The 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) recently concluded in England’s 11,000-seat Liverpool Arena where Sweden won with the song, Tattoo. Tim Routledge, Lighting Designer for the show, utilised a large complement of 194 Claypaky Sharpy-X-Frames, 126 Scenius Unicos, 40 Hy B-EYE K25s, 12 Sharpy Plus Aqua and 12 ReflectXions to illuminate the set, whose embracing design had special significance this year. The ESC took place in Liverpool after Ukraine, the winner of the 2022 contest, was unable to meet the demands of hosting the 2023 event. The three live shows, two semi-finals and the grand finale, were…
Author: James Robertson
Pliant Technologies has released a new CrewCom firmware and software update, v1.14. The latest update includes several enhancements to CrewCom’s already long list of capabilities, such as the support of two additional hardware devices, convenient new features and several key improvements to CrewWare control software to strengthen the user experience. Pliant will be featuring these latest enhancements at InfoComm 2023 (Booth 4854). With the new v1.14 firmware update, CrewCom now supports the addition of the new IP-rated lineup of Radio Transceivers (RTs), and the current CrewCom CRP-12 series of Radio Packs (RPs). CrewWare v1.14 includes a unique UI display in…
The OMR Festival in Hamburg is growing continuously. The format, which was launched in front of 200 guests in 2011 – at that time still under the name Online Marketing Rockstars Conference – now fills the entire Messe Hamburg, as well as numerous other locations in the Hanseatic city with a wealth of side events. This makes the OMR Festival the largest gathering of executives from the digital economy, media and marketing worlds in Europe. This year’s event took place on 9 and 10 May, with more than 70,000 participants and over 1,000 exhibitors. On an area of 100,000 square…
Powersoft will introduce its cloud-based platform, Unica and Universo, to the US market at InfoComm 2023 (14-16 June). The official unveiling will take place during a launch event on the first day of the show, 14th June, at 12 pm on booth #5653. The Italian audio manufacturer will also demonstrate the very best in Dynamic Music Distribution capabilities and showcase its full range of install dedicated amplifiers. Building on Powersoft’s European launch at ISE, the Italian audio specialist is set to captivate American audience and industry partners with its most advanced amplifier platform Unica and ever-expanding Powersoft cloud, Universo, where…
disguise has announced the immediate availability of its latest solution, Invisible — a complete technology bundle for real-time markerless motion capture developed in partnership with Move.ai. Removing the need for markers, wearable suits or long calibration set ups, the Invisible solution allows anyone to mirror their movements onto a character rig within disguise’s Designer software in real time. The solution — which can track up to two people at once — leverages Move.ai’s patented Invisible real-time markerless mocap software to extract natural human motion from video using advanced AI. Faster, easier, and more cost-effective live motion capture on set or…
AV equipment supplier Macaio Argentina provided rental company Buenos Aires Live Show (BALS) with 42 Claypaky Scenius Unico and 48 Claypaky Sharpy Plus which were displayed at the Masters of Rock 2023 heavy metal music festival held at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 28. Masters of Rock was headlined by the legendary bands KISS, Deep Purple, Scorpions and Helloween with local act Horcas opening. As Masters of Rock is an international festival, the local adaptation was in the charge of LD Gaspar Potocnik, who was hired by the local production company Ake Music. The technical structure was…
Applications are now open for SLX’s 2023/24 Lighting Programme. SLX’s Lighting Programme exists to nurture creativity, drive collaboration, build connections and break down the barriers that prevent new talent from entering into the industry. Built upon SLX’s Student Bursary scheme, this programme provides hands-on training, exclusive workshops delivered by leading manufacturers and exposure to on-site client projects with industry professionals. Now in its fourth year, the Lighting Programme provides students with an even deeper understanding of the technical aspects around event lighting, production and operations. As part of the programme, Students also gain access to a like-minded community of professionals…
Smode Tech, best known for its powerful real-time compositing and media server platform, SMODE, has announced a new partnership to grow its market presence in the UK. Creative Alchemy, a specialist consultancy working in 3D real-time media server workflows and virtual production, will lead SMODE’s brand awareness, education and product distribution from London as Smode UK. “SMODE is starting to gain traction in a number of markets in the UK,” says Creative Alchemy director and Smode UK rep Shannon Harvey, spotlighting recent successes in the UK for the SMODE platform, “with companies such as Art Department and Boxcat using SMODE…
ETC, originally named ‘Electronic Theatre Controls’, was founded in 1975 by a group of four friends playing around in a garage with an unwavering mission to make lighting better. Over the years, the company has grown exponentially and now boasts a 1200-strong team, operating out of state-of-the-art facility. Despite the impressive growth, ETC remains a close-knit community of passionate individuals who are deeply committed to perfecting the art of lighting. In 2008, ETC became the first official supporter of Behind the Scenes. Ever since, it has been donating all proceeds of the company’s cutting-edge iRFR and aRFR apps, which are…
