USA - Slipknot - one of the most visually theatrical and bizarre speed metal acts today - used Robe Colour Spot 1200 ATs to great effect on their Subliminal Verses tour as specified by lighting designer Jason Cain.
It was the first time that Cain has used Robe fixtures - but it certainly won't be the last he asserts, stating that next time he intends to use lots more Robe's on the rig! Gemini Stage Lighting of Dallas, Texas Lighting supplied equipment for the recently concluded two month US tour.
Cain used the ColorSpot 1200s for stunning beam and colour effects. "I like the brightness, strobe rate, pan/tilt and the gobo selection" says Cain, noting that you get the standard range of gobos plus ten additionals - all of which are inventive and different. He also likes the colour mixing properties and reckons that the 1200s are far brighter than similar comparable moving light brands.
The ColorSpot 1200 is the most powerful hard edge light in the current Robe AT series. Cain's crew members also liked the fixtures which proved themselves highly reliable and robustly built. "They did well over the two month tour," says show technician John Johnson, "we had no real hardware issues, the lamps are bright and they ride well in the (Xtreme) trussing." Lighting electrician Dennis Waite added: "The multi-position pan/tilt locks are good and the overall solidity of the fixture is great. I certainly prefer them to other similar competitive products."
Slipknot will be playing selected dates in Europe and will be returning to t
USA - American DJ has launched its latest water simulation effect, the H2O 250 - a brighter, 250W version of the original H2O with upgraded features, and at a lower price. Like its predecessor, the H2O 250 is designed as a background mood effect for lounges and intimate club areas. It's also ideal for creating a spacey, psychedelic atmosphere at retro '60s and '70s parties, say the company.
The new fixture includes a higher-output 250W halogen lamp and an improved optical system which the company says enhances brightness and colour saturation. The H2O 250 has also been given a number of other upgrades, designed to make life easier for mobile DJs. It's equipped with a new electronic transformer, making it more lightweight, while the case now features protective plastic end moulds, which safeguard against nicks and dents during transit. A larger cooling fan has also been added, allowing the H2O 250 to be run continuously all night with no duty cycles. Another new, convenient feature is circuit breaker protection, which eliminates the need to change fuses.
The H2O 250 offers eight colours plus white, and can be run in two operational modes, seamless colour scrolling or static colour operation.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Ice*lighting, the "super batten" from Telectra, was awarded the ABTT (Associaton of British Theatre Technicians), lighting product of the year 2005 at the ABTT Annual Awards Dinner held at the Duke of York's Headquarters, London on Wednesday 15 June.
Transferring innovative technology advances developed outside the entertainment industry, ice*lighting provides eye-catching visual entertainment effects through LED (light emitting diode) and proprietary Bead*light Technologies, as well as converging light and video technologies to provide wide area video effects across split batten arrays without the use of a media server.
"The real point about product development," says Alan Oliver, Telectra's sales and marketing director, "is that technology innovation must exceed customer needs and expectations and in the world of entertainment, lighting and display effects need to be provided that are new and pleasing to the eye. Ice*lighting meets these objectives and then some."
"The ABTT Award is a tribute to the time and resources Telectra's team has invested in the project over the last two years and we thank those lighting professionals who have assisted us in providing feedback to create a truly new type of effect for T.V., stage and events."
(Lee Baldock)
Italy - 29 May 2005, marked the seventh annual 'Cornetto Free Music Festival'. Sponsored by the ice cream maker Algida, the festival has become one of the best attended live festivals in Italy, drawing this year over 100,000 music fans to the piazza in front of Milan's magnificent cathedral despite temperatures of 35°C. The event, MC'd by Ambra Angiolini and Elio delle Storie Tese, featured international stars including Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas and John Legend performing on a 50m x 14m stage, with two 20sq.m screens providing Imag.
