TPi April 2014 - Issue 176

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM APRIL 2014

ISSUE 176

LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • APRIL 2014 • ISSUE 176

AVICII

THE LIVE MASTERING OF SWEDEN’S GLOBAL DJ

HEY BROTHER...

IMAGINE DRAGONS • IN THE SPOTLIGHT: HARMAN’S SOUNDCRAFT • BASTILLE • PROLIGHT+SOUND REPORT DRAKE • LIVE SOUND CONSOLES MARKET FOCUS • X FACTOR LIVE • IPM 2014: THE CONCLUSION

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It’s been a very busy month at the TPi HQ, from tradeshows to gigs, conferences to meetings; we’ve certainly been kept on our toes. At the start of March, Hannah, Patrick and I attended the ILMC’s Production Meeting, IPM. It was a really enjoyable day, and certainly an insightful chance to listen to people on the front line talking about a variety of topics, from implementing practical industry education, to the codes of practice regarding the safety of arena productions and temporary stage structures. You can catch the conclusive 2014 report on Pg.10.

Then, before we knew it, we were Frankfurt bound. For me personally, this year was my fourth time at Prolight+Sound. Although tradeshows can sometimes whizz by, this expo will stay clear in my mind for some time to come. On the whole, the show felt more positive than it ever has before. The international visitors and exhibitors really made the show feel diverse, and as a result for us, developed into more productivity than ever before; the show floor was “To the touring amongst buzzing! It was great to sit down and talk about you, if you’re not ensuring what new products launched at the show will be you have regular health making their festival debuts this summer. It was Kieren and Patrick’s first time to Prolight, and I check-ups during your know they’re now well versed in the practice of touring schedule, what’s rotating Irish Bar activities and all day meetings stopping you? ” on a four-day conveyer belt! Thanks for making the time to see our team, in return we’ll take you through the latest product lines on Pg.46.

In this issue we also have another great selection of tour stories for your reading pleasure. We followed the Grammy award-winning Imagine Dragons as they stormed through the US with an audio rig comprising some of North America’s most exertive manufacturers, and heard from Drake’s, Bastille’s and the X Factor Live’s road crews.

Just before cover star Avicii pulled out of Miami’s Ultra Festival needing an appendix operation (get well soon!), we managed to catch up with the British suppliers sending his live show across Europe. As you’ll see from the photos, the results were stunning.

We sent Patrick to the UK HQ of Harman’s Soundcraft in order to discover its latest digital console launch, the Vi3000 (Pg.72). The desk also features in our Market Focus guide to live sound consoles on Pg.74. Meanwhile Clocking Off’s latest voice, Grubby, tells us all about the gig he’s putting on in Wiltshire, UK. On May 31 with the aim of raising money for prostate cancer treatment, a country pub will turn into a rock ‘n’ roll haven. To the touring amongst you, if you’re not ensuring you have regular health check-ups during your touring schedule, what’s stopping you? Pg.70 will give you all the encouragement you need…

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ITINERARY

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Editor Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk Assistant Editor Patrick McCumiskey Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7929 249169 e-mail: p.mccumiskey@mondiale.co.uk International Advertising & Sponsorship Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Sales Kieren Gardens Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7733 113284 e-mail: k.gardens@mondiale.co.uk TPi Awards Event Manager Amy Wright Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 e-mail: a.wright@mondiale.co.uk

CONTENTS 04/2014 EVENT FOCUS 06 Imagine Dragons

TPi takes an in depth look at the Las Vegas band’s

audio set up in the US, fuelled by an Adamson PA.

10 IPM 2014

Kelly and Patrick are on hand to document this

year’s ILMC Production Meeting.

PRODUCTION PROFILE 14 Avicii

TPi talks to the European crew of Sweden’s

superstar DJ about his audio-visual glory.

OTLIGHT

28 Drake

Simon Duff discovers live, pop driven hip-

hop in Nottingham, thanks to 8th Day Sound.

Graphic Design & Production Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Mel Robinson: m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk

E SPOTLIGHT

General Manager Justin Gawne Mondiale Group Chairman Damian Walsh

Contributors Simon Duff & Sarah Rushton-Read Intern Verity Carson www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com Cover Photography: Avicii by Louise Stickland Printed by Buxton Press Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).

Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK; Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580; Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456; e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk Issue 176 / April 2014 TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence. ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2014 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork.

Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431.

US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.

36 Bastille

TPi looks into the magnificent visual set design of this award-wining band’s biggest tour to date.

46 X Factor

TPi goes behind the scenes of the UK’s most

successful television show-turned live tour.

EXPO

52 Prolight+Sound

We head to Germany to report on the latest inno- vations at the largest pro AV tradeshow in Europe.

CLOCKING OFF 70 Concert at the kings

Raising money via the industry-supported gig for prostate cancer research, Grubby tells all...

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 72 Harman’s Soundcraft

TPi attends the launch of Soundcrafts eagerly awaited new digital console: the Vi3000

MARKET FOCUS 74 Live Sound Consoles

We check out the best in the marketplace.

MOVERS & SHAKERS 80 The latest industry appointments.

PSA 82 Dear HSE, Dear Client…

The development of a code of practice for staging

companies and the industry as a whole, begins.

VITAL STATS 86 Media Server Programmer and Green Hippo

user, Loren K. Barton reveals his story so far.

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EVENT FOCUS: Imagine Dragons

IMAGINE DRAGONS IMAGINE DRAGONS RECENTLY UNDERTOOK AN ARENA TOUR THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAS BEFORE THE BAND HEADS TO EUROPE THIS SUMMER WHERE THEY’LL BRING THEIR HIGH-ENERGY, PERCUSSION-HEAVY ALTERNATIVE ROCK TO SEVERAL TOP FESTIVALS. TPi TALKS TO THE CREW ON THE ROAD IN NORTH AMERICA ABOUT THE AUDIO PRODUCTION OF THESE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS. Over the past two years since the 2012 release of debut album Night Visions, (which quickly went platinum and garnered a Grammy for best rock performance for the hit single Radioactive) Imagine Dragons have become a band renowned for their live quality live sound. Fresh from playing Austin’s SXSW, the now global band comprises lead vocalist / percussionist Dan Reynolds, bassist Ben McKee, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and drummer Dan Platzman.

US-based Sound Image (Escondido, CA and Nashville, TN) continues to deliver sound reinforcement and support for the Las Vegasbased quartet. System Engineer Andrew Dowling of Sound Image works closely with FOH Engineer Scott Eisenberg, Monitor Engineer Jared Swetnam, PA Tech Ted Bible, and Monitor Tech Ashley Corr.

For the previous tour, the sound team assembled a scalable loudspeaker system 06

headed by Adamson Systems Energia arrays, meeting sonic quality requirements in addition to being flexible in handling coverage in venues ranging from smaller theaters to arenas. “The Adamson boxes are light while still putting out a ton of horsepower,” Dowling told TPi. “It allowed us to get the volume needed even in venues where hanging a huge line wasn’t an option.”

That approach, which relied on three-way E15 arrays for mains, has been altered this time out as the tour visits more consistently scaled venues. Most notable is the addition of recently released E12 modules to serve as underhangs, which have further enhanced nearfield coverage. Typically, main arrays are constructed of 15 E15 modules with three E12’s beneath, while auxiliary arrays are a bit smaller in scope with nine E15’s joining three E12’s.

Both Energia models feature a unique engineering approach; built around a

proprietary e-capsule, a rigid aluminum module that houses all rigging and mid / high components (seven-inch Kevlar neodymium drivers and four-inch NH4 compression drivers) and their waveguides. The e-capsule is flanked with two separate birch ply enclosures, each containing a proprietary Kevlar 15-inch (E15) or 12-inch (E12) woofer.

“From a FOH engineer’s standpoint, this system seems to make the snares and kicks come alive while the vocals sound incredibly smooth,” Eisenberg said. “It behaves naturally and maintains a good transient response. You don’t have to work hard to tighten up the low end and the top end isn’t too bright - it’s working out really, really well.”

Dowling added: “From a system engineer’s perspective, I like that it flies really quickly and comes down fast. Angles can be preset on the ground before points are set, which is a real time saver.”

EVENT FOCUS: Imagine Dragons

Opposite: Sound Image supplied an Adamson PA system which featured the addition of the recently released E12 modules, which consequently served as underhangs. Below: The band is known for their energectic performances and use a pedigree mix of Adamson, Lake, Harman’s Crown and Shure for their live audio needs.

A total of two flown arrays of Adamson’s compact SpekTrix arrays extend main system coverage up to 270°. These arrays each are comprised of 10 SpekTrix modules and a single SpekTrix W box on the bottom offering 120° horizontal dispersion to cover the nearfield.

Eight more SpekTrix boxes supply front fill on the deck.

Low-end, crucial to an Imagine Dragons performance, is delivered by 30 of Adamson’s new Energia E218 subwoofers, each with dual

18-inch light-weight, long-excursion ND18-S Kevlar neodymium drivers housed in a bandpass cabinet. The design achieves exceptional reduction of rear-ward radiated energy without needing a cardioid configuration and an excess of processing, making for a tighter bass signature that is particularly welcome in a situation where all band members play various drums (11 in total) throughout each show, and that’s in addition to Platzman’s kit.

“On the Europe leg last winter, the band

told us they wanted to feel the show a little more,” Dowling explained. “So we decided to do a stereo end-fire sub array under the stage.

We wanted to use this approach because the cancelation helps by keeping the kick tighter.

The show is usually 118 to 120 dB, C-weighted, at FOH, and that volume tends to eliminate cardioid sub setups with rear-facing cabinets.

We also don’t have the truck space and don’t want the extra work of setting up and tearing down the 30 subwoofers we currently have plus

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EVENT FOCUS: Imagine Dragons

Below: The band played to arenas across North America and will continue to play live this summer as the festival season comes to Europe; Below: Monitor Tech Ashley Corr, PA Tech Ted Bible, System Engineer Andrew Dowling, FOH Engineer Scott Eisenberg and Monitor Engineer Jared Swetnam.

the additional 10 it would have taken to do a cardioid setup.

“So with end-fire, we get cancellation, but not as much as with cardioid setups, plus we don’t really lose forward gain. A mono sub array doesn’t work for us because we’re so transient heavy, and a mono array would smear the transients of all the drums.

The house system is driven by six networked Lake processors that provide crossover and general equalisation. The linear phase filtering of the processors is also applied to optimize the mid-range and high-frequency drivers of the E15’s and E12’s.

Audio from the Avid VENUE Profile house console is sent via AES to the first Lake processor in the chain, with the others linked in via Dante networking. “This is easy to set up and provides all of the flexibility and monitoring we need,” Downing said. More than 60 Harman Professional Crown Audio iTech HD 12000 amplifiers deliver the audio power, under the control of the Harman HiQnet Audio Architect 08

platform that facilitates individual zone shading, EQ and delay.

Eisenberg chose the Avid VENUE Profile as his mix device for several reasons: a relatively compact footprint and access to numerous Waves plug-ins among them. “VENUE also sounds great, is easy to set up, and has everything on board that I need,” explained Eisenberg. “It’s intuitive to use and easy to get to the plug-ins, which play a role in the Imagine Dragons sound.” Shows are recorded to the Nuendo platform.

Monitor Engineer Jared Swetnam manned another Profile at the monitor position, located stage left. He’s providing mixes to a rack of dual-channel, networkable Shure PSM1000 personal monitoring transmitters, with all band members outfitted with receivers feeding custom-molded in-ear monitors from ACS. “There are no wedges on stage,” Swetnam noted. “The quality of audio over in-ears can’t be beat - the band just loves them.”

The stage is outfitted with an assortment of

microphones, most of them from Shure. SM58’s are deployed for backing vocals, and there’s a Beta 52 on kick and taiko drum, an SM57 on snare, an SM81 on hi-hat, and dual KSM32’s for overhead. More SM57’s are applied for guitar amp sound.

Reynolds’ lead vocal is captured by a Shure KSM9 HS capsule on a UHF-R wireless transmitter. “We recently auditioned new capsules for Dan and ended up choosing the KSM9 HS,” Dowling noted. “He uses the mic’s subcardioid setting, which reduces proximity affect while also providing a wider pick-up pattern.”

Imagine Dragons will be playing at several festivals in Europe across the summer, starting with Open Air St. Gallen in Switzerland, June 26-29.

TPi Photos: Vic Wagner www.imaginedragonsmusic.com www.sound-image.com

EVENT FOCUS: IPM 2014

THE ILMC’S IPM 2014

PROCEEDINGS FOR THE IPM 2014 BEGAN WITH A WELCOME FROM A FAMILIAR FACE TO MANY ATTENDEES IN THE ROOM, GUEST HOST JOHN PROBYN OF LIVE NATION UK. HAVING WORKED HIS WAY THROUGH THE INDUSTRY ON MANY LEVELS OVER THE YEARS HE IS A CORE VOICE WITHIN IT TODAY. BRINGING HISTORICAL ANECDOTES, A MARVELLOUS SENSE OF HUMOUR AND A WEALTH OF WISDOM TO THE ROOM, PROBYN TOOK THE REINS AND SUCCESSFULLY CHAIRED THE ALL-DAY EVENT. Panel 1: Back to the Future: Education Chair: Bryan Grant, Britannia Row Productions (UK). Panelists: Roger Barrett, Star Events Group Ltd (UK), Rachel Haughey, Youth Production Network (UK), David Hughes, Backstage Academy (UK) The pressing topic chosen to start discussions this year began with the notion that as many a founding member of the live event production industry are not far off retirement age, there is a widening gap between the ‘originals’ and the new generation of live production ‘experts’. Or, lack of, as it were, which arguably comes down to a lack of practical education. After all, does an Event Management degree qualify a 21-year old as an Event Manager? Clearly not. And any new influx of professionals must be able to take the lead in the near future.

Having fathered Britannia Row some 35 years ago, Bryan Grant has seen many a fresh face come through his door and explained that given the very nature of rock ‘n’ roll; its appeal of bright lights and recognition is a very different affair to its labour-intensive reality.

As a result, this means the number of industry 10

apprenticeship dropouts is startlingly high. The work opportunities starting at the ground up seem to be hindering what should and could be a dedicated workforce. And as we know, there’s no room for disillusion or ego where live event production is concerned.

Unlike the draw of reality TV, staging and touring experts are not created over night in the same way pop stars are. Backstage Academy’s David Hughes explained that the facility is taking the foundation degree course out of the classroom and into the industry, on a much more practical level. However, this is still limited in terms of who it can reach. How is this thinking looked at on a global scale? Generally speaking, is there any real link between what the academic institutions are teaching and the real world? Rachel Haughey of Youth Production Network, an organisation which supports young people wanting to get into the field via a mentoring infrastructure, explained that in YPN, students shadow a person doing any given role on a production (anything from a Stage Manager to an FOH Engineer) in order to learn on the job. This is proving successful for YPN and Haughey is currently focusing on territories

such as Africa and South America.

It was suggested that companies should offer on-the-job training wherever possible, and furthermore, offer job opportunities following that. This should come from the people at the top of their game, yet how will they have time on a busy stadium tour? This is the educational bridge that needs building and exactly why YPN’s mentoring scheme works - the mentor is shadowing the live mixer for example, explaining the job in hand, not actually doing the job in hand.

A recurring conversational theme generally in the industry was also brought up during this panel: lack of training is an obvious challenge for new people entering the sector yet this is magnified where temporary structures are concerned. Star Events Group’s Roger Barrett explained that the ability to buy a stage roof in order to host an event simply due to funds was a very serious and genuinely dangerous issue that events are facing more than ever. Wealth doesn’t equal education. Again, this thinking must be transferred to third world countries.

IPM attendee, StageCo’s Dirk deDecker divulged that his company’s training program

EVENT FOCUS: IPM 2014

Opposite: Star Events Group’s Roger Barrett with Live Nation’s John Probyn, Chair for the IPM 2014. Below: Bryan Grant of Britannia Row and Rachel Haughey of Youth Production Network discussed the matters in hand; Eddy Grant from the University of Derby Buxton, Sarah Green from the LG Arena and NIA, UK, Jim Digby of the Safety Alliance US with the PSA’s Andy Lenthall.

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StageDex LinLine deck is addressed with the utmost importance and that in fact, StageCo staff must undertake a minimum of two years in-house training before they would be a notified structural engineer able to work in live staging environments, and that even then they would be considered junior staff. Which other staging companies worldwide educate their staff in this way?

The conclusion of this panel focused around the agreement that several matters must be addressed long term in order to re-educate the industry as a whole: companies must take the education of the new generations seriously in a practical way and then offer job placements following this education. As always, dedication must be present from every level.

Panel 2: Lost in Guidance - In association with TPi Chair: Andy Lenthall, Panelists: Jon JC Corbishley, The Event Safety Shop (Aus), Jim Digby, Event Safety Alliance, (US), Eddy Grant, University of Derby Buxton (UK), Sarah Green, LG Arena and NIA (UK), Keith Wood, AEG Live UK. Following on nicely from the first panel, the PSA’s Andy Lenthall chaired this discussion, which echoed the sentiment that after 40 years of success, the next batch of production professionals cannot have this success handed directly to them, it must be understood and worked for. Where this overlaps poignantly with the first panel is regarding stage safety and the responsibilities that go with that territory. CDM - Construction Design Management regulations,

which are enforced to ensure that temporary structures meet industry standards, are on ongoing debate from country to country.

The problem being that the guidelines regarding standards are in a state of continual change, adaptation and review. The Event Safety Guide, or The Purple Guide if you will, endeavoured to put guidance into black and white. This ever-changing landscape still isn’t clear-cut and now the National Arenas Association has issued the A Guide, which is an agreed set of standardised safety and operational procedures to ensure arena safety is carried out across the UK at least.

The general consensus was that the promoter of an event, tour of festival should nominate one designated and capable individual to ensure that all the regulations are being adhered to. Again, the problematic situation of different cultures and local authorities can disrupt this decision-making. Then of course, the promoter will undertake different roles for each production, as AEG Live’s Keith Wood highlighted.

As international laws will mean this discussion could go around in circles, the bottom line here, it was agreed, should be that due to gravity ‘being the same everywhere’ there should at the very least be a universal rule that moral thinking must be the driver behind events, and that money can never take precedent over the safety of human life.

IPM audience member, Tim Roberts of The Event Safety Shop (TESS) offered up his thinking: that despite what we’re typically taught about safety coming first, in fact safety should come

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EVENT FOCUS: IPM 2014

Below: The panels for Is Anybody Listening and Future-Proof Your Business got underway with Chairs, Okan Tombulca (DE) left centre and Carl A. H. Martin, cahm.uk (UK) right.

third in the chain of live events. First off, there is the artistic vision – is the idea possible?

Secondly, can is gain commercial backing – is the money there to fund this artistic vision accurately? And thirdly, once both of these things are in place, before any tickets of any kind go on sale and before any promotion takes place, can this project be executed safely for all parties concerned: the crew, the artist and the audience? Only once all these risk factors have a safety solution can the show be advertised.

Whether or not this trio of events can be made a standard in itself is another thing, as tours, festivals and events continue to be put on sale before the production safety has actually been considered…

Panel 3: Is Anybody Listening?

Moderated by Okan Tombulca, eps holding gmbh (DE). Guest speakers: Jake Berry (Jake Berry Production, USA), Rob Langford (Solo Agency, UK), Matthew Lazarus-Hall (Chugg Entertainment Pty Ltd, Australia), Wob Roberts (The invisible Solution, BR).

In light of several large-scale incidents in the past year (for example, the Radiohead disaster, in which pre-show stage collapse left one drum technician dead and three other people injured; and the Anaheim school stage collapse, in which two dozen students were injured by a collapsing stage at an annual school rally), Tombulca began the third panel of the day by outlining the necessity of creating a universal and international code of standards within the event production industry - the first step in ensuring that such large and small-scale disasters are minimised.

Adding that the industry has all the relevant knowledge and expertise to inform the authorities worldwide what is needed of them to achieve a consistent and safe environment, Tombulca insisted that the Industry is powerful enough to make a stand.

As the topic was opened up to the floor, however, it became apparent that - despite the evident expertise and wisdom within the industry - production teams are effectively put under enormous pressure from artists, managers and key decision makers to fulfill tight deadlines and strenuous tasks.

With intense competition in the industry, production teams - understandably - do not 12

want to create friction with said decision makers for fear of losing out on a contract to a competitor. An international code of standards, argued Tombulca, would eradicate this vulnerability often felt in the industry.

An example of the unreasonable strains placed upon production teams by artists, agents and promoters was put forward by Tombulca’s rhetorical question: “How can tickets to a show be sold out before the production is prepared, or even aware of the technical specifications of the event?”

One word seemed to encapsulate the frustrations of the floor: communication.

Tombulca implored that more dialogue between such key decision makers and production professionals was essential. He added: “While communication is a definite starting point, how can concrete action be brought about?”

As Tombulca explained, it is all well and good for industry professionals to meet on a yearly basis and to discuss problems within the industry with the best of intentions, but in practice, it is a much more difficult affair to practically implement changes - in no small part thanks to the demands and pressures placed upon production suppliers by key decision makers, and the rigidity of working methods.

An example of this difficulty in implementing change could be seen as Tombulca revisited the Fatigue research presented at IPM in 2013, and asked for a show of hands in the audience as to how many had made changes on the back of last years conference. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only four individuals from a packed room of well over 150 industry professionals raised their hands - a pertinent reminder that, if significant change is to happen, the industry must - and can - unite.

Panel 4: Future-Proof your Business Moderated by Carl A H Martin, cahm.uk (England). Guest Speakers: Aissata Hartmann, AEG (DE), Adrian Mills, Watermills (UK).

The final IPM session of the 2014 event served as an exchange of knowledge and experience on how best practice and new technology can improve the basis of an event: reducing power and water usage, reducing waste and drastically shaving carbon emissions.

