TPi July 2016 - #203

DOWNLOAD

Backstage at Britain’s biggest rock and metal festival

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN • METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS AWARDS • FESTIVAL SPECIAL • KYGO ON THE ROAD: LITITZ • IN PROFILE: FLY BY NITE STUDIOS • GEAR HEADS: PIONEER PROFESSIONAL

JULY 2016 #203

a1TPi_advert final.pdf

1

01/04/2016

11:26

Photo: Adam Kaplan

M

Y

CM

Vero is a large format sound system, which has been engineered for new levels of audio and operational performance. It has been designed, developed and perfected over the last six years by some of the most knowledgeable and experienced audio engineers in the world.

Photo: Johannes Krämer

C

MY

CY

CMY

Its meticulously crafted proprietary waveguides and driver technology produce naturally even frequency response and coverage.

K

The result is uncompromised system dynamics, headroom and coherency combining to present an incredibly spacious stereo image, which is why Vero is already gaining the plaudits of sound engineers from around the world.

www.vero-system.com

T H E

N E X T

L E V E L

O F

T O U R

S O U N D

Distributing the industry’s finest brands...

it’s in our dna

For 26 years we continue to evolve to bring you the finest brands of Professional & Commercial Audio, Lighting, Video and Special Effects.

We are your one true, trade only distributor and our all-round service means that we deliver for you every time – it’s in our dna.

If you are an Integrator, Installer, Re-seller, Hire or Events Company you will not find us competing with you. Let us become an asset to your business.

Just think Leisuretec

Wherever Whatever Whenever Experience • Choice • Value • Service Leisuretec Distribution Limited • Leighton Buzzard LU7 4UH (UK) • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk

EDITOR’S LETTER

VARIO-LIFT

Born in the USA (or at least dressing like I was) This month I’ve fallen asleep on more stangers on planes than I’d care to admit. But I always give you the truth. There were no less than three incidents. Only one was particularly embarrassing; it involved my face hitting a man’s tray table and him trying to watch HBO on an iPad while I clearly got in his way. He was still able to drink a can of beer over my head though, and I think that was important to him - Wi-Fi still hasn’t overtaken the luxury of the bar during air travel.

Anyway! It’s been a truly hectic, non-stop month (if you attended Glastonbury, you’re probably still in recovery too). Our American adventure treated us very well, I got to visit Nashville for the first time - fell dramatically in love with it, obviously - and was lucky enough to visit Pennsylvania in order to work on my crochet skills. I jest, Hannah and I were welcomed with open arms and more swag than we could carry (literally, thank you for shipping & enabling me to dress like a Guns N’ Roses superfan!) during our time in North America’s live production hub. Our story from the incredible facilities at the Rock Lititz campus begins on Pg. 64.

This issue also brings the technical story behind Bruce Springsteen’s The River Tour ‘16 from Germany (which is being supplied by Lititz’s own Clair Global and TAIT Towers) and the weather-compromised feat of British favourite, Download festival. Despite the biblical downpours, the crew smashed another bout of metal mayhem out of the park.

My editorial team got very wet though, so I’ll leave you to laugh as you read...

Kelly Murray Editor EDITOR Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@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 STAFF WRITER Stewart Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING SALES Charlotte Goodlass Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9126 Mobile: +44 (0)788 0208 226 e-mail: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS Mo Naeem Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313 e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNTS Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Black Sabbath at Download - Ben Gibson

Capacity 125 kg - 6000 kg (BGV-C1)

• Speed up to 42 m/min • Free progammable Start/Stop Ramps • EN 818-7 Load Chain • Low Noise Operation • 5-Pocket Chain Wheel • 2 Independent DC Brakes • Gear Limit Switch • Precise Chain Guide • Textil Chain Bag • Removeable Control Box • BGV D8 / D8Plus Models on Request CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS

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, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com www.tpmeamagazine.com Issue 203 - July 2016

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

ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2016 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434.

Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.

info@chainmaster.de

CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH

Uferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0 Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21 E-Mail: info@chainmaster.de www.chainmaster.de

䘀刀伀䴀 䐀䔀匀䤀 䜀一 吀䠀刀伀唀䜀䠀 吀伀 倀刀伀䐀唀䌀吀䤀 伀一 刀䜀䈀 栀愀猀 攀瘀 攀爀 礀琀 栀椀 渀最 礀漀甀 渀攀攀搀 琀 漀 挀爀 攀愀琀 攀 愀 猀攀愀洀氀 攀猀猀 瘀 椀 搀攀漀 攀砀瀀攀爀 椀 攀渀挀攀㬀 昀 爀 漀洀 愀渀 漀甀琀 猀琀 愀渀搀椀 渀最 爀 愀渀最攀 漀昀

瀀爀 漀搀甀挀琀 猀Ⰰ

琀 漀 椀 渀搀甀猀琀 爀 礀 氀 攀愀搀椀 渀最 攀砀瀀攀爀 琀 椀 猀攀Ⰰ

刀䜀䈀 椀 猀 琀 栀攀 漀渀攀 猀琀 漀瀀 搀攀猀琀 椀 渀愀琀 椀 漀渀 昀 漀爀

愀氀 氀

漀昀

礀漀甀爀

瀀爀 漀樀 攀挀琀 椀 漀渀 愀渀搀 椀 洀愀最攀 瀀爀 漀挀攀猀猀椀 渀最 渀攀攀搀猀㨀 ∠

倀刀伀䨀 䔀䌀吀伀刀匀 ∠

倀刀伀䨀 䔀䌀吀䤀 伀一 匀䌀刀䔀䔀一匀 ∠

倀刀䔀匀䔀一吀 䄀吀䤀 伀一 匀圀䤀 吀䌀䠀䔀刀匀

∠ ∠

䴀䄀吀刀䤀 堀 匀圀䤀 吀䌀䠀䔀刀匀 ∠

䔀嘀䔀一吀 䌀伀一吀刀伀䰀䰀䔀刀匀 ∠

䴀䔀䐀䤀 䄀 匀䔀刀嘀䔀刀匀

∠

ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS 08

16

Metal Hammer Golden Gods PRG XL Video sponsors the festival-style awards show.

10 D of E Diamond Anniversary

Blackout makes London’s Stoke

Park fit for royalty.

12 AV Stumpfl Factory Tour

The Austrian family business opens the

doors to its new HQ. 14

TUI Discovery Thomson launches its latest vessel with an All Access stage for a cruise ship gig.

PRODUCTION PROFILE

28

16

Bruce Springsteen Stew Hume headed to Munich, Germany to meet the crew of The Boss’ latest global tour.

28

Download Festival TPi travelled to Castle Donington for the UK’s biggest, loudest (and wettest) rock and metal gathering.

38 Kygo

The Norwegian musician puts a

versatile touring rig through its paces on his Cloud Nine tour.

FESTIVAL FOCUS 48

In this instalment: Rock in Rio, R1’s Big Weekend, Sunwaves, Electric Castle and many more...

ON THE ROAD: LITITZ

38

66 Kelly Murray’s American Adventure:

TPi pays a visit to TAIT, Clair Global,

ATOMIC and Rock Lititz Studio Pennsylvannia.

IN PROFILE 74

Ste Durham visits the new Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios; the biggest facility of its kind in Europe.

ROAD DIARIES 80

48

Production Designer Tom Campbell on starting life with Bullet For My Valentine.

CLOCKING OFF 82

First Night Riders’ Magical Mystery Tour in aid of The Theatrical Guild.

GEAR HEADS 84

Pioneer Professional’s David Ferreira discusses the new XPRS Series.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 86

The latest movers and shakers.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

66

90

PSA sits with the Powerful Thinking board to talk festival sustainability.

BACK CHAT 94

Arcadia Production Manager, Ceri Wade.

EVENT FOCUS

METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS 2016 PRG XL Video continues close relationship with the Golden Gods - a festival style rock ‘n’ roll awards show, as Kelly Murray reports.

I always say there’s two ways you can deal with jet lag; either surrender to sleep and by day become a barley functioning, bloodshot-eyed creature of the night or (the preferable choice) stay awake by wearing copious amounts of eye make up and enjoy some rib rattlingly loud music. If you know me at all, you’ll know I’m firmly in camp B. Just three hours after landing from a US trip, I found myself London-bound and en route to the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith for the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2016. Told you there’d be eyeliner.

The suggestion came courtesy of our good friends at PRG XL Video.

“You should experience this, it’s right up your street,” a voice on the phone said as I carefully removed the lavender off my pillow at 11.30am. The voice was correct. Although somewhat underdressed for a pale face painted dog collar exhibition, I felt more like myself drinking Fireball whiskey than I did a midday Horlicks.

Just as well really, as this is no ordinary awards show; there were no black tie suits, no seated dinner service and the only red carpet moments captured were those that displayed devil horns for the alt music press.

The awards were hosted by Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, who led the night’s proceedings to an almighty reception. The awards audience consisted of Metal Hammer readers and fans of the performing bands which included metal innovators Gojira, Swedish viking horror force Amon Armath, a Salute To Lemmy - featuring Saxon and Motörhead’s Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and the female fronted melodic ballad powerhouse that is Halestorm. The band’s singer Lzzy Hale even won this year’s Dimebag Darrell ‘Shredder’ trophy for her ability to tame a six string - while wearing stage crunching heels we might add - with a knowing

expertise akin to an ancient snake charmer.

With the highly anticipated line up in place, it was down to technical sponsor PRG XL Video to provide the event with lighting, video and rigging equipment in order to ensure the audience saw a well-produced show and the bands could each transform the stage into their personal headline gig.

The task of production design was placed with Lighting Designer Stephen Abbiss, a creative LD who began his career in theatre and soon found his way into the heady world of rock ‘n’ roll touring.

This was his first time operating the Golden Gods Awards, as he explained to TPi: “I got a call from Yvonne Donnely Smith at PRG XL Video asking for a designer / operator for the show. They wanted someone to bring together the entire look of the night. Of course I said yes, but all I really knew at that point was that Rachel King was our production manager and that it was going to be a rock ‘n’ roll style event with nemerous live acts.” In order to adhere to the dual awards / concert environment, Abbiss allowed the two briefs to meet by ensuring the lighting design would primarily focus on the music. He continued: “The rock element was integral, but I also added to the lighting rig to make sure there were some filler scenes for the cameras and some extra effects over the audience for the reverse shots.”

The core tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy also had a big impact on the look of the show. Continued Abbiss: “I had a base rider from each band that was performing, but I used the front cover of Motörhead’s No Sleep Untill Hammersmith vinyl cover as a blend for each of the plots.

For the finale, I gave the show a bit of a heavier nod towards the traditional Saxon and Motörhead aesthetics. It’s a bit like doing a festival main stage design in that you have to come up with an all encompassing drawing that 08

METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS

Opposite: LD Stephen Abbiss designed the look of the show opting for a classic rock aestheic. Below: Metal Hammer Deputy Editor, Merlin Alderslade; Each band enjoyed their own lighting design, including Saxon and their eagle set piece; Lzzy Hale of Halestorm took a trophy home; Nikki Sixx was voted as the 2016 ‘Icon’.

The 2016 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards winners are as follows: Creeper - Best New Band Enslaved - Best Underground Asking Alexandria - Best UK Band Ghost - Best International Band Beartooth - Breakthrough Lamb Of God - Best Live Band Prosthetic Records - Best Independent Label Lzzy Hale - Dimebag Darrell ‘Shredder’ Iron Maiden/The Book of Souls - Best Album Phil Campbell - Riff Lord Anthrax - Inspiration Nikki Sixx - Icon Chthonic - Global Metal Band Joey Jordison - Golden God Parkway Drive - Best Video

allows each act to feel that it’s their headline show. Some scenic extras that were added on the day came in the form of dragons and tombstones for Amon Amarth, and the truly glorious Saxon eagle, all of which were very fun to play with!”

To facilitate the design, PRG XL Video supplied 10 SGM P-5 LED wash lights, six Clay Paky Stormy LED strobes, 20 PRG Best Boy HP Spots, 30 Philips Vari-Lite VL5 washes, 10 ACLs, 14 4-lite generic molefays, 10 Chauvet Professional Strike 4 LED blinders, 22 GLP X4 impressions and seven Philips Vari-Lite VL1000’s. Abbiss said of his specifications: “I used a lot of PARcans during my work with rock bands in the ‘80s and I wanted to recreate that retro look for this show yet still have the ability to manipulate the colour palettes. The Philips Vari-Lite VL5’s won the day for me - although it has more of a ‘90s feel - as they delivered the right atmosphere.

“The inevitable ACL fans were thrown in to for that classic look and the PRG Best Boy HP gave me really good spot coverage. The Philips Vari-Lite VL1000’s were placed as key front lighting and the SGM P-5’s were used for floor backlighting where space was at a premium. Those fixtures provided a nice, wide angled glow.” To complete the ‘80s homage, the onstage towers were dressed with the Chauvet Professional Strike 4 LED blinders.

INGENIOUS SOLUTION

No.

713

For operation, an Avolites Sapphire Touch console was the desk of choice. Abbiss told TPi: “I’ve dabbled with many consoles in the past, but my earliest moving light shows were done on an Avolites Rolacue Sapphire.

I remember it being number 001 and, ironically, the main console I had for this event was an Avolites Sapphire Touch - number 001! It’s a desk I’m comfortable with and that I know very well, so for me it’s the obvious choice for a show with a lot of quick changeovers.

“For the bands that came with their own operator, I programmed a page design for each LD so that they could get to grips with the show quickly.

Considering we were under some pretty tight time constraints, I think all of the visiting LDs were happy with the end results.”

Commenting on the assistance PRG XL Video provided, Abbiss stated: “They were great; I got lots of fixtures to play with and they worked effortlessly. The crew they provided were second to none too, and after a long, overnight changeover I cannot thank techs Dana Reid and Carl Boswell enough for their efforts.”

TPi Phtotos: PRG XL Video / Matt Rakowski www.prg.com, www.abbiss.co.uk

Introducing our Laminar Flow Waterfall

= WATER

A BRIGHT IDEA

AN INGENIOUS BRAIN

When it comes to live special effects, tackling tough challenges is what we do best Welcome to MTFX. The ingenious effects people.

01452 729903 info@mtfx.com www.mtfx.com 09

Scan to watch the video

EVENT FOCUS

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY Following the glittering success of the Duke of Edinburgh Award’s diamond anniversary celebrations, TPi spoke to Blackout’s Kevin Monks about transforming the iconic Stoke Park into an entertainment venue fit for royalty.

On 9 June 2016, West London’s five star Stoke Park played host to a one-off Diamonds Are Forever gala evening. The event celebrated the inspiring work achieved over 60 years by the Duke of Edinburgh Award, encouraging young people from across the UK to give back to the community through volunteering initiatives while developing key life skills. Hosted by David Walliams and boasting performances from Sir Tom Jones and Laura Mvula, the James Bond-themed gala included a sumptuous three-course dinner, raffle and high-end auction raising money for the charity.

Kevin Monks, Blackout’s Project Director, explained how he got involved with exclusive event: “I have worked with Jeremy Hartley and his event production team at Entertainment Industries for many years, with our paths first crossing way back when working on the Cartier International Polo Day together. It was a huge honour to get the call first from Jeremy, asking for Blackout to be part of the core production team, after which the wider team fell into place - a reflection of the trust we have built up over the years and Blackout’s reputation as rigging experts.

“Our starting point was to visit Stoke Park and assess the venue. We immediately realised that the plush indoor tennis courts intended as the

event venue provided very limited roof loading capabilities, which quickly shaped our initial rigging designs. Our Blackout team of eight worked closely with PRG XL Video’s Sven Pederson and Tony Fagan to ensure the event designs were kept within the limited weight loading capabilities, which was overseen by engineering consultants, CampbellReith. It was paramount that the weight of our equipment was kept to the absolute minimum, in order to allow the production design team to work flexibly and add additional set elements if need be. As a result, we used our 500kg Liftkets, which have a lower self weight than other available hoists, as well as our newly increased stock of Prostars 250kg hoists.”

Along with working under the production expertise of Hartley, Blackout also worked in conjunction with the acclaimed creative designer Nicoline Refsing of Rockart Design, who has previously delivered stunning stage designs for major events such as The BRIT Awards and the 2015 League of Legends World Championchip, as well as creative direction for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Monks explained: “We worked closely with Nicoline offering our rigging advice to help incorporate into her designs, which resulted in a beautiful radiating pattern of swagged organza drapes hung from our circular truss 10

D OF E DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY

Opposite and above: Blackout worked closely with PRG XL Video to create a Bond themed event with the title, Diamonds are Forever, for the Duke of Edinburgh 60th anniversary celebrations.

in the middle of the ceiling, above a circular stage. Our bespoke drape manufacturing team helped source a fabric that exuded a special shine within Nicoline’s chosen golden palette. We also hung six black sculptures along the back wall of the venue that were used to display a range of ‘Bond Girl’ dresses worn by the 007 actresses, using a subtle technique giving the appearance they were suspended in mid-air above glittering black plinths.

“A core component of the install was our stock modular roller screen, with the surface provided by Harkness Screens, on which a charity film was shown. This was raised to reveal the performers and allowed the event organisers to hide stage changeovers throughout the show. We installed an upstage track from which a purple festoon curtain was hung, to provide a moveable backdrop for additional reveal moments throughout the show.

House right, we also hung a projection screen from Blackfriars Scenery, which helped mirror the main stages’ content for the audience, so everyone

had clear sightlines of the entertainment.

“The team designed and installed a James Thomas Engineering ground supported super truss grid for over the main stage, plus an additional truss goalpost for hanging the upstage large 11mm LED screen supplied by PRG XL Video. The truss grid also provided support to lighting, including Philips Vari-Lite moving spots and washes, plus sound equipment supplied by Britannia Row.” He concluded: “It was an absolute privilege to work on an event like this, with many suppliers donating their time and kit for free in support of such an incredible charity. From myself and the Blackout team, collectively we’d like to congratulate the Duke of Edinburgh Award on reaching such a momentous anniversary and wish it another successful 60 years to come.”

TPi www.blackout.co.uk

11

EVENT FOCUS

AV STUMPFL FACTORY TOUR Last month TPi, along with other clients and suppliers of AV Stumpfl, were invited to the business’ Austrian HQ to talk about new products and what the future has in store for the family-run business.

Officially opening back in October last year, AV Stumpfl’s new campus in Wallern, Austria, marks the latest chapter of expansion for the company which, since its creation in 1975, has become one of the leading manufacturers of show control, multimedia and screen technology. The expansion of the facility saw the company invest more than €7 million as well as an increase of its in-house staff.

There have been many changes within AV Stumpfl over the last few years, one of the most noticeable being Tobias Stumpfl, son of founder Reinhold Stumpfl, taking on the role of CEO. He explained what the new facility meant for his family’s business: “We are thrilled to have opened our doors to the new campus. It represents our corporate profile and it’s a great forum for our customers. Our doors are open for those who want to consult with us on the best approach to take with a project and for those who want to see our cutting edge technologies and research and development. It also provides staff with a location to take on even more operations and to better service our existing clients worldwide.”

The new HQ has been designed to act as a location for manufacturing many of AV Stumpfl’s products from its projection screens to media servers along with acting as a base for AV’s research and development department.

The facility is split into two sections. One wing accommodates the warehouse for the company’s projection screen department, which has seen rapid expansion in recent months. As well as more staff working on the warehouse floor, the company now has new facilities including a paint chamber to provide a greater range of in-house customisation possibilities

for clients. Walking through to the other wing of the building we entered the R&D department were AV’s staff work in a environment specially designed to increase productivity and comfort.

After the tour, Tobias lead a talk discussing where AV Stumpfl stood in 2016, outlining many of the new products the company had developed over the last year.

One of the latest additions, which was previewed at InfoComm a week earlier, is the Wing Player, a user-friendly mini media server. “The Wing Player comes with integrated automatic camera base wrap and blend, multi timeline and multi master workflows with AV Stumpfl’s new software platform Wings Vioso RX as well as full show control included,” commented Tobias. Fred Neulinger, AV Stumpfl’s Technical Director added: “The idea behind the system is to close the gap between small media players and large scale media servers.” With an unrivalled high-quality seamless playback, Wing Player also supports various high quality video codecs with resolutions of up to 4K including H.265, Pro Res 4:4:4, Animation Pro as well as the native playback uncompressed Full HD content such as TIFF, TGA or PNG. Neulinger discussed other developments within the company including the anticipated version two of the of the Wing media server. He stated that work in the company’s R&D department was still very much in process but are planning to update the hardware of the current Wings Engine Stage system to make it as powerful as possible. He also hinted that the new casing will be even more robust than the previous model. Tobias also 12

AV STUMPFL

Opposite: Officially opened last year, AV Stumpfl’s new facility in Wallern, Austria. Below: Newly appointed CEO Tobias Stumpfl showcased the latest developments in the company’s warehouse facility; Built in-house, the company’s media server, bridging the gap in the market.

discussed the next generation Wings Vioso RX software, which has been taken to the next level by adding a video decoding algorithm that uses specialised GPU instructions instead of regular CPU processes.

AV Stumpfl has been developing a new solution for video playback in the entire line up of video servers and players. In the past, decoding and compressed video content has been done in the CPU of a media server and the decoded data was transferred via the PCI bus to the GPU for playout. Using the newly implemented technology, the data is transferred still compressed over the PCI bus and unpacked and decoded in the GPU. This way, higher bandwidth and more decoding power becomes available resulting in higher image quality, more concurrent video layers, higher resolutions on the same physical hardware platform. Tobias stated: “GPU decoding will enable users to have the most advanced multi-display software available in the market today. Our developers have pushed even further to improve the performance of Wings Vioso RX.” Other areas that the company is looking at working on include a Digital

Rights Management system to protect the creative work of designers being plagiarised. Another development in the company is with an online tutorial to aid end users with the advancing technology and products, which will work alongside their on-site training.

Before concluding proceedings, Tobias made a point to introduce several members from AV Stumpfl’s client support team: “As our products get more complex and to remain competitive, we have created a dedicated project department head by Oliver Hauser.” The team’s goal is to support clients in their endeavours providing their expertise in all stages of a project from planning to realisation offering both onsite and remote assistance. Tobias concluded: “The message is; if you have requirements for sophisticated projects or need help utilising our new products, we are here to help!”

TPi Photos: AV Stumpfl https://avstumpfl.com/en/

A SCINTILLATING SUMMER WITH THE

BB3

The BB3 was a huge hit during Kasabian’s recent celebratory gig at Leicester City FC’s home ground.

Launched in May this year, BB3 is the latest performance laser in ER Productions’ Beamburst range. It’s the first professional laser that’s completely DMX controlled without the need to upload frames or other laser-related software.

The BB3 allows for safe audience scanning via rotating diffraction gratings or Pangolin PASS controlled scanned effects (Professional Audience Safety System). Fully CDRH compliant, the BB3 is approved for use in the USA. The scanned beam effects pan and tilt via high speed X/Y scanning. All scanned effects are stored on-board via the macro library.

Stay tuned to our news section for more information on the BB3’s outings this summer www.er-productions.com/news

UK +44 1322 293 135 | USA +1 214 2700665 | AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731 | SPAIN +34 938 000291 info@er-productions.com | www.er-productions.com 13

TUI DISCOVERY

TUI DISCOVERY’S MAIDEN VOYAGE All Access Staging and Productions provides staging for Thomson Cruises’ newest ship launch in Palma, Majorca.

All Access Staging and Productions was asked by the creative team at Black Skull Creative (Dan Shipton, Ross Nicholson and Jay Revell) to look at the feasibility of placing a stage in a swimming pool on board the cruise ship, TUI Discovery for its offical launch. The ship is the latest addition to the Thomson brand of cruise ships and the company wanted to give the new vessel a proper send off.

Sales and Marketing Manager for All Access, Matthew Bull, took the lead on the project. The creative brief included building a stage into the ships swimming pool, as well as a main stage for British pop star, Jess Glynne to perform on.

The decking for the swimming pool was 62ft long with a supporting structure that dropped into the pool seven ft. The curved ends were cut on site to form into the round ends of the pool, which flowed out down a

catwalk to the main stage.

The installation used the company’s Versa stage deck and support structure, a system ideal for both speedy construction and de-rig time which was necessary for the ship’s tight build schedule. Bull commented: “Dan and his team like to push the boundaries of what is possible and we are always pleased to make these happen for them.”

Matthew Ockenden, Technical Production Manager, said of the project: “We had a great patient team and nothing was ever an issue.”

The ship was launched on 10 June culminating in a with a show and naming ceremony produced by Black Skull. This was followed by fireworks and a set from Jess Glynne.

TPi http://allaccessinc.com 14

96kHz AS STANDARD

MULTIBAND DYNAMICS

48 TRACK RECORDING

10 X 8 MATRIX

S21 S21

Awesome Specification Exceptional Performance . Stunning Value

Quite simply a game-changer, the S21 has all the power and flexibility of DiGiCo’s Stealth Digital Processing™, the technology behind the legendary SD Series consoles. 96kHz as standard, equivalent to 80 DSP channels, 46 Busses, local I/O with 24 mic line inputs,12 analogue outs, it’s got all this. And more.

www.digico.biz Unit 10, Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL

DiGiCo S21 Full Page - Mondo.indd 1

06/05/2016 12:22

16

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s latest global tour was in support of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN The tour that came as a surprise to many, has entertained Springsteen’s loyal fanbase across the globe, uniting those who have been with him since the beginning with younger fans that have just been introduced to the legendary singer. TPi’s Stew Hume flew to Munich, Germany, to meet the loyal men and women who arguably have the best ‘Boss’ in the world…

It was nearing the end of the show when suddenly a sign being held up from the crowd was caught on camera. I want to sing and play with The Boss, it read on the giant video backwall of the Olympiastadion. With an encouraging cheer from the audience, a 6ft-something security guard was at the barricades to carry a young boy, no older then 10, to the stage.

