The Netherlands - With over 30 years’ experience of mixing live music and theatre, Richard van Dorland is a Dutch sound engineer with a musical heart. Working with artists who mix acoustic and electric instruments to craft songs with a high level of dynamics, he sees himself as an extension of the musicians and their performance. His investment in an Alcons Audio pro-ribbon system has ensured that audiences enjoy every detail of the sound.
“I pride myself on having an ear for detail,” he says. “I give every musician the attention they need, creating space for their instrument and the ensemble sound. Each instrument gets its own place in the acoustic image, creating a clear balance to give the listener an open, transparent experience.”
Richard is well known in the Netherlands for his work with various national and international artists, including renowned Dutch singer and musician Hildegard Mandos & Friends, who incorporates influences of jazz, bossanova, soul, African, South American and pop in her music. With music that covers such a wide spectrum, there are many dynamic elements in the performances, so a PA system which could handle all of these aspects was crucial. Other requirements were a very controlled directivity and with exceptional gain before feedback qualities.
Richard invested in an Alcons Audio pro-ribbon system, comprising six LR7 micro line array, with 6.5” woofer and RBN410 4” pro-ribbon driver, and two of Alcons’ new BF121 compact 12” subwoofers, powered and controlled by a Sentinel10 4-channel amplified louds
UK - Version 2 has been supporting a growing number of crews with low energy solutions both in the studio and on location.
Working with a number of leading lighting directors, the Buckinghamshire-based lighting rental specialists have supported coverage on a selection of premier summer events with products form their low energy inventory. First up was a visit to Worthy Farm, Somerset as Broadcast Partners for the BBC’s comprehensive coverage of the 2019 Glastonbury Festival.
Making use of a selection of V2 low energy fixtures, lighting director Oli Richards and gaffer Paul Evans made last year’s Glastonbury coverage a completely LED lit event. The Version 2 team deployed a pair of lighting trucks to help deliver the look for both the ‘live studio’ areas and the considerable number of interviews held remotely across the vast festival site.
The studio set-ups mixed Martin’s MAC Aura Wash and Rush Par 2 with Litepanels Gemini 2 x 1 Soft Panels to provide a perfect blend of soft, even illumination and highly controllable colour. To complete the look, LED ribbon was added for extra sparkle throughout the set.
For the location spots, V2 sent out their Litepanels Astra LED Soft Panel kits. With flexibility and portability high on the list of requirements, the Astra’s highly capable, battery powered illumination proved the ideal solution, particularly in ad hoc interview situations where rapid set up is essential.
Heading to London SW18, the Version 2 team joined LD Malcolm Reed for ESPN’s coverage of Wimbledon 2019. As one of the
Germany - Supermodel Heidi Klum spent from the end of January to mid-May 2020 searching for Germany’s next top model. She found what she was looking for in the form of Jacqueline Wruck, when the grand final of the popular TV programme Germany’s Next Topmodel was held at Studio Berlin Adlershof (minus the audience).
LD Manuel da Costa and his team from mdc licht.gestalten were responsible for the lighting design of this lavishly equipped show. Additionally, in collaboration with the video technicians, he oversaw the technical settings of the cameras and supported creative producer, Joy Hayat Berhanu and her team, in the individual productions of the show.
Manuel describes the setting for this year’s finale: “The real problem was the non-existent audience,” he reports. “In the past few years we have always been in large, full 10,000-seat halls for the final, and the show naturally thrives on the atmosphere. In order to avoid producing the show in a huge, but empty hall, the decision was made to go to a smaller studio, but without sacrificing the size of the set, because we wanted to keep the familiar set of recent years. So we just shortened it a bit and symbolically replaced the absent viewers with cut-out figures in the set.”
Manuel chose GLP fixtures to light the show. While a matrix of 180 impression X4 along the entire length of three catwalks provided the basic colour scheme for the broadcast, 28 JDC1 hybrid strobes and 14 of the brand new JDC Lines provided the punch and effects.
