Macau - Six Robert Juliat 600W LED Oz followspots have been installed as part of the recent upgrade of the spectacular Franco Dragone show, The House of Dancing Water in Macau’s City of Dreams. The powerful, long-throw LED models were supplied with push-pull, six-way colour changers and heavy-duty adjustable yokes in anticipation of the show’s extremely busy schedule.
The House of Dancing Water has been seen by over 5m people since its premiere in 2010. It is probably the largest and most spectacular water-based show in the world and, after more than 3000 performances, the longest running show on the Cotai Strip.
The show takes place in the purpose-built, 2000-seat, 270° in-the-round, House of Dancing Water Theatre and is directed by Franco Dragone. The story is focused around a huge 50m x 7m deep pool containing 3.7m gallons of water and involves 90 performers and over 200 international technicians who work their magic to create a show that dances with colour and light.
The show’s lighting designer, award-winning Luc Lafortune, originally specified Robert Juliat Victor followspots and 14 RJ D’Artagnan profiles, all of which have worked hard for eight years, playing 10 shows a week in a highly unusual, moisture-filled environment, and been maintained by the lighting team led by head of lighting, projections and special effects, Karl Jenkins.
Jenkins comments, “Robert Juliat provides some of the most optically accurate luminaires in the world, and for this reason and their amazing longevity, they were chosen for the ori
USA - The Flyer - San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf’s Pier 39 gives both tourists and locals alike a bird’s eye view of the city using cinematic artistry and HD film footage captured with the help of drones and helicopters, and blended with computer-generated imagery.
As spectacular as the video is, though, visitors may be even more dazzled by the attraction’s audio thanks to an engaging cinematic soundtrack played back through a high-impact, high-fidelity sound system from L-Acoustics.
The soundtrack and sound effects were written, created and produced by Mathieu Vachon, audio director for Triotech, the Québec-based company behind The Flyer - San Francisco. Triotech is quickly establishing itself as a major player in the global amusement and theme park industry, and its latest creation follows a fast-paced point-of-view narrative that both documents the city and brings it vividly to life using the same jib, track, drone and other types of cameras employed by Hollywood blockbusters. The sound had to be big to match, which, according to Vachon, is why L-Acoustics was the choice for this high-profile project.
At The Flyer - San Francisco, three coaxial L-Acoustics X12 loudspeakers are positioned in an LCR array across the front of the attraction’s theatre, behind its massive 1,100-square-foot (50'x22') screen. Two rows of tiny 5XT speakers are mounted on the rear walls for the surround elements—one pair per side, covering and upper and lower seats—while four SB18 subwoofers compete the discrete 5.1 system, which is powered and process
South Africa - Black Coffee, a Durban-based rental company, has become more creative since taking ownership of the Hippotizer Boreal+ Media Server.
John-Dee Styles, who heads the creative team at Black Coffee, put the Hippotizer Boreal+ purchased from DWR Distribution to the test for the first time at the Globe Theatre, a new multi-purpose dome structured venue which forms part of the Suncoast Casino. The event was held to celebrate the casino’s new upgrade and renovation, a project that took two years to complete.
“We used our new Hippotizer Boreal+ with a backup system,” explains John-Dee. “We used 4 DVI outputs, two of which went to a double stack of 18K Barco projectors, for the main content. This was projected on a black gauze to create the clients desired effect.” The climax of the show saw a dancer performing behind the black gauze projection surface, interacting with the content on screen. The other two outputs were used for projection mapping onto giant balloons positioned on either side of the stage.
“The show went well but I have to admit it was nerve-wrecking getting to know the system and using it for the first time on a major show,” admits John-Dee. He adds that he was grateful to have Dylan Jones from DWR on site for technical support.
“Going down to help Black Coffee with their first Green Hippo show was an experience,” says Dylan Jones. “They did remarkably well, having just taken delivery of the system. John is extremely creative and I can’t wait to see what he will come up with next. Both he and Gerri
UAE/Europe - AO Technology has launched AO Drones, a new division in its portfolio of visual design services.
Utilising advanced technology developed specifically for entertainment applications, AO Drones’ software facilitates flexible, fast show creation for both indoor and outdoor environments, says the company.
AO Drones currently serves the Middle East region from its UAE hub, and Europe from its German HQ. However, with partnerships in America, Asia and Africa, the business is able to deliver shows worldwide.
