the speakers in phase. It is also the first machine that converts the 48 kHz of the console to 96 kHz, so that the four Dolbys are perfectly synchronized
: The right side main array, composed of twelve V-DOSC, with nine KARAs covering the sides. Two very different eras that coexist and compliment each other quite well. Not visible there are three more KARAs on the stage to bring the sound front up to the musiciansThe array of three KARAs stacked on their bumper on the left side of the stage. Its role, together with that of the stack on the right, is set to
SLU : And the sound system ?
Bellote : Twelve V-DOSC per side for the front and twelve KARA each for the sides – nine flown and three stacked – and a single, central cluster of twelve SB28 subs. This is my basic kit. The two sets of three stacked KARA are used to bring the image downward. I also have four Meyer UPJs, and I exploit their ability to rotate the driver 90 degrees. They are 80°x40° and I lay them on their sides. Since Meyer knows how to control phase and L-Acoustics does as well, the speakers are a perfect match.
The twelve SB28s mounted in four three-cabinet stacks and assembled as a cardioid array (see simulations). Secured to pre-rigged 500 mm truss and positioned vertically with reference to the audience. With their 1.4 tons, they get a lot of attention when it comes to rigging.
SLU : Tell us about your mounting the subs in a central array. Where does that come from ?
Bellote : It’s a dream. Having only one point of emission for the infrabass is already ideal and you cannot do that very often. Then I was faced with the difficulty of having to manage an orchestra with sixty microphones on stage and the desire not to sound “Mickey” (he laughs). I don’t give up on a real bass and on a correct level because it’s classical. So I decided to clean up the stage behind the subs as much as I could. A cardioid mode is not bad, but at 30 Hz it doesn’t work. So I decided to create an array consisting of four groups of three subs that could maintain the directivity down to 30 Hz The choice of stacks with 3 units each is dictated by the desire to not have too much directivity at once reflecting from the back of the room. Each group is separated from the other by four feet not to exceed half the wavelength. With these twelve subs I only cover between 30 and 60 Hz. The V-DOSCs extend down to 60 Hz and I add one more octave to them. Tonight my array is a little too forward but I could not do otherwise. As the lobe I generate extends from halfway through the group, I could have put it underneath Julien, which would better cover the front rows. The other advantage of this configuration is that I have fewer reflections from back of the room, the bass is more distributed, more homogeneous.
SLU : Have you delayed your subs to help the sound “falling” more on the audience ?
Bellote : No, no need to. They only go up to 60 Hz and, as I have stacked three boxes vertically, it does not pose a problem. However, when you start to put in 8 or 10 of them, they should be delayed. At Bercy (for Mylène Farmer – Ed.) I used 16 subs, and it was so directive that it was absolutely necessary to delay them. With my twelve SB28s I get useful headroom, just enough for an artist even as “quiet” as Julien. I also prefer to have my subs elevated to avoid blowing away an audience that is not used to such thrills. When you you’ve paid € 60 to listen to a singer and you find yourself in the front you could be very unhappy. Let’s not forget that it is very unpleasant to deal with such a puree, even if it’s rock. Vlad had the same array for Farmer, I think, but on the ground. The only thing new here is having it flown. (Not quite, Vladimir Coulibre’s arrays had four groups of four SBs, the lower element of which was turned 180° – Ed. ).
For the keen observer, the screen displays well one phase in green, on the second graph from the bottom. As linear as a filter in FIR filtering allows. It
SLU : And how do you crossover between the V-DOSCs and the SBs?
Bellote : A Linkwitz-Riley 24 dB/8va at 60 Hz on Doscs. It is useless to push them down more, they would create interference and deprive me of the advantage of having only one central point of Subs. I would start to create lobes again, which is something that can just be avoided with this arrangement, and then V-DOSC is not designed to go down so low. K1 definitely is, but not V-DOSC.
Before the beginning of the show, a view of two of the three screens available to Bellote and Wilfried Mautret. On the left, the Studer Vista 5SR screen indicating that it is the opening snapshot that has been previously selected; on the right the screen of the “Mac-of-all-trades” divided in four with a bit of Flux, Logic, i-Tunes and Multirack Waves. He who can do more, can do less.
SLU : Is it easy to fly your twelve subs ?
Bellote : Very, they remain in the cases in threes. The riggers and I mounted a prerigged 500 mm truss. We arrive with our four sets, pull them up and it’s over. In those few rare venues where we cannot find a place or where we are blocked by the total weight, 1400 kg, we do a left right. For the V-DOSCs and KARAs, I go through a classic simulation with SoundVision and then we refine the room. Here, for example, we will lower the gain on the three elements at the bottom of the arrays because the highs would be too piercing. We cannot send the same level of highs to an entire array that has its top elements pointing out above the audience where the heat and the distance will attenuate them and the bottom ones ten meters from the ears of the first people in the audience. We therefore measure only in relation with the three bottom elements and align them with the overall response measured from the front-of-house. I will also attenuate the highs of the KARAs.