The JDC1 was used as a cover behind th
New Zealand - Industrial Sessions, a new live streaming and recording studio in Queenstown, has equipped its space with Claypaky HY B-EYE K15 and Mythos 2 fixtures. The studio marks a collaboration among TomTom Productions for lighting, video and set design, Soundpeople for audio and multi-track recording, and Shotover Media for camera and direction. It is located in the TomTom Productions warehouse.
“Our purpose is to bring high-quality live streaming to Queenstown and the world by giving local and national musicians a space to perform and connect with their audience in a time when they can’t perform as usual,” says Hamish Edh, managing director of TomTom and co-creator of Industrial Sessions. “The space is also used for corporate meetings, a pretty popular usage given the COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. We do one or two Industrial Sessions a week and convert the space for multi-track recording, webinars and virtual conferencing.”
Edh notes that he and his collaborators have had to be very creative in carving out the studio from warehouse space with low ceiling heights and second-floor support pillars. “We built a 3.6m x 5.4m stage inside a 4m x 5.5m truss structure as we don’t have the ability to fly from the roof. The video design has a back wall of Martins VDO Sceptron and VuePix DB2.6mm LED panels. The lighting design is from the stock we own in the warehouse, with 12 Claypaky HY B-EYE K15s and five Mythos 2 comprising the base rig and more K15s and Mythos 2 available to create slightly different looks each session.”
Six K1
The Netherlands - Restaurants in Amsterdam recently began to re-open their outdoor spaces, and in an effort to enrich the customer dining experience, AVL Rent teamed up with food wholesaler Bid Food and popular Dutch rapper Lange Frans to stage a day of performances at six popular eateries.
Lange Frans’s whistle-stop tour involved arriving at each venue by car, performing two or three songs, taking a bow and moving on to the next assignment.
Wouter Ruijiter, owner of AVL Rent, explains: “Times are very tough right now, but from the start of lockdown we kept our minds open to every possibility, thinking of ways we could operate safely within the restrictions. People love live entertainment and their appetite for it was only going to increase during this crisis. As soon as certain restrictions began to be lifted, it was clear we could do something on a small scale that would help people feel like they were getting back to normal. The fact that Lange Frans is very well known in The Netherlands added a lot of value too!”
AVL’s and Bid Food’s mobile rapper concept was based around a car, a generator, a mixing desk and a Pioneer Pro Audio XY-Series PA system. The execution of the project was the definition of adaptability. By carrying a small but high-powered, high quality system, Wouter was able to set things up in minutes.
Mixing on a console strategically placed in the luggage compartment of his SUV, Wouter used a pair of Pioneer Pro Audio XY-122 two-way, full range 12-inch loudspeakers driven by a Powersoft X4 amplifier, delivering all
USA - When award-winning songwriter Victoria Shaw required lighting for her music performance and storytelling series Songwriters Under The Covers with Victoria Shaw, Bandit Lites delivered.
The show is described online as “a new, intimate, music performance and storytelling series created in collaboration with award-winning songwriter Victoria Shaw puts the spotlight on the songwriters of some of music’s biggest hits across pop, rock, and country. Top-selling songwriters share the little-known stories behind their hit songs along with an intimate live acoustic performance on stage”.
For the second season, viewers can expect to see Ken Mo, Clint Black, Tommy Shaw (of Styx and Damn Yankees) Bob DiPiero and Garth Brooks. Lighting designer Mark Carver was tasked by the producer to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in order to make the artist on stage and their music the centre of attention.
“We tried to highlight the key architectural features of the stage and room,” explained Carver.
Bandit Lites supplied Elation’s Seven 42s, ETC LED Tungsten Lekos for key light, Chauvet R2X Washes as backlight and colour toning. GLP X4S were used for colour toning the walls as well as adding upstage depth and dimension. Ayrton Khamsins LED profiles supplied pattern break ups on the walls for texture and depth and a grand MA 2 lite console provided control.
