TPi March 2016 - Issue 199

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM MARCH 2016

ISSUE 199

LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • MARCH 2016 • ISSUE 199 CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR WINNERS!

ALL TIME LOW THE EXPLOSIVE BACK TO THE FUTURE HEARTS TOUR

JASON DERULO • FOALS • KEVIN HART • SLIPKNOT • TPi AWARDS 2016 • KULA SHAKER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: PRG’S GROUNDCONTROL • INTERVIEW: MEYER SOUND • NOEL GALLAGHER

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BELIEVE IT FROM ED SHEERAN TO ARIANA GRANDE TO METALLICA – TOP TOURS ARE PROVING THE POWER OF THE LEO FAMILY.

The LEO Family provides power and clarity for nearly every application, from intimate performance spaces to the world’s largest outdoor festivals. LEOPARD, the smallest in the family, is gaining a following for being the most lightweight and versatile line array in its class. It’s no wonder top tours around the world trust the LEO Family for a flawless performance, night after night.

Learn more about the LEO Family at Prolight + Sound, Hall 3.1 Stand A71

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Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc. • 2832 San Pablo Ave. • Berkeley, CA 94702 • 510 486.1166

Close Date

PUBLISTING TPI Creative: Believe IT / Artists

Contact: Elania Nanopoulos Phone: 510 486.1166 x115

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PRELUDE

The crew: Hannah Eakins, Ste Durham, Kelly Murray, Stew Hume and Charlotte Goodlass.

CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS

AS ABDUCTIONS GO, THIS WAS A FUN ONE What an absolute whirlwind of a month! After what seems like the biggest build up we’ve ever had, the TPi Awards 2016 landed, and took us fully hostage for at least 24 hours. The feedback we’ve had this year has been immense, and really reinforced how important this event is as both a night of peer recognition and a (very boozy) networking opportunity. I just love you seeing all dressed up, minus the shorts and hoodies! We were quite overwhelmed by how many of you flew in from your home towns and home countries in order to join us too. That is some dedication to dinner suits!

Being a part of the media in the live events industry is a lot of fun, and often brings about potentially challenging situations, so being on the other side as organisers and producers of a live event with a high profile comic (Mr Russell Kane) as the host is something we truly enjoy doing. Working amongst such talent within the crew is always a highlight in our calendar, so to all of our suppliers and engineers, thank you for bringing our vision to life!

A special mention has to go our very own Hannah who worked tirelessly in helping to plan this production with the ever-lovely Ryan Esson of GoTo Live.

Huge thanks to everyone who made it, “Working amongst such talent and of course to all of our winners - you within the crew is always a deserve it! I was particularly impressed with some of your choice winners this time highlight in our calendar. To all around, which included FOH Engineer Rob of our suppliers and engineers, Sadler, who has only been touring for two thank you for bringing our years, yet has quickly and carefully honed vision to life...” his craft enough to make an impression on you. Ed Warren was also amongst the trophy holders as your Lighting Designer of the Year. Mate, you finally did it!

The backstage report on the event that 1,400 of you attended begins on Pg.36.

Elsewhere in this massive issue (we seem to do everything on a grand scale these days!) we have some exclusive stories including a look at PRG’s new GroundControl Followspot System on Pg.118. We also have an exclusive with Harman’s outdoor live music stage at the NAMM show, Kula Shaker’s jaunt on the road with Roland, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live with Midas. Our large tour profiles this month show you the road crew skills behind masked metallers Slipknot, cover story All Time Low, comedian Kevin Hart, pop rocket Jason Derulo and British indie gents, Foals.

Back in the business world, I sat down with the incredibly interesting John and Helen Meyer of Meyer Sound on a recent trip to America. Their story is quite fascinating and long may their influence on pro audio technology continue to thrive.

And, breathe! I hope you enjoy reading the biggest issue of TPi we’ve ever made, because as usual, you’ve kept us exceedingly busy.

Kelly Murray Editor

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MDG would like to congratulate TPi’s 2016 Award winners: ED WARREN Lighting Designer of the Year, OLI METCALFE The Mark Fisher Set Designer of The Year Award and NEG EARTH Favourite Lighting Rental Company.

NICE WORK.

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MUMFORD & SONS – An Arrow Through the Heartland Tour

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Editor Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk Assistant Editor Ste Durham Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk Editorial Assistant Stewart Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk General Manager - Magazine & Awards Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk

EVENT FOCUS

08 Welcome to the Family...

Nitelites explains what its new RCF inventory is

going to bring to the UK touring market.

14 Harman Professional at NAMM

For the third year running, Harman Professional sponsored the outdoor stage at pro audio trade show, NAMM.

24 Kula Shaker

Roland is the flavour of the day with this ‘90s Britpop band.

28 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

The rock fella flies high with Midas.

32 The 58th Annual Grammy Awards

Powersoft delivers 720kW of crisp and reliable audio to the prestigious awards.

PRODUCTION PROFILE

Advertising Sales - TPi Magazine Charlotte Goodlass Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9126 Mobile: +44 (0)788 0208 226 e-mail: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk

36 The TPi Awards 2016

We talk to the production team and suppliers

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

58 Foals

Intelligent indie royalty conquers UK arenas.

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 www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com Editorial Intern Rebekka Mensing Cover Photography All Time Low by Adam Elmakias Printed by Buxton Press Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).

Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580 Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk Issue 199 / March 2016 TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence. ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2015 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.

who helped create and facilitate the biggest awards in TPi history.

74 Slipknot

Stew Hume heads to London to see the masked men in action.

84 All Time Low

Pyrotechnics galore on the explosive Back To

The Future Hearts tour.

98 Kevin Hart

The rock star comedian returns to the UK. 104 Jason Derulo

Things get hot and heavy on the Everything is

Four tour.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

112 Stage Manager Jim Webb gets Missy Elliot to the

Grammys after-party on time.

INTERVIEW

114 Meyer Sound

Kelly Murray meets John and Helen Meyer in San Francisco.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

118 PRG premieres its new GroundControl followspot.

CLOCKING OFF

122 Plaster Creative Communications will get on their

bikes for Bristol Children’s Hospital.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

124 The latest industry appointments.

PSA

126 Andy Lenthall talks driving fatigue and

the difficult business of legislation.

VITAL STATS

130 We meet Tony Andrews, Founder of audio

pioneers Funktion One. 07

EVENT FOCUS: Nitelites Invests In RCF

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY...

NITELITES ADDS FURTHER RCF CABINETS TO ITS INVENTORY AND CEMENTS ONE OF EUROPE’S MOST STRATEGIC RENTAL RELATIONSHIPS. TPi WENT TO THE OFFICIAL DEMO DAYS HELD AT YORKSHIRE’S PRODUCTION PARK TO FIND OUT MORE.

I don’t know if you’ve ever met Jamie Moore of Tynemouth audio and lighting specialist Nitelites, but if you have, the chances are he was wearing a woolly hat and making you laugh with an anecdote involving alcohol and industry bonds. As technical experts go, Moore is something of an anomaly. At 32 years old, he’s not only grown up in the live event industry, but he’s spent the last few years redefining the touring department of Nitelites, the business his father founded 30 years ago.

In the time he’s been one of the company directors, Moore has built some - dare I say heart-warmingly - solid relationships, and made decisions about the company’s rental stock that has enabled it to support some of the UK’s most prominent live talents.

If you’ve been reading TPi over the last year, you’ll know the Nitelites clientele reads like an 08

A-list music afterparty; James Bay, Ben Howard, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Frank Turner and Disclosure have all toured successfully with the company’s know-how and perfectly packaged PA systems. As 2016 gets well underway, so does its rental offerings.

Offstage, there is no denying that for Moore a genuine emphasis on trust and a keen desire for progression in the UK touring market is just as important as technological capabilities.

Speaking of his latest investment, Moore stated: “RCF are so much like us as a company; they’re welcoming, friendly, happy people, and we believe in their product, so we want to help them enter the UK touring market.

“Alberto [Ruozzi, Head of Sales] and Emanuele [Morlini, RCF Product Specialist], have been the two main driving forces behind this deal. And they’re brilliant to spend time with. Especially with the amazing food, drink

EVENT FOCUS: Nitelites Invests In RCF

Opposite: The demo days were held at Production Park in Yorkshire, UK, and made use of LS-Live’s rehearsal space; A Nitelites FOH Drive Rack.

Below: RCF’S Emanuele Morlini was on hand to talk engineers through the system’s specifications; The main hangs comprised TTL55-A with TTL33-A for down fill.

and hospitality they show us in Reggio Emilia.

In fact, it was after an afternoon of Lambrusco that this family formed!”

In early March, I got to see this demeanour in action once again as the Nitelites clan set up home in Wakefield, Yorkshire, at Production Park’s HQ for two days of demos. Already stockists of two renowned systems, the RCF purchase will add another dimension to the company. The investment gives the sound and lighting specialists the capacity to provide audio coverage to large festival sites as well as providing a scalable option for smaller live events.

The consignment premium RCF cabinets included 56 TTL55-A high-power three-way enclosures, 24 TTS56-A, two 21-inch subs, 24 TTS36-A and two 18-inch subs. In Wakefield, a TTL33-A were used for downfill and infill duties, while TTL36-AS provided further LF extension, boosting the dynamic range of the flown arrays. Additionally, six of the flagship RCF TT45 SMA, two 12-inch floor monitors and 16 TT25

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SMA 15-inch coaxial floor monitors have been purchased.

The system was run on Nitelites’ DiGiCo SD7 consoles. Aside from the speakers themselves, Nitelites’ Andy Magee confirmed that the

set out for further development of its advanced electronic platform. Magee stated: “We strongly believe in RCF and their products. That’s the reason we have been involved with them for so long.”

“We strongly believe in RCF and their products. That’s the reason we have been involved with them for so long...”

Andy Magee, Nitelites

purchase was equally driven by the relationship the company has traditionally enjoyed with the Italian manufacturer and its north of Englandbased Technical Manager and Live Touring Specialist, Mick Butler, and the roadmap RCF has

LIVE EVENTS SHOWREEL

Butler added: “What you see today with this arena system is an expansion of Nitelites’ commitment to RCF. They have 280 RCF enclosures in their product inventory for rental.

It had previously bought the product range that

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EVENT FOCUS: Nitelites Invests In RCF

Below: The RCF and Nitelites teams have joined forces to create an exciting new relationship L-R Mike Platt, Jamie Moore, Mick Butler (RCF), Dean Davoile (RCF), Emanuele Morlini (RCF), Andy Magee, Graham Orchard, and Eugenio Giuffrida (RCF).

sits beneath this in our portfolio, so it’s natural evolution. It’s been great to see both RCF and Nitelites grow.”

Already familiar with the smaller TTL33-A, which run in the Nitelites hire fleet, the rental company first had the opportunity to evaluate the larger system in a real world situation, when in the Spring of 2013 they were asked to provide production support at the Royal Albert

attractive price point.

Morlini also worked in Ligabue’s System Tech team. He said: “This is not a final celebration; this is just a starting point. We are very proud that Nitelites find our systems to be high quality and reliable for touring. The TT+ system we have today is totally different to the system we launched five years ago; it’s been updated and has advanced a lot. We are continuing in the

“Nitelites have customised the system and made it practical for load-ins and loud-outs of venues in the shortest time possible. They’ve put a lot of thought process into the distribution and cabling...”

Mick Butler, RCF

Hall for Italian singer, Luciano Ligabue. Magee continued: “This gave us the opportunity to see how good the system was, and how powerful it could be with its onboard DSP. We started to think hard about our own rental infrastructure and knew that this would open up a new revenue stream by enabling us to present the market with a premium system at a really 10

right direction, and this partnership is proving that.”

Magee is looking forward to the potential of clientele this investment will bring to UK live event venues. “It’s a great, punchy pop system.

It lends itself very well to the pop genre and going forward that’s the sort of thing that we’ll be concentrating on with this system,

but it’s also ideal for comedy thanks to its DSP and processing in every enclosure. It can be optimised with great accuracy.”

Nitelites’ first port of call on taking delivery was the Sage Gateshead, close to its Newcastleupon-Tyne base, where it already had RCF’s HDL20-A line array installed - and it took the opportunity to rig and dry run the new system.

It then set about organising a high profile launch to production managers, FOH engineers and system techs at Production Park, where full production rehearsals for Frank Turner and Ben Howard (the latter of whom Magee tours with as a FOH engineer) have previously taken place. At the demo he said: “People should evaluate the system for themselves. Having demonstrated faith in the RCF brand by making a big investment in their flagship product, it’s going to be out there in the touring sector as opposed to just the fixed installation market, with which they’ve been associated for a long time.

“We have a great dialogue with RCF and they are always prepared to listen to suggestions. We have backed the TTL55-A with national arena touring in mind, and look forward to the challenge of building the brand further in the live sector.”

Butler added: “We are delighted not only that Nitelites has made this commitment, but

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08/03/16 16:46

EVENT FOCUS: Nitelites Invests In RCF

Below: Stage right set up: motor control, two stage racks, syscon rack and main distro; Nitelites Director, Jamie Moore talked one of the demo day guests through the new system; FOH set up with Drive Rack, RD Net Controller and DiGiCo SD7 Console; Mike Platt with an SD7.

also to have been part of their success story over the years, as they have developed into a top line sound and lighting rental company.

“RCF is first and foremost a loudspeaker manufacturer, we’ve been manufacturing since

making that happen. They’ve adapted our loudspeakers and made a very well-designed touring package with portability in mind.

“They’ve customised the system’s accessories and made it practical for load-ins and outs of

“I’ve been looking for an American partner for so long and now we’re talking with one of the biggest companies in the US. This really is just one small step we’ve taken with RCF...”

Jamie Moore, Nitelites

1949 and we pride ourselves on being very reactive to customer needs. It’s been good to work with Jamie and Andy throughout Nitelites’ development and it’s really exciting to have that system available in the UK. The broader pro audio industry will get an idea of our premium products and Nitelites have been pivotal in 12

venues in the shortest time possible. They’ve put a lot of thought process into the distribution and cabling. So hopefully this year both the US and the UK will be a major step forward in the touring market for us.”

Moore echoed that notion: “I’ve been looking for an American partner for so long

and now we’re talking with one of the biggest companies in the US. This really is just one small step we’ve taken with RCF.” I get the feeling the next chapter of this story won’t stop there. Moore was keen to point out that Production Park was the obvious location for the demo days thanks to their relationship with the Brooks family; Adrian and sons Lee and Ben. He said: “They’ve been really supportive of Nitelites and have kept their northern roots by helping to push a small company forwards.

We have a really good connection with them; Adrian is even going to help me with my fear of flying!” he laughed. “Bet you didn’t think someone who tours for a living could be scared of flying! But seriously, Production Park is a northern powerhouse and they are absolutely smashing it. I hope the relationship between them and Nitelites is also going to grow, big time.”

TPi Photos: Alex Alevroyiannis www.nitelites.co.uk www.rcf.it http://productionpark.co.uk

EVENT FOCUS: Harman at NAMM

HARMAN DELIVERS ANOTHER STAGE SENSATION AT NAMM FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING, HARMAN PROFESSIONAL SPONSORED THE OUTDOOR STAGE AREA OF THE NAMM SHOW, NORTH AMERICA’S PREMIER PRO AUDIO TRADESHOW. RENOWNED FOR SHOWCASING NEW AND LOCAL TALENT, AS WELL AS ATTRACTING SOME TOP-CLASS ARTISTS DURING EVENING FESTIVITIES, THE SET UP INCLUDED A MARTIN BY HARMAN LIGHTING RIG TO FULLY ENHANCE THE BRAND’S PRESENCE. The 2016 event culminated in a headline performance from Graham Nash of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fame, now a successful solo artist in his own right.

Nash drew crowds to the stage and seemed to really enjoy interacting with the them, reflecting on his on-stage ease.

As a sponsor of NAMM, Harman products are supplied to the entire Grand Plaza or outdoor stage area, which included all lighting requirements. Eric Friedlander, Manager of Technical Resources for Harman Tour, Audio and Cinema CSU (Customer Solutions Unit) has an intimate involvement with the event. He told TPi: “For the last three years we’ve supplied a JBL VTX V20 system and a Martin by Harman lighting package with the idea being that during the day singer/songwriters, competition winners and school bands play and then later in the night we 14

produce shows for headliners such as Graham Nash. It’s been very cool for us, he was just incredible.

“This is quite a fun and unique set up for us because the artists are booked by NAMM, and we’re here to support what they need for their performance with our products. Some people are familiar with the brands but others will have never used them so it’s a combination of experience up there and our expertise mixing on the ground. We’re able to showcase the PA to our customers who can come outside of the convention centre and their meetings to hear the system and enjoy the constant flow of shows.

“With Graham Nash for instance, Kevin Madigan, his FOH engineer, is familiar with the V20. He often takes it out on the road with [California-based sound rental company] Sound Image for Graham’s tours.”

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EVENT FOCUS: Harman at NAMM

First page: For the third year running, Harman products were supplied to NAMM’s main outdoor stage, from the JBL VTX V20 PA rig to the Martin by Harman lighting products; The new M Series of stage monitors were used for the first time in a live environment. Below: A Soundcraft Vi7000 console was chosen for FOH duties with a Soundcraft Realtime Rack.

Madigan noted: “I’ve had a lot of experience with the VTX. We’ve toured extensively with it in a lot of different venues and I’d be happy to see it anywhere I work. JBL have done a great job with this PA; its definition and power are superb which makes it easy to get a great sounding mix.”

Harman provides all of the equipment.

“I really enjoy this part of the job. For me personally, I love mixing and I do it as often as I can. That’s why I got into this industry in the first place, for an opportunity to get behind the console and make some music.

“While NAMM is an audio-heavy and

“Getting to work with new technology from Harman is an exciting place to be. This year I mixed FOH on a Soundcraft Vi7000 for the first time...” Chad Griswold, Mastermind Production Group

As Harman is primarily a manufacturer and not entirely set up as a sound rental company, it hires a local vendor. Friedlander continued: “One of our customers and a really good rental partner, Mastermind Production Group help out with crew and the event in general, while

touring professional show, we still get a lot of customers who do a variety of disciplines such as integration retail, and some large format live sound installations with both lighting and audio.

“The great thing about this setting is that the audience is very discerning, it’s a mix of

keen-eared sales forces, business development specialists, and older rock ‘n’ roll folks who are very serious about seeing artists like Graham Nash.”

The set up for the stage this year comprised some of Harman’s latest offerings including the VTX M20 and M22 stage monitors, something Friedlander was clearly excited about. “Our new M Series stage monitors have just been released and we’re already able to get them front of professional musicians and artists as we continue to get people used to JBL being a brand they can recognise as something they are comfortable with using from early on in their careers.”

Friedlander once again designed the stage’s audio system. There were 10 JBL VTX V20 boxes per side, six JBL VTX S25 subwoofers per side and a group of six G28 mono clusters in the middle. The subwoofers are configured in a cardioid pattern in order to minimise any noise upstage. To complete the system and eight JBL VT4886’s were used as front fill. At FOH a Soundcraft Vi7000 desk was chosen alongside a Soundcraft Realtime Rack, a UAD Powered

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EVENT FOCUS: Harman at NAMM

Below: The main stage played host to a wide variety of acts, including local talent and competition winners.

plug-in for the Soundcraft Vi Series of live sound consoles. The monitor system comprised a Soundcraft Vi3000 console, JBL VTX M20 and M22 stage monitors, JBL CSX F35 as side fill and JBL VTX S25 subs. All amplification was via VRACK 4x3500HDs. The microphone package is entirely AKG including D5 and D5C vocal microphones,

D40’s, C451’s, C518’s, D12VRs, and C214 instrument microphones. C414XL II were utilised for audience microphones.

Chad Griswold of Mastermind Production Group told TPi: “Getting to work with new technology from Harman is an exciting place to be. This year I mixed FOH on a Soundcraft Vi7000 for the first time. Within a very short

time I became very comfortable with the console, and ultimately really enjoyed mixing on the desk throughout the weekend.”

Madigan echoed this notion: “I hadn’t used the Vi7000 before NAMM but I had some brief experience with the Vi Series. It didn’t take long to get to grips with the Vi7000 at all. It sounds good and is well laid out for efficient working,

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03/03/2016 16:30

EVENT FOCUS: Harman at NAMM

Below: Eric Friedlander, Manager of Technical Resources for Harman Tour, Audio and Cinema CSU.

which is my most basic criteria. The plug-in integration is easy to use too.”

The JBL VTX V20 system powered by Crown IT4x3500 amplifiers performed flawlessly and was not only a nice punchy sounding rig but coverage was smooth over the entire listening area. Having Harman’s Performance Manager software available to tune and time align the system and make any necessary adjustments is a great all in one solution. It makes the system easier to setup, tune and monitor

20

throughout the event. Additionally, the new M-Series wedges on stage and the new CSX-F35 side fill boxes were awesome! These brand new products from Harman have great potential, and at Mastermind we are really looking forward to utilising them. The amount of sheer output of these new speakers and their tonal quality is amazing!

“On the lighting front, the Martin M1 console was driving a variety of proven Martin lighting fixtures as well as some new ones. We have found the M1 is

user-friendly, quick to set up and easy to run. Our lighting designers liked the amount of faders it has, making it easy to grab things on the fly in a festival situation such as NAMM. We utilised 24 MAC Aura’s for all of our front light and mid and upstage washes, 14 MAC Quantum Profiles for all of our hard-edge fixtures, four brand new Atomic 3000 LED strobes, which are very bright and have a great aura effect which makes them much more versatile than your standard strobe fixture.

“We also used four new rush LED strobes for effects, and eight Rush MH4 beams on the subs downstage for some arial looks. While the beams are still a discharge lamp, all of the fixtures on the stage itself were LED-based, which is great for both power saving and heat reduction on stage. We were able to run the entire rig at 120V on a 100A 3-phase service and didn’t come close to consuming half of the available power, even with everything going full out which is quite impressive!” he added.

It’s interesting that Friendlander opted to specify the Rush fixtures in this live setting. As he explained: “These are generally a fixed install or entry level fixture, but because they’re well designed and easily integrated into the system, they were chosen to add more depth and allow for more programming options for our LD. They really held their own quite nicely when paired with the more ‘pro’ level Martin MAC fixtures.” The latter of course are often seen on arena level touring productions. He also favoured the new Atomic 3000

Strobes, which he described as “legitimately mind-blowing!”

As the sun set on the final day of NAMM, Friedlander concluded his thoughts: “I teach people about our products all the time and do training courses with them, but it is just that; training. The real world experience with musicians and engineers is the most valuable education for me, and ideally the most genuine experience for our customers too.

