production news

The Greatest Show On Earth Goes Digital With Digico for all its Audio Needs in Multiple U.S. Touring Units

From its humble beginnings in 1871, The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has evolved into more than merely a three-ring circus. The contemporary circus of 2008 (under the direction of Feld Entertainment since 1967) has retained many of the traditional elements that have made it a family favorite for over 138 years-unusual animal performances, captivating clown escapades and daring high-wire acts-while adding a modern twist replete with contemporary music and progressive choreography.

Three independent touring units, Red, Blue and Gold, host millions of visitors and travels to more than 90 cities in North America each year. Each of the shows tour a two-year schedule that is done in the fashion of first-year markets followed by second-year markets, followed by a two-year wrap at the Winter Quarters in Florida where the show is redesigned and rehearsed for its future debut. Thus, every market gets a brand new show each year.

With complex audio requirement notwithstanding, its no wonder Head of Audio at Feld Entertainment, Charles Garza, chose to outfit each of the touring units with DiGiCo D5 live sound consoles. Each unit's audio footprint is identical, with two DiGiCo D5s' handling both FOH and monitor duties. Reliability, small footprint and transparent sound were the main factors in his decision.

"The flexibility of the system allows for future change and growth of the productions. The intuitive interface allows virtually any engineer to step up and feel at home and, ultimately, the great sound that it delivers made it a natural for us," Garza explains. "The systems have performed brilliantly and the support from DiGiCo is always as if you are the most important customer the company could possibly have. I couldn't ask for better than that!"

Monitor and FOH consoles share 56 analog inputs to run 32 monitor mixes for both the wireless in-ears and wired in-ear and wedge monitor mixes with 16 analog outputs at the stage rack (optically enabled). The monitor consoles have an additional 8 analog inputs, 32 analog outputs and 4 digital I/Os at its local rack (MADI connection), and the FOH console has an additional 40 analog inputs, 40 analog outputs and 8 digital I/Os at its local rack (optically enabled).

"I am often asked why we would have an optically enabled rack at FOH," Garza adds. "What happens is that in addition to the show itself, we have to be able to accommodate a myriad of styles of PR or pre and post show events that may take place. This necessitates the extra inputs and outputs located at FOH, plus it allows us to include those inputs when needed to the usual monitor mixes."

Currently traversing the globe are the "The Red Unit" and "The Blue Unit". Daniel Pelaez is the Head of the Sound Department for the Red Unit, along with Josh "Cheese" Hashbarger (FOH engineer and lead technician), Jeremy "J-Lo" Robertson (Lead Monitor Engineer and RF Tech), and Donnie Gothard (Monitor Assistant). The Blue Unit is spearheaded by Eli Howell along with Jeffrey A. Linn (FOH Engineer #2), Mark "Buddha" Nichols (Monitors), and Michael Moore (Monitor Assistant).

Each of the guys was able to cite a different set of features and functions that topped their list of favorites. "This is gonna sound silly," Pelaez confesses, "but I'm in love with the touch recognition on the faders. There's been a time or two when a fader has gotten bumped by a radio or something and it would have been quite a noticeable mistake had it not been for the touch sensitive fader recognizing it as not being an intended movement and therefore not registering the movement. I also love the ability to move individual channels on the fly without interrupting the audio."

Harshberger raves about the input channel overview screens. "Being able to see 8 inputs at a glance is great. Anything that I want to manipulate is only one touch away-EQ's, comps and gates, input/output routing... Also, with the multiple onboard FX and EQ options I have been able to tailor the sounds exactly how I want, no matter what the room sounds like. Being able to slap a graphic EQ onto any channel at anytime is invaluable."

The biggest plus for Linn is the sheer number of options and flexibility with all of the channels, whether it be routing, patching, or insert sends-they're all easily accomplished within quick reach of a stage/local I/O rack as opposed to digging in the back of a large scale analog console. And the ability to handle total recall is a lifesaver in case of a major disaster.

"The rack setup and design by using the optically enabled cables makes pairing up a FOH and monitor board amazingly simple," Linn adds. "All of the consoles can see and/or control channels from the racks, which eliminate splitting signals and eliminating potential sound degradation. The overall layout of the board is much like an analog console which I enjoy as it made learning how to use the board very quick and easy. Having on board EQ, compression, gate and FX for individual channels keeps things easily within reach and reduces the amount of necessary outboard gear. And probably a largely underrated feature I'd said I enjoy is the LED strip at the top...it helps to see what you're doing especially when in a pitch-black back stage!"

As far as the intricacies involved with navigating the monitoring specifications of performers and band alike, the D5's ease of routing was a boon for Mark "Buddha" Nichols. "We have it set up so all you have to do is hit a button and you're in someone's mix," explains Buddha. "Sometimes we get band guys calling in at the same time, or one right after the other requesting mix changes. Just being able to hit a button and be in someone's mix makes handling this a lot easier. Making a digital "Y" has also come in handy. The ease of routing and using it to be able to locate something quickly in the stage rack is also quite convenient. Also, when something goes down on the bandstand, being able to quickly pull up the location in the stage rack is great."

"I think moving the I/O out from behind the board is one of my favorite features," adds monitor A2 Michael Moore, "because I can have it right there next to me when I have to make a last minute change. That saves me having to run behind the board and turning my back on the show. It also helps with its maintenance. Also, moving away from analog allows me to do so much more. I no longer need racks and racks of out board gear just to run monitors, let alone FOH. With other digital boards I don't get the ease of controls. The faders are so smooth on the D5 and the motors never get in the way. The touch screens for every fader section allows me to have more then one view and see what is going on not only in my master section but, the fader bank I have selected. The less work I have to do setting it up, the more time I have to mix and with the D5 I can be up and ready in minutes. At RBBB, it allows me to be able to have several mixes going on at a touch of a LCD fader, which gives me all the info I need rather then just a name or db level. When I need to raise the drums in the sax player's in-ears mix, I build a gang. The D5 make it so simple, I just push a button and mix without missing a thing."

www.digico.org

Bandit Lites with Brooks & Dunn and ZZ Top on Co-Headlining Tour

Bandit Lites recently wrapped up with a co-headlining tour with legendary American blues-rock band, ZZ Top and country superstars, Brooks & Dunn. In the midst of their own separate tours, the two bands came together earlier this year for a 17-date run across the US and into Canada. The co-bill outing took place within ZZ Top's ‘In Your Face' tour and Brooks & Dunn's ongoing ‘Cowboy Town' tour, which stretches through the end of the year.

Lighting Designers, Chris Stuba (ZZ Top) and Larry Boster (Brooks & Dunn) decided to use Vari*Lite 3500 Washes, 3000 Spots and 2500 Spots. They added Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes and Color Kinetics Color Blasts to the equipment list. Lighting was controlled by two grandMAs, one gandMA Lite and three gandMA NSPs.

"We started this year's tour in April, went to Europe in July and then hooked up with Brooks and Dunn in August. Brooks and Dunn had been out for most of the year with their own lighting rig designed by Larry Boster," Chris Stuba explained. "We supplemented their existing rig with 24 VL 3500s and 7 DL2s and 4 VL 3000s, some Atomic Strobes and Audience Blinders. We also added our Catalyst system and grandMA consoles. We had two days to incorporate lighting cues and video content during rehearsals in Albuquerque. I believe we have ended up with really different looks between us."

Larry Boster also commented on the design collaboration. "Despite having the same lighting system, Chris and I designed very different shows. I knew we'd be doing a lot of amphitheaters so for my design, I tried to use as little smoke as possible. My design is more theatrical, based around the scenic elements where as Chris designed more of a hard edge rock & roll design with a lot of smoke and beams."

In the end, both organizations were very happy with the design and their touring counterparts. "The Brooks and Dunn crew is really fantastic," Stuba commented. "They really have made us feel welcome and the bands really enjoyed each other's company. Baja (Randy Fletcher) was with ZZ Top during the 70's before joining B&D. He really hit the mark on getting us all together. Larry and I have had a great time being FOH buddies."

"I've known Chris Stuba for a long time and he's an excellent individual to work with," Boster added. "Both camps really enjoyed working together. It was a great tour."

Bandit Vice President, Mike Golden, commented: "The outstanding teamwork from both organizations is essential to the success of a collaboration of this magnitude. ZZ Top's management team (managers - Carl Stubner and Rick Canny, tour manager- Pablo Gamboa and production manager - Donny Stuart) as well as Brooks and Dunn's management team (manager - Clarence Spalding, tour manager - Scott Edwards, and production manager - Randy "Baja" Fletcher) are some of the best in the business."

Golden added, "It is a highlight and honor of any given year to work with such talented and veteran acts as ZZ Top and Brooks & Dunn. It has been a real treat to be part of the historic collaboration between these accomplished acts this year."

www.banditlites.com

Scharff Weisberg and Hippotizer - Partners in Success

Scharff Weisberg, Inc. (SWI) of New York has been a leading provider of video, audio, and lighting technology to the artistic, theatrical and corporate communities for 25 years. As pioneers in the field, they were one of the first companies in the USA to recognize the creative potential of the Hippotizer media server by Green Hippo and were instrumental in making it North America's favorite media server. The relationship has flourished to the present day, with Green Hippo being given many opportunities to provide solutions for the creative minds at SWI.

