< PreviousJuly 2020news10TSL Lighting Supplies Solution for Skillsoft StreamTSL Lighting helped independent live events production company LRI create a COVID-Secure lighting package for a live stream training session by e-learning company, Skillsoft, in May.TSL was approached by lighting designer Tim Ball to supply a fitting solution for the project, with a specification that would provide the presentation with the perfect balance of lighting for the cameras filming the session.As one of the leading global providers of education technology and training, Skillsoft had originally programmed its ‘Perspectives 2020’ session as an in-person event, but the COVID-19 lockdown meant that LRI and Skillsoft worked quickly to transform the production into a fully online, global digital experience.Ball’s design included Chroma-Q Colorforce II 48 LED battens for scenic treatment, Arri 650 Plus Fresnels for keylighting, ETC Source Four Profiles for graphics highlights and an array of battery-powered Astera AX3 LightDrop LED spotlights for backlight.The event was prepped, delivered and installed on site by Ball and Graham Loughman, with full consideration to the UK government’s COVID-Secure guidelines, with social distancing in place for all logistics, build and de-rig.“The brief from Elliot Levi at LRI was for a warm ‘daytime TV’ feel to the lighting,” says Ball. “The venue, an unoccupied space in the office building where the client is based, did offer some challenges, particularly the nine-foot high ceiling with no hanging possibilities. I decided to go with a single ground support truss for key light from four Arri 650W Fresnels mounted on short barrels on top of the truss for maximum height. “Two more Arris and three LitePanels Astra 6X LED panels flown from the bottom chord bounced off the ceiling to create a soft fill, while Source Four Profiles brought out the graphics on the set.”“I’ve always loved ColorForce II for set lighting and the AX3 LightDrop units worked great for backlight with a good output for their size, no cable, and controlled from my iPhone. They offer an impressive battery life, too. I loved being able to put them in sleep mode overnight directly from the app.“As always, the kit was well prepped by the crew at TSL and it was a pleasure to work with [TSL’s senior project manager] Dave Charters again on the pre-production. Well done to LRI and Skillsoft for their ingenuity in making this event happen despite the current circumstances. Perhaps this model will be the new normal for a while.”Dave Charters comments: “It’s always a pleasure to work with Tim and LRI on these projects. We aim to be flexible wherever we can, so supporting our clients as events change and evolve is something that we are always happy to get involved with.”photo: TSL LightingAltman Lighting introduces the next-generation PHX3 LED Profile and Zoom luminairesContinuing to innovate the technology behind their popular PHX LED ellipsoidals, Altman Lighting has announced the new PHX3 LED Profile and PHX3 LED Zoom luminaires. Ideal for theatres, special events, television studios, or any location where superior, energy-efficient lighting performance is required, the 340W PHX3 LED ellipsoidals enhance your design versatility and efficiency without sacrificing performance.“Wanting to make sure that we implemented the most robust technology possible into our next-generation LED ellipsoidals, the PHX3 Profile and Zoom introduce a number of innovative features in function, style, and efficiency,” said Pete Borchetta, Altman vice president product innovation. “Having spoken with a number of lighting designers and dealers worldwide, we wanted to expand our PHX series even further with these two new high-performance and dependable luminaires.”Utilising a 340 Watt RGBL LED engine, the PHX3 luminaires output just over 10,000 lumens for a true front-of-house workhorse fixture. Available in 5°, 10°, 19°, 26°, 36° and 50° fixed focus Profile Spot models, as well as 15-35° and 30-55° Zoom Spot models, the fully locking shutters and 360° rotating barrel helps you keep the PHX3 fixture focus intact with virtually no light leak. Providing multiple on-board control options such as colour fades and strobes, PHX3 luminaires also offer a console-free stand-alone Player Mode, and 8-bit or 16-bit virtual dimming for smooth, high quality blackouts and colour shift minimisation during dimming.“Looking for a lighting solution that could give the fixed installation and rental market a powerful yet affordable LED ellipsoidal, we are very excited to be launching the new PHX3 Profile and Zoom luminaires,” added Jason Osterman, Altman global specifications manager. “Our engineering team has really taken the time to create a versatile lighting solution which will allow designers to overcome the challenges presented in a wide range of entertainment venues.”Ayrton unleashes Karif-LT – The Creative WizardWith much of the world having been at a standstill due to COVID-19, Ayrton has continued to innovate, spending the hiatus in preparation for when we are all back to full strength. Now, with the first tentative signs of global recovery, Ayrton is excited to showcase Karif-LT, its ultra-compact 300W LED beam-spot, and the first in Ayrton’s brand-new line of LT (Long Throw) products dedicated to long-range applications.Karif-LT is equipped with a 168mm frontal lens offering a zoom ratio of 17:1 and an incredible 2.8°- 47° zoom range, the narrowness of which is unprecedented and unmatched in an LED fixture. A new high-efficiency, low etendue, compact LED module delivers an ultra-intense beam which, calibrated at 8500K, can generate powerful metallic white light and deep, vivid colours. Karif-LT has an overall output of 13,000 lumens at a colour temperature of 7500K, and a centre-beam luminous intensity of 3,500,000 candelas.Karif-LT is a creative wizard: its rich feature set includes a CMY colour mixing system, a patent pending multi-position CTO wheel with seven different colour correction filters, a wheel of 13 complementary colours for infinite pastel hues and saturated colours, nine interchangeable rotating HD glass gobos and a new innovation in the form of a wheel with 39 fixed gobos (patent pending). Karif-LT also has a glass monochrome multi-position, bi-directional effects wheel, and a prism effect system comprising 4 combinable rotating prisms which, coupled with an ultra-intense beam, can achieve amazingly complex effects. Standard features also include light and heavy frost filters, a dynamic animation effect with speed and fade adjustment and an electronic dimmer for perfect fades.Karif-LT is shipping with immediate effect.4Issue: 329news11Sully – The new classic by Robert JuliatRobert Juliat has launched a brand-new range of luminaires – and the latest introduction to its LED lines – Sully.Sully is a new family of LED products based around the same exclusive 115W white LED engine, with an output that equals or exceeds that of a traditional 1kW tungsten fixture.Robert Juliat has developed a new LED compartment which will enable customers to upgrade current traditional profile installations to LED by simply swapping the tungsten lamp base on their existing RJ 600SX Series for the new T650SX LED module. The new accessory is also compatible with Robert Juliat’s Aledin Series, Figaro, and Quincy, and with its tungsten Cricket and MSD Buxie followspots.This ingenious new development is kinder to the planet as well as budgets. Any 600SX Series profiles can be transformed from tungsten to LED sources whilst retaining the iconic, ergonomically-designed, steel bodywork that has become synonymous with the Robert Juliat name. By simply changing your existing tungsten lamp base for a Sully T650SX LED base, the result is a new LED rig without the cost, inconvenience and waste of replacing existing rigs. What’s more, all your existing 600SX Series accessories (iris, gobo holders, etc) are compatible with the new module: recycling at its best! The newly-developed Sully LED compartment is also the key element in a whole new range of fixtures from Robert Juliat which offers a choice of profiles, beam spots and a followspot in both cool and warm white versions.Sully RJ 650SX profile series is an LED alternative to the classic 1kW theatre zoom profile.This variable zoom profile range features a high-quality 115W warm white LED source. It delivers a first-class white light (CRI of 96 / TM-30 Rf=92 Rg=98 / TLCI of 97) and an output comparable to a 1000W tungsten luminaire. A cool white LED version is also available that is perfect for times when daylight rendering is required.Combining this new LED engine with the proven optics of Robert Juliat’s renowned 600SX Series, Sully profiles offer accurate framing with clean shutter cuts and superb gobo projection. With its silent operation, Sully 650SX offers three zoom options (28°-54°, 16°-35° and 11°-26°) and is equally happy on stage, overhead, on side booms or prosceniums, in opera houses, theatres and studios.Sully RJ 305LF and RJ 305LPB are multi-purpose LED single lens fixtures with a choice of interchangeable Fresnel or pebble convex lenses. Providing a multi-faceted solution in compact packages, Sully 305LF and Sully 305LPB luminaires combine the high-quality 115W white LED source with either a single 150mm / 6’’ Fresnel or a pebble convex lens, both of which can be easily interchanged. These little units are especially valuable in multi-purpose venues and rental companies where the interchangeable lenses can be put to full use. With uniform light, a very wide beam and premium colour rendering, Sully 305LF Fresnel and Sully 305LPB pebble will easily substitute 1000W tungsten models. They offer an affordable and lightweight LED alternative with renowned build quality and overall performance.Sully RJ 1156 followspot is an affordable entry point LED followspot with a wealth of RJ features and no compromise on quality. With a 10.5°-22.5° zoom range, Sully 1156 is the perfect introduction to Robert Juliat LED followspots for discerning schools, amateur dramatics and smaller venues. Its optical excellence, ultra-compact dimensions and low power consumption make it a reliable and easy-to-use luminaire.A big advantage of Sully’s LED source is the lack of heat it generates which adds to the comfort and safety of the operator. Controlled both locally and remotely by DMX, this little followspot is definitely accessible to beginners as well as skilled operators.Like the rest of the Sully range, Sully followspot is available in cool white or warm white versions.DiGiCo S Series software update delivers multiple new features, including Dante I/O rack and DMI-KLANG compatibilityDiGiCo latest software update, V2.6, for its S Series consoles delivers a number of significant new features. These include control of the A164D Wall LCD and A168D Stage for networked audio in installations via the Dante 64 at 96 DMI, and support for the acclaimed DMI-KLANG, both of which were launched at this year’s ISE show in Amsterdam.A164D Wall LCD, a 16 input four output I/O Expander, and A168D Stage, a portable 16 input eight output I/O Expander, delivering all the connectivity of the original A164 Wall LCD and A168 Stage, but with the additional advantage of Dante connectivity. This not only adds the flexibility and familiarity of the Dante network protocol, but also means that consultants and integrators can take advantage of existing network infrastructure to drop I/O anywhere on the network.With a Dante DMI 64 at 96 DMI card installed in an S Series console, access to 64 channels of I/O to or from the Dante network is provided. This allows control of both racks and can be set to either be in Full Control mode or Receive Only mode in the audio routing menu. In full control mode, socket properties can be changed from the console, whereas in receive only mode, socket property values are only received from the Dante IO device, and not transmitted by the console.This can be utilised when sharing inputs with another console; one can have full control of socket properties whereas the other cannot control them, but still receives the value in order for gain tracking to be used.The DMI-KLANG takes KLANG:fabrik’s immersive in-ear mixing core and rebuilds with today’s latest FPGA technology to deliver immersive mixes of 64 inputs for 16 musicians. This is the highest input count of any KLANG product to date, with a processing latency of just a quarter of a millisecond. The DMI-KLANG connects directly to DiGiCo consoles’ internal audio stream without any additional hardware I/O overhead.By adding support for the DMI-KLANG to S-Series consoles, the DMI-KLANG card enables audio to be routed from the console to the card and vice versa.The release of V2.6 also sees the addition of an RTA (Real Time Analyser) added to the channel EQ view of S Series consoles, which can be toggled to be shown/hidden using the button in the top bar. The RTA meters are taken post-EQ, meaning that any adjustments in EQ are reflected in the RTA’s metering.Under the global scopes view (accessible from the Snapshot list view), there is now a separate scope for Control Group names, which enables Control Group names and Channel names (for input, aux, group and matrix channels) to be selected separately. Both sets of name scopes will follow that state of the ‘name’ scope for sessions created in older software versions, which means that functionality remains unchanged.There is also the option to disable the double tap to flatten the EQ band, Control Group Spill set can now be recalled with presets, and the default value for Control Group Faders is now to 0dB.