“Being able to be here at NAMM gives me a more complete knowledge and complete confidence in the tools that I’m using, which in turn are the tools we’re supplying to our customers and our end users. It’s been a great success for us, and we’ll be back again next year for sure!”

Griswold continued: “As we have got to know the team at Harman better it is obvious that there is a wealth of knowledge and talent there. The friendships and relationships we have created with the Harman staff through our time with them at NAMM and other events has proven invaluable.

Knowing that we have a line to the people that are best suited to help us resolve any issues we come across is a great resource for our business. Furthermore, the fantastic new and innovative products are helping us expand the resources we can offer to our clients for even the most challenging of events. We enjoy being involved with Harman and look forward to being involved with more of their events in the future!”

TPi www.harmanpro.com

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09/03/2016 10:32

EVENT FOCUS: Kula Shaker

KULA SHAKER ONE OF THE GIANTS OF THE BRITPOP ERA, KULA SHAKER, ARE BACK ON THE ROAD. TREATING A DEDICATED FANBASE TO THEIR OWN BRAND OF PSYCHEDELIC ROCK, THE TOUR AUDIO INCLUDED TWO ROLAND M-5000’S FOR MONITOR AND FOH CONTROL. TPi GOT NOSTALGIC WITH SOME CLASSIC HITS FROM THE ‘90S. It’s hard to believe that Kula Shaker’s seminal release, K, which featured hits such as Hey Dude and Govinda is now 20 years old; yes, it was that long ago! It’s fantastic to see the band still going strong and with the release of K 2.0 the quartet was on the road again, this time making use of a whole selection of Roland AV gear.

Sitting down with Mike Taylor, Monitor Engineer and Production Manager for the tour, he explained his relationship with the band: “In 2006, during their Strangefolk tour, I started working as the band’s LD. Their monitor engineer at the time was a good friend of mine and when he couldn’t make this tour due to other commitments he put my name forward to take on the role. It’s strange, I always used to see myself as a sound guy who did lighting, now a days I see myself as a production manger who does sound.”

For the tour, Taylor specified the Roland gear which included a Roland M-5000 console 24

for both FOH and monitor control as well as three S-0808’s and two S-1608’s Digital Snakes. He explained: “I have had a long history with Roland. I put their Digital Snakes into Glastonbury festival on the John Peel stage in 2004. We were one of the first production companies who put digital multicores on a festival stage. Since then, I’ve enjoyed a really great relationship with Roland. The fact that the new consoles are so compatible with other products makes them a natural choice of this tour.”

Roland was known for producing broadcast consoles but since the release of the of the O.H.R.C.A. (Open High Resolution Configurable Architecture) M-5000 desk in November 2014, the company has made its mark on the live touring market. “The M-5000 works great as a live mixing console,” began Taylor while stood next to the console at The Ritz in Manchester on the second date of the band’s European tour.

Taylor has been very impressed with the

customisable right side of the desk where he can recall certain faders no matter what is going on in the main body. “One of the things that we have really enjoyed about this console apart from the sound, is the flexibility; we are able to change the configuration of the console during the show. We can add channels, groups and aux’s all without any audio dropping out. The desk lets you do what you want it to rather than the other way round.” He also commented that the interface of the console, especially the touch screen functionality, is incredibly easy to use, adding that: “The dynamic EQ and delays are very musical and analogue sounding, and the compressors and gates are very transparent so it’s easy to get a good sound out of it without having to hack things to bits.”

One of the biggest things that Taylor has found useful is Roland’s talk back system, which is incorporated into the desk. “Monitors, FOH and the system tech can all speak to each other individually or as a group. This makes

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EVENT FOCUS: Kula Shaker

Opposite: Kula Shaker were on the road again with the release of their latest album, K 2.0. Below: Mike Taylor, Monitor Engineer and Production Manager standing with the Roland M-5000; Suneil Pusari, FOH Engineer and long time friend of the band also used an M-5000.

communication during the show much easier, not to mention allowing the line check to run much smoother. With our tech and myself being on IEMs there is no shouting through the wedges, it’s all calm and relaxed.”

Another M-5000 was also used by FOH Engineer, Suneil Pusari who had got to know the band several years ago while working in London. “That was around 20 years ago but this is the first time I have ever been on the road with them.” Pusari explained. Going on to talk about the console itself, he described that it had given him a great deal of control while dealing with the mix. “The console really allows you to be quite creative with how you want to layout your work space, which lets you just get on with the live mixing of the band.”

26

As well as the Roland consoles, Taylor made use of two different Roland Digital Snakes, the S-0808 and the S-1608. He explained that the S-1608 was used for all the inputs for the support band, Black Casino and the Ghost, while Kula Shaker’s came from the S-0808.

Taylor had been a particular fan of the S-0808 as it had given him a great deal of flexibility with their placement on the stage. He explained: “They can be powered via an ethernet cable from the desk, which means you don’t have to be dependant on an accessible power output.

Their small size also means that the whole stage box system fits in a small flight case. We are doing this tour in a small trailer so space is a premium which makes the S-0808 and the S-1608 perfect.”

As well as Roland supplying consoles and Digital Snakes, the production was facilitated

by M5 Audio, which provided Kula Shaker with a full microphone package, IEMs and cable system.

Taylor also was keen to note the contribution from Imax Lighting, which helped out with the tour’s visual needs, and VER which provided a projector for the tour.

Following the UK success, the band and crew make their way to mainland Europe.

TPi www.kulashaker.co.uk http://proav.roland.com www.m5audio.com www.verrents.com http://imaxlighting.co.uk

TPI_E-Series_QU01.indd 1

01/03/2016 10:02:53 AM

EVENT FOCUS: Noel Gallagher

FLYING HIGH WITH MIDAS AFTER THREE WORLD TOURS WITH OASIS AS THE BAND’S PA TECH, DAN LEWIS FINALLY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUMP INTO THE MIXING HOT SEAT, A POSITION HE NOW HOLDS WITH NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS. 15 years is a long time to work with any artist, especially one of Gallagher’s calibre, but it’s a relationship that’s been built on trust: he won’t work with anyone he doesn’t have full confidence in, in the same way that sound engineer Dan Lewis won’t work with kit he doesn’t fully believe in. That’s why he relies on Midas consoles to carry out all of his FOH mixing duties.

In the run up to Christmas, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have performed in Manchester for the Radio X Christmas show, Radio Clyde in Glasgow, and Radio Two’s Red Button show, which was filmed and broadcast live; and to wrap up the festivities, they put on their own show at the Royal Albert Hall, which they sold out. The band are an old school, straight-up rock ‘n’ roll five-piece, and for this very reason, translating their powerful sound to the big stage requires a very simple but considered approach.

“I’ve been working with Noel now a long time, and a lot of beer ago!” smiled Lewis, 28

adding that he first made the move to FOH position during the end of Oasis’ third tour.

“Noel always knows what he wants, and surrounds himself with people he trusts, so for the most part I’m just left to get on with it. It’s about consistency from show to show, and for this band, the Midas PRO2C is perfect.”

Lewis has been working with Midas since the Oasis days - an XL4, back then, he recalled - and believes that the brand “imparts a certain quality for a rock band.”

He continued: “I did a shootout before this run of shows, just to see if there was anything out there better, and although several consoles sounded good, there’s just something about the whole PRO series that flatters a less than perfect input. It somehow turns a distorted or grainy signal - which you’ll always get to an extent with rock bands - into a really nice tone.”

When it comes to an arena, Lewis might use a Midas PRO9, but as the current tour has seen an eclectic mix of smaller venues, including

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EVENT FOCUS: Noel Gallagher

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Opposite: Noel Gallagher doesn’t like change and opts for the Midas PRO2 for his live sound preference. Below: Dan Lewis, FOH Engineer has worked with the rock star for 15 years.

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acoustic sets, the PRO2C has packed more than enough punch.

“Noel supported himself at the Royal Albert Hall show, which began with a 30-minute acoustic set of old Oasis songs,” Lewis explained. “Then we had a bit of a changeover, and he banged out a 90-minute electric set with the band. Because we’re only taking 40 inputs off the stage (less than 48 total, including ambients) the PRO2C is ideal. With a rock band like this, you want edge, you don’t want it to rip your face off, so unless Noel throws in a curveball like a choir, the PRO2C has everything I need.”

Aside from a transient designer, which Lewis uses across the drums, there is zero outboard.

“It’s a straightforward band, so it’s just a case of using the right mic in the right position with the right console,” Lewis admited. “We don’t use more than three reverbs and a delay, so all the internal effects come from the PRO2C, and sound excellent. I also record the shows using

a Klark-Teknik DN9650 Network Bridge, which also comes in very hand for sound checks at festivals.”

Lewis also had rave reviews for the footprint of the PRO2C, which has not only surprised Gallagher’s touring team, but a few promoters too: “Noel really doesn’t like change, so I told our production manager that I wanted my own console to take out everywhere. He asked how big it was, so I showed him, and he said, ‘oh great, we can put it in with the backline!’

I remember we did this gig in Asia, and they’d had Muse in the night before, with tonnes of gear, so they’d dedicated half a tower for me for our show. It looked ridiculous how much room I had with just my little PRO2C up there! It may be tiny, but it makes a hell of a big sound.

That’s why it’s my go-to.”

TPi www.noelgallagher.com www.midasconsoles.com

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29/05/2015 13:33

EVENT FOCUS: Powersoft at the Grammys

POWERSOFT ELECTRIFIES 58TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS WITH 72 K10 AMPLIFIERS DURING A NIGHT OF TRIBUTES AND AND PERFORMANCES FROM TODAY’S BEST ARTISTS, POWERSOFT DELIVERS 720KW OF CRISP AND RELIABLE AUDIO.

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards, held at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, saw amplifier manufacturer Powersoft deliver 720kW of reliable, clear audio to more than 18,000 attending music fans, in addition to a viewership of more than 24 million people around the world.

The night was punctuated by touching appearances from Lady Gaga and Nile Rodgers, Jackson Browne and The Eagles, Chris Stapleton and many others, that paid tribute to several artists the music world has lost over the past 12 months: among them David Bowie, Glenn Frey, B.B. King and Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister.

ATK Audiotek was on hand to set up and 32

deliver audio services for the gala event, which has been held at the same venue for 16 of the last 17 years. With LL Cool J hosting, Grammy Awards were bestowed on Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Alabama Shakes and Meghan Trainor, who scooped Best New Artist. Over the course of ‘music’s biggest night’, 72 Powersoft K10 amplifiers, situated in a dozen racks located around the venue, delivered reliable, smooth audio - powering all the stage monitoring, front fills and upper level seating areas.

With two principal active stages in front of the venue, in addition to a dish stage near FOH, Powersoft K10’s provided a monitoring power to the system’s side fills, wedges and drum fills.

Speakers consisted of two ATK C6 cabinets per side, four ATK M5 wedges across the front of the stage, a drum subwoofer consisting of an ATK CSW218 dual 18-inch speaker with an ATK M5 on top, and various ATK M2’s, which were dispersed and placed according to the various artist needs throughout the evening.

Front fills consisted of 12 JBL VRX932 across the top, and several ATK CSW 218 subwoofers, placed for ground fill in front of the stage. The top seating level of the venue was covered by several ATK C6 cabinets, placed in proportional distances around the upper perimeter of the venue. Mikael Stewart, ATK Audiotek’s VP of Special Events, said that the sound of the venue

EVENT FOCUS: Powersoft at the Grammys

Opposite: FOH position at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Below: FOH Engineer, Ron Reaves; The ceremony featured 72 Powersoft K10 amplifiers; Tom Pesa, Monitor Mixer.

is more or less predictable: “The Staples Center was built more as a sports venue as much as a concert venue, and it never changes acoustically or structurally. Therefore, the tuning and sonic adjustments we are making are based on the scenic design.”

and previous show settings from this venue, fire them up and be ready to go,” he commented.

“This saves a tonne of time because we don’t have to start from scratch when we are tuning a room, and of course time is at a premium.”

Despite the convenience of set up, Stewart

“We are never concerned about a Powersoft failure, and they have proven to be extremely reliable...”

Mikael Stewart, ATK Audiotek’s VP of Special Events

Powersoft’s Armonia DSP system played an integral role in set up and room tuning, since ATK was able to use DSP presets from past Grammy Award held at the Staples Center, said Stewart: “We can easily call up previous years 34

asserted that reliability is the single, defining factor for a high-profile event such as the Grammy Awards: “Everyone is going to have a comment or an artistic choice on a certain sound, depending on where they are sitting

in the room, or how a speaker sounds. But when it comes down to it, everybody notices a failure, and we can’t afford that,” he said.

“We are never concerned about a Powersoft failure, and they have proven to be extremely reliable.” Stewart added the Powersoft is a “very smooth sounding amp” and that the addition of Armonia software only adds to the cache of Powersoft.

Beyond the reliability, great sound and tangible time reductions, Powersoft amplifiers continue to deliver on efficiency measures particularly when it comes to the amplifiers’ tremendous output capability and minimal physical footprint. “The fact that we can get so much power into a 6U rack is always a consideration and a definite saving,” Stewart observed. “When we are pairing up these Powersoft amps with JBL speakers that have to travel across the country, trucking weight and volume counts. Producers are very aware of potential cost savings in these areas, and it’s another way Powersoft routinely delivers for us.”

Although the event was once again a rousing technical success for ATK Audiotek - and by extension Powersoft - Stewart said that the evening’s tribute performances were bittersweet. “We lost many A-level musicians this year, and the many tributes at the show last week were very moving - particularly the David Bowie sequence by Lady Gaga and Nile Rodgers. This emotional connection is a reminder of why many of us got into this business in the first place.”

TPi www.grammy.com www.powersoft-audio.com

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

TPi AWARDS 2016 “It’s rare these days to get nerves before a show, but looking at the guestlist in the room beforehand, the nerves definitely got to me, just as Russell was about to come on stage...”

TPi Awards Production Manager, Ryan Esson

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: FIX8Group’s Richard Kenyon worked tirelessly to perfect the show visuals; Hawthorn’s up-and-coming LD, Chris Green; Production Coordinator Daniel Jones; The ER Productions crew L-R: Ben Couch, Tom Vallis and Project Manager, Andrew Turner.

For the second year running, the TPi Awards was staged at Battersea Evolution in London, and - also for the second year running - was presented by live-wire writer, comedian, and actor, Russell Kane.

The event, established to honour the technical and creative achievements of the live production industry, was attended by almost 1,400 leading industry professionals and personalities, who enjoyed networking, entertainment and enough alcohol to fuel the Millennium Falcon in a sci-fi themed production spectacular.

Production Manager, GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson, was at the tip of the spear, ably assisted

by Production Coordinator Daniel Jones. This partnership, forged at Beacons festival in 2011 and honed at productions such as Parklife and Festival No.6, relished the chance to demonstate their skills to some of the most influential names in the industry.

Esson told TPi: “I like to challenge myself, I like to do different things and I really enjoy 40

doing those hybrid events that the TPi Awards falls under. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll style production when it comes to lighting and sound but is, for all intents and purposes, a corporate gig in the truest sense of the word.”

Jones added: “We wanted consistency from previous shows, but also to make sure we put our own stamp on it. The theme gave us a good base to bring in more typical production elements and begin with a clear picture of the end product.”

The biggest challenge for Esson and Jones was the venue itself; an empty shell that had to be completely transformed into a sci-fi universe on a tight deadline. Jones continued: “The build, rehearsal, show, de-rig, and handing back of the venue takes all place in the space of 24 hours.

Making everything fit in that period is a real test of your logistical skills.”

When it came to choosing suppliers for the event, a combination of TPi Awards veterans and fresh blood, such as video content wizards, FIX8Group were used. Esson explained: “I

hadn’t come across FIX8Group before but they were absolutely fantastic to work with. I spent a couple of days in their studio and everything they did was always with the end show in mind.

It was really good to be a part of that process, learn more about it and see the fruition of that hard work.”

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS FIX8Studio led the visual design of the ceremony, with Creative Director Richard Kenyon and Designer / Animator Henry Crawfurd at the helm.

Kenyon explained: “We designed the content and screen layout in close collaboration with lighting rental partner Hawthorn. The initial brief was to do something based on the icons for the awards, which were sci-fi themed. We developed a loose concept based on the idea of a spaceship and tried to maintain a coherent narrative rather than a mess of lights and graphics.”

Kenyon said that this kind of assignment would usually take FIX8 three or four weeks,

PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: The Euro Screens crew tested each layer of LED as it was flown; KB Event provided trucking duties; Transition Video’s Rhodri Shaw provided cameras; MLA was once again the system of choice for VME; Production Manager, GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson; General Manager of VME, Ben Hyman.

but the relatively luxurious two-month timescale allowed the team to flex their creative muscles, experimenting with effects and trying different ideas. They used a mixture of Adobe After Effects, Photoshop and Cinema 4D Studio for content creation, and Dataton Watchout on the company’s own servers for presentation on the night.

Kenyon continued: “It looked great, but as is often the problem with us creative types, we always think it could look better! In the future we would like to further explore the immersive mapping side of things, taking the lighting and video integration a step further.”

The team designed the content with Absen A3 Pro 3.9mm LED screens in mind, 240 panels of which were provided by Euro Screens. The company had six crew on site to rig and maintain them.

Steve Ness, Project Manager at Euro Screens, said: “Sharing the back truss with lighting, draping, and lasers did have the potential to cause a bit of a traffic jam but it all came together nicely, with everything integrating as one. I’m very much of the opinion that all of the visual production elements on site should work together.”

While the show’s opening sequence was certainly breathtaking for the audience on the

night, those on site during the build were treated to an advance screening during rehearsals - a moment that left a room full of wide eyes and beaming smiles.

Ness agreed: “That was a great moment.

We’d all seen the render prior to being on site, and you know the PA will rumble away and the screens will look good, but to see and hear it all together was amazing. As a team you are up against it to build on time, without the bonus of a rig day, so to stand back and see the full run through was brilliant.

“A high-resolution screen is a high-resolution screen at the end of the day - it’s all about the content and FIX8 did a great job. The Absen screen was exceptionally reliable, as it always is. We used a combination of Calibre LEDView 530’s and Novastar 660 LED processors, resulting in low latency processing and good colour correction ability - I’m happy that we made a good choice of products to use in that environment.”

As well as FIX8’s bespoke content, the screens played video acceptances and testimonials from artists such as Metallica’s James Hetfield and U2’s Bono, who expressed his gratitude towards departed Tour Manager Dennis Sheehan having the Tour Manager of the Year award named in his honour.

LIGHTSPEED With FIX8’s initial concept in mind and knowledge of the venue from 2015, lighting rental partner Hawthorn was well-positioned to design a truly otherworldly lightshow. The company also had a brief from headline sponsor Robe, which supplied almost 300 fixtures for the event, to showcase its latest fixture - the Square.

Tom Ring, Project Management at Hawthorn, said: “We tried to make good use of the Squares as they fit really well with the ‘glitchy’ elements of the video. We worked alongside the video content in order to create effects that immersed the audience.

“We also went for the PATT2013 that created a nice glow around the room and worked well with FIX8’s sci-fi concept. Other than that, the intention was to create a lighting rig that showed off the Robe gear and best suited the video.”

Always keen to offer its young talent opportunities to shine, this year Hawthorn asked up-and-coming lighting whizz kid Chris Green to take up this character-building gauntlet and create a lighting design.

The production made use of 50 Robe BMFL Blades (24 Spots, 14 Blades and 12 WashBeams), 24 Pointes, 16 miniPointes, 24 LEDBeam 100’s, 30 CycFX 8’s, 42 Squares, 24 ColorStrobes, 40 41

PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: PSA’s Andy Lenthall began the evening’s proceedings by paying tribute to the industry people and crew we have lost over the last year; ER Productions provided laser effects for the event.

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PATT2013’s, 20 picklePATTs and two VIVAs. Green worked closely on the initial stages of the design with last year’s LD Jack Sayer and was supported by Ring.

Hawthorn owns Robe’s BMFL Spot and PATT2013 products, but it was the first time that Green had the chance to work in depth with many of the other Robe products on the rig. He commented: “I had an excellent selection of tools to help create the dynamics and drama needed to complement all of the action.”

To bring the design to life, the Hawthorn team first installed nine linear trusses in the roof of the Evolution and rigged fixtures all over them to be used for a variety of tasks and functions.

The 42 Squares were used to wash light around the room during the dinner. Green also mapped 25 individual pixels on each Square so he could mimic the content appearing on the stage’s LED video screens as well as mapping single pixels as eye-catching and piercing beam effects to dart around the room - an on-trend look that’s currently enjoying popularity for TV audience lighting.

The BMFL Blades and Spots were the main workhorse beam and profile lights of the design, used for powerful beam scenes around the space, and for breakup effects sweeping across the 122 dinner-tables, floor and stage areas.

The ColorStrobes, another new Robe LED product, were spread out around the trusses and used to add intense punches and accents to the evening’s big moments, such as the musical sequences leading up to

ROBE - Inzerce DL7S_210_297_mm.pdf 30.1.2016 14:11:04

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: Philips Vari-Lite encouraged guests to make sci-fi themed glowstick models; Battersea Evolution was transformed into a black tie spectacular; A mezzanine floor provided space for the PRG XL Video and Robe bars, above the main drinking area.

the award winner announcements and hightension snapshots such as the Outstanding Contribution winner, Stageco’s Hedwig De Meyer.

The CycFX 8’s were also used in ‘video-style’ to fill gaps between and around the edges of the onstage LED video screens, extending this visual focal point further to the sides and into the corners, adding more general lighting texture to the room.

The Pointes were used to slice through all the washes in the air and shoot beams around the room. With frost filters added, Green also used them in wash mode as backlight during the stage presentations.

The LEDBeam 100’s were rigged on towers at the back of the stage in groups of six, creating fans and linear patterns between the screens, helping to fill the backspace and the back-of-IMAG camera shots with interest.

Green controlled all of this from an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light console, with another running in full tracking backup, plus three NPUs that distributed 26 DMX data universes around the room.

He noted: “It was a real experience working on this show! I really had to push myself as a designer and programmer, and get my head around some cool new and innovative

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: Production Park sponsored the main bar area, complete with seating from GLD Productions and Robe’s PATT2013 fixtures hanging like planets over the crowds.

technology from Robe, but I loved the challenge and the learning curve. It was a brilliant opportunity for me to showcase what I can do on a big stage, and it goes without saying that I had amazing support from the incredible Hawthorn crew.”

