TPi April 2017 - #212

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • APRIL 2017 • ISSUE 212

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TPI AWARDS 2017 • ON TOUR WITH THE WEEKND • THE XX IN RESIDENCY AT BRIXTON • GEAR HEADS: ROBE’S PIXELPATT • THE ORIGINS OF LIVE EDM • BACKSTAGE AT THE BRITS

APRIL 2017 #212

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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Under Pressure…

It’s another double issue from us here at the good ship TPi! After putting our largest single issue of the year to print last month, I ventured to Dubai for our MEA title. Following the trip East, I carried on to Australia to visit Adele’s incredible outdoor stadium show. (More of this later in the summer).

I was also lucky enough to catch up with some friends I’d made in the industry who now reside down under. Including the lovely Mark Millar (ex TC Group), who was, without doubt, my very first pro audio pal. It looks like VR and Bondi Beach suit you, mate!

Back to Blighty, and on the same week as our Awards (the full production feature starts on Pg.30), Harman’s JBL Professional hosted a product launch for the brand new VTX A12 system and in an exclusive first look, we talk to the team behind the line array which benefitted from a secret London launch. Turn to Pg. 8 to find out more.

We take a look back the origins of EDM sound systems with L-Acoustics on Pg. 12 and we run through a variety of live production designs including The xx’s Brixton residency (Pg.54), The Weeknd’s slick R&B vibes on Pg.64, comedian Jack Whitehall becomes equestrian friendly on Pg. 76 - with the help of Adlib - (and a horse expert, to be fair), and we highlight some of the hard work and talent behind the 2017 BRIT Awards (Pg. 82).

The Chainsmokers of course grace this month’s cover after tearing their way through a UK and European tour with support from 2017 TPi Awards winners BPM SFX and Britannia Row Productions, alongside VER and The Events Company UK.

And breathe! Almost; as we’re pressing the green light for print day, we’re also catching a flight to Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt. Talk about the excitement of deadlines…! Then I’ll be heading to Austria for Mayrhofen’s Snowboming festival where many of the TPi Awards production team have installed a multi-venue technical rig up a mountain, as you do…

Kel Murray Editor

EDITOR Kel Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

ASSISTANT EDITOR Ste Durham Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk

STAFF WRITER Stewart Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING SALES Georgia Guthrie Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8399 Mobile: +44 (0)7501 597837 e-mail: g.guthrie@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING SALES Lauren Dyson Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7415 773639 e-mail: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS Mo Naeem Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8358 Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313 e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS Hannah Eakins (on materninty leave until July 2017)

ACCOUNTS Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHY The Chainsmokers by Olav Stubberdud EDITORIAL INTERN Luke Wainhouse PRINTED BY Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).

Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com www.tpmeamagazine.com Issue 212 - April 2017

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence.

ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2017 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2017 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434.

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ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS

30

08

JBL VTX A12 Product Launch The company’s new mid-large size touring product makes its debut.

12

L-Acoustics and StagePro talk EDM A French-Dutch collaboration that changed the face of modern music.

16

André Rieu Teams Up With SSL The L500 fills the final chair in the orchestra for the violinist’s latest tour.

18 PRG XL Video Opens New London HQ

TPi attended to the company’s house- warming.

20 JoJo Mad Love Tour

Elation Professional supports the

singer’s comeback tour.

46

24

The BAFTAs Bluman Associates are on-hand for the red carpet’s visuals.

26

Adlib Open Day The Liverpool buisness hosted a two- day showcasing event.

28

Allen & Heath does SXSW The company’s digital mixers out once again for the festivities in Austin, Texas.

PRODUCTION PROFILE

54

30

TPi Awards We speak to the men and women behind the scenes of our annual shindig.

46

The Chainsmokers The EDM duo set out on a fully fledged pop tour.

54

The xx The electro trio step out of the shadows for their residency at Brixton Academy.

64

The Weeknd The Starboy produces an out of this world production.

76

Jack Whitehall Kelly meets the team behind one of the funniest tours on the circuit.

BACKSTAGE

64

82

The BRITs The suppliers and crew of the prestigious awards show tell us how it’s made.

GEAR HEADS 96

Lighting Designer Tim Routledge on designing the new Robe pixelPATT.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE 98

Andy Lenthall heads to the International Live Music Conference (ILMC)

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 100 The latest movers and shakers.

82

BACK CHAT 106 Mark Haney, VP of Concert Touring and

Events at Upstage Video.

EVENT FOCUS

JBL VTX A12

Opposite: JBL by Harman’s new VTX A12.

JBL BY HARMAN LEADS THE INDUSTRY FORWARD WITH THE NEW VTX A12 JBL by Harman tour sound systems have powered music’s most iconic festivals and events for decades. The brand is known for implementing the most advanced materials, technologies and production techniques to help audio professionals deliver consistent, exceptional sound and overcome challenges.

Now JBL is further modernising the tour sound industry with the all-new VTX A12 - a completely redesigned solution for mid- to large-size touring productions and high-end fixed installations.

An extension of the VTX family, the VTX A12 line array loudspeakers address the needs of modern tour sound professionals with entirely new and proprietary transducer and high-frequency waveguide designs, innovations in the rigging and suspension hardware, and refinements to the physical aspects of the cabinet.

“In the development stage of the VTX A12 we spent a great deal of time soliciting input from leading engineers in live sound. The result gave us clarity in designing a product that solves their pain points and creates better sound,” said George Georgallis, Product Manager, Tour Sound Systems for Harman Professional Solutions. “The quality of a speaker isn’t limited to its sound performance. Those boxes still need to be unloaded from a truck, rigged and loaded again. We knew that focusing on systemsbased design would make transporting the VTX A12 faster with better efficiency.”

VTX A12 is quickly making a name for itself as the loudest, most formidable JBL array for its size. During early system testing, JBL deployed VTX A12 arrays in the parking lot of the Harman Northridge facility. Before the team could finish, they started receiving calls from neighbours over half

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a mile away complaining that the music was so loud, they could identify individual songs being played. Needing a place to push the limits of the loudspeakers, JBL moved operations to Blue Cloud Movie Ranch, a 250acre expanse in the mountains of Santa Clarita, CA. VTX A12 secretly made its public debut with Sting, at an invite-only Harman concert event in Las Vegas where industry A-listers and high-profile clients experienced the new system’s capabilities. Since then, VTX A12 has been successfully demonstrated at the historic Troxy venue in London, where it received rave reviews from some of music’s most acclaimed live sound engineers.

“Sound engineers who received early previews of VTX A12 are completely blown away by its clarity, power and consistent directivity,” said Phillip Scobee, Tour Audio Solutions Manager, Harman Professional Solutions. “The industry’s response to VTX A12 has been truly astounding.”

“The first time I experienced VTX A12, I was blown away by the clarity, the stereo imaging and just the pure sonic bliss of the PA,” said Brad Divens, FOH Engineer for Enrique Iglesias and CEO of fixintogetmixin. “The way VTX A12 brought out details in the music was so incredibly clear. I thought ‘wow, this is the way music is supposed to sound.’ I felt like I was mixing through a pair of studio monitors that were sitting right on the metre bridge, that’s how close and connected I felt to the music and the system.”

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JBL VTX A12

VTX A12 is expected to be available in April 2017 following an official launch at Prolight + Sound.

INSIDE THE INNOVATIONS Every acoustic element inside the VTX A12 loudspeaker was designed from scratch to produce powerful, highly sensitive and consistent sound that streamlines the workflow for tour sound engineers and production companies. VTX A12’s new high-frequency (HF) section features three uniquely designed drivers that combine the HF phasing-plug and waveguide into one part, which helps control directivity and increased sensitivity above 6 kHz, while reducing distortion and overall weight.

A newly designed Radiation Boundary Integrator (RBI) combines four 5.5 inch mid-frequency drivers into the high-frequency waveguide and provides a smooth horn surface for the high frequency section. A lightweight 12 inch low frequency woofer (LF) features a fourth generation Differential Drive design, new dual NEO dual-coil magnet arrangement and a host of proprietary JBL technologies for increased linear excursion, power handling and sensitivity. These elements combine to deliver the highest output per weight, improved low-frequency extension, and 90-degree directivity down to 250Hz. “The sound of a box is always the bottom line, and VTX A12 sounds very good with zero system EQ applied,” said Kevin Madigan, FOH Engineer for Crosby, Stills & Nash. “As a touring engineer, what we really want is a consistent and good starting point every day. The consistency of VTX A12 from near-field to far-field is great, and allows more time for dealing with room acoustics and optimising deployment speed. It also has lots of clarity, definition and power. The system was pleasant to listen to straight away.”

performance advances to the table,” said Mark Gander, Director of JBL Technology. “We have nine US patents pending on design elements, including the enclosure. The exterior design seamlessly integrates function with appearance. By minimising the visible mechanics on the exterior of the box, VTX A12 provides a smooth, clean appearance that streamlines deployment and doesn’t draw undue attention when it’s in the air.”

AN EASIER WAY TO RIG The system has also made a leap forward in how the loudspeakers are rigged and transported. Array elements are stacked four per Vertical Transport cart in a 10-degree collapsed position instead of traditional flat-stacking, facilitating quicker deployment. A patented internal locking mechanism allows crews to set arrays at 1/4-degree increments using selector pins, then the mechanism automatically locks the cabinet angles at the prescribed positions once the system is suspended. The VT cart can also double as a ground-stack frame with the addition of outriggers at the bottom, eliminating time-consuming unstacking and restacking of array elements.

VTX A12 also features a completely redesigned frame. Weighing in at 89 lbs (39 kg) the frame is the lightest in its class, allowing the system to be deployed in a variety of use cases and venues. Both the cart and frame were purposefully engineered to meet both US and European truck pack dimensions to help production companies transport the system more effectively.

“JBL has made countless advancements in line array technology throughout the years, including advancements in ease of use, speed of deployment and flexibility,” said Gander. “VTX A12 is yet another example of how JBL has delivered even faster rigging and more intuitive deployment.

People are amazed by how fast the system rolls in, goes up and sounds great.”

The release of VTX A12 reinforces JBL’s dedication to helping tour sound professionals in the field deliver results that live up to the highest standards.

VTX A12 is expected to be available in April 2017 following an official launch at Germany’s Prolight + Sound.

TPi www.jblpro.com

FORM MEETS FUNCTION - THE NEW LOOK OF VTX A12 In addition to redesigning the interior elements of the loudspeaker, JBL overhauled the exterior of the box to maximise performance reliability. VTX A12 features a new full-face grill design that reduces the number of exposed components and protects the loudspeaker from extreme road conditions and weather. The new grill also helps the system achieve a higher Ingress Protection rating (IP55) and allows for further weatherisation if desired. The entire grill is under tension to virtually eliminate noises that can emanate from the perforated grill and degrade sound quality. By enclosing it, JBL has made it easier to finish the loudspeaker in a variety of colour options to better suit fixed install applications.

“The VTX A12 brings an incredible amount of technological and 10

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EVENT FOCUS

L-ACOUSTICS & EDM

L-ACOUSTICS AND THE ORIGINS OF MODERN DAY EDM Electronic dance music (EDM) can trace its origins as far back as the ‘60s and the advent of the first electronic instruments. Artists continued to evolve electronic music over the next 50 years, but what we generally think of today as EDM has its roots firmly in the Netherlands and the ‘90s, with wellknown Dutch artists such as DJs Tiësto and Armin van Buuren bringing it to global renown. What is maybe not so well known is the pivotal role Dutch audio rental company Rent-All and French loudspeaker manufacturer L-Acoustics have played in the success of the genre.

The alliance between the two companies goes back to the early ‘90s when Ben Brouwers and René van der Linden, founders of StagePro in the Netherlands, met with L-Acoustics’ founder Christian Heil at the loudspeaker company’s then headquarters in Bourderie near Paris, France, where Heil introduced the pair to the nascent L-Acoustics V-DOSC line array system.

Instantly impressed, both Brouwers and van der Linden were convinced that this was the system they should invest in, having recognised its potential to revolutionise the professional sound industry. As V-DOSC was still in the early stages of being developed however, the system was not yet ready for commercialisation. Brouwers and van der Linden continued to follow its development and their interest and perseverance paid off in 1995, when StagePro took delivery of one of the first V-DOSC systems in the world.

Armed with a large-scale PA in their inventory, Brouwers and van der Linden set out to expand their market. They met with Marcel Elbertse, by then owner of Backstage, a world-class production company for the events industry with a particular emphasis on the EDM market, who was already working in the ‘house party’ scene with a small and, as yet,

unknown organisation called ID&T (so named for the initials of its three founders, Irfan van Ewijk, Duncan Stutterheim and Theo Lelie, all residents of Amsterdam), which is now one of the largest dance organisers in the Netherlands.

The ID&T trio were already experienced in the art of organising house, techno and trance parties, and their goal in creating the company was to organise the largest events across the Netherlands and the wider European EDM scene. Their first big event was in 1992 with The Final Exam, held in the Jaarbeurs Utrecht Conference Centre, which attracted around 13,000 dance devotees.

After hearing the V-DOSC system at an outdoor event in Holland, Marcel was quickly convinced of its quality and capabilities and introduced it to Duncan Stutterheim, who decided to use it at the first Thunderdome party in 1996, held at the Frieslandhallen in the north of Holland.

“Everybody was astonished by both the system’s sound pressure levels and its sonic quality. The V-DOSC line array behaved very evenly over the whole area,” said Van der Linden. “In fact, a large discotheque was created and by coupling the 15-inch speakers in a long column an enormous

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L-ACOUSTICS & EDM

Above Left: Ben Brouwers and René van der Linden, founders of StagePro in the Netherlands.

impact in the low and sub-low was achieved. Following Thunderdome, Duncan used the V-DOSC system at Innercity and InQontrol, also held the RAI centre in Amsterdam in 1999. It was at these shows that Tiësto began to make a mark on the scene, becoming a regular at the ID&T shows.”

One of the most successful EDM events, Sensation, started in 2000, when 20,000 people attended. It was not only memorable for the fact that it was the first time a big party had been held in a large stadium, but also because barely 48 hours earlier the stadium had hosted the semi-finals of the Euro 2000 football tournament.

The following year, Sensation White (so named in honour of Miles Stutterheim, brother of Duncan, who was killed in a car accident in September 2000 and whose funeral had an entirely white theme) was launched and each event since then has been completely sold out.

“During the first Sensation, the DJ stage was positioned along one side of the Amsterdam ArenA,” explained van der Linden. “But in 2001 they designed a 360-degree centre stage set up in the middle of the arena. As well as having a larger PA setup, the demand for louder DJ monitoring was also bigger.

“However, with the 360-degree setup, the space for DJ monitoring soon proved to be too small. Brouwers designed a more compact DJ monitor set up, which comprised three dV-DOSC positioned at each side of the DJ booth, supplemented on both sides with a dV-SUB and amplified by LA48’s.”

The concept caught on and, with an increasing number of the DJs demanding L-Acoustics sound systems for their shows, it made sense for them to also use L-Acoustics for monitoring, allowing them to have the same sound in the booth as the one the audience hears, with the added bonus of having all the power they want.

“A famous example of this is, of course, Tiësto, who uses it on all his tours, worldwide, with Armin van Buuren also an advocate,” added van der Linden. “Today the dV-DOSC cabinets have been replaced by L-Acoustics KARA, which are complemented by SB18 and LA8 amplifiers, and the monitor set up has become known as the Texas Headphones, as a nod to

its size.

Tiësto became the first DJ to mount a worldwide tour. On 19 May 2007 Tiësto performed the kick-off concert for his new world tour, Elements of Life. “And he demanded L-Acoustics and only L-Acoustics on his riders,” said van der Linden. “In the meantime, the Sensation shows and Armin van Buuren started touring worldwide using ID&T’s L-Acoustics systems. These endorsements meant that L-Acoustics rapidly became the worldwide leader in the EDM market.”

Throughout the early 2000s, L-Acoustics continued to make its mark in the EDM market via the DJs, and StagePro was also growing. In early 2008, in order to continue to invest in large-scale systems, StagePro merged with full service rental company Rent-All. “Ben and I realised that we wouldn’t have the financial potential to fulfil the upcoming demand for L-Acoustics in The Netherlands and Europe with StagePro alone,” remembered van der Linden. “A cooperation with Rent-All was established and we quickly invested in a huge inventory of L-Acoustics equipment.”

As the popularity of EDM grew, so did the size of the events, to the point that, in recent years, the high noise levels generated at some EDM events have elicited complaints, creating a public debate in the Dutch town of Arnhem as to whether they could continue.

“Official measurements were taken at the Qlimax shows at the GelreDome stadium in Arnhem,” said van der Linden. “The noise levels were revealed to be well above the legal limits, particularly in the bass frequencies, due to the configuration of the system. As a result, the Municipality of Arnhem stopped issuing overnight permits for such events.”

Rent-All and specialist company Focus Advanced Facilities worked together to find a solution that could significantly reduce the noise nuisance or, even better, remove it altogether.

“The audio system comprised four large arrays at the stage and four delay arrays in a line abreast, halfway down the stadium. They had to cover large distances and put out a lot of energy,” added Brouwers , now Sound Consultant at Rent-All. “The roof was a big problem because it’s 14

L-ACOUSTICS & EDM

made of 3mm steel plates and resonates at around 50Hz. The exterior noise measurements showed that most of the spill, especially the low frequencies, came from there and behind the stage.

“After considerable research and testing, the results showed that it would be possible to continue with overnight dance events if we redesigned the system. We presented a plan to the Municipality of Arnhem and were given two chances, which would be closely monitored.”

The test results suggested a solution comprising five pairs of L-Acoustics K1 line array cabinets flown equidistantly down the length of the stadium, with SB-28 cardioid pattern subs flown behind each one.

Essentially, instead of flying one large line array at the stage, the sound system was broken down into a set of smaller, distributed line arrays.

“The most important part was removing all the low energy from the roof, so we needed to achieve as little low end frequency behind the speakers as possible,” said Brouwers . “When we hung the line arrays with a cardioid sub array behind it and applied delay and filtering, we achieved between -12 and -18dB to the rear, but with really good coupling at the front.

“The combination of these arrays were flown with a very sharp downward angle, meaning that the back of each array was pointing towards the roof rather than the back of the stadium. This had the twin benefits of reducing the sound projected to the rear of the stadium and that the roof was subject to much less energy, between -12 and -18dB in the 40-60Hz range.

“Positioning more arrays closer to the audience also meant that each one could push out less energy, because the entire audience was always in the nearfield of one of the arrays.”

The two ‘test’ events with the redesigned system permitted by the Municipality of Arnhem passed all the sound pressure tests and so Qlimax and other all-night dance music events at GelreDome Stadium were given permission to continue.

“Nowadays, complaints are down to virtually zero,” explained Brouwers.

“It has also had significant benefits for the show audience, because the sound quality has substantially improved.”

Today, Rent-All alone owns over 1,000 L-Acoustics cabinets and there is excellent availability of L-Acoustics equipment across Europe and worldwide. This has made the brand even more popular in the EDM market, as the producers of such dance festivals need large numbers of cabinets that have sufficient throw and power to deliver a consistent quality across their sometimes vast areas.

With high profile DJs like Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta demanding L-Acoustics for their tours, events such as Belgium’s Tomorrowland and Electric Zoo relying on them, and installations such as Hakkasan Group’s Omnia Nightclub in Ceasars Palace Las Vegas specifying them, it is easy to see why L-Acoustics has and will continue to make its mark in the highly demanding EDM market.

TPi www.l-acoustics.com www.rentall.eu/en

15

EVENT FOCUS

ANDRÉ RIEU

Solid State Logic’s L500 ensures the Dutch violinist’s show is a waltz in the park.

