Situated in the Melbourne’s east, the community at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was being crowded out by a suburb fast-tracked for urban growth. Needing to relocate to a quieter location with room to expand, they became aware that a short distance down the road the St. James Uniting Church, with its striking mid-century early modern architecture, was looking to sell.
A view of the renovated St.Paul’s Lutheran Church with the beautiful work done by the acoustic engineer Andrew Nicol with his reflective diffusers meant to bring back some live reverberance, the all time signature of any church.
It looked a perfect fit. A deal was done which duly led to a full-blown renovation of the church, including a sensitive, high quality audio visual fitout in the heritage-listed building. This included a Martin Audio O-Line as the sound reinforcement system. St. Paul’s Lutheran found an integrator in Mozaix that really understood house of worship requirements, and director Paul Tucker immediately struck up a rapport with the Church’s building committee.
Paradoxically, the original St James space had been too acoustically ‘dead’ which is an almost unique problem to find in a church building. Due to its carpeted floors and construction of the vaulted ceiling, in its previous unrenovated form it didn’t suit St Paul’s style of ‘call and response’ congregational worship.
The stage left array of 12 O-Line.
Acoustic engineer, Andrew Nicol, thus applied acoustic treatment in the form of an array of signature reflective diffusers for the front wall and behind the band stage, as well as hard stone tile flooring, acoustic panels on the rear wall and acoustic absorption on the balcony fascia. The result is an acoustically lively but controlled space that suits congregational involvement and accommodates high SPL sound reinforcement.
Nicol briefed the AV system designers Hanson Associates and their consultant Mark Thompson noted that given the acoustic design and in order to enable the church to benefit from this live reverberance the loudspeaker system best suited to meet all requirements was a Martin Audio O-Line.
This, he felt, would provide a properly engineered speech reinforcement solution and the decision to specify 12 elements per side was based on Hanson’s acoustic modelling process. Both Paul Tucker and Hanson Associates have worked on previous jobs involving the sleek Martin Audio O-Line micro-array, and all participants were confident it would deliver the goods for the St Paul’s fitout.
The O-Line without the front element. Two 3.5” LF drivers and 5 soft dome tweeters. Once the 12 elements array set, the sensitivity reaches 99 dB SPL, the Max SPL 131 dB and the lows a theoretical continous 104 dB at 76 Hz. Plenty enough for having fun !
The technology certainly suggested that it would. Every element of the Martin Audio O-Line PA is individually addressed by its own amplifier channel and processing, allowing the array to be beam steered, thereby keeping energy out of the ceiling space and the pipe organ loft.
Unlike many DSP-steered columns, an O-Line array does not produce unwanted vertical sidelobes in the audio band. This is critical in reverberant environments, since sidelobes, firing above and below the array, simply adds to the reverberant energy, impacting negatively on intelligibility. O-Line’s ability to reproduce very high frequencies without sidelobes makes it ideal for both full range speech and music reproduction in Houses of Worship.
“It’s a very transparent PA, it’s not lumpy in the bottom end,” noted Paul Tucker. “It really connects to the room nicely. Hanson Associates took care of the final tuning of the PA and it’s come up nicely. “We had a consecration service featuring a fantastic viola player, and the sound of that instrument was beautiful really stunning.”
An Allen & Heath mixing environment (over Dante) is complemented by Q-Sys signal processing. The AV booth is also the control hub of all the video and streaming capabilities (St Paul’s has been recording and broadcasting services since well before the Covid-19 pandemic). As for operation, it couldn’t be simpler: a church volunteer can fire up both the PA and the projectors with a couple of clicks of the iPad.
The Church’s tech booth with, on the left, the A&H mixer.
Finished in neutral light grey, to blend in with the architecture, the slimline, discreet and architecturally sympathetic O-Line arrays set the tone for the install. The video projection and architectural lighting sources are equally discreet, and so when it comes to technology, transparency has been the watchword.
“We’re very pleased with the results,” proclaimed David Pietsch, who heads the church’s strategic property group, in summary.
Martin Audio systems are distributed in Australia by Technical Audio Group (TAG).
GLP’s new KNV series has been used for the first time in Italy, on two broadcast TV shows. The first of these was Radionorba Vodafone Battiti Live, where DoP Massimo Pascucci, featured a large selection of KNV Cube, KNV Dot and KNV Line in the scenography, working alongside set designer Luigi Maresca and show director, Luigi Antonini.
Photo Francesco Liuzzi
This popular musical show is produced by Radionorba and broadcast by TeleNorba and Mediaset on the Italia 1 channel. Hosted by Alan Palmieri and Elisabetta Gregoraci, it features leading artists and their hits of the summer. Generally, the traditional five episodes are recorded during the months of June and July in five different locations that represent the main cities of Puglia. However, this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the show would have been cancelled were it not for a supreme production effort and the rapid drop off of infections. Thus a single location was chosen the square immediately in front of the Aragonese Castle of Otranto in order to avoid moving equipment and manpower.
Photo Francesco Liuzzi
All GLP fixtures are imported into Italy by distributor, Alto Lighting, and for this show were supplied by rental company, MOD Srl.
GLP KNV Dot
Massimo Pascucci had no hesitation in using GLP’s solutions after seeing videos of the KNVs in use. Because in this show I had focussed a lot on using the lights graphically, the product seemed perfect to me,” he said.
Thus 12 of the KNV Cubes were accompanied by 25 KNV Dot and 10 KNV Live. Each KNV format can be used independently, or seamlessly combined to form a massive, modular graphic display.
GLP KNV Line
“In truth, the iconography of the show is about the heart, hence the Battiti (beats),” he continued. “So the Cubes were used in the centre of a structure that represented the heart Itself, housed in the central part of the roof. The other GLP devices (Line and Dot) were used around the stage perimeter, giving shape and linearity to the structure.”
Photo Francesco Liuzzi
Bespoke lighting scenes and states were programmed for each of the acts, as Pascucci explained. “For each song a different graphic is produced which is then displayed on huge LED walls, that make up the main scenography. The luminaires have been calibrated to this in order to harmonise with the dedicated mood of each performer, using the pixel mapping facility on the Hog 4 lighting desk.”
He remains in no doubt as to the many ways in which the KNV series marked the scenography and can see endless possibilities for the future. “The extreme brightness and possibility of integration with the existing lighting plot, really enhances the concept and opens up a new way of conceiving television lighting. By this I mean gradually dispensing with the conventional powerful beam movement delivered by automated spots. Instead it is possible to focus more on the stylisation of the scenes by integrating the lighting system with graphics, as far as possible.”
In Sioux City, Iowa, BNY Productions has been working in their production studio remotely broadcasting an average of 100 live and virtual “hybrid” events per week for the past six months.
50 msec of latency, nothing when you see what you get in terms of phase response and frequency response.
As high-profile candidates travel throughout the United States for political rallies and speeches, BNY Productions has relied on Meyer Sound Bluehorn® System full bandwidth studio monitors for accuracy and precision every step along the way.
BNY, a Meyer Sound dealer and collaborator, is a full-service production company, delivering events that vary from phone and television interviews, video conferencing, and remote recordings. The circumstances called for an audio system that would deliver transparent and linear phase response. The Meyer Sound Bluehorn System was the optimal solution for BNY and their clients.
