MUSE

Drones tour: big screens and

flying machines

LIVE AT LEEDS • THE FEELING • TEENAGE CANCER TRUST • MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS JUNE 2016
#202
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST • CREAM CLASSICS • GEAR HEADS: CHAUVET’S MAVERIC SERIES
Muse’s Drones tour has been pushing the upper limits of live production while
breaking audience attendance records in some of the world’s most famous
arenas. With a 165ft stage, interactive video elements, trackable followspots
and several flying drones, this is far more than your typical rock show…
 © Ralph Larmann
BELIEVE IT FROM ED SHEERAN TO ARIANA GRANDE TO METALLICA –
TOP TOURS ARE PROVING THE POWER OF THE LEO FAMILY.
The LEO Family provides power and clarity for nearly every application, from intimate performance
spaces to the world’s largest outdoor festivals. LEOPARD, the smallest in the family, is gaining a
following for being the most lightweight and versatile line array in its class. It’s no wonder top tours
around the world trust the LEO Family for a flawless performance, night after night.

Learn more at meyersound.com/believeit

ER PRODUCTIONS IN ACTION:

CALVIN HARRIS
COACHELLA, USA 2016
Scottish DJ Calvin Harris was the headline act at Coachella COACHELLA KIT
WHERE WE’VE USED IT:
2016 in California. As the first EDM artist ever to close the
3-day festival the resulting production was a spectacle of
effects, sound and light with award winning laser specialist,
ER Productions, playing a pivotal role in delivering a huge
laser package from its new facility in Las Vegas.
Fully equipped to meet the needs of North American shows and events, ER worked EXCELLENT 21
KATY PERRY PRISMATIC TOUR
closely with renowned Creative Director, Baz Halpin and Art Director Leticia Leon,
to bring their stunning laser concepts to life. With two weeks of production
rehearsals, ER’s experienced and dedicated local crew had ample time to perfect
the laser choreography.

To achieve the desired look, ER Productions used Beamburst and Laserblade lasers
combined with Excellent 21 and Phaenon X Pro scanning systems, which were
seamlessly integrated into the performance. Adept at customising hardware or BEAMBURST
software, ER Productions collaborated with Pangolin’s development team to build THE VOICE - UK

a bespoke interface with their Beyond software, which enabled the lasers to be
controlled through the lighting desk.

To find out more about ER Productions’ products, services or latest show news visit
www.er-productions.com or call +44 1322 293 135.

LASERBLADE
SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 LAUNCH

UK +44 1322 293 135 | USA +1 214 2700665 | AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731 | SPAIN +34 938 000291
info@er-productions.com | www.er-productions.com
 Distributing the industry’s
finest brands...
it’s in our dna

For 26 years we continue to evolve to

bring you the finest brands of Professional &
Commercial Audio, Lighting, Video and Special Effects.
We are your one true, trade only distributor and our all-round
service means that we deliver for you every time – it’s in our dna.
If you are an Integrator, Installer, Re-seller, Hire or Events Company you
will not find us competing with you. Let us become an asset to your business.
Just think Leisuretec
Wherever Whatever Whenever
Experience • Choice • Value • Service

Leisuretec Distribution Limited • Leighton Buzzard LU7 4UH (UK) • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk
EDITOR’S LETTER

VARIO-LIFT

Capacity 125 kg - 6000 kg

(BGV-C1)
A few firsts
As we’re sending this double issue to print, Hannah and I are also gearing up for a
stateside visit that we’re very excited about. June 2016 marks our first InfoComm
tradeshow in Las Vegas, our first visit to the production hub that is Lititz, Pennsylvania,
and my first time at the CMAs in Nashville. Meanhwile, Ste and Stew will be holding down
the fort as festival season kicks off closer to home. Donnington, are you ready?
Suffice to say, this is set to be a busy summer!
In this issue, Stew tackled his first solo cover story (good job mate!) on Muse’s Drones
tour. The stunning production is quite a sight to behold, hence our decision to show you
the spectacle in full with our gatefold. In Sweden, Ste was a backstage tech ninja at the
Eurovision Song Contest courtesy of Osram and M&M Production Management, and I
spoke to the Cream Classics crew about reinventing an old favourite; the results were
quite something.
Before I hop on a plane, there’s just time to say that if you’re going to Glastonbury this
year, please get in touch with your plans. As usual, we’ll be setting up TPi HQ and covering
the mammoth festival’s production initiatives. Better find my passport and clean my • Speed up to 42 m/min
wellies, then... • Free progammable
Kelly Murray Start/Stop Ramps
Editor
• EN 818-7 Load Chain
• Low Noise Operation
• 5-Pocket Chain Wheel
EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION
• 2 Independent DC Brakes
Kelly Murray Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk • Gear Limit Switch
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk
Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689
• Precise Chain Guide
e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNTS • Textil Chain Bag
Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk
ASSISTANT EDITOR
• Removeable Control Box
Ste Durham CHIEF EXECUTIVE • BGV D8 / D8Plus Models
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Justin Gawne
Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742
on Request
e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN
Damian Walsh
STAFF WRITER CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS
Stewart Hume COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Muse by Hans-Peter Van Velthoven
Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344
e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk PRINTED BY
Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk
GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS
Hannah Eakins Annual subscriptions (including P&P):
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78/$125 (RoW).
Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions,
e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place,
Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK.
ADVERTISING SALES Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580
Charlotte Goodlass Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9126
Mobile: +44 (0)788 0208 226 e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk
e-mail: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk
www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com
EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS
Mo Naeem Issue 202 - June 2016 info@chainmaster.de
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360
Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313
e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk
CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence.
ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2016 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction Uferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany
in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the
preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage
Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0
resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21
of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times
a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air E-Mail: info@chainmaster.de
Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster:
Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434.
www.chainmaster.de
Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.
 G E T C LO S E R
TO THE POWER OF LIVE
When it’s your reputation on the line, choose mics that will provide the most consistently
honest sound. DPA Microphones offers a wide range of specially-designed produc ts for your
close-miking or ambience-miking needs. No matter what you choose, you can be cer tain that
there are no other mics that will deliver a live experience as powerful to your audience.
Visit your local audio dealer to learn more about the range of options available.

dpamicrophones.com Made in Denmark

DPA-Live-2016-A4-AD_Prefinal_01.indd 1 17/05/16 13.46

 ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS
08 Live at Leeds
Blossoms and Izzy Bizu showcase the
new Shure KSM8 at the city-wide event.

12 The Feeling
FOH Engineer Jon Sword brings the
Cadac CDC six on its first arena tour.

14 Teenage Cancer Trust

14
Bring Me The Horizon employs a 48-piece
orchestra for the charity event.

20 Severe Weather Summit

The Event Safety Alliance hosts its
second annual Severe Weather Summit.

24 Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott

A Robe-heavy package is deployed for
the UK tour.

PRODUCTION PROFILE
28 Muse
The trio takes live touring into the realms

28
of science fiction with Drones.

44 ESC 2016
Eurovision steps up its production for
204 million viewers.

58 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

TPi witnesses the return of the Mack with
the US duo’s headline London show.

66 Cream Classics
Cream joins forces with the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra.

44
TECH FOCUS
74 TPi takes a closer look at the latest
developments in performance lasers.

ROAD DIARIES
84 Monitor Engineer Matt Pengelly discusses
the perils of air travel.

CLOCKING OFF
86 PRG XL Video’s Rich Rowley hits the water
for Help For Heroes.

66
GEAR HEADS
90 Mike Graham discusses
Chauvet Professional’s Maverick Series.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
94 The latest movers and shakers.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

98 Andy Lenthall examins the C-word...
Competence

74 BACK CHAT
102 Neil Trenell, Fix8 Group.
EVENT FOCUS
 LIVE AT LEEDS

Opposite: Both Blossoms and Izzy Bizu performed at this year’s Live at Leeds festival with the aid of the new Shure KSM8,
the world’s first dual-diaphragm dynamic handheld microphone.

LIVE AT LEEDS
At this year’s festival, neo-soul star Izzy Bizzu and Stockport indie pioneers Blossoms (coincidentally
named after the Blossoms public house near TPi HQ), both showcased the new Shure KSM8, the
world’s first dual-diaphragm dynamic handheld microphone. TPi’s Stew Hume asked the artists
and crew their opinion on the product…

Live at Leeds has become something of a warm-up for many bands
before the onslaught of summer festival shows. During the metropolitan
festival, 22 venues within the West Yorkshire city open their doors to
the 192 artists that play throughout the day. Two of the highlights of the
festival were indie-quintet Blossoms and neo-soul newcomer Izzy Bizu,
both of whom were using the latest release from Shure, the KSM8.
Since Shure announced the new microphone at the 2016 winter NAMM
Show in California, the KSM8 have been turning heads across the industry,
appearing on several tours including The 1975 and Mumford & Sons. The
product has been specially designed for the live environment, able to
perform in any situation and provide engineers with a dynamic microphone
that has virtually no proximity effect and an output accuracy that requires
none of the presence peaks or roll-offs that are typical for other dynamic
microphones.
Backstage at Leeds University Union’s veneue, The Refectory, TPi met
Blossoms’ FOH Engineer, Chris Pearce, Tour Manager Dan Woolfie and the
band’s lead guitarist, Josh Dewhurst. Hailing from Stockport, the five-piece
indie rock group has made a niche for themselves garnering a great deal of
radio play, placing fourth in BBC’s Sound of 2016 list as well as selling out
venues up and down the UK. After some hometown glory conversations [the
pub which the bands gets its name is only a short walk from TPi HQ] we got
down to discussing the latest trick up their sleeve with the KSM8.
Blossoms’ set at this years Live at Leeds was the first time that the band
used a complete package of three brand new KSM8’s. The band’s 19-year-
old lead guitarist picked up the story of how they became the latest Shure
endorsee: “The whole endorsement came about when I emailed Shure to
ask for some advice on our then touring package. At the time we were using
some ex-hire equipment from our audio company that saw us through a

713
Scan to watch
INGENIOUS SOLUTION No. Introducing our Laminar Flow Waterfall the video

=
WATER A BRIGHT IDEA AN INGENIOUS BRAIN

When it comes to live special effects, tackling tough challenges is what we do best
Welcome to MTFX. The ingenious effects people. 01452 729903 info@mtfx.com www.mtfx.com

