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Crt Birsa gets geometric with ChamSys
27/05/2025
Astera for Porsche Macan Electric reveal
21/05/2025
Mobileye party event lit with Robe Tetras
01/04/2025
Jazz & Blues Open Wendelstein mit Lichtsystemen von ETC
Anfang Mai traten bei den diesjährigen Jazz & Blues Open im mittelfränkischen Markt Wendelstein unter anderem Nico Santos, Tony Ann, die Dirty Loops, Torsten Goods und die SWR Big Band feat. Götz Alsmann auf. Generaldienstleister Rider Sound Service beauftragte Kwick Lights mit dem Lichtdesign.
Das Nürnberger Unternehmen um Geschäftsführer Alexander Kwick nutzte je zwölf TurboRay- und Lonestar-Scheinwerfer von ETC als Haupttools für die Produktion. Gefordert war ein Lichtkonzept, das „sowohl die Energie eines Popkonzerts als auch die Eleganz und musikalische Präzision einer Big-Band unterstützt“, so Alexander Kwick. Um diese Balance herzustellen, seien nicht nur technisches Know-how und Kreativität gefragt gewesen, sondern auch ein „umfassendes Verständnis für die Bedürfnisse der Künstler und für die Dynamik der einzelnen Shows“.
Da es sich bei der Eventlocation um eine eher nüchterne Tennishalle mit Oberlichtern handelt und dazu manche Konzerte bereits nachmittags stattfanden, kam den Beleuchtungssystemen eine Schlüsselrolle zu. Kwick setzte das TurboRay-Dutzend sowohl als Eye-Candy-Scheinwerfer als auch für sanfte Washes und dynamische Effekte und Beams ein. Die zwölf Lonestars übernahmen im Lichtkonzept eine andere Aufgabe, sie dienten als Spot/Beam-Hybridlampen.
Fotos: Nico Santos, Dirty Loops. (Fotocredits: Luis Mannhardt)
Stage Precision’s SP software helps level-up game day entertainment for Anaheim Ducks
Immersive technology specialists Quince Imaging recently partnered with the Anaheim Ducks hockey team to install a permanent, projection-mapping solution at their Honda Center home arena in Anaheim, California. The installation aimed to enhance the Ducks’ fan experience through interactive visuals, especially during half-time breaks.
At the centre of this project is Stage Precision’s SP software, which plays an integral part in Quince’s production workflow, allowing for precise tracking, calibration and real-time data integration. Coinciding with major infrastructure upgrades at the Honda Center in anticipation of the 2028 Olympic Games, the Ducks aimed to elevate the matchday experience through a combination of projection, lighting design and data-driven visuals. The arena was outfitted with a laser projection mapping system, comprising twelve Christie Griffyn 4k50-RGB projectors, Mystique Pro Venue Edition software and an automated rigging system.
Quince introduced a custom-built interactive game called “Frog Dash”, intended to run during intermission breaks. It relies on player motion capture and ID tag tracking to create a real-time gaming experience. With the Ducks looking to integrate more sponsorship-driven content and immersive digital storytelling throughout the season, a scalable and responsive technology platform was essential.
The SP software facilitates communication between multiple hardware and software platforms, including an array of OptiTrack motion capture cameras, Pixera media servers for content playback and the game engine that powered “Frog Dash”. “Stage Precision is our Swiss Army knife”, says Eric Gazzillo, Vice President of Innovation at Quince Imaging. “It sits at the centre of the operation, managing data flow between the tracking system, game engine and media servers. We use active ID tags on players, and SP handles the entire data communication network, from camera calibration through to real-time adjustments.”
The calibration process itself was notably efficient, utilising wand-based techniques that allowed the team to fine-tune alignment across the entire arena. SP enabled real-time control over tracking and frame synchronisation, eliminating the need for separate systems to handle different elements of the process. With latency and responsiveness playing a critical role in gameplay, this unified approach ensured flawless operation throughout the activation.
“Being able to adjust tracking and processing frame-wide in SP was a major step forward. It meant we could streamline post-processing and reduce any lags. Everything was smoother, quicker and more precise”, says Gazzillo, adding: “With SP, we can swap players and tags mid-game, run events back-to-back, and rely on SP to keep everything aligned without missing a beat.”
The SP team also provided dedicated support throughout the project, offering a direct Slack channel where Quince could troubleshoot in real time and receive guidance as required. The installation at the Honda Center was completed in four weeks. The Ducks’ production department, led by Peter Uvalle, played a key role in rolling out the permanent solution, working alongside other technology partners such as Related Grey and Sexy Lites to deliver the desired matchday atmosphere.
The Anaheim Ducks have already requested new interactive concepts for future matches, with plans to expand the system’s capabilities.
(Photos: Stage Precision)
Coda Audio AiRay and ViRay supplied for outdoor city centre stage in Chiang Mai
Held in April 2025 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, “Songkran” is a festival which celebrates the traditional Thai New Year. The three-day public holiday is marked by the widespread throwing of water, which takes place on a grand scale amidst joyous celebrations. Numerous other events take place alongside the annual water festival, helping to create an atmosphere of community togetherness and fun.
In the city of Chiang Mai, as well as a host of street shows, the focus of Songkran was the large gathering outside the Mays shopping centre, where a large stage hosted a wide range of performances including DJ sets, live artists, dance, and more. Handling the audio for the 10,000-strong audience in this open air setting was Bangkok-based Coconut Sound, who supplied a Coda Audio system. A customer of Coda’s Thailand distributor Modern Solutions Plus, Coconut has been a Coda Audio user since 2018, and its ViRay and AiRay systems are in constant demand across the country.
For the Chiang Mai event, which featured Thai artists J.Jetrin, Retrospect, and The Toys, Coconut Sound deployed a system comprising a main PA of 8 x AiRay and 4 x ViRay per side, with side hangs of 6 x AiRay with 4 x ViRay per side. The low end reinforcement consisted of 16 x SCP sensor controlled subwoofers with a number of Hops8 (8’’ high output point source) units used as front fills. The system was designed by Coconut’s Wichak Chanmuang.
(Photos: Coda Audio)
Mr. Light Solutions pushes Netron gear in harsh Canadian winter
Mr. Light Solutions, a production company based in Toronto, Canada, and led by founder Matthew Reicker, recently deployed a lighting data distribution system built around Obsidian Control Systems’ Netron product line for season one of a yet-to-be-announced streaming series.
Filmed in both studio and outdoor locations around Toronto, the winter-themed series faced some of the harshest weather conditions in recent memory, including temperatures dipping below -20°C, heavy snowfall, and freezing rain.
Reicker has worked on many different types of productions in his nearly fifteen years in the entertainment lighting industry - theatre, corporate events, concerts, and film - and in many capacities from lighting designer and programmer to crew chief and production manager. A member of IATSE Local 873, he launched Mr. Light Solutions in 2011 and since the pandemic has helped to update networked data distribution in film lighting.
