TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

www.tpiawards.com

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM
NOVEMBER 2014 ISSUE 183
LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • NOVEMBER 2014 • ISSUE 183

PHARRELL WILLIAMS
HAPPY DAYS: THE SEVEN TIME GRAMMY
WINNER ON HIS FIRST ARENA TOUR
WHAT CAN WE DO? WE’RE HELPLESS ROMANTICS...

LAB.GRUPPEN’S PLM+ • KYLIE • ON BLACKHEATH FESTIVAL • LIGHTBORNE INTERVIEW • SUMMER SONIC

INVICTUS GAMES CLOSING CONCERT • KOI WINNERS • GLP TURNS 20 • VIDEO PROJECTION MARKET FOCUS
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 PRELUDE

PROTOUCH STAGEOPERATOR

8,4“ Colour Touchscreen

SOBER OCTOBER AND OTHER ADVENTURES

I’m not going to lie to you. I haven’t had a ‘dry’ month since I was a teenager.
Amongst others, a nickname that has - accurately - found its way into my social circle
is ‘Murray Measures’. If you’re reading this and we’ve had a night out during my time
at this publication, you’ll know I’m not the kind of girl who opts for a shandy. Or a
half. Or a single. Ever. But then, I can’t say any of you lot do either… Alcohol is more
often than not a part of life in this industry; there’s always an event, a launch or a
dinner at which to celebrate, well, anything. So when mondo*dr Editor, Rachael and
I undertook the challenge of Sober October for MacMillan Cancer Support, even we
had our doubts.
However, as the tradeshows and concerts unfolded, our willpower did not. We
were spurred on by acts of kindness such as our Finance Director, Amanda Giles
• Linkable Motor Distributions
who offered up £100. Her message read, “You should save at least that on your bar
• Integrated Software for
bills.” She was correct, obviously. Then there was the “but avoiding wine in France
System Configuration
is practically a criminal act” revelation from he who shall not be named. I didn’t get
• Password Management
arrested but I wasn’t half parched.
• Group-Shutdown Functions
Alas, we made it. I’d like to say a massive extended thank you to everyone who
• Displaying of Positions
supported us this month. We set out to raise £500 in the hope that some of you
and Destination Runs
might have faith in our ability to resist our nectar of choice (I think it’s called ALL) and
• Load-Measuring with integrated
I’m delighted to tell you that at the time of going to print our booze-banished total is
Shutdown Functions for
an incredible £1,080. DiGiCo even sent us a bottle of champers each in celebration of
Over- and Underload
completing the challenge. It was delicious! (Don’t tell them but even a can of shandy • Displaying each Drive Status
would have had me smiling for days at that point!) Position, Load and Errors
Back to the present and this issue should make • 15“ Touchscreen as Option
for an interesting read. I was lucky enough to hear • Network-Based System
Nexo’s STM M28 and GEO M6 in Shakespeare’s “If you’re wondering if
Configurations avaialable on request
backyard - Warwickshire - a couple of weeks ago, you’ll be the lucky owner
and I left impressed. You can find the latest on of a TPi-crafted box, CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS
this double launch on P. 14.
Besides the mighty array of live event
fret not guys;
technology in action from the crews behind cover I was totally sober...”
star Pharrell Williams and Aussie stage queen
Kylie. We also have features on the delights of
Ibizan boat parties, first time festivals and breaking news on PRG’s recent acquisition
of Gearhouse L.L.C in Dubai on P. 8. We have some insightful tradeshow news too. On
P. 66 you can take a look inside the PRO show and read the conclusions of those who
exhibited and attended. We dissect the new UK-based expo - held at Birmingham’s
NEC - and ask what the future may now hold for the British tradeshow climate.
Elsewhere Patrick enjoyed another trip to his beloved Germany, this time to visit
GLP. The lighting fixture manufacturer is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and
continues to make headway in the US market thanks to Mark Ravenhill’s expertise. info@chainmaster.de
Also this month I visited Paris with mondo*dr Advertising Sales beauty, Laura Iles,
for a two-day jaunt (and around 37 macaroons). We can be seen in the photo above
putting some genuine craftwork into an L-Acoustics K2 line source array loudspeaker
CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH
system. If you’re wondering if you’ll be the lucky owner of a TPi-crafted box, fret not Uferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0
guys; I was totally sober!
Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21
Kelly Murray
E-Mail: info@chainmaster.de
Editor www.chainmaster.de

05
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 ITINERARY EVENT FOCUS
08 PRG in Gearhouse Acquisition
PRG acquires Gearhouse L.L.C in Dubai, UAE.

CREW
a member of

10 Knight Of Illuminations
A round up of the 2014 winners.
Editor
Kelly Murray 14 NEXO Launch
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 We attend Nexo’s double launch and demo.
Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689
e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk 16 Round the world with Lady Gaga
APA in South Korea, Stageco in Belgium and
Assistant Editor eclipse in Dubai supply the Queen of Pop’s gigs.
Patrick McCumiskey
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 22 Summer Sonic
Mobile: +44 (0)7929 249169 We look at the Audio-Technica sponsored festival
e-mail: p.mccumiskey@mondiale.co.uk in Japan.

International Advertising & Sponsorship 24 Urban Bubble

Hannah Eakins KeyTeq invests in Chauvet Professional lighting.
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360
Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 26 Carl Cox Boat Party
e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk Pioneer Pro Audio and Pioneer DJ float a boat
(party) in Ibiza.
Advertising Sales
Charlotte Goodlass 28 A Day To Remember
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 We follow Elation Professional’s Sniper on tour.
Mobile: +44 (0)788 0208 226
e-mail: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk PRODUCTION PROFILE
30 Pharrell Williams
Graphic Design & Production Simon Duff hears Adamson’s Energia PA system.
Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk
Mel Robinson: m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk 40 Kylie
Sarah Rushton-Read tackles the Australian pop
General Manager Justin Gawne star’s latest tour, Kiss Me Once.

Mondiale Group Chairman Damian Walsh 50 Invictus Games Closing Concert

TPi goes behind the scenes at the Foo Fighter’s
www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com headline show.

Cover Photography Simon Duff 58 On Blackheath

Paul Watson reports on the first year of Harvey
Contributors Simon Duff, Sarah Rushton-Read, Paul Goldsmith’s new London festival.
Watson Editorial Intern Usama Anjum
EXPO
Printed by Buxton Press 66 PRO
Annual subscriptions (including P&P): PRO: we ask for your verdict on this new expo.
£42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).
Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, INTERVIEW
Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, 74 Ben Nicholson of Lightborne talks to Kelly about
Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK; the landscape of content creation.
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580;
Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456; CLOCKING OFF
e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk 76 SSE’s John and Alex Penn complete The Great
North Run in aid of Alzheimers Society.
Issue 183 / November 2014
COMPANY PROFILE
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine,
published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence. ISSN 78 Patrick visits GLP’s German HQ.
1461-3786 Copyright © 2014 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of
this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction
in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy 82 Lab.gruppen’s PLM+ is uncovered.
in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd,
nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential
loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed MARKET FOCUS
are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept
no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs,
84 The latest in Video Projection tech & live events.
illustrations, advertising materials or artwork.
Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times
a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual
PSA
subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent 92 The speed of live production & DiGiCo’s secret...
named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue,
Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431.
US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, MOVERS & SHAKERS
Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, 94 The latest industry appointments.
Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale
Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.
VITAL STATS
98 Nick Valdez of Siyan Lighting talks shop.
07
 EVENT FOCUS: PRG & Gearhouse
EXPANDED RESOURCES IN THE GULF
PRG’S ACQUISITION OF GEARHOUSE LLC BOOSTS EVENT PRODUCTION IN THE UAE
In one of the most groundbreaking
industry moves of recent times, New York-
headquartered Production Resource Group,
L.L.C. (PRG), the world’s leading supplier
of entertainment and event technology, is
acquiring Dubai-based Gearhouse, L.L.C.,
the largest provider of turnkey event
production services across the Gulf Region.
For PRG’s worldwide clients this acquisition
means that they will now have access to a
complete range of technical expertise and
production solutions when working in the
United Arab Emirates and Gulf Region. PRG can
now ensure that their clients can be confident in
the quality of product, production expertise and
professionalism when working in this important
and quickly expanding event location.
“By acquiring Gearhouse, we will be able
to significantly increase our local support for
our many customers that produce events and
shows in Dubai and the Gulf Region”, said PRG’s
Harris, who jointly announced the acquisition
with Peter McCann, the Managing Director
of Gearhouse, L.L.C. “Now we can offer them
the same high level of customer service and
08
innovative, reliable technical solutions as our
clients expect, wherever they are producing an
event.”
With immediate effect, Gearhouse, L.L.C.
will be rebranded PRG Gearhouse as its Dubai
headquarters joins PRG’s network of over 40
locations in key cities across the United States,
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium,
Spain, The Netherlands, Switzerland, China,
Australia, Argentina and Japan.
Tom Van Hemelryck, PRG’s Vice President,
Global Special Events, commented: “Gearhouse
is a tremendous addition to PRG’s global team.
With their talent, knowledge, expertise and
existing client base, Gearhouse will allow PRG to
unlock significant potential in this fast growing
market. I’m personally delighted to be playing
a significant role in this new venture and look
forward to the obvious advantages of having
people and equipment on the ground when
servicing our existing global clients who have
become increasingly attracted to delivering
events in this region.”
“We have a market here that is rapidly
maturing and I regard the creation of PRG
Gearhouse as a significant milestone in that
process,” commented Peter McCann, who
co-founded Gearhouse, L.L.C, currently
located at Dubai Investment Park. “Over the
last 20 years, we have established a client
base that has become more sophisticated in
their expectations of the standard of delivery
and of what production really means. As PRG
Gearhouse we will be able to exceed their
expectations as we will undoubtedly attract the
best levels of talent to our region because PRG’s
reputation is second to none.”
McCann’s long-term vision for Gearhouse
was to be part of a like-minded global
organisation. “Aside from organisational
synergies, we felt PRG shared our highest
level of customer service and operational
best practices in how we deliver production
solutions to our clients and our role in driving
internationally recognised health and safety
standards in this region. PRG shares my belief
that there is a significant opportunity to extend
Gearhouse from a regional leader to part of
a global organisation that will allow us to
further differentiate ourselves from regional

Opposite: PRG’s acquisition of Dubai-based Gearhouse, L.L.C will undoubtedly attribute to grwoth in the Event production market in the Gulf. Below: Jeremiah Harris, PRG; Peter McCann,
Managing Director of Gearhouse, L.L.C.; Tom van Hemelryck, Vice President of PRG.
competition and strengthen our ability to
service our customers.”
Leading a workforce of more than 100
full-time employees, McCann’s management
team - Bruce MacLean, General Manager; Lee
Price, Director of Planning; Dave Emery, Director
of Operations; and Harriet Stewart, Area Sales
Manager - share the excitement of merging
the skills of their existing staff and technical
inventory with those of PRG’s global assets.
One of the key benefits of the acquisition
will be the way PRG Gearhouse will be able to
interact with its European and UK colleagues
to strategically utilise resources throughout
the entire year. “Our summer normally equates
to three and a half months of quiet business,
and because of temperatures of around 50°C
[112°F], it is impossible to stage outdoor
events,” said McCann.
“Meanwhile, we have an expansive inventory
of premium LED stock [Martin Professional,
Chroma-Q, Thomas], moving lights [Philips
Vari-Lite, Martin, Clay Paky], rigging [Lodestar],
automation [Kinesys], backline and audio
systems including L-Acoustics’ K2 line arrays
sitting idle. That will no longer be the case
because we’re delivering at a level that
absolutely matches what PRG offers in Europe
during the festival season.
“As a consequence, our own people are
now able to add to their career development
by playing a valuable part in those European
festivals at a different level than any other
company in this market can offer. Conversely,
the Dubai office will now have greater access
to human and technical resources in our busy
season between October and April.”
Short and long-term exchanges of staff
between PRG Gearhouse and other territories
within the PRG group are expected in the
future, providing what Peter McCann regards
as an “idyllic opportunity” to cross-train,
pool market intelligence and broaden cultural
experience.
“As an employer, the ability to present to the
current staff the prospect of them working for
the largest production services provider in the
world is one of the most exciting moments in
my career,” commented McCann.
“Moreover, this market likes to do business
with proven players and our clients are now
working with the biggest of them all along
with the level of technology and quality of
execution that they have seen on the Olympic
Games and other seriously high profile global
events,” McCann said. “Our government clients
EVENT FOCUS: PRG & Gearhouse
are just as excited because they know this is a
great brand builder for the region, so there is an
enormous amount of confidence out here right
now.
“Expo 2020 is on the horizon here in Dubai -
as a supplier, we played a part in the successful
bid process - and it is contributing to an all-
round greater confidence as a destination for
corporations, concert tours and semi-permanent
theatre productions. It represents a golden
period in the making but this can only get better
as part of PRG and the wider talent pool that
this will bring.”
“I look forward to working closely with
Gearhouse, who know this region so well,”
said PRG’s Harris. On the many opportunities to
support existing and new clients, he concluded:
“PRG and Gearhouse are extremely well
matched as both companies provide a multi-
disciplined, integrated product. I am impressed
with what Peter and his team have built at
Gearhouse, and I am confident that the joining
of our two companies will be to the benefit of
our clients, which is our top priority.”
The closing of the acquisition was effective
from October 31, 2014.
TPi
www.prg.com
09
 EVENT FOCUS: Knight of Illumination Awards
SEVENTH KNIGHT OF
ILLUMINATION AWARDS WINNERS
THE SEVENTH KNIGHT OF ILLUMINATION AWARDS (KOI) WAS HELD ON SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER
IN LONDON, UK, TO A SPARKLING SUCCESS.
This year, London’s glamorous art deco
Troxy venue saw representatives from the
professional entertainment lighting and
video industry come together to celebrate
the creative achievements of lighting and
video professionals working on shows across
the UK.
The ever-popular awards, organised by
The Society of Television & Lighting Design
(STLD), The Association of Lighting Designers
(ALD), Clay Paky and Ambersphere Solutions,
was established to offer public recognition for
outstanding achievements in touring, television
and theatre lighting, and video design.
Hosted by prolific and popular lighting
designer for the theatre, opera and ballet, Mark
Jonathan, the winners for each category were
announced as follows:
THEATRE:
Dance: Paul Keogan, No Man’s Land, English
10
National Ballet, The Barbican
Opera: Joachim Klein, Bluebeard’s Castle, Opera
Frankfurt, Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Play: Andy Purves, The Believers, The Drum,
Theatre Royal Plymouth and touring
Musicals: Adam Silverman, Urinetown, St. James
Theatre
Projection Design: Ethan Wang, Rice, Cloud Gate
Theatre Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Sadler’s Wells.
TELEVISION:
Drama: David Higgs, The Escape Artist
Light Entertainment: Chris Rigby, Alan Carr
Chatty Man
Small Studio: Hugh French, Channel 4 News
Events: Ben Cracknell, The Olivier Awards
Video Graphic Display: Luke Halls, Don Giovanni
CONCERT TOURING AND EVENTS:
Concert Touring Stage: Will Potts, Disclosure
Concert Touring Arena: Andy Hurst, The Prodigy
Live Events: Matt Button, Castrol
Video Graphic Display: Paul ‘Pablo’ Beckett, Blue
Leach and Cate Carter, Elbow
As is tradition, in addition to the TV,
Theatre and Concert Touring and Events
Awards, the Enrico Caironi Award For Lifetime
Recognition was presented to an individual
whom the KOI committee feels has made an
outstanding impact on the industry. This year,
the coveted award was presented to Brian
Croft who is perhaps best known for his work
in Rock ‘n’ Roll, notably with ESP Lighting, RFA
Electrosound, Theatre Projects, Samuelson’s,
Eagle Trust and Vari-Lite productions but who
is also a dedicated supporter of the National
Youth Theatre since he began his career as a
stage manager on its inaugural production in
1956.
Previous winners of this award include
Lighting Designer Richard Pilbrow in 2011,

Opposite: The seventh Knight of Illumination Awards was held this year at London’s popular art deco venue, Troxy.
Bryan Leitch in 2012 and Ian Dow
in 2013. The category is named in
recognition of former Clay Paky
Commercial Director Enrico Caironi
(1947 - 2011), whose inspiration
and enthusiasm created and
subsequently shaped the Knight Of
Illumination Awards.
The Knight Of Illumination
Awards has seen main sponsors
Ayrton, Hawthorn, MA Lighting,
Osram, Robert Juliat, and XL Video
all share in KOI’s determination to
forge closer ties between the world
of lighting design and the lighting
industry as a whole.
In addition, the wider industry’s
support for Knight Of Illumination
continues to flourish and KOI was
delighted to welcome table sponsors
from every sector including: AC
Entertainment, Avolites, Chauvet
Professional, Creative Technology,
d3 Technologies, ETC, Fix8,
Gallowglass, Gearsource, Green
Hippo, HSL, Martin Professional,
Philips Entertainment, Pharos,
PLASA, PRG, Rosco, Stage Electrics,
TMB, TSL and Wireless Solutions.
Lighting Designer Durham
Marenghi who co-ordinates the
Awards along with his wife Jennie
had this to say of the evening:
“What a fantastic celebration of
lighting design, video and projection
design and this year supported by
so many companies in the lighting
and projection world. Although
saddened by the passing of Clay
Paky’s founder Pasquale Quadri
the event that he so passionately
supported is now recognised as the
most prestigious and wide ranging
lighting design awards in the UK and
the evening was thoroughly enjoyed
by all those who attended”
KOI is supported by: The Association
of British Theatre Technicians
(ABTT); ET Now; Lighting and
Sound America; Lighting and Sound
International; PLASA; The Theatres
Trust and TPi Magazine.
TPi
www.knight-of-illumination.com
seeing is believing.
visit us at LDI Las Vegas, 21-23 Nov, booth 1275.
www.d3technologies.com
EVENT FOCUS: Knight of Illumination Awards
The beneficiary of this year’s Gottelier Award, presented during
the 2014 PLASA Awards ceremony, was Founder and Managing
Director of Clay Paky, Pasquale ‘Paky’ Quadri. The Award, which
recognises members of the industry who have made significant
and sustained contributions to the advancement of event,
entertainment or installation technology, was given posthumously
as, very sadly, Paky passed away on September 6.
Following his death and as a testament to the huge respect
‘Paky’ had garnered over the years, the remaining Gottelier Award
nominees, Richard Belliveau, David Cunningham and Dr Christian
Heil, unanimously agreed to withdraw from the running.
Coming from humble origins the young entrepreneur Pasquale
Quadri grew up in an extremely creative environment. The son
of a magician he was raised in a small provincial Italian town.
‘Paky’ established Clay Paky in 1976 and in just under 40 years
his contribution to cutting-edge and superior quality lighting has
been immense.
Clay Paky’s Chief Commercial Officer, Pio Nahum, graciously
accepted the award on behalf of his very close friend and colleague
and said: “Receiving the Gottelier award on behalf of Paky fills me
with pride and gratitude. Paky was a charismatic leader we all knew
we could count on. Under his guidance we achieved significant
goals and, above all, we gained the respect and trust of many
customers and partners throughout the world. The expressions of
admiration and sympathy that we have received following Paky’s
passing have been considerable and I would like to thank everyone
who has shared their condolences and thoughts.”
11
EVENT FOCUS: Knight of Illumination Awards

Below: Lighting Designer Rick Fisher was presented with a charitable donation from Clay Paky’s Pio Nahum.

CLAY PAKY DONATES TO BEHIND

THE SCENES CHARITY AT KNIGHT
OF ILLUMINATION AWARDS
Behind the Scenes - the new charity
which supports entertainment technology
professionals in times of need - received a
kick-start to its fundraising efforts at the
Knight of Illumination Awards thanks to a
donation from Clay Paky.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer Pio
Nahum presented a cheque to Lighting Designer
Rick Fisher for Behind the Scenes UK, explaining
to the audience that one of the last things
approved by the late Pasquale Quadri was this
generous contribution to the new charity.
“As an industry, regardless of sector, we
all come together to ensure the success of the
shows we work on,” he said. “We work closely
together and our colleagues can’t help but
become our friends. This camaraderie stays with
us through the good and bad times and it’s only
natural that, when our friends fall upon times
of hardship through no fault of their own, we
want to do anything and everything we can to
help them. We are pleased and proud to offer
this support through the Behind the Scenes
charity.” delighted to welcome our sister charity, Behind
Behind the Scenes UK is fundraising tirelessly
to bring funds up to a level whereby it is to use its existing funds to provide assistance
possible to start the granting process. Grants to the lighting community, but now there are
will be made to assist with basic living costs, many more people who will benefit from our
medical related expenses, transport, retraining experience.
and in the worst case, funeral expenses. Our colleagues in North America have been
Theatre lighting designer Rick Fisher, who assisted by Behind the Scenes since the charity
sits on the UK charity’s board of trustees and launched eight years ago, but it’s still early
accepted the cheque from Nahum, said: days for us in the UK, and without donations
“As an industry, regardless of sector, we all come together to ensure
the success of the shows we work on. We work closely together and
our colleagues can’t help but become our friends.”
“My fellow Trustees of Light Relief and I have we can’t donate. What you put in is what
long talked about how we could extend your colleagues will get out should the worst
the charity’s work to other areas of the happen. Having to refuse someone on the
entertainment technology industry, and we are grounds of insufficient funds is simply not an
option for us.”
the Scenes, to the UK. Light Relief will continue http://behindthescenescharity.org

12
 EVENT FOCUS: Nexo Product Launch

NEXO GEO M6/STM M28 LAUNCH

FRENCH LOUDSPEAKER MANUFACTURER, NEXO, WELCOMED A GATHERING OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
TO THE DALLAS BURSTON POLO CLUB IN WARWICKSHIRE, UK, FOR THE LAUNCH OF TWO NEW PRODUCTS,
THE GEO M6 AND STM M28 LINE ARRAY SYSTEMS. NEXO R&D ENGINEER MATHIEU POBEDA, UK SALES
MANAGER GATHER COLLYER, AND CONCERT SOUND REPRESENTATIVE AND FOH LEGEND STUART
KERRISON PRESENTED A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH THE NEW PRODUCTS. TPi WAS IN
ATTENDANCE...
As the global dilemma over the standard makes mounting for each of the configuration a third for the pole mounted set-up. Meaning
tradeshow model continues, and whether options an easy and straightforward task. that whatever the configuration, it is extremely
each and every one is holding its value, For the demonstration at the Polo Club, space-effective and also very cost-effective in
we’re seeing more and more companies Pobeda deployed two arrays of six modules terms of purchasing, transport and storage.
organising their own events to launch or flown from a truss above the front of the This was all explained on the day by UK Sales
showcase their latest product offerings. stage, with low-frequency reinforcement Manager, Gareth Collyer.
French audio manufacturer, Nexo, did provided by four LS18 subwoofers. This tiny The M6 system is well suited to a variety
just that recently at Dallas Burston Polo Club system easily delivered intelligible speech, of applications. For example, production
in Warwickshire, UK, inviting rental houses, ample low-end and extremely musical companies working with corporate audiovisual
dealers, installers and members of the press playback to even the furthest corners. In clients whose natural habitat is venues such
to get up close and personal with Nexo’s new addition to the main system, two arrays as the Polo Club, and also for permanent
GEO M6 and STM M28 line array systems. of three M6 modules were mounted on installations because of the Well thought-
The day began with Nexo R&D Engineer, poles on top of LS18 subwoofers. The third out range of mounting accessories which
Mathieu Pobeda - who played an integral part configuration, was simply the 12 pole- accompany it. It is available in the full range of
in the development of the M6 - introducing mounted M6’s - without the subwoofers RAL colours which allows the already-discreet
the technical features and capabilities of the - which delivered perfectly natural speech audio reinforcement system to blend near-
system. One M6 - measuring just 191mm by reproduction seamlessly across the room with invisibly into the décor of any room.
373mm by 260mm and weighing under 10kg ease. Concert Sound Representative and FOH
- can be used as a standalone loudspeaker Power and processing for the systems was veteran, Stuart Kerrison was next to take to
or as an element within a super-compact provided by just three Nexo NXAMP powered the stage to present the new STM M28 line
line-source system. The cabinet’s built-in controllers, one for the flown set of 12 M6 array. Nexo’s STM (Scale Through Modularity)
NEXOSkeleton, an internal steel rigging system enclosures, a second for the LS18 subwoofers system is well-established and Kerrison’s

