Following the Las Vegas production ‘Weekends with Adele’, the British singer took on the most exciting challenge of her career – a month-long residency in a Live Nation-backed, purpose-built, 80,000 capacity Open Air Arena in Munich, Germany. The concert series was led by Production Manager Paul English and sought technical expertise from a variety of disciplines within the Clair Global organisation, overseen by Account Executive Andy Walker. “A great thing that Andy did was get the IT team on board, supplying fantastic internet across the site. It made our lives easy throughout the entire backstage area, which is an immense…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
Martin Castañon’s design for the lighting rig at the 27th annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival, called for 12 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorised strobe-washes and 12 blinders. But instead, he got zero blinders and 18 Color STRIKE M fixtures. “The rig was originally supposed to have the Color STRIKE Ms on the up and mid truss for a total of 12 – blinders were specced out for the downstage,” recalled Castañon. “Somehow when the rig was built, we accidentally got the extra 6 strikes instead of the blinders. In the end it worked out beautifully as it tied the…
Audio-Technica has announced the appointment of Akhil Raphael as Technical Sales Manager for the Middle East region. In his new role with Audio-Technica, Raphael will play a role in strengthening the company’s direct presence in the GCC. He will be instrumental in collaborating with key end-users, design consultants, system integrators and rental houses. His expertise will support Audio-Technica’s regional distribution partner, GSL Professional, ensuring that customers across the GCC receive exceptional service and support. Raphael’s background includes a proven track record of success in technical support and both pre-and-post sales, making him a valuable addition to the Audio-Technica team. “I…
Production Futures has announced the dates for its autumn ON TOUR events. They will take on 15 October at the Backstage Centre in Purfleet and Wednesday 27 November at Production Park in Wakefield. That latter event will see the presentation of this year’s much anticipated Production Futures Breakthrough Awards. The events will enable young visitors to connect with representatives of Production Futures’ brand partners to explore employment opportunities in the production sectors. Production Futures has also announced that its successful TALKS podcast will now be featured as part of each show, with guests being interviewed in front of a live…
Sound Engineer Jade Payne’s career began over 15 years ago in New York’s, now Payne finds herself on the road with musical trio Khruangbin, for which DPA Microphones play a role in her audio setup. “We use a lot of DPA mics for Khruangbin,” says Payne. “We have the 4055 [Kick Drum Mic] on kick, 4099 [Instrument Mics] on snare bottom and floor tom, 2012 [Compact Cardioid] on snare top, 2011 [Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Mic] on hi-hat and 4007 [Omnidirectional Mic] for rim/sidestick. These mics work coherently together, even when in close proximity.” “The 4055, especially, has been a revelation.…
Monitor engineer, Jeffrey Löwe, knows that whatever the gig his DMI-KLANG and DiGiCo Quantum 338 will be able to give him what he needs to let his artists perform at their best. “I’ve been monitoring with Álvaro Soler, since the end of 2019 and have been using KLANG with him since 2021,” Löwe recalled. “Since using KLANG, the band has really connected and grown stronger together, they wouldn’t want to think about doing a show without KLANG now.” Having enjoyed a career with United Brands, Düsseldorf based distributero for pro-audio brands such as KLANG and DiGiCo, Löwe left when his…
ROE Visual’s Carbon MarkII LED panels have recently garnered attention for its performance at multiple global events. TDC – Technical Direction Company has now invested in these cutting-edge panels, further reinforcing their commitment to leading with the latest in video technology. “At TDC, we are dedicated to creating awe-inspiring moments that redefine the realm of entertainment production,” said Michael Hassett, CEO and Founder at TDC. “Technology is at the heart of everything we do, and our decade-long partnership with ROE Visual, together with the collaborative relationships we’ve cultivated over four decades, remains pivotal to our success and that of our…
Waves Audio has introduced a line of stage boxes designed to work with the eMotion LV1 Software mixer. Following the success of the previously released IONIC 16, the IONIC 24, a 24 mic/line in / 18 out, SoundGrid stagebox, is now available for pre-order. Powered by Waves Signature Preamps, the IONIC 24 stagebox delivers sound quality in any live sound scenario and complements the sonic performance of the Waves eMotion LV1 Live mixer. At the heart of IONIC 24’s sound and performance are Waves Signature Preamps—an original ground-up design with high-end analog circuits, delivering headroom, transient response, and a low…
When the Jonas Brother’s team came calling for the “Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour”, Touring Monitor Engineer Andy Hernandez jumped at the chance to get back on the road. Hernandez said the planning for this tour was coordinated quickly and that the RF setup is very ambitious: “The group is performing in large sporting arenas, with multiple stages in each. At times when there are guests, there can be as many as 20+ people performing. So, we need a solution that is robust, provides great performance and also works around the world. Wisycom checks all those boxes.” Included…