Martin began by stating that certain sectors of the industry - such as festivals - are the

furthest forward in adopting new forms of technology. Whereas festivals recognise the positive impact new forms of technology and business models can have upon reducing their carbon footprint and energy costs, venues are, generally speaking, significantly slower in adopting ‘future-proofing’ strategies.

However, panelist Aissata Hartmann from AEG in Germany provided an exception to the trend. Hartmann put forward one successful case study involving the O2 Arenas in Hamburg and Berlin - examples of large venues employing greener technologies and management strategies while saving money at the same time.

Examples of energy efficient technologies in these arenas included installing a device for storing rainwater to use for the water supply in bathrooms, and also removing the trip mechanism for the arena hall lights to avoid unnecessary energy usage during downtime.

Possible reasons for the slow uptake of greener technologies were discussed; including the skepticism on the part of large venues in investing in energy efficient LED lighting, since many venues had negative experiences importing poor quality lighting in the past.

Mirroring the conclusions drawn in the third panel with regards to the difficulty in implementing change into the industry, the floor was united in pointing out that, if genuine change is to sweep through the industry, change needs to be introduced from the top down - from key decision makers and artists.

Martin praised the likes of Radiohead and Mumford & Sons for employing green technology in reducing both carbon footprints and costs. While awareness of the need for greener technologies is on the increase, Martin conceded that an artist may not want to incorporate greener ways of operating- be it reducing cargo, or willingness to source out equipment locally - due to the assumption that it would involve some degree of compromise.

According to Martin: “the bigger the artist, the more likely it is that they will bring their own equipment.”

Concluding remarks revolved around the goal of achieving a common European standard of equipment availability. Such a standard would, theoretically, encourage large touring entourages to shed some of their weight.

TPi http://26.ilmc.com/ipm

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27/03/2014 12:59

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

AVICII AFTER WINNING BEST ELECTRONIC ARTIST AT THE MTV EMA AWARDS, AVICII WAS THEN CROWNED BEST EDM ARTIST AT THE 2013 AMAS BEATING FELLOW NOMINEES CALVIN HARRIS, DAFT PUNK AND ZEDD. SINGLE HEY BROTHER RELEASED VIA PRMD / POSITIVA, WAS THE THIRD SINGLE TO BE TAKEN FROM HIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DEBUT ALBUM, TRUE. TPi TALKED TO THE CREW ON THE ROAD IN EUROPE TO LEARN HOW THE SWEDISH DJ / PRODUCER EMBARKED ON A WORLD TOUR WITH AN IMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION IN TOW...

Robin Scott, Avicii’s (Tim Bergling to his mother) Production Manager began working with the young star at the 2013 Ultra Festival in Miami, USA. Not solely a dance / electronic Production Manager, Scott has also production managed tours for the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Snow Patrol, Amy Winehouse, Crowded House, Elbow, Kaiser Chiefs and The Vaccines to name but a few successful touring acts.

Having worked with Avicii for almost a year now, the PM explained the thinking behind his biggest tour to date. “We set out to produce a slick and efficient production that we could put in and easily take out of venues on a daily basis, making sure that the end result gave the audience an experience to really remember,” stated Scott. “In order to do this, I needed very reliable tour vendors that I’d worked extensively 14

with before. As a result, the tour has been a huge success in every way.”

As a well-versed traveller, Scott knows that musical genre can dictate audience expectations and can sometimes therefore influence the kind of scheduling and time slots associated with concerts. He elaborated: “We didn’t come across any major challenges on this tour, but EDM shows will typically finish later than the more traditional rock ‘n’ roll shows in Europe so late night load-outs and early morning load-ins to ensure the rig was all up safely and ready for the 6pm door time was perhaps the most pressure we were put under!”

Having overcome any such challenges, Scott is still very impressed with how the tour has gone. He continued: “It was possibly one of the most enjoyable and relaxed tours I’ve worked on of late, and for that I largely pay thanks

to the team with which I was surrounded.

They’re good people to travel with and their professionalism made for a great few weeks on the road!”

AUDIO Having recently completed the first European leg of a world tour, the DJ’s first stop on 2014 was four dates in Australia in January before the tour moved on to Europe in February for nine large-scale arena shows, culminating in two sell out nights at the Tele 2 Arena Stockholm, Sweden, a home-coming of sorts.

UK based rental house SSE Audio Group were awarded the contract to provide audio for the European leg of the tour by Curly Jobson of MJM, with SSE Hire Project Manager, Dan Bennett assigned to the task of designing the PA system. Bennett told TPi: “With the show

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Opposite: Avicii’s visuals were the creation of Video Artist and VJ Harry Bird from This Is Comix. Below: HSL and XL Video provided spectacular visual effects for the tour, with a well-equipped rig that was able to handle all adaptations and impromptu songs in the ever-changing set.

going through some of the largest arenas in Europe, L’Acoustics K1 was the obvious choice of system for the tour. The Avicii tour placed different demands on the PA, from that of a live band. The presence and impact delivered by the L’Acoustics K Series products in both frequency response, and SPL helped create an environment where the audience could really lose themselves in the show, as it was so coherent across the whole arena. It reproduced the dance music amazingly” When designing a system of this scale, it is paramount that every seat in the house is treated the same. From people in the middle of the arena floor to those sat in the highest seats at the back. Using L’Acoustics prediction software Soundvision, Bennett was able to design a system that accurately reflected this brief. “It was key that the entire audience could hear direct sound rather than the reflected sound off the building,” he added.

The touring system comprised of main left and right hangs of 14 L’Acoustics K1 cabinets with four L’Acoustics KARA underhangs and eight K1-SBs flown directly behind

the main arrays; side hangs added a further 10 K1 cabinets with six KARA underhangs. In venues where tickets sales included seats positioned up stage of the stage edge, rear hangs of 12 Kara per side were also added for ultimate coverage and fan satisfaction.

Donny MacDonald was the Tour Rigger, who travelled with the crew to each venue.

Subwoofers are crucial in reproducing the full dynamic range of dance music, and in this instance were arranged in a left, centre, right configuration across the front of the stage. A total of 36 SB28’s were ground-stacked, in omni mode to get maximum SPL and provide the low frequency extension to the K1 and K1SB in the air.

FOH Engineer for the tour was Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Sargeant. Rabbit’s relationship with SSE dates back to his days as FOH for Swedish House Mafia, a role which led him to work for Avicii. Said Rabbit: “It was great to work with SSE again.

The crew were excellent; incredibly professional at all times. They managed to deliver a consistency with the system in spite of some of the venues being particularly

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: Avicii is the stage name of Swedish DJ and Producer, Tim Bergling; The SSE Audio crew brought expert engineering skills on the road for the show’s audio needs; HSL supplied a lighting rig which included Clay Paky and Martin by Harman fixtures; Fans were drawn into the whole experience with vibrant visual and special effects displays.

difficult from an audio perspective. SSE’s kit is always top quality and is excellently maintained, creating great results at every show.”

System control was centred around the SSE Drive Station at FOH containing Lake LM44 Processors, an Antelope world clock, a Lectrosonics radio microphone system for wireless measurements and a PC running LA Network Manager and Smaart analysis software.

“One of the cool things about a show like this was the fact that we were able to keep the entire signal path in the digital domain from source,” added Bennett. “All of the aural content of the show was derived from Tim Bergling’s DJ Set up, so we took the S/PDIF output from the DJM900 and went into an AES input card on the DiGiCo SD rack, via an S/PDIF-AES transformer”.

Rabbit has been pioneering this technique on his various dance music clients for some years with off-the-shelf components. He is currently looking into the development of a more robust and versatile S/PDIF-AES solution with Sigma Electronics (SSE’s electronic manufacturing department).

Bennett continued: “We took an AES feed at FOH from the DiGiCo SD10 console and then sent it to the amps via our digital Dante 16

returns system. The amps were fitted with the AES input card option. This purest approach kept things simple, without any of the potential problems associated with analogue multicores, as well as the more obvious advantages such as vastly improved audio quality. The signal path ran at an impressive 96kHZ sampling rate from Digico’s SD Rack through to the L’Acoustics LA8’s.

The two largest venues on this European leg of the tour were Earls Court in London and the aforementioned Tele 2 Arena in Stockholm, both requiring supplementary PA to maintain the SPL levels and ensure optimum coverage of the arena.

At Earls Court, SSE supplied an additional 40 VDOSC, deployed in the hall as delays to combat the room acoustics and natural reverb, along with additional LA8 amplification. The Tele 2 Arena meanwhile was a step up in size again from Earls Court and so required a larger system still. Bennett mapped out a K1 system to cover the venue using L’Acoustics Soundvision predication software. The resulting design ended up being an additional five hangs of 12 K1’s, with extra K1SB being added to the back three delay hangs. Additionally, 14 further SB28’s were brought in too, making the total

count an impressive 50!

For logistical and environmental purposes, the additional kit for Sweden was hired in locally. The L’Acoustics Rental Network provided the confidence that a tour can cross-hire from other members, safe in the knowledge that all aspects of the equipment being hired are the same.

The performance of the K1 system once again impressed Rabbit, who continued: “It’s the only system out there that could have achieved the results we wanted in venues of this size. Flying the K1 subwoofers behind the main left and right array hangs delivers so much punch. There was loads of headroom available meaning I could drive the system as hard as I wanted. The desire to deliver club sound in arenas was paramount and the sound we were able to achieve with K1 was colossal.”

Rabbit’s console of choice at FOH was a DiGiCo SD10, interfacing with a Waves SoundGrid server. “I’ve only recently switched to DiGiCo,” he commented, “I’m really impressed with the superb build, excellent reliability and amazing sound quality of the SD10 console. The direct integration with Waves SoundGrid, where control is from the console surface makes use of plug-ins in the live environment so much easier.”

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: BPM SFX & Production supplied Avicii’s pyrotechnic elements, including coloured flame effects.

Mixing a DJ set rather than a live band places different requirements on the FOH engineer too.

He furthered: “Rather than balancing multiple inputs, your role is one of live mastering the feed from the DJ mixer. I used the Waves C6 Multiband Compressor and Waves Maxx BCL plugins to achieve the sound I was after. I had a Waves Renaissance Compressor on the sub, Waves C4 and Pultec EQ across the main outputs. I also had a Maxx BCL hardware unit in the rack which came in handy when I wanted to make quick adjustments on the fly.”

VIDEO The tour features a phenomenal live performance action-packed with energy, high-impact visuals and a beautiful real-time fluidity to delight his enthusiastic fan base complete with video production comprising LED, projection and control, all of which was supplied by UK-based XL Video.

The current Avicii show is designed by Simon Barrington and Ian Tomlinson, both renowned for their innovative and stylish work in the EDM genre and the stunning visuals were

“We set out to produce a slick and efficient production that we could put in and easily take out of venues on a daily basis, making sure that the end result gave the audience an experience to really remember. In order to do this, I needed very reliable tour vendors... ”

Monitor world was a comparatively simple affair, with only one DJ position on stage. SSE supplied another DiGiCo console, this time in the form of an SD11 and a complement of KARA, SB18 and SB28 subwoofers operated by SSE’s own Crew Chief, Paul Keeble. The SSE line up was completed by Crew Chief Paul Keeble, System Tech Perttu Korteniemi and audio crew Nick Lythgo, Glen Little and Valentin James.

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produced by Video Artist and VJ Harry Bird from This Is Comix who directed the live shows.

The high-octane collage of lighting, video visuals, pyrotechnics, special effects and lasers energised together in real-time with Avicii’s invigorating set. XL Video’s Project Manager, Paul ‘Macca’ McCauley, and XL’s Crew Chief on the road is Icarus Wilson-Wright.

There are two screen areas onstage; the

upstage one is made up from XL’s Pixled F-12 LED product, approximately 60ft wide and 18ft tall, hung in steps on the sides to replicate the diagonal wall of the design. The front of the DJ booth is clad with Barco OLite 510 LED display tiles. The O-lite is used in ‘creative’ mode, which enables versatile shapes to be constructed and then accurately mapped. In this case, it is built into bespoke frames from XL following the diagonal lines of the set.

Both types of screen are robust and ideal for touring, and the F-12 is built into XL’s lightweight touring frames, which make it quick and easy to rig. The show’s playback video content is run completely live - not a patch of Timecode in sight - by Harry Bird using a Resolume Arena system, with another Resolume set up used for footage, images and graphics for the support DJs. Two 20ft by 11ft portrait side projection screens are fed by rear-projecting Barco 26K FLM machines. Most of the time these screens mimic the playback content showing on the main screens with some occasional snapshots of IMAG for which XL supplied a three-camera package. This comprised a Sony HXC-100 operated camera at FOH with a long lens and a Bradley Engineering Ball Cam 2 located behind Avicii to take care of the reverse crowd shots on the riser, and finally the camera mix - by XL’s Ray Gwilliams using a Panasonic MX100 switcher, which is a highly effective way of involving the audience in the pumping energy of the show.

I am

Come and get Me

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: SSE Audio chose an impressive L-Acoustics rig for the European leg of the tour, which comprised K1, KARA and VDOSC components.

The video is right at the core of the show visuals which also embrace lighting, lasers and special effects - all elements are called live as it happens as there’s no set list and Avicii plays a fully unique set each night, although certain anthemic tracks are usually included in the performance. It’s an exciting way to work and one that suits Bird’s style of show direction and VJ’ing. He also used to DJ himself, which brings an additional level of understanding, rhythm and dance musicality to the technical production mix.

When it came to creating the video he worked closely with Avicii and produced footage to match the different sounds.

Translated roughly, his newer work features more organic ‘live’ sounds and is accompanied with a fuller and more filmic look to the video material; while for the more traditional dance tracks, the video leans towards super-tron with psychedelic neon colours and shapes.

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The set is a dynamic mash of the two distinctive styles, so the contrast in the visuals simultaneously compliments and harmonises with the music and that’s what brings in the distinctive visual elegance.

LIGHTING HSL supplied lighting equipment and crew to the tour, once again working with Tour Director Curly Jobson and Production Manager Robin Scott following their successful collaboration for the Swedish House Mafia. Said HSL Project Manager, Mike Oates: “We were very pleased to be involved in this tour with another leading EDM artist with an awesome stage show and high production values right at its core”.

The overhead lighting was rigged on two 20ft front trusses and a 65ft back truss, which also acted as a cable bridge. Upstage (each side) was a chevron shaped truss flown on inverted motors, and in the space between these

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: Pyrotechnics Operator, Charlie Alves directed a live pyro show every night, utilising waterfalls and airburst effects.

structural elements were six finger trusses flown in a gentle arc shape.

Positioned on each of the six fingers were three Martin by Harman MAC Aura LED washes and three Clay Paky Sharpy washes, together with Martin Atomic strobes and a Martin 2-Lite Molephay on the audience end of each one.

The front truss was rigged with three Martin Atomic strobes and four 2-Lite molephays, while the back truss carried six Clay Paky Sharpys, six Martin MAC Aura LED washes and three Martin Atomic strobes. Each of the sub hung chevron trusses were rigged with a further six Martin Atomic strobes and outlined with Chroma-Q Color Block DB4 flexible LED battens. A total of 195 Color Block DB4’s were travelling on the tour. They ran all up and down the two chevrons and along the diamond shape fronted DJ booth, adding a vibrant sense of architectural super club style lighting.

Flown upstage on the back screen was Avicii’s logo, constructed from another 70 Color Block DB4’s, that shone through the screen towards the end of the set. On the floor were eight Martin MAC Vipers tucked in behind the DJ booth and eight 2-Lite molephays along the back of it, which were utilised for punctuated accents. In a straight line along the front of the booth were six more Martin Atomic strobes, 12 Martin MAC Auras and eight Clay Paky Sharpys which were used for blasting out and scanning the crowds.

Right across the very front edge of the stage, 12 PixelPAR’s were carefully positioned to light the CO2 jets which added an extra and new 22

dimension to the effect, and finally, to low-light Avicii himself were two Chroma-Q Color Force12 LED bricks up in the DJ booth.

HSL supplied trussing and motors for all the lighting, video and sound, and flew the 60ft upstage Pixled F-12 LED screen from XL video.

Lighting was operated on the tour by Chris van Bokhorst, using an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size. With video content being a key element, lighting was sculpted to follow in terms of matching and complimenting the colours, shapes and texturing appearing onscreen. There was an intense synergy between all four visual departments, plus the added anticipation of

SPECIAL EFFECTS BPM SFX & Production provided the tour with a huge range of special effects including a massive pyrotechnic display and pyrotechnic waterfalls, RGB lasers and custom blue beams.

BPM also provided a wide array of coloured flame effects, confetti and streamers.

Furthermore, BPM incorporated audience truss effects with pyrotechnic airbursts, a shower of confetti and double bubble balloons to encapsulate the crowd and ensure the audience was engaged in the set from start to finish! The pyrotechnics were directed live each night by Charlie Alves.

“We were very pleased to be involved in this tour with another leading EDM artist who has an awesome stage show and high production values, right at its core...”

the set varying every night meant no-one knew ahead of time exactly what he would play!

HSL’s crew Chief Nigel ‘Skippy’ Monk was joined on the crew by Mark Scrimshaw on dimmers, James ‘Jam’ Such and Steve Bliss.

Skippy commented, “It’s always a pleasure to take a rig out of HSL. Everything is impeccably prepped and in tip-top condition and Mike makes sure that we have all the back up and support we need at any time.”

STAGING Avicii’s stage set was hired from LS-Live in West Yorkshire, UK. Avicii wanted an on-stage production that would have maximum impact in the arena environments played on the tour.

Production Manager Robin Scott is a longstanding client of LS-Live’s and he turned to the Wakefield company once again to supply a DJ booth stage set. Built entirely of standard rental products, the platform was easy to erect

volution 900 Series German Engineering — Uncompromisingly Reliable.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: Popcorn supplied Avicii’s first ever tour catering service!

on site as it was based on the toplock Prolyte LiteDeck stage decking components, raised over 2ft off the ground, together with a step unit, safety handrails, and two further raised LiteDeck to make a shelf for his DJ equipment. The look was finished off with black wool serge drape to cover the downstage edge.

Said LS-Live’s Jess Woodward: “LiteDeck is a robust, yet lightweight, stage decking system that we use consistently in our touring structures because it proves itself as the best solution time and time again for both ease of use, build times and strength.”

CATERING TPi Award winning catering company, Popcorn Catering worked on Avicii’s tour, and it was regarded by Popcorn’s Stephanie Head as: “A wonderful tour to work on.” This was the first time that Avicii and his management had had catering on tour. Continued Head: “It was good for us to introduce them to the world of tour catering and to make their first tour with catering supplied as pleasurable and exciting as possible.

“One item I did spot in the supermarket in Stockholm which I hadn’t seen before and which made me laugh, was the Abba jars of pickled fish. So Swedish! Lunch would typically

consist of a selection of smoked fish platters, fresh meat platters, lots of fresh healthy salads - we made sure that the majority of our dishes were very healthy, with a small selection of the naughty treats that everyone loves. We would then have a selection of hot food, including meat, fish and vegetarian options,” she added.

In Avicii’s hometown, the evening menu comprised tomato lentil and herb soup, caesar salad including fresh anchovies, prawns and chicken. Main course options included Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, rich tomato sauce or peppercorn sauce, with pickles and pecorino, confit of halibut with stir fried Asian green vegetables, wild rice, coronation dressing and chilli jam, hot and sour chicken broth with Asian green vegetables, noodles and a bean sprout and peanut salad, potato rostii with roasted shallots, wild mushrooms and sautéed spinach.

For dessert, Avicii and his top class crew could sample the delights of home made tiramisu, self saucing lemon and lime pudding and fresh fruit salad.

Continued Head: “If we have any crew or band members with allergies or food intolerances, we always make sure there is enough of a choice on the menu, and that we are able to look after their needs and make

sure that they’ll have no worries or concerns regarding their catering experience.

TRANSPORT Beat The Street supplied a total of four buses to Avicii’s tour which comprised one Star bus with a double bed in a separate Star room for the artist and three crew buses for the production team. Joerg Phillip of Beat the Street commented: “The tour went really great, it was handled by very professional, nice people.”

Fly By Nite provided seven trucks for Avicii’s

Handle Without Care “As a vocal microphone for rock bands the AE6100 is phenomenal. It’s got a super high output, brilliant feedback rejection and no matter how brutal you are with them they still sound great...”

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Connect with us... twitter.com/AudioTechnicaUK youtube.com/AudioTechnicaUK flickr.com/audio-technica facebook.com/AudioTechnicaUK

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www.audio-technica.com

25 yrs ago the first pink boxes rolled out over Europe...

Popcorn started in 1989 with an unknown band called REM doing theatres and academy size venues around Europe and UK. We’ve gone from strength to strength, and now have up to 12 touring rigs at any one time, most of which is repeat business.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Avicii

Below: Consoles chosen for the tour inlcuded a DiGiCo SD10 at FOH, SD11 in monitor world, and an MA Lighting grandMA2; even the tour kit couldn’t escape the massive pyrotechnic displays, as the fans and desks alike were adorned by confetti cannons!

tour, all pulling mega flat floor trailers, as always providing a professional team of drivers. Said Fly

by Nite’s Operations Manager, Paul Walker: “For this tour, several of the drivers were hand-picked

by Production Manager, Robin Scott having worked with him on several other projects previously. The tour took in six countries before the two homecoming show’s in Stockholm.

Following that, the trucks returned back to the UK to unload at each of the supplier’s warehouses.”

The tour’s security was headed up by Dave White of Headline Security.

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RECORD BREAKING EDM As the European dates drew to a close, Avicii’s track, Wake Me Up became Spotify’s most played track ever with 850,000 hits per day and over 200 million downloads in total. According to Spotify’s data, the track is most popular in Avicii’s hometown of Stockholm, London, New York, Madrid, Barcelona and Los Angeles.

“I’m so excited to be the first artist to reach 200 million streams on Spotify,” Avicii was quoted saying in Billboard magazine. “I’ve had an amazing year, so a massive thanks to all of my fans!”