“As with everything we do, these updates are driven by requests from our customers,” says Roger Wood, DiGiCo’s head of software. “These updates are designed to provide an even better user experience and fulfil the requirements of an increasingly sophisticated market.”www.digico.bizJuly 2020news12New From ETPTHE SOUND OF THEATREFrom the Ancient Greeks to the Digital Ageby David Collison402pp £24.95 ISBN: 9781904031956David Collison traces the history of theatre sound from Ancient Greece to the 20th century. Medieval sound effects are described, along with sound in Shakespeare’s plays, and mechanical effects in the 18th and 19th centuries, including wind machines, thunder runs and battle effects. The sound for the famous 1925 play “The Ghost Train” is also explained. A chronology of key inventions follows developments from cylinder and disc recording, tape machines and cassette recorders, through to audio systems in the digital age. Sound design for Broadway and West End musicals is extensively covered with anecdotes and personal recollections from many of the pioneers, including the author’s 30 years as a leading sound designer.Available from www.etbooks.co.uk and www.amazon.co.ukVectorworks, Inc., MA Lighting and Robe lighting announce DIN SPEC 15800 recognition for GDTFWith fellow General Device Type Format (GDTF) founders MA Lighting and Robe lighting, global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks, Inc. touts that DIN SPEC 15800 officially recognises GDTF as an open standard for the entertainment industry worldwide.“With this latest accomplishment of DIN SPEC 15800, GDTF will continue its growth and see even greater success now that it is recognised as a standard way of communicating controllable characteristics of lighting fixtures,” said Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar. “GDTF has covered a lot of ground in the two short years since inception. We already have 35 manufacturers signed on to support the open standard and are grateful for their contributions to help build a solid basis for a standardised format that will advance the industry in new ways. I look forward to seeing more manufacturers, as well as more entertainment professionals contributing to the wide-spread availability of GDTF files and benefiting from it in their workflows.”DIN, the German Institute for Standardisation, is the independent platform for standardisation in Germany and worldwide. A DIN SPEC, is a document that specifies requirements for products, services and/or processes, and it’s a trusted strategic instrument for quickly and easily establishing and disseminating innovative solutions on the market. DIN’s job is to ensure that a DIN SPEC does not conflict with any existing standards or rules of procedure.Now, GDTF will be a standard for describing the hierarchical and logical structure and controls of any type of controllable device in the lighting and entertainment industry. GDTF will be used as a foundation for the exchange of device data between lighting consoles, as well as CAD and 3D pre-visualisation applications. The purpose of an existing GDTF file is to reflect the real-world physical components of the devices and to provide control based on this information. A GDTF file contains and is derived from the device’s real-world geometry, attributes and abilities.“At Robe we are thrilled by all the new development around GDTF because there are now great possibilities for providing detailed specifications of our moving head fixtures in a format not specific to a particular console manufacturer, but defined by a standard format: the new DIN SPEC 15800,” said Josef Valchar, CEO of Robe lighting. “This format covers DMX desk related use-cases and also includes data for visualisation purposes, dedicated portions for media servers and for event-planning workflows. With DIN SPEC 15800 and the GDTF Builder to create the files online, there is absolutely no reason to remain locked to old, manufacturer-specific proprietary formats but rather use open standard fixture definition files.”“The recognition by DIN that GDTF offers value to manufacturers and practitioners in the live production and events industry is a monumental moment in the maturity of the GDTF file format,” said Gerhard Krude, managing director of MA Lighting Technology. “This signifies that the industry is ready to embrace the benefits of using it to standardize the definitions of real-world controllable objects, which is just the start for GDTF. Looking ahead, future revisions to the DIN SPEC 15800 will extend the GDTF to all parts of the industry including media servers, rigging systems, laser systems and much more.”“DIN SPEC 15800 is a good example for what DIN wants to achieve with DIN SPECs: support those who improve the status-quo with an innovative idea,” said Michael Bahr, project manager at DIN. “GDTF can be one of those ideas for the entertainment industry. I’m happy that we could support this project and develop a standard with the GDTF group. In a short period of time, we were able to develop the document which will build trust in the GDTF format. DIN SPEC 15800 will make the GDTF format available and usable to everyone. That’s what DIN SPEC is made for: ‘Today’s idea. Tomorrow’s standard’.”4Issue: 329news13ALD AGM Discussed Virtually the Future Options of ProductionThe Association of Lighting Designers held its 2020 Annual General Meeting via video conference. As an inclusive association with widespread UK membership the ALD is ahead of the curve having previously held a Manchester-based satellite meeting to its 2019 AGM via video conference. The move, now timely, was introduced to enable ALD members from all parts of the country to contribute without the need to travel considerable distances to London.This year over 120 members attended individually. The AGM aims to inform and educate ALD members on a range of subjects relating directly to their professional career and to the further development of the ALD as an organisation.The full-day agenda opened with the meeting itself. Follow on sessions comprised a series of smaller working groups open to all members, including ‘Digital Networking in an entertainment environment’: a discussion on sustainable practice, and specific sessions looking at the issues affecting specific categories of membership.Importantly, several of the groups discussed the issues that have been raised by the global pandemic and the effect on working practices in live production.One such discussion centred around how the industry gets back on its feet with specific reference to those working in live entertainment lighting. An open letter to producers, written by Johanna Town, chair of the ALD sent out the call for a joint endeavour to combine creative minds across the production industry, to find solutions to the situation ALD members and other production workers find themselves in.The letter included a survey conducted with its members in May 2020 which shows that:• 63% classed themselves as freelance/self-employed over the last four years.