With live shows put on hold, Nicolas ‘Murph’ Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Production Services, has embarked on his own “world tour,” all without leaving the friendly and safe confines of his Salt Lake City suburb. Rather than simply livestreaming a band and calling it a day, he created a full blown, albeit virtual, tour package, complete with posters, virtual “backstage passes,” and even donates his time with a weekly streaming service: Social Antidote. The looks he’s created for his wryly named “COVID-19 World Tour,” are also very good replicas of the real thing, using eight “lazy universes,” a ChamSys…
Author: Jacob Waite
Following the Beerbongs & Bentleys Tour, which wrapped up in August 2019, after more than 100 shows around the globe – Post Malone took a brief, three-week hiatus from the road before heading back out on the 38-date fall Runaway Tour – in support of Hollywood Bleeding, his third full-length album released on 6 September 2019. The second leg of that North American trek picked back up in early February and carried Malone through most of his 22 additional dates before 2020’s global pandemic put live touring on hold in March. However, although much of the material performed on the Runaway…
Mark White has announced his retirement from the company after nearly 20 years. Speaking about his departure from ETC, White commented: “ETC has been a fine company to work for. I am retiring at a time of new and exciting product development in the company which will keep ETC in pole position as the go-to suppliers of entertainment lighting.” Darren Beckley, ETC Sales Manager, added: “Mark has been an integral part of developing the company’s brand these past 20 years. We thank him for all of his efforts and wish him the very best on his retirement.” Jeremy Roberts, ETC…
Highlite International BV introduces a new update catalogue, numerous activities and various product launches. In particular, Showtec’s latest addition: the ACT series. With the ACT series Showtec offers a range of compact entry-level luminaires with a high-class finish and high CRI levels. Due to their size and output they are very well equipped for a wide range of applications and venues but also offer a lot of advantages for the rental business. The ACT series consists of 5 different models. It starts off with a 20WW and a 50WW Fresnel version which come complete with matching barndoors, followed by a…
With a warehouse full of touring gear grounded by COVID-19, Latvian rental company, 3S SIA quickly transformed its Riga headquarters into a fully equipped livestream performance space, including Allen & Heath dLive and Avantis systems. Created in partnership with local broadcaster, TVNET, the resulting 3S Lockdown Sessions have reached tens of thousands of isolating music fans each week since they debuted in March, with livestreamed performances by popular artists including Latvian Blues Band, Aminata, Samanta Tina, Lauris Valters, Ozols, Indygo and Riga Reggae. When devising a mixing system for the sessions, the 3S team did not have to look any…
As an experienced production video engineer, Steven Jackson of InFocusAV creates video management and playback solutions for clients in touring theatre, musicals, conferences and installations, both at home in the UK and internationally. He is as well-versed in the nuts and bolts of creative video as anyone in the business – and for much of his career, the Hippotizer platform has been an essential part of his professional toolkit. “At secondary school I was always involved in music performance. We had a fantastic teacher who brought in a PC and recording equipment to class. I started to use it and…
With the assistance of German projection specialist VIOSO, Lumen & Forge installed an immense dome measuring 68.58m wide by 53m high (225ft by 175ft), making it the largest projection ever made inside this kind of structure for the Super Bowl LIV celebrations. While many industry standard projection domes have a hemispherical shape, the one implemented for this project boasted a uniquely oval, or ‘pill’, shape. Created by Broadwell Airdomes USA, the colossal size of structure was decided due to the use of the dome, which would host concerts and parties within: The pill shape would also allow for a higher…
Riedel Communications has announced a significant expansion of the company’s MediorNet family of video networking devices. With 13 new hardware devices and nine new software apps, the MediorNet product line is better equipped than ever to meet the distributed routing, processing, and multiviewing requirements of today’s SDI, IP, and hybrid production environments. The first new hardware innovation unveiled by Riedel is MediorNet MicroN UHD, big brother to the award-winning MicroN media distribution and processing device. Building on Riedel’s distributed and software-defined concept, this new node adds more bandwidth, more I/O, higher resolutions, and more processing power to the MediorNet platform.…
Astera LED has energised its 10,000 sq metre in Shenzhen, China together with its knowledgeable and adaptable workforce to assist with the delivery of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) items, including face masks. Astera LED CEO Norbert Ernst explained that the company was initially going to temporarily scale back operations in the factory, when he was approached by a contact asking if they would be willing to assist with the production / distribution of face masks. “Naturally I jumped at the chance,” stated Norbert. “It offered a path to keeping many staff employed full-time which is great, and also helps contribute positively…