The tour will continue in North America throughout March before returning to Europe this summer.

TPi Photos: sam@samneillphoto.com Louise Stickland http://avicii.com www.sseaudiogroup.com www.hslgroup.com, www.xlvideo.tv http://bpm-sfx.com, www.ls-live.com www.popcorncatering.com www.beatthestreet.net www.flybynite.co.uk

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27/03/2014 17:00

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Drake

DRAKE CANADIAN ARTIST DRAKE HAS BECOME THE CURRENT GOLDEN BOY OF COMMERCIAL RAP. THREE ALBUMS INTO HIS CAREER, HIS BLEND OF POLITICAL, HARD HITTING YET ACCESSIBLE APPROACH TO SONGWRITING HAS WON HIM RESPECT ACROSS THE BOARD - AND A GRAMMY. HE ALSO WRITES AND PRODUCES FOR THE LIKES OF ALICIA KEYS AND JAMIE FOXX. IN OCTOBER 2013 HIS WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR? PRODUCTION HIT THE ROAD IN SUPPORT OF HIS NEW ALBUM, NOTHING WAS THE SAME. IT BEGAN IN NORTH AMERICA, TAKING IN 37 ARENA AND STADIUM GIGS BEFORE ARRIVING IN EUROPE IN FEBRUARY FOR A FURTHER 23 SHOWS. SIMON DUFF REPORTS FROM THE CAPITAL FM ARENA IN NOTTINGHAM, UK. Drake’s set design by Willo Perron - of Willo Perron and Associates - is an architectural bold creation, built by Tait Towers. It features two giant donut shaped ‘O’s, one set on the stage floor housing the band line of up of DJ, Keyboards and drums, and another identical ‘O’ donut hung above from one of the central trusses. It reflects the rapper’s own record label OVO. The other main element is a large 78ft wide curved video screen on the back wall. It’s a deceptively simple, clever minimal design that reflects the nature of the tour and Drake’s current artistic thinking. No expense has been spared for the show. It is a big ambitious production both sonically and visually.

Guy Pavelo is Drake’s Lighting Director and Designer and has been with him since 2011.

For the European leg of the tour, Pavelo is also 28

very much at the creative helm of all visual aspects. In July last year, at the start of the design and build process he worked closely with Perron, Tait Towers and Chris Reynolds, the tour’s Production Manager to help realise the build. A hugely talented Creative Designer and technical guru, he explained the initial thinking and concept behind the set design: “The artistic brief was to look for a minimalist yet powerful directive. There was a desire to explore the difference between one or all and the power that can be created within that. “The power of nothing at all is just as good as the power of everything you have,” he said. “That was at the heart of our thinking. With Drake we discussed many things before the start of the design process and we wanted to explore his personal mind.” Reynolds concurs and is keen to express his compliments about Tait Towers. “From the very start of the set design process I knew that

the only people who could build this to our requirements would be Tait Towers.”

Pavelo’s own rise to success began with a technical theatre course at Western Connecticut State University. On completion he worked for a Disney on Ice show, initially as a follow spot operator and rising to the ranks of crew chief within just four months. Since then he has gone on to light and design for global acts such as Kanye West, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Van Halen and The XX to name but a few.

VISUALS Lighting, power, motors, rigging and servers for the tour are all supplied by PRG and Pavelo offered his high opinion: “PRG has worked with me for a couple of years now. I work with Curry Grant, US Vice President of Touring and he has basically been there every step that we have needed for any project. We have a great

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Drake

Opposite: The bold architectural doughnut shaped creation was designed by Willo Perron and built by Tait Towers.

Below:(top) A 78ft curved video screen saw a variety of projections throughout the show.

relationship. When we have needed an extra bit of help they have always been there for us.

PRG crew chief for the tour is Clifford Sharpling.

He is the best in my opinion. I am fortunate to have been able to have him on my side for the better part of a year so far, and am hoping he will continue to support my needs for the next few at least!”

The main truss layout includes a central section hung above the upper doughnut ring set piece. The diamond shape houses a selection of Philips Vari-Lite VL5’s and VL3500’s, 16 Clay Paky Sharpy Beams and SyncroLite 7.5K’s. The donut itself includes some 50 Martin by Harman Stagebar 54’s. Outside of that in the upstage truss 44 PRG Best Boy 4000 spots are in use, as well as the support for the giant curved video wall, itself comprised of WinVision 9mm LED tiles, provided via VER and supplied through Upstream multi media. The same WinVision tile is used on the donut walls and a custom treatment to those by VER allows for a two-way mirror / LED facility. So when video is not being shown the surface works as a mirror. Outside of the donut rings are zigzag trusses, mid wing and up stage trusses. On those are more Sharpys,

VL3500’s PRG Bad Boy spots, SGM P-P5 LED washlights and 44 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes.

Pavelo believes that the Sharpys have brought a definitive look to the show. “Part of the design is that we were looking to create a very masculine and aggressive look to the overall design, and the Sharpy’s tight beam, prismatic effects, fast movement and unrivalled output made it the obvious choice. But the fixtures can also showcase Drake’s softer side.

The beam’s aerial image quality and consistently repeatable positioning produce some very intimate moments. Over the course of the tour, the Sharpys have performed flawlessly. You have to have them.”

The majority of the rigging is one tonne, while all the major set pieces require twotonnes. A total of eight two-tonne hold up the aerial donut with bridges to actually help support the weight. Everything else is basically a one-tonne point. The motors are all Chainmaster chain hoists with a customised Tait winch twotonne for the catwalk assembly.

Chief Rigger is Bob Powers who works with three on-tour riggers, and around eighteen

GLP impression X4 EA Games│ LD: Lightswitch

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Drake

Below: d&b audiotecknik’s J Series were employed for the PA; Strictly FX supplied the lasers and pyro action.

local riggers picked up at each venue. Pavelo commented on how the rig was approached for Nottingham. “We started rigging here at 2am this morning and wrapped up at 8am. A couple of the guys will then head to Dublin ahead of us for the next show for a pre rig. So we leap frog when it is needed. This is a big show and we need to buy time where we can. Even having the floor marked out ahead of time is a huge bonus. We have 130 or so points to rig from, and only a couple of portions of the truss are straight. So to sort those points ahead of us is great,” he noted.

Pavelo cuts his lighting and video mix on an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console plus three NPU Processors, working some 1500 cues for the show. All mixed manually with Pavelo utilising a click feed from stage, with no Timecode used. The lighting desk was utilised to run four PRG M-Box media servers.

Commenting on the console he said: “It is reliable. I depend on it all the time. It has not let me down. I can cater it for what I need as opposed to me having to cater to it for what it can do. I hired it from VOLT Lite in LA, the owner Matt Shimmamoto is a good friend of mine. They built a custom FOH workstation for me that has proven to save an enormous amount of time over the course of this tour.

I have the console itself, multiple switchers, video switcher, NPUs, back up power, monitors, 30

loudspeakers and subs. All in one unit.”

Completing the video line up, IMAG is used via seven cameras supplied by VER, positioned in the pit, FOH and around the arena.

SPECIAL EFFECTS Strictly FX provided lasers, pyrotechnics, cryo and smoke effects with David Kennedy laser programming and design. Reid Nofsinger was lead Pyrotechnic Operator, Mike Hartle Lead Laser Operator and Programmer and Special Effects Techs Matt Luciano and Anthony Amato.

“As an effects provider and design partner, Strictly FX certainly delivers,” Pavelo added.

There are seven full colour high-powered lasers in the production, three located in the air and on the ground, as well as four full colour low wattage lasers on the floor. In addition, scanning is another laser technique used to bring the audience into the immersive environment of the show. Kennedy comments.

“The audience scanning adds a lot of dimension to the show. Even though they’re lower powered lasers, they cut all the way across the arena, and it’s a beautiful look- they make it 50ft to 75ft past the Sharpy beams, which creates a pretty effect that’s coming out to the people in the distant seats.”

The effect is exactly what the design team envisioned. “Its’ a great addition to the production and we’ll start to exaggerate it more

as the show goes on,” Pavelo added.

Kennedy programmed the show on a Pangolin Beyond console. He commented: “We don’t use the standard console files, we do all the cueing and programming from scratch.

That’s our philosophy, and it’s not common in our industry.” In a departure from the norm, the lasers used on Drake’s production are fairly static, which fits in stylistically with the minimal design feel of parts of the show.

Said Kennedy: “They wanted a consistent solid look within a song that suited the vision of Drake and his creative team.” Pyrotechnics, in the form of mines, airbursts, starbursts, gerbs and comets are also part of production. “The quality of the pyrotechnic products from Strictly FX is superior, there’s better colour, better duration, and less smoke in the products that are supposed to have less smoke,” noted Pavelo.

Those words are especially meaningful coming from Pavelo, who comes from a background in pyrotechnics. “Guy knows what he wants concerning pyro and has a keen understanding of the various products available.

He’s an incredibly creative design partner and we always enjoy working with him,” explained Ted Maccabee, Partner and Visuals Director at Strictly FX. Personally, Drake is a fan of both cryo and low smoke. Pavelo explained: “There are 14 CO2 jets that are featured during two songs. As for

Sonic harmony through the R1 export function or the sophisticated d&b trilogy: ArrayCalc simulation software, R1 Remote control software and the pristine D80 ampliďŹ er make a thorough workow.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Drake

Below: Chris Reynolds, Tour Production Manager; Guy Pavelo, Drake’s Lighting Designer and Director; FOH Engineer Demetrius Moore; Audio Engineer Sean Sturge.

the low smoke, provided by two LSG units, the first time Drake saw them, he was ecstatic and loved it!”

STUDIO QUALITY LIVE SOUND FOH Engineer, Demetrius Moore has been with Drake since 2010. He began his career working as a tech for Eighth Day Sound, touring with 50 Cent and Jay Z. He then moved to stage patch for Prince’s Musicology tour, sound tech for Madonna, system engineer for Lil Wayne and Drake before becoming Drake’s FOH Engineer.

“My challenge is to make the mix sound like the record or better,” he said. “Drake’s Record Producer, Noah ‘40’ Shebib is on tour with us, as well as his engineer who recorded the vocals on the new album and we are all working together to make the sound as best we can. We work as a team. There is a lot of pressure and it takes a lot of time but we have got it. The guys let me alter things so we get a studio mix but with a live feel. The key and the goal is to make the live sound as clear and as best as possible and the best tone without making Drake’s vocal sound unnatural.”

To that end, Moore uses 64 inputs on a DiGiCo SD7 console provided by Eighth Day Sound, along with the PA. “It’s the best sounding console in the world,” he said. “I love it and get around it so fast. With what it lets me do, I can’t see myself requesting another console. There’s nothing out there with that sound and flexibility.”

A d&b audiotechnik J Series PA is Moore’s 32

first choice for Drake. At Nottingham 24 deep J8 line array loudspeakers per side were used on the main hang, with eight flown JSubs per side.

The side hang consisted of 16 J8’s per side and for the outer hang 12 J8’s per side. On the floor 12 B2 subwoofers and for front fills Q10’s were used. All powered by the new d&b D80 amps.

Said Moore: “The main system is amazing, I have the power that I need and the musical sounds of Sade’s Smooth Operator. Another plus comes from keeping the system mostly in the digital domain. The entire system is driven digitally at 96k Hz with a full analogue backup.

The signal flow hits the A-to-D converter off the stage to 96k into the DiGiCo system and then never gets converted back to the analogue domain until the output stage of the amplifier.

The entire signal flow stays digital at 96k Hz through Dolby processors to the amplifier. It’s a fantastic system and I owe a lot to my system tech, Jim Allen.”

On Drake’s vocal Moore uses a Sennhesier SKM 5200 microphone with a 5005e capsule.

Another key feature of Drake’s live vocal chain is Avalon’s VT737 analogue channel. Said Moore: “That unit and I have developed a relationship this tour which puts Drake’s vocal right there in the mix. In every seat in the house he is right in front of you. But on this tour, transparency is combined with power. It’s a loud show but I promise you that you won’t leave with your ears ringing! It’s a very dynamic show, as Drake has those heavy-hitting 808 songs as well as the ballad R&B songs mixed with one pop record.”

Engineer Sean Sturge who has done FOH and monitor mixing for a number of acts, including Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and 50 Cent, handled monitor world. He mixed on a DiGiCo SD10 linked with a Waveserver. An unusual aspect of the tour is a low-SPL on stage. Sturge commented: “There are absolutely no speakers at all on stage, not even a guitar cabinet. I do five different mixes, plus two guest performer mixes, all to in-ears, keys, drums, DJ, Avif Pro Tools Operator and Drake. The drummer and keyboard player are using their own Ultimate Ears IEMs. Drake and everyone else are on JH Audio earpieces. I monitor on JH-16’s and occasionally switch to UE Reference Monitors.”

The show started off with Drake emerging in front of the giant screen, awash with celestial blues and reds, a nod to Californian light artist James Turrell and the painting of Mark Rothko.

There followed a selection of offerings from the new album. Big performances all, full of self aware, open hearted rap and modern dance soundscapes. Other highlights of the set included the track The Language which used green lasers very effectively. The video content is night vision war footage from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the green lasers tied in very well.

Later in the evening, as he began to wind down his 90-minute set, a massive metallic oval walkway descended over the crowd. Drake told the audience this was his favorite moment, when he got to talk directly with his fans. The rapper concluded the set with the single Started

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Drake

From The Bottom complete with video footage of a much younger Drake. Both sonically and visually Drake is at the top of his game.

KEY SUPPLIERS Beat the Street supplied eight tour buses in total to Drake’s tour. The fleet included a Star Bus with double bed in a separate Star Room, one Entourage Bus, one Band Bus and five Crew Buses. Said BTS’s Joerg Philip: “This tour is almost like a family reunion for us; the Tour Director, Steve Kidd, Production Manager, Chris Reynolds, Stage Manager Richard Barr and Accountant Bob Davies are all long-time clients of ours, whom we’re really proud of working with.” Transam Trucking provided equipment ligistics.

Drake’s tour catering needs were well taken care of via Eat to the Beat. Said Operations Manager, Susanne Howell: “W’ve been working with Drake since 2011, so it was great to be working with the tour again for the third time. His tour has grown considerably over the last three years, moving from academy-size venues to arenas, with the crew size doubling.

“Looking after the touring crew and artist’s entourage certainly makes for a

34

busy day, and a wide spectrum of dietary needs are met daily. It was really nice to meet up with old friends and also make some new ones,“ she concluded.

Looking to the rest of 2014 after the current tour finishes Drake heads to the summer festival season then a new tour being scheduled for the autumn. Pavelo concluded: “As we look towards the rest of the year and our summer festival season our upcoming designs are about finding the way to make minimalist look bigger than the high quantity and high quality of fixtures you can provide. So we wanted to take that big show and get the same impact with it but use as little as possible. So when we do turn it all on it is that much bigger.”

TPi Photo Simon Duff www.drakeofficial.com www.beatthestreet.net www.eattothebeat.com www.8thdaysound.com www.prg.com www.strictlyfx.com www.taittowers.com www.verrents.com www.amoveocompany.com/willo-perron WWW.GP-Design.Net

Below: Lighting Designer Guy Pavello’s lighting concept was minimal to complement the minimalist stage design.

YES!

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT: BASTILLE’S FRESH AND SCALABLE WORLD TOUR FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THEIR RADIO-FRIENDLY SINGLE POMPEII, BASTILLE’S HIT ALBUM BAD BLOOD LED TO A BRIT AWARD WIN FOR BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACT AND THE BAND’S METEORIC RISE TO STARDOM IS SEEMINGLY UNSTOPPABLE. PLUS, IF THE RECENT GIG IN FRONT OF 8,000 ENTHUSIASTIC FANS AT LONDON’S ALEXANDRA PALACE IS ANYTHING TO GO BY, IT DOESN’T LOOK SET TO SLOW DOWN ANY TIME SOON. SARAH RUSHTON-READ SAW THE FRESHLY DESIGNED AND IMAGINATIVELY LIT GEOMETRIC SET IN ALL ITS GLORY. In terms of production and design the tour is masterminded by some of the top professionals in the business. With an impressive, yet scalable show design by Mirrad Ltd, a company established relatively recently by industry respected designers Jamie Thompson, Bryan Leitch and Dave Cohen; video content has been created by Paul ‘Pablo’ Beckett of Bryte Design and the tour is managed by Dick Meredith, ably assisted by Stage Manager, Adam ‘Ace’ Carr. FOH engineer is Paul Cooper and on Monitors Ben Kingman. Lighting and rigging is supplied by PRG, video by PRG Nocturne and sound by Tour Tech, thus ensuring that a 36

top quality production is enabled in the live shows.

The schedule is packed tight and comprises an eclectic array of venues that range in capacity from 1,500 to over 5,000.

This means the set has to work on a number of levels and at a variety of scales, changing on an almost a venue-to-venue basis.

Meredith explained: “Jamie has created a set that’s modular and supremely scalable.

We can get the bulk of it into most places but compromises do have to be made. Right now the band are playing venues ranging from 1,500 - 8,000 capacity. However come autumn, it’ll be Ally Pally-sized venues across

the US plus two nights at Radio City in Hollywood - there’s even talk about doing a show in Madison Square Gardens in NYC, it’s crazy!”

SHOW DESIGN & CONCEPT Mirrad’s design is built around the triangle in the Bastille logo, and carries the show beautifully.

The stage explodes in layers of geometric perspectives with the result that it looks bigger than its dimensions and infinitely more dramatic.

The geometric shape also delivers clean, simple architecture that Thompson can skilfully morph and sculpt with light and cleverly mapped video.

The whole show is then bought to vibrant three-

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

Opposite: The triangular set construction was built by Metalman and the geometric backdrop consisted of J&C Joel’s grey Joelastic (JOS004) measuring 9.4 metres wide by 8.3 metres, on to which projections were mapped. Below: Although most of the lighting kit is supplied by PRG, consoles and media servers were provided by Mirrad. The Sapphire Touch console is backed up by an Avolites Tiger Touch Pro and both link through to the brand new Avolites TMP nodes, which process the DMX; Bastille used Sennheiser 945 and 965 wireless microphones for their tour.

dimensional life by a precision-programmed light show operated by Thompson on his own Avolites Sapphire Touch desk.

Given the restricted budget the lighting design has been cleverly conceived. It’s packed with some stunning on-stage drama, audience blinders and washes plus a plethora of aerial effects. The rig is modest in size, but the combination of fixture choice and their positioning offers up an adaptable palette.

Thompson pulls the look right down for the softer songs using the washes and effects to set the atmosphere. This offers magnificent contrast to the bigger anthems which see some whopping classic rock looks replete with

dynamic blinder moments that invoke 80s glam rock but on a larger, brighter and much more colourful scale.

“In the air we’re using PRG Best Boy spot luminaires alongside Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Washes,” explained Thompson. “The triangle and the mid-stage set strips are lined with the new GLP impression X4 LED fixtures, which we use to create a lot of internal effects. And then of course we’ve got everyone’s favourite - the Clay Paky Sharpy wash.”

Twenty Sharpys are laid out in banks on the floor. Sun strips and 2-Lite molephays complement these, while GLP impression 120’s are rigged at the side for key light. “We

wanted to use the Sharpys to give an epic, stage defining look. We also had to consider the impact of having 20 fixtures on the stage so the size-to-output ratio made them the ideal choice. We used the hard edges of the beam to evoke amazing geometric shapes as well as strong saturated soft beams. We’re big fans of the Sharpy Congo blue as this is one of the few lights that delivers the intense Congo effect we want,” he added.

PRG’s Scottie Sanderson worked closely with Mirrad - specifically Jamie Thompson and Bryan Leitch on lighting and rigging while PRG Nocturne’s Mark O’Herlihy assisted with projection. “It actually makes it much easier

37

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

Below: Production Manager, Dick Meredith; Scottie Sanderson, Mark O’Herlihy and Rich Rowley.

to combine rigging and lighting as we can then generate an overall rigging plot,” said Sanderson. “Working closely together allows us to streamline the project. Even something as simple as incorporating cables into the same looms heading to the same locations can save double handling on the day.”

And for Sanderson the project was involved from early on: “The design had to be realised within very specific parameters, and there was a lot to take into account - lighting, media servers, projection and rigging. There is also a broad range of venues. Thankfully the lighting crew is experienced and they will get in as much as each building allows!”

Although most of the kit is supplied by PRG, consoles and media servers are provided by Mirrad. The Sapphire Touch console is backed up by an Avolites Tiger Touch Pro and both link through to the brand new Avolites TMP nodes, which process the DMX, making it a fluid system with full redundancy - ideal for Thompson’s multi media design.

“I’ve always described the Sapphire Touch as a designer’s desk rather than an operator or a programmer’s desk,” said Thompson.

“The interface is the best looking on the market. It’s intuitive and quick to use. It just looks really clean - you’re not scanning the screens constantly for fixtures and features - everything’s in front of you. We’ve always had an excellent relationship with the team at Avolites and I think - above and beyond what they do with the consoles - their customer support is second to none. Over the years the Avolites team has been more than accommodating and they’re always available if we need them. Basically Avolites makes us feel like we’re their top priority every time we go on the road.”

VIDEO / PROJECTION Working in perfect harmony with the set, lighting and live camera feeds is the evocative and moody monochrome video content, designed by Paul ‘Pablo’ Beckett.

He commented: “The initial creative concept was driven by Bastille’s extremely cinematic approach to their promo videos – [frontman] 38

Dan Smith has always had a very keen idea of what he likes visually,” explained Beckett.

“Secondly the concept was driven by Jamie’s design - the layout of the screens was a great opportunity to play with the repeating geometry of the triangle. Much of the content designed for the triangle has a repeating motif to it, which for example in the song The Draw sets up these lovely patterns that play and interact with each other.”