The task of providing the sound reinforcement for the spectacle was entrusted to Milano Music Service (MMS), the renowned Milanese rental company, and both the client and the audience were delighted with the results. Supported by EVI Audio's Italian partners, Texim, MMS's engineers opted for a large Electro-Voice X-Line system along with EV amplifiers, and audio management processors and EQs from Klark Teknik. The system included 20 EV X-Line Xvls,four X-Line Xvlts, 24 Xsubs, 36 Electro-Voice P3000-Endstufen, two Klark Teknik DN9848 audio management systems and a Klark Teknik DN9340 Helix Digital EQ.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Peavey has introduced the latest additions to the PV Series: Both the 700W (1400W peak) PV 215 and 400W (800W peak) PV 115 models are 2-way trapezoidal enclosures featuring a single 15" woofer, RX14 compression driver with a 1.4" titanium diaphragm and a 90° x 40° constant directivity horn. Further features are a heavy-duty crossover, tweeter protection, plus moulded-in pole mounts. The third model, the 400W PV 118 subwoofer has an 18" Pro Eighteen woofer, optimized internal low-pass crossover, along with pole-mount adaptor.
Also new is the Messenger Light, a compact, portable sound system that can be set up in seconds. Measuring just 24" wide, the Messenger Light's robust 5-channel mixer and 100W output make it ideal for an array of applications from office presentations and small events to karaoke and everything in between. Adding to this, the Messenger Light can be hooked up to a laptop, CD player or an MP3. Other features are two mic/line XLR and quarter-inch jack inputs, plus a built-in 5-band EQ featuring Peavey's patented FLS Feedback Locator System that allows users to quickly identify and eliminate feedback. The Messenger Light also comes with Peavey's highly successful PVi microphone and all necessary cables required to operate the system. In addition, the top lid functions as a lectern that will hold meeting notes or song lyrics.
Peavey has also announced the introduction of two new equalizers, also part of the expanding PV Series. The PV 215EQ is a dual 15-band EQ with an 85Hz low-cut filter, while the PV 231 EQ is a dual 31
UAE - Dubai-based Artes Audio Visual Rentals is one of the region's leading rental companies, with services ranging from dry hires to full event management. The latest addition to the company's armoury is a Midas Verona mixing console purchased from local distributor NMK Electronics Ent for mid-sized to large events. "The Verona delivers that high-quality sound you expect from a Midas but in a compact size, which allows us to use it frequently, and for many different scenarios, says Avril Rodrigues, head of audio at Artes. "This makes it a great investment for the company."
Chicco Hiranandani, product manager at NMK, adds: "I was approached by Artes before the Dubai Jazz Festival this year to provide a FOH mixing console. At that time, we'd received the new Verona console so I offered them to try it during the three-day event. When they were able to see and hear the difference between their previous consoles and the new Verona, it was clear that they wanted one."
The Verona series consists of six models ranging from 24 up to 64 inputs, and incorporates all the features and components that make it look, sound and feel like a true Midas. It has been designed from the ground up by the same team responsible for the XL4 and the Heritage Series consoles, including the industry-standard Heritage 3000. Available as an install or touring package, the Verona can handle anything from houses of worship to broadcast/recording, theatre to corporate applications, and of course concert sound.
Founded in 1985, NMK Electronics Ent is a leading profession
China - Lighthouse Technologies in Hong Kong is supplying two of its indoor screens for the 8th Shanghai International Film Festival being held at the Shanghai Superbrand Mall. The company, in conjunction with Join Merit Media Holdings Limited and GP Batteries, is supporting Stellar Megamedia, a local entertainment and media company that is providing digital film services at this year's event. As such, Lighthouse has supplied one of its giant 4.48 x 3.36m R6 indoor display screens together with its new PopVision LED screen, measuring 1.28 x 0.64m. PopVision made its debut at the recent InfoComm show in Las Vegas.
The two screens will air coverage of film trailers, festival highlights, as well as new digital film content. The R6 will also serve as the main backdrop for the broadcasting of the festival's prestigious movie awards.Offering a 6mm pixel pitch, high definition imaging and extra processing power, the R6 screen was also chosen for its 3000 Nits of brightness as well as its ability to cope with the high levels of ambient light at the festival venue. The new PopVision LED screen is claimed to be the industry's first portable, self-contained LED screen and is easily transportable via a 5ft x 2ft flight case. A wireless remote and hydraulic system provides a fast and simple set up.
(Barry Howse)
UK - The specialist entertainment industry recruitment company Taylor-Phillips has recently joined forces with the Cambridge Media Group (CMG), which comprises Entertainment Technology Press Ltd, Realnet Ltd (internet solution specialists) and another newly-acquired company, Liverpool Academic Press.