09
LIVE AT LEEDS
Izzy Bizu’s FOH Engineer Ben Allen; Josh Dewhurst, Blossoms’ lead guitarist, Tour Manager Dan Woolfie and FOH Engineer Chris Pearce.
period of touring but as things began to snowball for us we thought it was
time to update our gear.” The band had used Shure’s PSM 1000’s during a
session at Abbey Road Studios which encouraged the five-piece to perhaps
look at investing in Shure. “Using the PSM 1000’s was a game changer
and the quality was unmistakable. After I sent off this enquiry email, a few
days later we suddenly got a reply for Shure saying they were interesting
in working with us.” But what started as an enquiry for IEM led to a full
endorsement which included the new microphones.
Before their Leeds set, Blossoms had been lent one of the microphones
that was used during a set they played in the Isle of Man while they were
supporting The Charlatans. FOH Engineer Chris Pearce talked about his
first experience with the microphone: “The microphone is a really great
transition from the Shure Beta 58’s that we have used for some time now.
It is very similar audio wise but when Tom [Ogden, Lead Singer] moves his
head to the side it doesn’t thin out anymore, which is beneficial for the
in-ears. I don’t need to chop any of the usual 250hz like you usually do and
it has a great even tone all the way to the top.” Pearce mixed the Leeds show
on a Midas PRO1, which was a loan from Par Street Studios. Pearce added:
“There really is very minimal EQing required to make the KSM8 sound nice
through any PA.”
Dewhurst discussed his experience from a performer standpoint: “The
KSM8 from an IEM perspective has been fantastic. I’m not a singer but when
I’m performing I like to have a nice balance to Tom’s voice and you find
that with this microphone it’s not getting lost anywhere and it’s very easy
to navigate. Also with the proximity feature his mix stays at the same level
when he moves closer to the microphone, which is useful as he is quite an
animated singer.”
Tour Manager Dan Woolfie added: “We have also found that when he
walks away from the microphone and leaves it pointed directly at the drums
we are not getting nearly as much spill on our in-ears. That wasn’t even
one of the selling points for us but we have definitely benefited from that
feature.”
It is not just the sound of the new microphones that Blossoms have
fell in love with, but the look of the capsules. “We specially requested if we
could have a package of the nickel plated microphones,” stated Dewhurst.
“Anyone that has see us live might notice we are slightly obsessed with
chrome with our drummer’s heads all being silver and reflective. The mic
has fit into this theme perfectly.”
It’s worth noting that Blossoms’ endorsement also included Shure’s
PSM 1000’s, which the band and all three members of crew use. The band
were also supplied with the Shure KSM313 Duel Voice Ribbon microphone
10
for Dewhurst’s lead guitar.
Further down the road at the O2 Academy Venue was another artist
showcasing the latest Shure product. Hailing from London, 21-year-old Izzy
Bizu has been turning heads since 2015 and has garnered a fanbase who
eagerly await her album, A Moment of Madness, due to be released later this
year. The singer has also found herself among the finalists of the BBC Sound
of 2016 competition. Speaking to the Bizu’s FOH Engineer, Ben Allen, after
her performance, he discussed how he became involved with her: “I have
been with Izzy for the last nine months. Some other producers who are on
my management company [Z Management] had worked on some tracks
with her. Once I heard her voice I was keen to get invoved.”
Allen explained that prior to using the new KSM8, the singer had been
partial to the Shure Beta 57’s. “I really like the tone of that model but we
had some issues with handling noise when she took the microphone off the
stand. I was looking for the next thing we could use when Shure brought out
the KSM8. I got in touch with Shure and asked if I could demo one.”
Once the FOH engineer got his hands on the microphone he was blown
away by it. “It was exactly what I was looking for at that moment in time.
Izzy has a really distinct mid range in her vocals and the new microphone
doesn’t accentuate any of the harsher points of that. It’s a very balanced
microphone, which is what you are looking for in terms of a gig like this
when you have 20 minutes to try and rig a whole show instead of using a
couple of hours. It’s comforting to have gear on stage that you know will
work especially at the moment when every day I come into a venue and am
working with a different desk and PA.”
A few weeks after meeting with Blossoms, the band’s tour manager
spoke to TPi once the group had done a few more shows with the complete
three-microphone package. “The response we have been getting from
all the in-house engineers has been great. As soon as we put them on
the stand at sound check we have people asking us questions about the
microphones. It is head and shoulders above anything we have ever used
before.”
With such rave reviews from both bands and crew who have already
used the Shure KSM8 it is highly likely that the microphone will be making
many more appearances in the coming months.
TPi
Photos: Ed Whitmarsh and Ben Bentley
www.blossomsband.co.uk
www.izzybizu.com
http://liveatleeds.com
www.shure.co.uk
 Digital Mixing Consoles
SD7
for Live Sound, Theatre
and Broadcast.
SD5

SD10

SD8

SD9

SD11

DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park,

Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL.
Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

S21 www.digico.biz

DiGiCo Family Advert Single Page - TPI.indd 1 31/05/2016 16:18

EVENT FOCUS

THE FEELING
A meeting 10 years ago saw FOH Engineer Jon Sword and five-piece British rock act The Feeling join
forces to forge a successful career as a credible live act. Together, the pro sound buffs have played
the world in various sized venues and 2016 marks the year that Cadac consoles became part of the
story. TPi’s Kelly Murray speaks to the man behind the live mix of this popular band.

The story of how British pop rock act The Feeling came to notoriety
is quite the (eventual) fairy tale, as their FOH Engineer, Jon Sword,
explained: “They learnt to cut their cloth as an apres ski band and were
together for a decade before they found any kind of mainstream fame.”
Indeed, the La Tania ski resort in the French Alps played an important
part in the band’s early career, when they decided to release an album
post ski season. “They recorded their debut album [2005’s Twelve Stops
And Home] in a shed at the bottom of the garden and sold a million
copies straight away!” said Sword.
The quintet from West Sussex, comprises frontman Dan Gillespie Sells,
bassist Richard Jones, brothers guitarist Kevin and keyboardist Ciaran
Jeremiah, and drummer Paul Stewart. All five, according to Sword, are pro
audio fanatics.
“They’re a band who are very into sound not to mention audio buffs
who produce and mix their own albums so being their sound engineer is
either the worst of the best job,” he laughed. “They know too much! But
I happen to think it’s the best job because they’re realists, which makes
them a pleasure to work with. The first gig I ever mixed for them, was at the
[tiny] Camden Barfly, London. I’d never heard them play before but as soon
as they’d finished their first song I thought ‘where have you been all my life!’
They’re very knowledgeable musicians, every one of them.”
That was in January of 2006, and over 10 years later, Sword is still mixing
the band with feverish enthusiasm, due in part due to his appreciation
for this new FOH rig. No stranger to TPi, Sword featured in the March 2015
edition with ‘70s legends 10cc, during whose tour he mixed on a Cadac CDC
eight-32, the console’s first ever UK tour. Over a year later and Sword is still
flying the Cadac flag, this time opting for smaller sibling, CDC six. The CDC
six is an evolution within the manufacturer’s latest range, offering users a
clear and concise graphical interface in a compact package. This tourable
unit with its logical pathway is something Sword currently favours over
any other desk, and despite having toured with The Feeling for some time,
believes there’s nothing on the market that could allow him to do his job
any better than this tiny audio titan.
The FOH set-up for The Feeling’s recent arena tour (opening up for ELO

12
 THE FEELING

Opposite: FOH Engineer Jon Sword has worked with The Feeling for 10 years. Below: Cadac’s CDC six console is the more compact sibling to the flagship CDC eight-32; The
desk boasts a user-friendly interface; Sword uses the desk as it allows for a “very creative” mix to take place intuitively; The CDC I/O 6448 stage box.

who are being mixed by Gary Bradshaw - “one of the best in the world” engineer, it’s been great to know I’m in a reliably consistent situation.”
according to Sword) was a CDC six and a CDC I/O 6448 stage box. The Moving into the summer season, the band are gearing up for festival
popularity of this spec - with both Sword and the band - led on from The shows across the UK. Sword confirmed that the band are so comfortable
Feeling’s promo events, which utilised a CDC six alongside the smaller CDC with the sound of the CDC six, that they’ve requested one be used during
I/O 3216 stage box. Continued Sword: “We’ve recently been playing small their festival appearances in the monitor position. “Because we’ve already
venues and I’ve been using the CDC six at FOH in 300 capacity venues and done the club tour, I can use my show file from those gigs to give to the
then for our arena shows with 14 mixes, it’s an absolute breeze. monitor engineer, which makes everything so easy. I want to be able to
“When Cadac consoles first emerged, the musicality of the desk was turn up at work and know that we’re going to be able to do a great job and
amazing. I was impressed right from the start, and I’m a big believer that feel happy at the end of the set. I know we can do that with this desk,” he
you’ve got to give most things a go to understand whether or not it works confirmed.
for you. I’ve always been a creative engineer, so I like to push the band The support from Cadac has also been of great comfort to Sword,
as much as I can, and get involved in the mix. We like to produce an all- who praised the way the brand has been presented to the industry. “It’s
encompassing rock sound, and the CDC six a bespoke desk in a market that’s already
sounds fantastic for this.” swamped, but they’re doing an amazing
The Cadac stage boxes house the signature job with it. I honestly think it sounds better
pre amps which, according to Sword, “makes than anything else out there. It simply is an
the CDC Series sound so great - it delivers that amazing piece of kit and the more I use the
warm sound that I really like. The CDC pre amps
“I honestly think it sounds better desk, the more I want to use it on everything I
are serious broadcast quality. Plus, it’s very than anything else out there. It do.”
simple to operate so I get to spend more time simply is an amazing piece of The band’s upcoming gigs include
concentrating on the gig and less time trying appearances in Manchester, Sheffield and
to work my way around the desk! The band kit and the more I use the desk, Surrey, with Jon Sword at FOH, chances are
haven’t asked me for a single thing, not once the more I want to use it on you won’t walk away disappointed.
during the entire tour - that’s a sign that things TPi
are going very well! I’ve had zero issues with the
everything I do...” Photos: James Cumpsty
desk for the whole tour, and bearing in mind Jon Sword, www.thefeeling.com
that I’m walking into the arenas as a support FOH Engineer, The Feeling www.cadac-sound.com

13
EVENT FOCUS

BRING ME THE HORIZON

AT THE TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

Sheffield’s metalcore titans pushed the boundaries of their traditional sound by

performing with a 48-piece orchestra and choir to add a classical twist to the annual charity event.

For the 16th year running the Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual concert
season took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall. This year’s season
comprised of six concerts over six consecutive nights with performances
from John Bishop, The Vaccines, Simply Red, New Order, Dave Gilmour
and of course, Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH) with the proceeds going to
the Teenage Cancer Trust. A total of 70 microphones were required for the orchestra, which
For their one off show, TPi’s January cover stars, BMTH, decided to do
something special by bringing in a 48-piece orchestra as well as a 14-strong
choir. As established clients, the band’s production team turned to SSE
Hire to design an audio package that could accommodate the vast channel
count the expanded performance would require.
SSE Hire’s Project Manager Pete Russell explained: “It was great to
work with Bring Me The Horizon on this project in support of the Teenage
Cancer Trust, with SSE providing all its services free of charge for the show.
I worked with Orchestra Director Will Harvey, FOH Engineer Oliver ‘Hutch’
Hutchinson and Monitor Engineer, Jared Daley, over a three-month period
just to prepare for this gig.”
along with the choir and the band, pushed the total channel count to over
140. Russell added: “We decided to sub-mix the orchestra and choir on a
separate console and provide 10 stereo stems for FOH and an additional
two stems for the band’s monitors. I knew the orchestra desk was going
to be a really tough gig so we turned to Marcel Limbeek who had previous
experience of this kind of thing from his work with Tori Amos.”