Conclusion
The room gets dark and when the orchestra starts playing the first notes, removing the many foul impressions collected during the short soundcheck where the artist sang with his foot on the brake and there was an empty room with its plastic seats to see and hear. Bellote’s mix goes perfectly with an orchestration that sounds very pop, a mix where conventional instruments are well reproduced despite the proximity with which they are miked. Only the voice seems too up-front to me, an impression that fades quickly, as Julien starts singing less powerfully and Laurent avoids it thorough compensation at the console. The way the voice sounds is very natural and dynamic, and intelligibility is good. The choice of microphone is suited to the artist. The orchestra performs well even if, had the reverb between been a tad longer on the 960, the instruments would have sounded more welded together, providing a more symphonic overall touch. As I already noticed at Zazie’s concert at the Olympia with Yves Jaget as sound engineer and Laurent working the system, the V-DOSC filtered with FIR breaths much better, has an even sharper high end and loses much of its “native” default in the midbass. Horizontal coordinates have also been modified, and without comparing it to newer systems in terms of its spatial positioning, V-DOSC still does a damn good job, with a color like no other in the top end and a performance that adapts perfectly to classical and vocals. What should I say of the array of subs? It works and its performance is so surgical in terms of directivity that it would appeal to American soldiers. We cruised with Bellote in the “array of death”, and simulations proved that that famous last octave is controlled at nearly meter and a half, leaving the stage quite clean and the low-pass filters more peaceful than usual. A walk in the room shows the wisdom of that choice with just one regret: the lack of impact of the nine KARAs at the bottom, once outside of the coverage of the V-DOSCs. Even if the lobe generated by the twelve SB28s fills the room well, you perceive a gap between the quite unique lows of the two 15″ in FULL and the thinner ones spit out by the two 8″ Karas. The basses are both full and precise near the orchestra and in the axis of V-DOSCs and stay that way even in the depths of the balcony, but they decrease gradually as you move laterally and away from the V-DOSCs and from the set of subs that, remember, do not go above 60 Hz. But this is nothing if compared to the real problem of this room: its big, ugly reflections. The audience sitting between halfway up the auditorium and the stage receive thick reflections from behind their ears. This happens even near the balcony, at the sides and near the stage: the ratio between direct and reflected sound flies very low, because of dense back and side-tracking that the Karas tuned at -9 dB manage to cover up only weakly. We applaud Bellote’s choice of avoiding the policy of carpet bombing that generates as many problems as it solves, and would not have stuck with the nature of the show and its audience. The level remained reasonable, in favor of dynamics that let the show breathe, even if this means that, in some places, the sound was less pristine. Laurent can keep telling me that the venue in Chambery, as brand new and well-rounded as it is, is still more reflective than Mériadeck, I think it is time that only ice skates should resonate in this place and that music be finally welcomed in a music hall worthy of that name. Unfortunately the ambitious Grand Arena* to be built in Floirac lost its funding in early 2012, and despite the courage of local elected officials, it seems that the ice rink will still have some good times ahead. It seems that it will be at least 3 years because, in this day and age, the pockets of bankers are full of sea urchins.
SIM plots
Here is a SIM representation of the array as deployed by Bellote at 32 Hz. The behavior is as described and, especially, felt in the room with a strong rear rejection, even at such a low frequency.
At 50 Hz a slight back lobe forms, and it’s inevitable, given the choice not to take it too far ahead. That lobe, in practice, causes very little inconvenience since the subs cover only one octave and are cut starting at 60 Hz.
At 85 Hz the simulation shows a rear lobe opening like a flower, but is still weak if compared to the energy thrown forward and to the larger cleanliness obtained in the back.
Just for fun, the same array at 125 Hz, a very high frequency where generally the SB28 does not venture.
Dracula opts for simplicity despite the modern and smart infrastructure, delivering clear vocals and concert sensations at a reasonable SPL. You will think this is normal, when the show’s producer is called Thierry Suc and that one Stéph Plisson is also involved, happy as a trumpet fish in a bath of sound.
We have to admit that for many years all we heard of Broadway was Michel Sardou’s La Java de Broadway. Subsequently the “musical” phenomenon hit France, but was soon steamrollered by Stage Entertainment, the distributor/producer of the world’s greatest successes. As a famous radio journalist would say, we have seen it all technically, from the profusion of small A/B [A1] enclosures with tailored analogue consoles upto the XLRs, to the simple V-DOSC range barely reinforced in the centre. The aim?? To proved both intelligibility in the playback and energy in the vocals. Let’s look together at Plisson’s proposal for this Dracula who is thirsty for sound.
A new exercise for Plisson
SLU : How far does your first “blood bath” go back?
Stéphane Plisson (front of house (FOH) engineer and audio designer) : We started the setup for Dracula on 20 August and rehearsals on the 29th 2011. Of course, the entire crew had been working for a long time on visuals or choreography. Sound rather came on top of the existing core than the other way around and the absence of a musical group on stage has made my job a little easier. Therefore I started by observing before making a number of technical choices.
SLU : Was it Thierry Suc who wanted you?
SP : We know each other well, which made things easier (laughter!!). He wanted a different type of rendering from what he had heard so far and what he was after could only be accomplished together. Nonetheless I initially rejected his offer since I feel there are Broadway specialists in France, and that this is another profession where not only song has to be considered, but also comedy. I shared my doubts with him as to my ability to make a success of it, just as I had told him for Mylène in Bercy or at the Stade de France, but he cut me off by saying “let’s go, but let’s go together”. The rest is history.
Detail of the rigging of the 4 SB28 sets. No need to stress the importance of rigging when you know that the audience sits right under these subs weighing 93 kg each.
SLU : You had never worked on a Broadway show before Dracula?