Taylor Phillips was established in 1999 after founder Julie Kirby spent a long period working in the lighting and sound industries; the success of the company is largely due to an understanding of the market and how this sector operates, says Kirby, who will continue with the company as the operation is expanded with a growing team base in Cambridge.
(Jane Cockburn)
UK - When Ian Croxall bought his Soundcraft Series 1 in 1978, he never dreamed he'd still be using it 25 years later. The console, built into a flightcase (believed to be the first such road-ready design to be produced in volume), has given sterling service for a quarter of a century on numerous live events, being used for recording as well as PA work. Now Croxall has traded his Series 1S in for one of Soundcraft's new GB4 desks, but only because of the channel count.
"There's still nothing wrong with the 1S," reports Croxall. "In all that time it's only ever had two small technical problems, and one of those was a blown fuse! The only reason I'm upgrading is that it has simply run out of channels to handle the sort of work we're doing these days."
Ian donated his Series 1S, complete with the original user guide, to Soundcraft, who intend to put it into a classics museum the company is constructing in its newly refurbished Potters Bar headquarters. When he dropped the desk into Soundcraft, Ian toured the new factory and spent some time with Graham Blyth, co-founder of Soundcraft and of course the designer of the Series 1S.
"It was fabulous," said Croxall, "to see the factory in operation manufacturing all the new consoles, and especially fascinating to talk to Graham about how the desk came into being. It was a great day! I'm delighted with the GB4, which still retains the optimum sound performance I've always had with Soundcraft."
(Lee Baldock)
UK - APR Audio showcased one of the biggest PA systems ever assembled in a dance tent, at the recent Homelands Festival in the south of England. Entirely comprising Electro-Voice and Klark Teknik/Midas products, the sound system in The Movement Tent was predominantly X-Line, as one would expect from APR, one of the UK's leading EV rental houses.
For a line-up that included some of the world's best drum 'n' bass DJs and MCs, APR provided a ground-stacked X-Line array system, "a massive wall of sound", according to APR's Pete Russell. Either side of a centre stage were eight Xvls 3-way line array cabinets, with 16 Xsubs. In the centre, four Xi1152 full-range cabinets provided fill, and for stage fill, another two Xb LF boxes and two Xn cabinets were used on each side. Completing the picture were XW15As for band monitoring.
APR Audio was repeating its success of 2004 in this location. Once again, the system was run by Precision Series remote-controlled amplifiers, managed by EV's proprietary IRIS sofware. Pete Russell was using Klark Teknik's DN370 analogue graphic EQs for all monitor EQ, and KT's Helix digital equalizer across all channels. "I use the 370s on the main mix, for any visiting engineers to use, and then have Helix running simultaneously underneath with my own EQ settings," says Russell. "When I take over the board, I can just hit bypass and it takes me back to my own settings, which gives me time to put the 370s back to flat ready for the next engineer."
Uniquely among festival dance tents, the Movement Tent is draped be
UK / Ireland - Harman Pro UK staged its highly successful Roadshow Presentation in Dublin, Manchester and London - demonstrating the fabulous range of new Harman technology launched at NAMM and Frankfurt. The show featured presentations from JBL Professional, Crown, dbx Professional, AKG, Lexicon, Soundcraft, BSS and Studer - the core of the Harman Group. Highlighting the new technology and audio solutions available from all these brands for a variety of professional applications, including live concert touring, portable PA, mobile disco and studio sound, the Harman Pro Roadshow has toured the US, France and Germany.
JBL's new VRX Series line array concept attracted much attention. Featuring the performance of high end line arrays in a compact, affordable and flexible 12" two-way format, VRX provides outstanding coverage and output coherence. VRX shares components with JBL's Vertec Line Array Series, a worldwide touring industry standard. It's ideally suited for use in smaller venues and small to medium sound reinforcement projects, say the company.
The DriveRack 4800 from dbx professional was also highlighted. Designed to provide incredible flexibility, sonic excellence and intuitive control for all typed of performance applications, it was debuted alongside the hugely successful DriveRack family. Also featured were Crown's new Commercial Series of amplifiers, Lexicon's new MX200 effects processor, Soundcraft's new series of GB mixing consoles and AKG's award-winning WMS4000 wireless mic system.