• 77% had their work through to September 2020 cancelled in the first month of lockdown• 46% had lost three quarters of their annual income by May 2020.• 87% are not confident that their confirmed work for the rest of 2020 will take place.The ALD continues to work consistently through the lockdown period to highlight the plight of its members and those working in the entertainment industry. The ALD has raised awareness to various bodies in the UK, of the impact of the continuing closure of theatres and arts institutions on its members who are largely freelance and self-employed.In picture: Ahead of the curve! ALD’s 2019 AGM held in White Light’s Studio 19, with Manchester attendees on video screen.Ayrton welcomes A17 Stage Systems as exclusive distributor for BelarusAyrton has announced A17 Stage Systems as its new, exclusive distributor for Belarus with immediate effect.A17 Stage Systems was established in 2019 with the mission to service its customers’ projects from concept to completion using only the best, most reliable brands in the industry. The company is composed of experienced technicians with many years of expertise in the lighting, sound, rigging, staging, conferencing and video markets. Its customer base includes VVIP and government organisations.“From the very beginning, A17 Stage Systems has hunted out the best brands in all areas of its activity,” says A17’s engineering director, Vitaly Kazakevich. “We look for future leaders, not just current brands, and see that Ayrton is a fast-growing company with interesting new technologies, and a very good, professional team.“The Ayrton product range fills us with great confidence because all of its new products carry the ‘Ayrton DNA’ which guarantees a combination of superb quality and innovation across a range of products that serve all applications. It’s not only our team, but also our clients who feel this and we like it!”A17 Stage Systems has plans to show the full range of Ayrton products in different regions of the country as soon as current health restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, the team is making good use of their industry contacts with local dealers and rental companies to introduce them to the Ayrton brand, whilst A17 has integrated Ayrton products into several of its own upcoming projects.“We are very happy to be distributing the full range of Ayrton products across the region,” says Dmitry Alexandrovich, director of A17 Stage Systems, “and are looking forward to a very productive collaboration.”“The whole Ayrton team, and especially me, are delighted to be partnering with Vitaly and Dmitry,” says Ayrton’s Kseniia Igoshkina. “With A17’s in-depth understanding of the entertainment lighting industry and strong local presence in Belarus, we can finally access this new, and often complex, market, and deliver our lighting solutions to customers who haven’t had an opportunity to buy Ayrton fixtures before. We have been working with A17 Stage Systems for a few months already, and we’re pleased to continue and expand our co-operation.”In picture: Engineering director Vitaly Kazakevich and director Dmitry Alexandrovich, of A17 Stage Systems, Ayrton’s new, exclusive distributor for Belarus.Custom enclosures for sunDial quadsunDial quad, the PLASA Gold award-winning mains LED dimmer from Artistic Licence, is now available in a custom installation enclosure. Manufactured by Future Automation, the high-quality coated steel enclosures are available in six different sizes, with the largest containing ten DIN rails and accommodating up to 18 sunDial units.The enclosures feature integral cable management, dedicated earthing and neutral bars and a fully removable front cover. Future Automation is also happy to offer pre-wired panels and module wiring services.For full details and technical specification, see: https://www.futureautomation.co.uk/Product/ArtisticLicenceJuly 2020news14Christie introduces new, free software solutions to monitor and align projectors with easeChristie is making it easier for customers to install and maintain seamlessly blended images and monitor and control its projection systems with the launch of two new free software solutions: Christie Mystique Lite and Christie Conductor.Multi-projector arrays, projection mapping, and complex screen shapes and surfaces require expert image configuration, alignment, warping and blending: processes that can take hours of painstaking work. Christie Mystique is a camera-based alignment and recalibration solution for supported Christie projectors that can quickly install, align, calibrate, and maintain multi-projection systems.Like the other software editions in the Mystique family, Christie Mystique Lite removes the time-consuming work of image alignment in multi-projector arrays. Mystique Lite is a free software download. It works with an inexpensive third-party webcam to warp, blend and align up to three supported Christie projectors in a single horizontal projector array on a flat surface or screen with the click of a button. The intuitive interface automatically detects the projectors and webcam, allowing users to easily mark the corners of their screen to then align, blend and warp an image. For more complex applications, there is an easy upgrade path to any of the other Mystique editions.Christie Conductor is a free advanced monitoring and control software solution for up to 256 Christie 3DLP projectors. Conductor enables end users to proactively diagnose technical issues, execute repetitive processes with a single click, and keep projectors working optimally, reducing the risk of downtime and saving hours of manual work. Originally designed for the Al Wasl Plaza dome at Expo 2020 Dubai to monitor and control the 252 Christie D4K40-RGB projectors installed, Conductor allows operators to perform remote firmware updates of many projectors at once, view the health status of multiple projectors via a list or status map, as well as automatically power up and down the projectors, all from their desktop.