All of a sudden a guitar tech came running from the wings to hand the youngster an acoustic guitar. Before he knew what was happening, he was side-by-side with Bruce Springsteen playing Dancing in the Dark in front of 70,000 fans. Only at a Springsteen show…

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s The River Tour ‘16 has been out on the road for just over six months entertaining the singer’s global legion of loyal devotees. This was Springsteen’s first tour in two years and came off the back of the release of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, a boxset released in late 2015 to mark the 35th anniversary of seminal album, The River.

of this scale. But, after putting everything in place, we were ready to move into the rehearsal space at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey in January and then set out on the road.” Also making her return to the production office, for her 14th year, is Production Coordinator, Kelly Shaunessy who explained the logistics of putting together the goliath show. “It certainly was a very quick turn around,” she laughed. “We had less time to prep for the tour than we usually do and were frankly playing catch up while we were still half way through the US leg. But now we are on the European run we have really settled in.”

The 60-strong touring crew was made up of several long-serving members alongside some fresh-faces: “That’s what is great about a Springsteen tour,” Shaunessy said. “We always have some new faces that keep everything fresh alongside the guys who have been with this production for several years and keep the structure.” Cameron added to this, stating the quick turnaround involved in this large scale tour was in part thanks to many veteran crewmembers once again answering the call. “It certainly makes it easier having such a good communication chain between each department and people understand what to expect, not to mention what is expected of them. However, credit really has to go to Tour Director George Travis. He does a fantastic job in pulling all the pieces together.”

The River Tour ‘16 tour also saw the return of many suppliers that have worked with The Boss in the past including Morpheus Lighting, Pete’s Big TV, Stageco, TAIT, Edwin Shirley Trucking (EST), Rock-It Cargo and Delico Catering as well as welcoming Clair Global onto the tour for the first time in several years.

Cameron described his role within the tour: “This machine has been running for such a long time and there is an understanding of how people need to work together. Each member of the crew has a fantastic work ethic

RALLY THE TROOPS This latest tour was a welcome surprise to many Springsteen enthusiasts - amid rumours that he was working on a solo album. the last thing many fans were expecting was a world tour. Tickets went on sale in December with more dates being added in January. In its first incarnation during the US run, Springsteen and the band played The River album in full - but once the tour hit European shores, the set list expanded to include more hits from the singer’s back catalogue.

Once the wheels were set in motion for the tour, long time Tour Director, George Travis, began to reunite Springsteen’s touring family. Heading up the returning members was Production Manager, Ron Cameron. He told TPi about being invited onto the project: “I first got word that the tour was going ahead in autumn which is not a great deal of time to organise a tour 17

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

After a US run, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band visited European shores to complete a run of stadium shows beginning in Barcelona, Spain; Production Manager, Ron Cameron.

and everyone accepts their responsibility to perform at a certain standard.

“The way I see my role is that I need to provide all the information each department needs to do their job well.” He added: “At the end of the day we are representing Bruce and the E Street Band and it’s important that we conduct ourselves accordingly. So far it’s gone really well; every night we get between 60 to 80,000 people coming out so it’s fair to say the results have been pretty exciting.”

Bernstein explained: “For the European tour we shipped approximately 18 trucks of gear. Both George Travis and Ron Cameron were able to split production in such a way that half the gear could be shipped via ocean and the rest by air. We were able to provide the door-to-door transatlantic freight forwarding services for the tour handled by Todd Murphy out of our New York Office at JFK airport.” As with all tours there is always a level of unpredictability as Rock-It found on this tour. “The vessel we used from New York to Europe made an unplanned and unannounced schedule change which resulted in us having to discharge the cargo at Southampton as opposed to the port in Antwerp as originally planned,” said Bernstein.

“However, due in large measure to the efforts of our in-house ocean freight Guru, Frank Conenna, the load-in took place as scheduled in Barcelona for the first European date.” Bernstein concluded: “It has been a real privilege to work with the Springsteen organisation for the last 35 years and hopefully many more years to come.”

RACING IN THE STREET Making sure that the whole production got from one venue to the next was the responsibility of EST, which supplied 22 trucks for the 12-week tour. The trucking company has worked every Springsteen tour since his first show at Hammersmith Odeon on the Born To Run tour in November 1975. Lead Driver Roger Thomas is a veteran of many of the Springsteen tours since the 70s and is well regarded by the production team.

Handling freight was Rock-It Cargo, which has had a long history with Springsteen’s productions. Interestingly the company first worked with the singer’s production back in 1981 for the first River tour. Fast-forward to 2016 and Rock-It was brought in to once again to supply its services. CEO David

YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES MR SPRINGSTEEN...

Talking TPi through the show day was Stage Manager, Sean Magovern.

Many members of the Springsteen crew have earned their stripes through

18

PART NER S I N TH E MI X L E I S U R E T E C | linking Pioneer DJ to the trade

L E I S U R E T E C . C O. U K

PDJ_LEISURETECxPDJ_AD_LSI.indd 1

|

+44 (0) 1525 850085

26/05/2016 17:07

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Stage Manager Sean Magovern whose family has a proud tradition with working with The Boss; The man everyone was here to see, Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen; Head Rigger, and Mr Positivity, William ‘Stoney’ Stonecypher.

the years but Magovern has become part of the furniture, as it has become somewhat of a family tradition to work for Springsteen: “I have been with Bruce for 31 years, starting out as a carpenter in 1985. My father was a member of the organisation for 23 years and I have my two sons out with us at the moment working barriers on this tour. So I’m from a three generation Springsteen family!”

Sharing the view of Cameron, Magovern believes that this current run of success can be credited in part to the many familiar faces being back on the road. “We have the same core production group as we had for the run of shows we did back in the summer of 2012 and 2013. Most of the production elements remained the same from that tour. With the exception of our audio supplier, many of the companies we use have remained the same so the blue print was already very much in place. Most of the heads of departments already knew what they were coming into so for many of us it was just a case of jumping straight back on the horse. From the first date in Spain everything just clicked and we are now at the stage where the load out only takes 2.5 hours.”

The European leg of The River Tour ‘16 has seen a few back-to-back shows, so the crew generally get a whole production day to prepare the stadium. Magovern explained: “Production days usually take us around six hours once the stage is set. Even though we are usually ready to go, on show days we still come in at 9am but really that time frame is simply to ensure that our backline guys are given enough time to unload their two trucks and sort out their respective areas.”

Magovern concluded: “I really could not be happier with how things are going at this point. Everything really has been smooth sailing. We have a great crew and our relationship with all the promoters is very strong.” As the

sun beat down on the Munich Stadium, he also commented how Mother Nature had been kind to them recently, a pleasure not always granted in a European stadium run.

MAN ON THE TOP (RIGGING) To discuss all the various staging and rigging elements TPi spoke to head rigger William ‘Stoney’ Stonecypher although before we discussed business he insisted we try one of his fresh fruit smoothies; who says touring life has to be unhealthy?

Drinks in hand, Stoney took TPi backstage to point out the staging highlights, but not before he talked us through his philosophies as a Head Rigger: “I have always believed that I am the first person in the venue and it’s my job to set the attitude for the local crew members who come in every day. Ultimately you are relying on these people so I strive to show up every day with enthusiasm.”

For this European leg of the tour, Springsteen’s production deployed a Stageco roof system along with staging elements supplied by TAIT. Headed

by Stageco Crew Chiefs Stef Angillis, Patrick Vonckx, Martin Beckers and Andreas Deubach, four teams from the company were assigned the task of building four identical staging systems for 14 of the shows in Europe.

In all cases, the 49.3 metres wide by 20.7 metres deep by 21.7 metres high stage has been a regular Stageco four-tower model with double truss wings added, from which to hang video screens. Measuring 23 metres by 20 metres, the roof has a clearance of 16.7 metres and supports 23.4 tonnes of the total rigging load of 38 tonnes. A pair of delay/spot towers, two camera platforms and the FOH mix riser have also been included in the Stageco package.

Introducing

10K.PROFLAMPS Thousands of lamps online

www.10k.proflamps.com

10k Limited Planwell House, LEFA Business Park, Edgington Way, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5EF United Kingdom 20

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Clair Global’s Cohesion CO-12 hung with pride in Munich alongside the German flag; The Audio team surrounding FOH Engineer John Cooper, Monitor Engineer Monty Carlo, Bobby Taylor, Audio Tech, John ‘Boo”’Bruey, System Engineer, James Cooper, Assistant (and John Cooper’s son), Niall Slevin, Monitor System Engineer, Matt Moser, Monitor Systems Engineer (and temporary Monitor Engineer), Katie Hughes, Audio Tech, Ben Rothstein, Audio Systems Engineer.

“It’s essentially the same stage that we provided for Bruce’s last tour in Europe, the Wrecking Ball tour in 2012-13,” said Tom Bilsen, Stageco’s Operations Director who has managed the project. “There are always elements that are a little different but you would be hard pressed to notice them. The stages we build for Springsteen are very straightforward, solid constructions - very much like the music itself!”

Project Manager from TAIT, Aaron Seibert, discussed his company’s contribution to the tour: “For this tour we provided a rolling stage complete with backline bunkers, band risers, apron decking and fascia. A good amount of the equipment was able to be reused from past Springsteen tours with minor tweaks to update it.” Brian Levine, the second Project Manager on the tour commented about the demands from the singer’s production in regards to set design: “Everyone on the tour from the singer to the backline techs have very specific layouts for all of the gear. We started on the stage in mid-January to be shipped by mid-February. This meant we only had three weeks but with the help of the amazing tour staff that came to TAIT it was no problem at all.”

Stoney discussed some of the more technical aspects of the rig: “Weightwise we are looking about 65,000lb, 25,000 of which is made up of the video backwall. The advantage of having the consistency of the Stageco roof is that the hang steel lives in the motor box. Before we headed out on the road were able to sit down with the guys from Stageco and they gave us spreader beams so I don’t have to bridle and lose trim. Everything in the roof is dead hang which makes it incredibly user-friendly.” Stoney went on to recount his experience with Stageco: “The guys that Stageco have in their office are second to none and they know what I expect. If I have a problem and I call them on the radio their crew will come running.” Rigging equipment including motors were supplied by vendors Clair Global, Pete’s Big TV and Morpheus Lighting.

As he talked through the set up for the show it became clear that Stoney doesn’t see his job as merely rigging: “In the morning when we enter a stadium one of the first things I do is find out where the seats have been sold which will determine where the video wall is placed. Today, for example, we moved the screen as far forward as possible so it can be seen from all seats, even those on the far left and right. I personally run up to the ‘worst’ seat in the house to make sure the person sitting there has a good show and gets their money’s worth. There are some riggers that may think their job ends as soon as they are all rigged but I want to be continuously involved. If there is anything I can do that will make the crew’s lives easier, I want to do it. I like to look at the bigger picture of the show to make sure everyone is safe.”

For all the tour’s safety barrier needs, Springsteen’s production once again called on Mojo Barriers. The barrier specialists supplied 265 barrier sections, including special elements such as corners and snake gates. Mojo Barriers also supplied two specially made mega exits to fit the barrier layout, as well as a 20 metres of security walkway for Springsteen to walk behind the front of stage barriers.

Providing power for the European run was CAT Entertainment Services.

CAT’s Crew Chief, Lauren Ackert, discussed what the company supplied for the shows: “We brought out two rock-solid 800kW generators that are linked and synchronised, operating as one. Three crew members (including myself) set up the generators which distributed voltage around the stadium at 120/208V as well as 230/415V.”

THE NEW TIMER Although Clair Global supplied this tour, the PA specialist has crossed paths with The Boss before, albeit several years ago. They were reunited for The River Tour ‘16, which FOH Engineer, John Cooper, explained: “The decision to move back to Clair came down to the company’s latest release, the Cohesion CO-12.

It was the piece of the puzzle we were looking for in our audio setup. We love the company’s support and the new generation of people that currently work at Clair. The whole family - from the owners to the guys that load the trucks have been fantastic. Their attention to detail is spectacular and they have a very extensive support network worldwide.” Cooper went onto point out that when you opt for a new supplier there is always a slight uncertainty. However, any doubts he had were wiped clean after the first few weeks: “By the first few shows it felt like we were really successful and I am very pleased with the result. It’s a relationship I hope continues for the rest of my career. And, on top of all of that, the PA sounds amazing!”

The Cohesion CO-12 was distributed throughout the stadium for the main hang as well as the delay towers. Altogether, Springsteen’s audio team deployed 112 boxes along with 24 Cohesion CP-218 subs. “It’s a very good system,” continued Cooper. “It has been spectacular and this tour has been able to handle all the various environments we have put it through. For instance, on the US run in the autumn, we will be moving from a football stadium to an amphitheatre to a baseball field all in the space of a week. The system’s versatility certainly has been very beneficial for this tour run.” With a show of this size you might expect more sub cabinets but this setup was a conscious choice for Cooper: “I personally think that many modern sound systems have far too much low end. This show requires power and punch but the low end never really overwhelms the music.”

Also present in the audio arrangement was another member of Clair’s Cohesion range, the CO-8 which were deployed as front fill. The CO-8 is the latest line of compact high output line arrays bosting flexible coverage and premium sound quality. Cooper explained: “We have been using a centre cluster for some time now, particularly for vocal reinforcement in difficult areas at the front of the stage. In my experience it is very difficult to keep the vocal presence in this show as the stage volume is so loud. The front fill alignment seems to combat that.”

On site at the Munich show was International Business Development Manager for Clair Global, Philipp Kaetel, who evaluated how the latest Cohesion CO-12 system had been handling its outing in Europe: “We currently have the Cohesion system on four stadium tours including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Black Sabbath and Paul McCartney. The response to the new system has been fantastic and, to be honest, rather overwhelming. We never planned to roll out the system by 2016 and at the moment we never have enough of the boxes in stock!” Kaetel went onto describe how the system was ideal for shows like The River Tour ‘16, which made its way through a variety of different venues from arenas to stadiums. “It was certainly one of the main design goals with the Cohesion CO-12. We wanted to build a system that fitted easily in a truck and is light enough to deal with the demands of touring, yet powerful enough to deal with a variety of venues. We have been getting great reports back from all our clients with nobody complaining about its ability, throw or volume.”

Anybody that has had the pleasure of witnessing The Boss in a live 22

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

environment knows that it’s a loud show, a fact that Cooper is keen to uphold. “There are ballads within the set but make no mistake, this is a rock show!” The 10 musicians on stage (with only half on in-ears) made for quite some volume. Cooper went on to discuss some of the issues this created for audio management: “There is always a balance that has to be met by the band’s indirect sound from the stage and the direct sound that comes from the PA. My goal as a FOH mixer is to make sure the audience gets a proper representation of the music. However, decibel restrictions mean having to strike a compromise. I must admit it’s one of my least favourite things to deal with but manoeuvring around restrictions does make you a better engineer and still deliver the impact the performance should have.”

There are certain things that Springsteen fans have come to expect from his shows, one of which is a versatile set list. This presents an interesting challenge for the crew. Cooper explained: “By the end of the last tour, I had 278 different songs programmed into the console! We get a set list anywhere between an hour and five minutes before he walks out but there is no guarantee that he will stick to it. It certainly is a very dynamic show but in many ways that is what makes it fun. There is nothing boring about mixing this gig!”

However, it is not simply the order of songs that keeps Cooper and the rest of the crew on their toes during the set; the actual structure of each song can also change. “You often find that the songs have evolved through the years. The solo structure within the songs can alter depending on how Bruce and the band feel on the night. There is a lot of volume and dynamics management on my end.”

So how does the crew deal with a set list? The impressive chain of communication keeps all departments in the know. Each crew member from FOH audio, lighting and the two monitor engineers have teleprompters that pull feeds from the band’s screens on stage and give prior warning before the next song comes in, as well as the lyrics. The crew described how the chain of command begins with Springsteen who informs his long time guitar tech, Kevin Buell, who then informs the teleprompter crew. However each department agreed this was really a safety net and crew members had to develop a feel for the show - keeping an eye on The Boss to see which song is next.

For control, Cooper opted for an Avid Venue Profile, a console he has used since its initial release and one that he has not substituted since. Out on The River Tour ‘16 two full Venue Profile systems were deployed with one used as a back-up. “Both our systems are completely independent,” explained Cooper. “We can alternate between the two systems. They can be rapidly switched if we have a failure. Fortunately we have never had to use the back-up but every day we test both systems. We also pull a feed from the monitor console in case we lose everything from FOH.” Cooper deployed a APB Dynasonics Mixer to bring the A and B systems and monitor stems together giving him control at FOH if he needed to switch to any of them. “When we line check I bounce between all the channels to confirm that there is continuity across all three.” A multi-track recording is made of each show on to Pro Tools which is sent out for the purpose of digitally archiving each performance.

One final point Cooper was keen to make was to commend all the hard work for all the other members that made up the audio department. “To be honest I always prefer to call myself a music mixer than a FOH Engineer.

Now days you have to be an IT guy to be able to be an ‘engineer’ and as I was 35 when I got my first computer I don’t think it’s in my future. I’m the lucky guy who gets to sit in the chair but I can’t do it without the rest of the audio team. They are the backbone of the whole operation and they are all spectacular.”

TWO HEARTS (AND TWO MONITOR ENGINEERS) Holding down monitor duties was tag-team, Monty Carlo and Matt Moser.

Moser, Clair Global’s Monitor System Engineer, stepped in to fill a few dates for Carlo’s monitor partner; Troy Milner. Both were at the helm of a DiGiCo SD7 (one each) with Moser handling stage right and Carlo taking stage left.

With 10 musicians on stage at any one time, the two engineers certainly had their work cut out. During TPi’s conversation with the FOH Engineer, Cooper highlighted just how loud the Springsteen stage was, “It’s a fool’s errand to try and gate these drums because it doesn’t work and if you did you would miss half the stuff that Max [Weinberg, drummer] does with a lot of his parts, which are very subtle. You have to make the leakage work.”

Carlo had a similar response: “A live, loud stage is part of the charm of the show. Through the years we have tried a couple of different microphones to reduce on stage spill but at the end of the day, Bruce really likes the sound of the Shure SM58.” After all his years on the road the singer still leans towards the industry-standard cardioid dynamic vocal microphone. As Carlo states: “It works for him so we work around it.”

23

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Onstage sound came courtesy of the Cohesion C0-12 for side fills as well as the Cohesion CM-22’s and the older 12 AMs model. Just like Cooper, the two monitor engineers had nothing but good things to say about the new PA system. “It goes up quickly and sounds great,” stated Moser. Carlo added: “Some of the guys on stage have even told me to turn it down from time to time which is always a good sign. It has plenty of horsepower!”

For the European run, the audio team made some changes to the wedge arrangement. “We used to hang Bruce’s wedges underneath the stage to reduce the number of obstacles,” explained Carlo. “But we played a show at Rock in Rio a few weeks ago and he got really excited when the wedges were right in front of him. He came off stage saying he could hear everything ‘fantastically’ and since then we’ve put them back on the stage.”

For the other musicians the monitors are still sunken into the stage allowing for a clearer stage which allows the performers to move freely throughout the show.

The contingent of musicians was divided between those who use IEM and those who don’t. For those that did, Clair provided Shure PSM 1000 transmitters with the musicians using Audio JH Roxanne in-ear moulds. The two monitor engineers also used the PSM-1000’s.

For microphones there was an assortment of brands including Shure Beta91A, SM57’s, KSM137’s, SM58’s, Sennheiser MD-409’s, Neumann KM 184’s, Heil PR 28’s, PR 20 UT, Audio-Technica BP4027’s. All wireless microphones for horns and vocals used the Shure AXT600 Axient Spectrum Manager. Carlo handed all RF management, coordinating 70 channels between the backline crew along with his own monitor equipment.

It is also worth pointing out that this was Moser’s first tour stepping up to the plate as monitor engineer for Springsteen as long standing crew member Troy Milner had to take some time away from the tour due to injury. “I started at the beginning on the US leg as a monitor tech and technically, that is still my role, but I am also filling in as monitor engineer on this run. Manchester, UK was my first show and I have been learning on the fly and working very closely with Matt Payne [Drum Tech] who has helped me get through the show.” Carlo had nothing but praise for Moser.

“Matt had a big seat to fill and has done an admirable job. It is never easy to step into the shoes of someone who has been working with an artist for over 10 years. With a show like this, there are so many cues that you just store in your head and it becomes second nature. But working with our drum tech closely he has done a great job.”

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Back in 1984 Bruce Springsteen’s tour found itself in need of a new Lighting Designer. However, luck would have it that a friend of then tour accountant was rather handy when it came to a light console; enter Jeff Ravitz. At the time Ravitz was working with Yes and had some pushback from that band for jumping ship, but 32 years later and he’s still working with The Boss. It seems he made the right decision...

Although his touring days with Springsteen came to and end in 1992, Ravitz has continued to take on the role of Lighting Desinger. Ravitz talked about his work in the current River tour: “In terms of prep time it really only came down to a few weeks. Originally, there was an even tighter deadline with Bruce wanting to go into the rehearsal space following a TV performance on Saturday Night Live. However, with it being the Christmas season rental houses were sending their staff home, so it was decided to shift the timetable by one month. That helped the planning phase considerably and we were ready to go into the rehearsal space by early January.”

The whole tour is a celebration of Springsteen’s famed album; thus, the design team conceptualised an 80s revival with a contemporary twist aided by long term lighting supplier Morpheus Lighting. Ravitz took up the story: “While I was creating the design I got into the mind-set of the decade the album came from. However I didn’t want to limit myself or the production with a lot of outdated technology. During the initial planning stages the word “PARcan” was mentioned, but I thought there must be a way to mix the essence of the old look with the advantages of contemporary equipment.” To avoid using the out-of-date technology Ravitz opted for the Ayrton NandoBeam S9, the company’s next generation ultra-fast moving

AWARD WINNING HIPPOTIZER V4 SOFTWARE FOR MACBOOK PRO PRE-ORDER YOURS TODAY

POWER AND PORTABILITY, TWO ATTRIBUTES RARELY FOUND IN A MEDIA SERVER. MEET THE HIPPOTIZER V4 PORTAMUS.

THE NEW HIPPOTIZER V4.1 THE BEST HIPPOTIZER VERSION TO DATE. VERSION 4 BEARS THE FRUIT OF GREEN HIPPO'S DEDICATION TO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING FLEXRES CODECS, BUILT IN 3D VISUALISER, SHAPE 3D MAPPING INTEGRATION, ALL NEW OUTPUT MANAGEMENT AND INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE.

INSIDE, HIPPOTIZER V4 INCLUDES ALL SOLID STATE DRIVES AS STANDARD AND THE

LATEST GRAPHICS TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE.

WWW.HIPPOTIZER.COM/PORTAMUS SALES@GREEN-HIPPO.COM USA

+1 818 239 4778

UK

+44 203 301 4561

24

Harmony needs balance, silence, and quality of light.

SCENIUS The sound of light

www.claypaky.it

Music spreads into the surrounding silence, and a harmonious light radiates into the darkness of the scene. In a play on perfect symmetries, light too varies its tones. Balanced intensities, soft shades, vivid colours, perfect white, accurate wash, fancy shapes...

Listen: this is the Scenius, the harmonious sound of light.

EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR FOR UK & IRELAND: AMBERSPHERE SOLUTIONS Ltd. Where quality products enjoy total support Phone: +44 (0)20 8992 6369 info@ambersphere.co.uk - www.ambersphere.co.uk

A4_EN_40Y_PLS.indd 1

08/03/16 16:46

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

The lighting team consisting of Brad Brown, Lighting Crew Chief, Adam Beasley, Lighting Tech, Steve Gertsman, Lighting Tech, Tom Marty, Lighting Tech, Todd Ricci, Lighting Director, Hadyn Williams, Lighting Tech, Rainer Matzke, Spot Tech, Tony Cerasuolo, Lighting Tech, Brandt Gentry Lighting Tech; Delico Catering’s Chef Clara Seipp with Owner, Woody Wahlen.

head fixture. The S9 is made up of 55 high-performance Osram 15 Watt RGBW LED emitters, each behind its own lens, arranged in rings around a central LED with astounding 8-40° zoom.

“If used correctly they can give you the look and feel of a PAR but with variable focus and colour. We have programmed the S9’s to produce a more ‘beamy’ look than we have used for previous tours,” explained Ravitz.

“Bruce traditionally prefers a softer, less defined beam look, but on this tour we allowed ourselves to indulge a little to harken back to the look that was more prevalent in the 80s. Ultimately, to be truer to the time period, we were trying to not showcase the technology. So there are not a lot of visible moves or colour changes in the part of the concert that showcases The River album.”