There was massive interest in all three locations, particula
UK - With the coming summer season looking busier than ever, SDD Sound & Light has just taken delivery of another Midas Venice 320 and Midas 160 desk to cover the increased workload. This takes the company's stock of Venice desks to six, with a further two Venice 320 and another Verona 320/400 planned for the latter part of 2005.
The planned work programme for this year includes not only an increased number of dance and music events but a greater number of touring Shakespeare productions for the summer season. The Venice desks have proved a hit with the artists for their ability to tightly control vocals with warmth and clarity and are now being specified by the touring companies as standard.
"During the past few years it has become clear to us and our clients that the Midas desks have outperformed all of the other brands that we have used," said rental manager Howard English.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - mm productions has a new owner. Martyn Hunt, who has been with the company for the past four years, and has run the company for the last two, has announced that he has purchased mm productions from the company's founder and owner John Hoskyns. Hunt, who has worked within the sound industry for 16 years, says he will continue to build on mm productions' reputation for quality sound design and hire.
Previous to him joining mm productions in November 2000, Hunt worked on many West End and touring productions; he has commissioned sound for Princess Cruises Los Angeles, worked for the BBC and Ulster Television, and spent time working in Germany and Palm Springs, California. His first full-time job in sound, however, was at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. And it was whilst at the Crucible that Martyn became addicted to live performance sound.
"It is my real passion for musical theatre that drives me on today. This is a very exciting time for me and all associated with mm productions. And now that it is my company I can put into action all the plans I have been working on over the last couple of years," commented Hunt.
(Lee Baldock)
Europe / USA - A.C. Lighting supplied a Jands Vista lighting console to Lite Alternative to control the largely Martin Pro rig for Keane's 2005 European and US tour.
Following a successful 2004 UK tour and the critical and commercial success of the band's debut album, Hopes and Fears, Keane extended its tour with a series of European and US dates throughout 2005. With extra production budget available for US shows, which were taking place in venues up to twice the capacity of the European dates, LD Paul Normandale decided to step up the production values for the US leg.
Having read about the Jands Vista lighting console's Generic Fixture Model, Normandale was keen to see if it could provide a solution to the lengthy process of re-plotting shows for varying venue sizes. After a demo from Jands' European and North American distributor A.C. Lighting, Normandale was impressed by the console's key time-saving features.
Paul and show programmer Rob Sinclair were most impressed though by the power of the Generic Fixture Model, finding that it enabled them to copy information for the entire show from one existing fixture and paste this into new fixtures. After deciding to go with the Vista, Sinclair visited A.C. for some hands-on training. After only half a day with the assistance of A.C.'s Neil Vann, he was ready to use the desk on the tour. He said: "Adding and removing lights to suit each venue was a breeze; the copy, paste and extract features alone make it worth switching to the Vista."He added: "From a practical point of view, the benefit of the bu
Germany - Since 1943, when Walter Oehmichen and his wife Rose built a "puppet shrine" with their daughters and developed their first tiny puppet show for family and friends, the Augsburger Puppet Box has been the best-known marionette theatre in Germany. Germans young and old have an attachment to the puppets that is beyond nostalgia. Every year the theatre gives 440 performances, 98% of the time sold out, plus tours, guest appearances, and TV and film productions.
To keep up with this intense production rate, the Puppet Box must be able to depend on its technical systems, and Klaus Marschall, grandchild of the founder and now the owner of the theatre, is playing it safe with his lighting, choosing to install an ETC SmartFade 2496 as a DMX backup control console. The Augsburger puppeteers have long relied on their older Transtechnik T20 desk as their main console, without using a spare system as backup. As their production demands have become increasingly intense, a backup system has become more critical.
Marschall says: "The risk of losing a single production would justify the purchase of the console. And the price-to-performance ratio with SmartFade is optimal."