The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has announced that its ALD Awards for Excellence, aimed at all UK-based students and recent graduates, will launch imminently, to offer an exciting, additional focus for students. The ALD Awards for Excellence reflect the association’s growing representation of lighting and video design as well as production electrics and include The Michael Northen Award for lighting design, The Fred Foster Award for Production Electrics (sponsored by ETC) and the Blue-I Media Award for Video Design. Johanna Town, Chair of the ALD, said: “The ALD Awards for Excellence provides an important platform for students on which…
As many broadcast stations are operating in a work-from-home environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, TSL Products has altered its R&D roadmap for the short term, in response to specific customer requirements and to meet the current needs of the industry. Since TSL’s acquisition of DNF Controls in April 2019, the U.S. team based out of Northridge, CA, has remained focused on the developing and supporting the Flex Control Network and range of Universal Control Panels. “We have many customers across the United States who use our Flex Control Network for critical production and playout in news-based Hub and Spoke systems that…
Hot on the heels of the AQUA LED 1700 Framing, PR Lighting has announced another new shutter blade device, the XRLED 3000-W Framing (PR-8137). This new addition to the popular XRLED moving head series features the latest advanced 1200W white LED light source. In addition to its complete range of spotlight effects and features, the fixture’s four sets of framing blades offer endless rotation, different size and shaped graphics, and a curtain effect in a module designed and patented by PR Lighting. This extremely bright and powerful spot, which is suitable for any type of project, comes in two versions. The 6500K, 70 CRI, 55000 lumen version is suitable for…
After 28 years of consistent touring, the Stereophonics’ relentless quest to improve their stage sound and gain closer engagement with their audience continues. At the request of the band, and specifically Kelly Jones, their sound techs were sent into overdrive, working on a radical approach for the latest arena tour. Long-term FOH sound engineer Dave Roden, using his preferred Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker array, sent his mix to a distributed PA system, running the length of a 60ft thrust from main stage, into the belly of the audience, with a small ‘B’ stage at the end of it. By opting…
Throwing fuel on the flames of Mass Hysteria’s sound was a relentless Romain Dronne designed lightshow powered by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with an Extra Wing. Part of the Chirac Design team, Dronne turned up the brightness of his rig at key points throughout the show, transforming the relatively tight confines of Club Le Ferraileur into a ball of light. The close-in setting of the club made the show well-suited for streaming, since many fans would be watching on mobile phones with their relatively small screens. However, beyond this “technical” consideration, the size of the venue also reinforced the close…
Join two of the industry’s top lighting designers for outdoor events on the next Elation Hour to be broadcast 6 May at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time in the U.S. Patrick Dierson and Chris Lisle, both top tier designers with decades of invaluable experience in production and lighting design, will join hosts John Dunn and Matthias Hinrichs for a Tools & Techniques discussion about the ins and outs of lighting for festivals and outdoor events. Hear some of the most experienced designers in the business share their own personal insight, experiences and tricks of the trade. The Elation Hour is…
More than 25 years after they unapologetically catapulted into the UK charts, and 10 since disbanding to produce solo material, much-loved British rockers Supergrass returned to touring with audio rental house Britannia Row Productions in February and March 2020. Describing his sound crew as being “amazing at their jobs,” Production Manager, Adam King has, by his own admission, “loved” working with Brit Row and the Supergrass team for the band’s recent return to live music. His hope that “COVID-19 doesn’t disrupt the touring circuit and festival season too much,” was the thought embedded in every touring personnel’s minds during early…
Equipson has appointed Netherlands-based Tau Audio Solutions as its audio distributor in Benelux, with responsibility for its entire range of WORK PRO products. For more than 20 years TAU Audio Solutions has been a wholesaler and distributor of audio and communications systems. The company handles a variety of commercial and professional audio products including induction/hearing loops, microphone systems, voice alarm systems, rack and accessories. As well as selling products, Tau also provides advice and training to customers from its extensive showroom facilities in Groningen. As Equipson’s Benelux distributor, Tau will be responsible for handling the company’s entire range of WORK…
On 19 April 2020, over 50 lighting and laser companies shone lights in the sky, united by the hashtag #OurShiningLight, as a salute to those working tirelessly on the frontline. The seeds of the campaigner planted a few weeks earlier when Clearsound Productions’ Steven Haynes and Dan Ridd fired up eight Robe MegaPointes on the roof of its warehouse in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. The first installation had such a great reaction that two weeks later Haynes and Ridd deployed two MegaPointes each in five locations – the gardens of Clearsound employees – around Shipston shooting beams all around the town again…