“Time frame, budget and ease of execution are always concerns on these shows,” said Carver. “Mike Golden and Jimmy Hatten supplied a well prepped package that met budge
Australia - Power and protection are the keywords with dimming and distro and Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) now has both thanks to LSC Lighting Systems.
NIDA is Australia's leading centre for education and training in the performing arts and features six professional performance venues, studios and rehearsal rooms. As the largest of the performance venues at NIDA, the Parade Theatre offers seating for audiences of up to 707 people in its three-tiered, horseshoe-shaped auditorium. The Playhouse is a 155-seat amphitheatre, designed for more intimate productions. NIDA has three smaller black box theatres - the Space, the Studio Theatre and the Reg Grundy Studio - that are frequently adapted to suit different production needs.
NIDA recently decided to upgrade its dimming and power distribution systems with LSC Lighting Systems GEN VI dimmers and APS power distribution. A total of 42 GEN VI dimmer /distros and an additional four Advanced Power Systems power distribution units have found a new home at this celebrated institution. The Parade Theatre, Reg Grundy Studio and Space Theatre have all benefited from the recent LSC Lighting fit-out.
NIDA’s previous dimmers were installed in 2003 and had exceeded their expected 15-year longevity mark, thus becoming electrically unreliable and so NIDA began investigating replacement options.
“Once we found the money we went hunting for dimmers,” says Chris Dickey, NIDA’s technical manager. “We wanted something that offered a bit extra in the venues and that was the LSC GEN VI r
Japan - Founded in Los Angeles in 2012, 800º Degrees Woodfired Kitchen boasts eight outlets across the US, two in the Middle East and three in Japan. The latest, at the Tokyo International Forum, features a Yamaha background music system.
The first 800º Degrees restaurant in Japan opened at Tokyo’s Shinjuku City, followed by one in nearby Minami Aoyama. The latest is in the heart of the city’s Marunouchi business district, with seats for 100 diners and a VIP room for 10 people.
“While maintaining the core Californian brand and taste, we have a dedicated concept for each restaurant, with a specially-designed interior and menu in each location,” says Mr Kazuma Suzuki, general manager of the market development department of Lumine Co, the Japanese retail developer which has brought the 800º Degrees brand to Japan.
“The new restaurant is relatively large for this busy office district and we wanted to offer a stylish, cosmopolitan lounge space for businessmen and women in Marunouchi. We also offer a deli box and bakery takeaway service.”
Mr Suzuki recognised how the sound within a space is essential to creating an enjoyable atmosphere and customer experience, so a high quality audio system was an essential factor in the concept for 800º Degrees. Lumine contracted Mr Kohji Fujita, space planner at Hiranya Access Co, to design the audio system. He chose a Yamaha solution, thanks to its “combination of flexibility, audio quality and coverage”.
“The pizza kiln is at the centre of the restaurant, so I designed the system to c
China - State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has installed China’s first full IP video mobile system for video production. This premiere mobile studio project uses the Lawo V__matrix software-defined IP-routing, processing and multi-viewing platform as its core technology infrastructure.
CCTV, in conjunction with Lawo China and video partner Acro-bright, worked in cooperation with China’s large regional system integrator, Beijing Yutian, to achieve this success, the latest in a number of joint Lawo / CCTV installations which include HD / UHD OB vans, audio SCRs, and studios in CCTV’s Beijing headquarters.
The UHD 4k designed mobile studio installation, originally planned to play a central role during the Summer Games 2020 broadcasts from Tokyo, began construction in January 2019 under the supervision of the CCTV Production Department. The project’s multiviewer design is based on three Lawo V__matrix systems using 19 C-100 core processing modules and 19 Virtual-Module installations of the Lawo vm-dmv, the world’s first infinitely expandable true IP multiviewer.