“Bluehorn eliminates the guesswork. So if it sounds good here, that is how it is going to sound everywhere. That makes my job so much easier, it is what it is and I love that,” Bill Kristijanto, co-owner of BNY, said.
From left to right Ben Kristijanto and Bill Kristijanto, co-owners of BNY Productions.
In addition to BNY’s remote-only events, they have taken on “hybrid” events, which include physical and virtual attendees who access the event via a virtual conference room. While in-person events in cities around the country are still produced and broadcasted remotely in the BNY studio, ULTRA-X40™ point source loudspeakers have been used for on-site monitoring. The sound reinforcement systems for the events vary by location, but are comprised of Meyer Sound equipment including ULTRA-X40 and LINA® very compact linear line array loudspeakers.
Bill Kristijanto, co-owner of BNY Productions facing a lovely series of Bluehorn subwoofers.
“When people send me materials recorded on an iPhone, for example, I’m going to have to fix it. If I didn’t have a good set of monitors, then I would be doing a lot of guesswork. So, Bluehorn has helped in a way that most monitors can’t,” Kristijanto said.
While the Bluehorn System has played a pivotal role in BNY’s “Studio A,” it is also equipped with nearly 50 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers, including MM 10XP™ miniature subwoofers, MM-4XP™ miniature self-powered loudspeakers, and UP 4slim™ ultracompact installation loudspeakers. The studio is also used as a recording studio and laboratory to test new ideas for live events.
Since 2016, BNY Productions has provided the audiovisual support for political events for a variety of clients. In March 2020, the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions forced their live operations to shift to remote, virtual-only broadcasts.
The Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore is happy to have taken its first-ever stock of Ayrton LED moving heads with the recent addition of Ayrton Khamsin profile fixtures to its lighting inventory. 44 Khamsin-S and 6 Khamsin-TC fixtures were supplied to the landmark venue by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the region, Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd.
The majority of its new Khamsin profiles have been installed in the 5000-seat Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre’s key venue, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art stage technology. The Star Theatre hosts a wide range of amplified music and speech events, including large scale, high-profile conferences, pop concerts and dance performances, and recently hosted the Singapore National Day 2020 Concert.
“The Khamsins are mainly rigged on overhead fly bars and FOH trusses from where they facilitate the multiplicity of diverse events that happen here,” says head of lighting, Mohamad Azhar Bin Mazlan. New Creation Church holds its weekly Sunday service at the venue which provides an opportunity for Khamsin’s capabilities to truly enrich the experience.
Ayrton Khamsin S
“The Khamsin-TC profiles are used as the pastor’s key light during the service, with the Khamsin-S fixtures used primarily for effects and occasional supplementary key light,” continues Azhar.
Ayrton Khamsin was chosen after the team at The Star Performing Arts Centre carried out comprehensive research to find LED moving head replacements for the venue’s existing inventory of 1.2kW discharge fixtures.
“Our original objective in moving to LED was to save power, but Khamsin has given us a lot more besides,” says Azhar. “We executed a shoot-out at the venue which proved that Khamsin was the only LED fixture then on the market compatible with our 1.2kW fixtures.
Their performance in terms of output is so much more than we expected, plus they also give us rich colours and a variety of new, fresh gobo designs to choose from. To top it all off, Khamsin also has an in-built shutter/shaper function which helps us achieve a more focused and precise projection area which is especially valuable for those all-important key lights. “Above all, we are just so impressed at the output capability of Khamsin compared to our previous 1.2kW fixtures and how much less power is required to run these fixtures.”
For more information on Ayrton and its full range of LED lighting fixtures, visit the Ayrton website
High End Systems has released the new HPU hardware for Hog 4, along with an update to Hog 4 OS with v3.14 software. HPU replaces both the DMX Processor 8000 (DP8K) unit and the Rack Hog 4 in a modern, 2U rack mounted unit. This processor unit can be run in either Console mode or in Processor mode with a 64 universe capacity.
The new Hog 4 OS v3.14 Software includes several advancements in functionality in addition to bug fixes. A new patching structure allows users to patch to internal universes, which then get mapped to outputs on consoles, DP8Ks, Widgets and Gadget II units, sACN and/or ArtNet. Individual patch universes may be mapped to multiple outputs as needed and can be moved from one output to another without universe cloning.
Adjusted keyboard shortcuts include additional mappings to make programmable USB keyboards function more smoothly. Finally, OSC/MIDI control of faders and encoders is now available for all users who have a console or Hog 4 PC system equipped with Hog-Net the requirement that matching hardware be connected has been lifted.
High End Systems also has rolled out two Hog hardware changes. The Road Hog 4-21 console replaces the Road Hog 4 with a new motherboard and 21.5” HD display. The Road Hog 4-21 update expands the console’s capabilities to include dual display port connections for external monitors or touchscreens. Also, the HedgeHog 4X becomes the sole member of the HedgeHog product range, with the complete networking capabilities of Hog 4, dual display port connections for external monitors or touchscreens and six universes of output. The HedgeHog 4 retires with this release, but is still supported by High End Systems as are all members of the Hog 4 family.
Senior Product Manager Sarah Clausen commented, “The v3.14 software release brings a new flexibility to patching that has been requested by users for a long time. The use of linear universe numbers match more closely with how visualizers and other paperwork applications represent patching, which will make it easier to translate patch paperwork into a console patch. Also, the ability to simply reassign patched universes from one output to another makes managing large or evolving systems easier. And the HPU brings system expansion and backup to the family at an incredible price.”
With over 15 years serving the events industry and providing a complete range of AV production services, Australian company Audio Visual Events® (AVE®) continued with its precise level of technological achievement and client satisfaction even when live events ground to a halt. By partnering with Create Engage and Sydney Masonic Centre (SMC), the company brought ON AIR to life, offering a plethora of high-end Audio Visual and virtual event capabilities, enhanced by powerful and intuitive Brompton Tessera processing.
“AVE, Create Engage and SMC have long-standing relationships and have delivered many successful events together over the years, so we knew we could count on them when the pandemic engulfed the events industry,” says AVE’s general manager, Paul Keating. “Together, we focussed on ‘why’ we should create the ON AIR studio, with key goals being saving jobs, helping our clients, supporting our industry, and building a product we can all be proud of.”
From there, AVE and its partners created ON AIR; a state-of-the-art, semi-permanent studio in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, which provides AVE’s customers with an innovative platform to live-stream and share their messages in a timely, cost effective and safe way. The studio is equipped with high-resolution Panasonic robotic cameras, a large, fine pitch LED screen backdrop, stage lighting, microphones, presentation computers and confidence monitors.
“We installed a 7m by 2.5m LED screen in the studio that consists of 70 Unilumin UPADIII P2.6 LED tiles,” shares Keating. “In addition, 36 meters of ROE Strip are set up at angles flanking the LED screen to introduce depth and another creative element for the space. The LED screen and ROE Strip, both running seamlessly together on Brompton Tessera processing, create a cost-effective immersive environment which allows clients to digitally brand the space with stunning visuals.”
The LED screen is controlled by Brompton’s 4K Tessera SX40 processor, along with a Tessera XD distribution unit, fed from Barco’s E2 screen management system. A Brompton Tessera M2 controls the ROE Strip and is also fed from the E2. Additionally, a GrandMA2 Lighting console sends DMX to the M2 allowing live adjustment of the colours of the video content on the Strip.
