There is no doubt that audio prediction software plays a key role in the modern show, with system designers working side by side with FOH engineers on the design of a sound system, performing all the required calculations before even setting foot in a venue, with the goal of ensuring the best experience for the audience and managing off-site noise issues and multi-stage interference at festivals. Officially launched at ISE, Funktion-One’s Projection 1.0 system design software uniquely provides fast wave-based simulation for low-frequencies for greater accuracy when predicting bass array performance. “The origin of Projection goes back to the launch…
Author: Jacob Waite
In support of Foster The People’s latest US tour, FOH Engineer Adam Rowley recently hit the road with East London-based alt/indie-pop band, Good Neighbours. “I’ve known Oli, the lead singer, for a long time. We used to write together before the pandemic, so it was lovely to be part of this tour – a real full-circle moment,” he told TPi, as the dust settled on a successful 42-day, 30-show run. “We used Clair Global to fill in the gaps alongside my FOH setup. The main advantage of working with such a large company, especially when we needed such a small…
Having diversified its line-up in recent years, Download Festival is not only growing in a programming sense – adding more hard rock bands to its roster – but the event has also bolstered its production value. “Expectations from festival audiences is at an all-time high,” Live Nation’s Andy Copping told TPi. “It is super important to offer a ‘wow’ factor at festivals now, as well as the lineups fans are eager to see something creative on the production side too – it is just as important.” Reflecting on the 2024 edition, Copping mentioned Dan Braun’s production design. “Having seen what…
What influenced the creation and feature set of the NXW? “Our users requested a portable wing featuring motorised faders and full front-panel backlighting. These features make programming easier, allowing for playbacks to be colour-coded for quick recognition. The ability to upgrade the universe count of the wing after purchase, was also high on the request list, to ensure our customer’s investment is future proofed. We now offer options to upgrade NXW up to 128 universes when needed. Being a wing, it relies on the user’s laptop. Nowadays, many laptops do not feature a network port, and an increasing number of…
Technical Academy, run by the Southbank Centre in collaboration with ABTT, The Albany, ATG Entertainment, Factory International, Live Wire Productions, National Theatre, Roundhouse, Royal Albert Hall, RNSS, and The Production House, offers a unique, no-cost opportunity for aspiring live event technicians to gain hands-on experience. Its mission is to remove social, cultural and financial barriers and open doors to backstage careers in live events and theatre, as TPi discovers. “There is a looming skills crisis in the sector,” said Southbank Centre’s Amber Lee, Project Manager for Technical Academy. “This is in some part due to COVID-19 and people leaving to…
Fulfilling our representation mandate and being the voice of 2,500 event production members, the PSA have recently participated in several discussion sessions at industry events with similar themes related to collaboration, the event ecosystem and vital role freelancers play. In May, we will participate in a Power of Events panel session at PLASA North discussing the topic The Power of Cross-Sector Collaboration (no spoilers here, promise). Back in February we were at Confex/Event Production Show considering the events ecosystem with a panel of agency and supplier representatives, between these and other discussions, we reflect and reinforce the recurring theme that…
What was your first album? Or maybe it was a CD? A download? What was your first concert? Your first real gig? Did you grow up in an entertainment family? Do you remember connecting to the internet for the first time? Or maybe, you’ve always had access to it, born into a world that was already changed. Pop influence, family values, and technologies all help shape how we grow and have a major impact on who we become. As we share impactful cultural experiences, shifts in human behaviour can be felt worldwide, and generations begin to emerge. No one knows…
TPi readers are more aware than most of radio spectrum’s importance. It is critical to wireless audio content production and has a fair claim to be considered as the raw material on which many events depend. Yet within the arcane world of spectrum regulation, discussions are taking place that could have profound long-term consequences for the future of wireless audio production. The past 15 years have seen successive losses of radio spectrum for wireless microphones and in-ear monitors, principally in spectrum shared with digital terrestrial television. In most cases, the spectrum has been re-purposed and auctioned to mobile phone networks.…
What challenges did you face bringing A20-HH to the market? “Handheld microphones have been on the market for decades, so when it came time to design Sound Devices’ first, we knew we wanted to create something that improved on every aspect of the category while also adding some new features that had not been attempted before. Development was informed by relationships with end users. The ability to easily swap the threads out of the microphone to utilise any capsule design was major. Furthermore, the ability to customise the shell of the microphone was also crucial. When it came to features…