One of the biggest hurdles for Beckett was the introduction of live cameras (a first for a Bastille tour) and how they would interact with the band. “The challenge was really in two parts, the first part was a pragmatic one, namely, framing camera shots onto a triangle - if you imagine a person standing in a triangle there isn’t much room for their head. This can quickly lead to shots being unusable,” continued Beckett. “The second challenge was creating a camera style for the band. The idea was that

track, into two Rosendahl Mif 4’s (again one for each server). The Camera’s were mixed on a small PPU system and then captured into the media servers on their internal capture cards.

“The show design was scalable which meant that at every stage we had to try and recreate the same look with potentially half the available projection surface and in others completely different projection surfaces! AI made this very easy to achieve, using it’s Projection Mapping Editor. The content was designed around UV maps and Multiple surfaces for each projector.

“One of the main problems was with the distance from projectors to screen. Nothing was ever quite in the same place in each venue.

However, the combination of this system and a great projectionist in Simon Sheridan made it easy to re-map the model onto the physical set.

This meant we could load in, line up the system, and have a fully working camera system before Lunch! Not bad for a team of two!”

“We’re using Sennheiser 945 and 965 wireless microphones and the result has been excellent...”

the camera shots were to be treated more as content which integrates into the whole look rather than just putting someone on a screen as this can end up looking detached from the rest of the visual style. Dave Singleton, who headed up the touring video department really rose to the challenge and worked closely with Jamie, programming the Avolties Ai Media Server, on a day-to-day basis in the run up to the tour.”

Singleton said of the Ai Media Servers: “The system was based around two Avolites Media Infinity servers, one Main, one Backup, with complete redundancy at every point. The servers outputs ran into a DVI matrix, so in the event of having to swap machines, we could achieve this seamlessly mid show. All the content for the show was triggered via Timecode. We took Main and Backup lines from the bands click

In terms of the physical look of the show, Singleton had multiple discussions with Pablo and the rest of the team about how the whole show should look and feel. He continued: “Working with such a creative team meant that we could really put the Ai through it’s paces. I had multiple camera and other effects layered throughout the show triggered by myself from an Akai APC40 Midi Controller. To keep the balance between camera and content I ended up operating the show as a Live VJ show situation. Great fun! The ability to use Ai’s onboard effects engine meant we could manipulate the camera shots and do some fun things with them. At two points during the show we actually take a crowd shot and map the shot across all the surfaces, in perspective of where they would be located in the frame.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

Below: The stage explodes in layers of geometric perspectives with the result that it looks bigger than its dimensions and infinitely more dramatic.

It looked really great, especially on the bigger shows!”

The Avolites Ai Media Server drives the video, which is then mapped onto the set and delivered through projection. This initially presented Mark O’Herlihy, LED Engineer and Supervisor for PRG Nocturne and Video Tech Simon Schofield with a few head scratching moments: “The highest triangle of the set is almost nine metres high,” pointed out O’Herlihy.

“We had to hire in special lenses to achieve the throw that we required. In the end we hired two 0.73 wide angle fish-eye lenses at FOH to achieve a wide enough spread while ensuring the output was bright enough.”

PRG Nocturne has supplied the bulk of the video equipment, O’Herlihy elaborated: “At the moment we’re supplying five Barco R22+ projectors, two positioned on platforms at FOH and two on the FOH truss. We’re also using two Panasonic HD AW-HE 120 Robo Cameras and four Panasonic HD AG-HCK 10GPJ POV Cameras plus one Wireless Go Pro system. It’s a pretty small, yet effective package.”

SOUND Bastille has developed musically over the last year and although it’s mostly rock-heavy there’s a little bit of pop and quite a lot of synth sound in the background. For FOH Engineer Paul Cooper the PA had to be L-Acoustics, V-Dosc 40

and dV-Dosc, more recently Kara. The console of choice is a 96-channel Avid Venue Profile to cope with the fast expanding channel list for this latest tour, plus the Waves Audio plugins. “I’ve used the Avid Profile for years now,” said Cooper. “So much so that it is almost an extension of me! The Waves integration is fantastic; you can just use it natively without it having to carry anything extra. With a lot of the other desks you need a rack of equipment alongside, so it’s effectively like carrying an outboard. The user interface is fast and intuitive to access and I can quickly get to my most commonly used features and controls. There is a simple tabbed interface and streamlined pages so I can also manage all inputs, outputs, files, snapshots, patchbay settings, plug-in settings fast, which leaves me more time to focus on the mix.”

Nevertheless, in this case Cooper says for him the mix is pretty straightforward: “Bastille are a relatively quiet band onstage. Other than the drum kit and some strings, there’s not a lot of noise. We have electronic keyboards and the bass guitarist doesn’t have his amp too loud.

It’s not like I’m doing a heavy rock band where there’s a lot of ambient noise to fight with. This means we invariably get a good, clean result.

I tend to ride each song, learn the movements of each rather than scene them up specifically.

As the set changes with the size of the venue, I

have a general scene for each song to give me a starting point. I will already know that some cues will need pushing around depending on which part of the song it is and what kind of venue we’re in,” he stated.

Indeed with a variety of different size venues to accommodate, Tour Tech vendor has supplied a dual PA system. Chris Speirs, Technical and Systems Manager for Tour Tech, explained: “Firstly, for the arena’s main PA we’ve supplied an L Acoustic V-Dosc system. This comprises 24 V-Dosc along with 16 SB28’s. In addition we’re supplying 36 dV-Dosc, which flip between acting as side hangs for the arena shows and, on the smaller shows, the main PA. There are also a number of Arcs, which supplement the PA and are being used as various fill applications.”

In Monitor world Ben Kingman uses a Midas PRO2 desk. This comes with two Drawmer DL241 duel-channel processors, giving the PRO2 the necessary input / output required for all the various IEM requirements for Bastille and the support acts. “I chose this mainly for the clarity of sound and the ability to set scenes as each song is very different,” explained Kingman.

Like Cooper, Kingman is modest about his role and says that his set up is also pretty clearcut. “For me the key challenge is keeping strings players away from the drummer! Seriously, that’s it, really. The band members are all very dynamic singers. If there was anything else I

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

Below: Sound supplied by Tour Tech delivered an audio rider of L-Acoustics, Avid, Midas and Sennheiser products.

guess it would be that there are a lot of last minute changes at the moment and it seems that at every given opportunity something else is added to the set, so my job is constantly evolving.”

The whole band uses wireless in-ears, in this case Sennheiser G3’s. “Half the band are on JH16’s Mould Wires from JH Audio and half are on Shure 535’s. “The decision on which microphones to use was entirely personal to each band member. We’re also using Sennheiser 945 and 965 wireless microphones and the result has been excellent.”

“The Line System is Tourtech’s compact 64 way system, which allows all of Bastilles’ stage system to be contained within a single standard truck,” adds Tour Tech’s Speirs. “Truck space was an important issue on this tour and with this in mind we managed to fit the full system into 38ft of truck space, which left enough room for backline and merchandising to share the rest of the space.”

SET FABRICATION Metalman were contacted by the good folks at Mirrad to look at the best way to scenically transform the production’s trusses, and in 42

particular the huge triangular truss (which measured in at over 30ft high) into the band’s triangular logo.

Said Metalman’s Sam Booker: “Rather than do a solid scenically treated fascia we decided to go for a series of custom frames which attached to the truss and then use a printed fabric scrim to add the visual element. This offered a number of advantages in that it would be easier to travel without damaging the artwork, it could be done without seams and finally it could be ‘shrunk’ for use in venues where the triangle needed to be just that little bit smaller.”

As often happens in the world of touring live production, seemingly simple jobs have hidden hurdles to overcome, as Booker explained: “Not only were the frames needing to be spaced away from the truss in order to allow for fitting a series of lights, but also the sheer size of the complete triangle meant that it even in Metalman’s pretty spacious workshop we were struggling to get the whole thing together in one go to test it before rehearsals.

However, once we’d created the artwork for the scrims with just the right level of contrast to

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Bastille

Below: Avolites’ Selvin Cooper, Simon Schofield and Jamie Thompson; FOH Engineer, Paul Cooper; Monitor Engineer, Ben Kingman; Bryan Leitch and Will Dart of Mirrad.

ensure that it would look great when lit but also take projection, the whole project really came together and looked as clean and simple as it had in the initial renders!”

The fabric elements of the set job were mastered by J&C Joel which manufactured a black IFR Polyester Trevira (PT021) curtain measuring 15.2 metres wide with a 9.1 metre drop for the set design. As the final chorus of Bad Blood dropped, so did the Polyester Trevira curtain revealing the biggest triangle logo the band have had to date.

The triangular backdrop was manufactured from J&C Joel’s grey Joelastic (JOS004) measuring 9.4 metres wide by 8.3 metres drop and was finished with large eyelets all round, which allowed the drape to be bungeed into position. The triangular backdrop was used for image mapping various videos and visuals throughout the show to really capture the feel of the design during each song played in the set.

CATERING Popcorn’s Simon Raynor was the man on the road for Bastille’s European catering requests.

“I did surprise a lady on the butchery counter in Berlin, Germany when requesting all the fillet steak she had…” said Raynor, of the band’s dietary preferences. Having worked with the band for the first time, he described them as “a truly lovely bunch of guys.” According to Raynor, the band were certainly appreciative of tour catering. “Dick the Tour / Production 44

Manager was ace too!” he smiled. “When it comes to food, continental Europe can throw you a curve ball, but we found it easy to cater for the band’s and crew’s needs.

“The Bastille band members were always happy to go with our menu choices, but we always made sure the food was swiftly adaptable for a ‘drop the potato, and give us extra veg’ request! Some evenings, a simple steak and steamed veg was all that was required.

TRANSPORT MM Band Services provided tour buses and Fly

By Nite provided trucking. Three trucks were used for the UK and European legs of the tour, taking in 18 shows resulting in a 31-day road journey. Said Operations Manger, Paul Walker: “Providing drivers that enjoy working in a production environment on a daily basis is very important to Fly By Nite. We look to supply the same drivers that have worked on certain tours before in order to maintain continuity. This is an important part of pre-tour planning as having the right mix of drivers is key for the smooth running of the whole tour.”

FINE TUNING With just two production days in Manchester, UK, the production team didn’t get much time to fine-tune before they were on the road.

“We didn’t have the luxury of a pre-production period and the first few gigs were in shoeboxes: Newcastle O2 Academy and the Corn Exchange

in Edinburgh,” said Meredith. “This meant we didn’t really get to stretch our creative legs until we got to Manchester, and even then only two thirds of the kit came out the truck! I think Alexandra Palace as a venue is the first time we’ve managed to get everything loaded in and to be able to give the show a run for its money.

So far I’m happy with the way it’s going and I’m looking forward to getting into Europe and doing the bigger venues.”

For a band that is only really on it’s first record and started touring just three years ago, Bastille’s trajectory to the top has been impressive, and by all accounts touring with this band is hugely rewarding. As Meredith summed up: “I don’t think I’ve been involved with an artist that has gathered such momentous success - especially in America - for a long time. Let’s face it, everybody wants to be touring when there’s a buzz of triumph around and everyone’s happy, it’s addictive. I have to say working with Bastille, and this team in particular, at this moment in time, must be one of the best jobs in the music business today.”

TPi Photos: Sarah Rushton-Reed www.bastillebastille.com www.prg.com www.tourtech.co.uk www.jcjoel.com www.hangman.co.uk www.flybynite.co.uk www.mmbandservices.co.uk www.popcorncatering.com

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25/09/2013 12:14

PRODUCTION PROFILE: X Factor Live

X FACTOR LIVE: 2014 A DECADE SINCE SIMON COWELL’S ITV TALENT SHOW, THE X FACTOR, WAS FIRST AIRED THE LASTEST STARS OF THE 2014 SHOW TOOK ON A 14 DATE UK ARENA TOUR. WITH A PETER BARNES’ SET AND LIGHTING DESIGN, HSL PROVIDED LIGHTING WITH OTHER KEY SUPPLIES COMING FROM XL VIDEO, WIGWAM ACOUSTICS, PYROJUNKIES, LS-LIVE AND JUMBOCRUISER. PRODUCTION NORTH HANDLED ADVANCED PRODUCTION DUTIES AND THE TECHNICAL EVOLUTION, AS SIMON DUFF DISCOVERED AT LONDON’S 02 ARENA. Following the TV final in December 2013, won by Sam Bailey, the final eight contestants prepared themselves for the X Factor Live Tour. Whilst they rehearsed for their first real taste of life as pop stars on the road and needing to learn quickly how to work in arenas, the team at Production North were making preparations for rehearsals at West Yorkshire’s LS-Live.

The Leeds based concert tour and event production company is a long-term client of LS-Live’s and has used the facility for the X Factor Live Tour rehearsals for many consecutive years. Adam ‘Bullet’ Bettley, Operations Manager at LS-Live’s commented: “We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Iain Whitehead at Production North and he knows that we will do our best to accommodate anything they need on site.”

Production North booked the 17,664 sq ft arena rehearsal space from 8 - 13 February, in addition to five of the en-suite bedrooms on the top floor, the production offices, catering area 46

and all five dressing rooms. LS-Live once again set up a temporary 60ft by 32ft house stage ahead of the rehearsals so that the singers could practice on a stage similar in size to those in the arenas and the rest of the equipment could be set up and tested. “We have a large amount of standard staging equipment on site in our rental stock so we can quickly build any structure necessary. We provided a 6ft high house stage with access steps and two 8ft by 4ft camera platforms,” explained Bullet.

Other key suppliers included Over The Top rigging, Star Rider trucking, Jumbo Cruisers and Home Cookin.

LIGHTING AND VISUALS Peter Barnes’ set design was bold and modern.

As you can see above, it displayed fun, bright colours, columns, stairs, hydraulic lifts, different layers and three main video screen elements doubling as sliding doors. Iain Whitehead from Production North was involved in the technical evolution and stage set design which features stairs, lifts and trap doors, a thrust and a B

stage - all elements which help keep up the pace and spectacle.

A prominent feature was a fan shaped LED MiStrip array section at the top of the stage, along with a B stage set up in the middle of the arena.

XL Video supplied the MiStrips as well as the Pixled F-12 LED for the sliding doors through which the artists came on stage.

Pixled F-25 LED were used for the columns, risers and stairs. XL Video’s Project Manager for production was Paul ‘Macca’ McCauley, who noted: “It was good to be working with Production North again, and it was great to be involved with another X Factor tour. The opening video wall theme is consistent with the TV show design, and the artisits seem to like it too.”

XL Video also supplied a Grass Valley Kayak video switcher, two Catalyst media servers (one as a back up, set to Timecode), and several Sony HXC 100 cameras: two long lens at FOH and two in the pit (including one wireless for handheld crowd interaction). Additionally,

PRODUCTION PROFILE: X Factor Live

Opposite: Nicholas McDonald sang in front of XL Video’s MiStrips. Below: Rough Copy sang a Phil Collins’ cover of In The Air; Clay Paky Sharpys were used throughout Peter Barnes’ lighting design.

the video vendor provided IMAG screens at each side of the stage, which were used in conjunction with Panasonic 20,000 Projectors.

“The Panasonics are a nice new part of our inventory,” added Macca.

Commenting on the lighting truss layout, Barnes, the man at the helm of the visuals, said: “The hardware of the curved lighting trusses with the MiStrip array and the vertical towers have been pretty much the same for the last three tours I have just changed the fixtures around a bit and tried to come up with some different looks.”

Lighting Director and Programmer on the road was Jonathan Rouse, who cut his mix on an MA Lighting grandMA2 console.

HSL provided staff as well as kit for the tour.

The HSL crew of four were Chiefed by the redoubtable Johnny Harper and joined by Matt Brown, Ashley Edwards and James Townsend.

Said Rouse, “Working with HSL has been excellent - as it always is! The gear was very well prepped, the crew are fantastic and whatever support you might need is constantly on-hand.”

Full technical rehearsals started on February 8 with the first show at Belfast on February

14. Barnes added: “The first rehearsal day was just getting everything up and running then after that it was a case of programming around ten songs each day and then perfecting them towards the end of rehearsals. With this type of show with relatively few fixtures, after you have the basic looks for the songs a lot of the time is spent chasing dancers around the stage with the front wash lights as they perform one section on the top level and the next down stage.”

Central to his lighting design were Barnes’ extensive use of Clay Paky Sharpys. Barnes

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: X Factor Live

Below: Johnathan Rouse, Lighting Director; Mark Buckley, Monitor Engineer; FOH Engineer, Ray Furze; X Factor 2014 winner, Sam Bailey performed adorned with Pyrojunkies’ special effects.

specified the Sharpys, to cut through the brightness of the staging and create dynamic scenes. “The Sharpys’ thin powerful beams cut through against the LED screens without the need for too much smoke,” said Barnes.

“Everyone loves the Sharpy for the bright beams that help create a dynamic show, especially with the extensive use of video in most pop shows these days. The brightness of the beams can easily be seen against the brightness of the LED screens.”

Beth Honan was the Creative Director for the show and had most influence over the looks for each number. With eight different acts performing each night, Barnes was tasked with designing a light show that is able to create a diversity of looks, reflecting each singer’s style and personality. “From a lighting perspective we tried to get as many different feels as possible for the different tracks, giving each performer a unique and personal feel to their performance.

Luke Friend has a strong, powerful feel with lots of strobing, where as for Abi Alton we created a contrasting, more solitary feel with shafts of light from the back.”

“Shows like the X Factor Live where video is a big part of the design make the Sharpy the ideal fixture of choice,” commented Glyn O’Donoghue, Managing Director of Clay Paky’s UK distributor, Ambersphere. “The Sharpys slice through stage lighting to bring an almost architectural look to whole picture and often serving to pull the artist out from the backdrop 48

ensuring they remain the focus of visually busy shows. Sharpys can also be called upon to create dimension and structure to the huge arena shows such as X Factor, while at the same time delivering a visual feast of colour, pattern and intensity.” Other key lighting fixtures included Philips Vari-Lite VL3500’s. Pixel Line1044 LED Battens and Martin by Harman Atomic strobes.

SPECIAL EFFECTS Working closely with Beth Honan, Iain Whitehead and Michael Clegg, Production Manager on tour, Pyrojunkies once again supplied special effects for the X Factor live dates. On the road and pushing all the buttons was Dan Mott Project Manager for Pyrojunkies with Shane ‘Sniper’ Hooper as his second tech.

Said Mott: “The Show featured 170 pieces of pyrotechnics all manufactured by Pyrojunkies sister company Wells Fireworks. All the pyrotechnics were fired using Pyrojunkies wireless Galaxis firing system with multiple positions across the downstage edge and in the truss. One of the bigger pyrotechnic looks for Sam Bailey’s cover of Demi Lovato’s Skyscraper included shooting 50 of our new gold flitter falling mines over a wall of duration gerbs accompanied by our giant 10m by 5cm red streamers. Other kit included, eight Magic FX Stage Flames, six Co2 Jets, four Stadium Streamer Cannons, two confetti Superblasters and two XL low smoke machines.”

LIVE SOUND Mixing FOH sound was Ray Furze. A highly accomplished engineer whose work includes tours for Susan Boyle, Boyzone, a World tour with the Pixies as well as work for Richard Ashcroft, orchestral work for The Liverpool Pops, many tours with Chris Rea and The Spice Girls. He has been FOH on the X Factor Live tour for three years in a row. His preparation for the tour started with a day in the recording studio with Musical Director Richard Taylor in the middle of January prior to starting artists rehearsals at Music Bank at the end of January.

Furze talked about his challenges on the show: “With no live band we try to make the show as dynamic as possible. I get 24 channels of instruments at FOH from Apple Mac Pros running QLab software running through a MOTO 24 IO all duplicated. A lot of work by Richard Taylor and myself goes into making these tracks sound like a live performance and not a pre mixed polished and compressed studio recording,” he said.

“All the vocalists sing live and there is a certain amount of nurturing and teaching them how to cope with all the varying acoustics of arena touring. We have eleven Shure radio vocal mics, two live acoustic guitar channels and piano inputs.”

Monitors and FOH shared a DiGiCo SD rack, the gain being set at monitors with FOH SD8 using the gain tracking function. Continued Furze: “I have enjoyed using DiGiCo desks since

PRODUCTION PROFILE: X Factor Live

Below: Sam Bailey performed her first UK number one, Skyscraper; Tamara Foster opened the show with a dazzling performance.

the D5 which I first used on The Spice Girls tour. It is particularly essential to set up scenes that are essential on a show like this. The only outboard gear I am using is a DBX120 sub harmonics generator to give an extra dimension to bass frequencies where needed. I specified the Shure beta 58 heads on the radios, they really are the standard by which I judge all other vocal microphones and with all the variety of vocals we have to cope with on this show they seem to suit most voices. I use just a bit of onboard vocal compression on the channel. For reverb, usually a warm hall and timed delays where needed. Most of the tracks mix is worked out in production rehearsals so it is totally recall scene based. I then mix in vocals, FX, VT and any live instruments on DCA faders.”

PA choice for the main L /R and outer hang was a d&b audiotechnik J Series. Furze said: “It has been my choice for arena tours since it first came out so I am very familiar with it and all I need to do once my brilliant system tech Dan Parks from Wigwam Acoustics has time aligned all the elements is to listen to the same CD track every day for comparison. It drives the rest of the crew crazy!”

Mixing at the monitor position was Mark Buckley. Another highly accomplished engineer and Sir Tom Jones’ first choice FOH engineer.

He mixed on a DiGiCo SD8 and describes his approach to mixing for the tour. “I like to take a relaxed approach to mixing monitors on this

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particular show. Most of the artists have never experienced performing at this scale so things such as IEM protocol are new for them. As a rule of thumb, I run their own microphones in Pre to their ears so whenever they turn up and put there ears on they will hear themselves immediately. Jack Murphy, Sound Tech will then ensure they can hear themselves, before they go onstage for their performance, and then I will bring their respective control group up so then their microphones will be live in the flown sidefills as will be reverbs and sends to other mixes.”