As well as the NandoBeam S9 there were also several other Ayrton products on the rig including the MagicRing R9 from the Ayrton Radical range, and the Ayrton MagicBlade R, an RGBW moving striplight. “One of the frustrations I have had over the years is that we don’t have any upstage background, so the band are usually seen as lit in front of a black void,” explained Ravitz. “The MagicBlades - which I placed in pairs one above the other on the hand rail of the far upstage runway - have finally solved this problem. Through most of the show we keep them fairly static and as the evening wears on we start to use their movement capability more and more. Like many Ayrton products, the MagicBlade can pan and tilt continuously, so we can orientate the lights in a variety of ways to achieve almost unlimited looks, whether stationary or in movement that ranges from subtle to absolutely wild.” Other Ayrton products utilised for the rig include 12 NandoBeam S6’s and 44 Wildsun 500Cs. Ravitz also requested that two Martin by Harman products - 17 MAC Auras and 26 MAC Viper Profiles - be added to the fixture count. This tour marked the first time that Ravitz had used the MAC Viper Profiles, which created individualised, lower-profile backlighting for each member of the band. He commented: “The MAC Viper Profiles are doing a great job for us. They provide excellent colour with plenty of brightness and top-notch optical qualities while offering the important ability to change gobos quickly.”

The Lighting Designer added that the MAC Auras were fitted into little crevices and shot through the front of the stage. “Their high power and low form factor created the perfect solution for that purpose,” he explained.

24 Morpheus CP-9 Blinders were also added, each of which are comprised of nine Chauvet Professional COLORado 1-Tri IPs. Ravitz continued: “We deployed enough of them to allow us to densely light the audience in strong colour or white and also provide us a ‘nine-light’ appearance reminiscent of the customary rock ‘n roll blinder. They are over-scaled, twice the size of a traditional nine-light, which in the stadiums creates a very powerful visual.”

Dealing with the outdoor conditions and direct sunlight is always an issue when designing a show for an open air stadium run.

However, Ravitz complemented the lighting system with four Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots, which have the ability to punch through natural light. “We are really trying, at that early segment of the show when there is still a lot of lingering daylight, to compensate for the intensity and directionality of sunlight, so we try to fill with the spots. This benefits both the audience and the IMAG video.” Three Robert Juliat Manon follow spots, nine PRG Ground Control remote spots, 34 Clay Paky Sharpys, 14 Philips Vari-Lite VL1100’s, 20 Vari-Lite VL3000’s and 16 SGM Q7 RGBW Strobes completed the rig.

Taking on the job of Lighting Director was Todd Ricci and, with the aid of Lighting Crew Chief, Brad Brown, drove the show. For this latest The River Tour ‘16, both crewmembers used an MA Lighting grandMA2. Ricci discussed how the two men split the workload of the Springsteen show. “The simplest way to explain how we split the load is that Brad does position and colouring and I do intensity. Brad also takes care of some of the slower songs and I am calling the followspots.”

Just like the audio department, both Ricci and Brown have to been prepared for the changeable set list within Springsteen’s show. “It’s a challenge that every department has to face,” explained Ricci. “We will never know what is going to happen from song to song and you have to anticipate the band’s next move, so that we are all locked in at the top of the track. It might sound stressful but we are all happy to work like this. The tour could all get a bit mundane otherwise. Lots of shows these days run on time code but techniques like that simply wouldn’t work on a Springsteen show.”

Networking needs for the tour were handled by a Pathport Control Distribution System. The Springsteen production actually took one of the first touring systems out on the road for five years ago and, have used it ever since: “We had to do a few updates but it’s been a very solid platform for data distribution,” explained Ricci. “We have a few MA NPUs in use with the console, all of which goes right into the Pathway system. I can’t say enough great things about it.”

One notable addition to the lighting setup has been the inclusion of PRG’S GroundControl Followspot along with PRG’s Bad Boy fixture. “During the show we have eight of them in use with one extra as a spare,” said Ricci, who explained that PRG’s latest creation has eliminated various headaches such as intercom issues that were common with the traditional elevated followspot set up. “Intercom issues are one thing that have reduced dramatically since we deployed the GroundControl. I would say almost 90% of the failures have been removed now that our operators are based on the ground. One other benefit of the system is that there are some really talented followspot operators who may be getting to a stage in their lives where they can’t climb up on the truss, but having a control system based on the ground means they can continue to work.”

In conclusion Ricci wanted to give thanks to all the other members of the lighting crew: “We had a wholesale change in crewing on this tour but it has run incredibly smoothly. We have people like Brad and myself who have been doing it so long - we can see things before they happen, prepare accordingly, deliver the show that we are supposed to deliver and flow with different personalities that come on board. I guess you could say we keep the train rolling - and we are proud to do so!”

THE (VIDEO) WALL Through the years the treatment of video at a Springsteen show has changed as much as his set list. Ravitz furthered: “We got to the point a few years ago when our sensibilities evolved for the look of the IMAG video and with Bruce’s encouragement, we endeavoured to make the content shown on the screens to look more cinematic. I spent a lot of time working on an updated lighting configuration that would provide more flattering, images of Bruce and the rest of the band. Along with Chris Hilson, Video Director we spend a lot of time colour- and intensity-balancing the show properly for the cameras.” However, Ravitz insisted that it has not been detrimental to the show: “We still have plenty of colour, theatricality and plenty of rock ‘n’ 26

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

roll while really smoothing out the rougher edges, giving the IMAG a highquality appearance.”

Hilson, who has been with Springsteen now for 17 years, has seen first hand the changing nature of video content: “The IMAG content of the show has grown enormously since my first time with Bruce in 1999. Apart from the physical size of the screens and the extra cameras we have with lighting a more cinematic look. The aim of every show has evolved over time but you still have to capture every single moment.”

The tour’s video supplier Pete’s Big TV, supplied digiLED MK7 LED tiles for the two IMAG screens with digiLED MC15 tiles for the back wall video.

Rob Villalobos, Video Crew Chief, explained how they had changed the video product used from previous tours due to digiLED’s higher intensity, which operates perfectly in the direct sunlight faced the stadium run.

Pete’s Big TV also provided a camera package including five Sony HDC 1500HDs and four Sony HDC1 HD box cameras on robotic heads. For video switching, Hilson used a Ross Vision 4MLE. Also deployed was a Sony SRW HDCam tape, which was used for archival recording of the show.

Throughout the show footage of the band and Springsteen were shown on the screen along side multiple shots of the crowd, especially those luck enough to hold exclusive tickets close to the stage. “Every audience at a Springsteen show is as unique as the performance itself,” stated Hilson while talking about what he looks for during the show and if there are any shots he tries to create. He said: “I try to capture the emotion and joy that thousands of people bring every night. However it is always hard to plan what to create in advance until the music starts and another adventure begins.”

and 120 for lunch, on average. Wahlen ensured he provided familiar US delicacies for the majority American crew but joked that some of the English crewmembers insisted on their weekly Sunday roast! “We have a very diverse kitchen made up of chefs from Germany, Australia and France so there is a great variety of culinary expertise bringing brought out on this tour. That’s the beauty of this job. If you work in a restaurant, it’s the same menu for at least four or five months. Here, it’s much more creative...”

THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT...

As Springsteen thanked the crowd one last time and the show came to its blistering end, I was left to watch the crowd stream past FOH in their thousands. As they did, I noticed the Springsteen t-shirts that adorned the smiling patrons told a history of Bruce’s live shows. Some wore the official The River Tour ‘16 shirt, others sported merch dating back to European runs from the 80s. Just like many of the crew members TPi met that day, these fans have been with Springsteen for years; all showing, in their own way, dedication the legendary singer. But as I joined the river - pun intended of people keen to get the next train home, something that Tour Director George Travis said came to mind: “The real Boss at a Springsteen show is the fans. He does everything for them and we, as the crew, try and do the same.”

TPi Photos: TPi & Stageco www.brucespringsteen.net www.clairglobal.com www.morpheuslights.com www.petesbigtvs.com www.intensityadvisors.com www.taittowers.com www.stageco.com www.mojobarriers.com www.yourock-weroll.com www.rockitcargo.com www.delico-catering.de www.es-cat.com

HUNGRY HEART Keeping the Springsteen crew nourished throughout the European tour was Delico Catering. The River Tour ‘16 marked the fourth time Delico were called upon on by Springsteen’s production, which owner Woody Wahlen and the rest of his crew were clearly happy about. “We have a crew of 10, many of whom were really looking forward to this gig, as most of them had done previous tours with the artist. They are a really loyal production.”

Wahlen’s company feeds 180 to 190 for dinner with 80 for breakfast

tHAnK You For tAKinG us!

international Veldzigt 3 3454 PW, de Meern +31 (30) 242 82 00 info.int@mojobarriers.com

worldwide crowd control solutions netherlands Veldzigt 3 3454 PW, de Meern

united states

+31 (30) 242 82 00 info.nl@mojobarriers.com

+1 (717) 664 0158 info.us@mojobarriers.com

181 E Stiegel St. Manheim, PA 17545

united Kingdom 1 Oaktrees Borough Green Road Wrotham Sevenoaks Kent TN15 7RD +44 (1708) 687 440 info.uk@mojobarriers.com 27

Australia 3-5 Exell Street Banksmeadow NSW 2019 PO Box 1024 Narrabeen NSW 2101 +61 (2) 9648 2097 info.aus@mojobarriers.com

PRODUCTION PROFILE

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2016 The UK’s premier rock and metal event, Download Festival, got underway at Donington Park for the 14th consecutive year under its latest moniker. TPi’s Ste Durham and Stew Hume broke out the waterproofs to talk festival production with some of the industry’s best.

Production Manager Neil McDonald has been involved with all but one Download, having jumped on board in 2004. Since then the arena has moved twice within Donington Park, from the old Monsters of Rock location, to the Sunday Market area, before settling in its current resting place. Despite this occasional flux, the planning process has begun to follow a regular pattern for McDonald over the time he has been at the helm.

He explained: “There are always changes to address, from the requirements of headliners to the introduction of new contractors, but generally the process starts early in the year, and is fairly steady throughout the next six months. I think improvements are always possible, but mainly I try to avoid making the same mistakes twice!

“While there are some mainstream acts that have large productions, rock and metal acts tend to bring a lot of equipment to Download - it seems to have become the kind of festival that the bands scale up for! Having said that there is an impressive camaraderie and respect between the bands that helps. We also have some world class stage managers; Chalkii White deserves a special mention here as, without him, the main stage doesn’t work.”

Download already has something of a damp history when it comes to the weather, but the festival’s 2016 incarnation certainly took a fine podium position. McDonald furthered: “It was sunny during the build but the heavens opened with a vengeance on Friday and it continued to rain heavily throughout the weekend. Witnessing the sheer tenacity and commitment of crew working in difficult conditions to get the job done was really gratifying for me. There are some pretty remarkable people in this business.”

During his time working on Download, McDonald has constructed a network of suppliers and crew that have become familiar with the venue,

ethos and working environment – allowing them to maintain consistency throughout the event’s evolution. One notable change for this year has been the introduction of Festival Republic as promoter but, from a production perspective, it has been very much “business as usual”, according to McDonald.

LIGHTENING THE LOAD A supplier that was very familiar to McDonald was Birmingham-based PRG XL Video. The company provided a comprehensive lighting and rigging package for the main stage (this year named The Lemmy Stage in honour of the late Motörhead frontman), as well as stages two (The Zippo Encore Stage) and three (The Maverick Stage), the TeamRock Plus zone and other VIP areas. Gordon Torrington, who oversaw the site for PRG XL Video, explained: “This year’s Download is a little different to previous set ups. The three headline acts are touring so much lighting and video equipment that there’s very little load capacity left for a basic rig. For the other stages, we provided a full system, though we had to scale it back on the main stage to cover audience lighting and a floor package for the daytime bands.

Rammstein alone hung 30 tonnes from the roof, while Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden had a similar amount of kit.”

The main stage lighting system consisted of Martin by Harman MAC Viper profiles, MAC Aura LED wash lights, Clay Paky Sharpys, Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 spots and VL3500 washes, as well as a number of PARcans and 50 generic molefays around the perimeter of the stage working as audience blinders. MA Lighting grandMA2 lighting consoles were supplied as house control across all three stages.

PRG XL Video provided video technology for metal royalty Black Sabbath as they made their only UK appearance during their farewell world tour. The Saturday night headliners played in front of a 17 metre by 28

DOWNLOAD

4.5 metre V12 LED screen, fed by two d3 Technologies media servers and a versatile camera package based on the PRG Europium system. The band used six PRG Bad Boy followspots on the front truss, and three PRG GroundControl followspot systems, with the specially adapted Bad Boys mounted on the back truss.

Iron Maiden, flown into nearby East Midlands airport on ‘Ed Force One’ by frontman Bruce Dickinson, stopped off at Download to close proceedings on the Sunday night. The band used a substantial amount of PRG XL Video’s lighting technology to replicate their touring rig, including over 100 Martin By Harman MAC Aura LED wash lights. Martin By Harman MAC Viper profile lights and Vari-Lite VL3500’s were packaged in a PRG BAT truss for ease of transportation and hanging.

Account Director Yvonne Donnelly Smith, who handles Download for PRG XL Video, explained: “One of the biggest challenges of doing festivals is the overnight changeovers. Proper planning and preparation are essential, as is using the right equipment. BAT truss is perfect for one-off shows where time is tight, as the trusses have been pre-loaded with lights and cabled up in our Longbridge warehouse during prep.

“When we get to site, it’s as simple as connecting the truss and cables, and hoisting the trusses up. For the load-out, they are dropped back onto their wheels, disconnected and loaded onto the trucks ready for being stripped out back at the warehouse.”

The company also provided Iron Maiden with a HD camera system consisting of a Blackmagic Atem 2 M/E switcher flypack, four Sony HXC-100 HD broadcast cameras, Canon 70x, 21x and 11x lenses, four HD POV drum cameras and six Atmos Blade hard drive recording devices.

In addition to the occasional on-stage video kit used for bespoke content, long time vendor for the festival, Ogle Hog, was brought in to provide live video content for the screens on the two main stages as well as facilitating the broadcast demands for the event. Ogle Hog subcontracted Creative Technology to provide a total of three ROE MC7 IMAG screens for the main stage with two screens hung on the left and right of the stage and the third as an FOH relay.

Two ROE MC7 screens were also used for the second stage along with cinema and projection systems in the campsite and eight backstage monitors. For both stages Ogle Hog deployed a Barco ScreenPRO-II switching system.

Ogle Hog also brought in CTV Outside Broadcast to film the festival. On site were sevencamera OB truck on the main stage, including a jib and tower-cam, a five-camera OB truck for the second stage, including jib, and all VT playback and graphics systems.

On site TPi spoke to Ogle Hog’s Technical Production Manager, Connie Glover: “Download is always a massive undertaking. There are so many things that could potentially go wrong. For example with the weather this year we have had to be on top of our game the whole time and be able to handle any issues that comes our way. But that is all part of the fun! The festival has become a staple in our annual calendar. Chris Saunders [Ogle Hog’s Managing Director] has worked Download for many years and Ogle Hog has got more involved and integrated into the blueprint every year, to a stage where we are the go-to company for video.”

PRG XL Video’s Mark Scrimshaw looked after The Lemmy Stage’s FOH area during the day, which included looking after incoming LDs and operating the desk for LD-less acts. The lighting floor of the FOH structure was equipped with three MA Lighting grandMA2 full size consoles, one of which was linked to a WYSIWYG station for LDs to prepare their modified shows.

Scrimshaw explained: “Most LDs are familiar with this kind of set up beforehand so they can update their files, touch up anything they need to with WYSIWYG and they’re good to go. We primarily use an ArtNet network, with an MA network as a backup system and for the boards to talk. All of the consoles that come in are capable of running on it - we’ve had Avolites and ChamSys gear and software coming in, while Iron Maiden runs a High End Systems Hog 4 with ArtNet.” FOH Operator Chis Scott was fulfilling a similar role for PRG XL Video on The Zippo Encore Stage, as well as helping to programme for The Maverick Stage and assisting with the WYSIWIG on The Lemmy Stage. As only a handful of the second stage bands brought their own LD, Scott was called on regularly during the festival to get stuck in and man the MA Lighting console, taking control of a rig designed by Crew Chief Sam Healey.

“It’s hard work, particularly to give all of the acts their own looks, but I’ve got a great rig to work with here,” he said. “There’s a lot of Clay Paky fixtures including the Sharpy Wash, as well as some Vari-Lite VL3000’s, PRG Icon Beams, GLP impression X4’s and plenty of generic molefays.

You want the shows to look diverse but, at the same time, the more fixture types you introduce into the rig, the harder work it is for the incoming guys to run the show. We try to stick with a wash, a spot, a beam, a strobe and a molefay. That’s usually the ideal second stage rig.”

PRG XL Video also supplied an Ethernet link to stage right so the crews could connect their floor packages when necessary, though Scott only had to deal with a small amount over the course of the weekend. One such band was Friday headliner on The Zippo Encore Stage, All Time Low, whose extras were supplied by Leeds-based Zig Zag Lighting. The floor package was relatively similar to the one that the company provided for All Time Low’s recent arena tour, based around Elation Professional ACL 360 BARs and Robe Pointes. As well as this, ZIg Zag was brought in by Stage Audio Services to supply all lighting from The Dogtooth Stage downwards, which included additional music, entertainment and bar tents in the campsite.

The Dogtooth rig had a flown truss and four towers as a base, on which Zig Zag rigged eight Robe ColorSpot 575 ATs, six Robe ColorWash Zoom 575 ATs, and eight Showtec Sunstrip Actives, as well as 4-cell blinders, two PARcans, four strobes, smoke and haze machines.

Control for all of Zig Zag’s lighting fixtures came from ChamSys, which also deployed ChamSys Software Director Chris Kennedy to lend a helping hand on site. Zig Zag LD Paddy Sollitt commented: “Chris brought the MQ-80’s latest software so we can do a bit of beta testing on The Dogtooth Stage. We’re basically trying to find bugs but it’s going really well and new software is brilliant. We’ve always had a good working relationship with ChamSys and when they 29

Fog is our passion!

Battery-operated fog generators to be built into costumes and props, powerful Haze- and Fog generators from 650 W to 3 kW, a 9 kW machine to fill big halls and stadiums and a powerful low fog machine as a low power or high power version: We have the right machine for any effect.

Tiny S, Tiny FX, Tiny CX, Power-Tiny

Battery-operated fog generators, 30 W/70 W/400 W Unique 2.1

Haze generator DMX, 1500 W Viper S, Viper nt, Viper 2.6 & Orka

Fog generator DMX, 650 W, 1300 W, 2600 W, 3000 W & 9000 W Cryo-Fog low or high pressure and Cryo-Gate Low fog generator and attachment to produce low fog

Look Solutions Fog machines made in Germany Buenteweg 33 · DE-30989 Gehrden Phone +49-(0)5108 - 91 22 10 · Fax 91 22 111 www.looksolutions.com · info@looksolutions.com

DOWNLOAD

Above: Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn; Detla One’s Jim Gaffney; Dom Hardy of STS; Zig Zag Lighting’s Paddy Sollitt; the view from FOH.

offered their services here we couldn’t refuse. There’s nothing better than having the guy that writes the code for the software standing next to you!”

Although the bulk of festival planning takes place throughout the preceding year, taking every variable into account, there really is no secondguessing British weather. Before the torrential downpour that submerged Donington arrived on Friday evening, Zig Zag had to load in at the mercy of 27°C heat. Add this factor to the sheer size of the site itself, and you have a recipe for hard graft.

Sollitt explained: “It’s quite a long way to and from the campsite - my phone told me I’d done 19 miles of walking on the first day, so no wonder I felt tired once I’d sat down in the tour bus! It all went well regardless of the weather and we installed all but one of the areas on the first day.”

The campsite opening for the most battle-hardened (or naive) Download-goers on the Wednesday morning, meaning Sollitt and his team were on site for the long haul. He said: “It goes to show that there’s more to a festival than the first couple of stages, particularly Download. There’s a fair amount of kit in each of these extra areas but because a lot of it is Robe there’s been no failures. I tour a lot and I definitely prefer this to some of the bigger festivals. It’s expanded so much but in a way that has given the fans more to see and do, all without taking away from why people come here the music.”

design so that we have been able to achieve really good levels in the arena without it breaching sensitive sides of the site.”

For The Lemmy Stage, Russell explained how SSE made use of its stock of L-Acoustics products. The two main hangs each consisted of 14 boxes of L-Acoustics K1, six K1 subwoofers and four KARA per side, while the two out-hangs were made up of 10 K1’s, four K1 subs and three KARA per side.

“The configuration for this year hasn’t altered to much from last year,” stated Russell. He explained that the left and right hangs are much closer to the centre then they have been, with a bigger gap between the on-stage and off-stage hangs.

“This meant we had to change the way we did the in-fills, which consisted of 12 KARA and four K2,” Russell said. In order to cover the vast distance up the hill facing the stage, SSE provided four delay hangs comprised of 12 L-Acoustics K2 speaker boxes, which Russell explained was a substation to the V-DOSC system used in pervious years.

Making its UK festival debut at Download was the L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofer. The latest release for L-Acoustics weighs 10kg less the former SB28 with an additional three db at its disposal. “They have worked so well,” he smiled. “They are noticeably louder and seem a lot more percussive than the KS2B with loads of headroom. I have been very impressed with them.”

The configuration of the subs included 16 KS28 at both stage left and stage right, with another 12 boxes in the centre. The entire system was powered by L-Acoustics LA8 and LA12 amplifiers, and controlled by two Avid Profiles at FOH under the supervision of Nick Pain.

Monitor control came courtesy of a Yamaha CL5, which succeeded the Yamaha PM5D - SSE’s long-running ‘go-to’ festival monitor console.

“We used the PM5D because everybody knew it. Even if it wasn’t the first choice for some engineers, they had a show file for it and it was very straightforward to get a mix together on,” said SSE Audio Services’ Project Manager Dan Bennett. “Critically, it’s bulletproof. A console that everybody is comfortable with and also doesn’t break makes for a perfect festival mixer.”

Overseeing monitor world for The Lemmy Stage was Head Monitors and

DOUBLE TEAM Audio duties on the four arena stages were split between two suppliers; SSE Audio and Stage Audio Services. SSE has a long tradition of providing audio for Download’s main stage, but this year the company pulled double duty delivering a complete audio package for The Zippo Encore Stage as well.

Representing SSE on site was Project Manager Pete Russell. With over 10 years of experience on Download’s main stage, not to mention several stints working the site when it was known as Monsters of Rock, there are few that know the festival’s audio requirements better. “The main consideration from our perspective is to make the listening experience for the punter as enjoyable as possible and, as this is a rock and metal festival, this means quite a lot of volume! Over the years we have tweaked the 30

35 Years xy

d&b is 35. Gianni is d&b.

Gianni Abruzzese is Commercial Manager for d&b GB. He’s been on board since 2013. “The strength and quirkiness of d&b comes from attention to detail and passion for the brand. I’m extremely proud of that.” In 35 years d&b has evolved from a small garage venture to a worldwide standard in professional sound systems. It’s people like Gianni who make this story possible, and just that bit different from the rest.

Welcome to System reality.

DOWNLOAD

Main Stage Crew Boss, James Baptie, along with Monitor Engineer, Neil Heal.

Completing SSE audio team was Head Stage Patch, Glen Little, and Stage Techs Beth O’Leary, Lewis Underwood and Ray Breen.

For The Zippo Encore stage, SSE opted for an entirely different system using its latest stock of JBL technology. The stage’s main hang comprised of 10 JBL VTX V25’s and four JBL VTX V20’s per side with an identical pair of out hangs to hit the wider areas of the crowd with the same power. The company also deployed 12 JBL VT4886’s for infill as well as left and right subwoofer stacks made of 12 JBL S28’s and nine JBL G28’s in the centre. All of the JBL gear was powered by Crown Audio I-Tech 12000HD amps, with a pair of Avid Profile desks at FOH and two Yamaha PM5Ds at monitors.

Russell discussed SSE’s first experience on Download’s second stage and the decision to use the company’s latest JBL system: “SSE invested in JBL last December due to our ties with Sound Image in the US. Many of their clients from America prefer the JBL system and we wanted to accommodate to their needs while they were in the UK.” Although they have been taken out on the road regularly since the end of 2015, this was the first time the system had been used in an outdoor festival.

“The system has been good and it goes together very easily,” enthused Russell. “It’s always a bit of a learning curve when you get your hands on a new system but we are working on it and so far its sounding great. One area the system has excelled in is the rear rejection, which is great from a noise pollution perspective.”

The audio team for the second stage consisted of FOH Head / System Tech / Site Crew Boss, Nick Lythgoe, FOH Engineer, Miles Barton, Head Monitors, Mick Eggett, Monitor Engineer, Rob McNeil, Head Patch Stephen Mottram and Stage Techs Ben Goulding Huckle, Gerry Parchment and Steve Alflatt.

John Penn, Managing Director of SSE Group, also gave his thoughts on the festival: “It was great to be invited back again and take control of two stages. Our guys had a tough job with this event, being really up against the extreme weather. Hats off to the whole SSE crew who, despite everything,

pulled out all the stops to make sure the audience got the best that could be delivered to them despite the conditions. The fact we were able to keep everything together and working is a feat of arms.”