The path from YouTube covers to worldwide success is one that has become increasingly well-worn in recent years, with some of the biggest stars of the past decade beginning their careers in their bedroom with a guitar. Teddy Swims’ emergence at the top of charts worldwide also began online, and with his popularity now seeing him perform at the biggest arenas in Europe. TPi caught up with his team at Co-op Live to gain an insight into the complex production behind his biggest shows to date… Meeting TPi at the gate was a familiar face; Production Manager, Rob Bright, who…
Having worked for multiple years in the live events sector, Simon James and Tim Roberts joined forces with Dick Tee and Mike Richmond to form The Event Safety Shop (TESS), offering support for concerts, tours, technical providers and festival organisers as a ‘Creative Safety’ partner. With some of its first clients in the early 2000s being big names such as The Rolling Stones, the company was quickly elevated to the international events scene. Its list of clients now reads like a who’s who of headliners, having provided their services for the crew of AC/DC, Genesis, Green Day, KISS, Queen +…
Indie-rockers The Wombats recently embarked on an arena tour to celebrate their first album in three years, with a lighting design from Rosie Haigh, who started working with the band in 2023 at the end of the previous album campaign. “For the band, it’s all about how it feels on stage, as much as it is about how it looks,” Haigh began. “They play a high-energy set, so they like to feel the energy close to them on stage, hence a good-sized floor package, but also, they aren’t afraid of the dark, which really helps me build dynamics for the…
Could you explain the journey behind VLHive 151 Digital FX’s development? “The VLHive platform has been in development by the Signify R&D team for eight years, and leverages a significant number of patented technologies, with the goal of creating a digital light fixture with fewer mechanical parts and more long-term customisation capabilities. We wanted the fixture to be bright, fast, and controllable, rather than just a projector with a pan/tilt motor.” What challenges did you and the team face? “The key challenges in developing the VLHive – apart from the technical challenges and physical hardware – was ensuring that what…
IPS (Impact Production Services) recently invited TPi to Milton Keynes to look around its new state-of-the-art, purpose-built warehouse and site, the latter of which spans six-and-a-half acres. With the company completing the move over the Easter period, the new facility signals new life for IPS, bolstering its operations further and doubling its capacity. “Next year will be 25 years of IPS, so it feels like the right time to double the size of our site,” Tom Warden, H&S and Marketing Manager at IPS began. “We moved into our previous site in 2013, which was also doubling our capacity at the…
One of 197 organisations to be recognised with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise, Adlib has received the King’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales. The Award recognises Adlib’s international reputation and commercial success in delivering projects outside of the UK. Founded in 1984, Adlib is headquartered in Prescot, Merseyside, with locations in Glasgow and London. Between 2022 and 2024, Adlib’s overseas turnover saw significant growth, supported by the company’s prominent position within the international touring market. Adlib’s strong relationships with their North American client base has consistently ensured that Adlib are relied on for…
On 27 February, with the successful conclusion of the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show (GETshow), the cooperation between Leading Audiovisual Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Stage Art Society also came to an end. This four-day audio-visual feast not only showcased the industry’s top technology and artistic achievements but also witnessed the in-depth cooperation and innovative practice between Leading Audiovisual and Guangdong in the field of technology and art integration. As one of the most influential performing arts equipment exhibitions in the world, GETshow has attracted professional buyers and industry elites from more than 100 countries and regions around the world. The…
M&S Showtechniek is a full production and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Directors, Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap. They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated – deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights. The first Robe fixtures to join the M&S inventory were 24 LEDBeam 150s in 2017. M&S Showtechniek…
Love GOSH, the annual fundraising event developed by Great Ormand Street Hospital charity, GOSH, has raised over £3.2 million over the course of three appeals and is currently working towards a state-of-the-art Children’s Cancer Centre. At the heart of its vital donation activities are philanthropic events which help the world-renowned children’s healthcare facility to gather supporters through live entertainment. Keen to assist this incredibly worthy cause, Britannia Row Productions client Duran Duran performed at the charity’s winter event. More recently, Britannia Row returned for another evening of fundraising endeavours at The Peninsula London, a high-end hotel in the heart of…