“We’re thrilled to bring AO Drones to the market,” says AO producer Marco Niedermeier. “Over the last couple of years we’ve merged 25 years of experience in visual design and entertainment technology development with this innovative new drone technology, to enable live visual design to achieve a whole new level of spectacular.”
Niedermeier continues: “AO Drones offers our clients full-service 3D pre-visualisation using 3D design software and 3D video rendering, plus we have a global network of trained pilots, creatives and technicians who can work with our clients to deliver mind-blowing visual designs in the sky.”
Drones can be deployed individually or in small or large groups. Indeed, large numbers of drones can create stunning swarming effects and deliver vibrant volumetric patterns, which in turn can interact and respond to other elements of a production such as audio, lighting and video.
Each drone unit features high-brightness LED surfaces, offering visual
UK - With one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the UK in the last few years, Freya Ridings has had a busy start to 2019. A headline tour (including a sold-out show at London’s Roundhouse) in support of her debut studio album garnered rave reviews and she’s set to follow up with a series of US dates later in the year.
Ridings’ front of house engineer Tim Morris has relied on an array of Audio-Technica microphones throughout the tour, on both vocals and band backline, including an AE5400 cardioid condenser and AE6100 and ATM610a hypercardioid dynamics for main and backing vocals and the diminutive AE2300 cardioid dynamic instrument mic for snare top.
“I love the response of the AE5400 condenser on Freya’s voice,” says Morris, “and it’s my favourite option for things like TV appearances, where it really delivers a studio-like sound. For the backing vocals the tight pickup pattern of the ATM610a works really well on stage and I’ve been very happy with those.
“The entire drum kit is Audio-Technica too; I use the classic AT4033 large-diaphragm condensers for overheads and I’ve been impressed with the compact mics - the ATM230 hypercardioid dynamic (on toms) and the AE2300 are so easy to position on a kit and sound amazing.”
Morris - whose career takes in both studio and live engineering, with a CV that features Enter Shikari, Keane, Kylypso and Giungla - has also been using an Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system at FOH for the tour, based around the flagship dLive S7000 surface.
(Jim Evans)
Singapore - Concept System recently upgraded the ballroom and function rooms at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel with Martin by Harman RUSH LED light fixtures.
Overlooking the picturesque Singapore River, the 30-story Grand Copthorne Waterfront is located in one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations. The hotel’s management recently decided to upgrade the antiquated lighting systems in the ballroom and function rooms with efficient LED solutions, and hired Concept System to outfit the property with Martin RUSH MH 1 Profile.
"Elaborate functions like weddings and banquets require stunning visual effects," says Gerald Fong, senior sales manager at Concept System. "The Grand Copthorne selected Martin fixtures because of their quality, efficiency and Harman’s remarkable service, and specifically asked us to use Martin’s LED fixtures in their grand ballroom and function rooms."
In addition to their reduced power consumption, Concept System selected Martin LED fixtures for their rich colour palette, versatility and low-profile design.
"Martin’s lighting equipment is perfectly complements the luxury aesthetic of The Grand Copthorne,” says Selamat Danyati, audio visual manager at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront. "Since our hotel hosts a variety of spectacular events, it was important to have a reliable and flexible LED fixture that could produce beautiful colours and stunning effects."
"It is a privilege to see Martin products add to the allure of the Grand Copthorne Waterfront and we appreciate the hotel’s continued trust in
Japan - It’s impossible to walk through the prefecture of Gion and not be swept up in its vibrant pace of life. The most celebrated geisha district in a city that is itself the cultural heart of Japan, the neighbourhood is renowned for its dining and entertainment attractions.
Both of these offerings are found in the Kyoto Sushi Theatre, a lively venue that serves up a culinary and artistic feast for its customers. Creating a colourful and engaging backdrop for this dual experience is an Andy Hinago-designed lightshow that features a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by PRG Japan.
Given that the ‘theatre side’ of Kyoto Sushi Theatre features not only traditional Kabuki, but also more modern, western-style Shingeki performances, Andy (who owns GOTTA, Inc.) placed an emphasis on versatility when putting together his rig for the venue. This led him to place the Maverick MK Pyxis at the top of his gear list.
“Typically, I start building my rig by selecting washes, but when I saw the Pyxis, I knew I had to have it,” says Hinago, who installed 15 of the moving fixtures at the theatre. “Pyxis was first because of all I could do with it. The outer ring of pixels and centre pixel offer so many options. Plus, it has continuous pan and tilt, built-in colour macros, gobos with vibrant, punchy colours, so it opens a lot of options.”