14

Opposite: The STM M28 made quite an impression. Below: The outdoor demo of the M28 in the English countryside; Concert Sound Technical Support, Val Gilbert talking the audience through the GEO
M6.
presentation reinforced the fundamental
concept behind it.
The new M28 module is a more compact
cabinet - two-thirds the height of the M46
and 22kg lighter - but it’s only 4dB down from
its larger sibling in terms of maximum SPL.
Like the M46, it can be deployed in numerous
ways, flown, groundstacked, placed on top of
S118 subwoofers and / or B112 bass modules
or used as an individual loudspeaker for delays
or lip-fills.
The same as the M6, the M28 was treated
to two different demonstrations. Firstly,
indoors where the system comprised two
small groundstacks each comprising a single
S118 subwoofer, a B112 bass module and three
M28’s on top. Once again the large space was
covered seamlessly by very little equipment,
but this time the power and headroom
available was instantly apparent as was the
common voicing with the M6 system; first
class intelligibility and a very balanced, musical
and natural reproduction of playback material.
Outside, the M28 was used as a main PA.
Here, the system comprised 12 M28’s per
side - flown from portable towers with a lower
trim height of approximately four metres -
supplemented by 12 S118’s arranged in pairs.
Using Rage Against The Machine’s Fistful Of
Steel track with its brutal dynamics and gut
stretching vocals really showcased the M28’s
ability to deliver serious levels at distance with
finesse and accuracy.
In attendance on the day were several
audio rental companies looking at potential
inventory investments. Jon Berry of RG Jones
Sound Engineering stated: “The M6 is an
impressive little box. It produces a very even,
and surprisingly large sound from a very
compact form factor. The M28 array delivered
even coverage to the furthest point in the
field even under the gusty conditions we were
listening in.”
This is due in part to Nexo’s new
loudspeakers using advanced injection-
moulding technology. As Kerrison explained
further: “We’ve been using an injection-
moulding specialist in the south of France
for some years with great results, but
with products like the new M28 the real
benefits started to become apparent. Using
polyurethane composite gives any cabinet
instant advantages right out of the box -
weather proofing as standard for a start, as
this material is virtually impervious to moisture
and big changes in temperature. It’s also very
light compared with a wooden enclosure,
and is so tough that it will handle road use far
better than any comparable product made out
of traditional materials.
EVENT FOCUS: Nexo Product Launch
“With the STM M46 and M28 however,
we’ve pushed the design envelope to create
products that punch far above their weight in
terms of size-to-output ratio. This has partly
been achieved by our own transducers and
how they are arranged within the cabinet
but a huge part of the achievement is in
the internal architecture of the box, which
is simply too complex to be made in wood.
Further, the B112 bass module produces so
much output that a wooden cabinet could
not withstand the stresses placed upon it - we
know because we tried and blew it to pieces!
Only our composite material can provide the
structural integrity needed to handle that
design.
“Being freed from the design constraints
of wood, and having access to the kind of
moulding techniques that we do, also makes
big differences to the external architecture of
the cabinets. In particular it allows us to build
sophisticated, flexible rigging systems that are
entirely integral to the enclosure but which
are still simple and quick to use - including
unique features like PistonRig and REDLock
that contribute to the core efficiency of these
products is totally facilitated by using modern
composite material production techniques.”
TPi
www.nexo-sa.com
15
 EVENT FOCUS: Lady Gaga

ROUND THE WORLD

WITH LADY GAGA
THIS MONTH SEES THE MULTIPLE GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SINGER SONGWRITER LADY GAGA WRAP UP
THE FINAL LEG OF HER HEADLINING STADIUM TOUR ARTRAVE: THE ARTPOP BALL IN SUPPORT OF HER THIRD
STUDIO ALBUM, ARTPOP. IN THIS SPECIAL FEATURE, TPi FOLLOWS GAGA’S PRODUCTION ACROSS THREE
DIFFERENT CONTINENTS TO BRING YOU THREE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ARTRAVE: THE ARTPOP BALL.

Lady Gaga appeared as the headliner Dohrmann, Technical Director Asia-Pacific

on the second day of the AIA Real Life:
NOW Festival in Seoul, South Korea this
summer, The festival itself was arranged
by AIA Life, following the successful
sponsorship of Justin Bieber’s first live
concert in Korea in 2013. According to
Dan Costello, CEO of AIA Life Korea,
the insurer was thrilled to present such
a unique Gaga music experience in
South Korea. “We want to use music
to communicate with our customers,
so we’re bringing something special
to Korea. We hope people have fun
interacting with some of the finest global
music talent in the heart of Seoul.”
Alpha Sound, a recent Adamson Energia
partner, provided the Adamson System for
the event. Both Sun Kim, Technical Support
Manager for Sound Solutions, Adamson’s
South Korean distributor and David
(Adamson), were on site to assist with
system design, set-up and tuning of the
Adamson PA at the 70,000 capacity Jamsil
Olympic Stadium.
For the AIA Real Life: NOW Festival, the
stadium was played sideways, ie. the stage
was placed at the wide end of the stadium.
Seating was on the field and also available
in lower stadium tiers and seats that were
located behind the stage were not used for
the event.
Using Adamson’s Blueprint AV
3D modeling software, Dohrmann
recreated the stadium and then placed
Adamson system component, virtually,
in the computer generated design. The
program shows how the system will act
in the venue, allowing the designer to
determine ideal placement and quantity
of components necessary to meet system

16

Opposite: Alpha Sound provided the Adamson PA system for the 70,000 capacity Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea.
requirements.
“The stadium layout required a throw of
120-metres distance and seven metre elevation
to cover all of the seating areas,” explained
Kim. “The goal was to achieve roughly
105dBA average SPL with a dynamic live music
program throughout the listening spectrum
without any gain reduction from the system
limiters.”
“I was pleased with how much headroom
I had with the Adamson rig,” added Chris
Rabold, FOH Engineer for Lady Gaga. The
system also required a strong low end to drive
the various musical genres that performed
throughout the two-day festival. To assist with
this, two hanging columns of 12 Adamson
E218 subwoofers flanked the E15 / E12 arrays.
There were Adamson T21 subs ground stacked
beneath each E15 array with eight E219 subs
deployed to deliver the heart-pounding beat
the audience wants.
To complete the system, two additional line
arrays - this time comprised of 16 Adamson
Y18 enclosures - were added to handle out
fill duties. Front fill was taken care of by eight
stacks of TW Audio VERA36 vertical array
enclosures (stacked three high) distributed
across the length of the stage.
The entire system was driven by racks
of Lab.gruppen PLM amplifiers with Lake
Processing. The main line arrays were powered
by 16 PLM 2000Q amplifiers, another 12 PLM
20000Q drove both the flown E218’s (six per
amp), the ground E219s (four per amp) and
some of the T21 subwoofers (two per amp).
The PLM 20000Q integrates a four-channel
amplifier with the capabilities of the Lake
Processing Platform. Three Lake LM44’s,
located at FOH, handled matrixing and signal
distribution between FOH and the amplifiers
via a dual redundant DANTE network.
Adamson’s proprietary firmware for the CISCO
network switches that come bundled with
each Energia system ensured safe network
operation and quick setup. Lab.gruppen’s FP
Series amplifiers filled in to power the out fill
arrays as well as the rest of the T21’s.
“The power behind the system was
incredible,” enthused Rabold. “There was no
way I could have run the system to its limit and
not have been running for cover myself.”
Three Avid Profile digital consoles were
provided to meet general FOH needs
throughout the festival. The compact Profile
works in conjunction with Avid VENUE
software which allows the console to interact
with external equipment and commands.
Dedicated dynamics and EQ encoders offer
EVENT FOCUS: Lady Gaga
control of both onboard dynamics and EQs as
well as plug-ins.
As with most headline acts, the Lady
Gaga team travelled with their own control -
provided by Eighth Day Sound - for the festival
performance. A longtime DiGiCo user, Rabold
manned an SD7 for the show.
“I simply find it to be the best sounding
and most flexible console out there,” Rabold
said. “I actually got rid of all of my plug-ins for
this tour - between the quality of the desk and
my trusty outboard gear - I didn’t feel plugins
were necessary.”
With more than 16 performances to
accommodate, In-Ear-Monitoring (IEM)
requests were met with Shure PSM800 (16
channels), PSM700 (four channels), and
PSM600 (seven channels) personal monitoring
systems. Another 14 channels were available
from two Sennheiser 300 IEM G3 units. Stage
wedges were also in use by some of the
artists.
Rack mounted Shure UR4+ diversity
receivers handled the 32 wireless microphones
in consistent demand. Microphones, monitors
and IEMs were all managed and controlled via
two more Avid Profile consoles and an Avid
D-Show board.
www.adamsonsystems.com
17
EVENT FOCUS: Lady Gaga

Below: Stageco built a 16 metre by nine metre arched stage with a transparent canopy and a 14-metre catwalk, which connected to a six metre by four metre B-stage for Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s
concert celebrating the release of Cheek To Cheek in Brussels; Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett on stage.

WHEN THE WORLD’S FLASHIEST DISCO DIVA TEAMED UP WITH THE LAID-BACK MASTER OF AMERICAN JAZZ,
IN BRUSSELS, STAGECO WAS THERE TO PUT A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS...

Lady Gaga’s stop-off in Brussels was
something a little different - even by Gaga
standards. To celebrate the release of
Cheek To Cheek - a brand new album of
jazz classics that showcases the successful
collaboration between the legendary Tony
Bennett and Lady Gaga; Universal Music
Belgium hosted a one-off performance by
Bennett and Gaga at the beautifully lit Grand
Place in Brussels, as a prelude to the Fête de
la Federation Wallonie - a series of concerts
celebrating the French-speaking part of
Belgium.
Filmed with 4K cameras for worldwide
broadcast before the end of the year, the
production was assisted by Stageco which built
a 16-metre by nine metre arched stage with
a transparent canopy in combination with a
14-metre catwalk that connected a B-stage with
the main performance area.
Headquartered just 30km from the Belgian
capital, Stageco covered the small, six-metre
by four metre B-stage with a BJ-Roof and an
additional transparent canopy, while providing
decking for disabled audience members and
cranes deployed for the TV cameras.
Stageco crew chief Olivier Emoux led a
team of 26 for the two-day production build,
while Stijn Bortels headed an 18-strong crew
for the load-out. They both reported to
Event Production Manager Erik Lybeer of EVL
Productions who was working in co-operation
with Geoffrey Campé and Stéphane Rischette of
BME.
“I was very proud of our crew,” said Stageco
Project Manager, Lies Rombouts. “This job was
pending for quite a while and it was only a week
before load-in that we received confirmation
of the Bennett / Gaga performance. Some
elements of the job were cleared just one day
before we arrived on-site and right up until the
end of our load-in the details about the camera
cranes kept changing. Nevertheless, our crew
managed to get the job done with a good
spirit, delivering a great result as part of a happy
production.”
British newspaper, The Telegraph’s writer
Anne Billson described the show as a “cross-
generational triumph” and as the ink of her
review was drying, Cheek To Cheek débuted at
No.1 on the Billboard album chart. A fine start
for one of the most unlikely duos since David
Bowie and Bing Crosby!
TPi
Photos: EVL Productions and
Joseph Sinnott/Thirteen Productions LLC
www.stageco.com

18
 Linkin Park

Tater POOCH
McCarthy Van Druten

SD7
An Arresting Combination.
“

The next generation of digital sound engineering is here, in the form of the stunning SD7 Live Digital Console
After seven years of using the same gear, we decided we
were going to make a sound upgrade. What we didn’t
realize was just how significant the upgrade would
turn out to be at FOH and in ear mixes. The SD7 is an
amazing tool. The sonic quality, and user interface are
unmatched. Moving forward, our feet are no longer on
the brakes. In terms of creativity and snapshot control,
the SD7 is the formula one car of consoles.
- Ken ‘Pooch’ Van Druten ”
Featuring Super FPGA and Floating Point Stealth Technology, exclusive to DiGiCo, the performance results are
exceptional. And, you don’t just have to take our word for it, when coupled with the talented Ken Pooch Van
Druten and Kevin Tater McCarthy, live mixing is taken to a whole new level.
DiGiCo SD7: Criminally Good.

www.digico.biz
DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road,
Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

Linken Park SD7 Total Production 21-10-14.indd 1 26/10/2014 15:31

EVENT FOCUS: Lady Gaga
Below: Martin Professional, Clay Paky, Vari-Lite and Chauvet Professional fixtures illuminated Lady Gaga on her first concert in the Middle East; A technician mounts one of the 32 especially purchased
Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash FXs.
Eclipse Staging Services was selected to
provide all lighting, video and primary and
secondary power distribution for Lady
Gaga’s first ever visit to the Middle East.
“We are immensely proud to have been
selected as event technology supplier for
such a landmark show,” commented Martin
Lubach, General Manager of eclipse Staging
Services. “The fact that so much of the
production was able to be serviced locally is
a real testament to the local market’s ability
to compete on a global stage.”
Main stage lighting was comprised of
27 Martin Professioanl MAC Vipers, 67 Clay
Paky Sharpys (of which 16 were placed in the
audience areas), 11 Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1500s,
150 Chauvet Professional LED Pars, 24 Clay Paky
Sharpy Washs, four Gladiator Followspots, one
Lycian Truss Spot and six DF50 Hazers. Eclipse
also provided 32 Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash
FXs, which were purchased as a result of a direct
request from Lady Gaga’s production team,
demonstrating eclipse’s ability and willingness
20
to react quickly when requests for specific
technology are received. eclipse is the only
supplier in the region to stock the lights and is
positive that it will become a sought after item
by event organisers and promoters alike.
Lubach added: “The decision to purchase the
Vari-Lites was an easy one and we are thrilled to
be in a position to be able to react quickly when
we receive requests for specific technology; this
allows us to provide the very highest level of
customer service to our clients, which is at the
heart of the eclipse Group mission.”
Eclipse also supplied the three 9mm ROE
video screens located on the main stage, which
consisted of two 6.6-metre by three-metre
IMAGs, each located on either side of the stage,
and an 18.6-metre by 4.8-metre upstage screen.
In addition to the main stage lighting and
video, Eclipse Staging Services also addressed
the technical aspects of the audience areas, and
primary and secondary power distribution to the
entire venue, including the management of the
Aggreko team and its generators on site.
An 8.3-metre by 4.4-metre relay LED screen
was placed just after the VIP platform ensuring
that those in the general admission areas had
an unobstructed view, in addition to a number
of lighting fixtures which were flown from the
delay towers and audience lighting towers in
order for sufficient illumination of all audience
areas.
These lighting fixtures were all controlled
via an MA Lighting GrandMA2 so that once the
main show started, the look of the audience
lighting could be changed, so that it did not
distract from the concert. The VIP platform was
lit by 70 LED PARs while the general audience
area lighting comprised 10 Pulsar Chroma
Floods, 16 Clay Paky Sharpy Spots and 32 Sharpy
Washes. An additional 12 Sharpy Spots and 60
LED PARs were utilised to illuminate the three
separate site entrances.
A total of 6.6 mW of generated power was
provided to the site, of which four mW was
required for the AC solution alone. With regards
to the main stage power, differences in local and
touring production equipment voltages (415v
/ 230v for local production and 120v/208v for
touring production), meant that three 500 Kva
generators and two 350 Kva generators were
needed.
www.eclipse.ae
 GAME CHANGER

BRIGHT MULTI FUNCTIONAL LIGHT

 EVENT FOCUS: Summer Sonic 2014

SUMMER SONIC 2014

LAUNCHED IN 2000, JAPAN’S SUMMER SONIC FESTIVAL HAS ATTRACTED SOME OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST
ACTS TO ITS TWIN LOCATIONS (OSAKA AND CHIBA) OVER THE LAST 14 YEARS. FROM COLDPLAY AND GREEN
DAY AT THE INAUGURAL EVENT, THROUGH MUSE AND METALLICA TO QUEEN AND ARCTIC MONKEYS IN 2014,
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS HAVE ALWAYS FEATURED ALONGSIDE J-POP AND ASIAN INDIE ACTS. AS A RESULT
- AND NOW WHOLLY OWNED BY LIVE NATION - SUMMER SONIC HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS AN IMPORTANT
FIXTURE IN THE PLANET’S FESTIVAL CALENDAR. TPi GOES BACKSTAGE WITH AUDIO-TECHNICA.

Microphone and headphone manufacturer
Audio-Technica has had a close relationship
with festival producers Creativeman since
Summer Sonic 2002. Each year, a huge array
of Audio-Technica microphones are supplied
across all of the event stages, with company
staff on hand to support front of house
engineers where necessary. Audio-Technica’s
PR and Advertising Division Manager
Matsunaga-san explains why the brand
became involved with Summer Sonic in the
first place.
“In 2002, Summer Sonic was really a pioneer
of music festivals in Japan and Audio-Technica
had just started to promote its microphone
ranges more actively to the Japanese pro-
audio market,” he began. “So even though the
festival and Audio-Technica are very different
businesses, we target similar goals in certain
respects. It was decided that our support of the
festival would be mutually beneficial and so our
relationship began.
“Each year there are meetings between
Summer Sonic organisers, Audio-Technica and
the various audio hire companies involved. We
go through input and wireless plans, send mics
and wireless systems to the sound reinforcement
suppliers and so all stages and instruments
are covered by Audio-Technica products. We
currently supply around 1,000 microphones to
the event. If, however, headline artists specify
their own equipment, there is no coercion to use
Audio-Technica. It’s a very flexible arrangement.”
The investment in terms of resources and
manpower is obviously of real value to Audio-
Technica - the company benefits from the
networking possibilities afforded by its links
with Summer Sonic and useful feedback on its
products from industry pros too. But there are
other reasons for the brand’s relationship with
the festival.
“As a Japanese manufacturer, we’ve always
been keen to support not only Summer Sonic,
but also our domestic music culture, industry
and artists,” said Matsunaga-san, “This is a great
way of doing so - and to deliver our sound to
the people as well.”
Among the throng of audio engineers plying
their trade at Summer Sonic 2014, FOH man
James Gebhard was behind the desk for fast-
rising Brit rockers Circa Waves. Having worked
extensively with The Killers, The Vaccines and
The Strokes over the last decade, James has a
wealth of experience, but - remarkably - only
one previous Summer Sonic under his belt.
“I did the festival with The Strokes back
in 2003,” he said, “and I remember it being
exceedingly well organised - and possibly the
hottest festival I’d ever worked, actually.
“This year was, as expected, an absolute
pleasure. The running of Summer Sonic is
extremely slick and everything is as you’ve
discussed with the organisers and any issues are
resolved very quickly. It’s a fantastic festival.
“Because they’re a fairly new band, Circa
Waves were doing short 30-40 minute slots,

22
 EVENT FOCUS: Summer Sonic 2014

Opposite: Summer Sonic has been a success in Japan for 14 years. Below: Bary Boss, Audio-Technica US; Avenge Sevenfold’s audio
crew, Dave ‘shirt’ Nicholls (FOH) and Bruce Danz (Monitors); Tom Harrold, Audio-Technica UK.

XES
ALL BO
!
TICKED

ls
BO -Whee
 2 GO

 low maintenence

 Focus  CTO

 Prism
 Iris

but the response was incredible - the best I’ve
seen for a new band in Japan. So the set itself
was great - I was on an Avid Profile desk which,
although perhaps not my first choice, always
works great for festivals because everyone has a
Profile show file, so you’ve a little head start. In
terms of audio, the whole PA was pretty much
spot on.”
A relatively straightahead indie rock line-up,
the Circa Waves backline - based around two
guitars, bass and drums, with three vocals
- gives James few headaches. And he was
pleased to see some of his Audio-Technica
favourites including the AE2500 dual-element
dynamic-condenser and AE3000 large-
diaphragm cardioid condenser provided on a
stage equipped completely with Audio-Technica
models.
The AE2500 also appeared on the rider for
UK popstrel Charlie XCX, also on the Sonic
Stage at Summer Sonic. Two of the dual element
models were pressed into service for kick drum
duties, with Charlie’s vocals delivered via an
ATM98 dynamic mic. And as with Circa Waves,
AT4041 cardioid condenser stick mics were
employed for ride and overheads and ATM35
condenser clip-on models for toms.
Also appearing at Summer Sonic 2014, US
metal stars Avenged Sevenfold count Bruce
Danz (monitors) and Dave ‘Shirt’ Nichols (FOH)
among their key crew. Again, the pair have
little but praise for the smooth operation of the
festival..
“I love Japan,” enthused Danz, “and other
than touring America it’s my favourite place to
come to. They’re very thorough over here, very
efficient and they’re always absolutely on top of
the gig. Summer Sonic is exactly the same.”
With a shared history that includes metal
luminaries Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Stone
Sour, Danz and Nicholls are long-term Audio-
Technica users and employed an array of the
company’s mics for Avenged’s Summer Sonic
set, as usual.
“I won’t use anything but an AT4050 (large-
diaphragm condenser) on guitar cabinets,” said
Nicholls, “and Bruce is the same, so that’s where
LED
att RGB
 300 W
it all starts for us.”
“Those mics are also on drum overheads,”
continued Danz, “and we rely on AT4033
[cardioid condenser] for hi-hats and AT450 side-
address condenser stick mic for snare.
“For vocals we use the Audio-Technica
5000 Series wireless systems with an AE6100
hypercardioid dynamic on Matt (Shadows, The VOLKS|LICHT Spot is ideal
Avenged Sevenfold frontman) and the wired for permanent installations,
versions for backing vocals. We love the clarity even for small venues, as
of that mic.” it requires extremely low
With the manpower and product catalogue maintenance thanks to its
to support an event of the scale of Summer sealed optical unit. The 300
Sonic, Audio-Technica has established itself as Watt LED light engine with
a valued partner for the festival over the years. 20,000 hours lifetime generates
The investment in resources clearly pays off little heat and comes with a
for the Japanese brand in terms of relationship 5 year warranty.
building and exposure - something that looks
set to continue and expand over the coming
years.
TPi
www.summersonic.com
www.audio-technica.com

23
 EVENT FOCUS: Urban Bubble
KEYTEQ DIVE INTO LIGHTING HIRE
WITH CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL
Taking its first steps into building a lighting
inventory alongside its extensive stocks of
sound and video equipment, Manchester,
UK-based Keyteq - which has over 24 years
of experience in the live events industry - has
made its first investment into lighting count,
opting for a selection of intelligent moving
heads from CHAUVET Professional.
The company selected eight CHAUVET
Professional Rogue R2 Spot lights, eight
CHAUVET Professional Legend 412Z heads,
eight CHAUVET Professional COLORado
2-Quad Zoom Tour fixtures, and six each of the
CHAUVET Professional Rogue R1 Beam units
and CHAUVET Professional Q-Wash 560Z-LED
light heads.
Keyteq also chose to invest in TRUSST,
backed by Chauvet, taking over 60-metres in
various sizes with accessories and corners to
enable a multitude of combinations, ensuring
creativity and greater design freedom to offer to
all clients.
Ian Chandler, Director at Keyteq, explained:
24
“We’ve steered away from lighting investment
traditionally, preferring to remain dedicated
to our specialism. Increasingly, though, we’re
spending considerable sums on lighting hire and
at the same time the CHAUVET Professional
range has swelled with really high quality and
innovative products - it became something we
couldn’t ignore anymore. No sooner were the
fixtures in the warehouse, they were out again
- and it’s been that way ever since - they’re
proving to be excellent workhorses.”
The new equipment was immediately
deployed to create an inclusive carnival-style
street-party in Manchester’s chic Northern
Quarter, for clients of production company
Journey 9.
Vertical towers of TRUSST erected and
positioned behind the staged area featured
the newly acquired CHAUVET Professional
COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour fixtures, to
colourwash the stage.
CHAUVET Professional Rogue R1 beam
units - the compact but powerful proposition
featuring a bright Osram Sirius 132W HRI lamp
with eight and five facet prisms for unique and
spectacular aerial effects - were rigged above
the COLORado fixtures, with the universally
popular CHAUVET Professional Legend 412Z
heads either side to create eye candy back to
the audience over the top of the band.
Secured in the roof were CHAUVET
Professional Q-Wash 560Z-LED best-in-class
moving yoke wash lights. The fixtures, with 91
high intensity and calibrated RGBWA Cree LEDs,
wide zoom range and variable beam angle,
were positioned to provide general movement
and effects.
Chandler confirmed: “The end client was
very happy with the end result. The CHAUVET
Professional lighting was really effective. Even in
daylight it brought about the atmosphere that
was required. From that first event, there was
no doubt the investment choice we’d made was
the right one.”
TPi
www.chauvetlighting.co.uk
 TOUCH THE FUTURE OF LIVE MIXING.
New RM32AI & RM16AI with UC Surface™ touch-ready control.