Brompton SX40
Brompton’s Tessera processing was chosen by the AVE team for several reasons.
“The interface is simple and easy to use, and we can minimise cable runs by having the processors in centralised positions and still configure it remotely with its network control,” continues Keating. “Setting up angled ROE Strip is very easy in the Tessera software, with the ability to rotate fixtures on a canvas. The SX40 accepts high resolutions and 12G SDI signal from our E2 is all processed with no visible latency. With the XD 10G distribution units, we can simply run a fibre cable up to the screen then distribute the signal from the XD to the panels, saving us both time and cable runs.”
With the future for the events industry still being somewhat uncertain, Keating believes that solutions like ON AIR support its clients and help them stay connected with their audiences.
So far, ON AIR has helped clients from multiple sectors, including government, associations, sport, corporates and charities. “There are some events we can mention, but a lot more that we cannot. Some of my personal favourites have been Salesforce, Palliative Care Week (which featured Dr Norman Swan) and Vinnies CEO Sleepout – an amazing event which changes people lives. Also, Events Uncovered has just announced that its 2020 event will be delivered by ON AIR team at SMC as a hybrid event,” reveals Keating.
Feeling incredibly proud of what the AVE team has achieved together with its partners, Keating shares how they all had made a commitment that they would do everything possible to support each other and be here on the other side of the pandemic. “David [Campbell, MD at AVE] and I are very proud and thankful that the team have stepped up, been flexible, been resilient and remained positive. That has helped the ON AIR team and our clients achieve so much in such a short time,” Keating adds.
With plenty of exciting projects in the pipeline, Keating and the team are confident that ON AIR is fully equipped to deliver virtual events to suit any taste and technical requirement.
“There is one ingredient that makes our ON AIR studio future-proof and capable of delivering a fantastic array of visually stunning content and that’s thanks to Brompton Tessera processing,” he concludes. “The Brompton team have always provided AVE with amazing advice, support, and training opportunities. Their support of the events and technical production industry during COVID is amazing, and I look forward to catching up with them in person down the track.”
10 years ago, HK Audio set the standard in scalable line systems for live applications with the ELEMENTS series. Since then, the ELEMENTS family has become a well-established worldwide standard with well over 100,000 units sold.
Different ways to use the brand new E 115 Sub D with his tops.
With the new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D system subwoofer, HK Audio is now not only meeting customer demand for increased bass performance and smart, contemporary features such as networkability, software-based remote control and Plug’n’Play Cardioid functionality the powerful audio controlling also impressively improves the mid and high-range reproduction of existing ELEMENTS systems.
A view of the rear side of the new sub housing the digital controller & the amps and giving access to the local knobs and the Cat5 ports for a remote control.
Compared to the previous subwoofer models in the ELEMENTS series, the new 15″ high-performance woofer, together with the 1500-watt power amplifier, delivers noticeably greater sound pressure and an extended low frequency response. The new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D now delivers a 900-watt power amplifier output to effortlessly drive up to three E 835 mid/high units.
The centerpiece of the new ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D system subwoofer is the integrated latest-generation digital controller. Compared to the previous analog filters, this allows extremely effective and detailed processing of the sound characteristics in both the bass and the mid-high frequency range. This can be heard particularly impressively with the well-established E 435 and E 835 mid/high units, which play at a whole new level in terms of frequency response, resolution and radiation when operated with the ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D.
The remote control software driving the DSP inside the E 115 Sub D. Here the powerful EQ.
The new high-performance controller also provides the basis for a range of modern, practical features. This includes full networking capability for several ELEMENTS stacks or even for LINEAR 7 speaker models. Using the HK Audio DSP CONTROL Software available for MacOS and Windows, even complex networks can be controlled conveniently and clearly from the FoH position. It allows you to adjust the volume of the system and the lines, as well as a fully parametric 10-band EQ, tunable high and low pass filters, delay times, limiters and other parameters.
And here the main view showing the preset, the levels and the status of the amps.
A further highlight is the efficient, simple-to-use Cardioid bass function. To use it, simply connect an HK Audio LINEAR SUB 1500 A to the Cardioid Out of the ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D. The result is a powerful focusing of the forward bass radiation with rear bass attenuation by app. 30 dB.
A power combo made of two E 115 Sub D and two E 835 mid/high units. The amplifier fitted inside the E 115 Sub D can drive up to three E 835.Two 15” in cardioid mode to get the best rear attenuation and forward radiation.Lars Reime
Lars Reime, Senior Product Manager at HK Audio, says: “The new HK Audio ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D not only stands out with its impressive bass experience, efficient Plug’n’Play Cardioid function, advanced networkability and professional controlling options. It also takes the mid and high-range reproduction of existing ELEMENTS systems to a whole new level, thus considerably boosting sustainability and value retention”.
The ELEMENTS E 115 Sub D will be available in stores from November.
– High-performance 15″ system subwoofer with 2400 watts total power (1500 watts for bass and 900 watts for up to 3 E 835 mid/high units) – Integrated, network controllable DSP with 4 presets and Plug’n’Play Cardioid Out – Full control over all functions, EQ, limiter, delay, presets etc. – HK Audio DSP CONTROL software for full compatibility with LINEAR 7, can be operated together with LINEAR 7 speakers in the same network. – Subwoofer can be expanded with the LINEAR SUB 1500 A, also as a Cardioid setup – Perfect expansion for existing ELEMENTS users thanks to compatibility with E 835/435 and the EP-1/2 and EF-45 accessories – Extremely simple handling: even a large Cardioid setup with two 15″ basses and three E835s can be transported in a station wagon and set up by a single person. – 5-year manufacturer warranty after registration here
Technical data:
– Max. SPL @ 10 % THD: 128 dB, 90 Hz, half space – Max. SPL Peak @ 10 % THD: 125 dB, 40 Hz – X-Over, half space – Frequency response +/-3 dB: 48 Hz – X-over – Frequency response -10 dB: 44 Hz – X-over – Power amplifier output Bass: 1,500 watts – Power amplifier output column: 900 watts – Amplifier type: Class D – Bass speaker: 1 x 15″ – Active x-over frequency: 160 Hz – Analog inputs: 1x XLR combo balanced – Analog Thru: 1x XLR balanced – Cardioid output: 1x XLR balanced – Network port: Ethercon RJ45, 1x In, 1x Thru – Filter presets: 1x E 835, 2x E 835, 3x E 835, Remote – Remote software: DSP CONTROL (Windows, MacOS) – DSP functions: Fully parametric 10-band EQ with variable filter characteristics, High-Pass Filter, Low-Pass Filter, Polarity, Level, Delay, Limiter, Mute – Sample rate: 96 kHz – System latency: 2.6 ms – Mains connection: 1x Powercon NAC3 In, 100–240 V – Speaker outputs: 1x E-Connect, 1x Speakon – Carrying handles: 2x MultiGrip – Housing: MDF – Finish: Water-based paint, black – Front grille: 2 mm metal grille backed with black acoustic foam – Dimensions (WxHxD): 48.5 x 48.5 x 59.5 cm – Weight: 29.6 kg
LD Chris Penso lights closing shows at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City in spectacular fashion. A full complement of Elation luminaires gave a spectacular closing to Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra’s tour earlier this year in Mexico City, where he shared the stage with several artists, including Mexican singer Carlos Rivera.