Also making a welcome return to Donington this year was Stage Audio Services, which supplied audio for the Maverick and Dogtooth stages, along with audio and staging elements at various other sections of the campsites areas. TPi spoke to Kevin Mobberley, MD of Stage Audio Services: “We have been involved in Download since its inception. We have grown as the festival has, to a level now where we provide all audio services for the festival, aside from the main and second stage.”

For The Maverick Stage the company provided an L-Acoustics V-DOSC system consisting of 16 V-DOSC for the main PA, with thee V-DOSC used for lip fills and four ARCS for in-fills. A total of 16 L-Acoustics SB28 subwoofers were also deployed. The company supplied an Avid Profile system at FOH and a Yamaha PM5D at monitor world. Side fills consisted of four L-Acoustics ARCS and four SB218’s with 12 L-Acoustics 115XT Hi-Q wedges on hand.

On The Dogtooth Stage a smaller L-Acoustics system was provided with 14 L-Acoustics V-DOSCs with eight SB28’s, two L-Acoustics ARCS for in fills. A Yamaha PM5D was in place at FOH with a Yamaha M7CL-48 at monitors.

Mobberley said: “It’s rather commonplace these days for a festival to offer campsite entertainment but few do it quite like Download.”

Stage Audio Services provided all the audio for all the small stages within the Download Village along with other special events including the NTX Wrestling stage. Last, but certainly not least, the company provided the audio system that was used for the site-wide announcements that were critical for the festival’s health and safety action plan.

Mobberley concluded: “Festival Republic have brought a fresh look to the event but the change really has been seamless. The whole site was under a great deal of pressure due to the weather but, as always, Live Nation and Festival Republic have the people and the resources to deal with those situations. Although it was horrible and muddy, it didn’t cause any major problems.”

Proud to be associated with Download Festival since 2003 www.stageaudioservices.com Stage Audio Serives, Bridge Street, Wordsley, Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY8 5YU T: +44 (0)1384 263629 F: +44 (0)1384 263620 E:kevinmobbers@aol.com

32

DOWNLOAD

Above: FOH at the Zippo Encore stage; Pete Russell of SSE; The Great British summer on display at The Lemmy Stage; FOH Operator Chis Scott .

GETTING SPECIFIC STS Touring Services provided full backline for the bands at Download, from drum kits, bass guitars and wireless packs to individual valves and skins. STS’s Dom Hardy explained: “We can get quite specific when it comes to gear and bands like that. We’ve also got a big Mesa and Orange selection, which is perfect for this festival. Our drums also range from high-end DW stuff to more basic Pearl kits.”

While other departments had to do a certain amount of tweaking to accommodate for two acts - Architects and Ghost - that cancelled at the last minute, STS had to scramble to work from the ground up with the two replacement bands. Hardy continued: “We have what we have in the van to get us as close as we can to the bands’ riders, and we can have gear brought down from Manchester if need be. We had another band that had to deal with on the spot because they left their cymbals at a festival in Paris.”

STS had Hardy and monitor specialist John Taylor moving in vans between stages to transport gear and accommodate last minute changes, while Richard Knowles served as the company’s Stage Manger and Dan McKay as Backline Tech.

Hardy had nothing but praise for the stage teams, festival organisers and McDonald himself. He said: “This is my sixth year at Download and it’s definitely my favourite festival. Once you’re in the rhythm of how it goes here, things run a lot smoother and we know all of the crew by now. We’re quite self-contained in the way that we don’t have to get involved with the rigging side of things, but there are good teams on each stage that know us and know what we’re here to do.”

changeovers and incorporated raised VIP viewing platforms.

Serious Stages also installed two flanking 9.6 metre by 14.4 metre goalposts to hang screens and PA, along with three 15 metre lunar delay towers, ramps, steps, camera runs and camera platforms within the main stage area. For the main stage FOH structures, Serious installed a 7.2 metre by 7.2 metre clear span that housed the audio consoles and engineers, and a 4.8 metre by 4.8 metre tower, decked at 4.5 metres and nine metres, to accommodate the lighting engineers and an assisted viewing platform.

Elsewhere, the company provided the stage deck, PA wings and FOH structures for The Maverick Stage and The Dogtooth Stage and rigged the main stage totems, video and header scrims Serious Stages’ MD, Steven Corfield, commented: “We are delighted to have extended our relationship with the Festival Republic production team at this, our first year supplying staging to Download festival. Our Tower stages looked fabulous, accommodating many of the biggest names in rock and metal. By designing and building a custom Tower Roof for The Lemmy Stage, we were able to create an impressive spectacle; it was a fitting tribute to the late rock legend.”

The company supplied a 30-man crew for the majority of the install, headed up by Project Manager Nathan Kemp and supported by supervisors and crew chiefs. Serious Stages was on site for 19 days and had five standby crew at the ready for production and show days.

Corfield continued: “With three decades working on UK festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading we’re no strangers to the British weather, so our systems are designed and installed to be ready for whatever comes over the horizon - and our first Download was certainly a wet one. We always work to strict procedures, implementing safety measures to make certain that our working practices are as safe as possible.

“This is reflected in the guidance document we produced last year, in collaboration with other staging professionals, in a bid to help benchmark high standards in line with the CDM regulations introduced last year. We were constantly monitoring the weather conditions and wind speed from the beginning of construction through to the de-rig to ensure we were

A FITTING TRIBUTE Serious Stages supplied staging and ancillary structures to Download for the first time, including the design and manufacture of the 25 metre by 30 metre Tower Roof for The Lemmy Stage. This was complete with a 6.2 metre cantilever to give clear audience sightlines from all angles and six posts to accommodate the large weight loading capacities required for the technical production equipment, with plenty of working area for band 34

DOWNLOAD

Above: The Download Dog by day, kept on a short leash by NEWSUBSTANCE’s Beau Wicks, and by night.

on hand to quickly respond if we needed to protect the integrity of our structures.”

Friday headliner Rammstein’s Download set and backdrop was created by Production Park-based company, Perry Scenic Creative, which has collaborated with the band on its explosive productions since 1999.

Creative Director, Jon Perry, gave an insight into the key features of the set: “What’s really cool with Rammstein is that they don’t have any video. It’s all about the show, the set, amazing pyrotechnics and lighting! Firstly, we made a series of pods to house lighting in, which were all scenically treated and custom made. These rusty-looking industrial pods moved throughout the show like a coordinated ballet.”

He continued: ‘We created an A and B set, including two identical 3D backdrops that were printed, hand painted and appliqued. They measure 24 metres long, 10 metres high and one metre deep. A key feature of the backdrops are their ability to take light from the front, internally, as well as from behind. The character of the backdrops changes depending on how they’re lit, and when internally lit, the set achieves a fantastic sense of depth.”

Talking about some of the challenges the Perry Scenic team faced during the project, Perry explained: “There’s a long series of processes to get to the end product. We start off by seeing the designs, discussing them and producing a series of prototypes. We then take the prototypes into LS-Live’s Studio 001, light them in different ways, and take photographs and videos. Following feedback, we make adjustments and develop the backdrop in that way perfecting the vision of Production Designer LeRoy Bennett and Designer Peter Aquinde.”

As Download is a rock and metal festivals it was only natural that many

of the bands made use of their fair share of pyrotechnics. Saturday night’s headliners, Black Sabbath, were no exception with Quantum SFX supplied the godfathers of metal with a complete package of flame bars, eight wireless spitfire flames and 16 G-Flames spread across the stage as well as six confetti blowers. Quantum also provided a 45 second display of ariel pyrotechnics, mixing in mines and comets as the band took their final bow.

THE DOWNLOAD DOG One of the most striking landmarks to be seen when wandering the arena site, standing at over six metres high and facing The Lemmy Stage, was a gigantic sculpture of a dog’s head. The sculpture was a 3D re-imagining of the festival mascot, The Download Dog, which was brought to life by UK design studio, NEWSUBSTANCE. TPi spoke to Projects Director for NEWSUBSTANCE, Mungo Denison, and Creative Director, Patrick O’Mahony, to discover how the company got involved.

“Melvin Benn from Festival Republic first became aware of our work after he saw the structure we built for Mumford & Sons last tour,” said O’Mahony. “During our initial concept meeting, Melvin talked about bringing the adored mascot to life. The dog has become an iconic part of the festival and one of Melvin’s goals when taking on the project was to give something back to the fans that truly encapsulated the festival. It is all over the merchandise and many fans of the festival even have it tattooed onto their body – it’s rare to see that level of engagement with a festival icon. We wanted to make sure we did it justice!”

Benn discussed the reason for bringing the beloved dog to life: “I wanted to celebrate the Download Dog, and build a proper piece of art to

35

DOWNLOAD

Above: Friday’s Lemmy Stage headliners Rammstein hung 30 tonnes of extra kit from the roof; Viking metallers Amon Amarth warmed things up on the Sunday morning.

do that. The response from festivalgoers has been fantastic and vindication of our decision to create a new Download family member.” Benn went on to discuss why he thought NEWSUBSTANCE was the right company for the job: “NEWSUBSTANCE are a truly talented outfit – agile, creatively switched on and a pleasure to work with. Their pursuit of excellence in getting this project aesthetically right against tight deadlines and in challenging conditions was breath of fresh air.”

O’Mahony continued: “Up until now he had only existed in 2D form and never existed as a 3D model. We had to create the structure and went through several 3D prints until we got it right.”

Denison took up the story: “A lot of festivals have certain landmarks, like the Spaceman at Coachella. We wanted to create something that was large and bold that could be photographed easily and would drive social media.

We also wanted the structure to be immersive, allowing people to walk inside the head and into the mouth. ” The core structure of the dog was supported by an aluminium frame and then coated in a high tolerance plastic, broken down into 15 component parts and transported in two articulated lorries. Taking care of the structure on site during the festival was Beau Wicks: “The build took a good 12 hours then a few more hours the next day to do some tweaking and cushion the sharp edges to make sure it was safe for people to climb in and out of the structure.

“At the start of each day of the festival my job is to carry out a series of pre checks on the structure to make sure it’s safe and sound for people to come in and out of. Given the volume of traffic and conditions on site it is paramount that the structure is fit for purpose and ready to be enjoyed.

Further checks were scheduled throughout each day to ensure everything was as it should be. The red lights in the eyes are cold slimline 50W red LED floodlights, so can be left on as long as required without getting too hot.

Once the main arena was closed I power down and check the structure over.”

Denison gave his final thought on the project: “It’s been fantastic to add a new festival to our portfolio of work. We couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!” With NEWSUBSTANCE striking a deal for the dog to return for the next two years at least, this is surely not the last we have seen of Download’s new pet.

TeamRock, respectively. The main stage alone required 1,320 metres of barriers, not including the extra 100 metres of step extensions, and eight crewmembers to install and maintain it. Delta One also decided to go without a main stage thrust in order to make the system “more functional”.

He continued: “It’s hard if you are the last one in and something on the staging is late as there is a the knock-on effect, but the doors are going to open at the same time regardless. This year we don’t have any changes to make once we’re set up, which is good because as soon as it starts raining the barriers just sink in!”

Although Delta One employed only small tweaks on the main stage, Gaffney implemented a stepped configuration down the hill at stage left on The Zippo Encore area. “We always had a problem with a build up of people at stage left, but the new arrangement stops the audience from falling down the hill, which is ideal when the ground is in the state it is.”

Eat to the Beat returned to Download for yet another year, setting up on the Thursday ready for three days of catering and catching up with many of the bands that it supports on tour. The team was led by Head Chef and self-confessed metal fan, Michelle Bearsby–Lewis, and David Lesh - now a tattoo fan after getting his first from the tent set up in the artist area!

Over 2,500 meals were prepared within the kitchen marquee – service was in a Tipi tent, which provided some much needed respite from the biblical downpour.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR...

As the mighty Iron Maiden closed out their set on Sunday night, thus began the long and arduous journey home for tens of thousands of sodden metalheads - emerging from the mud and, somewhat begrudgingly, back to reality. While the average Download-goer’s biggest concern was how they were going to dry their socks, the hard-working crew was straight back into action to tackle the inevitable pack-down process. It’s always outstanding how, no mater what the weather throws at them, the crews responsible for our beloved UK festivals are still able to make these annual events a reality.

Although many of the punters’ favourite band shirts may have taken a battering, the loyal Download congregation will, without doubt, be back in force next year.

TPi Photos: Ross Silcox, Matt Eachus, Matt Rakowski www.downloadfestival.co.uk www.festivalrepublic.com www.prg.com/uk www.sseaudiogroup.com www.ststouring.co.uk www.stageaudioservices.com www.zigzaglighting.co.uk www.newsubstance.co.uk www.stages.co.uk www.oglehog.com www.perryscenic.com www.globalinfusiongroup.com/gig-eat-to-the-beat www.ct-group.com

BLOOD, SWEAT AND INK Director at Delta One Jim Gaffney’s previous employment with Mojo Barriers has allowed him to see the evolution of Download first hand, having installed crowd control systems on site since the days of Monsters of Rock. Gaffney explained: “There was a history of crowd movement being quite problematic here but that’s been resolved now. As it’s a metal show we have quite a dynamic audience who are very focussed so we have a large pen at the front. With Download we also have a secondary arm that cuts the field in half to allow security into the audience.”

Delta One provided barriers for all four arena stages, as well as the bars, campsite stages and the tents sponsored by Firestone, Kerrang! and 36

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Kygo’s LD, Alex Hesse; FOH Engineer Mark Scurr (standing triumphantly on the famous purple FOH rug).

KYGO’S CLOUD NINE

TPi’s Ste Durham was at O2 Academy Brixton to see a versatile touring rig put through its paces, courtesy of DJ, songwriter, producer and musician, Kygo.

Kygo, otherwise known as 24-year-old Norwegian Kyrre GørvellDahll, has enjoyed a rapid ascent in recent years as one of the leading proponents of ‘tropical house’. The artist’s Cloud Nine tour kicked off with a handful North American shows in January of 2016, before continuing through mainland Europe and the UK in March and April. The tour has taken the artist and his crew into venues of all shapes and sizes, ranging from large arena spectaculars to more intimate academy sets, many of which required an adapted version of the original touring set up.

Although production had been scaled back once Kygo returned across the Atlantic, the UK rig was stepped up for two nights back-to-back at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. Production Manager Joel Stanley explained: “The European tour was an extension of the larger US shows we had done previously as ‘warm ups’, but playing to rooms holding up to 13,000 people was quite the baptism of fire for everyone, which was a positive thing in retrospect. This has been the biggest and only tour that Kygo has done and I’m pretty sure that the same for some of the team too.”

Much of the crew had been brought in for the Cloud Nine tour, with groundwork staring in October of 2015. Stanley therefore had to use suppliers he had built relationships previously, such as PRG XL Video for the UK. This also meant that the crew could prepare at the PRG XL Video’s warehouse in Longbridge, Birmingham. PRG XL Video also introduced PRG Nocturne as video and lighting supplier for the US shows.

Stanley continued: “The week of rehearsals that we did for the US tour were a great help and meant that we could hit the ground running going into Europe, with only one tech day at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam.”

THINKING ON YOUR FEET Another of Stanley’s regulars was SSE Audio Group, which provided 28 boxes of L-Acoustics K2, 12 L-Acoustics K-Subs, 24 L-Acoustics SB28 bass cabinets, 24 L-Acoustics KARA, six L-Acoustics ARCS2 cabinets, and eight L-Acoustics K1. The PA system was driven by a main rack of 26 L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers. Motors and rigging consisted of four L-Acoustics K2BUMP Flying Bumpers for K2 and two L-Acoustics Kara/SB18 Flying Bumpers.

Avid Profile digital consoles were used at both FOH and monitors with Avid Venue stage boxes and racks, along with two Yamaha SPX2000 Effects Processors, two Midas XL48 eight channel pre amps and a Summit DCL200 Stereo Valve Compressor. While those on stage used a Sennheiser G3 EK300 IEM system, the crew employed a pair of L-Acoustics SB28 Sub Bass Cabinets and 10 L-Acoustics X15 HiQ Coaxial Cabinets for some on-stage thud.

FOH Engineer Mark Scurr explained: “We adapted the system every day depending on the size and layout of the venue - in here we use a split array, with boxes hung high to cover the balcony and ground stacked boxes for the standing punters. It sounds great!”

The crew chose a split array to combat the audio problems endemic in Brixton Academy, namely an almighty slapback from the Art Deco façade of the venue’s upper circle.

“Sound just fires off the balcony in here. The split array is our way of trying to avoid that. It’s an inconsistent room but I’ve not heard a better rig in here – even up on the balcony itself sounds good, I wish I was mixing from up there,” Scurr laughed. “This is how you would have done it back in the day – ground stacked boxes and a couple more up top. We’re using new 39

KYGO

gear, but doing an old thing with it. It’s the brainchild of our System Tech, Perttu Korteniemi, as he’s had good results with the same thing in here before.”

Kygo is something of an anomaly in the EDM world, in that he uses more conventional instruments such as keyboards, electronic drums and synthesisers to create his music live. The two nights he performed in London also included an eight-piece string section and a number of guest vocalists such as Labrinth, Maty Noyes and Kodaline.

SSE also provided four BSS by Harman AR133 DI Boxes, two Radial Pro D8 eight-way rack mount DIs, eight DPA 4099 microphones for the strings, and a selection of Shure and AKG microphones for the on-stage vocalists.

The backline was Kygo’s own, based around an Ableton set up that was kept off stage.

Scurr added: “The mix isn’t too bassy despite the fact we are essentially playing dance music. I try to let all of the instruments breathe, particularly now we have the strings on stage as well for certain songs. We do pummel people at times but it’s not a drum ‘n’ bass gig - it’s a dynamic show.”

end in order to cover the room completely.

“The main difference between visible and invisible light is that invisible light reflects a lot more, as if the whole room was covered in mirrors. This means we can aim the fixtures under the balcony to bounce around and hit dead spots.”

PixMob has been with Kygo from the first show of the tour at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, though it was originally hired for just three dates in the US. With crowds enjoying being part of the lighting rig and social media taking note, the decision was made to bring them across the pond for select dates.

“The wristbands are a very nice feature and people always talk about it after,” Bégin-Leblanc said. “They take them home as a souvenir and create good visibility for the tour on Instagram or Facebook, for example. The EDM industry is always about the light, which is why we are so well suited to it.

“A single person with a wristband isn’t impressive, but the more people there are, the nicer the effect is. They hand out the wristbands on the door and it gets people thinking about what they are used for or when they’ve seen it or heard about them before. It’s great to see people getting excited to become part of the show.”

STOLE THE SHOW PixMob’s interactive LED technology was another of the weapons in Kygo’s arsenal at the Brixton show. PixMob’s Xavier Bégin-Leblanc explained: “Here with Kygo we are using our simplest LED wristbands. They only flash one colour, where our more sophisticated modules are capable of full RGB.” During the US leg, the crew used 33% red, 33% white and 33% blue, given out around 75% capacity of the crowd for an even dispersion, though this was scaled back to just red for the London shows. The wristbands are fitted with microchips that trigger the LEDs inside to flash when washed with infra-red light.

Bégin-Leblanc continued: “We manufacture the infra red lighting fixtures that are flown on the truss and operated using a standard desk, in my case an MA Lighting onPC command wing. The first five fixtures are always in the same place on the truss and we adjust the two extra at either

RAGING The original concept for the video design came from the diamond shape of Kygo’s logo, which was was co-desinged by Myles Shear and Simon Evans, then put together by the previous production company using LED and Perspex panels. Stanley explained: “I redesigned the video wall with PRG using different resolution tiles. This creates an ‘X’ down the middle made of low resolution blow-through panels, which is surrounded by the higher res diamonds, it looks a lot cleaner now.”

PRG XL Video provided ROE MC-7 LED video tiles that were hung upstage to create six diamond shapes – a scaled down version of the 36 screens the artist had on his US leg. The resultant ‘X’, formed from the middle space between the four central diamonds, was filled with ROE MC-18 Hybrid LED

40

INAVATION AWARDS TECHNOLOGY WINNER 2016

30K lumens, true 4K resolution, 60-120Hz, low cost lamp operation.

And still floats like a butterfly...

The multi-award winning 30,000 lumen projector “that’s not the size of a small car”.

Clive Couldwell, Editor AV Magazine

Up to 30,000 lumens | up to 4K | 68kg | Upgradable

This is your arena

christieBOXER.com

CD0644_Boxer_Core_ad_EN_Art.indd 1

03/06/2016 12:44

KYGO

Production Manager Joel Stanley; PixMob’s Javier Bégin-Leblanc with one of the company’s infra-red fixtures; Quantum Special Effects’ James Waite and Rob Edwards.

tiles to create contrasting looks.

The fully customised animations came courtesy of design studio Visual Artform. The company’s Creative Director, Simon Evans, has worked with Kygo since the very early stages of his career: “Having already produced Kygo’s set at Coachella last year, we wanted to go even bigger for the 2016 tour. The new show delves deeper into an immersive visual experience, with each song being its own beautiful chapter within the epic Cloud Nine story.’

Evans described how the visuals enhance Kygo’s theatrical tendencies: “His new track, Raging, for example, begins with a boat sailing across an ocean when suddenly a raging storm hits. As lightning formations rip through the geometric stage layout, the song ends with a boat wreckage at the bottom of the sea, a dramatic blackout then occurs allowing for a swift set change and for Kygo to appear in a new position on stage. Our objective is to use the visuals not only as a canvas to the music, but to create dramatic moments within the show and keep the audience captivated throughout.”

Touring Video Direcor Luke Hammonds used a 12-Core Apple MacPro running Arkaos GrandVJ and Madmapper software to take care of the visuals alongside a Blackmagic Studio 4k, which captures footage from eight cameras. The package consisted of strategically placed Bradley robocams and GoPro 4Ks for some extreme close up shots. Hammonds explained: “The camera footage is manipulated with customised scripts developed by our programmers back in the studio to generate cool effects on the fly, which is then mixed live into the animations to show people that he is actually playing all of these instruments. We trigger the different camera angles to the BPM of the music for an overall look that blends more seamlessly with the show than plain camera shots you tend to see at other live gigs.”

The simplification of the rig did not stop at video, with numerous substitutions made within the lighting specification in order to save weight

in smaller venues and space in fewer trucks. As well as this, Stanley pointed out that simple changes such as 4-lite molefays instead of 8-lites or Clay Paky Stormys over strobes saved on power consumption, storage, and budget.

The flown rig, also provided by PRG XL Video consisted of 12 PRG Best Boy 4000 spots, 26 Clay Paky Sharpys, 20 PixelRange PixelLines LED battens, 20 Clay Paky Stormys, 24 4-lite molefays and 12 Clay Paky Mythos.

This was reinforced by a floor package containing 24 Clay Paky Sharpys, 12 PRG Best Boy spots, 12 Clay Paky Mythos, 16 PixelRange PixelLine LED battens providing wash and fill-in lighting, 20 Clay Paky Stormy and 14 4-lite molefays. The rig was controlled from a Martin by Harman M6 Lighting Console.

Lighting Designer Alex Hesse was another member of the crew brought in to ensure that Kygo’s stage show evolved to a level on par with his successful recording career. Hesse said: “I’ve worked in EDM for years, particularly on the underground stuff. We always try to look at the show from a creative perspective and I always talk to the other visual guys for their input. I draw it up and programme it, planning the show from start to finish. Every step we build up moments and create opportunities for people to embrace his music – it’s all about experiencing that music in the best possible way.

“Lighting is key to this genre, and Kygo understands that. Steve Jobs said it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; you hire smart people so they can tell you what to do. I believe the same applies on tour - Kygo has all faith in us, though I’ll always ask him after the show just to make sure he’s happy.”

The eventual European rig looked slightly different to its larger American cousin, but Hesse was more than happy with how the substitutions had performed on the road. He commented: “There are so many fixtures today that its easy to swap things in, if the budget requires you to. I make sure that they are all working hard to give the best possible experience for the crowd.

42

“From mix position to any position in the room, it’s hard to mentally process how consistent it is and how easily we achieved it. Anya has the purest impulse response I’ve ever gotten off of a PA system. The acoustic phase response is just breathtaking.”

Robert Scovill FOH Engineer, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Anya sounds more like a giant pair of nearfield monitors than a typical concert array, with a transient response that allows for an extremely dynamic show. In the Paramore show there are a lot of subtle elements that don’t always translate well into the mix.

But with Anya, everything was immediately present.”

Everyone knows all of that processing compromises fidelity.

Right?

Eddie Mapp FOH Engineer, Papa Roach, Paramore “Anya is extremely musical, very powerful and can be customized to match any environment. What else can I ask for in a system? This system should be on every rider.”

Stanley Soares FOH Engineer, Juanes, Sepultura “I have been in a lot of challenging venues. It is amazing to experience how easily Adaptive Systems can blanket the seating area and drop off everywhere else – and sound better than any other systems out there. Every show has sounded fantastic.”

Jason Decter FOH Engineer, Blink 182, Bassnectar “I was hearing a really clean, pure vocal and a very natural open sound. As I said, I really love it when you don’t hear the speakers. For me, that’s the mark of a great system! Thank you!”

Jerry Eade FOH Engineer, Placido Domingo “I have to admit, I have never been that impressed with a loudspeaker in my life – it’s a game-changer listening to those loudspeakers.”