André Rieu, the famed violinist and conductor, has consistently made it into the world’s top 10 grossing tour lists with his Johann Strauss Orchestra and FOH Engineer, Wim Van Der Molen, who has been touring with Rieu for around 24 years. Early in their partnership, Rieu had told Van Der Molen that he considered the FOH Engineer as much as part of the orchestra as the musicians and that the mixing console was to be his instrument - an instrument he recently upgraded to an SSL Live L500.

The console, supplied and supported on tour by Solotech, now mixes up to 128 inputs from stage for both the PA and monitors, from the FOH position. Also touring with the show is Solotech Project Manager and Systems Tech Alexandre Dugas.

The tour’s previous digital console had been in service for 12 years when Van Der Molen decided to look for new blood. It was Solotech that suggested he look at the SSL L500. “I met with Roland Mattijsen of AEM in the Netherlands who introduced us to the SSL team,” he said. “Of course, we know SSL by name and by reputation, and we had long chat and a demo there. Later we visited the SSL HQ in Oxford, UK, with audio tracks from the show, and after that we moved on to running an L500 at some of our shows from an analogue split alongside our existing console. We had to put forward a good argument to the boss for replacing our existing console but the first time I mixed on the SSL I knew it was better; it was amazing.”

“It was great to be able to compare consoles in the same venue and at the same moment,” added Dugas. “What we found immediately was that the SSL was wide and open - it made a huge difference.”

At one show, the pair recall, they had to incorporate a six-man acapella group that sometimes joins Rieu on stage, along with their three Neumann U87 microphones. “We didn’t have time to EQ these microphones before the start of the show,” said Van Der Molen. “So there was barely anything on them - just a touch of high cut and low cut - so we were actually anticipating a problem. When it came to it we were ready to get to work, but it sounded fine. I didn’t believe it! We used to use a graphic EQ and a lot of processing to get that group right - now we use almost nothing.”

“And because of that,” noted Dugas, “We have much more gain before feedback on those microphones than we had before. The difference that the SSL pre-amps make is huge.”

The show travels with 128 preamps via a rack of SSL Stageboxes with SuperAnalogue inputs. The show does not always use all 128 inputs, but it does expand regularly for special events when the addition of a choir, various regular guests, and a larger orchestra bumps up the count. The

console show file is set up and ready for those expansions, so the team doesn’t have to remake anything.

While VCAs are available on the L500, the show does not use them.

Instead it is organised with the unique Stem Group - a special audio group with flexible routing possibilities and the option of full processing.

There are several string section stems, plus piano, keyboards, woodwind, brass, percussion, female choir, and male choir stems. Those, in turn, are routed to a single orchestra stem which is not included in the snapshot automation - a fine tuning resource that allows Van Der Molen to balance the whole orchestra against the singers and soloists. “Sometimes the orchestra can overplay the soloists and this makes it very easy to correct,” he explained The eight monitor mixes for the show are all managed from the FOH console. They are not complex mixes, but as Dugas explained: “For a standard show we have at least 80 microphones on the stage and with a choir that can be more than 100. With all those microphones, a lot of complex monitor mixes would make a big mess!”

The main value of the monitor mixes is as direct feedback for the musicians from their own instruments. They are coping with big rock ‘n’ roll venues without the solid foundation of coherent reflections that a more conventional classical venue or even an orchestra pit often provides.

The front fills are mostly Rieu’s violin, along with the soloists. As Van Der Molen noted: “André is the conductor, so when he is playing the violin, the orchestra must play off that lead.”

This potentially complex show set-up is simplified considerably by the SSL approach of unrestricted, drag-and-drop bank and layer assignment to independent channel tiles, with simply managed colour-coding and the graphic Eyeconix labelling system. The Super-Query forward and reverse interrogation technology (the famous ‘Q’ button) means that any input or output is always just a single button push away.

And as any conductor should be, André Rieu is directly involved with every aspect of the show, including the sound reinforcement. When it came to the final stamp of approval on the SSL, Van Der Molen recalled a playback of Ravel’s Bolero to Rieu after one of the ‘test’ shows. “It’s a piece of music big on dynamics,” he said. “We played it back for Rieu and he was very impressed. All he said was ‘Okay, it’s all yours!’”

Photo: Solid State Logic www.andrerieu.com www.solidstatelogic.com 16

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EVENT FOCUS

PRG XL VIDEO OPEN NEW FACILITY When the London-based PRG XL Video team moved into their new facility it was only right to give the new digs a proper house warming…

PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group (PRG), has moved to a new, larger, London location. However, as anyone who visited its old facility will notice, the new office is just a stone’s throw away from the old base, still very much in the heart of London’s West End. The new facility is very much in line with PRG’s continuing strategy for growth with the new office housing sales and support teams from four major market sectors – concert touring, theatre, television and film, and corporate and events. The location at Covent Garden includes space for PRG XL permanent staff, hot desking space for clients and creatives to visit, and multiple meeting rooms, which are not only used by PRG XL’s own teams, but are utilised by industry organisations for their regular board meetings. PRG XL Video’s Director of Human Resources, Alistair Todd commented: “The space has been designed not only to house our growing team, but also as a hub of creativity for clients and visitors. The aim from the outset was to create a modern, pleasant working environment. The location has lots of natural light, which creates a bright, open space which our team will enjoy working in.”

PRG President and Chief Operating Officer, Stephan Paridaen continued:

“As our UK business continues to grow, we have invested in a larger London location. This has given us the opportunity to locate sales, production, event services, crewing services and support teams all together, promoting an atmosphere of great collaboration and teamwork. On top of that, we also believe that the central location will provide our clients with a vibrant, creative place to visit.”

With all the PRG staff settled into their new home the company opted to open its doors to its clients and members of the press to enjoy a few beers in its new space. The company also used the open house to show case some of its latest products including a new LED mounting system that will be seen on U2’s upcoming tour as well as the new Icon EDGE fixture.

The EDGE is a compact, feature rich, light-weight, fast beam/spot/wash luminaire combines an ultra-bright beam, with sharp gobo projection, a CMY-colour mixing system and variable CTO. For those that need to update their address book, PRG XL Video’s new address is 1st Floor, 77 St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4AA. TPi Photos: TPi www.prg.com 18

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EVENT FOCUS

JOJO’S MAD LOVE TOUR LD Matt Guminski was called in to design American pop singer-songwriter JoJo’s 2017 Mad Love Tour just a week before it launched in February and turned to Elation Professional moving heads and effect fixtures to light the re-emerging popstar’s show.

Touring in support of her Mad Love album which came out in October 2017 - her first album release since the mid ‘00s - JoJo is selling out venues at nearly every stop and looks to be on her way back to top after charting in 2004 as a 13-year old.

His first time working with JoJo, Guminski felt an immediate bond with the artist, who grew up in Boston near where he calls home, and took the short lead time in stride. Guminski acted as lighting designer and operator on tour (he programmed the show on the road) and often handles lighting crew duties as well. To light the artist he used a rig of 12 Elation ACL 360i compact LED beam effects, 6 Elation ZW19 LED moving heads, and 8 Elation Cuepix WW2 white light LED blinders, along with hybrid moving heads.

Having used the Elation ACL 360 Bar LED batten on a tour last autumn, Guminski was intrigued enough to delve further into the Elation ACL series.

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JOJO’S MAD LOVE TOUR

Above: JoJo’s LD, Matt Guminski utilised several Elation fixtures for the singers Mad Love tour.

For the Mad Love tour he chose to use the ACL 360i, a powerful RGBW beam an issue on a trailer tour like this one.” fixture with continuous 360-degree movement. “They are fast, have good Three ZW19 LED beam/wash effects worked from each side of the stage colour mixing and fill the space beautifully,” he said, explaining that he as cross light and shin light and Guminski, who has a background in theatre, used them for accent lighting and eye-candy looks. “I texture the air around loved the big theatrical aesthetics achieved from them. “They’re bright and the band and the artist and use them for cool, really cut through. I have them working with the unique ACL looks. I also use them as a backlight moving head lights to create some dramatic and run pixel map effects across them.” looks.” He added that sometimes, for a special Configured on four risers across the back dramatic effect, he just used the side lighting three on each truss - the fixture’s narrow beam alone. is powerful enough to punch through the other

The Elation lights were supplied for the lighting on the show. “They give a rock vibe in a tour by Christie Lites, based in Seattle. His first pop world and are bright! I’m really happy with time using Christie as a vendor, Guminski found them.” it particularly advantageous that the company “I love to use the Cuepix blinders Besides the ACL 360i fixtures, the four has multiple locations across North America. for pops of tungsten. They are backline risers held a pair of Cuepix blinders Even so, Guminski was keen to point out that compact and lightweight and and are topped with a hybrid moving head. the tour has been out for over a month and Guminski has used Elation’s LED-based Cuepix he still hasn’t needed to touch a spare fixture you don’t need to carry dimming, blinders before and praised their strong yet. “The Elation gear is handling well. I will which is great when size and dimming curve and colour shift. “I love to use definitely be using them again,” he concluded. them for pops of tungsten,” he said, adding that weight is an issue on a trailer tour TPi he also pixel maps them. “They are compact Photos: David Conger like this one.” and lightweight and you don’t need to carry www.iamjojoofficial.com LD, Matt Guminski dimming, which is great when size and weight is www.elationlighting.com 22

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EVENT FOCUS

BLUMAN ASSOCIATES ENGAGES AUDIENCE WITH NEW SCULPTURAL VISUAL DESIGN AT THIS YEAR’S EE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS February saw London’s Royal Albert Hall become host to yet another iconic event, the EE British Academy Film Awards. West Design & Production collaborated with Bluman Associates and TSL Rigging to provide international talent, guests and the television audience with a cutting edge, visual spectacular on the red carpet.

The new production design included 62 low-resolution LED screens of different shapes and sizes, accurately rigged in a three-dimensional space. The large memorial situated in the main entrance influenced the design, which resulted in a more geometric, eye-catching visual experience. This allowed for the use of a more tangible screen surface, as opposed to the scenic LED panels that had been used in the past.

Due to the sculptural aspect of the design, the content needed to be created so it could be viewed and enjoyed from all angles. However, the best seat in the house was saved for audience at home, with the main camera shot focusing all attention on the best of British talent, as they made their way across the red carpet and up famous stairs of the Royal Albert Hall.

Incorporating VR into the mix, Bluman Associates was able to

previsualise the design using d3 Technologies software and, with the use of VR goggles, allowed clients EE and BAFTA to get a tangible and realistic sense of the experience before sign off.

“The d3 system was integral to our planning and approval process. It’s a system that facilitates the creative workflow we require and has unique features that allowed us to map the content across all 62 screens in 3D, this would be difficult to achieve with other motion graphics tools,” stated Pod Bluman from Bluman Associates. “Our focus was to create a fully integrated 3D workflow from start to finish, which we achieved. Working with West Design and Production is always a pleasure as they are a very creative team, open to innovation and trying new ideas.”

TPi www.blumanassociates.com 24

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30/03/2017 16:01

EVENT FOCUS

Adlib’s open day displayed the vast array of services it provides including audio, lighting, video and rigging equipment ; Managing Director Andy Dockerty.

ADLIB’S OPEN DAY Once again, the Liverpool-based rental house and manufacturer opened its doors for a two-day event showcasing some of the latest products on offer.

On a blustery March afternoon, TPi, along with a selection of engineers and technicians, made the trip to Liverpool to spend the day with Adlib, which once again opened its doors for an informal gathering to display all the latest audio, lighting, video and rigging equipment available to buy or hire. The day presented a chance for visitors to speak to Adlib’s experienced staff members with any queries as well as to discuss any upcoming projects.

Speaking of the importance of the open days was Adlib’s Managing Director, Andy Dockerty: “We have been hosting these events on and off for the last 15 years, but since 2015 we have been running the open day as an annual event with a similar one taking place in our Glasgow office,” he began.

“In the early days we were just trying to get people through the door to explain what we do as a company but nowadays these open days give us a chance to showcase new elements we have on offer.” One of these recent developments shown over the two-day event was a 3D mapping demo, a new feather in the cap of Adlib’s offerings. “On both days, after seeing the demo, many people came up to me expressing their surprise that we provided such a service, which goes to show how valuable the event is.

For the business, the nucleus of Adlib always has been audio but there has been rapid growth in both our lighting and video departments over the years.”

As well as showcasing the various products that fill Adlib’s warehouse, the company also invited several manufacturers to speak about some

of their recent developments. The audio exhibitors in the room included L-Acoustics, Coda Audio, DiGiCo, Soundcraft, DPA Microphones, Sony, Sennheiser, Shure, Canford Audio and Audio-Technica, whilst lighting and visuals were covered by Martin by Harman, Chauvet Professional, Robe, Ayrton, Avolites, Claypaky, MA Lighting and Panasonic. The rigging aspect of production was represented by Prolyte Group and Area 4 Industries.

“Having several representatives from the manufacturers there on the day was incredibly helpful both in answering technical questions about new products and showing visitors the strong relationship we have with them. We are all very thankful to all those who made the trip for both days.”

Dockerty gave his final thoughts: “I think it went incredibly well with vistiors coming from all over the UK. Many of those attending were unaware of just how many services we provide and left suitably impressed. It was also great to have numerous students come along to get some hands on time with the latest pieces of tech in the industry and maintaing Adlib’s commitment towards education. Many educational organisations from primary and senior schools, to Edge Hill University and LIPA to name but a few who attended the open day. All expressed how much they benefitted from seeing the latest technologies as well as being able to talk to the professional touring technicians and manufacturers who where on hand to answer any questions.”

TPi Photos: Steve Sroka www.adlib.co.uk 26

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29/03/2017 08:35

EVENT FOCUS

The CATO Music and Allen & Heath crew at FOH in Latitude 30.

ALLEN & HEATH SUPPORTS BEST OF BRITISH AT SXSW Allen & Heath digital mixers were once again at the forefront of this year’s South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Mixers from across the Allen & Heath dLive, GLD and Qu ranges were employed in many participating venues across the city of Austin, Texas during the six-day event, most notably for the renowned British Music Embassy showcase.

Hosted at the Latitude 30 club, British production company, CATO Music, installed three dLive systems to manage FOH, monitors and broadcast duties for up to 12 bands per day.

With a new band appearing approximately every 40 minutes, a quick setup and easy navigation for each visiting band engineer was the key system requirement. Secondly, the system needed to provide a multi-track recording feed for the BBC, which planned to broadcast much of the British Music Embassy programming.

A dLive S5000 Surface with DM32 MixRack was installed for FOH, digitally split via GigaAce to a DM64 with S3000 for monitors. Also, a new C Class system, comprising the C1500 rackmount surface and CDM32 MixRack, was employed for system control, continuity, VT, DJ, announcements and the recording and broadcast feed for the BBC via Dante.

Simon Buckley from Cato Music, commented: “The setup we provided meant it only took a few minutes for an engineer to get comfortable with dLive. Everyone was really happy with the intuitive workflow and exceptional FX and processing options. Combined with the rich audio quality, I knew we were in for a smooth run!”

TPi www.allen-heath.com 28

PRODUCTION PROFILE

TPi AWARDS 2017 Once again, TPi took up residency at Battersea Evolution, rolling into town to celebrate and champion the live events industry. With the awards done and dusted for another year, we now turn the spotlight away from the stage, towards the hard-working men and women who made the event possible‌

TPi AWARDS 2017

Opening Page: Stage set for the 2017 TPi Awards. Below: Due to this year’s Daytime TPi event, the crew loaded in a day early to fulfil the needs of this ambitions production.

We are incredibly privileged here at TPi; not only do we get to witness some of the biggest and best productions in the world, but each month we also get to spend our time with the touring families that call the road home. Once a year, in an attempt to pay homage to this hospitality and talent, TPi flips the roles. We get to try on the hat of an event organiser with our annual shindig, the TPi Awards. The event broke attendance records once again with a fittingly ambitious production. Before we donned our glad rags - and Russell Kane launched into his comedic stylings on stage - we spoke to the crewmembers who made the night award-worthy.

that broke out into the different audience areas. We also wanted to make more of our camera production this year, both on the night and postevent.”

Facing the watchful gaze of the live events community, who would be in attendance, Esson wasted no time in forming a dedicated GoTo Live team to help deliver the event. “I’m lucky to be surrounded by some incredibly talented people from GoTo Live and I’m fortunate that I could bring these people in to deliver the job,” he said.

At the PM’s side was his right hand man, Daniel Jones. “Daniel works across almost every show I do, including Snowbombing and Festival N°6,” stated Esson. “We have a great understanding and really balance each other out. He led supplier liaison and health and safety planning duties along with running the back of house operations on site.”

This year Esson also introduced - for the first time at the awards - a fully-fledged stage management team led by Jessica Webb and assisted by Devon Bennett, Evelyn Clarke, Kirsty Harris and Indie Linzey. “These guys pulled together guest and host management backstage. They were also responsible for tying together the technical operation backstage with the on stage activity. Their efforts make the whole show run much smoother,” complimented Esson.

As well as a dedicated team, Esson stated that the key to success lay in a strong client rapport. He elaborated: “I really love my relationship with Mondiale. I feel part of the team now that we’re all totally aligned on how to continue producing the event to the standard that we do.”

Despite garnering experience last year, the GoTo Live team had a fresh

THE PRODUCTION FAMILY Due to the increasing demands of the ceremony and the addition of Daytime TPi to the event running order, the build for the show began a day earlier than usual at Battersea Evolution. As the trucks rolled in first thing Sunday morning, TPi grabbed a word with GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson, who took up the production mantel for the second year in a row. Over our 10th cup of coffee from their personal Nespresso machine (taking liberties with the pods) we talked about the goal for this year’s event.

“Having got last year’s awards under my belt, this time around I was keen to introduce some new elements into the mix,” began Esson. “I had several objectives from the outset. One of my aims was to improve the stage access solution to make our guests feel calmer and more prepared prior to taking the stage during the presentations. I was also keen to have a more energetic opening VT and introduce further production elements 32

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30/03/2017 12:14

TPi AWARDS 2017

Lighting this year was supplied by Robe with Transition Video providing camera equipment.

challenge with TPi Awards 2017 - Daytime TPi - an afternoon event that gave attendees the opportunity to meet before-dark and enjoy several panels that tackled current issues facing the industry. Esson described how he prepped himself to deliver two events in one day: “It created an interesting timing and logistical challenge. I essentially treated both factions as one event in terms of supply, resourcing and labour in order to plan the build and turnaround aspects. Then it was a case of looking at each event for its own merit and creating a separate feel and experience accordingly, which I believe we achieved. Having the extra build day was essential. It meant that we could be bolder and push the envelope on the shows, not to mention, be better prepared and rehearsed coming into the show.”

would zig-zag across the room adding an architectural look and context that pulled the 1,450 guests into the action with the lighting.

While deploying some tried-and-tested fixtures from its lighting arsenal, Robe used the opportunity to launch a brand new lighting fixture; the pixelPATT [Gear Heads, pg.96]. Featuring seven 30W RGBW LED multichips, housed in a super-slim and lightweight brushed metal frame, it extends Robe’s PATT range of elegant retro lightsources. The pixels are all individually controllable, providing a great potential for mapping effects.

The workhorses on the rig were the Robe Spiider LED wash beams - 54 in total - that were launched late last year. Dotted all over the trusses, during the dinner they added to the pleasant tungsten look, and when the Awards started, they swept across the cavernous room with big bold colour looks. Alongside the Spiiders were Robe Spikies, and other favourites like, Pointes, ColorStrobe and DL7 Profiles.