Chris Penso, an experienced lighting designer who has worked with Latin stars such as Franco de Vita, Carlos Vives, Chayanne and Marc Anthony, was responsible for lighting Yatra’s tour. For two special performances at the renowned Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the amount of lighting gear was enhanced and to spectacular effect.
At Penso’s disposal were 66 Chorus Line 16™ LED pixel bars, 36 Rayzor 760™ LED wash/beam lights, 34 Smarty Hybrid™ and 28 Smarty Max™ moving heads, 10 Fuze Wash Z350™ single source par moving heads, 24 ACL 360 Matrix™ LED moving head panels, 20 Protron 3K Color™ strobes and 12 DTW Blinder 700 IP™. Yatra worked with video engineer and content creator Williams Hincapie on the tour.
Penso commented about his lighting design: “The objective for this tour was to have a wide variety of textures, atmospheres and different sensations. Since Sebastian’s repertoire is very diverse, we wanted to be able to go from very aggressive and dynamic looks to very subtle and minimal scenes.”
The talented LD revealed his favorite Elation lights to be the Chorus Line 16, positioned above the LED screen in the center of the stage with others in musician platforms and on the stage proscenium; and the Rayzor 760, which were mounted in pairs on three parallel structures to project general washes or narrow beams thanks to its wide 5- to 77-degree zoom.
“The Chorus Line 16 were a vital tool for the show and offer an infinite range of scenic possibilities,” Penso said. “Whether as blinders, back light, for aerial and dynamic effects, or when used with the zoom closed, they create a truly striking visual effect. Few luminaries can be classified as effect, wash and blinder and these motorized bars are able to give a whole show by themselves. From generating a wall of light to creating RGB pixel mapping, while zooming in and out and applying a tilt effect, all at the same time… this is definitely the future.”
Penso says that he has always loved wash lights, a lighting staple that he describes as “very faithful.” He comments, “The Rayzor 760 is a fixture of incredible color accuracy with a very well-calibrated white that looks particularly different from anything on the market. Its seven lenses project light in a very particular way and its colors are brilliant and powerful.”
He says the luminaire’s unique SparkLED™ background sparkle effect adds another layer of elegance and versatility. “The unit looks incredible when using this effect no matter its orientation; it is perfect for TV cameras and backlight effects.” In the Yatra show, the Rayzor 760s provided solid color and ambiance for each song, as well as general stage lighting as side and backlights.
Vertical ladders and diagonal podiums on both sides of the LED screen housed the Smarty Hybrid luminaires from which both gobos and defined beams of light were projected, as well as wide washes of infinite color thanks to its Beam/Spot/Wash modes in conjunction with smooth CMY color mixing.
The Smarty Max hybrid moving heads were hung on two horizontal structures and used as side lights while at floor level Fuze Wash Z350 LED moving heads had the important role of supporting with fill light onto the musicians and Yatra himself. In a traditional look, DTW Blinder 700 IP fixtures were mounted on a front structure to light the audience and at times generate strobe effects.
Three circular arrangements of ACL 360 Matrix were an especially unique piece of design. These 5×5 RGB LED panels with motorized pan/tilt movement were placed facing down and during intimate moments of the show were used as the main light onto the singer. Finally, the Protron 3K Color RGBW LED strobes were distributed at the top of the entire assembly, both in the vertical grids and horizontal structures.
“The idea was to have a strobe that could light the entire area of the stage,” Penso states. “Being such a varied show in musical genres, we wanted to have the option of using a light as a general strobe but also as an intense color blinder. The Protron 3K Color are really powerful; rarely do you see a strobe with intense colors and with a real and solid white.”
Lastly, the LD expressed his satisfaction with the evolution that Elation luminaires have taken through the last few years and said he looks forward to working with new releases in the future. “Without a doubt, Elation is a brand that is here to stay. Not only does its equipment resist the rigors of installation and constant use but there is a very wide variety of fixtures with options for all types of venues, from discotheques to arenas and stadiums, and but above all, at a reasonable price.”
During a career that has seen him work on TV specials like European Commission’s Presidential Debate, and popular programs, including Dancing With The Stars Belgium and Liefde voor Muziek, Michiel Milbou has built a stellar reputation for his impeccable key lighting. However, in his recent project, Belgium’s version of The Masked Singer, Milbou got to depart from his usual concerns about getting the talent’s face lit “just right.” The result was an opulent outpouring of creativity and color.
Photo Picturesk
“There were no faces to light in this show, since everyone was wearing a mask,” said Milbou, the founder and owner of Never Fear Shadows. “That was very different, and in many ways a nice change, since it opened up many creative possibilities. It allowed us to go with colors that matched the masks without worrying about key lighting faces. So, if there was a character with blue mask, we could hit it with various blues, something we couldn’t do to a face. We used Follow-Me software to track the masked characters on stage so we could keep all kinds of different effects on them.”
Maverick-MK3
Providing the colorful light that enlivened the masks and famous costumes of contestants were 27 CHAUVET Professional Maverick MK3 Profiles, which, like the other fixtures in the rig, were supplied by Splendit. “We used the MK3 Profile as our front light,” said Milbou. “Its CMY + CTO color mixing and zoom ratio were helpful in giving us creative options.”
The interplay of colors on the masked characters’ faces was only one of the flourishes that Milbou and his team brought to their design for the global hit TV program. Prominently featured on the set were two large logo masks, the only requirement mandated by the international franchise for the Belgian show.
These masks took on a life of their own, thanks to some evocative projections mapped on their surface and a collection of ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures inside them. Milbou had 128 of the 1-meter LED strips in his rig, many of them were placed in the giant masks, with mirror foil behind them. Using the strips to create bright white light, he endowed the masks with a captivating glow that translated well on camera.
Epix Strip bars equipped with several types of diffusers.
“We had the ÉPIX Strips in tunnels inside the masks and had them glow against the mirror foil we placed behind them,” said Milbou. “The white glowing light played off against the LED screens that we had inside the masks. I am a really big fan of running these strips in white to accent everything around them. I also am a fan of controlling strips with DMX, so I can make much sharper effects. Throughout the program, we created different patterns of movement with the strips to reflect the various styles of music.”
Coordinating lighting and video with the styles of eight different masked performers during the eight episodes of the show without repeating looks was a major accomplishment by the creative team involved in The Masked Singer, according to Milbou.
Photo Picturesk
The different color combinations and accents he used to illuminated the masked performers and the patterns created with his ÉPIX Strips contributed to this achievement; so too did the variety of dramatic overhead looks he created with the 33 Maverick MK1 Hybrid fixtures positioned in a pyramid pattern on three rows over the center of the triangular stage.
In addition to creating a camera-pleasing geometric pattern with the stage, the arrangement of hybrid fixtures opened a variety of creative options for Milbou. Running the 440W units as both spot and wash fixtures, he would, at times, direct their light outward, evoking a celestial image, and then have them serve as down lights for another song. With each move, the hybrids were coordinated with the 10 Maverick MK3 Washes that served as sidelights, helping to ensure a continuous flow of fresh new looks.