"In addition to the obvious technical advantages of this great piece of equipment," says SWI director of technology, Lars Pedersen, "Hippotizer comes along with world-class technical and creative support, allowing us to focus on delivering the best possible shows for our customers."

Hippotizer's versatility is evidenced by its wide variety of applications.  Recently, SWI has specified Hippotizer for shows and events such as Turner Networks' Spring Up-Front meetings; the Pali Poker V tournament at the Hammerstein Ballroom; the 92nd Street YMCA Annual Gala, ‘Come Together'; Handel's Messiah Metal Rock Opera, A Joyful Noise; and The Wizard of Oz national tour.  

At MTV'S Live New Year's Eve broadcast (2007/08), the Hippotizer drove columns of MX LED fixtures, transforming the MTV Times Square Studios into a Masquerade themed party for the live broadcast. "Scharff Weisberg came in to patch our Hippotizer to all the column surrounds, and that looked great," explains Lighting Designer Christopher Landy of Vibrant Design. "They also helped max out the console to seven universes."

For the Blue Man Group's ‘How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0', three Hippotizer HD media servers were integrated with ILite and OLlite LEDs, projectors and cameras. "This was a big thing for us," says Caryl Glaab, Blue Man Group Artistic Director. "We had used servers before with mixed results.  But working with Scharff Weisberg and using a system designed for video made a huge difference - the results were amazing. The Hippo really made the process of making changes to the show and tweaking cues more streamlined than ever before.  Merging the video cues into the grandMA lighting board and having the board operator handle all of the cues also made for a smoother, more efficient process."SWI project manager John Ackerman adds: "Using the Hippo as the front end of the system optimized the content acquisition process - combining video and lighting cues in one board without using a separate show control system and operator has tightened up the look of the show and created a more elegant system. The video in a Blue Man Group show is immersive; it's more than just magnifying the staging of a song. It's much more integrated."

The list of shows using Hippotizers from SWI continues to grow. In addition to those listed above, recent productions include MTV's ‘Total Request Live' and ‘Sinatra at the London Palladium' which required a particularly innovative convergence of projection and cinematic technology

Hippotizer is manufactured by Green Hippo and distributed by TMB. For more information about Hippotizer, visit the TMB Hippotizer web page at www.tmb.com/products/hippotizer. Learn more about other innovative and exciting products from TMB at www.tmb.com.

Hawaiian Manoa Jazz Festival Finds Groove with Meyer Sound M'elodie

With a gorgeous view of lush vegetation, tropical skies, and the setting sun, the first annual Manoa Jazz Festival kicked off at the Andrews Outdoor Theatre (formerly Andrews Amphitheater) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). Local artists including Noel Okimoto Ohana, the Honolulu Jazz Quartet, and headliner Devin Phillips and New Orleans Straight Ahead performed for 1,000 excited onlookers, with sound reinforcement from a Meyer Sound M'elodie line array loudspeaker system provided by Honolulu-based Baus Engineering.

"We knew the music community would be very supportive with a big turnout," says UHM program specialist and concert promoter, Tim Slaughter. "So we wanted to find the best sound production we could, which meant Randy Bauske and Baus Engineering. Randy introduced us to Meyer Sound, and we're very happy that he did."

Despite the beauty of the venue, it was no picnic to work in. "It's an acoustic challenge," says Bauske. "The seats and back wall are made of stone and concrete, so there're lots of ricochet and slapback to deal with, in addition to rampant moisture."

The festival used a powerful system of five M'elodie line array loudspeakers and two 700-HP subwoofers groundstacked per side, plus two legacy UPA-1C loudspeakers for frontfill. Stage monitoring was courtesy of a pair of legacy UM-1C ultramonitors, and system processing was handled by a GalileoTM loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors-one running the main system, the other controlling the monitors-that provided each band greater control of the mixes.

"The M'elodies sounded great," adds Bauske. "And the fact that we could cover that many people with only five boxes per side is impressive. The feedback we got from all sides-musicians, crowd, and university people-was overwhelmingly positive."

Over the years, Baus Engineering has used a broad range of Meyer Sound equipment to meet the audio challenges of large and small events in Hawaii, and its rental stock has continued to grow. "We've had a relationship with Meyer for over two decades, since it was a four-man shop," Bauske says. "I like the thinking behind the design and the quality of the product. Hawaii is a small pond, and your sound system determines your destiny. Everybody knows we use Meyer equipment, and that's part of why we're considered one of the premier firms out here."

Lighthouse Technologies Shines in pre-Broadway Production

Audiences are having "the time of their life" at the U.S. premiere of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage in Chicago. Thanks to Lighthouse Technologies and its rental partner Sound Associates 50 pieces of Lighthouse's P10 10mm LED video panels are used in the production. The panels have been assembled into a single LED video display, 8 feet high by 20 feet wide, which serves as the backdrop of the production.

The record-breaking production is extremely technical. It is lit by 200 moving lights and includes more than 200 automation cues with state-of-the-art surround sound. The LED video display is the centerpiece of the production - projecting true-to-life images and live video feed of the production with frequent opening and closing to allow actors and stage props to enter and exit the stage.

Jon Driscoll, video and projection designer for Dirty Dancing, originally chose Lighthouse, for the European production of Dirty Dancing in Holland. Since the production's scenes run back-to-back with no break in between them, the LED video panels that Driscoll chose needed to perform flawlessly despite the frequent opening and closing. The P10 10mm LED video panels performed so well in Holland that Driscoll incorporated them into the U.S. premiere in Chicago.

"My reputation is built on my ability to put on a technically flawless show every night," said Driscoll. "Most LED video panels can't withstand the wear and tear due to the frequent opening and closing throughout the production. I prefer Lighthouse because its LED video panels are rugged and reliable."

Lighthouse P10 10mm video panel was created to exceed the needs of indoor display applications - making it the optimal LED video panel for stage performances, convention halls, shopping malls and arenas. It features a low-power design and Total Cost of Ownership to protect customers' long-term investments, and its 10 mm pixel pitch and 2000 nits brightness deliver unsurpassed color depth for optimal viewing conditions.

"Most LED video panels subjected to constant opening and closing require frequent maintenance, which is costly. The P10 10mm LED video panel's rugged design is cost effective and gives customers the peace of mind that it will work when and where they need it to," said Joe Lapchick, sales manager, Eastern Region, Lighthouse Technologies. "We are excited that the LED video display is playing such a prominent role in Dirty Dancing and helping make it such a huge success."

In picture: Amanda Leigh Cobb as Frances "Baby" Houseman, John Bolger as Dr. Jake Houseman.

Martin MAC 2000 Wash XB's Light Obama Election Night Rally

By all accounts, November 4 was an historic day for America as the nation elected its first African-American President. The culmination of an arduous campaign came later that evening, in Chicago's Grant Park, when President-Elect Barack Obama held his presidential acceptance speech before a home town crowd of more than 100,000 revelers.

Called upon by event producer C3 Presents to light the rally was stage lighting rental and production company Christie Lites, lighting contractor and lighting supplier for the event.

"The job was somewhat unusual to light because it was outdoors and at the same time had to be lit for TV in a manner typical of an indoor studio," commented Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites Orlando. "As such, it was a real mixed bag of lighting. However, the most prominent fixture on the site was the Martin MAC 2000 Wash XBTM. They were instrumental in making sure that the world witnessed this historic event."

Lighting designer for the event was Bob Peterson who described the evening and his assignment as such, "It was a very historical night with a feeling of excitement and also a sense of relief when the results were announced. I received directions from the Obama team that the lighting was to be appropriately conservative with no celebratory effects. The brief was to elegantly transfer from the exuberance of the campaign to the seriousness of the presidency."

The MAC 2000 Wash XB's, which made up two-thirds of the automated lighting package, were spread out across three 80' Stageco towers, a 30' 10 x 10 scaffold, a mobile Elevated LED Screen, and two stage backlight scaffolds. Light from the extra bright version of the MAC 2000 Wash was used for stage backlighting, for near audience lighting, and to illuminate a stately row of distant trees. Self-contained Musco mobile lighting trucks did a great deal of the far field lighting.

"As audience fill light the color temperature adjustment of the XB's allowed me to feather in the transition from the stage lighting (4800 Kelvin on President-Elect Obama) to the audience fill lighting (around 5800 Kelvin)," Peterson says. "I was thrilled with the CT variance capacity of the XB's and delightedly shocked at the light output from them. There was a bank of trees about 1000 ft away which they unexpectedly lit up."

The MAC 2000 Wash XB is a new 1500 W Fresnel that takes the optical and effect qualities of Martin's MAC 2000 Wash and adds greater brightness (over 60,000 lumens of power), new efficient fans, ballast, starter and more.

