One of the highlights of the music industry’s calendar, the annual NME Awards, took place last month in London with its most ambitious AV design to date, centred around a 158 panel ROE Black Onyx staggered LED display lining the perimeter of the stage, and employing four Tessera SX40 high capacity processors combined with eight Tessera XD data distribution units from Brompton Technology. After a year off, the NME Awards returned to London’s O2 Brixton Academy to celebrate the best of 2019’s musical talent. It was attended by Taylor Swift, who picked up the award for Best Solo Act In…
Author: Jacob Waite
The Best Man at the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia squeezed in a handful of preview performances before shutting down to wait out the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet what a treat awaits. Set at the national convention in Philadelphia, and altogether a fitting production for an election year, Lighting Designer, Jimmy Lawlor lights a set that takes us into the back rooms and onto the convention floor where two candidates vie for their party’s nomination. Lawlor sought a quiet yet versatile luminaire for the production, one he could use to light scenes both stark and soft. “From the outset, we…
Dan Ridd and Steven Haynes of Clearsound Productions in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, UK positioned eight Robe MegaPointes on the roof of their warehouse –and beamed them around the town and up into the night sky, creating a unique piece of light art to connect the local community and show support for the incredible efforts of frontline and essential workers and the National Health Service (NHS) during the Coronavirus pandemic. The action was inspired by the now weekly Clap For Carers initiative (started in the UK by Annemarie Plas) which united millions across the country who appeared in windows and doorways clapping…
PR Lighting has released a new IP65-rated AQUA LED 1700 Framing (PR-8179)—the first new product to come off the production line since Coronavirus restrictions were lifted in China. Designed to be sufficiently powerful to handle the demands of large outdoor events, the new fixture houses a 730W LED engine (8000K), enabling an extremely powerful output. It features a motorised zoom function, with a range of 7°-60°, and contains a colour wheel with six colour filters plus open, one rotating gobo wheel (with six exchangeable gobos plus white) and a fixed gobo wheel (with seven exchangeable gobos, plus white). In addition…
In an unprecedented move, supported by musician Frank Turner and comedian and writer Adam Kay, UK music industry luxury vehicle company, Vans For Bands is offering its entire fleet to NHS hospitals for front-line staff to use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oxford based company, which runs a fleet of sleeper buses that are primarily used by artist and bands for touring the UK and Europe, has offered its state-of-the-art luxury vehicles to be parked outside NHS hospitals anywhere in the UK for the duration of the current crisis. Doctors, nurses and other key staff will be offered exclusive 24-hour…
Martin Audio’s new weekly education webinar programme has got off to the best possible start with all sessions for its Low Frequency System Design ‘sold out’. The popularity of this session highlights the appetite for industry education during this difficult time. “Our new webinar series seems to have been embraced by the industry,” reflected James King, Marketing Director at Martin Audio. “We had over 1,000 registrations for the first webinar session, which is around 10 times the average registration for one of our webinars. In fact, we had to upgrade our software package to accommodate everyone. Added to this, the…
AV rental and production companies across the Benelux region came together recently to show solidarity for those affected by, and working to fight against, the global Coronavirus pandemic. They did this by setting up fixtures outside their warehouses and using them to send beams of light up into the night sky so that they could be seen by key workers in the area. At 8pm on Sunday March 22nd, many companies across Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands shone lighting fixtures up into the night sky in support of doctors, nurses and other essential workers who are serving in many different…
In cooperation with the Sennheiser SoundAcademy, Neumann will be offering detailed webinars on the basics of microphone technology over the coming weeks. In three one-hour sessions, trainer John McGregor will discuss all important aspects of Neumann studio microphones: Starting with the most important theoretical principles, through practical tips and application hints, to product care and maintenance. As we all take care to stay safe and stay home, this is an excellent opportunity to expand or refresh one’s skills and knowledge. The first session will be available on Friday, April 3 at three different times (8.30, 13.30 and 18.00 CET). The other two sessions…