Robe utilised another new piece of technology; the Halo pixel ring - of which there were 42 in total, fitted onto the front of Robe’s PARFect 100’s, 12 on the front truss pointed into the audience, complemented by the other 28 hung on the two rungs of the central V truss. The Halo rings were run via inbuilt macros, created by Robe, giving a mellow, rippling, kinetic effect and greatly adding to the dining atmosphere.

Robe’s CEO, Josef Valchar, commented on the company’s involvement with the awards: “We were delighted to support another amazing TPi Awards and catch up with so many friends and colleagues. The event continues to grow and we are very proud to be part of honouring the companies, individuals and innovators who have so much passion, commitment and imagination that are driving our industry forward.”

Another key player within the lights world who also played a vital role at this year’s TPi Awards was headline sponsor, Philips Lighting. Once again the company organised its #CreateLight challenge giving the creatives in

LIGHTING Ensuring that the evening was lit to perfection was Lighting Designer Nathan Wan. The LD deployed almost 300 Robe lighting fixtures throughout the rig. Control came courtesy of an Avolites Arena console, and a Tiger Touch II was used for all the key and camera lighting. “When approaching design for an event like the TPi Awards you have to keep in mind that guests need to be able to see their food - and each other - while ensuring it’s intimate and cosy,” explained Wan, outlining the inception of his original design. “Striking that balance is a lot more complex than it sounds!”

Aiding Wan was assistant LD Kieran Hancox and Lighting Director, Andy Webb. Wan and Webb frequently collaborate on shows, amalgamating their experience and imagination from the worlds of theatre and rock ‘n’ roll respectively. During the build of the show the lighting team worked closely on site with Evolution’s house lighting suppliers, Hawthorn, and its project managers Tom Ring and Paul Bird who were “fantastic,” according to Wan. The keystone of the lighting design was the screen and set, created by FIX8Group. A large V-shaped truss was at the centre of Wan’s idea, which 34

TPi AWARDS 2017

the room a chance to express themselves with glow sticks provided at each table. The Philips team also hosted one of the two VIP areas on the raised mezzanine floor with the other being taken up by Robe.

General Manager for Philips Entertainment Lighting, Colin Kavanagh, commented on the company’s involvement with the awards: “As our business is at the forefront of entertainment technology, it is fitting that we partner with the one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies and networking events for the live production industry. The Awards celebrates the achievements of talented individuals, creative teams and service companies in the entertainment business and gives us further insights into what drives them so that we can continue to respond with focussed, meaningful and innovative technology.”

VIDEO Tasked with producing a set and graphic presentation was FIX8Group, which designed the deconstructed LED screen and created the fastpaced, attention-grabbing graphic content that mapped to the unusual shape. This was augmented by a bespoke design and FIX8Group-built LED installation, that radiated out from the screens into the audience, and complemented by an impressive LED helix-shaped light sculpture.

FIX8Group’s Production Director, John Montague, discussed the initial brief that was sent through to the team: “The event was established to celebrate and reward the talented individuals, teams and companies within the entertainment technology industry. The goal for us was to reflect that in the overall design of the set, the content that was played through the screens and the LED lighting installation surrounding it.”

FIX8Group’s Project Director, Paul Williams, worked alongside Technical Director Nick Charalampidis and Project Technician Lewis Wilkins to deliver the bespoke video-mappable LED installation. It required over 200m of LED tape and demanded some considerable

Robe’s brand new lighting fixture, the pixelPATT.

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35

TPi AWARDS 2017

This year broke attendance records for the Awards with 1,450 of the industry’s finest all gathering under one roof.

electronic knowhow.

FIX8Group’s Animator, Henry Crawfurd, created the video and graphic content, including the crowd-taming, high impact opening and closing animations. Working from icons and logos FIX8Group had developed and supplied in 2016, Crawfurd designed a new background and mesmerising dynamic effects to tie in with the 2017 aesthetic.

3D and Environment Designer, Filipe Martins, established a new look for the LED screens, supplied by Euro Screens, which were embellished with jagged edges as though they had been ripped apart. For the negative space between the two screens, Martins created a striking, free standing, metal built helix-shaped light sculpture, itself decked with 20m of programmable high-resolution LED pixel tape.

“All content shown on the LED display screens was programmed to seamlessly run across the LED tape that radiated out and across the helix style sculpture, ensuring tape and screen were treated as a single visual canvas.” explained Montague, who added, “We designed and provided the system management service for the event with lighting operator Jamie Baker running the show from two Green Hippo Boreal media servers, controlled from a MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console. FIX8’s Charles Wright was also there to provide support as server technician.”

Screen solutions for the show fell once again to Euro Screens. For this year’s event the company provided all the LEDs for the surfaces that dressed the stage, along with seven crew members to build them. The company took the three video feeds from FIX8’s servers to map the screens.

Telling the story was Euro Screens’ General Manager, Ben Hyman: “This year we opted to use the same product we had deployed in 2016, the Absen A3, 3.9mm. Its weight is low at just 9kg per module, and its brightness is suitable for this style of show. We can’t go too bright as it would have affected the cameras. It’s quick and easy to rig, and to achieve the Fix8 design. It’s nice to build screens that aren’t just 16:9 blocks, and start being

creative. It makes such a massive difference in the way that lighting and set integrates. For this event, it’s important that designs change each year, but it doesn’t need to be made overcomplicated just for the sake of it.”

Hyman went on to state how the extra build day really helped the Euro Screens team: “The rig day was a real blessing. Certainly for all the crew involved it meant the day wasn’t quite such a long shift. Sometimes it’s good having the pressure of a short load in time and the crew really gets into it, but you’re limiting your contingency time should it be required. This year we had plenty of time to fine-tune everything so that we could deliver a seamless service.”

Hyman concluded: “I felt the event went really well this year. It was a pleasure working with FIX8, VME, Hawthorn and Ryan and his team to deliver the project. There’s now a really nice working model, as many of the suppliers have worked together for the last couple of years. We all know it’s the ‘poison chalice’, due to the caliber of knowledgable people in the audience, but for another year running all of us have delivered a good show that seems to have been well-received by everyone in the room.”

CAMERAS Another returning supplier to this year’s roster was Transition Video. CEO Rhodri Shaw recalled how the company got involved: “We were approached

by Ryan for the second year running to deal with all the camera aspects, video equipment and video crew. Ryan wanted something different from the normal awards ceremony, which is why we introduced remote controlled Hot Head Cameras, the Autopod elevation unit along with the 8m Polecam. Using the Polecam allowed us to boom over the crowd to get an areal shot of the dining area. The show ran smoothly from a camera perspective. With so many cameras to chose from at different angles, along with the Polecam, we were spoiled for choice.”

Transition Video has recently invested in HD camera systems and 36

TPi AWARDS 2017

Portable Production Units (PPUs) and were keen to roll out both new additions in this year’s awards. In total, the company supplied three Ikegami HDK 79EX III Broadcast HD camera channels along with four Panasonic AW-UE70 4K Robo Cams. Transition also had support from Polecam, which supplied an 8m Polecam and operator, using a miniature Toshiba HD camera. The company also utilised Polecam’s ‘Autopod’ elevation unit. This allowed the crew to elevate a camera behind Russell Kane, getting an over-the-shoulder shot. The camera could then be hidden when it wasn’t in use.

Summing up the company’s involvement with this year’s event Shaw commented: “It was great to be asked back to supply the camera package, equipment and crew again this year, and to see so many familiar faces. A big congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to working with you all again in the near future.”

THE BAR Now onto the juicy stuff. One element of utmost importance at the TPi Awards is the bar. Alongside the well-stocked selection of alcohol this year, production added an additional element - a 3D elevated structure with 3D mapped graphics and photos from the awards.

Esson commissioned 3D Set Company to provide elevated structure. Speaking of the company’s involvement was project manager, Matt Kirwan: “Once we designed the show and it was approved by Ryan we passed it onto our content team to discuss mapping shades to give the best coverage. We then passed it on to the manufacturer who used fire retardant MDF. It was a testing moment to find the right balance of protruding boxes versus minimal shadow lines without any testing, but the looks we got from it were amazing.”

For the event, ArKaos provided a Studio server to produce the 3D mapping utilising four 20K Panasonic PTDZ 21K projectors, as well as the three crew who put it together. Driving the 3D mapping was an MA

Russell Kane once again provided the entertainment for the evening.

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TPi AWARDS 2017

Once the official awards came to an end all guests headed to the bar area, which featured an ArKaos 3D projection mapped centre piece.

Lighting grandMA. Throughout the night more that 30 different layers were displayed on the 3D surface, as well as images of guests, making this a truly immersive element.

After the event came to an end, Cleator delivered his verdict on the company’s performance: “Despite running levels at 94dB, beneath show volume, I thought the sound was excellent,” said Cleator. PM Esson, went further, claiming: “The Martin MLA Compact system performed perfectly for the show delivering a punch and an amazing clarity. We were sat nudging things in our cue list by 1dB and hearing a difference - like being in a studio.”

VME followed the same successful FOH model as last year when, due to the extended width of the rigging points, the crew introduced a mid-stage cluster of two MLA Compact enclosures to provide the centre imaging, flanked out wide by two hangs of six MLA Compact. LF extension was provided by four MLX subs each side, in a time-aligned cardioid pattern (with one rear facing).

Midway back, in the banqueting area, were three delay points, each consisting of four MLA Mini and an MLX subwoofer.

Four of Martin Audio’s increasingly popular DD6 Differential Dispersion speakers were deployed for front fill and DD12’s wide of the subs, for outer, off-axis coverage. “I was surprised by the low-end capability of the DD6’s,” admitted Cleator. “They provided excellent coverage for the first few tables.” Two were set horizontally on stage, with one each atop the subwoofers, stage left and right.

Cleator reserved the best comment for MLA’s prediction software, Display, commending the new v2.2 release: “This is a massive improvement over its predecessor especially in terms of the calculation time required to set angles and optimisations. It’s certainly a lot quicker, and I can now make changes and squirt out new optimisations so much faster than before, which makes this tool a lot more user friendly. Also the coverage is a lot smoother with the new algorithms.”

DRAPING As well as sponsoring the event for consecutive years, ShowTex installed a 50m wide and 6m high dividing curtain in the middle of the venue. By combining black Molton and white Voile CS, Daytime TPi could kick off with a bang while the preparations for the Awards continued behind the multilayered fabric wall. Thanks to these flame retardant curtains, everything got ready right on time for the big night.

Overall, ShowTex supplied over 200m of black masking drapes to highlight the impressive stage design and to create a flexible separation wall between the gala dinner and the after party. Additionally, ShowTex installed two VIP rooms with the renowned EasyDrape pipe and drape system, resulting in a high-end lounge area where Philips Lighting and Robe guest could mingle in style.

AUDIO VME handled all sound reinforcement. VME fielded its Martin Audio MLA Compact system; the 20 new enclosures, along with 10 Martin Audio DSX (dual 18-inch) subs, are designed to open up further channels for the company.

Under the leadership of Mark Cleator, who doubled as system technician with Gareth Thomas, VME effortlessly dealt with a range of compromises from the challenging rigging restrictions to the sound thresholds due to the proximity of the Children’s Zoo in Battersea Park.

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TPi AWARDS 2017

With the TPi Awards over for another year, you will have to wait and see what we have in store for 2018…

The house sound was mixed by VME’s Steve Brierley on a Yamaha CL1, largely taking vocal feeds from presenter Russell Kane, and stings from the latest QLab 4 - all transported on a Dante infrastructure.

VME worked closely with Hawthorn, which handled the rigging for the show. After the Awards, the action moved to the bar where a further Martin Audio system was deployed. This time, the DJ had the advantage of playing out through the company’s new CDD-LIVE 12 (one in each of the four corners), accompanied by CSX118 subs.

Looking after the system for VME in this location was Oliver Fallon, the Lead System Technician, who was accompanied by Callum Bailey.

ANOTHER YEAR DONE… With another TPi Awards over, Esson gave his final thoughts on the night: “I feel that the event was again a great success. The buzz around the Awards from guests and friends in the room was really positive and I feel that we produced something slick and enjoyable. We never want to rest on our laurels so, of course, there are improvements and changes that we want to discuss and implement for 2018, but that’s the only way this event continues to grow year on year.

“My goal would be to introduce a brand new element that we’ve never done before and continue to look at integration of new technology and innovation in the event. I’d also like to see Daytime TPi grow on the foundations laid this year.”

TPi www.tpiawards.com www.vme-uk.com www.euroscreens.co.uk www.robe.cz www.hawthorn.biz www.fix8group.com www.showtex.com www.transitionvideo.com www.arkaos.net www.lighting.philips.co.uk www.3dsetco.com www.kbevent.com www.vansforbands.co.uk

LOGISTICS Aiding the production with its logistical needs was KB Events, which provided two 45ft artic trucks. KB’s Helen Himmons talked about the company’s involvement with the show: “As always, it’s a compliment to be asked to be a supplier for such an important industry event. Some of the suppliers are clients of ours so we are familiar with how they work, which always makes it easier, and the production team were well organised, which makes a huge difference.”

Also aiding on the logistical front was Vans For Bands (VFB), which provided two of its VIP splitter vehicles to ferry guests from some of the local hotels to Battersea Evolution in the evening.

“VFB was delighted to provide two of our VIP Luxury splitter vans for the TPI Awards again this year,” said owner, Tarrant Anderson.

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TPi AWARDS 2017

NEXT ROBE GENERATION As well as providing a platform to acknowledge the most talented people and companies within the live events sector, this year’s TPi Awards also gave an opportunity for the crew members of the future to get hands-on experience, courtesy of the Next Robe Generation (NRG). The NRG is a new initiative launched by Robe UK, offering future lighting professionals the chance to meet other like-minded individuals and access a whole range of interactive social networking and educational opportunities. For the TPi Awards, NRG selected three student ambassadors to help out in various sections of the production.

TPi caught up with them to ask how they found the experience...

KIERAN HANCOX Third year student at Guildford School of Acting on the Professional Production Skills Course

During the Awards, Hancox acted as Assistant LD working alongside LD Nathan Wan. For Hancox, this was the first time he’s had a chance to work on a large-scale project like this. “It was an awesome opportunity and a completely invaluable experience,” he enthused. “I was charged with operating the main console which controlled all moving lights on the main floor, engaging the time coded intro possibly being the most important responsibility of mine.” Prior to the event Hancox had to learn how to programme and operate an Avolites console and spent a couple of days with Aziz Adilkhodjaev at Avolites learning the tricks of the trade.

“One of the main things I will take away from this experience is having the opportunity to light such a prestigious event. I now have something that I helped create to show to industry professionals,” stated Hancox, adding, “It was also a chance to get hands-on experience with some of the newest pieces of kit currently out on the market. It’s something most aspiring LD’s could only dream of doing.”

Davies was selected to operate during Daytime TPi, and was also part of the lighting crew working with Tom Ring and Hawthorn to aid in the hanging of all the fixtures.

Davis commented on the experience: “Having factory-fresh fixtures from Robe was fantastic as it sped the whole process up a lot. The guys from Hawthorn were also really helpful, and allowed the other students and myself to take the lead on the job to gain experience. Once in the air, I assisted David Howard with the design of the bar area and Amy Kerr with the VIP area. Monday morning, I arrived at the venue early and was able to use the main rig to do a small amount of programming for the daytime session’s looks.”

Davies gave his final thoughts on being involved with the event: “At most shows, very few people are looking at the lighting but at TPi everyone is looking! Being able to say that I worked on such a prestigious event (and the biggest in my career to date) is amazing. It was also a pleasure to work alongside the team from Robe UK who provide so much support and guidance.”

DAVID HOWARD Third year student at University of South Wales

ADAM DAVIES Third year student at University of South Wales, studying BSc in Lighting Design and Technology.

Howard was selected by Wan to programme and operate the bar at the main bar area. The young lighting student got in early on the Sunday to help the Hawthorn crew hang lights and cabling bars to provide plot in the main event floor, then ensuring the correct fixtures were rigged in the bar and reception area. Howard stated: “Andy Webb and I patched the console for this bar space and programming looks. On show day, some tweaking to the previous day’s programming ensured an interesting yet comfortable atmosphere was achieved in the reception area, fitting the aesthetic of this year’s TPi Awards.”

Howard went on to express that providing lighting for an audience of industry professionals was a rather daunting task but an incredibly rewarding one, concluding: “It was fantastic working with the other students as well as Nathan and Andy and the Hawthorn Crew; especially Tom Ring and Paul Bird who project managed and oversaw the lighting. The process has made me more confident in designing for high profile events. It’s funny, even at an industry event, I was mistaken for a DJ on more than one occasion while operating the lighting, which was unexpected!”

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TPi AWARDS 2017

SPONSORS FIX8Group Video content

Philips Entertainment Headline Sponsor / VIP Bar / #CreateLight glowstick competition

GoTo Live Production

Robe Lighting/ Favourite Lighting Rental Company / VIP Bar

Hawthorn Rigging/power

Production Park Refer to Perry Scenic, Brilliant Stages + LS-Live

KB Event Trucking

InfoComm International WIFI

ShowTex Drapes

ArKaos Bar Sponsor

Transition Video Cameras

Medialease Table Plan

VME Audio

Rock-it Cargo Chocolates

DNG Production & Event Crew Production

Bubble & Squeak Photobooth

GLD Productions Furniture

GLS Lighting Water

Vans For Bands Shuttle Buses

3D Set Co Set / Stage

Sunbaba Branding

Euro Screens Video Screens

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THE CHAINSMOKERS There’s no denying the surge in popularity that EDM continues to have across all platforms: TV, radio, festivals and DJ events are all at one with the new take on electro. What allows American DJ / Producer duo Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, AKA The Chainsmokers, to stand out is their ability to tour like a pop act, and pack a punch like a gritty dance demon. With a sell-out European tour under their belts, TPi met the crew at London’s Roundhouse to discuss producing a tour of technical excellence in smaller venues as demand to see the band reaches new heights.

PRODUCTION PROFILE

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THE CHAINSMOKERS

Production and Tour Manager Clancy Silver has seen The Chainsmokers than it ever has. develop dramatically over the past two years. Formed by Alex Pall in “It’s been great to see them gain recognition because they’ve worked 2012, the act in its present line up is gaining serious momentum. The pair really hard to get to where they are. When I first started touring with the have released singles including Don’t Let Me Down - a Billboard top 5 guys we were playing 800 capacity rooms in the UK. Now we’re selling out and Closer featuring Hasley reached the Number One slot in both the UK venues like The Roundhouse, which has a 3,000 capacity, but we’ve sold out and US pop chart. Most recently their collaborative single with Coldplay three nights in London. I mean, 9,000 people is an arena of fans - and it’s Something Just Like This, their third consecutive No. 1, saw the duo reach not slowing down! This is our last night in Europe, but tomorrow we leave a whole new audience. for Mexico. They’re honestly so busy, we basically don’t have a day off until The demand for their live shows was somewhat unpredicted, as when June.” this tour - entitled Memories… Do Not Open - was booked, the venues 2017 TPi Award Nominee, Production Manager Sam Newson, picked up suited the campaign. However, with an army of fans growing across the the story: “When the tour was first booked six months ago, nobody knew the UK and Europe, it meant multiple dates in the band was going to grow like they have - I suppose same city and an A-B rig was the only way to it’s a good problem to have! They initially put one move forward. Silver commented: “I’m usually show on sale in London and have now sold out the band’s production manager, as well as three. In their Paris and Amsterdam shows, they their tour manager, but it became very clear were playing to 7-9,000 people a night.” during the build up to these shows that it would be impossible to do both. They have PRODUCTION a lot of commitments and a hectic schedule, “It’s been great to see them gain For the production team, this meant redesigning so I couldn’t be in two places at once. For this some of the original show and ensuring it would recognition because they’ve run I brought in Sam Newson from The Events work in every venue it loaded in to. Newson Company to handle the daily running of the said: “We’ve run an A-B rig across a 3.5 week run worked really hard to get to technical show. The main priority was to put of Europe. By the time it was finalised, we were where they are...” together a serious rig that works in each venue, able to have two rigs on the road, prepped and Clancy Silver, Tour Manager and we’ve achieved that. Their show looks better crewed.

