TPi December 2014 - Issue 184
92
XTA’S APA-4E8 • ED SHEERAN • SIGNAL FESTIVAL • RICHARD MARTIN LIGHTING TURNS 30 ONEREPUBLIC • KATY B • TPi AWARDS SHORTLIST • DRAPING MARKET FOCUS • CHVRCHES MTV EMAs THE POP WORLD IS HONOURED IN GLORIOUS GLASWEGIAN PRODUCTION WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 184 DECEMBER 2014 www.tpiawards.com
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TPi, the definitive magazine for live entertainment design and technology. This months production profiles include the MTV EMAs, Ed Sheerans X tour, OneRepublic at the O2, SIGNAL Festival and Chvrches in Brixton. Plus all of the usual coverage of products, people, companies and trade shows.
Transcript of TPi December 2014 - Issue 184
XTA’S APA-4E8 • ED SHEERAN • SIGNAL FESTIVAL • RICHARD MARTIN LIGHTING TURNS 30ONEREPUBLIC • KATY B • TPi AWARDS SHORTLIST • DRAPING MARKET FOCUS • CHVRCHES
MTVEMAs
THE POP WORLD ISHONOURED IN GLORIOUS
GLASWEGIAN PRODUCTION
WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL
ISSUE 184DECEMBER 2014
www.tpiawards.com
LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • DECEM
BER 2014 • ISSUE 184TO
TAL PRODUCTION IN
TERNATION
ALHAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
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AWARD WINNING BEHAVIOUR On Monday December 1 the 11th UK Festival Awards took place at The Roundhouse in London and Team TPi was in attendance with the brilliant Festival Awards crew. It was a night of celebration for all things live event and outdoor, from the best loos to the best summer anthem and all of the hedonistic fun inbetween. The awards were hosted by our favourite New Yorker, Huey Morgan who delivered a laugh-a-minute show. A highlight was Rob da Bank’s deserving win of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Festivals’ award which was presented by Glastonbury’s Michael Eavis. You can read a full de-brief in our next issue alongside some of Patrick’s photography skills. Hannah and I are pictured here with Amy Wright and Tom Lawson from our Marketing and Events team. Congratulations on a great success, we had a lot of fun! And of course, I should mention our very own awards news: the short list for the TPi Awards 2015 has been announced. Pg.8 reveals who did what to grab your attention this past year and it’s our pleasure to share the results so far. We’re very excited for the next event and hope to see many of you there. In issue 184, there are also some noteworthy awards in the form of the MTV EMAs. Our cover story comes from Glasgow this month, where the cream of international pop talent descended on Scotland for a production spectacular. You can go backstage with us on Pg.28. In true TPi style we also deliver an abundance of tech stories including Ed Sheeran’s X tour, Katy B’s live dub step and the technical sounds of OneRepublic’s arena dominating performances. In Europe, Patrick visited the Czech Republic (yes, again!) to dissect SIGNAL festival’s lighting and video mapping feat. Have a read of this charming event on Pg.60. Interestingly, this issue brings news of two sound console launches: Roland Systems Group’s M-5000 OHRCA which was unveiled in the UK and Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM10 which launched in Japan alongside the InterBEE trade show. Find out the details of these new products on Pg.12 and Pg.20 respectively. Elsewhere, I spoke to Richard Martin Lighting’s Richard Jasinski about the company’s 30th anniversary. From its rise to production popularity via the BBC’s Top of the Pops studios in the ‘80s, the company has gone from strength to strength as a TV and live event rental supplier. Happy birthday from us! There’s just about time to say that if you haven’t already met our lovely Charlotte, then NAMM may be your opportunity. She’ll be fl ying out to the West Coast next month so get in touch if you’d like to make an appointment to discuss your involvement with the magazine. That’s all for now.... but we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has worked with us over the last year to deliver technology-led industry content for another 12 issues. We’ve travelled, toured, drank and learnt from you, so here’s to many more production triumphs and editorial collaborations in 2015. Kelly MurrayEditor
PRELUDE
05
“The UK Festival Awards were a celebration for
all things live event and outdoor, from the best loos to the best summer anthem
and all of the hedonisticfun inbetween…”
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EVENT FOCUS10 Stand Up To Cancer VERsuppliesChannel4’scharityshow.
12 Roland Console Launch WereportonthelaunchofRSG’sM-5000.
14 Showstars at the Roundhouse ShowstarskeepthingsslickinLondon.
18 Night Verses SennheiserendorsesUSpost-hardcoreband, NightVerses.
20 Yamaha Console Launch Yamahalaunchesthefirstofitsnewbreedof digitalmixingconsole,theRIVAGEPM10.
22 Proms in the Park EnTEEtainmentassistsinLEDscreensolutionsat HydePark.
26 Eurotruss TheDutchtrussmastersunveilnewlifterrange.
Production ProfilePRODUCTION PR3028MTV EMAs WegobehindthescenesatGlasgow’sSSEHydro.
40 Ed Sheeran TPichatstotheteamresponsiblefortheXtour.
48 Katy B Thesongstressgoeslivewithlasers.
54 OneRepublic SimonDuffreportsfromtheO2Arena.
60 SIGNAL Europe’sfastestgrowinglightfestivalshines.
64 Chvrches WedeconstructtheScottishtrio’sliveproduction.
68 TheMondialeladiesraiseover£1,000...
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...70 ProductionManagerJoeSanchezspillsall.
COMPANY PROFILE72 RichardMartinLightingcelebratesits30thyear inbusiness.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT76 XTA’sAPASeries.
MARKET FOCUS78 Theworldofdrapingandsoftgoods.
PSA84 Noiseatwork,heard.
MOVERS & SHAKERS86 Thelatestindustryappointments.
VITAL STATS90 OliverBraunofGlobalTrussisinthehotseat.
EditorKellyMurrayTel:+44(0)1614768360Mobile:+44(0)7738154689e-mail:[email protected]
AssistantEditorPatrickMcCumiskeyTel:+44(0)1614768385Mobile:+44(0)7929249169e-mail:[email protected]
InternationalAdvertising&SponsorshipHannahEakinsTel:+44(0)1614768360Mobile:+44(0)7760485230e-mail:[email protected]
AdvertisingSalesCharlotteGoodlassTel:+44(0)1614768360Mobile:+44(0)7880208226e-mail:[email protected]
GraphicDesign&ProductionDanSeaton:[email protected]:[email protected]
GeneralManagerJustinGawne
MondialeGroupChairmanDamianWalshwww.tpimagazine.com•www.tpiawards.com
CoverPhotographyGettyImages
ContributorsSimonDuff,SarahRushton-ReadEditorialInternUsamaAnjum
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Issue184/December2014
ITINERARY
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TOTALPRODUCTIONINTERNATIONALisacontrolledcirculationmagazine,published12timesayearbyMondialePublishingLimitedunderlicence.ISSN1461-3786Copyright©2014MondialePublishingLimited.Allcontentsofthispublicationaresubjecttoworldwidecopyrightprotectionandreproductioninwholeorpart,inanyformwhatsoever,isexpresslyforbiddenwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentofthePublishers.EveryeffortistakentoensureaccuracyinthepreparationofthispublicationbutneitherMondialePublishingLtd,northeEditor,canbeheldresponsibleforitscontentsoranyconsequentiallossordamageresultingfrominformationpublished.TheviewsexpressedarenotnecessarilythoseofthePublishersorEditor.ThePublishersacceptnoresponsibilityforthereturnofunsolicitedmanuscripts,photographs,illustrations,advertisingmaterialsorartwork.TotalProductionInternationalUSPS:(ISSN14613786)ispublished12timesayearbyMondialePublishingLimitedUnitedKingdom.The2014USannualsubscriptionpriceis117USD.AirfreightandmailingintheUSAbyAgentnamedAirBusiness,C/OWorldNetShippingUSAInc.,155-11146thAvenue,Jamaica,NewYork,NY11434.PeriodicalspostagepaidatJamaicaNY11431.USPostmaster:SendaddresschangestoTotalProductionInternational,AirBusinessLtd,C/OWorldNetShippingUSAInc.,155-11146thAvenue,Jamaica,NewYork,NY11434.SubscriptionrecordsaremaintainedatMondialePublishingLtd.WaterlooPlace,WatsonSquare,Stockport,SK13AZ,UK.
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RIGGER OF THE YEAR
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FAVOURITE SOUND RENTAL
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10
The show was staged in Methodist Central Hall Westminster, a beautifully ornate building with elaborate arches and a wrap-around seating arrangement. Healy explains the brief was not so much about the visual elements, rather: “anything we did had to not jar too much with the venue. But I wanted the set to be technologically advanced and quite modern, so that was one of the key difficulties from the start.” Thebiggesttechnicaldifficultywasthatthetime-honouredvenue-thoughprovidingaperfectgalastyleatmospherefortheaudience-hadverylimitedweightloadingcapabilitiesandasHealystated,was‘averydifficultvenuetoputsceneryinto’. ThecomplexscenerylogisticsleadthedesigndiscussionsbutHealyandHallsquicklydecidedthattheall-important‘totalisermoments’,wherethemoneyraisedthusfarisrevealed-wouldinvolvetheaudiencewhocompletely
surroundedtheset.Eachaudiencememberholdingatabletscreenaloftwouldprovideonepixelsquareofthescreenuponwhichthetotalsraisedwouldbedisplayed. Withthatdecisionmade,thefullsetdesignleadonasacontinuationasHealydescribes.“ThatiswhyVER-Livegotinvolvedveryearly,becauseinordertoachievewhatIwanted,IneededalotofLEDproductandalotofscreens,”hesaid. Healycontinued:“Iwantedtobreakawayfromjustsquaresanddosomethingalittlebitdifferent,soinsteadofonebigscreenIwantedtocreateanexplosionofseveralfragmentedscreens.TochangethemfromsquareIdecidedtotipthemontheiredgestobecomediamonds,andforwardsothetopoverhungthebottomtocreatearatherimposingset.” Healywentontopointout:“Thiswouldhavebeendifficulttoachieveeveninafilmstudio-butitcreatedatechnicalnightmarein
thisvenue.” Withnocapacitytoflyanyofthevideoproductfromthevenue’sroofhousepoints,HealyandVER-Live,alongsideDaveMorrellfromDLMRigging,commencedmanyweeksofplanningmeetingsanddrawingsthatwerenecessarytocreateasuitablegroundsupportsystemforthecomplexarrangementofscreensthatwouldworkwithintheweightconstraintsofthebuilding. Healyconceded:“VER-Livewerepivotaltothisdesignworking.Thecombinedknowledgeandknow-howofAdrianandPat-andtheircommitmenttothesuccessfulexecutionofanyprojecttheyembarkonisthereasonIworkwiththemonthetelevisionshowsIdesign.” ThesetcomprisedarobustBO6mmLEDscreenfloorpresentationarea.Thefocalpointoftheshowwasthecentralscreenandtheexplodedandfragmentedsurroundingpanelsweredesignedtolookasiftheywerefloating,
THE EYE CATCHING SET DESIGN FOR THE RECENT STAND UP TO CANCER LIVE TV SHOW AS SEEN ON CHANNEL 4 IN THE UK - WHICH HAS RAISED AN INCREDIBLE £15,585,444.15 TO DATE - COMPOSED OF INNOVATIVELY POSITIONED LED VIDEO SCREENS AND WAS CREATIVELY IMAGINED BY PRODUCTION DESIGNER, JULIAN HEALY, TEAMED WITH CONTENT DESIGNER, LUKE HALLS, AND THE UNFAILING ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT OF VER-LIVE’S ADRIAN OFFORD AND PAT DORE.
VER-LIVE STANDS UP TO CANCER
EVENT FOCUS: Stand Up To Cancer
so as to prevent the look jarring against the venue’s traditional setting. Initially the central screen was designed with 5mm tiles, but diffi culties rigging the product tilted on both axes provoked a change to the same 9mm Win Vision Air tiles which were to be used for the surrounding screens. Not only were the LED tiles easier to rig - they were much lighter in weight which considerably eased the
strain on the venue. Behind the audience seating area, the exploded design was continued in Martin Professional LC 40mm LED tiles and the smaller platforms were clad in X-15mm LED screen. VER-Live’s Adrian Offord commented: “It was a great pleasure to work on such an iconic show with Julian Healy. One of the main challenges was getting a suitable screen to
fi t within the weight restraint of the building without reducing Julian’s vision - and the carbon fi bre base 9mm Air proved to be the perfect product.”TPi
Photos: Kevan Smith www.verrents.com
www.standup2cancer.org.UKwww.cancerresearchuk.org
11
EVENT FOCUS: Stand Up To Cancer
Opposite: VER-Live achieved technical excellence at the venue. Below: The fundraising broadcast has raised over £15m so far and enjoyed some great production values; Justin Gorman, Head of Entertainment for Channel 4, with Production Designer Julian Healy.
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The M-5000 is based around Roland’s proprietary O.H.R.C.A. (Open High Resolution Control Architecture) and features 128 freely definable audio paths, a flexible user interface and workflow, expandable protocols and multiformat I / O choices. All signal paths can be undertaken at 24-bit/96kHz resolution. Speaking at the launch event Peter Heath, Head of Roland Systems Group, Europe said: “The launch of the M-5000 represents a huge step forward for Roland.” ThekeytotheM-5000’sinternalarchitectureisthatitisnotfixedtoanyconfiguration.Itcanbefreelydefinedwithinarangeofupto128inputoroutputchannelsorbusses,allowingtheoperatoressentiallyto‘build’aconsoletosuittheapplication.Eachpathcanbeusedasamixingchannel,AUX,matrix,subgroupbussorMIX-MINUSbussinanyinput/outputconfiguration.Oneprimaryapplicationmightbeforthemonitorposition,
whereahighnumberofauxiliarybussesareneeded.ButtheM-5000isequallyathomeattheFOHpositionforlivemusicintouring,theatre,broadcastandmore.“Thesedays,theboundariesbetweenthesethreearegettingblurred,”addedHeath. TheaudionetworkingcapabilitiesoftheconsoleareanothermajorsellingpointasSimonKenning,SalesDirectoratRolandSystemsGroup,Europeexplained:“TheNovemberlaunchformallyrecognisedRolandbecomingalicenseeofAudinate’sDantenetworkingtechnology.ThenetworkoptionsareveryversatileontheM-5000.InadditiontotwoREAC(RolandEthernetAudioCommunication)ports,theM-5000hastwoexpansioncardslotstosupportarangeofsystemconfigurationsandaudiotransportprotocolssuchasDante,MADI,WavesSoundGridandotherformatsofthefuture.” Thebackpanelincludes16by16analogueI/Os;fourbyfourAES/EBUs;a16by16USB
audiointerface;connectionforcontrolviaaniPad,connectedorwireless;andcontrolportsincludingfootswitches,GPI/O,RS-232CandMIDI-enablingtheconsoletoseeupto300inputsand296outputs,allat96kHz.Furthermore,inputscanbepatchedtooutputsindependentlyofmixingchannelresources.” ThesystemoffersfullcompatibilitywiththefamilyofRolandProfessionalAudiosnakes,Roland’sM-48personalmixingisanaturalfitwiththecontrolsurface’sergonomics.There’sa12-inchtouchscreenwith‘touchandturn’operationand28freelyscrollable,isolatable,orassignablefadersand,saysHeath,“numerousknobsandbuttons,bothcontextualandassignable,tosupportrapidresponse.” EffectswisethedeskcomeswithRolandeffectsprocessorsthatincludetheSRV-2000,SDE-3000,SDD-320,RE-201,CE-1,SPH-323andSBF-325.Inaddition,Distortionanddelay(digitalandanalogue)modelledonBOSScompactpedalsarealsoincludedaswellasdull
LAST MONTH ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUP UNVEILED ITS NEW FLAGSHIP LIVE AUDIO CONSOLE. THE M-5000 OHRCA DELIVERS FLEXIBILTY, NETWORKING AND 96KHZ SOUND QUALITY. TPi WENT ALONG TO THE UK LAUNCH AT CATO MUSIC IN LONDON.
THE ROLAND M-5000 OHRCA
EVENT FOCUS: Roland M-5000 Launch
dynamics and EQ processing. “The scale, design and technology in the console clearly demonstrates our commitment to the professional live audio community,” added Heath. “Providing digital connectivity to various accepted protocols was a key factor whilst still supporting our large family of REAC based consoles and digital snake users. The development process has been long, but
intentionally so, to allow a complete ground-up approach: making sure that the product delivered on features, form and usability every step of the way. The result is a product that makes no assumptions, but uses some astounding technology to give users ultimate flexibility due to open configurability whether through DSP resources, expandable connectivity or workflow.
A shipping date of early Q2 2015 is planned for the system. Kenning reports that a remote control iPad app is planned for February. Although exact pricing is not yet available at press time, it is believed that the basic M-5000 console will cost between £10-15k. TPi
www.rolandsystemsgroup.co.uk
13
EVENT FOCUS: Roland M-5000 Launch
Opposite: Roland’s new flagship M-5000 console has been designed with universal applicability in mind - the console with its 128 freely definable audio paths will happily perfm as monitor or FOH mixer in both live and broadcast applications. Below: A close-up of the console’s ergonomic display; Peter Heath (left), Head of Roland Systems Group, and Simon Kenning, Sales Director at RSG Europe.
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Festivals, major sporting events and a variety of other outdoor pursuits kept leading event crew company Showstars on its toes throughout the summer of 2014. During the same period, however, a number of its regular workforce could be found in residence at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, north London, maintaining a relationship that dates back to the legendary venue’s re-birth in 2006 when Showstars contributed to its redevelopment programme. Aformerrailwayenginerepairshedandginwarehouse,thehistoricstatusofthelegendaryRoundhousecannotbeoverstated.Builtin1847,itsroleinthedevelopmentoflivemusicandtheartsbegan50yearsagowhen,in1964,theCentre42TheatreCompanylaiddownplanstoconvertitintoamulti-purposeculturalcentre. Withintwoyears,artistsincludingThePinkFloydandSoftMachinehadputthevenueinthedrivingseatofLondon’sinfluentialunderground
movementwhile,adecadelater,performancesbyTheRamonesandTheClashhelpedtoreinventtheRoundhouseasthekingpinofthecapital’spunkcircuit. ThelackoffundingthatforcedtheclosureoftheRoundhousein1983coincidedwiththefoundingofShowstarsbyGrahamShaw.“ItwassadwhenthevenuedisappearedbecauseithadbeenoneofthebestplacesinLondontoseebandsaswellastheatreshows,”saidShaw.“BythetimeplanswerebeingdrawnuptobringtheRoundhousebacktolifewitha£29.7millionfacelift,Showstarshadbecomeestablishedasacrewresourceandsoweweredelightedtohelpthecauseasa‘360°FounderMember’.” SincethenorthLondonvenuereopenedinJune2006withthetheatricalspectacularFuerzabruta,Showstars’crewhasremainedheavilyinvolvedand2014’ssummercalendarwasnoexception.TheendofAugustnotablysawthecompanybusywiththevenue’s
TPi HEARS HOW EVENT CREWING COMPANY, SHOWSTARS, IS CELEBRATING A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ICONIC LONDON VENUE...
A LANDMARK YEAR FOR THE ROUNDHOUSE
EVENT FOCUS: Showstars
transitions between Camden Beach, the eclectic Summer Sessions, the Imogen Heap-curated Reverb weekend of visionary music and, ultimately, a high profile live music festival that dominated the venue throughout September. “We have a seating structure that is rather like a giant Meccano set. It takes three days to build and two days to dismantle, and along with other jobs such as placing art installations around the building, Showstars
have been working on that exclusively since it was introduced,” said Fiona Greenhill, the Roundhouse’s Head of Technical and Production. “We always defer to Showstars because they are the company that knows this system inside out. Whenever possible, they bring back the same crew every time because it’s quite a precise, demanding job and their previous experience counts for a lot.”
ON THE BEACHOne of Showstars’ more unusual projects at the Roundhouse, the annual Camden Beach, north London’s ‘urban summer resort’, saw the crew shovel 150 tonnes of fine sand into (and, later, out of) the venue’s car park to create a 900m2 beach environment, complete with deck chairs, beach huts, arcade stalls, a fish and chip restaurant and an ice cream van. Tony Say, one of two Showstars Crew Chiefs
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EVENT FOCUS: Showstars
Opposite: London’s Roundhouse began its production life in 1964 with a gateway into the theatre world; Soon various bands had put the venue on the underground music scene map. Below: Camden ‘Beach’; Fiona Greenhill, the Roundhouse’s Head of Technical and Production; Showstars Founder, Graham Shaw; Showstars Crew Chief, Tony Say; The venue was originally built in 1847.