Mix on a
Mix on a Mac® or PC laptop
Windows® 8
touch screen
Monitor not included. But you probably already figured that out.

computer

Mix
on an iPad®
©2014 PreSonus Audio Electronics All Rights Reserved. UC Surface, XMAX, StudioLive and QMix are trademarks of PreSonus. Capture and Studio One are trademarks of PreSonus Software Ltd. All other brands are property of their respective holders.

e enhanced the
feature set of
our StudioLive AI mixers
W
and engineered it into an
intuitive, touch-ready- RM32AI 32-channel/25-bus mixer
interface called UC Surface. RM Series I/O lives in a • 32 channels each with dual (A/B) Fat
Channel processing (4-band parametric Recallable
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 EVENT FOCUS: Carl Cox Boat Party

PARTY HOSTS CHOOSE PIONEER PRO AUDIO’S

XY SERIES TO DELIVER CLUB SOUND TO IBIZA’S
BIGGEST BOAT PARTY
FLOAT YOUR BOAT IS THE WARM-UP BOAT PARTY FOR TWO OF SPACE IBIZA’S MOST FAMOUS NIGHTS: CARL
COX AND WE LOVE. THE BIGGEST BOAT PARTY ON THE ISLAND, IT TAKES GUESTS ON A STUNNING THREE-
HOUR CRUISE WITH MUSIC FROM WORLD-FAMOUS DJS. IT NEEDED A CLUB-QUALITY SOUND SYSTEM THAT
COULD BE QUICKLY AND EASILY INSTALLED IN PORT BEFORE EACH EVENT. TPi DISCOVERED HOW PIONEER
PRO AUDIO AND THE SHOP, IBIZA SUCEEDED.

When TPi visited Ibiza in the early summer
months, everybody was talking about Carl
Cox and his legendary boat party nights,
which are renowned for their great sound
in an idyllic setting. In reality, there are
a number of challenges, ranging from
corrosive sea air to power supply issues, and
the team commissioned Pioneer Pro Audio
and The Shop, Ibiza to design and install a
system that would rise to the occasion.
Float Your Boat is the official warm-up boat
party for two of Space Ibiza’s most famous
nights: Carl Cox’s Music Is Revolution on
Tuesdays and We Love on Sundays. Run by fleet
owner Ibiza Boat Parties, in collaboration with
Space and Safehouse Management, it is the
biggest party boat on the White Isle. Float Your
Boat takes 260 guests on a three-hour cruise
along the stunning Ibiza coastline - with music
from international DJs including Carl Cox and
James Zabiela.
Eelco Muntinga, who co-owns Ibiza Boat
Parties with his brother Kelly, explained: “Our
boat parties were already magical, but we
wanted to take Float Your Boat to the next level,
with a bigger boat and the best professional
sound system. Our vision was to fill the boat
with a tight, punchy bass and clear top ends;
something that really does the DJs justice and
gets the party started.”
With just one hour to set the boat up before
each party, the team needed a system that was
quick and easy to install. The new speakers
therefore had to be lightweight and compact
without compromising on sound pressure level
or audio quality. And the speakers had to be
built to withstand frequent handling and the
corrosive sea air.
The nautical nature of Float Your Boat led to
some unique challenges. For example, as Kelly
Muntinga described: “The music can’t be too
loud in the captain’s cabin, so the system has to
produce a club sound on deck without too much
spillage. Plus we only have the boat’s engine for
power, so the electricity can fluctuate and you
need good amplifiers to balance it out.”
Ibiza Boat Parties asked its installation
partner, The Shop - Ibiza, to recommend a
sound system. The Shop’s owner Simeon
Friend had worked with Pioneer Pro Audio on
a number of installations, and identified the

26
 EVENT FOCUS: Carl Cox Boat Party

Opposite: The Shop Ibiza helped to kit out the boat party. Below: Pioneer Pro Audio’s XY Series was a popular choice; Eelco Muntinga,
who co-owns Ibiza Boat Parties with his brother, Kelly.

TRUSS YOU CAN TRUST

vertical dispersion, so when you’re coupling

them you want to avoid any crossover in
the horizontal plane. The rotatable horns
allow us to change this to 60° horizontal
dispersion - giving 120° coverage and
maximum power without the cancellation in
the middle,” added Barrand.
Ibiza Boat Parties opted for white
speakers to complement the open-air
environment and blue skies. The white
Warnex paint was treated with a UV
chemical to stop the sun turning the paint
yellow. Plus the XY Series features water
resistant drivers to protect against corrosion.
QUALITY
The Float Your Boat parties now have
a speaker system that produces an even,
AVAILABILITY
powerful sound across the entire boat. The
XY-215S-W subwoofers create an intense RELIABILITY
bass on the dancefloor, but shorter sound
versatile XY Series as the ideal match for the waves for partygoers at the back of the boat to INNOVATION
boat’s requirements. prevent fatigue during the three hour cruise.
Friend worked closely with Pioneer Pro “The sound quality is amazing; it’s warm and
Audio manager Alex Barrand to explore all the deep,“ said Kelly. “It is exactly like being in a
configuration options. They specified two XY- club, but you’re in the open air, dancing in the
215S-W quasi-bandpass subwoofers and four sun. Wherever you are on the boat, it sounds
XY-112-W 12-inch two-way full range speakers like it’s one metre away, but it doesn’t hurt your
for the top-deck dancefloor, and two XY-81-W ears and you can still talk to each other.”
www.GlobalTruss.cn
eight-inch two-way full range speakers as The XY-112-Ws deliver clear mid to high
monitors. The system is driven by three, energy- frequencies to balance the bass, and deliver
phone: +886-2-27209866
efficient Powersoft amplifiers: two K3s for the a powerful sound that does not spill into the
dancefloor and a K2 for the monitors with built- captain’s cabin. And DJs are delighted with the International distribution
in DSP and Pioneer pre-sets. compact XY-81-W speakers, which cut through Europe: www.globaltruss.de
“Because the subwoofers and amplifiers to provide accurate monitoring. In addition, Germany: www.globaltruss.de
France: www.globaltruss.fr
are compact and discreet, they can be left the Powersoft amplifiers overcome the power Spain: www.fenixlt.es
in position on the boat all week - making issues, delivering a high output with low energy India: fb.com/stardimensionsindia
Australia: www.dq.com.au
installation much faster every time,” said Friend. consumption, to ensure a constant, consistent Americas: www.cosmictruss.com
The compact XY-112-W full-range speakers volume. Chile: www.valook.cl
India: www.modernstageservice.in
are easy to store and - weighing just 23kg each, “The first time we switched it on, you could S.E.Asia: www.globaltruss-sea.com
with a handle and multiple rigging points - are see it in people’s faces. All the hands went up Singapore: www.excelsingapore.com
Lebanon: skypub17@hotmail.com
very quick and easy to install. Plus, the rotatable in the air, people couldn’t sit down, it was just Japan: www.soundhouse.co.jp
horns and trapezoid shape of the speakers phenomenal,” concluded Eelco. “It gives you Taiwan: www.ezstage.com.tw
Dubai: www.desertbeat.com
meant they could be coupled, two on each side goosebumps; you can’t get better than that.” Saudi-Arabia: www.jzacca.com
of the boat, for optimum sound dispersion. TPi
“The speakers have 90° horizontal and 60° www.Pioneerproaudio.com facebook.com/GlobalTruss

27
 EVENT FOCUS: A Day To Remember
ELATION SNIPER MULTI-EFFECT
LIGHT DEBUTS ON A DAY TO
REMEMBER US TOUR
ELATION PROFESSIONAL’S NEW HIGH-ENERGY SNIPER MULTI-EFFECT
LIGHT AND LASER SIMULATOR, WHICH LAUNCHED RECENTLY AT THE
PRO SHOW IS ENJOYING ITS TOURING DEBUT ON AMERICAN ROCK
BAND A DAY TO REMEMBER’S (ADTR) ‘PARKS & DEVASTATION’ US TOUR
WITH LD STEVE ‘COWBOY’ STEMAC.
Manu facturing
High Quality
For Decades
tion Capacity
Large Produc
In E.U. ADTR is a passionate band with Stemac
running 10 of the powerful hybrid effect
lights through their paces as specials on the
hard-driving show.
“We took the band and put them in a
national park environment and then, as we
do, make it jocular and surreal,” Stemac stated
of the show’s tongue-in-cheek yet highly
entertaining set theme that has each Sniper
representing a band member’s eye in the set’s
d Production
TÜV Monitore large Mt. Rushmore-inspired backdrop. “It’s
more like a cosmic circus of sorts with lots of
sounds and staccato noise.
For the eyeballs in our set piece we needed
something that looked like a laser without
actually having lasers and the Sniper stepped in
perfectly. We’re breaking the Sniper ribbon so
to speak and are very excited to have a very new
product out on our tour.”
Powered by the new 132W Philips MSD
d Platinum lamp, the Sniper delivers an intense
gistics An
Excellent Lo 45,010 lux at 16.4 ft (five metres) and gives
Availability
designers 14 dichroic colours and 17 static
gobos to choose from. “It’s a perfect little
fixture, it’s compact, it’s not very hot and it’s
TRUSSING GET THE FULL bright,” Stemac added. “And it has all the
DURATRUSS laser dance floor effects that are exactly what
CATALOGUE
we were looking for on this show. The most
COUPLER surprising thing though was how bright it is.
I have 1200W lights in the rig, key lighting as
FABRICS well as lighting behind it, and other lights, and
it plays along with everybody in holding up its
weight. Also, heat was prohibitive with some of
STAGE the other fixtures but the Sniper keeps cool.”
Stemac has been with ADTR for five years
and has seen the band grow with each tour and
DuraTruss B.V. 6468 EW Kerkrade
Junostraat 2 The Netherlands CD release. The band’s somewhat eccentric yet
original ideas - like the laser effects shooting
info@duratruss.eu out of the backdrop’s eyeballs - start with the
w w w. d u r a t r u s s . e u band members who then come to Steve for
28
refinement. “I put those ideas in a lighting frame
keeping in mind that ADTR is a very active band
on stage that puts on a great show in their own
right. I just accentuate what they do,” he said.
“It’s an amazing gig to be on and a great
place to be. The creativity that we have
together, I’m very, very proud of that.”
Playing an infectious genre blend of pop
punk and post hardcore, and known for their
energetic live performances, the Sniper fits in
with that enterprising spirit perfectly, its ultra-
quick movement and barrage of high-powered
looks a good match for the band’s bold
disposition.
A unique beam, scanner and laser simulator
in one, the Sniper allows Steve to project a
variety of looks from a single fixture. It emits
a narrow 3° beam from a high-speed mirror
system to spread a multitude of effects,
including laser-like effects without having to
deal with laser regulations. “Sometimes we use
them in just a simple ‘on’ look with a slow pan
over the stage. Sometimes we use the dance
floor laser effect vertically, sometimes the
strobe, and sometimes a prismed gobo look.”
Stemac, who initially heard about the Sniper
from Ken Gay, video production designer for the
show, adds “I like them so much we’re trying to
find an excuse to use them more.”
Specifying a brand new lighting fixture for
a tour can sometimes be a dubious proposition
but Steve has had few issues with the Sniper
and is appreciative of the support he’s received.
“John Dunn [Elation Sales Manager] has been
so helpful and patient in midwifing this to us
and has been so attentive to our necessary
fixes, especially in the bustle and turmoil of the
beginning of the tour,” he concluded.
TPi
www.elationprofessional.com

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14/08/2014 13:53
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams

PHARRELL WILLIAMS
IN SEPTEMBER SEVEN TIMES GRAMMY AWARD WINNER PHARRELL WILLIAMS UNDERTOOK HIS FIRST FULL
ARENA TOUR. THE LIVE NATION DEAR G I R L SEVEN WEEK EUROPEAN RUN WAS BACKED IN THE AUDIO
DEPARTMENT BY WIGWAM ACOUSTICS IN CONJUNCTION WITH SSE AND SOUND IMAGE WHICH SUPPLIED
AN ADAMSON SYSTEMS ENERGIA PA. SIMON DUFF REPORTS FROM THE 02.

The look of the Dear G I R L tour is a bright
cartoon inspired visual feast driven by a
combination of different Martin Professional
and WinVision LED technologies and a well-
defined stage design based on risers, steps,
sharp lines, bold lighting with no hydraulics
or moving screens.
For audio it is the hi-fidelity, detail and
power of the Adamson ENERGIA system that is
raising the bar for arena sound. John Lafferty,
Production Manager (blink 182, Selena Gomez,
Nine Inch Nails, il Divo) started working with
Pharrell in January this year on one off shows,
TV performances, Coachella and prep work
for the Dear G I R L tour. Rehearsals for the
run took place at LH2 Studios in London with
Lafferty’s right hand man Brad Child, Stage
Manager and Chief Rigger, taking care of the
seven-day rehearsal.
For crew and artists alike one of the main
challenges on the tour was not having enough
full rehearsal time. Work at LH2 mainly involved
programming sound, lights, and visuals with
Pharrell and his band unable to make the LH2
set up due to prior commitment schedules.
Lafferty commented: “Our first seven shows
were really production rehearsals. After that
we were dialled in and everything has been
smooth.”
He explained the design and development
of the tour: “We started the design process
before Coachella in April, where Pharrell was
performing, and it has really taken it’s own life
since then and got bigger. The intention and
look of the show is very animated with bright
yellows, blues and reds. Lots of exciting abstract
design and paper cut inspired content. All
very positive and up beat with content driven
off timecode from Avid Pro Tools. We have a
Creative Director Mimi Valdes, graphic design
from the French creative studio Niark1, and a
show designer called Woodkid. Pretty much
everything on the screens is animated, with
some IMAG, and overall a very different look.”
Gallagher Staging in Southern California
designed, built and shipped the set to Europe. A

30
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams

Opposite: Pharrell’s show is a tour de force which capitalises on his successful year in the charts. Rehearsals for the tour took place at London’s LH2. Below: 35 Martin Professional EC-10 LED video
panels are used on stage, with 88 WinVision 9 panels for the up stage centre wall.

deceptively simple design with strong lines
consisting of four ft by eight ft, and eight ft
by eight ft deck risers, varying in height with
drum and keyboard risers about eight inches
off the stage floor. Sets of steps stage
front and back for the dancers, Pharrell and
one main centre riser. All Access Staging
supplied risers for the support acts.
AUDIO
Mixing at FOH is Kyle Hamilton who has
been with Pharrell since 2012. In fact, 2014
marks Hamilton’s 21st year as a top flight
mix engineer, having started his career as
a studio engineer at George Martin’s Air
LA Burbank studio in the mid 90s before
moving into live work and a series of high
profile Gospel theatre productions both
as system tech and FOH engineer in Los
Angeles. From 2000 his work moved
entirely to working as a FOH mix engineer
including tours for Prince with current
clients including Rihanna, Janet Jackson,
Mary J Blige and Pharrell.
Total FOH channel count at the Wigwam
Acoustics supplied DiGiCo SD7 is some 64
inputs with Hamilton using the on board
dynamics and FX. Commenting on the
console he said: “In my opinion it is the
best digital desk that sounds analogue. It
does everything I need it to do within the
frame I have and I have a lot of outputs.” He
uses 13 VCAs as control groups. Outboard
processing comprises of four Avalon
737’s compressors for vocals and one TC
Electronic M-One, used for a phasing effect
on one song. Each song has its own scene
recall for the start point then Hamilton’s
brief is to: “Mix it like the record with a live
feel. Vocal wise Pharrell is a very consistent
performer. I know when he is going to be
soft and when he is going to be loud. He is
the producer of the records as well and he
sings totally professionally day in day out.
He really is a pleasure to work with and mix
for.”
On stage the line up consists of the lead
vocal, two backing singers, drums, bass,
guitar, keyboards, a Pro Tools set up and
six dancers. Microphone wise on the drums
Hamilton opts for Lewitt. On overheads
Lewitt DGT 650’s, for floor toms Lewitt LCT
5050 and on the gong and kick the Lewitt
DTP 340 Rex. For the three snare drums
the top mics are Lewitt MTP 440 DMs and
the Lewitt DTP 340 TTs for the bottom

Chaos Visual Productions Ltd

Bedford Technology Park // Thurleigh // Bedfordshire // MK44 2YP
P:+ 441234 780 120 F: + 441234 780 121 E: uk@chaosvisual.com

LOS ANGELES NASHVILLE UNITED KINGDOM

31
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams
Below: Dan Hadley, Lighting Director specified a number of Martin Professional and Clay Paky fixtures, while Chaos Visual Productions was responsible for the HD screens; Four confetti blowers
supplied by Pyrojunkies were used for the last chorus of Happy.
microphone. In total at FOH drum input are
fourteen. On the bass guitar Hamilton uses an
Avalon U5 DI and an Avalon 737 compressor
on an insert, as well as a bass keyboard feed.
Two guitar microphones include a Sennheiser
E906 as well as a Royer 121. From keyboards
FOH gets 12 feeds and the Pro Tools is sending
drum loops, keys, FX, ad-libs and various
backgrounds. Pro Tools timecode is used to
trigger lighting. Six wireless vocal mics are all
Shure Axient using Heil capsules. Said Hamilton:
“The Axient is the best RF management system
out there for microphones as far as I am
concerned.”
He uses a DiGiGrid MGB to record 64
channels running at 96K clocked with his
Antelope 10m and Trinity Atomic Clock into
his Mac Book Pro with retina display. The
programme he uses to capture Audio files is
Logic Pro X where he uses the previous nights
show for virtual sound checks. Hamilton’s mix
throughout is exceptional in all frequencies,
never over bearing but powerful, detailed and
crystal clear. True high fidelity.
32
PA
Hamilton first used an Adamson rig when he
was working with Mary J Blige and Lionel Richie
on spot dates in 2007. The Dear G I R L tour is
the first full tour he has used ENERGIA. He said:
“The fidelity is what I like about it. It is crystal
clear, really like mixing in HD in my opinion.
The 21-inch subs took a little getting used to
because with this particular style of music I
am used to 18-inch. Now finding the sweet
spot and punch in your face but yet not over
bearing is something I have achieved. Then the
clarity on the high mids is incredible. Pharrell
surrounds himself with the best and said to me
get the tools that you need to help me sound
the best. This is the PA that I want to use and
it is giving me everything that I expected out
of it. So when I was given the go ahead to get
what I wanted I got what I wanted. From my
understanding this is the first major hip hop
dance energy show that ENERGIA has done and
that is a good thing.”
For The 02 Arena the main LR hang consisted
of fifteen ENERGIA E15’s per side with three
E12’s underneath that. For the side hang per
side there were 12 ENERGIA E12’s with four
SpekTrix underneath. Ground stacked directly
below the main hang for subs were eight
ENERGIA T21 and SpekTrix on top deployed as
near fills. At the centre of the stage four more
ENERGIA T21 subs were used. All driven by
forty-four Lab.gruppen PLM 20000s with Lake
LM42, LM44s, LM26 for processing, all running
Dante to the stage.
“We bought into the Energia system
while Jesse Adamson, who recently joined
Sound Image as our Director of Business
Development, was still working with the
Adamson organisation as their Vice President,”
commented Dave Shadoan, President of Sound
Image. “Jesse approached us in 2011 about
becoming the first US beta partner and when
we saw the system, we knew that it had a
strong future at Sound Image. Since our initial
investment we have had great results with the
product. We are happy to have engineers of
Kyle’s caliber working with it in the field. Kyle’s
show sounds fantastic.”
TPI_E219_INFOCOMM.indd 1 31/10/2014 10:14:01 AM
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams
Below: An Adamson Systems ENERGIA PA was supplied in a joint venture by Wigwam Acoustics, SSE and Sound Image; Six wireless vocal mics were employed on stage, all Shure Axients sporting
Heil capsules.
Everett Lybolt, GM of Sound Image Nashville
also commented: “The Pharrell production team
made it clear that they wanted to produce a
world class show that was second to none and
that is exactly what they are doing. We could
not be happier to be involved with such a great
team.”
FOH System Tech for the tour was Brendan
Hines from Sound Image, the Nashville audio
company who have worked closely with Kyle
Hamilton, Wigwam and Adamson throughout
the tour. The Dear G I R L tour is Hines’ first
outing with ENERGIA. He says: “I had heard
of the product but not worked with it before.
I got a very fast introduction to it via Sound
Image and Brian Fraser, Application Engineer
at Adamson. I have been very impressed so far.
I like the rigging system. It is pretty much the
fastest deploying system I have ever worked
with. If we have our motors in the air and lay
out done we can have the whole thing up and
34
running in about 15 minutes. For tuning if we
have done our computer simulation right in the
Adamson Blueprint software we can usually
tune it in about ten minutes.”
James Oliver Sales and Marketing Manager
of Adamson Systems was on site for The O2
gig. He commented on the progress ENERGIA
has made since the 2012 launch: “I think this
tour is a good indication of the growth in the
popularity of ENERGIA over the past couple of
years. Particularly with the launch of the E12
about a year ago and E218 and then with the
launch in July at Infocomm of the E219 we now
have a complete system that we have packaged
with Lab.gruppen. So it is a full solution now.
Which gives us the ability to put it up against
any system in the world. We now have a system
that competes with any system available on the
planet today and people are taking notice. We
definitely have this vibe amongst engineers with
people lining up to use it.”
MONITOR WORLD
Mixing in monitor world is Jeremy Peters, a
sound engineer who has previously worked in
houses of worship. He told TPi: “The biggest
thing I learnt working in churches is the amount
of ability that you need to not prepare. Line-
ups change all the time in that world and it is
the best way to learn. It sounds strange but
you kind of always need to be kind of not too
prepared. That way you are always flexible and
ready. It works well as a rule in monitors for my
work.” Peters’ first major touring work started
in 2007 with Rascal Flatts and Ne-Yo. He started
work for Pharrell in March 2014, doing TV and
Promotion work before the festival season.
Channel count at Peters DiGiCo SD7
is around 80, with an addition to the
aforementioned FOH feeds including AKG
414 audience mics for band audience vibe.
Commenting on the SD7 he says: “To me it is
one of the only desks that can handle the show.
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams
Below: Kyle Hamilton, FOH Engineer; Jeremy Peters, Monitor Engineer.
The amount of inputs, outputs mixes
I need are very large. It’s flexible
sounds good. The only difference
between mine and Kyle’s desk is that
I use Waves plug ins for FX.”
Jerry Harvey Audio JH16 In Ear
monitor systems are used by all
on stage with an additional d&b
audiotechnik sub loudspeaker system
placed at the back of the stage to
provide a vibe factor. Peters said:
“My concept is that ears are for
hearing and subs are for feeling.” live situation. I have found being tied
But the way I have my mixes set up
is that the band can talk to me at all
times and Pharell doesn’t hear that.
So essentially the band can talk to
me at any given time and I can make
adjustments to their balance without
having to listen to their feeds.
Although I am able to switch to
listening to their mixes too if I want.”
PHARRELL VISUALS
Dan Hadley was Lighting Director
for the tour. LA-based, he has been
touring as an LD since the late 90s
with clients including Foo Fighters,
blink 182, Queens of the Stone Age,
36
Weezer, Sonic Youth and Tenacious
D. The Dear G I R L tour is Hadley’s
first excursion into a pop / R&B music
adventure. He commented: “Coming
to pop, the biggest difference I think
is the repeatability and fixed song
structure and tempo. With the rock
bands that I do those bands can
and do take a left hand turn at any
time. With Pharrell I really like the
structures. This is the first time I have
done anything with timecode in a
to a beat actually quite liberating;
It frees my hands up to take notes!
However I still keep a lot of my
lighting moves manual. The strobes
and binders do need to be tailored
to every room, to work with each
crowd. The lighting brief was very
much driven by the video content. I
put together a lighting package and
plot to enhance that. For Pharrell
colour is hugely important with
sounds triggering certain colours for
him.”
The main fixtures on the trusses
supplied by Neg Earth included
30 Martin Professional MAC Viper
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Pharrell Williams
Below: James Oliver, Sales and Marketing Manager, Adamson Systems; John Lafferty, Production Manager; Brendan Hines, Adamson Systems ENERGIA System Tech from Sound Image; Dustin King,
Video Crew Chief, Chaos Visual Productions; Dan Hadley, Lighting Director.
Profiles, 30 Martin MAC Viper AirFX, 14 Clay
Paky Sharpys, 28 Robe Pointes, 15 Martin
Atomic Strobe, 15 Molefay Duets, Color Force
48’s, four ft LED RCBA colour batons and 14
Martin Mac Aura on the stage floor.
For operation Hadley uses an MA Lighting
grandMA2 desk. “Any time I have an idea to do
something there is a way to do it and easily. The
best console is the one that you know and the
one that is stable. On this run operation wise
between songs I switch pages using macros to
a new song page which then fires the first cue
and gets everything set up in the dark ready to
go, if there is a break between songs. Then the
timecode will start from the stage Pro Tools and
usually fire the first video entry and that stays
in sync with the song. Most of the lighting hits
I will do manually. But a lot of main points like
verse chorus points that never change are fired
off the timecode.
VISUALS AND EFFECTS
Chaos Visual Productions are responsible for all
the HD video play out, IMAG, Sony HD cameras,
switching, and PRG MBox media servers, 35
Martin EC-10 LED video panels are used on
stage, with 88 WinVision 9 panels for the up
stage centre wall. Barco FLM R22+ projectors
were used for the two rear projection screens
set up either side of the stage.
Crew wise from Chaos Visual Productions
were video director George Elizondo, working
with video crew chief Dustin King and techs
Richard Doran and Paul Barry. King summarises
the video look. “The difference between the
38
two LED technologies, the Martin EC-10 and Building the working relationship within
WinVision 9 tiles, works really well. It makes the touring team is key as we have done with
the content “pop” a little more. It is something John (Lafferty, Production manager) over the
that is not normally used. They both run on a years.
different colour spectrum. But with this content   Beat the Street were also involved on the
it manages to work. It kind of brings it more tour, supplying a total of five buses for band and
to life and gives it more of a three dimensional crew. Snakatak provided catering for the full
look. It works out really well for them. Pharrell is run. Rigging was done both by Neg Earth and
a very down to earth artist and very thankful for Wigwam Acoustics.
the things he has. He is very in tune for what is PM Lafferty had the last word: “Everybody
around him.” on this tour is key. I have had the same lighting
Four confetti blowers supplied by Pyrojunkies crew and audio crew for the past couple of
are used for the last chorus of “Happy”. “We years and many have been with me on blink
supplied the tour with different shapes and 182. That includes a lot of the truck drivers. For
colours of confetti which was launched from Pharrell’s first arena tour it has gone incredibly
four of our XL Superblasters. Simply put, a well. He thinks it has gone very well. It has
cleaners nightmare!” said Dan Mott, Project given him a new perspective on possible more
Manager of Pyrojunkies. He concluded: “It was touring.”
great to work with John again supplying confetti TPi
for the tour.”
Photos: Simon Duff
A SMOOTH OPERATION www.pharrellwilliams.com
Other key suppliers work included Fly By Nite www.livenation.co.uk
who supplied nine trucks. Lead driver Brian www.adamsonsystems.com
Ireland who has worked with Production www.allaccessinc.com
Manager John Lafferty on many tours over www.beatthestreet.net
the years, remained on site in London during www.chaosvisual.com
rehearsals to ensure any equipment movements www.flybynite.co.uk
could be done with out and delays and any www.gallagherstaging.com
pre touring discussions with production could www.negearth.co.uk
be held before hitting the road. Ireland www.pyrojunkies.com
commented: “At Fly By Nite we pride ourselves www.sound-image.com
in getting the right driver for the right tour, www.sseaudiogroup.com
always taking into account production and www.snakatakcatering.com
management requirements on driver choice. www.wigwamacoustics.co.uk
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie

KYLIE’S KISS ME ONCE TOUR

KYLIE MINOGUE’S LATEST TOUR PRODUCTION, KISS ME ONCE, HAS BEEN RECEIVED WITH RAPTUROUS
DELIGHT IN SOLD OUT ARENAS ACROSS EUROPE. IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT’S BEEN 26 YEARS
SINCE THE DIMINUTIVE STARLET BROKE THE CHARTS WITH HER FIRST EVER SINGLE, YET SOMEHOW
THE RELENTLESSLY CHEERFUL, BUBBLY BLOND POPSTRESS IS STILL HAPPILY SPINNING AROUND
THE GLOBE AND, FROM THE EVIDENCE TPi SAW, SHE WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING!

It’s surely this kind of optimistic delight in
what she does, along with a remarkably
strong stage presence, that keeps both
her fans and indeed her production team
coming back for more. Packed to the
sumptuous lighting grid with sparkle, glitter,
a multitude of glamorous costumes, quirky
props and popalicious frippery, it’s clear that
the production design for Kiss Me Once has
been meticulously thought through. As a
result the show is deliciously entertaining.
With 33 shows in Europe, including the
iTunes festival, long term - and surprisingly
relaxed - Tour Manager Sean Fitzpatrick has
his work cut out. Fitzpatrick has been with the
performer for 14 years and says this relaxed and
friendly vibe radiates from Kylie herself: “Kylie is
a perfectionist, but at the same time she doesn’t
take herself too seriously, which makes touring
with her an absolute pleasure.”
Fitzpatrick and Assistant Tour Manager
Juliette Baldrey’s major focus is people logistics.
It’s no small feat ensuring that the huge number
of people involved in the production, which
includes 17 performers and 48 crew, know
exactly what they’re doing and where they
should be each day.
“Getting this show on the road has involved
some intensely long days,” said Fitzpatrick.
“It’s not just simply going from A to B because
Kylie has a number of additional commitments
to fulfil during the tour including sponsorship
engagements and meet and greets, some of
which she requires our production staff for and
some she doesn’t.”
Like Fitzpatrick, most of the production team
have been working with Kylie for more than 10
years and that includes seasoned Production
Manager Kevin Hopgood: “A lot of this team
have worked for Kylie for a long time, although
this year I have been joined by Lauren Sass as
Production Coordinator. Since joining us, she
has become indispensible. Beside myself, Lauren
and Sean, Juliette Baldrey, Sean’s Assistant, has
been with us for 10 years. Phil Murphy the stage
manager has done 14 years.”
LIGHTING DESIGN
For Hopgood this consistency supported by
improvement in the team only makes his job
easier: “The core creative team is also still the
same, William Baker has designed all Kylie’s
shows for 20 years now, Steve Anderson, the
musical director, has been around for a similar

40

Opposite: 17 performers and 48 crew members made up Kylie’s entourage . Below: Rob Sinclair designed the lighting and visuals for the first time.
time. The creative team are very
close. However sometimes you
need to include new people for
fresh ideas. Rob Sinclair is one of
those people. Rob has designed
the lighting and the visuals for the
first time and that’s been really
successful - the man is a genius!”
According to Hopgood,
Sinclair’s drive for perfection has
been a motivating force: “Rob is
one of those guys that won’t rest
until he has perfected every detail.
This can sometimes be a double
edged sword because on the one
hand I have to find time to make
the changes, but on the other
every single change is worth it.”
Indeed Baker’s Bauhaus style
set provides the perfect canvas
on which video and lighting can
determine the various looks of
the show and it’s a precision
operation. Combined they evoke
the feel of a sophisticated super
club or a glitzy Vegas show.
Lighting is stylish and layered to
assimilate with Baker’s geometric
design and Blink TVs clever
and seductive video graphics,
which fill the VER supplied video
wall upstage. The look is chic,
uncluttered and multi dimensional,
yet never upstaging.
By cleverly exploiting lighting
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie
angles and careful positioning of
fixtures, within and around the set,
Sinclair delivers an abundance of
perspectives and looks. The design
is so tightly put together that it’s
hard to discern where lighting and
structure intersect or where one
ends and the other begins.
Built around the geometry of
a broken grid, Sinclair’s design
echoes the scenic framework that
fills the upstage. Overhead a neat
grid of Martin Professional MAC
Viper Air FX deliver strong uniform
down light beams of colour, while
hung just below the main truss is
a broken grid of VER Revolution
Blade HD units. These create a
full ceiling of neon effect lighting,
which cleverly distracts the eye
away from the moving lights while
framing the stage and bringing
focus back down to the action.
Laser mapping from ER
Productions is used to scan the
outline of the frame set and does
it so fast that they create unbroken
lines of sparkling light giving the
impression that every part is lit
with LED strips. Sinclair explained:
“I wanted the structure to look
as elegant as possible and we
couldn’t really afford to cover it
with LED. Lighting it with lasers
gives a really unique sparkly effect.
41
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie
Below: VER’s WinAir WinVision9 LED panels were specified by Video Director Richard Turner.
It’s also extremely bright. Best of all it uses lasers
as actual lights rather than just the “ooohh
factor - although we do go for the “ooohh
factor” as well!”
The VER supplied rig is augmented with a
number of Philips Vari-Lite VL 3500 Washes
rigged at the top and bottom of the video
screen to provide key and wash light. Built
42
into the set itself are a number of Martin MAC
Auras, which provide more intimate, localised
saturated colour washes and 50 Solaris Flare
Strobes, which add an electrifying 3D aspect.
Upstage, Sinclair has specified 60 RGB
Burst Box Spot laser lights from ER Productions
bringing the total number of lasers to over 70.
The stage-wide staircase is lit by LED tape with
an opaque tube in front for diffusion. “I think
the tubing comes from an industrial milking
machine,” laughed Sinclair. “We wanted to
diffuse the LED tape in such a way to make it
look like neon and this really works.”
Light up props then add a lively dimension -
everything from light up pink hoovers to tables
and of course the ‘I should be so lucky’ bubble
bath: “The table prop is amazing, in fact all
the props made by Howard Eaton Lighting, are
amazing,” said Sinclair. “The light up lips sofa,
which opens the show with Kylie draped over
it, was made by Mark Ward and his team at
Asylum Models and Effects, and it’s a stunning
piece of prop making.”
In charge of lighting programming and
operating on tour is Louisa Smurthwaite
supported by Crew chief, Glenn Power and
his team: Craig Hancock, Jason Dixson, Urko
Urrutia, Luke Pritchard and Hamzah Rattigan,
who apparently sings along beautifully to ‘I
Should Be So Lucky’ whilst operating a spot!
“We’ve got two of the new Jands Vista L5
consoles on this show and I really like them.
We’ve been putting them through their paces
and using the new software, which as far as I
know hasn’t been released yet. The new effects
engine is great and the matrix effects work
really well with the Blade lighting grid.”
The VER HD Blade is essentially a video unit
and therefore takes a video signal. However
Sinclair wanted to control the system as lights so
VER supplied a piece of software called Node,
which allows Smurthwaite to control it with
DMX. “We were keen to avoid having to create
content to do really simple things like wipes and
chases across the grid. Now all we have to do
is treat each Blade like a light and give each a
DMX address.”
“The clever bit is that we can programme
each blade individually, which means each one
can be a different colour,” added Sinclair. “You
can also switch Nodes to stop using DMX and
take video instead. This means we can run
Catalyst or any low res video through it, which
makes it extremely flexible.”
For drama and effect Sinclair has specified
ER Productions RGB Burst Boxes, which give a
diffracted laser look. “These fixtures can create
a single colour-mixed beam so we can deliver
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie
Below: Monitor Engineer Rod Matheson; Team Video 18; Lawrence Wright of ER productions; Monitor Engineer Rod Matheson with an Eighth Day Monitor Tech; PM Kevin Hopgood; Eighth Day’s Roly
Oliver with Musical Director Steve Anderson.
white and any other colour you can think of
from the same fixture,” explained Lawrence
Wright of ER Productions. “We’re also using 11
scanning lasers, five of which take care of the
scenic mapping. We developed a mirror system
to enable us to scan down onto the B stage
with the same five lasers. Finally we have six
lasers on the set for normal scanning.”
Wright is using the latest Pangolin Beyond
software and ER Productions has worked closely
with Pangolin as the Kylie show is such a large
set up. “We’ve got the Pangolin Beyond and a
MAC Pro controlling the actual lasers and we’ve
got a High End Systems Road Hog 4 controlling
all the Burst Boxes. Everything is then time
coded and linked together,” concluded Wright.
SOUND
Over in audio world FOH Engineer Kevin Pruce
and Monitor Engineer Rod Matheson work
closely together to deliver the distinctive Kylie
sound. “We also work very closely with Musical
Director, Steve Anderson,” added Pruce.
“Particularly during rehearsals. It’s then that we
set the levels and ensure the sound of each song
is exactly right. Quite a lot of these songs have
been part of Kylie’s repertoire for some time,
but with different arrangements and numerous
new tracks, which have a different sound, the
show is dynamic and varied.”
In terms of console Pruce recently switched
to a DiGiCo SD7 desk: “I made the switch
for this tour because the monitor console is
a DiGiCo SD7 and it made sense, given how
closely Rod and I are working. We use an
44
Optocore loop and we link racks, which gives us
more flexibility.”
Pruce uses the Waves Multirack Soundgrid
for plug-ins with on-board processing. This
comprises of Waves C6 multiband compressors,
reverbs and FX for the vocals along with various
other plugins on the outputs. Matheson uses a
TC Electronic 6000 reverb and is using all four
stereo engines: one for Kylie, one each for the
two backing vocalists, and the fourth for special
reverbs on Kylie.
Matheson says he has always been a fan of
the DiGiCo console: “Specifically they are one
of the best consoles for In Ear Monitors as the
sound quality is incredibly high.”
All the vocal microphones are Sennheiser
SKM 5200 series with 5235 capsules. PA is
d&b audiotechnik J-Series, (64 J8’s, four J12’s,
16 JSUBs and six Q10’s) and all equipment is
supplied by Eighth Day Sound.
The four-piece band, Kylie and the backing
vocalists are all on In-Ear-Monitoring (IEMs).
“The only fold-back on stage is a flown d&b
V-Series used side fills so the dancers can hear
the show in real time,” Matheson explained.
“The mix is generated from FOH but comes via
monitors so I can control the level.”
In fact everyone on stage, including the
crew, is on Sennheiser 2050 tranmitters with
EK 2000 Series IEMs and all have a full stereo
mix: “Every band member on stage has a
switched talk mic,” added Matheson. “This
allows direct communication with me, also
direct communication with Kylie. There are mics
backstage as well so specific crew can talk to
musicians. Kevin Hopgood is in the loop plus
everyone at FOH, so the system works like a
massive intercom.”
When it comes to mixing for Kylie’s IEMs
Matheson says he filters out most of the
percussive instruments and increases the levels
of the more melodic sound, which ensures her
vocal sound is clearer.
“Kylie’s mix predominately comprises her
own vocal followed by backing vocals, under
that would be keys and melodic instruments
and then beneath that all the percussion. It’s still
a pretty solid mix of everything but it errs on the
side of melodic and smooth. The band members
have a similar mix except obviously their own
instruments are above everything else. The
backing singers have a similar mix to Kylie but
their vocals dominate in their own mix.” All in
all FOH and monitors are running close to 80
channels, counting all the talk-back and the
intercom along with the audience mics.
VIDEO
Just next door to monitors backstage is the
world of video and Video Director for the show
is Richard Turner of Lucky Frog Ltd. “Will’s
design demanded a high quality, large scale
central upstage screen which is 1920 pixels by
864 supported by two smaller side screens. All
comprise VER WinAir WinVision9,” explained
Turner. “It’s derived from a mature and reliable
product, which is well packaged and quick and
easy to assemble. It’s also very lightweight so
great for touring. Also the fact that the side
IMAG screens are the same product gives a
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie
Below: FOH Engineer Kevin Pruce specified a DiGiCo SD7 desk; Andy Gray at Phoenix Bussing supplied six tour busses for Kylie, the band, dancers and crew; Built around the geometry of a broken
grid, Rob Sinclair’s visual design echoed the scenic framework that fills the upstage.
more cohesive look.”
The screen is fed from the VER touring video
PPU. “We’re using a Ross Vision 3 Vision Mixer.
I’ve got four manned cameras four robo-
cameras and most importantly a really great
crew,” said Turner.
“I’m delighted to be working with Ed
Prescotte - Crew Chief and Gerry Correy -
Engineer, who’s getting some really fantastic
pictures from Sony 1500 Cameras. They’re
joined by Mark Wilkinson, head cameraman,
James Valpy on camera, LED and Playback and
Tom Keane, an experienced ex-chippy and new
to the video game, is great at building LED and
getting some great camera shots. Last but not
least Ed Moore - a genius cameraman and LED
engineer.”
As far as content playback goes Turner says
it’s a pretty straightforward timecode locked
single HD channel from a mac-mini Aja IoXT
running virtual VTR combinations. “Kylie looks
46
at the recording every night - both the wide
shot and the programming recording and then
we get notes. She’s mostly concerned with
ensuring the whole show is covered, rather than
just her. She puts a lot of time and effort into
everyone, so she wants her audience to see
everything.”
When it comes to treating the live images,
Turner said: “We don’t do a lot of processing.
There’s a bit of black and white, a bit of colour
and a bit of strobe. Gerry does a few camera
tricks where he adds a bit of “electronic
Vaseline” or emphasises certain colours.
There are a few punky bits, where shaking the
cameras and fast cutting with content, created
by Blink TV, are the order of the day. However
it’s mostly about beauty shots, which is easy
with such a beautiful show.”
A TACTICAL, SAFE PODUCTION
The Kiss Me Once production was pulled
together in just six months and making sure that
happened was Technical Manager and Show
Caller Steve Reeve. “My first meeting was with
Creative Director William Baker and Set Designer
Allan MacDonald. Over a three-month period
we took the staging concept through a number
of redesigns and rescales. We worked closely
with Nigel Tranter of Total Solutions, who was
brilliant. We have dancers coming on and off
stage all the time, various stage lifts in use,
lots of costume changes along with a host of
props and scenic elements to manage, it’s a very
theatrical show.”
Tranter added: “Our brief was to provide
a multi-level rolling stage 60ft wide by 32ft
deep with additional wings 10ft wide by 22ft
deep each side. There was a 8ft wide by 32ft
long thrust down to a 40ft wide by 12ft deep
B Stage.” The final product was finished in
black hi-shine. “We supplied the tour with our
updated Arenadeck Rolling Stage System which
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kylie
Below: The Production Angels. led by Production Manager Kevin Hopgood; A grid of Martin Professional MAC Viper Air FX delivered strong uniform down light beams of colour.
is easier and quicker to build. There was a 4ft
star lift in the B Stage. In the main stage all
inline were two 12ft by eight ft scissor lifts and
a central eight ft by six ft scissor lift. One of the
key staging elements were the cross stage steps.
These incorporated LED lit nosings and lamp
fittings under the step treads at three positions
across the stage for access to the risers. There
was an Upstage Set structure designed to have
an industrial feel. This was created from a series
of channel sections and towered nearly 24ft
above the stage level incorporating a platform
“Quite a lot of these songs have been part of Kylie’s repertoire for
some time, but with different arrangements and numerous new tracks,
which have a different sound, the show is dynamic and varied...”
FOH Engineer, Kevin Pruce.
for dancers to utilise. It was critical for the
upstage set to have minimal structure to prevent
obscuring the LED screens which was achieved
with a neat solution.
“There were further LED strips forming
portals in the Upstage Set archways. By no
means the most complex stage we have created
but it certainly had its share of tricky areas to be
faithful to the designers visions.”
 “We spent nine days rehearsing in LH2 and we
came out of that in pretty good shape,” added
Hopgood. “A couple of extra days in Liverpool
before the first date meant that by the time we
opened we had a pretty clean show.”
For rigging duties, Load Cell Rental were
contracted to complete a weight report for the
show. At Load in LCR staff placed a cell onto
every point of the show and later in rehearsals,
when the truss loadings were finalised, LCR
staff returned to complete the report which
48
includes a certificate for every truss detailing
the equipment used to ascertain the weights
and an exact description of the truss loadings.
The report also includes a quick reference guide
for every point in the show and even LCR’s
insurance certificates. suppliers at each venue and ensuring the same
Mojo Barriers installed 80 metres for the
front of stage and an additional 80 metres of
stock was then added, bringing the total to
160-metres, which will be used at all UK and
European dates, culminating on 17 November at
Zurich’s Hallenstadion
The barriers, a mixture of straight and
specials such as corners and gates, allows the
production team - headed up by Kevin Hopgood
- to create a configuration that includes
golden circle, t-shaped thrust for a catwalk
and extended front of house. As requested
by Hopgood, Mojo provided a custom powder
coated black system to fit the show’s aesthetics.
Having worked with Hopgood for 10
years Mojo’s experience and two way
communications ensured the project was
delivered without a hitch. Mojo Barriers UK’s
Kevin Thorborn oversaw the project from design
stages. He said: “Our G2 barrier system was the
ideal system for Kylie’s tour as it was designed
specifically for the touring industry, launched
just over two years ago for Madonna’s MDNA
tour. It’s proven extremely popular since then
due to the benefits it brings production teams -
namely the fact that it is lighter, more compact
and allows easier and therefore more cost
efficient transportation and installation.
“For Kylie’s tour it is being transported along
with the show’s other production elements,
negating the need to rent barriers from local
levels of safety no matter where you are in
Europe.”
A SIZABLE SHOW
This show is sizeable as Hopgood concludes:
“We have 14 Fly By Night trucks on the road,
Tour buses are three for crew, one Artist bus
for Kylie, one Band Bus, one Dancer bus all
arranged through Andy Gray at Phoenix.
Lighting and video is supplied by VER and Sound
comes from Eighth Day Sound. As ever catering
is crucial and this year it is supplied by Popcorn,
Blink TV, who we have worked with for a long
time, produced the video visuals. The set and
props have been made in the UK with Total
Solutions taking care of the rolling stage and
the lifts and the main scenery pieces. Howard
Eaton Lighting made most of the lovely props,
many of which light up in some clever way and
all are exactly on brief.”
The vibe from everyone on the Kiss Me Once
tour is that they find it a delight to work for and
with Kylie. Her generous personality, bubbly
disposition and absolute enthusiasm for what
she does is as infectious as her catchy tunes!
The production reflects that and as a result is
as upbeat, lively, fun and sophisticated as Miss
Minogue herself.
TPi
Photos: Sarah Rushton-Read,
www.thefifthestate.co.uk
www.kylie.com
www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
www.flybynite.co.uk
www.trussing.com
www.loadcellrental.com
www.8thdaysound.com
www.mojobarriers.com
www.er-productions.com
www.verrents.com
www.blinktv.com
http://asylumsfx.com
www.popcorncatering.com
http://luckyfrog.co.uk
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 PRODUCTION PROFILE: Invictus Games Closing Concert