"The combination of Martin quality along with Christie Lites deserved reputation for phenomenal care and maintenance of all their equipment assured a fully functional system. We had no failures," Peterson stated.

Peterson does mention challenges, which he says were all present in the "cut shot," an important camera view from the southwest corner of the park through the President-Elect into the crowd all the way to the city skyline in the background. "The driving photographic issue was exposing to the skyline," he says.

Opening the iris to accomplish that task created concern about the amount of uncontrolled light from the huge corps of press photographers on hand. "I was a bit worried that we might be required to open up iris so much that the press lighting would be an uncontrollable competitive light source," Peterson explains. "In the end the hundreds of Chimeras and Kino's acted like the world's biggest softlight and filled his profile to that camera angle."

Championed by Emmett Belliveau of the Obama campaign with field general duties handled by his event producer John Liipfert of The Obama Campaign Team, the event came off without a hitch. The night had a magical air to it and the event was viewed as a success on all fronts. Much of the success on the lighting front can be attributed to the Christie Lites event staff of 15, including Account Rep Robert Roth who was on the job site from start to finish.

Roth was part of the event survey which took place October 14th and 15th, a mere three weeks prior to the event! That survey was led by C3, and Obama's advance team. All major departments were represented including lighting, video, staging, and audio, as well as security, and the United States Secret Service.

"Bob Peterson had a clear vision of the lighting and The Campaign Team (OFA) had a clear budget they had to adhere to," Roth comments. "We then got every body on the same page as far as what was doable and Bob sketched out broad elements of the lighting for them.

"The stage wasn't a traditional square covered stage and was expertly conceived by Bruce Rogers. It was then a question of us getting the supporting physical elements in place correctly to provide lighting positions. The XB was the primary base instrument. I've been using them since their launch, including festivals this past summer, and I am very impressed with the fixture's performance and reliability.

"A special part of this was the scale of the event and what was going to appear on the TV screen at home and in newspapers around the world the next day. That is where Bob excelled at his craft. The Obama campaign wanted a lack of visible production elements so that when the cameras looked past the President-Elect to the crowd there was not an abundance of technology showing.

"It was about the people, the skyline, the moment; Bob did a masterful job of getting it lit for still camera and television so that all the elements worked in balance with each other," Roth concludes.

Lighting Equipment:
72 x Martin MAC 2000 Wash XB                   
2 x grandMA console    
6 x SyncroLite XL's
2 x Musco Type "C" Trucks
72 x Altman Focusing CYC                      
29 x 2 foot Ministrips    
3 x Jem ZR33 Hi-Mass     
3 x DF-50 Hazer                  
3 x Versa Fan                    
3 x M2 2.5k Lycian Spots      
4 x Lycian 1293 3k Xenon Followspot

www.martin.com

Danley Loudspeakers Deliver an All Time Low

Up-and-coming pop/punk powerhouse All Time Low have played to packed houses night after night on their nationwide headlining tour. Nowhere did things start out more sketchy, but end more rocking, than a recent performance at Atlanta's Masquerade, a club that draws the crowds despite a woefully outdated and semi-functional sound system. With the help of Danley Sound Labs engineer, Ivan Beaver, the band's FOH engineer Evan Kirkendall, owner of Harford Sound, located in Abington,

Maryland, replaced the Masquerade's crusty horns and tattered woofers with a stack of Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers, led by eight of Danley's new powerhouse full-range SH-46s. Despite prospects to the contrary, All Time Low rocked the Masquerade with clarity, bass, and hit-you-in-the-chest punch that left the club's seasoned staff uttering rivers of awe-inspired and artfully crafted expletives.

"I was at this venue back in April of this year and did not have a very pleasant experience at all," stated Kirkendall. "Consultant Phillip Graham and Ivan also attended that show, and they both shared my disappointment in the house system. It sounded thin, harsh and old. It lacked the get-up-and-go required to put on a real rock show in the 21st century."

This time around, Beaver along with another Danley employee, Dale Skrobot, helped Kirkendall with the sound. It was an opportunity to show what a Danley system could do in a raucous club and, perhaps more importantly, an opportunity to help his friend. Beaver brought eight Danley SH-46s and two SH-50s for front fill. Unlike the flagship SH-50, the SH-46 is new to Danley's lineup. The SH-46 delivers noticeably more output than its sibling with a modest trade-off in frequency range. The SH-46 measures 58Hz to 16kHz, whereas the SH-50 measures 50Hz to 18kHz. With a 40 x 60-degree dispersion pattern, the SH-46 may be operated vertically or horizontally and either alone or in an array.

To provide a low-end worthy of All Time Low Zack Merrick's Fender J-Bass, and Rian Dawson's kick drum of death, Beaver brought six Danley TH-115 and four of the Danley new prototype subs currently dubbed "Hot Rods." The Hot Rod is a current Danley work-in-progress, and, while not ready for "prime-time" by Danley's standards, proved more than up to snuff by anyone else's.

"Danley has always had the reputation of building great 'sounding' boxes, and their subs have always had huge low-end but they're not well-known for delivering tons of output with their full range products," remarked Kirkendall. "The SH-46 is really Danley's answer to that perception. It delivers Danley's characteristic undistorted sound with really loud output. To me, the SH-46 is more of a "rock n' roll" type box compared to other Danley boxes. The Hot Rods are also very impressive subs. They are solid to 30Hz and really crank out the lows."

Beaver also brought the power and processing so that they could completely avoid anything supplied by the house. Danley Sound Labs DSLA 6.5k amps handled the bulk of the work supplemented by a few amps from Yamaha and Crown and a Danley 4x8 DSP provided the moderate processing needed to make the system shine.

"Truth in advertising is a good thing," noted Graham, who was given the honor of tuning the system while Beaver chased down all the sorts of things one chases down in such a "seat-of-your-pants" situation and who, incidentally, reported that the Danley subs were setting off car alarms outside the club. "Tom Danley and Ivan say the SH-46 is over 6dB louder than the SH-50, but that it loses a little over 14kHz, and that is exactly what it does. But since it's easy to include a shelf for the high frequencies in the processing, this isn't a big deal. I would say that the SH-46 isn't as buttery smooth as its older brother, but any compromises are well worth the generous increase in output. Any "rock n' roll" concerns with the SH-50 are not a problem with the SH-46."

As it turned out, everyone had a great night except for Beaver and Skrobot. "Ivan and Dale spent most of the night holding the speakers in place," explained Kirkendall. "Another 'feature' of the Masquerade is its floor, which bends and sways when the kids start jumping. It's wooden and on the

second story of an old mill building. Despite being strapped down as tightly as humanly possible, the stacks were still swaying. All that being said, in my opinion, this was one of Masquerade's best concerts in a long time!"

In picture: at a recent All Time Low concert at Atlanta's Masquerade Theater, the new Danley SH-46 was dubbed a true "rock n' roll" speaker by the band's FOH mixer, Evan Kirkendall.

Bandit Lites Part of Historic Presidential Debate at Belmont University

Bandit Lites was recently honored to assist with the production of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate held at Belmont University. The Nashville, TN private university was chosen as one of three locations to host the presidential debates this year.

The debate took place at the Curb Event Center in front of 125 undecided voters chosen by the Gallup Organization. Tom Brokaw, of NBC News, moderated the debate between Republican Senator John McCain and recently appointed United States of America President-elect, Senator Barack Obama.

Lighting designer Chris Lisle was asked to create an architectural lighting design for Belmont University during the debate broadcast. The design consisted of lighting the three major focal points of the evening. "The east entrance of the Curb Event Center was the most important area because this was not only the media entrance to the debate, but it was also the primary external camera shot for the network stand-up positions," Lisle explained. "Second, we lit the Belmont Boulevard entrance, which was primarily used by the debate attendees as well as the VIPs that were invited. Finally, we lit [Belmont's] Bell Tower, which is the highest point on campus and was also used as a background for several major network stand-up shots."

Lisle said a challenge of this design was the placement of cable paths. "The Secret Service carefully oversaw all aspects of security for the event - not just from potential human threats, but from trip hazards as well.  We had to make sure that cables crossing walkways were at an absolute minimum, even if that meant pulling two-hundred extra feet of cable to go around the walkway rather than over it."

The biggest concern when making gear choices was the possibility of rain so Lisle chose to use conventional fixtures powered directly from distros rather than dimmers. He used 6-Lamp Bars to light the majority of the buildings and used ETC Source 4 Lekos to light the signage that hung on the structures. Source 4 Pars were used to light the columns and illuminate the dark areas of the buildings.

"Ron Jackson and his entire staff at the Curb Event Center were an excellent help in

pulling the logistics together and I could not have done this without my assistants, Aaron Luke and Chris Schrom. Bandit Lites did a great job as always in making sure I had everything that I needed," Chris Lisle added.

www.banditlites.com

Bandit Lites Part ff Historic Presidential Debate at Belmont University

Bandit Lites recently assisted with the production of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate held at Belmont University. The Nashville, TN private university was chosen as one of three locations to host the presidential debates this year.