“When I transitioned into film during the pandemic, I saw a lot of antiquated data setups - running multiple DMX lines and opto-splitters without taking advantage of Ethernet and nodes”, says Reicker. “Working with the Netron nodes, I feel like I’ve helped bring the industry into the 21st century.”
When the show’s rigging gaffer Chris Tackas initially requested Netron EN12s and EN4s, and wanted to protect them with waterproof cases, Reicker suggested the EN6IP, a 6-port EtherDMX node with IP66 protection, as a better fit for outdoor use. After testing a unit from Mr. Light’s rental stock, Tackas agreed - and purchased a full complement of EN12s, EN4s and EN6IPs for studio and exterior locations.
The EN6IPs, along with NS8IP switches (supplied by Reicker), were deployed outdoors, exposed to extreme winter weather for ten straight weeks without additional protection. “We kicked the crap out of them all winter long and we had a very hard winter”, Reicker adds. “The Netron nodes got buried in snow, caked in mud, soaked with freezing rain - and the entire system remained flawless. We had lights fail, but not the network.”
A total of six EN6IP nodes and six NS8IP switches were used outdoors, while EN12s and EN4s powered the indoor studio, running 24/7 for up to sixteen weeks. The Netron nodes were set up with redundant power, using both Power over Ethernet (PoE) and True1 connectors tied to separate breakers. This dual-source approach provided both a main and a redundant power supply for uninterrupted operation.
(Photos: Mr. Light Solutions/Obsidian Control Systems)
Crt Birsa gets geometric with ChamSys
Making a “simple wall of light”, uncluttered by any scenic pieces or barriers, and not disrupted by any restrictions, has been a long-held dream of Crt Birsa. “It was on my wish list”, says the cofounder of Blackout Lighting Design. “I’ve always wanted to create a simple wall of light, very populated, mathematical, and clean.”
Birsa got the opportunity to create such a wall when he lit EMA 2025, the Slovenian national Eurovision pre-selection event, which is held at Studio 1 of Slovenian National Television in Ljubljana. Working with his fellow Blackout designer Anze Trstenjak and frequent collaborator, set designer Greta Godnic, he created a 3D light wall to support the performances of the Eurovision contestants.
Controlling the “simple wall” was a complex task, one Birsa handled with help from his ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console, MagicQ Stadium Connect PC based programming interface, and a backup MQ70 console. Also helping him were multicamera director Tina Novak of RTV (Slovenia’s national TV network) and LED content creator VJ Andrej Intihar (“VJ Rasta”).
“When you have so many fixtures in play, you and your team have to be very careful in terms of geometry”, explains Birsa. “The key in making this kind of clean look is to take bigger groups of lighting fixtures and run them as if they were a single fixture. Of course, then you can make individual effects within these groups.”
The 32-universe show involved 358 lighting fixtures, many of them on studio hoists, in a relatively small space. Birsa notes that one of the universes contained key lights and show lights, so they had to share it, using the ChamSys console’s network session. “Also, updating the patch offset was very important for this show, since it had so many moving fixtures, and the ChamSys helped there as well”, he adds.
“The majority of the looks did not need a lot of position correcting after the patch offset was updated”, he continues. “The whole show was made in group-based programming. This made it clean, straightforward. Then, when it came to updating the show and replacing fixtures, we could do that very easily. The console made all the programming simpler, faster and more fun. This is very important, especially at high profile TV shows where you are usually time limited and changes have to be applied very quickly.”
Birsa notes that EMA 2025 was probably the biggest set ever run at TV Slovenia 1 Studio. His “wall of light”, which was made up of 200 fixtures, was at the back of the studio. There was also a matrix of spots and washes mounted on ladders lined on the side with LED strips, and a line of strobes at the bottom.
“All the other fixtures, which were on the studio hoist, just followed this architecture”, says Birsa. “So, when a certain pattern was in play, we could add a lot of fixtures without making it look crowded. But the biggest challenge in this was not to look too bright with such big amount of lights in such a small space. So, I had to be very careful in programming.”
(Photos: Blackout Lighting Design)
Leyard LED technology brings Hans Memling exhibition to life in Bruges
The historic Sint-Janshospitaal Museum in Bruges has unveiled an innovative digital experience that transforms how visitors engage with the life and works of Early Netherlandish painter Hans Memling. The “Closer to Memling” exhibition is an interactive audiovisual journey that features Leyard LED display technology, creating an immersive environment in the museum’s medieval attic space.
Installation work began in February 2024 and was completed in December, opening to the public on December 10. The project represents a collaboration between Musea Brugge and digital experience specialists Ocular, who worked alongside creative partners Studio Louter, Shosho, Wondering, Atento and Chris Pype to develop the concept and implementation.
Following previous digital installations at the museum, Ocular was entrusted with the task of transforming the historic attic into an engaging, accessible space that could appeal to visitors of all ages. “Through brainstorming sessions with the client, we determined the layout, content, and interactive elements”, explains Nicolas Vanden Avenne, Ocular Founder and CEO. “We built a full-scale trial installation where both adults and children could test the applications, ensuring a smooth implementation.”
The centrepiece of the exhibition is a 4.5 metre by 4.5 metre Leyard NEV1.9 LED video wall, which enables visitors to explore Memling’s masterpieces in detail while preserving the historic integrity of the 800-year-old building. “The biggest challenge was to integrate the hardware as subtly as possible in the monumental attic”, says Vanden Avenne. “Leyard’s LED wall obviously catches the eye immediately, but it does not compromise the authentic elements.”
Robin van der Heiden, BNL Field Sales Manager at Leyard Europe, adds: “We used our 1.9 mm pixel pitch so that visitors can stand very close in front of the screen. The NEV series also comes with 800 nits of brightness, meaning you can show a very clear, powerful image on the screen. Working closely with Ocular from the early planning stages allowed us to tailor our NEV1.9 LED solution specifically for this unique historic space.” Projection solutions were not viable in the space.
“The combination of music, interaction, relaxation zones, and the LED display creates a truly engaging learning environment that’s particularly appealing to younger audiences - a key demographic we aim to attract”, says Katrien Steelandt, Coordinator of e-culture at Musea Brugge. “As a tech partner, Ocular was with us from the very beginning of the project until the end, and beyond.”
(Photos: Leyard)
Robe Esprites for Singapore Ballet production
Singapore-based lighting designer Adrian Tan of The Light Project recently utilised 32 Robe Esprite moving lights - sixteen Profiles and sixteen Fresnels - to light a production of “Swan Lake” staged by the Singapore Ballet at Esplanade Theatres by the Bay in Singapore.
Twenty-eight of these fixtures were part of a new lighting package which has been added to the theatre’s house rig, and, as Tan needed a couple more of each type to complete the detail of his design, more were sourced through Robe’s Asia Pacific office, also in Singapore. This was the third re-light of this “Swan Lake” production at the venue, the second time that the Singapore Ballet has been accompanied by the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, and the first time that Esprites were used as the main workhorse lighting fixture. All the Esprites were positioned above the stage, and the trim height of the fly bars was around ten metres.