Show lighting data for the 18 productions in the current Augsburger repertoire were simply transferred from the T20 to SmartFade. The T20's DMX output was captured on SmartFade, and timing for the lighting effects was programmed in manually. Shows on SmartFade can also be subsequently stored and kept safe on SD-cards. Running a wide variety of productions is then possible - an impo
Representing Pulsar in the Middle East for some time now is the well-known face of John Lethbridge, exhibiting on the stand of NMK, the company's UAE distributor. Lethbridge reported a big gain in momentum in the regional market since Pulsar's first PALME show in 2003, with particularly good growth in Saudi. Pulsar has exclusive distribution in Kuwait, and recently sealed distribution in Qatar. Also on the NMK stand, it was good to catch up with Roy Millington of Cloud Electronics - one of the many pro audio brands represented by the distributor.
Adam Hall, now at their third PALME, were reporting an "excellent" show, with good responses to its LD Systems audio product line, particularly the wireless mic system, which had recently voted best mic in its price class by Play Music. The company was also picking up strong interest in its protective cases products.
USA - Color Kinetics Inc has announced the broad installation of its intelliWhite technology in a multiple store roll-out for Bostonian, the specialty men's footwear brand owned by Clarks Companies, NA. Bostonian and its sister brand Clarks operate a network of retail stores nationwide, at least 15 of which will apply iW Profile to light their display shelving.
This system was chosen as a low-maintenance and long-lasting alternative to Bostonian's existing fluorescent display lights, which required costly and frequent replacement. The retailer will design custom display fixtures that incorporate iW Profile to downlight each shelf. iW Profile also allows for different Kelvin temperatures to be set according to display location, for example, cooler shades of white for displays near store windows, and warmer shades towards the store's interior.
According to the US Department of Energy, lighting accounts for 59% of total electricity use in retail and service buildings, followed by cooling at 14%. Intelligent solid-state lighting mitigates electrical costs by consuming less power and radiating very little heat, which in turn lowers cooling expenses. As LED technology continues to advance and intersect the performance levels of conventional sources, the case for intelligent solid-state lighting as an energy-efficient alternative becomes even greater.
"This deal is an exciting indication of the fast-growing market opportunities and applications that exist for Color Kinetics' IntelliWhite series, as intelligent solid-state lighting is now a proven and cost-effecti
Martin Professional Middle East's CEO, Nour Assafiri, said business was excellent for his company, which has been operating since 1991, and as Martin Pro Middle East since 2002. The full lines of Martin Pro and Martin Architectural, Jem smoke machines and Mach sound reinforcement products are complemented by other distributed brands: Advanced Fibre Optics from Spain, and Eurotruss from The Netherlands.
UK - When Metal Hammer Magazine held its annual Golden Gods Awards at London's Astoria recently, it was imperative that the stage was lit and dressed in the spirit of thrash metal. With so many logostyles on display, production reinforcement specialists PSL devised a clever means of front projection, using three Digital Projection Lightning 10gv 3-chip DLP projectors, fitted with short-throw lens - in conjunction with High End Systems' Catalyst software. The screen destinations comprised two inner and two outer 25ft by 5ft Trevera long rectangular drapes as the main projection surfaces, flanking a conventional 14ft x 10.5ft front projection screen.
PSL's project manager Mark Solomons worked closely alongside lighting designer, 'Luton' (Pete Hosier) to embellish a stage format he had originally developed with the band Killing Joke. Catalyst V3.3 software was running from a G5 Mac, with custom interface - operated from a Hog 2 lighting desk - one hard drive running the OSX operating system, while the other handled the QuickTime video files. Catalyst was controlled independently," explained Solomons. "It used two discrete outputs - one for the outer set of drapes via the DP projectors, and the other for the second set of drapes, which received different feeds."
The third projector was fed by a For-A VPS-300 vision mixer, run off Doremi hard drives - all from PSL's inventory. "Because of the throw distance, and the fact that we had to cut through so much ambient light, we couldn't have used anything smaller than these 10,000 ANSI projectors,"
UK - Vertigo Rigging has supplied the largest InMotion 3D / CyberHoist motion control system yet rigged in the UK, to provide special effects for the 50th anniversary production of the L'Oreal Color Trophy at London's Earls Court 2 arena on 16 May. The L'Oreal Colour Trophy, the most respected awards ceremony in the hair and fashion industry, tours the UK to find regional finalists before culminating in an exhilarating Grand Final in London. To mark its 50th anniversary, the production company that developed the event, Surrey-based CS Media staged a night to remember at Earls Court, with technical production management by MJK Productions.