A total of 14 channels of Shure UHF-R radio systems were deployed, eleven UR-2 handheld microphones with Beta58A heads along with 3 UR-1 beltpacks, two for guitars and one with a WH30 headset microphone. Buckley created fourteen mix output mixes from his SD8 for monitor use, twelve of them Stereo IEM for which he used Sennheiser 2000’s. For limited wedge use he used d&b audiotechnik M4 monitors for the lift and tracking operators.

For stage fills d&b audiotechnik C7 and two C4 subwoofers per side were used for flown side fills. Buckley is keen to stress his thanks to Jack Murphy, RF Tech and Don Parks from Wigwam Acoustics.

Singer Tamara Foster opened the show, getting the audience in a party mood with Rihanna’s We found Love. TV finalist and runner up Nicholas McDonald kept the tempo upbeat

with Robbie Williams’ Candy, complete with multi coloured video cartoon content and up beat dance routines. Next up was Sam Callahan proving his rock credential on Bryan Adams’ Summer of 69. Dreadlocked indie rocker Luke Friend proved he is a star in the making with Seal’s Kiss from a Rose and Bon Iver’s Skinny Love and Rough Copy delivered an impressive version of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight while Hannah Barrett gave a rousing version of Adele’s Skyfall. The show culminated with an accomplished performance by Sam Bailey, proving that she has all the talent for a long career. Her version of Whitney Houston’s How Will I know? topped off by a rousing version of her Christmas number one single, a cover of Demi Lovato’s Skyscraper complete with streamers, mines, gerbs and comets. For the encore all eight artists performed Lighthouse Family’s Lifted with the accompanying confetti and blowers. A frothy, theatrical fun filled show.

Bring on 2015.

TPi Photos: Simon Duff & Louise Stickland www.xfactor.itv.com www.productionnorth.co.uk www.hslgroup.com www.xlvideo.tv www.ls-live.com www.jumbocruiser.com www.pyrojunkies.com www.wigwamacoustics.co.uk

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Stand No. N-B26

Reality Shows | Big Screen Feeds Congress Centres | Festivals | Events Concerts | Tours | Sport | News +44 (0)1590 622 440 www.bradeng.com

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

PROLIGHT+SOUND 2014 THIS YEAR’S PROLIGHT+SOUND SHOW IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY, PROVED YET AGAIN TO BE A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL EXPO FOR THE PRO AV INDUSTRY. ALL IN ALL, THE SHOW - HOUSING SOME 897 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITORS FROM 42 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES - ATTRACTED AROUND 110,000 VISITORS FROM 142 COUNTRIES. TPi’S EDITORIAL CREW WAS ON HAND TO PROVIDE IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE LARGEST TRADESHOW ON THE INDUSTRY CALENDAR. When the Mondiale Publishing team descended into the halls of Frankfurt’s Messe last month, you could assume that as we’re well-versed in tradeshow etiquette, there could be little change in the atmosphere for trade press like us. However, with some Prolight+Sound first-timers under our wing, it was also noted that there were some first-time exhibitors at the show too, proving that although this expo is a true AV tradition, it also carries weight for new exhibitors.

Not only was this year’s show the most positive and successful for us as a magazine to date - proving certain wheels are turning again - but there was a genuine mix of international visitors, leading to some really exciting business and entertainment content for us to report on following these new launches. Read on for the 2014 news...

A.C. Entertainment Technologies showcased a selection of the latest lighting, audio, rigging and video solutions available from its portfolio of premium brands including Chroma-Q, Spotlight, Jands, ArKaos, Prolyte, 52

SGM, High End Systems, Philips Entertainment, Soundcraft, Sennheiser, Shure, Christie, Martin Audio, Audio Technica, beyerdynamic and JBL to name but a few.

Adam Hall’s stand was subject to a major overhaul this year, thanks to the direction of its new General Manager, David Finlay. Each Adam Hall brand - LD ProAudio, Cameo and Defender to name a few - had its own stand within the Adam Hall area to display its selection of high quality products. Said Finlay: “A multiple of new initiatives in the UK have generated a great deal of positive interest and we have certainly seen this reflected in our business during the first quarter. This allied to some fantastic new products such as the Maui 44 and the Stinger GT Range - coming later this year - means we are in for a very exciting time in the UK.” Adamson launched Energia E12 / E218 touring packages offering touring and rental houses a system that is flexible, offers fast setup / teardown and powerful mid-high performance, all from a 12-inch line array.

Both the new E12 and E218 loudspeakers have efficient power handling, which allows the

footprint on stage and total cost to the end user to be minimised.

ADB Lighting showcased new features added to its Liberty, Freedom and Imago lighting consoles as well as the Eurorack 60 DimSwitch, Eurodim Twin Tech evolution and its new 25kW fanless profile.

Three new products made their European debut on the ADJ stand: the Inno Spot Pro and 3 Sixty 2R moving heads, and the Dotz Brick 3.3 wash / blinder matrix panel.

Liverpool, UK, based rental house, Adlib Audio showcased its own AA brand of boutique loudspeakers - an affordable, high quality product ideal for numerous environments from installations to high-end corporate events and industry shows.

AED Distribution, master distributor for High End Systems, premiered the new ShapeShifter LED moving light from the lighting manufacturer, which was received very well by the diverse audience and received a great response from visitors.

Alcons Audio launched two new compact loudspeakers as additions to the V-Series and

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Opposite: Prolight+Sound’s bustling Hall 11. Below: Adamson’s Jochen Sommer; Nina Christoffer of Coda Audio; The Avolites team.

On the road…

Las Vegas, USA 7 – 10 April 2014 Booth C655

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B-Series. Featuring the all-new RBN202, two-inch pro-ribbon driver, the V-Series is extended with a versatile micro monitor for use in a wide variety of applications. Another series extension was shown in the B-Series subwoofers, a long excursion 12-inch customdesigned woofer in a reflex-loaded configuration. The new R-Series RR12 modular point-source array, featuring a passive two-way sixinch pro-ribbon driver and 12-inch high-output woofer, was also on show.

Allen & Heath launched a new addition to its Xone DJ range, as well as showing the recently launched Qu-24 compact digital mixer and Xone:23 DJ mixer. Also on display was the ME personal monitoring system, Qu-16 rackmount digital mixer, GLD and iLive digital systems and analogue mixers from the MixWizard4 and ZED Series.

Amadeus introduced its new ML 8 ultra-compact subwoofer, designed for space-limited installations or live use. The ML 8 is the smallest member of the

ML Series and can be paired with the newly released PMX 4 ultracompact speaker.

Analog Way introduced the Secure Power Unit, an external power accessory compatible with three models of the LiveCore Series of premium switchers. It is a new power protection module designed for the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48 and features dual power supplies providing redundancy against branch circuit failure or unstable power and can be managed from the Web RCS, the user interface designed for the LiveCore Series.

APG further extended the scope of its pioneering modular line array system, Uniline, with the introduction of a second dedicated subwoofer. Big brother to the UL115B, the UL118B made its debut at the show. The addition of the new UL118B makes an already modular system even more versatile. The advent of the UL118B has wide-ranging implications as it increases the modularity and scalability of the Uniline system at every level, particularly for high power applications such as arenas,

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EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Brompton Technology’s Rob Fowler; Celestion’s John Paice; Cerwin Vega’s Stacey Payne; Chauvet Professional’s Graham Barron; Davide Barbetta and Renato Ferrari from Clay Paky; SGM’s Peter Johansen; The Chainmaster team with TPi’s Kelly Murray.

stadia, and large outdoor festivals.

ArKaos showed its complete range of media servers, marking the first European showing of all three servers side by side. Comprising the stage, studio and stadium servers, the range offers up to two, four and six-outputs respectively with features and controllability that meet any challenge or project requirement.

Newly presented was the MediaMaster 4.0, the latest and ever-more powerful version of ArKaos’ media server software.

Athletic displayed a mixture of products from its catalogue of Alustage stage platforms, trussing and construction accessories.

Audio-Technica showed its new range of M-Series professional monitoring headphones.

Taking cues from the sound and proprietary design of the acclaimed ATH-M50, the new ATH-M20x, ATH-M30x and ATH-M40x deliver accurate audio and outstanding comfort. The M50 headphones are used both on-stage and at FOH by the likes of Rudimental and Pablo McCarte (Deap Vally).

Avid introduced a number of new features to its Pro Tools 11 software, including Pro Tools / HDX and the AAX 64-bit plug-in format, which, together allow professionals to collaborate more efficiently and more quickly create and deliver higher quality content that stands out from the crowd. Pro Tools / HDX provides more tracks, headroom and up to five times more dedicated DSP power to tackle the industry’s most challenging post-production projects. The AAX 64-bit plug-in format delivers more accessible RAM for increased speed and performance.

Avolites and Avolites Media shared a dedicated stand for the first time and showcased its new S-Series of media servers, along with the latest generation in the Infinity 54

line, the Ai Infinity EX series.

Ayrton launched the NandoBeam S6, a compact, ultra-fast moving head equipped with 37 RGBW LED emitters, along with the WildBeam R LED beam light, which couples seven individually controlled 15W RGBW LED emitters with brand new, 67mm collimators, to create a powerful compact luminaire with a sharp 4.5º beam.

Exhibiting for the very first time, Backstage Academy launched to a European and global audience in Frankfurt. The Academy runs degree courses and short courses that cover the variety of creative and technical skills needed to work backstage in live event production. It also offers custom training programmes for entertainment industry professionals seeking to boost their knowledge or career prospects, with training in rigging, event safety, temporary electrical systems and stage pyrotechnics. beyerdynamic celebrated its 90th anniversary at the show. Visitors experienced not only the present with a range of its current line of products on show - including its new GMB 33/35 S microphone - but also the emotional history of the company by travelling through the past with antique products, a video clip and pictures of old stars of the musical scene, amusing advertisements, antique data sheets and pictures believed to be lost forever.

As a souvenir for the 90th anniversary, the ‘M 88 TG 90 Years’ microphone edition is available.

Beyma introduced the MC500 family of subwoofers featuring newly introduced X-Bow technology, alongside an upgraded version of its 18P1000Fe subwoofer -18P1000FeV2, which features an improvement in power handling.

Also new is the 18-inch 18PWB1000Fe, which is designed to deliver a lower end and deeper

sound. Extending the coaxial family is the new 10CX300Fe, designed for full range applications with extended low frequency response and accurate high frequencies thanks to the exclusive PM4 diaphragm.

This year B&K Braun presented many new products in different areas, such as the GLP X2 moving heads, the Ehrgeiz air DMX and the Ignition Pico XR. In addition to its stand, the company showcased its new LAX-System for the first time in the concert sound area.

Making its first appearance at this year’s show, Brompton Technology showcased its high spec Tessera LED wall processing system, with the option to upgrade existing panel inventory proving to be a big draw, especially among manufacturers, who, according to LED Development Manager, Rob Fowler: “Could see the benefit of adding better processing to their tiles as a way of differentiating themselves in a crowded market.”

Cadac’s show was as busy as it was successful, with several new products being unveiled, including an expanded MegaCOMMS network with a MADI network bridge and a MegaCOMMS router plus Waves integration for its flagship CDC eight which was running V2 software with advanced automation and new effects processing.

Also celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Celestion introduced its new FTX range of common magnet motor coaxial loudspeakers, available in 12-inch, 8-inch and 6.5-inch versions at the show. Also launched was the CDX143030, a new 1.4-inch exit, ferrite magnet compression driver.

Cerwin-Vega unveiled its new P1000X 10inch powered loudspeaker, the latest addition to its P-Series line. A more compact version of

on bright backgrounds: 100c / 60m / 30y / 0k

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on bright backgrounds: 100c / 60m / 30y / 0k

on dark backgrounds: 0c / 0m / 0y / 0k

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on bright backgrounds: 100c / 60m / 30y / 0k

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Come visit us at

Stands R-D18, R-A16 and R-A09

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Tom Hobman of Columbus McKinnon; The Sennheiser crew; Robert Giner from D.A.S Audio.

the original P1500X, the P1000X is suited for a variety of sound reinforcement applications, from live concerts to public speaking.

The company is also featuring the newest additions to its popular XD powered desktop loudspeaker series, which comprises the XD4 and XD5 loudspeakers and accompanying XD8s subwoofer.

ChainMaster celebrated its 20th anniversary at the show. 1994 saw the first of many triumphs for ChainMaster, when it presented at Prolight+Sound the world’s first VBG70-certified chain-hoist controller - a success which spurred the ChainMaster team to new heights. The next milestones in the ChainMaster story were the VarioLift, which first graced the (stage) world in 1998, and two years later, the VarioTrolley.

Chauvet Professional introduced its Rogue Series of moving head fixtures, made up of four models - the R1 Spot, R1 Beam, R2 Spot, R2 Beam. Rogue is a rugged line of fixtures that pack a powerful punch and offer a host of highperformance features like multi-prism rotation, zoomable prism, variable speed scrolling, LED gobo morphing and a massive light output.

Clay Paky’s stand was constantly crowded with countless industry professionals from every continent. There was a huge buzz around the stand due to the new products on show - the B-Eye, the SuperSharpy and the Stormy - and Clay Paky’s fabulously designed demonstrations designed by Lighting Designer, Marco Zucchinali, set the scene.

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Clear-Com announced the launch of ProGrid, a fibre-based infrastructure system that enables users to transport and distribute audio, intercom, video and control data. The introduction of the new products means that, in addition to its world-class communications systems, Clear-Com can now provide end-toend solutions for many types of installations that require signal distribution.

Coda Audio launched the Linus10 twochannel DSP amplifier - a stand alone unit and the key component of the Linus Rack20 and Linus Rack40, which provide complete system management solutions including amplification, DSP, network, comparator and power distribution for various Coda Audio systems.

Columbus McKinnon shared a stand with subsidiary hoist company, Pfaff. On display was Columbus McKinnon’s two-tonne single fall hoist, unveiled originally at PLASA. Tom Hobman, Sales Support Executive, said: “Prolight+Sound was a good show for us.

Sharing a stand with Pfaff brought a lot of new visitors to the stand. We were very busy throughout the show with a lot of good leads and enquires.” coolux, creators of the award-winning Pandoras Box product family, presented its Pandoras Box Compact Player - a hardwarebased media player that is both small in size and powerful. The robust Compact Player was developed for professional 24 / 7 use and is built using server-grade hardware. coolux also

previewed additional hardware components such as its Net Link products, as well as its Pandoras Box 5.7 software.

Core Brands showcased the latest innovations in its Furman line of power management products. Exhibiting with Trius Vertrieb, the new F1500-UPS E, PS-8R E III and an array of the company’s 230V rackmountable Pro products were on show. d3 Technologies announced its new pro range, consisting of two new hardware products, the d3 4x4pro and the d3 4x2pro.

Also announced was the r11.2, d3’s new software with four new features aiming to help improve show design and production workflow whilst cementing d3’s ‘push every pixel’ technology.

Dataton exhibited together with German premium partner Mediaservice Rainer Beddig.

The focus was on the new Watchnet which was presenting for the first time in Germany the new generation of the Watchpax media player and Watchout multi-display software, demonstrated in an advanced dome projection application on the stand. d&b audiotechnik showcased its R1 remote control software, enabling users to export complex sound reinforcement models straight from simulation software, via a remote control platform that provides seamless access to all functions, into the drive train of a sound reinforcement system.

DiGiCo exhibited with its new German

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: DiGiCo’s MD, James Gordon; Martin Audio’s Simon Bull; Cristina Marconi and Jeffrey Cox from 18 Sound; The Vue Audiotechnik team: Kyle Ritland and Jim Sides with Faik Haluk Akgun; ETC’s new desk, the Cobalt was on display as shown by Sophie Pierronnet; Daniela Bohl from Fohhn Audio.

distributor United-b and launched its new D2-Rack, designed to support and expand the SD Range’s higher sample rate I / O solutions.

It comes with either BNC or CAT5 MADI connections, allowing it to be used with a number of DiGiCo consoles. The console manufacturer also collaborated with Optocore for software integration.

Doughty Engineering introduced its innovative Doughty Rail. The new curtain track, which was designed and produced as a direct result of a customer request, sees Doughty fill a gap in the market by catering specifically for the needs of the semi-professional. An elegant walk-along rail for lightweight drapes, Doughty Rail comes in a natural aluminium finish, which complements the majority of interior fit-outs.

DPA Microphones presented its new d:fine 66 and 88 headset microphones - ideal for actors, musicians and singers who need to move freely and don’t want to be constrained by a hand-held microphone or a mic on a stand.

With the flexible mechanics of the d:fine ear mount and the capsules from the 4066 omni and 4088 cardioid headsets, the d:fine range covers every need.

DTS presented three lighting fixtures: Wonder, a double-optics LED wall washer featuring two concentric optical groups independent from each other, each with a long throw motorised linear zoom; Nick NRG 501, a LED moving head wash light that is equipped with seven high-power, full-colour LEDs and features 3.5º - 52º motorised zoom enabling a range of projections; and Max, a high-power compact moving head featuring a special optical group with wide excursion motorised zoom that 58

allows four different types of projection in a single moving head.

Duratruss presented its DuraStage Pro-Stage platforms. With a TÜV-tested loading capacity of 500kg / sq metres they are strong enough to bear massive loads for any kind of performance.

A universal aluminum profile with module clamps allows for setup in seconds and the adjustable legs level any unevenness in the floor by the simple turn of a screw.

Dynacord presented the latest member of its powered mixer family, the PM 502. The system includes five mic / line and three stereo inputs as well as a master section tailored to the needs of day-to-day use with three master outputs - each with an individual seven-band EQ. The PM 502 can be switched to 100V direct drive mode for direct connection to 100V or 70V loudspeaker lines without the need of an output.

Eighteen Sound presented the 18iD extended low frequency neodymium transducer.

The new subwoofer is engineered for maximum power transfer when operated with Class D and similar (iPal compatible) amplifiers. Designed for vented and bandpass subwoofer cabinets, the subwoofer works best with amplifiers capable of delivering 2,600W of power.

Elation Professional showcased three new luminaires in the Platinum range of professional moving heads including the Platinum Wash 16R Pro, a flexible feature-packed luminaire that has use as both a wash and beam; the Platinum Profile 35 Pro, a full-featured fixture with internal framing; and the Rayzor Beam 2R, a small and speedy fixture powerful enough to work alongside larger luminaires.

Equipson presented its Work Arion 5

compact self-powered line array system, which joins Arion 10 as part of the Arion Series. This new system is composed of four two-way satellites (SL 25), a self-powered tri-amplified subwoofer with built-in DSP (SL 115 SA) and a flying frame for rigging purpose. The UDA 16 column loudspeaker was also showcased offering the possibility to control the bandwidth of the system, minimising unwanted noises and audio losses and optimising the audio.

The Cobalt 10 control desk was presented for the first time on the ETC stand. It features the same short, direct operating syntax and onthe-fly operating style of the Cobalt 20 but with a 20% smaller footprint. Also on show was the Source Four LED CYC fixtures; the SmartPack Wall Mount + ThruPower control system; the Source Four Mini and Source Four Mini LED fixtures; and the Source Four LED Series 2 fixtures.

Electro-Voice presented its ETX powered loudspeakers. Unique features include a single-knob DSP interface with LCD, FIRDrive performance optimisation and Signal Synchronised Transducers (SST) waveguide design. The new ETX powered loudspeaker family builds upon the industry-leading innovation and 85-year heritage of Electro-Voice audio engineering to offer the most advanced professional portable powered loudspeakers available today.

Eurotruss enjoyed a busy and successful Prolight+Sound, introducing a selection of new stage decks and roof systems. The PR10 Pitch Roof received a lot of attention. Commercial Director, Peter Draaisma commented: “The fact that we had team members from headquarters

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EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Funktion One’s Ann Andrews; Outline’s Michele Noselli and Giorgio Biffi; Bryan Kelly and James Heron from Green Hippo; Frank Schrage of Eurotruss; Francesco Maffei from K-array; the LDR team; Le Maitre at PRG Festhalle.

and our foreign sales offices including representatives from our preferred partners all over the world, created lots of traffic and interaction. The reactions were great and another confirmation to accelerate our growth plans. Eurotruss faces a bright future.”

Eurotruss CEO, Martin Kuyper stated: “The Prolight+Sound exhibition is by far the best of its type in the world and attracts high quality national and international professional visitor. By presenting ourselves like we did, this exhibition will be a huge boost for our brand. Besides this we celebrated our 20th anniversary; many things have changed since my first attendance in 1994 and I am proud to see that we have grown with it.”

FBT presented several products, including its new Modus line array system. Modus is a constant curvature line array system comprising two modules, the Modus 4805LA and the Modus 4820LA, each one equipped with four by eight-inch neodymium magnet woofers and four by one-inch neodymium magnet HF compression drivers.

Fohhn Audio unveiled the latest addition to its Focus Series range of steerable line array systems. Focus Venue is a new high performance series, aimed at large venue installation and live sound applications.

FFA’s second foray into the show proved once again successful. Meetings with existing international distribution partners brought positive feedback from the past year’s trading.

Its four-channel amplifiers with DSP Ethernet control (now in second year of production) were 60

well received at this year’s show as a versatile solution to many audio applications.

Funktion One introduced the PSM318 DJ monitor, Resolution 3 SH Evo and Resolution 3 EH Evo to the show floor for the first time. Each two-part PSM318 comprises a new double 18inch bass reflex enclosure (PSM318L) providing very strong near-field sub-bass and a separate triple concentric enclosure for the rest of the frequency spectrum (PSM318H). The Resolution 3 SH Evo and EH Evo are the latest additions to Funktion-One’s Resolution Series. They are the next generation of the segmented products that are derived from the full-bodied Resolution 3. Both new products have an enhanced vocal presence due to the substitution of a 1.4-inch compression driver for the previous one-inch in the earlier Resolution 3 models.

Galaxis showcased its versatile G-Flame flame projector. The G-Flame can be used for indoor, outdoor and special effect applications.