SHOW OF STRENGTH
THE INVICTUS GAMES, AN INTERNATIONAL MULTI-SPORT COMPETITION FOR WOUNDED SERVICE PEOPLE,
INSPIRED BY THE WARRIOR GAMES, STATESIDE, AND DRIVEN BY PRINCE HARRY, WAS BOOKENDED BY
CEREMONIES CELEBRATING THE ATHLETES’ COURAGE AND POTENTIAL. TPi SAW A FIRST BIG PRODUCTION
EFFORT FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK’S SOUTH LAWN FOR THE EVENT’S CLOSING CONCERT.
The 12-strong Organising Committee for itself to live action and highlights of the “What a perfect way to finally return to
Invictus was rife with LOCOG names, Sir event, from before the start to beyond the the UK,” Foo Fighters’ frontman, Dave Grohl,
Keith Mills, Mary Reilly, Chris Townsend and finish. said on the night. “It’s been waaaay too long!
Terry Miller among them. Sara Donaldson, The promoter and the Prince persuaded Foo Thanks for having us; it is truly an honour
Strategy Director at Unspun London, who Fighters to headline AEG Live’s Closing Concert, to come play for these incredible men and
was COO of the production company for a five-hour extravaganza combining medal women.”
the Olympic and Paralympic Opening and presentations with live music, the band’s first Loudsound took on the site and event
Closing Ceremonies, was on the board too, profile British show since 2012. Support came management for both ceremonies, and its Head
and her company produced the Invictus from a run of acts across the popular music of Operations, Dan Craig, put in a preliminary
opening fanfare. Roger Mosey, the BBC’s gamut, including Kaiser Chiefs, Ellie Goulding, visit to the South Lawn in January, when the
director of London 2012 coverage was also Bryan Adams and Rizzle Kicks. The 26,000 space was little more than a building site, along
on the team, and the broadcaster dedicated tickets went in minutes. with Roger Barrett, Special Projects Director at

50

Opposite: Prince Harry, organiser of the Invictus Games, spoke before the crowd on the Star Events’ stage structure. Below: Dave Grohl - the nicest man in Rock n’ Roll - headlined the show with the
Foo Fighters. Despite the Foo Fighters’ insistence of demanding 100 dB(A) at FOH, Martin Audio’s MLA system was able to contain the off-site restriction of 75 dB(A).
Star Events Group.
Barrett went on to support a deal
between the organisers that meant
infrastructure was common to both,
saving invaluable time, and money.
“The cooperative, non-adversarial
relationships between major suppliers
and production managers in this industry
are what sets us a world apart from the
construction industry that the HSE seems
hell bent on dragging us all into,” he said.
Among any number of Invictus
firsts, the two Official Suppliers to the
ceremonies, Star Events, which provided
every structure on site, and new parent
company Beaver 84, the fencing, barriers
and track mats, came to the project under
a new, broad events umbrella, something
sure to have a significant impact on the
2015 calendar and beyond.
“Star Events and Beaver gave us the
backbone of the show,” Craig said. “A
great sounding board for some of the
sillier ideas we came up with and a whole
load of enthusiasm on site.”
ISLAND HOPPING
To make provision for a 26,000 capacity
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Invictus Games Closing Concert
site, running up to the ArcelorMittal Orbit
sculpture, Star’s 20 metre VerTech stage
- the biggest platform the space could
efficiently accommodate, was set back as
far as possible, at the expense of some
back of house infrastructure.
“We’d looked at Olympic Park as a
potential open air site before London
2012,” AEG Live’s Technical Production
Manager, Keith Wood (who has since left
the company to launch his own business,
Production Solutions) told TPi. “The
issue on the South Lawn is space. The
dressing rooms had to be the other side
of the water and the site offices opposite,
so it wasn’t easy. There’s plenty of
hardstanding though, which was a help.”
“As an empty space it looks great
with all the trees and street furniture,”
Barrett added. “But the fact they are not
removable defies belief, given the purpose
it’s designed for. The back-stage vehicle
access for trucks was clearly designed by
someone who drives a very small car, or
maybe just rides a bike.
“Unfortunately there doesn’t seem
to be an appetite to make changes but I
would love to be proved wrong.”
51
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Invictus Games Closing Concert
Below: Beaver 84 provided fencing, barriers and track mats at the event; Martin Audio’s Jason Baird, System Tech Marty Beath and Philip Reynolds.
ACCESSIBILITY
Invictus celebrated the bravery and
the potential of wounded service
people from 13 nations. The Opening
Ceremony saw the athletes parade
around what would become the
audience space for the Closing Concert.
They all received participation medals
at the finale, on stage, so accessibility
was another crucial element in the mix.
The concert team and the presentation
team had separate sets of stage
management, Mike Grove of Stage
Miracles was looking after the former
and Lucy Blakey the latter.
A B stage, there for artists,
presenters and comedians, was set on
the lower level of the main platform.
“The stage had decked areas on four
different levels and there were at least
two wheelchair ramp accesses to each
of them. Literally hundreds of metres
of our ‘Enabled’ ramp system was
deployed, often with multiple turns to
fit within the very restricted footprint,”
Barrett said. “It took a lot of planning.
The scaffold sub-structure was amongst
the most complex we have ever built.”
Star Events’ VIP grandstand was
Book your awards and conference
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
52
configured as close to the action as
it could get, stage right, with ramps
and a broad platform at the base for
wheelchairs.
“We put a lot of effort into the
quality, deploying the high security
cladding from our VISTA system to
transform the grandstand appearance,
as one example,” he added.
“It looked a really good, compact
show and it was full,” Wood said.
“There were no empty spaces. Capacity
meant there was limited income, so
we could only spend so much, and
suppliers really did put themselves out
to help. Creative Technology donated
the upstage screen to the event and
Neg Earth gave us lights, we wanted
a real spectacular and the suppliers’
commitment to the event meant we
were able to deliver exactly what the
occasion deserved. We called in favours
and got the best deals we could.”
LIGHTING AND VIDEO
Neg Earth were approached by AEG Live
to provide the full lighting and control
system for the opening and closing
ceremonies; inclusive of all LX related
www.festivalawards.com
TM
Photo © ben daure
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Invictus Games Closing Concert
truss and rigging. The Patrick Woodroffe-
designed Lighting set up comprised a whole
array of all star lighting fixtures, including 12
Clay Paky Sharpys, 22 Clay Paky Alpha Spot
1500’s, 75 Philips Vari-lite VL3500 Wash FX,
nine Color Kinetics iW Blast 12TRs and eight
Martin Professional Mac Auras. Control was
achieved through three MA Lighting grandMA 2
full size consoles and three grandMA NPUs.
For the opening and closing ceremonies,
Creative Technology supplied a Flyer 18 Upstage
Centre LED screen. CT’s Project Manager for
this part of the project, Jilon Miah, said “It’s
not every week we get Michelle Obama on our
screens! What a coup!”
Creative Technology was also enlisted to
provide sports presentation services for the
actual games themselves, including video
control, integrated scoring and camera systems
augmenting the BBC live coverage at the
venues. Furthermore, Creative Technology
supplied LED screens to several venues,
including the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, the
VeloPark, the Copper Box Arena, and the Here
East venue.
Creative Technology’s Project Manager, Nic
Maag commented: “We’re really pleased to
have worked on such a prestigious event! Our
focus, as always, is providing the best possible
experience for the audience and we’re confident
we delivered.”
54
SOUND JUDGEMENT
Dave Grohl is the nicest man in rock ‘n’ roll of
course and the Invictus Closing Concert was
much more than a Foo Fighters show. But the
band insisted it was loud at FOH and Capital
Sound stepped up with Martin Audio’s award-
winning MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array),
a system proven to have extraordinary quality,
and accuracy, in the eye, and ear, of Hyde Park’s
litigious environment.
“This was a totally new situation and the
promoters were keen to see what we could
get out of it, sound wise,” said Paul Timmins,
Capital Sound’s Account Manager. “Dan Craig
really understands audio and was confident he
could achieve proper rock ‘n’ roll levels.”
With the closest residence within 250
metres of the stage, and Vanguardia measuring
propagation at four separate offsite locations,
the production team was still able to hit the
FOH SPLs demanded by the Foo Fighters,
playing at well over 100dB(A) as the level
ramped up incrementally through the day.
At the same time, the sound tapered off,
comfortably below the offsite restriction of
75dB(A) at the nearest measurement point and
recorded values as low as the mid-60s.
The main front facing PA comprised two
hangs of 14 MLA per side and two MLD down
fills, while for side fills, because of the site
topography, Capital was able to field 12 MLA
Compacts on one flank and 16 on the other, an
asymmetric solution that worked particularly
well, enabling the shorter hang to fire into the
VIP grandstand without straying into the big
block of flats behind.
Two Martin Audio W8LCs were deployed
for centre front fills and there were two masts
of delays, set 75-metres back from the stage,
midway from the site perimeter, each containing
eight Martin Audio W8L Longbow enclosures.
Meanwhile, 12 Martin Audio LE1200 low
profile wedge monitors were provided as floor
monitors onstage.
The real customisation came in the
32-enclosure MLX sub array. In order to meet
the Foo Fighters’ tour spec, they deployed Philip
Reynolds, who has worked extensively with
Martin Audio’s US partner, Delicate Productions.
Along with Martin Audio R&D Director, Jason
Baird, and Capital Sound Technical Manager,
Ian Colville, Reynolds adapted the sub array into
a Left / Centre / Right design, which included
cardioid elements to contain coverage, while
bringing even more chest thumping transient
attack to the central section.
“That sub design was exactly as I wanted
and for the band it delivered the high impact in
the mix,” said Reynolds, who has been involved
with the Foos since the Wasting Light album
back in 2011. And that mix came courtesy
of seasoned sound engineer Craig Overbay,
PRODUCTION PROFILE: Invictus Games Closing Concert

piloting a DiGiCo SD10.
“At FOH, a pair of Avid Profile Systems
serviced all Acts except Foo Fighters, who
brought in a Britannia Row supplied DiGiCo
SD10,” said Timmins. “We also supplied a
DiGiCo SD9 to handle the B stage changeover
inputs.” In monitor world, Capital Sound
supplied 24 d&b audiotechnik M2 wedges. A
pair of Yamaha PM5D consoles were utilised,
with the Foo Fighters again opting for their own
Britannia Row supplied Midas PRO6. 12 Shure
PSM 1000 (IEMs) microphones and 12 Shure UR
Wireless microphones were also supplied.
The planning of the event was to throw
a final curve ball at the Capital Sound team:
“Although we had designed the audio for the
closing concert, since we had the infrastructure
already in place, at short notice we were asked
to also handle the Invictus Games Opening
Ceremony,” Timmins explained. “We had to
come up with a system we could change in a
day, and throughout the opening ceremony
there was an element of rapid reconfiguration
as we had to make it work for every dignitary on
stage.”
Marty Beath, a seasoned MLA tech, was
part of the crew, and this is where his MLA
experience, and knowledge of the audience
geometry in the MLA software, was brought
to bear. “The area that became the audience
zone at the Closing Concert was set out like
a military tattoo,” he explained. “We needed
a new solution for MLA which covered the
competitors’ section, set 20ft in front of the
stage, so we optimised the system in the
software to use the bottom part of the main PA
to cover the front.
“When Prince Harry was at a lectern in the
PA zone I loaded a new snapshot in MLA which
enabled us to get another 8dB of gain before
feedback; so by using MLA’s software to set
a hard avoid I could direct the sound over the
lectern, which was fantastic.”
The entire production seemed more than
satisfied with the levels and quality achieved.
“I enjoy how far MLA has come. I was happy
with the deployment, everything matched Foo
Fighters’ specs, the PA did exactly as planned,
and it was exciting to hear the band playing
through a full MLA for the first time,” said
Reynolds.
“Once again MLA displayed all we know and
love about the system and delivered effective,
even coverage, Craig added. “It’s my third
major park event of the summer and yet again
MLA has demonstrated its flexibility to create a
system design network.”
Despite having a new album due at the
beginning of November, the Foo Fighters’ set
was 60-minutes of rapturously received greatest
hits, Times Like These, My Hero and Best of You
loaded with a particular Invictus poignancy.
“Prince Harry called me and told me what
was happening and I’m very happy to be
here,” Grohl said towards the end of the set.
Foo Fighters finished with Everlong, from their
second album, 1997’s Colour And Shape, and
Quantum Special Effects, which had opened the
night with pyrotechnics and CO2 jets, brought
the curtain down on the first Invictus Games
firing white streamers, pyrotechnics and Co2
jets across the crowd.
“It was one of those gigs which you are just
simply proud to be a part of,” said Quantum’s
MD and Special Effects Consultant, Shaun
Barnett. “Invictus is moving, emotional,
humbling, motivating and inspirational. I
enjoyed every moment on site and it has been a
pleasure to work with all departments involved.
What an honour to have been a part of such a
unique event.”
TPi
Photos: Dave Hogan & Jessica Gilbert
http://invictusgames.org
www.beaver84.couk
www.stagemiracles.com
www.stareventsgroup.com
www.capital-sound.co.uk
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56
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: On Blackheath

ON BLACKHEATH FESTIVAL
ON BLACKHEATH FESTIVAL HAS MADE SOME SERIOUS WAVES IN ITS DEBUT YEAR. ORGANISED IN
CONJUNCTION WITH HARVEY GOLDSMITH, IT’S A COOL, BRAND NEW LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD FESTIVAL
IN THE SOUTH EAST OF LONDON, AND IT’S ALREADY BEEN NOMINATED FOR FIVE AWARDS AT THIS
YEAR’S FESTIVAL AWARDS. IMPRESSIVE INDEED, AS PAUL WATSON REPORTS.

The festival is a unique celebration of Production Director, Jim Baggott dealt

good food and fantastic music set on the
stunning Blackheath Common, one of
the capital’s most gorgeous open spaces.
This inaugural event was held over
the weekend of 13-14 September, and
attracted over 25,000 people. Headliners
included Massive Attack, Frank Turner,
Grace Jones and Imelda May.
The Live Firm (TLF) was appointed to
oversee the production management of the
event, which meant forging a close working
relationship with Lewisham Council and
the local authorities to ensure that when
the event took place, the balance was right
between delivering a successful festival
and ensuring local residents were not
disgruntled.
with all the festival and artists’ technical
and production requirements, while Tim
Spears managed the site with a team of
supervisors. Event Manager, Luke Carr,
dealt directly with the local authorities
throughout the run up, build, and the
festival weekend, and support was on hand
from Production Co-ordinator, Marissa
Bellon, and Project Co-ordinator, Esther
Rodriguez.
“One of the main objectives for TLF was
to deliver a safe environment for festival
goers in a very short build time of six days,
which was quite a challenge,” said Baggott.
“We also had to ensure that the noise levels
in the local area did not exceed 70dB(A), in
line with Lewisham’s requirements, so noise

58
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: On Blackheath

Opposite: Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker took to the decks at the London Speaker Hire-supplied Village Stage. Below: the main stage was directed away from residential areas to ensure the stringent 70 db(A)
noise cap - policed by Vanguarida - wasn’t breached; the 600-capacity Village Stage hosted a plethora of DJ’s and bands; a friendly, relaxed atmosphere could be felt at the festival.

control was undertaken by Vanguardia.”

70dB(A)... That’s quiet! How did they
manage that, then?
“Well, the main stage was re-orientated to
a more easterly direction than on the original
plans, which mean the sound was directed at
the park and not at the residential properties,”
Baggott explained. “Britannia Row supplied an
L-Acoustics K2 system, which proved to be very
versatile in controlling the throw and spread
of the sound in the open main stage area. An
identical K2 system was also deployed for Stage
2.”
In terms of lighting and rigging for the main
stages, PRG Nocturne was the main provider,
with Gordon Torrington as Designer and Crew
Chief. Philips Vari-lite VL3500 Washes and
VL3000 Spots, Martin Professional MAC Vipers
and Auras, and 50 Rush strobes were the main
fixtures, the latter of which were used to great
effect on the main stage and to build a cool DJ
booth for Stage 2.
Video was supplied by PRG Nocturne, and
constituted two large V18 LED screens either
side of the main stage (a Supernova Stage by
Serious Stages - the rest of the stage platforms
were provided by Alistage), and a Panasonic 12k
on Stage 2, and a V18 on the Food Stage.

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59
 PRODUCTION PROFILE: On Blackheath

Below: Irish Rockabilly artist Imelda May graced the main stage on Sunday, where PRG Nocturne supplied all lighting, video and
rigging; London Speaker Hire supplied the Village Stage with an assortment of Robe and Chauvet Professional lighting fixtures, in
addition to an Avolites Tiger Touch II lighting console.

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STAR CREW
Showstars provided 10 site crew (including
plant operators), four caterers, five runners, 36
production staff, a pair of spotlight operators -
who came into their own during Grace Jones’
electrifying performance - and 13 show call
crew who handled changeovers on both show
days.
“There were three stages at the festival with
a vast array of different artists and a variety
of activity areas,” commented Stuart Milne,
the east London-based company’s operations
director. “The food was amazing and there
was even a workshop where you could learn
how to cook with celebrity chefs. John Lewis,
the principal sponsor, had two wonderfully
decorated hospitality areas which we helped to
set up.
“On Blackheath was a great success and
everyone remarked on what a laid back and
happy festival it was. It helped that it was a
sunny weekend and a great way to wrap up the
summer season. Having worked together for
over 30 years on projects including the mighty
Live Aid, Showstars and Harvey Goldsmith
Productions enjoy a fantastic rapport and it was
exciting to team up on this new event.”
“Due to Harvey Goldsmith’s very long
standing relationship with Showstars, it was the
obvious choice for crewing, and TLF also work
with them on many events,” Baggott explained.
“They supplied all site crew, production crew,
and runners at the festival; the site crew were
picked for their vast experience in the field, and
helped deliver a safe and functional festival
environment, while the production crew did a
great job for the load in and out. Then the show
call guys made sure that the changeovers were
all tight and on time, so we didn’t lose a minute,
and everything went smoothly.”
THE ONLY PA IN THE VILLAGE
London Speaker Hire (LSH) provided audio,
lighting, and special effects to the festival’s
600-capacity Village Stage, which featured
Chris Holland’s All Star Band and Jarvis Cocker,
among other bands and DJs. The Goldsmith
connection was warmly welcomed by LSH,

60
PRODUCTION PROFILE: On Blackheath

Below: Sonny Evans from London Speaker Hire London; The company supplied the Village Stage with 10 Martin Audio MLA Compact units and nine Martin Audio WS218X subwoofers; the Village
Stage from the outside.

though it was clear that the brief was

not going to be an easy one to adhere
to, and required some serious thinking
from an audio perspective.
“Not only were we humbled to
be working alongside such a legend,
we were also more then aware of the
challenges the team faced, and the
importance of getting all elements
right,” said LSH’s Sas Stewart. “In the
lead up, the festival had faced some
strong residential objections, meaning
the promoters had to fight doubly hard
to get a license. Noise pollution was
the number one concern, and so our
overriding challenge was, ‘how do we
create an awesome sound that can still
be contained?’
“We needed to keep the volume up
on the inside, while keeping residential
objections down on the outside,
helping to make On Blackheath a
successful event that could return year
after year.”
LSH kitted out the Village with 10
Martin Audio MLA Compacts and nine
Martin Audio WS218X subwoofers,
configured in a cardioid pattern. A

62
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PRODUCTION PROFILE: On Blackheath
Below: In the Village Stage, Martin Professional Magnum 2000 smoke machines and 2500 haze machines, and a Chauvet Geyser LED RGB vertical fog machine were supplied by London Speaker Hire;
Showstars Operation Director, Stuart Milne; Harvey Goldsmith.
further four Martin Audio DD6’s were deployed
for frontfill, and 14 Martin Audio LE1200
floor monitors provided foldback. The passive
speakers were driven by Martin Audio MA3.0
and MA18K amplifiers, and Allen & Heath GLD
112 and GLD 80 consoles were brought in for
control.
Said Stewart of the MLA PA choice: “The
technology has a proven track record, helping
to contain sound at high profile events such
as British Summer Time at Hyde Park, where
noise pollution was placing the licence under
jeopardy. We turned on the Hard Avoid preset
to reduce the sound at the back of the tent,
therefore containing any associated spillage.
“While there were certainly some technical
64
challenges, we rallied together to implement the
perfect solution; the real success for me has to
be the endless compliments about the sound,
and the evident lack of complaints from local
residents!” he added.
For the lighting rig LSH provided Robe
Pointes and Robin 600 LED Washes which
were complemented by a Chauvet Professional
Nexus, Martin Professional Magnum 2000
smoke machines and 2500 haze machines, and
a Chauvet Geyser LED RGB vertical fog machine. www.onblackheath.com
For control, an Avolites Tiger Touch II lighting
console was the chosen desk.
After the great success of the festival’s
first year, even Harvey Goldsmith himself had
something to say: “I’d like to personally thank
LSH for partnering with us for the inaugural On
Blackheath festival. It was a fantastic weekend,
and with over 25,000 people through the gates
over the two days, that was really well received.
None of this could have happened without the
generous support. The sound on the Village
Stage was superb, and we are already thinking
about 2015 and beyond.”
TPi
Photos: Carys Lavin & Getty Images
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www.londonspeakerhire.com
www.showstars.co.uk
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 EXPO: PRO

THE PRO SHOW 2014

IN SEPTEMBER 2014 A NEW TRADESHOW LAUNCHED IN THE UK AIMED TO BE THE PARTER TO THE WELL-
ESTABLISHED BPM DJ SHOW. THE NEW ADDITION, PRO, IS THE IDEAL NEXT STEP IN OFFERING THE
PROFESSIONAL SIDE OF EVENT TECHNOLOGY A NEW EXPO. TPi REPORTS FROM THE SHOW FLOOR, AND
MORE IMPORTANTLY, ASKS FOR YOUR VERDICT ON HOW THIS EVENT COULD SHAPE THE TRADESHOW
LANDSCAPE IN THE UK.