The overall installation integrates 12 Sony UHD camera channels and one EVS. The IP network is of a spine-leaf topology employing Huawei switches for the infrastructure backbone, with two CE8850 switches for the redundantly-designed core and four CE6865 switches as leaves. The vision switchers and cameras were purchased from Sony.
“Lawo turned to be not only strong in audio consoles but also in IP video processing,” says a CCTV video engineer. “The success o
Iceland - The National Theatre of Iceland has made the leap to digital with Sennheiser. Reykjavik’s premier arts venue regularly attracts large audiences who expect the very highest quality every time the curtain raises. When it was time to update the venue’s audio equipment, Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 wireless microphone system - including the SK 6212 mini-bodypack transmitter - was the choice for Kristinn Gauti Einarsson, head of sound at the theatre.
With three different shows every day and more than 10 premieres each year across its five stages, the National Theatre is operated with a leaner team and budget than most national theatres.
Einarsson shares the secret behind their success: he has worked with the same musical composer, set designer and director for six years. “It’s so amazing to start new, great shows with the same team. Our collaboration and coordination get better all the time,” says Einarsson. “We are successful because 90% of the job is communication - and good communication makes good shows.” This trust and relationship extend to the equipment as well: “Our theatre has used Sennheiser in the past and their products have been rock-solid.”
When making the switch to digital, the National Theatre chose to invest in a future with Sennheiser, acquiring a 32-channel Digital 6000 wireless microphone system with Sennheiser SK 6212 mini-bodypack transmitters.
Einarsson praises the combination of performance and simplicity that the Sennheiser system delivers: “We sometimes have three different shows per day, so e
Germany - As part of a rebranding campaign, Volkswagen’s new showroom design is being rolled out at some 10,000 facilities across the globe. Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, groups of invited dealers got to “test drive” the new retailing concept through Volkswagen Brand Experience Days, an event involving 50 nations, where guests could get a first-hand look at a real replica of a new store.
Accenting the aesthetic features of the harmoniously balanced showroom concept was a lighting design by Markus Axmann of Maxx Lichtdesign who used a collection of Chauvet Professional Ovation and COLORado fixtures supplied by Hildebrandt Veranstaltungstechnik, which was entrusted with the overall technical implementation.
“Brightness and colour temperature were extremely important in reflecting the new design concept,” comments Martin Hildebrandt, CEO of Hildebrandt Veranstaltungstechnik. “The show was hosted by many different speakers every day and we had little time for rehearsals. It became clear that the whole light operation had to be done with cues inside a PowerPoint presentation connected with a timecode programmed show. Our lighting designer and Torsten Bauschke, who was responsible for static analysis and CAD drawings, as well as our whole team did an excellent job pulling many different variables together.”
Given the reality of dealing with demands of time and space, the design team needed a group of compact, easy-to-handle fixtures that could be set up quickly. They got this from the 22 Ovation F-915VW Fresnels, 12 Ovation E-930VW ellipso
UK - With social distancing still in place and lockdown restrictions continuing to cause tension for many, London-based artist Marcus Lyall and not-for-profit arts organisation Illuminate Productions have transformed a soon-to-be-demolished office block in London Bridge into an interactive public artwork powered by sound.
In this new site-specific work, Lyall invites interested parties to join a Zoom call where they can scream or otherwise vocalise their feelings, with a light installation instantly illuminating the building in response to the voice. “The louder and longer your outburst, the bigger the response from the building,” say organisers. “The building interprets every voice and scream differently, to create a unique response for each guest. You can participate using any device that supports the Zoom app. Please scream responsibility.”
Screams will be played to the building each night and the results posted the next day on the Scream The House Down Youtube channel. The artwork is designed as a safe and constructive excuse for people to release their inner tension. ‘Primal Scream therapy’ has long been investigated as beneficial for psychological issues such as depression and anxiety. While the artist makes no medical claims, a long and loud shout may be a good way to relieve inner tensions.