Photo Picturesk
“All involved in this production took great pride in creating something original, said Miblou, who credits the success of this endeavor to his colleagues: executive producer Olivier Deprez, producer Stien Smets, director Maryse van den Wyngaert and set designer Koen Verbrugghe, as well as a “great lighting and video team.”
For Milbou, who began working on the show in early June, The Masked Singer was a welcome opportunity after the initial COVID-19 lockdown. “All of us on the team were very happy to see each other,” he said. Looking at the program when it aired, he expressed “great happiness” with the final results. Apparently, this sentiment was shared by many in Belgium, as this season of The Masked Singer was a ratings winner.
Having visited Les Gets during winter, finding the resort filled with meadows and flowers is rather bewildering yet, pandemic or not, people still manage to have fun hurtling down the slopes there even in the middle of August, but on bikes and disguised as ninja turtles.
The gate into Alta Lumina in broad daylight from the entrance, which is illuminated and heated in the winter for the people waiting to start up the route.
We arrive at the tourist office of the resort accompanied by Christian Crolle, Pro Audio Manager at Yamaha Music Europe, and the Business Manager for Yamaha, Pascal Bessenet. We are here to meet Chrystelle Felisaz, the press attaché of Les Gets, with whom we head off to the nearby pine grove, where the recently opened attraction designed by Moment Factory is located. Christian and Pascal are here because Moment Factory decided to equip Alta Lumina with speakers, amplifiers and matrices branded with the triple tuning fork, and to use the finesse of their unique sound.
This pile of pine needles and forest duff, more than a meter in diameter, is not detritus from the construction site, but rather an open-air anthill in the heart of Alta Lumina. After the photo we had to brush off our shoes and pants to avoid bringing ants back to the hotel!
On the site, you can see deep impressions in the tree trunks, caused by the previous use of this magnificent pine grove as a treetop adventure park. Thanks to the mounting system chosen by the miracle-working Québécois creator, this won’t happen at Alta Lumina. We opted for a daytime visit of the site to better understand how it all works; but of course we also took in the experience at night.
It is worth mentioning up front: apart from a few speakers, smoke machines and sparse lighting fixtures, this part of the forest has been particularly well preserved by Moment Factory including the anthill and it takes a rather expert eye to notice the conduits that hide the connections to the trees used as masts to support the “fixtures”, while the cabins that house the equipment are also well preserved. Built like real houses, they too blend into the décor.
The main chalet located at the entrance of the attraction and the only one inhabitable by anything other than equipment racks! It is mainly used as a shelter, office and storeroom.
On site, Emeric Dubois, the technical manager of Alta Lumina, conducts our tour with a rare friendliness. He is one of the four full-time technicians on the site, supported by four to five seasonal workers who welcome, guide and help the visitors. He opened all the doors for us and answered as many questions as possible. We would find him later that evening among the staff, assisting visitors here and there as they wandered between the seven zones, each with its own style of light, sound and personality.
Emeric responds willingly to our questions, the first of which causes him to laugh
Standing inside the gondola of the virtual protagonist of the attraction – where each night visitors can have their portraits automatically created – here are (from left to right) Emeric Dubois the technical manager of Alta Lumina, Chrystelle Felisaz the lovely press attaché from Les Gets, Pascal Bessenet, business manager for Yamaha, and Christian Crolle, Pro Audio manager at Yamaha Music Europe.
SLU : Could you show us the technical facilities and servers in the large chalet near the entrance?
Emeric Dubois : Gladly, but you will be disappointed. There is no studio, no technical room or large racks of servers. Everything for control and monitoring fits in an iPad and in a few mini servers running X-Agora, which are distributed in the cabins along the route.
SLU : Can you explain to us what X-Agora is?
Emeric Dubois : It’s Moment Factory’s proprietary software that was used to program and deliver the entire show – Dante, ArtNet and video media – on demand, and it also serves as a remote control using several dedicated tabs on our tablets.
So we set off to take a look at the cabins to see the technological details. A first, smaller structure is the exception that confirms the rule.
There is no roof or wood, only a hatch hidden by a camouflaged waterproof mesh. Air-conditioned and heated like the cabins, it houses the central hub, which includes the management of the fiber ring network that provides signal transport for all the elements of the show, as well as the remote controls, lighting controls, the surveillance cameras (there are 16 along the route), and the Yamaha amplification for the speaker enclosures of the same brand.
Well hidden, even in broad daylight, this structure is absolutely invisible during night operations. Built on a concrete slab, it’s doubtlessly durable. It replaces one of the cabins, as it has less equipment. The protrusion that can be discerned under the node is the air conditioning and heating unit.
Each of the cabins is supplied with a three-phase power supply. As for this simpler technical bay, Emeric tells us it is an antenna node and not in the fiber ring.
The rear side of the waterproof cabinet, with two Yamaha XMV4280 four-channel and 8140 eight-channel amps, both in ”D” version, as in “Dante”. Whether it’s the magic of the mountains or the quality of the filters and the recent installation, the amount of dust on the devices is negligible.
SLU : Your tablet is your only tool…
Emeric Dubois : The only one (he smiles). We launch the program every night, we monitor its progress on the show control timeline, we monitor switch by switch the network infrastructure, including Dante, temperatures, faults, and so on. To monitor the temperatures we have a sensor in each cabin and a Raspberry Pi that sends them to us via X-Agora.
As soon as we start up in the morning, we can send, for instance, the audio test program where each speaker plays its number, read in audio. For this, a WiFi network is present all along the path and allows us to move around, while still keeping our hands on the servers.
Protected from the weather, a Viper NT provides the smoke which is dispersed through the visible duct.
I always carry my tablet with me, even in the evening during the show, since the smoke output of the Viper NT can also be adjusted according to the wind conditions and the number of people on the circuit.
SLU : Why are we hearing this discernible hiss?
Emeric Dubois : It’s not a poor gain adjustment or a faulty amp, in fact, it’s a white noise signal that is generated continuously and is independent of the audio program, in order to maintain some movement of the voice coils, no matter how small. This helps to defend against the cold in particular. Similarly, all the racks remain powered 24/7 to avoid cold but also condensation in the morning.
A scheduling problem prevented us from meeting up with Moment Factory staff on site, so we collected their answers within a few days of our on-site report, collective answers to a wide variety of our questions.
SLU : Can we take the name of your company, “Moment Factory”, literally to describe your work?
Moment Factory : Yes, absolutely! The objective of our various projects is to instill a sense of collective wonder and connection. As technology offers us multiple ways to interact through our personal devices, the need to physically gather together seems more crucial than ever.
SLU : How long have you been designing and what is the breakdown between permanent and temporary creations?
Moment Factory : Since our beginnings in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 450 unique projects around the world, including the Lumina Night Walks.
« Follow in the footsteps of a musician who brings cheer to isolated regions with his enchanting tunes, delivered from his hot-air balloon. The ALTA LUMINA Night Walk takes a poetic flight over the mountains, evoking the unifying power of music. Let your senses guide you, and enter a world of wonder where music can be seen and light can be heard. » The (fully fulfilled) promise of Alta Lumina etched, as it should be, in stone.
SLU : Are you approaching organizations or are they reaching out to you?
Moment Factory : Each project and collaboration is different, but in the case of Alta Lumina, the relationship began when SAGETS¹ contacted us in the winter of 2019, after hearing about the Lumina night walks. While visiting the place and the region, our team was immediately inspired by the site and saw the potential to create a Lumina route that could operate almost year-round.