SP : Worse yet, I had never even sat through a full show in the audience! The only time I got tickets with my wife, we left after a few minutes since we found ourselves on the side amid the sound equipment, heads in the subwoofers and she hates that (laughter!!) I didn’t come to listen to sound for that matter. I therefore tackled Dracula with zero experience and even a little mockery on the part of certain friends who view Broadway like a cushy routine. Slowly but surely I found my footing, thanks also to Kamel Ouali, who is a really nice guy, and to the entire crew who in some way helped me by taking me under their wing. It happened that I spent time sat in an easy chair watching them rehearse and wondering what to do next… I decided not to talk techniques. The theatre company existed well before the first speaker was rigged, it was therefore up to us to work on top in the most transparent way possible without making them waste time. My only request had been to work for two hours every morning with the performers to “create sound”.
Line array source multicasting!
In the foreground one of the two sets of 2x2 subs SB28 in cardioid mode placed above the audience, a third one made up of 2x3 boxes placed very close to the stage. To their right one of the eight clusters of six Karas and to the far right one of the two clusters of Meyer Sound JM-1Ps. Have the MSL4 from Dispatch been permanently retired?
SLU : When did the idea of the sound system form in your head?
SP : Between April and May. The basic principle being that song and comedy are at the same sound level, I established my project by first thinking comedy and not the other way around. To do so I came up with a kind of sound bar, a little like the one found in Joe Bloggs’ lounge, by placing it above the stage framework and by playing on the phase of each cluster. This project was technically carried by Vlad (Vladimir Coulibre, system and sound engineer, compiler’s note). The problem is that it required lots of speakers and it is not necessarily adapted to this type of theatre, not to mention that financially it courts disaster (laughter!!) We would have been the first ones to use this configuration for this type of show, a major risk, but I know that it will be done one day…At the same time, whenever we can make progress, I’m interested. Then I excluded simple stereo with the help of two K1 arrays on either side of the stage, the opening was too large but I kept the planned KARA speakers to complete the kit by placing them everywhere. Since Bellote (Laurent Delenclos aka Bellote system and sound engineer, compiler’s note) had the same idea, as usual, he made it possible for me to implement my idea, which is no easy feat. And in the meantime we have even had further ideas for the placement of subwoofers (looks at Bellote from corner of eye).
SLU : What would you call this type of sound system?
SP : It’s nothing special. It’s simple multicasting but taking advantage of the small line source arrays whilst in the not so distant past it would have been done with 80 UPAs.
SLU : Do you know that abroad some people sell their concepts (laughter!) (pas sûr que concept dans le sens de conception technique puisse être traduit « concept » et laissé tel quel en anglais)
SP: Yes, I know, but it isn’t done in France, and it’s a shame since our goal and our role is to increase quality, which takes a lot of time. I would prefer not to adhere to the “it will do” principle, especially with the tools available today, which enable us to carry out our trade better and better.
The workstation of Greg Carlet, in charge of sending sources. Everything is twofold, the HD24s with the songs and the master keyboards Akai MPK Mini controlling the Ableton Live and used to envelop the comedy segments.
SLU : Why didn’t you use the usual speakers for musical comedies, the dV?
SP: Because in my opinion, the Kara has a better horizontal coerage and sound cohesion, a little like the K1, and then I like its low/mid contrary to the dV where it is much stiffer. Using these elements would have implied adding dV subs. You have to live with the times, there are 15 years between these two models. I could have worked with other brands of speakers offering the same colour as the Karas but to my knowledge they don’t exist. Thierry Suc is delighted with the result. It seems to correspond with what he had in mind. He is lucky to know what he wants to hear, this is not the case for me, but since he knows how to guide me towards what he wants, it just works between us!! (laughter!!) I do not claim to know where I’m going since most of the time I start from scratch. Sometimes in the studio I receive rough mixes, where faced with a result that is already attractive, you don’t know where to go. Then slowly but surely you dive in and you take the project elsewhere. It’s the same for Dracula. I injected my way of hearing things whilst keeping control of each performance and especially the vocals, which are never the same.
FOH production with the Soundcraft Vi4 by Stéphane Plisson in good company with the star of successful reverbs, a Lexicon 480 whose remote control can be seen on the left.Four venerable dVs used to broaden the space on either side of the house. They receive a specific signal issued by an output group in addition to the left/right in which the effects and certain reproduced live sounds are routed.
SLU : In terms of ”surround”, what did you plan?
SP : I want space, above all, and to do so I simply rigged two 4 dV clusters on the sides. I want to be able to open the image with the help of certain sounds. By listening to the album I detected a number of effects whose reversed reverberations on the voices that I kept in the theatre and injected into the laterals. I made sure nonetheless not to go overboard, since to me, the most beautiful effects are the ones you don’t hear. I often make use of a Lexicon 480 to set the mood. It has no equal today, and yet, believe me, I have tried everything.
SLU : Don’t you think that Dracula’s distributed sound system suits the Palais des Sports better than a simple pair of stereo arrays, even beyond musical comedies?
SP : Completely!! This theatre with a simple left/right is often a mess, it works but you don’t have the same quality of reception as what you have here. In multibroadcasting the theatre’s flaws are less enhanced, notably by not going into the cupola or else into the exits, which quickly generates afwul reverberation for a number of seats despite the fact that they have been clad with acoustic panels. There are also advertising panels that reappear and hit you on the head when you use the Dosc. (laughter!!)
…and the subwoofers rigged to the ceiling in cardioid mode!!
Stage right dispersion. Three rows of six Karas complemented by a fourth one visible at the bottom left of the photo and by a cluster of three JM-1Ps not present on this picture responsible for opening up the last lateral tiers.