Launched alongside the renowned DJ
show, BPM at Birmingham’s NEC, PRO is
the perfect partner aimed to attract the
trade professionals from the audio, lighting,
video and effects markets. The co-located
shows took place on 13-15 September
and welcomed more than 9,000 visitors
across the three days, with approximately
a 60% / 40% split between consumers and
professionals, respectively.
Organised by Marked Events - in
collaboration with Mondiale Publishing - PRO
got off to a good start by welcoming a number
of key exhibitors from the UK market, as well
as implementing features such as the Audio
Demo Space, Learning Space, the Product Demo
Stage, the Chauvet Arena and the Central Bar for
meetings and networking.
During the event Elation Professional
announced the world premiere of what it
describes as a truly innovative game-changing
product… Sniper is a revolutionary hybrid beam,
scanner and laser simulator in one. Emitting a
powerful, precise and ultra-narrow 3° beam,
a high-speed X / Y scan and Z rotation mirror
system allows the Sniper to spread laser-like
effects including liquid sky, laser wave, and laser
cone effects, all moving at speeds never seen
before. What’s more, Sniper allows these effects
to be projected and ‘scanned’ into the crowd
and without the hassle of laser regulations.
“The Sniper is unlike anything that’s out there
today and we’re excited to see the different
ways Lighting Designers will incorporate it into
their designs,” stated Elation Professional Sales
Director Eric Loader.
As headline sponsor of PRO, Martin Audio
presented a real tour de force at the booth
and at the Audio Demo Space. The company
displayed its award-winning MLA platform
‘as it’s never been seen before’ in club stack
formation.
Nexo had a soft demo of the new STM M28
system in the Chauvet Arena and on the booth
the new GEO M6 system attracted a lot of
attention, as well as the classic PS Series, a DJ
staple.
Having previewed the new TTP5-A active
point source array at this year’s Prolight+Sound
in Frankfurt, RCF put it on live demo at PRO to
mark its UK debut.
Sennheiser UK had a stand in the BPM
section of the show, the company displayed
its range of DJ headphones, as well as Rane’s

66

Opposite: PRO enjoyed a steady flow of visitors in its first year. Below: The Kvant stand; KV2 Audio’s Tom Weldon and Jonathan Reece-Farren; Shure’s Marketing Manager, Kirsty Lamport
(centre) with Mondiale ladies Helen Fletcher and Charlotte Goodlass; The SGM UK team; Aziz Adilkhodjaev of Avolites; Kris Dawber and Dirk Kast of ADJ; The Bose crew.
acclaimed DJ interfaces and mixers. The Audio-
Technica stand showcased brand new Allen &
Heath DJ products including the Xone 23:C DJ
mixer and the Xone:K1 DJ MIDI controller.
Norbert Stangl Sales and Marketing Director
of Laserworld Group said of the show: “BPM
/ PRO was a great success. It was a very
interesting show and I met many partners and
friends. Laserworld had attended the BPM Show
in the past but this year the show was extended
by a PRO part, meaning that manufacturers and
B2B distribution companies also got a space
to showcase their products and solutions.
Whereas the BPM Show originally was only a
DJ exhibition, the addition of the PRO part (first
year for PRO Show) extended the audience and
provides the DJs a broader impression of the
entertainment technology industry.”
FBT Audio UK used PRO for the exclusive first
showing of its latest X Series active loudspeakers
consisting of three ranges - X-PRO, X-LITE and
X-SUB. And also new at PRO was the latest
modular line array range - MUSE.
Audiologic used the show to mark its 10th
anniversary, celebrating with cake and
champagne.
“This was our first year exhibiting at BPM
show and the main attraction for us was
the addition of the PRO section,” London
EXPO: PRO
Speaker Hire’s Grant Turner told TPi. “One of is vital, but we’ve also placed them in one central
our reservations in exhibiting previously had location for the convenience of the industry as
been the demographic of visitors - we had a whole. Plans are well underway for PRO 2015
been worried the audience may have been too and having just released the floor plan, it looks
narrow. However, with the news of PRO coming like almost all of the companies will return.
on board it was a no brainer. The response we “Listening to our exhibitors is the key and we
received from the event was amazing and has have taken a great deal of feedback on board.
guaranteed that we will be back next year. We have added a second hall to PRO, which will
“Launching PRO has really helped increase the focus and vigour
of BPM, making for a more wholesome visitor experience...”
Mark Walsh - Sales Director, Marked Events
“The real bonus for us as a pro audio rental give us room for new exhibitors and will allow
business was that we got to catch up with all the the sound-scape in PRO to have no-sound areas
brands we work with on a daily basis in a relaxed and areas where on-stand demonstrations are
environment, and get to see their new offerings possible. In 2015 we will be using the additional
first hand. For an independent busy company space to launch the first ever Special Effects
like ours that’s not always possible.” Theatre. This purpose built feature will allow for
“Launching PRO has really helped increase demonstration slots for each manufacturer to
the focus and vigour of BPM, making for a show off the latest in effects technology. This
more wholesome visitor experience; we had combined with a growing PRO Audio Demo
more visitors than last year and the reaction, Space and additional seminar content will mean
from both visitors and exhibitors, has been 2015 will have so much more to offer.”
phenomenal,” confirmed Mark Walsh, Sales TPi
Director at Marked Events. “We’ve carved out www.visitpro.co.uk
separate identities for both BPM and PRO, which www.visitbpm.co.uk
67
EXPO: PRO

We weren’t quite sure what to expect at a new show but we were

very pleased with the buzz created around the Sniper launch
and the interest from both the DJ and Pro customer. Every
time we ran our Sniper light show it was very well attended and
visitors were very impressed. The feedback on the product was
just amazing.
Marc Librecht - Sales & Marketing Manager, Elation Europe

I’m hugely optimistic about this show; it promises to

be exactly what the UK needs in terms of an annual
audio technology showcase. The NEC environment is
a pleasure for the exhibitors and access is easy for
visitors. The mix of demos, performances, lectures
and panel sessions is lively and educational, and
is a genuine attraction for visitors. As more elite
brands join in the exhibition, the footfall will increase
accordingly and the UK market will have a dynamic
business event once more.
Ginny Goudy - International Marketing Director, Nexo

We came into the show with our eyes wide open in terms of our
expectations of what we’re going to achieve. We feel there is room
for a new exhibition and the only way it’s going to be successful is if
people support it, so we’re going to support it and give it as much as
we can to help the PRO exhibition grow to what we need it to be. We
think it’s got potential. And while we can see things that we would do
slightly differently next year, on the whole it’s been very good.
Simon Bull - Director of Sales, Martin Audio

We’ve just come back from a very busy three days at PRO
/ BPM 2014, launch exhibition for Current RMS. What a
fantastic show with an electric atmosphere; entertaining
and vibrant. It was great to be involved in such an innovative
show and to have so many industry experts stop by and say
hello, eager to learn more about Current RMS. We received
some fantastic feedback and had businesses sign up there
and then at the show, after seeing the product in action.
Thanks for stopping by!
Lisa Kenward - Marketing Manager, Current RMS

68
From. To.

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Spanning from performing arts to conferences, religious events and live shows, 
a Series which can do everything, efficiently and economically: identical system
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From. To. In the very best sense: the d&b Y-Series.
EXPO: PRO

The BPM exhibition has been very positive for us, particularly
with our portable performance boxes, the art series etc.
We have been very supportive for the PRO show ever since
it’s conception because we feel there is a need for a show
that has more of a focus on audio and the ability to be
able to demonstrate audio in fairly relaxed and also cost-
effective surroundings, and that’s really worked well for
us. The throughput of people, of visitors into the PRO side
of the exhibition has been slower compared to BPM, but
positive. We’ve seen some good contacts, a steady flow of
visitors. We’re very much on the ground floor and we will be
supporting the event going forward.
Phil Price - UK Director of Sales, RCF

Void is exhibiting at BPM and PRO because it wishes to engage

the DJ and install markets. We feel that we’re getting a lot of
attention from the show in terms of passing trade, as well as
people who have specific projects, who are coming to us for
clubs and installs. The fact that we have the demo room is
proving immeasurably beneficial to us too. It’s great to meet
all the industry people and go and see everybody, see what
the competition is doing. The fact that it is a really successful
show this year and that it’s getting bigger and bigger means
that it is providing a bigger buzz for our industry.
Dominic Jacobson - International Business Development
Director, Void Acoustics

The number of visitors was impressive, and so was the number

of well-established brands that exhibited. Laserworld did a
spectacular laser show that was similar to the big one shown
at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt earlier this year.
To set an additional visual impact, a RTI PIKO G20 was set up
to send high power beams through the hall. To be able to even
cover the opposite direction, several beam mirrors were used
to deflect the beams. Some beam mirrors were also placed
at the booth of our new partner Leisuretec. The BPM Show
is quite famous amongst DJs, so many B2C companies also
exhibit at that show. This lead to us having nine partners in the
halls that either directly sold Laserworld products or had them
on display.
Norbert Stangl - Sales & Marketing Director, Laserworld Group

70
EXPO: PRO

The Audio-Technica team had a great night at the Mondiale

party. Aside from the excellent venue and atmosphere, as
a manufacturer / distributor it was a brilliant opportunity to
network with industry peers from all fields. Civilised and sensible
as always, the Mondiale team hosted what turned out to be a fun
and ultimately very productive evening!
Tom Harrold - Marketing Manager, Audio-Technica

We love BPM and PRO because it’s our one opportunity to be

able to talk to users as well as to the trade. We love the fact that
we have the arena, which is a great showcase for us and gives
us our best opportunity in the tradeshow calendar to actually
show our lights to our best advantage.
Michael Brooksbank -
European General Manager, Chauvet Professional

PRO feels like it’s on the ‘up’ curve  - in its first year I suppose
it has to! As a ‘less consumer’ addition to the BPM show, it
was well organised, and with a buzz that comes with the
association of BPM, there was a great atmosphere, with the
auditorium events being well attended and planned. Footfall
for us was a little low on the weekend, but then again they’re
the DJ days and the BPM side of things was very busy. 
Monday was much better and overall, with the astonishingly
fast load in and load out, I think we will definitely be here
again next year.
Waring Hayes - XTA

PRO was a great show with great potential. It’s nice to see a
fresh approach for the pro audio industry
Alex Barrand - Manager , Pioneer Professional Audio

72
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 INTERVIEW: Ben Nicholson of Lightborne

VISUAL DYNAMITE
BILLING ITSELF AS A ‘CONCEPT FACTORY’, OHIO, USA-BASED LIGHTBORNE IS A DESIGN STUDIO, PRODUCTION
COMPANY, AND EDITORIAL HOUSE WHICH HAS BECOME A TOURING VISUALS SPECIALIST. THE COMPANY HAS
WORKED WITH ACTS SUCH AS KATY PERRY, KANYE WEST, AND TAYLOR SWIFT. TPi’S KELLY MURRAY SPEAKS
TO LIGHTBORNE’S EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BEN NICHOLSON, ABOUT THE COMPANY’S ORIGINS,
DEVELOPMENT, AND HOW TO SUCCEED IN THE RELATIVELY NEW TOURING VISUALS SECTOR...
Lightborne provides content and visuals specifically. Having worked primarily in needs a bit of help with a tour they’re working
implementation for live show environments commercials in the beginning, his friend Shuff - on.” This sentiment is based on a mutual work
such as rock and pop concerts, and stage then editor at Lightborne - had the opportunity ethic between similar companies, Montreal-
productions from festivals to TV shows. It is to show his editorial reel to Music Video based Geodezik being a prime example of
a company that thrives on visual creativity Director Shaun Silva, with a view of working another visual company that Nicholson and his
and technological innovation, yet this story for country artist Kenny Chesney doing music team often work closely with. “Olivier Goulet
actually begins a far cry away from what videos. Said Nicholson: “Kenny was working [Geodezik’s Founder] and I are friends. There’s
we’re talking about today. Lightborne’s on Big Star, a music video in which he wanted kind of an understanding now that if someone
Executive Creative Director, Ben Nicholson, to have projected imagery playing behind him. needs help with something, we do it.”
initially went to university to study marine He was getting big enough to go into arenas.
biology and found himself intrigued by the That meant we were able to branch out into live PRISM VISION
idea of working in media instead. visuals quite quickly with him. We were really As an example, Lightborne did visuals for a song
‘Media’ is a loose term at the best of times, fortunate too because Kenny’s tour had media on Taylor Swift’s Red tour which was Geodezik’s
but while majoring in creative writing, Nicholson server and lighting operators working at a top client. Lightborne returned the favour with Katy
began to teach himself how to edit video using level, which was a great introduction into the Perry, having Geodezik work on a few songs
Avid Media Composer software alongside his industry.” for the Prismatic tour. “We basically make sure
friend Jeremiah Shuff - also a former Lightborne Chesney was Lightborne’s only music artist that things go smoothly with each other’s jobs.
employee who now edits for Beyonce. After client for a few years but when a break in If you pitch for a job and don’t get it, you can
graduating, Nicholson had various jobs in touring occurred, an opportunity with Jay-Z still help each other out. It’s a great way to do
motion picture graphics houses. Becoming and Eminem came up - and it snowballed business because it comes back around. I think
interested in non-traditional media formats, he from there. “There were a lot of big players other companies desire to work in this way too.
became one of the first Motion Graphics Artists we would run into but we didn’t know how Everybody in this line of work realises that this is
at Lightborne, a role which would inevitably big they were at the time. An interesting thing a difficult sector to become successful in, so our
shape the future of the business. “Over the we’ve learned in this business is that there’s a peers really tend to support each other.”
last 14 years, it’s grown from being just a pretty small community of people working at Like any other area of an all consuming but
few people to being a team of 30 working a high level. That means that you don’t know highly creative and technical live tour, the key
in graphics for commercials and videos,” where your work’s going to come from; it could decision makers want to work with the people
he said. Nicholson currently runs a division be via management, from a set designer, an and companies on whom they can depend. “It’s
within the company working with live concert LD, or even from another video company that very relational,” continued Nicholson. “That was

74

Opposite: Fleetwood Mac’s stunning visuals by Lightborne; Nicholson consulting with clients. Below: The crew looking suave; Katy Perry’s Prism Vision glasses were a concept loved by all who
wore them (TPi included!); Lightborne worked on US indie band FUN.’s visuals with LD Paul Normandale; Katy Perry’s Prismatic tour during her Roar track ; Some of the team backstage discussing
ideas.
a big thing on Katy’s show. All of the relationships
on that tour were developed and solidified
quickly because everyone had to work very
closely together. The success of the show is a true
testament to that. We loved working with Katy’s
management team; they were really wonderful
people and the amount of trust they put into us
and into Baz Halpin was phenomenal.”
Lightborne has in recent years worked very
closely with Irish-British Lighting and Set Designer
Halpin, through whom they won the Prismatic
tour contract. “We actually knew of Baz because
we shared an agent for a time. We started doing
show promos for him for artists such as Usher.
Katy’s tour came along after the promo content
we did running up to her album release, and Baz
and her management were so happy with what
we’d done that they brought us on board for the
tour.”
TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW
Behind the aesthetically engulfing and bespoke
visuals you’ll see on tours the company has
worked on, the technical wizardry behind
Lightborne also puts the company in good stead
for being able to deliver what is asked of them.
He continued: “Our Implementation Director, J.T.
Rooney, is a whizz. Part of what gets us hired for
tours is our technical confidence - our deliveries
have to be spot on.
“And most importantly, what we do is create.
We’re innovators who are constantly discovering
new ways to make beautiful content, utilising new
software such as Octane Render - the world’s first
GPU based, un-biased, physically based renderer -
and refining it for bespoke live situations.”
The company has also incorporated d3
Technologies d3 Designer software into its
pipeline as a pre-visualisation tool used during
early compositions. “We usually get CAD renders
of the set design and then plug them into the d3
software which works really well and allows the
INTERVIEW: Ben Nicholson of Lightborne
MEANINGFUL
MENTORING
•One of our first mentors was
Steven Cohen who is Billy Joel
and Lenny Kravitz’s LD and Stage
Designer. He’s basically a legend
and was very kind to me when we
were first starting out.
•Brian Friedman [Creative Director
on The X Factor] has been very
client to see their vision too. Plus if any changes influential; he really helped us to
need making, it can be done swiftly,” he noted. understand how to create video for
In terms of operating the content, Nicholson choreography.
has noticed certain trends when it comes to
touring media server choices. “Catalysts and PRG’s •Paul Normandale does things so
Mbox media servers are like the work horses differently, we really admire his
of our industry. When you get something a bit work. I sent him an email about
out of the ordinary such as projection mapping, four years ago and he replied,
you’ll see more d3 Technologies, Green Hippo, saying that he happened to be
coolux, and Ai. The Mbox is what we started out working at Upstaging in Chicago.
using though, and it’s great to see how much I drove there from Cincinnati and
the technology has developed. It’s very lighting had breakfast with him. He turned
console friendly and very stable.” out to be one of the sweetest
people you could ever meet.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE There’s no one else like him.
This is undeniably an interesting time for the
live production industry in terms of where •Another influence came from Lee
visual content will go next. In the last decade Lodge who is a Creative Producer
it’s blossomed into a vital story-telling tool for for One Direction and the VMAs.
artists and become an engaging element for the He’s said some very profound
audience, yet it has to make good business sense things to me over the last few
too. “A lot of people are now looking at the years about how to succeed in this
economics of what we do as content creators. It’s business in an intelligent way.
great to be able to make ‘cool stuff’, but you also
need to be able to make a living out of it too,” •And of course there’s Baz,
said Nicholson. “The word ‘sustainability’ is being although he’s more of a friend
used a lot at the moment and that takes time and than a mentor. Our relationship
expertise to understand. Other companies are with him relates to pretty much
definitely talking about it.” every big job we’ve done in the last
It’s very refreshing to hear an enthusiastic couple of years. He’s absolutely
and supportive attitude such as Nicholson’s. It crazy in terms of the level of risk
is perhaps this wholesome ideal that will further he’s willing to take. And if you’re
drive the company forwards, as well as its savy brave enough to take those risks
tech skills. “Your ideas must come in on budget, with him, you’ll end up in some
on time and be technically accurate. That’s what interesting places. I could go on
separates the good from the great reputations. and on about how people have
You have to be very strategic about how you shaped the way we work and
do things, and that will be seen in the value you that’s one of the great things
give to production managers. I’m after a badass about this business; there are so
business model that will sustain Lightborne for many great people who are a joy
years into the future...” to work with. 
TPi www.light-borne.com
75
 CLOCKING OFF: The Great North Run

Below: John and Alex Penn from SSE ran the Bupa Great North Run in aid of the Alzheimers Society. To date, they have raised a whopping £2,253.

MO FARRAH MIGHT HAVE GRABBED THE NATIONAL HEADLINES BY WINNING THIS YEAR’S EVENT BUT PROBABLY OF
GREATER NOTE WAS SSE MANAGING DIRECTOR JOHN PENN’S ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPLETING HIS FIRST EVER HALF
MARATHON. BOTH HE AND SALES DIRECTOR ALEX PENN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE 2014 GREAT NORTH RUN,
RAISING MONEY FOR THE ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY. THEY TELL TPi THEIR STORY.

“We would both like to thank everyone
who sponsored us. Alzheimer’s is a charity
close to our hearts and to be able to raise
this money for them is fantastic.” said John
after the race. With support and cajoling
from Alex, John took up running in January
in a bid to improve his fitness levels. “At the
beginning I was struggling to run one mile,”
he commented. “The idea of me running 13
miles just seemed ridiculous.”
However, assisted by Alex, he slowly built
up his training, completing a five mile ‘fun run’
in May and increasing his distances from there.
Preparation for the Great North Run was not
without its setbacks. Less than a month before
the event John contracted Shingles, a painful
and debilitating viral infection which affects the
nervous system. Unable to get in to work for 10
days, let alone train, the prospect of making the
start line or completing a half marathon seemed
impossible.
With a week to go, John resumed training
with Alex, managing to complete an eight mile
training run and so the decision to take part was
made. They completed the 13 miles in 2 hrs 48
minutes, slightly greater than Mo Farrah’s one
hour, but none the less a very credible time.
Importantly, they’ve raised a significant amount
for their chosen charity.
John added: “Alex and I would like to thank
everyone for their encouragement and support,
which has been really amazing. We have also
been overwhelmed by people’s generosity.
We would both like to thank everyone who
sponsored us.” Even on their days off the Penn
family find themselves in the midst of the live
events industry. Alex explained, “The start of
the race is on a closed section of motorway in
Newcastle City Centre. There’s 57,000 runners
and probably the same again in spectators - a
full on festival crowd, which required an audio
system to match.”
John furthered: “I’m about to start the most
ridiculous challenge of a half marathon and I
find myself checking out the L’Acoustics line
arrays suspended in multiple hangs along the
central reservation. Joking aside, the event is
a massive logistical and technical operation.
Nitelites, a Newcastle based audio firm, did
a great job and hats off to them - we know
only too well how tough these jobs can be
to execute and the Nitelites team achieved
excellent results.”
At the time of going to print, the gents at SSE
had raised £2,253.60 - considerably more than
their £500.00 target. You can add to their total
amount via the link below.
TPi
https://www.justgiving.com/Alex-Penn1/
www.alzheimers.org.uk

76
 COMPANY PROFILE: GLP

GLP: 20 YEARS OF INNOVATION

GERMAN LIGHT PRODUCTS (GLP) IS CURRENTLY CELEBRATING ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY. THE JOURNEY
FROM MODEST DISCO LIGHTING MANUFACTURER TO WORLDWIDE ENTERPRISE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN AN
INTERESTING ONE, WITH ITS FAIR SHARE OF TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS ALONG THE WAY. TPi WAS INVITED TO
GLP’S HQ IN KARLSRUHE, GERMANY, TO TALK WITH FOUNDER UDO KÜNZLER AND GLP US PRESIDENT MARK
RAVENHILL ABOUT THE LAST 20 YEARS, WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS AND... SCHLAGER (ALL WILL BE REVEALED).