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THE CHAINSMOKERS

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THE CHAINSMOKERS

Tour Manager, Clancy Silver; Production Manager Sam Newson from The Events Company UK; Special Effects Technician, Danny Brelsford.

Britannia Row Productions’ Dave Compton; Lighting Designer, Aaron Kovelman; VJ Kevin Longwell.

“One of the main reasons for bringing me on board was to allow me personally worked with BPM for the past 10 years, for special effects I don’t to be at every single show. Whereas the crew are on tour buses, I’ve been really use anyone else, but for special effects in dance music, no one does flying from venue to venue to get the show set up in time. It’s been a full-on it better. For audio, Britannia Row are very knowledgeable in what they do schedule but I’m very happy with how it’s turned out.” and we carried a faultless backline from them across Europe.”

As previously mentioned, The Chainsmokers are very pop music orientated, and this had to be reflected in their live show. Newson LIGHTING AND VIDEO brought in suppliers he knew would deliver what was necessary in a tight Lighting Designer Aaron Kovelman specified the VER rig, which has a timeframe. Video and lighting was provided centre stage set up of a 9 x 9 grid featuring a cool

by VER, sound rental was primarily TPi Awards 81 Aryton Magicdots. “The Magicdots have a winners Britannia Row Productions, apart from narrow beam, which is better than any other LED in Scotland where Adlib took the reigns. BPM washlight that I’ve seen or used. I’ve been very SFX, which also recently collected a TPi Award, impressed with their infinite pan and tilt rotation; provided special effects, Nocturnal Touring it’s great for dance music because it moves so provided travel management and routing, fast!” and transport was via Fly By Nite trucking and Flanking the grid were three rows of truss Jumbocruiser tour buses. that interlaced the Robe Pointes, of which there Newson expanded: “I’ve worked with VER are 25, and 18 Martin by Harman MAC Viper for many years but one of the main reasons we Profiles. The fixture package is completed by 12 chose them for this tour was for their Ayrton Martin by Harman Atomic 3000’s and 12 generic Magicdots, which feature heavily in the show. I 4-Lite Cell Blinders.

“When the tour was first booked know their kit and their crew - neither have ever Continued Kovelman: “I was very excited let me down. to come into this rig because I haven’t worked six months ago, we didn’t know Continued Newson: “It’s the same story with the Magicdots before. Using them in a grid the band was going to grow like with most of our suppliers; Mattie Evans from allowed me to create a lot of different looks Nocturnal Touring, who has been invaluable including video effects - so my main focus was to they have - I suppose it’s a good to the tour, has a great relationship with expose them as much as I could.” problem to have!”

Jumbocruiser, and Fly By Nite were fantastic Kovelman expressed his joy at also being Sam Newson, Production Manager getting our trucks on the road efficiently. I’ve able to accurately light an EDM act. “I think in 50

THE CHAINSMOKERS

dance music, the artist often gets lost because a lot of the time there’s often just a DJ behind a booth, and they’re often hidden from view, but in this instance I was really able to light the artist playfully; they run around a lot, they’re very active on stage and I get to choose where I place my fixtures accordingly, benefiting both the look of the show and how the fans get to see them.”

For control, Kovelman is using an MA Lighting grandMA2, which he described as his “go to” desk. “It’s the only way to fly - the raw power of it means it can handle anything I throw at it. I wouldn’t use anything else.”

The video screen is made up of 75 Galaxia WinVision nine LED panels.

Newson furthered: “We looked at various video solutions to fit what the band wanted, rather than what’s possibly become a ‘typical’ EDM look. We removed the DJ booth screen and replaced that area with Magicdots. They wanted the video screens to be broken up but to still have impact, which is why we chose WinVision 9mm. It’s a very stable product and we’ve never had an issue with it.” VER also provided a camera package including DJ booth cameras, which showed live feeds in between the visual content.

Curating the tour’s video aspects is VJ Kevin Longwell, who works with various visual content creators, to develop the flow and feel of the visuals alongside Kovelman. Longwell joined The Chainsmokers camp last year

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THE CHAINSMOKERS

following a two week trial to see if video would suit the show. “It worked out well and I became full time. It’s been very interesting working with the energy of an EDM act, turning them into a pop act and finding the balance between what all of that entails in their live image. I really enjoy seeing people watching them for the first time, as it’s rarely what they‘re expecting - it’s a very high energy show with big pop moments and yet it draws you in to the underbelly of the dubstep world.”

SPECIAL EFFECTS BPM’s Danny Brelsford was touring the special effects rig which comprised 8 Co2 jets, 6 G-Flames, 4 Stadium Shots, 14 Hits of Pyro across 8 boards, a Pyro Waterfall, a hit of Falling Stars and a hit of Airbursts. Brelsford used a Galaxis Wireless Firing System to trigger most of the effects. The confetti blowers and G-Flames run off DMX, triggered through an Avolites Tiger Touch console and the Co2 is wired into a switch firing pack.

He commented: “For this final UK show, we’ve brought in Airbursts and confetti blowers to give

the performance that extra impact. It’s been a really cool show to work on; it’s similar to other EDM shows, but it has a lot of extra wow factor, and I think the team has got a really good looking tour together, that isn’t quite the norm.”

“When the K2 came out, it was a perfect fit for this venue; we knew we’d found a system that could accommodate all kinds of gigs from EDM to rock ‘n’ roll to corporate...”

Dave Compton, Britannia Row 52

AUDIO Providing sound reinforcement, crew, backline and control packages, Britannia Row is also the in-house supplier to The Roundhouse and made use of its L-Acoustics K1/ K2 install.

The Roundhouse rig comprises boxes of K1, K2, KS28 subs, ARC II’s and KARAs. The Chainsmokers also used 6 L-Acoustics KARAs and 4 L-Acoustics SB18’s for DJ monitors and 4 d&b audiotechnik M2 stage wedges.

TPi spoke to Dave Compton, Business Development at Brit Row, to find out more about The Roundhouse set up, which he also looks after. “In this venue we have an SSL L500 at FOH and a Yamaha PM5D in the monitor position, which are being used by some of our in-house engineers at this venue. They’re utilising four ways of Shure PSM1000.

IEMs and four handheld Shure UR2

THE CHAINSMOKERS

microphones with Beta 58A capsules. These items have been supplied for the full tour.”

Compton has worked with Production Manager Sam Newson “many times” over the years, including at Creamfields festival. He continued: “Sam comes to us because he likes touring with a good L-Acoustics system, and The Roundhouse simply fits into that if a band plays here.

“When the K2 came out, it was a perfect fit for this venue; we knew we’d found a system that could accommodate all kinds of gigs from EDM to rock ‘n’ roll to corporate. It’s been working fantastically well and it’s very modular so it’s easy to configure if you choose to put a show in the round.”

For the European shows, FOH / System Engineer Craig Ross mixed the show on a Brit-Row supplied Midas PRO2 using the on-board dynamic EQ over the DJ L-R monitors. He commented: “The band were a pleasure to mix, the content was of a high standard sonically.”

The Chainsmokers are currently working their way through a 48-date North and South America tour.

TPi Photos: Olav Stubberud & Anthony Black www.thechainsmokers.com www.tec-uk.co.uk www.bpm-sfx.com www.britanniarow.com www.jumbocruiser.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.nt-rp.com www.ver.com

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THE XX IN RESIDENCY Previously, The xx had shied away from the spotlight, instead opting to perform shows literally lurking in shadows. But, with a new creative vision, the band decide to open up to their audience and take a step closer towards the light. TPi’s Stew Hume reports…

No matter how far afield a band travels, nothing tops the energy of a hometown show. While many would be happy to headline one night at their old haunt, last month The xx sold out the famed Brixton Academy for an event spanning eight days. The band played seven nights at the venue and their very own electro-backbone, Jamie xx, also hosted a mid-week evening rave. Needless to say, it was a glorious homecoming.

This event marked the tail end of the band’s European tour in support of their latest album, I See You. As TPi headed up the escalator of Brixton Station, surrounded by posters promoting The xx Night + Day residency, it became apparent the band had drummed up a deafening buzz in south London. Several hours later, after witnessing the show, it was clear to see why…

PRODUCTION Piecing together the tour was Production Manager, Philip Broad. The PM worked with The xx on their 2012 tour and was happy to join forces with the trio once again. He began: “We started work on this tour back in October of last year. For this run the band were keen to have a different look, which eventually manifested in a design that utilised a lot of mirrors on stage to reflect - pun intended - the album title, I See You.” Broad confirmed the success of the European run to date, saying: “The tour so far has been great.

It’s sold really well. This is the first part of an 18-month schedule, so it’s still early days, but I’m really happy with it.”

Given the rarity of such a long residency at Brixton Academy, The xx were adamant that every night should be a different experience for the 54

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: In sharp contrast to their first album cycle, The xx presented audience with a brighter more vibrant show in support of their album, I See You.

audience. This essentially meant Broad ran a festival format, featuring a different support act every evening. “There have been a myriad of acts coming through the door this week,” enthused Broad. “It has been a challenge, as you can imagine. Having said that, we have tried to keep the backstage area nice and relaxed.”

Helping out Broad in the production office was Kim Gray, Tour Coordinator. “While I was working with Ellie Golding last year I bumped into Phil at a hotel check-in when he pitched the idea of working this tour,” stated Gray. “So far it has been great and I’m looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store.” The Tour coordinator went on to describe how her role had changed from the Brixton performances. “With this residency one of my main roles is to sort the different support acts out and ensure they know the timing for sound check and where they need to be. It’s been challenging with this festival set up but the feedback we have received has made it all worth it.”

them through DMX via Brilliant Automation’s iSeries drivers with a custom interface which I control from my console. The band only settled on a set list halfway through this run and if we were to opt for a traditional automation set up we would never have got the looks we were shooting for. The way I control them is effectively the same as I would with a moving light. It took a bit of getting used to, as you have to take into account the time it takes the motors to ramp up, but we have got the show to a good place now.”

Speaking to Adam ‘Bullet’ Bettley from LS-Live, he discussed how the set specialists came into the project. “We started work on the tour back in September last year when we supplied them with their first set for five preview shows in Europe. After that we started to look at the new set in December which was ready to be delivered to the studio by early January.”

Bullet went on to describe some of the technical difficulties with the creation of this show: “Mirrors are always hard to work into live touring sets.

Although glass would be the first option from a visual standpoint, they are far too heavy to tour. The product we eventually went for were reflective polycarbonate panels. With this material you get a warped mirror image rather than a perfect reflection. However this actually worked into the overall theme that The xx’s production team were trying to create. The other real challenge was with the multi-axis automation controls. These types of show always require a bit of head scratching as we attempted to integrate technology into interesting creative visions. But we always want to take on these type of jobs as it allows us to continue developing our expertise with a beautiful looking end result.”

Overseeing the build every day was head carpenter Simon Rackham, alongside Stephen Jeffrey and Chris Aram. “The mirror towers are built in sections not too dissimilar from a video wall,” noted Rackham. “Each one is made of six pods, so if there are low-ceilinged venues on the run, we can just discount one of the pods.” Rackham went on to state the build usually constituted an 8am start and was more or less complete by 1pm. He continued, outlining the challenges: “One of the biggest issues for us is keeping the mirrors polished! The towers have been treated with

I SEE YOU During the early conceptual talks for the new tour cycle, the band enlisted Willo Perron & Associates to design the show’s aesthetic in collaboration with The xx’s long-serving LD Michael Straun. Standing at FOH, TPi asked Straun about the overall goal of the show. He replied: “The whole campaign theme has been about visibility; being able to see people and push them out of their comfort zone. The xx have always been a dark, introverted group in the past, but they’ve opened up a bit more, welcoming people into their world.” Willo Perron initiated his ideas with the concept of mirrors on stage.

In total, there were eight 6m rotating mirror columns that spun throughout the show, a mirrored riser to house all of Jamie xx’s electronic equipment, and a mirrored ceiling that descends during the show’s culmination. “One of Willo’s main goals for this design was to have most of the lighting fixtures invisible to the audience,” explained Straun.

Straun revealed that it was he who controlled the mirrors throughout the show, eschewing a traditional automation set up: “I am controlling 55

THE XX

For show design the band once again brought in Willo Perron of Willo Perron & Associates who collaborated with long time LD Michael Straun.

a scratch proof coating and have held up really well. The mirrored ceiling has been slightly more of a challenge as it was quite a last minute addition to the design and was not given the same treatment. However, we have incorporated polishing into our daily schedule and even got some of the local crew to help out most days to make sure the show looks its best.”

A keystone of Straun’s inventory was the GLP Impression X4 Bar 20.

In total there were 94 X4 Bars that were housed in the moving towers and provided the main lighting effect for the show. “The colours we get out of them are outstanding,” exclaimed Straun. He added: “The biggest advantage they have is their ability to create one big light curtain that sweeps around the stage and lights the crowd. We can also bounce the light off other mirrors to provide different effects. At the start of this tour, Willo expressed his desire to work with colour gradients that you’re able to program through the X4’s. Through the MA Lighting grandMA2 - which we have at FOH - I am able to import images of colour gradients and output them straight through a pixel mapper.”

Also added to Straun’s lighting arsenal were Robe BFML Blades. These provided washes for the stage along with a number of Solaris Flares. On the floor Straun deployed Claypaky Spheriscan scanners, as well as a few Martin by Harman MAC Aura XBs along the back of the stage and in the air to add some key lighting throughout the performance. The stage itself comprised of a Perspex floor that housed both Martin by Harman Sceptrons and Tripix 300’s (an older Martin unit). Straun said: “They have been providing most of my keylighting for the show. I opted for two different fixtures for the underfloor lighting as I was concerned that one would not have enough kick, especially when we venture into the outdoor shows later this year.”

Perron and Straun’s mutual direction for I See You took The xx away from tight beam look, using most fixtures as a wash. The only exception was the final ‘club’ section of the show at the end of the evening. Here, Straun made fantastic use of the otherwise dormant fixtures situated at FOH. This rig made up of Ayrton CosmoPix R and Solaris Flares, incorporated the whole audience into the show design for the closing songs.

Straun explained: “One of the biggest things to remember is that this band did not get into music to stand on the stage. They just love to play, so for their first run they didn’t want lots of spots on them. For this tour, however, I have been able to make things much brighter, although I still try to be empathetic to how they are feeling. For instance, if Romy is feeling selfconscious about one of the songs or is singing solo then I will be less harsh with the lighting.”

For spots, Straun instated the new Follow-Me system. “I love it,” exclaimed the LD. “It is still in its early stages of development but the guys at Follow-Me have been incredibly helpful. We always knew a conventional spot would not work; it would wash out all the looks. The advantage of the Follow-Me system is that I am able to colour-correct the spots in order to compliment the overall look. The other advantage of the system is its flexibility; with it, I can select any moving light as a follow spot.”

Finally, Straun discussed the decision to make the switch to an MA console, saying: “The best thing I can say about it, is it always works. After four years, I don’t even know the number for the help desk because I’ve never needed it.”

Supplying all of the lighting equipment was Neg Earth, marking its first collaboration with The xx. “They have been brilliant on this run,” complimented Straun, who continued: “This was my first time out with them but all the equipment they have delivered is really good. Nothing is a problem and they were able to deal with every little request. This was especially useful during the rehearsals as we were changing things almost daily.”

UP IN THE AIR Taking on the dual role of Head Rigger / Stage Manager was Johannes Soelter, who told TPi: “For this show we have 45 points, including audio, and the whole show measures in at about 20 tonnes. It’s really not the heaviest show. Some of the venues have fluctuated in size but the set is designed to be very flexible.” Rigging was also supplied by Neg Earth, though UK Rigging supplied a team of production riggers for the Motorpoint Arena shows in 56

THE XX

FOH Engineer, Michael Parker; Monitor Engineer, Manu Goodwin; LD, Michael Straun.

Nottingham and Cardiff.

One outstanding element of I See You was the mirrored roof, which only happened three days before the tour was due to hit the road. Soelter dealt with the challenge calmly, pointing out: “The roof didn’t really affect the rigging side of things and only meant adding four additional points to my plot.”

Aiding Soelter were six local riggers for the build-up and three for the build-down. Soelter discussed how he managed to split his time between Head Rigger and Stage Manager responsibilities, saying: “That side of things has been quite manageable. Each night their show lasts about 90 minutes, and once The xx are on the stage they pretty much stay there for the entire performance. I have had a few more responsibilities for these Brixton dates as there has been a different support every single night. It’s not necessarily dealing with more gear but there are definitely more people that require organising.” The day that TPi was in Brixton was no exception, as supporting The xx was none other than a full orchestra.

run and sometimes our load capacities are not very big. But with the d&b system I can hang a lot more boxes than some other PAs.” Due to the length of the residency, and to ensure that the infamous balcony in the venue didn’t muffle any sound for those standing underneath, Parker expanded the speaker system with several extra elements. “Before the tour got underway, on my way up to rehearsals at LSLive, I paid a visit to Brixton with my measuring tape to hash out some ideas for extra speaker elements I could add.”

The result was a FOH truss where Parker hung two d&b Y12’s, along with several other boxes which are hung on the left and right of the venue.

He added: “It means people coming through the entrance and standing in the bar get more crisp audio. As far as I’m aware no one has ever done this before and I’m really proud of the result.”

Moving away from the speakers, Parker discussed the control package: “I am using a DiGiCo SD10 on this one, as is our monitor engineer, Manu. I am still fairly new to DiGiCo; I took one out for the first time when I worked on Tame Impala back in 2012. This will be the first time I committed to having DiGiCo for a full tour and they have been working out well.” Parker shared his hopes for the mix: “Their set takes them through many moods, from quiet elements to very loud passages. Getting all that to work in a single set can be quite a challenge, but thankfully the band have produced a set list, so each part flows seamlessly into one anther. I suppose my biggest challenge is to ensure both vocals are able to sit above the dance tracks. It can be tricky at times as neither of the vocalists are particularly loud. But I think we have got the gig in a good state.”

While discussing this tour’s control package, TPi couldn’t help but notice two other desks sitting backstage that were sure to cause some excitement to any audio-enthusiast. Parker elaborated: “We have two DiGiCo SD12’s out with us today. We just got them and we are putting them into the loop now just to check that all the files convert correctly. My first impression of the

AUDIO The xx’s sound is noteworthy for its seamless transition between quiet, somber moments to electro-filled club crescendos. Along for the ride through every musical twist and turn was the audio team: FOH Engineer Michael Parker and Monitor Engineer Manu Goodwin. Kicking off the audio talks, TPi spoke to Parker about the PA for this run. He said: “This leg of the tour has been supplied by Wigwam, who have worked with the band several times and I have personally used for over 10 years now. For this run they have provided us with a d&b Audiotechnik J-Series system.” In total 32 J8 (J12) and 32 V8 (V12)’s were deployed for the main hang. For subs, Parker opted for 18 J-SUBs and eight J-INFRAs, with an additional eight d&b Y10Ps. “It’s my preferred system to tour,” stated Parker. “It has been so great because the size of the tour venues have fluctuated quite a lot on this 58

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THE XX

For spots, LD Michael Straun instated the new Follow-Me system.

product is really good. The ergonomics and workflow are really impressive.