Joe Patten Project Design Manager, CDA

photo © Mark Hanna, FxN Productions

That depends on the machine. Conventional line arrays use few, relatively large sources – like ‘acoustic pixels’. Applying discrete processing to each source means adjacent devices produce very different signals. This ‘acoustic pixelation’ creates impulse response problems that you can hear.

Adaptive Systems are different. With a large number of sources that are small for their bandwidth, these systems were developed to harness the power of signal processing without compromise. They apply sophisticated algorithms to the high resolution array of sources to ensure that processing changes from source to source are small. The result is unprecedented control, consistency and most importantly a pristine impulse response everywhere. Like rendering the same image with a lot more pixels.

You don’t need better processing to fix your machine. You need a new machine. eaw.com/products/adaptive

www.eaw.com

Adaptive_FOHquotes_TPI.indd 1

6/29/16 1:22 PM

KYGO

Guest vocalists Kodaline and Maty Noyes during their cameo appearances.

If you have a fast car and you only drive slow there’s no point in having it, my job is no different. If you select a certain light then you have to maximise everything that it can offer you. It’s been tricky to adapt it from venue to venue, especially the smaller ones where we can’t fly everything, but I’m very pleased with how it looks.”

it anyway – nothing will be fired if there’s any possibile problems. This show in particular is easier to run than one where you’re having to spot band members or dancers – particularly as dancers tend to be wearing either not a lot, or very flammable costumes!”

Edwards also project managed the tour, making sure all the necessary documentation was filed and his team were well prepared. Almost echoing Hesse’s comments from earlier in the day, he concluded: “We have a really experienced bunch of guys on this tour so the whole thing was fairly straightforward. There is a fair amount of programming involved so that the cues are spot on but at the end of the day, anyone can push a button - it’s knowing when not to!”

SFX Quantum Special Effects teamed up with Kygo to supply the London and Amsterdam dates using a scaled back version of the arsenal deployed in the bigger North American venues. Quantum’s Project Manager Rob Edwards, who joined colleague James Waite on site, explained: “We made sure to work closely with the creative teams to create a tailored programme of effects that could fully compliment the changing themes and rhythm of the night. For the Brixton shows we’ve added to the touring package of eight CO2 jets, four confetti blowers and two stadium shots, with g-flames (on a canister-based system), LPG flame bars, and stage and flown pyro, all manufactured by Le Maitre.”

“The management comes to us and says what we can and cannot do with the space provided. Because we haven’t toured with it, fitting stuff in is a challenge, both physically and logistically, but there’s a great working atmosphere here that makes it easier. Everyone’s in the groove and you throw new stuff in on the last gig so you inevitably get in everyone’s way. It’s all fun and games really!”

Edwards was keen to point out that the show was still impressive despite the reduced rig, as it was generally being deployed on smaller stages like the one at Brixton. While this densely-packed arsenal may have potentially caused a H&S headache, Kygo’s well-choreographed show made life for the Quantum team a lot easier. Edwards continued: “Everyone is stationary bar the guest vocalists and the guys here are so on

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS Jumbocruiser provided coaches for Kygo’s European tour, which covered a total of 4,100 miles in only 30 days, while Fly By Nite provided trucking and on-site catering was provided by The Pantry Maid. Kygo is slated to appear at numerous European festivals this summer, including Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Exeter, and Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park in July.

TPi Photos: Olav Stubberud www.kygomusic.com www.prg.com/uk www.sseaudiogroup.com www.visualartform.com www.pixmob.com www.q-sfx.com www.jumbocruiser.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.thepantrymaid.com 44

NOW OPEN The UK has a major music and entertainment industry and in order to preserve that position we must ensure that major groups continue to see the UK as a starting point for European tours. The facility itself is world class and offers real life arena-sized environment for not just concert tours but TV, film, corporate events and product launches.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK CALL SCOTTIE +44 7789 831 615 OR EMAIL AT SCOTTIE@FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK CALL CARL +44 7976 284 252 OR EMAIL AT CARL@FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios Broad Ground Road, Lakeside, Redditch, B98 8YP Main Phone +44 1527 962 963 • Email info@fbnstudios.co.uk

FESTIVAL FOCUS

SUNWAVES Funktion One is the rental system of choice for Romania’s Sunwaves festival.

When Kevin Dobson of Czech-based Vice Audio moved to Prague from his hometown of Nottingham, UK, in 1998, he had no idea that he’d still be there 18 years later. Having set up Vice Audio in 2004, in 2010 he made a decision to invest in a Funktion One sound system - a move that would continually shape his career.

Since buying six R5Ts (Resolution 5 Touring loudspeakers) and four F221 loudspeakers, Dobson’s company has expanded its rental stock dramatically, most recently with the Evo 7E from the company’s groundbreaking Evolution Series. This firm stance on using Funktion One systems has enabled Vice to become not only a Funktion One expert in the Czech Republic region, but also a mainstay at Romanian dance music festival, Sunwaves. The high profile and well respected event which for over a decade has called upon the talents of the Vice Audio sound designers, also uses the skills of rental companies 303.bg, Want Sound? and Graffiti - all of which deploy Funktion One to the festival. Said Dobson: “We got involved in Sunwaves through Benoit Vanderhagen of 303.bg, which is based in Bulgaria. It was a real adventure for us, travelling to Romania for the first time, and it’s been so rewarding in so many ways.”

Dobson described Sunwaves as somewhat of an “unusual” job in that the audio set up includes scaffold towers to stack the Funktion One Resolution 5’s - a point source alternative to the traditional line array design. “This was initially decided so that we could use a centre stack of six F22 bass enclosures which were more effective when we used to do the festival’s smaller tents. The space underneath the R5’s is draped in fabric and provides a handy place to locate the amps and processors, which are hidden from view. This is particularly handy at Sunwaves; it’s often hard to spot the DJ because the booth and stage area gets so busy with people dancing. We have two Resolution 3 loudspeakers and two F12 bass enclosures just for that area.

“Now that we supply a much bigger tent area we have gone back to using four high stacks of F221’s per side and four F221’s in the centre. This year we also brought some F215’s [double bass enclosures] along for an extra bit of clout in the middle, and with the eight R5’s per side, we achieved even coverage everywhere.”

Additionally, a pair of F101 loudspeakers was mounted on top of the ground stack boards at right angles to the main system to really ensure there was full range coverage everywhere. “The addition of the PSM318 DJ monitors for Richie Hawtin’s performance last year was a great thing too, and they continue to attract praise with every show we do! Although,” laughed Dobson, “not everyone needs to have two double 18-inch reflex subs per side for monitoring like Richie requested!”

The various rental companies that supply Sunwaves do so with peace of mind when it comes to the technical feat - think sand, 40°C heat and

big tops by the beach. Continued Dobson: “Every part of my dealing with Funktion One has been a pleasure. Our main sound engineer, Alex Limburg, sang the praises of their systems from early on and when I eventually met Tony and Ann Andrews [Funktion One Owners] in Radost FX club in Prague - where we went on to complet a Funktion One install in 2015 - we hit it off straight away. I love the positive vibes they exude and that meeting put us on the way to not only being a Funktion One rental company, but the official representatives for the brand in the Czech Republic. Having exclusivity of a unique product is a great thing and has helped us shape the market.

Anytime I need anything, they will be there. More companies should operate like they do.”

Working closely alongside Vice is 303.bg (Bulgaria’s exclusive Funktion One distributor), which is headed up by Benoit Vanderhaghen. The relationship between 303.bg and Vice Audio has been going strong for many years now, as Vanderhaghen explained: “Kevin and I got along instantly; we have the same passion for quality sound and a similar taste in music and rave parties.” From the very first time they worked together thanks to their rental stocks and Funktion One speakers bringing them together for an event, the good relations have continued to blossom. “From the very start, a genuine friendship and many collaborations began to take shape,” he added.

Alongside Funktion One, the companies are FFA amplification fans too. “All the way,” said Dobson. “I first met Dave Millard [Owner, FFA] at Creamfields in the Czech Republic in 2004. It was about the same time that we started Vice and FFA was pioneering its Class D designs. It’s worth mentioning the vast experience that Dave has had with the development not only of industry leading amplifiers, but also directly with Funktion One with developing new products, which is invaluable. Dave is an invaluable adviser with whom we regularly consult. I can’t imagine being in a better situation, where I can pick up the phone and talk to the people who actually design and build the products that our business runs on.”

The festival in late April / early May was deemed a resounding success and the upcoming Sunwaves event in August will be Vice Audio’s 11th edition. “We have seen the Funktion One contingent grow and have become good friends with the other rental companies at this point. We’ve even seen the creation of Want Sound? - based in Bucharest - become a newer part of the Funktion One family. I would like to think that Sunwaves has contributed significantly to the fact that Funktion One now seems to be the PA of choice in Romania,” he added.

“The Sunwaves crew are a delight to work with; they are totally into what they do and have some very talented people on their team. Catalin Ghinea is definitely not your average promoter - he can be found in the days leading up to the event rigging lights and constructing tents, basically getting stuck in and getting his hands dirty to get the job done. To me, that is showing the ultimate respect to the people in your team - lead 48

SUN WAVES

by example. We all get stuck in to make it happen, even with its crazy challenges such as just getting the audio rider from the asphalt to the tents on the beach; we usually have to construct a temporary road in order to roll the stuff into the tent!”

There’s little doubt that the festival is doing well, not only in its native Romania but with an ever-growing reputation throughout Europe. “I was

quite surprised this year,” concluded Dobson. “As an Englishman myself to hear so many English accents on a Black Sea beach!”

TPi http://sunwaves-fest.ro www.funktion-one.com www.viceaudio.com, www.303.bg

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Backstage: Four F1201 DJ Mixer (first night only): Formula Sound F6.2L FOH (side of stage): Midas Venice 16U Amps: MC2/F1 (three E45, two E25, one E30Q) and FFA (one F6004) DSP: Three X04A, Wifi Audiocore with Moxa 5150N, router and iPad

VICE AUDIO Stage A: Main system L-R - per side, eight R5 in a 5:3 set up, four F221, one F101 outfill Centre: four Evo6 SH infills, four F221, four F215mk2 DJ Monitors: PSM318 VIP Area: two F121, two Res3 FOH (actually situated at the side of the stage): Two PSM12 (the last day saw them use the PSM318 as FOH monitoring) Avid AC48 desk, All amps FFA 6004. 4004 and FFA10000 Processing: Funktion One Xo4 and NST/FFA Fatware WirFi Audiocore using Moxa Nport 5150 router 5ghz

WANT SOUND? Stage C: PA: Four Evo6, four F221, four F121 Dj Monitors: Two RES2 A, two F121 A Amplification: Two 10kFFa, one MC2 E60, one MC2 TI1000, XTA 448 Stage D: PA: Two DS210, two DS15, two RES2 SH, eight F218, Two Infrabass 218, one Infrahorn Dj Monitors: Two RES2 Amplification: Four A4, four A6, two Labgruppen 2200’s, one Lab.gruppen 3400, one XTA xo2, one FFA 6004 DSP

303.bg Stage B: R.Villalobos & Zip first night, Arpiar (Raresh/Petre/Radhoo) second night Main PA: 10 R5T, four F221A, four F121A, four F121 Centre Fill & Out Fill: four R2SH DJ Booth: Monitor: Two PSM18 and two BR118 Mixer (first night only): Formula Sound F6.2L, Isonoe isolation systems for turntables (Isolation Feet and Sorbothane Boots)

WANT SOUND? SUB HIRE FROM GRAFFITI Two F121 and two Res 2 Amps: Two 10kFFA, one DSP FFa, one MC2 E60, one TI 1000, two Ram 1000, four A6, four A4, one Xo2 XTA, one XTA 448

49

FIELD DAY FESTIVAL

COLOUR SOUND CELEBRATES 10 YEARS WITH FIELD DAY Leading UK lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment celebrated 10 years of being a main technical supplier to Field Day - one of London’s premier and most popular urban music events, staged in Victoria Park, Hackney.

“We are all extremely proud of that achievement,” commented Colour Sound’s MD Haydn ‘H’ Cruickshank. “In that time we have seen the event develop and diversify, all the time retaining its unique approach to music programming and its emphasis on delivering the highest production values to its audiences.”

Working for LarMac LIVE, contracted by producers Loud Sound Events to co-ordinate all the technical elements of the event, Colour Sound supplied lighting to the nine largest performance areas (out of 12), and LED screens to five of these performance spaces.

Around 140 moving lights plus generics, control and all the LED screens filled three artics at the company’s north west London warehouse.

Fletch, Colour Sound’s Project Manager, worked alongside 17 crew, including Crew Chief Sam Campbell for two intense days of build-up and two glorious days of performance – alongside some slightly inglorious weather but nothing that seriously dampened any enthusiasm or the spirit for the occasion!

The Main Stage - a large orbit-style roof system supplied by Acorn Event Structures - featured a production lighting design from Colour Sound that accommodated the specs of the two headlining acts, PJ Harvey (LD Johnny Barker) and James Blake (LD Chris Bushell). This entailed a full overnight de-rig / re-rig on the Saturday night.

Colour Sound is also supplying the James Blake touring floor / visuals package for all his festival dates through the summer.

Lighting trusses were sub-hung on the main stage below the roof superstructure, and the flown front truss sections were curved to the contours of the roof to maximise the height. Upstage, a 10 metre wide by six metre tall LED screen was installed made up from Colour Sound’s proprietary BT-7 LED screen product.

The moving lights on this stage were a mix of 18 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1500’s, chosen for their power and punch, eight Clay Paky Sharpys and 16 Clay Paky a.leda K20’s fitted with B-EYE lenses, dotted all over the trusses for the best and most dynamic coverage. This combination of lights offered up plenty of options.

They were joined by eight Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 strobes and eight 8-lite molefays. The house control desk was a ChamSys MQ300 and the FOH was looked after for Colour Sound by Chris Steel and Toby

Lovegrove who made sure that all the bands had a great looking lightshow and that any guest LDs were made welcome and had all the kit they wanted and needed at their fingertips.

James Blake used his own touring video screen, flown just in front of the house one, and this was tech’d by Zac Blayton for Colour Sound.

Stage two was inside a large marquee approximately 45 metres by 60 metres with a large capacity of several thousand. Colour Sound installed a 10 by 11 metre ground support system around the stage, with another truss above the audience rigged on the tent king poles.

Lighting was designed to be as flexible as possible to deal with the dynamic line-up of DJs and live acts which included legendary French electronica duo Air headlining on the Sunday.

The moving lights here were 14 GLP impression Spot 1’s, 10 Robe LEDWash 300’s and 18 ProLights Diamond 7 LED beam fixtures, and they were supported by six SGM XC-5 strobes, 13 Showtec Sunstrips, six 8-lite molefays and eight 2-lites.

The video was a six metre wide by four metre tall surface of BT-7 upstage. Lighting was run via a ChamSys MQ60 by Will Thomas. Dave Cattermole tech’d the video and Stu Bar and Frank Williams were the general lighting technicians.

The other stages (3-9 and 12) had moving light packages ranging from eight units to 40 depending on the size and style of the space, plus generics, LED fixtures, other specials and control.

Additionally, Colour Sound provided specials / floor packages to the Avalanches who played Stage two (LD Matt Waterfield) and Dean Blunt who appeared on Stage 12.

The event was extremely successful, enjoying great vibes and an excellent mix of music, entertainment and fun for all.

“Field Day is one of my favourite festivals of the season,” said Fletch, “It is fun to work on, a great team of people all work very hard to deliver the very best production elements to a great audience, and there is a nice synergy and spirit. We all appreciate the great loyalty of being a supplier for 10 years, which is quite an achievement! I was exceptionally impressed with the little details this year like notices dotted around backstage thanking us for 10 years of service, which was very cool!”

Field Day was one of the highlights so far in Colour Sound’s frenetic festival calendar, which includes over 60 events all over the country throughout the summer for which they are providing design, lighting and video equipment and crew.

TPi http://fielddayfestivals.com www.coloursound.co.uk 50

Desired Desired directivity directivity and and better better impulse impulse response response

KH3 KH3 KH3

Measures Measures 10db 10db less less noise noise pollution pollution on on stage stage Measures 10db less Digital noise pollution on stage acoustic steering Digital acoustic steering Digital acoustic steering Hyper-cardioid dispersion Hyper-cardioid dispersion Hyper-cardioid Selfdispersion powered Self powered Self powered

www.k-array.com www.k-array.com www.k-array.com

ROCK IM PARK

CALIBAN TAKES FUTURELIGHT’S PLB 280 ON EUROPEAN FESTIVAL TOUR For its festival tour all over Europe this summer, the German metal band Caliban counts on Futurelight’s battleship, the PLB-280: A hybrid moving head that serves as spot, beam and wash light at the same time.

LD Dennis Baumann was very happy to have some gear of his own to give the show a more individual character: “On festivals, you always have the main lights hanging and already installed. It is not so easy to create a unique look for one band with only little effort. But with the PLB-280, I have so many options, that even four of them is enough to tell our own little story. And the beam with the five-facet prism is a cracker.”

The band started off with Rock im Park and will also play at the world’s largest metal festival, Wacken, in August. Hungary, Switzerland and the Czech Republic are on their list as well.

Michael Dill from Futurelight added: “We are pleased to see the development of our latest products. As one of the smaller brands, it is sometimes difficult to be present also on the really large stages - especially with moving lights. With our Wave, we have made a large step forward and now the PLB really has good chances to get to know many people and stages.”

TPi http://eshop.steinigke.de/en/ www.rock-im-park.com

52

ELECTRIC CASTLE

INTELLITIX JOINS FORCES WITH ELECTRIC CASTLE FESTIVAL TO DEPLOY CASHLESS PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY This year’s Electric Castle used innovative RFID Access Control and Cashless Payment solutions to enhance the festival experience for 100,000 event goers.

Intellitix provided a number of enhancements to the festival including an Electric Castle cashless website, where ticket holders could create an online profile and conveniently add funds onto their cashless account in advance and during the event.

Guests also had the ability to enable the ‘Auto-Top-Up’ feature, which automatically recharges the guest’s cashless account when the balance falls below a certain threshold amount. Top-Up Stations were located throughout the event site so revellers could add more funds to their account using cash, debit or credit card.

Andi Vanca of Electric Castle commented: “It’s fantastic to be able introduce this new technology for our festival-goers at this year’s Electric Castle. Our ambitions are to improve the experience for everyone and through speedy purchases via the RFID wristbands we will be able to reduce queue times and increase convenience for all, meaning more time to explore the amazing line-up and programme we’ve put on for everyone!”

Intellitix’s Head Pilot, Serge Grimaux, commented: “It is always exciting to deploy our services for the first time in a new country! Romania will be the 18th border we cross, and what better way to introduce our solutions than at Electric Castle; it’s a magical event! Its rate of growth over the past few years seems to be superior to ours, and this is not something we have encountered often! We are truly looking forward to bringing a fully Cashless RFID environment to all these fans!”

The Cashless Payment system is simple to use and any leftover credit is refunded to the patron after the event, subject to a refund processing fee.

All transactions are recorded digitally in real-time and emailed to registered guests for full transparency.

The fourth edition of Electric Castle featured a full roster of incredible acts and activities including over 170 artists performing on eight stages across four days, including Sigur Rós, Skrillex, Bastille, Bring Me The Horizon, Gorgon City, Gui Boratto, Elliphant and many more.

TPi www.intellitix.com https://electriccastle.ro/

E T A N I EP E M K I EL ES L B CA

PURE

D N U O S

Designed as a cable replacement system, providing audio signals to and from devices without long or complicated cable runs, XIRIUM PRO delivers studio quality audio with extremely low latency. XIRIUM PRO offers audio professionals tremendous versatility, ease of operation, license-free audio that is ideally suited to a myriad of live sound applications.

For more information visit www.xirium.net

AD_xiriumpro_tpimag_en_190x136_0616.indd 1

54

14.06.2016 15:59:36

TPI_E-Series_QU02.indd 1

31/03/2016 3:37:49 PM

WORLD DJ FESTIVAL

SEOUL WORLD DJ FESTIVAL GROWS WITH NEXO SYSTEMS In Seoul, NEXO STM line arrays were deployed for a record-breaking event for Seoul World DJ Festival (WDF). Now one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in Asia, this was also the 10th show anniversary for sound rental provider Way Audio, which has built a strong relationship between NEXO and this spectacular EDM party.

In 2016, an important liaison was made with influential EDM producer Q Dance from Holland (Qlimax, Defqon, Tomorrowland), which collaborated on this year’s festival. Q Dance brought its hallmarks of dynamic staging, pyro and impressive sound/lighting to the stadium, as well as two well-known DJs from its stable, Atmozfear and Noisecontroller.

Leading sound rental company Way Audio handled the PA requirements for the World DJ Festival, the only production supplier to keep its contract for the full 10 years. As the event has grown, so too have the PA designs.

Way Audio was an early pioneer of NEXO’s STM modular line array systems, which have proved ideal for the EDM material and stadium location of the SWDF. This year, Way Audio implemented one of the largest STM system

configurations, using arrays of 21 STM M46 main plus B112 bass cabinets, delivering high SPL coverage over the wide audience area. A total of 21 STM S118 subs, groundstacked on each side, were boosted by another 12 CD18 subs in front of the centre stage, to provide “a goosebumps performance,” according to James Lee of A-Works, the NEXO distributor and support centre in Korea.

The on-stage monitoring is all important for the star DJs at the SWDF, and the system of choice was groundstacks of STM, each built with three STM M28 compact modules on top of an S118 sub. Often informally referred to as ‘Texas headphones’, these groundstacks were supplemented by NEXO PS15’s. The entire PA system was powered by NEXO’s Universal Amp Racks (11 NUARs), each containing two NXAMP4x4 amplifiers.

For Lee, the highlight of the show was in the verdict of the Q Dance team, currently on a world tour and using NEXO STM for the first time. “The Q Dance team usually get the system they ask for on their rider, and were a bit suspicious when they saw NEXO STM for the first time. But the show was such a success, they gave it the thumbs-up!”

TPi www.wayaudio.co.kr http://wdjf.kr/ 56

before

Barrier Systems

Ground Protection

Sanitary Systems

after

We provide festival infrastructure! eps offers a wide variety of rental equipment and services for concerts, festivals and further productions. Wherever you go we are there.

North America Los Angeles, Chicago, New York america@eps.net

South America Rio de Janeiro, SĂŁo Paolo brasil@eps.net

Australia Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth australia@eps.net

Europe Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Copenhagen, Udine, Winterthur, Wrocław europe@eps.net

Studio Quality, Live.

info@eps.net | www.eps.net

Studio grade remote controlled mic pres in a modular stage rack, featuring Dante, MADI, AES3 and Pro Tools|HD connectivity.

Powered by

www.focusrite.com/rednet Pro Tools|HD is a trademark or registered trademark of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries

+44 (0) 1494 462 246

RADIO 1’s BIG WEEKEND

BBC RADIO 1’s BIG WEEKEND STAGING BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend is the largest free ticketed music event in Europe and is held in a different UK location each year, with Powderham Castle in Exeter, UK, hosting this year’s festival.

Serious Stages supplied stages, decking and event structures to house production equipment and artists including Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Bastille, Biffy Clyro and Jess Glynne.

The main stage was a Serious Stages 25 metre Space Roof, with a 15 metre trim height, flanked by two 12 metre goalposts, from which video screens and PA speakers were hung. Serious also supplied and installed a clear-span structure for the main stage FOH, along with delay towers, follow spot pods and the assisted viewing platform with accessibility ramps.

In other areas, Serious also installed the stage deck inside the In New Music We Trust tent along with the assisted viewing platforms and FOH for each stage.

Through the winter months Serious has invested in new equipment, and introduced the company’s new Purple Deck system and Ad-rails, which created a high quality finish in-keeping with the BBC’s brief.

Serious Stages Managing Director, Steven Corfield, commented: “We’ve worked alongside the BBC and production manager Dick Tee on previous Big Weekends, and it was great to see the event come to the South West. Everyone was very happy with the improved level of finish our new products brought to the event structures and we’ll be introducing these new elements, and more, to other festivals in what promises to be our busiest summer since we started 32 years ago.”

S P E C I A L I S T S

SPECIAL EFFECTS BPM SFX’s summer festival season also began with Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The BPM team were back for an eighth year, headed up by Technical Director, Liam Haswell, to provide an array of special effects for the artists headlining the main and INMWT stages.

“We are really proud to be involved with Radio 1 Big weekend year on year, and we look forward to it as it really does start our summer off with a bang” said Haswell.

The weekend was the biggest in terms of special effects provision for BPM over the years, with a massive 16 acts over the weekend to cater for with 11 special effects and laser technicians onsite throughout.

Waterfall effects were used on the main stage to provide a backdrop for Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding, while the Chase and Status set was interspersed with flames and co2 jets. There was plenty of confetti over the weekend making a massive impact for a range of acts from Years & Years, Sigma, and Kygo - Over 400kg of Confetti was blasted out over the audience over the weekend across both the main and INMWT stages!

On the In New Music We Trust stage, acts such as Bring Me The Horizon.

Alesso, Panic! At the Disco and Stormzy took to the stage and guests were treated to laser displays and yet more flames, co2, pyrotechnics and confetti.

The closing performance from Coldplay featured four 30W RGB Lasers, eight 15W RGB Lasers and 24 4W Starbeam lasers with a full MDG package, as well as rooftop flames and an impactful powderfetti effect that was set up in gradient colours for a rainbow explosion of confetti.