The debate took place at the Curb Event Center in front of 125 undecided voters chosen by the Gallup Organization. Tom Brokaw, of NBC News, moderated the debate between Republican Senator John McCain and recently appointed United States of America President-elect, Senator Barack Obama.

Lighting designer, Chris Lisle was asked to create an architectural lighting design for Belmont University during the debate broadcast. The design consisted of lighting the three major focal points of the evening.

"The east entrance of the Curb Event Center was the most important area because this was not only the media entrance to the debate, but it was also the primary external camera shot for the network stand-up positions," Lisle explained. "Second, we lit the Belmont Boulevard entrance, which was primarily used by the debate attendees as well as the VIPs that were invited. Finally, we lit [Belmont's] Bell Tower, which is the highest point on campus and was also used as a background for several major network stand-up shots."

Lisle said a challenge of this design was the placement of cable paths. "The Secret Service carefully oversaw all aspects of security for the event -not just from potential human threats, but from trip hazards as well. We had to make sure that cables crossing walkways were at an absolute minimum, even if that meant pulling two-hundred extra feet of cable to go around the walkway rather than over it."

The biggest concern when making gear choices was the possibility of rain so Lisle chose to use conventional fixtures powered directly from distros rather than dimmers. He used 6-Lamp Bars to light the majority of the buildings and used ETC Source 4 Lekos to light the signage that hung on the structures. Source 4 Pars were used to light the columns and illuminate the dark areas of the buildings.

"Ron Jackson and his entire staff at the Curb Event Center were an excellent help in pulling the logistics together and I could not have done this without my assistants, Aaron Luke and Chris Schrom. Bandit Lites did a great job as always in making sure I had everything that I needed," Chris Lisle added.

Martin MAC III Profile no Illusion on Staind Tour

American rock and metal group Staind is touring the US and Europe in support of their latest release, ‘The Illusion of Progress'. Lighting designer and programmer is Michael Cooper who has been putting Martin's new 1500 watt MAC III Profile through its paces as one of a handful of field test outings for the new profile spot.

"John Bahnick from Upstaging and Brad Haynes from Martin called and asked if I'd like to take them out for a test run and I was happy to do it," Cooper explains. "My previous rig had MAC 2000 Performances in the position the MAC IIIs took, and with the animation wheel and other features, the MAC III fit perfectly in their place."

Besides the MAC III Profiles, Cooper is using a Martin package of MAC 2000 Wash XBs, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 700 Washes, Stagebar 54 LED pixel bars and Atomic 3000 strobes with Atomic Colors scrollers.

Cooper has eight MAC III Profiles integrated into the set's floor design - downstage right and left - alternating with MAC 2000 Wash XB units. He comments, "The MAC III / XB combo is very fitting and match each other really well in output. I decided to put the MAC IIIs on the floor mainly because they are new beta units. I'm also able get much bigger looks out of them when they have all the air in the venue to consume, yet still keep the focus on the band. Due to drastically varying trim heights at these venues, I didn't want to waste the light when we had low trim days."

The MAC III Profile is the first luminaire in Martin's third generation of MAC moving heads. It is a super bright profile luminaire with an output of over 33,000 lumens and a unique fat beam look.

"The good thing about using lights with big output is you can get a lot more out of less," Cooper says. "With the horsepower this lamp has, you can make really big looks with only a few fixtures and make the rig look bigger than it actually is.

"The MAC III Profile cuts through ANYTHING and the color mixing is nice across the entire spectrum. The prism is very nice as well and doesn't kill the output when you roll it in."

One of the unique features of the MAC III Profile is a linked zoom and focus with an 11.5 to 55 degree true zoom range that zooms to full in a second. The zoom feature wasn't lost on Cooper. "For a light of its size, it really moves and the speed of the zoom is awesome! I use it pretty hard in one song to see what it's made of. You don't lose much output while zoomed all the way out. The FX speed is nice too - colors change and gobos come in quickly."

Another MAC III Profile innovation that users find convenient is an LCD screen Graphical User Interface with jog wheel that makes the fixture easy to program, troubleshoot and use. "I really like the onboard screen interface," Cooper comments. "It makes the light smart and the fact that you can update the software off a USB stick is also a nice touch."

Cooper has also incorporated dynamic color from Martin Stagebar 54s positioned on the floor and set - mainly lighting the band members as footlights - with additional units on either side of the drum kit. "Brad demoed the Stagebar for me last year and I liked what I saw," he says. "As soon as the opportunity came up to spec them I did."

The Stagebar 54 is a bright LED pixel bar with RGB, Amber and White color mixing for a broad color spectrum. It can function as a pixel bar for displaying imagery or as a wash luminaire for floodlighting surfaces and stages.

"They work perfect for this application," he continues. "Sometimes I find myself having to dim them because they throw light all over our projection screen from the downstage edge!"

Lighting supply for the tour is from Upstaging, whom Cooper has praise for. "The guys at Upstaging always take great care of me," he says, "and they have been very helpful on the last minute adoption of the MAC III into the rig. When the lights arrived, Tony Thompson took the time to update the software and address all the new lights - along with helping out with the prep of the rig."

Cooper concludes: "I loved the 2K series before but Martin has hit it out of the park with the MAC III. I think it is going to be a monster in the industry and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the beginnings of a new light that the industry will use for the next decade or more."

Staind is touring the US through the fall then playing dates in the UK and Europe in early 2009. Crew chief is Ed Duda.

www.martin.com

Martin MAC III Profile Passes Test on James Blunt

Martin Professional's new MAC III Profile is getting a thorough run through on one of this year's most popular and extensive world tours - and needless to say, stage fright has not been a problem.

"I'm impressed," commented James Blunt LD Paul Normandale, one of the first lighting professionals to get his hands on the new 1500 W profile spot. "The fixtures offer a significantly brighter tier of lighting, a great wide aperture source, a dramatic zoom, real strobing...and finally a real red!"

The James Blunt tour is one of a handful of field test outings for the new profile spot. The tour, which has been playing venues worldwide since early in the year, has embarked on a new leg (Europe and Canada) with a freshly designed lighting rig. The addition of the MAC III ProfilesTM along with an LED wall of Martin LC SeriesTM panels expands the show's visual impact for the larger venues that Blunt plays on the current leg.

Normandale, creative director and lighting, set and video designer on the English artist's prolonged 2008 tour, says he chose the MAC III because he was looking for a bright hard edge fixture for a high 48 ft trim and needed a powerful spot to complement a Martin LC Series LED screen. Capable of punching out over 33,000 lumens of power, Normandale says of the MAC III's: "Even at extreme zoom it has light to spare from a trim of nearly 50 ft across a video wall."

Located high in a circle truss arch, the MAC III's broad front lens projects a unique fat beam that looks great mid-air for a refreshing new look. "The high output is a nice feature and when you combine it with the broad beam it gives a much welcome, very different look," Normandale says.

The MAC III Profile is the first luminaire in Martin's third generation of MAC moving heads. It features an all new design both inside and out for greater performance and includes new 1500 watt lamp technology, a long list of innovative features and advances in control, handling, service and more.

Glen Johnson, who handles lighting direction and runs the lighting and video on the tour, commented, "So far there have been no failures in the rig, which for a new light is fantastic."

Normandale of Lite Alternative, the UK based lighting production company that serves as worldwide vendor for the tour (Upstaging & Lite Alternative in Canada), directs a rig of Martin MAC III Profiles, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 250 Washes  (changes to MAC 700 Washes in Canada), MAC TW1s, Stagebar 54L LED bars, and Atomic 3000 strobes with Atomic Colors scrollers.

A checkered wall of LC Series LED panels provides a stunning backdrop to the set. Twenty-two LC 2140 panels were chosen because of their 2 x 1 m configuration, Normandale says. "Moving trusses with the panels mounted on them reconfigure through the show, forming a true screen only once for one song. The interlock of the screens was critical and the modular speed of the LC made this possible." The LC panels use standard Prolyte CCS6 conical truss connectors, so linking the lightweight panels together is simple, and with no external power supplies or drivers, each unit comes with everything it needs built in, which reduces logistical costs and set-up time. Lighting control is from a Wholehog III console with Catalyst running the LC panels via fiber optic.

"Support has been great, as usual," concludes Glen Johnson, "with thanks to Mark Ravenhill, Matt Cowles and Simon Allan from Martin for allowing us to abuse their new light!"

Blunt's ‘All the Lost Souls' tour is truly a world tour having already played in the UK, US, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The current leg has him in Europe before hopping the pond for a string of Canadian dates beginning in mid-November.