The artwork uses low-energy LED lights to fill the building with colour. The installation process followed social distancing guidelines, with a small team of volunteers including Michael Wagner, James McArthur, Reuben Jacob, Jake Wood and Alex
USA - Among the buildings devastated by the hurricane Harvey in 2017 was First Baptist Humble, in Humble, Texas, which had 18-inches of water in its sanctuary. Determined to rebuild its campus, the 111-year old house of worship gave itself a new name, United City Church, and remade its sanctuary interior, adding an advanced AVL system installed by Stark Raving Solutions that featured Chauvet Professional LED fixtures.
The new 1,200-seat church was scheduled to host services for the first time on Easter Sunday, 2020, but fate intervened once again in the form of the coronavirus. With the lockdown in effect, the church couldn’t reopen on schedule and had to limit itself to online streamed services. Almost two months later, however, with restrictions on public gatherings eased, the church was able to welcome limited groups of worshippers to its new sanctuary, following social distance guidelines.
Although many of its members continued to worship online, those in attendance got to experience first hand the immersive environment that United City’s technical director Chad Kirchoff and his team envisioned when they began working with Stark Raving Solutions on the new lighting system.
“The church wanted a completely fresh start in terms of the environment created in the sanctuary,” says Marcus Hammond, of Stark Raving Solutions. “They wanted a really modern lighting package - lots of color, movers and flexibility, so that’s what our team, led by Bret Hoskins, lead system designer for the UCC project, and Jason Lericos, SRS project manager, were
UAE - The new Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai unites three lighting brands from Cooper Lighting Solutions - Zero 88 for entertainment-style control, iLight for architectural-style control and Ephesus LED sports lights.
The interior lighting and control systems together with all associated infrastructure were delivered as a turnkey solution during last year by Eaton Lighting Systems - now known as Cooper Lighting Solutions (CLS).
These aspects of this flagship project were managed by Peter Coles (business manager), supported by Martin Piper (iLight International training & support manager), Jon Hole (Zero 88 product manager) and Cooper Lighting Solution’s two EMEA project teams - one based in the UK, the other in Dubai, who together oversaw the process from design to final delivery in close collaboration with UAE-based lighting installation contractor, BMTC.
The venue itself is a 17,000 capacity (bowl format) multi-purpose indoor arena located in the City Walk neighbourhood of Dubai and operated by ASM Global.
The tender requirement stipulated the specific sports lighting criteria required to maintain the correct lighting levels to be TV / broadcast friendly. The whole arena had to be properly lit in white as well as having the capability of being turned into an array of vibrant colours and textures, so in all, some 369 high output LED fixtures were specified.
Three different types of LED fixtures are used in combination - 74 Ephesus Arena Pro Variable White, 191 Ephesus Prism RGBA fixtures and 104 LED profiles. These are carefully positi
South Korea - Festival of Lights, an entertainment lighting company founded in 2013, has added 70 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to its inventory.
The firm designs and operates lights for numerous concerts, festivals and television programmes. As the K-pop phenomenon has gone global, Festival of Lights has also done overseas tours for Korean musical artists. Its comprehensive services range from rentals to design, installation, operation and maintenance. The company has particular expertise in show operations, and its young operators are known for their creative lighting designs.
The Sharpy Plus has two independent operating modes. In beam mode, it offers enhanced aerial effects and an extraordinary power output (over 300,000 lux at 10m distance). In spot mode, the light is diffused in a more even way, which means visual effects can be projected with excellent uniformity. The fixture’s 3° to 36° (1:9) zoom covers the entire range linearly, both in spot mode and beam mode.
“Sharpy Plus is true to its name as a 100 percent hybrid fixture with beam and spot functions,” says executive director Yundo Kim with Festival of Lights. “We love to use the fixtures in spot mode and wide zoom, as well. Where other common beam spots have too much concentrated light at the centre, Sharpy Plus has a soft and clear spot.”