The event included four hair shows (by hairdressers Charles Worthington, Antoinette Beenders, Trevor Sorbie and Toni & Guy), a three-course dinner, and an after-show party. The action took place on a main stage with an array of mobile and fixed video screens, a 77m long catwalk whose centre section flew into the air to reveal an ice rink, a second stage at the catwalk's far end with a flying reveal, and four long radiating trusses from which aerialists swooped over the seated audience.
Vertigo's involvement included the four main precision lifting elements, all flown from CyberHoist motors and tracked horizontally by a Stage Technologies winch system: the catwalk 'bridge', the flying aerialists, a pair of main stage 'reveals' (lifting two large boxes to reveal dancers), raising four giant video screens, and lifting a 5m gauze box over the 'B' stage as a dramatic entrance for a troupe of dancers. All the motors were under the con
Stardraw, believe it or not, had a great show. While David Snipp was one of those who took the opportunity to present a well-attended product-led seminar session (struggling to make himself heard above the hideous buzz of the PA system), Rob Robinson said that after a slow start, this turned out to be one of their best exhibitions ever: when you consider the response that Stardraw Control has had at PLASA, LDI, NSCA and ProLight&Sound, this is no faint praise. Latest additions to Stardraw Control include the New Product Wizard, which allows the user to add products not already included in the extensive library, and the ability to talk to any legacy script in any computer language. This opens up even more possibilities for this "disruptive technology" as Snipp likes to call it, "because it changes the way that people do business".
UK - Studio Due architectural fixtures and Robe moving lights and control were specified and installed by Glasgow-based SSUK for a new permanent lighting scheme at the Falkirk Wheel. The Wheel - an iconic fusion of industrial art and engineering innovation - is the world's first and only rotating boat lift. It links two canals with water levels 115ft apart, a feat traditionally requiring 11 locks.
Designed by Scottish architects RMJM and completed in 2001, the Falkirk Wheel is the centrepiece of the £84.5m 'Millennium Link', the UK's largest canal restoration project, developed by British Waterways to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing access from the east to west coast of Scotland.
SSUK was asked by British Waterways to come up with an eye-catching scheme to light the wheel. With the adjacent visitor centre also hired out for corporate functions, it was realized that changing colours and the possibilities of image projection onto the pale grey 1,200-tonne steel structure would be a valuable enhancement for the site. Phillip Martin, mechanical and electrical manager for British Waterways approached SSUK's Scott Maitland, with the brief that he wanted the wheel to become "vibrant and alive" through illumination. Maitland jumped at the chance: "The structure is magnificent," he says, "and I was hugely enthused about creating a lighting design from the word 'go'."
He knew that Studio Due would fit the requirement - and the budget - perfectly. After several on-site tests, he specified 31 Mini City
Italy - Outline's Butterfly compact line array took part in a show on an impressive scale - the first Red Bull Flugtag - Un giorno con le ali - a competition for hand-made flying machines powered by just the contestants' muscles and creativity. Presented by Andrea Pellizzari of the popular TV show Le Iene, the event was staged in Milan Linate's Idroscalo, an artificial lake 2.6km long and up to 400m wide, located in a huge natural park.
,I>Red Bull Flugtag, the brainchild of Red Bull's owner Dietrich Mateschitz, is famous in many parts of the world as well as in Italy. It's staged in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Israel and Slovakia. 30 teams participated in the Italian event held on 12 June, launching themselves off a 40m long, 6m high ramp and landing in the water of the Idroscalo, all under the watchful eyes of a jury, which assessed their performance.
The Outline audio rig, installed and fine-tuned by Bologna's Nuovo Service, consisted in a total of 84 Butterfly Hi-pack CDH 483 cabinets, divided into seven 12-element vertical line arrays, flown from seven scaffold towers positioned several hundred yards apart. Backing up the Hi-Packs, the 42 ground-installed Outline Victor Live subwoofers used to amplify the bottom end were distributed in groups of six - one at each tower. To power such a complex audio system, only 63 Outline T6.5 amplifiers were required - each taking up a single unit of rack space and weighing in at just 9.5kg; signal control was entrusted to five new Genius 26 DSP and two Soundwebs. The sound engineer used th