Tour manager is Robert Hayden, stage manager Jonny Gallagher, lighting designer Paul Normandale, lighting director Glen Johnson  and crew chief Mick Stowe.

photo: Allan Toft

www.martin.com

Robert Juliat Victor Followspots Win at Summerfest

Summerfest '08...'twas the time to kick back and enjoy the music, comedy and festivities at the world-famous Marcus Amphitheater in 75-acre Henry Maier Festival Park, along the lakefront in Milwaukee, WI.  But not without a showdown: Robert Juliat Super Korrigan 1200W and Victor 1800W followspots were pitted against the competitors' and won their tickets to the show. The final decision was to go with six Victors to light the event.

Summerfest, which ran from late this past June through early July, attracts almost one million people per year and plays to an audience of 25,000 per afternoon/evening.  For the 2008 event, the local theatrical people servicing the Amphitheater had wanted small, compact, bright followspots. Having beaten their rivals in the showdown, the Victors also proved victorious at the ‘fest.

"Followspots can sometimes seem like they require three hands," reflects Marty Lazarus, president of theatrical dealer Chicago Spotlight, Inc. "You need to operate the iris," he says, "move it around, and change the color." Lazarus claims that with the Victors, you "don't need three hands. What's more, they've got that famous ‘Juliat' perfectly even field." Lazarus finds Victor to be small and comparatively lightweight, while producing great light output. "The unit is nothing less than spectacular," he concludes.

The Robert Juliat Victor 1159 1800W followspot houses a high-performance double condenser optical system, a 100% closing mechanical dimmer, a six-way color changer system equipped with removable filter frames and a 100% closing iris with backplate follower in a removable cassette.

Lazarus likes how the brighter Robert Juliat lamp holder enables one to "lock in lamp alignment without any adjustment."  He says that, compared to others models on the market, changing the Victor lamp is a very simple process.

www.robertjuliatamerica.com.

R&B Superstar Janet Jackson Sings with Sennheiser Wireless on Rock Witchu Tour

Janet Jackson's first major tour in seven years is a theatrical extravaganza packed with pyrotechnics, intricate choreography and loud dance music. To help the R&B/pop singer shine through a mix that wouldn't be out of place at a rock 'n roll show, front-of-house engineer Jon Lemon and monitor engineer Blake Suib selected Sennheiser's SKM 5200 wireless handheld transmitter outfitted with a Neumann KK 105 S capsule.

Jackson is using both a headset and a handheld mic on the Rock Witchu Tour, says Lemon, who arranged for an audition of an array of potential microphones for the singer. "Blake and I were keen on the Sennheiser/Neumann package," he reports. "She preferred it, and we preferred it to everything that was out there. I knew she wanted a full-bodied tone. So, for the sections of the show where she uses a handheld, we went with the KK 105 S capsule on the SKM 5200. The mic then was modified - the show designer bejeweled the whole microphone with some special crystals."

As for monitors, he continues: "Of course she uses Sennheiser evolution wireless ew 300 IEM G2 personal wireless monitors, with Future Sonics ear buds." The two-and-a-half-hour show, featuring over 45 songs, includes numerous costume changes, making Sennheiser's ultra-compact miniature body-packs an essential element of the show. "They're sewn into pockets everywhere as she has so many costume changes," says Lemon.

"The performing musicians are positioned off-stage in the massive theatrical production," according to Lemon. "Lil John, our drummer, is loaded up with Sennheiser and Neumann mics. They're my preferred choice of drum mics. I tend to use Sennheiser and Neumann mics with most bands that I work for, whether it's using Sennheiser e 604s on drums and Neumann TLM 193 and TLM 103s on overheads and guitars, or Neumann KM 184s on ride and hi-hat cymbals."

Lemon, well known for working at FOH with rock acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Depeche Mode, Oasis, and Beck, recalls that he got a call back in July to mix Jackson's 2008 Rock Witchu Tour. "She'd heard stuff that I'd done and decided I was the guy!" he says. "She likes loud music in general, and Janet impressed upon me that she wanted it loud, which surprised me." But, says Lemon, who is equally at home mixing mainstream pop acts such as Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, Seal, and Italian legend Eros Ramazzotti, "I keep bumping into pop artists now who say they don't want this sweet pop sound, they want their live shows to be edgy."

The Rock Witchu Tour began in Canada in September and continues around the United States through November 1st, where it ends at New York's Madison Square Garden. The tour is promoting hits from her "20 Y.O." released in 2006, and her 2008 album, "Discipline." The latest release is the sixth chart-topper for the singer, surpassing her brother, Michael, who has had five number one studio albums, and placing her equal with Madonna and behind only Barbra Streisand for female artists with the most number one albums.

In picture: One of top three best-selling female vocalists in the world, Janet Jackson chose the Sennheiser SKM 5200 wireless transmitter with the Neumann KMS 105 S capsule for the 2008 "Rock Witchu Tour."

Sennheiser Plays Ball at the World Series

The All-Star Game decides home field advantage going into Major League Baseball's World Series, but it was an all-Sennheiser microphone lineup that brought the crack of the bat and the sound of the crowd into millions of homes this year. Viewers who tuned into the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays on FOX heard every sound from the field and the stands thanks to an array of

Sennheiser MKH 8000 series, MKH 416 shotgun and MKE 2 lavalier microphones positioned around the stadiums, embedded in the bases and the outfield wall, and mounted on the roving RF cameras.

Production mixer Joseph Carpenter reports that he typically used five of the new MKH 8000 series microphones throughout the National League game schedule this season, as well as during the post-season October Classic. "I have three of them, omni pattern, in my parabolic microphones around the home plate, for the bat crack and the glove pop. I also use a pair of them in centerfield for my main surround channels. I wish I had more - I'd use them all over the place!"

As for the front channels of the 5.1 soundfield, Carpenter has typically been using eight Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mics. "I have a main pair of 416s that are straight out of the booth, on either side. Depending on the stadium, they are either an XY [coincident] or a wide pattern AB [spaced stereo] pair. I also have microphones on the high first and high third camera positions. The ones in the booth are a little closer in proximity to the crowd, so I try and aim the high first and high third at the maximum distance across the stadium for a distance perspective. There's another pair of 416s that point across to the upper decks. And, depending on the stadium, the amount of noise and where it comes from, and the type of PA system they have, I have another pair at low first and low third, near the foul poles, that point more into the crowd."

The frequency response of the MKH 8000 allows Carpenter to treat the mics, which are positioned exactly 180 degrees opposite each other, very differently according to his needs. "I'm using the same microphones two completely different ways. On the infield, on the bat crack and glove pop, I'm trying to notch the crowd to get as much of the frequencies out of them as I can in terms of the glove popping and the bat cracking. I'm accentuating those crowd frequencies on the outfield mics in the rear channels. I find that these 8000s are so dynamic that they don't require much EQ as they are, but when you do want to specifically enhance or detract they're perfect, because they pick up quite a wide range," he reports.

All of the MKH 8000s are hardwired back to the broadcast production truck, as are nearly all of the MKH 416s, except for those mounted on a couple of roaming RF cameras. "We also have wireless microphones in the bases, which are MKE 2 lavaliers on SK 250 transmitters. We use SK 250s in the outfield wall, as well," Carpenter adds.

With the field now covered by so many microphones, Carpenter comments that he is making use of newer technology to automatically switch the 5.1 surround soundfield perspective with the cameras. "Sometimes subtle changes in your audio perspective give you a nuance to a sporting event, especially in baseball, which is shot from so many different angles," he says. "Once we started putting mics in the bases I really tried to bring that front forward, so that it was more of a perspective change aurally as well as visually. Now the technology has brought us to a point where camera tallies can trigger faders on a console, I figure, why not use it? I try and keep evolving and experimenting. Plus, one day everybody is going to have surround systems, so let's figure it out now."

In picture: FOX production mixer for the 2008 Major League World Series, Joe Carpenter, used a number of Sennheiser MKH 8020 and 8040 Series, MKH 416 shotgun and MKE 2 lavalier microphones, positioned around both of the stadiums, embedded in the bases and the outfield wall, and mounted on the roving RF cameras, to capture critical field and crowd coverage. WorldSeries_2.JPG: FOX field A2, Fred Ferris, aiming one of the omni-directional MKH 8020 Series in the parabolic microphone reflector around first base for bat cracks and field effects during the 2008 World Series at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.

San Francisco Symphony Go Live at Justin Herman Plaza with Meyer Sound

The San Francisco Symphony's outdoor concert series has become a popular summer tradition, bringing intimate and entertaining open-air performances to the public free-of-charge in Bay Area venues from the enormity of the Shoreline Amphitheatre to the placid, rolling hills of Dolores Park.

Certainly one of the more challenging settings in the symphony's schedule is San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza, a brick-lined square at the foot of Market Street. With the waters of the bay on one side and the jagged walls of Embarcadero Center on the other, the environment is a test for any musical performance. San Francisco Symphony's audio provider for more than five years, Pro Media/ UltraSound (PMUS) from Hercules, Calif. prescribed a Meyer Sound MILO line array loudspeaker system for the event.