14

THE WIRELESS
MASTERPIECE.
World-class goes digital
For decades Sennheiser has been a reliable and
innovative partner in broadcasting, theatre and
high-profile live audio. Because of this, we know
that world-class sound engineers demand the
highest standards. With this firmly in mind, we
took all of our extensive experience and used it
to create our first digital multichannel wireless
system: DIGITAL 9000, which is in a class of its own,
providing uncompressed digital audio transmission,
free from intermodulation, and delivering stunning
sound and dynamics with a cable-like purity.
SE_Digital9000_AZ_210x297mm_engl_RZ.indd 1
VISIT US AT IBC
HALL 8, STAND D 50
DIGITAL 9000 offers control functions that make
system set-up simple and fail-safe. The highly
intuitive interface provides a complete overview
of system performance, offering peace of mind
in challenging live situations. DIGITAL 9000 is the
best-in-class digital wireless system available and
represents a future-proof investment.
DIGITAL 9000 – The Wireless Masterpiece.
www.sennheiser.com
23.07.13 15:44
TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

First page: The guys from BMTH scope out the stage prior to their performance. Below: Frontman Oli Sykes; Entec Sound and Lighting’s Head of Sound Jonny Clark; BMTH’s
FOH Engineer, Oliver ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson.

The main audio supplier for the six day event was Entec Sound &
Light. The company has been the exclusive audio supplier to the Teenage
Cancer Trust concerts since they began in 2000, providing its flagship d&b
audiotechnik PA system. This year saw Entec team up with Britannia Row
Productions for Simply Red and David Gilmour as well as SSE for BMTH.
Entec’s Head of Sound, Jonny Clark, commented: “Between SSE and
ourselves, we came up with the idea of BMTH running their own line system
via our network and then into our DiGiCo SD7 console. Their support
band, PVRIS, used our line system and Avid Profiles at each end so that
we had two completely independent set-ups. That was immensely helpful
because BMTH decided to augment their set with a full choir and orchestra,
obviously impacting greatly on the input count.”
“That’s one of the really impressive things about Teenage Cancer Trust,”
added Entec Project Manager and Crew Chief, Matt Grounds. “The artists
love being part of it and often go the extra mile to treat it as a special one-
off show, and so BMTH adding 14 choir singers onstage is the kind of thing
we’ve come to expect. There’s a level of excitement that you don’t normally
see elsewhere.”
SSE provided a control and monitors package for the rehearsals and the
concert. Hutchinson used a DiGiCo SD7 at FOH with a DiGiCo SD10 handling
the orchestral mix and an Allen & Heath D-Live S7000 desk for the band’s
monitor mixes. Russell commented: “We always knew that this was going
to be a challenge from our perspective. With only a day for preparation,
one day to rehearse and then show day the crew really had their work cut

16
 a1TPi_advert final.pdf 1 01/04/2016 11:26

Photo: Adam Kaplan

Vero is a large format sound system,
which has been engineered for new levels of audio
C
Photo: Johannes Krämer

and operational performance. It has been designed,

Y

CM
developed and perfected over the last six years
MY
by some of the most knowledgeable and
CY experienced audio engineers in the world.
CMY

K
Its meticulously crafted proprietary waveguides
and driver technology produce naturally
even frequency response and coverage.

The result is uncompromised

system dynamics, headroom and
coherency combining to present an
incredibly spacious stereo image,
which is why Vero is already
gaining the plaudits of
sound engineers from
around the world.

www.vero-system.com

T H E N E X T L E V E L O F T O U R S O U N D
TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

For those fans who missed out on the show, BMTH are planning on releasing the perforce as a live DVD.

out. However the SSE team of James Baptie and Stephen Mottram worked as possible. The combination of their knowledge and extensive collection of
brilliantly ensuring everything went without a hitch.” equipment facilitated every requirement we had for the show.”
Will Harvey, Musical Director of the orchestra was delighted: “The team BMTH’s Tour and Production Manager Rob Highcroft was equally
at SSE Audio were exemplary right from the inception of the project through impressed: “As always SSE came through on this one. Not only looking after
to its final delivery with fantastic results. They the kit but getting behind the cause, really
provided the equipment as well as a team of pushing the boat out for a client to make
individuals with the wealth of experience and the show happen within the huge financial
expertise needed to pull off such an ambitious constraints we needed.
and demanding project and were a pleasure “Pete Russell worked with us from day one
to work with from start to finish. The efficiency on how we would deliver this ever changing
of the SSE team meant that we were able to
“As always SSE came through event. The audio end of the show wouldn’t
take advantage of all of the possible rehearsal on this one. Not only looking have been possible without the careful
time with no delays due to technical issues.” after the kit but getting behind planning between SSE and our team.”
“The audio production for the Royal Albert TPi
Hall show was one of the largest Bring me the cause, really pushing the Photos: James Cumpsty, Jordan Curtis Hughes
the Horizon has ever put together,” added boat out for a client to make and Ashley Osborn
Daly. “With over 100 Inputs consisting of a full www.bmthofficial.com
Orchestra, 14 piece choir, six piece band and
the show happen.” www.teenagecancertrust.org
the need to record the show for a DVD, SSE Rob Highcroft, Production Manager, www.sseaudiogroup.com
made the configuration of the show as simple Bring Me The Horizon www.entec-soundandlight.com

18
 PART NER S I N TH E MI X
L E I S U R E T E C | linking Pioneer DJ to the trade

L E I S U R E T E C . C O. U K | +44 (0) 1525 850085

PDJ_LEISURETECxPDJ_AD_LSI.indd 1 26/05/2016 17:07

EVENT FOCUS
SEVERE WEATHER SUMMIT
Eye of the Storm - A look at the Event Safety Alliance’s Severe Weather Summit.
“The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch
for the greater Oklahoma City area…” These were the words that greeted
attendees as they converged on Oklahoma to take part in the Event
Safety Alliance’s second annual Severe Weather Summit.
Such forecasts aren’t particularly unusual for this region…after all,
the chorus of the official state song mentions two separate weather
phenomena in as many lines (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma for
the theatrically impaired). While the worst of the storms mercifully missed
the region, the alert set a fitting tone for the important conversation to
follow.
A UNIVERSAL THREAT
As past tragedies such as the Indiana State Fair stage roof collapse
demonstrate, severe weather can have a catastrophic impact on live
events. Unlike many other safety hazards, weather is unpreventable
and universal. No matter what part of the planet you occupy, dangerous
weather is possible, be it tornados, heat or hurricanes. With no means of
forestallment, one’s only course of action is to be prepared to respond
when mother nature threatens.
Responding effectively to severe weather, however, requires an
accurate understanding of the hazard and its behavior. With a dearth
of event-focussed weather preparedness training available, the Event
Safety Alliance launched the Severe Weather Summit in 2015. Held each
March at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma, the Severe
Weather Summit is a two-day exploration of meteorological phenomena
20
and how event professionals can mitigate its impact. Led by experts from
the National Weather Service, private forecasting firms, and the live event
industry, the programme aims to improve attendee’s awareness of the
threats they face and provide them with the tools necessary to effectively
plan for severe weather emergencies.
SKY’S RED IN MORNING…
Despite its ubiquity, weather is largely misunderstood outside of the
meteorological community. It’s complex and unstable nature impels
many to place unquestioning faith in the latest cell phone applications,
folksy adages, and their local television newscaster. While not objectively
dangerous, reliance on such resources without a deeper understanding of
the information they provide can have disastrous consequences.
Day one of the 2016 Severe Weather Summit was dedicated to building
this foundational knowledge, exploring the fundamentals of weather
phe-nomena and forecasting along with the resources available to event
producers that can aid in their planning.
Dr. John Scala kicked off the event with an overview of the myths,
misconceptions, and fundamentals of weather forecasting. Scala, a
Certified Consulting Meteorologist and past President of the National
Weather Association, walked attendees through many common aphorisms
about weather, exposing some as partially factual (Skies red in morning,
sailor take warning having a basis in the movement of weather systems),
while others as deadly falsehoods ( Lighting never strikes the same place
twice? Tell that to former park ranger Roy Sullivan… he was struck seven
 SEVERE WEATHER SUMMIT

Opposite: The presentation about the National Weather Center showed a few of the many tools used to
predict the weather. Below: Severe weather hazards can strike without warning; Dr. Kevin Kloesel lead an
informative and lively presentation on elements of a comprehensive weather action plan.
CREATIVE.
POWERFUL.
FLEXIBLE.

times during his life). Drawing connections between this folk wisdom and
today, Scala provided a fascinating overview of modern meteorological
science and how forecasters can predict weather days or even weeks in
advance with a reasonable amount of accuracy.
SUPERNOVA RGBW

THE PITFALLS OF APPATURISM

With the proliferation of smartphone technology has come an influx of
weather apps, each claiming to provide the user with detailed, up-to-the
minute weather information. While having such intelligence in the palm
of your hand can be interesting, it may also provide the user with a undue
sense of security. Without the knowledge to correctly assess the provided
data, you risk making decisions based on what looks dangerous on radar,
while ignoring less apparent (and potentially far greater) threats. In short,
you’re guilty what Dr. Kevin Kloesel refers to as ‘appaturism’.
In his presentation, Kloesel, University Meteorologist in the University of
Oklahoma’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, argued that having access EOS
to weather information is not enough. Situational awareness, the ability to
interpret data, and a plan to act on that information is critical to responding
effectively to severe weather threats. To reinforce this message, he pre-
sented several case studies wherein a lack of one or more of these essential
components put lives at risk. The most well-known of these was the Indiana
State Fair stage roof collapse. According to the Investigator’s Report by
Witt and Associates, authorities were monitoring weather conditions
that evening via a smartphone application. However, they misinterpreted
the provided data and the arrival time of hazardous conditions, thereby
delaying evacuation of the facility. A lack of a decision-making chain BABYZOOM 4 BABYZOOM 1
of command and predetermined decision triggers further delayed the
response, with disastrous consequences.
Kloesel’s intent wasn’t to deter people from using weather apps.
However, he believes they should be viewed as a single component of a
comprehensive weather action plan, and should not supersede what your
eyes and instincts are telling you. +49 7248 912 100 | info@ehrgeiz.com | www.EHRGEIZ.com

SOURCES OF INFORMATION /Ehrgeiz.Light

With the importance of a well-rounded weather action plan established,
the discussion turned to where individuals can locate information to help
Picture: Wheel of Vision / Miriam Gludau / Produkt: EHRGEIZ Chroma RGBW
guide development of their plan, as well as where to turn for accurate day-