TPi www.bbc.co.uk/events/e2f9rz www.stages.co.uk www.bpm-sfx.com

I N

ACCREDITATION ARTIST LIAISON GUEST TICKETING PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SITE MANAGEMENT TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS FOR FESTIVALS, LIVE EVENTS AND TOURS GINGEROWL.CO.UK

58

LOST VILLAGE

XY FOUND AT LOST VILLAGE - PIONEER PRO-AUDIO IN FESTIVAL ACTION This year’s Lost Village Festival in deepest Lincolnshire offered its customary eclectic mix of DJs, live acts, theatre and global street food. On a site packed full of exciting installations, visitors were treated to a feast of culture in a unique, wonderfully sensory experience.

For this, the second staging of this seasonopening event, audio hire company Cosmic Electronics chose to supply Pioneer Pro-Audio XY Series loudspeakers, powered by regular partners Powersoft K-Series amplification.

The XY Series were used at two different locations on the site, supporting significantly different applications. At Bureau of Lost, where amongst others, the legendary Fatboy Slim appeared, four XY122 and four XY218S delivered the essential quality, power and punch out front. In addition, two XY81 and

two XY118S were used for the DJ Booth. In contrast to Bureau of Lost, Lost Theatre offered live stand-up comedy and so the focus shifted to the spoken word. Here four XY81 and two XY 118S comfortably met the brief to deliver the clarity essential for the application.

The appearance of the XY Series at Lost Village followed hot on the heels of another Pioneer Pro-Audio coup, which saw the company’s brand new XPRS range of powered speakers used as the conference and stage PA System for the International Music Summit (IMS) in Ibiza.

Pioneer Pro-Audio ranges are becoming the loudspeakers of choice at a number of high profile events both indoor and outdoor and look well-placed to continue this trend as reaction to the systems’ performance has been universally positive.

TPi www.pioneerproaudio.com, http://lostvillagefestival.com/

59

ROCK IN RIO LISBOA

ROCK IN RIO LISBOA TPi’s Ste Durham visited one of the highlights of Portugal’s festival calendar.

Despite Rock in Rio’s not-so-humble beginnings (its first incarnation was a 10-day event in Rio de Janeiro for 1.5 million people), the festival has come a long way in its 31-year history, adding sister events in Las Vegas, Madrid and Lisbon. The 2016 incarnation, held in the palatial surroundings of Parque da Bela Vista in Portugual’s capital, took place over two consecutive weekends, starting on 19 May. The line-up featured acts such as Queen + Adam Lambert, Maroon 5, Korn, Hollywood Vampires and Avicii, and was visited by daily crowds in excess of 70,000.

out.

On-site Product Specialist for K-array, Klaus Hausherr, explained: “The first step is to make the prediction for the venue using EASE focus software, which works out what angle to direct the boxes before you hang the system. I can then connect to Powersoft’s Armonia software for control and organise my set.”

Hausherr was also keen to point out just how easy the KH8 was to set up. He said that, once a tech had been walked through the process, one side of a rig like the one in Lisbon could be (and was) flown 10 minutes.

President of Global Sales & Marketing for K-array, Marc Vincent, added: “Gabisom specified the KH8 for this event as they have a smaller rig (six a side with three subs) in Sao Paolo that has done 20,000-capacity festivals.

The array here is good for 25-30,000 people and, with 12 KH8 per side and nine subs, you can easily go over 40,000. You could fly 24 in total, which would work very nicely for a bigger stage.”

Systems Engineer Mario Di Cola, who was involved in the design of the KH8, explained how the system took shape. He said: “We wanted to start with the problem of dispersion. Most of the brands out there are concentrated on front coverage but typically the size of a line array means you can’t have control over the frequencies below mid-bass. We tried to understand this, and figure out how to control the mid low and lower range.

“You also want to get the maximum amount of noise cancellation off to the sides of the speaker where the microphones are. This results in an almost hyper cardioid dispersion that we can steer digitally using the software. A strong advantage is that it allows you to have more gain before feedback on stage.”

Di Cola went on to explain how the compactness of the box creates no internal resonance or phase shift from the low frequencies, allowing engineers to perceive nuances in the mix that would get lost in a normal box. This accuracy, combined with the software and Powersoft amps within

AUDIO Brazilian rental house Gabisom Audio Equipment, with the support of its Portuguese partner, Audiomatrix, chose K-array’s newest and most innovative offering, the Firenze KH8, for the secondary Vodafone Stage. Unlike the main World Stage, which was nestled in a valley at the centre of the park, the Vodafone Stage was perched on the top of a large hill and occasionally at the mercy of strong cross-winds later in the evening. The array deployed here consisted of nine boxes of KH8 flown per side, with six ground-stacked KS8 subwoofers per side and two KH7’s as front fill.

The KH8 is shaped as a flat panel instead of a box, with a total enclosure depth of only 20 cm. Despite its modest size, each self-powered array element includes eight 2KW Class D amplifier modules.

The two main KH8 arrays were made up of three frames clipped together, each containing three boxes, that hung in a perfectly straight line – an allowance made possible by the extent of the boxes’ Slim Array Technology and digital acoustic steering capabilities. With 95 metres between the stage and the back bar area, and a number of obstructions including the solid FOH structure in the way, the system had its work cut 60

ROCK IN RIO LISBOA

the KH8, gave the crew at Rock in Rio the best chance of achieving a sound worthy of such an event. While the system is intuitive, he added: “You have to be quite accurate about audience area, carefully place the system and also exercise a bit of common sense and acoustic knowledge about what is the best position for it in the air.”

AudioMatrix System Tech, Marco Rodrigues, was also full of praise for the KH8: “I have been on the Rock in Rio gigs since they began in Lisbon and I’m sure this is the best system I have used. Being on top of a hill on this stage means you have to deal with quite strong winds but there hasn’t been any great effect on the sound.

“I’ve also never seen a system so easy and quick to set up. There’s one signal cable and one power cable for up to 12 boxes, so all you have to do is hang two hoists and clip the sets of boxes on three at a time. The speed which you can do this and also aim each box is perfect for a festival job where time is tight,” he said.

“It also gives you back the time you’d usually waste dealing with SPL issues and the space you’d usually need in the truck.”

House control on the Vodafone stage consisted of a Yamaha CL5 at FOH and a Soundcraft Vi3000 at monitors, while microphones were Shure, AKG and Neumann, and all stage monitors were d&b audiotechnik.

K-array’s Hausherr laughed as he concluded: “I don’t like to tell people how fantastic the KH8 is, I prefer to bring them in front of it and see it blow them away! You can hear the same sound from 60 - 100 metres with the same low and high end response, it’s unbelievable. The sound for the audience is the same everywhere and that is extremely reassuring for a FOH engineer.”

The historical ties between Martin Audio’s MLA and Rock in Rio began with a system test at the US event in Las Vegas in May 2015, where it appeared on the second stage, the Mercedes-Benz Evolution.

Unusual for MLA - but a trademark sound and visual design of Rock in Rio - was the doubling of hangs either side of the stage with both flanking an array of subs. Typically the design calls for one array to do vocals and the other to do instrumentation from the band.

Adding his experience was Martin Audio Product Support Engineer, Chris Pyne, who had also been part of the original crew in Las Vegas.

“Geographically, this was a complicated place, as the contouring of the terrain was very different from left to right, climbing steeply on one side of the stage and running flat on the other,” he said. “The challenge was to get even coverage and in order to compensate for this unusual geography, every single array required a different optimisation. Fortunately, with MLA and Display 2 software this was a very easy problem to solve.”

Pyne went on to say that all sound engineer comments had been directed at the efficiency of MLA’s mids and highs. “Queen’s technical team, in particular, noted how impressive the rear rejection was on stage, and Gabisom’s Monitor Tech, Thiago Borges, remarked on the purity of sound.”

Many acts used a full set of Martin Audio LE1500 and LE2100 monitors, which were fed by the company’s own MA5.2KDSP amplifiers.

There were 13 areas altogether at the festival, with a variety of systems on show other than the Martin Audio and K-array rigs. NEXT-proaudio deployed LA212X on EDP Rock Street stage as well as on the Street Dance area for the first time.

The system consisted of six LA212Xs along with six LAs418 double subwoofers ground-stacked on each stage, complemented with a PX System as side fill on Street Dance, and 10 LAm114xA active stage monitors and two HFA108 as front fill on EDP Rock Street.

According Carlos Cruz, the Sound Engineer for EDP Rock Street: “The system provided consistent coverage and clear response from the front to the back of the audience.”

MAIN STAGE AUDIO For the World Stage, Gabisom deployed Martin Audio’s MLA rig on a massive scale. The 112 MLA, eight MLD, 60 MLX subwoofers and 24 MLA Compacts became the largest deployment of MLA systems on a single stage, eclipsing events at both Glastonbury and Hyde Park.

61

ROCK IN RIO LISBOA

Above: L-R - Vectorworks Chief Marketing Officer, Stewart Rom; LD for the festival,Brent Clark; PRG Las Vegas’ Vickie Clairborne; Product Marketing Manager for Vectorworks, Frank Brault; Terry Cook, LD for Woodroffe Bassett Design; Goetz Bauer, Special Operations Director at PRG; Audiomatrix’s Marco Rodrigues.

LIGHTING While pre-visualisation spaces at festivals are no revelation, the suite available to LDs visiting Rock in Rio was certainly a cut above thanks to the joint efforts of PRG and Vectorworks, making use of Vision software. The studio was designed to be a sanctuary, tucked away behind the main stage, bathed in dim, blue light and complete with two MA Lighting workstations, a sofa, drinks, snacks and a full support team.

Vision software, now owned by Vectorworks, is typically used to rehearse the look of a show before LDs arrive at the venue. At Rock in Rio, the suite was in place so they could make adaptations and changes to their designs, or even start from scratch using the base festival rig, if need be. As was the case in Rio de Janeiro and Las Vegas, the lighting design for the festival in Lisbon was created by Terry Cook, LD for Woodroffe Bassett Design.

Vectorworks Chief Marketing Officer Stewart Rom commented: “With the increasing need to simulate a lighting design before it’s ever executed on a live stage, our collaboration with PRG provided the perfect venue in which to demonstrate our commitment to empowering today’s entertainment designers. We were thrilled that we could demonstrate to the world how our two companies could contribute to the ultimate show experience in Lisbon this year and enable today’s visionaries in lighting design to advance the way they work.”

As part of their on-going collaboration, PRG has also been working with Vectorworks’ R&D department and was among the first to use the company’s latest software.

“The collaboration with Vectorworks is well underway, and we have already identified ways to improve internal and external working processes,” said Goetz Bauer, Special Operations Director at PRG. “By incorporating PRG’s gear into the Vectorworks Spotlight software library, users are able to work increasingly efficiently and improve working processes. Our close relationship with designers from around the world enables us to really make a difference by using their feedback, and our

experience to create solutions that the whole industry can benefit from.”

During Rock in Rio, the schedule in the Vision studio was booked almost back-to-back, with many of the LDs on site keen to make the most of the tranquil workspace. Rom continued: “People often come to us with feedback and fortunately it has all been positive so far, though we still need to pay attention and make sure they have everything they need. We’re here to provide support but also to conduct research and development of our own. It’s worked out well for everyone, including the LDs, and that’s what we’re all about!”

One such LD is Brent Clark, who manned an MA Lighting grandMA2 at Rock in Rio on behalf of Stereophonics during their twilight set. The band’s touring rig is centred around the use of Ayrton MagicPanels and Martin

by Harman MAC Auras, alongside bespoke video content, lasers, and gags such as confetti and balloons. Luckily for Clark, the festival rig was accommodating to this design: “I brought my show file with me from the tour and that’s driven the look of our festival show. I did a lot of cloning and I can use our video content on the upstage wall, which is a bonus.”

Although the show contained echoes of the arena rig, Clark had the freedom to go “bigger and bolder” at the beginning of the set thanks to the still blazing Portuguese sun. As well as the grandMA2, Clark also had a Catalyst media server at FOH to drive the upstage wall, just as he did on tour. Unsurprisingly, Clark was also a member of the Vectorworks and Vision suite fan club.

“I love Vectorworks and I strongly urge every festival to get a suite like this,” he enthused. “I’ve obviously used pre-visualisation areas at festivals in the past but never using this software and never in such a relaxed setting.

You can think and work properly in the peace and quiet here and Vision seems to be handling the massive amount of fixtures very well.”

Product Specialist from PRG Las Vegas, Vickie Claiborne, acted as studio manager backstage at Rock in Rio, having served as main stage programmer at the Las Vegas incarnation of the festival in 2015. She said: “We arrived on site on Monday and we had John Coman to programme the five-minute opening for the headliner. He needed that quickly so we got it ready for him. I’ve been scheduling time in the suite for three or four weeks, 62

ROCK IN RIO LISBOA

finding out when LDs wanted to come in, in four-hour blocks, as many times as they’d like. We have two MA Lighting grandMA2 consoles available, 24 hours-a-day.”

Product Marketing Manager for Vectorworks, Frank Brault, was also on site to ensure that travelling LDs could make the most of the suite. He said: “They could, in the very worst case, come in here empty-handed. The rig is completely reproduced here, with a show file loaded and pre-set. We’ve been working hard at making improvements and adding new features to the soft ware, and while they are not out yet, they will be online soon. Vision users have been accustomed to receiving improvements immediately and we are going to continue that for the foreseeable future.”

He continued: “I’ve found everybody on site to be personable, relaxed and happy to have the suite here - they’re immediately put in a good mood as they’ve not had this care taken for them in the past.”

The lighting design from Cook that served as a canvas for the incoming LDs was set out independently of band riders, with the idea of standing alone as a versatile festival rig, provided by PRG Germany. He explained: “I selected four overhead trusses. The two downstage are effectively a combination of Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 spots and VL3000 washes, while the other two trusses have additional PRG Icon Beams to bring in a big beam backlight look. We also have two sets of ladders filled with the good, oldfashioned Vari-Lite VL5’s.”

“There’s scattering of Martin by Harman MAC Atomic 3000 strobes and a whole heap of generic molefays from 8-lites right down to 2-lites. It’s a design I started in Las Vegas, carried on into Rio, and have modified to fit here with a different vendor, but the principle is the same.”

A key creative element from the Rock in Rio team was the 90-metrewide, scenic metal facia framing the main stage, which housed 102 GLP impression X4 Bar 20’s. Cook continued: “I try and get the LDs to use this as much as possible. We have 15 focus points that can essentially be cloned to the washes. It creates a unique look, and one that is quite impressive along with the festival rig and all the floor packages brought by headliners.

My main priority is allowing the incoming LDs to move their shows into the

festival rig as smoothly as possible.”

On the second stage, Cook used the opposite approach and selected a more experimental rig. The smaller stage featured six vertical trusses at various heights as well as a flown triangular truss. He said: “With the second stage I can be a bit more flexible and have a bit more fun because you don’t have the constraints of pleasing big artists. Most of the acts don’t even bring an LD.” Cook continued: “We went for Vari-Lite VL3000 spots on the downstage truss, which was angled in a ‘V’ shape for Vodafone - see what I did there!? As it was predominantly a daytime stage, I needed an affordable, adaptable, workhorse spot. I toyed with idea of using a discharge fixture as a wash light, but spoke to PRG and they offered up the GLP Impression X4 XL, which has turned out to be a great fixture for that stage. I’ve never used the large model before so I wasn’t quite sure how bright it would be, but it’s a huge difference from the smaller X4.”

Cook also specified a large selection of generic PARcans to “keep it real,” SGM P-5’s employed as strobes, and ETC Source Fours to illuminate the large Vodafone logo. He said: “It’s a nice festival rig as it’s set up for busking. I always try and light the whole of the stage, rather than just focussing on a few trusses. I’m a big fan of the architectural, as you can see on the main stage, Vodafone stage and others such as the Electronica stage where I even added LED PARs to the trees lining one side.”

Cook concluded: “I really just have to give my thanks to the crew we’ve had here. As an LD you can come up with all these designs and visions but without a solid crew around you it’s impossible to deliver them. They’ve been fantastic.”

TPi www.rockinriolisboa.sapo.pt/en/ www.vectorworks-training.co.uk www.prg.com www.next-proaudio.com www.k-array.com/en www.martin-audio.com

Photo: Ralph@Larmann.com | Lighting Design: Thomas Gerdon

GLP German Light Products GmbH

THE SPECIAL ONES  Im Stöckmädle 13, 76307 Karlsbad, Germany  /GLP.German.Light.Products

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 +49 (7248) 972 19 0

 /GLPimpression 63

10 OR 20 HIGH POWER RGBW LEDS NEW ULTRA FAST ZOOM 210° TILT MOVEMENT INDIVIDUAL PIXEL CONTROL INTERNAL MACRO EFFECTS

 info@glp.de

 www.glp.de

ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL

ROBE GETS ELECTRIC AT EDC LAS VEGAS Robe once again had a big presence at Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas, another high profile event on the US EDM calendar - following spectacular performances for the brand at ULTRA Miami and Coachella.

Staged at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was EDC Las Vegas’ 20th anniversary, and nearly 350 Robe fixtures - 212 Pointes, 83 BMFL Spots and 38 BMFL WashBeams - graced Steve Lieberman’s epic design for the circuitGROUNDS stage.

As the main production stage of the event, the star-studded line up included Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Eric Prydz, Kaskade and numerous others.

Lieberman and the team from SJ Lighting presented a completely new visual concept that incorporated lighting, video and set / structural design.

The architecture was based on an enigmatic 360° coliseum look - classical lines with industrial attitude - a provocative, interesting and exciting environment to host some of the best DJs and music producers on the planet.

With an impressive arena width of 470ft, the stage measured 250ft wide with headroom / heights of between 80 and 100ft at different points. The space was comprised of a series of geometric bridges and towers constructed from trussing and custom metalwork, supplied – along with the full technical package - by AG Production Services.

The intricate superstructure also provided positions for rigging the lights. The bridges were built from roof trussing, so fixtures were hung along the bottom rails, while on the towers, lights were hung on out-rigged pipes.

Most of the surfaces were clad in LED video panels, so bright, high-impact fixtures were essential. The Pointes and BMFLs were dotted all over the set and both worked extensively and relentlessly throughout the three-day event.

The Pointes were Lieberman’s main in-air texturing fixture, creating all the big, bold multi-beam and effect looks. With 212 of them, there was plenty of headroom for craziness and amazing eye-candy.

Pointes have become a standard on SJ Lighting specifications for

their multi-functionality and versatility and the vast amount of looks and variations. Their speed makes them ideal for EDM scenarios and they can provide more than enough looks for everyone’s set to appear different.

BMFLs were needed for their super-brightness - to cut through the video - and also for their tolerance of “extreme environments” which at EDC included 115°F heat during the days, dust, wind and running continuously over 12 hours a day during the technical set-up and show periods.

“I’ve had nothing but great experiences with Robe over the years,” said Lieberman. “The fixtures can take a real beating - and they get absolutely caned on a show like this - and they still come out working!”

Lieberman programmed and operated lighting for many of the shows himself, working closely with his FOH team of Benjamin Rehm and Maxwell Robin who also took care of running the pre-visualisation suite and helped accommodate numerous guest LDs working with their various artists, all of whom used the rig for a number of memorable sets.

Having been in the business for some years and very active in the EDM world, 90% of LDs know Lieberman and each other. That familiarity and their mutual dedication for producing the best looking shows helps things run harmoniously at FOH. Lieberman’s biggest challenge at EDC Las Vegas this year was dealing with the sheer scale and size of the production design and the amount of kit involved - which totalled around 1,700 fixtures including strobes, LED sources and specials and over 100 DMX controlled-universes.

Robe moving lights were also integral to the cosmicMEADOW Stage, specified by Andre Beekmans of Netherlands-based The Art of Light who created the visual design for this space, using 33 BMFL WashBeams which were supplied by Solotech. Performers included Marshmello, Flux Pavilion and RL Grime.

TPi Photos : Adam Kaplan www.electricdaisycarnival.com www.robe.cz www.sjlighting.net www.solotech.com 64

ON THE ROAD

TPi IN LITITZ

ON THE ROAD: LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA Ft. Rock Lititz Studio, Clair Global, Tait Towers, Atomic. Words: Kelly Murray.

Forget Sunset Strip. There, I said it. Put its record labels, historic venues and sketchy dark alleys out of your mind and picture the real home of American rock ‘n’ roll; Amish farmland in rural Pennsylvania. Ok, it is hard to imagine, I know. But there is no denying its existence and its importance.

The real hub of North American live production excellence (also the home of Wilbur’s and the reason I now only eat cat-shaped chocolate …) has evolved in the most unlikely of settings and developed into something quite extraordinary. Over the last 50 years this beautiful and unsuspecting landscape has become a diverse melting pot of some world class, specialist skills allowing for an incredibly organic community to have formed.

Upon arrival from New York City, the start of TPi’s Lititz tour began with a dinner date in the company of Clair’s Marketing Manager, James Hammer and Rock Lititz Studio Manager, Sarah Zeitler. It’s just as I imagined; the kind of unknowingly familiar faces that feel as though you’re seeing family who live overseas for the first time in a long while. There is an instant bond.

There is farm-to-table food and local (alcoholic) treats left in our hotel rooms. It’s instantly obvious that Lititz is a group of live event professionals who thrive off creativity, and place a huge amount on the importance of strong relationships.

Our tour the next morning began with the encyclopedic knowledge of TAIT’s CCO Adam Davis, who kindly took us for breakfast and explained

how Lititz became the home of touring talent. There’s more to know than I can possibly write here, but if you ever have a reason to, you should seize the opportunity to visit. It’s as fascinating as it is charming, much like the Driving Miss Daisy lookalike I made friends with at said breakfast place.

Apparently chintz and tattoos are a good combo.

I digress, just in case I’ve not quite set the scene of what an unlikely location this is for the fast paced life of a typical rock ‘n’ roll enthusiast, Davis recalled how it was when he first moved to the town. “There isn’t much crime here at all, in fact, I remember being shocked when the local paper reported on the theft of lunch meat from an office fridge.”

The big smoke this is certainly not.

Saying that, if you ever fancy a pint of Yuengling at The Hide-Away (I’m looking at you, Shaun Clair), a game of midnight jenga - or a dinner party with some of the area’s other relevant companies - it’s all possible in little old Lititz.

Hannah and I had a brilliant evening with folks from Clair Global, Rock Lititz Studio, TAIT, ATOMIC, Beame, Upstage Video, Rock-It Cargo (Annabel, I am coming horse riding!), PEDG, TFB Catering and TPi favourite Jim Digby, Production Manager and The Event Safety Alliance (TESA) guru. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. I guess we’ll never know if you let us win Jenga on purpose...

67

TPi IN LITITZ

TAIT TOWERS www.taittowers.com The working ethos behind TAIT is simple according to CCO Adam Davis: “Our passion is to exceed our client’s expectations; to exceed artistic and production expectations. To offer amazing value to the overall production of the project. We do that through continuous innovation with a focus on specific drivers: labour savings, freight savings, cutting edge technology, world class safety, solution providing and creativity.”

TAIT was founded in 1972 when Michael Tait created one of the first self-contained lighting towers, dubbed the TAIT Tower. Mia Tinari, Global Head of Marketing and Communications, explained: “While our core began in entertainment, our ability to innovate has permitted our expansion into different markets and different geographic regions. We can safely say that we are more than a staging and set construction company.

Companies come to us to go beyond the original concept, to be the first, to challenge the norm and to push boundaries. What I like to call our ‘unique value proposition’ is market expansion by skill set attribution. We have been able to apply different skill sets to other markets outside of concert touring.”

TAIT’s clientele does indeed span a vast amount of industries; the company can count The Rolling Stones, NASA, Microsoft and the Olympics among its customers. Tinari continued: “That means a lot to us, it lets us know that we have a good formula, a good leadership team, and employees who are dedicated, savvy and excellent. It means that we are exceeding our clients’ expectations, that we have been successful in our endeavours for them.”

“We have worked in every continent and even outer space!” agreed Davis. “While we set out to be the best in the world at staging, automated rigging, show control, performer flying, soft ware, media integration and LED technology, we continue to redefine the meaning of ‘best in the world’ by innovating through execution.”

New COO, Eric Grossman has recently joined the TAIT legacy. He told TPi: “I am most proud of our focus on career development and maintaining an employee culture obsessed with innovation, safety, and ensuring that our incredible employees come to work every day in an environment where their talents can thrive. It is my belief that a company’s culture is as much a competitive advantage and a key capability as its products and services. At TAIT, I am most proud of who we are because that enables what we do.”

“Our process is to prototype, prototype, prototype. We go from kernel concept to proof of concept as quickly as possible. And, then, we do it again, and improve upon it until we get to the desired final result. Our DNA is to do something better - to make it better, to design it better. This is something that lends to our ability to work in different markets. Clients come to us because we have technology, a soft ware platform that we pioneered, and are always making incremental improvements,” said Davis.

“Much like our incremental changes to make things better, TAIT, itself, is the result of incremental change. Undoubtedly, Winky joining in 1984 added critical horsepower and capability that up until that point had really been concentrated by Michael Tait. Michael, by that point, had become somewhat of a legend in touring production. Some 10 years later, Adam Davis’s arrival fuelled TAIT’s design and innovation capabilities by adding his remarkable design mind to the platform built by Michael and Winky,” said Grossman.