In addition to its Pyxis units, the theatre rig features three Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures. “The Rogue R1 FX-Bs are very flexible and work well with the Pyxis, allowing me to create a wide variet
Australia - Melbourne-based lighting rental and production company MPH Australia, headed by Matt Hansen, continues to invest in Robe products, with the latest additions being over 80 MegaPointes, 50 Spiiders and 50 BMFLs.
These join a growing inventory of Robe moving lights, currently in the region of 700, including BMFL Spots and Blades, Pointes, LEDWash 600s and LEDBeam 100s. Hansen has made the commitment to Robe’s newest tech after having utilised the products on shows - including his own - for several years.
He founded MPH (Matt’s Party Hire) in 2006 initially to stock LED products like SoftLED cloth and the company has grown into a much larger ‘party’. Having the new technology onboard has been “incredible” says Hansen. “They have been out constantly, and that’s set to continue; MegaPointes and Spiiders are both products ‘of the moment’.”
The Australian festival scene is notoriously environmentally tough, in terms of the weather and the location, another aspect where Matt thinks Robe has always done exceptionally well.
The very first gig for his newly delivered MegaPointes was the 2018 Parrtjima Festival of Light in Alice Springs where LD Richard Neville of Mandy Lights used 80 fixtures to illuminate the West MacDonnell Mountain Range - for a whole month - with custom gobos and spectacular effects!
The fixtures were spread out over 1.5km and run via wireless Ethernet for control, where their incredible brightness and excellent build quality ensured a great installation.
They returned briefly to the ware
USA - The Shed’s executive team joined elected officials and artists to celebrate the opening of New York’s new arts centre during a dedication ceremony just days before the space opened to the public on 5 April.
Located on West 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue, The Shed is commissioning and presenting new work from artists working in all genres, including Steve McQueen, Steve Reich, Trisha Donnelly, Anne Carson, Ben Whishaw, Renée Fleming and Björk, among others.
Specialised Audio-Visual (SAVI) engineered and installed a d&b V-Series line array in The McCourt, The Shed’s largest space in the 200,000sq.ft Bloomberg Building.
“SAVI and d&b audiotechnik are part of the team that connects The McCourt to its artists via technology,” explains Michael Cusick, president of SAVI. “The d&b sound system in The McCourt plays a daily role as a tool for The Shed’s technical staff to help the artists create the desired performer-audience connectivity, help the performers achieve their artistic goals and provide unique ways for an audience - through the d&b sound system - to realise the best in democracy for listeners.”
When The Shed’s movable shell is deployed from its base building it creates The McCourt, a 17,000sq.ft light-, sound-, and temperature-controlled space for large-scale performances, art installations, and events. The McCourt can accommodate an audience of approximately 1,250 seated and more than 2,000 standing; flexible overlap space in the two adjoining galleries of the base building allows for an
UK - London-based hard rock band Thunder launched their new album Please Remain Seated to critical acclaim in January and they then toured nine UK venues from Cardiff to Glasgow via Birmingham and Manchester.
The new album celebrates the band’s 30th anniversary and revisits some of their best-known songs, including She’s So Fine and Low Life in High Places. During the studio recording of the album, the band used Bose L1 Model II portable line arrays in order to get the right feel and sound.
Lead singer Danny Bowes is full of praise for the system: “We’ve used lots of equipment over the years, but none as impressive as the Bose L1 system. For our latest album, we wanted a live feel in the studio and decided to try four L1 systems, along with a ToneMatch mixer audio engine and B1 [bass module] for each.
“Setup was easy, and the sound was instantly right. A few months later we played an acoustic show at Planet Rock Studios in London, and once again they were perfect. We’ve become huge fans and will use the L1 whenever possible. They are quite simply amazing.”
(Jim Evans)
UK - Three performances, 10 minutes, 62,000 fans, and a TV audience of millions required expert audio delivery for the Opening Ceremony of Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium.
In 2017, Britannia Row was tasked with providing live audio for the North London football team’s ground closure at White Hart Lane. After proving itself as a trusted audio supplier to the Premier League club, two years later the rental house was asked to supply top engineers and a control package for a special event to mark the opening of the club’s new stadium.
Working closely with Donaldson Creative, event producers Gary Beestone Events and Theatre contracted in Britannia Row to ensure a smooth delivery was achieved for the highly anticipated production.