Ring co-ordinated the project, appointing Green to design and operate, with Paul Bird as crew chief. Bird also programmed lighting for the atrium and the main space invader-esque main bar area, on an Avolites Tiger Touch II - utilising 12 of Robe’s brand new BMFL Wash Beams, 16 miniPointes and eight PATT2013’s.

The Robe VIP Area was lit with two VIVA profiles and more PicklePATTs on stands / trussing, providing a relaxed environment for guests to party the night away with - a scenario embraced with huge enthusiasm by attendees, allowing another great TPi Awards to carry on until 4am!

Ring commented: “I thought it looked great and was a brilliant event. It’s especially pleasing working with FIX8 to incorporate everything into a global concept, allowing the fixtures to interact with what was happening on the screens. The challenge is already there to make next year bigger and better - but that certainly won’t be easy!”

SONIC BOOM VME was again chosen to provide audio for the event, providing a Martin Audio MLA Compact system to strike a balance between filling the cavernous Evolution and complying with noise restrictions. The team of

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: Philips Vari-Lite injected colour and creativity into the dinner with the #createlight challenge. GLS Lighting was victorious with a Lemmy-inspired Motörhead bomber; Comedian Russell Kane hosted the awards for the second year running; Team TPi arrived in style aboard one of Vans For Bands’ luxury nine-seater splitters with DiGiCo’s David ‘Webby’ Webster and Shaun Clair of Clair Global in tow, escorted into the venue by Group One’s Jack Kelly.

seven went with the same left, centre, right configuration as has been used in previous years, with three flown arrays, five modules on outer hangs and two modules on a centre hang. Underpinning this setup were four MLX subwoofers per side and DD12 speaker cabinets for infill.

VME also supplied delay hangs of MLA Mini with MSX subwoofers, a Yamaha CL1 for control and Shure ULXD radio microphones for use on stage.

General Manager for VME, Ben Hyman explained: “The main brief for us was to achieve uniform coverage across the room. The night is almost exclusively spoken vocals that need to be clear at any position in the room. That said, the noise restrictions are always a concern due to the venue’s proximity to a zoo and the fact that it is a marquee, not a brick walled venue.”

A final factor for Hyman to consider was the prominence of the video screens in the production, which meant that the team had to do its best to avoid arrays interfering with sight lines.

He said: “The MLA Compact was an obvious choice. It’s a very compact system, quite literally, it’s very powerful, really intelligible and as a result we could maintain a low box count and keep the arrays small so that it didn’t interfere with sight lines to the video screens.”

All of the kit had to be rigged on the day of the event, which meant the team wouldn’t have time to take arrays up and down if the coverage was unsatisfactory. Again, MLA proved the solution to a problem.

“Using MLA meant that we could move coverage around without having to drop the system or physically adjust speaker cabinet

angles. The Martin Audio system techs Andy Davis and Nigel Meddemmen did a great job making sure everything was covered.”

As the crew had retained the show files from 2015, a great deal of the hard work was already done, from coverage to EQ, leaving plenty of time to fine tune the system.

Aside from the main room, the bar area was covered by a Kling & Freitag Sequenza 5 line array, comprising three cabinets pole-mounted on top of a Sequenza 10B subwoofer in each corner.

The system was processed and driven by the new Lab.Gruppen PLM+ 12K44 system amplifiers, with audio signal from the main room distributed over Dante to the bar area.

This system was used to relay audio from the main room during the ceremony and for a DJ set to accompany the after-show party.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: Robe supplied over 300 fixtures for the lighting rig whch was operated by Hawthorn; The event was celebrating its 15th birthday; A record number of guests - almost 1,400 international attendees - came to the event; Kane had the crowd in fits of giggles with his stand-up routine prior to the awards ceremony.

THE DARK SIDE 2016 was ShowTex’s first year supplying the TPi Awards - installing over 200 running metres of six-metre high black Molton drapes and creating two separate VIP rooms using the renewed EasyDrape pipe and drape system.

The flame retardant Molton drapes were used to create a flexible separation wall between the gala dinner and the after party.

The massive fabric wall also served as an acoustic curtain to eliminate reverberation and optimise sound conditions.

ShowTex’s Bo Bettens said: “The production team, the crew and the venue were a pleasure to work with! Everything was taken care of and, thanks to a couple of helping hands during the build, the installation of the draperies was done in no time. We had a fantastic evening and it was great to meet so many talented industry professionals from all over the world. The entire TPi organisation has done a tremendous job and we look forward to working together again next year!”

YOU KNOW HOW TO USE ONE OF THESE? To create the evening’s laser display, which enhanced the alien-led visual content, ER Productions specified four EX21 RGBB opsl scanning heads, two 30W RGBY opsl lasers and 17 of ER Productions’ Laserblades - a 30 channel DMX controllable RGB array laser fixture with 10 50

full rgb modules per unit. Nine of these fixtures were placed on the front truss, which created a ‘laser curtain’ over the stage along with eight (four per side) on the outer trusses.

The laser specialists also incorporated 18 of its Beam Burst RGB lasers to complete the rig, as well as six Look Solutions VIPER deLuxes and two Unique 2.1 hazers for atmospherics.

The team chose a High End Systems Hog 4 for control, making good use of the Pangolin Beyond and ArtNet systems.

While lasers at black tie dinners might not necessarily be the norm, the crew at ER relished the opportunity to demonstrate its expertise to the industry - all the while keeping on top of those all important health and safety conditions.

ER’s Project Manager, Andrew Turner, commented: “We base everything that we do on European legislation and we always have to adhere to that. But obviously we don’t want to make the show inappropriate for an audience sitting down to eat their food. Luckily this audience is full of lighting, audio and various industry professionals, so I’m sure they loved it!”

Another new name on the TPi Awards supplier list was Transition Video, having only been founded in November 2015. The company supplied seven crew, three Sony HXC-100 cameras and PPU, as well as a VER 4.8mm LED screen for the on-stage lectern.

Rhodri Shaw, Director of Transition Video

Limited, had an established working relationship with Esson from the former’s time at Video Design. The Transition crew was firing on all cylinders throughout the evening, capturing footage from two static positions at the back of the room and a handheld unit at the foot of the stage.

TROOP TRANSPORT For the second year running, Vans for Bands provided transportation for the awards ceremony, shuttling attendees from the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel & Spa to the Battersea Evolution in two of its luxury nine-seat splitter vans, complete with two drivers.

Company Director of Vans For Bands, Tarrant Anderson, said: “It was an obvious fit for us, and a great way to get lots of key players from the live touring industry into some of our top end vehicles. This year we were also nominated in the Favourite Bussing Company category, which was great.

“The night was a terrific chance to meet up with colleagues in the industry that you don’t see that often; old friends, and people you speak to on the phone but rarely see in person.

The venue is easy to get to and great for the event.”

Having initially become involved with the TPi Awards through previous Production Manager Liz Madden of NoNonsense Group, KB Event

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

KB Event once again provided trucking for the ceremony. Two of the company’s 45ft artics and an 18-tonne truck were supplied to haul and the wide variety of kit.

Andy Bell, Operations Director at KB Event, commented: “Battersea is one of the easier London corporate venues to get to and both the load in and load out were without issues. The suppliers we loaded from, the venue and the production team made this a very straightforward job for us, something you can’t always take for granted.

“We see it as a huge compliment to be asked to be part of the production of the TPi Awards; the whole thing was really well planned and executed, which is just how you want it to be when you have the eyes of the industry on you.”

ONWARDS TO THE SWEET 16 As is the case with many of his ilk, Esson is already thinking about how to push the boundaries further still for next year’s awards

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: TPi Awards 2016

Below: The 2016 Outstanding Contribution Award winner, Stageco’s Hedwig De Meyer.

- an event for which his services have already been retained. At the end of the night, during a swift moment of calm, Esson noted: “One of the good things with sponsors such as Robe and production suppliers like VME enhancing different areas of the show means that we get to try out new products. Being able to use new products as soon as they’re released rather than using them after everyone has had a go allows us to lead the way. Using the MLA system again this year for an awards dinner is a great example of that.”

He continued: “I always want to hear constructive criticism because I am quite hard on myself and I always want to look at ways to improve things. As of yet, all of the feedback has been amazing. The group of people we got

together from suppliers to the venue and, of course, all at Mondiale Publishing, home of TPi Magazine and Awards, cared hugely about the show going well. That’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed!

“Everybody seemed to be personally invested in the show and that certainly contributed to the success of the event.

“It’s been a pleasure working on and delivering a show to celebrate the event production industry. It’s rare these days to get nerves before a show, but looking at the guestlist in the room beforehand, the nerves definitely got to me - just as our our host Russell was about to come on stage!

“Despite this, through the sheer hard work, talent and dedication of the excellent

“Being acknowledged by one’s industry peers is one of the most satisfying experiences a professional can wish for, so I thank TPi Magazine and its readers for their kind support...”

Outstanding Contribution Award winner, Stageco’s Hedwig De Meyer

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suppliers we worked with, the passion, vision and support from all at TPi Magazine and Mondiale Publishing, we got through it and hopefully gave the 15th awards a celebration it deserved.”

TPi Photos: Tom Martin www.tpiawards.com www.vme-uk.com www.euroscreens.co.uk www.kbevent.com www.vansforbands.co.uk www.fix8group.com www.hawthorn.biz www.robe.cz www.er-productions.com www.transitionvideo.com

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

FOALS: THE MIDAS TOUCH INTELLIGENT INDIE ROYALTY, FOALS, ARE RENOWNED FOR TWO THINGS: DROPPING ADDICTIVE ALBUMS AND DELIVERING STUNNING GUITAR-DRIVEN LIVE PERFORMANCES THAT LEAVE CRITICS IN NO DOUBT OF THEIR MUSICIANSHIP. UNDER THE WING OF NEW PRODUCTION MANAGER, MARK JONES, THE BAND AND THEIR ROAD CREW STEP UP TO ENGAGE THE NATION’S ARENA CROWDS WITH IMPRESSIVE EFFECT. TPi’s KELLY MURRAY SAW THE SHOW IN ACTION. Production Manager Mark Jones is the newest member of Foals’ touring crew.

Considering his brief time with the band so far - 2.5 months at the time of interview he’s remarkably calm and inviting.

He said: “I started out working in studios as an engineer and then moved into mixing live shows. Over the years I gradually drifted into the role of a production manager, which is what I primarily work as now, occasionally taking on tour manager work.

“Over the last few months, the band were looking for a production manager and I was contacted by Q Prime, Foals’ management company. Most of the suppliers on this tour are the same ones I would normally use, however it’s my first time working with both Lite Alternative and ER Productions but I’m very pleased with their service, crew and gear.

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“Putting the tour together was challenging, primarily because of time constraints over the Christmas period. I started work on this in early December, when Maarten Cobbaut came back as their tour manager. Thankfully our LD Davy Sherwin put together a show design that ensured a reasonable and smooth transition from inception to live shows, and Michael Oates deserves a special mention too for helping to ensure that everything on the lighting side came together so well,” he added.

With bussing provided by Beat the Street and trucking from Fly By Nite, the tour moved into the Backstage Centre for production rehearsals.

As they were on tour in Europe, only two full days were spent programming. The third and final day culminated in full technical rehearsals, during which the band reviewed content and finalised the look.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Opposite: Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis is heavily involved with the tour’s design concepts, which often involve laser displays. Below: FOH Engineer Nigel Pepper opted to use a new Midas PROX desk from sound vendor, Skan PA, which also supplied a Midas PRO9 for monitor control and a d&b audiotechnik J Series PA rig.

FOH AUDIO Audio supplier Skan PA has provided the tour’s sound requirements, which includes a Midas control package and d&b audiotechnik J Series system. Nigel Pepper, FOH Engineer is using a Midas PRO9 desk, and commented: “I basically cut my teeth on Midas consoles. I like the feel and instant input result that you get from an analog desk. To me, when you turn a knob on a PRO series, you can instantly hear what it’s doing. Like all digital desks, they have their

quirks but I’m used to it now!”

Monitor Tech and System Designer Ben Sliwinski of Skan PA added: “I think they’re great, personally; very user-friendly. They take a fair bit of programming and its not a mixing desk you could walk up and mix on. You need to sit down and have a bit of time on them.

They’re a lot faster to access certain parts of it you can custom parts. It does take a bit of time to get your head around it.”

Continued Pepper: “Foals live is a very

different animal to the recorded band, their live sound is very raw and energetic with way more muscles! With Foals what you see is what you get; it’s all live. My priority is to try and pay attention to the dynamic of the band, especially the guitars. They go from quite, math rock single string picking to huge distorted rock riffs.

To keep it big and full sounding all the time can be challenging.”

The J Series is also a familiar sound for Pepper. He continued: “We’re very lucky these

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Below: The band’s new material What Went Down has a more electronic feel than their earlier works, and allowed for a different visual concept to take place.

days, there are a lot of really good systems out there that are capable of giving good results but I’m very used to working with the J Series. When your ears get used to how a system reacts to a room, you know instinctively what to do with it and how to make it sound how you’d like it to. More important than the system however, is the crew and support behind it, and with Skan crew comes a wealth of experience which always shows.”

The sound system, designed by Sliwinski, who works alongside Scott Essen, comprises 18 boxes per side on the main hang and 10 boxes per side hang. There are four flown J-Infra subs aside, and 16 J-SUBs (a block of eight, stacked two high) across the front of the stage.

The system uses d&b audiotechnik D80 amplifiers. Said Sliwinski: “Because we work in these venues so much we know what’s needed to cover the space adequately.

We try to specify the PA and tune it for the band’s content. Clarity is the most important thing with Foals, and to keep it all coherent. We’ve worked with this band for quite a long time and we know what they want and what the people who come to watch them want to hear.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to tour with a lot of acts but this is by far my favourite gig to do. The band are lovely and you have to have a lot of respect for a band who don’t make it feel like a band / crew relationship.

Ultimately, they’re in charge but they would never make you feel uncomfortable around them. It’s just a good vibe,” he concluded.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Below: The band told to the crowd how special it is for them to be touring arenas.

MONITOR WORLD Also making use of the Midas legacy is Monitor Engineer Steve Murray, who has been mixing the band since 2010.”I was previously using a PRO2 but I filled it up quickly, I wanted to try the PROX - which is effectively the PRO10 - and Skan provided one for me, which was great because there’s not very many in the UK. I’m not using anywhere near what I could with its capabilities but I think Midas desks sound great.

They make the most sense for the way I work

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because they sound very analogue. The PROX has some fantastic features. It takes the PRO9 to a whole new user-friendly level, especially for monitor engineers. It has so many facilities!” said Murray.

Monitor tech Onno Omes added: “The PRO X has been very well-behaved. It’s steady going and it sounds good. The layout of the board is the same as a PRO9 with refurbished the software. The outer frame is still the same but there’s a new brain inside it.”

When Murray joined the crew six years ago, the band were all on wedges and have since all transferred to in-ears. He continued: “They still love it loud. Yannis, the lead singer especially likes to feel the big rock sound, so he’ll take his in-ears out if he goes into the crowd, which he tends to.” The Sennhesier endorsed band has recently upgraded their in-ear package to the new Sennheiser 2050 transmitters. They each wear Ultimate Ears UE11 molds. “I’m mixing the ambience constantly for Yannis, only a decibel

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Below: Show Designer and LD Davy Sherwin specified a High End Systems Road Hog Full Boar console to operate the show.

here or there, he knows exactly what he wants and is constantly signalling to me.”

Murray is mixing six d&b audiotechnik M2’s, plus side fills. “A lot of the arenas are sold out, and there are seats filling the near edges of the stage. To deal with this I specified a d&b V Series system for side fill, so as not to interrupt sightlines, on the downstage edge, and we have two V8’s in line with the downstage guitarist.

The band still challenge me, and I don’t think they’d be unhappy with me saying that they’re not an easy band to mix monitors for - they’re very talented, they’re perfectionists.”

SHOW DESIGN Show Designer Davy Sherwin has been creating lighting concepts for Foals since 2010, with this being his fourth album cycle. During the past six years, the shows have altered dramatically. Speaking of his latest design, he said: “This album is quite different to their earlier music, which is interesting for me as a designer because it doesn’t have the same vibe or structure to their other works. The band are quite into the visual side of the shows, so when I offer up a design, they know exactly how they feel about it. We wanted it to look quite simple this time around.

“The brief was to make a symmetrical look, with large colour blocks and strong, straight lines. The band really liked the design and were happy it turned out in real life just as they had expected from the concept

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Below: The video element of the design saw five individual screens move into various positions on a Kinesys automation system throughout the show, creating various looks alongside the laser displays and smoke effects.

talks. They give me helpful notes because they know what they want from the show - they go through the designs very thoroughly.”

Lite Alternative supplied 20 Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profiles, 20 Martin MAC Quantum LED Washes, 11 Martin MAC Aura LED Washes, 28 Ayrton Magic Blades, 10 Philips Colorkinetics ColorBlaze LED batons, 41 SGM X5 LED Strobes, four Martin JEM AF1 DMX fans, 12 8-lite JTE molefays and four Robert Juliat Flo followspots. Avolites ART2000’s were chosen for dimmers.

For operation, Sherwin has opted for a

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High End Systems Whole Hog Full Boar desk, a product he has a long history with: “Hogs are what I started using at the beginning of my career. Back then I was on a Hog 3 and I liked the simplicity of it. These desks do everything I need them to do really quickly. I’ve moved on to the Whole Hog Full Boar now, which is much more powerful. I’m really happy with how it’s working out.”

Lite Alternative also supplied rigging equipment, including various Litec truss pieces and CM Loadstar motors. Sherwin said: “This is the first time I’ve used Lite Alternative. They

had exactly what I needed for my rig. We didn’t need to sub anything in at all, which always helps with touring budgets! I’d heard a lot of good things about them, and had other LDs recommend using them. I’ve been really impressed with the service so far.”

Video Director Ritchie Stembridge was brought onto the tour by Sherwin in order to complete the challenge of directing video without the use of IMAG and with a minimal camera crew - a challenge he gladly accepted.

He said: “Because there’s no IMAG in the final show design, we really had to justify the

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

Below: Davy Sherwin created a show design that incorporated LED video pods, laser displays, plus a lighting rig from Lite Alternative - a company he’d chosen upon reccomendations from other LDs.

use of LED instead.” The prominent LED includes five individual ‘pods’ that move up and down throughout the show on a Kinesys automation system - supplied by Lite Alternative.

He continued: “The automation starts in the roof, when the video panels are flattened and tilted, and then slowly they are introduced as the show goes on. They become a big part of the show and we use them as big set pieces because they’re so flexible. We fire light through them, show camera images and visual content appears on them during some songs too,”

Stembridge is creating an incredible 64 Catalyst layers for this tour, which enable the use of specific effects on the LED pods at different points during the show.

PRG XL Video also supplied a nine-camera package that comprised five Bradley Engineering Robo HD Camballs and four GNAT HD Mini Cams. Stembridge continued: “The challenge is trying to get all of the video content on five screens and make it look amazing despite being restricted by robots which are filming the band that moves around the stage a lot.

“The band are quite into the visual side of the shows, so when I offer up a design, they know exactly how they feel about it...”

Show Designer Davy Sherwin

added Stembridge. The flown pods are made out of the ROE Radiant MC18 Hybrid video / lighting product which is also used upstage and onstage. LED elements are enhanced by eight one-metre and seven 320mm Martin by Harman VDO Sceptron 10 bars.

To control the video crew use a Panasonic 450 PPU HD Production Switcher and two Mac Pro Catalyst media servers - main and backup - which run from a Hog Full Boar console.

68

If every camera was manned it wouldn’t be a problem but the use of robots has meant a lot of programming to work around. It’s been a lot of work but luckily we’ve done this kind of thing before!”

Although his skill can’t be underestimated, with this in mind, Stembridge is convinced that his video vendor came out of top: “I’ve used PRG XL Video as a production designer myself, and I find that they’re the only company I use

that can deal really well with anything custom or unusual. They’ve pulled out all of the stops.”

The company also supplied an 8-way fibre system with control and PPU desk, which was situated at FOH. LASERS James Michael Redmond, Laser Technician from supplier ER Productions explained the special effects and laser looks within the design: “We’ve placed Laserblades around the video pods, which makes a laser beam grid - it’s a very striking effect. There’s a lot of smoke and effects during the show, and the lasers are used in the heavier, rocky numbers. The band has used lasers in their shows for the past four years, progressively more so to the point where they’re a big part of the look now.”

In total, ER Productions supplied four Tripan scanning lasers, 20 new Laserblades, four Viper deLuxe smoke machines and two Unique hazers from Look Solutions. Operating with Pangolin Beyond and FB4 controllers, Redmond noted: “Pangolin is a very stable product, I know I can rely on it for arena touring.”

For the tour’s daily health and safety checks, Redmond works in with in-house safety officers at every venue. He commented: “When working with non-standard equipment like lasers, safety is paramount. In the unlikely event that a technical fault occurs, we ensure there is absolutely no way a rogue laser could endanger crew, audience or the band by installing our proprietary, custom designed emergency stops

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Foals

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on all jobs. E-Stops are controlled FOH where I operate and if I’m ever unsure, the lasers won’t be triggered.”

Having enjoyed lasers as part of their shows for some time, Redmond enthused that Foals are quite vocal in their appreciation of the laser looks. “It’s nice to get feedback from the band and know that they’re actually interested in what we’re doing. The lasers have their own time and space during the show itself, so it’s nice that each department is able to work together without crowding each other - I think this design looks great.” The show was pre-programmed at ER Production’s HQ using Capture.

Show Designer Davy Sherwin concluded: “I have to say that I received great service and support from both PRG XL Video and ER Productions. And our Project Manager Mike Oates has been outstanding - as always.”

CATERING Popcorn’s Head Chef Simon Reynor is now on his third tour with Foals. He said: “The band are really good lads, they’re what I call ‘easy riders’ because they’re never demanding. There’s a fair amount of specific food they like to have access to but they’re easy to look after because they’re not too specific and they’re very grateful.

They’re one of my favourite bands anyway, so getting to cook for them is a good gig!”

“At lunchtimes we keep things colourful and light. Then in the evening we’re feeding 55 people at the height of our dinner servings.

We’ll make a selection such as cottage pie - which the driving department love - a fish dish for the healthy option and for our six vegetarians we make lots of tasty and interesting dishes. “ While cooking up a storm for a band you’re a fan of might seem like a dream job for most chefs, working in a mobile, travelling kitchen is probably never the dream when you’re at catering college. So how did Reynor find himself in this position? “You need to be able to adapt to any environment, and cook in it! A lot of chefs potentially wouldn’t enjoy touring as it isn’t structured the way most kitchens are.

You do have to make it up as you go along sometimes, adapt and conquer!”