Owen McIlreavy developed an interest for live events while studying at Midleton College in his native Cork, Ireland. The motto of the College, ‘Spartam nactus es, hanc exorna’ (‘You were born with talents, develop them’) certainly rings true for this live events professional, who, during his brief time in the industry, has already spent the past few years plying his trade as a Technical Stage Manager at University of Derby’s Union of Students as well as a post as Summer Staff at IPS – a role which saw him go on to win TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards Undergraduate of the…
As live event spaces across the globe go dark, live stream feeds flicker with a hive of activity as roadies and touring personnel take their talents to the internet, proving that technical expertise knows no physical proximity. Creativity often thrives under constraint, and quarantine is no exception. Lighting Designer, Luke Edwards of Cue Design has put this to the test by opening The Dirty Corona Virtual Pub – a safe space for roadies to talk about business, concerns, and best practices for financial and mental health – in the wake of COVID-19. “The idea is to bring people together in…
Bon Iver supported the release of his most recent studio album, i,i, with a tour of arenas in select North American cities, with Red Hook, New York-based Firehouse Productions supplying an L-Acoustics K2 and Kara PA for the trek. But the second and latest leg of the tour was even more special—and spatial—thanks to Firehouse’s deployment of L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology. According to Firehouse Productions Account Rep Chris Russo, the tour’s L-ISA configuration featured three central arrays each composed of 16 K2 plus three Kara down, flanked to the left and right by hangs of 24 Kara as the Scene system,…
Spanish band Marea has been rocking for over 20 years as one of the most popular Rock en Español bands around. In 2019, the band released their first album in eight years, “El Azogue,” and promptly hit the road in support with renowned Spanish lighting designer Miguel González on board to define the visual concept. Gonzalez has worked with a variety of high-profile acts over the years, including Marea since 2007, and incorporated 52 Elation Chorus Line 8 LED battens in his design. Seeking a linear light that was something more than a static wash light, he chose the Chorus…
Since 1995, U.S. metal band Slipknot has been delivering their uniquely aggressive style of music to hard-core audiences around the world. With nine band members, a Slipknot concert is a loud, chaotic, and even shocking experience—just what their fans want. But there is definitely a high level of order, A/V production, and technology at work behind the scenes to make sure each performance meets all audience and artist expectations. Founded in 1980, Eighth Day Sound has grown into a global company that provides services to many of the biggest names in the business. The company’s portfolio of the last few…
Blackmagic Design has announced that New Hampshire based live streaming and AV production company Events United used a Blackmagic Design live production workflow to produce Dropkick Murphys’ St. Patrick’s Day live stream “Streaming Up From Boston,” reaching a total of more than 10 million viewers. For the first time in 24 years, Boston based Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys did not perform a concert with a live audience for St. Patrick’s Day. The band took to the internet instead and performed a full concert set that was live streamed via the band’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and other social media channels…
Founded in 1985, Dream Theater – featuring original guitarist, John Petrucci and bassist, John Myung, with lead vocalist, James LaBrie, keyboard player, Jordan Rudess and drummer, Mike Mangini – constantly reinvent with every album release, and this ethos is mirrored by their approach to touring. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpiapr20_digitallr/22 Photos: Joe Okpako & Entec www.dreamtheater.net www.entecLIVE.com www.dbaudio.com www.digico.biz
Following the expansion of its already impressive fleet of band tour buses – moving to larger premises closer to the Port of Hull in Yorkshire, UK – MM Band Services has now found itself as one of the ambassadors of environmentally friendly touring, with a clear set of carbon-neutral policies under its UK and European seatbelt. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpiapr20_digitallr/28 Photos: MM Band Services www.mmbandservices.co.uk
Following a string of successful dates on Broadway and London’s West End, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical hit theatres across the UK and Ireland. Sharing the story of Carole King’s journey from schoolgirl to superstar, the show was sounded out by the brand-new JBL VTX A8 sound system, supplied by Orbital Sound. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpiapr20_digitallr/30 Photos: Sound Technology www.beautifumusical.co.uk www.jblaudio.com www.orbitalsound.com
Known by many within the industry as the man behind the faders for the likes of Skunk Anansie, At The Drive-In and Don Broco, Ben Hammond has recently turned his attention to another project. With the live touring temporarily on hold, the Managing Director of Events for Rock-Tech has opted to use his time wisely and create a podcast, which aims to give a voice to fellow sound engineers, with TPi teaming up as a media partner. “I have had the idea for quite a while now – I’ve just been too busy to put it together,” began Hammond. “Now seemed…