It seems they have taken the best elements of their previous models and put them all into the SD12 to create a really excellent hybrid.” The tour’s Monitor Engineer, Manu Goodwin also had a chance to trial DiGiCo’s latest release, and concluded: “It’s an SD model, which means you know what you are getting for the sound. But what really stood out for me is the workflow, which seems much nicer. I really like its set up with the dual screens. I’m really looking forward to that switch.”

Cruel as it sounds, as the band prepped for the next leg of the tour in South America, the audio team had to postpone their excitement and rebox the consoles until later in the year.

Heartbreak aside, Goodwin described the set up in monitor world: “For this run we have opted to be completely wedge-free apart from a J-SUB that we put behind Jamie. Everything else is done through IEM.” For IEMs Goodwin used Sennheiser ew 300 IEM G3’s and each band member used JH Audio Roxanne earphones. “All three members ask for a fairly full mix in a studio style. Pretty much the whole crew is on them and, with all the talkback channels, I am dealing with about 48 inputs, so enough to keep me busy,” joked Goodwin.

He continued: “During the set there is next to no communication between us. We really make sure everything is tight in sound check and any changes that need to be made are done prior to the show. We also go over everything the day after to make sure each member of the band is happy.”

For microphones, the audio department chose different models for each vocalist, with the female singer, Romy, using Audix model and the other, Oliver, using a DPA microphone. “They have switched their microphone set up quite a few times over the years but I think we have found a really good package with this one,” asserted Goodwin. “The Audix’s projection especially has been fantastic for Romy’s style of vocal.”

TRANSPORT AND CATERING Walking towards the catering wing of Brixton academy, TPi clocked some blue flight cases that lined the hallway signalling one thing, Sarahskitchen.

For this tour the catering company sent chefs Helena Robertson, Paddy Cullen and Lisa Hill out on the road with The xx to ensure both band and crew were well fed at each and every show. “On this run we have been feeding between 45 to 55 people each day,” began Robertson as she prepping for that evening dinner service. “For these Brixton shows that number has fluctuated even more and tonight we have 80 mouths as tonight’s support is an orchestra.” The catering crew started with the production while they were in the rehearsal studios at LS-Live before heading out on the tour.

Robertson went on to describe the dishes they had provided for this run: “As a rule we provide anything that is requested. Other than that we try and provide as much local food as possible depending on which area of Europe we are in. We have also provided several gluten and dairy free options as well.”

For transport throughout the tour, Philip Broad commissioned the help of Phoenix Bussing and TransAm Trucking. “I have worked with both Phoenix and TransAm for many years. I always know the service I am getting with both of them and often even have the same vehicles and drivers. Consistency is always vital in this business.”

Leading the fleet of six 45ft flat floor TransAm megacubes trucks was Peter Cooke. Account Manager Natasha Highcroft comment on TransAm’s involvement with the tour: “The tour went extremely smoothly from our point of view, as is usually the case with Phil’s tours. Now to prepare for the Summer festival run!”

Commenting on Phoenix Bussing’s participation in the tour was Sean Gerrard: “For the European run we supplied two 14 berth busses and one 60

TPI_E-Series_QU03.indd 1

7/11/2016 8:37:09 AM

THE XX

With their week long residency at the Brixton Academy coming to and end, the band flew west to start their South American tour.

TPi Photos: Marie Korner http://thexx.info www.willoperron.com www.michaelstraun.com www.negearth.com www.sseaudiogroup.com/wigwam/home www.ls-live.com www.soundmoves.com www.sarahskitchentouring.com www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk www.transamtrucking.com

16 berth. I have known and worked with Phil Broad for quite a few years now and have built up a good working relationship. He is well aware of the minefield that is drivers hours and break requirements which is incredibly helpful. The drivers all commented that the band and crew were all great to work with and would happily go out with them again.�

Final pieces of logistic puzzle and helping the band move over the Atlantic to South America for the next leg of the tour was freighting company Sound Moves.

With their Brixton Academy residency coming to and end, The xx along with their loyal touring family jetted east to start their South American tour.

But with several UK festival dates on the card, it will not be long till the band gets to reunite with their hometown crowd...

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

THE WEEKND From the moment he emerges on stage – one man alone, spotlit beneath the fragmented form of an interstellar ‘origami dart’ as it pulsed out a bright-white, Close-Encounters beat to the opening bars of All I Know – Abel Tesfaye holds the crowd in rapture. There’s no room for doubt: The Weeknd has arrived.

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THE WEEKND

Above: Lighting Designer Sooner Routhier and Stage Designer Es Devlin created a bold, distinctive look for the show, that brought the action out into the audience; Lighting Director Darien Koop; Key to the whole visual design were 20 Barco 30K projectors.

It’s easy to forget that during the early years of his career, Tesfaye spokes – the piece is manipulated via 58 NAV hoists, functioning through seemed to prefer life in the shadows, The Weeknd moniker providing the 3D space part of TAIT’s Navigator software. a protective anonymity from which to release the first in a trilogy of As Head of Automation Aaron Levy explained, programming the mixtapes that would spark his meteoric rise to fame. structure proved no mean feat: “I’ve worked on a lot of these and this is When Production Manager, Rob DeCeglio, first worked with The Weeknd one of the more labour intensive shows to program. You can’t just build a back in 2015, the singer’s stardom was already in its ascendency, but three-dimensional space of one big triangle and start to tip it, because it’s with the release of the breakthrough album Beauty Behind the Madness actually made up of all these individual pieces and they all want to settle that same year, coupled with an Oscar nomination for his contribution to into a different position just a little bit. Navigator does a lot of very good the Fifty Shades of Grey movie soundtrack in 2016, Tesfaye’s fame quickly math to try to keep everything safe and in a space that makes sense, but moved to a whole new level. It was clear that for 2017’s Starboy: Legend of programming this also involves a whole lot of just walking around the rig, the Fall Tour something spectacular was required. making sure that it actually lines up correctly and looks right all the time.”

Preparations began back in May 2016, with Lighting Designer Sooner With such an intricate programming process, adjusting it on the fly to fit Routhier and Stage Designer Es Devlin drafted in to help create a bold, the trim of each venue was impracticable. Instead, two sets were built – one distinctive look for the show, one that would bring the action out into the for lower trims and another for the full sized rig – with the most appropriate audience. “I know from Es’ side of things, her option chosen for each show and positioned for goal was to not make it look like a little postage maximum effect. stamp at the end of an arena. She really wanted to bring it out and tie the room together,” said CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF DeCeglio. “And from our performer’s point of Once the final form for the scenic had been view, after the previous tour, his big thing was agreed, Lighting Designer Sooner Routhier set wanting to be right out in the middle of it.” to work in earnest. The real-life scale models Dovetailing these twin ideals, Devlin produced as part of Devlin’s design process proposed a 100ft long catwalk, jutting into proved incredibly useful when it came to “I’ve worked on a lot of these the heart of the arena, lying beneath a giant assessing how and where to place truss and triangular scenic - a stylised ‘origami paper lighting. “I just loved the fact that we were and this is one of the more aeroplane’ designed to constantly shift and fold really able to look at a 3D model in a 3D space, labour intensive shows to throughout the course of the show. as opposed to a 3D computer model on a 2D Formed from 10 smaller triangular blocks – surface. It really helped us figure out exactly program.” five on either side of a central rectangular spine, what lines we needed to light up properly,” said Head of Automation, Aaron Levy separated from each other by thinner radial Routhier.

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THE WEEKND

Crew call: Production Manager, Rob DeCeglio; Video team Serge Bergeron and Kevin Carswell; d3 operator Louis-Philippe Gaudreau; Mojo Barriers Stanley Jilsen; Systems Engineer David Quigley and FOH Engineer Derek Brener.

Working alongside Lighting Director Darien Koop, Routhier was able to grid above to light the top of the structure, creating visual interest for those build up a scheme that would make the most of Devlin’s impressive design. sitting higher up in the arena. Strategically placed BMFL Spots work with a “We collaborated pretty heavily with Es, because we wanted to make sure BlackTrax system to follow The Weeknd as he performs. that her vision was met properly,” she said. “A lot of it was trying to find a Behind the band on the main stage sits a 15 x 50ft Solotech videowall. A less conventional way to light a pop or rock show ... a way that our lighting strip of Flares runs along its top, as does a row of Clay Paky Mythos moving would actually become part of the scenic as opposed to simply lighting the heads. A further row of Mythos are ground mounted below. An MA Lighting scenic.” grandMA2 desks provide the control.

Each of the panels on the scenic is edged with Martin by Harman Key to the whole visual design are the 20 Barco 30K projectors that Sceptrons, emphasising both the three dimensional form of each piece and sit in three banks on the arena floor. These deliver precisely mapped the overall lines of the structure. Further Sceptrons are used along the edge content to the scenic’s moving panels. All of the created content comes of the main stage and catwalk thrust. from d3 servers. “The d3 was a huge part of this Solaris Flare Q+ LR linear fixtures run along whole process,” said Koop. “We really couldn’t the spokes between the panels. “They are very do this show without it. They’ve given us a lot bright and create a smooth linear light effect of support and the team that was brought in for that you can’t get out of most LED strips. We programming was exceptional.” Earlybird Visual were looking to line the trusses in a smooth provided technical production assistance, with field of light that could give us some beautiful d3 programming by Zach Peletz and Kirk Miller on modern looks and the Flare LRs were the perfect the grandMA for video. choice,” Routhier said.

Data from the Navigator that controls the Rows of Robe Spikies also run along these automation is fed back into the d3 server, dividing spokes, as well as along the upstage which uses a Cinema 4D file to interpolate the edge of the scenic. Chosen for its respectable information, using it to actively blend and map feature set packed into a relatively lightweight the projectors in digital space before translating fixture, the Spikies also hold their position it all in to real life - with a little help from d3 “The d3 was a huge part of this well as the orientation of the rig changes – operator Louis-Philippe Gaudreau. “Our video something that had proved a problem with whole process, we really couldn’t team out here has been just blowing everyone some other fixtures they tried. away,” noted Koop. “I mean, one of our main guys do this show without it.”

24 Robe BMFL Washes run in pairs down the LP probably has the most pressure everyday.

Lighting Director, Darien Koop spine of the scenic, with an additional 18 in the He sits next to me at FOH throughout the show, 68

THE WEEKND

Capturing the action was a video department led by Video Director Kevin Carswell. The show is covered by three long lens cameras - one on each side of the arena and one at FOH.

constantly deciding which projectors have the best angles, which projectors are going to be on at that moment, and making slight adjustments to make sure that it all stays together and looks the cleanest that it can.”

It became clear to Routhier that, with video projection such a major part of the show, a more selective approach would deliver the greatest impact. Instead of competing with the projection cones - in particular, the flicker of the beams as they delivered the content to the scenic above – the team adopted a less-is-more approach.

“We really had to almost dumb down some of the programming: dumbing down some of the effects, chases and cueing, but making really big, bold statements with light that push through the projection,” said Routhier. “That, to me, made our show clean and beautiful; once we took that approach, the whole show really came together.”

Capturing the live mix is a team led by Video Director Kevin Carswell. The show is covered by three long lens cameras - one on each side of the

“Abel (The Weeknd) really fuels the crowd on, so that’s really something great to be able to cut back and forth with.”

Video Director, Kevin Carswell 70

arena and one FOH - along with one in the pit, largely to provide crowd cut aways. “Abel really fuels the crowd on, so that’s really something great to be able to cut back and forth with,” said Carswell.

A Sony switcher is used to produce a black and white mix (finally bursting into colour midway through the encore performance of I Can Feel It Coming), making it visually distinct from the rest of the lighting. This is projected onto portrait IMAG screens on either side of the main stage by four Barco 20K’s. For two songs halfway through the show, the live mix is also projected onto the main scenic to produce a fragmented close up of the singer. “It’s really a very intimate moment; you can definitely hear a gasp in the crowd when it pops in,” said Carswell.

SUPER SONIC FLIGHT Beyond the immediate physical and visual challenges of bringing the scenic centrepiece to life, the origami aeroplane also proved

THE WEEKND

problematic for the audio design. Its immense size, coupled with the placement above the long catwalk into the audience, meant a traditional left-right PA was out of the question. Much of the sound from such a rig would have been obstructed for large parts of the audience during large chunks of the show– an issue further complicated by the constantly shifting shape and position of the scenic panels. An alternative was required to ensure the whole audience was well served throughout the night. The solution came in the form of 108 Clair Global Cohesion CO-12 boxes and 16 CP-218 subs, strategically placed to provide complete coverage. The majority of the C0-12’s are flown in six hangs of 16 boxes – a left and a right hang for the three audience-facing sides of the main grid above the scenic. At the midpoint along the length of the grid, eight subs per side are placed in an end-fire cardioid subwoofer array.

The line-array hangs also cover the audience on the floor, except for when the aeroplane is tilted in take-off position with its upstage tail end dropped down to its lowest position. As FOH Engineer Derek Brener explained, this would have created an unacceptable gap in coverage in arguably the most important part of the arena, directly along the side of the catwalk. “If it wasn’t in-your-face rocking down there like a club then Abel would be staring into the faces of dead eyes and no energy, because those were the dead spots: basically where the highest priced seats were,” he said. To avoid this, club-style ground stack PAs were placed around the arena floor, one either side of the main stage and two per side flanking the banks of Barco projectors.

“I’m embarrassed because I have so much PA,” admitted Brener with an apologetic grin. “But this creative design really didn’t allow for it to be done any other way.”

As well as ensuring complete coverage of the room, this unorthodox setup avoids The Weeknd being blasted by sound as he heads out into

The PA consisted of 108 Clair Global Cohesion CO-12 boxes and 16 CP-218 subs, strategically placed to provide complete coverage.

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THE WEEKND

Show Desinger, Es Devlin proposed a 100ft long catwalk which lying beneath a giant triangular scenic ‘origami paper aeroplane’ designed to constantly shift and fold throughout the course of the show.

the heart of the arena. “He’s out there on the catwalk the whole time, so if using Waves’ SSL and CLA bundles. An Empirical Labs EL7 Fatso provided I was to have a traditional PA he would be in front of it the entire time and parallel drum compression, while an EL8 Distressor was used on The it would be pretty challenging feedback-wise. Also there would be a lot of Weeknd’s vocal. “I have a new piece on the master bus called an Overstayer bleed into his mic and it would just make it sound awful. People do that, SFE which adds low order harmonics, punch and shine – really cool, brand but it jeopardises the quality of the mix.” new stuff. It’s a compressor but it’s more of an effect, honestly,” said Brener.

Whilst the PA set-up solved a lot of problems, the solution wasn’t He also used a Rupert Neve 5045 – essentially a vocal gate to guard without complications. “I’ve never excited the room this much with sound,” against any problems caused by the singer being in front of the ground said Brener. “Every inch of the room is being hit, so I can’t stay off any walls. stacks.

It’s a tricky balance of finding that sweet spot between there being enough “It’s a really smooth intelligent gate, so when he’s on the mic it opens direct energy hitting everyone, versus reflective energy.” up, but when he’s off of the mic it dips the level down 20dB. So I can get 20 It is, nonetheless, a trick Brener successfully pulls off night after night - a more dB of level on his vocal, which is a godsend. I don’t know why I just tightrope walk made all the more impressive started using it; it’s amazing.” by a mix position that shifts around from one Stageside, Andy Ebert covers monitor arena to the next. A bank of Barco projectors engineer duties on another Venue Profile. Aside sits directly beside the lighting riser, leaving no from a little reverb on drums and vocals, it’s a room in front for the audio guys. Instead, they simple mix – with all the “fun stuff” left to FOH. are often tucked behind the FOH lighting, or “We’re using the Sennheiser SKM 5200s with a even – at those US shows where a large guest list 5235 capsule, which is good when he cups the requires an expanded FOH VIP area – along the mic, it doesn’t change the tone that much. We side of the arena. But Brener seems to take all had other capsules before and those didn’t work “We seem to have just the right this in his stride: “It’s been challenging, but at the out so well, so this is the one,” said Ebert, adding end of the day I just have to look around and say that everyone onstage uses Shure PSM 1000 inmentality with everybody that’s ‘Are people having a good time?’ If so, then great, ears with Jerry Harvey Audio Angie moulds. here this year because Rob’s because that’s all that really matters.”

Brener gives credit to the support provided CREW LOVE done such a good job of finding by the Clair Global team, not least Systems In the words of Stage Manager Rod van Egmond, the right people. Everybody’s Engineer, David Quigley. “He is one of the best “It’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with” - a guy that I’ve ever had and a brilliant systems working together so that it really neat mantric truth that also provides a handy engineer,” said Brener. litmus for the smooth sailing of any given tour. flows.”

For the mix itself, there were 70 channels on Luckily for everyone, as Starboy: Legend of the Stage Manager Rod van Egmond the input list running through a Venue Profile Fall approached the end of its European leg, this 72

THE WEEKND

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crew had proved itself worthy company.

“We seem to have just the right mentality with everybody that’s here this year because Rob’s done such a good job of finding the right people. Everybody’s working together so that it really flows,” said van Egmond.

A cohesive team was particularly important as the tour hit its busiest leg. “Some schedules are more difficult than others,” van Egmond continued. “For instance, we just had a back-to-back for the last two cities with a three hour drive between. So we literally worked a 20 hour day - 22 hours for some people - sat on a bus for three hours, then did another 22 hour day. Under those conditions people get a little crusty, but if you’ve got the right people and everybody’s got the right attitude you get two good shows.

The artist was happy, everything worked and we didn’t have to skimp on any part of the show – it felt really good.”

It’s a collaborative can-do spirit that extends well beyond the immediate crew. “We have really good vendors, really good people that work for those vendors and our independent contractors are all very experienced, so I think that all adds up to making it just happen well,” van Egmond said.

That vendor list included audio from Clair Global (“Both my audio guys love Clair, which makes me happy because I love having Clair out,” said DeCeglio) and video and lighting from Solotech (“Because it’s such a big projection show, and because the industry in general is switching from separate lighting and video to all the departments merging, it made sense to have one vendor supply.”) Staging is from TAIT Towers, with THiNC Worldwide taking on rigging duties. “A significant portion of the Starboy tour system is suspended over the audience with a dynamic load,” noted Head Rigger Chris Wilson. “We knew very early that having load cells and monitoring the loads daily was going to be very important to maintain the safety of audience, band and crew. The tour

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For lead vocals the tour used a Sennheiser SKM 5200s with a 5235 capsule.

currently has 120 conventional motors that rig to the venue roof.

There is a 70,000lb super grid that supports an additional 55 TAIT Nav Hoists all of which move during the show. We use a BroadWeigh system every day to balance the super grid to ensure that the loads are distributed as designed.”

To accommodate the catwalk stage, Mojo Barriers were also on hand to provide specialist support. “We were required to install a number of supplementary products including diamond plates, vario corners and flex corners, to ensure the barrier configuration matches the contours of the stage,” explained Mojo’s Project Manager, Stanley Jilesen. “For each leg of the tour the team are using exactly the same barriers and cable covers, which tours with them, and when they arrive in the US the equipment will be provided by our US office.”

Completing the picture is trucking by Stagetruck, crew transport from Beat the Street, and Delico Catering providing the fuel that keeps the show rolling on.

And this is a show that rolls on fast; with nothing above the main stage and a catwalk that quickly pulls apart, the crew can be taking down the scenic and grid within minutes, effortlessly hitting curfew and heading on to the next city where a fresh arena-full of fans await, eagerly counting the seconds until the The Weeknd arrives.

TPi Photos courtesy of Plaster Communications www.theweeknd.com www.solotech.com www.clairglobal.com www.taittowers.com www.stagetruck.com www.beatthestreet.net www.mojobarriers.com www.earlybirdvisual.com www.delico-catering.de 74

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Some of Adlib’s finest: Marc Peers , Kenny Perrin , Steve Pattison & Tony Szabo; A DiGiCo SD21 was chosen for monitor duties; The other star of the show, Cruise the horse; Ben Holdsworth and Matt Bull from All Access Staging & Productions; The whole crew!