This staging of “Swan Lake” was very classical, so the lighting needed to emulate this tungsten aesthetic using the latest technologies. As a designer, Tan appreciates the subtlety and texture of the pastel colours, and until this experience with Esprites, he says, the warm tones of any LED fixtures were “never warm enough”. So, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the warm sunlight glow - at around 3000 K - that he desired for this show looked “really nice”, and that generally he didn’t have to do so much colour mixing. Primarily the colour temperature whites covered the very specific tones that he wanted. For the lake scenes, he arrived at a 5600 K tone with all the right nuance and texturing, again without having to spend too much time producing the hue with the Esprites.
By his own admission, Tan is “a stickler” for hyper-sensitive linear dimming and elegant refined pastels, cool steels and decent warm whites. “Most manufacturers can do a saturated blue or a red, but when it comes to pastels, colour mixing, especially using an LED source, it is a whole new art form.” He notes that creating the gobo scenes required for this production was “substantially faster” using Esprites and moving lights than it had been previously, and that he had the additional benefit of being able to repurpose those same fixtures that were instrumental in building the gobo scenes, for something completely different just moments later as the story unfolded.
Tan has also recently used more of the new Robe fixtures at Esplanade Theatres by the Bay including Paintes in the Black Box space, and Footsie2s and T32 Cycs when lighting a hybrid/contemporary dance piece. These were all part of the same lighting upgrade featuring a total of 170 Robe products among other lights.
(Photos: Bernie Ng)
Astera for Porsche Macan Electric reveal
Sean Shay, creative director at Sound Image, a Clair Global brand, reached for Astera Hyperion and Titan Tubes to help imagine a piece of light art highlighting a “hero car” for the launch of the Porsche Macan Electric car presented by Porsche San Francisco at their showroom in the city’s downtown Design District.
Shay used twenty Astera Hyperion tubes rigged at different heights and angles in a fan shape behind the car coupled with Titan Tubes underneath the vehicle to enhance the depth and dimension of the space. As the car was revealed, a series of “sparkling” kinetic pixel-chases created by video content running through the Hyperions and bouncing off the polished bodywork gave the impression of rapid speed and movement.
Shay and his production team were asked to light the project by Riley Sims, the West Coast marketing lead for Porsche, for whom they had worked on previous projects, some also involving Astera products. “For the aesthetics to work as I envisioned, I needed a fully wireless solution”, says Shay, explaining that his starting point was taking a deep dive into the Porsche style guide and an extensive recce at the dealership.
He was struck by a large curved window, architecture which inspired this look fusing a runway fashion show with a futuristic journey. “I immediately thought of straight neon lines as a basic structural framework but obviously wanted a light source that could also be hugely flexible and dynamic”, he explains. Effectively, he wanted straight lines that could also shift, re-shape and appear to make the car move.
The Hyperions were positioned behind the car, rigged using a combination of monofilament and magnetic hooks secured and tensioned via a steel beam in the roof just in front of the window, and two vertical beams on either side of where the car was parked. A couple of additional tubes were clamped magnetically to the vertical steels.
When dark and with the Tubes illuminated, the monofilament was nearly invisible, so they appeared to be floating in thin air upstage of the car. The flickering effects - created running video content through the Hyperions - were also reflected in the glass window, which, combined with the luminescent glow coming from the Titans underneath, further ramped up the impact. As the presenter built up to the reveal, Shay ran the movement chases, and, once revealed, this slid into a more subtle “standby” effect.
Shay aims to blend beauty with purpose, and as Sound Image’s Event Productions division expands, he uses Astera extensively on his creative projects. “Astera has become a ‘no-brainer’ for me on so many occasions, especially when lighting site-specific special events like this”, he notes. Before Astera’s Tubes were popular, he worked using fluorescents and gel sleeves, but that world now seems a long time ago, as Astera has become his go-to over the last five years.
The Porsche Macan Electric event also featured music by a violinist, live painting, and an on-site gallery of Porsche related works by artist Beau Robinson, all complemented with Shay’s lighting scheme.
(Photos: Sound Image)
Chauvet helps Jack Cannon set mood for Muni Long at Coachella
Draped in sheer gold cloth with matching laurels on her head, and flanked by dancers in gladiator sandals, Muni Long evoked images of an ancient goddess for her Coachella debut. Long began her show on the Mojave stage at 4 pm, a little over three hours before the sun set, which essentially nixed the idea of using blackouts to add a dramatic effect to her stage presence.
Long’s designer, Jack Cannon (of Juliet Blue Creative), came up with a way to use gradients of bright light instead of darkness to accentuate powerful moments on stage. “This design leaned heavily on high-intensity saturation and visual texture fixtures that could still register powerfully in ambient light”, says Cannon. “When we used strobing, it was always intentional and timed to moments that could carry the energy forward without feeling forced or lost. With such a luminous environment, the goal was to use rhythm and repetition over light and dark contrast. The show played with a limited palette - only about three to four color themes - but we manipulated depth and contrast. Background versus foreground, intensity versus desaturation.”
“Muni Long has a natural elegance as a performer, and I wanted to mirror that with an understated but rich visual language - something cinematic, controlled, and cohesive”, he continues. “Our curtained backdrop allowed us to frame her with softness and scale, while the monochromatic color palette reinforced the emotional atmosphere without distraction.”
Helping Cannon tie the backdrop into his overall design were eight Chauvet Professional Colorado Solo Bar 6 battens, which like the rest of the lighting rig were supplied by Kinetic Lighting. “They were key to achieving a sense of verticality and drama”, says Cannon of the fixtures, which were positioned along the upstage edge, and focused on uplighting the drapery.
Also critical to creating a unified look on stage were the rig’s four Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid fixtures. “Each of the hybrids had a distinct purpose”, says Cannon. “We had two of them positioned mid-stage left and right to provide side light for choreography and angled backlight for downstage action. The other two were upstage, flanking the scenic ‘Hand’ - a major visual feature. The show opens with Muni seated on the Hand as it rotates toward the audience. The Storms, paired with low fog and thick atmosphere, gave us a layered gobo and prism look that framed her in a dreamlike slow-motion reveal.”
Cannon, who was initially brought into this project as the lighting designer, eventually became responsible for video design and made contributions to scenography as well. He worked closely with Ry Christiaansen, Production Manager from 1826; Creative Directors Simon Hammerstein and Jerry Reeve; and Scenic Designer Ruby Law. “This was a true team effort”, he says. “Everyone made important contributions, including on the lighting side, Kinetic Lighting, represented by James Schipper and Rachel Barth; Allan Nathan, the House LD from Felix Lighting; master electrician Rhys Morris; and his assistant Michael Spross.”
As Cannon had no overnight programming window, most looks with the house lighting rig the audience and he saw together for the first time. Given that this was a camera-heavy show, there was added pressure to get every look right on the first go. He describes the show this way: “It was all about depth and emotional punctuation. Using sidelight through atmospheric haze let us create visual breath - moments that felt suspended or sculpted in air. The strobing wasn’t about chaos; it was about rhythm and body language, always connected to the choreography or the music’s movement. It allowed for bursts of intensity that still felt intentional and elegant.”