JBL Professional collaborates with Show Imaging and FNGRS CRSSD to power a weekend of high-energy musical performances with a distributed live sound reinforcement solution consisting of JBL VTX Series line array speakers and subwoofers. Since its debut in 2015, CRSSD Festival has attracted tens of thousands of electronic and indie rock fans to Waterfront Park in San Diego for two days of live music across three stages. Hosted by FNGRS CRSSD, the 2023 edition boasted performances by chart-topping artists and underground DJs alike, including ODESZA, Polo & Pan, Channel Tres, Neil Frances, Bedouin, Kavinsky, Purple Disco Machine and more. Concert…
With a career that spans three decades and having topped the country’s national album chart nine times, Sergio Dalma is one of Spain’s best-selling recording artists. 2022 saw him tour his latest album, Alegria (Joy), throughout Spain and South America. Spanish rental company USE SONIDO supplied DiGiCo Quantum consoles at both the front of house and monitor positions, purchased from DiGiCo’s Spanish distributor, RMS Pro Audio. “We started working with Sergio Dalma over 15 years ago,” said Use, USE SONIDO’s owner. “We have worked on many tours whit him always using DiGiCo consoles at front of house, and more recently…
For over twenty years, Hotcam has supported the broadcast and television industry with multi-camera and audio equipment hire, technical management, engineering and crewing services. Hotcam’s reputation is built around its ability to provide bespoke flypack and engineering solutions, whether that be for complex studio rigs or international multi camera productions. Previous projects have included transforming a prestigious, working London hotel, The Langham, into a multi camera studio for Netflix’s “5* Chef”, and Coach trip, a uniquely complex tech brief whereby a touring coach is fitted out as a mobile fixed rig for several months. In January, Hotcam deployed it’s flypack…
The BeachLife festival in Redondo Beach, CA celebrates California beach culture with multiple days of music performances across four stages. For the second consecutive year, live music streaming service Volume.com was on-site at the festival’s Speakeasy Stage – broadcasting audio and video online through their web platform. “We have a video production rig running vMix,” explained Volume.com’s Ian Morse, who was part of the Volume.com team at the festival. “That computer takes all our camera inputs and adds graphics, and also pushes our RTMP stream.” For audio, the team employed an Allen & Heath Avantis console to capture and broadcast…
K-array will return to InfoComm, June 2023 where it will launch its latest technology in the form of a fully connected software suite. These new software offerings are designed to complement K-array’s cutting-edge hardware and enhance the user experience of professionals across the audio industry. “As we expand our group of K-array brands, including K-array, KGEAR and KSCAPE, we want to offer a 360-degree solution for the control and design of systems,” explained Alessandro Tatini, CEO & President, at K-array. “With the launch of our interconnected series of software, including mobile apps, offline designer tools and monitoring solutions, we aim…
23 Grassroots Music Venues have received grants from the charity Music Venue Trust (MVT), as part of a fourth round of recipients for its major new funding initiative which provides grants of up to £5,000 for UK Grassroots Music Venues. The Pipeline Investment Fund, established in 2022, is primarily funded by ticket sales of MVT’s recent ‘Revive Live’ programme of gigs around the UK, a hugely successful partnership with The National Lottery. To date £165,000 worth of grants have been awarded to 38 Grassroots Music Venues since December. This fourth round of payments sees a total sum of £97,516.97 awarded…
GLP has appointed Russell Brown as the company’s new sales manager looking after customers in the southeastern United States. Russell has spent nearly 30 years in the industry, getting his start as an award-winning DJ. Since his DJ days, Russell has worked for numerous renowned companies, where he has consistently increased sales, successfully managed teams of up to 45 people, and honed his skills within the sales and marketing world. GLP is very excited to work with Russell, his wide knowledge of live event technology and his extensive network. Russell states: “My experience as a touring DJ in sales, customer…
The band’s rescheduled ‘POSTHUMAN’ tour visited 18 European cities ahead of their summer 2023 festival appearances After a lengthy wait due to Covid-19 restrictions surrounding the tour’s original dates, Sheffield metalcore titans, Bring Me The Horizon, were finally able to perform for their dedicated European fanbase. Having worked with the Clair Global Group last year for their Reading & Leeds headline shows before US and Australian runs, the band’s touring crew recently enjoyed another faultless vendor experience. Production Manager Mitch Gee and Tour Manager Tim Boardman had worked with Eighth Day Sound’s Stuart Wright many times previously. Boardman commented: “Knowing…
Jeff Ravitz, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime lighting designer, continues to focus on the special bond between the band and the audience with his lighting design. “Bruce feeds off his audience’s energy, the same was as they channel his; that’s what has always made his shows such a personal experience,” said Ravitz. “So many people have said that Bruce brings the audience onstage. Or maybe, instead, he turns the entire arena or stadium into the performance space. That’s pretty powerful — to be drawn right into the force-field! People are singing and acting out the words to every song. Bruce sees that,…