"Justin Herman Plaza is a great place to see a show, and it draws a nice crowd," explains PMUS's David Bowers. "Certainly the biggest challenge is keeping the sound off the buildings, and combining the Meyer Sound MILO with the MSL-4 delays really enabled us to cover the deepest parts of the plaza without having to push the main PA level. It gives people the feel of the symphony without overpowering them."

Using MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program, Bowers created a system design including two hangs of ten MILO line array loudspeakers each, augmented by left and right delay stacks of three MSL-4 loudspeakers. Frontfill was provided by a center pair of UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers, with left and right pairs of MSL-2 loudspeakers. Low frequency content was covered by two stacks of three M3D-Sub cardioid subwoofers, and a pair of UPM-2P loudspeakers provided onstage monitoring.

The symphony's audio engineer Hal Soogian worked closely with Bowers on final tweaking of the system onsite, and reports that the results were superb. "This was the first time the symphony has been back at Justin Herman Plaza in 15 years, and it sounded great," Soogian says. "There were lots of compliments. The symphony says it was one of their best concerts."

BayFest 2008 Enjoys Added Flex Appeal

With over 125 live bands playing in front of up to 200,000 enthusiastic fans, BayFest is the major annual musical highlight in the US state of Alabama. Taking place in Mobile on the first weekend in October, this year's festival had added Flex appeal, with a Turbosound Flex Array system in use at the event for first time.

Memphis-based ProShow Systems has provided production services to BayFest for the past decade and this year supplied a large Flex Array system, for the Pepsi stage, which is traditionally where most rock bands play during the event.

"We heard the Flex boxes in Las Vegas back in June and were really impressed with the sound quality, specifically the performance of Turbosound's unique Polyhorn mid and the Dendritic HF," says Michael Faber of ProShow Systems.

"We put the Turbosound rig on the rock ‘n' roll stage, where it belongs, and were excited to get the boxes out on a big show and really open them up."

With 24 TFA-600H flown cabinets augmented by ground-stacked Aspect TA-880L bass bins, the system provided the ideal combination of punch and clarity for bands including Puddle of Mudd, Buckcherry, P.O.D, Three Days Grace and Better Than Ezra. And with up to 20,000 fans at the stage for the duration, Flex Array's high output capabilities and excellent coverage properties were essential.

Setting up of the system was very straightforward, as AM&S product manager Claus Frostell confirms: "Half way through the first hang, the ProShow and local crew started raving about how easy it was to fly. It was supposedly the best they've ever done."

He continues: "We did that first hang on the Thursday evening, but in the daylight of the following morning we could see that the angle wasn't quite correct. It was a good opportunity to demonstrate the ease of bringing the arrays down and readjusting the hang point. It took just 10 minutes per side.

Later, Claus and system technician Jason Baker spent half an hour with Chris Zakoor, FOH engineer for that night's headliners Three Days Grace, to fine tune the system to his taste.

"Chris commented that, for a mid-sized line array, it sounds like a big system and that it is very responsive. He could easily hear minor changes on the console or graphic EQ, which isn't the case with many other speaker systems," says Claus.

"He also said all his decisions were musically based, not corrective. He wasn't fighting with the system at all. He said that he loved it and would gladly use it again. Jason also noted that he wasn't used to hearing 'real' low-mids from a line array system."

"The Pepsi stage at BayFest was the ideal situation to really show what Flex Array can do," says Brad Stephens, national sales manager for Turbosound USA. "With a big audience, the system needed to be able to project powerfully and evenly across the venue, but at the same time contain the sound so as not to be a problem for the other stages and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

"The system performed really well and was an excellent showcase for how ideally suited it is to the festival environment."

XL8 and XL4 on Oasis World Tour Illustrate the Importance of Being Midas

The Oasis world tour 2008/2009 is a working demonstration of why Midas digital and analogue consoles are the choice of leading sound engineers. On stage, creating state-of-the-art monitor mixes for the band, is a Midas XL8 Live Performance System in the hands of Nahuel Gutierrez. Meanwhile, front of house engineer Bruce Johnston has gone back to his favourite XL4 for this tour after several years of mixing the band on digital boards. Both are extremely happy with their individual choices, which suit their respective tasks and preferences.

The second leg of the band's 14-month world tour got underway in Liverpool the day after new album Dig Out Your Soul hit the streets, and both engineers will be using their Midas desks of choice - supplied by Britannia Row for the European dates - throughout.

Twenty-seven year old Gutierrez has pretty much cut his teeth in the digital era, though this is his first time on an XL8, and his first time as Oasis' main monitor engineer. "Now I can get the analogue sound on a digital desk," he says. "I've been mixing for 10 years, with just the first three on analogue, and until now there hasn't been a console that could deliver the real analogue sound, and more than that, the Midas sound!"

The XL8 is allowing Gutierrez to create more complex monitor mixes than he's previously managed, storing his settings from each show and tweaking and perfecting them for the following one.

"It started quite simply, with 35 inputs, and around 20 mixes, and now I've gone up to 56 inputs with 38 mixes - for a six piece band!" he says. "For example: I do a mix of all the keyboards and bounce it down into two channels, so I've got control of all the keyboards with one fader and if anyone wants more keyboards it's easy; however the keyboard player can have individual channels and the submix goes to everyone else apart from him."

The band are on combinations of in-ear monitors and wedges with sidefills, so Gutierrez is taking advantage of the XL8's flexibility, capacity and features to pull off some really intricate monitoring. Guitars take up a large proportion of inputs, as does Liam's vocals which get split into three different channels for monitors, in ears and effects, the two latter mixes being gated using the onboard dynamics to cut out the stage noise. Gutierrez is also using the XL8's onboard  compressors. "Having four different choices of compressor again means this console is a step ahead, and you can switch between them live with the push of a button and really hear the difference, without having to repatch or load a plug-in.

"There was a lot of room for expansion and flexibility on the XL8, which has meant I can try out new ways of doing things," he continues. "For me the POP (population) groups, which group the channels and bring them to you, are one of the best things. I'm also making good use of the Area B for songs which have cues; I have a bunch of channels I need to have handy all the time and access easily, and they're always over there in Area B."

Front of house engineer Johnston has worked with Oasis since 1997, starting off on an XL4 and working through various digital boards before returning to analogue for this tour. "Oasis are the perfect band for it; their last few records have been really dirty and fuzzy and compressed so I couldn't justify going back out with a digital board," he says. "I really wanted to hear what the XL4 would sound like going back to it, and I've found it's 100% better, it's like night and day. I felt digital was distracting me from mixing; I was so preoccupied with touching buttons and looking at screens that the sound became secondary.

"I always struggled with the drums on digital boards; I could never make them sound right. When I got back onto XL4 I pushed up the kick drum and there it was - that drum sound I'd been missing! My gut feeling is that the XL4 will be the Neve of the future."

In picture (top) Oasis monitor engineer Nahuel Gutierrez with the Midas XL8; (lower) Oasis FOH engineer Bruce Johnston with the Midas XL4.

www.midasconsoles.com

Metallica Kicks Off In-the-Round Arena Tour with Thunder Audio and Meyer Sound

For Metallica, who have conquered the world a million times over, the goal for the new US tour is to provide its fans with something they have never experienced before. In support of the record-breaking Death Magnetic album released earlier this year, the grand masters of metal will be rocking arenas across North America in an in-the-round production with bone-rattling, yet amazingly clear and smooth sound reinforcement. Longtime collaborator Thunder Audio of Taylor, Mich. is once again tapped to provide audio support on this tour, with a system of close to 200 self-powered loudspeakers from Meyer Sound.

The tour begins on October 21 with a grand kickoff performance at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. "This is quite an innovative system," notes Thunder Audio VP Paul Owen. "The entire design of the system is in-the-round, and we're using fiber optics all around and no analog equipment anywhere to minimize cable management. We are very excited about the dramatic results the configuration provides."

The groundbreaking system design features eight equally spaced arrays, each consisting of 12 MILO® line array loudspeakers and four MICA line array loudspeakers. Bass power is delivered by an innovative configuration of 40 self-powered 700-HP subwoofers which effectively provide uniform low-end coverage in the arena. This subwoofer configuration was designed by Thomas Mundorf of Meyer Sound using MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program, and was deployed at Metallica's Berlin and London record release events with very impressive results.

"We're pretty excited to get this whole system to work," concludes Owen. "We tried this new subwoofer configuration on a couple of European promotional shows with unbelievable results. We've never been able to generate as much low frequency at a high SPL level equally placed throughout the whole arena with any other system we've used."

Twenty-four MJF-212A stage monitors provide monitoring. Processing is controlled by a Galileo loudspeaker management system with five processors networked in concert with the RMS remote monitoring system. Tuning of the system is handled using a SIM 3 audio analyzer.