(Photos: Chauvet Professional)
KV2 Audio supports Bright Festival 2025 with sound and immersive coverage
An immersive display of art, innovation and technology, this year’s Bright Festival received over 7,200 visitors of all ages across the three-day event. Taking place from April 11-13 in Florence, Italy, the festival was made up of 120+ hours of conferences, studio sessions, art exhibitions and shows, featuring 48 speakers, artists and international guests, as well as 22 digital artworks, interactive experiences and live performances.
Bringing the experience to life was a KV2 Audio system. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to install and present KV2’s sound system on our main stage”, says Bright Festival’s technical director, Samuele Barretta. For a large-capacity venue with powerful visual displays, it was essential that the audio system maintained the artistic atmosphere and elevated the experience for guests.
“Upon receiving the final plan, I must admit I had some initial concerns regarding the number of loudspeakers”, continues Barretta. “Coming from a background where achieving high sound pressure and consistent coverage often involves deploying nearly twice the amount of equipment, the proposed setup appeared, at first glance, rather minimal. However, once the system was powered on, I was immediately impressed by the sound pressure - an essential feature for electronic music.”
For the main PA, Bright opted for a VHD system comprising two VHD2.0, two VHD1.0 and ten subwoofers (eight VHD2.16, one VHD4.21 Active, and one VHD4.21 Passive) with power and control delivered by two VHD2000 and two VHD3200, creating a uniform listening experience across the dancefloor. An EX system featuring a pair of EX12s and a pair of EX1.8 active subwoofers was supplied for the DJ booth.
Bright Festival provided a shared, safe space for digital art language to celebrate unity and diversity, attracting visitors from 28 Italian cities and 35 countries around the world. Bright Festival returns October 9-12, 2025, in Leipzig, Germany.
(Photos: KV2 Audio)
The Activity, TAG and Elation light up Ultra Miami’s 25th anniversary
In March 2025, the world’s biggest names in electronic music came together in Miami to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ultra Music Festival. The three-day event was held at Bayfront Park and included Main Stage performances by Dom Dolla and John Summit, Alesso, Afrojack, Tiesto, Hardwell, Skrillex, Armin van Buuren, Zedd, Martin Garrix, and others.
Tasked with managing the technical design of Ultra’s Main Stage were Patrick Dierson and the team at The Activity, who worked alongside lighting partner TAG. “We knew going into it that this show had to be special”, says Dierson. “Given that it was Ultra’s 25th anniversary, the pressure to deliver a great show was definitely looming.” Anchored by 120 Pulse Bar L, 40 Pulse Bar S, and 132 Proteus Hybrid from Elation, the stage design - led by Ultra’s Creative Director Richard Milstein - emphasized clean lines and layered depth.
“The overall look was arguably a cleaner and sleeker design than ever before”, says Dierson. “It was very well dispersed both left to right as well as back to front, which gave a significant amount of visual depth; more so than we have been able to attain in years past.” Another feature he says that was welcomed by all involved was in limiting the number of fixture types down to a total of five. “This just makes everything easier, specifically cloning on the console; a feature that our guest LDs live and die by in the festival world.”
The Pulse Bar and Proteus Hybrid did the heavy lifting and were dispersed across the stage. “The Pulse Bars in particular were utilized as our main point source fixture, outwardly facing the audience and, in a rather prestigious spot for every Ultra design, they helped to form Ultra’s iconic ‘U’ mounted at the top center of the stage structure”, explains Dierson, adding that they also defined the set’s geometric octagon backdrop throughout the weekend. The Proteus Hybrids, meanwhile, cast “monumental” beams that reached skyward and dazzled across crowd and stage alike.
Throughout the three-day festival, with so many guest artist teams getting a chance to operate the rig, it was inevitable to see some spectacular cueing. For one memorable moment during Everything Always’ set, Creative Director Ben Dalgleish and LD Kasper Iseger of Human Person crafted a striking visual by slowly peeling the Proteus Hybrids from their audience focus toward the stage. The beams ultimately landed in a focus that staggered them horizontally across the stage upwards toward the “U” at the top center of the structure. The result was akin to a massive pyramid of light beams that highlighted the iconic symbol and stretched straight up into the night sky.
“It was one of those brief moments of time that was seemingly innocuous when focusing but ultimately created such a beautiful image”, says Dierson. “You tend to get a lot of those throughout the weekend and they’re usually in those moments of musical calmness when everything stops frantically blinking and flashing.” Then there was Skrillex where LD Jaycob Luque twisted the same rig into something more sinister and playful, transforming the “U” into a devilish smiley made entirely of Pulse Bars with Hybrid support. As EDM shows of this size require a massive amount of data to be delivered, Netron nodes from Obsidian Control Systems were used.
The Activity’s role, now firmly embedded in the DNA of Ultra Miami after over a decade of involvement, has evolved into the ultimate backstage conductor - coordinating technical teams, guest artist requirements, scheduling, pre-vis sessions, syncing artist logistics, and making sure everything (and everyone) hits their mark. “It gets quite complex very quickly and the entire process remains kinetic up until the last day of the festival”, shares Dierson. “It’s a sort of controlled chaos, which is where I like to think The Activity team thrives.” He adds that “praise goes to the TAG team who really went out of their way to make the rig as programming-friendly as possible. This marked their third year handling the Main Stage and the experience of having undergone the two prior really showed.”
Crew included: Grant Davis (VJ Technical Liaison), Kevin Mignone (TAG Lead), Russ Felton (TAG Crew Chief), John Flanagan (FOH Lighting Technical Lead), John Volpe (FOH Video Technical Lead), Neil Rosenstock (Audio Lead), Luis Torez (SFX Lead), Ash Ali (Stage Manager), and Ray Steinman (Technical Producer).
(Photos: Ultra Music Festival)
Ayrton Cobra and Perseo Beam illuminate 2025 Copa del Rey Final opening show
A football final is always a moment of high emotion, and when light joins the game, the experience may become unforgettable. At the 2025 Copa del Rey Final, more than 60,000 fans at the stadium and eight million viewers around the world were treated to a lighting show that set the tone for a night to remember.
The creative force behind this spectacle was Juanjo Llorens, one of Spain’s most respected lighting designers, whose recent book on lighting as an evolving craft sparked wide acclaim. His approach to the opening show was clear: use light not just as illumination, but as narrative. To achieve that, he relied on a combination of sixty Ayrton Cobra and fifty Ayrton Perseo Beam fixtures.
Llorens’ design concept was rooted in movement, emotion and impact, as it built volumes in the air, traced beams across the pitch, and flooded the stadium in a choreography of rhythm and light. “The luminaires were used throughout the entire show”, he says. “Sometimes they enhanced the overall brightness, other times they traced beams in the air or on the pitch. They also helped us colour the scene with the teams’ shades or simply create a wow effect.”