When Udo Künzler created GLP in 1994, the
professional show lighting industry as we
know it today didn’t exist. In 1994, disco,
disco and more disco lighting was the order
of the day; and, like many of our industry’s
leading show lighting manufacturers, GLP
entered onto the marketplace with a product
aimed at the disco market. Künzler - a
former employee of Siemens - was at that
time working for his uncle’s company, B&K
Braun helping out with installing equipment
in clubs. It wasn’t long before the young
and ambitious Künzler began to harbour
ambitions for his own products.
“The first product GLP released was the
Startec 2000 scanner, which was launched to
great acclaim at the Frankfurt Musik Messe in
1994,” said Künzler. “It existed in two versions
- the 575HMI and 250W halogen. Our first
product was very bright for that time. With a
575 HMI lamp inside, at that time it was class
leading, compact in size and very powerful.
“Funnily enough, for our 20th anniversary
Frankfurt show, we wanted to display this very
first product on our stand. But we didnt have
any examples. Eventually we tracked down a guy
who had two of them installed in his nightclub
- and they were still fully functional. So we
bought them back!”
The success of this first scanner allowed
GLP to amass enough resources to develop the
Patend light - the product that eventually put
the company on the map. The Patend Light 575,
which was launched at PLASA London in 1996,
combined moving head and scanner technology.
Housing a 575W and later a 1200W discharge
lamp on ultra-fast Roto Head, the aim of the
fully-featured Patend was to deliver smooth slow
movements and incredibly fast rotations. The Ypoc was designed to have a broad
“Right from the beginning with the patend light,
there’s been an underlying theme with GLP’s
product design - innovation,” said Ravenhill.
“With each new product GLP have
endeavoured to bring something inventive
onto the market. This is something that really
drives the development of the company, and its
reputation is built upon that. It is this mentality
that has ensured that the company is 20 years
later at the forefront of LED technology.”
EVERY CLOUD HAS AN LED LINING
GLP’s journey has been by no means an easy
one. As any manufacturer knows, behind
every successful product lies years of product
development. GLP invested time and money into
developing the Blue Tools platform in 2001, only
for it to fall at the last hurdle with issues relating
to the power supply. But, as they say, out of
the darkness comes light - specifically, in the
250, 575 and 700w variety. Künzler continued:
“Out of the remnants of the Bluetools we
created the Ypoc in just six weeks. From design
to completion, the Ypoc was ready in time for
PLASA in 2001, but was officially launched at
Frankfurt in 2002.”
appeal and be readily applicable. “This was a big
success for us in 2002, and helped us to recoup
the investment on the earlier product,” stated
Künzler. Perhaps more importantly, it was the
Ypoc which enabled GLP to collect the financial
resources necessary to develop the impression
90 LED moving head. This would be - simply put
- GLP’s ‘game changer’.
QUITE AN IMPRESSION
The unveiling of the impression 90 in 2007
ushered in arguably the most exciting period of
the GLP story. “No manufacturer at that time
had a moving light out on the market that was
both light, bright, fast, reliable, small and cost

78

Opposite: The GLP line-up (L-R) Michael Müller, Markus Salm, Udo Künzler, Oliver Schwendke and Mark Ravenhill.
Below: An array of GLP impression X4 fixtures undergo testing in the factory facility in Karlsruhe, Germany; GLP fixtures provided illumination for US pop star Britney Spears.
effective,” said Ravenhill. “There seemed to be a
trade off at that time. If you wanted brightness,
you compromised on reliability. If you wanted a
multi-functional feature, you had to compromise
on size. The impression ticked all the boxes. It
was just the right time to launch our LED wash.”
Weighing in at just 7.5 kg, the impression
was an ideal fixture to be applied in smaller
venues, where ceiling space is scarce and truss
space at a minimum. Its solid state LEDs give
instant lighting changes to match with video
and, thanks in no small part to its compact
size and weight, the impression can move at
incredible speeds - 660° of pan in just two
seconds. Its 90 K2 LEDs ensure pure bright
light in every version - RGB or white - with
output levels exceeding that of 575W discharge
fixtures.
“The impression was the next step in GLP’s
history of innovation,” confirmed Ravenhill. “The
impression has never been copied, because the
design of the power housing (in the fixture as
opposed to within the base) is just so unique, it
would be obvious if another manufacturer were
to copy the design.”
The list of venues which the Impression
90 has been used in is endless. One of the
most notable events was the globally telecast
United Nations Climate Change Conference
in Copenhagen (COP15) in Autumn 2009,
which featured over 1000 impressions lighting
two large halls (courtesy of Seelite A/S). The
impressions were used entirely in white in
view of their energy saving levels. The flawless
performance of the 1000 fixtures was proof (if it
was ever needed) that the impressions could be
reliably applied to any environment.
WAS IST SCHLAGER?
Schlager - a genre of German music beginning
in the 50s and 60s which is currently enjoying
something of a revival in Germany - has also
succumbed to GLP’s impression range.
One of the world’s top schlager stars,
Andrea Berg, requested a nautical theme
for her recent arena tour based on the lost
island of Atlantis. LD Thomas Dietze used no
fewer than 200 GLP impression X4s for Berg’s
recently broadcast prime time TV show and also
deployed them in a touring context. “It doesn’t
matter whether the X4s are being used as stage
wash, decorative light, effect lighting or back
light, the zoom range and quality of output
speak for themselves,” Dietze said.
Furthermore, a myriad of impression X4’s
boosted the German national team’s triumphant
celebration in Berlin, after winning the FIFA
World Cup Final in Rio de Janeiro this year.
Nearly one million fans of the German national
team gave them a memorable reception at
the ‘Fan Mile’ in Berlin. For the light show on
the main stage at the Brandenburger Tor, local
COMPANY PROFILE: GLP
company TLT Event AG was responsible for
building the 65 sq metre LED wall along with a
number of impression X4s’.
LD Lars Murasch was more than satisfied
with the performance of this compact LED
moving head: “The X4 is a very versatile wash
light,” he commented. “It can be combined
excellently with beams due to its tight zoom and
the low amount of stray light. It proved itself in
front of the TV camera for both its image and
among other things for its baseless design.”
As of today, the impression range consists of
the X4, X4 S, X4 L, X4 XL, Spot one, Wash one
and Laser. In 2010, the impression Spot One
became the industry’s first high output RGB LED
spot fixture, followed by the impression Wash
One, which was again ahead of its time. The key
differentiator was that while some RGB units on
the market were very low in output other LED
fixtures had better output but were not RGB;
it was the combination that made Spot One so
unique.
The most recently launched fixture in the
range, the X4 XL - incorporating 55 quad colour
RGBW LEDs - has just come off tour with up
and coming New Zealand band The Naked
and Famous, whose LD Liam Griffiths specified
12 of the fixtures for his show design. “I had
been hoping to get my hands on this fixture
for a while,” he conceded. As a regular user of
the X4, it was a logical progression to utilise
79
COMPANY PROFILE: GLP
Below: Mark Ravenhill and Udo Künzler at the 2014 Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where the company celebrated its 20th anniversary; LD Thomas Gerdon used 64 impression
X4 heads and 12 additional X4 XL fixtures in his lighting design at this year’s Nature One festival in Kastellaun, Germany.
the newest member of the impression family.
Continued Griffiths: “GLP’s colour tones and
dimmer curves have always been better than
their competitors while the [7°-50°] zoom
on the X4 XL is amazing; it makes such a
difference.”
“With regards to dimming, the bottom 10-
20% of colour is key,” added Ravenhill. “A large
number of brands out there haven’t been able
to get the dimming right on LED fixtures, and
you’ll see them change colour as they dim down
to lower intensities. It’s really easy to see if the
output is made from a mixed colour for example
as the LEDs dim at different rates and the colour
changes dramatically. At GLP, we put a lot of
work into features like this, so users can rely on
our units to perform at the highest level, such
as in TV applications where light levels are often
quite low. You won’t see an X4 shift colour
when it dims down, no matter what colour it’s
in.
All colours have different dimming curves, so
it’s a lot of software and a lot of maths required
to get this working. We can now proudly claim
that as a selling point at demonstrations. A lot
of designers are sceptical... until they see the
product! People’s expectations of LED products
are getting higher all the time, so we have
to surpass expectations and come up with
innovative, creative solutions.”
In 2009 GLP decided to extend their display
options by purchasing G-LEC, the creative video
company which had made a name for itself
with unique products such as Phantom, the first
semi-transparent video panel that first appeared
in 2000, and Solaris, a cable based video
system, which offers designers creativity in both
2D and 3D applications.
“We had known the company for a long
time - they had been first to develop the
transparent screen and curtain and we also
shared the same customers. We had good
contact with [G-LEC MD] Lars Wolf and they are
based only 30 minutes away,” said Künzler. With
the new range of G-LEC products launched
at this years’ Frankfurt Prolight+Sound having
already found endorsement from the likes of
The Chemical Brothers and One Republic, the
acquisition has proved successful for GLP.
In 2011, GLP continued to add to its product
80
range with its VOLKS|LICHT - or, people’s light,
named for its affordability yet high performance
output. Said Künzler:
“In 2011 the market was really accepting LED
as a viable alternative to traditional light source.
GLP had already established itself as reliable LED
manufacturer.
“The base of the VOLKS|LICHT houses the
power supply, which makes it more affordable.
Its smaller size is Ideal for corporate events in
hotels and low ceiling venues, and light enough
and compact enough to be hung from low
hanging truss.”
At this years’ PLASA London show, GLP
took the opportunity to unveil two brand new
fixtures which incorporate the award winning
impression X4 optical system into a linear batten
configuration. Using high powered RGBW
LEDs, the X4 Bar 20 features 20 sources over
a one metre length, whilst the X4 Bar 10 has
10 sources over a 50cm length. Both battens
feature a wide zoom range of 7- 50°, allowing
for broad washes of colour and narrow light
curtain effects.
The zoom is further enhanced by a motorised
tilt function, allowing fast repositioning of the
fixture and for dynamic sweeps of colour.
GLP released simultaneously its new
impression X4 L - the newest moving head
in GLP’s current X4 range. In terms of its
market position, the X4 L sits between the
original impression X4 and the newly released
impression X4 XL. Featuring 37 of the RGBW
LEDs that are used in the other products, this
now gives customers a full range of X4 series
fixtures to choose from.
Ravenhill added: “GLP never claims to be
the cheapest product, but when you buy GLP,
you get certain things built in as standard.
Consistency for one. The security of knowing
that all GLP products emit the same colour -
same performance. Wherever you use a GLP
light, the performance will be the same.”
Aftercare and customer care is another
aspect that GLP prides itself upon. “Supporting
the customer and the rental company well after
the sale is of paramount importance,” said
Ravenhill. “I’ve got a bunch of new impression
X90’s on the shelf in LA. These are ‘old’, so to
speak, but we nevertheless still stock them as
they are in demand.
“Lighting Designers are always keen to
see the latest and greatest fixtures. But as
a manufacturer, it’s a fine balance between
attracting LDs to use the product with great
new shiny features, and not upsetting the rental
company by replacing relatively new products.”
GLP BREAK AMERICA
Customer relations and aftercare is something
that Ravenhill knows all too well, having
moved stateside in 2009 to set up GLP’s
North American operation. He continued:
“The USA market is growing strong for GLP.
We’re currently in our fourth year and we
are experiencing some really big momentum.
There have been a lot of European companies
that have gone over to America with a view to
setting up an American branch, and have failed.
It’s no easy task to expand the business in
America, there are many challenges one faces.
You have to invest money and have a working
operation there for at least two years without
expecting to have any success.
“A lot of European companies have tried it
and run out of money after a year and a half.
American rental companies have become very
aware of investing in European products early
on, because you have to show that you’re going
to stick around. Now they can see that we’ve
been here for a few years and have established
ourselves on the American market with a
reliable support network, service and parts at
our disposition. So there’s a certain element of
trust that we have gained on the market.”
Today GLP’s products can be found all over
the world, with three strategic bases - in Los
Angeles, USA, Karlsruhe, Germany and Hong
Kong, China (run by Asia General Manager,
Michael Münz) overseeing global supply.
As for the future, Künzler’s ambition is clear:
“I am confident that GLP can grow our market
share by staying true to our philosophy. I am
confident that we can keep creating products
which are innovative and at the forefront of new
technology.”
TPi
Photos: Patrick McCumiskey, Ralph Larmann,
Denise Truscello and GLP
www.glp.de
+ THE NEW
TOURING ICON
When you take the iconic, TEC award winning PLM 20000Q
as your starting point, you expect truly great things. Proven,
rock solid reliability, complete flexibilty, and abundant power. A
tried, road tested, and proven Class TD power stage, complete
with unique Universal Power Supply design. Legendary Lake
Processing. LoadSmart verification. All in all, an amplifier you
can trust implicitly.

Some say it’s a design that has never been bettered, although
many have tried. That is, until now.

PLM+ progresses the PLM 20000Q platform into two innovative

models destined to set a new touring benchmark, and then adds
a whole lot more…

4 x 4 Analog/AES IO + Rational Power Management™ (RPM)

technology + 8 x Dante In/Out + 4 Input Routers + New Lake
Core Module + Completely standardized Dante integration +
a whole host of features designed to deliver real world benefits.

Find out more at thenewtouringicon.com

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Lab.gruppen PLM+
LAB.GRUPPEN LAUNCHES PLM+
LAUNCHED AT AN EXCLUSIVE EVENT IN LONDON THIS OCTOBER, TPi LOOKS UNDER THE HOOD OF LAB.
GRUPPEN’S NEW PLM+ SERIES AND DISCUSSES WHERE IT FITS INTO THE CURRENT AUDIO RENTAL AND
TOURING WORLD.
Used by rental companies and system techs
across the world, Lab.gruppen’s PLM Series
amplifier range was considered to be one
of the best, famed for its innovative power
supply technologies, power handling and
rock solid reliability, as well as the unique
on-board Lake Processing.
Tried, tested and loved by engineers on
the biggest tours and events on the planet,
including U2’s mammoth 360 Degree tour, the
ground-breaking 20000Q was considered by
many in the industry to be an iconic piece of
audio design, one that was even awarded a TEC
Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement.
So the Lab.gruppen development team had a
problem…how do you better something that’s
already considered the best?
Martin Andersson, Product Manager for Lab.
gruppen, told TPi: “The original PLM 20000Q
was built on a platform that was completely
different from the rest of the range. We had
learned so much by that point, and all of those
ideas and knowledge went into the 20000Q.
So we had to think hard about how to better it,
without losing any of the functionality the user
has come to know and love. That platform has
become the genesis for the next generation of
82
Powered Loudspeaker Management.”
PLM+ is the brand new touring platform
from Lab.gruppen, a platform that offers all
of the unique performance characteristics,
flexibility, and raw power of the 20000Q, but
with twice the processing power, twice the
throughput and a whole host of additional
features and improvements designed to
deliver real world benefits and make the life
cycle of any production easier, smoother and
more efficient - from the system design stage,
through to the final load out.
PLM+ range offers two models - PLM20k44
and the PLM12k44 - each combining a true 4in
/ 4out configuration for audio IO as well as four
modules of Lake Processing.
Andersson continued: “By combining
enormous power with industry-leading Lake
Processing, the PLM 20000Q has been the
standard driving force for many speaker brands
and rental companies, singularly capable of
driving almost any loudspeaker system or array
- of any size or configuration. With PLM+ there
is no “almost”. Whether the load comprises
subwoofers, high frequency drivers, full range
loudspeakers, and constant voltage distributed
systems, or any combination thereof, PLM+
can take care of it all. The new PLM+ platform
offers four analogue inputs, four AES inputs,
four power outputs, four lake contour modules,
eight by eight Dante I/O, two port 1GB network
switch, dual redundancy and more, all in all
offering a never before seen flexibility without
compromise.”
PLM+ benefits do not stop there, a total of
up to 16 Inputs can be routed to a PLM+ device,
allowing audio format conversion from one
input type to another, and then delivering these
inputs to other devices in the system. Matrixing
/ summing of inputs can be easily achieved and
controlled within the Lake environment - an
environment expected by most engineers at
front of house or monitors - where using a
tablet computer they are able to tune, monitor
and drive their system.
Klas Dalbjorn, Project Manager for Lab.
gruppen, said: “Our new Lake Core Module
has more than twice of the resources of the
previous generation. This initially means twice
the capacity of everything, and over time it
means headroom for the addition of new
processing features via software updates. We
now have four input priority routers and the
Dante implementation is using the Brooklyn-2
 IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Lab.gruppen PLM+

Opposite: The new PLM+ from Lab.gruppen. Below: Martin Andersson, Product Manager.

“With nearly 400 Lab.gruppen amplifiers in our “We at Clair are proud to have been using Lab.gruppen
inventory across two countries, including FP, FP+ and PLM Series amplifiers since they first debuted over six
PLM, I can safely say - nothing is more reliable than years ago. since then, Lab.gruppen amplifiers have
Lab, nothing integrates like PLM. Our PLMs have powered the sound at thousands of our live concerts
been used in the desert, the snow, and everywhere all over the world, their integrated Lake processing
in between. With an almost immeasurably low failure delivers a user-friendly interface for our clients and
rate, they’re surely the best amps in the world.” their amazing power ensures every person in the venue
Graeme Whitehouse - General Manager, can be part of the excitement. Congratulations to Lab.
Australia, Norwest Productions gruppen on the debut of the next generation of the
PLM+ Amplifier Series, having taken what was already
“SSE tested all of the main amps before investing in a classic amplifier into the next level.”
the Lab.gruppen PLM Series for our hire stock. They Jim Meyer, Clair Global - Sr Director of Engineering
perform superbly, providing superior audio quality.
The PLM became our first choice due to its flexibility,
power and the onboard Lake processing. During the
three years SSE has had these amps, they have proved
themselves to be hard working and reliable”
Miles Hillyard, Senior Project Manager
SSE Audio Group
module used in many mixing the remaining available power
consoles. This gives us eight inputs output to be allocated freely to
which allows us to take four the other channels. This enables
unique channels from two mixing fully optimised system design, with
desks for full source redundancy.” each channel being tailored to the
Andersson tells TPi that the PLM exact power requirement of the
12K44 is targeted as a successor to load, better managing headroom
the PLM 10000Q, but for a variety between all available channels and
of reasons, offers a giant leap rationalising the system to achieve
forward in that power and price most efficient use of the total
segment. amplifier inventory - saving money,
One of these reasons is that energy and rack space.
the 12k44 model features Lab. Klas Dalbjorn, Project Manager
gruppen’s ground-breaking for Lab.gruppen, said: “The
Rational Power Management addition of RPM into the PLM+
(RPM) technology, first debuted range is an extremely significant
in the company’s recent D Series addition to this world-leading
install platform. A first in live touring platform, allowing rental
sound, this new feature allows the houses and touring companies
12k44 to realise all of the unique a whole new level of flexibility.
performance characteristics of the When combined with the CAFÉ
20k44 model, a unique feature software suite, it means the end
that could have major implications user has real power over every
for a busy rental company. channel driving any system.”
Unlike other amplifiers Martin Andersson, Product
where ‘flexibility’ often involves Manager for Lab.gruppen,
compromise (eg. reducing channel concluded: “The PLM+ ecosystem
count by bridging or reducing the offers the end user the ability to
total power or impedance the specify, control, monitor, interface,
output is capable of driving), RPM network, convert and optimise the
allows genuinely flexible power system with absolute guarantee
allocation across all channels to and certainty, with the superior
ensure the most efficient and build quality and reliability that
rational use of total available comes with every Lab.gruppen
power output from multiple device. This is about real world
amplifiers. Therefore minimising benefits. Benefits that could
inventory as well as optimising amount to saving a lot of time,
workflow. energy, money, rack and truck
At the heart of RPM technology space when scaled up into a large
lies the unique ability for the scale touring production.”
12k44 to deliver up to 5000W TPi
output on any channel, leaving http://thenewtouringicon.com

83
 MARKET FOCUS: Video Projection

VIDEO PROJECTION
PROJECTOR MANUFACTURERS
BARCO www.barco.com

The DL.3 digital light integrates a media server loaded with a wealth of digital content with a high output
4-chip light engine, a highly sensitive HAD sensor camera and an infrared illumination system. DL.3 mounts
like any other intelligent moving luminaire and controls just as easily with plug-and-play operation using
standard DMX cabling and protocols. Production set-up time is reduced as there is no need for RGB cabling,
and racks of servers are no longer necessary at front-of-house or backstage area. A Content Management
Application running on your computer gives the user remote control of uploading content, upgrading
software and fixture configuration for multiple DL.3 fixtures. This patent-pending Collage Generator feature
enables multiple DL.3 units to create seamless vertical, horizontal or central panoramic media projections
controlled from a lighting console. High End Systems offers the widest digital lighting product mix, priced
and scaled for any budget and solution.

CHRISTIE www.christiedigital.co.uk

Christie laid claim to having produced the first purpose-built event-staging projector, as opposed to simply
high brightness, when it launched the first generation Roadie in 1997. Over 14 years later the Roadie has been
joined by the Roadster platform, and together they offer 13 three-chip DLP models (we hear talk of a new
flagship model later this year, followed by an entirely new platform at ISE) in specially designed ruggedised
cases for rigging. Performance ranges from 10,000 to 32,500 ANSI lumens (35,000 centre lumens) and from
SXGA+ to 4K native resolutions. The series offers TWIST PRO in-built edge-blending and warping, bulb-only
lamp replacement, lamp redundancy, sealed light engines, split-head chassis, stereo-ready, 3G-SDI, choice
of P-VIP or Xenon illumination and many other features first introduced by Christie for the event market.

DIGITAL PROJECTION www.digitalprojection.co.uk

Digital Projection has launched a range of Laser Phosphor (Lamp Free) projectors delivering a stunning
10,000 and 12,000 ANSI Lumen output. With a WUXGA resolution, the projectors boast 20,000 hours of
stable solid-state illumination. They were developed with an emphasis on ‘Fit and Forget’ - meaning that
installers can deploy the projector and need not worry about lamp changes or expensive maintenance cycles.
Both projectors can be mounted in portrait mode without any reduction in performance, adding flexibility
to its already impressive range of benefits. For the rigors of staging and rental, the HIGHLite Laser has a
bespoke rigging frame. With this, the projectors are easily lock-stacked and are ready for fast attachment to
truss using industry standard hardware.

PANASONIC www.panasonic.com

Panasonic’s PT-DZ21K is Europe’s leading high brightness projector. It has been featured in a host of high
profile events such as the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Roger Waters’ The Wall live at
Wembley Stadium and most recently, the launch of Coldplay’s new album Ghost Stories. Its compact size
and relative light weight makes it easy to rig in a multi-projector configuration. For example, this September,
104 PT-DZ21K were used to make a 23,000m2 architectural mapping display; projecting stunning visuals
onto the façade of the Bucharest Palace, Romania. The 20,000 lumens projector is equipped with quad,
triple, dual and single lamp modes, offering peace of mind to AV managers that if one lamp fails during a
show the visuals won’t be impaired.

84
 MARKET FOCUS: Video Projection

VIDEO PROJECTION SERVICES

BLUMAN ASSOCIATES www.blumanassociates.com

Bluman Associates is an independent consultancy specialising in outdoor projections, building mapping

and video sequencing. Forget dry hire of equipment; Bluman works with agencies, brands and production
teams across all stages of a project, from initial creative concept to content creation and technical delivery.
Thanks to Bluman’s complete independence, the company benefits from excellent relationships with vendors
across the globe, resulting in the ability to design systems specifically tailored to each event, using the right
equipment for the job and delivering the perfect technical package at the right price point every time. 
Bluman Associates’ team works internationally, with clients including Jodrell Bank’s Transmission Live, the
BAFTAs, UEFA, NIKE, BT and Nokia.

CENTRAL PRESENTATIONS www.cplav.com

Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) is based in the west Midlands and specialises in all areas of live video
production – from music and concert touring to architainment to top level corporate events. A department
is dedicated to the provision of different types of projection including large format, widescreen and mapped
surfaces. The company has a vast pool of experience and knowledge in all the technical and creative aspects
involved in this specialist area. The company offers all the latest high powered projector hardware and the
most flexible media servers and control systems, CPL emphasises the skills and talent of its engineers and
technical teams, who are renowned for bringing imagination, flair and stylish solutions to any project, event
or scenario.

CHAOS VISUAL PRODUCTIONS www.chaosvisual.com

Chaos Visual Productions strives to provide the international production industry with the latest in cutting
edge technology matched with the highest quality personnel. Whether you are a musician, designer,
production designer or director, its goal is to work with you to make your creative vision come to life.
Along with delivering the best possible service in the world of live concert touring, corporate events, and
live 3D video presentation, Chaos Visual Productions has quickly become the ‘go to’ company for specialty
lighting, LED special effects, video projection, show programming execution and effects lighting for feature
films and television. It offers an international team of industry professionals that understands the value of
customer service and relationships, ensuring that the artist’s and designer’s vision within the desired budget
is achieved.

85
MARKET FOCUS: Market Focus

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY http://uk.ct-group.com

Creative Technology (CT) specialises in multi-projector blending technology allowing extreme formats
and multiple image display over one seamless canvas. Working with some of the world’s leading content
development companies, CT is delivering stunning mapping projects on iconic buildings across the world.
CT tailors its service provision to meet the specific needs of each project or customer. Invariably starting
with informal advice we move on to include design, consultancy, project management and installation. CT’s
skilled team, worldwide material and logistics resources and full service option ensures your concepts are
delivered in full at exhibitions, events and shows on a global scale.

NORDIC RENTALS www.nordic.dk

Nordic Rentals A / S - one of the leading rental houses in Scandinavia within sound, lighting, AV and staging.
During the last six years Nordic Rentals A / S has made massive investments in equipment and staff for the AV
market. Nordic Rentals A / S is specialised in large scale and complex video projections including everything
from projectors, screens, scalers etc. Nordic Rentals A / S supplies its customers with the latest kit from
manufactures such as Panasonic, Watchout and Analog Way.

PETES BIG TVS www.petesbigtvs.com

Pete’s Big TVs, a Washington, DC-based video staging and rental services company, has served the special
event, corporate, touring and television markets across the US and internationally for almost 30 years. Pete’s
Big TVs leads the industry in introducing and developing new video technologies. Turnkey video services
include LED screens, projectors, monitors, media servers, full video production and crew. Pete’s Big TVs can
assist with pre-production, show design and on-site services to create a memorable event. Video production
system equipment includes cameras, switchers, tape and hard drive playback / record units to projectors,
screens and LED screens. Equipment by digiLED, GTek, Liantronics, Absen, Barco, Sony, Grass Valley, Canon,
Pinnacle, and more are available.

86
MARKET FOCUS: Market Focus

PRG NOCTURNE www.nocturneproductions.com

PRG Nocturne offers projection services in various markets covering all disciplines from straightforward 4:3
/ 16:9 projection onto screens, through to mapping on 3D sets / objects, people and buildings. A large
range of projectors are available from smaller 6k Panasonic 6710’s to Barco HDQ-2K40’s for larger events.
Corporate, Television and Theatre mostly require the Panasonic 6710’s, DZ13K and DZ21K’s, for size, power
and noise levels. The concert touring and events benefit from the Panasonic DZ21K and Barco FLM 20 / 22ks,
for ease of rigging, reliability and familiarity. A variety of media servers are also available to facilitate playback
and mapping, including: d3 Technologies, Catalyst, Green Hippo and Mbox. PRG Nocturne has global reach
on projects through their presence with 41 locations, in 13 countries across five continents.