Starting October 21 through February 2009, Metallica will perform in arenas in major cities throughout the US and Canada, with the last announced stop at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

XL Video Offers Philips Lumalive Event Gear to US and UK Markets

Marcel DeKeyzer, president of XL Video has announced that XL Video is now distributing the Philips Lumalive Event Gear and will be showcasing it at LDI in the XL Video booth #2149. Philips first application, Lumalive Event Gear, is well suited to the promotion and event industry for experiential marketing. It is a unique and revolutionary communications medium delivering visual impact, emotional appeal and compelling messages. Integrating colorful dynamic LED lighting into clothing, Philips Lumalive adds a completely new dimension to the way brands communicate.

 "We are very happy to partner with XL Video in the distribution of the Philips Lumalive product line; they are open to innovation and new technologies," says Bas Zeper, general manager Philips Lumalive. "XL is creative and always works on the cutting-edge, making them the right partner to implement Lumalive in a creative way. They understand their customers and their need for tailor-made solutions."

The technology behind Lumalive features high integration of flexible arrays of LEDs into fabric. Philips Lumalive brings textiles alive, while retaining their soft look and feel. It allows designers to present tailor-made animations on a dynamic platform that also allows scrolling text.

"At XL Video, we are always looking for innovative LED products that push the envelope," says DeKeyzer. "The Philips Lumalive Event Gear product opens up exciting possibilities for designers and producers. Lumalive can be programmed to display personalized text and or graphics; it is an innovative step in both LED and content technology. Event designers and planners will be able to offer this exciting new concept to their clients in all kind of markets."

www.xlvideo.com

Bandit Lights Jackson Browne World Tour

Bandit Lites is on tour with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter, Jackson Browne. Promoting his 2008 album, Time the Conqueror, Browne is currently out on a world tour including stops in the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe.

Browne will be touring through March of 2009. Lighting and production designer, Dave Davidian chose to use an LED-based rig including American DJ PAR LEDs, ETC Source Fours, Coemar Impressions, Pulsar Chromabanks and 4lite inline moles. He also added Martin MAC 500s. Lighting is controlled by two High End Systems Whole Hog IIs. Davidian said the concept behind the design was in doing a smaller theater-based tour, to give the artist as many different angles and levels of lighting that they could within that format. Davidian provided Browne different levels of height with vertical trusses, horizontal trusses and sidelight angles both upstage and downstage.

Another key element to the design was to be environmentally aware when making design and equipment choices. It was something very important to Jackson Browne and something that he was very specific in his request to do.

"The fact that we're using a lot of LED fixtures saves a lot of power. It was important to (Browne) to use less energy and to leave a smaller carbon footprint as he comes and goes in each town," Davidian explained. "We believe it'll be the difference between a system that would normally be a 500 amp- 3 phase to a 200 amp- 3 phase per leg, so it's a significant reduction. It isn't a financial savings, and that wasn't his goal as much as he wanted to do all that he could to leave a greener planet."

Davidian added: "This is my first venture into LED fixtures. It's certainly new territory for me. This isn't the first ‘green' full LED system but it is one of the first. It is both interesting and challenging for me to break in new technology, especially because it mixes colors differently than we're used to."

Davidian said the big challenge that he dealt with was to provide a multi-layered, leveled rig within a system that has to be flexible with a quick set-up. Jackson Browne does early afternoon sound checks so Davidian had to create a lighting system that could be up and away by lunchtime everyday. "In the past Jackson has used a lot of straight trusses to facilitate set-up time but I really wanted to break away from that this time around and give him a little more varied looks," Davidian explained. "This is also the first tour that Jackson has multiple moving light fixtures. By going green, he has actually changed the look of his show from what is traditionally a par can system to more of a moving light, led system. It will certainly provide a different look for the show for him, his fans and for me."

Bandit general manager, Dizzy Gosnell added: "At the design stage, Dave  (Davidian) and Dennis Scrimo (the production manager) asked if it was possible to provide an all LED par can system in addition to the Impression LED moving wash light. Jackson was keen to have a regular touring lighting system be as environmentally efficient as possible on power, and the 132 LED Pars and Impressions have certainly achieved that. Dave has been able to re-think how you work with the trusty Par and created a really fresh and inspiring show. The design options using it are really exciting for the future, and we are really proud at Bandit to be able to showcase this technology with such a well respected artist."

Bandit crew on this tour includes programmer, Nathan Alves and lighting technician, Steve Comer.

www.banditlites.com

Alicia Keys Stars on a Brilliant Stage

UK-based stage set fabricators, Brilliant Stages have designed and constructed the dynamic and exciting set for the Alicia Keys As I Am Tour. Following a European launch at the beginning of the year and a summer spend touring the States, the tour has returned once more to Europe, before embarking on its final leg in Australia later this year.

Tour Producer, Steve Dixon, of Music Tour Management Inc, who has been responsible for producing tours for other high profile clients such as Justin Timberlake, Barry Manilow, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, contacted Brilliant Stages before Christmas on the recommendation of Production Director, Jake Berry (U2, Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Cher).

The creative team responsible for the original design concept consisted of Dixon, lighting designer Bryan Leitch (Siyan Limited), co-lighting director Nick Whitehouse (Visual Light Ltd), video designer Emric Epstein (VYV Corporation) and Martin Granger-Piché (VYV Corporation). Dixon called for a non-traditional use of video and worked with the rest of the creative team to enhance the music message with colours and textures rather than full on traditional video. The presentation of this video was to have a strong influence over the final design. The original concepts from Dixon, Epstein and Granger-Piché were drawn up by Seth Jackman and subsequently handed over to Whitehouse and Leitch further adaptation.

Brilliant Stages finally received the full information for the design in mid January, with the brief that it should be ready for rehearsals by the beginning of February, leaving them a turnaround time of approximately three weeks.

The core of the much-changed design centres around a convex video screen which provides the main projection backdrop. This, in turn, is surrounded by a 4' wide walkway curving around the screen at a height of 10' above the main stage.

Suspended directly underneath the walkway are twelve sloping panels of Philips I-Tiles, each measuring 12' x 4' and comprised of twelve individual 2' x 2' I-Tiles. These panels are hooked onto a track running around the front of the walkway to facilitate rapid assembly and are locked together in two sets (six each side) so they can slide off stage to create an entrance for the piano riser directly under the walkway and video screen.

The result is, as Dixon terms it, "a very dramatic set".

"We designed the set for maximum effect with the minimum of effort for the construction and transport crews involved," explains Brilliant Stages general manager, Tony Bowern. " The curved projection screen enhances the effect of a big set but it is actually very simple. The bi-parting screens, for example, are very effective but, along with the rest of the set, are efficiently designed for rapid set up and break down over the long tour."

David Mendoza designed a magic reveal sequence featuring Color Kinetics iColor Accent Powercore fixtures and a piano riser for Keys' initial entrance. Brilliant Stages created the piano riser as a circular truck, 10' in diameter, the top half of which revolves with the piano on top, while the bottom half acts as a steerable truck.  Both truck and revolve were controlled by a Kinesys system to Brilliant Stages instructions.

Following the curve of the video screen at the lower level are band risers situated either side of central entrance. These are constructed out of Brilliant Stages' low, carpeted Dekex lightweight staging system and backed with the Phillips I-Tile panels as surrounding fascia.

Then came a real challenge - Dixon wanted the artist to be revealed in front of the projection screen on the centre of the upper walkway. Brilliant Stages had to devise and construct a method of making an electric ‘Star Trap' which would emerge from the piano revolve and be located into the centre of the walkway.

Brilliant Stages worked on the project with sister company Tomcat UK which used Tomcat medium duty box trussing to support the video screen and the curved outrunning trusses for the drapes either side. The main lighting rig was composed of thirty sections of Tomcat Swing Wing in a combination of 8' and 10' lengths, plus 5 rotating followspot chairs. "As usual, the turnaround from Tomcat was painless and rapid," says Bowern.

For the American leg of the tour a thrust stage was added. This catwalk was mounted on rollers for ease of fit up and was designed to interface with any height of stage during the three month tour. The catwalk takes Keys through the audience to a circular B stage, also designed by Brilliant Stages, which was originally intended to be 5' in height to conceal the piano beneath it.

However, a last minute decision was made to reduce this height to 4' leaving Brilliant Stages with the problem of how to house the piano within the foreshortened structure. This was overcome by replacing the legs of the piano with electric linear actuators (and the pedals with MIDI foot controls) which could alter the height of the piano as required.

This redesigned B stage and walkway were added to the touring combination only two weeks before rehearsals in another example of how Brilliant Stages is quick to respond, adapt and change according to the customers' needs.

"Brilliant Stages delivered in a crunch, on time and on budget," says Dixon. "When you are working to a tight deadline, it is very important that people can do what they say they can. Equally important is to say when something is not possible.  Brilliant Stages' communication was very clear at all times, presenting us with a series of viable alternatives at any point when what we asked for was not practical."

Alicia Keys tour runs to the end of 2008 ending in Perth Australia.

photo Todd Kaplan

www.brilliantstages.com

Sound Productions Purchase 13 Midas PRO6 Systems

Leading professional audio dealers Sound Productions of Dallas have invested in 13 PRO6 digital live performance systems from Midas-the first major purchase of the brand new system in the Americas.