A central block of 24 Cobra units created a sweeping light fan across the main stand, while the Perseo Beams - positioned for maximum visual reach without obstructing the benches - added depth and movement from behind the goals. The fixture list was proposed by Mediapro Events and Fluge, but Llorens was fully on board: “When they suggested Cobra and Perseo, I thought it was a brilliant choice”, he notes.
Cobra’s beams cut through the open stadium, while Perseo Beam offered agility and complementary texture. Both luminaires allowed the team to draw light in the air and on the grass, creating volumes that danced in sync with the music. The lighting show was programmed by Pau Farreny. The technical execution was overseen by Mediapro Events, with Enrique Jiménez (Fluge) managing operations on site. Fluge also supplied all the lighting equipment.
(Photos: Juanjo Beloqui)
“Ladies of Soul” dazzles with Hippotizer-driven video
The three-night “Ladies of Soul” show landed at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in April 2025, backed by a series of LED screens and LED strips with Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers providing live camera feed and pre-made content.
Dutch singers and musicians Edsilia Rombley, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Berget Lewis and Candy Dulfer starred in the productions, with a host of international guests including Sister Sledge, Robin S and Rose Royce celebrating the “Ladies of Soul”.
“We deployed our Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers because they were the models that could handle the multiple layers, three mixes, main screen content and masks, and much more”, says Kevin Buysse from Tenfeet, which has delivered video for “Ladies of Soul” for more than a decade. “The show was built around the four main Dutch performers, all of whom had two solo songs, with content being a mix of camera feed and the content we created for each of them.”
“We used a workflow that includes luma mattes with the content”, he continues. “These were sent on a separate output to a video processor that brings the live feed and content together, and Notch was used during certain parts to achieve a specific look.”
Together, the stars performed themed medleys throughout the night showcasing the best of soul and nostalgic trips down memory lane. The team tied lighting into the video elements, to create a dynamic show. “Tjeerd Oosterhuis, who produces the show and arranges the music, loves to see lots of accents the lighting achieves alongside the video”, notes Buysse.
For control, the Tenfeet team used an ETC Hog 4 console, supplied by Tenfeet. On stage, the team rigged a 2400 x 1120 px, 15 x 7 m screen behind the stage. Below that and behind the band there was a two-metre-high screen built into the stage, covered by voile. Five broadcast cameras were used to capture on-stage live feed for use on the screens, and 250 m of Roe video strips lined the trusses above the stage and on the stage edge. “We were also running an extra mix for the video strips, and this mix was patched to the main lighting console so the lighting programmer could control the strips”, says Buysse.
Pre-programming was completed at the Tenfeet studios, using the lighting console together with Hippotizer. “The use of layer effects helped us in not needing to go back for each minor change”, explains Buysse. “Generator effects were used throughout the show for the video strips, and to make some of the luma masks we used live masks. This allowed me to adapt quickly when changes to live feed size or position were needed without needing to go back to content.”
“One of the coolest video moments in the show was one of the solos, where the content team used a motion capture suite to record the choreography for this song”, he adds. “This recording was pre-rendered into clips with particle, smoke and star effects in separate layers. The layers were played back in the Boreal+ MK2 and programmed to flow with the choreography and music.”
Thomas Hendriks Boers and Ton Swaak served as lighting designers for the shows, with Boers also being the lighting programmer and operator. The video content was handled by Tenfeet and Het Nieuwe Kader, with Buysse on content programming duties, and Dave van Roon on programming.
(Photos: DvR Photography/Green Hippo)
Creative Technology calls upon Pliant for expansive hybrid corporate event
With the help of Creative Technology and Leo Events, a major retailer recently hosted its annual shareholder event in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Held in a college basketball arena and live-streamed internationally for virtual attendees, the production celebrated investors, associates, and customers of the brand, and featured live music performers, entertainers, messages from senior executives, and more.
With significant audio, video and intercom requirements, Creative Technology turned to Pliant Technologies, a provider of wireless intercom solutions, to ensure seamless communications for this large-scale project. “The venue consisted of the main bowl of the arena, in addition to a maze of back hallways for production personnel and talent wranglers, which our comms had to be able to cover”, says Chuck “Chopper” Boyle, Audio Engineer, Creative Technology, US. “This brought another level of complexity when designing and installing the system.”
The scope of the full system included a large, wired matrix intercom, but a key element was the wireless intercom that was required to support stage management for the event. The deployment involved a large coverage area, allowing production personnel to go anywhere in the main bowl, throughout the back halls and loading dock, and to reach the video production truck outside the arena, which was streaming the event for the retailer’s employee and shareholder network.
Pliant’s CrewCom system was deployed with two CrewCom Control Units (CCUs), one 8-port Copper Hub, nine Radio Transceivers (RTs) located throughout the venue, as well as 28 Radio Packs (RPs). The team used a mixture of 2-channel and 4-channel RPs, operating in both the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz range. “Pliant played a critical role in supporting stage management”, says Boyle. “Being able to have the Radio Transceivers and packs in 900 MHz primarily and also be able to operate another set of RTs and packs in the 2.4 GHz range was a huge bonus for this project, because the 1.9 band could not support all the requirements for this job.”
“The way the RTs were able to handle several packs per transceiver was helpful”, he continues. “We did not have to run a dedicated line from home base to the transceivers, which saved us a significant amount of time as well. Additionally, we had to make only minor adjustments, and once we got things going, we didn’t have to constantly fuss with them, which we have experienced in the past with other systems.”
“We utilized a range of channels; from point to point, to several different conferences”, he adds. “We had program audio coming in so staff could monitor where the show was and track cues, which was crucial.” Furthermore, Boyle notes that the CrewCom system’s data recovery and error correction capabilities, along with its RF stability in such a challenging environment, was a big standout for him and his team: “In the past, the high-dome ceiling in the arena would often create radio reflective issues, but it’s clear that Pliant has gotten its error correction down. We were able to easily communicate throughout the entire venue.”
(Photos: Pliant Technologies/Creative Technology)
IPS and Chauvet help Scott Cunningham create looks for Russell Dickerson
For rapidly rising country star Russell Dickerson’s 2025 tour, the production and lighting design came from Scott Cunningham, Production/Lighting Designer at Cut2Black Designs, with support from IPS (Integrated Production Solutions).
Cunningham reflects on the collaboration behind the “Russell Mania” tour: “The teamwork behind the entire tour has been an inspiring collective, with many thanks to LD Nate Augustyn, tour PM Chris Lee, Associate Programmer Luke Elrod, Video Programmer Alex Talbot, and especially Nick Brown and his team at IPS. They made sure we had a rig that could travel well, handle all the different demands placed on it, and deliver powerful looks.”
Playing a key role in delivering those looks are nineteen Chauvet Professional fixtures from IPS’s inventory. A collection of Colorado PXL Bar16 motorized battens, five units across the upstage truss and eight across the upstage edge of the set, are creating big walls that border the top and bottom of the stage and make it stand out. The design team is relying on the color rendering prowess of the battens’ pixel mappable RGBW LEDs to create dynamic sweeps and accents that match Dickerson’s high energy performance.