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EVENT FOCUS: Showstars
Below: The Roundhouse uses the same Showstars crew whenever possible, generating expertise and consistency.
on-site this summer, commented: “We cleared the car park and placed sleepers around the perimeter of the beach area to act as barriers, and then emptied nine lorry loads of sand into that space, making it even and as authentic-looking as possible. Once that was in place, we erected beach huts, set out deck chairs and put toys around the sand for children to play with. In addition, we built a roof garden within a container that featured a swimming pool, bar and VIP area. It was great to see so many people enjoying it this year. “At the same time we were clearing the beach, another section of our crew dismantled
the seating structure in the Main Space, moving it outside and packing it into containers, and then tidied the arena so it was ready for the load-in of the forthcoming live music season which had an all-standing audience on the floor. Depending on the nature of the event, whether it’s a concert, opera or arts production, the seating arrangement will change.” Showstars’ average crew call at the venue involves 14 crew, each working three 12-hour days with two crew chiefs. “Our crew are all multi-skilled with numerous specialities between them and hold a variety of licenses for
activities including climbing, rigging, the use of plant such as forklifts and cherry pickers,” informed Say. “We normally arrive at 8am and the first day will start with us examining the plans and organising how we approach each job, and I’ll oversee the process.” The Roundhouse’s seating will be re-installed by Showstars in January 2015 for an eight-show run of the Royal Opera House production of Monteverdi’s masterpiece Orfeo.TPi
www.showstars.co.ukwww.roundhouse.org.uk
www.digico.biz
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48 MIC/LINE inputs
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Dual MADI console interface - CAT5E
48 MIC/LINE inputs
16 LINE output
Two eight channel output option slots. 8 channel analogue LINE output
cards or 4 channel STEREO AES output cards
Dual MADI console interface -BNC
24 MIC/LINE inputs
24 AES inputs (12 stereo) with sample rate
converters
16 LINE outputs
Two eight channel output option slots. 8 channel analogue LINE output
cards or 4 channel STEREO AES output cards
Dual MADI console interface -BNC
Option 4Option 2 Option 3Option 1
SD9 D2 Pack Worksurface
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24 Flexi Aux/Sub Group Busses
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16x12 Full Processing Matrix
2 Solo Busses
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48/96kHz sample rate
D2 Rack BNC MADI (48 analogue in 16 analogue out)
Redundant Supplies (surface and rack)
Digital BNC Snake
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Worksurface cover
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48 Flexi Channels
24 Flexi Aux/Sub Group Busses
LR/LCR Master Buss
12x8 Full Processing Matrix
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48/96kHz sample rate
D2 Rack CAT5 (48 analogue in 16 analogue out)
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Digital CAT5 Snake
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60 Flexi Channels
SD8 D2 Pack
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“Sometimes bands think you have to be really ‘nerdy’ if to want to know about microphones, but I don’t think so; I think of my microphone as my weapon!” Robinson told TPi in the attic of Manchester’s Sound Control venue on the band’s most recent UK tour supporting Feed The Rhino. Havingbeenatouringmusicianforoveradecade,thesingernowfrontsNightVerses-whichformedin2012-anditiswiththisbandthatRobinsonhasfoundanewvocalappreciationforSennhieser’se935.“SennheiserhasmademerealisewhatIwantinamicrophone…thee935iskillingit!There’sacrafttokeepingtheartistfeelingascomfortableaspossiblewiththeirinstrumentandItrulybelievethepeopleatSennheiserhavemasteredthatcraftwiththeirincredibleproducts,”hesaid. “MymicshavecustomchrometopsbecauseIthinkthey’reabletotakemoreofabeatingthanthemattedones.It’sveryrobustandIsound‘crisper’usingthismodel.IactuallyhavequitealoudvoiceingeneralandpreviouslymymicshaveoftenblownoutorI’dgettoomuchsweatinthemandthey’dbreak.Thatneverhappenswiththismic.” RobinsonwasintroducedtoSennheiser’sproductsbyfellowfrontmanCoreyBrandanPutmanofNormaJeanfame,abandalsoknownforitsonstagedestructionandrib-rattlinganthems.PutmanputRobinsonin
touchwithBrian‘Doc’Dougherty,Wireless,BroadcastandAviationProductSpecialistatSennheiserElectronicsintheUS,andasmoothcollaborationbetweenartistandproductsoonfollowed.SaidDougherty:“Myknowledgebaseneedstorunfromon-sitetechnicalsupport,largefrequencysetupsforTVbroadcast,alongwithuseofshotgunmicrophonesandaviationheadsetstosalesstatisticsandmanufacturingquantities.ThroughallofthisIhavetheabilitytoworkwithbands,bothbigandsmall. “NomusicianstartsoutasasuperstarandSennheiserknowsthat.Westrivetofindartiststhatwebelievein,andwhobelieveinourequipment.Thishelpsusbuildalonglastingrelationship.SennheiserhasworkedwithartistssuchasParamoresincetheywereplayinginbars!Whenweseetalentinanartist,wewanttocultivateitandeducatethemonSennheiserequipmentandthepremiumaudioourproductscandelivertosupporttheircareer.” Whythen,isthee935theidealchoiceforanartistsuchasRobinson?“TheSennheisere935isourworkhorsemicrophone.It’sadynamiccardioidmicrophonewitharobustbuildtothecapsuleandcase.Themajorityofmicrophonesyouseearedynamicorcondenser.Tosimplifythisgreatly,acondensermicrophoneneedsanelectricalcurrenttoworkcreatingamoresensitiveresponse,whereasthedynamiccapsuleismorerobustbutwithlesssensitivity.Cardioidisthepickuppattern,whichallowsamusician
orFOHEngineertoknowhowthatmicrophonewillpickupsound.InDoug’scase,hisvoiceprojectsalotofpowerandheusesavarietyofmelodicsingingwithaggressive,relentlessenergy.You’llseethiscapsuleonstagewithsingers,rappersandmetalartists.” Asseenwithmanyaglobalstar,Sennheiseralsoofferscustomisationonitsmicrophones(P!nkisafan)yetthestagediving,sweatswishingrockbandsarenoexception.ContinuedDougherty:“Iknowanumberofbandswherelaseretchingonmicrophonesseemstobeintheirthoughts.WiththelaseretchingmachineinmyofficeI’vemademicrophonesforBringMeTheHorizon,Mastodon,EveryTimeIDie,Iwrestledabearonce,NormaJeanandmanymore.DoughadseensomeofthedesignsIwasdoingviaInstagramandsaid‘IhavethesoundIwantoutofSennheiser,nowIwanttoupdatethelook!”soI’mnowworkingongettingtheNightVerseslogoetchedontohismics.” “ThishasbeenthesickestmicrophoneI’veeverused!”concludedRobinson.“I’msoimpressedwithSennhesier’sstuffthatwe’redefinitelygoingtocrossoverandusetheirgearinthestudiotorecordournextreleasetoo.”Theband’sdebutalbumLift Your ExistenceisoutnowonSouthworldRecordsintheUK.TPi
Photo: Kelly Murraywww.nightverses.com
www.sennheiserusa.com
US POST HARDCORE BAND NIGHT VERSES HAS BEEN HURTLING THROUGH THE DEPTHS OF NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE’S GRITTIEST VENUES FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, GAINING MOMENTUM ON THE LIVE CIRCUIT WITH PUNK AND METAL FANS. ON THEIR LAST UK TOUR, TPi’s KELLY MURRAY SPOKE TO NIGHT VERSES FRONT MAN, DOUGLAS ROBINSON, ABOUT HOW THE RIGHT MICROPHONE CAN TRULY CHANGE AN ARTIST’S COMFORT ZONE ON STAGE. ENTER SENNHEISER’S e935 DYNAMIC CARDIOID ‘WORKHORSE’...
SOUNDS FROM THE UNDERGROUND
EVENT FOCUS: Night Verses
German Engineering — Uncompromisingly Reliable.
volution 900 Series
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Taking place at the New Otani Hotel in Makuhari, Yamaha opted to launch the new console in its country of origin but the faces that filled the room were from all around the globe. Executive Officer and General Manager of Audio Products, Sales & Marketing, Hogan Osawa welcomed guests, before Terry Holton, General Manager at Yamaha R&D Centre in the UK outlined Yamaha’s history in the console world, which started back in 1972 with the PM200. Fast-forward42yearsandmeetRIVAGEPM10,thefirstconsoleinaseries-somoremodelswillfollow-andYamaha’snewbaby.ItwasintroducedtotheworldbyProAudioApplicationsEngineeringManager,AndyCooper,whosaid:“It’saprivilegeandanhonourtopresentthisproduct.”CooperexplainedthePM10throughfourchannels;soundquality,operability,functionalityandnetworkability. TheRIVAGEPM10includesthenewly-developedRY16-ML-SILKhybridmicrophone
preamplifier.Thisuniquedesignfeaturesananaloguesection,whichdeliverssupremelyconsistent,natural-soundingaudio,evenathighgainlevels.Itispartneredwitha96kHz,24-bitA/Dconverter,followedbyenhancedYamahaVCMdigitalmodellingofRupertNeveDesignstransformercircuitryandacclaimedSilkprocessing.Theaudioengineercanhaveacompletelytransparentaudioinputpathor,usingtheSilkRedandBluemodesandthetexturecontrolintheconsole’sselectedchannel,canbeverycreativewiththecolourandcharacterofeachindividualinput. AswellasforgingclosertieswithRupertNeveinthedevelopmentoftheRY16-ML-SILK,newVCMmodelsoftheRupertEQ773,RupertComp754,RupertEQ810andRupertComp830arefeaturedintheRIVAGEPM10.Notonlythat,butYamahahasworkedwithTCElectronictoincludetworeverbs,theVSS4HDroomsimulationreverbandthehighlycreative‘NonLin2’stereoreverb,asfeaturedintheirpopularSystem6000devices.Yamahahas
alsobeenworkingcloselywithEventidetoaddtheH3000-LiveUltra-HarmoniserasafuturestandardinclusionintheRIVAGEPM10system. OneofthemostimportantandattractiveaspectsoftheRIVAGEPM10controlsurfaceisafullselectedchannelsection,24ofthecontrolsurface’schannelstripsextendvirtuallyseamlesslyintothetwin,15-inchtouchscreendisplays,whilerotaryencodersfeature‘horseshoe’ringindicatorsforoptimumvisibility.AthirddisplayscreencanbeaddedviaaDVIsocket,ifrequired. Furtherinnovationsincludegreatlyenhancedscenefunctions,dualmonitorbusses,theabilitytorunupto384effectsprocessorsatonceandfourUSBconnectionsfordatastorage,mouse/keyboardcontrolandtwotrackUSBrecording.ThebackboneoftheRIVAGEPM10systemisYamaha’snewlydevelopedTWINLANeringnetwork,whichcanhandleupto400audiochannelsat96kHz,32-bitoverdistancesofupto300metres.TWINLANecanconnectuptoeightRPio622I/Ounitsand,atlaunch,upto
THE LONG-AWAITED ARRIVAL OF YAMAHA’S NEW LIVE SOUND MIXING CONSOLE, WHICH THE COMPANY HAS DESCRIBED AS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA, MADE ITS DEBUT ON THE EVE OF INTERBEE IN TOKYO, JAPAN, AT A DEDICATED, INVITE-ONLY EVENT, AND MONDIALE PUBLISHING WAS THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE UK PRESS TO ATTEND, MAKING IT AN EXTRA SPECIAL OCCASION.
YAMAHA’S RIVAGE PM10
EVENT FOCUS: Yamaha RIVAGE PM10
two CS-R10 control surfaces and up to two DSP-R10 DSP engines. The RPio622 features six of Yamaha’s new RY card slots, into which can be inserted three different types of i/o card, providing up to 96 mic preamps per rack. In addition, the RPio622 and DSP-R10 feature the new HY card slots - two and four respectively - for further I/O, while all three hardware components of the system feature two of Yamaha’s familiar MY card slots. “For a number of years, the industry has
been asking when Yamaha will launch a new, state-of-the-art digital console for large scale productions. We have always said that, when it comes, it will be as much a landmark for the industry as the PM1D and PM5D were. So I am very pleased to say that, with RIVAGE PM10, that time has arrived,” said Chihaya ‘Chick’ Hirai, Director of Pro Audio Business Unit, Yamaha Corporation of Japan. “We believe that RIVAGE PM10 will be another pivotal moment in the history of digital
audio mixing. It delivers a system, which will be the most versatile, the most user-friendly and the most reliable for all larger events. We look forward to introducing sound engineers to RIVAGE PM10 and inspiring them with the dawn of a new age for live sound digital mixing systems.” Shipping dates and pricing for the RIVAGE PM10 have yet to be announced.TPi
www.yamahacommercialaudio.com
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EVENT FOCUS: Yamaha RIVAGE PM10
Opposite & below: Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM10 is the first in its new series and includes the newly-developed RY16-ML-SILK hybrid microphone preamplifier.
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When Festival Republic Ltd appointed EnTEEtainment Ltd to handle the production for the back-to-back BBC events, they presented the team with an interesting challenge. The issue was how to have a large screen behind the Orchestra for the Saturday night Proms in the Park concert at around 22-metres from the down stage edge but then to have it repositioned to sit behind the Strings section for the Jeff Lynne concert on Sunday some nine metres further forward. Historicallythishadbeenachievedbythelaboriousandtimeconsumingprocessofdismantlingthescreenandreinstallingitinitsnewpositionovernight.However,thiswouldhaveresultedincurtailingthetimeavailableforovernightlightingplottingandprogramming,andassuchitwasaverylabourintensive,timeconsumingoperation.TechnicalProductionManagerDickTee,ManagingDirectorofEnTEEtainmentLtd,spentsometimeconsideringthedilemmaandcameupwiththeideaof
‘trackingthescreen’-intheoryaprocessthatwouldtakeamatterofminutesratherthanhours. FestivalRepublicEventCoordinatorIanDonaldson,commented:“IncredittoDick,hewasfacedwiththechallengeofachievingasignificantstagechangeoverinverylimitedtimeandheappliedsomelateralthinkingtoarriveonthefronttobackstagetrackingsystem.Dick’sexperiencecoupledwithproductknowledgeandhisthoroughapproachtofollowingdevelopmentsintechnicalproductionhasgivenhimagreatunderstandingofdevelopments,whichledtohimsuggestingwetriedthisnewapproach.GiventheprofileofthisshowitwasreassuringforusatFestivalRepublictoknowthatDickwouldbeattentivetoeverydetailinplanningandexecutingsomethingthathasnotbeendonebefore.” Teeexplained:“Thefirstissuewastodealwiththeweight.PreviousLEDscreenshadcomeinatapproximatelyfivetonnessotomovethis
amountofweightupanddownstagewasnotreallygoingtobefeasible.TheanswerwastherecentlyintroducedlightweightGLux10screenavailablefromCreativeTechnology.Atasizeof14.5-metreswideandeightmetresdeepthisweighedlessthan1500kginclusiveofcabling,flybarandrigging. “DiscussionswithUKRiggingaddressedthetechnicalissuesofattachingthreeI-beamsontotrussesrunningupstage/downstagesothattheKinesysmotioncontrolsystemandtrackingequipmentcouldbeinstalled,whichwouldallowthescreentomoveand‘track’withintheSeriousStagesSpaceRoof. “ThelightingdesignpreparedbySiyanLightingalsohadtobemodifiedtofacilitatethetrackingoperation.ThemainimplicationwasthatallLXtrusseshadtorunupstage/downstageratherthanthemoretraditionalcrossstagearrangementwhichwouldhavemeantthescreenpassingthroughthetrusses-clearlynotanoption.
IN RECENT YEARS A LOT HAS BEEN HEARD OF HYDE PARK’S RESTRICTIVE SOUND LEVELS, ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE POLLUTION AND CURFEW INFRINGEMENT DURING ITS CONCERT SEASON. BUT THIS SEPTEMBER ATTENTION WAS DRAWN TO AN INNOVATIVE SCREEN RIGGING SOLUTION, DURING PROMS IN THE PARK AND BBC RADIO 2 LIVE FESTIVAL. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN OUTDOOR STAGE ROOF, AN LED SCREEN WAS MOVED FROM FRONT TO BACK TO ACHIEVE SOME SPECTACULAR REVEALS, AS TPi REVEALS.
PROMS IN THE PARK
EVENT FOCUS: Proms In The Park
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PRODUCTION NOTESUnit:
Live:
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510 486.1166 x115
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Total Production International, April 2014 3/25/14Creative: 1100-LFC
PUBLISTING Close Date Revision #
Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc. • 2832 San Pablo Ave. • Berkeley, CA 94702 • 510 486.1166
Power without distortion – even at the most demanding levels – is what sets our newest low-frequency loudspeaker apart. And brings artist and audience together like never before. With no characteristic sound, no muddled tones and unparalleled headroom, the 1100-LFC is dedicated to delivering the music exactly as artist and engineer intend. Built by hand in Berkeley, the powerful, versatile, linear 1100-LFC is a new high in low-end.
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“Therewasalsotheissueofstageclearancewhichmeantthatatrimheightof2.5-metresabovethestagedeckneededtobeachievedinordertocleartheOrchestrarisers,handrails,andinstrumentsasthescreenmovedoverhead.” Soallinallitwasquiteachallengeandalthoughconfidentinthesuppliersandthetechnicaladvancing-itwasonlygoingtobeknownifitwouldallcometogetherandactuallyworkoncetheequipmentwasinstalledandtheonsiteteamofriggersandtechnicianscouldputtheweeksofplanningtothetest. ItwasagreatrelieffortheproductionteamswhenHeadRiggerSethCookandKinesystechnicianDaveJollysuccessfullyoperatedanumberoftest‘screenmoves’oncetheproductionwasinstalledinthedaysaheadoftheshows. Jollycommented:“Evenwiththeweightofthescreenreducedto1,500kgthiswasstillnosimpleoperationbuthavingUKRigging’sKinesysequipmentontheeventensuredthatwecouldachievemillimetreperfectresults.Withsuchatightbroadcastscheduleadvanceplanning,equipmentreliability,andonsitecommunicationwerekey;themoveshadtogotoplanfirsttime,
everytime!” ThescreenstartedattherearoftheBBCConcertOrchestrafortheirSaturdaymorningrehearsal,beforebeingtrackeddownbyapprox12-metresanddroppedtothefloortoprovideabackdropfortheafternoonentertainment.Thenitwasraisedtogivetherequired2.5-metreclearancetothentrackbacktotheupstagepositionfortheeveningPromsconcertwhichfeaturedperformancesfromRufusWainwright,soloistsPumezaandVittorioGrigola,thenEarthWindandFire. Overnightthescreenwasmovedtoamid-stagepositionsothattheELOLightingDesignerTimRoutledgecouldplotandprogrammetheshow,beforetrackingforwardagaintoprovideadownstagebackdropforthedaytimeactsincludingChrissieHynde,Bellowhead,KaceyMusgraves,GregoryPorter,PalomaFaith,BillyOceanandBlondie.Thenduringthechangeoverintotheheadlineactthescreenwasraisedandtrackedbacktothemidstagepositionbehindthe30pieceBBCConcertOrchestrastringssectionwhereitremainedtilltheendofJeffLynne’sELOperformance.TPi Photos:GettyImages
www.dicktee.com
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EVENT FOCUS: Proms In The Park
Opposite: EnTEEtainment was approached by Festival Republic to provide a moveable rear LED screen solution which could be either set back or brought forward, performance depending.
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EVENT FOCUS: Eurotruss
PREMIER DUTCH TRUSS MANUFACTURER, EUROTRUSS, HAS ADDED A NEW RANGE OF LIFTERS TO ITS PRODUCT RANGE, ENABLING THE COMPANY TO BETTER SERVICE ITS CLIENTS. THE LIFTERS LINE IS INITIALLY ESTABLISHED WITH FIVE MODELS: TOP LOADERS TL-530 AND TL-660, FRONT LOADER FL-830 AND FRONT LOADER FOR FLYING PA, FLS-520 AND FLS-620.
Eurotruss International has announced the addition of lifters to its product range. This addition will expand the company’s range of products and services, which already includes Trussing, staging, stage decks and rigging equipment. There are five new models in the new lifters range, which include two top loaders the TL-530 and TL 660, front loader FL-830 and two front loaders designed for specifically flying PAs and working with heavy audio components: the FLS-520 and FLS-650. In the top loader series there is the TL-530, which is a super compact telescopic lifter, which can lift a 150kg load up to 5.3-metres high. The second top loader lifter is the TL-660, which is also a telescopic lifter that can lift an impressive 310kg load up to 6.6-metres in height. Both products come with a high resistance cable for traction, which is guided by an auto-lubricated pulley. The lifters are fixed with a hyper safety fastener, which locks to bear lifter strain. The front loader series boats the FL-830 with
a load capacity of 330kg up to 8.3-metres high. This lifter is designed for the most demanding of live shows and is recommended for the most challenging of set-ups. Ensuring maximum convenience, total safety and the ability to lift off directly from the ground, the FL-830 is set with a slightly angled body to counter balance loads with perfect stability. The FL-830 features an internal safety system that locks the profiles in place, oversized steel cable and heavy-duty automatic brakes to assist with transportation. The front loader series for flying PA includes the FLS-520, which is a compact and powerful lifter that has the load capacity of 420kg up to 5.2-metres high. The FLS-520 is only 1.66-metres wide when folded which makes it very compact and ideal to transport. The second lifter in this series is the FLS-620, which can lift an incredible 500kg load up the height of 6.2-meters. It has an enhanced reinforcement design to restrain heavier and larger audio systems. This lifter also includes a high quality automatic brake system; while steel pulleys,
reinforced profiles and oversized cable give it strength and safety. The position of the front legs and distance between them increases stability for the end user. It is also spacious enough to position a subwoofer between them. All of the new Eurotruss lifters are in accordance to European Machinery Regulations. All products are certificated to BGV C1. Martin Meindertsma, Marketing at Eurotruss told TPi of the reaction so far: “Although this product range has only just launched, we’ve had amazing feedback from our customers, they think it’s great we now have our own lifters so here at Eurotruss we have very high expectations for the future.” The Eurotruss Lifter range offers user-friendly lifters that have all been designed for professionals. The lifters come finished in black and are now available to order worldwide.TPi
www.eurotruss.com
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The home of this year’s show is the SSE Hydro, which opened its doors in 2013 ahead of the Commonwealth Games. On a drizzly Glaswegian November afternoon the venue is a hive of activity as it gets ready to welcome arguably one of the biggest shows in the business. MaggieMouzakitishasheldthereinsasProductionManagersince2008,workingbandproductionbeforethat-arolenowinthecapablehandsofJoMackay.Withplentyofexperienceunderherbelt,Mouzakitisisn’tfazedbythecommotionaroundherandknowshowtodealwiththeinevitablechangesthatcomewithagiglikethis. “Whenwestartworkingontheshowwedon’tknowwhatartistswillbeperforming,”sheexplainedbackstage.“FlorianWieder(Designer)basesthesetaroundatheme-thisyeartimetravel-andthentheproductionworkbegins.Theeditorialsideoftheshowisn’tworkedout
untilreallylate,whenmostoftheproductionandlayoutshavealreadybeendone.” 2014markstheMTVEMA20thanniversary,withthetime-machinethemerepresentingtheexplorationofthepast,thepresentandthefuture.Openingthenightisshowhost,winnerof‘BestHipHop’award,andAnacondasingerNickiMinaj.Sheappearsonscreensuspendedinmidair,beforebeingloweredontothestageduringherintroduction. “Theartistperformancesarestagedideas-wisebyMTV,”Mouzakitiscontinued.“Then,oncetheartistshavebeenannounced,theyworkwithintheperimetersofwhatwehavebuilt.Props,additionallighting,screencontent-allthesethingsareeasytoaddin,buttheshowisbuiltaroundtheneedsofMTVandthechosentheme.” It’ssomethingwhichisechoedonthearenafloorlateron;withjokesaboutwhetherornotMinajactuallyknewshewasgoingtobe
hoistedintotheairfortheopeninggag.We’reprettysureshedidthough-shecertainlylookedcomfortableenoughsowecanonlypresumethatshedoesn’tsufferfromafearofheights. EnsuringthatthesamequalityofshowisproducedeveryyearisavitalpartofthebrieffromMTVandMouzakitishassecuredadedicatedteamofsomeofthebestnamesinthebusiness;PRG,BritanniaRow,BlackoutandMojoBarrierstonamejustafew. Althoughthecoreteamremainsthesame,newadditionsthisyearincludeQuantumSpecialEffectsandsetbuildcompanyHollandseHandenwhoworkedontheshowforthefirsttimelastyearintheirnativeNetherlands,whentheshowwasheldattheZiggoDome. Mouzakitisexplained:“Wetrytouseasmanylocalsuppliersaspossiblebutitcanbetricky,dependingonwheretheshowis,tofindthelevelofknowledgeyouneed.Wethereforetendtousethesamecoreteamofproduction
EACH YEAR THE MTV EMAs HEADED TO A NEW VENUE IN EUROPE, AND FOLLOWING A PACKED SUMMER OF EVENTS, THIS YEAR’S CEREMONY WAS A FITTING FINALE FOR HOST CITY GLASGOW. TPi GOES BACKSTAGE IN SCOTLAND’S LARGEST CITY.