“Mystique Lite and Conductor software save time and make complex projection systems easier to operate and maintain, removing hours of manual work,” says Brad Martin, senior product manager, Christie. “Both are available for our newest 3DLP projector, Griffyn 4K32-RGB, which is not only the smallest and quietest 34,000 lumen RGB pure laser projector on the market, it’s now easier to manage.”Christie Mystique Lite will be available early July, and Christie Conductor is available now for free download at www.christiedigital.com.Solid State Logic ORIGIN Mixing Console Now Shipping Worldwide Solid State Logic (SSL) has announced that its new ORIGIN analogue mixing console is now shipping to approved global partners and dealers. The latest in a long line of SSL studio mixing consoles, ORIGIN brings an unprecedented degree of sonic performance and flexibility to the modern production studio.As the first large large-format analogue studio mixing console from SSL in over a decade, ORIGIN has enormous appeal to both world-class recording and mixing facilities, educational institutes, as well as top-shelf project studios around the world. SSL has already announced the first US based installation of ORIGIN at the world-famous Blackbird Studios in Nashville, with additional consoles already ordered by other prominent facilities.“ORIGIN really is a unique console in today’s market,” comments Nigel Beaumont, SSL managing director. “The combination of classic analogue SSL design, forward-thinking hybrid production tools, and features like E-Series EQ and Bus Compressor that are so fundamental to the legacy of SSL, all at a new price point that makes ORIGIN an option for a wider audience.”ORIGIN is the perfect partner for a modern DAW driven ‘hybrid’ production studio, while maintaining a traditional analogue studio workflow style at its heart. Its familiar design is inspired by the ‘origin’ of in-line consoles from a signal flow perspective, but blends cutting edge analogue developments to deliver a unique sonic signature that is still unmistakably SSL.A purely analogue, inline, dual channel design, with 16 buses, E Series 242 type EQ and an updated version of the classic Bus Compressor, ORIGIN breathes new life into a design classic across the whole console. The new PureDrive mic pre inherits the clarity and purity of previous SSL Mic Pre designs, that can also switch character to a warm, harmonically rich and driven tone that varies with mic pre gain. The new mix bus and mix amp architecture delivers an amazingly low noise floor along with a huge headroom for a summing bus, that retains the classic SSL sound while bringing the breadth and space to mixes that engineers and producers love from analogue summing. Balanced insert points per channel path, dedicated channel direct outputs, stem-ready 0dB fader bypass switches, and a new configurable centre section, make it an ideal way to add console workflow to a modern production studio.GLP Launches 10 Out of 10 Video SeriesGLP is to launch a new series of short-form, fun, and informative interview videos with lighting designers from all over the industry.The series will see videos released on a weekly basis with different designers facing the same ten questions, covering their formative years, as well as career highs and even some of the moments they would rather forget. Partly informative, partly inspirational, and partly irreverent and amusing, the interviews have been designed to bring a little bit of everything to the viewer.To keep them easy and fun, the interviews will be edited into 15-minute episodes. Given that some of the more elaborate stories could take a little longer, full-length versions of the interviews will be made available in the future. Episodes will be published every Wednesday on GLP’s YouTube Channel @glpimpression and through its various social media feeds. With guests such as storied concert touring designer Ethan Weber, Broadway and West End award winning designer Neil Austin, the legendary Steven Cohen, NBC Universal’s Fred Bock and many more fascinating characters, the series should have something for everyone. It all kicks off with Justin Kitchenman, best known for his work with Nashville artist Luke Bryan.Join the fun at: https://www.youtube.com/user/GLPimpression/videosAnd GLP’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GLP.German.Light.Products/www.germanlightproducts.com4Issue: 329news15New Strand Theatrical Luminaires are Now ShippingStrand as announced that its new line of LED theatrical luminaires are now shipping. The new fixtures, which include an updated Leko LED Profile, feature an RGBALC colour system and target theatres, houses of worship, TV studios and other performance spaces.“There has been strong excitement about the new Strand luminaires, and customers are eager to see the fixtures in person,” says Martin Palmer, senior product manager, Vari-Lite and Strand Luminaires at Signify. “The wide colour spectrum, high CRI and easy-to-program SmartColor control system have generated a lot of excitement in the market, and we are eager to have more customers see how truly excellent the quality of light is on these fixtures.”SmartColor control on the new Strand luminaires allows programmers to quickly leverage the full power of the RGBALC (red, green, blue, amber, lime and cyan) colour mixing system with less effort using traditional CYM+CTO controls. The Strand Leko LED Profile and Cantata LED Fresnel are also available in two white output versions: a warm tuneable white (2700K to 4500K) and cold tuneable white (4000K to 7000K) variety for better reproduction of skin tone and other colours on stage. The tuneable white fixtures offer a consistent CRI exceeding 94 across all colour temperatures, as well as high TM30 and TLCI values.“The full RGBALC colour system in these theatrical fixtures ensures designers can achieve the same deep colours they once obtained with gels, while the cold and warm tuneable white options on the new Leko and Cantata luminaires offer designers beautiful color rendering across the entire temperature spectrum,” explains Palmer. “Thanks to SmartColor Control, designers can achieve these colours faster and more precisely using the CYM+CTO controls they are familiar with.”The following luminaires and now shipping:Strand Leko LED Profile – the modern successor to the iconic Strand Leko that inspired generations of designers, this profile fixture is available in full colour, warm tuneable white and cold tuneable white varieties, with >94 CRI, TM30, & TLCI and variable fan control across all models. To simplify installations, the Leko LED will use the SPX Smart Gate found on legacy Selecon fixtures and will be compatible with existing SPX lenses.Strand Cantata LED Fresnel – this theatrical Fresnel is available in full colour, warm tuneable white and cold tuneable white varieties, with >94 CRI, TM30 and TLCI across all models. Fixtures include onboard camera controls, variable fan control, and 10° to 55° mechanical zoom. An optional eight leaf barndoor is also available.Strand Coda LED Cyc – the full colour Strand Coda LED Cyc light offers an output of over 11,000 lumens at a high >94 CRI, TM30 & TLCI along with a fanless design, split zone control, and steerable beam control.Strand Aurora LED Strip – for full colour theatrical graze lighting, the Strand Aurora LED Strip is available in 4- and 12-cell configurations and features a fanless design and pixel mapping control.Strand Leko LED Outdoor Profile – a version of the Leko LED luminaire in a sturdy IP65 housing with a host of dedicated features that address the needs of outdoor performances. Available in a full colour version and higher output cold white version, the fixture offers an on-board zoom and focus that can be adjusted manually or via DMX.