QED PRODUCTIONS www.qed-productions.com

QED Productions provides a comprehensive range of projection mapping services, from technical design,
scanning, modelling and UV mapping to equipment supply, on-site installation and technical operation. 
QED holds the largest stock of 4u v2.5 d3 media servers in the country and is also the first UK company to
invest in the new d3 Technologies 4x4pro, currently the world’s most powerful and flexible media server.
“We have come to rely upon d3’s real-time 3D simulation on every projection mapping project whether we
are tasked with mapping a commercial product, a large building or even an entire island.” said QED Director
Paul Wigfield. “Projection mapping the island of Fort St. Aubin really gave us the opportunity to show how
far we could take things.”

SOLOTECH www.solotech.com
Born out of the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Solotech began official operations in 1977. With a pure passion
for the profession, Solotech has evolved from providing equipment rentals and sales to becoming the
premier end-to-end provider of entertainment technology services. Solotech has provided technological
solutions for various festivals, television shows and major corporate events. On an international level,
Solotech has provided audio, lighting, video and control systems equipment and specialised staff for several
artists touring the globe including Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bublé, Justin Timberlake - whose
recent tour used 30 Barco projectors - , Arcade Fire, Kylie Minogue, Leonard Cohen amongst many others.
Its professionals, whose talents are recognised both locally and internationally, come together to form a solid
team that results in unequalled technological skills and full dedication to each project’s success.

88
MARKET FOCUS: Market Focus

VER www.verrents.com

In September 2014 an experienced visuals team created a projection mapping spectacular for the world
premiere of the new Jaguar XE using  equipment supplied by Video Equipment Rentals (VER). The 230
metre wide visual at County Hall, London, was created using 18 Barco HDQ-2K40 projectors outputting
720,000 lumens of light and two UVA d3 Technologies media servers from a 300 metre distance across the
river Thames. The projectors were positioned in six three-high stacks on a FOH tower weighing in excess
of 400kgs, erected by Star Events Group. Each projector was lifted to the six-metre work area using a
Telehandler and powered by generators from Power Logistics. The expertise of Production Manager Grant
Mitchell (Imagination) and his team of suppliers and agencies created the largest projector mapping visual
in European event history.

VIDEO ILLUSIONS www.videoillusions.net

Using the latest technology and specialist equipment for video, lighting, rigging and stage design, Video
Illusions takes pride in innovative ways to deliver events. However big or small, Video Illusions deliver through
all stages of projects, from planning to performance. Video Illusions’ skilled technicians cover all aspects of
live event production and in-house video editing, and are able to provide: LED Technicians and Projectionists
as well as plamsa displays, stage set design, camera operations, vision mixing, lighting, staging, rigging, VJs,
live recording and Internet video streaming. In 2014 for the second year running, Video Illusions created
visuals for the TPi Award-winning Arcadia Stage at Glastonbury Festival.

XL VIDEO www.xlvideo.com
From classic IMAG to highly creative mapped projections on irregular shaped surfaces, XL Video supplies
both the technology and the expertise to realise even the most ambitious projection projects. XL stocks a
wide range of Barco and Panasonic projectors, and compatible lenses – including Panasonic’s new Ultra
Short Throw lenses. Notable recent projects where projection has been used include Coldplay’s Ghost
Stories shows featuring 360˚ projections and mapping the acoustic ‘mushrooms’ at the Royal Albert Hall;
holographic projection in Michael Flatley’s new Lord of The Dance show; and Paolo Nutini’s UK arena tour
that creatively used gauze surfaces for projection.

90
 COLDPLAY ROBBIE WILLIAMS ROD STEWART
GORILLAZ LILY ALLEN TOOL DEADMAU5
ONE DIRECTION JAMIROQUAI Ed Sheeran
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER BLUR SAM SMITH
ADELE MASSIVE ATTACK SIMPLE PLAN

Global Motion Ltd

Danzas House, Kestrel Way,
Dawley Park, Middlesex, UB3 1HJ

Tel: +44 (0)845 450 3135

Worldwide freight specialists for Fax: +44 (0)208 848 6991
www.globalmotion.co.uk
the music entertainment industry. adam@globalmotion.co.uk

LONDON TORONTO LOS ANGELES AUCKLAND SYDNEY

10201-GlobalMotion-FreightAD-210X297-PRESS.indd 1 04/11/2014 15:34

 THE BIGGER PICTURE
THE BIGGER PICTURE
WORKS IN PROGRESS
IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT AMAZES PEOPLE ABOUT LIVE PRODUCTION, IT’S THE SPEED AT WHICH
THINGS HAPPEN, JUST CHECK OUT SPRINT TELECOM’S COMMERCIAL ‘WHAT IF ROADIES RAN THE WORLD’
ON YOUTUBE. SPEED. HOW MANY LAMPIES DOES IT TAKE TO CH....DONE IT, WHERE’S CATERING?
YOU GET THE PICTURE.
Imagine a world where things are a little
more bureaucratic, where the route to a
solution is mired in process, committees,
reports, consultations and investigations;
welcome to our world. We’ve said it before
and we’ll say it again, the PSA is all about
dealing with the things that indirectly affect
your business, while you get on with ch….
oh, you’ve done it. The time gap between
announcement of plan and execution can be
vast, and we’re in the middle of two universes
spinning at different rates, so when we say
we’re involved in a project, don’t expect a
conclusion in a fortnight, That said, it’s good
to document progress once in a while, so
here’s a little run down of what we’ve been
up to in the various groups we’re involved in.
UK LIVE MUSIC
Remember the consultation into the deregulation
of entertainment licensing? Maybe not, but
we’re here to remember those things. Amongst
its many suggestions, there was the idea that
popping 5,000 people in a space in the name
of entertainment could be done without any
involvement in the licensing process, removing
the need for basic checks like traffic and
crowd management plans. The conduit for our
concerns, directly to the office of the minister in
charge, was UK Music. Although the statement
that followed the consultation had revised this
number down to a more manageable 500, this is
still not enshrined in law; should be announced
next April.
Currently it’s all about research; you’ve
probably helped by filling out the online survey,
but numbers are currently being crunched,
checked and double checked for UK Music’s
second report into the economic impact of the
music industry. For us, this means that we will
92
have recognition for the part that many of our
members play in the core music industry, and
a measure of our contribution to present to
Government, should we need to remind them.
HSE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP FOR
ENTERTAINMENT
Guess what. Recently, we did need to remind
Government about our contribution, as a result
of proposed changes to the Construction (Design
and Management) Regulations. Proposed
changes to enforcement would be costly and have
little effect on safety, mainly because our serious
accident and fatality statistics are extremely low
compared to the construction sector. Again,
trade associations from across the entertainment
sector have a medium for their message when
it comes to HSE policy and enforcement, and
a handy tool that can demonstrate potential
negative impacts of policy changes. Although
we’re waiting for recommendations coming
from HSE’s consultation on changes to CDM and
its imposition on the whole events sector, the
wider industry has helped with a sector specific
‘business engagement assessment’ and will be
presenting their case to the minister responsible
for Health and Safety this month.
THE BUSINESS END
We recently reported on our joining the Business
Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), a group
similar to UK Music but dedicated to promoting
and supporting the equally important business
events business. The case for Government
supporting this sector has been made, with
BVEP demonstrating quite clearly that people
who visit our shores for business related reasons
spend a hell of a lot of money, and more business
events would lead to more income. To that end,
the Department of Culture Media and Sport
(DCMS) invited leaders in the field of business
events to a round table discussion on just how
to achieve that goal, subsequently dispatching
BVEP to coordinate and publish a report of
recommendations. And who wouldn’t want a
few more cushy corporate gigs to work on?
THE NEXT GENERATION
Another string to the UK Music bow is skills and
training, especially grass roots provision. They
already have a network of rehearsal facilities for
young bands around the country, and their work
to support small venues for upcoming artists
continues; but what about the next generation
of live technicians? UK Music pointed us in
the direction of the Apprenticeship Trailblazer
programme, a series of pilot projects designed
to put apprenticeship design, development,
delivery and assessment firmly in the hands of
employers rather than colleges. Led by PRG,
a group of 12 employers, representing rental
companies large and small, from around the
country and representing a variety of technical
disciplines, applied to be part of phase three of
the programme - if at first you don’t succeed.
Although unsuccessful in this round, the group
is together and has more experience and
guidance to make a further bid. It is hoped that
we will soon have the green light to develop an
effective route from warehouse door to venue,
with appropriate skills delivered in the best
environment, enabling companies to get funding
for taking on apprentices.
STANDARDS STUFF
You’d have thought that, once a standard had
been produced, it would be around for ever. Well,
thinking, technology and working environments
change, so there’s a constant evolution. The
British Standards Institute is currently in the
 www.psa.org.uk

process of revising its standard and appreciate. We’re probably not

for temporary electrical supplies
for entertainment (BS7909), the
Institute of Structural Engineers
is putting finishing touches
to its guidance on temporary
demountable structure (although
final revision will depend on the
outcome of the CDM changes
mentioned above), a document that
has allowed specifiers and suppliers
of temporary structures to up their
game considerably, although in
some quarters, there’s still work to
be done.
In fact there’s always work to be
done, for our members and for us,
it’s a continuous thing that requires
the continuous support that we get
the best at constantly reporting on
progress, but sometimes progress is
slow and beyond our influence, and
the reports would get very boring.
Needless to say our greatest asset is
the willing and able volunteers that
sit on the committees and working
groups, they deserve your gratitude
more than anyone.
TPi
www.psa.org.uk

DIGICO DOES IT IN SECRET...

FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS
A vow of secrecy forbids us from saying much WAVE
more than a huge thank you to DiGiCo for raising No. 51839000
a substantial sum of money for our welfare fund,
Stagehand, at their second annual pub quiz, with
a generously supported raffle also raising funds COLOR WAVE
for the family of the late Paul Nunnington. No. 51839005
MD James Gordon had very little to say: “It’s
a top secret event where rental companies can One head, two bars, three LEDs each and something
come and do battle both at the bar and in the
quiz. All for a good industry cause and each year really special: the pan rotation of the two bars is one
for someone who touched our lives.”  and the same, but the tilt movements can be controlled
individually. All beams have a beam angle of 2,5° and are
perfectly suited for beam shows.

Pictured are the winning team from Autograph with a

confused Webby in the background, wondering what
happened to his Bolly stash.
W W W. F U T U R E L I G H T. C O M

93
 MOVERS & SHAKERS
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Aphex has announced that it has moved
the company to Salt Lake City, USA in
order to increase operational efficiencies
by being closer to parent company DWV
Entertainment and the core Aphex creative
and engineering teams. The move, completed
this month, includes opening a new Aphex
warehouse in Utah, USA to complement
existing manufacturing and shipping facilities
in California, USA.
Aphex Chairman David Wiener stated: “Aphex
has been making big changes in recent months
to take advantage of growth opportunities in
Pro, Prosumer and Consumer audio, as well
as licensing and new product development.
Bringing Aphex HQ to Utah allows Aphex to
take advantage of DWV Entertainment’s facilities
and creative resources.” Wiener added: “Aphex
is already creating new sales opportunities,
generating more effective marketing and
promotional collateral to better support our
reseller and distribution network.”
ArKaos Pro is delighted to announce the
appointment of ACE as its new distributor for
China. ACE will be responsible for promoting,
distributing and servicing ArKaos Pro’s Stage
and Studio media servers as well as the ArKaos
MediaMaster Pro and Express software across
the whole of China.
“We chose ACE because they understand
the technology behind ArKaos products and,
with offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and
Hong Kong, have a strong presence in the China
market,” said ArKaos Managing Director, Agnes
Wojewoda. “This will make ArKaos products
extremely accessible to the market including
Lighting Designers across the television, rental,
corporate worlds where ACE is also very strong.”
Creative Technology’s London operation has
contracted business development professional
Ben Philpott, specialising in broadcast media.
Having initially trained at the BBC, Ben spent
many years as a freelance Lighting Cameraman
for all the major international broadcasters and
production companies. Ben then moved in to
94
international sales and marketing, successfully
developing the market for cutting edge LED
lighting technology and subsequently with a
variety of technology, audio visual and media
companies. Philpott stated: “I am absolutely
delighted to have joined the broadcast team at
Creative Technology.
Digital solutions manufacturer DiGiCo is
pleased to announce the appointment of Garrett
S.A. Audiovisuais as its exclusive distributor for
Portugal. Founded in 1978, Garrett has built an
enviable reputation in Portugal by ensuring that
it always offers relevant solutions to the market
and employing a highly experienced team. As
a result, it has an impressive list of brands in its
portfolio, to which it is proud to add DiGiCo.
“For some time, we have wanted to work with
a brand of mixing console that is both a market
leader and technology innovator,” commented
Garrett’s Raul Fernandes. “This will allow us to
provide our customers with a stronger offering
in the field of professional audio and to apply the
products directly to our turn-key projects.
LumenRadio is very pleased to welcome Lars
Fabian Paape as a part of its R&D team, where he
will be working as Senior Research Engineer.
Lars Fabian Paape commented: “I’m delighted to
join LumenRadio. They have built such a strong
reputation in the industry, not only for their
excellent products, but also for their quality and
reliability.”
Paape brings with him extensive experience
and has been working in the lighting industry
since 2001. Paape has been working for MA
Lighting Technology GmbH for over 10 years,
where he developed and maintained the
software of the 1st generation 2Port Node and
had a strong part on the embedded development
in the grandMA2 console series.
MDG Fog has appointed two new distributors
for its acclaimed range of fog and haze
generators. MDG Fog UK, a trading division of
Robe UK, will take responsibility for the exclusive
distribution of the full MDG product range in the
UK and Ireland. This new division will be headed
Sponsored by
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
by Matt Wiseman, a well-known face in the UK
entertainment industry who brings 20 years of
experience to the role.
“I am looking forward to the new avenues and
responsibilities this arrangement brings,” said
Wiseman. “It will allow MDG Fog UK to focus
wholeheartedly on promoting and servicing the
MDG brand across the UK and Ireland, with the
added confidence of solid backing from Robe
UK’s established administrative, service and
warehouse facilities in Northampton.”
Milos Group has welcomed James Thomas
Engineering to its growing number of professional
and trusted brands. Paul Young is the Business
Development Manager at JTE for the EMEA
region. “Joining Milos Group is the realisation of
a lot of hard work and is a dream opportunity for
me. I am keen to assist with integration of James
Thomas Engineering into the group and help
give customers the strongest range of products
available in the world today,” said Young.
Belgian based creative lighting and visual
design practice Painting With Light has
announced a restructure, with Luc Peumans
becoming the majority shareholder and CEO with
immediate effect, taking over all the company’s
day-to-day management.
Luc founded Genk-based Painting With Light
in 1999. He commented: “To move forward on
the same trajectory for the next 15 years, I needed
to be fully in control and accept responsibility for
our future strategies, investments and direction,
and so the deal was negotiated on that basis.”
He added that he and his former business
partners - Dimi Theuwissen and Jim Stas - are
looking forward to new challenges and horizons
and that they have parted “On the best possible
terms”, and are very proud of what the award
winning company has achieved to date.
Power Electrics has opened a new 20,000 sq
ft depot in Southampton. Sitting on the doorstep
of the M3, it’s excellently located to speedily
dispatch rental generators anywhere in the south
of England. Now local customers can benefit
from much faster delivery times - especially in
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002 MOVERS & SHAKERS

Opposite: ACE’s Paul Wu and ArKaos CEO Marco Hinic; Lars Fabian Paape has joined LumenRadio’s R&D team; Q Willis is now the UK Head of Rigging Services for PRG.

emergency situations.
The new depot is stocked with a wide
selection of generators - ranging in size from
20kVA to 2200kVA - from the company’s
1,000-strong fleet. Serving a diverse range of
sectors, including events, telecommunications,
construction and utilities, the opening will be an
asset for all sorts of businesses in the area.
Andy Pullin, Power Electrics Director, said: “As
a company with a long and successful heritage -
we never sit still. This latest expansion means we
can better serve our customers and really secure
our future in the south.”
Production Resource Group (PRG) has
announced that Q Willis has joined its team in the
UK as Head of Rigging Services. In his new role, Q
will be focusing on developing existing customer
relationships in the rigging industry and also
looking for ways to promote new opportunities.
“With Q joining the team he plays an
important role in moving us forward,” said Rich
Rowley, Chief Sales Officer. I’m excited about
the opportunities ahead and look forward to
developing and bringing solutions to really grow
PRG’s share of the rigging market.”
PSCo has announced the expansion of its
specialist LED team with the appointment of Mike
Bone. Bringing more than 22 years of AV industry
experience and a wealth of LED knowledge to
the position, Bone has been appointed to work
closely with PSCo’s customers to understand
their needs and build solutions utilising the
company’s growing LED portfolio.
“I am pleased to be joining the PSCo team
at an exciting time for the company as they
expand their LED offering,” commented Bone.
“LED technology is evolving dramatically and,
in the last two years especially, we have seen a
huge step change in demand for high resolution
indoor screens in both the rental and fixed install
markets. The value-add that PSCo delivers to
customers on LED products through its exclusive
partnership with Absen and via its UK-based
service department is a major selling point over
any of its competitors and I’m looking forward
to developing new LED solutions for our trade
partners.”
SGM has appointed Filippo Frigeri as Senior
Area Sales Manager of the United Kingdom
and the United States. Frigeri has eight years
of industry experience working with business
development and international sales with a
profound insight into, and understanding of
exactly these markets, assisting him in expanding
the company’s product reach.
Frigeri commented: “It is exciting to join
one of the fastest growing companies in the
entertainment lighting industry. SGM is investing
highly in product quality and the market users are
recognising the key innovation that lies behind
the products. I truly admire how Peter and the
rest of the team at SGM have radically changed
the approach towards the customers by providing
real solutions, such as the G-range - the world’s
first maintenance free moving heads - and I look
forward to helping improve our sales and service
structures within the UK and the USA to serve
the many SGM users.”
White Light is pleased to welcome Lee
Dennison to the White Light management
team as Head of Audio, further expanding the
company’s audio expertise. The move signals
more growth for White Light as the company
continues its strong market presence throughout
the entertainment and events industries.
Managing Director Bryan Raven explainsed
the new addition: “We have always grown by
listening to the needs of our customers. With
more and more of them asking for audio, we
wanted to be able to offer more technical
options while maintaining the same high quality
of service that comes with the White Light name.
We are confident that with Lee on-board, we can
deliver on that promise.”
TPi
www.tpimagazine.com/jobs/

TECHNOLOGY

Sound Technology Ltd, Harman Professional distributor in

the UK and Republic of Ireland, currently has the following
employment opportunity:
Live Sound Project Engineer
to represent Sound Technology and the Harman Professional
brands to the UK professional live sound and touring industry,
provide technical expertise and support, demonstrate and
promote the range of Harman products suitable for use in a live
sound environment to a wide range of tour sound, hire, install and
venue companies.
View the full job specification at
http://bit.ly/soundtechjobs
NEW POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Matrix has grown phenomenally in recent years, we’re delivering
bigger more demanding events and we’ve invested heavily in new
cutting edge AV technology. Matrix is looking to recruit two new
people to join our experienced production team.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
The Production Manager is ultimately responsible for the production
and administration of their live event. They must be exceptionally
experienced and knowledgeable in the live event industry, be
motivated to work independently and as a team.

Applications should be sent in writing by 30th November 2014 to : A self-motivated and enthusiastic Production Assistant is being
sought to join the warehouse and production/project managers. The
David Marshall individual will work with the existing experienced team to assist in the
Managing Director delivery of the two main areas of the Matrix business – events and kit.
Sound Technology Ltd
17 Letchworth Point A detailed job spec can be found on-line:
Letchworth Garden City www.matrix-events.co.uk/news/
Hertfordshire www.tpimagazine.com/jobs/
SG6 1ND
Please forward CV’s to;
Matthew Phillips, matt@matrix-events.co.uk
Tel: 0845 430 9090
www.matrix-events.co.uk

95
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97
 VITAL STATS

VITAL STATS 164

Nick Valdez

Profession: CEO, Siyan Lighting

Date & place of birth: 14 February 1960, Welwyn Garden City

How did you first become involved with lighting?

It sounds like a cliché, but I was 17 and playing in local bands. I was going to
see (proper) gigs and loved the dynamics that the lighting imparted to the
show. I set about building my own lighting control system, as I was working
in the electronics industry at the time. I scraped some money together and
bought some theatre lanterns and made some basic ones of my own too.
Before too long other local bands who had seen us play wanted to rent our
lights, the seeds had been sown...
Can you tell us a little about your experience in the industry before co-founding
Siyan in 2001?
One of the local acts happened to be Howard Jones. Unsigned, he was
playing lots of gigs trying secure a record deal. I did all his gigs, sometimes
in tiny pubs, but Howard always had his lights! His hard work paid off, and
he was signed in ’83. I thought that would be the end of an era for me,
but after just one support tour, Howard booked his first headline tour, and
called me to ask me to go on tour with him.
After two years touring extensively around the world with Howard, he
took a break to record his next album and I started to try and build my own
business and career. I would take on anything, I was still lighting bands
at the infamous Nags Head in Wycombe and began working for some of
the major rental companies of the time, TASCO and Meteorlites. Again,
I was very lucky, working with some of the best people in the industry,
and touring with acts such as Supertramp, Kylie Minogue, Gary Moore,
Marillion, Iron Maiden, Status Quo and Lloyd Cole.
Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this work, touring and working on large
events (Clothes Show Live, the Proms, Monsters of Rock), as I was always
on the road my lighting business wasn’t growing at all. At the end of the
Maiden tour in 1991, I decided to stop touring and concentrate on my
lighting rental business.
In your opinion, how has the lighting industry changed in the years you’ve been
at the helm of Siyan?
Just as the music industry has seen seismic changes, our industry too has
evolved. The proliferation of lighting products and suppliers into the market
has led to a rapid growth in the number of rental companies. There are far
more of us doing it now than before. From an artistic point of view, lighting
designers now have a plethora of tools at their disposal. Some of these are
quite unique products, which can’t really be substituted with anything else.
It’s a long way from black or chrome PAR cans!
With countless new and innovative lighting fixtures being released year on year,
how do you decide which ones to add to your rental stock? You can’t have them
all…
That is a very good question. Our rule of thumb used to be only buy a
“I’ve learnt that I have to
be slightly impartial; just
because I think a particular
fixture is good, this doesn’t
guarantee anything!”
product that you would be happy to see on a show of your own. However,
we’ve seen some great products that simply haven’t become popular. The
rate at which new products come on to the market is bewildering, some
manufacturers even making their own products “obsolete” within months
of releasing them. We evaluate new products, preferably here on our
premises, and we listen to our regular lighting designers. I’ve learnt that I
have to be slightly impartial; just because I think a particular fixture is good,
this doesn’t guarantee anything! We now have to consider the long term
viability of the manufacturer. We need them to stick around.
How do you try to encourage new talent in the industry?
We will always consider work placements and secondments. We try to
provide them with the best support where needed. I’m not a believer in
“throwing them in at the deep end”, so it’s a very measured approach.
We’ve been fortunate in the past to witness some new talent coming into
the industry and going on have successful careers.
What was it like being involved with 2014’s TPi Awards?
A lot of my peers thought I was mad to take it on last year! It is a very
consuming affair. It’s definitely not a show you want to get wrong (there
aren’t many of those really are there?), but I was very pleased with the end
result. I have to say, we had a great team of people, not only in the Siyan
team, but in all departments.
I take my metaphorical hat off to them all, and a big thank you to James
Scott for making it look so good. Robe were a joy to work with as the
main sponsor, giving me free reign over the design. There were a few areas
where our hands were tied, a bit frustrating, but that was mainly due to the
restraints of the venue. I think that the change in venue will be a good thing
for 2015’s event, a fresh start, if you will.

98
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