JACK WHITEHALL AT LARGE Actor and comedian Jack Whitehall is no stranger to touring productions. Having forged a very successful career in broadcast and television, the 28-year old Londoner has become one of the most sought-after live stand ups in the UK. Taking the At Large UK arena tour on the road once again was Liverpool-based Adlib which provided the audio, video and lighting rigs under the expert eye of TPi Award-winning Production Manager, Neil MacDonald.

Having previously supplied technical production needs for his 2014 arena tour, which was staged in the round, Adlib joined forces with the comedian’s production team once again for a sell-out tour across the UK. Delivering appropriate production in the right proportions and places is key to delivering live comedy on a large scale. Presenting this very intimate level of entertainment and communication, ensuring that audiences in larger venues enjoy the same essential experiences of a one-to-one scenario, is vital.

Production Manager Neil McDonald was joined by Johnny Dodkin, the ever-cheerful - and funny - tour manager who kept everything in check on the Chambers Touring production. The tour’s vendors were completed by Phoenix Bussing, KB Event trucking, UK Rigging, Popcorn Catering, BPM SFX and Tour Travel.

to 180 degrees from the stage. Szabo elaborated: “With comedy, it’s all about articulation. For example, if you put a band in a venue like the O2 and the people at the back don’t hear every single word, it doesn’t matter as imperatively as it does in comedy, because they’ll be singing along to the words anyway. For comedy, if you can’t hear the punchline, what’s the point in buying a ticket to the show? In the UK, the O2 would be the only place we’ll put the delays in for a band, but with comedy we put delays in every venue so that every person in the room can hear perfectly.”

The front PA hangs - in their largest configuration at London’s O2 Arena - comprised 14 K1 with 4 KARA downs, with side hangs of 16 K2.

The delays were typically 6 K1 in two hangs with flown amplifier racks for easier cabling and improved sightlines. A total of 46 amplifiers were used, mostly the new LA12X. A total of 8 SB28 subs were only active for the grand entrance at the top of Act 2 and for the walk-in / intermission music. All of the front and lip fills were KARA, picked for their low profiles and to cover the first 10 metres of the stalls. An additional speaker box was on the front centre of stage as a prop… more on this later!

Taking care of the processing Lake LM44’s and LM26’s and Focusrite Rednet. Szabo also used Meyer Sound SIM 3 & SMAART v8 for audio analytics and measurement.

Pato’s console of choice was a DiGiCo S31 - a first time out for both him and Szabo - while Peers used an S21 for monitors. Needing only 8 channels, the tiny footprints of the consoles were an ideal mix of quality and size for the application. The stage box was a DiGiCo SD-Rack. This was connected via BNC coax cables from FOH to stage and ran at 48K for full redundancy in both directions, allowing each console to back up the other if necessary.

Marc Peers’ set-up utilised one of Adlib’s Wardrobes, an ingenious fully configurable double width case - in this case containing SD-Racks, UPS and

AUDIO Steve ‘Pato’ Pattison mixed at FOH, working with a strong team from Adlib including Monitor Engineer and Sound Crew Chief Marc Peers and Systems Tech, Tony Szabo, KSE, who was responsible for the precision and detail required to ensure that every seat in the house had crisp, clear and audible speech. It was a case of only one live microphone onstage but that mic was completely mission critical, and so the pressure was on for the audio department. The microphone of choice was a DPA d:fine headset. The audio team explained that they were very pleasantly surprised by how good this discreet microphone has been. “It’s really reliant and it sounds great - it projects very well,” commented Peers.

Szabo worked with Kenny Perrin on the system, which was an L-Acoustics mix of K1 and K2 designed by Adlib. Delays are a must for the back of the room, and side hangs for the side seats, which were sold up 77

JACK WHITEHALL

The second act revealed a theatre style set design.

RF units, shout speakers and power distro - designed for push-in-plug-inpower-up convenience and speed.

Included in the clever RF package was a brand-new Green-GO networkbased digital intercom system, which the crew unanimously described as “brilliant.” This was used for all the show communications, connecting lighting, sound, video, stage management and show calling via a mix of wireless and wired headsets.

Peers’ had two flown ARCS boxes for side fills - clarity over volume - two wireless DPA headset mics, two hand-held mics and one set of Sennheiser G3 IEMs. Keeping on top of the RF management and ensuring frequencies remained clear was a major task which required time and attention and again, without margin for error.

horseback. The close-up camera is very important for Jack. He does a lot of facial expressions that really bring his jokes to life in the moment. We’ve had fun with it because it’s actually the first time he’s had video on one of his tours. Doing comedy is always fun. Luckily, working with Adlib we’re able to do a lot of live comedy alongside the music tours we’re known for.”

Although there were challenges within the visuals departments, such as not blinding beautiful white beast Cruise the horse (on which Whitehall made his grand entrance), style wise, this show called for a theatrical approach.

The first half was played in a true stand-up style with approximately 10ft. of stage depth in front of a kabuki curtain emblazoned with Jack Whitehall. This dropped at the start of the second act to reveal a set, complete with scenic pros arch and columns, with a circular staircase in the middle designed by Jonathan Paul Green, which was one of the starting points for both the lighting and video designs.

Four lighting trusses were installed; the upstage one featured Martin by Harman MAC Aura LED washes with one MAC Viper Profile and there was an LED starcloth drop right behind. The upstage mid truss was rigged with 10 Martin by Harman Viper Profiles and 6 Auras, and the downstage mid truss had another four Viper Profiles and 6 Auras. The front truss was in front of another that suspended the scenic pros arch, upon which five further Auras were placed, to also provide very effective back light for the first half.

Flown in front of the stage was an advanced truss with 6 Viper Profiles, 12 MAC Quantum Washes and 13 Chauvet Professional Strike 4 LED blinders to highlight the fans. There were also 10 MAC Auras on the floor along with four ARRI 2K’s and eight Colour Kinetic ColorBlaze LED Battens for some additional colouring to uplight the set. Jeff Bond came on-board as Lighting Tech and worked alongside Webber who operated the show,

LIGHITNG AND VIDEO The lighting and video elements of the production equation were coordinated by Adlib’s Kevin Byatt, who was also a crew chief on the road.

“The lighting design had to be quite flexible for each varying venue size, and the aesthetic elements of how it all looks is down to our Lighting Designer, Tom Webber.”

This is Webber’s first Jack Whitehall tour, but he has lit other well-known comedians and is skilled in regards to the nuances needed to light the genre effectively and on camera. Due to the scale of an arena show, many people are watching Whitehall on a traditional IMAG screen design - 20ft wide x 11ft high - to catch the close-ups and facial expressions involved to get maximum impact for the gags. Video Director Iain Christie commented: “Out front we have a 55-inch plasma screen just to relay show content. Jack managed to get some of his famous friends to take part in his intro video that we play at the start of the show, and this leads into a special gag on 78

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Adlib’s video world backstage at the O2.

himself using two High End Systems Hog 4’s, running in sync as live and along with a team of local riggers at each UK venue, supported Adlib’s daily backup. install.

His challenge was to light the performance space generally and then to layer texture and atmospherics on top, as well as to execute a large STAGING number of very specific lighting cues which had to be spot-on in timing and All Access Staging & Productions built the unseen, but very important stage location. ramp for Cruise to access the stage. Touring Carpenter Ben Holdsworth All of this demanded total concentration. “Most of the design is based and All Access’ Matt Bull were on site in London. Bull told TPi: “We were around our set, placed to highlight the pillars in a traditional theatre style. approached by Neil a few months ago to come up with a solution to get The first half of the set is about the camera work, and it creates a bit of an the horse onto the stage easily and comfortably. This was somewhat of an illusion. People assume the set they first see is like that for the entire show, unusual job for us, but we were thrilled to be asked. We came up with a few so the reveal of the stage set in the second half works well. Additionally, ideas initially which involved a lift design, but it decided that a simple ramp use various gobos to add texture to the set too, which gives it more depth would benefit the show more. We had to adhere to guidelines that fit into and realism for those seated at the back.” the H&S aspects of having a large animal in working environments and we The lighting package was completed with two of Adlib’s brand new had specifications from horse carers about the finish of the ramp and the Robert Juliat Merlin followspots. The IMAG mix was captured by three Sony important of its ease of use.”

HXC-100 cameras, operated by Adlib crew members Charlie Rushton (taking Holdsworth added: “Cruise is a bit of a celeb because she’s been in TV over from Jon Priest who left on paternity leave), Colin Telfer and Rob shows like Downton Abbey! But she seems very happy with our ramp; she Bickerstaff and they also tech’d the LED screen. trots up there very gracefully. As far as the build The two FOH cameras were fitted with Fuji 88 is concerned, it’s very straight forward. Like all lenses, and the other one, anchored at stage left, All Access systems, it’s a modular design, so even with an HJ40 lens, directed by Christie using a though it measures in at 30ft long and 16ft wide, Blackmagic ATEM 2 M/E video switcher. it fits in 10ft of truck space.” A total of six local Playback content was supplied to Adlib by crew and Holdswoth put the ramp together each Whitehall’s own production team. It was stored day. Holdsworth also built the rest of the stage and ran from a laptop running QLab, operated by set each day, which includes stairs and theatrical Matthew Brown and sent to Christie to output to style theatre pillars.

“Jack is up there with them all! the two IMAG screens.

Bull concluded: “It’s a thoroughly enjoyable The screens were made up from 91 panels of show to be a part of. It’s something that we’ve He is a fearless comedian and Adlib’s Absen A3 Pro LED, each measuring 6.5m capable of producing and, luckily, something his production is one of the best very wide with a drop of 3.5m - the landscape format that Neil was confident in our abilities to complimenting the stage design and the arena live stand up shows out there at deliver. The horse handlers have said this tour setting perfectly. has exceeded their expectations for Cruise’s the moment.”

UK Rigging supplied the man power to set up portfolio, so we must have done something Phil Kielty, Adlib the tech, including Tour Rigger, Mike Hindle. He, right!”

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JACK WHITEHALL

Video Director, Iain Christie; Lighting Crew Chief Kevin Byatt and Lighting Designer, Tom Webber.

SPECIAL EFFECTS 2017 TPi Award winner of the Favourite Special Effects Company category, BPM SFX, opened of the second half of the comedy show with a kabuki drop and 15 gerbs along the front truss. Although special effects were kept to a minimum, they were naturally used to great comedic effect. BPM’s Paul Harris took up the story: “We then performed a smoke gag with a remote-controlled microphone. Using large gerbs we had an ‘inward gerb chase.’ On the closing ‘Frozen’ scene of the show we used low smoke machines for atmosphere. This was followed by snow confetti from both stage left and right.”

BPM helped to draw a dramatic ending to the show with six stadium shots of white and metallic confetti. This gloriously burst out from the front of the stage in what appeared to be an L-Acoustics KARA, but was in fact an unexpected prop for those seated in the front row!

A HUGE SUCCESS By all accounts, At Large was a huge success, selling out at each date.

Adlib’s Client Manager, Phil Kielty concluded: “When we did Jack’s last arena tour it gained rave reviews for making live comedy ‘an event’ so having ridden onto the stage on horseback for this one, we can safely say he repeated the feat!”

He also commented that Adlib is fortunate to work with some of the world’s top comedians, having supplied its technical expertise to the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Russell Howard and Ricky Gervais, stating: “Jack is up there with them all! He is a fearless comedian and his production is one of the best live stand up shows out there at the moment.”

TPi Photos: TPi & Andrew Benge www.jackwhitehall.com www.adlib.co.uk www.kbevent.com www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk http://popcorncatering.com https://ukrigging.net http://bpm-sfx.com www.tourtravel.co.uk 81

BACKSTAGE

THE BRIT AWARDS 2017 It was another evening of glitz and glamour at the 2017 BRIT Awards, which once again took place at London’s 02 Arena on 22 February. The annual ceremony is one of the UK music industry’s most prestigious events and was broadcast live to around 5.4 million viewers. TPi checked in with the suppliers and crew who made the whole event possible…

BRITs 2017

BRITANNIA ROW PRODUCTIONS AND DIGICO

Not since Adele performed Someone Like You at the BRIT Awards in 2011 has the audience sat in such a reverential hush. Chris Martin’s tribute ‘duet’ with George Michael at BRITs 2017 was as spine tingling as it gets, and more authentic than you might imagine, as Michael’s long time sound engineer, Gary Bradshaw explained: “Chris Martin was singing live while obviously George’s vocal was a recording of A Different Corner - but not a studio recording; this was a live take from one of his concerts on the Symphonica tour. For me, hearing his voice again like that really raised the hairs on the back of my neck.”

Not surprisingly, a lot of attention went into this performance, “We rehearsed on site the previous day,” said Bradshaw.

“Myself and Dan Green for Chris Martin had half the desk each. I had the left side, three faders; one for the specially recorded music, one of George from the tour and a fader for those little bits of dialogue that were cut into the tribute.”

Providing the PA and the audio control for the show fell to 2017 TPi Awards winner, Britannia Row Productions, which supplied a selection of DiGiCo consoles and an L-Acoustics system. Another TPi Award winner Colin Pink was Britannia Row’s team leader for the event and found other artists’ mix engineers were equally at home with the console set-up. Pink stated: “The PA was a distributed design based on L-Acoustics K1, with other

elements from their range used for fills.”

“The system sounded great,” said Bradshaw. “When it’s rigged so high up - as it so often is for these television spectaculars - then coverage of the floor area is a concern. But we had lots of time to walk around and check. We were there two days, one for the George Michael performance and one for Little Mix, which I also looked after, and it sounded really good everywhere.”

Event Production Managers for the event, Kate Wright and Lisa Shenton were similarly pleased: “Brit Row are extremely good at providing the support for all the elements of this show - the performing artists’ individual needs, the live audience experience and the TV show.”

For the last three years, Britannia Row has deployed DiGiCo digital mixing consoles as part of The BRITs’ set up and, while 2017 was no exception, this time the company relied solely on the British manufacturer to provide the faultless control it required. The two DiGiCo SD7’s positioned at FOH were manned by Josh Lloyd, Lead Technician for Britannia Row, with Chris Coxhead using two of DiGiCo’s new SD12 consoles for the hosts, presenters, winners and guests. A further two SD7’s were at the monitor position for the performers, manned by Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Sargeant and Jimmy Nicholson.

“As well as having a live audience at The O2, the BRITs is a live-to-air television show with a large global audience, so we needed to make sure we had full redundancy,” explained Lloyd. “Consequently, I had a main and a backup SD7, two SD Racks with an A and B set of inputs, plus a Mini Rack for all playback, radio mics at FOH. I had a further SD Rack to handle effects and local inputs and outputs, so all the I/O was on the optical network if 83

BRITs 2017

I needed to switch consoles. I also deployed a DiGiCo Orange box for the Waves setup, which we ran on an external computer; it really helped us because both engines on the SD7’s could see Waves as well as allowing the backup console to see it in case of a change over. The OB truck received analogue splits on stage, where they mixed the show separately for the broadcast element.

“The two SD12’s were also a redundant pair, with two SD Racks for inputs on stage and I/O. Again, all inputs were on the optical network and mirrored.

The SD12 was the step forward for us and for Chris Coxhead. Even though his channel count isn’t particularly high, he always wants to have 24 faders in front of him to be able to easily handle the winners, guests and presenters’ mics. For the amount of information he needs to have in front of him, the SD12’s two screens and small footprint made it the ideal desk. Both our SD12’s had come straight off DiGiCo’s production line, everything, including mirroring, worked straight away and we felt confident to have them on a show of this magnitude. It worked really well for Chris as he had the security and familiarity of using DiGiCo, just with new work surface.”

The monitor position SD7’s were set up as an A/B system, allowing them to flip between artists, checking in-ear monitors and for pre-show checks.

For playback and radio mics, each console had its own Mini Rack, allowing them to see all inputs at all times.

“Normally a few of the bands insist in bringing in their own desks,” said Pink. “However, because of DiGiCo’s dominance in the market and their products great flexibility, this year every band was happy to use the inhouse consoles rather than bringing in their own. The one exception to this rule was Coldplay, who like to have their own system, as the integration to the rest of their racks is rather complex. But as they use SD7’s, it was DiGiCo all the way.”

Lloyd added: “In terms of what I had to do, I don’t think there’s another console that could handle a show that complex. I made use of the console’s Snapshot facility to run scenes, which makes things very smooth for line checking as I don’t have to load any files during the show. There were a

couple of bands that rehearsed off site, and the bands that use DiGiCo on a regular basis already had sessions they wanted to use. For those off site, I could send them a template to use for rehearsals and for bands that wanted to use their own show files I could use either presets or the partial load function on the session page. You can’t really do that on any other desk. We had DiGiCo’s Mark Saunders available during the show and Dave Bigg came down for prepping. The support has always been fantastic. It all worked extremely well.”

Dave Rupsch, Monitor Engineer for Katy Perry, concurred: “The BRITs was a fantastic experience for me, due in large part to having DiGiCo consoles available and their support staff on site. I was easily able to load my preset folder containing EQ, dynamics, and effects settings and be up and running quickly, while being able to maintain the complex show infrastructure of a live television broadcast.”

The last word went to Pink: “Having DiGiCo on board for the entire show made the system as a whole relatively straightforward and meant that we had a lot of redundancy if anything had gone wrong. However, all the equipment performed flawlessly and we had a very smooth show. The main award sections of the show being controlled by two of the new SD12’s running in mirror mode provided Chris Coxhead with a great ergonomic surface, coupled with a good backup system.

“The SD12 is a great small footprint desk. The increased slope angle of the surface is great and the fader metering is vastly improved. It’s a great addition to the SD Range. With ten artists on the bill The BRITs is a complex show. I find the DiGiCo solution allows me and my team the flexibility to provide the visiting engineers the solutions they need to get a great performance for their artists and for the show as a whole.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall and Mark Saunders, DiGiCo http://britanniarow.com http://www.digico.biz/ www.digico.biz

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BRITs 2017

SENNHEISER Sennheiser supported the BRITs for the 15th year in a row, with its Artist Relations team providing several racks of wireless microphone and IEM equipment, and engineer Andrew Lillywhite to assist with RF co-ordination.

Lillywhite and Sennheiser’s Artist Relation Manager, Jack Drury, were on site at The O2 for the run up on the Monday, Tuesday and on show day, working alongside Britannia Row Productions and Joshua Thomas, who was in charge of RF co-ordination.

For this RF-heavy environment, Sennheiser’s flagship Digital 9000 series microphones were deployed for all presenters. SKM 9000 transmitters with EM 9046 receivers and ME 9004 capsules ensured crystal-clear audio and trouble-free operation, with the suspension mount design of the ME 9004 capsule delivering a fantastic condenser sound with no handling noise.

Several artists also chose Sennheiser, with Little Mix opting for SKM 5200-IIs with EM 3732 receivers and MD 5235 capsules and Bruno Mars and Robbie Williams using the same combination. Katy Perry’s SKM 5200-II was customised in ‘Dollar Bill Green’ with real currency wrapped on the body and battery slot of the transmitter, again with EM 3732 receiver and MD 5235 capsule.

Digital 9000 hit the spot for Ed Sheeran, with a combination of SKM 9000 transmitters, EM 9046 receiver and MD 9235 capsules for his vocals, guest vocal and backing vocals. He also had an SK 9000 bodypack transmitter with a custom-built cable for acoustic guitars, as the companderless operation of the 9000 Series system gives a remarkably true sounding acoustic guitar with excellent transient frequency response and lifelike dynamics.