“The new Strand luminaires build upon the decades of industry leadership in theatrical lighting and offer a complete solution of fixtures that address modern challenges,” adds Sameer Sodhi, business leader, Vari-Lite and Strand at Signify. “The Leko is an industry icon for a reason, and we are proud that the new updates to it and the rest of this theatrical range leverage this wealth of experience and offer customers incredible colour rendering, deep colour hues and simple-to-use colour mixing all in a single, cohesive family.”QTECH Live Goes Live with dLiveCreated to meet the surge in demand for livestreaming services resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic, Swedish production company, QTECH, has launched a new streaming division, QTECH LIVE, with help from an Allen & Heath dLive mixing system.Reacting with lightning speed to changing circumstances, on the day after Sweden announced restrictions on live performances in March, founder Timmy Qvarnström and CEO, Kevin Qvarnström began the transformation of the QTECH warehouse near Gothenburg into a dedicated streaming facility. Although QTECH already possessed most of the equipment required for the new venture, it needed a mixing system with the versatility and ease of use to handle tight set-up times and a diverse programme of interviews, presentations and performances across three separate studio spaces.In a move that typifies the community spirit shown by the professional audio world during the pandemic, long-time friend, Arnold Lindberg of Sound Industry Gbg AG offered to loan QTECH his dLive system, preferring to see it put to good use while touring is on hold. Arnold has extensive experience with dLive, including a 2019 international tour with Swedish nu metallers, Lok, and was able to help QTECH’s head of sound, Jesper Sirenius (pictured) to quickly master the new setup. Arnold’s dLive system centres on a DM64 MixRack controlled by an S7000 surface, with an IP8 remote controller providing an extra eight faders for managing FX returns. A Waves 3 card fitted in the S7000 enables access to a Waves mobile server for additional plug-ins.“I had never worked on an A&H mixer before, but with about an hour crash course with Arnold I was up and running,” Jesper recalls. “The dLive has been the perfect tool for our livestream set-up. With new bands and shows every day the switching between different set-ups is as easy as it gets. The drag and drop feature of the channels on the surface is one of the things that has made it super easy and quick to get the setup of the day up and running within a minute.”QTECH LIVE is expanding fast, streaming talk shows and sports events as well as live shows by artists including Troublemakers, Attentat and Jävlaranamma, plus launch parties and interviews with bands such as Gathering of Kings and Amaranthe.ELM goes 3DENTTEC has announced the latest release of its award-winning pixel mapping software ELM. The team of software engineers and lighting design professionals have produced the most feature-rich update in this popular mapping software's history.Now users have the ability to create and control 3D pixel structures, adding quite literally a whole new dimension of creativity! This new way of working has been designed to allow existing users to be able to pick it up straight away and begin building it into their current creative workflow.Complex volumetric effects can be easily created using ELM's tested generative media effects, merge modes and input methods; whilst still allowing for precise control of each individual slice of the model, opening up a new approach to quickly generate effects.Visit the ENTTEC website for more details.July 2020news16ISE looks forward to Barcelona debutPlanning for Integrated Systems Europe 2021 is well underway with its organisers, Integrated Systems Events, committed to delivering a compelling and safe exhibition for the world’s audiovisual integrated systems community.The 17th edition of ISE is set to take place at its new home at the Fira de Barcelona, Gran Vía, 2-5 February 2021. The world class exhibition centre plans to reopen for business in September. This will follow the successful completion of a collaboration with risk mitigation consultancy AON and the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona which will determine the specific security criteria for holding B2B events at the venue later this year.Over 850 world leading technology and solutions providers have already committed to participate at ISE 2021. Over 55,000 sqm of exhibition floor-space has been confirmed for nine dedicated technology zones. This represents a 5% increase on the total floorspace booked for the 2020 show.The state-of-the-art exhibition centre will house a new-look ISE featuring nine dedicated technology zones, in an easy to navigate layout. These are: Audio, Broadcast and Content Creation (new), Digital Signage and DooH, Education, Live Events (new), Residential, Smart Building, Unified Communications and VR/AR/XR.A significant development for ISE 2021 is the strategic partnership with The Next Web (TNW), a world-leading technology media brand with extensive reach among global start-ups and technology businesses in general. In conjunction with ISE, TNW will present Growth Quarters: four days of keynotes and presentations addressing all aspects of business growth and scale-up, presented by inspiring technology innovators and experts. TNW will also present Fast Lane, where start-ups create solutions that address specific ‘pain points’ within AV businesses.In addition, a five-day solutions-themed series of 14 conferences will cover a wide range of topics including digital signage, design and build, control rooms and XR. The extensive programme has been devised in association with ISE co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA. Both associations will also produce their own dedicated series of training sessions and themed events.ISE will also be developing the show’s digital reach to help engage with a bigger audience than ever before. This will include a wide selection of cross-platform live ISE content being made available, along with many other engaging digital opportunities to help attendees connect with the world’s leading technology innovators as well as hear from thought-leaders and experts.Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: “ISE is committed to delivering an engaging in-person event in Barcelona and is taking all necessary steps to deal with the new post-pandemic reality that will impact those attending exhibitions and conducting international business.“The Fira de Barcelona has partnered with AON and the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona and other experts to create a set of safety protocols that are designed to guarantee health and safety around the conditioning of spaces and the regulation of visitor flows. This work started in April and involves risk evaluation, the creation of mitigation strategies and an action plan. Once completed, guidelines for event organisers and exhibitors will be communicated.“We are listening and adjusting to ensure the show continues to provide the connections the industry needs to grow brands and business. We are determined and confident that we can deliver a compelling show in a safe and secure environment.”Martin Audio’s first ever virtual trade show exceeds expectations With registrations similar to the numbers Martin Audio would expect to meet at a large international trade show, the British pro audio pioneer has declared its first ever virtual trade show a resounding success. The company held its event on 20th May taking the form of three 90-minute webinars matched to different time zones.“We achieved over 800 registrations for the event,” reveals James King, Martin Audio’s director of marketing. “To put that in context, this is the amount of people we would engage with at ISE or InfoComm in our demo room in a given week, and probably four times the amount we get to our UK Open Day events. So, this was a very efficient exercise.”The virtual trade show gave Martin Audio the opportunity to speak in detail about its overall portfolio and how different systems can fit with different applications and budgets. It also provided a platform to highlight new products, such as the award-winning ADORN ceiling and pendant loudspeakers and three new subwoofers including two new cardioid subwoofers and punchy value for money double 18” sub.“The format itself worked well with people being able to see both presenters and the presentation so as to make it more human, and there was opportunity also for an open Q&A on numerous topics that people wanted to discuss,” says King. “There was even some illuminating glimpses and hints about the future product roadmap that came out of that discussion.”While the event was a success, the obvious drawback was attendees not being able to hear the loudspeakers that were being discussed. The current global situation makes that challenging to overcome, but there are methods which Martin Audio is looking at to build from this initial event.“Our next jumping off point, dependent upon ability to have small and safe gatherings, will be to have a centralised show, professionally produced at our UK HQ that is then beamed to the ‘world’ but critically to global distributor demo rooms,” explains King. “This way people can gather in small safe environments to listen to the loudspeakers in the demo rooms. While markets might start to reopen, we believe international travel will be circumspect, so we see this as an opportunity as we move forward.”In the immediate future, the manufacturer will continue to be active in the digital domain with its ongoing weekly webinars and participation in other types of virtual trade show, such as InfoComm Connected.“Having tried our own, there is no doubt there is a place for virtual meetings,” concludes King. “With events such as InfoComm Connected we have the opportunity to network with a wider sphere of people thanks to good digital platforms and easy access to attendees. But this is a people-first industry and there is nothing like the physical interaction and unity of a live event. It may take some time, but I believe we will see a delicate balance between physical and virtual shows in the future or indeed some hybrid solution.”ChamSys Announces Winners of Online Programming CompetitionThe ChamSys Online Programming Competition offered a creative outlet: the chance to program the power packed 200-plus fixture rig that Chauvet Professional had earmarked for the company’s stand at the cancelled 2020 ProLight + Sound show. Drawing over 200 entrants from around the world, the contest asked participants to create a three-minute or shorter show with the PL+S rig, using ChamSys MagicVis software.After a careful evaluation, the judges named Amir Cohen of Tel Aviv, Israel the winner for his inspired two minute and 38 second show. Cohen’s design flowed seamlessly in sync with dramatic musical shifts he selected, as it transitioned from blinding effects, to black outs, to swirling gobo patterns, conveying myriad moods all along the way. In second place, Niklas Fuchs of Vienna, Austria, created a dramatic choreographed display of light in his three-minute submission, which was entirely busked, with no time code. Third place finisher David Misakyan of Moscow, Russia, devoted considerable creative juice to matching his lights with the music, weaving a mesmerizing pattern of strobes and crossing beams around Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die”.Cohen received a MagicQ MQ70 console for this winning effort. Fuchs and Misakyan were awarded premium swag bags, and 25 other entrants were given MagicDMX Test Kits. All the contest’s three top finishers can be seen on the ChamSys Facebook page.Issue: 329features17The Motherland is calling!Every year on May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day, marking the end of the Second World War and the triumph over fascism.Even though this year’s Victory Day celebrations took place in a more limited format, thousands of spectators still participated via a live broadcast from the Battle of Stalingrad Museum and Preserve. They had a sight to behold: The Motherland Calls, the majestic monument that stands proudly on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, had never looked so vibrant and spectacular.To map images onto this 87-metre-tall sculpture, specialists from Dreamlaser turned to the most advanced equipment in their arsenal: 16 Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser 40,000 ANSI lumen projectors, featuring the Christie TruLife electronics platform and Christie RealLaser illumination system. This enabled the team to capture more than 90% of the Rec.2020 colour space and create vibrant, colourful, and realistic imagery.