21
SEVERE WEATHER SUMMIT
Above: Jacob Worek, Director of operations for the Event Safety Alliance; Weather threat communication is a key component of any weather action plan; A Weather Trigger
Chart (sometimes known as a Weather Decision Matrix)
of-show weather information and alerts. National Weather Service Warning
Coordination Meteorologist Rick Smith provided an overview of several
publicly-available planning resources, as well as what services the National
Weather Service can and cannot provide to individual organisations.
Following Smith, Weather Decision Technologies’ President and Co-
Founder Mike Eilts discussed the role of private sector weather enterprises,
and how such firms can provide real-time weather guidance customised for
your specific event. Both Smith and Eilts pointed out that their roles within
the meteorological industry were complimentary rather than competitive,
with the public and private sector regularly sharing insights, technology,
and data in the pursuit of greater scientific understanding.
THE HAZARDS WE FACE
During the second half of day one, meteorologist from the National Weather
Service and private sector forecasting firms walked the class through a
suite of weather phenomena, selected for their relevance to those planning
live events. These ‘Big Four’ conditions included lighting (presented by
Weather Decision Technologies’ Chris Kerr and J.R. Henley), wind (Dr.
Patrick Marsh), rain/flooding (John Zietler), and heat/cold (Steve Piltz).
These sessions explored the magnitude and predictability of each threat,
as well as the forecast and warning lead times - crucial information when
developing weather decision triggers.
Closing out day one was National Weather Service Warning
Coordination Meteorologist Andy Bailey, who provided an overview of how
the proceeding information can be used to develop tools such as weather
monitoring, communications plans, and decision making triggers. Bailey’s
closing session served as a bridge between the fundamental learning and
the practical application that would be discussed in day two.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Day two of the Severe Weather Summit focussed on decision-making and
the practical application of concepts learned during the previous day’s
sessions. Lambda Productions President Hadden Hippsley joined Event
Safety Alliance Chairman Jim Digby for a primer on building severe weather
action plans, sharing numerous insights he’s gleaned from his experience
as Production Manager for Bonnaroo, Firefly, Electric Forest, and countless
other music and arts festivals around the country. Hippsley spoke of the
need to involve as many internal stakeholders as possible in the planning
process, both as a means to build rapport and to identify weaknesses
in your plans. He discussed the importance of employee training and
22
rehearsal to ensure all stakeholders understand their role in any response
and are confident in their ability to execute it. Hippsley also stressed that
your plans should be as simple and flexible as possible. “Emergencies don’t
follow a script,” he said. “Your plan should not force you to, either.”
Hippsley and Digby then led attendees through a guided workshop,
which involved developing a trigger chart for a real or hypothetical event.
A trigger chart (or weather decision matrix) is a simple, easily understood
tool that provides a visual representation of expected actions based upon
pre-established weather ‘triggers’, such as windspeed, hail, or lightning.
Triggers are determined based on factors specific to your event, such as
the environment, attendance and production elements. As the intensity
of these triggers increases, so too does the degree of response. The final
product is a one-page, colour-coded reference sheet that helps to guide
the decision-making process when faced with severe weather. For more
complex events, individual work areas may require their own unique
matrix (i.e. one for production, one for concessions, etc). All trigger charts
should also contain the method by which stakeholders will be alerted of an
impending threat.
Hippsley stressed that trigger charts should not be one size fits all
and may need to be updated as conditions warrant. For example, if you’re
working on a temporary festival site, the safest sheltering option for
attendees may be their personal vehicles. This would likely increase the
facility’s evacuation time, thereby requiring a lower trigger threshold than
would a facility with onsite shelters. Even minor differences in staging
and equipment should be carefully examined and triggers adjusted
accordingly.
A BETTER PREPARED INDUSTRY
Meteorology is a complex science that takes years, if not decades, to
master. Despite two days of intensive learning, few would walk out of
the Severe Weather Summit claiming to be a weather expert. However,
according to Jim Digby, that isn’t the intent.
“You don’t need to know it all. You just need to know where to start,”
he said. “If you walk out of here today with a greater understanding of
the threat, take steps to ensure your plans are effective, and are more
situationally aware in the field, then you’re doing your part to protect the
lives under your care. There is no higher priority.”
TPi
Photos: Event Safety Alliance
http://eventsafetyalliance.org.
 “It’s been fantastic!”
Jon Sword
FoH: The Feeling

“The CDC six is a professional high end desk that needs to be heard.
It is very intuitive to use - the best user interface of any digital console.
Jon Sword
Front of House Engineer The CDC six breathes life into the sound; it has a nice crisp presence, with a nice
deep low end, without being unnatural. When you push it you can feel the weight
The Feeling come into it; with so many other digital consoles that just does not happen.
The band really appreciates the sound - they absolutely love it. It’s been fantastic!”

Cadac Holdings Ltd.

One New Street, Luton. Bedfordshire. LU1 5DX. England.
Sales Tel: +44 1299 488808
Head Office Tel: +44 1582 404202
www.cadac-sound.com

Jon Sword.indd 1 29/04/2016 15:12

EVENT FOCUS
 PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT

Opposite: The act sold out an incredible 21 shows in the UK and Ireland, wowing fans and gaining further fans in their touring crew.

PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT

With a habit of selling out gigs in their native Britain, former The Beautiful South stars Paul Heaton
and Jacqui Abbott embarked on a UK tour in support of the 2015 album, Wisdom, Laughter and
Lines. TPi speaks to Lighting Designer Patrick Sollitt and Production Manager / Tour Manager Tom
Sheals-Barrett about utilising a Robe-heavy rig, and the technical success behind the tour.

British artist Paul Heaton has been penning catchy songs for his entire
career, earning himself a reputation as a hit maker and a humble
frontman. Alongside former The Beautiful South vocalist, Jacqui Abbott,
the pair have once again proven their incredible popularity with gig-
goers of all ages up and down the British Isles. The feeling is extended
backstage, as Tom Sheals-Barrett - who undertook both TM and PM
duties for this tour, explained: “It’s a really good vibe in the camp; great
band, great crew and bloody great shows! They are so well-received
every night it’s hard not to finish the day with a smile. Both Paul and
Jacqui are very down to earth and self-sufficient, which is why taking on
both the TM and PM role was possible.”  they just do so many colours perfectly, whether you want a bold, saturated
It was Sheals-Barrett’s idea to ask the tour’s Lighting Designer, Patrick
Sollitt, on board. Sollitt told TPi: “I had previously worked with Tom on The
Waterboys’ tour, and when he asked if I’d be interested in this gig, of course I
accepted - who wouldn’t?
“It was however, quite a challenge when thinking about how to begin
creating a new look to a band that has - in different guises - been around
since 1983, from The Housemartins to The Beautiful South, Paul and
Jacqui have got a lot of fans who are used to seeing them live due to
their lengthy careers. My design was a four-truss rig, and while it’s not
reinventing the wheel, it gave a large platform to use new technology so
that I was able to create some big, hopefully memorable looks to augment
the experience for the audience,” he stated.
The fixture choice was predominantly Robe units, comprising 30 Robe
Robin 600 LEDWashes, 12 Robe BMFL Spots and six Robe Pointes. Said
Sollitt: “They just work for me and provide reliable, bright units, which are
available globally. The BMFL Spots are - in my opinion - without a shadow
of doubt the best spot on the market. So much light comes out of those
fixtures. And they have some great stock gobos, which means you can
experiment with all kinds of different looks.
“The Pointes are also so much more than just a beam. You can get so
many beautiful effects out of them, quite the opposite of a one trick pony
- my favourite effect is the liner prism. My decision to use the 600 LEDWash
was simply because you’d be hard pressed to find a better LED wash unit;
palette or pastel shades, that wash won’t let you down.”
The lighting rig was completed by six Martin by Harman MAC 700
Profiles, 15 generic 2-Cell molefays and six generic 4-Cell molefays. “Just
before the tour started I had a little brainwave and added a half mirror
ball into the song Rotterdam. It was a perfect fit and pulled off a stunning,
strong look for one song.”
  Using a ChamSys MQ100 Pro desk and playback wing for control, Sollitt
explained the origin behind his choice: “I was at a tradeshow in 2007
looking at consoles when Richard Larkum [LD] suggested I took a look at
the options with a ChamSys desk. Turns out they were perfect for me and
my lighting style and I have been using them ever since!
  “I hadn’t had much contact with Audile before this tour so I was
somewhat unfamiliar with them. The nice surprise was that they not only

25
PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott were beautifully lit by Patrick Sollitt’s design.

provided a very good lighting package for the tour, but Rob Ashworth
[Audile’s MD] was very helpful in all respects. The crew he sent - Phil
Woodbridge, Crew Chief, and Tim Hawes, Lighting Tech, were very
good. And, despite not having a pre-rigged truss, they got the rig up and
running every day really quickly.” 
Sheals-Barrett added: “As ever with touring, it’s very often budget-led
but Audile are very easy to deal with, have great crew and great kit. From
a production manager point of view, it reduces the workload by having
everything come from one source. There are loads of great suppliers out
there and I would always err on the side of quality and ease, rather than
just price alone. However, the decision is not always mine to make! The
quality and clarity of a quote or tender is a key thing for me.” 
Once the supplier was in place and the design had been finalised,
what did come as a bit of a head-scratcher for Sollitt was the technical
challenge of going from venues such as the 800 capacity Wexford
Opera House to the Leeds First Direct Arena, with a 14,000 capacity.
The challenge was undertaken with poise, and the shows gained
rave reviews. Sollitt continued: “My personal highlights were Glasgow
Academy (how can 2,000 people make so much noise?) and Leeds,
because it was a sell out show in my home town.” It was also the first fully
sold out gig in the arena this year.
Sollitt continued: “The entire 21-date UK and Irish tour sold out, which
proves that fans of the band are still there and loving their live shows.
That continues backstage too; it’s a really close-knit touring party and we
all had a lot of fun on this tour!”
The sentiment was echoed by Sheals-Barrett, who concluded: “I
thoroughly enjoyed working on this tour too. At the end of the day, if the
artist and crew are easy to deal with and the shows are a success, you
can’t help but be happy. And that’s definitely been the case with this
tour.”
TPi
Photos: www.isphotographs.co.uk
www.paulheaton.co.uk
www.backonyourheads.co.uk
www.audile.co.uk
www.robe.cz
www.martin.com
https://secure.chamsys.co.uk

26
 w w w . r o b e . c z
3
360° 360
3 0°

t
tilt pan
n

inzerce SQUARE A4_6mm ka03.indd 1 4.5.2016 13:18:32

 MUSE
Looking as though it’s been ripped straight out of the pages of a science fiction novel, Muse’s
Drones world tour is showing the upper limits of what a rock show can be. TPi’s Stew Hume headed
to the O2 Arena in London to talk tracking systems, 360° sound and flying machines with the crew
behind the record-breaking show that has the whole industry talking…

It is comforting to know that, despite a continuing rhetoric of doom
and gloom about the future of how we consume music in 2016, some
bands still have the confidence to produce concept albums. For their
latest release, Muse have taken the idea of a concept further than most,
having the continuing narrative from the album cross over into their live
show. Starting out in Mexico in November 2015 the Drones tour has been
taken around the world, pleasing their global fanbase who have come to
expect something special. With a production that included interactive
video elements, a bespoke stage in the round, a dazzling light show and
12 drones that circled the band’s performance, it’s clear that team Muse
have created a spectacle to remember.
As TPi stood in the middle tier of the O2 Arena for the band’s third night
in the venue it was hard to believe this whole show was conceived during
a quiet conversation between frontman Matt Bellamy and the band’s Tour
Director, (and TPi Award winner) Glen Rowe.
IT’S A ROCK SHOW JIM…BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT.
Sitting backstage with Rowe, he recalled the conversation that eventually
inspired the gigantic show: “This album cycle has been completely different
from any other record we have done. Matt already knew the name of the
album before he sat down to write a single note. I remember we were at
Formula One in Abu Dhabi back in 2013, sitting on these wicker chairs,
looking out at the view. Suddenly Matt said, ‘I really want to do a conceptual
album based around one word.’ During that discussion the word ‘drones’
came up in conversation. The word has so many potential meanings, from
the noise, the bee, the faceless drones that people talk about today; it just
sparked Matt’s imagination then he and the other two band members -
bassists Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard - produced
this whirlwind of brilliant ideas that kept coming our way.” Rowe went on to
explain that during his time with the band -16 years - there has always been
a recurring belief that people behind the scenes come up with the ideas for