"PRO6 extends the lineage of the great Midas analog consoles heard on countless tours and installations," says Charles Kitch, president, Sound Productions, "and adds many of the unique digital features of the XL8 to the equation, all in a package that is priced within the reach of a lot of our customers. PRO6 is going to be a big hit in a very important price range; we're expecting a lot of interest from the church market in particular. It's comprehensive and truly groundbreaking."

"I knew this PRO6 was a winner the moment I saw - and heard - it at the launch event in Minneapolis," adds Jeff Humphrey, sales manager, Sound Productions. "Looking around the room, which was filled with some very experienced pros, the response was overwhelmingly and unanimously positive. The cell phones lit up and everybody's jaw hit the floor. As a digital system, PRO6 brings the console to the user, rather than the user having to find the functionality buried in the console, as can be the case with some other digital systems. It has a ton of unique features, and, most importantly, the Midas sound is there, stronger than ever. As long-time Midas partners, we're proud to lead the way forward with this purchase; PRO6 is set to make a significant impact on our industry-starting now!"

"Sound Productions are known across the industry for their expertise in mixing consoles," says Matt Larson, sales manager, Americas, Midas & Klark Teknik. "They know the business as well as anyone, and are a perfect company to bring the PRO6 to the marketplace - we are thrilled with their substantial commitment to our new product. Sound Productions has a broad customer base that includes everything from touring to church sound, and they support each market with great attention to detail through their extensive inventory, in which Midas is a mainstay. This is an exceptionally versatile system that can be used to precisely address a wide range of applications -  Sound Productions' investment affirms that the market is primed for PRO6."

www.midasconsoles.com

Continental Air Shows Makes it Loud and Proud with Community

For a sound company, there are few scenarios more challenging than the ambient noise of an aircraft or two. That probably makes the guys from Continental Air Show Productions either masochists or experts (they'd probably say a little of both). The company spends their days pumping it up loud enough to be heard over the roar of several dozen of the loudest military jets on the planet. To get louder than this you've got to be good, and these guys have proven their ability over forty years in the industry.

CASP travels the country with a powerful sound system that breathes life into some of the most spectacular air shows around. The main rig comprises two Community RSH462 loudspeakers and 24 more R.25 loudspeakers, along with six R.5 subwoofers. "We mount the RSH462s on man-lifts, on all-terrain forklifts, and even on scaffolding, depending on what's available," says CASP's Dave Olmstead. "We mount the R.25s on tripods about seven feet up, to cover the areas where VIP and sponsors are hosted."

Aside from the near deafening ambient noise, the other challenge is the sheer size of the areas needing coverage. The purpose-built distributed system can cover nearly a full mile of show line. Using a pair of 5.8GHz wireless remote systems, the loudspeakers can be placed anywhere along the ramp where extra coverage is needed. "In air shows, the front line coverage is easy," says Olmstead. "It's the back of the airport ramp that's the challenge. That's where the RSH462s really shine."

In addition to the typical festival needs of public address, paging parents for lost children and other announcements, each act usually provides a music track to accompany the narration. Suffice it to say, it's a fair bet it won't be an easy listening selection. "We're usually cranking everything from military music to hard-edged hip hop or metal," says Olmstead. "There's also always a need to 'go live to the cockpit' so the pilot can talk to the crowd over VHF radio."

For the men of CASP, Community loudspeakers deliver the goods. "I've been working with live sound and distributed systems for more than twenty years, and Community is the only product I've used that can adapt to the more discerning ear of today's listening public while still maintaining the ruggedness required for outdoor use," Olmstead concludes. "Without a doubt, we push these speakers to their limit during shows. We've set them up and taken them down more than twenty times this season alone, not to mention bouncing them down the road in a trailer from Brunswick, Maine to Spokane, Washington, and they continue to impress our clients every time we power them up. With the addition of the RSH462 to our arsenal, we get to hear every soundman's favourite complaint: 'can you turn it down a bit?'"

Sennheiser MKE 1 Propels Les Misérables to New Heights

Directed by Frédéric Dubois and staged in the recently renovated Capitol, Quebec City's oldest theatre, this new production of Les Misérables has broken new ground in terms of its simple and direct staging, high-end cast, and audio quality. With 32 live

microphones on stage, nothing was left to chance and the new Sennheiser MKE 1 lavaliere mic proved an invaluable asset.

Richard Lachance, vice-president of international development at Solotech, oversees audio production and managed the selection of the required clip-on microphones and wireless systems for the show. According to Lachance, "One of the main sound challenges for Les Mis was that the audio had to be 5dB to 6dB louder than the average Broadway-type show, resulting in an average level of 88dB to 90dB SPL. And for such a small theatre like the Capitol, this was a real challenge. So, we turned to Sennheiser and their latest innovation, the MKE 1 lavaliere microphone."

Lachance describes how a unique placement of the microphones made achieving a higher dB possible. "Due to their super-small size, we were able to attach the MKE 1 directly onto performers' cheeks with make-up and skin tape, resulting in excellent gain before feedback." In addition, the combination of the mic's miniature size, make-up and skin tape made them virtually invisible to the audience.

"With a cast covering a wide range of ages along with different singing and speaking styles, the microphone had to showcase these differences. The actors could not all sound the same," continued Lachance. "The MKE 1 did a beautiful job of rendering these subtle shades and characterizations. The sound was just crystal-clear. Musicians and critics alike paid notice. The entire production was performed in French and the intelligibility was a hundred percent. You could hear every word, every nuance."

Despite the considerable potential for the microphones to sweat out in the demanding conditions posed by Les Misérables, especially by the very intense lighting system, Lachance was impressed with the MKE 1's imperviousness to moisture. "We didn't lose a single microphone to moisture even through many weeks of performances," he said. "You always hope to get a certain number of performances out of a lav before replacement. To date, the MKE 1s have 'out-sweat' other brands and are still going strong!"

Lachance summed up his experiences with the MKE 1, "We knew we had a winner with the MKE 1 during the joint Montréal/Quebec rock opera production of 'Starmania' earlier this year, so we placed our order for forty pieces to be used for Les Mis. We used the new microphone with Sennheiser SK 5212 transmitters and EM 3732 receivers. Simply put, it is a fantastic microphone and an outstanding, rock-solid wireless system. I believe the MKE 1 to be the most interesting engineering breakthrough for the audio market in 2008. It sounds crystal-clear and natural, just like un-amplified opera singers but louder. Nobody could believe how clean and present the sound was, including the musicians."

The Sennheiser MKE 1 omni-directional lavaliere microphone features an ultra-small 3.3 mm diameter capsule with a flexible, molded cable. Frequency response is 20 to 20kHz (2.5dB), with a sensitivity of 5 mV/Pa and an A-weighted self-noise of 27dB. The MKE 1 is fitted with a three-pin special plug for the SK 5212, SK 5012, SK 250, SK 50 and SK 3063 body-pack transmitters or available in a version with unterminated cable.

In picture: Gino Quilico, as Jean Valjean and Geneviève Charest, as Fantine, appearing in Quebec City's production "Les Misérables," debut Sennheiser's latest engineering triumph, the tiny MKE 1 clip-on microphone, designed to withstand moisture via an acoustically open stainless steel membrane protecting the capsule photo: Francis Gaudreau

Alice Cooper Drives a New Wedge into Psycho-Drama

After 18 albums and more than four decades of touring, Alice Cooper certainly isn't showing any signs of slowing. Currently out on his aptly named ‘Psycho-Drama' tour, the original shock rocker has among his collection of essential stage items a guillotine, electric chair, boa constrictor, plenty of fake blood and, now, ten coaxial L-Acoustics 115XT HiQ stage monitors.

Along with a pair of L-Acoustics ARCS and SB118 enclosures for side-fill, not to mention LA Series amplification, the 115XT HiQ wedges round out the loudspeaker complement of a monitor system package furnished by Tempe, Arizona-based Precise Corporate Staging (PCS) LLC.

"Night after the night, the HiQs are performing very well for Alice and his band," says PCS President David Stern, who has worked with Cooper on and off for the past four years and is additionally providing the tour's FOH console and processing racks. "In my opinion, there's not a better monitor built. Just like the 30-box V-DOSC(r) rig we also own, the HiQ wedges are extremely clean and rarely need much EQ, if any."

Stern points out that the monitors are beneficial in that they help minimize the tour's overall stage volume. "We're running the stage system in zones and I know that Paul Bostic, Alice's monitor engineer, appreciates the exceptional clarity and articulation of the HiQ's design. This enables the musicians to better hear themselves while performing and spares them from the vicious circle of having to crank up their amplifiers to compete with the wedges.

"As a rule, we never take the 'cheap' way out," he adds. "So even though L-Acoustics' products may be a little more expensive than some others out there, there's a real reason why they're on everyone's riders. I've found that I can A/B them against anything and they'll win hands down."

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