“This year’s Brit Awards was a packed show featuring 10 artists, six of which were fully live and four were live vocal to track, all of which had a high RF count,” explained Colin Pink, who headed up the audio team.

“Sennheiser provided all of the eight 9000 Series handheld mics for the presenters and 10, 5200 systems for the artists, as well as another 9000 Series system for Ed Sheeran,” he continued. “On top of this, they supplied a ‘get out of jail’ toolbox which came in handy for extra guitar packs and further presenter bodypacks. We used a total of 28 IEM systems on the show with approximately 60 packs, also provided by Sennheiser, their 2000 Series being the preferred option for nine out of the 10 acts.

“A couple of the acts brought in their own RF systems, again primarily Sennheiser 9000 Series and 2000 Series IEMs. This gave an RF channel count for the main show of over 160 channels. Obviously, this was a major potential issue in the ever-decreasing usable spectrum. It was a great asset having Andrew on site to assist Britannia Row’s Josh Thomas in managing the rather packed spectrum. Using the 9000 Series mics helped the situation a lot and all the Sennheiser systems performed flawlessly on the show. A great testament to the stability of their architecture.”

Thomas added: “The BRITs is a hard and complex show that involves coordinating radio frequencies between many bands as well as house equipment. There are added challenges, as each act expects the highest quality of service and equipment. This is brought together with the support of Sennheiser, which provided an array of equipment and two technicians on site to give a helping hand. I found the support of Sennheiser second to

none; they supplied me with the tools to run a very tight and high-profile show to the highest of standards. It was great having Jack and Andy on site to bounce ideas off and help with problem solving any issues that came up. I am very much looking forward to working with them and Sennheiser again.”

Drury said: “Sennheiser’s history with the Brit Awards goes back a long way and it was a pleasure to be involved in the 15th year the company has supported the show. It’s satisfying to see our equipment tested to extremes at a show as challenging as the Brit Awards and come out performing flawlessly! Congratulations to all the winners and the performers, but also to all the technical and production staff that make that show possible. We look forward to working with you again for year 16!”

Pink concluded: “The show, as a whole, was a great success. This was in no small part down to the support of Sennheiser.”

TPi Photo: Gareth Cattermole www.sennheiser.com

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PERRY SCENIC Perry Scenic was on site at The BRITs to provide the 63 ‘house’ costumes for Katy Perry’s dancers to wear during her performance. This was the second time the two Perrys had collaborated for the BRITs, with Perry Scenic creating the set for the artist’s previous appearance when she performed Dark Horse.

Project Manager at Perry Scenic, Toby Van Hay, commented: “It is always great to work on high calibre projects and this was no exception. Katy Perry on the Brit Awards is a huge deal and we made sure we completed the project on time and at top quality.”

The houses were made out of a combination of Foamex and plastic, all of which were fabricated in-house at Litestructures. The pieces also included LED lights inside and shoulder straps to ensure that they could be worn comfortably by the dancers.

The fabrication was undertaken by four members of Perry Scenic staff with the help of Backstage Academy students Raii Jenkins and Hannah Greasley, for a total of six days start to finish, with additional modifications being completed at the venue in London.

Hannah Whitfield, the scenic artist who worked on the houses from Perry Scenic, said: “There’s always something immensely rewarding about

seeing a project through from the initial drawings to its completion. But to see your efforts broadcasted on something as renowned as The BRITs and seeing them animated by Katy Perry’s team of dancers only made the result even more gratifying.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.perryscenic.com

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Vandenbosch who manage the project on-site.

As always, Stageco’s responsibility is to build the basic foundations of the stage, along with the FOH control platform, numerous risers and platforms for spotlights, cameras, jib cranes, monitoring and video.

Dardenne explained that, due to the nature of this year’s design, the company was required to increase its contribution. He said: “It was discovered that the production would be too heavy in the arena roof, so we had to reduce that burden by installing a grid and tower system on which to hang the video wall and the scenery in front of it, in order to compensate.”

Stageco increased its crew total from eight to 14 this year. They worked with support from the event’s local crew to load in, build the production and then load out. “We used more equipment this time with eight trucks in total, but we had a shorter period in which to build, which meant that we needed to add two night shifts to our schedule,” commented Dardenne.

“The timing of the build was a little more compressed than in previous years. Everyone started on Thursday at 8am, leaving less than a week for everything to be ready.”

Dardenne concluded: “The Brit Awards always carries the highest production values and is consistently very well organised. Of all the 21 editions that Stageco has serviced, I’ve personally missed only one and we always look forward to working together as a team on it each year.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.stageco.com

STAGECO As a direct result of Stageco working on Tina Turner’s Wildest Dreams tour in 1996, the late Mick Kluczynski, a site coordinator on the tour, was sufficiently impressed with the company’s experience and professionalism to hire its staging services as part of the ongoing design transition of The BRITs, the event for which he had recently taken over as production director.

Stageco’s debut on the annual event came on 24 February 1997 at London’s Earls Court, which hosted the now iconic Spice Girls performance. Kluczynski sadly died in 2009 and the BRITs moved to the O2 Arena two years later, with Stageco reporting to Technical Production Manager Tony Wheeler and Papilo Productions, under the auspices of Brit Awards Productions.

In recent years, the core Stageco team working on the event has included Account Manager Dirk De Decker, Luc Dardenne and Stefaan

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BRITs 2017

acts’ for TV performances.”

Along with Production Assistant Freddie McArdle (pictured left, next to Stanley) and a team of runners and drivers, this year he was tasked with co-ordinating for Emeli Sande and Katy Perry. “It begins with conferences between the label and The BRITs to figure out how we’re going to produce both an individual and appropriate performance which has to be technically interesting and also reactive to the general flow of the show.

Obviously the artists want to give the best promotion possible to their single during those three minutes, and we have to make it happen. It is one of the toughtest shows to work on, but the whole process is worth it - I think the sets looked incredible for both of these artists.”

Mirrad’s Jamie Thompson designed Emeli Sande’s show - which included elegant draping created by Showtex, and Baz Halpin took the creative lead for Katy Perry’s high-impact single debut, which showcased some huge, satirical puppets.

Stanely concluded: “The production standards are so high for The BRITs these days - it’s a live TV show with a a global audience where you only have once chance to get it right - but that’s also what makes it exciting.

“Huge credit has to go to our Stage Manager Mike Grove and his team at Stage Miracles for getting what they do on stage in such tight time slots.

From the initial build to the load out, without them, The BRITs couldn’t happen.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.productionvalue.co

PRODUCTION VALUE For Production Manager Joel Stanley (Major Lazer, Gorillaz) The BRITs represents the first high-pressure gig in the UK event calendar, and requires a trio of production demands: creative excellence, technical expertise and the ability to persevere through a relentless rehearsal schedule.

Contracted by Virgin EMI, Stanley’s role at The BRITs differs from his touring day job.

“I production co-ordinate between Virgin’s artists, their production managers and the TV producers in order to help put together their live performances on the night.”

Stanley is no stranger to the juggling involved with this kind of production, as he explained: “I first worked on The BRITs for Joe Sanchez of Eighteen Twenty Six when he looked after Rihanna. Ever since then, Helena McGeough - Head of TV at Virgin EMI - has employed me to co-ordinate her

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BLACKOUT Blackout, which has been involved with The BRITs for the past 22 years, again provided a variety of kit for the 2017 edition, including the huge amount of drapes throughout the event and afterparty, and some specific additional requirements on stage to enhance several performances.

The show saw moving tributes to stars like David Bowie that were lost in 2016, and one of the most emotional moments of the evening came when George Michael’s former Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley paid tribute to his close friend and band member, who passed away in December. BPI marked the artist’s contribution to the music industry with a performance from Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who performed Turn A Different Corner with archive footage on the large projection screen in the background culminating in a retrospective duet with the two artists using historical footage. Blackout provided the 12m automated roller screen that was deployed at the opening of the performance using black backed, white matte front projection material to create a crisp projection surface with no ambient light bleed from behind. This is a modular system that attaches to any standard truss and, once rigged, could be rolled down at a speed of 0.9m per second.

Another eye-catching BRITs moment came when Coldplay’s Chris Martin was dramatically revealed by a kabuki solenoid drop, supplied by Blackout, during his performance with The Chainsmokers. The system dropped a white polyline material that provided the screen surface for the silhouette projection. During the song, the kabuki system was released to drop the cloth before being ‘snatched’ back up into a fast winch in the grid supplied by All Access Staging & Productions. This move appeared lightning quick TV screens in contrast to the careful planning process that was undertaken to make this effect look effortless, with the performers continuing their collaboration, Something Just Like This.

Blackout’s Kevin Monks remarked on the smooth running of the event: “High profile live TV shows always have their own unique challenges but nothing we haven’t had to deal with before. Coming in late in the load in with specific band effects mean that we must work around an infrastructure that is already in place but due to a long-established working relationship with co-suppliers this wasn’t a problem.”

TPi Photo: Blackout www.blackout.co.uk

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Stageco we concluded that a multi ground support tower solution was the only way forward. This had a huge knock on effect with timings but, as you do, all contractors involved delivered on time.”

Ryan and Stuart Copper, Outback’s Operations Director achieved all technical planning while Mark Oakley Account Director joined the team as Senior Crew Chief along with 20 riggers on the day of production. Using the full potential of the team’s recent investment, Kinesys’ DigiHoist controllers they were able to use 420 electric chain hoists across the arena, supporting intricate set, LED, lighting and audio features, which “worked perfectly” Ryan mentioned. “The additional safety feature of integrated load cell monitoring really helped.” Vital to the production was guaranteeing safe access to all their mother grids and automation systems throughout the event.

Ryan detailed: “Most of these were parked around the 27m mark.

We worked closely with the house team to install safe systems of work infrastructure right at the beginning of the tenancy, which meant we could get where we needed to.”

Overall, Ryan was delighted with the result. He applauded Production Designer, Misty Buckley and the events other key suppliers. “It’s the fact that we have such a close-knit team having collaborated on the BRIT Awards over many years together makes this extraordinary technical achievement possible.” Ryan concluded.

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.mojobarriers.com

OUTBACK RIGGING Outback Rigging has been working with the Brit Awards for over 15 years. “It is a close knit team and we are very proud to be a part of it.” Conrad Ryan, Technical Director of Outback Rigging commented.

Ryan and his team started preparing for the BRITs in mid-November. However with the event becoming greater each year so do the challenges, so the team prepare well in advance. “The set comprised a vast rear architectural wall that had a huge amount of lighting and video equipment integrated into it.

“This wall extended well over the seating bleachers stage left and right of the venue so lots of careful planning had to go into how to achieve this efficiently and safely.” Ryan noted. “Eventually we got to a point where the set and video weights were on the limit of what the roof could support in that load zone, after consulting with the O2’s appointed engineers and working alongside Tony Wheeler (Technical Production Manager) and

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BRITs 2017

crew have to change. Cornfield continued: “It takes a lot of planning. Each act will have its own specific lighting elements, as well as stage set that is either flown into position or brought onto stage. This needs to happen very quickly, generally during an award presentation or commercial break.

We have a dedicated lighting team to oversee this. Mike Grove is the stage manager for the show. He has a team of stage hands and runs the whole thing like a military operation.”

As well as the substantial amount of kit on site, this operation also required a sizeable crew, as Cornfield explained: “Our head of Event Services Rich Gorrod worked closely with lighting designer Al Gurdon from the beginning of the design process, at least three months before the show aired in February. At times we had as many as 20 crew and three operators onsite. This was to look after the core rig and the multiple band extras.

There was a day less on the schedule this year so the crew were really up against it to ensure that Al could start programming on time. We did two days of WYSIWYG on site during the build to give Al and his operators a bit of a head start.”

As well as the main show lighting, PRG also provided lighting and crew for the after party and red carpet areas. Cornfield concluded: “We have always had a close relationship with The BRITs production team and feel part of the ‘BRITs family’. It’s an event that is as rewarding as it is challenging and relies on an excellent crew spearheaded by Rich Gorrod, working alongside the other departments to turn the whole concept into a reality.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.prg.com

PRG XL VIDEO A landmark show in the company’s calendar, PRG XL Video has been involved with The BRITs since 2000 and PRG Account Director Jon Cadbury looked after the show prior to that.

The kit used on the show was specified

by Al Gurdon in his design and is created in two stages. The first takes account of lighting the current year’s stage set, presenters and audience, while the second takes care of lighting all the specific band / artist performances.

Kelly Cornfield, Director of PRG XL Video’s TV and Film Team, explained: “The nature of The BRITs is that it is a big rock ‘n’ roll show that’s shown live on TV, so both elements need to be catered for. There are traditional rock ‘n’ roll fixtures like beams and strobes, but also a large number of shuttering profiles and followspots to ensure all the action is captured on camera.”

A major difference from lighting a traditional rock ’n’ roll gig is the sheer volume of performers and the speed in which the individual looks and

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BRITs 2017

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MOJO BARRIERS Mojo Barriers was another returning name at The BRITs, having supplied the event for many years. Mojo’s UK Manager, Kevin Thorborn, explained: “We decided to use our black aluminium system for the internal barrier as they work better for TV by blending into the rest of the set.

“It has only been the last two years that we needed to use the barrier internally as they had previously not had a standing crowd in front of the stage. We used our Mojo Barriers High Fence to create the VIP external area. High Fence consists of 1m wide and 2.4m high sections of reinforced aluminium barrier, with a polycarbonate upper.”

He continued: “We utilised our tinted polycarbonate panels to create sight-kills around the VIP area, which created a more aesthetically attractive barrier compared to the usual perimeter fencing used at major event. We also used our silver aluminium system on the red carpet.”

Mojo had a maximum of six crew on site at any one time, and according to Thorborn: “Everything went really well and the show looked fantastic.”

TPi Photo: John Marshall www.mojobarriers.com

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Following the overwhelming success of his previous collaborations with the Czech manufacturer, renowned Lighting Designer Tim Routledge has returned with another retro-styled fixture - this time with seven cells and full RGBW. Ste Durham caught up with the man himself for the full story.

First of all, can you talk through your relationship with Robe and how this collaboration came about?

Essentially the pixelPATT is the third in a trilogy of fixtures, following on from the PATT2013 and smaller picklePATT units. With the 2013 I only really had Radio 1’s Big Weekend in mind, though I had already realised that the market was crying out for a retro styled fixture like that. It was really well received and suddenly we had a light that everyone wanted. This led to an agreement with Robe, who were really keen to get involved and help me reverse engineer and then rebuild it.

I visited Robe’s factory and saw how they did everything in-house, including all the metalwork. They aren’t really well known for static lights and realised they could quite easily manufacture the 2013. It was their enthusiasm to take it on that drove the relationship and the fixtures have

done way more business than we ever thought possible, particularly considering they were intended for my own use.

When we began looking at making more lights together and it turned into quite an enjoyable sideline for me. Then came the smaller picklePATT, named after my daughter, Pickle, and people seemed to really like that as well. I soon started hearing from fans of the fixture that they loved the aesthetic but wanted the ability to colour change. Enter the pixelPATT. Can you talk through the development and some of the features of the pixelPATT? It’s taken about a year of design and that all started with an initial sketch.

I wanted a light that tessellated and could be used to make an interesting wall, while still retaining that retro style and giving operators more control.

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ROBE PIXELPATT

Above: Routledge chose this year’s TPi Awards to launch his latest fixture.

The original design was too ‘chunky’ but Robe decided to remove the power supply and have it as a separate unit, giving it a more skeletal look and allowing LDs to back light through it. My input after that was to do with the scale of it and how it would work physically in a design.

The pixelPATT has seven 30W RGBW LED multi-chips - one in the centre surrounded by a ring of six - housed in a lightweight, brushed metal frame.

The quality of light from Robe fixtures in has always been great, and this uses the same 30W chips that are in the Spiider. We were keen to preserve the tungsten emulation but also give it a new edge.

It can be smoothly dimmed between 0 and 100% via the high resolution electronic dimmer and has an excellent array of CT whites ranging from a glowing 2.700K to a crisp 8.000K, plus a virtual colour wheel pre-set with 66 LEE colours.

The fixture is controlled via the external PATTDriver, which has a high brightness LCD display for fast DMX addressing and fixture set-up. The driver is equipped with an embedded Ethernet switch for the easy daisychaining of pixelPATTs by using Kling-Net and ArtNet network protocols, which allows video pixel mapping and makes it extremely flexible for programing. CRMX from Lumen Radio is a further option.

We also decided to add some pre-programmed pixel effects featuring colour, dimming and strobing chases, waves and pulses with variable speed and direction. There’s an electronic shutter and variable-speed strobe with up to 20 flashes per second.

The brief has always been to make an affordable eye candy light that looks great even when it’s turned off. I first had TV in mind but then you see them used on a massive scale - like they have been for Creamfields and The Prodigy - it looks amazing.

metalwork on show - particularly if used in large quantities - so I think the black might even end up being the more popular of the two.

The possibilities are really exciting. They’ll look great as a few dotted around a TV studio but using 100 of them as a back wall will be staggering.

It’s designed not just to be a light but to be fed with video as well, so there’s scope for some clever video mapping effects.

What made you decide to premiere the fixture at this year’s TPi Awards?

The fact is you’ve got God knows how many of the world’s best LDs in the same room, so the ability to show the unit off to that many people was too good to miss. Only Robe and myself had seen it up until that point, and it was the first time I’ve seen in anger. The reaction in the room was amazing and I was really pleased with how it performed. I just hope it has impact of the 2013.

Can we expect any more collaborations between Robe and yourself in the future?

This won’t be the last, and I already have several ideas in mind. That said, I don’t necessarily think there will be any more iterations of this particular feature set. Never say never, but I believe we’ve explored the retro / tungsten idea as far as is possible.

Personally, I never foresaw the popularity that the 2013 has enjoyed so this whole new part of my career is a dream for me. They still seem to be flying off the shelves and you still see them popping up all over the place.

My brother will always text me if he sees them out and about - the Almeida Theatre in London even has one above their box office as an objet d’art!

When we originally went in with Robe, they asked how many they’d have to make and I said 100. We’ve exponentially grown out of that and I really hope that this success continues with the newest addition to the family.

TPi Photos: Courtesy of Robe www.timroutledge.co.uk www.robe.cz

Did you design this fixture for a specific use, such as touring or broadcast?

Not really, though I hope it will prove to be as versatile as its predecessor.

We’ve decided to make a both a silver and a black version as there’s a lot of 97

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

IPM 2017 This live event production thing is a global business. Good then, that the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has, for the past 10 years, played host to the International Production Meeting (IPM), gathering production types from around the globe to meet and share experiences in all manner of topics and, as it was held in Britain...

...WE TALKED ABOUT THE WEATHER Skilfully steering the conversation was PSA Council member and head of DNG Production and Event Crew, David Lawrence the panel, consisting of Jon Drape, Ground Control Productions (UK); Niels Peeters, Mojo Concerts (NL); Pete Holdich, Star Events Ltd (UK); and Martina Pogačić, Ultra Europa (HR) , shared experiences from which those gathered can all learn.

Holdich’s assertion that historical weather patterns from specific sites were backed up by Pogačić’s story from a Croatian festival that was cancelled under beautiful blue skies simply because production co-ordinators and the promoter were armed with the knowledge that the differences between sea and land temperatures indicated the imminent onset of strong winds.

The difficult decision to cancel was tempered by the fact that gates hadn’t opened so the site was made safer and the horrendous task of evacuating a functioning site in high winds was avoided.

Drape’s experience of a managing a build in extreme heat, bringing water on to site to manage dust before being deluged with heavy irony in the shape of monsoon rain reminded those gathered of the meteorological extremes that seem to be ever-widening.

Holdich shared tales of being locked in Portakabins with promoters and production heads, making the final call on whether to cancel or not.