MTV EMAs CELEBRATE 20 YEARS
PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
people. The added benefi t is that they know what to expect - and to pack lots of extra stuff ‘just in case’. So, when you ask for that extra 20ft of truss...they inevitably have it! It gives peace of mind.” So how is the new venue? “This venue is a bit smaller than past years and has a more intimate feel to it,” Mouzakitis said. “We’re a bit strapped for space in the backstage areas, and fl oor space is tight too - especially as we have 16 broadcast cameras. One’s a rail cam but most are on the fl oor. “But then again 99% - no, actually 100% - of these venues aren’t cut out for a show like this. We are the 1% show that comes by and there’s just never enough room. It’s just too big a show and we often have to build additional facilities such as dressing rooms. Not many venues have the space to cater for this much infrastructure and staff.”
AUDIOA new addition to the MTV EMA family is Sound Supervisor Colin Pink. He joined the team following the sad passing of Derrick Zieba, a man who had a profound effect on those who worked with him. If you look closely, the production
team are wearing badges made in his honour by Toby Alington, to remember a man who throughout the day is referred to as ‘sorely missed’ and a ‘true gentleman’. Pink is contracted directly by MTV, acting as the bridge between the artist and audio suppliers Britannia Row. He said: “This year we have a number of vocal to track artists and a number of live bands, and the main challenge is working out the logistics of how you can achieve these sometimes massive changeovers in a very limited time. The constraints of a live show are defi nitely felt. “Some artists want to use their own sound desks and equipment, and I need to rationalise that into something that is technically achievable and make suitable suggestions for alternatives. Some MTV EMAs have had up to seven desks, this year we’ve got it down to just two - a Digico SD7 and a Midas Pro 9 - on both FOH and monitor positions, which is a lot more manageable. “To be fair though, all of the artists have been really good, they understand and appreciate that this is a complicated show and they want to make it as easy as possible for us. After all, the last
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Opposite: Glasgow’s SSE Hydro arena played host to MTV EMAs 20th anniversary event. Below: Slash ‘n’ burn - during a performance of Ozzy Ozbourne’s Crazy Train, Quantum’s six fl ame bars, attached to G-fl ames, ensured guitarist Slash’s incendiary tone was given extra warmth.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Below: Stageco custom built the stage for the event, on which U2’s Bono is pictured below.
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thing anyone wants is for us to not achieve a changeover. No one wants a waffling presenter while the band’s still trying to get ready.” Britannia Row also supplied an extensive selection of Sennheiser microphones and IEM wireless systems for the event. All presenters, including Nicki Minaj, used Sennheiser’s flagship 9000 series handheld microphones, whilst all performer and presenter IEMs, with the
exception of one act, were Sennheiser 2000 Series. Additionally, Ed Sheeran used an SKM 2000 with 9235 capsule and SK 2000 itar radio pack, Ariana Grande and Charli XCX had SKM 5200s with MD 5235 capsules, Kiesza an SKM 2000 with 935 capsule and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro using an e 945 wired mic.
As well as her hosting duties, Nicki Minaj took to the stage to perform the debut of her new single Bed of Lies using an HSP 4 wireless headworn mic with SK-5212 transmitter. For the first time Live Sound Supervisor for the show was Colin Pink, who took on the double challenge of filling the very large shoes of Derrick Zieba and working with an acoustically difficult venue. Pink commented: “The
Sennheiser UK team was fantastic at supporting us to make this easier. They provided all required IEM systems, which were very well received by the artists, both for their sound quality and their RF coverage.” In line with the shape of the SSE Hydro, the entire set design is in the round, with the PA
following suit - instead of the traditional left / right hang. Pink explained: “It’s effectively a round room with a domed roof so acoustically it’s challenging. The venue has been fantastic though and they have added lots of additional absorption panelling and baffling. “Lez (Dwight - Britannia Row) and I came up and watched Lady Gaga a month ago which gave us a chance to get a feel for the room. Based on that visit we have six hangs around the edge of the stage so that we can distribute the sound in a more even way. We’ve also encouraged artists to go in-ear because it’s more controlled. We do have monitors (26 d&b audiotechnik bi-amped M2 wedges) but these are mainly for the dancers. “The problem with rehearsing these shows is that you never really know how it’s going to sound until the audience shows up - it’s a lot of educated guesswork. You’re not actually trying to make it sound good at sound check, you’re trying to take into account how it will sound when it’s full of thousands of people.” The Britannia Row team was led by Lez Dwight of Brit Row and Crew Chief Pete McGlynn. Dwight commented: “We have our own people running the desks at each end of the multicore for the main show, plus dedicated
“You’re not trying to make it sound good at sound check,you’re trying to take into account how it will sound when it’s full...” - Sound Supervisor, Colin Pink
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Below: Sound Supervisor, Colin Pink; Chris Saunders from Ogle Hog engineered, specified and co-ordinated all the control systems required to handle media playback for the video.
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band desks and a presenter desk. All acts at this level usually bring engineers, the FOH guys either jump in the broadcast truck to liaise specific artistic nuances with the broadcast sound supervisor or mix FOH for the audience in the venue.” One of the main changes this year is the drop from 120 tonne rigging capacity at last year’s venue, to 60 tonne total at the SSE Hydro. Dwight has worked with Pink to find a solution which is more than up to the task - using 72 L-Acoustic K2 boxes. Dwight said: “We’ve lost about 40% weight loading capacity compared to last year, so we needed new, lighter products and the K2’s were ideal. They work really well because they are half the weight of the K1 which we would usually use on this type of show. ”
LIGHTINGPRG’S Richie Gorrod is one of the MTV EMA’s long-term family members, shedding his PRG
job title of head of event services and becoming the show’s Lighting Crew Chief. His job: to make US-based LD Tom Kenny’s vision into reality. “I met Tom up here about four months ago,” explained Gorrod. “He comes up with the design, following the show’s creative concept and it’s my job to get the kit together to make it work. “This year it’s a time-machine theme, which is why we have the six silver truss spines with LED toners spanning out from the centre of the stage supporting the main rig of lights. “The original plan was to have these on moving motors so they could be dropped in and out - it would have looked great but the budget couldn’t quite stretch. If there’s a budget for the core show lighting then MTV gives us a set amount per artist to cater for any specific requirements they have. “A few people like Calvin Harris and Willie Williams (U2) do have a creative input, but the thing with these awards shows is that they
aren’t like a festival where you can come in and bring your own kit or your own LD.” “We added some new kit like 18 Clay Paky A.Leda B-EYE’s, 32 Jr Solaris Strobes from TMB and some Clay Paky Stormys.” For Gorrod, it’s a similar set up to normal, with two operators out the front on MA Lighting grandMA2’s - one looking after bump and flash, and the other taking care of keying the bands and making sure they’re lit properly. “The system runs as one big system and each desk can choose what it controls,” he continued. “We have nine follow sports in total too. The three guys out the back are on flown trusses, dropped in via Kinesys motors, which is great as they don’t need to climb a ladder to get into position, then there’s two either side and four out front. “Overall, we’re really happy with the look of the show. It’s a different beast when dealing with a live broadcast though; it will look dark to the live audience but that’s just the way it is.
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Trying to do both is pretty hard. If you go too bright it will glare on screen, so it’s a bit of a game. We spend our lives doing these types of shows though and I have a great team around me that makes it easy. ”
RIGGING The motors for the six truss spokes as part of the lighting design were just one part of a complex rigging plot installed by Blackout. Installation Director Kevin Monks led the team of 10, including EMA veteran Oz Marsh. The whole team had over 220 years of experience combined. It was Blackout’s remit to rig all of those last minute additions for each performer. The resulting plot was suspended utilising the Hydro’s in-built mother grid and consisted of over 200 rigging points used to fly truss, lights, PA and special effects. Monks told us more: “The main aim was to install a grid that offered maximum flexibility. With so many artists performing, there are
inevitably a lot of last minute adaptations required and being able to make these as easily and quickly as possible is vital. To accommodate this we installed a mini grid over the main performance area which held the Kinesys systems for the lighting pods, pyros and set flown pieces for the bands. “There was then another truss grid over the main set, with lots of Pro Star motors so the set company could come in and have the flexibility when installing the giant set vortex. “There was a lot to fit in. As well as the sound, lights and special effects trusses which already congested the space; we then needed to add in projectors for the main set and the presenter’s area without compromising on sight lines. On top of this were the various elements for flying stunts. There were fewer this year, but they impact on the design of the rig; for example we needed to remove sections of two truss circles to make space for Ariana Grande’s flying track.” The stunts were executed by Flying by Foy’s
PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Below: Long time MTV Awards supplier Mojo Barriers supplied 370-metres of black aluminium stage barrier.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMA
Below: Kevin Monks led Blackout’s team of 10 riggers. The teams’ 220 years of combined experience made light work of the complex rigging plot; Britannia Row supplied an L-Acoustics K2 PA system.
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flying track.” The stunts were executed by Flying by Foy’s Floyd Hughes, Luke Peck and Taz Wilmore. First up was Nicki Minaj, who as we know, opened the show in mid-air. Then, the first live performance of the evening saw Florida-born Ariana Grande fly in a clear, domed chair from the swirling vortex B-stage, across the standing audience and onto the stage where she performed her hit Break Free. The star went on to pick up two gongs for ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Female’. Blackout installed over 40-metres of truss, 400-metres of SWR, 40-metres of custom flying track, five half-tonne chain hoists and three custom-designed performer flying winches which formed the basis of Flying by Foy’s kit, which was controlled by the company’s specialist performer flying PEGASUS software and mobile console.
Flying by Foy also provided a safety harness for Charlie XCX with the harness elements designed, fabricated and tested in its harness workshop in Borehamwood by onsite harness supervisor, Ryan Geronimo. Blackout also supplied all of the truss and the masking drapes across the arena; as well as pipe and drape and additional equipment for the after-party venue. “The most unusual element to the build was the big circular LED video screen which formed the central part of the stage set,” continued Monks. “It had to be flown pitched back on a slope. Stageco and XL designed an ingenious solution of staging and timber bearers to take the guide wheels, fixed to the back of the screen. We then attached our hoists to the top of the scaffold to help facilitate the build.”
STAGING, SCREENS AND PROJECTIONStageco once again provided the custom-built stage, which featured a catwalk snaking into the audience. Surrounding this was 370-metres of black aluminium stage barrier provided by another long-time MTV supplier, Mojo Barriers. MTV specifically asked for black barriers to suit the show’s theming and stay unobtrusive on camera. It’s a tricky request due to the amount of specials (corners / curves) required to create the configuration, which as well as separating the screaming crowds from the performers, kept those 16 broadcast positions out of harm’s way. Luckily, Mojo’s extensive product range meant that this wasn’t a problem for UK general manager Kevin Thorborn and his team. XL’s crew, who worked with Stageco on the ingenious pitched-back screen solution, was led by Project Manager Guido Ruysschaert and assisted on site by two crew chiefs Kurt Verhelle and Daan Govaerts. A total of 170 sq metres of XL’s ROE Visual MC-7T LED was utilised with a 16- metre by 11-metre section supported by the custom-built Stageco structure. Upstage centre on the presentation stage a surface of ROE Visual MC-18T Hybrid LEDwhich opened to allow presenter and performer access, and about a metre behind this, a small
PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Below: No.1 artist Ed Sheeran with a Sennheiser SKM 2000 Series microphone complete with 9235 capsule.
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circular surface of MC-7T. The main stage set featured ‘windmill sails’ made from white gauze, representing the vortex / time-machine theme. Video projection onto these was fed by three double stacked pairs of Barco HDF-W26 projectors flown on a front truss. By far the most challenging video
component for XL to install were the 8,500+ Barco FLX 24 pixel strings - comprising individual pixels - which were fitted into the metal hoops encircling the vortex. (The FLX 24 is the same product that featured on U2’s seminal 360 tour’s ‘moving and twisting’ screen). Bespoke video content was produced by Hello Charlie and Gravity, and Ogle Hog’s crew
headed by Chris Saunders engineered, specified and co-ordinated all the control systems required to handle media playback, including scaling, conversion, formatting, etc. of all the pre-recorded sources, managing their output to screen together with that of selected camera feeds. Servers for the show were operated by John Montague.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
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Below: 2014 host, Nicki Minaj; Alicia Keys with Ariana Granda; Jenna Malona and Jourdan Dunn.
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BespokeprojectionwasincludedforartistsincludingAliciaKeys,whoperformedWeAreHereinfrontofanadditional6-metreby3.5-metreLEDscreenbackdropofVIL10panelsprovidedbyVideoIllusions,with180°HDvideoprojectionmappingcoveringherBabyGrandpiano. VideoIllusions’RossGerrycommented:“Thedemandsofalivetelevisionbroadcastmeantpicturequalitywasofparamountimportance,
soprojectionandLEDhadtoworkhandinhandtodeliverunprecedentedfidelityoflumenandcolourrenditionbetweenthetwoverydifferentmediums.”
SPECIAL EFFECTSNoshowofthisscaleiscompletewithoutitsfairshareofspecialeffectsandQuantumputitsextensivearsenalintoaction,startingwithanimpressive180silverjetchaseflashpyrowhichweredeployedfortheopeningsequence,as
Minajwasloweredtothestage. Nextup,ArianaGrandeperformedwiththehelpofwaterfallpyroproducts,lowsmokeandeightminivolcanosboughttolifewithCO2jets.CharliXCXthentooktothestageforBoom Clapwiththehelpofanexclusivelydesigned‘flamingheart’litbyG-flamesinthelastsectionofthesong. QuantumuseditsnewSmokestormXLSGstocreateahauntingatmosphereforU2’SEvery
BreakingWaveperformance,aswellasfiring1.5kgofsilverconfettiandNickiMinajprintedmoneyaspartofaskitbeforeEdSheerencameontostage. ThehighlightformostthoughwasundoubtedlythetributemadetoGlobalIconAwardwinnerOzzyOsbournebySlash,MylesKennedy&TheConspiratorsandSimonNeilfromBiffyClyro.FortheirperformanceofCrazyTrainQuantuminstalledsixflamebars,attachedtoG-flames,whichfiredduringtheinstrumental
introductionofthesongfollowedbyhitsfrom16G-flameswhichsurroundedthestage. SixSpitfires,positionedupstage,turneduptheheatbefore10flamingblackballoonsexplodedamongstahitofgoldstrobeairburstsfromthetruss.Theteam,ledbymanagingdirectorShaunBarnett,thenthrewinsomefireworkswith40secondsofyellow,green,redandblueminesreleased,pluswhiteflitterswithtailsandsilversparkbursts.LaserswereprovidedbyERProductions. Thereisnodoubtthat2014wasafittingcelebrationoftheMTVEMA’s20thyearandwithnextyear’svenuejustrevealedastheMediolanumForuminMilanwecan’twaittoseewhatthenext20haveinstore.TPi
Photos: Getty Imageswww.prg.com
www.er-productions.comwww.britanniarow.comwww.blackout-ltd.com
www.q-sfx.com www.hollandsehanden.nl
www.xlvideo.com/ukwww.mojobarriers.com
www.oglehog.com www.flyingbyfoy.co.uk
www.kinesys.co.ukhttp://videoillusions.net
www.stageco.com
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: MTV EMAs
Below: Ozzy and Slash; Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro.
“The demands of a live television broadcast meant picture quality was of paramount importance...” - Video Illusions’ Ross Gerry
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When TPi first saw Ed Sheeran play live, it was back in 2011 at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany, a showcase event for relatively unknown acts on the European stage. Playing to a room of disinterested Germans, he silenced the crowd on several occasions, just a boy and his guitar, some self-generated loops, expertly bringing the venue to a standstill better than the myriad of bands we’d seen that weekend. Fastforwardafewyears,andtheunassumingsongwriterwhoshylysaidasoftlyspoken“Danke”attheendofthatsethasfoundahomeonthearena-sizedstagesacrosstheworld,havingrisentobecomeoneofthebiggestsellingactsofrecentyears.He’ssupportedthebrighteststarontheplanet
includingTaylorSwiftonherRedtour,andisnowoutontourhimselfastheheadlineact,playingouttosoldoutarenasacrosstheUKandEuropeinsupportofhismostrecentalbum,X.
ONE MAN BANDItwasLightingandProductionDesignerMarkCunniffe’svisionthatdrovethetechnicalrequirementsfortheshows,havingworkedwithEdforanumberofyearsandknowingthelevelofintimacyrequiredforwhatisessentiallyaonemanshow,evenasthecrowdsandvenueshavebecomebiggerandbigger.Whilethatmeantanincreaseduseofvideotoenhancethevisualelementofthetour,Cunniffewasdeterminednottotakethelazyapproach
ED SHEERAN IS AN ARTIST THAT HAS RISEN FROM PLAYING LOCAL RECORD SHOPS TO ARENAS ACROSS THE WORLD IN JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS. HIS LATEST ALBUM X WAS AN INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS WITHIN ITS FIRST WEEK, CHARTING AT NO.1 IN 12 COUNTRIES AND REACHING THE TOP FIVE IN 11 OTHERS. DESPITE THAT METEORIC RISE, THE SONGWRITER REMAINS EQUALLY AT HOME PERFORMING TO CROWDS LARGE OR SMALL, LEAVING THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES TO THE TALENT BEHIND THE SCENES. TPi CAUGHT UP WITH THE TEAM AT GLASGOW’S SSE HYDRO TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THE AV SOLUTIONS HAVE SCALED UP ALONGSIDE THE TICKET SALES.
ED SHEERAN
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
to arena touring video, (large screens either side of the stage.) “The real challenges here were taking what is essentially one man and his guitar and turning the visual performance into the kind of show suited to an arena,” commented Cunniffe. “Production wise, one of our biggest problems was how to achieve that without completely dwarfing the performer visually. That was my big conundrum and Chris Marsh and I spent the best part of six months trying to do exactly that. For me the best way to do that was get rid of the traditional left / right IMAG screens. We wanted to still make it a creative show, but decided to keep all of that creative inside the PA hangs, to keep it as compact and intimate as possible. We’re treating all of the screens using an amazing piece of software called Demolition, and on top of that we have some bespoke content, a lot of which is hand drawn.”
ARTISTIC VISUALSFor the overall visual element, Cunniffe took inspiration from Ed Sheeran himself, certainly in terms of artistic outlook. “A lot of this is based around the mood,
the melody or the lyric really,” he said. “I think Ed is a real poet, and we felt a lot of the hand drawn content, which we then digitised, gave it a real, organic feel in keeping with his performance. One of the clips for the track One features over 2000 hand drawings from a talented guy called Mushtashrik. I think there is something really personal about that kind of approach, very much in keeping with the approach of the artist.”London creatives Treatment were brought in to design and produce the screen content, as Cunniffe explained: “Treatment were in charge of collating all of the different inputs we wanted to put into the show, and we worked a lot with Creative Director Damian Hale. So they created a lot of the stop frame animations, the hand drawings were scanned and digitised, and then we combined those with all of the other visual elements. It was a great marriage of low tech and high tech really, I mean some of the artwork looked like a Cezanne painting or an impressionist’s watercolour. “The beauty of Demolition - which was developed by a great technical talent
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
Opposite: Ed Sheeran is touring in support of his No.1 album, X. Below: Audio vendor Major Tom supplied a Meyer Sound LEO PA system.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
Below: CT Touring supplied the tour’s video package; LD Paul Smith opted for an MA Lighting grandMA2 console; PM, FOH and Monitor Engineer, Chris Marsh chose a DiGiCo SD7 desk for the tour, as seen in use by System Tech, Charlie Albin; Sheeran dressed up as a convincing Austin Powers.
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called Matt Swoboda - is that you can take the artistic approach from the content and then treat live images of Ed with it as well. So if the content is watercolour, we can treat the images of Ed to look like watercolour and in real time. It really is a very creative tool, perfect for working with this artist. It means we don’t have such clear lines between creative content and IMAG, it’s all treated as one canvas.” Phil Mead, Head of Video on the tour, said: “Mark was adamant that he didn’t want the traditional approach of using IMAG, he didn’t want people in the auditorium to be looking left and right, so everything visually had to be within the PA lines, which kept the feel of intimacy and closeness, despite the scale of the venue.” The tour uses lighting gear from independent, London based, entertainment lighting and rigging hire company Neg Earth. Video is from CT Touring in the US. “In the end we’ve ended up with this approach, which is a number of screens at different angles, some which move and adapt according to the set, and we map video to all of them, so that everyone looking at the stage will be entertained visually by the show, even if they are far from Ed at the back of the room. There are a total of 14 screens on this show, six Flyer 12mm that are static and eight Viper 7mm, which are on automation.
