The triumphant return of the original Sugababes at the O2 homecoming on 16 September. Ed Warren commented: “I just loved how the whole thing came together,” he recalled. “It wasn’t just the lighting, but also the choreography, the music, the lasers, the confetti – and most of all, the beautiful harmonies of the three iconic singers.” As the show’s lighting and stage designer, he supported the beloved stars’ performance with a production that celebrated their place in British music history. Running his Colour Sound Experiment supplied rig on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, Warren created myriad looks that ranged from…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
WekaIO has been named U2’s official technology partner for the production of their upcoming U2:UV Achtung Baby shows at Sphere in Las Vegas, kicking off 29 September. The WEKA Data Platform is helping to bring the band’s vision for the immersive video production elements of the show to life. U2’s Tour Director, Ciaran Flaherty said: “With every show of the last 30 years, U2 has consistently raised the bar for the live music concert experience. This time around, the band’s U2:UV Achtung Baby show will also launch Sphere, the one-of-a-kind brand-new state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas. It’s been a huge undertaking…
JH Audio has unveiled its new Pearl tri amp micro speaker management system. The system includes the brand’s PC-based Pearl Control Software and Pearl Loader program. The system is available exclusively with a pair of JH Audio’s new Ruby in-ear monitors. The Pearl system utilises an actively controlled passive crossover (ACPX), keeping the latency low ― between .60 and .80 milliseconds. “Pearl processing provides unparalleled control to shape and optimise the audio and performance of any in-ear monitor solution,” commented Jerry Harvey, owner of JH Audio. “The system’s low-latency benefits are the result of a passive crossover in the IEM,…
Clear-Com has appointed Terence Chan as its newest Product Manager, based out of the company’s Cambridge, UK office. Terence will be responsible for the user experience and success of the company’s matrix intercom systems. Chan has over 15 years of experience working in product management for high-tech industries with clients that included Google, Philips, and other FinTech ventures, and has a special interest in sustainable tech. Eager to meet with Clear-Com customers and learn more about their workflows and relationship with their existing systems, Chan commented: “I look forward to learning more about the methodology of generating such a bridge…
Styx’s audio crew has opted to carry a Solotech-supplied control package built upon twin DiGiCo SD12-96 consoles. “I absolutely love the DiGiCo mixing platform; there is so much flexibility and so many extra features that set this platform apart. Once I get my ‘propeller-head’ engineering done — routing, groups, macros, and so on — I feel that I’m free to mix creatively and musically. I don’t have to spend all of my time fixing things and I can fully participate in the performance from my end,” FOH Engineer, Chris Hoff, commented. “I’ve worked on a variety of DiGiCo surfaces—SD7, SD5,…
Tom Der has been appointed to fill the Director of Market Development role at Allen & Heath USA. Along with market development activities, the Director of Market Development directs Allen & Heath USA product segment managers and provides guidance for company-wide product training programs, on-site training, and commissioning. Der is a graduate of Memphis State University (Commercial Music with Emphasis in Recording Engineering) and in his formative years worked in Nashville as an assistant engineer on many major label records including REM’s ‘Document’ and Lyle Lovett’s first album. Since then, he has worked for mixing console manufacturers serving as Global…
Connor Cupples joins the expanding Crosstown Concerts team as a new national promoter to strengthen the Promoters’ national touring and concert delivery. Cupples has 18 years of experience working in the music industry. He began as a local promoter, developing as venue manager of key Cardiff live music venue Gwdihw, progressing on to become Operations Manager & Promoter at Orchard Live. Crosstown Concerts Director, Conal Dodds, commented: “Connor has been on my radar for a few years now and we are delighted to have him joining our team. He’s very well regarded across the industry and we look forward to…
Lightware Visual Engineering has made significant changes to the operation of its Lightware Iberia office. Donald De Witte will take on the role as Regional Director Spain and Portugal for the Lightware Iberia office indefinitely. Donald De Witte joined Lightware as the Director Global Partner Strategy in May 2023, bringing with him over 25 years of experience gained while working as a Business Development Manager at Cisco. Lightware has had a successful presence within the Iberian market since 2017. With a commitment to further expand its AV solutions and support to its valued customers in the region, Lightware has set…
DiGiCo has announced the acquisition of Fourier Audio. Over the past 24 months Fourier Audio have been developing a new platform bringing the power of studio audio software plug-ins to live engineers, codenamed ‘Project Core’. The Fourier team will present their new platform on the DiGiCo booth #823 at the AES New York conference starting 25 to 27 October, with product shipping Q1 2024. Austin Freshwater, DiGiCo MD, commented: “At DiGiCo we are always looking at how we can enhance our customers’ ability to provide new and exciting possibilities in live performance audio. With Fourier Audio, we are investing in…