SLU : The setup of the subwoofers on the ceiling in three cardioid sets works well, but doesn’t it form an antenna nonetheless?
Bellote : (system and sound engineer): Everything can be optimised, even the installation of the Karas and their wedging. Something bothers me in the presets on the lower mid-range and..(explosion of laughter!!) The subwoofers as they are set up in two times three and in two sets of two times two prove to be directive. Even if it is very long and cardioid, this antenna is more directive than it should be. There is a solution. Without giving away too much, the ideal would have been to create a single central group between two catwalks with a delay to aim the lobe downwards. It would have been even more consistent in the theatre.
SP : You know what? It has to be tried! We will do it on Saturday between two performances, it’s our speciality (laughter!!)
SLU : Musically speaking, did you manage to get what you needed to work?
SP : Yes and no! The album not having sufficiently met with its audience, the artistic team that wrote and recorded it wasn’t around that much during the setup of the show. Consequently, in the beginning I only received orchestra playbacks and stems, which proved to be useless in the theatre since too compressed and mixed from a radio perspective. Listen (I admit it; in such a specific and analytic sound system as the one used for Dracula, their packed dynamic, their preaccentuation and the very choice of the levels of certain sounds compared to others, do not work, compiler’s note). I would have had to equalise and cut a lot to leave space for the voices, much too much, so I contacted Volodia, who have co-produced the album and I have all of the pieces on hard disk, which I was able to remix here, in the theatre on my Vi4.
The graph corner The layout and cover of the subs
Sub Dracula at 30 Hz
Sub Dracula at 30Hz: Here is an example of distribution at 30 Hz of the equivalent layout of the subs at the Palais des Sports thanks to Bellote. The least that can be said is that the antenna is not very directional and that the infra distribution is highly consistent around the three points made up of, from left to right, 6, 4 and 4 SB28s.
Sub Dracula at 63 Hz
Sub Dracula at 63Hz:The same example of distribution but this time at 63 Hz of the layout equivalent to the subs at the Palais des Sports. The lobes are inevitably narrower but remain highly consistent and at this frequency, the Karas progressively come into play.
Vue 3D dessus accroche.
3D view top riggingThe kit rigged at the Palais des Sports: he only thing[A2] missing are the 6 UPJs installed in the stage bar facing the first rows.
Vue 3D Face Console.
Vue 3D Face console: The entire kit at the Palais des Sports as seen from the console. The line of 6 UPJs installed in the stage bar facing the first rows, can also be distinguished. The only enclosures that were not installed in the end, are the four ones placed stage left and stage right.
Orchestra Playback on two Alesis HD24s
SLU : In terms of sources, what do you have available?
SP : In the beginning during rehearsals, I worked with two ProTools. Subsequently the team made the financial choice to transfer the tracks onto two Alesis HD24s, which led to the arrival of my partner-in-crime Jean-Philippe Schevingt to start up this configuration and the redundancy between the two machines. I keep one ProTools in the production department to be able to rework a title if necessary.
SLU : Are 24 tracks enough to hold all the PBOs and back-up vocals?
SP : We will talk later about chants sécu (backups ??), as to the PBOs I have approximately 16 tracks. In terms of sources to mix, I have 12 voices of which 7 singers. The singers play out the comedy but the reverse does not apply. Lastly we have an Ableton Live, which we have to send moods, sound effects and music that support comedy scenes with the help of two master Akai MPK mini keyboards, one being a back-up. The fact that it is a separate unit from the HD24 allows to give more latitude to the artists on the stage. The PBOs for each title are launched and stopped manually, the two readers work in perfect harmony. It is Greg Carlet who operates the machines. The novelty lies in the three Radial SW8, automatic switches, which each have two times eight analogue inputs for eight outputs and are here linked in sets of three to achieve 24 channels. Their role is to automatically switch between the signals from the HD24 as soon as one of them stops. To do so, all it takes is to record a continuous signal at 1kHz on track 1 or 24 of the two machines and as soon as one of them fails, the SW8 instantaneously switches to the other one. It is a genius tool that I have already used in the past and avoids any human intervention.
SLU : What about these back-up vocals…
SP : I may be wrong, but I assume that when I work with a singer, I have no back-up voice. If it involves a technical problem, I can fix it immediately with the live HF hand mics, ready to take over, I have one on the left of the and one on the right. If it’s a physical problem with one of the performers, I don’t see why I would make them sing since they have understudies, two males and one female. I have never knowingly replaced a live song by a playback and even less swapped a singer with their prerecorded voice with a simple click. I have a problem with it, I don’t assume. Towards the end of the rehearsals, since it bothered me and that in any case I would not have the time to set up these playbacks, I chose to discuss it with Kamel and the singers to inform them of my choice.
SLU : They must have been surprised…
SP : Yes, absolutely, but then they understood and recognised that it is more natural like this. Live performances have their dose of errors, it’s normal.
Voice processing
SLU : How do you process the voices?
SP : I made the choice to have only one sound for the comedy as for the vocals and an identical level. From there on I modulated my mix by entering all that is hard or that represents a problem. To me sound has to be deep and broad. Working loudly and harshly, balancing in mono and with distortion, all that does not “rock” for me, it’s just bad. That is what I think and I take responsibility for it. I was fortunate enough to have worked for a long time with la Mano Negra and they understood that playing loudly did not mean producing a good sound. The best rock groups are not those who are the loudest on stage, contrary to preconceived notions. You have a good sound when you have the impact there where it needs to be, the sound of the guitar as it should be …
SLU : And what about our voices then (laughter!)