TPi Photos: Dave Stewart and Mark Forrer www.foals.co.uk www.beatthestreet.net www.er-productions.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.skanpa.co.uk www.lite-alternative.com www.xlvideo.com/uk www.popcorncatering.com http://thebackstagecentre.com

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

SLIPKNOT: MASKED MAJESTY ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST METAL BANDS IN THE WORLD, IOWA NINE-PIECE SLIPKNOT ONCE AGAIN HIT THE UK FOR A WHIRLWIND TOUR OFFERING THEIR BRITISH MAGGOTS (AN AFFECTIONATE TERM FOR THEIR FANS) A NEW VISUAL FEAST THAT OPTED TO PUSH VIDEO CONTENT TO COINCIDE WITH THE BAND’S FAMOUSLY CHAOTIC LIVE SHOW. TPi’S STEW HUME SAW THE BAND’S LONDON PERFORMANCE...

I should probably lay my cards on the table.

Since my early teenage years Slipknot has been one of my favourite bands; after all, what says rebellion more than nine men playing incredibly heavy music, wearing terrifying masks and performing a deathdefying live show? As you can imagine, heading to Alexandra Palace for their headline show, my inner 14-year-old was fairly giddy with anticipation. So when lead singer of the masked nine, Corey Taylor, walked into the production office to grab a coffee, I nearly fell off my chair. However you will be glad to hear that I managed to compose myself and stutter the words: “How are you doing man?” At least I can tick that one famous run-in off the bucket list.

It has only been a year since Slipknot last 74

toured the UK with their Prepare for Hell spectacular in support of the 2014 release .5: The Gray Chapter, the fifth album from the Iowa-based metal act. A year on and the band has brought a fresh show to the UK. In the venue a couple of hours before doors, TPi met the men and women who brave the road with the ‘Knot’.

STEP INSIDE Heading up the tour is Production Manager Jordan Coopersmith. Having already worked with other metal acts Avenged Sevenfold not to mention Corey Taylor and Jim Root’s [Slipknot’s guitarist] other band Stone Sour, Coopersmith was already familiar with the band’s management. He talked about his time with the band so far: “It has been fantastic.

Even before I came to work for the band I

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Opposite: Slipknot were back in the UK with a whole new spectacle for their European fans; Vocalist Corey Taylor had a flick through TPi’s January edition. Below: Mick Thomson and his devilish mask; Production Manager Jordan Coopersmith brought order to the Slipknot chaos; Production Assistant Marvin Torres came along for the ride with Coopersmith; Taylor, fully masked-up and ready to terrorise his fans.

knew a fair few of the Slipknot crew, so when the job was presented to me it made it really appealing. There were also a few openings on the crew that meant that I could bring in some people I was familiar working with. So from the start it has been a very comfortable working environment.” One such addition included Coopersmith’s Production Assistant Marvin Torres, who has worked with Coopersmith for some time. “I knew it was going to be a little crazy on tour with Slipknot and I can safely say there has never been a dull moment!” he stated.

NO PYRO BUT STILL GOT THE FIRE First thing on the agenda to discuss with Coopersmith was the change in set design.

Known for their incredibly ferocious live shows, Slipknot’s usual antics of jumping off ramps and hanging from percussion kits have more often than not gone hand-in-hand with a healthy dose of pyrotechnics. However on this tour, the band’s show has undergone a transformation, swapping out fire for a new video element.

“The changes to the show started to be discussed around September last year when I got given the dates for this tour,” explained Coopersmith. “As the band had already brought

the tour through the UK and Europe, it was decided that they would try something new on this run.” Coopersmith also explained their hand was somewhat forced as some of the venues they were due to play are not ‘propane friendly’; an issue for the traditional Slipknot show. “We had a meeting with all the guys in early December while at Knotfest in Mexico and discussed the idea of not carrying pyro to give a fresh show to return customers.”

Enter Production Designer, Trevor Ahlstrand of Ahlstrand Productions. With the band’s production wanting to make such dramatic changes, Ahlstrand was brought back in to add his creative touch to the new look. Coopersmith explained: “Prior to this point we had not had to bring Trevor back in as any changes we had to make over the last year were done by our Lighting Director, Gregory Kocurek.”

The PM admited that he was more than a bit nervous about making so many changes in such a short space of time. “It was a little frightening.

We were making all these decisions around the holidays when a lot of places were closed and we had to be in the rehearsal facility in Espoo, Finland by January. But Trevor really killed it!”

According to Coopersmith, video was always

something the band had wanted to experiment with, however it had never worked out either aesthetically or financially.

Ahlstrand talked about how the indoctrination of video took place. “With the last tour I worked on a lot of asymmetrical lighting. However, with the video wall it had to be the main focus and we worked around that.”

One member of the band who was particularly interested in the introduction of video elements was Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan. The percussionist and co-founder of the band has often been cited as one of the dominant creative forces in the group, directing many of Slipknot’s music videos as well as various side projects such as his photographic book The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey. “Clown was definitely involved in the creation of video content,” stated Ahlstrand.

“One of the key things that he brought to the table was his huge selection of his own art and photos as well as some short video clips. We took a lot of that content and manipulated and blended it, which worked out really well. Along with some of Clown’s pieces we added some stock content, which was also manipulated. We also used short clips from some of the band’s music videos for certain songs.” He explained 75

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Below: Carpenter, Rick Ortega, James ‘Chief’ Yepa and Jason Berry; Michael ‘Knuckles’ Dunn, Tour Rigger; Steven ‘Waffles’ Lemahieu, Video Crew Chief; Gregory ‘Lil G’ Kocurek, Slipknot’s Lighting Designer; Jacob Raggio, the band’s long serving Stage Manager; Sean Kane, PA and Drum Tech for Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan.

what it had been like working with Clown: “It has been an interesting experience. Clown is certainly very hands-on compared to other artists I’ve had the opportunity of working with. He knows the style he wants and it’s very interesting to be able to get in his head every now and then.”

Supplying the video elements for the tour was PRG XL Video. Steven ‘Waffles’ Lemahieu, Video Crew Chief, talked through the products in use. “We are using the ROE Radiant MC-7H along with the PRG Mbox media server.” The screen played content throughout the show as well as streaming footage of the crowd, via wireless camera during the band’s last song Spit It Out.” “From day one of adding the video we have had a great response,” stated Ahlstrand.

“Overall it’s a very different feel to the show but I think that it’s a nice change. As we head into another year and they are on the same album cycle it’s nice to change things up a little and bring a fresh energy to the stage.”

DUALITY OF LIGHTS AND VIDEO Ahlstrand explained his lighting design for the show. “As we didn’t have any video at the time I was working on the lighting design, not much was altered by the time the screen’s content was sent through. Then I tried to match the video content palette and feel of the lighting and if there was an important video part I tried to back it with brighter lighting. Likewise if the lighting was very saturated and dark I tried to keep the video elements really negative and held back.”

Gregory ‘Lil G’ Kocurek, operated the show.

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Lil G has been involved with the band since October 2014 after Ahlstrad suggested him for the tour. “It’s really pounding!” stated the LD when describing the look of the show. “It’s a real ‘melt your face’ look. Be ready because its coming at you full force!”

As well as the video elements, PRG XL Video supplied lighting fixtures and control, along with four lighting technicians. For Lil G this was a trip down memory lane; he used be a tech for PRG

background and effects during those cues but there are also a lot of manual cues that I hit during the show so it’s important that I am always in-sync with the band because there is always a little variation from night to night.”

“The majority of the rig is Martin by Harman Viper AirFX, 56 in total, which are all flown. On the front truss we are also using 14 PRG Bestboy Washes.” On the floor were 12 Clay Paky Mythos, four Philips Colour Kinetics Colorblaze

“It’s really pounding! It’s a real ‘melt your face’ look. Be ready because its coming at you full force!”

Lighting Director, Gregory ‘Lil G’ Kocurek

several years ago when the company was called Lighting and Sound Design. He continued: “I have not really used them during my career as a designer but the PRG folks have been amazing on this tour and their crew are really great. They have made my life much easier.”

Starting with control, Lil G explained why the MA Lighting’s grandMA2 Light was his preference to launch video content for the show as well as to control lighting. “The functionality is one of the things I find so appealing about the grandMA2 as well as its ease of use, and the processing speed is much faster than most.”

During the show Lil G wears IEMs to make sure he is in time with the band. “Everything you see happens because I’m hitting the go button.

There are a lot of triggered sequences in the

72’s and 10 Chroma Q Colour Force 12’s. There were also 33 James Thomas Engineering 2-Lite Blinders and 137 LED-RGB Globes with 60 on the floor and 137 in the air.

NUTS AND BOLTS Rigging responsibilities fell into the capable hands of Michael ‘Knuckles’ Dunn. “I have been with Slipknot since July 2015,” stated Knuckles.

“Jordan, our Production Manager, brought me in as their last tour rigger had to go and work another job.” On the tour Knuckles used 12 local riggers to aid him with his 50 point truss.

“It’s not particularly heavy this tour, being only around 25 tonnes and there is never much issue working out how to get it into most venues. The only change we made during this tour was in

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Below: As promised by Stage Manager, Jacob Raggio, the fans could still expect DJ Sid Wilson to jump off all the stage platforms; All three vocalists used wireless Audio-Technica AEW-T6100 handheld microphones.

Cardiff which had to be altered due to its lower ceiling.” Rigging was supplied by PRG XL Video and comprised of nine Loadguard LG10 onetonne motors along with five Lodestar D8 twotonne motors. “I have worked with PRG before and never had an issue,” concluded Knuckles.

Down on the ground, TPi caught up with the tour’s three set carpenters, Rick Ortega, James ‘Chief’ Yepa and Jason Berry. All three had been with the band for varying periods, from Ortega who had only been with Slipknot for one month to Chief, who has worked with them for 11 years.

As the veteran of the band, Chief explained what changes had been made on this tour. “For the last Prepare for Hell tour we had what we called ‘the portal’, which had mirrored images creating a vortex in the center of the stage as well as the massive goat head. Those have been taken away for this tour, but in terms of ramps and staging it is pretty similar.”

Regarding the load in for a Slipknot tour, the three men explain that they have got it down to a fine art. “We stick together and knock everything out,” stated Berry. “Like every tour, once Knuckles gets the truss in the air, we then build our truss from down stage and then work everything else out from that to the middle.”

Chief added: “It all comes together really easily as all the cogs fall into place.” The staging itself was designed by Ahlstrand and manufactured 78

by California-based Gallagher Staging and Productions.

KEEPING IT GOING There are some within the industry who would be slightly apprehensive of stage managing a band such as Slipknot but according to Jacob Raggio, who has been with the group since 2008, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s definitely variable compared to some other bands. Pre-show, the job is fairly standard but it’s when they start playing that you notice the difference because all nine of the guys really go for it; it’s a real show. One of the big omissions for this tour is the lack of pyro and some may say that it could take away from the performance but this tour is really just about the musicians. I personally don’t think it takes anything away as far as the performance goes.”

Raggio reassured TPi that the fans can still expect the usual Slipknot show. “Sid (Wilson, the band DJ) still runs around the set and jumps off things and both our percussion players [Chris Fehn and Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan] still have hydraulics on their kits causing them to be lifted several ft in the air.”

While talking about the drum section of the band, Raggio commented that the kit often create the biggest challenge of his day: “For starters, none of the drum kits are ever able to be shipped. They always have to be

flown in as they don’t fit in regular containers and they often don’t fit through venue doors, especially in the UK.” This means that Raggio has to be pretty creative with how to get the three kits into the venue, as well as the trucks that transport them… but more on that later.

Despite some of the issues they cause however, Raggio stated it’s more than worth the bother: “They look great! And from a safety standpoint there are fewer points of failure as we are not assembling them every day,” he said. This ability to be able to adapt to issues is something that the stage manager is particularly proud of. “The biggest part of my role is to put yourself in everyone else’s shoes and be patient. I always say, in this role you are never going to please all departments on the same day, but everyone has to look at the big picture. If you can’t roll with the punches you are not going to last an album cycle with Slipknot!”

While only mere metres away from one of the large percussion drum sets, it seemed right to grab a word with Sean Kane, Drum Tech and PA for Clown. “The percussion pieces are basically shells with kits inside them. They are real drums that have to be tuned as well as setting up the beer kegs, which both musicians use for percussion during certain songs.”

As well as catering for the drums, Kane is also responsible for lifting the musician up in the air via a hydraulic system. During the Prepare for

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Below: Dave ‘Shirt’ Nicholls, FOH Engineer; Rob Lighter, Monitor Engineer. Both used Midas PRO9’s, supplied by SSE.

Hell tour the band looked into using automation to lift the drums but for this run they decided to revert back to the same hydraulic system used in previous tours. It’s clear that being a percussion technician for Slipknot is more hands-on than your regular tour. Kane explained: “As well as manning the hydraulic system, I never know when a baseball bat may come flying my way. I also have to constantly throw a microphone to Clown. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though.

He really is a great man to work for.”

uses in-ears, and there are also certain signals and samples that both the guitarists always want to hear. For example in the beginning of Eyeless, Mick [Thomson, stage left guitarist] wants to hear the DJ intro so he can lock into the song. It basically comes down to chasing a lot of cues.” With nine musicians on stage and several moving parts it is quite the undertaking for the monitor engineer, but in his own words: “We have it pretty locked down.”

He continued: “To be honest we never

“In the day, before the show, there is always something to fix. It’s safe to say these guys are not very gentle with any equipment!”

Monitor Engineer, Rob Lighter

I’M HEARING VOICES At monitor world TPi met Rob Lightner. “They are a great band to work for and they take great care of us out on the road. However they do put us through the fire. There’s certainly never a dull moment!” he joked.

Audio requirements were supplied by SSE Audio Group. For monitor control the company supplied Lightner with a Midas PRO9, his usual go-to from this position. “The console is really great for us and everyone is really happy with how it sounds. It’s the closest thing to analogue that we have been able to achieve in our opinion. There are plenty of good options out there but this is what works for us.” This was the first time Lightner had ever worked with SSE as vendor. He stated: “They are a great company that provides us with everything we need. All the equipment is well-packaged, which is always helpful.”

Lightner explained what it was like to control monitors amidst the chaos of a Slipknot show.

“I have a lot of cues throughout the show and I always have to watch the guitarists as they walk from side to side. Neither of the guitar players 80

have too many issues other than somebody stepping on the wedge plug and cutting out the mix. When that happens it’s just a process of elimination to solve the problem. In the day, before the show, there is always something to fix. It’s safe to say these guys are not very gentle with any equipment!”

Other than the two guitarists and DJ, the remaining six members of the band are on IEMs, using Shure PSM 1000 transmitters. Along with crew, Lightner manages 12 channels of in-ears.

For vocal microphones there are two channels for each vocalist - six in total. “The band are known for throwing the mics around but this means that every now and then one will get lost under the set in the mayhem of the show. Right by my desk I have this switcher system created

by Rat Sound Systems. The ones we have were the first ever made; serial numbers one, two and three. We have had them for a while and they are fantastic. There is no popping or clicking when you switch between the two channels.”

For vocal microphones the production used wireless Audio-Technica AEW-T6100. Lightner manages another 12 channels of wireless for

both percussion kits and two marching snares.

“With so many moving parts on the percussion front, wireless microphones are the only way to go.”

Altogether the monitor engineer is working with a total of 38 wireless channels. He explained: “Every day I have to coordinate between all the in-ear frequencies, vocal and percussion microphones and all the techs with their instrument wireless transmitters.” Finally, Lightner talked us through his wedge and side fill set up, which included 12 d&b audiotechnik M2’s as well as four L-Acoustics SB28 sub bass cabinets and four L-Acoustics ARCS II Cabinets.

SPIT IT OUT At the helm of Slipknot’s main house mix was FOH Engineer, and one of the longest serving members of the bands crew, Dave ‘Shirt’ Nicholls. The engineer has been with the band for 12 years, joining them at the end of their second album cycle. After such a long time with the Knot there are few that understand what it is like to work for one of the most energetic bands of the last two decades better. “They are all great lads to work for. On a long tour things can easily get boring but with these guys it is always interesting.”

For this tour SSE supplied Nicholls with a Midas PRO9, which he requested having been a long time fan of the analogue XL4.

“I’ve tried just about every digital console out there and for me the Midas PRO series is the one that sounds most like an XL4. I’m not a fan of touchscreens so I like the way the PRO9 operates and is configured.”

Nicholls explained what it was like to mix a Slipknot show. “The first thing with Slipknot is that there are no clicks or backing tracks.

Everything you hear is played by the band, which keeps me really busy as I have to work with 56 channels. There are a lot of parts throughout the set that are essential to each song. It might be a scratch from Sid or a sample from Craig [Jones, the band’s samplist] that people might not even be aware of until it

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Below: Guitarist Jim Root crouches low as the bands famous hydraulic percussion kits ascend to the rafters; Lead truck driver, Graham ‘Chop’ Hollins talks through some of the challenges in getting Slipknot from A to B; Erin Masuda, Backstage Coordinator, Eat To The Beat’s Rose Ellis, David Lesh and Ian Tomblin kept the crew fed on this short UK run.

disappears from the mix. If you’re a Slipknot fan you come to a show and want to hear the parts from your favourite member and it’s my job to make sure you do.” Nicholls noted that he tried his best to keep the vibe of some of the tracks as they appeared on record. “For example, during one of their new tracks, The Devil in I, the song is mixed through a phaser. I can never replicate it exactly live but I use delays on Corey’s vocals to try and replicate the feel.”

The PA was an L-Acoustics K1 rig with main L-R hangs of 12 L-Acoustics K1 per side with underhangs of four K2 cabinets. Eight L-Acoustics K1 SB28 were also flown directly behind the main L-R hangs while 24 SB28 subs were ground-stacked across the front of the stage. “We always go for L-Acoustics,” explained Nicoholls. “For me this is the best sounding speaker available today. I always say I’m a fan of brown boxes (L-Acoustics) and blue consoles (Midas). I’ve used a variety of systems and had noticed some were compressing the sound from the moment they were powered on.

I really liked VDOSC and the K-Series is a step up again from that. The boxes reproduce cleanly and evenly across the spectrum.”

Speaking about his experience with SSE Audio Group, Nicholls reflected: “SSE are my 82

‘go-to’ sound company. The equipment is always excellent, right down to the way they package everything. Also we have had SSE’s James Baptie [System Tech] out with us on this tour who has been a pleasure to work with.”

WAKE.COOK.FEED.REPEAT Helping out with the day-to-day running of the backstage area was Erin Masuda, the band’s Backstage Coordinator. Starting out with the band last April, Masuda’s role ranged from organising dressing room space, the band’s rider as well as helping keeping Slipknot’s famous costumes from falling apart at the seams. “With nine guys in the band there is always a need for an extra pair of hands backstage. I know that many people see them as big scary rock stars but they really are a great bunch of guys, as are the rest of the crew.” Masuda admitted that, before she started with Slipknot, she didn’t realise just how big the group was, but said that the whole experience has been refreshing.

A question that had to be asked was whether she personally helped with the band’s masks, which have become synonymous with their image. “To be honest the guys are pretty hands on with their own repairs on their masks. Only every now and then I will be asked to buy some

supplies so they can make their DIY repairs.”

Keeping the tour fed on this UK run was Eat To The Beat. This was not the first time the UK catering company has worked with Slipknot: “We are happy to be back,” stated Richard Huggins, Crew Chief of Catering for the tour.

“It’s busy on this run as we are feeding 100 for dinner as well as 45 for breakfast and 70 for lunch. But the Slipknot guys are easy to cook for with no dietary requirements.” Helping Huggins out on this tour was Ian Tomblin, David Lesh and Rose Ellis Finally, getting the band, crew and equipment from A to B were two TPi Award winning companies, Fly By Nite and Beat The Street. Speaking to Fly By Nite’s lead truck driver, Graham ‘Chop’ Hollins, he talked us through some of the challenges with transporting the band’s show: “For this tour we have nine production trucks and one merchandise truck.

The show itself is quite simple to load in and out. The only issue is the band’s three drum kits. We need to have a specific trailer that is just wide enough to hold the risers. All three kits stay on the risers and are loaded as they are onto the trucks. I had to assign a driver with that specific load as they needed to know the procedure to make sure all the pieces are secure

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Slipknot

Below: Once again, Slipknot proved why they are one of the most famous metal bands in the world; 17 years on from the band’s debut album and they are still playing as hard as ever with their drum kit circus in tow.

in transit.” Transporting all the crew on this tour was Beat The Street which supplied band and crew busses.

EVERYTHING ENDS Standing at FOH during Slipknot’s performance certainly was a surreal experience. Instead of taking up my usual place among the indistinguishable rabble, I was in the centre of the chaos, surrounded by the ocean of long hair, banging in motion to every song. However,

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standing back and truly taking in all the visual work that was done on the show giving me a new perspective on the band.

After leaving Alexandra Palace, one thing thing that I took away after spending the day with Slipknot’s crew was the knowledge that the band is surrounded by an incredibly dedicated team who are willing to do anything to ensure that the fans get to hear their “National, Fucking, anthem!”

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Photos: Strati Hovartos www.stratihov.com www.slipknot1.com www.ahlstrandproductions.com www.prg.com www.xlvideo.com/uk/ www.gallagherstaging.com www.sseaudiogroup.com www.eattothebeat.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.beatthestreet.net

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

ALL TIME LOW AMERICAN POP PUNK BAND ALL TIME LOW RECENTLY SECURED A NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN THE UK WITH THE RELEASE OF THEIR SIXTH STUDIO EFFORT, FUTURE HEARTS, WHICH IN TURN DICTATED THE DEMAND FOR ANOTHER UK TOUR. IN FEBRUARY 2016, THE BAND’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED LIVE SHOWS PROVED TO BE ANOTHER SUCCESS FOR THE BALTIMORE QUARTET, WHEN THEIR FIVE-DATE BACK TO THE FUTURE HEARTS TOUR ALLOWED THEIR TALENTED CREW TO PRODUCE ANOTHER STAND-OUT ARENA PRODUCTION. TPi’S KELLY MURRAY REPORTS...

Production Manager Daniel Nickleski has worked with All Time Low for six years, having started their touring union as the band’s monitor engineer. As a close friendship ensued, he later became their tour manger and eventually turned his hand to a dual production management / monitor engineer role. But as the band’s popularity showed no signs of slowing down he stepped into the production office full time.

“It made sense for me to jump into the PM role because I know all the different aspects of their production but as the band kept growing, I couldn’t continue to do both,” he explained.

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PRE PRODUCTION Nickleski’s familiarity and ease with a production of this level stems from running his own rental company, Sound Works Productions in Chicago.