Recently, Festival of lights utilised Sharpy Plus fixtures on the broadcast programmes JTBC Phantom Singer 3. “We preserved the atmosphere of the set by evenly spreading soft light in the Sharpy Plus spot mode,” Yundo ex
Europe - Prior to the recent lock down period in Europe, Japanese ‘android diva’ Hatsune Miku toured Europe again with production company Proper Productions and Capital Sound providing sound reinforcement with Martin Audio’s MLA loudspeaker array.
Hatsune Miku had previously toured Europe for the first time back in late 2018. The three European dates covered venues (including London Olympia) that were completely diverse in size and dimension, and the ‘Vocaloid’ music sensation, using a computer generated voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media, performed a shrill, high octane ‘thrash’ metal repertoire to an adoring set of fans.
Developed in 2007, Hatsune Miku is actually a 16-year-old blue haired virtual persona, who is seen onstage as a 3D hologram projection. Yet such is the Japanese fixation with anime culture she has over 2.5m followers on social media.
So successful was the 2018 tour that second time around, confronted by a slightly larger five dates - starting at the relatively small O2 Academy Brixton, ending at Sant Jordi Club Barcelona, and taking in Zenith Paris and Ziggo Dome Amsterdam along the way - Cap deployed largely the same production support team. This was headed by Capital crew chief, Amy Newton-Smith and system tech Ben Turnbull, with Olli Fallon providing monitor support.
While Hatsune’s vocals were triggered by Pro Tools, four professional musicians provided the tight live backing over two solid hours of relentless performance.
The main PA comprised 13 MLA elements and two MLD Downfill elements,
Ukraine - The coronavirus pandemic didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for the 2020 final of singing competition The Voice Ukraine, which was broadcast live from the Kiev studios of TV channel 1+1, produced by Volodymyr Zavaduyk, directed by Tri.Direction and lit by Eugene Kostyra, also working closely with DOP Sergey Petrov.
To create an original and spectacular lighting design for this socially distanced television event, Eugene utilised Robe MegaPointes and Spikies as a key part of his lighting rig which were supplied, along with all the other lighting equipment, by Ukraine’s largest rental and production company, Alight.
It was the tenth season for the popular show and Eugene has been involved with the lighting since the fifth series (as well as two series of the ‘Junior’ edition).
Tri.Direction - directors creative team of the show developed the set design which was based around clean lines and start geometry, with a large three metre-high central riser with LED screens around the base, complemented with more screens upstage in a curve around the back and sides of the studio space.
Eugene took this as inspiration and filled the areas with light following the same clean and well-defined precision, accentuating the cube shape and the relationship between the different screen areas. By varying the screen content, the whole mood of the set could be shifted dramatically for each participant.
Eugene used 42 Robe Spikies rigged on vertical truss in between the rear LED screens for creating intense and highly accurate beam ef
France - Ranked the second most popular theme park in France (behind Disneyland Paris) Puy du Fou is spread over 500 hectares at Les Epesses in the heart of Pays de La Loire region.
When it came to specifying a site-wide digital comms upgrade recently, the facility’s long-term head of technology (and resident sound engineer), Samuel Briand, was clear that an expansive Optocore fibre ring solution would best serve the park’s requirements. He explained that previously they had worked mostly in analogue but this has now been replaced with parallel Optocore, Dante and AVB networks.
“The first consideration was the vast distance,” he said, explaining the background to the specification. “The park is very large, requiring several hundred kilometers of cable length, and it was essential that we could pass the signals without loss of quality and without length constraints.”
The new system itself was conceived at the Park’s in-house design studio, overseen by Briand, with the company DV2 supplying the equipment and technical support.