SP : Always the Waves Multirack where I chain a C4, a Renaissance DeEsser, and a CLA-76 at the very end. The CLA-76 that emulates the classic 1176 is specific to this show and suits the DPA 4088 headband microphone. My problem is the distance between mouth and mike, distance that does not change when the singer goes high and tackles the notes in full voice more in the nose than in the belly. If he had a handheld microphone, he would obviously move it away. The small cell on the 4088 doesn’t react well. I tidied up a little with the C4 but trying not to remove what is natural from the sound colour of the voices. Perhaps my choice of microphone is no good. The DPA omni would sound better but at the expense of theatre constraints that are not very manageable.
SLU : You really treat vocals and comedy no differently?
SP : Barely, I simply route all the voices into a group that I activate at the end of each song and that is very compressed in order not to have too much of a dynamic gap between actors. Whether there is one person on stage or 12, we are consistent. I also take advantage to cut a little off the low register and shave off a little of the extreme high notes that stand out too much, high notes in the 10/12 kHz range that doesn’t exist in real life. The difference I make with the effects that I stress in the beginning of the scene and quickly reduce in order not to drown and damage the comprehension of the words. Sometimes I bring a little “Disney” note that I like to certain selections and I believe that if I do another musical after Dracula, I would go even further in terms of moods.
Vampires are beautiful, aren t they?? From left to right Stéphane Plisson, Bellote, Greg Carlet and Youri.
SLU : But then you did end up liking musical comedy, are you getting ready to settle down by any chance? (laughter!!)
SP : Ah no, no, no!! I like the road, musicians and live performances, but with Dracula it’s interesting since I’m living a different experience that may be useful for other similar projects. I hope to have contributed a little to the Broadway shows. We shall see. Only the audience can tell since at my level I’m not aware of it. Regardless, should I work again in this area, I would request to contribute to the music in advance in order to benefit from the best possible sources. Ideally one should think “performance” when one creates and records songs, without which they lack harmony with the show. The album and show crews must work as a team.
SLU : Go on, you are therefore ready to work on another musical!
SP : Yes, as long as a new story is recreated from scratch, a new challenge. What I also like is the theatre company. I’m a huge fan of the circus and I find the same spirit here that I love. They are all adorable here. Something different and stronger is happening than with four musicians and a singer. This team spirit is found among technicians on tour, less often with the performers. One exception is Marc Lavoine. He is a deeply human chap, with a beautiful voice, who trusts you and gives you carte blanche all the time. I have lived a magical experience, a true encounter with a passionate and fascinating guy and yet we’ve known each other for six years and we have just scheduled 210 dates!!
CONCLUSION
First one regret, for not having been able to listen to such a system with sources worthy of the name. Stéphane’s and some compositions’ talent are not enough, the quality of the acoustics and arrangements of the playbacks is unequal to say the least, sometimes insufficient. Despite this and while staying at approximately 95dB(A), the pressure seems stronger and thrills the audience with a special mention for classical selections. Yvan Cassar was able to weave a dense and rich classic web, allowing the sound system to shine, which is all its wants. Even the recurring problem of the gap in the impact between the subs and the small woofers in the compact line arrays such as the Kara and its two small 8 inches is absorbed, resulting in a natural sound and very nice spectral riches with strings truer than nature. The coverage provided by the eight clusters of six Kara is nearly perfect and not a single member of the audience is forgotten. Intelligibility is not criticised. The short distance with the speakers and their surgical precision provide true comfort by practically annihilating any theatre flaws. We almost wonder about the usefulness of A/B system or the installation of dozens of loudspeakers in all corners… Only the presence of two clusters of three Meyer JM-1Ps, one on each side to open up the outer tiers, surprises, by the more straightforward and aggressive way of projecting the top of the spectrum and the slightly harder texture of their upper mid-range. A few last Karas would be so good!! The first rows are not forgotten thanks to six UPJs cleverly hidden by an acoustic fabric. Hats off also to the distribution of the low register and sub-bass. The three rows of subs work well and add a little muscle to the 48 Kara in a very natural way. A few wind noises on the DPA 4088 have quickly been suppressed by closer cut-offs. The only drawback is that it tends to weaken the already dry and crystal-clear rendering of these good mikes that ideally reproduce spoken passages but not quite as good sung passages where the foundation of a “large diaphragm” mike is lacking on certain voices. Very nice “Concert” contribution by Stéphane Plisson with his delightful fondness for controlled voices, a full low register and events emphasizing such and such an instrument or comedy passage by playing with the two arrays of four dVs used as “spreaders”. The consistency demanded between spoken and sung passages is real and fills the gap typically felt in Broadway shows between these two phases. Lastly, hats off to Stéphane to be able to mix everything at the top on an extremely resonant floor on the control room, acting as a membrane at the bottom. The desire to cut in this mess would represent a trap for many, me being among the first!!
RCF Group has announced the sale of SGM, its lighting division, to a consortium headed by Danish entrepreneur Peter Johansen. with effect from February 1st 2012.
The new company, SGM A/S, which replaces the former SGM Technology for Lighting spa, will be headquartered in Aabyhøj, near Aarhus, and will concentrate exclusively on developing LED solutions, while continuing to support SGM’s current catalogue of discharge lighting.