In terms of choosing the suppliers for the band’s biggest headline arena tour to date, he opted for companies that he either knew previously or had strong recommendation of. “We’ve been with our lighting supplier Zig Zag for some time now. We like how each other work. I’d come across BPM very briefly; I worked with them at the BBC Radio One Teen Awards last year, which was very last minute - we were thrown onto it!

They did a great job with the pyrotechnics so I wanted to use them again. Our sound vendor

Adlib has been on-board for two years and we have a really good relationship with them.

We’ve been using Fly By Nite trucking for six years, and they’re great. They actually store our backline for us. Beat The Street are the best buses you can get when you’re living on the road, and Eat To The Beat are a favourite with a lot of the crew, so I’m very happy with who we have on tour with us. Our freighting is from Rock-It Cargo who are great, I’ve never had a problem with them.

He continued: “Relationships are the reason I use all the same companies. This has to be done right the first time, there’s no room to mess up.

Before the tour began we had a couple of full

PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Opposite and below: The band performed at a five-date arena run of the UK.

production rehearsals at Millennium Studios in the UK, and that went really well.”

Stage Manager Rob Highcroft first worked with All Time Low in February 2015, when he was production managing that tour’s co-headliner, You Me At Six. He explained: “That tour was a huge success on a production level with both bands getting two totally different shows on the same night with what was essentially the same kit. It worked out so well that Daniel wanted to give me a shot at working with them to ensure we achieved the same level of success for their solo headline tour.

“My job role crosses many different lines with all of the acts I work with, a common one being the PM / TM combination, but I get so involved in all my tours that I like to be integrated in all aspects of production. It’s nice to be able to get experience of all the roles needed to make a large production work smoothly.

“I love putting shows together and making them come to life, it’s what any touring person loves. It’s the real reason we do what we do. I’m glad I accepted this job, the whole team is doing a great job,” he concluded.

SHOW DESIGN Alongside Nickleski, another long-serving crewmember is Lighting and Show Designer, Jeff Maker. He creates intelligent, perfectly layered looks which integrate lighting and video in a simplistic, yet effective process.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: Jeff Maker has worked with the band for some years, and together they establish a show that keeps fans coming back for more, but still deliver a new look for each tour; BPM’s pyrotechnic expertise added another dimension to the stage.

The LD - who is both Parnelli and TPi-Award nominated - takes his initial approach to show design with a quick sketch of his vision: “I’ll start off with pen and paper, then clean it up in Photoshop before moving to Wysiwyg for pre-visualisation. Pen and paper is just a natural way to begin getting my creative ideas out, and it works. These sketches do eventually come to life on stage!” he said.

to see visually. We like to keep it interesting and keep things fresh. Obviously, the band approves my final designs but they let me do pretty much what I want within reason - that’s why they’re so great to work with.”

With this in mind, Maker continued his preference of naming his themes after stars or consolations, allowing his self proclaimed “obsession” with space to have a place in his art.

“I was the first LD to take the Robe BMLFs on tour in the UK with The Gaslight Anthem. I think it’s an amazing fixture. It allows light to travel and doesn’t lose its intensity at all...”

Jeff Maker, Show Desiger

This design is centred on four LED diamond video screens, which play video content throughout the show. “I started designing for All Time Low seven years ago, and as the rooms they play in have got bigger, so have my design ideas. The tours all have their own vibes, and because their fans buy tickets for their shows religiously we want to give them something new 86

“I named this one Polaris which is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor.” Timely, seen as these bright young stars are giving their loyal UK fan base a performance to remember...

Maker’s star-studded rig mainly comprises Robe lighting fixtures. He specified 32 Robe Robin Pointes, 16 Robe Robin BMFL Spots, 16 Robe Robin 600 LED Washes, 30 Robe Robin

100 LED Beams, 10 Robe CycFX 8’s, eight Robe Force 18 LED PARs and two Robe Robin 600e Spots. He is also utilising 16 2-Cell DWE Blinders, 20 PAR 38 LED Truss Toners and 24 Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 Strobes, all supplied by Zig Zag. “I was the first LD to take the Robe BMLFs on tour in the UK with The Gaslight Anthem. I think it’s an amazing fixture. It allows light to travel and doesn’t lose its intensity at all. I like what Robe does with all of its products. Some companies will really try to force their products on you, but Robe doesn’t. They don’t need to, they speak for themselves. When the BMFL first debuted two years ago, I watched the online launch and I knew I wanted to have them,” he said.

The Robe Pointes are placed upstage, mid stage and downstage as well as on the upstage and downstage left and right floor package.

The BMFLs are on the upstage truss and midstage truss and the Robe 600 LED Washes are on the upstage and downstage trusses.

Underneath the risers: Robe 100 LED Beams to pack a punch. The Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes are placed on all four of the video diamonds (midstage and downstage truss).

A brand new addition to Maker’s design

PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: The band use Sennheiser microphones on tour to retain consistency with their studio sound; Frontman Alex Gaskarth; LD Jeff Maker at the helm of his lightshow.

this year is the Elation ACL 360 Bar, of which he is using 32. “Their role was to frame four diamond-shaped video walls rigged upstage as well as to help trick the eye into transforming the diamonds into circles or squares. Since all four of the diamonds moved into different static positions during songs, the ACL 360 Bar was perfect for creating new looks for each new position,” he explained.

Wanting to add a special dynamic element to the design, Maker chose the variety of looks that the 360-degree rotation, narrow-beam LED effect light makes possible. “The ACL 360 Bars have infinite design possibilities,” he said.

Lighting Crew Chief, Tom Clifford-Loynes explained how the ACL 360 Bar found it’s way into the Zig Zag inventory: “Neil [Hunt, Zig Zag owner] had been looking at these fixtures for a while and when Jeff came to us with the design, we decided to invest. It’s been a great fixture to tour with; we’ve had no problems. They have so many great looks built in, and, crucially for us, they’re easy to maintain.”

For control, Maker is using his trusted Avolites desk. “I first got my hands on an Avolites console in 2006 and I’ve been using it 88

ever since. If it’s my choice to bring a console, I will always bring Avolites. I’ve stood by it for so long because it works best for what I want to do for my live shows. It’s on my comfort level and I know the ins and outs of their software.

I’ve also got to know the people at Avolites and they treat me well! They’re always willing to help me put together the show that I want.”

Maker has been using the Avolites Sapphire Touch model for the past two years, and carries both a main and back up. The tour also utilises an Avolites Quartz for rig testing.

VIDEO AND VISUALS Video Design has supplied all video elements to the show. Stage Manager Rob Highcroft recommended the company. Andy Tonks, Video Crew Chief explained: “We were already working with You Me At Six so like Rob, we’ve come onto this show with existing relationships and knowledge that we like how one another work.

“The video on this tour is effective but it’s been a very simple, smooth job for us. The challenges have come from long days as we’re doing four arena shows in four cities back to

back. The four LED diamond shaped video panels are made up of Winvision 9mm, which screens visual content. The LED was a fun little project, I built my own little scaffolding unit which goes from a square to a diamond, that moves up and down at the back of the stage on a Kinesys Elevation automation system,” he explained.

Tonks - who is joined on tour by Video Director Mark David and Video Engineers Alan yates and Jack Middlebrooks - is also looking after L-R IMAG screen and utilising two Panasonic PT-DZ21k projectors, seven cameras, including two handhelds for live camera feeds.

The video switcher is a Black Magic Atom and the media server preference is d3 Technologies.

Tonks continued: “d3 is our media server of choice because in a nutshell we know how good it is. It does exactly what it says it will. I’m freelance but the kit we get from Video Design is packaged so well, it always works properly, and I have to say that makes our lives as crew much easier.”

Head Rigger Damian Courage is the tour’s only rigger and chiefs 12 local venue riggers each day, mainly to help with flying the video.

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Photo: © thefifthestate.co.uk

“Ai v9 is incredible, it’s been solid throughout the tour and has made the mapping element of the show a breeze.

I’ve also been bowled over with the Key Frame Shapes engine; it adds a whole new element to the already great effects onboard the AVO consoles.”

Jamie Thompson LD for Leona Lewis’ UK Tour

Jamie Thompson | LD for Leona Lewis’ UK Tour

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: The diamond-shaped video panels set the tone for a luxurious set design.

Courage stated: “When Jeff first sent the design through, I had to choose the appropriate weights and decide how those weights would be distributed. The design is quite wide at the back and for the best look we can achieve; we have to consider things such as how to hide the rigging cables so that there’s no sightline issues in the way of the diamonds. The local riggers really help with this, and are invaluable at getting the show flown.” Rigging equipment is supplied by Zig Zag, allowing Courage to deal easily with the 36 points on the 11-tonne rig.

As well as creating live camera feeds, the show’s video content plays a big part in the overall design. Said Tonks: “This is the kind of band, who are inclined to run around all over the stage, so we’re capturing a lot of the energy that they put into the show alongside the visual which have been created by Oliver Hutchinson. I think he’s done a great job.”

Hutch, as he’s known on the road, featured in TPi’s January issue with Bring Me The Horizon, for whom he mixes both FOH and operates the video content. He told TPi: “I’ve always been very interested in holistic show design and I love the idea of a perfectly integrated lighting, video and audio show.

“I gained a lot of inspiration from looking 90

at their album artwork and repeatedly listening to songs and watching their music videos. I worked with Jeff to fit with his lighting colour schemes for each song, but otherwise I had free reign to design the visuals. The band had a couple of requests for lyrical content in certain songs and I tried to involve an element of their album artwork into some of the videos, as seen when the birds are flying in Old Scars.

Hutch created the vast majority from scratch primarily using Adobe After Effects. He noted: “Looking back, I wish I’d changed my approach slightly as I ended up doing a lot of the standard editing within After Effects [as opposed to Premiere] which would have saved time and allowed me to experiment with different arrangements faster. I had many late nights preparing the videos, and then would wake up excited to see the finished product!

“I think the whole show looked great. Jeff did an amazing job of incorporating all the elements the band wanted. The lighting was dynamic and it offered multiple looks from a simple but very effective rig. The Kinesys automation system allowed Jeff to trim the video at different heights, producing a sense of varying spatial intimacy. He nailed it big time and managed to not let any of my flashing

strobe-based visuals detract from the set!

Instead, it sat nicely as between multiple layers of lighting and special effects.”

Maker added: “We do have a lot going on during this show, but the band really like that.

They want to give as much as they can back to the fans for supporting them. They have very loyal fans here in the UK, and we’re giving them everything, including a serious amount of pyro!”

SPECIAL EFFECTS To give Maker’s solar sensation another dimension, BPM provided special effects in the form of some full throttle pyrotechnics which complement the lighting and video feat. Pyro Op Tom Stead explained: “The show is fairly covered in flames! The first three tracks are quite fire-heavy in particular, and the closing track also ends on some big flame effects.

“When our production manager Daniel explained what the band wanted in terms of impact for the crowd, and we thought we could help them create the looks they were after, safely!”

Throughout the show Stead is handling eight Galaxis Showtechnik G- Flames (flame projectors), four Flamanaics (a liquid flame unit that produces six metres of flames in five

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: Jeff Maker’s show design left no stone unturned when it came to creating a livley atmosphere.

different directions), and an impressive 70 units of pyrotechnics. The effects are fired using a Galaxis Showtechnik system.

FOH AUDIO FOH Engineer Phil Gornell is celebrating his one-year anniversary with the band, and yes, it is as idyllic as it sounds. Having met the band in 2007 as a fan, he gradually became involved in touring, initially by helping out with the band’s

favourite tools, and of course, their trademark melodic, guitar-driven sound.

At the helm of his world is a Midas PRO2. He explained: “I’ve used Midas since 2012, and I still love it. In fact, I hate not being on it! I might even rely on it a bit too much to be honest!

“I was using a different desk when I started and I thought I’d better get some experience on a different board. When I tried Midas I was like “wow!” When you have a board of that quality,

“It’s my main priority to make the show sound like what the fans are used to, so I employ many traditional recording techniques in the live environment, to recreate that ‘record sound’ people come to hear...”

Phil Gornell, FOH Engineer

merchandise. As his interest in pro audio grew, opportunities to learn how to live mix went hand in hand. Gornell worked with Bring Me The Horizon until 2014 and in February last year became a fully-fledged member of All Time Low crew.

By his own admission, he’s a “gear head” and relishes the opportunity to incorporate the latest technology into the show, whilst maintaining integrity to the band’s own 92

it’s musical and it does what it’s meant to, you get used to a very easy workflow. It’s like my baby!

“When mixing for All Time Low, I need to tick a lot of boxes. For example, there will always be people in the audience who are experiencing their very first gig. They’ve never been clubbing until 3am and had their ears wrecked! I have to keep the volume down at times because that’s what younger fans will be

used to hearing. I mix them like a pop band, so it’s vocal heavy; it’s shiny and clean as well as exciting with the guitars and drums. From that stance they’re a fun band to mix because they’re so dynamic on stage. Alex [Gaskarth, lead singer] has a great voice, so that makes things a little easier too.

“The band don’t soundcheck, so we do a virtual soundcheck each day. Part of the reason I love working with Alan Harrison, my system tech, is because he makes sure that everything I need to mix is there. I use a Dante Virtual Soundcard out of Tracks Live by Waves and it plays back through a Klark Teknik DN 9650 network bridge into the surface. It’s as if the band is on stage, and I can rehearse everything.

Instead of listening to my favourite song, I can listen to what 10,000 fans are going to hear that night. This set up also gives me a chance to experiment. In the console itself, I use a few mutli-band compressors, which makes sure the vocals are always sitting on top. It gives the mix more of a record feel.

“It’s my main priority to make the show sound like what the fans are used to, so I employ many traditional recording techniques in the live environment, to recreate that ‘record sound’ people come to hear. The Waves MaxxBCL goes at the end of my mix chain: it provides a level or saturation and works wonders with the transients of the mix, to help achieve that mastered sound quality.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: The visuals team took to the stage for once!

Keeping Gornell on his toes is drummer, Rian Dawson. “He’s really into engineering, so we try not to change too many things, because he’ll genuinely notice. If we want to change something, we can’t just do it for a laugh there needs to be a valid reason. It’s fun having somebody that’s so involved with technical aspects. For example with microphones we use Sennheiser equipment like they do in the studio. We keep a level of consistency to bring a pop sensibility to their sound because it’s those familiar tones. I have to piece that together the best that I can and make it sound like their

record at the end of the day. It needs to sound slick and be familiar for the fans.”

The band uses, amongst other models, Sennheiser e945 dynamic microphones and Ew500 G3 for wireless vocals.

“We use Kempers on stage resulting in a quiet stage volume which is key to keeping the volume reasonable at FOH. Besides the vocal mics, the only other mics onstage are on the drums,” said Gornell.

For rental requirements, sound equipment provider - and TPi Award winner - Adlib is an obvious choice for Gornell. “I’d always use

Adlib. I trust them and they trust me so I know they’re going to do the best they can for us. We have a really good relationship because we both want every show to be the best it can be.”

Harrison is looking after an L-Acoustics K1 rig which uses a maximum of 14 K1’s per side for the main hang and 12 K2’s per side for the side hangs depending on venue size. A total of four KARA are utilised for downfill, and ARCs and KARA are deployed for front fill and focus pulling. There are also 18 SB28 subs and the system is using L-Acoustics LA8 amplification and Lake processing.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: FOH Engineer, Phil Gornell with his Midas PRO2; Andy Tonks and Mark David of Video Design; Production Manager Daniel Nickleski; The Eat To The Beat catering team.

Harrison explained: “This is a pop rock show, so the interest is on delivering a good amount of SPL but with clarity, and the K1 system is pretty much perfect for that, it’s got a lot of weight to it without being muddy in the top end. The highs / mids are ideal for guitar music too, because they’re not harsh but they deliver in the detail.”

Harrison is also a fan of the Midas PRO2, which is used at the monitor position too. “It sounds great for a rock show as it can handle a lot of level, which obviously complements the PA. This is actually one of the better sounding tours I’ve ever done.”

Monitor Tech Jay Petch and PA Tech Hassan Essiahi complete the Adlib team.

MONITOR WORLD At monitor world, Richard Fernandez is the newest crewmember employed by the band, having been asked by Nickleski to take over as his monitor engineer. “Daniel hired me to be his monitor tech, and I loved it because I love working with this band. About two thirds of the way through my first tour he asked me if I wanted to doing their monitoring full time. Of course, I couldn’t say no. It was unexpected but I was so happy!”

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Using his PRO2 desk, Fernandez is generating 12 mixes: 10 stereo and two mono. Within the band, the drum mix is loud, lead vocals are loud, with guitars secondary and the rest of the band sitting fairly quietly under that. Continued Fernandez: “Alex’s mix has vocals and guitar fairly above the mix and everything else pretty low, so if I need to listen to his mix I have to

The Sennheiser theme continues for monitors, echoing Gornell’s attitude towards consistency. Fernandez relying on Sennheiser inear ew300 G3 transmitters with Sensaphonics custom molds. Adlib has provided the line system and there are no wedges on stage, encouraging the band roam around its clean edges whenever they want.

“Adlib have been incredible. I can’t speak highly enough of their service...” Monitor Engineer, Richard Fernandez

turn my pack up to hear where everything else is sitting, whereas Jack [Barakat, bassist] has the crowd mics and all of the instruments pretty loud because he vibes off the crowd, so anytime I cue his mix I have to turn my pack right down.”

“Mixing on the PRO2 is perfect for me because it’s very easy to navigate. I can have most set-ups in banks of eight faders, so no matter what the band are asking for, I can quickly get to whatever they need. I can adjust on the fly if I need to.”

He concluded: “Adlib have been incredible, this is the first tour where I have had assistance dedicated to me and my tech Jay has been great. I can’t speak highly enough of their service.”

CATERING Eat To The Beat sent four catering staff to the tour, having already cooked for the camp during their last arena stint with You Me At Six in 2015. Led by Genti Hoxha, the ETTB team is

PRODUCTION PROFILE: All Time Low

Below: The band enjoyed a recent number one album thanks to the support of the UK fans; The L-Acoustics K1 rig was deemed the ideal choice for the band’s rock / pop genre; The band “respects what we do” according to Production Manager, Daniel Nickleski.

completed by Blaise Vasseur, Kate Thornton and Vicky Lee. Hoxha sat down with TPi - after ensuring an appropriate amount of vegetarian dessert tasting took place - to talk about the tour.

“We’re cooking for the entire band, and all of the crew. This also includes the support bands.” Worth pointing out here is that TPi was

and family visiting, this number can grow.

Sunday is my favourite because we make great roast dinners! For the rest of the week we have a different soup every day and we make that vegetarian because we have 10 on this tour. We also have dietary needs for diabetes, gluten free, celiac crewmembers. They certainly enjoy their food.”

“All Time Low are probably the best band to tour with. They put all of their trust and faith in me, they trust their crew and they’re not looking over your shoulder all the time. They really respect what we do...”

Production Manager, Daniel Nickleski

stood by Hollywood starlet Cameron Diaz who was on tour with her husband, Benji Madden of support band Good Charlotte. It’s worth pointing out because Diaz seemed to be - rather comfortingly - enjoying the fruits of Eat To The Beat’s labour at both lunch and dinner servings.

Continued Hoxha: “She is lovely - and she must have good taste in food! There are round about 80 people to feed depending on where we are in the UK. When we have crew friends 96

FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP During TPi’s time with this touring crew, the sense of appreciation from band to crew and vice versa was evident. Monitor Engineer Richard Fernandez made it very apparent that this is not a band that would ever want a clear divide with their crew. And although he’s taken the reigns in monitor world, and this is the last road adventure for Production Manager Daniel Nickleski - as he moves towards growing his

business in Chicago - the sense of friendship and affinity the crew feels with this tour is obvious.

Show Designer Jeff Maker gave his thoughts: “Its like one big family on this tour. The band hire the right people and it’s very professional but very light hearted at the same time. It doesn’t seem like a job to me, which is great.”

Nickleski concluded: “All Time Low are probably the best band to tour with. They put all of their trust and faith in me, they trust their crew and they’re not looking over your shoulder all the time. They really respect what we do. The best part about it is that they’re all good guys who play really great shows. We’ve been best friends since we started touring together.”

As the Back To The Future Hearts UK tour draws to a close, this friendship is surely set to continue off the road.

TPi Photos: Adam Elmakias and Tom Falcone http://alltimelow.com http://soundworkspro.com www.adlib.co.uk www.flybynite.co.uk www.beatthestreet.net www.zigzaglighting.co.uk www.eattothebeat.com http://bpm-sfx.com

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kevin Hart

KEVIN HART: WHAT NOW? WITH LIVE COMEDY BECOMING A BOX OFFICE DRAW ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC, PHILADELPHIA’S KEVIN HART HAS EMERGED OF ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR STANDARD BEARERS OF THE GENRE. TPi’S STE DURHAM WITNESSES THE RETURN OF THE ROCK STAR COMEDIAN AND SPEAKS TO THE CREW INVOLVED. If you’ve had a pair of ears or eyes and access to a phone, television or side of a bus during the start of 2016 - chances are that you have heard of Kevin Hart. On promoting his world comedy tour, What Now?, in tandem with newest cinema release, Ride Along 2, Hart has been ubiquitous in the print, broadcast and pixelated media. Billed as ‘the biggest comedy tour in history’, What Now? drew legions of die-hard fans to arenas across the globe.

Perhaps unusually for a tour of this scale, Hart’s UK run was supplied extensively by one company - SXS Events. Instructed by the comedian’s team in the US, the company managed all of the rigging, lighting, cameras, audio kit, video and drapery.

SXS then sub-contracted Capital Sound to provide its Martin Audio MLA system (used alongside SXS’s own Martin Audio stock), as well as hiring trucks from Fly By Nite and bussing from Four Seasons.

Director of SXS, Johnny Palmer, puts his 98

company’s inclusion down to the “great value” it offered, and the ability to put the project together incredibly quickly. He said: “The typical multi-company approach to touring may have hindered the build up to the production. We only had a three week lead time from booking to the first show - two weeks of which fell during the Christmas period - so we effectively did all pre-production and prep in a week.”

The initial enquiry from Kevin Hart’s crew came solely in reference to a high resolution video wall they were looking to hire for the tour, though Palmer said they were soon keen to get a quote for the other aspects.

He continued: “That’s how most of our business develops at the moment. We partnered with Capital Sound as Kevin Hart’s crew requested the MLA system. We’re still using some of our Martin Audio kit but they are supplying the bulk. I’d say 80% of the crew are ours, then there’s 23 technicians on site and 16 local crew for the build and de-rig.“ Although SXS’s workload is weighted more

towards corporate events, Palmer believes this experience stands the company in good stead when adapting its practises for the live and touring industry.