Tom Brown, Britannia Row client liaison, comments: “We had some of our expert TV and touring crew working on this job. With an event like this, there’s simply no room for glitches.”
Britannia Row also brought in broadcast sound supervisor Toby Allington [the BRITs / MTV EMAs] to provide a music feed which Sky then mixed in with their sports ambient mics. The broadcaster had final control over what hit TV screens.
Before the match against London rivals Crystal Palace, fans were treated to 45-minutes of team favourites by The Tottenham Hotspur Marching Band before the official Opening Ceremony was broadcast live on UK TV. The artists comprised a choir from Gladesmore Community School [orchestrated by Musical Director, Steve Sidwell] with Lanya Matthews leading the vocal celebrations. The pupils were
Europe - Vincent Fenton, working under the name French Kiwi Juice, or FKJ for short, delivered his first long player in 2017 and 2019 sees the French multi-instrumentalist tour Europe and North America.
Described by the press as ‘one of the flag bearers of the New French House musical genre’, FKJ is also heavily involved in the visual objectives for his live performances and his concerts guarantee visual as well as musical excellence.
For this tour, FKJ appointed Stu Dingley as creative director and production designer. Stu is also lighting designer, with Will Smith positioned as lighting director, and video content was created by Lorenzo Depa, Sugo Design and FKJ himself.
With the show running to a Timecode, the music structure of each track remains the same, however, FKJ inserts different live loops of music meaning audiences experience a different performance each night. Here, Stu employed a brace of Hippotizer Boreal+ Media Servers to control the Timecode, with layers split between Timeline and the grandMA2 light. An effective feature of Hippotizer V4+, Timeline enables Hippotizer to save and playback complex shows across the Hippotizer network.
Joining the Hippotizer Media Servers in the line-up is a double-stacked pair of Barco UDX-W32 projectors, outputting 1080p resolution, as well as a custom, clear acrylic piano loaded with six ROE Visual Magic Cube MC-18H LED panels as a separate mix on the servers. The main screen comprises three 10x30ft strips of semi-transparent black silk from ShowTex, with the material appearing and disapp
Europe - Freya Ridings has recently completed her sold-out headline tour across the UK and Germany, accompanied by an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system on FOH. The English singer-songwriter has been making great strides over the past year, from support shows with artists such as Tears for Fears and Lewis Capaldi to her own sold-out headline tours.
“I was looking for a solution that provided flexibility while mixing and the processing power to really dig-in and shape the sources exactly how I wanted,” comments FOH engineer, Tim Morris. “A prospective monitor engineer for the tour suggested using dLive and after further feedback from AJ Sutherland [monitor tech for Gary Numan], I decided to give it a try.”
Supplied by Adlib, the FOH set-up for the tour features a dLive S7000 (fitted with a Dante card for multi-track recording and virtual soundcheck) and a DM64 MixRack. Additionally, a Waves V3 card is fitted to the S7000 in order to utilise Waves SoundGrid and additional plug-ins.
Morris is also a fan of dLive’s processing capabilities, commenting: “dLive is perfect for pop music - for example, being able to add the Dyn8 multiband compressor on up to 64 channels and sculpt sounds together, is fantastic.
“I use the Pitch-Doubler to thicken the vocals, especially during fuller arrangements, as it’s really useful to be able to ride it up in choruses to make sure Freya is always front and centre. I’m also a fan of the Opto compressor, I use it in my main mix and it really helps glue things together, as well as keeping things i
Australia - Perth’s Elite Audio Visual Productions has recently completed the installation of a Nexo Geo S sound reinforcement system in the 900-seat theatre at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls.
EAVP were engaged to recommend, supply, and install an appropriate sound reinforcement system that would meet the varied needs of the Joy Shepherd Performing Arts theatre, which has 613 seats in the stalls and 287 seats in the dress circle. It serves as the school’s main auditorium for internal events and productions, but is also regularly hired by external clients for dance shows, concerts, church services and more.
The previous system had begun to develop several problems and did not provide the even coverage and power needed for the theatre. Theatre manager David Spooner asked EAVP to design an appropriate system.
By using acoustic modelling software, it was possible to virtually test out different models and configurations of PA systems in a 3D model of the room to work out how to get the best coverage and output level. It became apparent that in addition to the two main PA hangs, the system would need to include front fill speakers around the front of the orchestra pit and delay speakers above the dress circle in order to achieve optimum coverage.