Walking around the TAIT offices - which were at the time filled with an influx of new interns who would fall under the care of TAIT Project Manager, Matt Hales, our tour guide for the morning - it’s really no overestimation to say that TAIT is truly uncovering every possible area of technology in order to help clients realise their event’s potential. I placed some virtual reality glasses on my head. I felt disorientated and completely invigorated at the same time. I was stood in the future! At least that’s what it felt like...

Davis stated: “Virtual reality is disruptive technology that will influence lots of different industries. We use it every day to understand the scale and form in design standpoint.”

Tinari gave her stance: “From a marketing perspective, it has been invaluable. We allow the user to be completely immersed in the environment created. Our media team is excellent with content creation and they fully understand the importance of creating immersive experiences.”

And, what of winning the 2016 TPi Award for Favourite Set Construction Company? “It was a huge deal for us,” said Davis. “We’ve been in business for 38 years building global shows, and it was brilliant to win an award from the real epicentre of rock ‘n’ roll and concert touring, London. Thank you so much for recognising our work; without publications taking the time to write about us we wouldn’t be so fortunate.”

68

TPi IN LITITZ

ROCK LITITZ STUDIO http://rocklititz.com As the first purpose built rehearsal space in North America, Rock Lititz Studio has made history. From attracting top stars to being able to offer the touring industry what no other company in the country currently can, the Studio is a long-awaited saviour for many production managers. Set in the green fields of the Rock Lititz campus, the building has been finished to an exceptionally high standard and aims to be a place of complete privacy and relaxation as well as the ideal environment in which to build complete technical rigs.

Sarah Zeitler, Studio Manager at Rock Lititz Studio said: “Lititz is known as ‘America’s coolest small town’ because it really is a very cool town; the people who live in Lititz are amazingly gracious and respectfully allow our clients to work in privacy.” As an ex New York City girl, Zeitler knows what a huge difference having an option like Rock Lititz can make to an artist compared to the discomfort of a paparazzi feeding frenzy in big cities.

Having been open for just over a year now, the feedback from the industry has been consistantly strong. Zeitler continued: “It’s been phenomenal. However, we are constantly asking for more suggestions as to what would make production time with us more efficient. A perfect example is the grid being etched into the concrete. It was a brilliant suggestion from Lenny Rogers, Stage Manager for Demi Lovato. He came through the building for a tour just days before the concrete was to be poured. When asked what would make the building work better for him he made the suggestion and we acted on it!”

The concept of Rock Lititz is to give a blank canvas for touring visions.

The intention is for artists, designers and creative directors to not be hindered by any restrictions. Continued Zeitler: “As one client recently shared with us, Rock Lititz Studio is a retreat for artists. It is where their visions can come to life and they have the space, amenities and support to create without limitations or distractions.”

James ‘Winky’ Fairorth, TAIT CEO discussed the space: “Our intention was to build Rock Lititz with the future in mind. We have seen a trend of the shows getting larger, heavier and more spectacular. Seeing the trend of ‘A’ market arenas being built and with our understanding of the complexities involved in touring, we wanted to be prepared for the future of live production. We used long-time client, Radio City Music Hall, as a benchmark for the height. We also focused on elements which require fitting an outdoor show into an indoor building. As the shows become larger, Rock Lititz Studio will remain the epicentre for rehearsal space, as its capabilities are future ready.”

The impressive Studio currently offers 52,000 sq ft including a vertical space of 80ft to the grid, a 100ft ceiling clearance and 1,000,000 pounds of overhead load capacity. The next logical step for the Rock Lititz campus is to build an on-site hotel, enabling the numerous crewmembers and entourages to stay together and get into the tour spirit from the get-go.

Arc One is joining forces with the campus to make this happen quickly.

Nimesh Shah, Arc One Partner, stated: “We are pairing with Rock Lititz to help develop a campus hotel. People work hard while they are at the studio, so we want to create a place for them to relax and unwind. Designed with the live event industry in mind, we are focussed on providing a cool space that integrates both art and technology - just like the community at Rock Lititz!”

“So far, the response has been overwhelming, but we have learnt one key thing: there is no magic formula. Every production is different, and has its own set of unique needs,” added Andrea Shirk, Rock Lititz General Manager. “With the opening of Pod #2 [meaning office and warehouse space for new businesses] the development of the hotel, and further expansion of the campus, we are excited to be able to offer even more to our clients.”

69

TPi IN LITITZ

CLAIR GLOBAL http://clairglobal.com

I can still recall quite clearly my first real introduction to Clair. I’d gone to join a Sting tour in France to report on the longevity of the company’s relationship with the British singer, and namely, his longtime FOH Engineer, Howard Page, a cowboy boot wearing Australian who operated a Harman Studer broadcast console that he’d personally adapted for use on the road.

He’s the kind of audio aficionado that makes for fascinating conversation and education, and with parting sentiments such as “you’re part of the family now darling”, he’s a true reflection of the company’s passion, knowledge and welcoming persona.

As a touring audio vendor, Clair is somewhat different to most; the rental house is and has always been a manufacturer. Its staff are schooled from the inside out, making their way up through the ranks until they’re road ready, and company still puts a strong emphasis on nurturing pro audio talent. “Talent and the wisdom that comes from experience needs to be passed on to future generations,” stated Clair’s Marketing Manager, James Hammer. “We love this industry and have always been a company made up of dream seekers. We encourage our employees and the engineers we work with to absorb as much knowledge as possible.” Clair is a business which is also humble to the point where despite its global reputation, insists it still “learns a tremendous amount from the new talent in the industry - our ability to tap into this balance is important to us. It is a fundamental part of our company.”

Each tour or live event inevitably comes with its own unique challenges.

Clair’s employees’ creativity, talents, problem-solving skills and commitment to serve the artist and the crowd sets the firm in good stead.

“We feel strongly that every tour, every event and every product has our imprint on it. If we had to break it down to one universal concept, it would be that we listen. We gather all the right minds and come up with the best

solutions that meet our client’s needs and exceed their expectations. Our passion for quality products and services has kept us in the mindset to be the best and not the biggest. This has allowed us to focus on our clients’ needs in a more detailed manner. We align ourselves with clients who share the same values and beliefs,” said Hammer.

It’s no secret that Clair began as a family business. Brothers Roy and Gene Clair experimented with sound systems as a hobby. In 1966 they provided sound for a Four Seasons concert, which would cement the fate of the business. Growing into an international business (there are offices in the UK, Japan, Australia and South America to name but a few) 50 years after its inception, Clair has expanded into various disciplines including festivals, broadcast audio and video, Wi-Fi and corporate sound.” Yet the key theme running throughout is that Clair is a family; a community concept that each member of staff contributes unique skills to, and when combined is able to produce the output needed, consistently. “This tends to lead to satisfied clients who come back time and again; we emphasise quality, and celebrate longevity,” continued Hammer. Most recently, Clair has been provided audio requirements for one of the best-loved rock stars in history, Bruce Springsteen (p.16). Renowned for his live performance, it doesn’t get more honourable than providing sound for The Boss. “He’s one of the hardest working artists in our industry. He loves his craft, so to have the opportunity to support his passions and goals with our technical reliability is truly an honour.

“When you work with Clair, you become part of our growing family and community. Our focus on our people reinforces that every day. When you surround yourself with smart, driven, talented individuals, it’s impossible for that to not have a family vibe. We genuinely love what we do and with whom we do it.”

70

TPi IN LITITZ

ATOMIC www.atomicdesign.tv Live event set construction, rental supplier and show design expert ATOMIC has its own great success story. One which involves a very specific skill, a want to move to the US (from the UK) during the days when some of the biggest pop and rock stars were touring in full force (Michael Jackson was a client in the ‘80s), and a vision to create a truly artistic aspect of the live production industry. The company has come a long way since its focus was set on the hand painted talents and designs of British Founder, Tom McPhilips, as TPi found out.

ATOMIC today is comprised of a few different teams including production services which comprises scenic and set construction, design, rental solutions and support departments. Marketing Manager, Chloe McPhillips Rich said: “We’re excited to open more locations so that we can offer our products in new markets. Our modular rental systems are a great asset to designers and event planners for live events of all sizes, and adhere to the strictest global safety standards allowing us to take them world wide.

This has been an opportune way to get our brand out there and introduce new markets to everything we offer.”

The core elements of the company’s production services include venue selection, budgeting, scheduling, R&D, staffing, permitting, vendor acquisition, and quality control across the whole event. “We produce live events for brand creative, live broadcast, product launches, experiential marketing, and consumer environments,” she continued.

“Our design team brings ideas to life including concert stages, televised events, and immersive experiential marketing installations. Our team provides live environment design, stage and production design, brandaligned corporate event design, creative concepting, 3D renderings and concept animations, project management and video content creation.

“The set construction team takes the client’s ideas from concept to reality through project management, drawing and technical design.

ATOMIC provides large format graphics, metal fabrication, carpentry

and woodworking, custom soft goods, custom paint treatments, LED integration and fire certification.”

Born from a ‘packs small, plays big’ mentality, ATOMIC’s arsenal of rental solutions can be mixed and matched to create a unique look for any size project with modular panels that snap and elegant soft goods that zip. Each rental solutions product is researched, prototyped and designed specifically for the live event industry.

Interestingly, still at the heart of this ever-growing operation is McPhilips’s passion for live event creativity. His love for the industry is a vital ingredient to ATOMIC’s values, and what he set out to do over three decades ago is still a continuing vision thanks to like-minded employees.

“We create innovative sets that travel lightly, set up quickly, and look dramatic on stage. This has always guided our work and will continue to regardless of changes that occur in the industry,” added McPhilips Rich.

Indeed, as TPi took a tour around the space, set designers were preparing festival pieces as McPhilips guided and included a hands-on approach with a paintbrush and a smile in tow.

The location of ATOMIC has also undoubedtly played part in its development. Continued McPhilips Rich: “Being part of Rock Lititz has opened up many opportunities for us. We thrive on the creative, collaborative atmosphere. It’s a huge benefit to have so much talent in one location, and to be able to offer the resources available in this community to our clients. Lititz is home to technology and products you can’t find anywhere else in the world, we’re so fortunate to have that in our backyard.

The industry cluster also helps to attract the talent we need for our own team. Rock Lititz has become a known destination for the live event industry which draws talent into the area. When we first started it was harder to convince people to move to a small town in Pennsylvania, Rock Lititz has changed that.”

No doubt there’ll be many more to follow...

71

THE STARS ARE ALIGNING…

WWW.TPiAWARDS.COM

IN PROFILE

FLY BY NITE REHEARSAL STUDIOS

FLY BY NITE REHEARSAL STUDIOS

TPi’s Ste Durham took a trip down to Redditch to visit Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios – the biggest facility of its kind in Europe.

TPi Awards-winner Fly By Nite (FBN) may be known across the industry for its prowess in the world of event trucking, but the newest addition to its Redditch base of operations has seen the company significantly expand its offering. The project, first discussed in early 2014, has culminated in FBN constructing the largest purpose-built production rehearsal studio in Europe.

FBN Directors Carl and Sharon Reed, and David Coumbe originally purchased the site as a location to park any overflow fleet of trailers when the main FBN trucking operation (situated right around the corner) became too congested. Combined with temperature controlled warehousing storage facilities, and over 32 secure backline cages, the notion of a studio to compliment the already expanding and successful business made perfect sense.

The facility opened its doors to a-ha in March 2016, and has since seen Hans Zimmer, Radiohead, Sigur Rós and Kaiser Chiefs enjoy successful residencies.

500 tonnes,” Scottie explained. “Clearance from the floor to the underside of the grid gives a rigging height of over 18 metres, and the completely enclosed rigging floor is designed without the need for climbing or dedicated walkways.

“It allows working riggers the freedom to walk anywhere without obstruction. There is no need for safety lines and harnesses, and the beams themselves are far enough from the rigging floor that there’s no stooping required or risk of banging your head.”

Power is available in all four corners of the studio, totalling 3,785A, there are six 400A power lock services, along with multiple CEEform outlets (125A, 63A and 32A), and a 13A main ring around the studio wall perimeter for laptops, toolboxes and so on. Scottie continued: “All of the offices and dressing room power sockets have USB chargers built in, so no more fear of leaving your charger behind! There are only four light switches in the entire building at present as all lighting is extremely eco friendly LED, and operated by motion-detected PIR sensors. Corridors light up when you walk onto each floor, and cut out after you have left to save energy.”

The studio has three loading docks at truck height, as well as a fourth at studio floor height if forklift or ramps are easier for the crews loading in and out. These doors open on to a huge car park/access yard, which includes additional parking for tour busses or trucks along the side of the building, all with shore power and drainage.

The main studio has two internal viewing platforms; one on first floor, one on the third. Both have power and depth for FOH spots, or an

MORE THAN PURE IMAGINATION We were warmly welcomed to the new space by FBN Studios Manager Scottie Sanderson, having just missed the Kaiser Chiefs crew by a day. He gave us the full tour, beginning in the cavernous (yet surprisingly quiet) arena space, which has been built from the ground-up and ‘future-proofed’ to ensure that it is viewed as an industry benchmark for years to come.

“Although it exceeds most UK venues, the roof has a load capacity of 75

FLY BY NITE REHEARSAL STUDIOS

Fly By Nite’s Scottie Sanderson and Carl Reed; The rigging floor; Artists already have fully kitted-out dressing rooms at their disposal; The cavernous arena space.

alternative FOH position for another audio, lighting or video mix position. is fully up and running, and offices, dressing rooms, and catering have The floor has sunken cables traps to ensure trip hazards are kept to a all been put through their paces, we are looking at the development and minimum and there is in excess of 10km of pipes to supply controllable completion of ‘Phase II’. It was important to gain valuable feedback from under floor heating. incoming production managers throughout the initial process, and we have The higher floors of the building house dressing rooms, a catering floor continued in this vein on the direction for the remainder of floors. We want with stunning view of the surrounding countryside, and even a rooftop this to be the first choice rehearsal venue, from either first hand experience, terrace. Scottie said: “It’s a space to escape and relax after rehearsals, the or word of mouth by those that have been welcomed through our doors.” seated terrace gives you a great place to catch up and catch your breath.”

The team plans to develop the second floor to allow for two additional If that wasn’t enough, the roof space adjacent to the terrace is soon dressing rooms, a laundry/wash room and a multi-use wardrobe room, as to be complete with its very own helipad - an addition that, in my naivety, well as the possibility for a green room or dance studio. Carl continued: I was keen to question the viability of. “Well Carl [Reed] actually owns a “Flexibility is the key with our clients, and we need to accommodate as helicopter so he will definitely use it,” Scottie laughed. “It also allows artists many different needs as possible. While our core business is placed within to get from London City airport to here in 40 minutes. The top artists will the music industry, larger concert productions have similar needs to the always prefer to arrive in style and on time.” Well… that showed me. theatrical market, and likewise, set building and construction. The building Security is also a key factor on the FBN is a blank canvas, and can be used to facilitate Studios site. “Should you wish to lock down pretty much anything that is thrown at it.” the site for the period of your stay, security can Since the facility began receiving visitors, be bought in to man the sliding gate to make accommodation itself has been the most sure any eager fans are kept at bay until the common request. FBN proposes to develop “We want this to be the first first show! Combined with the security office the remaining three floors into on-site, en-suite and multiple CCTV stations, the site can be as bedrooms to allow crew and touring personnel choice rehearsal venue, from secure as you want it to be,” Scottie concluded. to bed down close to the action. either first hand experience, or Scottie added: “This has a number of word of mouth by those that PHASE II advantages from the start - crew involved in With the tour over and a coffee in hand, we late or overnight tech or programming sessions have been welcomed through had chance to sit down with FBN Company can relax in comfort; while tour managers can our doors.”

Director Carl Reed (who arrived by land!) reduce overheads without the need to engage Company Director, to find out what was next for this exciting staff and vehicles or taxis to ferry crew and project. Carl explained: “Now that the studio luggage between venue and hotel.”

Carl Reed 76

Drumcode: LWE

Arcadia: Miami Ultra

LED SCREEN + PRODUCTION HIRE SPECIALISING IN: LED Screen Hire | Event Production | Custom Stage Design | Projection Mapping | Full HD/SD Camera Systems and PPU Racks | IMAG Screen Hire | Camera Operators | Custom Video Graphics / 3D Animation | Video Editing | Exhibition Solutions

Bloodstock Mainstage

DELIVERING INNOVATIVE SHOWS AT ANY SCALE Video Illusions have just added over 1000 panels of outdoor 6mm

01227 368867 info@videoillusions.net www.videoillusions.net Junction 2 : LWE

Knife Party: The Crow

FLY BY NITE REHEARSAL STUDIOS

a-ha’s crew was the first to use the space; The company’s fleet is a stone’s throw from the studios; The Kaiser Chiefs also enjoyed a successful residency at the studio; a-ha’s full lighting and video rig.

Other plans for future refinement of the site include converting FBN pulled out all the stops to ensure we had everything we needed for our outbuildings to local crew rooms for vehicle drivers and riggers, complete three days of production rehearsals. with showers, storage and recreation. Scottie also suggested the “The studio space is fantastic and was dream to work in. It was so nice introduction of a workshop area or painting room, particularly if theatrical to be able to fit in our full area size production without having to make any productions started to appear frequently among the site’s clientele. compromises with trim height or wing space. Height, clear floor space, FBN Studios decided that all procurement would be within the easy rigging and power are what you want for production rehearsals and immediate vicinity of the local area of Redditch, despite the site’s FBN’s studio has all of this on a very impressive scale. I’m very much looking convenient road links. Carl said: “As well as the manufacturers from our forward to my next booking!” industry that we knew were nearby, it was a real surprise to discover how The artists that followed a-ha into the studios were as full of praise, many other services were so local to the particularly Production Director for Hans studios. Blind fabricators, cleaning product Zimmer, Jim Baggot, who added: “One of the suppliers, fire extinguisher suppliers, grease reasons we chose it was the close proximity to trap providers, local crewing companies, FBN trucking, which made life easy for extra “It was a privilege to be the first security firms, sign makers, transport suppliers, trucks, and to PRG XL Video, our lighting and production to use the new FBN window cleaners, and furniture firms have all video supplier. studios. Scottie and the team benefitted from the new studio build.”

“Scottie Sanderson was very helpful and most accommodating, and arranged several at FBN pulled out all the stops DON’T TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT... last-minute additional requirements. All-in-all to ensure we had everything Maiden FBN Studios clients, a-ha, used the it’s been a great experience and we will be facility for three days with the band and crew coming back one day soon for sure!” we needed for our three days overseen by Production Manager and long term TPi of production rehearsals.”

FBN client James Maillardet. He commented: “It Photos: Richard Brown Production Manager, a-ha was a privilege to be the first production to use www.fbnstudios.co.uk the new FBN studios. Scottie and the team at www.flybynite.co.uk James Maillardet 78

Resident at the world‘s best clubs.

Stuttgart | Germany

>> >> >> >> >> >>

138 dB SPLmax 2 x 10“ / 1 x 1,4“ passive point source top symmetric construction for vertical or horizontal use rotatable 90° x 50° horn exchangeable to 60° x 40° version T20i (install) and T20 (touring) available less than 23 kg

T20

www.twaudio.com

Slim. Powerful. Flexible.

ROAD DIARIES

TOM CAMPBELL

Production and Lighting Designer for Bullet For My Valentine

Having said that, this really was a case of the new guy (me!) bringing in the most equipment; we had to up the truck size to accommodate the prerigged nature of this beast!

The new production set up wasn’t without its teething problems though. When you’re trying to take some rare time off - to plan your wedding in Italy for example! - the last thing you need is a phone call from the set fabricator saying that they can no longer deliver the set in time for the first show. As you can imagine, this was stressful to say the least. But, these things do happen. However, I managed to redesign the touring A-Rig over the phone - albeit with the wrong laptop!

We set the show up over two days at the new Cato Music rehearsal space in London, a simply stunning room. The production manager and I liked it so much that we’ve actually booked it for a few days later in the year before their Europe headline shows begin. Day one was mainly a build day with trucks coming in from Neg Earth and LS-Live, and day two comprised putting the finishing touches to the set and tidying up my show file.

We then headed off to the first show of the summer, Rock Am Ring in Germany. I’m not going to lie; I’ve had smaller first shows. And this year’s festival was plagued by severe weather conditions. Whispers of there being 150 litres of water for every sq metre of site were begining to surface. If that was fact, it’s quite frankly nothing short of biblical!

The day before we played, 71 people were injured when stuck by lightning, so on our show day the organisers were understandably very cautious. Our stage was shut three times and had numerous delays. We finally made it onto the stage at 00.15am, but not before our set and lights had a good bath courtesy of Mother Nature. Luckily there was no major damage done. Alessandro Schillaci, our Lighting & Set Tech who was looking after the stage for me - plus everybody else involved - did such a fantastic job to overcome these complications.

Starting with a new artist and figuring out which creative direction to go in can be a long, and sometimes arduous process. When you factor in that we were starting from scratch, working internationally and had next to no rehearsal time, it made this experience something else entirely.

Bullet’s shows will continue through 21 different countries over the next seven months, but hopefully my biggest challenge will be finding a decent *cuppa...

Due to the band having touring commitments in the US right up until the their European summer festival shows, the first time they walked on the new set was on stage in Germany… in front of 60,000 people. This would have thrown some artists - not Bullet, they took it in their stride. It was at this point that the band’s stunning show created by their former lighting designer was retired and my new production took over. It was also the first time the band’s new(ish) bassist, Jamie, had experienced playing with pyrotechnics going off around him, who was once again unfazed.

I guess that it was a pretty nice vote of confidence from the band and their management to let me completely redesign the show, but after the first two shows I think that the consensus was that it was worth taking the risk.

Tom Campbell *as in cup of tea, the only thing a British roadie cannot funtion without.

80

6TH OCTOBER 2016 - PRODUCTION PARK, WAKEFIELD

Production Futures is a forum for the future of our industry.

The day combines real recruitment opportunities, the best in industry training and education along with the Breakthrough Talent TPi Awards, making it the ultimate destination for the next generation of industry talent.

The future of our industry needs you.

To get involved go to www.productionfutures.co.uk

CLOCKING OFF

The First Night Riders hit the road on the 7 July to raise money for The Theatre Guild.

FIRST NIGHT RIDERS EMBARKS ON ‘MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR’ IN AID OF THE THEATRICAL GUILD Several members of the industry revved up to participate in the 2016 First Night Riders ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ charity motorbike and classic car ride, visiting theatres across the country to raise money and awareness for The Theatrical Guild.

This year’s tour took to the road between the 7 and 11 July somewhere Tour’,” said David Edelstein prior to the event. “We’re thankful to everyone within 100 miles of central London. that supports us and we are always overwhelmed by the donations we The Theatrical Guild (TTG), celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2016, receive for TTG, it’s such a worthy cause.” has long helped those working in backstage and FOH roles during their In previous years as many as 30 people have taken part in the event, times of need. The organisation offers advice, re-training opportunities or which has seen international participants including Dick and Mai Lindstrom one-off grants to those who, due to a range of circumstances, may require of mechanical engineering and lighting supplier Anderson & Co Sweden, support. who took part for the fifth time. The couple travelled the The ride had a new format this year. For the first time whole way from Sweden to England by motorbike. ever, the route and venues that will be visited along the First Night Riders has raised more than £70,000 to way are top secret. The details were not revealed until date, enabling the charity to help hundreds of people. the Thursday night briefing on 7 July. More information TTG has many supporters in the industry, including Dara about the first day will be revealed closer to the date of O’Briain and patrons Keira Knightley and Simon Russellthe event.

Beale.

The motorbike and classic car ride is organised by In past years, First Night Riders has visited the likes Triple E’s David and Brenda Edelstein on behalf of TTG. of Great Yarmouth’s Hippodrome Circus, Eastbourne’s www.firstnightride.com Triple E provides track systems and custom designed Devonshire Park Theatre and Liverpool’s Everyman equipment for use in the entertainment industry.

Theatre.

“We’re very excited for this year’s ‘Magical Mystery TPi

DONATE HERE 82

REGISTER NOW USE CODE

TPIBPMPRO

AFTERPARTY MON 12TH Sponsored by

Sponsored by

11-13 SEPT 2016 | GENTING ARENA NEC | BIRMINGHAM UK

OUR PARTNERS

www.visitbpm.co.uk

GEAR HEADS

Above: The XPRS15 is a 15-inch two-way full range speaker

PIONEER PROFESSIONAL: XPRS SERIES David Ferreira, Professional Audio Specialist at Pioneer Professional Audio, explains the features of the compact, versatile XPRS Series of active, wooden enclosure speakers featuring Powersoft Class D amplifiers.

Can you tell us how the concept for this product series came about, and why it was the logical step in the Pioneer family?

When we established the Pioneer Pro Audio brand, the next logical step for us was to develop a product range that we could deliver to the pro audio market as well as the retail market.

The XPRS series is the product of the engineering team at Pioneer DJ Japan in conjunction with Powersoft Audio, based in Italy. This collaboration fundamentally resulted in the XPRS series being tuned and voiced, by the Pioneer Pro Audio team in the UK. After 18 months of R&D we finalised the design.