For Peter Johansen, the man who originally founded Martin Professional, and who joined SGM in late 2010 as R&D director, the buyout provides the opportunity to spearhead his own company again, dedicated to LED development in the entertainment and architectural segments.
Peter Johansen said “I am delighted to be back as an independent operator, as I have always worked better this way.”
However, the two companies will not be making a total split. RCF will continue to represent SGM in Italy, dBTechnologies will distribute their products in Germany. The two companies will also exhibit side by side at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
As the major shareholder in SGM A/S, Peter Johansen is joined by the LED specialists from his Danish R&D team and the existing SGM sales force. In the new set-up, R&D, admin and after-sales will be based in Denmark, with manufacturing plants in Italy, Thailand and China, and warehousing in Holland.
“The reason I’m so enthusiastic is that having had the opportunity to take over an existing brand name, and been given a free hand to develop it, we remain committed to establishing SGM as one of the absolute leading brands within the industry,” he said. “I want us to be seen as the LED company of the future.”
By the time Prolight+Sound opens on March 21st, SGM A/S anticipates having as many as 17 new LED products to showcase.
Les Chorégraphies sont encore plus vivantes et chatoyantes quand les danseurs évoluent dans les faisceaux créés par les gobos des VL 3000 et 3500.
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Giving humanity a second chance to live in harmony as a bro- therhood and with respect for nature, it is an opportunity for Pascal Obispo to describe our world of contrasts and to convey a very rich musical and choreographic content, blending rock, pop and electronic music with his musical comedy. Will the love of the rich blond golden boy Adam for the pretty poor mixed-race Eve save the world? In any case, these two, each with their clan, almost continuously attract 25 performers on stage, including singers, dancers and even acrobats. One can imagine the diffi- culty for the lighting designer Dimitri Vassiliu, in showing off this small world in the stage setting.
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let’s start with this stage setting. Created by the famous marc Fisher it shows, stage left, the world of eve, a tree with half an apple, stage right, the world of Adam, the metal legs of a scorpion, used as sup- port for the other half of the apple, the two banks linked by a bridge. in passing we also thank pascal obispo for splitting the apple and therefore also the responsibility for the original sin between Adam and eve.
Reconciling modernity and nature was also dimitri vassiliu’s choice when he chose to include in this lighting kit the very latest generation of Ayrton’s led projectors, in other words the most ecological of lighting sources. there even is said to be one or even two xclusives on this stage.
It is on the occasion of one of the last rehearsals of the performance at the palais des sports that we met with dimitri vassiliu and his loyal console operator philippe marty.
Musical comedy,between concert and theatre
Soundlightup : Dimitri, if I have followed your ca- reer correctly, this is the first time that you have created lighting for a musical comedy. Did you run into specific issues that do not apply to concerts?
Dimitri Vassiliu : the difficulty is to remain in between a show and the theatre without either one prevailing. Adam and eve is not quite a show since there are many performers on stage, everywhere, and everyone has to be illuminated without losing the thread of the story, i.e. the singer. We do not work in full-up lighting. the audience has to look in the right places and always in the direction of the important action, otherwise they will never really know where the singer is, yet without neglecting the dancers. therefore i work every scene like a song, except that i also have a large set and i cannot take up too much space so as not to hamper the movements of the singers and dancers
Involvement with Ayrton
SLU : I was told that you have a lot of Ayrton LED projectors in your kit, and even a few new ones!
15 W RGBW LED for the Wildsun 500, with an active heat-transfer gas heat sink and very high-out- put optics. It is easily understood why its flux is so high. And what’s more it’s attractive.
DV : in fact, i have a small new strip with 8 leds, cal- led rollapix, which are very pretty, ultra-slim, with a double zoom. When i met Yvan peard and he showed it to me with its zoom, i asked him to motorise it in tilt mode and i pushed him to manufacture a proto- type product for Adam and eve. i wanted small discreet projectors to be set up downstage. ideally in strips. in order not to clog the front of the stage, it had to be very flat and move in tilt mode to aim the beams at the audience or at the stage. sometimes they are slightly raised to illuminate the choreography, or lowered to focus on the sets. it is a fantastic tool. the white leds can be made to flash, it’s great. it allows the illusion of movement. i even asked him to develop a special base to set up the rollapix vertically and enable me to focus on the choreography in all directions, which we were 3 unable to apply in the end since i don’t have the room in the corridors, there is too much action. i also pushed for the versapix, an led projector, which Yvan did not intend to put into production so quickly. this projector is modular and with its quar- ter-light-ring shape it enabled me to create a large ball with facets whose structure is in fact made up of 16 versapix. this makes for an interesting luminaire since each component in each led is controlled in- dividually. But we haven’t had time to programme it so you won’t see it in use tonight.
SLU : It must be a nightmare to program such a device!
Choreography are more alive and vibrant when the dancers move in beam created by gobo from VL 3000.
DV : Quite the contrary. For philou (philippe marty) it’s a doddle (laughs). i have primarily set up Wildsun 500 moving heads on the floor in the set. the advantage of the Wild- sun is that its zoom enlarges in order to take in the set and it zooms in to focus on a specific point. it doesn’t zoom in sufficiently to create a beam but it’s not bad.
We also rely on small zoom variled A7 moving heads as i need small and narrower sources to be set up in the sets. there are lots of them hidden just about everywhere.
SLU : Did you try other LED projector brands?
DV : i used the A7 Zoom a lot, but all things conside- red, i’ve only been using leds for a short time. i’ve been reluctant for a long time since they used to be awful.