EAVP’s solution was Nexo’s GeoS12 line array, comprising six Geo S12 top boxes and two 18” LS18 subs per side, with three compact Nexo ID24s for front-fill and four ID24s as delays above the balcony.
The entire system is driven by two Nexo NXAMP4x4 four channel amplifiers which ar
UAE - Powersoft amplifiers have been installed at Rixos Premium Hotel, which is located in Dubai’s bustling Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) community.
The project was specified, managed and integrated by Pulse Middle East, and saw Powersoft amplifiers installed in five of the hotel’s outlets, including the lavish Azure Beach Club, Black Tap Craft Burgers and Shakes and Luigia Italian restaurant, which are all operated by Sunset Hospitality. The remaining venues, Lock, Stock and Barrell (LSB) and STK Steakhouse, are operated by Solutions Leisure.
With bands performing live at LSB on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and DJs the other evenings, the audio system was configured to cater for both. The TW Audio system is powered by Powersoft Quattrocanali and X Series amplifier platforms - seven Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D serve the smaller 8” M8 and 10” M10 speakers distributed in the areas further from the stage, in addition to ceiling speakers in the toilets.
The three X8s drive the main band PA consisting of a pair of T24 with four B18 subwoofers, additional B18 and B15 subs dotted around the venue, and T20s for out-fills. A further five C15 stage monitors with a B15 sub are powered by a portable rack of two Dante enabled Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D.
Pulse Middle East’s head of audio, Andrew Morris, explains: “There were some quite long cable runs in the end at LSB, so the damping control on the Powersoft amps really helped to ensure that the subs were sounding consistent all around the venue, by compensating for these.”
Pulse opted
Germany - Singer-songwriter Max Giesinger has been a regular in the German-speaking world of music for several years. Following the 2016 album The Boy Who Runs, Giesinger released the studio album The Journey in the Autumn of 2018. From mid-February to mid-March 2019, he embarked on the first leg of his eponymous tour, which led him through German arenas via four stops in Austria and Switzerland.
Lighting designer Tom ‘Standtom’ Groß, who has been with Giesinger since 2016, produced an unconventional design for the tour. "In the run-up to the tour, I brainstormed this with the management and the artist,” he recalls. “I wanted a classic set-up of spot and wash lights, and to avoid a backdrop at the back. So all involved provided input, and the result was a three-dimensional design - minus a backdrop.”
In addition to some spots that Standtom found indispensable, GLP impression X4 Bar 20 and JDC1 hybrid strobes played a major role. The GLP X4 Bars have been a a staple element in his design for quite some time. "With the X4 Bars, I can bathe the stage very quickly in colour, but also create fantastic light curtains. The Bars are extremely versatile. Although you only have tilt as far as movement is concerned, this still provides a lot of variation. When programming the Bars you have to think differently in order to fully exploit their possibilities. That's great fun.”
A total of 17 GLP X4 Bar 20 populated three levels of truss hanging at different heights, tapering from front to back, for spatial depth on the stage. A horizont
USA - With increasing demand for concert-level audio in sports arenas to elevate the live sports experience, L-Acoustics products have evolved to incorporate greater levels of control and integration as well as weatherisation to match outdoor installation requirements.
In tandem with these product developments, the L-Acoustics team supporting this thriving market sector has also evolved, as recently evidenced by the appointment of Gino Pellicano to the new post of application manager for sports facilities and consultant outreach.
To create the L-Acoustics sports team, Dan Palmer has been promoted to business development manager, sports facilities - USA and Canada, after 10 years with the L-Acoustics application team. He will be working in tandem with Pellicano, who is also based in the manufacturer’s Westlake Village, California office and now oversees all technical support for L-Acoustics’ sports facility vertical market and its client base.
Pellicano is also tasked with leading the company’s outreach to major sound design consulting and integration firms across North America, both to educate and learn from this key community of sound design experts.
Pellicano joins L-Acoustics from Powersoft, where he served as the amplifier manufacturer’s market development and applications manager for North America. Prior to that, he worked as a project engineer for Burbank-based Electrosonic, following several years spent as an applications engineer for Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW).
“Dan Palmer, in his new role, will be running in strid
USA - Since opening in 1987, Audible Difference has provided sound reinforcement services for high-profile fashion and luxury brand events, theatrical productions ranging from Broadway to regional companies, and concerts and tours. ADI also installs sound systems in residences and commercial venues and in recent years has expanded its operations to Los Angeles and Miami.