28

Muse’s live shows. These beliefs are false: “The three of them come up with
everything. They are incredibly smart guys, so creative in everything they
do.”
During this initial discussion, Rowe recounted how Bellamy was already
drawing sketches on napkins and coming up with the ideas of playing in the
round as well as dreaming up flying objects which circle the band as they
play. With the help of long-serving Show Designer and Lighting Designer,
[and dual 2016 TPi award winner] Oli Metcalfe, the band’s vision began to
take shape. “For other projects we have put together for Muse, the concept
for the show had to fit in with the material on the record,” stated Rowe.
“However this was so clean because the concept of the show was already in
place.”
Undeniably, the current tour is pushing Muse beyond the realms of a
standard rock show. “I would certainly call this show a performance rather
than a rock gig,” agreed Rowe. “It’s strange because we are used to kids
coming over the barriers but for this whole run we have only had a few. I
spoke to the band about it in the early stages of development explained
that playing to a mainly seated audience would mean that you wouldn’t
get the crush at the front.” Despite the changing environment, the band
has made the transition effortlessly. “Even during the first couple of
shows it didn’t seem difficult for them to perform in the round and their
performances have only got stronger. Now with even more microphones on
the stage, both Matt [lead vocals and guitar] and Chris [backup vocals and
bass] can roam around and perform from several positions.”
Rowe admitted that putting on such a cutting edge live show had been
a challenging experience for the crew but the reaction from the crowd they
have been receiving every night certainly made up for the trying times:
“Every night during the show I walk around the various venues and I see
people just sitting there, open-mouthed. Even those in the highest seats
get a great view of the show due to the scale of this production.”
THE KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA
Heading up the production team was Chris Kansy. “This is actually my
29
PRODUCTION PROFILE
second project with Muse,” he began. “On the 2nd Law tour I got contacted
by the then PM, Steve Iredale, who needed to walk away from the tour to
focus on the new stadium run, so I filled in for the majority of the US dates.”
Fast forward a few years later and Q Prime Management got in touch with
Kansy to work with the band again. “When I got the call for the Drones tour
I have to admit I was very interested as I would be helping to build this
massive show from scratch. For the last run I was very much a ‘fill-in guy’
and wanted to honour the work of my predecessor by not shaking things
up too much, even though it was now my ship to sail.” Although Kansy
was very much in the driving seat this time round, he opted to bring back
many of the same suppliers and crew from his previous run with the band.
As he explained: “The team we had on 2nd Law was the reason it was so
successful and I wanted them back for this project; thankfully most of them
returned. There are members of this crew - such as Marc Carolan [FOH],
Oli Metcalfe, Paul English [Stage Manager] and Adam Taylor [Monitors] –
who are going on for their 15th year with the band and have done several
hundred shows with them. I wanted to keep the family intact to keep the
tour’s core strong and cohesive. It really has worked.”
The Drones tour also saw the welcome return of many more familiar
faces. Kansy expanded: “The vendors we have used have an established
relationship with Muse. That being said, as a production we don’t just
blindly hire all these companies and pay whatever they ask. It’s a balance.
Just like every tour, we have to be very aware of costs and other companies
are asked to provide quotes. But we are also keen to keep our relationships
with companies such as Neg Earth Lights, Skan PA, PRG XL Video, Brilliant
Stages and TAIT.
“All of these companies know how I operate and how Oli Metcalfe works.
It’s always great to have someone on the other end of the phone who really
has your back.” Kansy explained that he has had positive relationships with
Skan PA and Neg Earth Lights. “Both our lighting and audio supplier are
run day-to-day by the owners of the companies. When you work with them
you are dealing directly with the owner and operator I personally see a big
difference. You’re not just talking to a freelancer of a company but guys
MUSE
Singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy, ever the showman; Tour Director Glen Rowe spoke of how the whole idea of the Drones tour came from a quiet conversation between
himself and Matt Bellamy; His second time with Muse, Production Manger Christopher Kansy stayed loyal to many of the long term suppliers and crew of the band.
who are 100% invested in their work. It’s not just a job for them. It’s their
livelihood.”
SETTING THE STAGE
There were many goals and ideas that were thrown around during the initial
brainstorming stage of what would become the Drones tour, but one thing
that Bellamy was keen to address was how the band could play to as many
people as possible. “I suggested the idea of a boxing ring as during those
events there are always far more people in the venues,” stated Rowe. From
here, Bellamy came up with the idea of performing on a centre, circular
stage that would open up the maximum amount of floor space. It is worth
noting that the day after TPi saw Muse play, 21,000 people attended the
show, which broke the record of the largest audience attendance for a
musical performance at the O2. This was yet another feather in the cap for
the tour which has set new records in arenas all over Europe.
Once the ideas for the tour were ready to make the leap from napkins
to concrete designs, Metcalfe entered the frame. One of the first things
that he brought to the table was the need for a raised stage, which the
crew affectionately referred to as the ‘Space Station’. The impressive
aerial structure housed the majority of the lighting fixtures, projection and
videos screens, not to mention the Drones -referred to by the crew as HFOs
(helium filled objects) - along with several crewmembers who call the area
home for several hours every night.
All the suspended staging was creating by Brilliant Stages. Director of
Brilliant, Ben Brooks, talked about some of the technical challenges he
faced: “Oli came to us at the end of 2014 with the tour concept. Touring
in the round is always tricky and brings its own challenges; the one that
jumped out first is the issue of weight. As we started getting into the design
we knew we had to put everything in the roof. It became apparent that
the design was going to have to be incredibly modular with the structure
holding all the tech equipment. It needed to be fitted together and flown
30
as one piece. What we eventually created was a world upstairs made up
of 12 pods; four audio pods, one automation pod, two Neg Earth Lights
pods, one for video and a welfare pod.” Brooks added that Brilliant also
had to include 21 axis of motion control for the roll drops that were used at
several points in the show to project video content. These were hung on the
underside of the Space Station.
For the ground stage, Muse brought in another TPi Award winner,
staging specialists, TAIT to create the 165ft structure designed by Metcalfe.
Senior Project Manager at TAIT, Matt Hales, commented on the company’s
initial involvement in the Drones tour: “We have worked with Chris Kansy on
many other projects but when we were approached with the tour and we
saw the unique show design that Oli had conceptualised, we jumped at the
chance. We were confident that we would be able to rationalise his vision
into an exceptional, operational, efficient system, while maintaining the
integrated level of detail for the design.”
The focal point of the set was the rotating circular stage measuring in
at 38ft in diameter. The revolving stage also had integrated video strips
(Martin by Harman VC 30’s) on the surface of the stage, as well as a drop
down platform for Muse’s keyboard player, Morgan Nicholls. The system
was built using a central hub that had concentric frames radiating outwards
from the centre. As each row of frames gets added into the system the
production could add a row of decking. This allows for an extremely fast
installation and build process. Hales commented: “Mechanically, the
challenge that was presented to us was the variable speed requirement.
The stage can revolve as fast as two revolutions per minute or as slow as
one revolution per hour. At that latter point, it is hardly noticeable that it is
even moving.”
The staging also had two B-stage wings from the central circle which
the crew referred to as the north and south stage. Each B-stage has an
integrated prop lift that brings various elements up to stage height from
the underworld storage area as well as revealing the band at the start of
 Music, Film & TV
PRODUCTION FACILITIES
Lighting Package - Production Office - On Site Catering
Dressing Rooms - 24 Hour Security

MILLENNIUM STUDIOS
‘A’ Stage Hire £600 / 10hr weekday • 27.7m x 18m x 10m
Recent visiting clients include:
Will Young • John Legend • Bastille • Bring Me The Horizon • Fall Out Boy
Suppliers of Two Way Radios for the

DRONES WORLD TOUR

For more information contact

Nigel Morris - Managing Director
Telephone: +44 (0) 1234 780100 Tel: 01384 262100 Email: nigel@radiotek.co.uk
www.millenniumstudios.co.uk www.radiotek.co.uk

Studio grade remote controlled mic pres

Studio Quality, Live. in a modular stage rack, featuring Dante,

MADI, AES3 and Pro Tools|HD connectivity.