SLU : So it’s Ayrton who reconciled you with LEDs?
Lighting searched mixing the colored beams of VL (color com- binations absolutely beautiful) in the bath of blue from Wildsun 500.
DV : You could say that, yes. With Ayrton there are nice whites and truly beautiful colours with depth. We can really work the pastels, true reds and true whites. it’s becoming interesting. What’s more, this manufacturer works on the design of the projector itself. Because if a projector is on display, i would like it to be beautiful. the rollapix is a nice little strip with a beautiful finish. the Wildsun is superb. the back is also quite stylish. it is important not to see large ugly units. i also had them specially chromium-plated in order for them to blend into the décor. it works well, we don’t have this enormous thing, these kinds of black holes on stage, especially when they are switched off. they are there- fore less visible.
SLU : Is it a need or a desire to use LED projectors?
DV : it has to be said that they have come a long way and therefore it’s getting truly interesting. in order to avoid excess loads on the bridges, excess consump- tion is after all quite practical.
SLU : What are the other sources in your kit?
DV : Wildsun 500 also on the bridges, the unavoi- dable mAC 2000 wash XB, vl 3000 spot and vl 3500 spot, the Beam 1500 Clay paky backlit on the floor but i may move them. it really works well. We also have a lot of traditional projectors, profile spots etC and pAr 64 strips. there is, for example, the footbridge on which you are truly within stri- king distance when the actors are on it and we have installed an entire pAr strip there with wide beam. there are also four large Ayrton icecolor 500 led luminaires, two stage left and two stage right to illu- minate the set and Cp 400 that light up a painted canvas. only white illuminates by transparency and the Cp 400 does so very well.
SLU : I imagine that you have to move on to the next scene gently.
DV : that is a true headache for philou (philippe marty) since there is no blackout between each song. the last cue for the songs is immediately followed by dialogue.
The video files provided by Gilles Papain tells the story of huma- nity. Here is the lost city of Eden.
The stage is washed in blue. Adam and Eve are revealed by the light beams of the VL 3000’s gobos.
Detail of the Rollapix, the new small 8 LED strip motorised in tilt mode, secured vertically on a décor component and Wildsun 500 in chrome version emits very attractive warm colours such as yellows and ambers. The light on the stage setting is rich in nuances.
Dimitri’s career
Dimitri Vassiliu Lighting Designer
Dimitri learned his trade as assistant of Laurent Chapot, a finest french lighting designer. He was a spotlight operator, blocker, lightboard operator. He worked for Rouveyrollis, he was a spotlight operator for Goldman, several times for Alain Longchamp. He also worked with Régis Vigne- ron, of whom he has fond memories. And then one day Laurent Chapot suggested that he contact a singer who was loo- king for a lighting designer, he himself didn’t have the time. It was Zazie for a club tour and he created lighting for his first four tours. Then he met Pascal Obispo. He chained since lightind designs for many great french artists : M, Gérard Depalmas, Calogero, Thomas Dutronc, Mylène Farmer, etc. Early this year : Julien Clerc tour, Benabar, etc His secret ? He knows the performers well, their issues as perfor- mers, which helps to unders- tand their needs. There are certain techniques that he knows in order for the artist to feel good. For exemple to look after their entrance, their exit, not to illuminate the audience too much at the wrong time, etc. He has an overall vision of the stage at all times
SLU : I was told that you are in demand for nearly all lighting design projects for concerts and tours in France this year with Adam and Eve, Julien Clerc, Benabar, etc.
DV : that’s exaggerated, there are a gazillion things that go in every direction and there are plenty of good lighting designers who work a lot.
SLU : Would you like to work with foreign performers or groups? Exporting your work as a designer?
DV : i would be interested but since i’m used to wor- king with all my mates, i don’t see myself leaving without a personal body guard.
SLU : Are you also interested in TV shows?
DV : Yes, i would be interested. i did the victoires de la musique for the first time last year for that matter. it was amazing to work with the Clay paky sharpy that had arrived in France. We were the first to use them. i will do the victoires again this year and i will try to change my layout in order for it to be one of a kind and bring something different.
I’ve worked on a few sets with vision engineers that i don’t know and since i don’t speak the language of video technology, i’ve had experiences… these days i stipulate the vision engineer and work with him.
SLU : Would you like to explore other horizons?
DV : I’m interested in theatre and opera. i would like to rub shoulders with this world and see how they work. i also like to do rock groups. i created a tiny design for ArthurH with 8 pAr led that i take on tour,2A7Zoomanditake8pC2kWonsite.ihad aball.itisnotallthateasytodoashowwith8pAr led when you are used to large kits. i racked my brain and i am happy with the result. And musically i like it. i learned that with laurent Chapot i was his assistant for a long time. He is very good at placing things. the right lighting at the right time and it may change in the middle of the refrain, note, rhythm or lyric permitting. But when i arrive here with a musical comedy to illuminate for the first time, i also have a ball.
Video production department with the Catalyst screens version PM 4.4 At the back, the Rollapix installed downstage can be easily seen, projecting their blue light ray. Except that the structure of the set, highlighted with white light, retains all of its volume.
5300 parameters for the LED.
philippe marty is one of dimitri vassiliu’s regular lightboard operators. He still likes to be the Beta tester and to have the initial problems to put up with. in Adam et eve, he controls all the projectors, automatic with lamps, with leds and traditional pro- jectors on a single GrandmA 1 console and therefore encodes the entire light show.