“We specialise in lighting, sound, technical distribution and rigging, and those skills transfer across so many disciplines. Our company has always been about maintaining a broad scope of functions, all done to the highest level.

We take pleasure in learning techniques from the arena touring world that assist us in our corporate work, while bringing the best of the corporate world with us on tour as well.

“The speed of movement is a challenge but, then again, the venues for touring productions are more suited to load-in and -out!”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT FOH Engineer Kenny Hoyt joined the Kevin Hart crew in April 2015, bringing with him experience from the worlds of rock and country music to add to his previous work on comedy tours. Not a man to mince his words, Hoyt

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kevin Hart

Opposite: Phone use at the arena was prohibited until the closing minutes of the show. Below: Delvo’s MA Lighting-specified workstation; The crew prepares to float the MLA system; Three projection screens provided IMAG for those seated towards the back of the arena.

chuckled about the realisation that occurred when he arrived on tour: “Kevin certainly makes it interesting for me! It’s easy to think the job is as simple as looking after one guy talking, but his microphone etiquette isn’t the best! The main priority is that you can’t afford to lose the punch line. This means I’m constantly watching him, working the board manually and adapting to his microphone placement.”

He explained that Hart’s expressive performance style sometimes caused him to move his hands around as if the microphone wasn’t there. This required Hoyt to ride the faders throughout, eventually becoming attuned to the ebb and flow of the set.

“They’ve tried lapel microphones and headsets in the past but Kevin wasn’t interested - he wants a regular Shure SM58. His theory is: ‘I’m paying the money for an engineer so they’ve got to work for it,’” he laughed. “He understands what I’m doing as he always tells me I’ve done a good job.

“He helps me by getting closer to the microphone as a punch line is coming up. It took me a long time to find an even tone and keep it consistent throughout the night as he hits it pretty hard sometimes. I’d say I’ve got the show down by now.”

As if this constant readjusting wasn’t enough

of a challenge, Hoyt also has to spend some of his time working with the crowd’s laughter, cheering and applause reverberating around indoor arenas. For him, the ideal PA to stay on top of this was the Martin Audio MLA. He said: “Ever since I first heard the MLA Compact I’ve been slowly falling in love with the system. I feel so spoiled to have a full-blown

Martin Audio MLA for the main hangs and 14 MLA Compacts for the side hangs, while SXS’s 18 Martin Audio W8LMs worked as delays, eight Martin Audio DD6’s were used as lip fill, and four DD12’s for ground side fill completed the system.

Hoyt’s go-to desk in the US is a Midas PRO2, though he was more than happy when he was

“Ever since I first heard the MLA Compact I’ve been slowly falling in love with the system. I feel so spoiled to have a full-blown MLA on this run as I just can’t get other systems to match it. I always say its like moving from 2D to 3D sound.”

FOH Engineer for Kevin Hart, Kenny Hoyt MLA on this run as I just can’t get other systems to match it. I always say its like moving from 2D to 3D sound.

“I used to have to fight to keep the vocals in the audience’s faces but now I can achieve that without breaking a sweat. I gave it a lot of exposure on Facebook and now I have people from all over the world asking me what I think of it! Right now it’s definitely my favourite rig.”

Capital Sound supplied Hoyt with 24 boxes of

supplied with a PRO6 for Kevin Hart’s UK run - a board that he described as “a PRO2 on steroids”.

Monitors are dealt with by Hoyt from FOH, with three technicians to assist him around the venue. He explained that Hart prefers to have his monitors relatively soft, to feed off the crowd’s reactions, and simple - four wedges, one mix. He concluded: “It’s been a blessing for me to be on a tour that is going down in history as the biggest grossing comedy tour since Eddie 99

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kevin Hart

Below: SXS Events’ Johnny Palmer; FOH Engineer Kenny Hoyt; LD Ken Delvo; Audio Crew Chief and MLA Tech for Capital Sound, Toby Donovan; One of the three Blackmagic Studio Cameras.

Murphy’s Raw. It’s an honour for me.”

Toby Donovan, Audio Crew Chief and MLA Tech for Capital Sound, was also full of praise for the system: “We’ve had a lot of success with it outdoors and noise sensitive environments, but essentially it’s just a really clear, intelligible, in-your-face box. It’s been tried and tested on comedy with Michael McIntyre and Kevin Bridges, where I served as system tech.”

The key word for the Kevin Hart audio crew was consistency - around the arena itself as well as between dates. Donovan continued: “You can set the frequency response on the MLA

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system to behave relative to the FOH position, meaning that it sounds the same at the barriers as it does at the back of the room.

“The delays aren’t a necessity, but they are nice to have. We’re covering these arenas completely, but it gives the production team confidence knowing that we can bring them in if need be.”

HITTING THE MARK The lighting and video package was scaled down considerably from the US run of Hart’s tour, while many European dates outside of the

UK were scaled down further still.

The US leg included multiple sold out shows at high profile venues such as New York’s Madison Square Garden, and included 3D LED screens, automation, and a huge lighting rig. Hart’s hometown show to 53,000 Philadelphians even had 24 cameras on site, one of which was mounted on a helicopter.

Touring LD for Kevin Hart, Ken Delvo, explained: “The original show was designed

by Justin Kelly from Performance Environment Design Group, who gave me the job as director.

He developed the video content with his art

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kevin Hart

Below: Kevin Hart’s video content was subtle, used to back the jokes rather than serve as the punchline; Four Seasons were brought in to add a touch of luxury for the comic and his crew.

team in conjunction with Kevin.”

Delvo explained that the video content was not designed to be funny in and of itself, but act as more of a visual backdrop to support some of the jokes. One section involved Hart discussing a text conversation and, as he dictated each response, the corresponding iPhone display messages popped up on the upstage screen (complete with emojis).

Each response was triggered by Delvo from FOH who, much like Hoyt, had to keep his eyes on Hart in case he decided to change the order of the joke. He said: “Manchester was my 146th

show with Kevin so I know the joke pretty well by now! I can see him take a breath and know that it’s time to run the next reply. All of the cues are on individual handles and buttons, as he can jump around at any minute.

“One thing I have going for me is that Kevin is very consistent, thanks in part to the fact that he is an actor as well - he knows his lines.

He hits his mark consistently, so much so that he will apologise to me on the rare occasion that he messes up his lines! We’re on the same wavelength personally and I really think that helps.”

The video wall backdrop was made up of 230 panels of Lumio 3.75mm pitch screen, while the IMAG (flown at stage right, stage left, and centre stage) consisted of four Barco FLMHD20’s projecting onto three custom screens from SXS, which were produced in record time

by Harkness.

Three Blackmagic Studio Cameras delivered the live video content for the IMAG, a selection that gave the crew “broadcast grade image quality”, according to Palmer. He added: “We knew that the video quality and low latency that Blackmagic’s live production infrastructure

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Kevin Hart

offers would match this brief perfectly.”

Two of the cameras were positioned in the pit, while the third, paired with a telephoto zoom, was rigged at FOH. The live IMAG mix was cut on a Blackmagic ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K. A second ATEM switcher was responsible for feeding the LED that acted as the stage backdrop.

Palmer said: “The fact that we have two ATEM production switchers as part of the touring kit essentially means that we are traveling to all of these dates with full redundancy.”

He explained that, although each camera had its own operator, the team used the ATEM Camera Control software to regulate white balance, gamma and exposure across the three cameras.

He continued: “We’re working in an environment with ever changing lighting, so the ability to not only react to those changes, but also to do this consistently across all of our live feeds ensures that we have full control over the final image.”

Delvo used an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light, a console he was extremely familiar with for this type of work. He continued: “The console is so incredibly powerful and can do things that none of the others can touch when it comes to the really deep programming side of things. I don’t need many faders for this so the Light is very

well-suited.”

Delvo also operated the pre-show content for the video screens from FOH, the audio for which was controlled using Avid Pro Tools from a laptop.

For the lighting rig, Delvo specified 24 Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Washes, eight Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Washes, eight ADJ Vizi Beams, four 4-way molefays, and 16 High End Systems Intellaspot XT-1’s. Four followspots were rigged at FOH, with one more flown upstage.

He positioned the R1 Washes on the floor of the stage for base stage wash and flew the R2 Washes above the stage for mid-air washing.

Palmer explained that this was the solution to lighting both the lower levels of the stage and the higher levels of the arena.

“For the Kevin Hart shows, the Rogues gave an ideal balance to the overall lighting concept,” Delvo said. “They are the perfect fixture because they can wash colour delicately and provide full on show lighting when necessary, making them highly adaptable fixtures for a whole manner of purposes.”

Litec trusses were used throughout the build, and all flown kit was rigged using a mixture of CM Loadstar and Liftket equipment.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT (SEAT) Four Seasons Travel became involved in the tour

through SXS’s Technical Tour Manager, Tommy Winstone, who company co-owner Malcolm Farrey has known for a number of years. The team asked Farrey for a quote on two of his 14-berth Mercedes Benz Setra crew busses and he was more than happy to oblige - even driving one of the busses himself!

He said: “January is usually a quiet time for us, so much so that the drivers often take it as their holiday period. I managed to track one of them down and decided to drive the other myself, so it all worked out quite well!”

Four Seasons even rolled out its newest bus for the tour, a machine that Farrey described as being the kind of bus that clients aspire to.

He continued: “We buy the busses as an empty shell and then build the interior to suit what we think people will want. Every new one is that little bit more special, as we learn from our experience and listen to our clients.“ After selling out arenas across the UK and Ireland, Hart’s tour hit numerous dates across Europe, before heading to Singapore, Australia, South Africa and the UAE. TPi Photos: SXS Events www.kevinhartnation.com www.sxsevents.co.uk www.flybynite.co.uk www.capital-sound.co.uk www.fourseasonstravel.co.uk

SXS are delighted to provide the UK prodUction SUpport for “What noW?” the largeSt comedy toUr in hiStory.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jason Derulo

JASON DERULO THANKS TO HITS SUCH AS RIDING SOLO, WIGGLE AND TRUMPETS, AMERICAN R&B STAR JASON DERULO HAS BECOME KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD FOR HIS IMPRESSIVE DANCING, FLAWLESS PHYSIQUE AND A TENDENCY TO SING HIS OWN NAME. TPi’S STEW HUME HEADED DOWN TO THE MANCHESTER DATE OF THE SINGER’S UK TOUR TO SEE WHAT HE HAD TO OFFER HIS HORDES OF SCREAMING FANS. I must admit, before heading into Manchester Arena to witness Jason Derulo’s Everything is Four tour, I was less than familiar with the American’s back catalogue of work other than a couple of singles such as 2014’s Wiggle. However, after leaving the arena, I was left with the knowledge that this artist does not do things by halves. From his massive stage production, along with intricate dance routines, there was enough to satisfy his army of loyal fans. Away from the spot lights, pyrotechnics and the singer’s troupe of dancers (who made me think I should perhaps spend a little more time working on my currently non-existent six pack), I caught up with Production Manager and FOH Engineer Rick Wright to talk about what it takes to put on a Jason Derulo show.

Wright had been with the R&B star for almost a year and a half when TPi sat down with 104

him and, by his own admission, has loved every moment of it. Originally Wright was brought into the fold to work as a FOH Engineer. He explained: “I was working for a singer called Robert Glaspher who was co-headlining with Ledisi - two of the members of her band are also part of Jason’s. Both of the guys seemed to like what I was doing and tipped me off about the position in Jason’s audio team. That was in April 2014 and I officially came on board in August of that year. Since then it has been full steam ahead!” Despite his true passion lying in audio, Wright explained that, since his early years, he has always been interested in all facets of the live world. “I have always wanted to learn. I’m 36 now but I still have the passion to acquire as much knowledge as I can.”

This compulsion to learn as much as possible meant that Wright jumped at the opportunity to take on the role of production manager -

especially for an artist of Derulo’s calibre. For this UK run of seven shows, Wright brought in several UK suppliers including PRG XL Video, Pyrojunkies, Wigwam Acoustics, All Access Staging and Productions, and Kinesys. After three days’ worth of rehearsals at Cardiff’s Motor Point Arena, the Derulo tour hit the road.

A smaller crew than one might expect for a tour of this size, this committed group of UK suppliers joined the American crew to put together this massive show.

As well as a great deal of teamwork, one of the main things that Wright emphasised as one of the keys to the tour was Derulo’s attitude: “Out here we are all like a family and you have to work as a team. But what is motivating is just how hard Jason works in all parts of his performance. You only have to look at his physique and what he can do on stage; you can’t just wake up one morning and do all that.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jason Derulo

Opposite: Jason Derulo’s Everything is Four tour hit the UK with seven dates bringing along a massive stage show complete with a huge video screen and plenty of pyrotechnics. Below: FOH Engineer come Production Manager Rick Wright has been with Derulo for a year and a half and has embraced the challenges that has come with his new position.

What we try to do is to transfer all the energy he displays in his singing and dancing into the technical realms of both lighting and audio. We are all just an extension of his energy and he is very appreciative of all the hard work that we put in.”

AND THE TRUMPETS THEY GO… As TPi was already talking to Wright who also fill the role of FOH Engineer, it only seemed right to quiz him on Derulo’s audio setup. The decision to go with Wigwam Acoustics as the tour’s audio supplier was due to its ability to provide the Meyer Sound LEO-M range. Wright elaborated: “I had heard the LEO-M line array system a few times and I was desperate to finally get my hands on it. We used it with Jason during last year’s Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway which turned out to be one of the highlights of the year.” Altogether the tour had 20 Meyer Sound LEO speakers, 20 Lyon speakers, eight Lyon Wides, 18 1100LFCs and eight boxes of Meyer Sound Leopard. Driving the PA was a Meyer Sound 616 Callisto, and Optocore X6R and Meyer Sound RM Server. For FOH control Wigwam supplied Wright with a DiGiCo SD7. Also on board the tour were two system techs, Nick Mooney who worked at FOH and Simon Rogerson who worked with Monitor Engineer, Hermann Vaitl.

The German-based engineer had been with Derulo since the artist’s first run of the UK in 2013. Vaitl said: “Before I came into the production, they had been using local monitor engineers which wasn’t the best for the band as it lacked consistency.” Since then Vaitl has worked all of Derulo’s European and Asian tours while Timothy Hibbert (US monitor engineer)

has taken care of all state side shows. “Tim and I work together really well and we constantly send show files to each other.”

Just like Wright, Vaitl also uses a DiGiCo SD7.

He talked about his admiration for the desk: “It’s a great console, which both myself and Rick love to use. Because we have so many inputs and the scale of this production is so big we were given the option to bring in these bigger desks. When I first worked with Jason I used as SD9, which was perfect for the festival runs we were doing at the time but now we are on this arena tour is

during changes. Our stage manager also has a talk-back microphone. Throughout the show there is a lot of talk-back activity, which also included certain show calls. To deal with this, I built a matrix mix that went directly into my cue.

Although this could be distracting sometimes, it’s essential, so I don’t miss anything.” Vaitl joked that the talk-back system required more mixing than the music with everyone having a preference of what they wanted to hear.

For wireless transmission Vaitl made use of Shure’s PSM 1000s with all members of the

“What we try to do is to transfer all the energy he displays in his singing and dancing into the technical realms of both lighting and audio. We are all just an extension of his energy...”

Production Manager and FOH Engineer, Rick Wright

great to have the bigger console. I can put all 24 mixes that I am in control of in the centre of the desk rather than having to flip through layers to find the right mix.”

Vaitl went on to explain some of the challenges he faced during this tour: “The band play on top of an eight ft riser, which means I can’t see them during the show and I only ever see Jason for a third of the gig while he is performing at the front of the stage.”

This meant that the monitor engineer had to rely on a talk-back system. “We have talk back microphones all over the place. There is one for every band member as well as one for Jason backstage that he was able to use

band using their own IEM. The only IEM that he personally dealt with were Derulo’s, who used custom Jerry Harvey Audio’s JH Audio Roxannes.

“The fact that we have such a massive media screen with a lot of LED, there is always a risk of certain wireless frequencies being blocked off,” explained Vaitl. However the engineer commented that the system had worked “really well” and not a single member of the band had commented about any drop out throughout the tour.

Despite the abundance of wireless IEM, Vaitl was also controlling several side fills and monitors on the stage. “Down on the dance floor section of the stage we two Meyer Sound 105

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jason Derulo

Below: Hermann Vaitl, Monitor Engineer, used a DiGiCo SD7 for the tour. During the show the band was out of his line of sight which meant relying heavily on a talkback system.

1100LFCs (one either side of the stage) along with four Meyer Sound Leopards.� He explained the front monitor and side fill system were mainly for the dancers timings but that he also ensured that a full mix ran through them incase

106

Jason went of his IEM. There was also a plan to give the band side fills, however the logistics of flying a system eight ft in the air proved unrealistic. Instead the production simply used six d&b audiotechnik M2 wedges in three

positions; one for the guitarist, the DJ and the keyboard player along with one Meyer Sound 900LFC for the drummer.

For microphones the production used a range including Shure SM91’s, Shure Beta

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jason Derulo

Below: Steven Grinceri, in-house LED Tech from PRG XL Video; Gerry Corry took on the role as Video Director for the IMAG content; Pyrojunkies’ Stu Wickens; Popcorn’s Jean Fun, Simi Donald and Sam Tomlin; All Access Staging and Productions’ Simon Rackham took on the role of set carpenter, seen here with Marketing Manager for All Access, Matthew Bull; LD Bobby Bascombe.

SM98’s, Shure VP88’s, Audio-Technica ATM25’s, Audio-Technica Ae5100’s, Audio-Technica 4047’s, Audio-Technica AT4050’s, Shure Beta 57’s, Sennheiser MD421’s, Sennheiser MKH416’s, Radial J48’s and Radial JDXs. For Derulo’s vocals, along with his DJ, they used a Telefunken M81WH wireless capsule. In an interview in 2015 Wright commented that: “It is the easiest vocal microphone I’ve ever used; gain it up and turn it up! My time invested tuning the microphone has been minimised, making the M81 my new favourite go to vocal mic.”

WITH THE LIGHTS ON With Derulo’s larger than life personality it only made sense that his lighting and video rig was equally as gargantuan. Heading up the lighting team was LD Bobby Bascombe. The American LD only started working with Derulo in September 2015 thanks to a recommendation from the singer’s Musical Director, Chuck Gibson. “Chuck and I have worked together in the past including when we were both out with Kendrick Lamar on the Yeezus tour,” explained Bascombe.

He went on to explain the concept behind Everything is Four tour: “The overall look for this tour was an idea that Jason had to be in a 108

gigantic television while at the same time be able to bring the band into the focus to create a more ‘rock’ look for certain tracks.” The solution for these changeovers was a movable 18 by eight ft PRG XL Video ROE F-12 LED panels that revealed that band at several points throughout the show.

Supplying automation for this tour was Kinesys. As well as the movable screen there was also two four by 12 ROE F-12 panels either side of the stage and one 14 by four set of panels set in-between the two stair cases that both dancers and Jason frequently ran up and down throughout the show.

One of PRG XL Video’s in house LED Techs, Steven Grinceri talked TPi through his experience on the tour: “My main role on this tour is to get all the LED up on the stage as well as help set up the Kinesys system. Teamwork amongst everyone has been amazing both with the UK and American-based crew. Everyone has been happy with do help out with any job on this tour which has been incredibly helpful.”

The content that was displayed on the ROE LED had been produced by Christain Young of Spike Media. Out on the road making sure all the video content was working correctly was Media Server Programmer Dan Gentile.

The media server that was used to send all the

content to the video screens was an Avolites Infinity S8. “I had only used it once before this tour but I really like it,” explained Gentile.

“I really like what the guys over at Avolites have done with the server. The overall layout is really straightforward and easy to learn.

There are some consoles that you have to be an expert coder to operate it but the Avolites model makes producing things from scratch really easy. During the beginning of the tour we made a couple of changes but the Avolites made it really easy to update the content and swap in new files without changing any of the programming.” Gentile went on to explain that Avolites customer service has always been second to none with someone from the London branch always willing to answer you all 24 hours a day. In terms of show highlights Gentile expressed his admiration for one of Derulo’s newer songs, Naked. During the performance the rain visuals that were shown on the screen interacted with the singer’s dance routine.

Either side of the stage were two Fast Fold IMAG screens with content being projected onto them via two Barco FML HD20’s. Directing the content shown on the screen was Gerry Corry. Originally the production had planned to source IMAG from local vendors at each stop during the tour but when realising that this

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PRODUCTION PROFILE: Jason Derulo

Below: Pyrotechnics, a giant stage and an enormous video wall; Derulo’s Everything is Four tour was the complete package.

would not be feasible, and with PRG XL Video already on their supplier roster, they decided to carry IMAG. Corry got the call to join the tour three days before he headed out and taking up the role of projection engineer and video director. Supplying content for the screens were two Canon HJ22x in the pit with a Canon 270x Box Lens at FOH. Corry explained the brief of what he wanted to produce for the IMAG: “The plan was to give the screens some substance, making the video as sexy as possible. This meant lots of footage with Jason and the dancers and trying to get as tight with the shots as possible.

It was all about muscles, sweat and sex appeal.”

LD Bobby Bascombe talked TPi through his lighting rig which included 18 Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Washes, 23 VL3000 Spots, 42 Robe Robin Pointes, 24 GLP Impression X4’s, 24 Thomas 2-Lites Molefay and 32 TMB Solaris Flare Juniors. “The VL3500’s Wash lights are always my base workhorses,” explained Bascombe. “They added all the candlepower I needed as well as the usual unbeatable Vari Lite colour palette. The Pointes of course added the beams and flair. These two were really my go-to lights. The Philips VL 3500’s were used for their sheer power and the Pointes for the finished look.

I always have to make sure to light the band, which was behind the main video screen. It is like lighting two stages all the time. The TMB Solaris Flare Juniors are a much ‘bigger’ light than they look. I have used their brother and was always in awe of their sheer brightness and colour. Now the Juniors come with the same pedigree at half the price. All in all, I lit the show as a complement to the entire video package, which for the most part was themed from the original videos.”

110

FIRE Supplying special effects for the UK tour was Pyrojunkies. Wright explained that the production had already built a relationship with the supplier over several London one-off shows that Derulo had performed during 2015. He furthered: “I felt really comfortable bringing them along for this UK tour.”

Heading up all pyrotechnic responsibilities was Stu Wickens. He walked TPi through the various fixtures he had on the tour: “We have got eight G-Flames and eight Co2 Jets set out on the front of the stage, with two smoke machines. We also have a waterfall effect that we use as well as four confetti cannons that blast twice at the latter end of the show.