The screens are fed by a d3 Technologies media server and we have a total of six cameras, four of those are Bradley Engineering Camball 3’s and two Sony 1550’s.” The screens are adjusted with the aid of a Kinesys Elevation system comprising of 16 points using elevation variable speed chain hoist controllers and 16 liftket motors. Kinesys Vector software was used to tell the d3 solution the vertical location of the video walls so the mapping was flawless. Also a Kinesys Rigger handset was used for a fast setup / de-rig.Although Treatment in London were commissioned to do the pre-recorded content, Cunniffe wanted to use mainly live imagery. “The live cameras go via our Video Director Lindsey Haney and then into d3 where we are running Demolition, which takes the live video capture and treats it,” Mead told us. “We can take the live camera feeds and distort, add fire / water effects and colourise the image. There’s really only a few times during the set that you ever see Ed clean on the screens, the rest of the time it always has some element of treatment, this is our content. For a solo performer there is a lot of tech on this tour, not even just on the video side. The d3 software really is truly amazing - we used it at the start of this project on private release, but now most of these tools are included in 11.3 for all to use. The d3 and
Demolition gives us so much creative freedom.” “The d3 servers are controlled over Art Net and the video feeds come from a switcher. Lindsey is our Video Director and directs the shots - she’s got four busses to cut with. The shots are then sent to d3 where our Lighting Director Paul Smith makes the decision to take them to screen. It’s all done via the lighting console, there’s no Timecode. Ed loves to change the set list around, add choruses or segues into other songs, it can’t be automated.”In charge then of both video and lighting during the live show is Lighting Director Paul Smith, who also highlights the new software solutions as being an important part of the show’s presentation. “The Demolition software in the d3 which does all of the post processing effects on the IMAG, is amazing, like Phil said. It’s essentially looking at contrast ratios and playing with those, that’s where it fills its effects out from. So we’ve got a single Robert Juliat Lancelot Follow Spot that we key light Ed with, and we balance that to the right lux level and colour temperature every day, and that’s what drives the video content for the show, that single follow spot.”
INTERLINKED LIGHTINGOn the lighting side, Smith is running 16 Martin Viper Air FX and 36 Clay Paky Sharpys for
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
Below: Neg Earth supplied both lighting and rigging elements to the successful tour.
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support. He also has four Vari-Lite VL3000 Spot Luminaires, which provide Ed’s backlight, and they run at about 50% for the whole show. The lighting is rounded off by a further 32 Clay Paky A.Leda B-EYE K20s all supplied by Neg Earth. “The lighting and the video are completely interlinked in this show. It really is about the whole visual package,” explained Smith. “It gives a more coherent approach to it all. We run two MA lighting MA2 consoles. We have a grandMA2 Full Size here at FOH, we run a back-up MA2 Light backstage. I did start the tour with the MA2 Light here alongside me at FOH, but I feel that the grandMA is so reliable,
it’s unlikely I will ever need the back up. They’re bomb proof, just absolutely solid. You can throw absolutely anything you like at them and they just keep asking for more. So we run MA Net back to a pair of MA2 NPU’s, which live at Dimmer Beach, again as a master and a back-up. We’re also sending a couple of Artnet feeds out into the D3s, and also a couple of Artnet nodes up in the rig, because each of the Kinesys Screens is on its own DMX feed to avoid the need for returns and links coming back up the Kinesys hoists and over to the next. It sounds complicated, but it’s a really simple, coherent system. Neg Earth have been fantastic, as
you would expect. Everything we’ve asked for they’ve delivered, such a great service and great kit that’s been super reliable, we couldn’t have asked for anything more from them really.”
SHEERAN’S SOUNDAnother crewmember that has worked with Ed for a number of years is Production Manager Chris Marsh. Due to the close nature of his relationship with the artist and the nature of the show centering on Ed onstage, Marsh is also the FOH and Monitor Engineer. “I use the DiGiCo SD7 mixing console. I used to mix on a little SD11, because it is
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
Below: Sheeran uses Senheiser’s 2000 Series as his microphone of choice.
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effectively just a guy and his guitar, but the input list has grown and the requirements for certain effects and output routing meant that we ran out of space on the SD11,” he said. “I do an awful lot of effects on Ed’s vocals and loops, so it’s very nice to use a big console and see FOH mix, monitor mix, effects and outputs right there in front of you. For outboard, I am running an Avalon 737 on Ed’s vocal, which is something I’ve always used on vocals, I just really like the sound of it, the compression is really effective but also very transparent, it’s also great for broad strokes of EQ before it comes into the console. I use a couple of the on board effects augmented with a pair of Bricasti M7’s and an Eventide Eclipse.” Marsh uses a Sennheiser 2000 Series microphone system, with a customised 5235 capsule. “It was a long process of figuring out the right set up,” he said. “But now we have and it works great and sounds great, no matter what Ed does onstage. He’s quite a loose, freewheeling
performer, so the balance has to be right.” With no in-ear monitors for Ed, onstage Meyer Sound MJF 212 wedges and Meyer Sound Hp700 / JM1P sidefills are utilised. With Wiltshire-based supplier Major Tom providing all of the audio equipment, System Tech Charlie Albin is in charge of their Meyer Sound LEO system. “Ed did Madison Square Gardens and other big gigs in the US with it, and both him and his management loved the sound of it, so we were able to carry on with that on this leg of the tour,” he told TPi. On the LEO system, Marsh commented: “It really throws well. On the back seat, it sounds as good as if you were on the barrier, which is especially important on a show like this when its only one guy onstage. It needs to feel close, it needs to feel intimate. Secondly, the loops sometimes get quite complicated and layered, and this PA seems to maintain the separation that works really well. Finally, the sub bass is just phenomenal, so fast and so tight.
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I’ve really struggled to fi nd another cabinet that can deliver quite so much with so little. I only have six aside on the fl oor, and three aside fl own in the air.” On the set up, Albin commented: “Here, we are using a main left / right system with fi ve zones, Meyer LEO with LYON underhangs with a wide dispersion, LYON just to do the downfi lls and get that front section of the audience, then we have side hangs of MILO. A ground package of six subs a side, some UPAs along the front as front fi ll, some JMPs as an outfi ll and then our three cardioid subs fl own per side. It all works perfectly and sounds great.” But for Marsh, the real star is the DiGiCo SD7 FoH console, as he admitted: “If I was only able to take one thing, I would take the desk. Faced with a different PA, a different room, even different guitars, then I’d take the SD7 and be able to make things come out alright, no matter what the circumstances or challenges we were faced with, it really has so much fl exibility that I wouldn’t want to work with anything else on this tour.” The guy responsible for hanging the AV package for each venue is Head Rigger Omar Franchi, well known in the UK industry as one of the best, having toured extensively with British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden. “On Ed Sheeran’s tour, my job is to hang the show and keep the shape of the show everywhere we go in relation to the interior of the different venues. On this tour, once I’ve fi nished rigging, I’m also handling the Kinesys system, so I’ll move all of the screens during the show, hit all of the different cues for the different songs to fi t the overall image the video guys want to project to the audience. “It’s only 45 points - which isn’t much, and it sounds easy - but because of the nature of this show, the measurements and positions are all very precise, and they have to be for it to work. I do all the rigging points on AutoCAD in advance, then I send it to the local promoter and the venue, and if there are any problems or workarounds, then we fi nd out about them beforehand. This means that in the morning when we arrive for set up, everything is already worked out and read to go, it just makes life a whole lot easier
for everybody. In this show, we are talking about the rigging and everything hanging in less than two hours. Getting it down, so far we’re at 110minutes, which isn’t bad at all.” As well as being the lighting vendor, Neg Earth also provided all of the trussing equipment. “It’s all the normal Neg Earth gear and service,” smiled Franchi. “We’re using the HUD truss by Tyler for the back truss, which is the new one where the lights stay on the truss. When it comes down, they just put the wheels on it and put it straight on the truck. Easy.”
TRUCKING AROUNDBut of course, at the end of the night, as Franchi said, it all goes back in the box, onward to the next show. In this case the travelling boxes came in the shape of six 16.5-metre Scania Highline Megacube Artics from KB Event’s fl eet of vehicles, who provided transport logistics on the UK and European X Arena Tour. Crew tour buses were provided by Four Seasons, while Steve Matthews Travel supplied Ed’s personal tour bus. Furthermore, Catering was taken care of by Eat Your Hearts Out, while Tour Management was dealt with by Mark Friend and Amanda Thompson of AM Touring. For Cunniffe, the success of the tour provides an ideal moment for refl ection on a job well done by all of the teams involved. “To me, this has been one of the most successful collaboration I have seen in live music,” said Cunniffe. “Ultimately, this whole thing is driven by the artist and his music, and that’s how it should be. We’re all support acts for Ed, effectively. This tour, as an overall product, is a fantastic collaboration between sound, lighting, creative content, video content, and the Demolition. I think it has produced a really seamless visual and aural experience, in support of an ultimately very, very talented singer-songwriter.”TPi
http://edsheeran.comhttp://amtouring.comwww.negearth.comwww.majortom.org
www.treatmentstudio.comwww.kbevent.comwww.kinesys.co.uk
http://uk.ct-group.comwww.fourseasonstravel.co.ukwww.eat-your-heart-out.com
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Ed Sheeran
Below: Lighting Director, Paul Smith; Chris Marsh with his Production Manager hat on; Charlie Albin, System Tech.
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SarahsKitchen
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Katy B’s show kicks it up a notch for a club and theatre size tour. Katy B’s huge stage presence and rich bass filled sound accompanied by a generous helping of cleverly choreographed grunge style dancers is enhanced by Lighting Designer Tom Campbell’s lively club style lighting, making this show feel bigger than ever before. Supersizedandambitious,thisisbynomeansahighbudgetproduction.Drivenbythehealthyimaginationsofthedesignteam,alongsideadynamicallyresourcefulproductiondepartment-thisshowdefinitelypunchesaboveitsbudgetaryweight. BusyTourandProductionManager,Trigger,whohasbeenintheindustryforover25years,takeschargeofasmallbutresourcefulteam.Campbellhasjudiciouslyselectedaversatilefloorpackageoffixtures,suppliedbySiyan
Lighting,whichaugmentseachvenue’sin-house,workhorserigoverhead.“It’seasywiththeRoundhouse,”hecommented.“Thevenuehasastunninghouserig,whichiscertainlynotthecasewitheveryvenue! “I’mprettyflexibleandhappytouseanythingavenuehastooffer,”continuedCampbell.“HereattheRoundhouseI’vegotsometungstenfloorlamps,whichgivetheshowawarmvibe.Myaimhasalwaysbeentoachieveastrongnightclubfeel.ImakesureallthevenueshaveMolefaysplussomespotsandwashes,preferablyPhilipsVari-Litefixtures.I’vegot20ofeachinmyAvolitesshowfileandIjustexchangeandeditifIhaveto.” SupportingCampbellontourbymanagingthepracticalsideofthingsisexperiencedLightingTechnician,DanielEverett.“DanisverygoodatbitinghistonguewhenIshowhima
wackydesign,”laughedCampbell.“Andhealwaysdoeswhathecantomakeithappen.” Everettwillgetintoavenueandascertainthespaceandpower,whichtrussescanholdwhat,andgetridofanyredundantfixturesfromthehouserig.Campbelldoesnotlikeittolookclutteredonstage. “It’simportanttokeepitalllookingtidy,especiallyforashowwhereeachsonghasbeenthoughtthroughandbuiltupindetail,”saidEverett.“IbasicallytakesomeofthepainfromTomsohecanfocusonprogrammingtheshowratherthanlookingattheinsandoutsofhowit’sgoingtogetinandberigged.” Campbell’sdesignreliesondefiningeffectsfromhisfloorpackagewhichincludesClayPakyA.ledaB-EYEsandStormysalongwithPhilipsShowlineSLNITRO510CstrobesandLightInitiative’sIntelliFlexLEDtubesticks.Campbell
RADIATING MUSICAL VERSATILITY AND RAW EMOTION, KATY B HAD NO TROUBLE IN GETTING CAMDEN’S ROUNDHOUSE JUMPING. THE FIERY R&B, DUBSTEP, GARAGE STYLE SINGER-SONGWRITER TOOK THE VENUE BY STORM, HITTING THE STAGE LIKE A WHIRLWIND AND SUCKING EVERYONE INTO HER WORLD WITH CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM AND ENERGY. WITH A PLAYLIST FOCUSSED ON HER LATEST ALBUM LITTLE RED, AND PLEASINGLY PEPPERED WITH HER RECENT HITS, SHE PRESENTED A CLEVERLY ARRANGED MIX OF REBELLIOUS STYLE DANCE SONGS AND EMOTIONAL BALLADS. TPi CAUGHT UP WITH KATY B’S CREW AT THE ICONIC LONDON VENUE...
KATY B
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Katy B
says he really likes the technology and says he has tried to make a look that will become synonymous with Katy B herself. “This tour has the same approach as the March run, and the festival shows. We used the Light Initiative sticks on those as well. It’s such a strong look and they’re easy to rig almost anywhere. During the last tour Katy played Camden’s Koko Club and I brought in double the usual amount and rigged them randomly around the venue as we saw fit. They really made the space Katy’s own, combined with the laser as seen on the Crying for no Reason video.”
“I’m using the RGBW Stormys as block colour washes,” explained Campbell. “They give a more mature look than other strobes. They’re great fixtures and I’ll definitely be specifying them again!” The designer also employed the Showline SL NITRO 510Cs, using them for colour blocking and super bright backlight wash effects. “The cool thing with the SL NITRO 510C fixtures is that you can also create a fantastic stop frame animation effect,” added Campbell. “I’m already making plans with them for my next tour.” The defining fixture of the floor package is the sheer versatility of the Clay Paky A.leda
B-EYE K10 and K20. Campbell uses these in combination with lasers to deliver a plethora of the shows more distinctive looks, working them hard to sync with each musical phrase. “One of my favourite parts of the show is when the B-EYEs deliver this big ‘old school’ disco look, an effect I don’t usually like as it can be borderline tacky!” laughed Campbell. “However the B-EYEs pulled it off perfectly and in a unique way. Also, for the song Still I took inspiration from the music video, which is heavily backlit with a lot of white light. For this I’ve used the rotating lenses on the B-EYEs to achieve lots of twinkling parallel beams.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Katy B
Opposite: Camden Town’s Roundhouse provided the perfect setting for Katy B’s sold out visually energetic concert. Below: Tom Campbell’s lighting design comprised Clay Paky A.leda B-EYEs and Stormys along with Philips Showline SL NITRO 510C strobes and Light Initiative’s IntelliFlex LED tube sticks.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Katy B
Below: Backline Tech, Sam Seidel; Daniel Everett, Lighting Technician and LD, Tom Campbell; Sound Engineer, Martin Hildred; Tom Campbell pictured in front of his trusty Siyan Lighting-supplied Avolites Sapphire Touch console.
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“TheLEDoutputonthemisstunning,”addedCampbell.“Forexample,inthesong‘5am’I’musingthemasbeamfixturesandtheyproduceaspectacularlybright,almostparallelcolumnoflightandmostofthetimeIamusingthemunder50%output.” CampbellalsoprogrammestheB-EYEK10stodeliversomestrikingpixel-mappedeffectsthatworkinsyncacrossallthefixtures.“Onceyougetyourheadaroundallthedifferentlayersandallthedifferentthingsyoucandowiththesefixtures(becausethere’salot!)it’s
surprisinglysimpletoprogrammethem,”saidCampbell.“Therearelotsofdifferentshapesyoucanputthroughthefixture,forexampleI’vegotapropellerlookgoingacrossalltheonesatthebackandtheylookasifthey’vebeenpixelmappedandanimated.I’mreallylovingthem,they’veallowedmetohaveamorecompactrigandmyshowisamilliontimesmorevariedandexcitingvisuallybecauseofthat.” CampbellcontrolsthesecomplexlooksthroughanAvolitesSapphireTouchconsole:
“I’musingtheSapphireforthisbecauseitallowsmetospeedilyprogrammultifaceted,multi-layeredeffects,explainedCampbell.“I’mabigAvolitesfan,they’regreatconsoles,easytouseandfasttoprogramme,”hecontinued.“TheycomewithallthefeaturesIneed,Ialsoowntwomyself-theTigerTouchandtheTitanMobile.” Toaddtothedance-infusedatmosphere,theshowdesignseessomestrikingaeriallasereffects,controlledbyDanielBriggsfromACLasers:“ThesetuphereistwoRTIPiko-RGB-14lasers,withCoherentOPSL,outputting
justunder14Wofwhitelight,”heexplained.“We’recontrollingitfromPangolinLiveProusingQM2000.NETs,runningoverourremotesafetysystem.” BriggsoverlaysarangeoflasereffectsontoCampbell’slookssuchasbroadsweepingsheetsandsinglebeamsthatstriketothebeat.“IplayoffthecoloursthatTomisproducingandintegratethelasereffectsintotheshow,”explainedBriggs.“We’vesplittheprojectionareastoaboveandbelowtheaudienceso
whereveryou’reseatedinthevenueyougetanexcellentview.It’snotallupintheroof;it’squiteimmersive,whilstmaintainingahighlevelofsafety.”
AUDIOKeepingthecharacteristicKatyBsoundtrueisfreelanceSoundEngineerMartinHildred.NewtotheteamHildredjoinedthetourontheBirminghamshowandhe’sbeenhoningthesoundeversince. “It’sbeengettingprogressivelysweeteraswe’vebeengoingalong,”saidHildred.“TheRoundhouseisachallengeacoustics-wise,it’snoteasytogetauniformsound.Howeverwe’vebeenluckyupuntilnowwithvenuesthathavesoundedgreatwhereveryou’restanding.” UsinganAvidVenuedesk,Hildredisinchargeof39channels,including15channelsofdrums-acousticandtrigger,abassguitarandtwosynthbasschannels,alongsidepercussiveandpadsthatcan’tbeplayedlive,withsomebackingvocalsattached. “TheAvidisanaffordableconsolethatallowsmetorecordmultitrackrecordings,afacilitywhichrendersitincrediblyuseful,especiallywhenactsmaynothavethetimetosoundcheck,”Hildredcontinued. Alongsidethecontrolsystem,suppliedbyBSCAudioofHampshire,Hildredhasboughtinhisownmicrophonepackage,howeverheisusingthein-housePAateachvenue.IntheRoundhouse,it’sanL-AcouticsV-DOSCsystem. “Themicpackageishandpickedforthejob.Intermsofin-earsweareusinganUltimateEars
““I’m using the Sapphire for this because it allows me to speedily pro-gram multifaceted, multi-layered effects...” - LD Tom Campbell
Avolites Head Offi ce: T: +44 (0) 208 965 8522 E: [email protected]
W: www.avolites.com
TOTALVISUALCONTROL
TitanOne
Katy B – LDTom Campbell
Sapphire Touch
Photo:©Sarah Rushton-Read, The Fifth Estate Ltd
Quartz
Tiger Touch II
PO35271-Avolites-Ad-Dec Half Page.indd 1 05/12/2014 16:01
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Katy B
Below: Sound Engineer Martin Mildred specified an Avid Venue desk to control all 39 channels of sound, which was played through the house PA, an L-Acoutics V-DOSC.
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package alongside a Sennheiser system.” When it comes to processing, Hildred is particular about which plug-ins he uses: “I’m a fan of one called Transient Designer made by German manufacturer SPL. It tightens up the drum sound to make it super punchy. It’s something I’ll do before EQ-ing, to make it snappier and sound better in the mix. The other thing I always use outboard is a Waves Max Bass BCL, it has an excellent limiting system so you don’t ever blow anything up.” In order to know exactly what to head for before rehearsals began Hildred said he spent two weeks listening solely to Katy B’s back catalogue: “Her songs became ingrained in my mind. When I actually got to rehearsals I knew what I was aiming for, which made these shows pretty straightforward. It’s what I do with every band, just to make sure I know what the hell is going on. There are a lot of very technical and musical engineers out there but if they don’t understand the artist’s sound or what the end product is supposed to be they wont get it right. And that’s what I enjoy - the end product.” Unlike Hildred, Monitor Engineer Alex Cerutti has been with Katy for 2.5 years, ever since her single with producer Mark Ronson Anywhere in the World was recorded for the Coca Cola Olympics promotional campaign in 2012. “This job has its challenging moments, but both Katy and the band are really professional and really good at getting across what they need without anybody noticing,” said Cerutti who is using a Midas Pro 2 console to control
the in-ear situation on stage. “It’s a pretty clean set up, everybody’s on in-ears, the drummer has a sub, and there’s a little bit of kick and side fill for the dancers. But there are no wedges, and there’s enough bass coming out of FOH that I don’t need to add any on stage.” Cerutti added he chose the Midas console as it’s compact and so works for the smaller venues on this tour. “As you can see, I’ve got one box to put it on and that’s me!”
The preference on stage is relatively uniform; Cerutti mixes a nice flat sound, with each member of the band hearing more of him or herself. He spends most of his time listening to Katy and adding ambient venue mics in her ears when there’s a response from the crowd. The biggest capacity venue on this tour was the Roundhouse and the Birmingham O2, at 3000 each, so for most of the gigs Katy has been just a metre away from the audience and regularly interacts with them. “I try to make sure she doesn’t need to take
her in-ears out when she’s chatting with the crowd, and I must be getting it right as she never does,” explained Cerutti. In terms of reverb, Cerutti is using one external system for her voice: I’m using an M3000 from TC Electronic, and an internal one for drums, keeping everything simple and on budget. I’m using snapshots for every scene and there are subtle changes in levels but that’s about it. I have a scene per song. Some tracks are two or three scenes that segue into each
other but they still only have one snapshot, just to boost the elements that people want to hear more than others.” In terms of communicating with Katy and the band during the show the playback technician, drummer and Cerutti all have microphones. “Not everyone has them because there’s not a moment when they can pick it up and talk to me. There are three songs where it’s just Katy and the pianist and the band come and speak to me then. To be fair, it’s a pretty straightforward gig. Between the lot of us, band included, we
“When I actually got to rehearsals I knew what I was aiming for, which made these shows pretty straightforward. It’s what I do with every band, just to make sure I know what the hell is going on...” - Sound Engineer, Martin Hildred
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Katy B
Below: Ultima Ears were used for the in-ear monitoring systems used all round; LD Tom Campbell wanted to achieve ”a strong nightclub vibe” with his lighting rig.