Joining the battens in whipping up fresh, original visuals are the rig’s six Rogue Outcast 2X wash fixtures, whose high output wash is accenting the show’s creative set pieces, including its triangular movie-theatre-themed riser, while also bathing the stage in rich, realistic colors, most notably red.
“RD loves the warm red/amber tones as long as they aren’t too overwhelming”, says Cunningham of his palette choices. “So, as we were programming, we made sure to take a very intentional approach to our use of color. It’s one of my most ‘picky’ things about the show - using color to express emotion, energy and all the other intangible qualities that go into making a show like this.”
Alongside the Chauvet fixtures, twenty Elation Smarty Hybrid, six American DJ Jolt PanelFX, one GrandMA3 Light, one GrandMA3 M PU, one Mbox Media Server, and 128 SquareV V7w Panels are being used on this tour.
(Photos: Chauvet Professional)
DiGiCo’s Quantum 852 and Quantum 338 consoles selected for Lars Huang arena tour
Chinese pop singer Lars Huang’s most recent tour, “Fun! Only”, is a celebration of video game and digital culture. The design concept was a Platinum Muse Award 2024 winner.
The audio team chose two DiGiCo consoles for the tour - a Quantum 852 for the front-of-house position, and a Quantum 338 for monitors, supplied by DiGiCo distributors in China, RAC Pro. Huang performed in front of crowds of over 10,000 people in each venue.
(Photos: DiGiCo)
Klang’s immersive solutions optimize monitor mixes for “The Magic of Motown” performers
“The Magic of Motown” celebrated its 20th anniversary at London’s Palladium in March 2025. The show is a musical extravaganza filled with Motown classics. FOH engineer Job Lewis handles monitors and supplies all audio gear through his company, JL Sound Reinforcement. Using DMI-Klang with his DiGiCo Quantum 225 has improved how the singers and band interact, and also freed Lewis up to concentrate fully on the front-of-house mix.
“I am the entire sound team”, he states. “I have been touring with the show for two and a half years now. It’s a full schedule; we do nightly touring, usually at least three shows a week, but we do get the odd night off. The show is brilliant, it has a feel-good quality and no two shows are ever the same. It makes it great fun to mix.”
Lewis sets each 3D immersive monitor mix from his console, with each musician having access to the app, available via Android and iOS. They can make changes as they wish, giving them the freedom to adapt as required. Depending on the size of the venue, “The Magic of Motown” band can increase from a core band of four players to a much larger ensemble. The special 20th anniversary performance included an extended brass section, additional percussion and special guest artists.
“It’s not just the band, we also usually have seven singers, but this can increase to eight”, says Lewis. “Being able to space the singers effectively in their mixes has been brilliant. They can hear everything clearly to harmonise, but don’t overpower each other. When we first tried it, their reactions were instantly positive.”
Lewis has found that interaction with Klang varies greatly depending on the artist. Once his singers have experienced the improved clarity and spatial separation, they are happy for Lewis to set an immersive mix for them and it will stay very similar throughout the show. In contrast, the show’s musicians are more likely to play with the immersive features on the app, spinning the instruments around their heads in 3D mode and experimenting with mixes to fully personalise their IEMs during the show.
(Photos: Bevinsutherlandphotography)
Benjamin Moffitt chooses Avolites for Foreigner tour
Lighting designer Benjamin Moffitt has been working for US rock band Foreigner for the last two years and has been a lighting professional for forty years, and for around twenty years of that period, he has been using Avolites for his lighting control.
Foreigner, founded in 1976, is one of the best-selling bands in the world and has been extremely active recently, taking to the road for “farewell” tours through 2022, 2023 and 2024, interspersed with Las Vegas residencies at The Venetian in 2023 and 2024, as well as some co-headliner tours. Dates are currently booked for 2025 and into 2026, when they will celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Some performances have seen original members rock up to join and play with the current lineup, notably original lead vocalist Lou Gramm, who was one of six founding members starting out in 1976, together with guitarist Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliot, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald.
Moffitt describes himself as “always an Avo Sapphire guy” when it comes to his control system and console of choice, and most recently has been appreciating the Sapphire combined with the Titan software. Now he is also starting to lean towards Avo’s D9 after a couple of uses and is currently putting a T3 controlled rig together for some fly dates.
When video was introduced to Foreigner’s stage set in 2023 during their Venetian residency of that year, in the form of a large upstage LED screen with extensive LED strips delineating the set, Moffitt decided to use Avo’s AI servers. He’d first utilised AI servers for video content on his own custom video servers for 3 Doors Down tours in 2021 and 2022, but for Foreigner expanded the system by also using Synergy for mapping the set lighting LED strips.
Synergy, Avo’s proprietary protocol that unites lighting and video seamlessly into one user interface, enabled pixel-mapping of the LED strips and control of these together with approximately 200 lighting fixtures via the Sapphire console. The lighting rig contains products from several brands, complete with a floor package and some custom pods on the deck, fabricated by rental vendor Premier Global.
Moffitt owns two Sapphire consoles himself. One is used as a previz board and is permanently stationed in his studio; the other is usually on the road with him. He also purchased a third and donated it to the Pipestone Performing Arts Center in Pipestone, Minnesota. This is where he grew up, and so he has always tried to give back to the community there. His sister runs a non-profit music school and directs many plays at the theatre.
Years ago, Moffitt helped the theatre buy a 2010 Avolites Pearl Rolacue and when time allowed, he would go in and give the rig a clean. About a year after the Pearl arrived, lightning struck - literally - and a power surge killed the Pearl. So Hellyeah, the band he was with at the time, sold them their old Pearl Expert for almost nothing - and thirteen years later that console was at the end of its run and needed replacing. In 2024, Moffitt installed the Sapphire Touch plus modern lighting which allowed the theatre to benefit from a dynamic and contemporary lighting system.
He is really enjoying this block of work with Foreigner and relished the two sets of Vegas residencies, noting that the Venetian’s venue staff and tech crew - led by production manager Scott Ava and head of lighting, Justin Miller - were a joy to work with. Foreigner goes back into the Venetian in March 2026, complete with an orchestra, to kick off the “50th Anniversary Tour” which is expected to run through 2026 and into 2027.
(Photos: Kamal Asar/Mark Schierholz)
DiGiCo consoles selected for Charli XCX worldwide touring
Charli XCX’s “Brat Tour” started in July 2024 and continues throughout 2025 with dates all over the world. Charli commands the stage, with only occasional guests and minimal set pieces, so all eyes are on her for the entire performance.
Front-of-house engineer Mat Collis, who has worked with Charli XCX for thirteen years, and monitor engineer Barry “Baz” Tymms chose the DiGiCo SD12-96 for the monitor position and the DiGiCo Quantum 338 for FOH, both supplied by Eighth Day Sound. At the FOH position there are 32 channels of playback arriving via MADI to an Orange Box, DiGiCo’s bi-direction audio format conversion unit.