Each of the featured shows has its own control room and runs autonomously, although the existing fiber optic network allows shows to be connected to each other if necessary. “When we create a show, we connect the audio mixing studio to the show concerned and mix in the attraction by moving the screen, keyboard and mouse from the studio computer. The sound travels in the Optocore environment between the studio and the show, thus saving us from having to carry a big flight case with a ProTools HDX,” Briand
Ireland - Load cell company Broadweigh will support the Wires Crossed tightrope event in Galway, Ireland by supplying Monkey Rigging with the necessary kit to monitor the loads. The event, which was originally scheduled for August 2020, but has now been postponed due to COVID-19, is a European wide community participation project revolving around 'funambulism' - the art of tight-wire walking using a balancing pole. During the event, 400 tightrope walkers from all over Europe will cross the Galway River for a duration of 2020 minutes.
Andrea Mamolenti, founder of Monkey Rigging, comments: “Monkey Rigging is working with Andrea Loreni - the only funambulist in Italy on the measurement of the tightrope walker setups. We are also collaborating with him for the technical design of the preparations for the Italian team for the event. The kind donation of the Broadweigh kit will give us peace of mind that the safety of the performers is taken care of from a load monitoring perspective.”
Andrea and his team at Monkey Rigging rely on Broadweigh load cells for all the work they carry out for contemporary circus and aerial performers. Sometimes they are used as part of the hanging system for the performers and in cases where continuous monitoring of the loads on the structures is needed.
Andrea explains: “We are very loyal Broadweigh customers. In situations where the structure has sufficient but limited carrying capacity, it is vital that we monitor the loads and have continuous feedback, with the data collected by cells ensuring that these limits are r
Denmark - For more than five decades, the Kulturcenter Limfjorden has served as a cultural hub for the people of Denmark’s Skive municipality. First opened in 1967, the facility is an example of an essential, regional multi-purpose venue; located in the historic town of Skive, it invites locals and tourists alike to enjoy a rich mixture of theatre, cinema, live music and more.
As is so often the case with venues that serve a broad variety of needs, when the Kulturcenter recently began the search for a replacement for its ageing sound reinforcement system, the top priority was finding a solution capable of meeting every challenge. The choice was TW AUDiO VERA20.
"The Goal for Kulturcenter Limfjorden was simple - to find the right sound system to do 99% of the shows that come through our concert hall, without the need for renting any external equipment,” explains Anders Holm Hansen of AHX, the man charged with taking care of Kulturcenter Limfjorden’s technical requirements. “It had to satisfy all of the riders we see for both national and international shows."
He continues: “The concert hall in Skive is a standard black box venue. We have a capacity of 1,168 people when seated and 1,500 with a mixture of seated and standing. Like a lot of venues of this type, one of the biggest challenges was to achieve uniform, even coverage all the way up to the tribune while of course having minimal low-end spill onto the stage. We cater for all kinds of music, shows and people, and we didn’t want to compromise on quality - we wanted a system that would
France - From its inception, Lyon-based 13-2 Studio has been motivated by the need to provide innovative solutions for its customers. This drive has led the French company to create the Immersive Cylinder - a fully portable, temporary space that can host bespoke content and be used for presentations, training, entertainment, and many more applications besides.
“When we created this cylinder, we had the one objective in mind; put the human back in the centre of VR technology,” comments Amaury Chevrier, owner of 13-2. “We realised that there was a lot of 3D and immersive content in the market but when you’re wearing a VR helmet, you’re on your own. We wanted to create a new kind of immersive space.”
After months of research, tests, and prototypes, 13-2 Studio were led to create what has been billed as the first shared VR experience in France. The finished cylinder – which is made of aluminium and internally wrapped with projection material – requires only 6m x 6m of floor area and 2.95m of ceiling height to be set up, and is equipped with five Optoma 1080GTDarbee projectors, four Yamaha speakers, and a subwoofer.
As well as being compact, the cylinder can be built, calibrated, and ready to play within five hours and even split into two if the situation demands it. One of the key reasons for the cylinder’s ease and speed of deployment is the power of Vioso’s proprietary calibration software, Anyblend, which comes pre-installed on its Anystation Media server.