The device offers many different control methods and besides cable control via DMX512, wireless DMX receivers can be powered from the XLR jack, thus eliminating the need for batteries.

Gerriets introduced its new acoustic range.

On show was the Aqflex acoustic system, a product that allows the adaptation of a room’s acoustics providing a greater degree of flexibility of use in any given space. In addition, Gerriets exhibited its award winning patented Batten Clew and also presented new developments and innovations in the projection screen field.

Topas represented the Swiss company

GIS AG showcasing its brand new lightweight electric chain hoist (12kg only) with a lifting capacity up to 250kg. The product was shown under the brand C-Force and created great customer interest from riggers and rental companies.

GLP celebrated two golden decades. Udo Künzler first set up GLP when the disco boom was still running at full tilt. It wasn’t long until he pioneered a hybrid that captured all the market requirements for fast mirror scanning with a pan and tilt housing the revolutionary Patend Light. The milestone was celebrated with a press party. Stated Udo Künzler: “This was a very special occasion for us and it was great to be able to welcome so many friends and supporters who have helped us along the way plus, of course, the world’s press.”

Green Hippo showcased the Hippotizer Chipmunk. The key features of the Hippotizer range, such as RegionMapper, and the soon to be released FlexRes codec, was on display for visitors to see and have a play with.

Harman Professional’s wide variety of brands had many new innovations on show. We delve into its new products below...

AKG introduced the new CSX IRS10 infrared language distribution system. Ideal for conferencing, tour guide and assistive listening applications, the CSX IRS10 offers 10 channels of digital infrared transmission and uncompromised security. Also introduced was the DMSTetrad digital wireless microphone system, featuring an integrated four-channel mixer, and an antenna front mount kit. With

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Orietta Rosso from Litec with mondo*dr’s Jamie Dixon and Rachael Rogerson; The Elation Professional booth; Meyer Sound’s Luke Jenks and Lee Moro; Midas launched its Pro X console.

24bit, 48kHz audio coding.

BSS Audio announced the addition of a cost-effective signal processor to its acclaimed Soundweb London family of digital signal processors. The new Soundweb London BLU-50 represents a premium, openarchitecture solution in the form of a highly flexible, cost-effective and scalable package. dbx announced the introduction of its driveRack PA2 loudspeaker management system, which enables a loudspeaker system to be quickly and accurately optimised for the best-possible sound quality. The PA2 is ideal for bands, musicians and artists who carry their own PA and for a wide range of installed sound applications.

JBL Professional announced the latest addition to its EON portable loudspeakers with the new EON600 Series. A complete departure from traditional approaches to affordable, self-contained and portable PA systems, the EON600 Series was purposely designed and built from the ground up using JBL’s advanced waveguide technology and proprietary transducers. Also introduced was the latest iteration of its comprehensive software for

live sound system configuration and control, JBL HiQnet performance manager version 1.7.

New to version 1.7 is support for JBL’s VTX F Series loudspeakers, new circuiting functionality, plus a host of other new capabilities.

Lexicon showcased its complete lineup of plug-in bundles: the PCM total bundle, PCM native reverb plug-in bundle, PCM native effects bundle, LXP native reverb bundle and MXP native reverb bundle.

The MAC Quantum from Martin by Harman made its European debut at the show.

Combining an impressive 750W of RGBW LED power with Martin’s market-leading optical system ensures Quantum’s 1:6 zoom operates with maximum output and superior performance. Also introduced were a range of new lighting solutions that include the MAC Quantum Profile, Martin ShowDesigner 6, as well as additions to its VC-Grids and VCStrips lines. Martin also launched numerous fixtures and showcased its entire Rush line, including the Wizard, MH 4 Beam and PAR 2 RGBW Zoom to name but a few, first introduced in 2013 to wide acclaim from the nightclub, bar, DJ, band and leisure environment 61

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Next Pro Audio’s Andre Correia and Antonio Correia; Optocore’s press conference; The Philips Entertainment stand; Eric Laanstra from Prolyte Group; Pioneer Professional Audio’s stand; Powersoft’s Luca Giorgi; Gioia Molinari of RCF.

markets.

Soundcraft introduced its brand new Vi3000 ’all-in-one’ digital live sound console, offering a host of state-of-the-art features including the groundbreaking internal DSP Soundcraft SpiderCore, a new industrial design, 96 channels to mix, onboard Dante compatibility and much more in a very compact footprint.

High End Systems was on hand to demonstrate its new Shapeshifter high-powered LED light. Two versions of the product are available: the Shapeshifter C1 (red, green and blue), and the Shapeshifter W1 (white), offering 24,000 and 27,000 lumins respectively. Seven independently controlled modules housed in one moving feature create a multitude of highly defined beams coming together to form an amazing array of effects from the incredibly bold to the ultra subtle.

Inspired Audio showcased the first products from the new mFlex MQ and iQ ranges, which will seek to broaden the product offer with MQ targeting the live performance market and iQ fixed installation. First releases from mFlex MQ will be the MQ12 and MQ15. While the former utilises a 12-inch mid / bass unit, and the later a 15-inch unit, both products share a common 1.4-inch exit HF compression driver on a CD horn.

J&C Joel had another successful show, launching the MagicFX Kabuki System and its new Airmesh fabric. The Kabuki System is a special effect in which a fabric is dropped swiftly from above to conceal or reveal your product, space or performers. It is a purposedesigned system for the event and theatre 62

industries and allows drops and releases to be made safely and reliably. Each power drop can hold up to 20kg making it ideal for some of the heavyweight J&C Joel fabrics too.

The response to JB Lighting’s two product highlights - the Sparx 7 and the Varyscan P8 - was really great among distributors and project planners. Many visitors from the theatre industry came to its stand, due perhaps in no small part to the fact that its A-Series has become a solid parameter in theatres and opera houses throughout Europe.

Kling & Freitag was on hand to show its Passio high-performance speakers with an integrated modular mounting system. The Passio meets the high demands of perfect acoustics as well as offering universal mounting options without sacrificing style.

K-array launched the Tornado series models for professional install applications and the new all-in-one KA24 and KA84 KA Series amplifiers. In addition, K-array showcased the latest innovative loudspeaker in the Anakonda Series - the Anakonda KAN200+. The Anakonda KAN200+ has been designed with 16 incorporated transducers, which are double the amount compared to its predecessor.

Kinesys first time exhibiting at Prolight+Sound saw it launch two important new products, which - together with its existing dynamic product ranges - attracted lots of interest and helped create a lively buzz in Hall 9.

The two new products launched were Velocity 2 drives and the Mentor range of SIL3 safety controllers, both of which received plenty of attention.

L-Acoustics introduced its K2 and Panflex

horizontal steering technology. With K2, L-Acoustics offers K1 performance in a rescaled package. K2 employs the L-Acoustics Panflex, a unique horizontal steering technology which combines mechanically adjustable fins with DSP algorithms effective from 300Hz, the K2 system flexibility makes it suited to both permanent installation and touring applications, from theatre to stadium productions.

Lake launched the latest version of its Lake Controller software, which features a number of key developments aimed at both live sound and large-scale fixed install applications. Across both Lab.gruppen’s PLM Series and Lake LM Series, v6.2 features fully implemented Lake Controller integration with AFMG’s FIRmaker, as well as a range of other benefits. Lab.gruppen also announced the latest release of its IntelliDrive Controller software for its DSP-enabled 1U amplifier platform, IPD Series.

Laserworld presented its ATTO and FEMTO Series. Both series offer very compact laser systems, which are completely equipped with diodes, which guarantee great beam specifications. With their low divergence of 0.8mrad, even longer distance projections are possible. The new fast RayScan scanners, manufactured by the Laserworld subsidiary RTI, come with up to 45kpps at 8° and make the devices perfect for a wide variety of applications.

Lawo presented Audio mixing consoles of Lawo’s mc² Series and the Innovason Eclipse desk at the show. The compact mc²56 and mc²66 consoles boasted new features, integrating the mc² AutoMix feature, which automatically adjusts the levels of active and

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: The Kinesys crew, Steve Fowler, Dave Weatherhead and Luis Diaz-Guerra Martinez; The Roland Systems Group stand; Andreas Gause and Kenny Janssens from ShowLED; the Robe Team; Dan Duffell from Solid State Logic; Jorg Liskatin from Tarm Showlaser.

inactive microphones while keeping a constant ambient level.

LDR announced a new addition, the Astro 200W LED. Designed for the professionals, Astro is the most powerful LED followspot available on the market. The power of the 200W LED module is enhanced by a state of the art optical design, which results in an outstanding light output and a perfect beam shaping at any angle.

Le Maitre provided further flame units and in excess of 200 pyrotechnics for the awards ceremony. Pyrotechnic products included: large silver airburst; red and green starbursts; line rockets; 30ft red and green mines with tail; 30ft crackle mines; 20ft by 20ft Stage Gerbs; and one 35ft stage gerbs. The company also exhibited a full product line-up including: Salamander Quad Pro; Salamander; HazeMaster;

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MVS Hazer; Neutron Hazer; Mini Mist; G300 and GForce Smoke Machines.

Italian manufacturer Litec showed an array of new products including its new LED Screen Ground Supports. There are eight standard led screen ground supports, based on Towerlift 3, Varitower 3-30, Maxitower 40, Maxitower 52 and Maxitowers 85 and variations are available on request. New diverse crowd barriers, ballast systems and dynamic stack tracks are also new for the company.

LMP was keen to show off the latest edition of its pamphlet magazine: LMP Access. In the Prolight+Sound issue LMP Access divulged details of two new brands under the LMP umbrella: ENTTEC and Lightline.

MA Lighting exhibited its MA VPU light (Video Processing Unit), a smart and compact video control offering nearly the

same performance as the successful MA VPU plus and MA VPU basic. The MA VPU light features sophisticated hardware and proven MA software. Furthermore, the in-built screen displays all essential information about the status of the MA VPU light. The MA VPU light offers two DVI-outputs and one VGA-output.

Martin Audio launched its new multipurpose DD12 two-way loudspeaker system. It combines onboard networking, DSP and Class D amplification with state-of-the-art transducers and differential dispersion horn technology to achieve high fidelity, output capability and coverage consistency across the audience.

MC2 audio produced a limited edition of its flagship E100 amplifier to coincide with its 21st birthday celebrations. Special prominence was given to its S series of amplifiers - having been specified in applications from top-end home

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Norbet Stengl on Laserworld’s stand; The Sommer Cable booth; Hekan Sjoo and Margie Ulm from Renkus-Heinz; The Agora stage was fully kitted out with Peavey equipment; The Lake and Lab.gruppen team; Dirk Hagedorn from Avid Technology.

cinema to reference studio monitoring.

Merging Technologies showcased its Hapi networked audio interface, providing the same Ravenna / AES67 connectivity as its father - the Horus - serving as an ideal interface for smaller systems.

Meyer Sound introduced its Lyon line array loudspeaker system, designed for large auditorium installations, as well as tours and festivals. Lyon linear line array loudspeakers are available in two versions: the Lyon-M main line array loudspeaker and the Lyon-W wide-coverage line array loudspeaker. Also making its debut was the MJF-210, the lightest self-powered stage monitor in the Meyer Sound

product line.

Music Group had an impressive presence at the show, hosting such prestigious brands as Midas which launched its new 271 channel Pro X console. The AES50 and HyperMAC audio networking provide ultra-low latency performance with true plug and play connectivity, ensuring set-up and configuration times are minimised. Integration comes via IP-compliant third party audio networks, such as Audinate Dante and Cirrus Logic CobraNet, using the Klark Teknik DN9650 Network Bridge. Music Group also had Klark Teknik, Turbosound, Behringer and Bugera products on show. Much talked about was Music

Group’s massive new campus currently being built which, when completed in mid-2014, will become home of up to 10,000 employees.

The campus will design, build and distribute products for the entire Music Group portfolio.

NEXO previewed its new GEO M6 compact loudspeaker series, a hugely versatile arrayable cabinet design that presents the modern NEXO hallmarks; true modularity, flexibility in use, high SPL output, and exceptional sonic clarity for speech and music reinforcement.

Neo-Neon reported having a great response to its products at the show, especially the exclusive Double Headed Gemini Series of LED moving heads and the Flash Series of LED RGB

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EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: XTA’s Waring Hayes; Matthieu Delquignies, Xavier Pion and Bruno Garros from APG; Dirk Gebhard from B&K Braun; Simon Browne conducted Clear-Com’s press conference.

and White Strobes. The show was also the first public appearance for the newly appointed European Sales and Marketing Director, Darren Jackson.

Next-proaudio debuted its HFA speaker series - fully powered PA systems designed to deliver high output and dynamics, extreme linearity and fidelity for unrivalled performance at a very competitive price. The heart of the new series is a powerful, 2,200W, lightweight, highly efficient class D power amplifier module, with switch mode power supply.

Optocore announced its new DiGiCo software implementation. Already partners with multiple console manufacturers, DiGiCo has advanced OEM Optocore and is running the native 2.21 Optocore protocol. At the stand demonstration, users were able to see each Optocore interface as a part of the combined network, showing how their X6R and V3R microphone preamps can be controlled directly from the console.

Outboard launched the first of a new suite of TiMax networking interfaces dubbed Connectivity by the company. The new MADI64 and Dante-64 Connectivity devices fit into the rear option slots of the TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and playback server to provide 64 channels in and out on the respective transport protocols.

Outline announced its best-selling Eidos range is to further expand with the addition of three new members, the X123W, the 6.5 and the 12 SP. In addition, the Movie Series 66

welcomed a new member with the FX 101.

Pangolin showcased its award-winning lineup of ScannerMAX products, including the Compact-506 and the new Saturn 1 highperformance scanning system, which were on display at its booth projecting three graphics shows, from a single projector, all at the same time, and all at a true 90k scan speed.

Peavey made a presence with its own venue at the show: the Agora Stage. The stage was kitted out entirely with Peavey Commercial Audio equipment including Versarray loudspeakers, Crest amplification, Nion and Digitool processors looking after speaker management. It was also the first test outing for the yet to be released Waves System, which offers simultaneous lighting and audio controlling in one console.

Philips Entertainment’s four premier brands - Selecon, Showline, Strand Lighting, and Vari-Lite - debuted a raft of exciting new products. Philips Vari-Lite unveiled the VL4000 Spotlight, Showline Premiered the SL NITRO 510C, Selecon premiered the LED RAMA Fresnel, and Strand Lighting unveiled its brand new expandable control system.

Making its debut at this year’s show, Pioneer Professional Audio showcased its flagship GSWave series club system, released in 2013, and its XY series professional installation speakers.

The show proved incredibly successful for the Pro Audio team with the GS-Wave series commanding a great deal of interest from influential Pro Audio distributors, end users and

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Helmut Seidl and Gunther Matejka on the Electro-Voice stand; J&C Joel’s Martin Van Hekken with FOS Global’s Jas Parekh and J&C Joel’s Claire Taylforth; Tom Harrold of Audio-Technica; GLP celebrated its 20th anniversary at this year’s show... Here’s to 20 more!

members of the press.

Powersoft unveiled its X Series, consisting of two models. The X8 is the largest amplifier in the range, boasting eight channels in a 2U chassis, while the X4 features four channels in a single rack unit. Both models share the same power density, being capable of delivering up to 5,200W at two ohms per channel.

PR Lighting previewed a new flagship LED moving head and no fewer than six other, fully featured lighting projectors: the XLED 2007 Beam, the XR230 Spot, the XR330 Spot, the XR1000 Spot, the XR1000 Beam, the LED Studio 3400 and the Car Show Lamp.

Prolyte launched a series of new products including the LinLine deck, the LiteStructures range of truss, the AETOS controllers and the 250kg hoist. The stand was frequently brimming with people, there were some really productive meetings, and some great feedback on numerous products launched at the show.

Pulsar launched the LumaFlood 130i and the LumaWash 130i. These two LED lighting fixtures combine high power, high efficacy and white LEDs to output up to 13,000 Lumens with a rated power of just 13W. When RCF last year took the decision to overhaul its pioneering TT22-A and TT25-A speakers from its Theatre & Touring range, the new RDNet-ready TT1-A, TT2-A and TT5 represented a significant upgrade in specs.

Explained Director of R&D, Alessandro Manini: “What we have with the new TT22-A II and TT25-A II is precisely that. These are

two multi-purpose systems that offer great value - carrying less weight but offering greater flexibility - they look better and are better presented. Also included in the new range is the TT25-CXA (Coaxial Active) monitor.

Renkus-Heinz displayed its full line of Iconyx steerable line array systems. Full IC Live and IC Live Dual systems were also on display, as well as IC2, and all configurations of third-generation Iconyx IC-R-II systems with triple tweeter technology.

Riedel presented its MN-ST-AL-2, the company’s new MediorNet expansion card for Studer consoles. The MN-ST-AL-2 card provides two ports, each with redundant interfaces, for connecting Studer mixing consoles via the Studer A-Link protocol.

Celebrating its 20th year, Robe introduced several new products including the LEDBeam 1000, CycFX 4, PARFect 100 and the Actor 3, 6 and 12. Also on display from Robe were a series of new battery powered products - a result of Robes recent investment in UK company GDS, manufacturer of the LiteWare series of battery powered LED products.

Robert Juliat exhibited its range of lighting fixtures and showcased its expertise in followspot design with examples of its Lancelot, Cyrano and Victor followspots on the stand.

Roland Systems Group launched its S-2416 Stage Unit. The new Roland S-2416 digital snake stage unit expands the current line up by offering 24 analogue pre-amps and 16 analogue outputs. The S-2416 also hosts an eight by 67

EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: The Nexo press conference; Björn Gaentzsch from MA Lighting; The DPA Microphones press conference.

eight AES / EBU port to provide a digital input / output environment enabling direct connection to speaker processors, amps and other devices.

Sennheiser’s interactive stand with live music and DJs formed the backdrop for its MK8 studio microphone launch. The long-awaited sister model to the MK 4, this professional recording microphone features five switchable polar patterns (omni-directional, wide cardioid, cardioid, super-cardioid, figure-of-eight) to adapt to any recording situation. Sennheiser also unveiled its 1.8 GHz– to the benchmark Digital 9000 system wireless microphone systems.

SGM celebrated several milestones at the show. First, Michael Herweg, head of SGM Deutschland GmbH, was able to present Fürth

based dry hire company, Motion Light with a special golden P-5 to mark the 1000th sale of the high-selling / high-powered energy efficient wash light. In addition, PRG placed a massive order of 250 P-5’s with SGM UK. ShowLED unveiled its curtain Animation Hybrid; designed for the biggest set up possible, yet still a very budget friendly solution. It is both immersible and highly UV-resistant. It has a standard LED density of 25 / 33 / 42 LEDs / yd squared, and allows individual programming and control of each LED. Sommer Cable once again presented its product portfolio at its 100sqm large booth.

The focus of attention lay on the novelties from its in-house brand Cardinal DVM, who

announced the broadening of its DVM 120 series with the single-channel model versions DVM-120-DIS and DVM-120-DISH. Spotlight exhibited its FollowLED 250 RGBW, a world first offering full RGBW LED illumination with only 300W and a sophisticated optical system. The design allows illumination in an area of approximately six meters wide and seven meters in height, positioned at a distance from the backdrop of only one and a half meters.

Solid State Logic announced a trio of major new developments for its acclaimed Duende Native range. The three new plug-ins complement the existing range with two plugins (X-Saturator and X-ValveComp) designed to

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EXPO: Prolight+Sound 2014

Below: Robert Juliat’s Severine Zucchiatti caught reading sister publication, mondo*dr!; The United FX team; Rick Scharpenberg and Stefan Klinge of Riedel.

bring some analogue saturation and distortion emulation to your digital DAW and the third (X-Phase) delivering high precision frequency specific phase correction.

Visitors to its booth could enjoy a demonstation of the SSL Live Console which featured the new V2 software, enabling more than 25 new features to the desk.

Steinigke Showtechnic presented three Infinity models to add to Futurelight’s range: the DMH-75 spotlight with its powerful 75W LED, rotating gobos, many colors, motorised focus and a rotating prism; the PLB-130 beam with its Osram Sirius HRI 132W discharge lamp and the Eye-7 RGBW with Seven Quadcolour LEDs. Symetrix co-exhibited on the stand of German distributor Trius with a selection of its most popular solutions for installed applications and an upgraded version of SymNet Composer software. One of the key appearances was the latest version of SymNet Composer software - a product that offers user-intuitive experience for integrators.

There were many new products to be seen on Tarm Showlaser’s stand. Among these included the LaserDot, an ultra-compact DMX controllable laserdiode with 1.5W output in red, green and blue; and the Tarm LaserJacket - a product that has already been enthusing audiences. Ralf Lottig, Managing Director, drew positive conclusions from the show, and stated: “We made a lot of new contacts and had many interesting conversations. The show provided the ideal platform for our customers to experience our newest products through live demonstrations.”

Universal-Effects presented in preview three new brands at the show: United FX - customisable, specially created for the DJs and small clubs; Design Aroma - fragrance diffuser and bright design, a new range destined for any professional or business sector; and finally Premium Fluid - a new range of fluids with a revolutionary concept of new packaging - both economic, practical and ecological.

VER enjoyed fresh interest from new clients based in the Middle East, especially with regard to its higher resolution products on

display such as the Revolution RS5, a 5mm indoor / outdoor product which was used during Bruno Mars’ set on the Superbowl Half Time show.

Verlinde added a heavy loads version to its range of new generation Stagemaker SR hoists.

With its one-metric ton lifting capacity, Stagemaker SR10 is ideal for the handling of grids and scenographic equipment of large capacity. Stagemaker SR hoists are the only ones on the market to be equipped as standard with double brake, special Chainflux chain guide, patented Perfect Push hoist load wheel, retractable carrying grips and protective rubber coating where necessary.

Visual Productions showed its latest innovation with the product launch of Cuety: Lighting Control for iOS. Cuety is a new generation lighting controller that can transform an Apple iPad into a powerful lighting console. The app works together with the new LPU-1 lighting engine.