Powered by

www.focusrite.com/rednet +44 (0) 1494 462 246

Pro Tools|HD is a trademark or registered trademark of Avid Technology, Inc.
or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries
MUSE
The complete trio of Chris Wolstenholme, Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard performing on the centre stage of the massive bespoke set created by TAIT; Stage Manager
Paul English; Carpenter Aaron Alfaro took charge of TAIT’s Navigator system that controlled the rotating centre stage; Jem Nicholson, Head Carpenter; Dave ‘Dash’ Rowe,
Head Rigger.
the show. This underworld was also the home for the band’s backline techs
during the show. Hales continued: “Oli had a very clear and developed
vision of what he wanted the stage set to be. This always adds a nice
challenge because we make every effort to satisfy all those expectations
without any concessions. In that respect, we have a great relationship
with Oli and we were able to have consistent dialogue that allowed us to
produce something that everyone could be really proud of.”
One aspect of the design that Hales was keen to highlight was the
health and safety considerations that had to be taken into account while
creating the stage. “Safety is always paramount for TAIT. The B-stages were
quite tall so having the edge clearly marked was a must. Also there are a
lot of technicians and performers under the stage, which is continuously
moving throughout the show. TAIT Navigator, the company’s proprietary
automation software, controled all of the moving stage assets. In order to
ensure proper operation and safety, we provide extensive training with the
operators so they know where they can and can’t be, how to quickly disable
the system and where to locate the e-stops.” The automation for the show
was controlled by several of the crew’s set carpenters. Aaron Alfaro took
charge of the navigator system that controlled the rotating centre stage. “I
had limited knowledge of automation,” admitted Alfaro. “But I went over
to TAIT in October for the initial build and got to grips with the system. TAIT
were really supportive both in helping me find my feet with the system and
with general maintenance questions that we may have.”
THE BUILD
Heading up the load-in and -out on a daily basis is Stage Manager Paul
English. Celebrating his 15th year with the band it is fair to say that English
has first-hand experience with the ever-increasing size of Muse’s show.
He admitted however, that this particular production took some time
to perfect. “It took us a long time to finesse this beast of a stage. Just to
unload this show takes several hours from the 25 trucks we have on this UK
tour. But now we have load-in and -out down to a fine art.”
32
Since the American leg of the tour, the production decided to add an
extra five trucks which were supplied by TransAm Trucking. “Both myself
and Q Prime Management have used TransAm for decades,” stated Kansy.
“There is a strong bond there and I can always rely on them.” Natasha
Flatt, Logistics Coordinator for TransAM Trucking commented: “We started
working together with Chris Kansy and Q Prime in the early stages of the
planning the tour, advising on journey times and mileages. We now have
25 megacube trucks on the tour, expertly led by Dave Cole, which started
in Paris back in February of this year, travelling across Europe and finishing
in Moscow at the end of June. Four megacubes will then continue on to the
festival run across Europe again until the end of August. As always, its a
pleasure to work with Chris Kansy and great to be working with Paul English
again!”
Freighting was supplied by Rock-It Cargo. Kansy continued: “I have
used Rock-It Cargo my entire career. When I started working for Muse on
the 2nd Law tour, they had already been using Rock-It for their freight so I
was happy to have them in place. This whole production was designed to
fit into sea containers. So if it needed to airfreight, it wouldn’t be able to go
commercial. It would need to charter on 747’s.”
English went on and described his daily routine: “We start our day at
3am with our riggers marking out the venue and after an hour they start
tipping some of the trucks and begin rigging. After an hour, myself and my
assistant David Hall come in and the rest of the trucks are unloaded.” From
that stage, English begins his staggered call for the various departments.
“It works out quite nicely and there is always a little time to take a breath
before the next department comes in,” he stated.
“I always want to give our riggers enough time to get sorted before
other departments come in and start moving their equipment out on the
floor.” English went on to describe the importance of inter departmental
communication: “Every day I meet with the heads of departments to talk
about how the load-in that day has gone as well as the load-out last night.
These meetings are so crucial and I always make a note of everything
MUSE
The entire Path65 crew who are responsible for the 14 HFOs as well as the giant Reaper drone which flew out over the crowd during the song The Globalist; Show Designer
and LD Oli Metcalfe standing with his personal High End Systems Hog 4; Thomas Kirk reclaimed his position of Video Director for the tour; One of the goals of the design
was to give band members as much freedom to move around as possible.
discussed and make sure the correct information is filtered down to the
right people.”
Head Rigger David ‘Dash’ Rowe heads up a team of two and 28 local
riggers brought in every day. “With a show like this there always has to be a
tonne of prep work before I even step into the arena,” began Dash. “There is
always pre-CAD drawing, as with every show, but for this particular tour one
aspect that we need to pay more attention to is the threshold limit of some
of these venues. We never cross the limit but there have been some venues
where it has been awfully close.” Overall the platform measured in at just
over 57 tonnes. The motors used for this tour were supplied by both the
lighting and audio suppliers with Skan PA supplying Columbus McKinnon
Lodestar motors and Neg Earth Lights opting for Litec’s EXE rise motors.
The crew was also made up of seven carpenters. Jem Nicholson, Head
Carpenter talked TPi through the build stage of the day. With a 360° show
like this one the main problems you have is that we take up the whole floor
and the stage in the air is just as big as the one on the floor. In venues with
small floor space we often struggle and we have an incredibly specific order
in which we load in and build, as with the load out. One of the main things is
that we don’t start building the stage on the floor until the Space Station is
up in the air.”
The final piece of the puzzle for the build was the barrier system that
was rented out by Mojo Barriers. Account Manager for Mojo, Stanley Jilesen,
discussed what they supplied for the tour. “We rented out specifically
designed barriers for this tour, with around 300 pieces in total. With the
unconventional shape of the stage we had to create bespoke barrier
doors and snake gates due to the high number of cables come from the
stage.” Kansy commented: “Muse’s Drones tour isn’t a straightforward
34
one-size fits all show. With this bespoke stage layout we have multiple
entrances and multiple cables routing in and out. The set up depends on
a number of factors including the venue, where the band enters and how
we need to feed equipment in and out of it. We rely on carrying a range
of spare equipment Mojo Barriers has supplied to enable us to adopt the
configuration that we need for the show, and having the right parts to do
this is important.” He added: “My relationship with Mojo Barriers has been
a long one and I have huge trust in the team and their kit. They understand
our requirements and have gone out of their way to ensure we have all the
special corners and gates needed to stage this impressive show.”
LIGHTING
For the visual elements of the show TPi scaled to the middle tier of the O2
to meet Metcalfe at his control centre, alongside the team from Path65
who control the HFOs. All of the control elements for the lighting came
courtesy of Metcalfe’s own company, Oli Metcalfe Design Ltd. “Everything
from the lighting desk to the fibre optic cables and the Luminex DMX8 Mk2
ArtNet nodes are all mine,” began Metcalfe. “It’s a great position to be in
because I’ve got exactly what I wanted and am now at a stage where I have
a complex infrastructure and can put on more ambitious shows on in the
future.” Anyone who is familiar with Metcalfe will be aware of his regular use
of High End Systems’ Hog 4. He explained: “I’ve used Hog console desks for
ages. As a console I can get the art out without thinking about it. I have said
for a long time that you can really tell the hard work that has gone into the
console. I applaud what other consoles are capable of doing but I find them
to scientific. For Drones we have another Hog 4 as a backup but it stays in a
flight case - I had a band ‘beer-spillage’ incident a long time ago when two
 PROUD TO SUPPORT MUSE
DRONES TOUR 2015/16

COMMERCIAL AIR FREIGHT I INTERNATIONAL EXPRESS COURIERS I DEDICATED EUROPEAN VAN NETWORK
OCEAN FREIGHT I ON BOARD COURIERS I ATA CARNETS I TRUCKING I AIR CHARTERS I PASSENGER AIR CHARTERS

+44 (0)20 88 977 977 ROCK-ITCARGO.COM INFO@ROCK-IT.CO.UK

MUSE
The tour deployed the largest CAST BlackTrax system ever to be used in an arena with 38 cameras for real time motion tracking used for band key lighting, video elements
and guiding the path of the HFOs.
desks were taken out by one pint! Since then the back-up stays in the case!”
Supplying all the fixtures along with fittings, truss and rigging (with the
exceptions of Skan PA who provided its own motors for the PA) was Neg
Earth Lights. “Neg basically do all the top steel for the show,” explained
Metcalfe. “I think it makes it much easier for Jake Piper who does all our
health and safety. It was much easier for him to build a risk assessment
based on one company providing all the equipment. It’s hectic enough on
a load in and having to get everything in the air so quickly. If all the gear
is coming from one set of bins from one company and it’s all unified it
certainly makes it easier for riggers. It’s certainly a trend you see a lot more
of these days with rigging, motors and fixtures all coming from one lighting
company.”
To Metcalfe’s specification, Neg Earth Lights supplied 48 Clay Paky
Mythos (eight on the floor and the rest of them in the air in the central
Krouner.) “The Mythos have been incredibly reliable,” stated Metcalfe.
“One of their main purposes if for me to show off the grandeur of the stage
by running them down the room.” Many Martin by Harman products were
also deployed on the rig. “There are 56 Martin Aura XBs present on the
North, South, East and West positions as well as on the Krouner. They
work really nicely as a punch light and I also tend to run some beamage
effects with them as well. Even though they are LED fixtures they look very
organic. They are incredibly versatile and there are loads of them in rental
stock.” Metcalfe went on to explain that the Aura also matched the Martin
by Harman Viper AirFX. “The Vipers have only one job on this rig and that
is to work as our followspot.” The LD also deployed several attack fixtures
which included 28 Clay Paky Stormy CCs and 12 Martin by Harman Atomic
LED 3000’s. “The Martin 3000’s are pretty brutal. Although they only go one
colour they are what I would call a ‘proper’ strobe. I use them a lot for crowd
blinding effects,” he said.
SUPERMASSIVE BLACK(TRAX) HOLE
After several years working with Muse, Metcalfe has certainly had the
opportunity to push the boundaries of live production and the Drones tour
has been no exception, considering the deployment of the largest-ever
CAST BlackTrax system ever deployed within an arena. With 38 BlackTrax
cameras (14 positioned in the arena roof and 24 mounted in the flown
stage) the real time motion tracking system could track the complete stage
as well as the whole audience area and was used for a combination band
key lighting with the follow spots, video elements and guiding the path of
the HFOs.
“During the design process I looked at several other similar systems,”
36
explained Metcalfe. “But what separated BlackTrax from other options was
how it integrates with all our other systems. All the data that BlackTrax puts
out is so accurate. It has allowed us to go into arenas of such high altitudes
in a way that makes the whole venue trackable. This was an important
element as we fly all the HFOs around the stage and above the audience.”
Metcalfe was so impressed with BlackTrax that he personally invested in
the system. “It was quite a daunting task with the size of arenas we were
going into but Gil Densham and the rest of the folks from CAST were very
supportive with everything that was going on in the project. I think the
system has been so solid for this tour because of the networking with all
the Luminex DMX8 Mk2 ArtNet Nodes. The investment I made into this
bespoke optical rig means I have been able to open up all the streams on
integration. I knew if I was going to get what I wanted I would have to invest
in the system myself.” Metcalfe added: “I really believe that BlackTrax will
go down in history as a disruptive stage tool that breaks all boundaries in
terms of creativity!”
For every show the BlackTrax System worked hand in hand with
WYSIWYG. Metcalfe elaborated: “Running BlackTrax with WYSIWYG is
critical. On show day mornings we conduct a laser scan of each venue and
create workflows for video, lighting and actors using WYSIWYG lighting
design and pre-visualisation. This gives us accurate data for placement of
BlackTrax tracking cameras showing how the system would work before we
even got there.” The tracking system included three artist trackables along
with 14 drone trackables for the HFOs.
For the followspots to work effectively Metcalfe needed to find a way
to beacon all three of the musicians. “With the band’s stylist I designed the
band’s jackets to ensure each member has two beacons on their shoulders.
Sam Augustus, who is our main BlackTrax tech on the ground, deals with
Karen Nicholson from wardrobe to ensure that all the beacons are on
and we can pick them up from our system. We also have a second set of
beacons on each member on the band’s t-shirts for when they take their
jackets off mid set. The band have not mentioned the beacons and they
don’t seem to be impeding their performance at all. I think I have been able
to deliver the best keylight I ever had.”
Each of the HFOs were piloted by Dutch company Path65 who deployed
its proprietary motion control system, which remotely controlled the
drones through a predesigned flight path. BlackTrax is also used to send
the drones’ positional data in real-time to Path65’s controller system and
warns it in case a wind gust moves the drones away from the flight path or
if there is a potential risk of collision. The system was also used to pilot the
large space ship drone, nicknamed the ‘Reaper’, that flew out above the
 WE ARE PROUD TO BE PROVIDING
T H E C R E W A N D B A N D C AT E R I N G
ON THE DRONES WORLD TOUR