The show its self is big and epic. It certainly is entertaining!” Wickens explained some of the various heath and safety considerations he had under taken for this show: “If somebody is not in exactly the right place, I do not hit the button. We have incorporated several safety measures and several safety channels to take but ultimately it comes down to me.”

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Producing the stage set for the tour is UK-based All Access Staging and Productions. Marketing Manager for All Access, Matthew Bull, explained how they were brought onto this tour. “Rick our Production Manager originally sent over the specification for what he wanted. The stage itself is eight ft high and sits on the house stage.

They also requested lifts inside the eight ft area.”

For this tour, the sole carpenter was Simon Rackham. He explained that the biggest challenge was the height of the stage. “The stage comes in eight ft panels already built

which then presents a difficulty when putting on the top deck.” However he stated that the All Access Versa stage system had made his job much easier.

DON’T WANT TO GO HOME Keeping this group of trimmed dancers and musicians fed throughout the tour is Popcorn.

Speaking to the eight-year veteran of Popcorn catering, Simi Donald, he discussed what the tour had been like so far. “Jean Fun, Sam Tomlin and I have kept an ‘American feel’. Tonight for instance we are serving gumbo and New York strips. We often try to do half portions of everything so you are able to try a selection of meals. I think all the crew have appreciated that you can mix and match and have a choice rather than a classic set menu.”

For transport three tour buses were supplied

by TPi Award winners, Beat the Street, whereas five trucks were supplied by Stagetruck.

After completing the Manchester show, Derulo and his crew headed to London’s O2 Arena to round up the tour before travelling back to the US. With such an impressive stage show there is no doubt the R&B sensation had left his UK fans satisfied...

TPi www.jasonderulo.com www.sseaudiogroup.com/wigwam/home http://www.prg.com www.xlvideo.com/uk http://allaccessinc.com www.kinesys.co.uk http://pyrojunkies.com http://spiked.media http://popcorncatering.com www.beatthestreet.net www.stagetruck.com

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... Jim Webb

JIM WEBB, PRODUCTION/STAGE MANAGER With the great and the good of the record industry looking on, Stage Manager Jim Webb was charged with making sure Missy Elliott’s performance at the Warner Music Post-Grammys Party went off without a hitch...

It’s show day and, having spent the last week with her during dance rehearsals, I’ve learned Missy is a real professional. She turns up on time and is engaged with every aspect of the creative process - staying for the whole day to make sure it’s right.

It’s refreshing for me to see this, as my experience with some artists has been a last-minute arrival, after everyone else has been rehearsing for days, causing us to work late into the night to create some form of performance readiness.

Production Manager Joe Sanchez and I were asked to come in and run the production on this, and our friend Hi Hat Ruffin, and her team, were in charge of creative design and choreography. We have worked with them before on Rihanna tours and performances, so I knew I would be surrounded by good people.

I arrive at the Milk Studios in Hollywood early morning, to make sure video, playback, DJ setup, and so on are all in good shape for the 12pm rehearsal. It’s the first time Missy, her hype man, DJ, and dancers will be on the show stage along with lights, lasers, and Co2. They only have a two-hour window to get things right before the evening performance.

Rehearsals go well, at which point performers and entourage head off back to their hotels to begin the glamming process for the show. It’s that ‘calm before the storm’ period - techs are fine-tuning in their worlds and local venue production people are organising dressing rooms.

By 7pm, the dancers begin to roll in, followed by management and entourage.

After about the 15th time the local production ladies ask me if Missy will arrive on time, I begin to ignore the questions. She does arrive as scheduled, which means local production can now repeatedly ask me if she will start her performance on time.

I’ve always found it funny that any local production thinks a performer’s stage or production manager has some secret 112

power to get their artist to start when we want them to. The reality is they will start when they want to, so I answer with my standard reply of, “It should all be fine.“ As it turns out, the locals started the evening 20 minutes late of their own schedule!

Now the entourage have arrived, this is a time one must avoid random people who look to you for guidance about things you have nothing to do with.

Just then one of Missy’s assistants asks me how she should get out to the DJ booth situated in the middle of the audience. I’m wondering if she thinks I dug a tunnel out to it, since she walked out there earlier today during rehearsals.

Instead I tell her she can approach it the same way as she did earlier, except she will need to negotiate the audience.

Naturally my instinct is to be more sarcastic than this, but as she had complemented my ‘lovely British accent’ earlier in the day, I had a bit of a soft spot for her. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’m in fact from New Zealand, as I felt it would spoil the moment.

It’s 20 minutes before show, at which point one of the local production ladies informs me they have made up 10 minutes, I can tell Missy she should start 10 minutes earlier.

I ask her, what her reply to her boyfriend would be if he said to her they were leaving 10 minutes earlier for a night out, while she was in front of the make up mirror, followed by - “I won’t be passing that message on”. She looked at me knowingly, and didn’t push that any further.

Missy appeared, only slightly later than schedule, and seemed a bit nervous. I get her to the monitor guy while we do final adjustments on her belt pack volume.

I start the show and Missy nails the performance. She’s got the audience eating out of her hand. At the end of the show I escort her off stage, as far as I’m concerned it went really well, I start to think maybe I read it wrong when Missy breaks away in an emotional state, and heads into the female dancer dressing room.

Hi Hat is handy, so I ask her to go in and check things out. Minutes later she reappears to tell me, they were tears of joy, and Missy is delighted. Looks like I’ll get paid after all - another satisfied customer.

Jim Webb

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INTERVIEW: John & Helen Meyer

JOHN & HELEN MEYER IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE ROMANTIC FICTION THAT YOUR NEIGHBOUR WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE WITH WHOM YOU’LL BUILD A WORLD-CLASS EMPIRE BUT, FOR JOHN AND HELEN MEYER, FOUNDERS OF LOUDSPEAKER MANUFACTURER MEYER SOUND, THAT WAS THE LUCK OF THE DRAW. YET LUCK HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH WHY FOUR DECADES OF TOURING ACTS AND ENGINEERS HAVE PUT THEIR LIVE CAREERS IN THE HANDS OF THEIR PRODUCTS. TPi’S KELLY MURRAY TRAVELLED TO SAN FRANCISCO TO MEET THE COUPLE BEHIND ONE OF PRO AUDIO’S GREATEST SUCCESS STORIES. On a somewhat unassuming street in San Francisco’s Bay Area, the front door to Meyer Sound’s HQ is, just like the street: unassuming. There are two things I notice immediately when I enter the building: the large array of technical awards on the left, and the welcoming atmosphere to my right. Both observations reveal core traits: this is a company with substantial longevity, and a business with some strong family values, reflected in its staff.

As I walked around the (deceptively large) building, which was one of many, as it turns out, the enthusiasm and passion for the legacy of Meyer Sound products and new R&D developments was clear. This isn’t a manufacturer that simply got lucky, it’s a manufacturer that has a profound purpose 114

and relevance, perhaps now more than ever.

Following a tour of the facility, where I was joined by some Meyer Sound endusers who had made the trip over from Scandinavia, I was about to sit down for an interview with John and Helen Meyer.

Wondering how I was going to fit everything I wanted to know into an hour time slot was an unnecessary concern, as with a history as iconic and colourful as the Meyers, they made every second count.

Helen initially explained how Meyer Sound as we know it today started out as an idea and a yearning to strive for something better. “Back in the ‘70s, John was working for a sound and video company here in San Francisco, where he was consulting, and doing a variety of things including recording,

but ultimately his love lay in trying to create a product and a solution for customers that went above and beyond what some companies were doing.

“Although he enjoyed his work, he didn’t feel like he had control at these other companies because they were always concerned with the bottom line, and that was all about how much money they could make. John was always far more interested in what the products could become and how to make those products really accurate and of the highest quality. Plus, he knew how to create some of these products and that was the inspiration and the real reason he wanted to start his own company. We’d never started a company before so it was a little bit of a gamble. But he came home from work one

INTERVIEW: John & Helen Meyer

Opposite: John and Helen Meyer, founders of Meyer Sound.

Below: Since the early 70s, John has been experimenting with and devoloping live sound techniques.

day and said ‘lets do it!’

John elaborated: “It’s funny because a lot of disciplines get studied in universities but sound doesn’t for some reason, sound was left out of academia. So nobody was actively researching sound. The only thing we really had was hi-fi sound and audio from radio and records, but you couldn’t really study about how to make sound suitable for different environments. For example, we know from television and movies when the soundtrack goes off, that the movie really loses a lot.

It’s annoying when you lose the picture, yes, but the sound really carries so much about a movie that if you lose sound it makes you start thinking about how sound is able to carry emotion, especially in entertainment.

“Touring as a profession was only just getting started. I came from a hi-fi and radio background myself, which was all about trying to make sound, and reproduce audio in a way that you’d hear at a concert, that was what the whole push for stereo was about. So we wanted our company to draw people in and create high quality sound for live music, and to do this you have to find customers and people who are interested in that as a concept - you don’t want to have to convert people,” he reminisced.

THE MAKING OF MONTREUX A huge part of Meyer Sound’s development, and an example of the importance they put on long-standing relationships, is when the Meyers met Claude Nobs, founder of Montreux Jazz Festival.

“In the early ‘70s when we were living in Switzerland [‘73-75] Claude became friends with John and heard some of the products that he was working on in Switzerland,” said Helen.

“We had a lab in Switzerland where we were trying to build instruments and sound systems for classical music. We wanted to reproduce classical music so that if there was a small orchestra you could reproduce that sound outside with just 10 or 15 instruments.

We were trying to enhance that sound so that people could hear it better. When Claude heard it, he was interested in doing that for his jazz festival.”

The Meyers returned to the US and started the company, but it wasn’t until a few years later that Claude contacted them and said he wasn’t happy with the sound company he’d been working with.

Helen continued: “He asked if we could provide some audio solutions to the festival.

That was 30 years ago, and it’s something

we’ve still very involved with, which is kind of amazing.

GRATEFUL EXPERIMENTATION “We brought that first speaker invention to the US and showed it in Berkeley. Some people from The Grateful Dead were there and asked if we could create that kind of speaker quality for a stage monitor for Jefferson Starship,” John continued. “I said that we could try, but I didn’t know if it would be powerful enough for a stage monitor. We built it and they liked it, but they needed it to be more powerful. So the first product we built as a company with The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship was an on-stage monitor, which became a big success, very quickly, because it was a flexible product in the sense that it was quite a neutral design.

“We got a lot of notoriety because the monitor was very small, clean looking and powerful, but it didn’t block the stage sightlines too much. We made it neutral by making it controllable by how it was mixed.

That was a real breakthrough in the industry.”

From there, Meyer Sound created some PAs, including a successful Broadway product that took off due to its small size and had 115

INTERVIEW: John & Helen Meyer

Below: Meyer Sound has a close relationship with Metallica and their sound crew, engaging the metal band in R&D for a range of on-stage, discreet monitors.

a controller unit that could regulate all the elements of the performance. “It was different to any speakers on the market. It outperformed everything, it lasted, it was louder, it was clearer and it was lighter. It’s the same product that we still have today, we’ve just added to it to make it even more powerful.

“You have to have a lot of trust that sound engineers are not afraid to tell you if things aren’t what they think they should be.

We value that; we don’t want everyone to just say ‘yes’ to us all the time. We have key customers who we’ll let listen to a product first, and if they like it we’ll ask if they’d like to take it on tour. We get a lot of feedback from customers that way and in most cases it’s really positive feedback. It’s not just about the performance of the speaker though, it’s how quickly it rigs, if it looks right, and are they going to stack in the right way for the sound design. It’s details that ultimately convince people if they want to work with your products or not.

When we first started working with The Grateful Dead, there was a week set up time to do one show. We were constantly trying to get that timeframe down. What really drove it was when record companies in the 116

‘70s decided not to sponsor tours anymore because they weren’t making enough money.

Originally they supported the tours that sold records, but it got expensive, and if times got a little tough, that became harder to do. The idea was to simplify and progress.

To this day, the band and their rental supplier, UltraSound, have a close relationship with the Meyers, founded in those initial days of experimentation. Said John: “They were great at letting us try different things with the equipment and we had a very close relationship with their tours because of it.”

RELATIONSHIP GUIDELINES This emphasis on relationships still stands today, perhaps, more than ever, as Helen explained: “We stay in touch with our customers all the time to try and figure out which of our dealers, rental companies and partners would like us to be on site with them. Sometimes with a big tour we like to have our tech team out there as well as our marketing team, just to show them that we’re supporting their work and if they have any questions we’re here. We had to do that right from the beginning because the entertainment business is like that. Although it’s not just the entertainment business

now, it’s cruise ships, theatres, concert halls, churches and restaurants to name a few. We are 24/7 and we are global.

This ultimately comes back to the artist’s needs. “If you have a relationship with a band and you give them something that doesn’t work, that’ll wreck the relationship.

It’s still a relationship, it’s just that the tools you make can enhance or hurt it. Metallica wanted to bury their monitors into the stage so that they could get a cleaner look during their shows. They already used Meyer Sound monitors but they wanted something smaller, with equal power. So we started to work on that project for them. If we begin with a specific request and it’s successful, we’ll introduce it to the rest of the market,” John added.

The monitor product the legendary metal band first invested in was the MJF-212A stage monitor, and five years later, in 2014, the band upgraded to the MJF-210’s - of which they now own an impressive 76 units.

Personal preference from influential musicians and engineers is often the starting point for a Meyer Sound product, as John explained: “Almost all of our products have been inspired by a need that has come from the bands, engineers or installation purposes.

INTERVIEW: John & Helen Meyer

Below: Ed Sheeran’s most recent tour utilised a Leo / Lyon system with rental company Major Tom; Montreux Jazz Festival is described as “so much fun” by Helen Meyer, even after a 30-year collaboration!

We can look at all of our products and remember the first time they were requested.

A lot of the time when we ask for things, we don’t verbalise in a way that communicates our exact needs. For instance, with cinema, people will say they don’t like 3D movies and when you ask why, you find out that they actually don’t like wearing glasses. It’s not the 3D movie they don’t like; it’s just the way the idea is implemented. As pro audio designers, we have to take these kinds of factors into account to give people what they really want in a format they’re comfortable with.”

THE NEW GENERATION Giving people what they want is where Meyer Sound relies on its key partners, such as Lars Brogaard who runs audio rental company, Major Tom. Helen explained: “He came to me a while ago and said that he had this great young guy who was just phenomenal to watch live, and he felt that our products that he was using for other tours would be ideal for this young man who goes by the name of Ed Sheeran. At that point, I didn’t know who Ed was but he assured me he was an amazing performer and musician that we should get to know. We worked together with Lars to make sure he had all the equipment needed based on what he felt was the right system for the various venues Ed would be performing in but I didn’t really understand the impact of an artist like Ed until we went to one of his concerts,” she smiled. “We didn’t know how big his fan base was either, and when we showed up at a venue, we saw young women lined up for four blocks!

“We went backstage and talked to Chris

Marsh, Ed’s FOH Engineer, who told us stories about how he’d been touring with Ed and how wonderful he was to work with. Then we met Ed and he was so friendly. He was of course very busy but he wanted to stop and say hello to us and let us know how much he enjoyed working with our products. We watched him play from FOH - and the venue was jammed - but it was such a beautiful concert to be at, and he sounded just gorgeous. I became a fan instantly.”

“What we love about working with an artist like Ed is that he’s doing things differently; he’s doing everything with computers which people often thinks is canned, but it’s all live. He tells the audience how he’s constructing it every time. It was just interesting to see how he does music because it’s such a different paradigm to what we grew up with and we’re very proud to be able to work with his tours.”

A POWERFUL FAMILY Over the years, Meyer Sound has named its products with simplicity: just numbers and letters, which “seemed sort of boring” according to Helen. And so, with a fresh approach in mind, they started naming their products after their grandchildren, enter Milo, D-Mitri, and M’elodie. “We wanted to be branded a family company, so we used names in our family, creating a dual legacy. Then, with the new generation of products that uses ground-breaking technology, the Leo, Lyon and Leopard needed a ground breaking message. We brought in our marketing department to really help us make a strong statement because these products represent

power, strength and clarity as well as evoking feelings when you hear them - like the roar of a big cat!”

John agreed, who concluded: “When you use a strong name like Lyon, you’re risking a lot. You’ve got to make sure the product holds up to that image but we decided to make that statement because we wanted to let people know that we’re still very proactive in making powerful products.”

Ed Sheeran’s tour used a Leo / Lyon system amongst an array of Meyer Sound products including the Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, entertaining 80,000 fans at the tour’s London date at Wembley Stadium. After all, one man and a guitar who thrives on the implementation of a raw, live sound must have faith in the brand.

The year 2016 will mark a significant time for Meyer Sound, and its fortitude with one of its first significant relationships, Montreux Jazz Festival, that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this July. Helen was clearly very proud of their involvement, and inevitable input into what has become a significant live music celebration for many generations because that was built on the mutual desire to better the sound for gig-goers. “It’s always such fun working at Montreux Jazz Festival because Claude [who sadly passed away in 2013] knew that the quality of audio really made a difference for the artists that he was trying to bring to Switzerland and build relationships with. He was a great man and he really did appreciate great sound.” As history tells us, he’s certainly not the only one…

TPi www.meyersound.com 117

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: PRG

PRG’S GROUNDCONTROL FOLLOWSPOT SYSTEM THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED GROUNDCONTROL FOLLOWSPOT SYSTEM AIMS TO REVOLUTIONISE THE TRADITIONAL MANUAL FOLLOWSPOT, ALLOWING LIVE PRODUCTIONS EVEN GREATER CONTROL IN KEEPING TALENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. TPi ATTENDED A PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION DAY AT LONDON’S O2 ARENA FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

In many ways, the GroundControl Followspot System is a very simple idea; it’s a remotely operated followspot controlled by an on-the-ground interface. Yet the real world application of this latest release, from a live production standpoint, really is a game-changer. No longer does a member of the lighting crew have to scale to the rafters and manually control a telescopic sized followspot, allowing their feet to stay firmly on the ground.

Product Manager Chris Conti explained that 118

the idea behind the GroundControl product had been in the works for some time: “It was something we had on our minds for several years but the technology either wasn’t where we needed it to be or the costs were not realistic. Then, early last year, all the planets aligned and once we started to progress, it took around four months from white board to initial prototype.”

At the time of publication, patents for the GroundControl Followspot system have been applied for and are pending.

The primary objective of the GroundControl is to solve the safety issues that go hand in hand with having to physically get an operator in the air to run the truss spots. Conti explained: “We wanted to get them out of the truss area and on the ground. That ended up being the easy part.

The hard part, and the main design brief, was developing a control solution that was simple, intuitive, and able to mimic the look, feel, and experience of operating a regular followspot.

We wanted a solution that anyone could walk up to and, with minimal instruction, confidently

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: PRG

Opposite: PRG proudly announced the release of the new GroundControl Followspot System. Below: Rich Gorrod, Head of Events Services for PRG XL Video, with the modified PRG Bad Boy during the demo day at the O2 Arena in London; Chris Conti, Product Manager explained that the GroundControl had been in the works for some time; The GroundControl System’s controller has been designed to function in a similar way to a regular followspot and can control the fixture from 2,000ft away.

follow a performer on stage.”

As well as the fixture mirroring the movement in the interface, the controller also has intuitive controls for intensity, iris, zoom, frost and edge as well as buttons that can be used for colour and beam presence. The controller also has an on-board touchscreen for easy addressing, configuring and diagnostics.

The whole controller sits on a tripod that can be located up to 2,000ft (610 metres) away from the fixture itself (a PRG Bad Boy). The screen on the controller also streams content from the HD camera attached to PRG’s Bad Boy that outputs HD-SDI at 1080p, enabling the ground spot operators to see the stage as if they were right by the fixture. The on-board display also comes complete with a targeting reticle for greater accuracy as well as night vision mode

that enables operators to pick out performers on a virtually black stage. The GroundControl is compatible with all lighting consoles so as much or as little control can be put in the hands of the LD.

is comparable in output to many traditional followspots that are currently available.

Secondly, the front aperture on the fixture is also equivalent in size to existing followspots so it has a similar look in the rig, and thirdly, the

“It was something we had on our minds for several years but the technology either wasn’t where we needed it to be or the costs were not realistic. Then, early last year all the planets finally aligned...”

Product Manager, Chris Conti

According the Conti, the reason for using the PRG Bad Boy as the first compatible fixture came down to three reasons: “Firstly, the fixture

feature set: CMY, colour wheels, big zoom and smooth dimming is initially well suited for use as a followspot.”

119

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: PRG

Below: The GroundControl Followspot System has already been shipped off, enjoying stints on the road with Madonna’s Rebel Heart and U2’s Innocence + Experience tours.

Despite the product being well suited to the job, some modifications were made to the fixture. Along with the onboard camera, the Bad Boy’s pan and tilt capabilities were altered.

“We re-did a lot of the motor code to make the pan and tilt much more responsive,” explained Conti. “We also made smaller adjustments like converting one of the gobo wheels into an additional colour wheel and swapping out all of the fixed colours to various colour correction filters commonly used in followspots.”

data is converted and sent to a robust MilSpec Neutrik opticalCON QUAD fibre optic cable for the controller on the ground. This reduces the likelihood of data corruption and or signal interference due to the proximity of other power and data cables typically found in entertainment venues.

The well thought out product is already proving to be a huge success with some worldclass LDs, having been used on Madonna’s Rebel Heart and U2’s Innocence + Experience

“We had the first two GroundControl units out on U2 for the last portion of the tour and they delivered completely. We didn’t even tell the band we had made the swap and no-one noticed the difference, which was encouraging...”

U2’s LD, Willie Williams

Rich Gorrod, Head of Events Services for PRG XL Video further explained some of the fixture changes: “We upgraded the bulb to a 1500W over run by a 1650W ballast with a 50,000 lumen output - that’s brighter than a lot of moving spotlights.”

The third part of the system that connects the PRG Bad Boy and the controller is the GroundControl Truss Box. DMX, camera control and video feeds can be sent directly to and from the fixture to the small truss box where the 120

tours as well as the O2 Arena’s Operations Director, Steve Gotkine, expressing a strong interest in investing in them at the venue.