“In addition to the audio needed for the show, we also have timecode and an internal BLDS (Buffer Loop Detection Signal) for redundant switching”, explains. “We also have analogue back-up signals, talkback for the sound team and for Charli if she needs it. The increased channel count on the Quantum 338 is useful; even with a vocal and track gig, you can quickly rack up the channel count, especially when you take the effects returns and duplicated inputs into account.”
Charli XCX garners a lot of media interest, so additional feeds for broadcast, recordings, or social media are often required. Additional channels are also needed for guest artists. Collis says he appreciates the three banks of faders available on the surface of the Quantum 338. “I tend to send broadcast stems from the stage rack, but occasionally it’s just a left and right instrumental, with Charli’s vocal separated, or a direct MADI split”, he adds.
At monitors, Barry Tymms’ SD12-96 has 96 channels at 48 kHz/96 kHz and benefits from 155 Dynamic EQ processors that can be assigned to any input or output channel. The master section offers sixteen graphic EQs, twelve digital effects, and up to twelve control groups. The main show is entirely to track, with guest artists such as Lorde, Yung Lean and Addison Rae making surprise appearances to perform remixes. Special guests also perform solo throughout the tour, something that kept things exciting for the audience and Tymms, as he continues.
“I started with Charli XCX for the latest run of UK Arena shows, so I’ve been with the tour just a few months”, he says. “I use loads of Snapshots during the shows and when we have guest singers, I have additional Snapshots that I can incorporate for the extra checks we need.”
(Photos: DiGiCo)
Alex Mungal ignites Falling In Reverse 2025 touring schedule with Chauvet
Falling In Reverse’s five-city arena tour in Australia, their first of 2025, featured a lighting and production design by Alex Mungal. He turned the show’s generously proportioned rig into a large canvas of bright light and flames. “We had fixtures spanning from the deck floor to 46-feet high”, says Mungal. “We had them above the IMAG screen as well as throughout the stage.”
“Pyro was also a huge part of the show”, he continues. “We programmed lighting and SFX together. This let us really incorporate the two to make them work for each other. We used our SFX cues to hide lighting moves, accent hits in trade-offs, and of course, cause absolute chaos and carnage. Our incredible pyro crews - shout out to Howard+Sons - kept it safe and helped me create a perfect storm of danger without putting the artist at risk. Well, maybe there was a little sense of danger, enough to feel alive. It was definitely hot.”
A key part of Mungal’s lighting rig was the 72 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorized strobe-washes supplied by Showscreens and MPH for the Australian tour. Flown vertically and horizontally, the Color Strike M units created a geometrical reference point for the show. Some of the fixtures were arranged in two columns that gradually converged as they got higher, creating a towering effect.
Discussing the role of the Color Strike M, Mungal says: “The fixtures upstage provided our audience light. Our principal artist loves to interact with the crowd and see the sea of people while performing, so I wanted to be able to highlight the crowd without a standard blinder. Additionally, we relied on the vertical fixtures to add to the structure of the rig and give us some alternate shapes beyond just the linear feel from the audience light.”
Mungal created a range of colors with his fixtures, many of them inspired by the cinematic music videos and tones of the songs. For the hit “Bad Guy”, he called on color to suggest a sense of irony. “There is a bit of satire in that song, as the lyrics emphasize the terms people love to spew into the world about the artist”, he explains. “First time hearing the song, I said, ‘Oh were going Disney villain for sure’. So, this palette came straight from the Maleficent dragon in the original Snow White animated film.”
(Photos: Chauvet Professional)
GrandMA3 provides lighting control for Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show
A complement of MA Lighting GrandMA3 consoles were chosen to provide lighting control for the recent Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show produced by Roc Nation, DPS and Jesse Collins Productions. Provided by PRG, three GrandMA3 full-size systems and one light, which served as the tech desk, were deployed at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
This year, rapper Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl halftime show with guest appearances from R&B artist SZA, actor Samuel L. Jackson, tennis great Serena Williams and DJ/Record Producer Mustard. It was seen by a combined 133.5 million viewers domestically across broadcast television and streaming platforms, becoming the most viewed halftime show in the U.S.
Eric Marchwinski of Burbank-based Earlybird Visual LLC partnered with Mark Humphrey to program the lighting for the show. It marked Marchwinski’s fifth time as lighting programmer for the event. He and Humphrey teamed with Lighting Designer Al Gurdon and Lighting Directors Ben Green and Harry Forster; Cory FitzGerald was the Lighting Designer on the artist’s side.
“This was a unique show in that Mark and I didn’t have a clear division of labor like on other shows, which separate music and people”, Marchwinski explains. “Instead, it was a 12-minute experience that we worked on together, sharing the same workflow on the console and handing the workload back and forth.”
Marchwinski points out that there were only three rehearsal blocks when the entire set - scenery, stages and lighting carts - was on the field. “We did a lot of preproduction and pre-vis, so when we arrived it was a case of looking at what we’d done and making adjustments. We wanted to push play at the first rehearsal and have the show look like something.”
He also notes that this year’s halftime show was in a closed venue for the first time since his involvement, so lighting conditions were consistent at each rehearsal and “adjusting lighting levels meant we were always looking at what we could trust as ‘true’.”
In addition, the Caesars Superdome roof meant “there were trusses overhead and rigging opportunities for downlight, which were important for the artist who wanted an operatic, theatrical look to the show. I had worked with Cory on one of Kendrick’s previous tours, which was helpful in translating how to get the show their camp wanted on stage.”
Marchwinski was an early adopter of GrandMA3 software and has used it for the past three years on TV awards shows, theatrical installations, concert touring and previous Super Bowl halftime shows. “I love the platform”, he says. “GrandMA3 is a tool we choose all the time, for every corner of the industry we work in. For this halftime show, Viz-key proved to be a great help in pre-vis since we were dealing with such a large system.” Viz-key is a solution for stable and safe connectivity between third-party visualization tools and GrandMA3 lighting control.
(Photo: ACT Entertainment/MA Lighting)
Mobileye party event lit with Robe Tetras
Tel Aviv-based creative lighting design studio Lead, founded by Omer Israeli and Dor Aichner, produced a sculptural lighting design concept for the Israeli tech company Mobileye’s 2025 Purim party event, staged in Pavilion 2 at the Tel Aviv Expo, produced by ThisPlay and designed by Shlomi Ilani.
Robe Tetra2 and TetraX fixtures were used at the core of this production lighting design. The aesthetics involved a combination of lighting, automation and precise programming to produce “a dynamic composition of circular shapes and kinetic elements”, as Omer Israeli puts it, creating a “seamless flow of movement, light, and rhythm” to highlight and showcase the live artists performing in the vast barn-like venue space which has 22 metres of headroom.
Lead specifically wanted the ability to change the architectural appearance and atmospherics of the stage dramatically and efficiently flipping between a series of unique settings to accommodate the different artists. The design featured four moving semi-circular trussing sections rigged centrally above the stage - two outer and two inner - plus two upstage vertical static full circles, again outer and inner.