The 2024 Edinburgh Fringe saw Assembly operating 26 pulsating venues featuring over 240 diverse shows embracing multiple entertainment genres, with lighting managed by Martin McLachlan, Assembly’s Festival Fringe head of lighting since 2018. The Assembly Festival Fringe operation involves over 90 technical staff over a six-week period which includes two weeks of build and rehearsal before the three-and-a-half-week festival. McLachlan, together with a small team of four, oversees the house stage lighting and crew across all venues as well as the lighting needs of all incoming productions. The venues range in size, from 60 up to 840 seats, each with…
Following the success of Rivale Profile which sold over 10,000 units in less than a year, Ayrton has presented its new Veloce Profile, the second ultra-equipped luminaire in its ‘Ultimate’ family, which has been designed for use in large spaces. Veloce Profile is a IP65 rated, luminaire capable of operating in all conditions, indoors and outdoors, including saline-heavy environments. The Veloce Profile has a brand new sealed monoblock 850W high-efficiency LED module, calibrated at 6500K, which offers a luminous flux of 43,000 lumens with positioning on the black body to achieve light neutrality. Its proprietary 13-lens optical system offers a…
Grammy Award winning Jamaican reggae legend Buju Banton embarked on a 14-city USA arena trek named The Overcome Tour. Contributing to this heady atmosphere on the tour is a John Dacosta lighting design that draws on a rig curated and supplied by Abbas Ritscher and his team at The Design Oasis. Brought into the tour design project by Gavin Hayden and Off The Wall Sound, Ritscher and his team focused on putting together a collection of lighting fixtures and video panels that had the power to reflect the energy of Banton’s music through brightness, intensity and movement. “Gavin had a…
Astera’s new LunaBulb product has won a coveted PLASA Award for Innovation, which was received during the association’s annual expo at Olympia in 2024. The PLASA Innovation judging panel commented that LunaBulb “combines a broad feature-set in a much-loved conventional aesthetic.” LunaBulb is also the first LED lighting product to win innovation / new technology awards at both a film expo and a staging / event tradeshow in two different countries. It weighs just 81 grams (0.179 lbs) and is versatile for indoor and outdoor use. Key features are DMX control, full-colour RGBMA and a CCT range from 1,750K to…
Haldern Pop festival 2024 saw Lighting designer Rolf Wenzel showcase 12 of the new GLP JDC2 IP hybrid strobes with video function within the lighting design. However, that hadn’t originally been planned, as Wenzel admitted: “I talked to [GLP’s] Toto [Bröcking] about another project and somehow we turned to Haldern Pop, where we have used the JDC1 in recent years. He offered me the chance to test the new JDC2 IP, which I was of course happy to accept.” The Haldern Pop stage itself was adorned with a type of laced floor, while two of the movable back trusses were…
AB Light – a design firm from Lithuania – recently collaborated on a hometown stadium show featuring singer-songwriter, Jessica Shy. TPi’s Alicia Pollitt caught up with AB Light’s Kazimieras Likša to delve into the origins of the project and explore why an asymmetrical approach was pivotal in the design process. When were you first approached to work on this project with Jessica Shy? “The first time we worked with Jessica Shy was in 2021. For this stadium concert, discussions began in 2023. It took a year to finalise everything, but we started with the idea that the concert should represent…
Following a rigorous testing period, PixMob utilised its patented Moving Visual Transmitter (MVT) technology at the Paris 2024 Olympic closing ceremony, deploying approximately 70,000 wristbands. In addition, the Paralympics closing ceremony featured 60,000 PixMob wristbands (without MVT) – showcasing the company’s creative arsenal of possibilities. Speaking to TPi’s Alicia Pollitt, PixMob explains how its solutions helped transform attendees into beacons of light and how MVT technology introduced a new dimension of audience participation and serves as a novel medium for event design, storytelling, and fan engagement. MVT technology was put through its paces on this project, how did it feel…
EventCom has invested in a number of Robe mobile lighting products, including the newest iFORTES and ESPRITES. EventCom has also just completed a new extension to their warehouse and offices, which will triple their operational space to 2,600 square metres of storage and 600 square metres of office space. “Robe is the top brand right with an excellent range of fixtures and a great reputation for reliability and value,” stated Thomas Richard, Director of EventCom, whose first purchase was 24 MegaPointes in 2021. “Getting MegaPointes really did have that much impact, they were that much in demand.” Another 40 MegaPointes…
The Schools Engagement Programme has announced that Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has been confirmed as an exclusive sponsor of the Edinburgh region. EICC’s support will enable The Power of Events, in partnership with local event professionals volunteering as Schools Ambassadors, to deliver a unique event industry showcase and overview of career opportunities to secondary schools & colleges across the Edinburgh region, starting in Spring 2025. The Schools Programme has already attracted 200+ School Ambassador industry volunteers across the 4 Nations willing to support the programme when it lands in their region or city. The other new regions already confirmed…