¹ SAGETS stands for Société d’Aménagements Gêtoise d’Equipements Touristiques et Sportifs (Les Gets Tourist and Sports Facilities Company). The company manages the activities and recreation at the resort of Les Gets, responsible for the ski lifts and the slopes, but also for mountain biking, golf, the enchanted Alta Lumina night trail, daycare and lake for swimming.
SLU : How long does it take between the commissioning and completion of an attraction like Alta Lumina?
Moment Factory : In general, a Lumina night walk takes about a year of work, from conception to inauguration.
SLU : Who creates and programs the visual and musical/sound effects?
Moment Factory : Within the creative team of the project we have a musical director who composes the original material, often inspired by the sounds of nature and with local influences.
SLU : Does each attraction have its own story, style and music, or do you repeat the same “program” and lighting themes in different locations?
Moment Factory : Each Lumina experience we create is unique and tailored to the location and surroundings in which it operates. Alta Lumina is the 12th Lumina night walk in the series and the first in France, and in Europe. The Lumina walks are created on the principle of a series, in which each experience is unique. The visual universe and artistic direction of the Lumina Night Walk series is distinctive, but an original narrative framework is adapted for each site and each experience.
Mechanical magic, or how to provide interaction to the visitors via cranks that need to be turned… in rhythm! Hand-sanitizer gel is, of course, part of the experience!
SLU : Do you plan to evolve or renew the attraction, technology or music, in order to avoid audience fatigue, or to roll out a major technical innovation at Les Gets?
Moment Factory : Alta Lumina has been designed to be experienced in both summer and winter, and the naturally changing landscape will allow you to live and relive the experience through the changing seasons. The story will not change, but we will certainly make technical adjustments over time. For now, no major new features are planned, but some creative additions might be considered after a few years of operation, in order to keep the magic alive and keep the public coming back for more.
SLU : How do you choose the integrators and/or the local teams in charge of building an attraction?
Moment Factory : Usually, the system integrators are part of the Moment Factory team and have had previous experience working with us. In the case of Alta Lumina, we also worked with local teams. To do this, we collaborate from the beginning of the project with our customer to find a local vendor who has the necessary experience, for Les Gets this was CarpeDiem, the service company from Sallanches who did part of the cabling.
One of the X-Agora servers that deliver all the media for the show and also manage the monitoring of all the hardware and the network. This is the backup unit.
SLU : Can Alta Lumina’s computer system be remotely monitored and, if necessary, its software fixed?
Moment Factory : Yes, we always request VPN access in order to perform remote follow-up support.
SLU : How do you choose the brands of sound and lighting equipment to be used on an attraction?
Moment Factory : Over the years and through experience, we have developed partnerships with various companies.
A very small part of the sound diffusion relies on the VXS series with, on the left, a VXS8 with an 8″ woofer and a 1″ dome tweeter, and on the right, a VX5 with the same 1″ dome but with a 5″ woofer for the lower end of the spectrum. The whole series is IP35 certified.
SLU : Why do you mix Yamaha tops and JBL subs? Is it a question of protection rating?
Moment Factory : Indeed, it is a question of IP rating, we unfortunately did not find a Yamaha sub to meet our needs.
SLU : Who is responsible for the technical management of Alta Lumina and ensures its operational capacity every night?
Moment Factory : The client, SAGETS, is responsible for the attraction, the Moment Factory team is available for support, if necessary.
SLU : How much freedom for technical intervention do the teams have on the site?
Moment Factory : They are responsible for “level #1”, that is to say, all physical equipment. For system level maintenance it is Moment Factory that intervenes via VPN. The operators may have requests at the show control level but it will always be Moment Factory who integrates them if deemed necessary.
SLU : What kind of weather conditions can occasionally hinder the opening of Alta Lumina?
Moment Factory : The decision is at the discretion of the operator, but typically in thunderstorms and lightning the walk can’t take place.
One of the cabins distributed along the route, which you can barely see at night. Notice the clearly visible equipment rack. Each perfectly insulated building is both air-conditioned and heated, a choice for the future, especially air-conditioning, as global warming has such an impact on our climate.
SLU : What is the long-term durability of technical infrastructure that are subject to climatic conditions? Your geographical origins probably help with this ;0)
Moment Factory : Indeed we have Lumina Walks and other attractions operating in winter conditions and, although there are still some technical challenges, we aim for five years of durability for the installation. The maintenance of the equipment is the responsibility of the operators, but our teams are always available for support.
SLU : How are the power supplies protected against the climate (I am thinking of the differentials) and against the possibility of a visitor leaving the route?
Moment Factory : The primary level is buried under the trail, only the secondary and tertiary levels are at ground level. Everything is installed according to local standards by certified electricians.
SLU : How do you combat snow accumulation on the lighting fixtures? Do you brush it off or do you just turn them on full?
Moment Factory : We use brushing, moreover the equipment is always on in order to release some heat and thus somewhat avoid accumulation.
Sometimes it can be easy to protect a speaker enclosure, here a VXS8 is installed under the eaves of the roof of the main chalet.
SLU : How do you keep the speakers, projectors and lighting fixtures “warm”?
Moment Factory : In the show control system, we have a standby mode before the start of the show. The projectors are always on and the speakers are always being fed white noise to stay active.
SLU : Why not have two separate Sinology racks for redundancy, in addition to the media servers?
Moment Factory : The media is stored locally in each of the servers.
SLU : Those servers you use look very robust, comprehensive and compact… are they made for you or are they commercially available?
Moment Factory : It is a model that was created for us, X-Agora.
SLU : In the event of on-site data loss, would you have the ability to “play” remote media from time to time?
Moment Factory : No, unfortunately not.
SLU : What is provided in terms of on-site emergency and evacuation alerts?
Moment Factory : Emergency lighting is provided by the clients in case of emergency. The show control system can also generate an audible alarm and switch all the lights on full white light to evacuate the site.
The night falls and Alta Lumina lights up
You’ll have understood by now, Alta Lumina comes to life when the stars shine in the sky and the sun has gone on to do the same on the other side of the globe. The most perfect definition of this journey is given by the creator himself: “an experience where the music can be seen and the light can be heard”. A stroll on a path winding through a pine forest, where a very simple story unfolds without any dialogue, a sensory and poetic allegory, suggested by the light and comforted by the sound… or the other way around.
“The storm”, an explosion of light and sound where a slightly bigger bottom end in the audio would add to the immersive experience.
For 45 minutes, we experience a pleasant and gentle regression caressed by beams that are adjusted or were chosen to be faint so that the light remains confined to each of the zones and our eyes are trying their best – in terms of gain – to see the path to follow in the middle of the night, in the heart of the coniferous trees. Very well directed smoke highlights some of the scenes, such as the passage through the area of the green lasers. Each note, melodic inflection or sound effect is accentuated precisely with the corresponding visual scene. This is very well done, even though we have seen it done before.
“The New Harmonies”, with its thousands of beams emitted by laser diodes that plunge the forest into a fairy-tale atmosphere, to say the least. The smoke is, of course, part of the experience.