Vue Audiotechnik officially introduced its new hs-20 subwoofer with Active Compliance Management (ACM) technology.

Originally developed for the highly praised hs-28 and hs-25 systems, Vue’s patent-pending ACM technology combines a unique hybrid transducer alignment with sophisticated onboard electronics to deliver more output and low frequency impact than more conventional vented designs, while minimising the need to increase overall enclosure dimensions.

White Light debuted its latest exclusive product - the 150W Phoenix LED profile from American manufacturer Altman Lighting. The 150W Phoenix shares the same high quality optics and functional features as its compliment, the award-winning 250W Phoenix LED, but offers lower power consumption and a fan-less convection cooling system for drastically reduced noise.

Wireless Solution announced the debut of its new W-DMX triple band technology which will meet the latest European-wide regulations, with 5.2GHz in all W-DMX BlackBox and ProBox units as standard. With the 5.2GHz frequency, the maximum allowed output power is 200mW, which will provide a distance of

approximately 100mW output power on the 2.4GHz. XTA followed on from the success of its flagship DP548 dynamic management system by introducing its newest family member, the DP544. The DP544 includes all the features of the DP548 but now comes in a four input - four-output format. Other products on show included the 4 Series, DC1048 installation management, the DS8000 and the DS8000D digitally enabled audio distribution, as well as live

connected AudioCore and iCore.

While the launch of the QL series digital mixing consoles was the headline event of Yamaha’s presence at the show, Yamaha also unveiled the brand new R Remote, a software solution that allows engineers to control the head amps of R Series I /O units from a Windows PC - already being used on at least one touring production.

TPi Prolight+Sound 2015 takes place on April 15-18 http://pls.messefrankfurt.com

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CLOCKING OFF: Rock Against Cancer

SIX YEARS AGO AFTER HIS BROTHER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER, MONITOR ENGINEER TO SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY, GRUBBY (JOHN CALLIS) WAS URGED BY HIS WIFE, CHERYL, TO ATTEND A PSA BLOOD TEST. FEELING FINE AND WITHOUT SYMPTOMS, HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT ALL WOULD BE WELL. THE AFFILIATION IN OUR INDUSTRY THAT WE ARE INFALLIBLE IS UNFORTUNATELY NOT THE CASE. WHEN GRUBBY GOT THE NEWS, HE WENT INTO BOTH SHOCK AND DENIAL. WHEN HE EVENTUALLY GOT HIS HEAD AROUND THE FACT THAT HE WAS FIGHTING CANCER, HE ‘GOT IT TOGETHER’ AND PUT HIS ENERGY INTO SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE TO HIS PEERS. HERE GRUBBY TELLS TPi READERS HOW HE’S ADDRESSING THE DISEASE WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS...

After going through the operation to remove the prostate and thinking ‘that’s it, onwards we go’, a routine blood test six months later revealed it was back bigger than before. I then underwent radio therapy for six weeks.

During this time Andy Scott (The Sweet) also got diagnosed with prostate cancer.

We decided that to help with the healing we wanted to put on a gig on in the garden behind our local pub, The Kings Arms in All Cannings, UK, to raise money for cancer charities. After two years planning and recieving help from every one I knew, from my best man Tim Briccusse and Barrie Marshall and Wolfie (Marshall Arts), we started calling in favours and managed to get Rock Against Cancer on its way.

Brian May, Mike Rutherford and all the guys we’ve worked for over the last 36 years all got the email and down to sunny Wiltshire they came. Pab, Robert, Swanny and the Clair Audio guys, Mike Groves and his Stage Miracles, Pete Wills with the power supply, EST and Beat The Street with trucks and buses and many, many more showed their support.

The dream behind the event was to have a great time without the restraints of production offices, no riders, no special treatment and plenty of time to load in and out. The pub became the backstage catering area and it didn’t shut for the week. Everyone who came that first year had the best time, crew and musicians alike. We raised lots of money too, so 70

it was mission accomplished.

The 2012 line up inlcuded The SAS All Stars with Brian May, Midge Ure, Mike and The Mechanics, Tom Robinson, Chris Thompson, Madeline Bell, Patti Russo; The Sweet, The Strawbs, Dave Kelly Blues Band and the legend Whispering Bob Harris.

We all had such fun that we had to have another go. In 2013, we called in even more favours, the team from year one were in and so the team grew. Liz Madden and Steve ‘Jumbo’ Richards from NoNonsense Group brought us a new, bigger stage and we aimed higher.

The support from the locals in the village was infectious and they all wanted to do more.

They volunteered their time to make the event a success once again. They were duly rewarded with many of the stars enjoying an impromptu jamming session in the pub after the gig. Noone wanted the special day to end!

The 2013 line up followed with Roger Taylor, Jeff Beck, Madeline Bell, Kiki Dee, 10cc, The Blues Band, Dr Feelgood and Georgie Fame and Mike Read as compare. 2014 will see Rock Against Cancer taking place once again at The Kings Arms. We have fantastic support from some true friends. All the suppliers are sticking with us and we could not ask for more.

Crew and bands are coming forward as word gets around…it’s truly amazing. I would like to thank Paul McCartney, Brian May, Michael Eavis, Tom Robinson, Andy Scott and many more for

very kindly doing a selfie wearing our t-shirts, this has helped massively to raise our profile and has opened many doors for us getting 2014 up and running and into the media. Word has spread and the fundraising continues to rise.

This year we have The Boomtown Rats, The Straits, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Los Pacaminos and for the cider drinkers, The Troggs.

In two years, we have raised in excess or £35,000 and our first target is £50,000 which we hope to reach this year. We have financed a pioneering prostate program in Bristol with gold implants that target the cancer with very little side effects (I wish it was there six years ago) and 30 guys have benefited from that treatment so far. The whole idea behind this when myself and Andy had the treatment was to raise awareness in our industry and that crew, musicians and management should make time for regular check-ups. We are all fallible and have lost some great friends over the years so please don’t be shy.

Anyway, enough of that! Come down to ‘Grubby’s Garden Party’, as Mike Groves calls it.

This year’s Concert at the Kings takes place on May 31.

Cheers, Grubbs. [pictured in the middle of the centre photo]. www.concertatthekings.co.uk

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Soundcraft

SOUNDCRAFT Vi3000 PRELAUNCH IN LATE FEBRUARY, TPi TRAVELLED TO HARMAN PROFESSIONAL’S POTTERS BAR HEADQUARTERS FOR THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED PRE-LAUNCH OF ITS LATEST MIXING CONSOLE, THE SOUNDCRAFT Vi3000, AHEAD OF ITS FIRST OFFICIAL OUTING AT FRANKFURT’S PROLIGHT+SOUND SHOW. Upon entering Soundcraft’s HQ after midday, the press - having just gauged on the generous buffet laid out by the Soundcraft team - was treated to a guided walk of the facilities.

On the final leg of the tour en route to the unveiling of the Vi3000, we were taken through corridors housing antiquated Soundcraft analogue mixing equipment, reel-to-reel tape machines and consoles - including one of the actual machines used in the recording of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album. Relics of yesteryear though they may be, it was a stark reminder of the audio pedigree running through Soundcraft’s veins - a poignant precursor to the unveiling of the Vi3000, a desk which soundcraft has billed as its next generation of digital console.

With a host of state-of-the-art features, this latest offering promises to meet the demands of a new era of the live and touring environments.

“The Vi3000 is designed for medium to large tour venues, houses of worship, large club venues, performing arts centres and theatres,” said Keith Watson, Soundcraft’s Marketing Director. “The Vi3000 extends the 72

current Vi family which includes the Vi1, 4 and 6 and addresses a price point that, before now, we were unable to reach with the larger Vi consoles.”

Andy Brown, Vi Series Senior Product Manager, unveiled the Vi3000 to the gathering of industry professionals in one of Soundcraft’s specially-created recording studios. Brown stated: “The Vi3000 fits into the Vi range but it’s also stepping into the future. I’ve been involved with the Vi series since we launched the first console eight years ago. Since then we’ve sold thousands of Vi consoles and it’s almost re-established the Soundcraft brand in the live market and cemented our position as a serious brand within that sector.

“There’s a whole new look to the surface but it is still recognisable as part of the Vi family.

We’ve got dramatic cosmetic changes and industrial design changes, different end cheeks and colour schemes and new graphics on the screen,” he said.

Part of the console’s new appearance is the more efficiently designed control surface housing 36 faders, 24 mono / stereo busses and a sweeping black screen panel with four

Vistonics II touch screen interfaces with high resolution, updated 3D graphics. Watson added: “Incidentally, the Vi Series offers more touch screen controls than any other professional mixing console.” Consequently, it’s the only console in its class that can be used by two engineers at the same time.

“Visibility of parameters and easy access to them are the most important features a console can have,” added Brown. “When something unexpected happens - as it always does in live sound - being able to see a lot of settings quickly is a massive advantage.

“The new Vi3000 represents a massive leap forward in digital console design and functionality, while also keeping the best elements of the Vi4 and Vi6 consoles. We have a totally new internal core based on the highly successful Studer Vista 1 and a completely new; more efficiently designed surface running updated operating software. Compared to other consoles in its price range, the Vi3000 offers more input channels, more busses, more faders, and a user interface like no other. We are proud to say the Vi3000 is simply unparalleled in its category.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Soundcraft

Opposite: Andrew Pat, Industrial Designer; Andy Brown, Vi Series Senior Product Manager, Brian Gleeson, Software Engineer. Below: Keith Watson, Marketing Director, listened alongside the press to Brown’s presentation; these new Soundcraft technologies will see the Vi3000 take the lead in the brand’s new generation of digital consoles.

Watson furthered: “The Vi3000 is an allin-one-box solution (with optional stage box) incorporating the Studer-developed internal SpiderCore DSP engine. With V4.8 software, our existing Vi customers enjoy a big increase in features plus the addition of the Soundcraft Realtime Rack plug-in engine developed with Universal Audio.”

Along with its greatly expanded functionality, the Vi3000 retains all the features that have given the Soundcraft Vi Series console its strong market presence, such as FaderGlow illuminated faders that display different colours according to function; the ability to store and recall snapshots and cues; compatibility with Soundcraft’s ViSi app that allows remote control from an iPad; built-in Lexicon reverb / delays; dbx compression and a whole bank of effects.

“The brand values of the Vi Series are that you can go out every night and get a great sound out of the desk, you know that the sound quality is good, the user interface is good. The Vi delivers all that and gives both the end user and the rental house peace of mind. The Vi3000 is no exception.”

One of the most well-received features at the launch was the extensive rear panel connectivity offered by the Vi3000. In addition to a full

complement of analogue and digital inputs and outputs, the console provides MIDI, USB, Ethernet, DVI out, Dante / MADI record feed outputs, redundant power supply and other connections.

The Vi3000 has two expansion bays that can be fitted with MADI Stagebox cards, to connect multiple Soundcraft Stagebox input expander modules. The console can also accommodate the new Soundcraft Realtime Rack, a hardware / software unit designed in collaboration with plug-in manufacturer Universal Audio that provides access to 74 industry-standard UAD plug-ins.

“Another first is that the Vi3000 is the first Soundcraft desk to have a built-in Dante interface as standard,” said Brown, “Up to now we have optional cards - and the Vi3000 still has card options - but it’s got Dante built-in as standard in order to enable access to any Dante enabled product, or alternatively, to use as a recording feed using a Dante virtual sound card driver that Audinate provides.”

All in all, the launch was extremely wellreceived by the press. Vi Series Senior Product Manager, Andy Brown, answered all the impromptu questions thrown at him, in addition to some questions about the console!

The next time TPi managed to catch a glimpse of the Vi3000 console was at Harman Professional’s stand at Prolight+Sound. And it was, literally, a glimpse - our view was more than slightly impaired on numerous occasions by the multitudes of gatherers enjoying a demonstration of the console.

Said Watson of the Vi3000’s debut in Frankfurt: “It was the most popular console launch we’ve had. Recent Si Performer and Si Expression launches were of course based on higher volumes, but given the pro level of the Vi3000 we were permanently engaged in demos for all four days. Individual responses as well as rental house reactions were overwhelmingly positive, we couldn’t really have hoped for a better response.”

With the first batch of the Vi3000 already sold and an official American launch yet to come at the NAB show in Las Vegas on 7 April; if the first month of its release is anything to go by, the rest of 2014 should be a very successful year for the Vi3000 indeed...

TPi

Photos: Patrick McCumiskey www.soundcraft.com 73

MARKET FOCUS: Live Sound Consoles

LIVE SOUND CONSOLES ALLEN & HEATH

www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath has introduced the 30 in / 24 out Qu-24 to its Qu Series of compact digital mixers, which also includes the rack mountable Qu-16. The Qu-24 features total recall of settings (including 25 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps), an intuitive touchscreen, Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder, dSNAKE for remote I / O and personal monitoring, multi-channel USB streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app, and iLive’s renowned effects library to deliver class-leading audio quality. The Qu-24 features a dedicated fader per microphone input channel, 24 microphone / line inputs, three stereo inputs, four effects engines with four dedicated sends and stereo returns, and 20 mix outputs including two Stereo Matrix Mix Outputs.

ALTAIR

wwww.altairaudio.com

Meet the Altair Electra E-3. This analogue console offers many novel functions, including cable test on inputs and digital equalisation / dynamics in 16 auxiliary inputs. Motorised CA faders allow many intuitive layer functions. Offered in 32 / 40 / 48M+4S input channel configurations, the E-3 features eight subgroups, 16 auxiliaries, eight motorised volume control amplifiers (VCA’s), an eight by 16 matrix and LCR masters.

Eight mute masters store 100 scenes, and digital parametric-equalisation and dynamics complement the auxiliaries. Inputs have a four-band EQ, with peak-shelf-switchable low frequency / high-frequency bands and fully parametric mid frequencies. Metering is extensive, with nine-step LEDs next to each fader, along with 24 LED meters on the auxiliaries and groups and four mechanical volume unit metres (VU) for PFL / LCR masters. An optional redundant power supply is also available.

APB-DYNASONICS

www.apb-dynasonics.com

APB-DynaSonics is one of only a few remaining manufacturers of analogue audio consoles intended for live performance. The company is located in Totowa, New Jersey, with all products currently manufactured in the United States. Products range from single space rack mixers through to large format consoles. The most popular product is its ProRack-House mixer with up to 20 microphone inputs, four subgroups, and left-right, Center, and Mono mixed outputs in a 10 Rack Space product. Its most unique product is called MixSwitch intended to easily switch outputs between two consoles for system redundancy or for switching between dedicated consoles for different performers or applications.

AVID

www.avid.com

The Avid S3L System delivers the sound quality, performance, and features of Avid live systems in an all-new modular, networked design. The open and flexible system comprises of a high-performance HDX-powered mix engine running Venue software and AAX DSP plug-ins, scalable remote I / O, compact EuCon-enabled control surface, and Pro Tools software for integrated live sound mixing and recording. For artists and musicians, S3L delivers the audio clarity and studio processing they need to sound and perform at their best.

For engineers, having a high-performance engine at the core empowers them to create richly layered mixes quickly and champion their clients’ signature sounds. Ideal for touring, installation or in any performance venue, S3L easily responds to a broad range of demands.

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MARKET FOCUS: Live Sound Consoles

BEHRINGER

www.behringer.com

The Behringer X32 Digital Mixer’s 32 Midas-designed microphone preamps, 25 motorised faders and buses, 16 XLR outs, and much more, make it ideal for live or studio applications. New v2.0 firmware provides dramatically enhanced workflow and adds new capabilities, including ‘Acoustic Integration’ for total connectivity and control of loudspeaker and IEM systems. X32’s more than 50 onboard FX, and additional new classic processor plug-ins now feature Behringer’s proprietary ‘True Physical Modelling’. Swappable expansion cards support USB (included), ADAT, MADI and Dante protocols for expanded versatility, along with onboard Ultranet and AES50 connectivity - and remote mixing from smart devices and computers. The award-winning Behringer X32 provides the ultimate in digital mixing power.

CADAC

www.cadac-sound.com

The CDC eight is Cadac’s flagship digital live audio console with 128 channels and 48 outputs as standard coupled with an exceptionally tactile and intuitive user interface. It boasts a unique ‘high agility’ control surface, accessed via 24-inch hi-definition touch screens with a further six-inch touch screen accessing the system control and automation. The CDC eight is available in two formats: dual screen with 32 faders or single screen with 16 faders. The CDC eight’s signature sound is a result of Cadac’s legendary microphone pre circuitry combined with a proprietary DSP platform featuring a time-aligned, phase-coherent mix bus architecture. With a far less menu dependent operating system than other digital consoles, the CDC eight offers an unparalleled user experience with exceptional audio quality.

DIGICO

www.digico.biz

The SD7 is top of DiGiCo’s SD Range and is the first console to capture the power of Stealth Digital Processing.

Its footprint is smaller than other consoles in its class, yet it is vastly more powerful. Two engines and dual redundant power supplies provide full redundancy. A 2GB optical system allows up to two optical loops, giving 14 racks per loop (a total of 28), each with 56 inputs and 56 outputs. Multiple touch screens can accommodate more than one operator; two optional expander units attached via CAT5E allow for remote connection or additional operators. The SD Range has console sizes to fit any application, all offering the same powerful processing abilities and superb sonic quality as the SD7.

DYNACORD

www.dynacord.com

With its CMS series, Dynacord presents its latest high-quality mixers. One of a total of four mixers, the CMS 1000-3 offers a host of outstanding features. These include high-quality, extremely low-noise, microphone preamps; six AUX busses; two 24-bit stereo effects units; an 11-band graphic equaliser; vocal voicing filters; and a low-cut filter. Also integrated is a four-in / four-out USB interface. The effects section of the CMS 1000-3 is as extensive as it is practical - with two separately editable effects processors with two 100 factory presets, two 20 user presets, remote control (via MIDI), tap delay, USB configuration as well as a large, highcontrast OLED display. The CMS 1000-3 is equally well suited for live performance on stage or in the studio.

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MARKET FOCUS: Live Sound Consoles

INNOVASON

www.innovason.com

The Eclipse live console from the renowned Innovason brand offers impressive performance and unique features not found in any other console. The integrated M.A.R.S Multi-track Audio Recording System enables users to record rehearsals and later, while actors and musicians are off-stage, fine-tune their mix without pressure. For theater applications, musical productions and TV shows, the newly released Eclipse SoundPad is a M.A.R.S. plug-in that lets users set, manage and play sound effects with the touch of a button. Up to 64 audio files can be triggered in various ways to deliver needed sound effects and ancillary audio tracks right on cue. The amazingly compact but powerful console is equally at home in FOH, monitors or OB van applications.

LAWO

www.lawo.com

Initially introduced as a broadcast console, the Lawo mc²56 is finding increased use in theater and live applications. FOH mixers appreciate the core features of the console that are vital for their applications: unrivaled audio quality, failure-proof operation through extensive redundancy options, and intuitive usability.

Preparing productions in advance helps reduce time pressure on site. This is made possible with the console’s included mxGUI PC software application that can also be used to remotely control the console or act as a backup. An advanced AutoMix feature helps manage all mono, stereo and surround channels, and the available number of channels and frame options makes the mc²56 a perfect solution for just about any size of live event.

MIDAS

www.midasconsoles.com

The compact Midas Pro2C is a powerful, live digital mixing console that is feature-rich and versatile in its functionality. When paired with a single Midas DL251 Stage Box, the PRO2C provides 48 Midas microphone / line inputs and 16 analogue XLR outputs onstage - in addition to the eight microphone / line inputs and 16 XLR analogue outputs at the console. Users have a total of 64 input channels and 27 phase-coherent mix buses at their disposal, which comprise 16 user-configurable buses and eight matrices. As with all Midas PRO Series desks, engineers already familiar with Midas can just load their existing show files straight into the PRO2C, regardless of which Midas digital console was used to create them.

PRESONUS

www.presonus.com

PreSonus StudioLive AI-series digital mixers offer analogue-style workflow, a large analogue patch bay, extensive dual signal processing with A / B comparison on every channel and bus, and an onboard multichannel FireWire s800 interface with optional Thunderbolt, Dante, or AVB networking. New Active Integration technology provides direct Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking with a tightly integrated software suite for Apple Mac, Windows, and iOS, including Capture 2.1 recording software with true Virtual Soundcheck mode and VSL-AI with Smaart System Check Wizards. StudioLive AI mixers are available in 16, 24, and 32-channel configurations with 16, 20, and 24 dedicated mix buses, respectively.

QSC

www.qsc.com

TouchMix, from QSC, offers musicians, production professionals and live venues the power of a large-format console in a portable, affordable, easy-to-use product. Available in two sizes, TouchMix-8 with 12 input channels and TouchMix-16 with 20, the new mixers include comprehensive EQ and dynamics processing on each input, main and aux output channel, and four mix busses feeding four internal digital effects processors. Featuring four (TouchMix-8) or ten (TouchMix-16) auxiliary output channels, TouchMix also has ample stage monitor mixing capabilities. With a library of channel presets designed by expert live sound engineers, alongside Simple and Advanced operating modes to assist novices while maintaining full control for experienced engineers, TouchMix has everything needed to help users of all abilities achieve great results quickly.

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13/11/2013 10:52

MARKET FOCUS: Live Sound Consoles

ROLAND

www.rolandsystemsgroup.co.uk

The Roland M-480 48 channel live digital mixing console is now available with a five year warranty, the superb sound quality, powerful functions, expandability options and intuitive operation of the Roland M-480 48 Channel Digital Console enable an enhanced level of flexible audio processing. With 48 mixing channels plus six stereo returns for a total of 60 channels, six built-in stereo (dual-mono) multi-effects and twelve graphic EQs (switchable to eight-band PEQs), four-band advanced parametric EQ and delays on all inputs and outputs, the M-480 is ideal for live events, mobile production, broadcasting and sound installation. The M-480 also supports a cascade connection that enables 96 channels of mixing by connecting a second unit - all via one simple Cat5e/6 cable. The M-480 can be controlled remotely with a PC / Apple Mac.