LD and Set Designer for U2, Willie Williams, spoke of his experience with the product: “I have had quite a history with the GroundControl spot and the Bad Boy, having consulted with PRG on both units since their inception. I am old enough to have witnessed all manner of previous attempts to do this. There have been spots that track a performer via IR, radio packs

and by joystick from the floor, but invariably these attempts have ended in nothing more than moments of high comedy. We had the first two GroundControl units out on U2 for the last portion of the tour and they delivered completely. We didn’t even tell the band we had made the swap and no-one noticed the difference, which was encouraging. When the U2 crew first saw the unit the thing I found most significant was that everybody present was excited about the GroundControl for different reasons. Jake Berry [Production Manager] was thrilled at being able to do away with all the man-lifts, additional rigging and safety gear whereas Nick Barton [Lighting Crew Chief] loved the thought of not having to spend the best part of an hour a day getting spot operators into harnesses and winching them up the trusses!

“I also used three GroundControl spots on the current Bryan Adams tour with similar success. With Bryan’s show I took advantage of putting the Bad Boy units in places that would be impossible for an old-school followspot with an adjacent human operator. My current goal for the next leg of the U2 tour is to have 26 followspots being run by only 10 operators, but we will see how that goes!”

In conclusion, Gorrod stated that the feedback PRG had received had been incredibly positive: “People can’t get enough of them - we can’t build them quick enough!”

TPi www.prg.com/uk

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CLOCKING OFF: Plaster Pedal to Paris Below: Team Plaster are gearing up for their cycle ride from the UK to France to raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital.

PLASTER PEDAL TO PARIS GRAHAM BROWN, MD AT PLASTER CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARITY WORK WITHIN THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY AS HIS TEAM AIMS TO RAISE MONEY FOR A VERY SPECIAL CAUSE...

Seeing some of the Plaster team at this year’s TPi Awards bar, it would seem some training would be advisable for those who have accepted the athletic challenge to cycle over 430km in four days from Bristol to Paris this April, to raise money for Bristol Children’s Hospital.

Most people who know MD Graham Brown will be aware that he has very close affinity to Bristol Children’s Hospital through his daughter’s, thankfully successful, battle with cancer some years ago. So motivation will be at a premium to cycle those difficult miles. When the hills are feeling steep, Graham will be remembering what she went through in there and will be pushing though the pain.

The money the team raises will be used to help fund important ultrasound equipment, which is needed to perform life saving surgery on 122

children with complicated heart conditions.

Graham commented: “Not only is Bristol Children’s Hospital close to our hearts, but as we work in events PR, we love a challenge!

Given that we’re rarely described as ‘finely tuned athletes’, the prospect of six of us cycling 430km in four days will certainly test our metal!

“We’re also just coming to the end of Bristol being European Green Capital City, so it’s a good way of keeping us out of cars and on our bikes, reminding people in our hometown that the environment is important. On a lighter note it resonated nicely that we’re cycling from Bristol to Paris because Plaster Director Kellie Hasbury and I have always wanted to take the team to get ‘Plastered in Paris’. Now, while there’s not enough sponsorship money in the world to get Kellie on a bike, she’s in charge of having a cold bottle of fizz ready to pop when we arrive!

“Team Plaster is also passionate about our city and we jumped at the chance to help out a brilliant local charity like Above + Beyond. At Plaster we pride ourselves on being daring, bold, boundary pushers, so what better way to test that spirit than a four-day cycle challenge! We’re hoping to raise as much money as possible for Above + Beyond to ensure they can continue to truly help and support those who need it most.”

If you would like to support one of the live event industry’s premier PR agencies for a very worthy cause, please follow the link below on our digital edition.

Good luck Team Plaster!

TPi bristoltoparis2016.everydayhero.com/uk/team-plaster

www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk www.weareplaster.com

THEATRE SHOW 2016 www.abtttheatreshow.co.uk 100+ exhibitors - lighting, sound, AV, rigging, engineering, scenic, training

LIVE P L PERFORMANCE T TECHNOLOGY

22 & 23 June

The West Hall, Alexandra Palace N22 7AY

Visitor Registration opens March 1 st

Download the free ABTT 2016 app from Google Play and the App Store 2016 Exhibitor List to date. A limited number of stands remain. Please contact isobel.hatton@abtttheatreshow.co.uk if you wish to book.

A.C. Entertainment Technologies

CPC

LAMDA

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

Academy of Live & Recorded Arts

d & b audiotechnik GB Limited

Lamp & Pencil/RC4

Safety Lifting Gear

Altman Lighting

DCRS

Le Mark Group Self Adhesive

Schools Theatre Support Group

Aluminium Access Products Limited

Doughty Engineering Limited

Lighting Resources

Serapid

Amber Sound

Drapemakers

Lighting Sound International

ShowTex België NV

Ambersphere Solutions Ltd

E15 Acting School

Locker and Riley (FP) Ltd

SiPA

Andolite L imited

Electronic Theatre Controls Ltd

Lyon Equipment Limited

Slingco Limited

Artistic License

EM Acoustics

MA Lighting

Sony

ASM Steuerungstechnik GMBH

Entertaining Sustainability

Mainstage Ltd

Sparks Theatrical Hire Limited

Association of British Theatre Technicians

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Martin Professional

Stage Management Association

Association of Lighting Designers

FBT Audio

Miltec Distribution Limited

Stage Solutions

Association of Sound Designers

Flint Hire & Supply Limited

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

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German Light Products Inc

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Ayrton

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Peter Evans Studios Limited

Technical Performance and Presentation

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Goboplus Limited

Production Resource Group

The Theatres Trust

Bristol Paint (UK) Limited

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Prompt Side Image Fabrication

The Theatrical Guild

British Harlequin

Hall Stage Limited

Push The Button

Total Access (UK) Limited

CC Skills/The Backstage Centre

Hawthorn Theatrical Limited

Race Furniture Ltd

Total Solutions Group

Cavotec

Hayles and Howe Ltd

RB Health & Safety Solutions Limited

Triple E Limited

Centre Stage Engineering Limited

HD Pro Audio

Robe UK Limited

Unusual Group Limited

Chauvet Lighting

HOAC Stage Technology

Robert Juliat

Varia Textiles UK Limited

Cinema Theatre Association

IGUS (UK) Limited

Roland UK Limited

Water Sculptures

City Theatrical Inc.

Illuminate Design Limited

Rope Assemblies

White Light Limited

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Inspired Audio

Rose Bruford College

Yamaha Music Europe

Computers Unlimited (Vectorworks)

J & C Joel Limited

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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KV2 Audio Europe Limited

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Theatre Show March Full Page 2016.indd 1

6 Y S NL D O AN T ST L E F 29/02/2016 11:53

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

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Josh Graham has joined LMC Audio Birmingham to fulfill a role in Technical Sales. Coming from a background in sound engineering and cycle retail.

“I stayed in the cycling industry

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and continued to work as a sound engineer alongside this, working in a local theatre at first and then going on to do more freelance work at the age of 17,” he commented.

“While I worked at the theatre

I got the chance to engineer a number of swing bands, which was a fantastic experience. One in particular, a 12-piece swing band called King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. It was incredible and probably the best gig of my career in terms of sound engineering.”

FIX8Group has become a d3 Studio, offering a full d3 Technologies workflow as its inhouse solution for pre-production and production of live events.

“We are delighted that FIX8 has become a d3 Studio, implementing our products and pre-visualisation software to deliver unique events to an array of clients,” said Sarah Cox, EMEA Sales Manager for d3 Technologies. “Having FIX8 as a d3 studio consultant for the d3 workflow, will support our growing customer base who are choosing d3 as their workflow for media projects.”

Technical Productions has hired award-winning Lighting / Set / Production Designer Seth Jackson as a full time member of its executive creative team.

“This is a huge step forward for both of us, and we’re both able to service our existing and potential clients better because of this synergy,” said Michael O’Keefe, CEO of Technical Productions.

“For Seth, he has better facilities at his disposal and the support of a full service office. Also Technical Production now gains full-time access to Seth’s design talent - he is absolutely one of the most creative designers working today.”

Jackson has worked closely with Technical Productions since before he graduated from Webster University in 1992, where he is now an Associate Professor and Head of the Concert Design programme for the Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

After Jackson graduated from university, he moved to Nashville where he went to work for VariLite. He then started 3SR Creative in 2000, and he has since built a remarkable CV that includes theatre (Thoroughly Modern Milli, Chicago, Aladdin); special events (Star Wars: In Concert, American Idol Live); and tours (Selena Gomez, Barry Manilow, Alice Cooper).

American Music & Sound has appointed James Duvall as Commercial Solutions Specialist.

In his new position, Duvall will assist consultants and integrators in system design and product application for Allen & Heath products including the dLive, GLD Chrome and Qu Series.

Prior to his new position, Duvall was the owner and lead consultant of Creative Engineering and Solutions for 12 years. He has worked as a production manager and a FOH and monitor engineer and he has designed both installed and portable sound systems. Duvall’s expertise includes digital audio and AoIP (audio over IP) from a year studying in the Cisco Networking Academy.

VUE Audiotechnik has named avon lydinstallasjon (AS) as its exclusive distributor for the Nordic countries.

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Opposite: Josh Graham has joined LMC Audio to fulfill a role in Technical Sales; American Music & Sound has appointed James Duvall as Commercial Solutions Specialist; Professional Wirelss Systens has appointed William O’Keefe as Manufacturing Manager; Rob Brown has joined PRG XL Video’s corporate team as Senior Account Manager.

Having established and maintained a strong presence for VUE in Norway for the past several years, avon’s distribution of VUE products will now stretch to include Sweden, Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Finland, including the Åland Islands, directly and with the help of local vendors.

“Part of avon’s expansion plan includes increasing VUE’s presence in the rental market,” said Edgar Andraa Lien, Co-founder, avon. “Our goal is to help VUE command the same respect in that market segment as the other wellestablished brands.”

To help further avon’s successes they recently brought Thomas Züllich on board. “Züllich previously spent many years as CEO of Meyer Sound GmbH in Germany. He is familiar with the Nordic market and has strong contacts in the region,” said Lien.

According to Lien, Züllich is not afraid to get his hands dirty and exhibits a depth of knowledge in many disciplines including pro audio rental, sales, hardware and rigging, as well as acoustic design. “His experience as an enduser of PA systems is an extremely valuable asset for us,” Lien concluded.

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) has appointed William O’Keefe as Manufacturing

Manager.

O’Keefe previously worked for PWS in the manufacturing department. In his new role, O’Keefe will be responsible for maintaining PWS’ current product line, fabricating custom prototypes for new, cutting-edge products, streamlining manufacturing processes and staying up-to-date on the latest RF and wireless trends.

In addition, O’Keefe will supervise project progress, coordinate all manufacturing tasks, and maintain current CAD drawings, bill of materials and raw materials inventory.

Riche Hawtin and highly regarded British Product Developer Andy Rigby-Jones have revealed more details about their new project, PLAYdifferently, at NAMM 2016.

Since 2014, the pair has been developing and testing their first prototype of an instrument that they felt is missing from the professional segment of the market.

After 25 years of working at Allen & Heath and being an integral part of their worldrenowned Xone DJ division, Rigby-Jones left the company in 2014 and partnered with Hawtin to combine their expertise and unique vision to create new innovative instruments for the DJ and electronic music market.

Audiotonix and Allen & Heath bring expertise in design, manufacturing and distribution, with Hawtin and Rigby-Jones committed to fulfilling the creative needs of the most discerning performing artists.

Rob Brown has joined PRG XL Video’s corporate team as Senior Account Manager, and will be based at the company’s Hemel Hempstead location.

Brown has more than 14 years experience in the AV and technical industries, working with 360˚ production companies, mostly in the financial sector. He now brings his expertise to PRG XL Video, to help the corporate team better serve multi-discipline event production agencies and their end clients.

LED video display manufacturer PixelFLEX has appointed Grif Palmer as its new Vice President of Sales.

Palmer will oversee the day-to-day operations of the PixelFLEX sales team while implementing the sales strategies necessary to keep pace with the increased market demand for the innovative line of PixelFLEX LED video technologies.

TPi

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

Aurora are the lighting rental specialists for the television, broadcast and entertainment media production industries We currently have a selection of exciting opportunities to become part of the team at our West London base

PROJECT MANAGER This demanding but rewarding position requires the ability to manage projects from inception through to completion.

Working closely with Lighting Designers, Crew Chiefs and Gaffers to specify and deliver lighting solutions for a varied range of productions across multiple markets, the role requires excellent communication skills, strong commercial aptitude plus in depth technical knowledge.

WAREHOUSE MANAGER An opportunity for a competent, experienced self starter to take responsibility for the effective management of our busy warehouse team.

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This position is open to applicants seeking both full and part time employment, working hours will be discussed accordingly.

Salary & benefits for all positions commensurate with experience Please apply in writing enclosing a current CV to: nick.edwards@auroratv.co.uk

Job ad TPI.indd 2

15/02/2016 16:17

Eminence Speaker LLC, the world’s largest professional audio and musical instrument loudspeaker manufacturer is seeking OEM Sales Representative (m/f) for the European market. The ideal candidate will have 1 O+ years of industry experience, and possess a technical background specifically related to loudspeakers. Candidate must demonstrate a proven record of year over year sales success, have a rapport with buyers in the professional audio sector, and have acquired a general knowledge of European business and logistical standards. Must speak English, be a self-starter, highly organized and willing to travel. Qualified candidates should submit a resume and salary expectations to kctrotta@gmail. com before March 21, 2016.

All exemplary candidates will be invited for an interview in Frankfurt, Germany during the Prolight + Sound Exhibition, April 5,6, 7th and 8th 2016.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

THE BIGGER PICTURE A TRAGIC DEBATE Social media certainly gets the world talking and the recent tragic deaths of the British band Viola Beach and their manager - in a car crash in Sweden - certainly got the assumptions flying. Within 24 hours, an online group entitled ‘Driving Hours in the Entertainment Industry’ was formed and had 100 members (currently stands at 161), within days one member had created a draft best practice guide for ‘splitter’ tours. Of course, this was all based on the assumption that the crash in Sweden had been at least partially caused by fatigue; the only information released up to now is that toxicology didn’t find any likely cause, and the vehicle was a hire car. Critics will point at the dangers of assumption, others may simply want to shine a light on an issue and take something positive from an awful event.

And yes, we’ve been here before.

Where to start? Well, here are 1,400 or so words that may start to knit together some bootees for this particular elephant in the room, beginning with the ‘we need regulations’ argument. We don’t. We don’t need regulations because we already have them, we even have a legal precedent that gives employers a duty to ensure people don’t drive home from work when they’re tired, let alone between work places. It is illegal to expose people to hazards that can lead to them being killed or injured or, as the HSE states in its own guidance on driving for work: “Employers have duties under health and safety law for on-the-road work activities. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) states you must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees while at work. You must also ensure that others are not put at risk by your work-related driving activities. The self-employed have similar responsibilities.”

Regulations specifically focussed on driving vehicles related to events is a non-starter, to subject van drivers to the same regulation as HGV drivers would meet with a massive lobby against, no matter how much sense it makes to some. Of course, then there’s the other elephant 126

in the room - a tachograph in a vehicle can tell when the vehicle is not moving, but it can’t tell what the driver is doing when it’s not moving.

Are they actually resting in the cab or in a comfy bucket seat in the grid with a warm follow spot to cuddle? Or are they the tech who is also the driver? Has anyone heard of a prosecution relating to drivers in entertainment working during their rest break? Perhaps it’s just hearsay and doesn’t really happen.

One change that has been suggested before is a switch in reporting statistics. Every year the Health and Safety Executive publishes workplace accident statistics. The figures don’t include road accidents during journeys that are work-related, they’re reported by a different department.

How different would the figures be if those accidents were included? Surely the first stage of dealing with a problem is admitting that it exists. Picture the scene; a photocopier engineer that has worked five 12-hour days gets a call to a job 70 miles away. A lapse in concentration due to fatigue causes an accident and people are hurt. At what point does the HSE investigate the employer’s health and safety policy relating to driving? Is there any dialogue between police, insurers and HSE to ensure that people are not routinely expected to put themselves and other road users at risk? There was talk of the Police

linking with HSE in relation to mobile phone use at the wheel, with HSE automatically contacting employers of people using phones while driving company vehicles, asking to see their written policy on such things. An easy catch if it doesn’t exist.

As with our photocopier engineer, nobody is at any great risk if a TM / sound engineer / driver mutes the wrong channel during a show, but if they’ve driven 200 miles to the show, set up PA, worked the show and has a night time drive back home in a loaded splitter, the risk of an accident is vastly increased. Add in a few more shows and we’re asking for trouble. People do it, but can they honestly say it was without risk? People are certainly getting away with it, whatever it is. Could be prosecution, could be a lot worse. It’s only when something serious happens that investigations take place too. We’d like to think that every splitter driver takes the zero option when it comes to drink and drugs before a drive, through both common sense and easy testing and enforcement. The problem with fatigue is that there’s no easy roadside test, drifting across a lane on the M40 at 2am will get you breathalysed, a negative reading will probably get a bit of friendly advice to pull over at the next services and grab a coffee. Odd really, when you consider research has shown fatigue

www.psa.org.uk

over the drink drive limit.

And so to elephant number three: money.

There’s nothing more likely to raise greater consternation within online industry groups than a shout out for a tm/tech/driver for a UK tour at £80 per day. Talk of minimum wage, slave labour and insults to professionals ensues, but then

What legislation can improve on the Health and Safety at Work Act? Are there really advantages in extending HGV/PSV regulations to splitter/one van tours? Or is the answer a little more simple? Well, it’s been said before and it’ll be said again, but the answer lies in one simple word: no. Sure, somebody generally says yes, but

“Is there any dialogue between police, insurers and HSE to ensure that people are not routinely expected to put themselves and other road users at risk?”

someone takes the gig. But minimum wage isn’t an issue here, and it’s not just down to the fact that you’re self employed so technically paying yourself under minimum wage. The fact is that, even at £400 a day, tired is tired. The posts often mention the money; they very rarely mention dates and locations.

reducing that pool will make those people harder to find. Of course, it would be cheeky to suggest that some people might want to accidentally double book themselves and cancel a low pay, high expectation job at the last minute.

But let’s not stop at ‘just say no’, we can do better than that. We need a basis around which

people say no. We’re back to good old terms and conditions again, that’s where you lay out your expectations in advance of a job, and they should include working hours. Sure, you’re probably working to a day rate, but that shouldn’t be 24 hours and perhaps, just perhaps, they should include a maximum amount of driving hours in a day too. Driving as well as engineering is not a money issue, it’s a safety issue, you can’t negotiate the safety of the passengers. So yes, there’s a terms and conditions checklist on the PSA web site, yes, we’ve got a small group of interested members ready to trawl existing guidance and perhaps suggest some wording relating to driving and, yes, we’ll be talking to music managers, promoters and the MU about some sensible guidance. So yes, we’ll develop some tools to help people say no.

Back to the beginning though. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe, Jack Dakin and Craig Tarry. Knowing what happened can’t bring them back, they left some great music, we can perhaps reflect and do something positive in their memory and, in this case, let assumption be the mother of improvement. Rest in peace lads.

TPi www.psa.org.uk

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The TPi Production Guide

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VITAL STATS

VITAL STATS 180 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

TONY ANDREWS Profession: Audio Engineer, Founder of Funktion One Date & Place of Birth: 9 April 1949, Cheam, South London, UK You founded Funktion One in 1992, what was the catalyst that inspired you to become both a company owner and product designer?

I’ve always been a loudspeaker designer first and company owner second - with Funktion One now, Turbosound in the late-70s and 80s and before that when I had several smaller companies. I’ve been designing loudspeakers for over 45 years. The catalyst back then was to get hi-fi quality sound for large-scale concerts.

At that time, there wasn’t a professional audio industry to speak of and the sound for gigs was somewhat underpowered. I wanted to change that.

“Being a designer is a little bit like climbing a mountain. You reach what you perceive to be the top and you’re able to see more than you could before, so you keep climbing. Having said that, it feels like we’ve reached some sort of summit with Vero.”

At that point in time, what were your ambitions for the PA market place?

Audio performance has always been at the core of every new development and every new loudspeaker I’ve designed.

I started out in the live and touring world and have always felt a strong connection with it. We had a lot of success and did some incredible gigs with the Festival System, TMS 3, Flashlight and Floodlight most notably, Roger Waters’ Berlin Wall concert for 350,000 people. Line-array arrived but I couldn’t believe in it sonically, particularly outside, but the industry moved in that direction, with convenience seeming to become the main driving force rather than sound quality.

That pushed us more towards the electronic music scene, which, from a technical point of view, wasn’t fashion driven and didn’t care if the system was a line array, point source or anything else. They just cared about the sonic result. This allowed us to experiment and develop our loudspeakers, as well as our own knowledge, instead of standing still.

During your career, do you feel those initial goals have been met?

To some extent, yes I do, but being a designer is a little bit like climbing a mountain. You reach what you perceive to be the top and you’re able to see more than you could before, so you keep climbing. Having said that, it feels like we’ve reached some sort of summit with Vero. The thing that got me into audio in the first place was experiencing stereo through my hi-fi speakers. The stereo image that Vero is capable of, even off axis, is the best I’ve ever heard from a big sound system.

You’ve become a manufacturer synonymous with dance music in any setting. With the launch of your new system, Vero, what do you want to give the next generation of music fans in terms of their live experience?

I’d like them to have uplifting listening experiences, where the quality of the audio positively impacts their connection with the music, their mood and 130

their understanding of how good live sound can be. There are generations of music fans who probably haven’t experienced really great live sound.

It’s been some years in the making. Why is now the right time to launch?

The short answer is: we’re completely happy with every element of the system. As a totally independent business, we don’t have shareholders to satisfy with new product launches or a corporate strategy with a specific timeline. We’re looking at the long term and the impact that Vero can have for years to come, so we have been determined to make sure every single element of the system is as good as it can be.

What are the key attributes that are going to put Vero on the map?

Vero produces precise, transparent, accurate and present sound, with even dynamics across the frequency spectrum and rich, intelligible vocals. The stereo image really is astounding. It’s extremely efficient - a 12-enclosure flown array only needs two Lab.gruppen PLM 20K44 amplifiers to power it. There’s lots of headroom. You don’t need to compress every channel to make room for the vocals. The system hardly needs any EQ at all.

When you’re not creating audio products that’ll gather the masses, what would we find you doing for relaxation?

Time for relaxation has been in short supply over the last couple of years, but, when I get the opportunity, I like to head to the south coast with my wife Ann. We enjoy being in and around the sea, especially when it means windsurfing or spending time with our grandchildren. The photo pictured is of our granddaughter and I in the sea at Littlehampton, UK. Initially, she was scared to go in, but seeing how much fun I was having changed her mind.

She’s even taken to wearing her goggles at bath time now!

www.prg.com/uk

STAGE ESSENTIALS

X15 HiQ, REFERENCE STAGE 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

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