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kind of make it easy. They’re all really nice people to work with.” Backline technician Sam Seidel agreed: “This tour has been pretty smooth with very little stress. The main thing has been getting the kit up there in good time. It’s not massive but it takes a little while to set up and making sure it’s right for sound check.” Seidel also does the all-important job of making sure the stage is set for the band with towels and water and that everyone is happy. Also keeping everyone happy and making sure the show gets to each venue in a timely manner is Stagetruck which supplied a single 30ft tractor and trailer to the tour, while Silvergrey Carriage supplied tour buses. “The tour production
team were a pleasure to work with and we hope to tour with them all on the next one,” said Will Johns of Stage Truck. Sometimes emotionally raw but more often feel good and bouncy, the lights were on, the Katy B team were, ahem, on a mission, the audiences jumped and nobody cried for no reason. Katy B rocked and the Roundhouse rocked with her.TPi
Photos: Sarah Rushton-Readhttp://thefifthestate.co.uk
www.katybofficial.comwww.tclightingdesign.co.uk
www.ac-lasers.co.ukwww.stagetruck.comwww.silvergray.co.ukwww.bcsaudio.com
www.siyan.co.uk
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It is quite rare for a production manager to be also mixing FOH sound on a major arena tour but that is exactly what Zito, an affable and hugely talented individual from Nashville, is doing for OneRepublic. “My ability to multi task has always kept me busy,” he commented. “I think the biggest challenge in combing FOH mix duties and role of PM is managing your time. It is hard to get a break during the day. It has also been very interesting because over the course of a year and a half OneRepublic have gone from playing large theatres to arenas, so my role has really grown as the size of the venues has increased. “I do have a great deal of responsibilities to the show and I have to know all the detail. I guess ideally with my PM hat on I would have to say that I don’t like being anchored to FOH during the show. I would much prefer to be able to have roaming capabilities and keep my
eyes on things as a whole. But my crew are top notch. Our security Giovanni Gasparetti is fantastic and fills gaps for me when I need and my Production Coordinator Sators does the same. Other crew members I would highlight straight away are Brett Stec, System Technician, Bill Heinzimier, Chief Rigger, Aaron Draude, Stage Manager and Oliver Rawles, Carpenter. But I could name everyone as well. They are a fantastic hard working crew.” Zito started his career in the music business playing in bands before moving to mixing sound for a host of top acts including New Kids on The Block, Babyface, Billy Currington, Good Charlotte, Sum 41 and Back Street Boys with whom he has worked for seven years. He has been with OneRepublic since the start of 2013 and added: “Everything has grown exponentially for One Republic and that includes sound. At The 02 Arena the band added a harmonium to
their line up taking the channel count at FOH up to 101 inputs.” Both Zito and Monitor Engineer Kyle McMahon mix on a DiGiCo SD7. “We are sharing head amps, DiGiCo I / O and eliminating the analogue splitter,” explained McMahon. “This decision was twofold. It cuts down on troubleshooting time when we run into issues, and the sonic quality overall improved by eliminating extra connections and copper. We are able to hear inputs exactly how each other hears them and see meters react the same way since we have the same desks and head amps running at 96k. Switching to DiGiCo has allowed us to effectively and efficiently meet the artistic demands of the band and their evolution from gig to gig as far as monitors are concerned. ” Zito is equally complementary about the SD7. “I did the first leg of the tour on the SD5 and then we both switched to the SD7 sharing
ONEREPUBLIC’S NATIVE TOUR HAS BEEN THRILLING FANS ACCROSS THE GLOBE SINCE IT BEGAN IN APRIL 2013, SELLING OUT ARENAS WITH EASE AND REELING OFF FAULTLESS PROMO TV PERFORMANCES ALONG THE WAY. PRODUCTION WISE, THE TOUR IS AN IMPRESSIVE BEAST AS SIMON DUFF REPORTS FROM THE 02 ARENA IN LONDON.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: OneRepublic
ONEREPUBLIC
stage racks. I had some hesitation in trying this but, in the end, it has been a great decision. Not only did it eliminate a tonne of copper from the splitters, but also it has really simplifi ed our patch. We know that if one of us has an input, we both do! This desk sounds phenomenal, it is so clean and the EQ is incredibly accurate. I can’t see myself using anything else for a long time. DiGiCo has made its mark the world over because of high-quality sonic performance,
combined with strong networking capability, ease of use and proven road reliability.” He mixes using snapshots and recalls on the desk, mainly for the purposes of channel mute recall then mixes manually through songs. With a channel count at FOH at The 02 hitting 101 mute recalls is essential. For the microphone line up on stage Zito uses Shure KSM 137 for drum overheads, Beta 56 for the toms, a SM57 for snare top and Shure KSM 32’s for the snare bottom. For the inside kick mic, a Shure Beta 91 is utilised and
outside there is a kick Beta 52. For hi hats and ride cymbals the order is a Shure SM81. With additional triggers the drum count adds up to 21. For the two bass cabs it’s SM57 and Sennhesiser 421 and a custom made pick up on cello. No cabinets are used on guitars with Zito opting for DI Palmer feeds. All vocal mics are Shure Beta 58’s with one Shure Series 2 old school mic that is lowered from the stage trusses and used on one song.
McMahon has been working in sound since 1997, initially as a system technician then moving to monitor world working for a host of high profi le clients including Earth Wind & Fire, Harry Connick Jr as well as many leading Christian acts such as Hillsong and Passion. He took on OneRepublic’s monitor duties in September taking over the baton from Matt Manix. McMahon’s DiGiCo SD7 takes the 100 plus inputs to create some 14 stereo IEMS for band, techs, video and lighting world as well as six mono sends for a small amount of
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: OneRepublic
Opposite: The Native Tour is driven by a combination of diamond shaped LED elements, video content, and abstract colour design. Below: From the wings of monitor world, Monitor Engineer Kyle McMahon can be seen mixing on a VER Sound-supplied DiGiCo SD7.
“Switching to DiGiCo has allowed us to effectively and effi ciently meet the artistic demands of the band and their evolution from gig to gig as far as monitors are concerned...” - Monitor Engineer Kyle McMahon
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: OneRepublic
Below: Neg Earth supplied the lighting rig, including eight Showtex Matrix 5x5’s; While a custom made pick up was fitted to Brent Kutzle’s Cello, Sennheiser 421 and Shure SM57 microphones were employed for bass amplification.
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stage wedges which are d&b audiotechnik M4’s. McMahon commented on the console: “Sonically the SD7 sounds great, the layout is easy for me to understand and DiGiCo’s audio network capabilities are beyond comparison. DiGiCo are doing networking of racks and consoles, which can run over 500 channels of audio. People are getting much more into distributed I / O systems. Mix-wise I use snapshots, mainly for aux send levels.” All in-ears are Westone ES60’s. Shure PSM 1000
Transmitter and receivers utilised for some 50 channels of RF with the Shure AXT 600 Spectrum Manager System. A d&b audiotechnik J Series PA hang was supplied for the 02 show and consisted of 18 boxes of J per side; four J12’s and 14 J8’s. In addition, a further six J Series subs were hung per side directly behind the hang in cardioid formation. Zito added: “It keeps the low end really tight and punchy.” For the Side hang 12 J Series units were deployed. On the ground, two stacks of d&b audiotechnik J INFRA subs were used, four per side. Zito likes to run the subs very much as an effect, he explained: “The main hangs are fed off the LR bus. Then the ground stacks are fed off an
aux send as an effect. There are about four points during the show I use these to really drive the audience. All loudspeakers are run off d&b audiotechnik D80 power amplifiers. There are four racks a side for the whole PA with Lab.gruppen LM 44 amplifiers for EQ.” Zito continued: “I love the J Series because it is very clean and musical. The D80’s bring a tonne of punch and headroom to the already amazing PA. My System Technician, Brett Stec, can get the system to how I want it so sound. I leave
that to him so when we do a sound check we are already there as to how it should sound.”All tour audio equipment was supplied by VER Tour Sound.
ONEREPUBLIC VISUALS The look of The Native Tour is driven by a combination of diamond shaped LED elements, video content, including a mixture of abstract colour design and some band footage as well as on occasion each band assigned an individual animal character cartoon, in addition to the use of IMAG. The stage was built by Accurate Staging in Nashville with All Access Staging providing risers, B stage and power
transformers. For lighting fixtures the look is of sharp bold well-defined lines and washes with blues, reds, yellows, greens and tungsten very much to the fore. Two follow spots were used at the 02 Arena. The band themselves take quite an interest in production and have a direct influence over the look of the show. Lighting Director for the European 2014 run is the affable Montreal-based Andrew Pen who has been in the business for over 20 years. His impressive lighting design and production credits includes the likes of Linkin Park, Jovanotti, The Goo Goo Dolls, Audioslave, Avril Lavigne, Walk Off The Earth, Matchbox 20, Van Halen, Weezer and now OneRepublic. Neg Earth supplied all the lighting fixtures, consoles, motors and rigging for the tour. “My relationship with Neg Earth goes back to the Avril Lavigne tour in 2004,” said Pen. “Dave Ridgeway (owner) has always provided me and the productions with whom I tour top-notch, stellar service and support. When I joined the Native Tour the show was already built on an MA Lighting grandMA2. Since joining, I have worked to develop the look and programming. All consoles are equally useful to me, however the grandMA2 is quite obviously the dominant player in the market.” Chris Lisle’s truss design is all-straight. One of the unique features are the four stage truss ‘pods’ that are suspended from the upstage truss, containing both LED panel and lighting fixtures. Continued Pen: “Overall Martin Mac Vipers, Clay Paky B-Eyes and Auras provide the meat and potatoes while Sharpy’s add spice and the 5X5 Matrix contribute to the overall ‘diamond’ look of the set by virtue of how they
“I am really enjoying the B-Eye. First and foremost it is an excellent wash fixture, and I like how the LED washes are now competing with HMI washes....” - LD Andrew Pen
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: OneRepublic
Below: A J Pen, Lighting Director; Charles Signaigo, Video Director; Zito, Production Manager and FOH Mix engineer; Kyle McMahon, Monitor Engineer.
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are hung at 45º angles. The main fixtures for the Neg Earth line up for The 02 comprised of 22 Martin Professional MAC Vipers, 25 Martin MAC Auras, eight Showtec Matrix 5x5’s, four Martin Atomic Strobes, 12 Clay Paky Aleda K20 B-Eyes, 20 Clay Paky Sharpys, 16 Chroma Q Colorforce 48’s, two Colorkinetics Colorblast TRXs and five 500W Edison Bulb Large base fixtures. Pen added: “I am really enjoying the B-Eye. First and foremost it is an excellent wash fixture, and I like how the LED washes are now competing with HMI washes. It is very unique in some of the effects you can get out of it.”
Risers are fitted with fascia panels which are lit from within by custom LED tape, as is the band’s custom upright piano and some large drums that the band plays in the finale. The brand-new piano also incorporates Chauvet Professional Strike fixtures in the top as up lights for when singer Ryan Tedder stands on the piano during the encore. The LED wall from XL Video is made up of the MC-18mm
Hybrid panels in diamond formations with high-res tiles each with low-res bright pixels spread throughout. A Catalyst media server is programmed at video world and chases SMPTE for the high-res wall while the low-res is on the same Catalyst but triggered via ArtNet from the lighting console. All cues are run 100% manually by Pen during the show. He added: “I have an in-ear mix that includes the mix that Zito sends to the PA, the click, the crew talk back and a separate talk back for Bert Elliott, our audio playback guy who counts the songs in. My mix is delayed to be in time with the PA. I
find it easier to ‘play’ ahead of the beat than to interpret conflicting ear mix, sub bass messages. I can also fine-tune the timing of the cues based on how much of the crowd is in front or behind me. CO2 effects are triggered from the lighting console and are played just like lighting cues.” Moo TV, the Nashville based live event video event specialists provided video content development with XL Video providing all
associated hardware. Video Director is Charles Signaigo who has done a lot of work in the house of worship sector prior to coming on board with OneRepublic. Signaigio cuts his mix on a Panasonic AV HS 410. For IMAG content on the LED and rear projected onto screens either side of the stage nine cameras are used, three manned and six unmanned. On how he approaches his show mix Signaigio commented: “I like to feel the music and imagine how I’d want to see it if I were in the audience. Zito as PM is great to work with as are the band and I mix the show differently each night and I have a fantastic tour rigger, Bill Heinzimeir.” Other key suppliers on the tour are Fly By Nite which is supplying six trucks and Beat the Street, four buses, two for crew and two for artists. Eat Your Hearts Out is providing catering for the full run. Come show time the band arrived as giant shadows behind a screen in true kabuki style before the curtain fell. The band has a wealth of talent beside front man Tedder. Bassist Brent Kutzle frequently takes up the cello and guitarist Zach Filkins finesse includes a solo segment of looped flamenco acoustic guitar. Song highlights included Counting Stars, Love Runs Out, Apologize and Stop and Stare. The band combines their Coldplay, U2 and Gospel influences to create an up beat optimistic American pop sensibility and Zito’s mix faithfully creates a polished high-powered dynamic throughout. The show ends with the bands worldwide hit
“I like to feel the music and imagine how I’d want to see it if I were in the audience...” - Video Director, Charles Signaigo
PRODUCTION PROFILE: OneRepublic
Below: XL Video supplied the wall of LED, which comprised a number of MC-18mm Hybrid panels. The panels became an integral part of the stage.
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single If I loose Myself complete with confetti from the bands’ own purchased Artistry in Motion confetti cannons. Two at stage and two at FOH control. This band and crew really do have all bases covered. TPi Photos: Simon Duff
http://onerepublic.comwww.verrents.com
www.accuratestaging.comhttp://allaccessinc.com
www.negearth.com www.mootv.com
www.flybynite.co.ukwww.beatthestreet.net
www.eat-your-heart-out.com www.xlvideo.com
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There’s no escaping the anachronistic sensation you get while walking amongst the decorative facades and beautiful squares in Prague’s old town - aside from the throngs of tourists, the area is the closest you’ll get to an 18th Century time warp. Not you’re most obvious place for a video mapping festival on first thoughts, but then again, SIGNAL Festival would have us believe otherwise. And having seen several of the mapping shows on offer, it became obvious that it is precisely this juxtaposition between the historical setting and 21st Century technology that gives SIGNAL its unique selling point. Understandably,puttingavideomappingfestivalcompletewithalmosthalfamillionspectatorsintoa400yearoldcitycentrecomeswithitsownsetofchallenges,asFestivalCoordinator,MartinPoštaexplained:“TofindplaceswhicharegoodformappinginthecentreofPragueisnoteasy,becauseyouhavetohaveafairlybigspaceandbigdistancefrom
thebuildingyou’remapping.Alsoyouhavetohavespacefortheproduction,andyouhavetoensurethateachspaceallowsforcrowdflowinandoutofstreets.TheSaturdayeveningwasabsolutelypacked-moreso,infact,thanatahockeygame,andCzechsabsolutelylovehockey!” AlthoughSIGNALbeganin2013,theseedsofthefestivalweresewnbackin2009whenPošta,togetherwithhisvideomappingcontentcompany,TheMacula,createdaprojection-mappingpieceontheclocktoweroftheoldtownsquare.ContinuedPošta:“TheclocktowerprojectionpiecewasthebeginningoftheSIGNALfestival,ifyouwill.Itwassuchahugesuccess,mostlybecauseitopenedthedoorforustoworkwiththecityagain.” Thisyear,therewereamultitudeofeventsandinstallationsonofferalloverPrague’sOldTown;frominteractivelightinstallationstolarge-scalevideomappingprojections.Whilesomeoftheworkshadalreadybeensuccessfullypresentedatotherlightfestivals,thevast
majorityofthe20featuredprojectsenjoyedworldpremieresatSIGNAL. Forthissecondedition,whichwassuppliedwithproductionequipmentbyPrague-basedfestivalpartnerAVMedia,theorganisersofthefestivalreceivedvideomappingapplicationsfromover450artistsin57countries.Although,unfortunately,wecan’tcovereverythingatthefestival,we’veendeavouredtobringyouaselectionoftheproductionofferingswithintheoldtown.
DREAMFORGETheKinskýPalaceonthemagnificentStaromestskénámestí(oldtownsquare)wasgiventheprojectionmappingtreatmentbytheHungarianconsortiumMaxin10sity. Inthisparticularpiece-whichopenedtheentirefestival-theartistsattemptedtotransformthefacadeofthe18thCenturypalaceintoafascinatingabstractplayground. AndrásSassandLászlóCzigány,Maxin10sity’sArtisticDirectors,stated:“The
SIGNAL FESTIVAL IS NOT ONLY THE LARGEST SHOWCASE OF LIGHT ART AND VIDEO MAPPING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, IT IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING FESTIVALS OF ITS KIND IN EUROPE. THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL, THE SECOND INCARNATION, TOOK PLACE BETWEEN OCTOBER 16-19 AND ATTRACTED 463,000 VISITORS - ALMOST DOUBLE THE AMOUNT ON LAST YEAR. TPi’S PATRICK MCCUMISKEY WENT TO THE CITY OF ONE THOUSAND SPIRES TO EXPERIENCE THE VISIONARY SPECTACLE...
PRODUCTION PROFILE: SIGNAL Festival
SIGNAL FESTIVAL
challenge was to keep the public enrapt for eight minutes. Our starting point was to create a surreal world where everything was possible and anything could happen. Video mapping projection is about creating emotions out of artistic ideas with the help of modern technology. So we created a parallel between the projection and a dream and transformed the façade into a playground with abstract imagery. The combination of dynamic effects and the music helped to grab viewers’ attention from the first second to the last.” The Hungarian mapping specialists designed the show in less than two months and dedicated a team of six people to develop both the story and the content. Dreamforge was projected on a loop for the whole duration of the festival using a Barco HDQ-2K40 40,000 lumen triple chip DLP projector, housed in the technical tower 60-metres away from the façade. Maxin10sity used Resolume software to map the 40 by 23-metre façade. “The Barco 40,000 Lumen projector was really bright, and it performed faultlessly. We normally work with Christie projectors if the rental company has them in stock. Last week, for example, Maxin10sity created a piece for the Moscow Light Festival using Christie projectors. We also made a short Christie advertisement-mapping piece that was projected onto the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow.” Although Maxin10sity only came into existence in 2014, it has certainly had its hands full as Tamás Vaspöri, Project Manager and Sales Director at Maxin10sity, explained: “The organisers were aware of András and László’s former work, in particular since they were also involved in the Bucharest 555th anniversary project (involving 104 Panasonic PT-DZ21K three-chip DLP projectors giving a total of over to two million lumens output) which we curated; they wanted great impact for their own festival so they asked us if we would join.” Posta commented: “We really like Maxin10sity’s work because they bring something different to the table.”
OUT OF PLACEOut of Place, a projection mapping show on the Mariánské námestí square, was created by Australia’s The Electric Canvas. Projected onto one side of the city library, the animated show brought six statues adorning the library façade to life, revealing the hidden stories of the library through a highly visual prism of experience. Famous for lighting up landmark buildings in Australia and abroad, including the Sydney Opera House, The Electric Canvas was approached by SIGNAL earlier in the year to become part of the festival. Alison Gill, show coordinator from The Electric Canvas, explained: “The projection included animated characters and a clock countdown, it allowed the audience to get introduced to the characters we have in the show. The characters are based on the six allegorical figures that adorn the façade of the building, namely: Literature, sculpture, music, philosophy, recreation and construction. “The presentation is based on these, and the show is called ‘Out of Place’ because the animated figures move around, trying to find their original spot on the building. We wanted to use a narrative for the animation, and not just project random patterns onto the building.” AV Media supplied six Panasonic DZ21K projectors and two Coolux Pandoras Box Media servers. Typically, there were several hurdles that had to be overcome during the design stage. Continued Gill: “As part of our process we are used do performing a thorough visual survey of the whole façade to begin with ourselves, except we weren’t here to do that, so we were relying on information from the team at SIGNAL. Then four weeks before the festival we discovered a huge obstacle: In front of the façade was a lamppost with four huge football-sized lights hanging down and obscuring the projected image. But the SIGNAL organisers managed to speak to the city and they took the lights down. Then two weeks before the festival, the city introduced a new bus route which just so happens to run right past the façade of the building, meaning that every 20 minutes, a bus and its passengers gets the
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: SIGNAL Festival
Opposite: Maxin10sity projected onto the Kinský Palace on Prague’s Old Town Square. Below: Nerdwerking’s show - which embraced 3D projection mapping technology - utilised two Christie HD18 FullHD projectors.
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projection mapping treatment. We didn’t even know about this until we arrived on site!” The Electric Canvas’ creative team also composed the soundtrack to Out of Place, which provided integral support to the narrative. AV Media supplied an L-acoustics KARA PA system to deliver the audio, comprising two small and two large KARA units per side fed through two L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers. “The whole experience has been fantastic for The Electric Canvas,” concluded Gill. “It’s a great festival and we’re proud to have been involved.”
E:MERGEThe E:MERGE video mapping show - the only one at the festival to harbour 3D mapping technology - took place at the Michnuv Palace. The creators of this particular show, Nerdworking, are a Turkish-based interdisciplinary network of designers, architects, computer artists, coders and engineers focused on designing spaces for new experiences in the area between human, machine and code. The abstract interplay of lines and illusory spaces for this show at SIGNAL deconstructed and manipulated the palace and its façade. “Nerdworking has always tried to maintain a different approach for creating visual content. We take video mapping as a stage performance, much like opera or theatre,” said Production Coordinator, Erdem Dilbaz.
“Reaction was positive from spectators and critics alike. Creating a mapping experience you can watch with 3D glasses was a different level of challenge for us at the beginning, as we had never worked in 3D before. But we were delighted by the results.” AV Media supplied two Christie HD18, FullHD projectors and a Coolux Pandoras Box media server for the E:MERGE team. “We have used all different kinds of top level manufacturers, and they all perform well; but in our experience, the Christie projectors are the best products for video mapping. Most of the media servers are not enough for cutting edge performances; but the Coolux handled our content without any problems. “The most amazing part of the whole festival process was that every 15 minutes more than 1000 new visitors were immersed again into the performance. After seeing different mapping performances at the festival this year, we were happy to have this chance to give our theatrical show for the audience.”