SOLID STATE LOGIC

www.solidstatelogic.com/live

Live is a flexible and extremely powerful digital audio console designed specifically to meet the demands of all aspects of live production. It is perfectly suited to touring or installation, FOH or monitors, to venues, arenas, houses of worship, theatres and concert halls, to anywhere where audio quality is important and engineers require power, complete flexibility and a user interface that puts them in control. Live provides 976 inputs and outputs, 192 full processing audio paths at 96kHz and a full complement of stage I / O options. The control surface features two multi touch gestural touchscreens, beautifully ergonomic hardware controls and exceptional levels of visual feedback. Control surface layouts can be configured to suit different applications… and it sounds like an SSL desk.

SOUNDCRAFT

www.soundcraft.com

The latest addition to Soundcraft’s Vi range of digital live consoles, the new Vi3000 brings unparalleled mixing power to the live touring, install and corporate AV markets in a single-box, cost-effective package.

The new console combines the unique Vistonics-based control surface concepts of the Vi4 and Vi6 consoles, with Soundcraft SpiderCore - a powerful integrated DSP and I/O engine providing 96 inputs and 24 stereo busses. I / O includes up to 48 mic / line inputs and 16 line outputs, two 64ch expansion slots, allowing up to two MADI-based Stageboxes to be connected, built-in 64 by 64ch Dante interface for direct recording/ playback to any PC or Mac-based recording software, and an additional optical MADI interface ideal for connection of the new Soundcraft Realtime Rack Plug-in processing engine developed with Universal Audio.

YAMAHA

www.yamahaproaudio.com

Featuring virtually all the facilities of the industry-leading CL series digital consoles in a very compact form, Yamaha’s new QL1 and QL5 digital mixers are ideal for small-to-medium sized productions on their own, thanks to their onboard input/output connections. However, onboard Dante networking means they can be seamlessly integrated into bigger systems with Yamaha’s CL series and R-series I / O units. And, thanks to the new Port to Port facility, CL series consoles can have full access to the QL’s onboard I / O, complete with Auto Gain Compensation, allowing precisely scalable audio solutions to be created. With Dan Dugan’s revolutionary auto-mixing provided onboard, QL consoles are perfect for a wide range of live applications whether music, speech or any mixture of both.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS Sponsored by www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

MOVERS & SHAKERS A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for the Luminex range of high performance networking solutions designed for the entertainment industry. With immediate effect, Luminex will be available from and supported by AC-ET to its large customer base of entertainment technology dealers and end users.

Fabrice Gosnet, Luminex Product Manager, commented: “AC-ET’s vast knowledge and experience covering all entertainment technology fields, with their extensive customer base, makes them a natural fit to achieve our growth plans for Luminex in the UK. I’m really looking forward to us working together.”

APG has announced the appointment of experienced pro audio professional, Scott Fraser, who is to head up APG’s UK sales operation. The appointment will ensure UK clients benefit from exactly the same support as customers in France, in addition to having access to a significant stock of demo equipment. The move is indicative of APG’s broader international strategy throughout the EMEA region.

Christie has appointed Trond Solvold to the position of Sales Consultant for Scandinavia.

Solvold brings with him almost 20 years of experience in the Nordic pro AV market.

Solvold will play a key role in developing the Business Products channel as well as the Control Room and Immersive / Simulation markets in Scandinavia. This will include focus on Christie’s ever-growing value-for-money LCD and one-chip DLP projector product lines, and also Christie Brio, a presentation and collaboration solution for single and multi-site workplace meetings.

“I am delighted to be joining the Christie sales team to help develop key markets in Scandinavia,” said Solvold. “I strongly believe that I have the right experience to enable me to drive the growth that Christie is seeking in this marketplace.”

The team at Eclipse Staging Services has been further strengthened as of March 2014 by the arrival of Martin Lubach, who has been appointed 80

as the company’s new General Manager. With 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Lubach - a graduate of Electronics and Electrical Engineering from Edinburgh University - worked for two years as Commercial Director at PRG UK, a leading supplier of technical equipment and services to the production industry. From 2011 2013, Martin took an active role in contributing to the company’s growth strategy through proactive sales, management and leadership of the specialist sales team.

Fisher Productions has hired two new heads of departments to help further the company’s continued growth. Rebecca Harris has joined Fisher as General Manager for Venues bringing 18 years events industry experience with her.

On joining Fisher Productions, Harris stated: “Having admired Fisher throughout my career I am thrilled to now be part of the Fisher team and look forward to working with all of Fisher’s 70plus accredited venues.”

In addition, Graham Winn has also joined Fisher as Head of Technical Services to help increase in-house capability and head up this specialist team. Winn brings with him a wealth of experience from his own company that he set up 20 years ago, AV specialists StageRight.

“StageRight was a supplier to Fisher and I knew as soon as we started working with them as a supplier that their work was creative and unique, so to come ‘in-house’ at Fisher seemed the perfect next step and a fantastic opportunity.”

Hoist UK has announced that Louise Dickson has been appointed General Manager of the company. Hoist UK Director, Paul Jordan commented: “Louise has been with the company for over six years now; we recognised her potential almost immediately and we have guided her progress through the company letting her gain a thorough knowledge of the company through various roles leading up to this present position.”

Elsewhere within Hoist UK, Wayne Ridgeley has been welcomed to the technical team as Design / Project Engineer. Wayne has been in the lifting industry all of his working life, having been

previously employed by Aabacus Cranes, The Rossendale Group, Camlok and more recently with Stahl Cranes working predominantly within the explosion proof (ATEX) equipment sector of the industry. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience of standard and specialised lifting equipment, which Hoist UK feel will be a major asset to the company’s growth and development.

K-array is pleased to announce the expansion of the company’s product management team with the addition of Klaus Hausherr as Product Specialist for its concert series. Hausherr brings over 30 years of experience in the professional live audio sector to his new role, most recently serving as a sound engineer for important large scale live events throughout the Italian peninsula and beyond.

In his new role, Hausherr will be responsible for K-array’s concert series by identifying key customer needs, and analysing market trends.

“I’m very excited about hiring Klaus to further strengthen our product management team,” said Alex Tatini, President of K-array. “Clearly, his strong background will be an advantage for us, and his understanding of touring systems and the particularities of large scale live events will enable us to continue to better serve our customers’ growing and evolving needs.”

Leisuretec Distribution has announced three new positions. Cliff Dounting has taken over the reins from Mike Henden as Managing Director.

Dounting joined Leisuretec in November 2007 as Operations Manager and became Commercial Director in July 2008. He commented: “it is genuinely an honour to become Leisuretec’s Managing Director, a position of great responsibility that I take very seriously. We have a fantastic team with a very positive outlook of providing excellent technical and commercial support with a great service with a smile.”

Additionally, Leisuretec has announced that events specialist Kate Harris, has joined its Marketing team in the newly-created role of Events & PR Coordinator. Harris comes to Leisuretec with several years of experience

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Opposite: AC-ET has been appointed as UK distributor for Luminex; Klaus Hausherr has joined K-array as Product Specialist for its concert series; Louise Dickson has been appointed as the General Manager of Hoist UK; Cliff Dounting has stepped in as Managing Director of Leisuretec Distribution.

specialising in corporate events and brings to the role valuable knowledge in event management and operations. She will be responsible for event management and Leisuretec’s PR activity.

Leisuretec Distribution Ltd has also announced that Pro Audio specialist, Chris Dennis, has joined its sales team as an Audio & Video Sales Specialist. Formerly with DM Music, Chris comes to Leisuretec with more than 10 years experience specialising in PA and AV technical support gained from a strong background in MI retail and distribution.

Elsewhere, MilTec has announced the appointment of Peter Maddison to the position of Audio Sales Manager. Peter’s role within the company will be to further promote Miltec’s successful Blakite range of British made speakers along with their amplifiers, signal processing and LED lighting products. David Faulkes, MilTec’s Sales Director, commented: “I am pleased to be able to welcome Peter to the company. He brings a wealth of experience gained from 27 years in the industry.”

XL Video is excited to announce the creation of a new ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Media Servers and Control Systems. The team, whose expertise will be available to clients of XL Video worldwide, will be led by Christian Dickens,

Media Server and Control Systems Manager at XL Video UK. Christian, who has recently joined XL Video, has almost 20 years experience in audio-visual technology. For the last six years, he has specialised in the field of Projection Mapping and Media Servers, and it is this expertise that makes him the ideal leader for XL’s new team.

Also new at XL Video’s Bromsgrove location, is media server specialist Project Manager, Nick Diacre, who brings with him a wealth of industry experience. Diacre has worked on a variety of projects, including those with a focus on 3D visualisations, digital production, mapping, and software control systems. XL Video UK Managing Director, Lee Spencer, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Christian and Nick to our team. The expertise these new team members bring will allow us to build on the longstanding reputation we have in the area of media servers and control systems.”

Adam Hall has appointed David Finlay as its new UK general manager. Finlay will be responsible for expanding and developing the UK sales team, as well as planning and executing initiatives to create greater market penetration of Adam Hall’s core brands: LD Systems, Cameo and Palmer.

“I am delighted to be given such a wonderful

opportunity. It is a dream come true to be involved with such a forward thinking company,” said Finlay. “Adam Hall have been providing solutions to the industry for decades, with superb products and service and are committed to sustained growth and support in both areas.”

Harman Professional has appointed Prosound of Tirana as distributor in Albania for its AKG, BSS, Crown, dbx, JBL Professional, Lexicon and Soundcraft product lines. As Prosound is also the existing Albanian distributor for Martin Professional lighting, the company is positioned to address all the key vertical markets where Harman Professional is active in the country.

Prosound began operations in 2006, beginning with a small rental system and growing its business every subsequent year.

The company is involved in the most prestigious sound and lighting projects in Albania, serving customers, dealers and contractors as a one-stop solution. Prosound offers unparalleled service in the region for concerts, corporate events and other staging applications, while also installing systems in Albania’s most prestigious clubs, bars, retail outlets and cultural venues.

TPi www.tpimagazine.com/jobs/

Prostage Europe Ltd are looking for new Team Players. An exciting opportunity for the right candidates, are you up for the challenge?

CAD Designer

Project Manager

Location: Lower Sunbury, Surrey Salary: Negotiable depending on experience Sector: Event industry eg. Corporate Events, Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies.

Job Role: CAD Designer

Duties will include: Preparation of scale drawings for client sign off To work with clients defining their requirements in a helpful and friendly fashion Preparation of detailed construction drawings and parts lists for use by workshops.

To support the workshop staff producing dimensioned drawn solutions on demand.

This is a small company, deadlines can be tight, and the successful applicant will need to support/assist other staff as and when required.

To take on some of the smaller projects with increasing experience

Experience in any of the following is an advantage but not essential: Experience of working within the set and exhibition industry 3D CAD modelling, visualization Experience in working with both raster and vector graphics

Location: Lower Sunbury, Surrey Salary: Negotiable depending on experience Sector: Event industry eg. Corporate Events, Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies.

Job Role: Project Manager

Duties will include: Acting as contact for point of sale Working with clients helping to define their requirements and manage their expectations in a helpful and friendly fashion.

Attending meetings with clients and detailed reconnoitring of venues.

Ensure that visuals and detailed construction drawings are prepared and checking parts lists for use by workshops.

This is a small company, deadlines can be tight, and the successful applicant will need to be prepared support/assist other staff as and when required.

Experience in any of the following is an advantage but not essential: Experience of working within the set and exhibition industry Use a CAD system 3D CAD modelling, visualization Experience in working with both raster and vector graphics

Permanent position

Join the Winning Team!

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MUSIC Group’s PRO Division is hiring 20 Pro Audio Experts to create the Next Big Thing.

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Senior Manager, Customer Management (LU, US) Senior Manager, System Solutions (LU, UK) Manager, Business Development (CN, LU, UK) Manager, Customer Support (CN, US) Engineer, System Solutions (CN, UK) Team Leader, Systems (UK) Senior Engineer, Software (UK, DE) Senior Engineer, Hardware (UK, DE) Developer, iOS (UK) Visit music-group.com to learn more about these amazing opportunities.

To find out more, please contact sonia@prostageeurope.com 01932 779 388

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

THE PSA BUSINESS SUPPORT HELPLINE IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY

THE BIGGER PICTURE DEAR HSE, DEAR CLIENT...

If only they’d just let you get on with it, if only you had the extra time (Fergie time for the in, there’s an idea), if only they knew that you know what you’re doing. If only. The GM was at the helm of an interesting panel early in March, at the ILMC’s Production Meeting; an illustrious bunch it was too, you can read all about that elsewhere [Pg. 10], it’s just the title we’re concerned with here: Lost in Guidance. We’re about to be hit with a handful of new guidance from several quarters, but don’t take offence, nobody is telling you how to do your job; more to the point, it tells those that influence your job how you’d like to do it. Here’s what to expect, and here’s why it’s coming...

ALL THE WORLD’S A TEMPORARY DEMOUNTABLE STRUCTURE Two sets of guidance are in the pipeline for those that are involved with procuring or building temporary structures for events; there’s the 4th edition of the Institute of Structural Engineers’ (IStuctE)TDS guide PLUS a code of practice penned by the great and good of the temporary staging world. But why two, and why now? It’s really a matter of horses for courses; the ISE guide goes into greater detail than might be deemed necessary for all events.

Only the largest of event organisers will have had someone read it cover to cover, or hire someone that has. Indeed some will have never heard of the thing. The thing is, it would be great if everyone had read it, at least in part.

It would also be useful if everyone involved was up to speed with, say, the Work at Height Regulations and how they affect the building of TDS. By everybody, we might include some suppliers, some clients and some enforcers.

How to fill the gap? Enter Serious Stages’ Steven Corfield, hatching a masterplan to gather major staging suppliers together to write their own code of conduct.

Since the run up to our 2012 summer of sport, TDS came under the spotlight in terms of enforcement, with HSE Construction taking over the job from local authorities. What seemed like a sensible move - it’s kind of very much like construction - was not without challenges. Some issues could not be resolved with processes and equipment used is classic 82

construction activity, resulting in an uneasy peace between suppliers and enforcers. The idea of a code of practice was to clear the air, to have an agreed understanding between suppliers that ‘this is the way we work safely’.

Several revisions, HSE input at all stages and an almost ready to go document will serve to set the bar at an acceptable level.

There’s another advantage too: clients have a document that is less weighty than the IstructE, TDS Guide, it’s a neat way of saying ‘Dear client, this is what we need to do to comply with the law, please let us do it’. And the client’s role in safety is something that will soon be firmly in the spotlight.

RESPONSIBILITIES DEFINED Yes, we’ve been going on about it for a while now, but the Construction Design and Management regulations will be revised soon and they will apply to our sector. Although they won’t directly affect actual hands on work, they will definitely identify roles and responsibilities, and the client will, basically, have responsibility to ensure a safe workplace.

Yes, they do have that responsibility now, but the identification of who the client is (and principal designer, and principal contractor) will be sorted beforehand. What a useful idea then, to have an agreed code of conduct that clients can use to help ensure they choose safe suppliers, something concise yet effective.

There’s another advantage to agreeing methods of working.

NOT IN THIS HOUSE At a meeting with a couple of safety officers from a couple of large UK venues, it was suggested that Health and Safety was sometimes seen as a sales issue. For example, promoter wishes to hire venue for band, band wants, let’s say, no barrier (extreme example).

Venue says you have to have a barrier, promoter calls sales and says you’ve lost the gig if we have to have a barrier because Down The Road Arena will let us do it (purely fictitious, similarity to events and individuals purely coincidental). To that end, The National Arenas Association has issued the A Guide, which is an agreed set of standardised safety and operational procedures; a level playing field, if you like.

Of course, nothing’s perfect, especially the first attempt, but you have to start somewhere.

Arenas themselves are bound by locally devised licensing rules, so not everything in the A Guide applies to every venue, but there is now a list of discrepancies that can be investigated and ironed out for the next version. An admirable achievement by all concerned.

PURPLE REIGNS Of course, we’ve had our own guidance for many years now, in the shape of The Event Safety Guide, but that has gone through some changes recently. The Purple Guide, as it became affectionately known, was written by industry working groups and published by the HSE. All was well until some bright spark realised that the HSE had put its name to guidance that

www.psa.org.uk Below: Arranged by Serious Stages, hosted by Eat to the Beat, the cream of the staging sector met to agree their own code of practice.

it had no authority over; things had to change, decisions had to be made. The simple solution was for HSE to create a live events page on their extensive web site, gathering together existing guidance on topics and regulations that apply to live events and are enforced by HSE. This works but it did leave gaps that the industry wanted to fill. Enter the Event Industry Forum (EIF), the group of Live Event Trade bodies that picked up the baton and, slowly but surely and with the help of a team of Chapter Working Groups, started the task of revising, updating, releasing for consultation and finally releasing The Purple Guide, initially online.

With an online publication, updating is a lot easier. In fact, The Purple Guide was launched while a couple of chapters were still open for consultation. In future, the aforementioned

code of practice for temporary demountable structures could be a chapter in itself; each chapter could be the root code of practice for companies supplying relevant services. The guide still has HSE support and the launch was kindly supported by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). We’ve learned to our cost that, without a structured approach to updating, guidance can quickly lose pace with changes in legislation or advances in technology. To that end the EIF has undertaken to keep chapter working groups together and to collate suggested revisions. This takes time and money, which is why there’s a £25 subscription fee for the web-based guide. Additionally, if there’s enough demand, a printed version will be produced - people still like a book to have on site.

DEREGULATION OR SELF REGULATION? The political climate is one of deregulation.

That’s not to say we’re heading for a free for all, anything goes, who cares about people when there’s money to be made party. The fact remains that people getting hurt at work is bad for business, but businesses operating in similar fields can, with the help of some joined up thinking, create their own guidance, their own codes of conduct, their agreed methods of working; three have just come at once. That reminds me, have to dash, bus to catch.

TPi

www.psa.org.uk www.thepurpleguide.co.uk www.nationalarenasassociation.com

Come visit us at

Stand No. R-C06

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The TPi Production Guide

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VITAL STATS

VITAL STATS 157 Loren K. Barton Profession: Media Programmer, Designer & Consultant Date & place of birth: January 15, 1985, Washington, USA How did you initially start out in the industry?

I don’t recall exactly where my interest in stage lighting began, but it was at a very early age. During 4th grade, my father and I built a small 8-channel lighting system to light a school talent show. This launched my early local career as I continued to provide lighting for small local concerts, fundraisers, and community events. Before long, my elementary music teacher introduced me to the Technical Director of the local theatre in Corvallis, Oregon, Phil McBeth. He took me under his wing and helped me develop at a young age.

“I love the challenge of transforming ideas into entertainment experiences...”

What kind of training did you receive?

A huge part of my training came from my informal early experiences at the theatre. Working on shows and being involved from a young age provided many learning opportunities and chances to take on more responsibility.

I credit much of my current ability to adapt, problem-solve, and think on my feet to the years spent in that 300-seat theatre and the group of people I worked alongside. I attended Carnegie Mellon University to study lighting and media design after taking a year off to work for a mechanical engineering company. During summers in college, I worked for several different entertainment industry companies including TMB where I was formally introduced to the world of media servers. After graduation, I began to work full-time for TMB as Product Specialist and Training Director which really opened my eyes to the business of our industry and exposed me to a near full-time schedule of travel - both domestic and international - mainly in support of the Green Hippo Hippotizer training program known as Hippo School. After four years at TMB, I left to start my freelance career and subsequently, Lumentech Inc..

What services does your own company, Lumentech Inc. offer a tour or live event?

Lumentech Inc. is a video and media design, programming, and production company providing associated services and custom media systems for the live entertainment and television industry. I work with production designers, content producers and artists to create and facilitate systems and processes that meet the specific needs of the production. I am driven to always streamline and improve the show development and production process and enjoy the variety of personalities I get to collaborate with to bring shows from concept to reality. Remembering that technology should be in service to the production, I am enthusiastic about adapting new equipment and technologies to support revolutionary design ideas.

You were the media server programmer for Beyonce’s the The Mrs. Carter Show, how challenging was that production for you?

The Beyoncé tour presented some unique challenges for our team. We 86

began the tour with one set of songs and four weeks of rehearsal time.

When Beyoncé released her new album, we were in the process of adding some of those new songs into the show overnight. Our biggest challenge was keeping up with the evolving production while still touring and doing the live shows every night.

Excitingly, you’ve just joined Seven Design Works with Roy Bennett, Cory FitzGerald and Tobias Rylander. What can you tell us about this new venture?

Seven Design Works was formed by Roy, Cory and Tobias as a collective of designers who work with artists to create innovative, imaginative and unforgettable live entertainment and television events. Many of these designs implement and utilise cutting-edge technologies that - at times - are specifically designed for these productions. My primary focus at SDW is developing and implementing the media and technologies for productions designed by Seven. I love the challenge of transforming ideas into entertainment experiences and I am very excited to be on board with this exceptional team.

You’re at the top of your trade, but how important is it to bring new blood into the touring industry?

Introducing new faces and new skillsets is essential to our industry. While touring isn’t a life I would recommend for everyone, it is certainly one that I am grateful to be a part of. I had many opportunities to participate and advance my craft starting at a very young age. I feel especially fortunate to be where I am today, largely made possible by the generosity and trust of those I have met along the way. This industry, especially the media aspects, is growing rapidly and requires new technicians and crew, as well as computer programmers, graphic artists, engineers, and inventors. There are opportunities in many different disciplines and I strongly encourage anyone who is interested or curious to get involved.

What can we expect to see your work on this summer?

I’m currently working with Roy on Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP world tour and then we’ll be headed to Beijing to begin production on a summer stadium tour for [Chinese rock musician] Wang Feng.

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