U2 lit up the Sphere stage with an opening night of their highly-anticipated U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere shows. U2 provided fans an immersive experience featuring top-of-the-line technology. Utilising every part of Sphere’s LED screen, the world’s largest and highest-resolution, into an awe-inspiring gallery that showcased art from renowned artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard, Marco Brambilla, and Industrial Light & Magic; all while performing on a Brian Eno-inspired turntable stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sphere (@spherevegas) The 25-date run of shows celebrates the band’s acclaimed album Achtung Baby and its accompanying…
The four-day Hungarian INOTA Festival was a joint initiative between the European Capital of Culture (this year Veszprém-Balaton) and the electronic music scene of Budapest (Electronic Beats). Thanks to a collaboration between promoter collective NVC and video and 3D projection company Centrum Production. The objective was to establish Hungary’s largest audio-visual festival, focusing not only on top music acts but also light installations, pixel mapping and visual works. Located a short distance from Lake Balaton in Várpalota, the venue was the thermal power plant of Inota, the largest industrial investment in Hungary back in the 1950s. BG Event specified Martin…
HIVE is celebrating the end of a busy summer. Over the past few months, HIVE’s products, including its newly released BeeBlade series, have been deployed across a variety of exciting projects from music festivals to interactive experiences. HIVE’s media engines have powered visuals to accompany several big-name acts at festivals in several countries. This summer, electronic artist, Eric Prydz, took to the stage at Tomorrowland in Belgium, Sonar Festival in Spain and Coachella in the USA. His show, named HOLO, utilises high-resolution, high frame-rate 3D animation. HIVE products played a role in enabling the playback of these visuals, with four…
For this year’s ROCKHARZ organisers decided to use cable protectors from the DEFENDER MIDI 5 2D modular system. “When it comes to accessibility, most people only think of wheelchair users,” commented Marco Spiller, chairman of Lebenshilfe Braunschweig and organiser of “Rock in Rautheim”. “However, it equally affects other people with walking impairments, blind people, or people with mental impairments who may have problems with uneven surfaces. Against this background, the DEFENDER cable protectors in the wide version give people more safety and literally break down barriers.” A total of 60 DEFENDER MIDI 5 2D cable protectors, including the MIDI 5…
Joshua Schultz admits that at first, he wasn’t overly enthused about lighting a show against a large, deeply rippled curtain background for Turnpike Troubadours when they performed at the historic Beacon Theatre. That changed when he saw how the background played off against light. “I was sceptical, but I quickly fell in love with having another canvas to incorporate looks onto” commented Schultz. “Too many times having just a black backdrop deadens the stage. This curtain added another dimension.” “I like to think in many different shades of a particular colour palette at each venue,” explained Schultz. “Someone once told…
Celebrations marking the anniversary of Autograph’s founding in 1973 reached their climax as the company hosted a memorable party in central London. Around 500 guests including past and present staff, clients, suppliers, friends, sound designers, production managers, producers and people from every walk of the theatre and live sound industries filled the specially-decorated Embankment Galleries for a champagne reception. Entertainment included a string quartet, a disco and a continuous luxury buffet along with a display of vintage and modern mixing consoles, a gallery of show posters tracing the company’s rich history in theatre sound and a bank of screens the…
Follow-Me has entered into a new partnership with cast Switzerland SA. Company Managing Director, Michel Vuilleumier and Business Development Manager, Swiss German Area, Peter Häusler, head the team at cast Switzerland AG. Luca Idone (Swiss German) and Lionel Métraux (Romandie) strengthen the team with their technical knowledge and support in assisting all customers. The Follow-Me product range allows for growth within the scope of manual tracking right through to full auto tracking. Follow-Me is fixture-independent: it can control any manufacturers type of moving light via Art-Net, sACN & PSN to integrate with motion control. Furthermore for auto-tracking in some immersive…
Equipson has expanded its WORK PRO range with the launch of a new range of loudspeakers. A key feature of the ARENA Series is its ability to deliver high power in a small format. These compact coaxial full-range speakers are available in four sizes and deliver between 300W and 600W or pure power depending on the model size selected. In addition, the ARENA Series features a Dual 8″ 800W band-pass waterproof subwoofer that provides low-frequency punch and audio enhancement for any ARENA Series installation. “We see many uses for the ARENA Series, from general outdoor applications such as fairs, theme…
Lighting Designer, Kyle Kegan of Voyage Productions embraced a full MA Lighting grandMA3 platform for lighting control while DJ duo, Two Friends, delivered two sets in the Sahara Tent at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Kegan, who works with many high-profile international clients, adapted the lighting design and showfile he had created for Two Friends’ recent tour to work with the Sahara Tent production lighting rig, collaborating closely with Michael Sheck who was the LD and helped program the show. Their show was based around the spaceship DJ booth designed by Kyle and built by Dark Moon…