ADI director of technical services Ian Ruben-Schnirman discovered Linea Research amplifiers at the InfoComm trade show. “One of the people at [manufacturers rep firm] Cardone, Solomon & Associates told us about these new amps and processor products,” recounts Ruben-Schnirman. “We saw the Linea products on the show floor, decided we had to get some, and placed an order right there for two 48M10 amplifiers and two ASC48 processors.”
With eight channels of Class D amplification in a mere 2U of rack space, Linea Research’s 48M10 made an immediate impression on Ruben-Schnirman. “It has been a big thing for us that the amp sounds so excellent,” he states. “When we first got them, I did a test between the 48M10 and every other amplifier we owned that didn’t have built-in processing. There was only one other amp I thought sounded as good, and it was an old, two-channel amp that weighed 60 pounds. The 48M10 is an eight-channel amp that weighs half that, yet still draws the same amount of power.”
ADI has gone on to acquire a total of six of 48M10 amplifiers and 22 Linea Research ASC48 Advanced System Controllers.
“We tend to use the processors as speaker cross
Norway - Boasting 1000 cabins and 54 suites, the MS Color Magic is the world's largest cruise ferry. For guests on her regular voyage between Oslo and Kiel however, Color Magic's real appeal lies in its generous onboard activities and entertainment, which includes a fully-equipped theatre, shopping mall and a night club.
After having installed over 50 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot and Wash fixtures as part of the vessel’s 2018 entertainment upgrade - which included installations in both the theatre and night club - Entech International was once again brought on-board to work on the ship's promenade area, specifying 14 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot and 12 Maverick MK2 Wash fixtures.
In addition to providing a more efficient upgrade to replace the outdated lighting equipment on the ship, which is owned by Color Line, the new Maverick fixtures created opportunities to enliven the pop-up shows, acrobatic performances, magic performances and other activities taking place on the promenade, as well as providing ambient lighting throughout the crossing.
"After last year's successful theatre upgrade, we were confident that the Maverick Spot and Wash combination would be more than capable of providing a number of punchy, yet precise, looks to transform the promenade," comments Simon Featherstone, project manager at Entech International. "As a result, we knew that the versatility of the fixtures would provide a great solution for Color Line.”
Positioned from several high-level trussing beams spanning the promenade area and its ar
Thailand - Mahajak Development recently outfitted Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University’s main auditorium with a Harman networked audio and lighting system.
Established in 1972, Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University is a non-profit higher education institution located in Chanthaburi. The university offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. In order to ensure top-tier production quality for student programs and events in the main auditorium, the university hired Mahajak Development to supply an end-to-end Harman networked AV system that could be easily controlled by staff and students.
“The university needed a simple but dynamic audiovisual solution to produce impactful events for students and guests,” comments Pongsakorn Kanchanachayphoom, project director, Mahajak Development. “Taking into account the school’s request for a user-friendly system, we selected a comprehensive Harman system for its superior sound quality, unrivaled flexibility and intuitive controls.”
Mahajak delivered sound reinforcement in the auditorium with JBL Control 2PS/230 compact loudspeakers, and provided full and balanced coverage with JBL Control 14 C/T and 16 C/T in-ceiling speakers. All speakers were powered with Crown CDi 1000, XLS 2502, MA 5000i and XTi 4002 amplifiers. For control over the audio system, the Mahajak team installed a Soundcraft Si Expression 3 audio mixer. The entire system is networked via a BSS Soundweb London BLU-100 digital audio processor.
Mahajak equipped the auditorium with an array of Martin Pro
UK - Islington’s Grade II-listed Assembly Hall has committed to an investment in its technical infrastructure, including the first UK installation of Harman’s new JBL VTX A8 line array system at front of house.
Inspired by the experienced management team of Lucinda Brown and technical manager Tom Watt, the council-owned building, part of Islington Town Hall complex, can now build on a reputation that has seen Ed Sheeran, Rag’n’Bone Man and Snow Patrol play there in the past.
Following a competitive tender, the Islington Assembly Hall team chose JBL’s new flagship VTX A-Series, comprising A8 and B18 elements.
The installation was undertaken by SSE Audio Group, who were also responsible for the new JBL VTX A12 installation (with VTX A8 acting as delays and front-fills) at London’s Troxy - coincidentally another Grade II-listed art deco building like the Assembly Hall. Able to use the existing infrastructure, and taking advantage of the advanced JBL rigging, they were able to hoist and align the system expediently, much to the delight of the venue.