W W W . R O C K P O O LT O U R C AT E R I N G . C O M

PHONE EMAIL I N S TA G R A M
+44 (0) 7912964100 I N F O @ R O C K P O O LT O U R C AT E R I N G . C O M @ R O C K P O O LT O U R C AT E R I N G
MUSE
Each member of the band had beacons on their shoulders for the benefit of the BlackTrax system which, according to Metcalfe, produced,
“the best keylight” he has ever had.
crowd during the song, The Globalist.
VIDEO
Throughout the night, video elements were deployed that helped move
the narrative of the show along, all of which was supplied by PRG XL Video.
Metcalfe special requested Creative Technology’s Glux 10mm LED screen.
“I chose the Glux because of its extreme lightweight profile,” explained
Metcalfe. “For a 10mm screen it has an extremely elegant frame that is
made out of carbon fibre - It’s been bulletproof.” The screen was set up in a
curve formation elevated about the centre stage. Due to the irregular shape
PRG XL Video had to engineer bespoke brackets. Control for the Glux 10mm
was routed through a High End Systems, Catalyst v5 server that was again
supplied by Metcalfe. The v5 also controlled the 180 Martin by Harman
VDO Sceptron 10mm in the raised staging along with the Martin by Harman
VC 30’s that were built into the stage. Metcalfe discussed the reason for
choosing Martin products: “I specified it all to be Martin because it all
unifies itself under the p3 processing blanket and that makes mapping and
controlling the pixels really easy.”
Along with the Creative Technology Glux screens to produce video
content Metcalfe deployed 12 Barco HDF-W30 FLEX projectors and the
Barco MMS-100 (moving mirror system). “The Flex 30’s project onto voiles
that come down several times throughout the set,” explained Metcalfe.
“The voiles not only deliver content that is visible from both sides of the
stage but also are compatible with our tracking system. I had to choose
a material that didn’t defuse or polarise the lights as you look through it.
The material we have has been brilliant and creates a sharp image on both
sides of the voil. It was important to be able to see the band members
from the other side of the voile as the band performed on the catwalk of
the stage.” It took three months for the LD to find a material he was 100%
happy with which involved several meetings with J&C Joel. Driving all the
projectors was the Barco XPR 602 servers.
Video Director for the tour was Thomas Kirk from Banoffee Sky. “I first
started touring with Muse on their second album Origin Of Symmetry,”
began Kirk. “I’d known the band for some years and was invited to
document their tour for what turned out to be a film we made called
Hullabaloo. At the same time the band were just beginning to have video
production involving cameras and visuals. It was all very lo-tech back in
the day as is natural when a band firsts starts out but it was a lot of fun and
38
an incredible learning curve. I’ve been their video director ever since.” Kirk
went on to explain the brief that was given for this current tour: “For the
show the goal was to create an edgy, rock ‘n’ roll video show that was up
close and personal despite the vast expanse of this stage.” The sheer scope
of the stage created quite a few problems for the camera team who had to
cover several angles while delivering up to three camera cuts on IMAG of all
band members.
“There was an element of head scratching when I first saw Oli’s design!”
Kirk explained: “This has been the biggest challenge as a live director and
certainly kept myself and the camera team on our toes. In order to make
sure we had all angles covered we manufactured a bespoke track for our
cameras on both sides of the pit, which runs curved around the stage and
along the thrusts which means my track and dolly cameras were able to
beautifully follow main stage action. At each end of the stage we have a
pole cams which cover those areas and thankfully the band love literally
playing into and muck around with. Centrally on stage our robo cams and
mini cams deliver exciting and close up action and between it all we didn’t
find ourselves missing any action.”
PRG XL Video supplied full HD PPU, featuring a 24 input Ross Carbonite
Black vision mixing desk with multimedia chassis. This system makes light
work of mixing and layering our 12 live cameras and four full HD real time
video FX feeds to multiple output destinations. Real time full HD video
effects supplied by Matt Vassallo’s propriety server system delivering low
latency real time video effects and looks to compliment the show. The
camera system comprised of four Sony HXC100, four Bradley Engineering
Camball 2’s, two Bradley Engineering HD15’s. Also present were two HD
polecams supplied by Rob Wicks at Polecat Cameras. The system also
features five channels of Blackmagic SSD recorders allowing for rapid
utilisation and editing of show files and content. FOH control is delivered
through a bespoke PRG XL Video fibre system, which allowed for flexible
deployment of the rig in the most advantageous position in challenging
scenarios.
The visual content for the show was left in the capable hands of Moment
Factory. This was the first time the company had worked with Muse but
according to Jesse Lee Stout, Creative Director at Moment Factory, the
collaboration has been a great success. “We were brought in at a pretty
early stage of development for this tour. We were originally contacted
because of our software, X-Agora, is licenced through Barco. I know Oli
 WHO ARE WE
FASTEST GROWING TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER IN THE MIDDLE EAST & THE WORLD

WHO ARE YOU

AN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME WITH
THE PASSION TO DELIVER AT THE HIGHEST STANDARD

WHAT DO YOU DO
LIGHTING
SOUND
VIDEO
RIGGING
AV TECHNICIAN
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

For September start dates, we are looking for people from all disciplines as well as a
Senior Lighting Engineer and a Head of Lighting with touring music and
large event experience, including design.

Drop Helen an email at recruitment@prg.com and we look forward to hearing from you.

P.O. Box 53407, Dubai Investment Park, www.prg.com, dubai@prg.com

LIVE MUSIC | CORPORATE & TRADE SHOW | SPECIAL EVENTS | THEATRE | TELEVISION & FILM
MUSE
FOH Engineer Marc Carolan with Skan PA Systems Tech Joachim Dewulf and Eddie O’Brien, Systems Engineer; Down in the south stage, Monitor Engineer Adam Taylor with
a Midas Pro9.
was already using the Barco projectors so we were brought in and moved
on from there.” Stout went into the project relatively blind and explained
that his first batch of ideas was based on his own research into the band’s
history. “I brought a bunch of ideas to our initial meeting when I met Matt.
During this meeting he discussed how the video content could feed into
the overarching narrative of the show. One of the ideas we discussed was
the inclusion of a recurring androgynous figure, which Matt labelled ‘The
Dictator’, that would make several appearances throughout the show. The
character in question takes the form of a female and every human face you
see in the show is her.”
As well as simply streaming content Stout and Metcalfe also created
video projection elements that interacted with the band on stage. “With
the song The Handler we had this idea of a figure having puppet strings
attached to the band,” explained Stout. “The concept was actually
quite ground-breaking for us in that it mixes pre-rendered content and
interactive live content seamlessly. For that particular song we pre-
rendered the hands and strings attached to her fingers but the strings
follow the guys in real time. We made use of the BlackTrax software and the
beacons on the band’s shoulders to control where the strings fell.”
Giving his final thoughts on the tour, Stout commented: “Muse is always
known for going pretty big and it’s true that fans have an expectation. In
my opinion, that was definitely met. Muse has really pushed the boundaries
of touring technology over the last few years and I’m very grateful for that.
They have opened the doors of experimentation for other acts.”
The final notable visual element of the band’s show was the confetti
blasts that were seen at the tail end of the gig. They featured MagicFX
stadium shots for the streamers and MagicFX CO2 driven confetti blowers,
both of which were supplied by Quantum Special Effects Group. Kansy
commented: “The confetti blast is during a track called Mercy. Quantum
provide a dry hire on this tour with our carpenters setting up and firing
the system. If we were doing more technical effects such as lasers or
pyrotechnics we would have brought one of the Quantum team out but it
was not necessary with these blasts.”
40
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
As with every tour an effective communication system is a must. For the
tour Metcalfe suggested bringing in an independent talk-back system
rather than relying on the traditional set up of running all talkback
communication through monitors, leaving that airspace free for the
band, techs and audio crew. Channel 16 supplied the state of the art
Green Go wired and wireless digital comms for the tour which ran over a
fiber backbone via luminex PoE switches. Metcalfe recently invested in
the system. “I bought it last year with festival season in mind as having a
digital system that is clean and expandable with no interference from over
frequencies is invaluable in those type of events.” Stage Manager Paul
English also commented on the use of the comms system during the show.
“I am the show caller for the whole set giving instructions for the lifts on
the North and South of the stage, the deployment of the roll drops as well
as when the Krouner moves in and out. In the past we had some issues
using the same frequencies as the band. For this tour the Green Go has
been incredibly useful giving a system with no interference.” Channel 16
also supplied several Axis Q61 PTZ light finder cameras which were used
by techs and Adam Taylor, Monitor Engineer, to see what the band is doing.
English expanded: “Being underneath the stage always creates a logistical
problem. The small CCTV package means we can get basic visuals when we
are moving lifts or when the center stage is revolving.
SOUND IN THE ROUND
As well as having to create a visual experience that can be appreciated
by all the people in the dome, a 360° show also creates an interesting
challenge for the audio department. Once again, in collaboration with Skan
PA, FOH Engineer, Marc Carolan was at the helm of the band’s sound. Being
with the band since their second album the engineer has certainly earned
his stripes but how did he deal with the band’s first in the round show? “A
few years we toured with U2 as a support on their 360° tour. We ended up
doing something like 50 shows which gave me some experience of mixing
in the round. I always knew that eventually we would get the call saying that
we would do an in the round gig so we have been planning it for several
 MUSE

years. Once we got word from Oli that we were going ahead Matt Vickers,
Skan’s System Designer, took over. I have used Skan ever since I have mixed
Muse and I have a great working relationship with Matt. It definitely has
been a challenge on this tour but I really trust the expertise of Matt and the
guys from Skan.”
The PA in question was an amalgamation of d&b audiotechnik J and
V-Series. The J-Series where set up on the north and sound stages with
the V-Series used on the West and East directions. “The reasoning behind
this was due to the geometry of most of the venues we are playing in,”
stated Carolan. “The sides often have a shallower inclined but are very high
so you have to have a system that covers from the barriers to the highest
seat. The V-Series lends itself to working with that geometry. We have been
using the new d&b audiotechnik Array Processing, which has allowed us to
tonally match both the J and V-Series which has been very good.” Another
advantage for having a mixture of the V Series was the reduced weight of
the system compared to the J. In total there were 72 J-Series (18 per hang),
72 V-Series (again, 18 per hang), 32 J-SUBs, eight J-INFRA, four V-Subs
and eight Y10Ps. All speakers where driven by 84 d&b audiotechnik D80
amplifiers.
For FOH control, Carolan opted for a Midas XL4 with a Midas PRO2C
sidecar. “It’s kind of a mix of technologies. The analogue XL4 still sounds
great but we are using the PRO2C to deal with a lot of the automation side
of things as well as for additional inputs. For this show we have so many
scene changes and recalls and although it seems like quite a ‘Frankenstein
set-up’, what I have ended up with has given me as much control as a
digital console while maintain that analogue sound. It took a lot of head
scratching to get here but it is now fantastically simple to mix. I can now just
engage with the show and stay in the flow of the set.” Carolan wanted to
give special praise to Midas’ work with the PRO2C. “Midas did such a good
job with the gain structure on the PRO2 and even the fader positions really
does feel like and extension of the XL4.”
He went on to talk about the mix he created for Muse. “In terms of
recreating the mixes from the records we kind of have a balance. There are
some cues and effects that we are particularly interesting in recreating but
there is always an element of trying to keep everything live and powerful. I
work on both approaches in parallel.”
compressor vocal preamp.” The second [and slightly more unconventional]
was the San Amp PSA1.1. “This is usually a guitar distortion but at certain
times in the set we use it on the vocals; for instance in the song Psycho. With
its high gain there is a risk of the mix become quite messy so we attempt to
keep it quite low within the mix. It’s midi controlled so it only it brought in
when necessary and then it’s programmed to switch off to avoid any spill.”
With multiple microphones on stage Taylor discussed some of the
challenges when keeping the vocal mix constant: “It is always a problem
because you’re going to pick up noise from the PA along with delay and
timing issues. We have found ways of getting around it however. I ride a lot
of the rhythm parts of songs. The way that I have my desk set up I always
have control of the vocal levels on the surface at all time and I’m dipping it
out when I can.”
The sheer number of microphones on stage also created an interesting
dilemma for Taylor and Carolan. “We quickly realised that with the number
of microphone positions that both myself and Adam would spend the
whole show chasing them around,” commented Carolan. “The solution
was to build a bespoke microphone switching system which is operated
by Matthew Besford Foster, Skan PA Tech throughout the show. He is
positioned just below the turntable where he can see the whole stage and
he watches the band, which frees both myself and Taylor to just mix the
show. It has also given the band a great deal of freedom on stage.” Carolan
also noted how the mic switching created an added issue as every mic that
Matt went to has to have all his various distortion effects. “It took a bit of
thinking to make that seamless but credit has to be given to the Midas XL88
which really came to the rescue.”
HOSPITALITY
Despite Muse playing several nights in one venue during the European leg
of the tour, Kansy said they still had Phoenix busses on site to transport
the 67-strong crew. “Phoenix has worked with Muse for many years now
and it’s great to keep that tradition going by being part of the Drones tour,”
commented Andy Gray from Phoenix Bussing. “For each leg of the tour we
have provided five crew buses in either 14 or 16 berth configurations and
also a bus for the band when required as well. Working with Chris on this