This did raise the question that, although the staging supplier has wind load calculations for their structure, the decision should perhaps be based on other risks around an event site. Fencing, portable toilets and trader or sponsor structures may well pose a threat before and larger stage structure. The age old problem of additions to structures such as banners or scrims and their careful management was raised yet again.

Of course, predicting the weather is a job for the experts and accurate forecasting is far better than on site monitoring, or ‘nowcasting’. It was stressed that proper planning for announcements, cancellation and evacuation is essential, bearing in mind the possibility of crowd hostility.

FROM WEATHER TO WELFARE Worker welfare is a hot topic; we touched on a couple of recent incidents in our last issue. This session was chaired by Carl AH Martin and featured Showsec’s Mark Harding, event welfare specialist Penny Mellor, Safety specialist Nick Love and Andy Franks from Music Support.

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PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Harding stared the session by describing the case of a staff member who was discovered to have died in his tent during a festival. He outlined the finding of an 18 month inquest and although having been found to bear no responsibility for the death, Harding went on to detail recommendations on where staff welfare and monitoring can be improved. The results of their work had already been passed to Mellor, who is the author of a tailored section for staff welfare in the Purple Guide. Mellor added that the need for the chapter had become apparent to her when she’d noticed that animal welfare was covered but not worker welfare.

Audience participation moved the discussion to financial matters, with the issue of lack of financial planning amongst the self employed. It was even suggested that the PSA could investigate a special pension scheme for production crew. Of course, every individual has access to private pension schemes and short of asking members to contribute towards the pensions of those that haven’t contributed to their own, the only thing we can do is remind people to start one – it’s never too soon. We will be providing a number of webinars on financial planning for the self employed in the near future. Another audience member was swift to add that, although people got in to rock and roll because it’s fun, we shouldn’t be in the entertainment business to escape reality. It’s a proper job and proper work.

To further boost the profile of Music Support, co-founder Andy Franks told the audience about their mission, spreading the word to an international audience. Franks also reported that to help crew and artists find a little peace and quiet during the hectic summer, they had devised the concept of ‘Safe Tents’, somewhere for people to retreat to backstage at festivals, Festival Republic being the first organiser to agree to provide space.

Načajus agreed that starting from the small shows put on by small companies, everyone should be working to improve safety. “Nowadays anyone can book a show because all they have to do is pay the money, but they don’t have to think about who is working on it.

As the drive toward professionalism continues, Holmes noted that more and more artist managers and agents are bringing in their own production people early to check out the technical aspects of venues. “Acts can now go from showcasing at Groningen one year to playing at Wembley Arena the following year – that’s a steep learning curve for them and for production teams,” he said.

Explaining the progress made in the likes of the Baltics in recent years, Načajus recalled that such emerging markets initially had no equipment, no stages and no Mojo barriers. “When we first built our stages, thank God nothing went wrong and nobody was hurt,” he said. “In this business we have a habit of not learning from other mistakes, and in the emerging markets, like Belarus, there are companies who just buy the shows but have no experience and that is where the problems start.”

Načajus continued, “It’s ok to ask questions, but the local mentality in places like Belarus, unfortunately, is that nobody asks questions because they are scared of looking stupid. There are maybe two companies that can manage the shows in a safe way, but the cowboys who are paying for the big shows don’t care who they work with.”

Delegate Carl AH Martin noted that such problems are not limited to emerging markets. “Nobody got prosecuted or jailed after Love Parade,” he said. “Money is one of the evils that is causing us these problems.” Picking up on that sentiment, Načajus cited an example where a band refused to go on what they thought was an unsafe stage, but then went on when the promoter added €50,000 to the guarantee.

As a promoter, Načajus admitted that he had implemented a number of changes to his day-to-day operations following his visit to IPM in 2016.

“This was mostly to do with risk assessment and communication, so that everyone who works on a site is made aware,” he revealed.

And drawing parallels with other sectors that take safety more seriously than live music – which often involves tens of thousands of fans – Načajus admitted that most companies have their share of ‘oops’ moments. “That is somehow acceptable for us, but let’s face it, you don’t want to hear ‘Oops’ from an aircraft pilot or from a doctor, so we should try to avoid those incidents as well in our business,” he concluded.

All in all a lively and vibrant discussion was had and we left with the feeling that lessons are learned and taken away with a view to improving standards. Of course, that’s something we strive for every day, here as the PSA and internationally as part of the Event Safety Alliance.

TPi www.psa.org.uk

THE UN-PROFESSIONALS Martin Goebbels of Integro Insurance Brokers (UK) chaired the panel featuring: Martin Holmes, Bergen Live; Boyan Boiadjiev, Pan Harmony; Renatas Načajus, Falcon Club (LT); Hide Whone, Riverman Management We may have been here before, but this panel focussed on varying standards of safety between territories and different types of event. More old ground was raked up whenthe panel were asked whether agents and promoters should, perhaps, be asking more in-depth questions of their production suppliers, Boiadjiev observed that, “From the agent’s point of view the questions are usually limited to ‘Who have you worked for previously, when did that happen and how much can you offer us for the show?’ And the next you hear about it is when the production manager calls you up crying…”

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Well-known designer Justin Kitchenman launches Align Design Group.

After five years as a partner in FadeUp Design Group, Production Designer and Programmer Kitchenman has announced the creation of the Nashvillebased design firm Align Design Group. Specialising in lighting, production and media design, Kitchenman opened the doors to Align Design Group in January.

“As a founding partner of FadeUp with Heath Marrinan, the company steadily grew over the years into a full-service lighting vendor that is really making a name for itself,” commented Kitchenman.

He continued: “The goal of Align Design Group is really to be a hub where a network of designers, programmers, production engineers and artists can all come together under the same umbrella. I really want this to be an evolutionary experience that will give all of us in the concert touring production industry a tremendous amount of creative flexibility.”

“While the concert tour industry will be our mainstay, we will also be moving into corporate events, television production and any additional live event that needs production elements,” concluded Kitchenman.

AV Stumpfl, the Austrian AV technology manufacturer, recently

announced the Japanese company Mix Wave, as it’s exclusive media server and show control distributor for Japan.

Mix Wave is well known for professional AV product distribution and related services in Japan.

AV Stumpfl’s Global Business Development, Manager Horst Damoser, commented on the announcement: “Japan is without doubt a country with very discerning AV technology customers, for whom superior product quality is of great importance. We have a very successful and constructive relationship with our projection screen customers in Japan and are looking forward to growing the media server and show control side of things with the help of Mix Wave. Their great reputation and experience with media server related technologies make us very confident that they will soon become one of our most successful distributors.”

Mix Wave co-founder and director of its Visual System division Ken Sampei commented: “We are very excited to handle the AV Stumpfl Wings media server product range. Japan is quite a 4K/8K oriented country and I’m sure the Wings media server products will fit even our most demanding rental and staging customers.”

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Opposite: Align Design Group’s Justin Kitchenman; Mix Wave co-founder and director of its Visual System division, Ken Sampei; CEO of MusicNetwork, Franco Stuppia and Managing Director of Z-Audio Remo Zollinger. Below: eps latest warehouse investment in Rockford Illinois.

K-array is proud to include DDH Audio as part of its global network of trusted partners.

Already a part of the K-array family, DDH Audio owner Daniel Huard acted as a K-array sales representative for K-array America, but after growing the Italian brand’s popularity with its customers in the North of America, K-array realised the value of having an exclusive distributor for Canada itself. “Daniel’s experience in the Canadian market is invaluable to our mission to close the gap between K-array and our customers,” remarked Alex Tatini, Co-founder of K-array. “We are excited to have the DDH Audio team as part of our growing team and look forward to continued success in Canada.”

“I am happy to represent such a distinguished brand as K-array,” Huard commented. “Together we will aim to satisfy customer needs with K-array’s innovative solutions and unique products and DDH’s reliable service and exceptional technical support.”

Creative Technology (CT) is pleased to announce that following the acquisition of the company by NEP in January 2017, the UK division of sister company Mediatec will be merged with and rebranded CT from the 1st April 2017.

Dave Crump, CEO of CT Group commented: “CT and Mediatec have enjoyed a close, albeit competitive relationship over many years. Several of the current Mediatec UK contracts started life with us and we have always enjoyed similar operating cultures alongside a healthy exchange of personnel and, occasionally, clients. Bringing the businesses together will provide enhanced opportunities for the majority of the staff and allow us to offer their clients a broader range of technology and services.”

Kenneth Patterson, President of Mediatec Solutions in Sweden added: “We have a great team in the UK who have done some excellent work, however they have always been somewhat limited by lack of local inventory and the distance/cost of operating from Sweden. Joining forces with our friends, and now colleagues at CT, is the ideal way to take the business forward and to allow the team to develop. I would like to thank the people at Mediatec UK for all of their commitment over the last 15 years and wish them the very best for the future.”

Chauvet and Sons has announced that it completed the acquisition of ChamSys, the Southampton, UK-based designer and manufacturer of lighting controllers. ChamSys provides Chauvet a strong presence in the controller market that complements its Chauvet Professional lighting fixtures and LED video panels.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to join forces with ChamSys,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet and Sons. “ChamSys has a well-deserved reputation for innovation, quality and value, the same principles that are at the heart of our own Chauvet brands. Together ChamSys and Chauvet are now in a position to better cover and serve worldwide markets.”

The Chauvet Professional sales team will assume responsibility for ChamSys sales in the USA. They will have the full-time support of Phil Watson, former CEO of ChamSys, who has been named ChamSys USA Director.

ChamSys Managing Director Chris Kennedy echoed this enthusiasm.

“Chauvet and ChamSys share similar cultures, a strong sense of respect for our customers, an appreciation of our staff and a powerful drive to be the best in our markets,” he said. “This partnership is clearly a logical step for both companies. We deeply appreciate that Chauvet is committed to building on our 14-year heritage so that ChamSys becomes even stronger in the future.”

As part of its commitment to its professional customer base, DPA Microphones has appointed two new distributors in Switzerland with immediate effect. Z-Audio and MusicNetwork AG are now responsible for the company’s entire range of high quality microphones, which includes products aimed at the recording and pro audio markets, live sound, installation and broadcast.

Remo Zollinger, Managing Director of Z-Audio, said: “We are very excited to be representing such a great microphone brand – one that is already well known and respected in Switzerland. We have worked with DPA in the past on various projects, most notably in the broadcast sphere. The company’s products fit well with our existing portfolio, particularly with the MIPRO wireless system.”

Franco Stuppia, CEO of MusicNetwork, said: “It was a breeze for DPA Microphones to fit into MusicNetwork’s handpicked and Swiss-wide

portfolio of renowned brands, since we are all absolutely passionate about audio at MusicNetwork and love DPA’s quest for the highest quality and true sound. The new world-class products by DPA are enriching MusicNetwork’s portfolio and will doubtlessly open new doors in the market. We’re sure to gain more market share in the broadcast segment and boost our presence in the entertainment industry due to our new partnership with DPA Microphones. With DPA Microphones, MusicNetwork AG is now offering an even wider range of professional audio products exclusively to several hundred specialty retailers in the very quality conscious Swiss market.”

Production Resource Group (PRG), the world’s largest supplier of technology and services for events and entertainment has appointed Tom Van Hemelryck as CEO of PRG Central Europe, the umbrella name for PRG Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Spain.

He will mainly focus on harmonising and optimising the internal collaboration within the PRG Group for PRG Central Europe to effectively make use of the strong operational processes and teams of the group.

In his new role, Van Hemelryck will report directly to Stephan Paridaen, President and Chief Operating Officer of the PRG Group.

“I’m delighted to have Tom in this crucial leading position,” explained Stephan Paridaen, President and Chief Operating Officer of the PRG Group: “He has proven his skills to identify growth opportunities and is able to apply the right commercial strategy in order to achieve those goals. These qualities are certainly beneficial to further support the team in Central Europe.” Van Hemelryck will lead and work together with PRG’s Central European Management Team.

Event production service provider eps america has officially opened its fourth warehouse in North America in Rockford, Illinois.

The new facility provides an easy access to Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis and many other markets in the Midwest. The warehouse is stocked with a variety of our flooring solutions as well as our popular GIGS barricade system, fulfilling our commitment to regionalise its services and product mix while also helping to keep costs low for our customers.

With over an acre of indoor and outdoor storage space, the facility includes an internal wash bay and office space to extend its year round capabilities. The facility at 3473 Merchandise Drive in Rockford, IL is locally staffed and managed, helping eps increase its capabilities and level of service. With warehouses located in Gardena, CA, Texas, Rock Tavern, NY, and now Rockford, IL, eps america’s strategic growth continues. d&b audiotechnik is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephan Greiner as Chief Sales Officer. From the 1st March Greiner will serve as a member of the managing board, reporting directly to Amnon Harman, CEO. Amnon Harman CEO said: “Stephan’s impressive professional background and passion for technology will be a great asset to d&b at a time of significant development and innovation. His dedication to creating and strengthening business partnerships, and his expertise in building 101

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

d&b audiotechnik Chief Marketing Officer, David Claringbold; Christie Lites’ Pete Heffernan; InfoComm International’s new Chief Operating Officer, Heidi A. Voorhees.

global sales structures will be a driving force as we continue to grow and enter new markets.” “d&b is an outstanding brand and a technology leader in the pro audio industry. The company’s passion to provide the best sound solutions to its customers appealed to me instantly,” said Greiner. “As d&b has successfully done so in the past, we want to continue to innovate and grow. Our goal is to bring d&b to the next level through the development of new market segments and business models, together with our excellent partner network. I am very excited to be part of the d&b family.”

In other d&b news the company has appointed David Claringbold as Chief Marketing Officer. The former Director of Sydney Opera House, and member of the d&b audiotechnik Advisory Board, joins the management team effective on the 29 March, reporting directly to CEO Amnon Harman.

Claringbold, who has relocated from Australia to Germany, succeeds Sabina Berloffa.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Claringbold’s leadership covers marketing communications, public relations, brand management, market intelligence and product management. His appointment will support the company as it further develops its segment strategy particularly within the installation market, while maintaining a strong position in mobile sectors.

“Together with David we have initiated Sound Futures, a strategic platform for our future development, which will strengthen d&b and pave the way for new sound experiences and audio technologies. I am excited that we could win David for the strategic position as CMO at d&b,” said CEO Harman.

“At d&b the focus is only ever on one thing: developing solutions that go beyond expectation. I’m absolutely thrilled, and honored, to be joining the team,” said Claringbold Veteran Pete Heffernan joins stage lighting industry leader Christie Lites. Heffernan was president of Bandit Lites for eight years prior to joining Christie Lites and his career spans more than three decades including as promoter of an Elvis Presley concert, lighting designer, production manager and finally as corporate executive.

Heffernan said: “Christie Lites is a company that puts the client first and has a methodology that in my opinion is the best in the industry. I have always placed the client’s needs first and then provided the support to make the production a success. Christie Lites is the perfect place for me to

take this approach to the next level.”

The team at Christie Lites forms special relationships with lighting designers and other lighting specifiers, which they consider part of the Christie Lites family. Heffernan took notice of this immediately as well: “One of the advantages at Christie Lites is their relationship with lighting designers. This is not just lip service - it is the way it is done. I think this culture creates the best model for business success and is one of the main reasons that I wanted to work for Huntly and his team.”

“I have a great perspective that is both from a designer’s and production manager’s standpoint, which is more bang for the buck and getting the most out of every component of a job,” he noted.

Christie Lites CEO Huntly Christie commented: “Pete is a straight shooter with an infectious out-of-the-box attitude. I personally look forward to working closely with him. His business savvy and long-term industry relationships will be a great asset to the Christie Lites family.

Whether close to home in Tennessee, or across the entire CL network, Pete is another great addition to our unique group of lighting industry ninjas.”

InfoComm International is pleased to introduce Heidi A. Voorhees, MBA, CAE, as the organisation’s new Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Voorhees will lead InfoComm’s North American operations and global marketing and communication efforts.

“I am thrilled that Heidi has chosen InfoComm International for the next chapter in her exciting career,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO of InfoComm. “We had an extraordinarily talented array of candidates who expressed interest in the InfoComm COO position and I truly believe that is a reflection on the quality of our existing team - both the staff and volunteer contributors who make InfoComm what it is. Heidi brings the perfect mix of talent, experience and energy to our team at a time of unprecedented opportunity and growth. I look forward to the contributions she will make to our association and our industry.”

“This role is the perfect combination of association and tradeshow operations, which are my two professional passions,” Voorhees said. “I’m captivated by the incredible staff and leadership that share my values of taking care of members, and by the dedicated volunteers who are focused on the future of the industry. I am excited to collaborate with the team and volunteers at this exciting time for InfoComm.” www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/ 102

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BACK CHAT

MARK HANEY VP of Concert Touring and Events at Upstage Video

important was continuing to work hard, be humble, and listen to those I worked around locally. I observed and interacted with the folks who came through with shows, or vendors who provided the equipment. I knew about signal flow from my brother, and wired a lot of stages, and stacked and flew a lot of PA in those years. I also built steel, carried a monkey wrench and put a lot of truss together, assembled rock ‘n’ roll sets and convention booths, pushed a tonne of boxes, and loaded a lot of trucks. I am a member of IATSE Local 197 in Knoxville, but joined in 2001 after I was well into my career. I intended on working in sports as a broadcaster after college, but was persuaded to take a job on the road within a month of graduating. Next thing I knew, I was on a two day sub ride to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

How did you initially get into the entertainment technology industry?

Pure nepotism. I had an older brother, David ‘Hud’ Haney, who played Hammond organ in regional rock bands, and then was one of the top monitor engineers in our industry for a long time. I was a big kid, so he started taking me to work at gigs when I was 15. He used to look up at me and call me “little brother”, quite cheekily! It was fun, and my brother and I were close.

That’s what kept me coming back. I did OK initially as I was not afraid to work hard, so he introduced me to Stephen Gudis, a local promoter in my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, and I worked gigs for him for the next seven years until I got out of college. It was a great way to make pocket money as I went to school.

Little did I know it would lead to a lifetime career.

You’ve recently joined Upstage Video, what can you tell us about your new role?

I’ve been brought in by Upstage Video to help build a business in concert touring and music events.

Obviously from my background and experience at other video vendors, that is right up my street. Upstage Video is already a successful LED vendor; I’m just helping to expand their book of business in music, and adding my knowledge and relationships to the company. I am very impressed by the organisation that Doug Murray has built, and we work similarly in that we bring more to the table for our clients than just the gear - we bring great people and great service.

After some time honing your skills in the business, what’s your favourite aspect of working within it today?

I’ve always enjoyed the people. Our industry is full of men and women who improvise, adapt and overcome.

There are many characters in our industry, and their stories are endless and entertaining - I’ve known guys named Pig, Dog, and Animal! We are an interesting tribe in the music business. We can be everything from Bohemian to a chameleon, to practical, to creative, to avant-garde - all the colours of personality. Any tour bus is a great experiment on the human condition!

Did you take the educational or DIY route?

Both. I worked as a stagehand for seven years as I mentioned, and I studied Communications at CarsonNewman University. I graduated from there with a BA, with an emphasis in Broadcasting and a minor in History. Then work as a stagehand, and just being around my brother as he advanced shows, was definitely my education initially. He was mixing Waylon Jennings, working in North America and Europe, so just the osmosis of listening was great. But just as 106

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NEO Consoles in control at Niagara Falls

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Lighting effects such as sunrise, sunset and the Aurora Borealis can be displayed every night on the Falls using the flexible NEO system. It is run by volunteer operators so had to be simple to use – NEO was therefore a natural choice. The intuitive touchscreen layout meant the visiting public could also interact and trigger colors on the Falls themselves.

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