Which three products make up the XPRS series family - can you overview each?

The XPRS Series comprises the XPRS15 and XPRS12 two-way full range speakers, and the XPRS215S dual 15-inch subwoofer. All three feature 15mm birch plywood enclosures for a dynamic sound that works across all musical genres. The XPRS15/12 have a 15/12-inch ferrite LF driver, a 1.75-inch titanium diaphragm compression driver and Pioneer Pro Audio’s ‘AFAST technology’ to deliver a clear, clean sound with a deep bass range.

Or you can enhance your sound using the four EQ modes with built-in DSP. The XPRS215S is the perfect complement to enhance the low-end, thanks to its dual 15-inch ferrite drivers and a versatile crossover switch that lets you adjust the low pass filter cut-off at stages between 80 Hz and 150 Hz. How will these launches benefit the live sound market - are there tourspecific features within the XPRS? The Powersoft Class D amps deliver a massive 2.4kW output, while Power Factor Correction (PFC) ensures energy efficiency and a reliable performance. With all that power, we’ve paid extra attention to protecting the amp and the speaker - pouring in thermal limiting, an input limiter, DC offset removal, AC mains protection and more. Plus the auto-ranging power supply detects and adapts to the voltage without compromising the sound quality, making the XPRS Series a reliable performer in any environment.

The road-ready XPRS Series is durable and easy to transport; we’ve placed the PA speakers’ handles to ensure the weight is distributed equally, while the sub comes with removable castors. The wedge-shaped XPRS15/12 can be placed on the floor and used as a foldback monitor for 84

PIONEER XPRS SERIES

stage performances, or you can pole-mount it and choose between a 0°- 7° tilt to suit your set-up.

The products would easily fit onto a tour-conscious rider. Where will we see them in action over the summer?

You should expect to see them all over the place - from installations to festivals! The XPRS Series became available from May 2016.

TPi www.pioneerproaudio.com

Above: The XPRS215S dual 15-inch subwoofer; Pioneer Pro Audio Manager Alex Barrand with David Ferreira at Prolight + Sound, Frankfurt in April 2016.

#005

COMING THIS OCTOBER WWW.TPMEAMAGAZINE.COM 85

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

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

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Marked Events, event organiser for the BPM | PRO DJ & Studio sound and lighting event, has appointed Lyndsey Hopwood to the position of Account Manager for the show on 11-12 September 2016.

Strengthening the sales team, Hopwood brings over five years of knowledge working in the sound and lighting industry and has attended BPM | PRO as an exhibitor in her previous role with CPC, part of the Premier Farnell PLC. Her experience in purchasing a range of products within the industry has given Hopwood a unique wealth of technical knowledge.

Of her new appointment, Hopwood said: “I am really excited to join the team and be a part of this well-respected event. I’m looking forward to meeting all the exhibitors along with introducing new brands to the show.

Joining the team for its 10th show is quite a privilege and with the changes that are happening this year, it’s going to be an exciting time.”

Commenting on the appointment, Marked Events CEO, Mark Walsh said: “We’re delighted to have Lyndsey on board. She’s very accomplished in her field and highly regarded within the industry. Having attended the show with her previous employees gives her a unique insight into an exhibitor’s point of view. We are excited to have Lyndsey as part of our growing team.”

Chauvet Professional UK has made two new appointments to its UK sales team with the introduction of David Faulkes as the UK South Territory Manager for Chauvet Professional & Iluminarc, and Simon Cox, UK South Professional Key Accounts Manager.

Faulkes said he has enjoyed working in the lighting industry and along the way has built up many friendships and is looking forward to continuing

these relationships and developing new ones.

Cox, previously UK South Territory Manager, has moved across to a new position covering UK Key Accounts with a greater focus on the television and theatre marketplace. Having joined the Chauvet UK Team two years ago, Cox said he’s very much looking forward to the new opportunity of working with the ProKey Accounts and being able to focus, introduce and promote the Chauvet Professional brand to the television and theatre market sector.

Cymatic Audio will be represented in the UK and Eire by Hertfordshirebased Sonic Distribution. The agreement comes in the face of increasing sales and interest in Cymatic Audio’s live recorders and players, which has found many fans among some of the UK’s largest touring acts.

Sonic will represent Cymatic Audio’s entire range of live recorders and players including the LP16, LR16, and the popular uTrack24, 24-track Live Recorder, Player, and USB interface.

“We are very proud to have come to an agreement with Sonic as we are convinced that the long experience of Sonic in the sales and distribution of technology products will be of great benefit for servicing our customers in the UK and Eire,” said Arie van den Broek, CEO of Cymatic Audio.

Sonic Distribution MD, James Young, added: “Sonic Distribution has a long-standing track record of providing innovative Pro Audio solutions and products with cutting-edge technology. Cymatic Audio aligns very well with this ethos and offers outstanding, unique products with tremendous value, offering great solutions for many musical acts, performers, engineers, and 86

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Opposite: Lyndsey Hopwood; Jonny Tingle; Simon Cox; David Faulkes; Rory Winston and Roger Willems.

Mojo Barriers has expanded its international capabilities with the announcement of its new Indonesian distribution partner, following an increase in music events and tours heading to the region. Working in partnership with Mojo Barriers’ Australian office, Emil Mahyudin, owner of Indonesian event company Nada Promotama, has become Mojo Barriers’ representative in Indonesia and has kicked things off with 348 metres of G2 Silver Mojo Barrier, and an extensive selection of Mojo’s specials, including 23 Vario Corners, 21 Flexi Corners and four Cable Gates. Within the first year, this equipment will be used on over 30 local and international festivals and shows throughout Indonesia.

Mahyudin has been running large scale events for all types of bands and DJs across Indonesia since 2009 and has a strong position in the market as a leader in his field. He now has a large scale team that manage up to 120 events and shows annually.

Craig Edwards, General Manager of Mojo Barriers Australia, commented: “After making an entry into Malaysia and Singapore and setting up distributors in these regions - we started getting enquiries coming from Indonesia for the need for quality barriers. I travelled in and out of Jakarta for a series of meetings over two years without being satisfied this would be a market for Mojo Barriers, until I received an email from Mahyudin enquiring about representing us and building a future for Mojo in Indonesia.

“I have just spent two weeks In Indonesia helping set up Mojo here with Mahyudin and training his staff in safe working methods on and off site, stepping in where I thought was necessary until I was completely happy with their work. Mahyudin understands the very high level of safety and workmanship we have within the Mojo family and it has been clear to me

installations.”

PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group, LLC (PRG) is pleased to announce Jonny Tingle has joined its Corporate team as a Senior Account Manager.

With several years of experience in the events industry, Tingle joins PRG XL Video from Eclipse Presentations where he applied his technical expertise to the role of Project Manager; costing, specifying and delivering a variety of events alongside the account management team.

Prior to Eclipse, Tingle was at Spirit Design, firstly as a Lighting Technician and then as Technical Manager where he expanded on his knowledge of lighting working with LED displays and programming and control of media servers.

Before joining the events industry, Tingle served in the armed forces, and he credits this time with instilling the values of good organisation, discipline and team work.

Day-to-day Tingle reports to PRG XL Video’s Director Corporate Group, Guy Vellacott, who commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Jonny to the team. He brings a range of expertise in both lighting and video technology to PRG XL, and he already feels like part of the team, having worked with Cameron Bannister in his previous role. His in-depth technical knowledge will be a great asset to the company.”

Tingle added: “I’m delighted to have joined the Corporate team where I’ll be working with familiar faces once more. It didn’t take much convincing to join such an established company within the industry, and I look forward to building new and developing existing relationships within the company, and with clients of course!”

Music, Film & TV

BARS BA B ARS

R E B O T C O 20

BARS

PRODUCTION

Lighting Package - Production Office - On Site Catering Dressing Rooms - 24 Hour Security

19 &’s original axnhdibmitioonstof . . .

nt K e inme a The Uprehensive t r e t en ... com s andt industry e c i v r cts, se r even prodhue outdoo for t tion

MILLENNIUM STUDIOS

s Exhibi e c i v r e S t or Even The Outdo

THE

FACILITIES

‘A’ Stage Hire £600 / 10hr weekday • 27.7m x 18m x 10m

ound Newbury ShowgrBARS Z 9Q 18 RG ire sh Berk

Recent visiting clients include: Will Young • John Legend • Bastille • Bring Me The Horizon • Fall Out Boy

SHOWMAN’S SHOW 2016 BARS For exhibitor & visitor information contact:

Lance Show & Publications Limited, Courtyard Office, The Courtyard, Parsons Pool, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8AP Tel: 01747 854099Fax: 01747 854634 Email:info@showmans-directory.co.uk www.showmans-directory.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0) 1234 780100 www.millenniumstudios.co.uk 87

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

New Adlib recruits Barclay Dakers and Craig Hamilton.

that we have made the right choice in choosing him to represent us here in Indonesia.”

Global flightcase hardware and premium 19-inch racking manufacturer Penn Elcom is launching Penn Elcom Ireland, a new all-encompassing facility and operation which will spearhead expansion in a growing market and be headed by Rory Winston.

Penn Elcom Chairman and founder Roger Willems stated: “The Irish professional entertainment industry market shows definitive signs of recovering from the economic dip with many installations and other projects happening and flourishing! It’s been our intention to open a base there for some time, but then circumstances converged to make this a really opportune time!”

These circumstances include Winston becoming available to run Penn Elcom Ireland and also the 7,000 square ft warehouse facility in south County Dublin coming on-stream, so with these two huge plusses, Willems activated the plan.

Stock of Penn’s extensive standard flightcase hardware and accessories and its most popular 19-inch rack ranges will be available for Irish clients from stock.

Winston has been in the flightcase business since the late ‘80s and has known Willems since the early ‘90s initially through purchasing Penn products for his then company’s cases. He took a break from the world of flightcases in 2008 only to return in 2016 after being head-hunted by Willems.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Rory’s calibre taking care of the operation,” continued Winston. “He brings a vast fund of experience, particularly in flightcase manufacture, excellent communication skills and large contact base to the equation. That and the fact that we’ve known each other for 25 years or so make him an ideal choice.”

Adlib has added two new key appointments to its Scottish operation Barclay Dakers joins as Business Development Manager and Craig Hamilton as Operations Manager.

Both have strong backgrounds and considerable experience in professional audio and the production industry and will bring further

dynamics to the mix in the Scottish market.

Adlib’s commitment to business in the region was established in early 2015 and consolidated with the acquisition of EFX Audio in November 2015.

Dakers and Hamilton will be working alongside General Manager Graham Cochrane and Steph Fleming, Head of Audio.

Dakers will be dedicated to building Adlib’s brand and customer relations in Scotland and connecting with past, present and future clients to provide creative and appropriate sound, lighting and AV solutions for all scenarios.

Dakers has been in the industry all his life. He’s installed and run PA systems in nightclubs and worked with numerous production companies.

He worked with Edinburgh University at the world famous Fringe Festival, becoming production manager for several top Fringe venues.

Dakers will be based in Edinburgh. He has expressed his admiration for Adlib’s “professionalism and company spirit and the way everyone shares their collective knowledge and experience,” together with its commitment to training and support. “They are a truly great bunch of people to work with and their portfolio is amazing,” he stated.

Hamilton will be based in the new warehouse in Glasgow and will be dealing with logistics and the day-to-day running of the facility, working with the Scottish sales and management teams and liaising closely with Adlib’s HQ in Liverpool.

Before joining Adlib, Hamilton worked for AMG as Technical Manager at the ABC Glasgow since it opened in 2005. After AMG took the venue over he took on the role of Technical Manager at both the O2 ABC and the O2 Academy, two of the most popular live music venues in the UK. Before then, he was a touring audio engineer and also a regular engineer at two of Glasgow’s landmark venues, King Tut’s and Nice N Sleazy. “I’ve always enjoyed working with Adlib crew when they came through the venue and have always been impressed by their professionalism, ethos and approach”. He added that the opportunity to work with the new Scottish venture and to offer levels of choice and support that are “unrivalled” is very exciting.

TPi www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/ 88

Palm Expo Mondiale TPI 21x297 path.indd 1

17/6/16 5:31 PM

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Above: A selection of the Powerful Thinking Board from the May 2016 meeting. L-R: Rear Row: Mark Laurie, Andy Lenthall, Chiara Badiali, Jon Walsh, Bethan Reitch; Front Row: Claire O’Neill, Chris Johnson, Victoria Chapman.

SHARED VISION Sitting on the board of Powerful Thinking gives the PSA the opportunity to make contributions to and gain valuable insights into the initiatives being taken by a growing group of passionate event professionals looking to make meaningful reductions to the environmental impact of the UK festival industry. We’re a group of like minded people sharing and making available years of expertise and knowledge, trying to create a path of least resistance to help people reduce environmental impact.

There have been conferences, seminars and articles largely focussing on the responsibility of the festival organiser to drive sustainability.

Industry surveys suggest that 80% of festivals want to reduce their carbon impact, but the fact that far fewer have been successful in introducing significant initiatives to date focusses minds around the Powerful Think-Do Tank table.

The greener events movement is gathering perceptible momentum since last years’ UK Festival Conference, where organisers Mondiale Publishing supported, and hosted, the launch of The Show Must Go On. This report brought together all known UK research and analysed the most comprehensive datasets available on the environmental impact of festivals. The report makes for interesting reading and gives practical advice detailing measures that festivals can take, and in many cases are already taking, to reduce impacts.

Subsequent consultation between festival organisers led to the launch of Festival Vision: 2025; a pledge to reduce festival emissions by 50% within the next nine years. Communications focussed on engaging UK festival organisers to join and six months on forty two have joined the (Festival Vision: 2025) pledge.

The first thing organisers are being urged to do is learn how to measure

their events’ carbon impacts, so that they can subsequently prioritise the most effective areas to achieve reductions. When it comes to power there is increasing number of modern generators available with built in telemetry.

Reliable information will identify an event’s starting point and from there measure progress. A Greener Festival, Kambe Events and Julie’s Bicycle the providers of the Creative Industry Green Tool, an event specific carbon calculator - are working together to calibrate the data they collect from participating festivals, just one example of how the industry is starting to collaborate toward the Festival Vision: 2025.

At our recent Powerful Thinking meetings discussion has shifted to considering that if meaningful changes are to be achieved, there needs to be much better communication between organisers and suppliers (or the production companies / managers).

Chris Johnson, Powerful Thinking chair and Shambala Festival organiser stated: “Energy efficiency is central to achieving targets.

Organisers and suppliers must start working together. As an organiser I used to challenge my suppliers to do things differently. Now I am more pragmatic; it’s no good me asking them to do things that aren’t practical.

We need to establish a common language and understand each other. A lack of technical understanding is a barrier and I think festival organisers need to raise their own knowledge.

“Advances such as hybrid generator units are becoming more widely available across the UK. We’ve experienced financial savings hiring these as the consume less fuel when used for festival infrastructure such a production offices that are on site for a few weeks. I’d suggest that organisers should be asking power suppliers for detailed analysis of their events energy usage, possibly start building that into tenders documents 90

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

and contracts.

“We also need to offer suppliers longer term contracts that reward reductions and give them the confidence to invest in more efficient equipment.”

A point echoed by Shaun Pearce, MD of Pearce Hire, who brought a supplier’s perspective to the table. “As suppliers we are always trying to encourage organisers to reduce their carbon impact through efficient energy management. The key for us is to agree long term, three to five year, contracts that allow us to invest in the most appropriate equipment, whether that be modern generators or LED festoon lighting.

“Honest conversations need to be had. For example, having conversations with the stage lighting supplier and getting accurate load requirements will bring significant savings both in cost and emissions.

It’s great that people are developing new power generating technologies, but we must acknowledge that we are years away from them being mainstream. The few companies developing the technology and festivals trialling them should be applauded for being pioneers, but it’s not realistic to expect this to be a solution for events who want to reduce their impact in the short to medium term.

“There are limited resources when we look at wind and solar alternatives - the technology is not yet there to make them viable alternatives. While battery inverter systems are a great idea they are only really practical for long stints on site where they can be utilised during long term low power periods, a 40Kva unit can be equivalent in size to a 60Kva generator and you still need the generator during the day so hence you’ve doubled the amount of transport that is required and defeated the objective. If you are transporting solar panels, for example, halfway across the country because you like the idea, be aware the transport may outweigh the carbon benefits if it’s only on site for a few days.

“Rather than use an alternative power source to a reliable diesel generator, the key is to improve energy efficiency and use less. Less power drawn, less equipment, less transport to site, less diesel used - all adds up to mean less carbon and less cost in the long run.

“The key to success is to understand what the true energy requirement of an event is, so that we can establish how and where savings can be made. All responsible power suppliers should now be in dialogue with their clients to measure what their actual usage is. We have achieved up to 50% reductions in the size of generators and knock on savings as smaller generators use less diesel, less cabling, etc. An on-load demand system, for example, is no good for stages with big peaks but ideal for markets; we have implemented the use of two 100kVA sets instead of a single 200kVA, so the second set only kicks in when required and reduces fuel consumption by up to 50% overnight.”

This year there are key elements that will drive the move towards a UK festival industry with a lower carbon footprint: Incentive: The acceptance that we should strive to achieve the UK target of a 50% reduction in green house gas.

Economics: Making reductions to carbon footprints goes hand in hand with long term monetary savings.

Shared language: Organisers, production companies and suppliers must learn to communicate the opportunities to work together towards a common purpose.

Knowledge: With guides such as The Show Must Go On and websites like Festival Vision 2025 event professionals have plenty of opportunity to arm themselves with information. If that is not their want, there are professional consultants who can guide an organisation towards a greener future.

Technology: New tech developments are giving organisers access to better production equipment to run more carbon efficient festivals.

The UK festival industry has been world leading in many ways, and now we are seeing a co-ordinated mechanism from many fronts, including international co-operation, that could see our sector at the fore of environmental progress on climate action.

TPi www.psa.org.uk www.powerful-thinking.or.uk www.festivalvision2025.net

91

TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

THE PRODUCTION GUIDE The TPi Production Guide is kindly sponsored by PRG XL Video – Tel: + 44 (0)1442 849 400 / +44 (0) 845 470 6400. Web: www.prg.com 2 Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DU / The Cofton Centre, Groveley Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham, B31 4PT

Total Production Solutions Corporate - Live Events Touring - Broadcast

SOUND VIDEO

LIGHTING RIGGING

NOW AVAILABLE:

01565 652202 rental@vme-uk.com www.vme-uk.com

Temporary Power Specialists

Power for Events, Festivals & Broadcast Sync & Twinset Units Full Site Power Design & Implementation Nationwide Service

Contact our specialist team today!

North West Wales -

01565 654 004 01758 713 100

www.eurogenerators.co.uk hire@eurogenerators.co.uk

Travel M anagem for the Live Mu ent Services sic Indu stry

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS

• Saving you time, money, stress and hassle • Help with planning, budgeting and routing • Hotels, flights, ferries and other travel products • Various budgets and expectations catered for • Trade only prices with financial protection • Detailed itineraries provided for all tours • Free travel advice and 24 hour support

See the power of d3’s Video Format Conversion Cards

E: info@travel4tours.com

InfoComm 2016, 4-10 June

T: +44 (0) 1904 777 217 (UK) F: +44 (0) 1904 777 172

Las Vegas, #C6248

W: www.travel4tours.com

092

SPECIALISTS IN THE ART OF TOURING & ENTERTAINMENT

www.tourtravel.co.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7434 7408

TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

SUPERTITLE 1.0

The new GerrietsLED-Supertitle System

Gerriets Great Britain Ltd. 18 Verney Rd, London SE16 3DH UK

+44 20 7639 7704 +44 20 7732 5760 info@gerriets.co.uk www.gerriets.co.uk

Engineering for the ears

Equipment we offer:

/ PROJECTION / MEDIA SERVERS / CREATIVE VIDEO

Customised personal hearing solutions simplified for you

• Cable Ramp - Rental & Sales • ADA Disabled Wheelchair Cable Ramps - Rental • Event Power Distribution - Rental • Cable - Rental • Powerlock Cable Systems - Rental • Lighting & Adaptors - Rental

info@proguarduk.co.uk www.proguarduk.co.uk

Tel: 0845 606 6049 Email: hire@tempower.co.uk www.tempower.co.uk

TEL: 0845 689 2000 / WWW.CPLAV.COM

To advertise here enquiries should be made to Hannah Eakins or Charlotte Goodlass Hannah Eakins - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 8363 Email: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk Charlotte Goodlass - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 9126 Email: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk JULY 2016 ADVERTISERS Adamson

55

eps

57

K-array

ADJ

37

ER Productions

13

Knight Rigging Services

Alcons Audio

52

Fly by Nite

Audio-Technica

49

Focusrite

Bob Kelly & Co

92 & 93

Funktion One

Central Presentations

92 & 93

GearSource Europe

ChainMaster

5

Gerriets

7

L-Acoustics

46 & 47

Lance Publications

57

Leisuretec

IFC 20 92 & 93

4

91

Rock-It Cargo

21

Rubber Box

91

Stage Audio Services

32

29

STS Touring Productions

61

45

TAIT

65

27

Tempower

Ginger Owl Productions

58

Mojo Barriers

GLP

63

MTFX

Clay Paky

25

GLS Lighting

18

Neutrik

d&b audiotechnik

31

Green Hippo

24

DiGiCo

15

Gulf Crewing Co

Duratruss

23

EAW

43

John Henry’s

92 & 93

87

6

Rigging Services

Area Four Industries

41

Entec Sound and Light

IBC

RGB Communications

Look Solutions

CHRISTIE

Chauvet Professional

51 92 & 93

9

The Revolving Stage Company

54

Travel 4 Tours

92 & 93 77 92 & 93

NEWSUBSTANCE

53

TW Audio

79

92 & 93

Perry Scenic Creative

33

Video Illusions

77

Hand Held Audio

11

Philips Entertainment

BC

Zig Zag Lighting

35

HEC (Horizon Entertainment Cargo)

40

PRG XL Video

59

Protec

093

92 & 93 3

BACK CHAT

CERI WADE Production Manager, Arcadia

What did it mean to be named TPi’s 2016 Production Manager of the Year - and be the first female ever to walk away with the trophy?

I’m aware of how cliched this sounds, but I honestly wasn’t expecting it. Being nominated by my peers was one of the most humbling experiences of my professional career, and it also felt like a recognition for the journey we’d been on with Arcadia as a collective. It’s insane that I am the first female to win though. There are so many talented, dedicated and amazing women who have inspired me along the way and who are such an integral part of the live music industry. I really hope this leads to further recognition of that.

Now that Glastonbury is over for another year, how did the 2016 production go?

The weather was really extreme, but the lessons you learn through adversity are as valuable as having an easy run. We had more to achieve this year with a new flame system, lighting and technical equipment to install and programme along with Metamorphosis rehearsals, and the development of a new performance piece. Everyone pulled together and, as the weather conditions worsened, the team stepped up and we pulled off off three incredible shows. I have never met a more dedicated, hard-working group of people in my life; it really is a family with everyone looking after each other. I am completely bowled over by the way a group of people from so many different backgrounds and disciplines can come together to work as one organism, in even the most challenging of circumstances.

How did you get your start in the live events industry?

I grew up going to festivals as my parents were heavily involved in the folk scene, and I quickly became fascinated with how a festival was built from scratch in a green field. I started stewarding on gates and helping out with workshops when I was 14 and began to realise that at the heart of festivals was a community, that I connected with. I wanted to find the best way to contribute professionally to that community so I studied Events Management at Leeds University and did as much work experience as I could.

How did your relationship with Arcadia first begin?

I met Pip Rush, [Arcadia’s Creative Director] at Beautiful Days festival in 2006 where he had built one of his early sculptures, the Smoking Archway.

I was immediately drawn to his work and we kept in touch through mutual friends and the free party scene while I continued to learn about the industry.

He asked me to production manage the first field that Arcadia had at Glastonbury in 2009 and we learned so much together with Bertie Cole [Arcadia’s Technical Director] that first year. Between the two of them, they put their faith in me and I’ve been involved ever since. It’s been quite the ride!

What is next for everyone’s favourite arachnid?

The autumn tour! It’s the first time the Spider will have completed a full circumnavigation of the globe. We loaded straight out of Glastonbury into containers to ship her off to South Korea. She is then off to Taiwan and Australia. Things are growing so much for us! To have five international shows in one year alongside our signature Glastonbury show is a huge honour. It’s a real privilege to help represent our world class UK festival scene and take it to countries that may not have experienced anything like it. I am a very lucky lady and the Spider is most certainly ready to stretch her legs and cast a web even further.

94

MONITORING ESSENTIALS

X8, LIVE MONITOR - L-ACOUSTICS X SERIES In creating the X Series, we brought all of the experience gained in designing the K2 to bear on a new series of reference coaxials.

Optimized design, ergonomics, acoustical performance and weight make the X Series the most advanced coaxials on the market.

Four distinct enclosures with format, bandwidth, SPL and coverage angles perfectly adapted to short throw rental or install applications, the X Series offers studio monitor sound quality, compact design, consistent tonal balance, no minimum listening distance and exceptional feedback rejection. www.l-acoustics.com

Advertising_X8_210x297_TPI.indd 1

12/10/2015 11:43:13

14919_HYDRUS_AD_MAY_TPI_v1R_OL.indd 1

18/04/2016 11:25