LIGHT BARRIERLight Barrier was an installation created by Kimchi and Chips on the Strelecký Ostrov, an island in the middle of the Vltava River. In this installation, graphic objects were projected onto a fog-lathered barrier of spherical shaped mirrors. Elliot Woods, one half of Kimchi and Chips,
explained: “We were approached by SIGNAL earlier in the year, initially discussing an outdoor commission of our installation [Line Segments Space, 2013] which draws into a space using tightly aligned projection and a complex network of strings. Then in July, we created Light Barrier, and immediately realised this new work would be the perfect fit for SIGNAL festival. “We specified two 20,000 lumen EIKI SXGA+ projectors with a 1.2 lens throw ratio. Previously we used Christie projectors for the installation, but at SIGNAL we used Barco based on what was supplied by AV Media. “Speaking about Light Barrier, I think if people need a term for what it does then it would be ‘light field projection’, and I’m expecting a lot of new ideas to come out of light field projection in the near future including lighting stage performers, creating beam effects and creating 3d floating graphic objects.” Pošta concluded: “We want to make sure that people enjoy themselves - that’s the whole ethos of the festival. SIGNAL has grown so big in only two years, so we need to ensure that Prague can accommodate this growth for next years’ festival.” TPi
Photos: Michal Ureš and Alex Dobrovodskywww.signalfestival.com/2014/en
www.avmedia.cz
PRODUCTION PROFILE: SIGNAL Festival
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It’s hard to believe that in the last two years, besides a number of festival slots, popular act Chvrches has played surprisingly few official UK dates. This made the recent Brixton Academy appearance all the more special and presented the band with the ideal opportunity to once more captivate its UK audience. Theexperienceissparklingandimmersive,bothvisuallyandaurally.DesignedbyShow/LightingDesignerLouisOliverofOkulus,thelookaccentuatestheband’sidentitybycleverlyalludingtotheartworkofitsrecentlyreleasedfirstalbum-The Bones of What You Believe. Thereisalsoastrongsenseofunitythatisundoubtedlyaidedbythecloserelationshipthebandmembershavewiththeirsmallbuthighlymotivatedproduction/creativeteam,headedupbybusyProduction/TourManagerCaraMcDaniel.
McDaniel,whosetouringbackcatalogueincludesEmeliSandéandRazorlight,hasbeentakingcareofChvrchesforjustoverayear:“I’mnotsurehownormalmytouringstrategyis,”shelaughed.“Itcanbechallengingtotakecareofbothproductionandtourmanagementconcurrently.IdomybesttoensurethatallthepeopleIworkwithtakeownershipoftheirjobsandhavecontrolovertheirroleinthetouringparty.ThatgenerallymeanseveryonehasavoiceandIamnotmicro-managinghimorher.Ireallydoenjoyworkingaspartofasmallunitandseeingtheshowgrow.” AndinMcDaniel’smindthatsmallteamincludestheband.“I’mluckythatalloftheartistsI’veworkedwithhavebeensupremelyapproachable.Ofcoursewestillputthebandonapedestalbecausethat’swheretheybelongbutatthesametimewehaveapositiveandproductiveworkingrelationshipwiththem,
whichreallyhelps.” AccordingtoMcDaniel,witharelativelysmallproduction/technicalteam,thisapproachhasbeencrucialtothesuccessofthetour:“AtthestartofthiscampaignthebandwasdoingalotofpressandIwouldbewiththem.ThismeantIwouldn’tseethevenuewewereplayinguntilaround4pm,whenwe’dallarrivedforsoundcheck.Intermsofproductionandsetup,Ihadtotrustoursmalltechnicalteamwholesaletohaveeverythinginplaceandbereadytogoforwhenwearrived.” McDanielandherteamareclearlyextremelyproudofthistour.“Itreallyhelpsthatthemanagementteamissupportive,”sheadded.“Infacttheband’sManager,CampbellMcNeil,usedtobethetour/productionmanagersoheunderstandsexactlywhatittakes!” It’salsoveryapparentthatMcDanielisafirmbelieverthatdoingherhomeworkand
SCOTTISH BAND CHVRCHES’ HYPNOTIC TAKE ON 80S ELECTROPOP HAS KEPT CONGREGATIONS ACROSS EUROPE CAPTIVATED. KNOWN FOR THEIR DIY APPROACH TO MUSIC, BAND MEMBERS IAIN COOK, EX JOURNALIST LAUREN MAYBERRY AND SYNTH WIZARD MARTIN DOHERTY WORK CLOSELY WITH THEIR CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM TO CRAFT A DAZZLING, SHARPLY FOCUSED SHOW, WHICH PERFECTLY COMPLEMENTS THE GLACIAL SYNTH SOUND OF THE BAND. SARAH RUSHTON-READ JOINS THE CHVRCHES DEVOTED FLOCK OF FOLLOWERS AT LONDON’S BRIXTON ACADEMY . . .
CHVRCHES
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Chvrches
having go-to, knowledgeable people she can rely on close at hand, while establishing strong relationships with helpful and reliable suppliers, is 90% of the job. “It always helps if you can work with people you know and trust. My husband runs a PA company so in terms of managing in ear monitor frequencies both he and Campbell are great fonts of knowledge. No two tours are ever the same, but when you’ve done a few you tend to know what works. I have checklists as long as my arm, it’s just a matter of systematically running through them. With things I’ve never done before, for example lasers, I double and triple check I have all the right health and safety paperwork and that I understand the issues that might arise.” In terms of suppliers, the tour relies on Britannia Row for sound and HSL for lighting. “Both are really organised companies and I appreciate the fact that when I call them I get a straight answer. For trucking we use Redburn Transfer - fantastic people. The rest of the team bring their own relationships as well - I hadn’t used HSL before but Louis wanted to use them and that’s his call. After all he’s the one that’s out there on the frontline and if something isn’t right he has to deal with it.” Designer Louis Oliver has been involved with the band since Autumn 2012 and treats his stage like a canvas. For him designing the show and lighting the band is more of an art project than a gig.
The show has evolved over time and today Oliver’s concept is based on album artwork by Amy Burrows. This sees various light up, ‘V’ shaped set piece used to focus attention onto the band. Oliver also uses these elements to affect the dynamics of the stage. All are outlined with a number of LED strips and collectively they form a stage wide low-resolution video screen. Oliver manipulates audience perspective and works with and in contrast to the tempo of the show, cleverly breaking musical phrases and synchronising with the multifarious layers of the songs. “We take this set everywhere with us now,” said Oliver. “Even in the smaller venues we will use the floor pieces in front of the synths and the central floor based piece at the back, it really strengthens the bands identity.” LS-Live built the pieces: “It’s definitely been a challenge getting these to work the way I wanted them to,” recalled Oliver. “The fabrication of the metal work and the build is fantastic but the LED strips were initially a struggle to pixel map, however it’s all sorted now.”
VISUALSOliver’s determination to get it right has certainly paid dividends. From the first note played the band and audience are immersed in an atmospheric, heavily backlit, acid environment. Filled with haze each song sees
layer upon layer of sharply focused light and lasers complement the sometimes fast moving, sometimes static lit pieces of set, all of which conspire to pull you into Chvrches’ world and much like the music, the look is sharply on-beat, multi-faceted and unearthly. Mirroring the set design and creating symmetry with fixtures in the air and floor is Oliver’s lighting package, which comprises 12 Robe Robin 600 LED Wash fixtures, 24 Robe Robin 100 Beams, 17 Phillips Nitro 510cs, 16 Martin MAC Auras and 19 Martin MAC IIIs. “Lighting has been built around the set pieces,” explained Oliver. “The content has been designed to draw your eyes in towards the act as opposed to being simply flashy, with no real thought or reason behind it. We certainly don’t want it to just be a light show with some people on stage playing instruments. There was always a danger that because the boys are hidden behind the synthesizers and midi controllers that the focus would be too heavily on Lauren. This is not something that the band or I wanted.” MA Lighting’s grandMA2 is Oliver’s choice of console: “I’m not afraid of other things, it’s just what I know best and it does what I want to do very quickly,” he explained. “Everything is cue stacked bar a few stabs here and there for effects. However it doesn’t necessarily have to be a strobe stab, it could be a different effect on the set. I prefer this because there is quite a lot going on in this show and its good to have a
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Chvrches
Opposite: Show and Lighting Designer, Louis Oliver has been working with the band since 2012. Below: Backline / Monitors Tech, Ben Bodoan; Singer Lauren Mayberry performed with a DPA d:facto microphone; This tour incorporated lasers from ER Productions.
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Chvrches
Below: LS-Live built set pieces which integrated pixel-mapped LED lighting strips. The look was accompanied by a lighting rig comprising Robe, Martin Professional and Philips fixtures.
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couple of overrides for great impact.” Unusually Oliver chooses not to scan the audience with the lasers but rather keeps the focus on stage. At times they’re the only light source used: “In one of the new songs called Get Away I wanted to use very few lights,” Oliver explained. “There’s a slight glow from the washes but the rest is done with simple effects from the 7.4W lasers at the back, amplified with light a little bit during the chorus and breakdown.” In total, ER Productions supplied three of the new ARCTOS REGUS lasers systems as ER Productions’ Director, Ryan Hagan discussed: ”The ARCTOS REGUS are a recent addition to ER’s stock. They’re incredibly small and lightweight but have high output of 7.4W balanced. They use the new direct diode 520nm green. Similar systems prior to this used a V-FOLD cavity green, which at times came out of alignment and would then need the kind of attention generally unavailable on the road. These save on truck space and can be flown with the rest of the system if necessary.” ER Productions also supplied 24 of the new RGB BEAMBURST, an even smaller unit capable of single beam effects and audience safe diffraction exposure. “Our brief was to programme the show but avoid making it look
like an EDM spectacular! The end result was a slick and classy display and it really did add a special dimension to the show. What’s even more incredible is the ARCTOS lasers exposure never left the stage with all FX contained in and around the band.”
AUDIOAlso keeping the focus sharply on the band is FOH Engineer, Paul Gallagher. The band is not touring their own PA but Gallagher says that if they were they would definitely be touring the L-Acoustics K2, which luckily was exactly what Britannia Row supplied for Brixton! I like the curvature at the top and the fact that it’s not too breathy-sounding. It’s got a nice sweep, like a really expensive Hi-Fi.” This is important as one of the challenges for Gallagher is getting Lauren’s voice above the instruments whilst ensuring that the music still has lots of energy and punch. “Lauren has a great voice and it’s just making the most of it in the room,” he explained. “I’m using an Avid Venue console, which is pretty basic in terms of what it can do. However being able to use third party plug-ins, such as the Waves package, is crucial and I can get a lot more intricate with what I’m doing mix wise. From multiband compression to really specific EQ and parametric
EQ, the Venue opens up a lot more doors. Definitely for this kind of tour it’s been the desk of choice.” Gallagher chooses not to tour with outboard: “I am using an Apollo Twin interface by Universal Audio. I really like the space echo emulation and I’m running that from an Apple MacBook Pro,” he explained. “I’m also using the Roland CE1 plug-in, which I really enjoy using on Lauren’s voice for that 80s chorus sound.” Alongside such plug-ins Gallagher uses a TC Electronic VSS3 - an old reverb plug in from around 10 years ago. “I guess the algorithms are lifted out of the system 6000 and to me that sounds great.” The microphone of choice for Lauren is the DPA D:Facto, which Gallagher said “is very open and natural sounding in the high frequencies.” Although there is no monitor engineer to speak of there is Ben Bodoano. “I’m kind of everything rolled into one,” he laughed. “I am the midi, playback and backline technician. I was originally brought on board to take care of and set up the gear. Slowly over the course of the last 18 months I’ve built new systems and got the computers off the stage and into a rack on the side stage. The band still control the computers from the stage via an iPad controller I’ve built using the lemur app.”
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Chvrches
Below: LD Louis Oliver; Production / Tour Manager, Cara McDaniel.
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Allthekit,backlineandsetbelongtotheband.Themovefromonstagetooffhadtobecompletedintwoparts:“IhavetwocomputersrunningAbleton,whichfunctionasthedrumsandalsooutputthemidiinformationtothevariouskeyboards,”outlineedBodoano.“AudiothencomesbackintoAbletonsothatthebandmemberscansetuptheirownmonitorfeeds.Thismitigatestheneedforamonitorengineerorconsole.It’sallintheboxreadytogo!” WhathasdelightedBodoanoisthatthestageisnowreallyneat,andwiththebandallonin-earsit’srelativelyquiettoo.“It’sallbeenpre-programmedbytheband,”heexplained.“It’sstillthesystemtheyputintoplacebeforeIwasbroughtonboard,butithasdefinitelyevolved.WhenChvrchesstartedofftheirIEMswerejustinmonoandnoweverythingisinstereo,whichisobviouslymuchbetter.Infactthebandhaveitallundercontrol;theymighthavealittletweakinsoundcheck,notchsomethinguphereandthere,butoncethegigstartsthat’sgenerallyit.” Mostoftheinstrumentsareelectronic,asidefromtwophysicalguitarsforacoupleofsongsasBodoanoexplained:“KitincludesMoogVoyager,DaveSmithProphet‘08andRolandJuno6keyboards.Martinhasa
machinepadwhereheplayssamplesandvariousdrumparts.Therearenoampsonstage,insteadthebanduseaGTRProcessorbyFractualAudiocalledtheAxFx,atop-of-the-rangeguitaremulator,whichtheguitarsfeedinto.” TheGTRaudiosignalisthensplitwithonefeedgoingtoBodoanoandtheIEMsoffstage,andanothertoFOH.TokeepthevoxcleanthemicsarealsosplittoFOHbeforeitgoesthroughthecomputers. Everythingaboutthisshowfeelswellconsideredandcontrolled.Thereisanprimaryintimacy,whichtheChvrchestriosharewiththeiraudienceandwiththeirproductionteam.Sometimesanthemicandsoaringandatothertimesfastpacedandmultifaceted,Chvrchesdreamlikeshowisaddictivelystimulatingandquietlyintelligentoneverylevel.TPi
Photos: Sarah Rushton-Readhttp://thefifthestate.co.uk
www.chvrch.es www.britanniarow.com
www.redburn.co.ukwww.ls-live.com
www.hslgroup.comwww.er-productions.com
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CLOCKING OFF: Sober October
GO SOBER FOR OCTOBER: THE STORY OF TWO JOURNALISTS WHO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT THE BAR...
According to a recent survey by MacMillan Cancer Support, Britons will spend an average of 315 days of their lives suffering with a hangover. At first glance, it would seem that the ‘average’ Briton probably doesn’t work in this industry. 315 days in a lifetime surely can’t represent reality in this sector. Then I took a look at the stats for 7% of the UK population and noted that for the unlucky few, a shocking 3,024 hangovers were experienced. Research also found that a typical hangover for a man lasts seven hours while women face the situation for closer to nine hours. Harsh! You know the feeling: sickness, tiredness, and an unidentified object splitting your brain in two. Oh tequila, you’re rarely worth it… MacMillian’s report surfaced in September, when the charity published the results in order to encourage people to banish the booze for 31 whole days. And, it worked. The UK and Ireland has raised over £3.5m - at the time of going to print - by over 100,000 participants. Those hangover free days are clearly valued by some. At Mondiale
HQ, this was certainly the case. As many of you will know by now, myself and Rachael Rogerson (sister publication mondo*dr’s Editor) opted to look after our livers (and bank balances) by joining in. At times, it was tough. Though not tough enough to discourage either of us from doing it again. There were indeed trade shows, press trips, birthdays, holidays and an abundance of generic social life temptations,
but we made it. Smugly so. Not least because testing ourselves was a big thing (neither of us had probably gone more than a week without the a drink since we started our jobs in the entertainment technology world!) but because the actual important reasons behind doing this challenge and becoming a ‘sober hero’ as MacMillan rather kindly put it, is for the people affected by cancer. It seems like such a commonly spoken word, yet it’s the kind of
word that will always cause shock, distress and heartache to those affected. During the course of this 31 day challenge, I received a few phone calls and emails from our readers sharing their experiences with The Big C. Let us never forget that there is a community here. When we did finally see the light (or clear spirits, at least) thanks to your support, we were delighted to find out we’d raised £1,080.00.
That’s a brilliant £580.00 over our target goal. Here we are, pictured above with a bottle of fizz from our pals at DiGiCo. I mean, if anyone was going to support you and then encourage you to fall off the wagon, it’s them!
Much love, Kelly xoTPi
www.gosober.org.uk/team/mondialeeditresses
“Thanks to your support, we were delighted to find out we’d raised £1,080.00. That’s a brilliant £580.00 over our target goal...”
Merry Christmas and a rockin’ New Year to everyone we’ve worked with in 2014
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I’m always up early. If I’m coming in from an overnight run then I’ll drag myself off the bus and head into the venue 15 minutes before the fl oor mark begins. If I’m coming in from a day off then it’s a hotel lobby call and short bus ride in with the riggers, caterers and my Production Stage Manager, Roger Cabot. I head in and walk to the arena fl oor where I’ll fi nd my Head Rigger Todd Mauger. Roger will already be lining up trucks for load in, so I’ll go over to the production offi ce where my Assistant, Jil Aram, is already setting up the offi ce. We review sold map and ticket sales and as soon as the tour Wi-Fi network is up my inbox starts fi lling up with everything from Asian freight manifests to promo budgets and the need for mandolin strings in Texas… you know the deal! My crew comes in hourly waves. The lighting and carpentry departments come fi rst, then video, audio, backline, wardrobe and so on. On the Queen and Adam Lambert tour, life is somewhat straightforward. We don’t carry backstage furniture as the artists are happy with whatever is there. On Rihanna however, we always carry a truck of backstage furniture and another truck for wardrobe, but that’s the pop world... rock ‘n’ roll bands are great! Jim Webb, my Show Stage Manager works with the carpenters before taking them over for sound check and show time as Stage Manager. Meanwhile, I’m busy with emails and advancing with the day’s schedule. I’ll check in with Juliette Slater (Tour Director) as to any updates for the day and spend some time planning those all important budgets. Equipment is loaded in off the trucks for our routine; kit gets fl own in, up and down and out in the same order every day. Once the fi rst week or two of any tour is complete, everything else runs smoother. The load ins and outs speed up and everyone learns their specifi c role very quickly. Once the production is up and running, I fi nd time to grab a sandwich from catering. Queen like Jim and I to meet them as they pull into the arena. We’ll get a heads up from their security and then wait by the loading dock. Both Roger Taylor (drums) and Brian May (guitar) are great; they’re very laid back and respectful of the tour’s technical production, which makes our jobs a lot easier. We walk the band to their dressing rooms and talk nonsense for a bit. Jim gets Queen and Adam in the arena for sound check while I sit with my department heads and go through upcoming shows and rigging plots. As soon as Jim gives the nod that the band are done, I give the go ahead to open the doors. Then the building really starts to come alive! After Jim has put the band on stage, I watch the opening numbers from the side and walk through the arena to make sure it looks and sounds great from everywhere. Only when the show is underway do I have time to catch up with my other family. I Skype my girlfriend and our baby, but never for long enough! Soon Jil and I run through logistics for the next day or two before I swing back out to the show and check out another song. I talk to Roger about that evening’s load out too. We have a load out map for every show that he draws up and posts. With the bigger (20+) truck shows, you need to be very organised and have the load out fi nished in 2-3 hours. Once the show has come down, I walk the band to their cars. Queen keep it old school; it’s straight into an SUV and they’re gone. No one uses stretch limos anymore, in fact the last time I saw one of those I was watching Led Zepplin’s The Song Remains The Same. The various departments head to the buses and grab some after show food, which I avoid. Beer and pizza is a no-go with my early starts… Unless we have a day off. Roger, Todd and I are always the last ones out in any event and I’m very lucky that I get to work with some of my best friends. They’re a group of guys that have been with me on many different tours over the years; we have each other’s backs. Like the Mafi a. Well, the touring Mexican Mafi a that is…Joe Sanchez
HE’S SPENT THREE YEARS ON THE ROAD WITH RIHANNA AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH QUEEN AND ADAM LAMBERT’S WORLD TOUR. HERE’S A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE PM LANE ACCORDING TO BRITISH BORN, US-BASED, WORLD TRAVELLER JOE SANCHEZ.
PRODUCTION MANAGER,JOE SANCHEZ
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... Joe Sanchez
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Richard Martin Lighting - a premier British lighting manufacturer and rental company that specialises in live TV broadcasts - company ’s Founder and Managing Director, Richard Jasinski began his career working in various BBC studios. This initial grounding gave him the knowledge and understanding to eventually develop and build his own lighting products, the first of which was the Pillar - a three flat-sided column consisting of 24 PAR 36 lamps and produces a flat curtain-type effect. This step into building lights would cement the company’s fate. “I was invited down to TV centre along with a group of others, including Lighting Designer, Mark Kenyon, who was a student then, and we visited the Top of the Pops (TOTP) studios. We were fortunate enough to visit the studio a numbers of times and began to
think that the TOTP set was rather out-dated and drab looking... It was then that I took the opportunity to speak to production about the possibility of building (not buying) some ‘fancy lighting’. I’m not sure if they weren’t keen or just testing me but we certainly had to jump through many hoops before they would even entertain the idea... something things don’t change! It was only when we introduced the Barrel that things really started to take off. It was definitely a snowball effect; I don’t think anyone could have foreseen how it was going to progress. “Top of the Pops was definitely a defining time in our history. Not only did it put us on the map so to speak, the show ran for a long time with ever changing sets and lighting directors, which gave us the time to establish ourselves as a company.” RML continued to provide lights to TOTP
RICHARD MARTIN LIGHTING HAS PROVIDED QUALITY INTELLIGENT LIGHTING - COMPLETE WITH 24/7 BACK UP - TO THE LIVE PRODUCTION INDUSTRY SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1984, AND THIS MONTH IS CELEBRATING ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY. YET BY THE COMPANY’S OWN ADMISSION, THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY LIES IN TODAY’S LIGHTING DESIGN STUDENTS, AND THIS IS THE REAL REASON TO CELEBRATE, AS TPi’S KELLY MURRAY FOUND OUT DURING A CHAT WITH RML’S FOUNDER, RICHARD JASINSKI.