The Yamaha sound, very finely reproduced by the VXS range, is based on a zone by zone variation with a common melodic theme and a compatible range that allows the zones to merge into one another, creating a continuum without any wrong notes. The fade out of the one you’re in relative to the next one draws you along irresistibly, and so on and so forth. The same is true with sound effects and lighting, which move imperceptibly from one area to the next.
“The march”, a shadow play of the protagonist cast in the night by a video projector. The perfectly timed sounds of footsteps and the sound of a shovel in the ground are very well reproduced and do the rest.
The audio programming is also very dense and an abundance of Dante channels carry melodies and sound effects in a fiber ring, from which each cabin with a rack of equipment extracts what it needs to feed its nearby amps and speakers
All this audio is also processed and routed through two Yamaha MRX7-D matrices that serve as a smart switch, managing the phase, color and, of course, the levels at each point of the audio diffusion.
The levels are carefully managed, allowing us to talk to each other and marvel without raising our voices and avoiding all or at least part of the faint spillovers we noticed when we arrived at the edge of the forest, which lights up weakly here and there at night and exudes an attractive melody.
The distribution of the audio to the 88 Yamaha speakers – 52 VXS8s and the 36 smaller VSX5s – is remarkably well done, and very few small phase glitches occur, where two enclosures play the same output. Their number, their excellent reproduction and their very wide polar pattern is enough to make you overlook the presence of point sources.
Arenas and video projectors create a beautiful exit called “Dans les airs” (In the air).
Sometimes we would still like to have a little more distance from the speakers and a little more bass. That said, we have to admit that there is not much in the soundtrack that calls for muscles at the bottom end. On the rare occasions when it did, we would have liked to feel it a little more. Why not look through the catalog of a Yamaha company like Nexo? They have a very complete range of subs. Finally we can only express our appreciation for the power and the versatility of X-Agora. With this multimedia platform, everything seems possible; and when it comes to compactness, it’s difficult to beat.
The finale of the show is splendid, with a bouquet of fireworks, very clever use of the trees and a few more dB of sound. On the other hand, we are still hungry at the very end, before leaving the woods. A video projector projects a still image as an ending to the story via a simple written text. Let’s bet that Moment Factory will one day add a touch of magic, as it seems to overflow from their hands!
The proof is in the pictures, thanks to images provided by the Quebec studio.
The long, hot summer of COVID-19 saw live music safely come back to Chicago’s lakefront with the new Lakeshore Drive-In venue. Artist management company AudisBliss spearheaded the project working with LEC Event Technology, Inc. (LEC) to transform a parking lot just west of the Adler Planetarium into an in-person concert venue that keeps the safety of the attendees, artists and employees in mind. LEC provided Ayrton Perseo-S fixtures for the stage, the first compact, multi-function luminaire with an IP65 enclosure rating developed for intensive outdoor use.
“The Lakeshore Drive-In is one of the most respected drive-in operations in the country and the only sustainable drive-in model in Chicago, which is operating very successfully within COVID guidelines,” says Matt Brotz, owner and director of Operations at LEC. “LEC took on the role of hardware provider producing the event under a strict budget and with no room for failure. We’ve been very happy with the Ayrton Perseo fixtures and so has the client.”
“With the Lakeshore Drive-In we’ve given our guests the closest experience to a normal live show,” notes Adam Weiss, co-founder of AudisBliss. “We put on these concert events to bring gigs back to the community and give people the opportunity to enjoy live music safely – and see the best views in the city. Chicago needed this.”
The parking lot accommodates about 200 socially-distanced cars; guests can leave their vehicles to set up chairs within the boundaries of their parking spaces. Delivery of food and artist merchandise is available. The venue has hosted a minimum of three shows per week this summer with headliners including Lil Yachty, Mic Jenkins and Ric Wilson, Peekaboo and Autograf.
“LEC was asked to design a stage for the Lakeshore Drive-In that would highlight the talent, adapt to social distancing regulations, and be robust and sustainable for the run of the shows,” Brotz explains. “The stage had to be both impactful and practical standing up to weather along the lakefront.”
Perseo: The first waterproof Profile Ayrton.
Twenty-four Ayrton Perseo IP65-rated fixtures are in the lighting rig with 12 pre-rigged on the truss, six positioned on the ground and another six available to supplement the truss-mounted units. LEC invested in an inventory of Perseo units earlier this year.
“We chose Perseos for the venue for their robust performance outdoors,” Brotz says. “We didn’t want to constantly set and strike rigs.” He notes that, “Perseo is brighter than any light in its class. The LED unit is cost effective, and its gobo set and optics are phenomenal. It’s also lightweight so no special engineering is required.”
According to Brotz, “many of the lighting designers coming through who are using Perseo for the first time just love it. They always compliment its flat field and the sharpness of its optics through the air Perseos cover a lot of territory.”
“LEC has been a dedicated ACT Lighting supporter over the years and with their early adoption of the new MA3 platform and recently released Ayrton IP65 Perseo fixtures along with a growing inventory of MDG Atmospheric machines their continued investment in cutting edge entertainment technology exemplifies their commitment to excellence,” says ACT Lighting Regional Sales Manager, Aaron Hubbard.
During the coronavirus pandemic setting up a safe live music venue certainly has been a challenge. “The failure of other drive-ins reminded us what not to do,” says Weiss. “Stress is high, but it’s all worth it when you see the positive fan [reactions].” And the same has been true with performers. “No artists have walked off stage without a smile on their faces,” he reports.
More information on Ayrton Perseo and the extensive portfolio of innovative Ayrton LED fixtures can be found on the Ayrton website
Ayrton is distributed exclusively in North America by ACT Lighting, Inc
sunDial quad, the PLASA Gold award-winning mains LED dimmer from Ar-tistic Licence, has won praise for its ability to provide a smooth LED dim-ming with DMX512.
Following a firmware upgrade, the product got better, with an improvement in dimming resolution now achievable with many theat-rical controllers.
DMX512 can control up to 512 channels and has an 8-bit native resolution. This means each channel can be set to a level between 0 and 255 and is encoded as an 8-bit number (256 levels). sunDial quad has a much higher native dimming resolution of 14-bit, so in normal operation a dimmer curve translation is used in effect, sunDial picks ‘sweet spots’ on the response curve to achieve a nice fade.
However, some professional lighting consoles allow two DMX512 channels to be combined to provide up to 16-bit resolution (65,536 different levels). In this scenario, no curve translation is necessary. Following sunDial’s latest firmware upgrade, the console can access all the subtle levels available in sunDial’s high native dimming resolution thus ensuring ultimate dimming performance for applications that demand the most subtle effects.
What are the benefits?
sunDial quad is often used for house lights in theatre, and can be integrated with the stage lighting consoles. As many of the favourite theatrical control-lers feature 16-bit channel resolution, sunDial fit with those parameters. sunDial quad also has the advantage that its firmware can be upgraded (at zero cost) in the field. Customers can achieve this using the Artistic Licence DMX-Workshop free software package.
Le Festival Porta Ferrada. La musique est de retour fort et clair avec NEXO.
Organisers of the Porta Ferrada Festival, staged on the Costa Brava in Spain, report that the fortnight of concerts has been hugely successful, playing to 95% capacity, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Audio production company BTM worked closely with NEXO to deliver the PA systems for the event, servicing new venues which had to be redesigned according to new festival safety protocols.