SLU : Philippe, you apparently had fun linking the titles?
Philippe Marty (allias Philou) : It is more complicated than a traditional classical concert since there is no blackout between pieces and is therefore longer to programme. At the end of a piece, during the dia- logue, i try to keep the washes i need and i prepare the other machines in the blackout, which are put in place. it’s almost twice as much work but you also have twice as much time. We work together, always with the dancers, acro- bats, choreographer, etc., it is technically longer than for a concert and that’s where it gets truly heavy since there are people on stage, practically everywhere and at all times. it takes three weeks of encoding from morning to evening. But the stage design is beautiful and the show is a lot of fun. it was the first time that i encoded the lighting for a musical comedy and i liked it.
SLU : How many DMX outputs do you have on your console?
PM : 12 dmX universes on a GrandmA. led projectors are particularly fond of dmX channels.
SLU : Did you have any problems with the new Ayr- ton projectors?
PM : Only teething problems that their technician came to adjust by upgrading a number of machines. this is normal when launching a product, nothing major and that is how we get ahead. other than that, i like these projectors, the colours are very beautiful.
let’s switch to the video production where romain labat controls the media servers to send the videos created by Gille papin. He has three different projec- tion surfaces at his disposal.
Three screens for the images and one synchronisation
Romain Labat videoboard operator
Romain Labat is light and videoboard operator. He cames from giant image projection. He is a program- mer for giant images on film. But they no longer exist, films have been replaced by high- power video projectors and HD. He obviously branched out into server media and the control of computers that send images to video projectors. He worked for Caméléon and produced their major performances over a period of 10 years.
Romain Labat : the principal surface is made up of an led screen. it’s the first time that a screen of that type has been used upstage in a musical comedy. it’s a lighthouse r7, the leds being set apart by 7 mm. the second surface is made up of a net that closes the stage setting. two Christie 20 K video projectors, 20,000 lumen project the images on it in soft edge to cover the entire surface measuring 25 x 8 m. it is also used in rear projection. And lastly, the lateral screens in the palais des sports are also recovered for a few news broadcasts in order to slightly open up the vision of the perfor- mance. We have a Catalyst media server on mac equipped with very powerful video cards and a very fast hard The Wildsun wash the stage of a deep blue, Rollapix (top right image) illuminate the dancers, the apple is highlighted with A7 Zoom and a follow spot shows the main action, Adam and Eve on the left side. One of the most poetic paintings. disk. this equipment is rented by Alabama. the Cata- lyst sends the video signal to the three screens. the video files provided by Gilles papain, the image designer, are saved on a hard disk and i control the Catalyst with a GrandmA. i load the videos, launch them and handle transitions. And the videos are synchronised by time code generated by the digital audio multitrack of the sound production depart- ment. the lightboard also receives the time code and when encoding is completed, the light and video shows will be merged into a single GrandmA, that of philou, who will control video and light on time code.
A magnificent performance, supercharged, and generous
SLU : Your console is a GrandMA 2 and Philippe has a GrandMA 1. Does it work in a network?
Romain Labat : Yes , because i have a GrandmA2 that runs on GrandmA1 software. We agreed this with philippe from the start. i was more comfortable with the GrandmA, he preferred to encode on Whole- hog. in the end we opted for the mA network system between consoles. the advantage of controlling video with a lighting console is being able to take advantage of all its power and ergonomics to control the media. You take advantage of the copy, palette, dimensioning tools, which allow for high programming speed.
Synopsis of lighting and video control
there is no lack of superlatives to appreciate two years of work by pascal obispo and his team. i just have one criticism to formulate, and that is not to have had the photo credits to show you the beauty of the scenes, video and light, working very closely with the stage setting and the artists. Adam et eve it is not what you call a neatly pac- kaged performance and off you go! each scene, each sequence is dug up from creati- vity and emotion. the show is teeming with sug- gestions brought by the upstage image, which tells the story with a lot of originality and poetry, the lighting supporting the solemnity and dramatic art of the scenes of violence, gentleness and life. i am impressed by the flux and colour of the Wild- sun 500 led moving heads. Called upon almost continuously by dimitri vassiliu, they bring rich, saturated and dense colours, it is almost solid and also magnificent ambers, incredible levels of saturated blues and reds, to this day unimaginable from such a compact source that is slipped into the stage setting All of these «small» sources can be used in close-ups, panning in on a component in the setting or washing the space in colour with their zoom and bringing a new option for the use of depth. the control of leds by light-rings allows for vibration effects and electronics response results in ultrafast strobes, unequalled in speed and very powerful in level. the small rollapix lightstrips are the stars downstage, providing us with violent electronic flashing in white during the Jt, or the ravishing ef- fects of the slow falling of low smoke towards the audience on a blue light ray.
At the catalyst output, the video signal is split into four in order to supply the various screens.
I adore the scenes with huge shadows of dancers projected on the net screen with the vl 3000 in saturated red backlit, the darkness in the under- growth coloured in warm hues, i adore the light that raps, violent and contrasting scenes that stro- be, divine lighting, multi-beam droplights, which gently lead Adam and eve to their bed… it is truly magnificent.
In order to meet the demand of the installed sound systems market, Electro-Voice offers a series of specific products under the name “EV-Innovation”. Within this series, four different formats can fulfil almost all the needs of consultants, installers and system integrators.
RCF Group has announced the sale of SGM, its lighting division, to a consortium headed by Danish entrepreneur Peter Johansen. with effect from February 1st 2012.