“We’ve been preparing ‘Light of the Great Victory’ installations for several years now, but this year was a special one. First of all, we now have the technical capability to illuminate a monument of this scale using only a very small number of projectors. The colour transmission quality, richness, and intensity of RGB laser technology are what made all the difference for us,” Dreamlaser co-founder Denis Chuchko explained. “This was also important from a television picture perspective, as we knew that thousands of viewers would be watching the live broadcast and recordings of it following the event. This was also the year that we introduced an AR component to the show. We installed an additional 26 spotlights at the top of Mamayev Kurgan and covered the hill with a ‘burning field’ using thousands of LED bars.” The celebrations were organised by Region 34 (the Volgograd Regional Government), the Agency for the Organization of Mass Cultural Events, and the Battle of Stalingrad Museum and Preserve.Erected in 1967 and recently restored, The Motherland Calls monument remains among the world’s top ten tallest statues in the world. It retained the title of world’s tallest non-religious statue until 2018, when construction of the Statue of Unity in India, was completed. At night, the Statue of Unity can be viewed for miles as a result of projection mapping using Christie technology.July 202018featuresA2C5T Celebrates 25 Years with Light Art InstallationCreative director and lighting designer Koert Vermeulen wanted to do something extra special to celebrate 25 years of his innovative creative design practice ACTLD, so he and his team crafted a fluid and mesmeric large scale spectacle of lighting art – A2C5T – which was presented to the public for three weeks at the See U event space in Brussels.The 45,000 square metre former police barracks provided an atmospheric backdrop for this multi-level light art experience, which was inspired by the core tenets at the heart of ACT: Art, Concept and Technology. Within the installation, these three values were represented by three beautifully abstract intersecting works of creative lighting, carefully curated by Koert to offer a different but equally compelling immersive experience for guests. The three elements could be enjoyed individually or as one, or as a user-definable mix of several different components.Complete with a special soundtrack compiled by Solemn Eye, 70 Hills Music and Marco Macaluso, visitors could lose themselves in the ephemeral magic of light, colour, texture, and other visual effects. The central piece was ‘Technology’, and this was created using 36 Robe Spikies, 20 SilverScans and 16 T1 Profiles. While the emphasis was on the technology, this was delivered as a sculpted work of art. The 20 SilverScans were rigged at one edge of the installation space on a scaffolding frame flown from the ceiling, arranged four wide and five deep, while the Spikies stood on a series of low wooden plinths stood in front of and around the centre of the space. Both these fixtures were chosen for their speed and rapid movement and the Spikies specifically for their continuous rotation.“It was vital that the lights – the technology – came alive and essentially became ‘actors’ in this key piece,” explained Koert, adding that the Spikes were ideal with their small size “resembling little robots!”For the many children who visited with their families (the installation took place just before the Covid-19 lockdown) the Spikies were at a similar height! They became transfixed by the lights which stood there almost incidentally, begging the smaller members of the audience to become their friends. “It’s a very cute fixture,” says Koert, “and in this context, people were sometimes drawn more to the physical shape and form of the lights themselves than the luminescence they produced!”The T1s were used to architecturally light the general room space, together with 42 Anolis Divine fixtures, a mix of black light (UV) and RGBW units. Ten of the UVs were used outside the building, and Koert comments that when they stage A2C5T outdoors, the intention is to use T1s extensively to light trees and other surrounding foliage.A person standing in right in front of Technology could see Art at 120 degrees and Concept at 210 degrees, so the triumvirate of artworks also had a harmony and a unity. However, to encourage people back for a second and third walk-through, each was designed to tantalisingly be partly viewable from the Issue: 329features19other, so it was possible to see elements of the other two.“We wanted to create a sense of expectation and curiosity,” says Koert, “almost teasing people and daring them to come back to further explore!” He observed that generally, over the course of the three weeks, it was striking how few took out their phones and filmed on their first walk through, instead preferring to concentrate on what they were feeling and seeing, returning later with some idea of how the lighting would unfold around them to get the best recording angles.Lighting for all three artworks was programmed and run on a grandMA2, with a SMODE media sever also triggered via the grandMA which dealt with the 3D pixel mapping elements in Art and Concept.Concept was an expression of colour, inspired by the work of James Turrell; strong, bold and simplistic, comprising a series of solid screens in ascending size bathed in wash light, while Art was made up from multiple LED pixel tubes creating outlined shapes that appeared to be suspended in thin air. This featured more elaborate scenography for viewers, but the physical appearance was raw and stripped back to boost ideas of form, architecture and a heightened sense of negative spaces.Koert commented on how exciting it was to get the chance of visually demonstrating the foundations on which ACTLD was built back in 1995. A2C5T opened on the day of ACTLD’s actual 25th anniversary celebration, and thereafter was open to the public and enjoyed by approximately 10,000 people. Everything came to an abrupt halt in terms of public shows due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the bigger plan has always been for Koert and ACTLD to take this installation experience to other venues, sites and countries as soon as is possible.Other specific ACTLD collaborators with Koert were content director Lucia do Souto, technical director Luc De Climmer and concept artist Taddéus Fraylich. Christopher Bolton was lighting programmer and everyone working at ACTLD played an important part in realising this landmark project.Their A2C5T sponsors in Brussels were Robe, EPIX (the bespoke project division of Explorentis), FACE and PRG. Others involved on the technical production side included Astral Lasers, SMODE, Lux Lumen and SGM.photos: ACTLDwww.robe.czNext >