The perimeter of the 8-meter diameter inner back circle - masking a central circular LED screen surface - was rigged with twenty-four Tetra2s and the outer one was populated with beam lights. Twenty-four TetraXs were rigged on the two inner semi-circular trusses. All these semi-circles were automated via a Kinesys system supplied by Stage Design Ltd, and programmed by Tsah Eliahoo, which included three motors per truss - twelve in total - so they could move on all axes. Combined with the lights, they could be pitched and twisted into kaleidoscopic shapes and patterns.
This show was Omer Israeli and Dor Aichner’s first time using TetraXs, and they had only used Tetra 2s previously on a small show the week before, but having seen them in action in other places and contexts, they were confident that these were the right fixtures for this job. “Tetra is still relatively new in Israel”, notes Omer Israeli. “We love the light-curtain effects you can do with them, and we really wanted to maximise both types of fixture on this show as we knew they would make a great impact.”
All the Tetra fixtures were run in full pixel mode for the event and were supplied by Danor Systems to rental company Sincopa who provided all the other lighting kit and the sound system for the event, which featured performances by Omer Adam, Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai and DJ Tomer Maizner in front of 5000 Mobileye employees, partners, and guests.
The lighting style was clean, futuristic, and straightforward, yet geographically complex at the same time, with the multiple beams, effects and layered texturing. The versatility of the lighting design and the movement also facilitated drops and “breakdowns” for more intimate, stark and raw moments.
Lead worked closely with their head lighting programmer Shai Fruman and VJ Koren Barr from Studio Pixel.
(Photos: Eclipse Media/Omer Israeli/Or Doga)
La Raíz return to the stage with Ayrton Cobra light show
After six years away from the stage, Spanish band La Raíz made a triumphant return with two concerts at Madrid’s Movistar Arena. More than 30,000 people attended the shows on November 22 and December 6, 2024. A key element in this comeback was the dynamic lighting - a combination of gobos, prisms, and colour transitions that helped the band bring their visual narrative to life.
Caco García, the mastermind behind the lighting and video design, placed 100 Ayrton Cobra moving heads at the heart of the setup. The fixtures were strategically positioned all around: above the stage to cast expansive beams, on the floor to create upward fan effects and on the side screamers, adding depth and framing the stage design.
The lighting programming was handled by Miguel Hidalgo. With support for protocols like DMX and Art-Net, the fixtures synchronized with the music and every other aspect of the show. The production was backed by Use Sonido. Photographer Nacho Nabscab captured the essence of the event, with images that showcase how lighting became a protagonist.
(Photos: Nacho Nabscab)
Martin Audio WPS supports “Top Gun: Maverick - In Concert” at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall
Martin Audio partner dBS Solutions recently provided sound reinforcement for The Hallé Orchestra at their resident venue, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. The focus was “Top Gun: Maverick - In Concert” - this brought back fond memories of the Tom Cruise blockbuster for a near sell-out audience in the 2,355-cap hall. The show originally premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in late summer, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, attended by Cruise.
In Manchester, under project manager James Roberts, dBS Solutions provided a Martin Audio scalable resolution WPS line array featuring fourteen elements a side, driven in 1-box resolution by Martin Audio iKon iK42 amplifiers. Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12 sidefills (two per side) provided foldback for the SFX and dialogue to accompany the score.
dBS worked closely with creative producers ESK Film Services, who oversaw all technical elements with the orchestration and track separation. According to Roberts, the principal musicians, percussion section and conductor were all on click tracks. But a large concert hall, with an unconventional shape and four-level tiered seating, presents its own difficulties where amplified music is concerned. “It’s obviously a more challenging acoustic environment than you’d expect in a venue that is designed for classical music”, says Roberts. “All the orchestra were miced, so the aim was to get optimum gain before feedback, which is why we used the Wavefront Precision.”
dBS also deployed the “Hard Avoid” feature on the stage to keep stage levels down. Rear rejection was further achieved by the deployment of four (2 x 2) SXCF118 cardioid subwoofers - a formula adopted by dBS for all their orchestral work. The trim height of the rigs was higher than they would have preferred. To avoid obscuring sightlines to the video screen, the splay angles were calculated using Martin Audio’s proprietary Display software.
“We’ve worked with dBS Solutions for some years now on our amplified concerts. The team there really understand what we and our players need when amplifying an orchestra”, states Lucy Turner of the Hallé. “The sound of the ‘Top Gun’ performance was a superb balance of orchestra and film, covering every seat in the hall. It was dynamic throughout without being too loud or bass heavy for our players on stage.”
(Photos: Martin Audio)
Chauvet helps Lüz Studio create vibes for Billy Strings
“Billy Strings’ shows are unique”, says Matthieu Larivée. “It’s not your regular Bluegrass show by any means. It’s more like a mix of Grateful Dead and EDM.” Larivée and his team of production and video designers at Lüz Studio, along with LD Roger Grant, are helping make this genre-busting mix happen night after night on the string virtuoso’s current 33-date North American arena and amphitheater tour.
“The show is an all-improv show”, continues Larivée. “There are no setlists. There are six looks within our virtual and real lighting rigs that correspond to the show’s six chapters. The crew decides which chapters they will use each night, and then stick to that chapter for a period of time, punting within that world. Those colorful worlds are defined within each chapter with lighting and video. So, it becomes cohesive, while still being very psychedelic and trippy.”
Supporting the transcendent design is a 52-foot-by-26-foot 8 mm pitch video wall that covers the entire backline. With content created by Lüz Studio, the wall immerses with a deep panorama of changing images, many of which create a 3D effect to evoke the feeling of traveling through space.
Above the stage are a series of UFO-like circular structures that shine, while projecting light down on the performers. These structures mirror their virtual counterparts that appear at times on the video wall. “We have designed those pods with Roger and made sure that we were using the same layout with the digital ones”, says Larivée. “Automation was also done within the screen, minimizing the rigging, truck space, and budget.”
Lighting Billy Strings and his bandmates from those pods is a collection of forty Chauvet Professional Outcast 1 BeamWashes. “The BeamWashes are positioned in the center of the PODs, so they can’t be seen”, says Larivée. “Only the UFO looking lights are visible, but the BeamWashes are critical to setting the mood on stage with their downlighting.”
Other Chauvet Professional fixtures in the rig, which was supplied by Bandit Lites, includes twenty Strike Array blinder-strobes, and ten OnAir Mini Panels. “The Strike units are our audience lights on the DS truss”, says Larivée. “The Chauvet Air Panel Mini IP fixtures are also positioned on the DS. They’re great compact footlights.”
Working with their lighting rig and the mesmerizing video content, the design team is creating a show that seamlessly blends evocative images and a rainbow of colors. At times, the choice of colors, like the music itself, transcends ordinary expectations with hues like jewel toned greens that typically aren’t seen on a concert stage, all to help transport fans to a different plane.
“In this show, there are extended 15-minute songs with crowds dancing and following along musically more than looking for a hit tune”, concludes Larivée. “Therefore, it’s okay to become trippy and follow the vibe that is going on stage.”
(Photos: Jesse Faatz)