“SSE worked hard to get the system in quickly working around events, and expedited the delivery seamlessly in the time allotted,” says Watt.
They have flown L/R hangs of six VTX A8 elements per side, adding a further two as lip-fills on the stage. Low frequency extension is provided by six B18 single 18” subs, with the entire system powered by four Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD four-channel amplifiers.
Ed Jackson, Harman pro tour sound application engineer, ensured the system was
Singapore - Hexogon Solution has become a disguise rental partners, the AV solutions manufacturer has reported.
With offices in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and the Philippines, Hexogon provides lighting, audio and video projection mapping equipment and also offers design and staging services for events and exhibitions. The company was founded in 1997 and has worked on the annual Singapore National Day celebrations, the Singapore Formula 1 City Light Up, and the 28th SEA Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.
“As we are rapidly expanding, not only in Asia but in target markets outside of Asia, we need to ensure that we have a strong variety of server brands in our inventory,” says Adrian Goh, group managing director at Hexogon. “disguise is one of the top servers in the market and will help grow our business. Having a large fleet of projectors in the company also means that disguise, with their advanced projection workflows and capabilities, will be one of the preferred choices for large-scale events. We are now more comprehensive in our offerings and more competitive in the rental market than ever before.”
Hexogon previously invested in disguise media servers for the 2019 Marina Bay Singapore Countdown show on New Year’s Eve and has recently added the new vx 4 server to its fleet.
Acoustic & Lighting, a disguise sales partner, supplied Hexogon with the disguise servers and has worked closely with them on their disguise rental partner accreditation. “We are proud to be working with innovative compan
UK - Martin Dudley of Martin’s Lights has invested in the new Martin by Harman ERA 300 Profile, with six units already in action on the current Newton Faulkner tour.
Supplying lighting design and lighting equipment hire services, Martin's Lights recently celebrated its 25th birthday. Current and past clients of owner Martin Dudley include Newton Faulkner with whom he has been working with for 13 years, James Morrison (as lighting director for lighting designer Cate Carter), Heaven 17, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Magazine, The Specials and many more.
Having owned Martin fixtures a very long way back in the ‘DJ Series’ days of Magic Moons, Starflashes and Jem smoke machines, and of course experience of the countless Martin fixtures in the lighting rigs of venues and festivals, the new ERA 300 Profile modern day LED successor to the MAC 250 recently caught his attention.
Martin Dudley explains: “I had been looking specifically for a colour-mixing moving spot fixture for a little while that would suit the scale and level of touring that we regularly do, so I was immediately interested when I saw the ERA 300 announced. The other features - two gobo wheels, colour wheel, zoom, iris and prism, also caught my eye.
”
The ERA 300 Profile is a compact LED moving head, designed to be easy to handle and rig, and take up less truck space. It includes professional features, including CMY colour mixing, 1:2 zoom and 9,500 lumens of output.
“I actually chose the ERA 300s for the James Morrison tour that we just finished,” continues Martin, “al
Europe - Hayden Borgars has covered a broad spectrum of shows during his career as a lighting designer, including various music genres, corporate, dance and theatre.
Most recently he joined forces with American rap artist, Hoodie Allen (real name Steven Markowitz) for a British and European tour, at venues ranging from the 700-capacity Garage Glasgow to 2,000 Shepherds Bush Empire. Travelling with him throughout was an inventory of GLP X4 Bar 20s and JDC1 hybrid strobes, supplied by rental company, Siyan.
The tour was set up essentially as a pre-album promo tour in advance of Hoodie’s next album release this month.
Given the nature of the venues, Hayden simply assembled a powerful and scalable GLP floor package, giving him both versatility and big looks. He admitted he had been eager to use the JDC1s for some time, and his hunger only increased after GLP UK’s David Stewart introduced the three-facet low profile hybrid out in the real world, at Bring Me The Horizon’s Alexandra Palace show.
“It’s the first time I had seen them used in a show and I was hugely impressed,” he says. “I also sent a video to Hoodie and he reacted the same way. It’s such an aggressive strobe that it immediately came to mind when I was planning this tour.”
He programmed the fixtures in Mode 3 (68 DMX channels) with pixel chasers, blinders and beam effects, and also used them to wash the stage. He set them stage left, stage right, either side of the drum kit and on risers, with the X4 Bar 20s also on the ground at the back of the stage.
(Ji