RML: 30 YEARS OF PROGRESSION
COMPANY PROFILE: Richard Martin Lighting
COMPANY PROFILE: Richard Martin Lighting
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for many years. Jasinski nurtured his passion for innovation, after the success of the Barrel - a rotating egg-shaped bail on 2-axis consisting of 24 100w lamps by following it up with the Twist - a twisted column consisting of 24 PAR 36 lamps. Then came the Contra Pillars, Contra Twists, HMI Guns and Sound-to-Light Guns, all of which were used on top TV shows. Indeed since founding the company, RML has gone on to work with some of the most recognisable and entertaining TV shows in British broadcasting such as Blue Peter, Children in Need, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A Question of Sport, The Pride of Britain Awards, Strictly Come Dancing, and Comic Relief to name but a few. Jasinski told TPi: “The first five years were extremely hairy but with lots of hard work and determination we managed to steer through those very early years. Thankfully once we were on the other side, business just got better and better! Fortunately after having a number of successful years we managed to accrue a significant financial buffer. “We have become moving light specialists who have continuously worked to remain at the forefront of technology, historically making
bold and pioneering investments. Today we offer an extensive range of the latest products at competitive prices, providing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are now the proud owner of over 5,200 products from leading lighting manufacturers, stored in our 3,130 sq metre premises. Our company’s creditability has also been cemented by an expert team of operational, technical and administration staff.
AT THE FOREFRONT OF RENTAL This growth has come as a result of clever management decisions and key investments. “We are like one big family and everyone has their part to play in making sure the company runs smoothly,” stated Jasinski. The daily running of RML is overseen by Operations Manager, Steve Wells, who reports to Jasinski and Financial Director, Jackie Jasinski. There are currently 10 full-time staff employed, and a team of freelance technicians who carry out studio work. RML has been the first rental house in the UK to add new products to its rental stock on several occasions, allowing it to lead the way in terms of trendsetting. “In 2009 we bought 100 Clay Paky Sharpy
Beams, and were the very first rental house in the UK to own them! More recently we invested in the Philips Vari-Lite VL4000 Spots, again being the first rental house in the UK to purchase the product. “We have been very lucky over the years, both as a company and myself individually, to work very closely with a lot of the major lighting manufacturers. This has meant that we have been able to see potential new products in their early development stages and even have some input into the potential design of these fixtures. Because RML is an intelligent moving light specialist, we are able to move on new products very quickly, bring the latest fixtures to the wider rental market and remain at the forefront of technology,” he explained. The process in choosing new rental fixtures depends on several points for Jasinski including demand, rent-ability and longevity. “We would first test the market with ‘demo’ fixtures to gain a response from our clients, before then looking to see where it sits within our existing inventory and rental price range. Lastly we would consider how long the fixture could last in terms of popularity and running costs.
Opposite: Richard Martin Lighting has built and supplied innovative lighting fixtures for a wide variety of TV production designs including BBC One’s Tonight’s The Night; The company was founded in 1984 and this month celebrates its 30th anniversary. Below: BBC Two’s Shooting Stars, BBC One’s Pressure Pad; Mountbatten music festival at the Royal Albert Hall; BBC Three’s Live At The Electric.
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“Everynewfixturestartsoffbeingpopular,buttherealtestistoseethedifferentwaysinwhichafixturecanbeutilised.TodatetheClayPakySharpy,MartinProfessionalMACAura,RobeROBIN100LEDBeamandthePhilipsNitro510Careprovingtobeverypopular,somuchsothatwehaveactuallyjustincreasedourstockofthose,”heenthused.
THE NEXT GENERATIONAswellascelebratingthreedecadesinbusiness,RMLalsounderstandsthatlightingtechnologyanddesignstudentsarethefutureoftheindustry.“Itisimperativethattheyaregiventhetoolstodeveloptothebestoftheirabilitiesandareshownthebestandmostrecentinmovinglighttechnology,”saidJasinski,whoisveryenthusiasticaboutthecompany’spartnershipwithLAMDA,theLondonAcademyofMusicandDramaticArt.RMLpartnerswiththeacademy’sStageManagementandTechnicalTheatrestudents,allowingthemregularaccesstocuttingedgemovinglightandLEDtechnology. “Therearemanyotheraspectsofthepartnership,includingworkplacements,providingequipmentfortheirperformances/productionsanddonatingequipmentfortraining,”continuedJasinski.“RMLprovidestraininginconjunctionwiththelightingmanufactures,asthisnotonlyprovidesthe
traineeswithvaluableknowledgetoproducts,buttheyalsogainarecognisedtrainingcertificate.Thisissomethingwearehopingtoexpandoninthefuture.”
2015 AND BEYONDGoingforwardinits30thyear,RML’scontinuedmissionaccordingtoJasinskiisto“simplytobetheindustry’sfirstchoiceforintelligentlightingequipmentrental,supportedbyexperiencedtechnicians,deliveringoutstandingqualitywith
aninterpersonalserviceandcompetitiverates.” Thisyearthecompanyrebrandeditsin-housedemoroomandgaveititsownidentitywiththenameStudio24.ContinuedJasinski:“Whenwemovedtoourlargerpremisesin2007wewereblessedwithahugeamountofspace,includingademoroom,whichwehavedevelopedsothatitsimulatesstudioconditions.Withitsownaccess,trussandpower,thestudiohas
beendoingmoreandmore,includingproductdemonstrations,training,musicvideosandpre-productionrehearsals,productdemonstrationsandtraining,allofwhichisaimingforexpansionnextyear. “Wealsoarelookingatseveralnewproductsfor2015,butyouwillneedtowatchthisspaceastowhattheywillbe!” Inthemeantime,RMLwillcontinuetomaintainandbuildnewrelationshipswithLDs,studentsandkeydecisionmakersinthat
quintisentiallyBritishway:”Withlotsofcupsoftea,technology-drivenchats,butmostofall,wewillcontinuetolistentotheirrequirementsandbeacontactablerentalhouse,24/7,”heconcluded. FromeveryoneatTPi,happybirthdaytoRMLandmaythenext30yearsbejustasfruitful!TPi
www.richardmartinlighting.co.uk
COMPANY PROFILE: Richard Martin Lighting
Below: Top Of The Pops was the TV show which catapulted RML into the ahem, lime light, thanks to the invention of the Barrel fixture.
“It is imperative that they [students] are given the tools to develop to the best of their abilities and are shown the best and most recent in moving light technology...” Richard Jasinski.
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XTA’s highly anticipiated APA Series is the result of several years of significant investment in R&D. Following on from research projects into loudspeaker protection and adaptive protection, the completely new power and DSP platforms of the 4E8 have been designed to interact intelligently and adapt to prevailing conditions, protecting drivers, and significantly enhancing performance from all speaker systems. TechnicalBrandManager,WaringHayes,toldTPi:“It’struetosaywehavetakenourtime,butthat’snotabadthing,asfarastheendresultgoes-weneededtogetthisright.ThisamplifierwasnevergoingtojustbeabigbruteofpowerwithaDSPcrossovercardinside-ithadtobecapableofmore.” TheveryfirstlookattheAPASerieswasanexclusivepreviewheldforXTA’sdistributorsatProlight+SoundinFrankfurt.“Theyhadabitofaninklingthatsomethingspecialwascomingsoon,andsomeofthisexcitementfilteredoutviasocialnetworks-despiteitbeinga‘secret’preview!SothiswascertainlyreflectedintheAPA’sofficialInfoCommlaunchintheUS,”heexplained.IntheUK,theAPA’sfirstappearanceonBritishsoilwasatthePROShowinBirmingham.“Wecertainlygeneratedplentyofinterestattheshow,andmanyoftheUK’stoprentalcompanieswhowouldn’thavemadethestatesidetripcametoseeAPAintheflesh.Offthebackofthismanycustomershavebeenintoseeusformorein-depthdiscussions,soitwassuccessfulasalaunchpadintheUK.TheshowfeltlivelyandtherewasabuzznotquitepresentatPLASALondon,dueinparttotheBPMelementandtheDJactivity.”
INNOVATIVE AUDIO PROCESSING“Apartfromwantingtodesignthebestsoundingdigitalamplifierintheworld,wealsowantedittohaveatechnicallyinnovativeaudioprocessingplatformthatwouldallowtheamplifiertobeadaptedovertimeaswewereabletoaugmentitsfeaturestoimprovewhatit’scapableof,”saidHayes. The‘adaptive’ideaiscoretotheAPA-notonlycantheamplifierreactandadaptdynamicallytoitsconditionstokeepthingsrunningatthehighestperformancelevelspossible.“AtXTAwecanadaptandimproveitscapabilitiesbecausewehavefuture-proofedthedesign.Foraperiodofyearsnow,speakermanufacturershavebeenofferingbespokesystemsthatofferasortof‘peaceofmind’becausetheychoosetheamplifiersandprocessingfortheirspeakersonyourbehalf.Withthisshouldcometheguaranteethatyoursystemshouldperformaswellasitpossiblycan,andthenotionthatitwillbesafelyprotected.Wehavebeenofferingourcustomersthischoicewithourprocessorsformanyyears;simplyusetunedsettingsforyoursystemandgetthebestperformanceoutifit,”heexplained. “TheAPAamplifierwillallowyoutopreciselyandsafelygettheverybestfromyourspeakers.ToolsthatXTAhavebeenofferinghavebecomestandardinthearsenalofsomanyengineerssuchastwostagelimitinganddynamicequalisation,aswellasmoreesotericcapabilitieslikeFIRfilteringthatarepartofAPA.Theamplifierplatformwillworkalongsideourstand-aloneprocessorsandcansharesettingsthatengineersalreadyhave.”
WhilstwethinkofAPAasawhole,thecombinationofabigampandsomecleverDSPofferssomemajoradvantagesabovewhatiscurrentlyavailable.Hayescontinued:“Ontheamplifiersideofthings,wehavemassivelyover-developedourpowersupply’scapabilitysothatwecandeliverwhatwesayonthespecsheetforaslongasisneededandnotjustallnotelong,but,allnightlong,asLionelRichieoncesang…”Yes,thankyouforthatdetailedexplanation,Mr.Hayes! “Theadaptivenatureoftheamplifierreliesonthefactthatwearen’tjustmonitoringwhat’scomingin-wearealsomonitoringinrealtimeandwiththesameresolutionandbitrate(that’s96keverywhere,includingallprocessing)whatisgoingout.So,96k24-bitconvertersattheoutputsfeedbacktheconnectedloadvoltagesandcurrentstotheDSPplatform,”hecontinued. “Thisfeatureensureswhatcomesoutisn’tjustlouder,butalsoasfaithfultotheinputaspossible.Thatincludesmakingsureyourspeakersaren’tbeingoverdriven-notjustwithlimitersforprotection-whicharethereofcourse-butadaptivecontroltoextractthelastdBofpowerwithoutstressingdriverspasttheirlimits,”hefurthered. Environmentallyspeaking,it’sgoingdowntherightroutetoo:aquickstartmode,andanultralowpowerstand-bymode(withapowerconsumptionofunder0.75W)meanreducedrunningcostsinallsituations.TheAPA-4E8-featuresfourchannelsofpower,totaling20kWpeakoutputinto4R,andcontinuouspoweravailableof3.4kWperchannelinto4R.Inessence,whiletheamplifierappearsasafourchanneldevicetotheoutsideworld,internally
EARLIER THIS YEAR, BRITISH PROCESSING AND AMP MANUFACTURER, XTA, REVEALED THE APA SERIES AND ITS FIRST INSTALLMENT, THE APA-4E8. THE ADAPTIVE PROCESSING AMPLIFIER PROMISES TO GIVE THE PRO AUDIO MARKET SOMETHING IT HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE. XTA’S TECHNICAL BRAND MANAGER, WARING HAYES, TALKS TO TPi’S KELLY MURRAY ABOUT THE APA STORY SO FAR...
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: XTA
XTA’S APA-4E8
there is in fact a further eight more channels of audio being constantly processed and compared to the inputs (four output voltages plus four output currents).
TECHNICAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTIn March 2007 MC²Audio and XTA Electronics merged, joining together two well-respected British pro audio manufacturers, a move which has been a huge benefit to both companies. “Their knowledge has been invaluable along the way, but XTA have stepped up and this design is brand new - we’ve developed innovative manufacturing techniques for the power stages to improve the already high class
D efficiency, and over the past three years we have increased our R&D resources by threefold to allow the power amplifier and supply work to run alongside the adaptive processing research. Yet the ‘clever stuff’ shouldn’t impact on the usability of the product. Hands-on intuitive access and thoughtful engineer-led interface design has always been central to XTA products.” What’s more, with a complex design such as this, XTA has also decided to cater for the product’s new users; a brand new training facility, demo and listening room has been specifically set-up for the needs of APA customers at its Worcestershire HQ.
The APA-4E8 recently toured with musical theatre production, Dancing in the Streets (an evening of Motown hits, if you didn’t know) which had the product on the road with Thames Audio during a test phase. Following the 30-date UK run, joint Managing Director of Thames Audio, Peter Cox, enthused that the APA is the natural progression from the MC² E100, which itself is a very popular choice worldwide. The conclusion being that it is the APA’s audio quality, which allows it to stand out. TPi will certainly be keeping up to date with XTA’s potential game changer in 2015. TPi
www.audiocore.co.uk
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: XTA
Opposite: The APA-4E8. Below: The newly built listening room and training facility at the XTA HQ; Service Manager Ian Davis and Waring Hayes at the PRO show in Birmingham for the product’s first UK showing.
MARKET FOCUS: Draping
DRAPING
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Established in 1984, Acre Jean has been at the forefront of the hire and manufacture of soft goods to the entertainment industry. Acre Jean drapes are used at concerts, conferences, product launches, trade and fashion shows, weddings, parties and many other events. From the company’s facility in South West London it can offer a fast response delivery service, by its own fleet or national carrier. Acre Jean’s clients are global, so a close affiliation with its international freighting agent ensures that the product is delivered on time. The company has huge stocks of black and coloured wool serge drapes, velvets, treviras, filled cloth and gauzes, LED, RGB and fibre optic starcloth hire and sales and an extensive range of pipe and drape. Other specialist items include bespoke touring curtains, electic kabuki systems and a very high quality and fast turnaround digital printing service.
ACRE JEAN www.acrejean.com
Blackout’s reliable and creative draping services span across Europe, catering for every need from simple dry hire to bespoke fabric creations and reveals. With a 50,000sq ft warehouse and demo space Blackout has the skills and stock available to meet any brief. As well as the highest quality of stock, Blackout prides itself on so much more than that. It’s about the people. Blackout’s draping team has years of experience and they are passionate about what they do, working with you to find the right solutions no matter how complex the challenge. Blackout’s dedicated sewing department has been providing draping and fabric solutions to live events and venues for 25 years. Recent projects include a custom-made fabric installation for Beyoncé at the BRITs, a bespoke drape set for Simply Red at the Royal Variety Performance, working with Peter Bingemann, and a stunning show opening for Kasabian’s headline spot at Glastonbury.
BLACKOUT www.blackout-ltd.com
With over 20 years experience, Creative Draping has an innovative approach to draped installations. It can design, produce, cut and fit drapes to suite any size and style, always giving an immaculate tailored finish. This picture shows one of Susie Carlino’s (owner, Creative Draping) latest designs in transforming a ballroom ceiling into a contemporary three-tiered Chandelier. With Carlino’s vast knowledge of the whole production process you are in the safest hands when you require that something special!
CREATIVE DRAPING http://creativedraping.com
Actus Industries is a leading supplier of rigging and automation equipment to the entertainment and exhibition industries. It also carries a large stock of drapes for dry hire, including black wool serge, filled cloth and gauzes, along with Triple E tracks and accessories. Its new warehouse facility in Bradford, West Yorkshire is ideally situated to service the North of England and includes dedicated drape preparation facilities. Actus Industries also provides a supply and installation service for both temporary shows and permanent venue installations.
ACTUS INDUSTRIES http://actusindustries.com
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MARKET FOCUS: Draping
Founded in 1946, Gerriets is famous for its extensive experience in scenic equipment and entertainment technology as well as having an excellent reputation as a major drapery manufacturer and theatrical supplier. Other than projection screens and dance floor, its wide product range includes technical stage equipment and track technology. Projects range from theatre and opera houses, cinemas, cruise ships, exhibitions, town halls, music halls and churches to permanent architectural installations. Among many prominent reference projects include the London Royal Opera House main curtain, huge cycloramas for trade show booths, like the IAA in Frankfurt, its FENCE scissor track system at the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, or office acoustic curtain solutions. Gerriets solutions are innovative including verall project management from the design phase and engineering through to the installation. Gerriets employs state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled technicians on all projects to ensure our high quality standard.
GERRIETS www.gerriets.com
FOS Global Ltd produces a wide range of drapes in many different types of fabrics, ranging from black wool serge backdrops in fibre and LEDs and many other fabrics. The company also manufactures a unique fibre optic carpet. FOS Global’s highly trained staff are all skilled in all aspects of drape manufacturing and whilst meeting extremely tight delivery schedules, a very high standard of workmanship is always maintained. The company has worked with many entertainment technology companies including HSL, VME, PRG and Bill Kenwrights, to name but a few.
FOS GLOBAL www.fos.uk.com
The Chauvet Professional SparkliteLED Drape is a fully controllable and expandable tri-colour LED star field drape. Each drape holds 128 LEDs distributed into eight controllable zones for a variety of effects via the required SparkliteLED Controller, which can control up to four drapes. Multiple units can be easily joined through hook-and-loop fasteners and controlled separately to create original shows. Alternatively, the drapes can be mounted as a dramatic ceiling.
CHAUVET www.chauvetpro.com
Hangman and Metalman are the UK’s leading independent drapes and set company and have been producing extraordinary stage sets, drapes and 3D scenic art for almost 30 years. Its stage design and fabrication projects have earned us an international reputation for imagination, precision and build quality. Unlike other specialist staging or soft goods companies, it can also build all elements of your set in tandem so there will be no ‘surprises’ once the kit arrives on site. Hangman is at the forefront of drape manufacturing technology, bringing together the best of the traditional set building techniques with the latest innovations in printing, fabrics and LED technologies with its expertise in design, manufacture and scenic artistry.
HANGMAN www.hangman.co.uk
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MARKET FOCUS: Draping
Prompt Side is one of the UK’s leading theatrical drapery manufacturers specialising in supplying bespoke drapery to the arts and entertainment industry. Customers include the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and Glyndebourne Opera, and it frequently collaborates with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Its knowledge, accumulated over 25 years of collaboration with designers and production managers, alongside its Managing Director’s decade of theatrical experience, lends us unrivalled technical expertise - highly valued and appreciated by its customers. Its digital printing services include seam-less - its pioneering textile welding solution for printed, backlit cycloramas and it now supplies printed cotton sharkstooth gauzes up to 10-metres wide - all in one piece!
PROMPT SIDE www.promptside.co.uk
Through working with the industry’s top creative designers, bespoke scenic solutions company Perry Scenic has continually pushed the capabilities of soft goods way ahead of the trend. Said Perry Scenic’s Jon Perry: “There are standard techniques when it comes to 3D, kabuki and applique backdrops, but not many people are doing 3D backdrops in the way we do, with clever fabric and artwork techniques, or the scale we do them on.” Its highly experienced team has worked with creative talent LeRoy Bennett and Peter Aquindes to break new ground in the field of large-scale 3D backdrops. Working on direction from Bennett, the West Midlands company created a huge 70ft by 30ft 3D backdrop for Rammstein’s festival shows this summer. Although a solid collapsible soft, the use of multiple fabrics with paint effects and air brushing makes it look like a 3D collection of organic cells. “When light is shined onto the fabric at different angles you get some amazing effects out of it and lots of depth,” said Perry. “It’s almost like a spiderweb of ghostly cells with a rusty metallic fascia outline. “The band and the designer were really happy with it.”
PERRY SCENIC www.perryscenic.com
J&C Joel is a world leading drapery company where everything is designed and manufactured in its specialist workshops in the UK, Hong Kong and Dubai. One of its latest projects was the drape that features in the new grand show THE WYLD in Berlin, Germany, the most elaborate show outside of Las Vegas. The team at J&C Joel worked closely with the show’s Production Team and Designers to create a beautiful sheer drape that cascades down onto the stage midway through the performance to help create an amazing effect for the 210,000 viewers that will see the show over the next two years. The team of drapery experts at J&C Joel knows that whatever the purpose of a drape, it always has to help inspire the performance.
J&C JOEL www.jcjoel.com
By working closely with major production companies for many years, Rutters is now one of the market leaders in the creation of exceptional, bespoke drapings and backdrops for the global live entertainment market. Rutters’ innovative and highly professional work ethic is also extremely diverse. Projects range from the creation of a pair of giant wings designed by The Mutoid Waste Co for the Rolling Stones at Glastonbury to full sets of opera cloths. Its expertise in the production of scenic cloths is exceptional, having produced backdrops for a wide range of stage shows and theatrical productions. In addition, Rutters’ knowledge of studio backdrops for live TV shows is almost unrivalled. Rutters takes pride in its ability to continually turn jobs around in the ideal time window.
RUTTERS www.ruttersuk.com
J&C Joel
J&C Joel are a world leading manufacturer of flame retardant fabric, flooring, drapery and stage engineering to the theatre,television, film, entertainment and event industries. To discover how we provide the perfect backdrop to your performance:
email: [email protected] • call: +44 (0)1422 833835 • visit: www.jcjoel.com
J&C Joel BeneluxT: +31 (0)5945 [email protected]
J&C Joel South Africa T: +27 (0)11 [email protected]
J&C Joel Middle EastT: +971 (0)4 884 [email protected]
J&C Joel MacauT: +853 [email protected]
J&C Joel Hong KongT: +852 2357 5333 [email protected]
J&C Joel Ltd (HQ), Corporation Mill, Corporation Street, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2QQ, West Yorkshire, UK
Image kindly provided and approved by the Friedrichstadt-Palast Betriebsgesellschaft mbH
730 days480 shows100 artists210,000 tickets sold
1 amazing drape
J&C Joel Ad TPI Half Page 136x190mm_Layout 1 04/12/2014 09:24 Page 1
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MARKET FOCUS: Draping
Universal Stars is burgeoning ahead with robust UK manufacturing alongside hire and installation services. The company creates some of the world’s best white and RGB starcloths, and is expert at running LED strips to any surface. Universal Stars offers LED system replacements for broken or cheap imported starcloth products. In 2013 it quoted for buggies, ice sculptures, water features and exhibition set designs. Add to this its draping expertise, with a huge hire stock that boasts lots of white draping as well as the usual starcloths and blacks. The company manufactures wedding backdrops and DJ Starlight kits on a daily basis. Its free quotations mean customers can turn their LED ideas into reality, with fast turnaround and reliable products.