“We met with Etienne Servant from Vioso at ISE in 2019, who showed
Belgium - Robbe Verburgh wants more EDM DJs to start streaming. So much so, that he’s created VR Stream, a complete mobile streaming solution in a van that allows DJs to do a show and get it up and running online from anywhere, even their own back yards.
To promote his new service, Verburgh created a streaming marathon in his backyard, or more precisely the warehouse of the company he works for, DV Sound. To draw attention to the event, which took place 17-18 May, he lined up Gianni Foquaert (aka DJ Flavour Drop), known for his own pioneering radio concept, as host of the event. Then, to ensure that his 21-hour (over two days) stream was energised by wave after wave of supercharged looks, Verburgh retained the services of Cedric Duré.
The teenage owner of Outdream, Duré obliged, creating an intense outpouring of pixel mapped movement and colour that never seemed to repeat itself, as it wrapped around the sounds of 14 DJs over the two marathon sessions. Aiding him in this endeavour, expanding the visuals of his show, while at the same time framing it neatly for smaller livestream screens, was a collection of 16 Chauvet Professional EPIX Strip Tour linear fixtures supplied by DV Sound.
Arranged on truss in diamond pattern around the DJ stand, the one-meter long RGB strips accomplished the seemingly paradoxical task of expanding and framing the lightshow through a combination of performance features. Duré used the high output linear units to envelop the DJs in a radiant aura of light. In so doing, he kept the focus of his show on the artists even
Denmark - At the end of 2019, after three years constantly on the road, Danish lighting, video and set designer Peter Fisker wanted to spend a bit more time at home. Fortuitously, a part-time teaching post became available at EUC Nord in Frederikshavn, who needed a tutor for the lighting module of their well-known and respected Event Technicians course.
The college administration asked if he was interested in applying, and he jumped at the chance as this would enable him to stay home part of the year whilst also retaining the flexibility of touring and lighting shows via his design company, HeCameToEat.
The vocational Event Technicians course allows rental and event production companies, music, and theatre venues, etc. to take on trainee technicians who work at their companies and learn the theoretical, practical and creative skills needed to master the craft over a four-year period, with an emphasis on multi-skilled tasking and being able to juggle many balls in the air simultaneously. They also learn to be part of a hardworking team with long hours, plenty of pressure and little time off.
“It’s very important that the students have a good sense of how to do a proper tour prep, so I’m trying to get up and running with all kinds of showcases in our own working studio,” says Fisker. “Technology and practices are constantly evolving in our industry, so it’s vital to be up-to-date.”
As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded, Denmark was the first in Europe to fully lockdown and all students were sent home mid-March as the teaching shift
USA - When Celine Orlando in Edison, New Jersey, the city’s newest entertainment venue, was being built, they knew they could rely on local industry pro, Kevin Clouden, GC Pro’s Business Development Manager to procure a reputable sound system. Clouden has been a top seller of pro audio gear in South Florida for the past several years. Celine’s owners knew Clouden’s expertise would steer them in the right direction - sonically-speaking.
Boasting a capacity of nearly 1,000 occupants, Celine Orlando is a multi-faceted entertainment space that hosts live music, corporate events, and private parties. It was created to fill the need for a centrally located, high-end entertainment complex.
Celine Orlando hosts five different spaces: a Speakeasy that takes guests back to the prohibition era, complete with antique furniture, elaborate drink menus, and an attention to detail that separates it from the rest of the venue; the Mezzanine is an elevated viewing area overlooking the main stage of the venue, offering guests the “next level” experience, with a full view of the stage, a private bar and VIP concierge service; the Rooftop Lounge is for hosting smaller events and overlooks the heart of downtown; the Sports Club at Celine is where guests can watch their favorite sporting events and features an additional area to relax and socialize; lastly, the Ballroom features an elevated state-of-the-art stage design, complete with a LED wall, lighting rigs and a top-of- the-line, RCF line array system and subwoofers.
Celine Orlando is only one of several c