Now in its 58th edition at home in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, near Girona, the Festival had to reinvent itself, presenting the new “Guíxols Arena”. Once the main stage of the event, this space had to take on the character of an auditorium, restricting capacity to no more than 800 socially-distanced spectators, divided between stalls and stands. Nevertheless, more than 10,000 tickets were sold, and 20 concerts were staged.
9 têtes STM M46 avec autant de renforts de grave STM B112 plus 6 subs STM S118 par côté. Pour les premiers rangs, rien de tel que les inusables PS15 !
Girona-based audio rental house BTM Sound has serviced the Porta Ferrada Festival for many years, and, since 2014, the audio systems of choice have been the NEXO brand.
This year, BTM’s system designer Enric Guso again specified the STM Series of modular line array, going with a main PA comprising sets of STM M46 + STM B112 main and bass cabinets.
This was a departure from the usual Porta Ferrada PA design, which used the STM M28 main cabinets; these units are now deployed as outfill for the wider audience area.
“We needed the extra coverage permitted by the main and bass configuration,” explains Guso, “and NEXO was able to support us with additional modules as well as helpful design input. The primary system was set up with flown arrays of 9 sets of main and bass, with 6x STM S118 subs, on each side. For the outfill, I used groundstacks of 3x M28 omni modules, over a single S118 subbass cabinet. For front fill, there were 8x PS15 cabinets, and we deployed GEO S12 boxes for side fill.”
Aussi étrange d’aspect qu’agréable de rendu, une paire de 45N12
On stage, all artists used NEXO’s 45N12 line monitors. This was also the case on the smaller second stage, in the Village, which BTM Sound set up with a PS Series PA system, augmented by ID24s for perimeter sound. For both venues, all power was provided by NXAMP4x4 and NXAMP4x2 amplifiers, equipped with Dante cards for network capability.
The director of the festival, Iñaki Martí, is proud of this “so special edition, in which the public has supported us with an attendance never seen before. We have shown that culture is safe,” he commented. “Hopefully it will serve as an example to other municipalities so that they go ahead in their programming.”
Located in the city’s Gosforth Park racing ground, the Virgin Money Unity Arena consists of a pop-up amphitheatre, with 500 separate elevated viewing platforms spaced two metres apart, and hosting a maximum of 2,500 people.
The arena as seen from FOH, logically set aside from the usual central sweet spot probably to keep all the available space for the audience.
Local hero, Sam Fender, headlined the first two sold-out shows, followed by a diverse line-up of artists including Van Morrison, Maximo Park, Alfie Boe, Ronan Keating, comedians Jimmy Carr and Bill Bailey, as well as the Bongo Bingo dance phenomenon.
“Originally, the series of events was going to be a drive through format but remarkably the organiser, SSD Concerts, managed to devise the biggest socially-distanced live event in the country, so that we are able to safely and practically run four events a week over a five-week period,” explains Kingdom Services’ MD John Smith. Kingdom Services is an AV supplier based in Northallerton in North Yorkshire, with a high spec, premium brand stock list, which includes eight DiGiCo consoles.
Kingdom Services’ MD John Smith.
“This was the first time we have worked with SSD, a Newcastle-based promoter which organises festivals in the area. We started discussing the logistics of live event production in the current climate several months ago,” says Smith. “Like many industries, the live event scene has been blighted by the pandemic, so it’s heart-warming to see a production crew out working again doing what they do best. On the opening night with Sam Fender you could feel the buzz and the energy throughout the crew and the audience.”
Kingdom Services is supplying the entire sound system for the event series, comprising a d&b speaker system, and is employing three of its DiGiCo SD10 consoles, one at FOH with a 32-bit rack, operating at 96k over fibre, and two working in tandem at the monitor position to make act changeovers easier.
The monitor desks are running a sizeable 48 outputs for IEMs and wedges, and there are SD Racks on both monitor desks. The sound system is complemented with Sennheiser 6000 series mics and 2000 series IEMs.
The monitor desk. Thet black canopy in the distance is the FOH.
“We selected the SD10s because they are very popular and the most rider friendly console we have in our warehouse. We can manage performers’ expectations across the board, and most engineers turn up with a show file and that’s it – nice and simple,” continues Smith. “The consoles also give us all the capacity we need with plenty to spare. The quality of the results is excellent, and the reliability is second to none.”
One of the major technical complexities of the set up was the size of the venue site, which would ordinarily cater for a crowd of 15,000. The extensive area posed a problem for achieving even sound coverage and sonic detail, whilst adhering to the strict sound level limits imposed on the venue.
“The situation is compounded by the fact that visitors are unable to circulate or move from their viewing areas as you would normally do in a festival scenario, so it is more imperative than ever that we give every visitor the same audio experience,” says Smith. “The SD10’s processing power and capacity, coupled with d&b’s array processing software, helped us map the site and deliver the best audio quality.”
The strict sound level limits isn’t a legend. 85 dBA in England is…rather unusual ;0)
Smith notes that the events are all running really well and that feedback from Kingdom’s client is not only positive, commenting that the audio quality is crystal clear and that the Covid regulations have been navigated and enforced successfully.
“Audiences have been very compliant with the rules and have quickly got over the strangeness,” Smith concludes. “The crew have remained Covid compliant with their procedures, such as sending FOH outputs to system control during act changeovers to run the house music and audience announcements, to allow time to clean the desk controls before the next engineer jumps on. All in all, it has been a positive experience and it’s wonderful to be involved in a live event.”
The NicLen GmbH rental park has been filling up with lighting technology solutions from Cameo for around two years. Now, Germany’s leading dry hire provider has expanded its Cameo portfolio to include the DROP B1 battery-powered outdoor mini uplight.
With these new spotlights from the DROP series, NicLen continues to expand its cooperation with the Adam Hall Group in order to provide its customers with new and modern products even during difficult times that are especially suitable for smaller indoor and outdoor events. Smaller events have been gaining in importance for longer than just this past year. The demands of the public and organizers have noticeably increased, especially in the industrial and cultural sector, but also in gastronomy, the hotel business, and retail trade. The more unusual a location, the more challenging the temporary placement and installation of spotlights often becomes whether indoors or outdoors.
NicLen now offers its customers the DROP B1 as a flexible, mobile, and compact IP65 ambient light with a 6-in-1 RGBWA+UV LED ideal for corporate events, receptions, private functions, and more. The battery-powered spotlights can be installed in a variety of ways, such as with mounting brackets (included) or simply on rubber feet with an additional set-up device. In this way, uplighting can be positioned from below without the need for a bracket.
The DROP B1 also has an integrated magnet so that it can be attached to metal surfaces without any mounting equipment. The DROP B1 can be used even more flexibly thanks to the integrated 2.4 Ghz W-DMX™ receiver for wireless DMX control and the supplied hemisphere diffuser, which turns the lamp itself into a work of fine design.
Trusting Partnership
“Cameo’s portfolio of lighting technology grows increasingly diverse each year. The developers continue to amaze us with innovative solutions that comprehensively cover the needs of our broad-based clientele,” explains Nico Valasik, who, in collaboration with Jörg Stöppler, is responsible for managing NicLen GmbH. “We are pleased to be able to offer our customers the DROP B1, a flexible and mobile mini spotlight that runs on rechargeable batteries, which will be seen at many outdoor events in the future, thanks to its sophisticated design.”