UNIVERSAL STARS www.universalstars.co.uk
International textile supplier ShowTex offers an extensive print fabric collection for both indoor and outdoor use and is equipped with three and five metre large scale printers. The company now also guarantees the best high resolution printing results in the industry on stretch materials up to 300cm wide and provides the latest in precision laser cutting technology. Personalised backdrops can be cut out of nearly any flame retardant fabric of virtually infinite length with a seamless width of up to five metres wide with millimetre precision. This production form is becoming more and more popular during the manufacturing process of bespoke stage curtains and event furnishings. It’s an extremely accurate cutting method that allows for fine cut detail and a clean edge without fraying.
SHOWTEX www.showtex.com
ShowLED designs and develops LED components that boost the flexibility and creativity of today’s starcloths. As an innovator in the fast-paced industry, ShowLED recently added a brand new LED controller to the product portfolio, which can auto detect the type of LEDs connected, whether monochrome or RGB. It offers stand alone presets or DMX control over eight output channels (eight RGB), and creates a flawless dimmer curve by converting each control channel to a 12-bit resolution. All these features are packed in a compact device, weighing no more than 450g, with a capacity to power 512 monochrome LEDs, or 256 RGB LEDs. As featured on Stars in Their Eyes, Bette Midler, Dancing with the Stars, Children in need, and many more shows and touring events across the globe, ShowLED starcloths never cease to amaze!
SHOWLED www.showled.com
Formed in 1992, S+H has established a reputation for quality and service. It believes that no job is too big or too small, and this flexibility has seen it providing its services to the entertainment industry globally. S+H Technical has supplied specialist draping and ‘soft’ lighting effects lighting to several high profile TV shows recently including Strictly Come Dancing’s Blackpool Special as well as for the regular weekly show broadcast from Elstree Studios; the main Children In Need telethon studio; popular talent competition Stars in Their Eyes back on air in 2015 after a nine year hiatus; new ITV talent show Get Your Act Together and Bette Midler’s first ever ITV special One Night Only.
S+H TECHNICAL www.starcloth.co.uk
WITHIN TEMPTATION HYDRA WORLD TOUR
© Within Temptation
AMAZING STAGE FABRICS IN MOTION T: O17O6 819746 // [email protected] // WWW.SHOWTEX.COM
The drapesand riggingpeople.At Blackout we offer more than just the usual
event equipment hire. It’s not just that we’re
the only company in the UKsupplying a
complete drapes and rigging service, we also
provide what others can’t. Our people.
Blackout people, from project management,
through warehousing and manufacturing to
rigging and installation, are skilled,
dependable and enthusiastic - in fact, we
thinkthey’re the best in the business.
Find out for yourself.To talkto Blackout about
your next project or event,
phone +44 (0)20 8687 8400
contact us at [email protected]
or visit www.blackout-ltd.com
Where the peoplemake the difference.
Blackout 'People' half-page LSI:Layout 1 11/2/14 14:56 Page 1
Notes on the use of headphones and earpieces in high ambient noise environments where exposure to noise must be controlled in line with the Noise at Work Regulations.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDGlossaryFor consistency we refer to sound from outside the headphones or earpieces as “ambient noise” and to that heard electronically through the drivers / speakers in the headphones as “reproduced sound”
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS:Sound is subject to the “Square Law”, the intensity of the sound decreases as the square of the distance. i.e. if you double the distance you get ¼ of the intensity. Thus moving away from the source of the ambient will reduce its intensity and will improve intelligibility of the reproduced sound. As the dB scale, in which sound is measured, is logarithmic a 3dB change will either double or halve the sound level.
THE NOISE AT WORK (NAW) REGULATIONSThe NaW Regulations in the UK and Directive 2003/10/EC – noise agents elsewhere in the EU, determine the maximum noise exposure a listener at work is allowed to experience. There are two key numbers, the first is a peak of 137dBC, and the other is an average of 85 dBA over an eight hour period. Whilst the first limit is easy to understand the second is more complex to understand and to manage as it allows the listener to experience sounds above the regulated average dose, so long as those listening periods are balanced by equivalent periods below the regulated average dose.
The table above (1) gives examples of the regulated listening period for different average dose levels. The regulations permit the use of the equal energy calculation which enables the listener to have a higher Average Dose Level so long as the Listening Period is reduced accordingly. It is worth noting that the NaW regulations were changed and the maximum and daily Average Dose Level were reduced in 2003 in response to research that showed that exposure to sounds above these levels is harmful and that long term exposure to relatively modest sounds
can be as harmful as exposure to loud impulse sounds, but is much more difficult to monitor and manage.
INTELLIGIBILITY OF COMMUNICATIONSTo hear communication clearly the reproduced sound has to be louder than the ambient noise. Opinions vary about how much louder, though it is generally accepted that a listener will require somewhere between 4dB and 8dB of additional reproduced sound level over the ambient to understand speech. The precise amount of additional reproduced sound level is heavily
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IT MIGHT GET LOUDWhen we last checked, live production is still in the business of creating noise, quite a lot of it in some cases. Now, we’re always keen to remind people that high levels of noise can, with time, damage hearing beyond repair. We therefore recommend avoiding noisy environments when at all possible. As a last resort, hearing protection can be used, and the nice people at Limitear, purveyors of noise limiting devices for headphones and the like have given us permission to reproduce their white paper on the use of hearing protection in high ambient noise environments. Read on for a few considerations when choosing how to look after your ears.
2
1
dependent on the type of ambient noise (voices may require higher signal, music or continuous noise may be less) and on the listener’s ability to differentiate speech from noise which may be affected by their own physiology and other temporary biological effects such as fatigue.
CURRENT APPROACHCurrently a common method of achieving the desired reproduced sound to ambient noise level is to turn up the reproduced sound in the headphones. However if the ambient noise level is high the listener will often be listening at levels from the headphones which are potentially damaging and risking breeching the average Noise Dose specified in the NaW regulations. If we look at the situation described above and do a simple calculation we can illustrate the problem. As can be seen from G in the table the listener would have exhausted their hearing dose within the NaW regulations in less than eight minutes and would risk sustaining permanent hearing damage.
SOLUTIONSAs we aren’t able to change the Laws of Physics or the NaW Regulations the focus must be on the options under our influence and control. Firstly can we isolate the listener from the ambient noise in some way (see square law), or increase the separation by perhaps enclosing them in some sort of screened area for example a booth? Whilst this might be an option for certain operators isolating other production staff in a booth is not an option so they will have to continue to operate in the high ambient conditions.
AMBIENT NOISE REDUCING HEADPHONESAs the option of isolating the user is not practical we should consider the use of more effective headphones specifically designed for use in high ambient noise environments. Many of these headphones are capable of providing reductions in ambient noise of between 20 dB and 25 dB. The calculation below (3) illustrates how the listener is better protected and their hearing dose within the Noise at Work regulations is extended from seven minutes or so to nearly two hours. Given that the Average Ambient Noise level is 105 db there will be episodes where the ambient sound level will be much greater, usually at moments of excitement or tension (goal scored,
a foul committed, punch thrown etc) when the listener will need to increase the level of reproduced sound to maintain the intelligibility of the signal. Unfortunately most of these ambient noise isolation headphones rely on a close fit to the listener’s head so can be heavy, hot or uncomfortable and it may be preferable to consider the use of In Ear Monitors (IEMs) which are widely used by musicians.
CUSTOM MOULDED IN EAR MONITORS (IEM)IEMs provide a very good solution to listening at safe levels in high ambient noise conditions as many of them can provide between 25 dB and 30 dB of ambient noise attenuation (manufacturer’s claims, some of which are certified) when fitted and used correctly. They are also flexible, in low ambient noise environments, listening using one ear is acceptable, though users should be aware that the human ears have evolved to work as a pair in “stereo” to enable the accurate positioning of environmental sounds. So if you feed the ears with completely different signals (ambient noise in one, reproduced sound in the other), the brain may have difficulty understanding speech.
As the ambient noise increases, this leads to unacceptable levels in the listening ear, because the “open” ear is subject to increased level, whereas the earpiece ear, which is better isolated from the ambient, will still be at the original level, so there is a tendency to increase the volume to compensate. As the ambient increases, it is a good idea to use an “attenuating” earpiece in the open ear to equalise the level in both ears, which allows the listening earpiece to be operated at a lower level, and still allows the listener to take part in conversations nearby. As the ambient noise rises further, inserting
the second earpiece allows the IEMs to be used at their optimum level. The calculation below (4) illustrates how the listener is protected and their hearing dose within the Noise at Work regulations is extended to between two and four hours. Whilst the IEMs provide excellent ambient noise reduction some users find them unpleasant to use or too isolating. Recent developments in the IEM sector have attempted to address these concerns, firstly by manufacturing the custom mould from different materials and adding two microphones to the electronics to enable the listener to adjust the level of ambient sound experienced by mixing it with the reproduced signal.
ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING (ANC) OR ACTIVE NOISE REDUCTION (ANR)One other technology which may be worth consideration in certain conditions are headphones which use electronics to reduce the ambient noise level whilst allowing the reproduced sound through unaffected. They work by sampling the ambient noise and then re-emitting this signal out of phase into the earpieces which tends to cancel out some or all
of the ambient. ANC/ANR is reasonable effective at low frequencies and with fairly continuous ambient noise and this may help to improve intelligibility of speech frequencies. This is a clever technology but the active noise cancelling can prove unpopular with certain users (especially technical purists such as sound engineers!) as they can detect the ANC/ANR operating which adversely affects their listening experience.
HYGIENE – PERSONAL ISSUE HEADPHONESMany items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can be shared between individuals if the need arises – helmets, coats, hi-vis etc, but when these items come into intimate contact with someone’s body, then it is not reasonable to ask people to share them. Ear infections are commonly caught and passed on from dirty earpieces and can cause, amongst other things Bell’s palsy and permanent hearing damage. Consideration should really be given to making headphones and earpieces personal issue.TPi
www.limitear.com
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www.psa.org.uk
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d&b audiotechnik has strengthened its management by bringing on board Sabina Berloffa as Director of Marketing. She is responsible for global marketing and product management, with the aim of further expanding brand awareness, developing new markets and accelerating the growth of the company. “Sabina Berloffa has great experience inB2B marketing, brand leadership and productmanagement. She will take a key role in thecompany’s strategic growth over the comingyears. I’m delighted to have Sabina on board”,saidCEOofd&baudiotechnik,AmnonHarman. Berloffa said: “I amexcited to joind&b. Forthe last decade, the company has stood forqualityinprofessionalaudiosolutions.d&bhasafantasticcustomerbase,especiallyinthetouringand installation markets which we intend toexpandcontinuously.Ouraim is tocontinue toinspire our global customers andpartnerswithproducts and solutions. Equally, we will seizenewopportunitiestogrowourmarketleadershipin the pro audio field, through technologyleadership.” Eurotruss is excited and proud to announcethat the company has signed a MasterDistributionAgreementwithProcomMEfortheMiddle East area. This collaboration is a greatopportunitytoexpanditsleadingpresenceintheMiddleEastmarketandrespondsadequatelytothedemandfromtoday’sever-changingmarket:instantdeliveryofstock,dailysupportandlocalappearance. ProcomMEoffers thebest possible service,through efficient and instant product deliveryandfullsupportallbackedbythestrengthandreputationofEurotruss.ProcomME-acompanythat specialises in professional lighting, sound,videoand rigging - iswellestablished inDubaiwithasignificantpresenceinBeiruttoo. UK motion control specialist Kinesys iscontinuingtoexpanditsKinesysUSAoperationbywelcomingDavidBondtotheteamintherole
ofHeadofSalesforNorthAmerica. David will be leading the Kinesys USA salesdepartment and travelling extensively to meetwith and talk to customers throughout NorthAmerica.HewillbeworkingcloselywithDavidMartinbasedattheKinesysUSAheadquartersinAtlantawhowillbefocussingontheoperationsand training aspects of the company. Togethertheywillcontinuetodevelopthecompany’sUSbrand and expand its market coverage. BothDavid Bond and David Martin will also workcloselywiththerelevantdepartmentsatKinesys’globalheadofficeinLondon,UK. KinesysUSA’sCEO,DaveWeatherheadsaid:“WehavehadaverypositiveresponsetoKinesysputting down roots in the USA. David Bond’sapproachable style and extensive knowledgeof rigging standards makes him the perfectambassador for Kinesys in North America. Weare therefore delighted that he is joining us tospearhead our sales operation. We are lookingforwardtomakingmoreannouncementsintheNewYearaswefurtherexpandthecapabilitiesofourUSoperation.” PioneerProAudiohasaddedDavidFerreiratoitsteamasTechnicalSalesSpecialist,whowillbeaddingtothegrowingteamresponsibleforsalesandinstallationofthebrand’ssoundsystemsforclubs, bars and restaurants. David brings withhim seven yearsof pro audio experience,mostrecentlyasUKSalesExecutiveforMartinAudio.Prior to that he worked at Loud Technologiesas European Service Supervisor and TechnicalSupportSpecialist. “It’sanexcitingtimetobejoiningPioneerProAudio,” said David. “With Pioneer DJ’s legacyof innovation and Pioneer / TAD’s heritage inspeakers, I’m looking forward to helping todevelop and expand the Pioneer Pro Audiobrand.” Alex Barrand, Pioneer Pro Audio Manager,commented:“We’redelightedtohaveDavidonboard.Hisexperienceandunderstandingoftheproaudiomarketwillbeinvaluableintakingour
versatile sound systems to even more venuesacrossEuropeandbeyond.” Renkus-Heinz has announced theappointment of PacificAV as the company’snewrepresentatives for theSouthernCaliforniaregion. Based in Oceanside, CA, PacificAV is aleading rep firm run by industry veteran ScottWrege, specialising in Pro Audio and InstalledA / V. PacificAV will represent Renkus-Heinz inSouthernCaliforniaandSouthernNevada. “We’re very pleased to welcome Scott andthePacificAV teamtoRenkus-Heinz,” remarkedRik Kirby, Renkus-Heinz Vice President of SalesandMarketing.“They’vegotagreatreputationand a stellar track record, and we’re lookingforwardtohavingthemonboard.” “Renkus-HeinzisoneofProAudio’slegendarybrands,witha longhistoryof innovationandareputation for the highest quality products,”addedWrege.“Wearehonouredtobeworkingwithagreatbrandandagreatgroupofpeople.” RobeLightinghasappointedCraigBurrossasRegional SalesManagerof theWesternUnitedStates. Burross was most recently with Barco /HighEndSystemsastheNationalSalesManagerforNorthAmerica.Duetocustomerdemandandincreasedpopularity,RobeLightingisexpandingits reach in the US under CEO Bob Schacherl.Thisisoneofseveralstrategicstepsthecompanyis making to provide Robe clients better salessupportandenhancedcustomerservice. “AboutayearagoBobSchacherlandIwerespeakingand I said, itwouldbegreat toworkwithyouagain,”saidBurross.“AlongwithBob,IhavealsoknownHarry vondenStemmen formanyyearsaswell. I’vealwayshadtheutmostrespect for both Harry and Josef and theircollective accomplishments globally with Robe.What reallymakes thisaneasydecision formeismyexistingfriendshipwiththeRobeUSsalesteam.Ourgoalsareclearlyalignedforsupportingand prospering with Robe clients here in theUnitedStates.I’melatedtobeapartoffurthergrowingthisrespectedbrand.”
MOVERS & SHAKERS
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Burross has more than 25 years of priorindustry experienceona varietyof sales teamsincludingHighEndSystems,Vari-LiteandVictorDuncan. Bob Schacherl commented: “I have had thepleasure of working with Craig for almost 15years. He has a great personality, incredibleenergyandpassionfortheindustry.Hishistoricalsuccessthroughouthiscareeriswidelyknown.Asaresulthehasbuiltanextensivelistofcontactsand developed long-lasting relationships withdealers, Lighting Designers and end users thatspan the nation. We expect Craig to have animmediateimpactonourbusiness.We’rethrilledto have him on board and he is a fantasticadditiontotheRobeteam.” TC Group has announced the appointmentofAndyRustas itsVicePresidentofMarketingfor install and tour, with responsibility for themarketingofTCGroupbrands,primarilyTannoy,Lab.gruppen, Lake and White Acoustic, ininstalledsoundandtouringmarkets. BasedatTannoy’sheadquarters inScotland,AndyhasassumedtheleadroleinthemarketingoftheInstallandTourverticals,themanagingofthecoreIandTmarketingteamatCoatbridge,aswellasthedeliveryofthemarketingstrategyandcoordination of other marketing teams within
TC Group offices in North America, Japan andChina. In congratulating Andy on his new role,AndrzejSosna,CEOofTCGroup’sInstallandTourverticals,said:“Andyhasawealthofexperienceofmarketingandtheaudioindustryhavingspent13yearsatPeaveyandthelastnineofthoseastheir European Marketing Manager. His diverseexperienceintraditionalandcuttingedgemediatoolswillbenefitusgreatlyintheInstallandTourmarketverticalinthecomingyears.” Outline names Pan Asia as its exclusiveDistributor for Singapore and Malaysia As partofitsongoingprocessofpreparingforthenextstepofgrowthintheFarEast. With combined 25 years’ experience, PanAsia isaprofessionalaudio/videolightingandcontrol equipment distribution and technicalservice company founded by Chip Chong andTatNamYee. NEXOenters2015withanewCEO,as JeanMullortakesoverthereinsattheleadingFrenchloudspeakermanufacturer.YoshiTsugawa,whohasguidedthecompanyforthepastthreeandahalfyears,isreturningtoJapan,wherehetakesupnewresponsibilitiesastheGeneralManagerfor Band & Orchestra products in the MI &Audio Sales and Marketing Group of Yamaha
Corporation. NewCEOJeanMullorcomes toNEXOfromYamaha Music Europe, where he has spentnearly four years as Managing Director of theFrench subsidiary, in charge of the domesticdistributionofmusical instruments, commercialaudioproducts,audiovideoproductsandmusicschoolsnetworkdevelopment. Trained as a lawyer, Mullor brings withhim a wealth of management experience. Alifelong passion for music has taken him fromUS petrochemical giant Mobil to YamahaCorporation, joining the French branch in1992. Over the years, he has augmented hislegal expertisewithHR, logistics, finance, salesandmarketingdepartmentalexperience. Speaking of his appointment, Mullordescribeditas“aremarkableopportunitytojoinacompanythathasa30-yearrecordoftechnicalachievementandanindustry-leadingreputation.With its flagship technology making inroads atthe very top of the international market, anda slate of new products scheduled for release,these are exciting times for NEXO, and I’mlooking forward to being part of its talentedteam.”TPi
www.tpimagazine.com/jobs/
MOVERS & SHAKERS
87
Opposite: d&b audiotechnik brings on board Sabina Berloffa as Director of Marketing; Kinesys Head of Sales for North America, David Bond; NEXO’s new CEO, Jean Mullor; Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of PacificAV as the company’s new representatives.
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
EXPERIENCED THEATRE AND CONCERT PRODUCTION MANAGERWe are seeking a self-motivated team player with good interpersonal
skills and proven knowledge of large scale UK and Internationaltouring to join our very busy and expanding company. If successfulyou will be primarily office based and will oversee ALL of our showsand be responsible for creating budgets, negotiating all supplier and crew contracts, creating production riders and managing all technical
aspects of our productions.
You will need to be a skilled negotiator and be fully conversant with all relevant health and safety legislation. You will also manage the
Company store and in house rehearsal space.
Salary negotiable according to experience.Please apply to: Production Manager (ref: JS018)
The Flying Music Company Ltd, 110 Clarendon Road, W11 2HROr [email protected]
www.flyingmusic.com
Project Co-ordinator
Are you a dynamic individual looking for a rewarding career in the live events and lighting industry?
If so we currently have an exciting opportunity within our fast paced and rapidly expanding team for a
proactive and results orientated project co-ordinator.
This role will develop your current good level of knowledge and experience of the lighting and live
events industry. Working as part of our exceptional project team you will gain satisfaction from delivering
prestigious live events to our high profile clients.
For further information please contact Delia Gibbs on 0208 963 0327 or via e-mail at
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How did your career in the industry begin? Actually I was born into this industry as my father has been in the business for almost 40 years now. I began working during the school holidays and helped out at exhibitions. After my studies I worked in marketing in the football business, but I came back to the event industry in 2011.
What led you to your current role at Global Truss? I love marketing and I saw a lot of potential in growing the Global Truss brand. I now have the opportunity to realise innovative approaches like our TrussTool and our own app. How has Global Truss’ position within the market place evolved since you joined the company?Global Truss was already a well-known brand before I joined. I think we have managed to become more professional in our marketing efforts and provide more technical information to our customers. Also, we started the Truss Academy and attended more international exhibitions. So I think we have strengthened and are continuing to strengthen our presence within the market.
What is Global Truss’ flagship product, and where is it most likely to be implemented?There is not one flagship product as such. But there are certain ‘flagship’ products. For example, the F32-F34 range is particularly popular, as is our vast collection of couplers and clamps. The 812 coupler has sold more than two million units since 2001. They are being used throughout the whole event industry. Having said that, more and more industrial applications are being realised nowadays with Global Truss products, which just goes to show the variety of Global Truss product applications.
What has been the most significant development in truss manufacturing in recent years? We have proven that it is possible to produce a truss that is not welded. Unfortunately it might take some years to get this development into the market since the costs are still higher than a regular welded truss. But the trussing business is very stable and not many innovations are being introduced - that shows that the quality of truss is very good and the product has a long life.
How will the recent Eurocode changes benefit the truss industry? More and more regulations will come sooner or later and Eurocode is just
one of them. That said, Eurocode is a big regulation since all load tables for the truss systems have to be recalculated. If these regulations help to make the industry safer then, of course, we support them.
You have just exhibited at the LDI show in Las Vegas. What has the reaction to your products been like this year?In the US, we distribute our brand under the name Cosmic Truss. We had a very busy stand at LDI this year, with lots of interest. People realise that we stand for availability, reliability, affordability and innovation and although we had to rebrand in this market, we still offer the same good quality.
What can we expect to see from the company next year?In Frankfurt we will show new and innovative couplers and we will release a new version of our online TrussTool. Furthermore, the Truss Academy will go international in Europe and Australia.
VITAL STATS
VITAL STATS 165
“In the US, we distribute our brand under the name
Cosmic Truss. We had a very busy stand at LDI this year,
with lots of interest...”
Oliver Braun
90
Profession: Marketing Manager, Global Truss
Date & place of birth: 22 September, 1979Karlsruhe, West Germany
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