MONITORS
Below decks on the south of the stage is the home of Monitor Engineer
Adam Taylor. TPi asked how he dealt with being in the depths of the stage
for the performance. “I really can’t see much from my area apart from
through the CCTV cameras and the small gap in the stage. Some bands like
to have the monitor engineer right there beside them but it’s not like that
for these guys. I have been working with them long enough that they have
faith in me. I get asked for very little during the set, save for a request to
have a little more or less of Matt’s vocals.”
This is the 12th year working with Skan PA for Taylor. For control, the
company supplied him with a Midas PRO9 with 80 inputs into the desk and
24 out. The stage itself is speakerless with all the band and techs on IEM
utilising the Sennheiser 2000 Series. Taylor commented: “During the early
stages of the tour we thought there may be some issues with RF due to the
size of the stage. It’s between 30 to 40 metres from one end to the other
and all our radio equipment is at one end of the stage and there are a lot of
things it has to pass through. We employed the Senheiser RF amps of IEM
distribution and in many ways they have worked too well. We have had to
drop to the low level of transmission as the higher levels were causing a lot
of intermodulation. We are also employing a Hameg HM5014-2 for real time
scanning to see the whole picture throughout the show.” Taylor throughout
the tour has taken care of all the RF with the assistance of Liam Tucker,
Skan PA Crew Chief.
One of the briefs for the audio team at the start of the tour was that both
Bellamy and Wolstenholme had to have the ability to move anywhere on
“Channel 16 is supplying state of the art Green Go wired and wireless
stage. Taylor explained: “Both Matt and Chris have two mics on the centre digital comms to the touring world. This is all run over a fiber backbone
stage as well as one each on both of wings of the set. Matt also has an extra via luminex PoE switches. We also supply CCTV & monitors for Techs to
microphone on his piano which is lifted from the depths of the north stage see what the band are doing via Axis Q61 PTZ light finder cameras, which
when required. For Matt’s vocal we use Sennheiser transmitters with the can be quad split and able track the band. Channel 16 is leading the way
Neumann KMS 105 capsule. Matt moved to a radio microphone several in show comms, integrating show comms with production radios and
using CCTV, not only for safety on stage but also can be used to recored
tours ago to give him greater movement on the stage but we wanted to the show for liability purpose and can be used for what ever the band
keep the Neumann KMS 105 capsule. For Chris’ backing vocals we had a bit wants in the future. With new cameras on the way that can be tied into
of a change halfway through the tour and moved him onto the Shure Beta the black trax systems that are of a quality that can be used for imag and
57As. Chris’ vocals are slightly quieter so we had a fair bit of gain on his mic unmanned. Channel 16 for all your show comm needs.”
which created spill from the drums. Since we changed to the dynamic mic
he has been very happy so we stuck with it.”
While on the topic of microphones, Taylor discussed some of the www.channel-16.co.uk | +44 (0) 7836 693 833
effects, which are used occasionally on Bellamy’s voice. “There are two
vocal effects that we used. The first is done through the Avalon 727

41
MUSE

On its first official tour, and keeping band of crew fed was Rockpool Catering.

for the crews transportation needs is great, he is very easy to deal with and
there are no dramas with him so it’s always a pleasure. We look forward to
keeping the tradition going for many years to come.”
Keeping the crew and band fed throughout the tour was Rockpool
Tour Catering. Kansy explained: “Rockpool is Peter Bailey’s business - he is
the band’s personal chef.” Unbelievably this was actually Rockpool’s first
ever tour. Bailey explained: “We are fortunate to have the crew catering
team lead by Stuart Jackson. All have had vast experience within the
tour-catering world and I left it in Stuart’s capable hands to put the team
together. Stephen Knudson, Mark Goodall, John Goodall, Tanya Collyer
and Amy Moore have all worked tirelessly to produce a level of food
and hospitality, which we are all proud of. That coupled with Charlotte
Dillamore-Bailey who keeps the machine rolling with her eye for detail and
financial acumen.”
Bailey went on to express thanks for the support Rockpool have
received from the band, management and Production Manager Chris
Kansy. “Q Prime management appreciate our desire to exceed expectations
and work ethic. They have been instrumental us now catering for
another of their big bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who we will be
“Q Prime management appreciate
working with on their world tour. The Drones tour certainly has been a great
start to the new venture.”
FEELING GOOD
During the promotion of the latest album Bellamy was quoted in various
interviews that the Drones album marked the band going back to their roots
producing a more traditional rock album juxtaposed the previous release,
2nd Law, where they experimented a lot more with electronic elements. It’s
rather amusing that this stripped back record has gone hand in hand with
one of the most hi-tech tours of this year.
After touring heavily for over half a year now, the Drones tour has left a
trail of stunned fans who have seen their beloved trio taking another step
into the realms of rock-royalty as the British band show how stadium rock
should be done in 2016. With a band topping the bill at Glastonbury for the
third time in their career, it will be interesting to see how many of the Drones
elements will make an appearance at their performance...
TPi
Photos: Hans-Peter van Velthoven
http://muse.mu/
www.skanpa.co.uk
www.negearth.com
www.prg.com/
https://momentfactory.com
www.olimetcalfe.com
www.brilliantstages.com
www.taittowers.com

our desire to exceed expectations www.channel-16.co.uk

www.banoffeesky.com
and work ethic...” www.catomusic.co.uk
www.rockpooltourcatering.com
Peter Bailey, Rockpool
www.rock-itcargo.com
www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
www.transamtruck.com
www.q-sfx.co.uk
www.motion-business.net
www.jcjoel.com

42
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Technical Director of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, Ola Melzig (pictured with the faithful Eurovision cow); Head of Audio, Oskar Johanssen.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2016

The standard-setting, boundary-pushing entertainment behemoth that is the Eurovision Song

Contest returned once again to its spiritual home in Sweden. TPi’s Ste Durham was in the eye of the
storm for what was possibly the biggest production of the year so far.

Whether you are talking about viewing figures, the number of performers
or the staggering amount of pre-production, it really is hard to put into
words the scale of the Eurovision Song Contest… but I’ll try. The entire
time I was in Stockholm, travelling to and from the imposing Ericsson
Globe arena, I couldn’t escape the Eurovision juggernaut. I was lucky
enough to be in town for one of the semi-finals, a number of rehearsals
and the grand final itself. In the majority of conversations with crew
and creatives, I couldn’t shake the thought of that famous quote from
Muhammad Ali: “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind
the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance
under those lights.”
To have the smallest chance of success when taking on an event of
this scale, the amount of preparation is quite frankly obscene - I’d imagine
even enough to impress ‘The Greatest’ himself. After initial decisions are
made behind the scenes, the team moves into months of pre-production,
followed by weeks of loading in. Then come the preliminary rehearsals,
using local performing arts students as stand-ins for each of the 42
countries involved. Once the delegations arrive in Stockholm, the real
preparations can begin, eventually giving way to public rehearsals, the
semi-finals, and grand final dress rehearsals, all leading up to the colossal
final show, watched by 204 million people around the globe.
As you’d expect, the sheer amount of kit and crew is similarly excessive.
While it is no surprise that the grand final runs to a tight schedule, being
aired around the world, it was amazing to see just how strictly the entire
rehearsal period was timed. The entire system (including the crew) was
backed up to ensure that any malfunction, complication or sudden bout of
illness had no effect on the smooth running of the show.
THE BOSS
Technical Director, Ola Melzig, has been at the helm of more Eurovisions
than anyone else in the competition’s 60-year history. Despite being
another who worships at the altar of rock, Melzig is clearly honoured to put
his talents to use on this gargantuan production. He said: “I love that it is
one of the few shows that give you so much time – we’ve been in rehearsals
for almost three weeks. Everything is scripted from camera shots to pyro
cues. There are 22 cameras in the room averaging 70 shots per song and
you will never see one camera filming another. It’s like an intricate ballet,
and the production is truly world class.”
As well as being something of a high-pressure assignment, in
collaboration with host broadcaster SVT, Eurovision is the ideal platform for
trying new techniques. “I always believe to do the unexpected or something
new; you have to use technology that hasn’t been seen before,” he said. “We
did it with Catalyst as well as CyberHoist. We have a tangible track record of
experimenting with products before they became industry standard.”
One such experiment was equipping six Barco HDQ40 projectors with
High End Systems MMS mirrors so they could function in several ways.
Melzig explained: “In 2013 we had four HDQ40’s as backlights doing aerials
and Mikki Kunttu said ‘wouldn’t it be cool to put mirrors on them?’ We
basically figured out how to make the world’s most expensive moving light!
This year we are mostly using them like stand up scanners and the effect is
stunning.”
With 42 countries in total to deal with, the final creative call is up to
Melzig and his team. This can mean saying no to certain ideas and finding
creative ways to accommodate and realise others. “Delegations can come
with wishes and requests but they can never be demands. It’s a very organic
process that goes on right up until broadcast. My job is to have technical
and creative dialogues with the delegations.
“Things like the Holo-Gauze used for Australia and Belarus came from
San Marino, who originally wanted to have a hologram of a symphonic
orchestra on stage,” Melzig explained. “Musion screen was not feasible
for us, since we still needed something to front project on. From our first
camera test everyone was blown away. It was meant to be used on four

45
ESC 2016
Above: A look at the depth of the stage, with the LED arches suspended over ‘pools’ of Ayrton MagicDots, leading back to the layered video wall; The Netherlands’
country-tinged performance; The Eurovision crew gathered during rehearsals.
songs but that dropped to two. In a way it’s a good thing. Just because
you have a cool new technology you don’t want to shove it down people’s
throats.”
One of the foundations of Melzig’s successful management is the
understanding he has with his crew, gained from his extensive technical
experience, and the subsequent respect that flows in the opposite
direction.
“I’ve done my time: stage hand, scaffolding builder, forklift driver,
runner, catering assistant, followspot operator, LD, I even did sound once –
though that wasn’t a good experience! The crew knows I can relate to their
problems in a way that few people can, and it’s the biggest strength in what
I do,” he said.
“I simply try to make sure everybody is in the same boat and rowing in
the right direction. You also have to look after people. There are times when
departments have to be patient and this can lead to frustration. I just have
to say: ‘Did you think this was going to be plug and play? You should be
proud you are a part of this - we are delivering world firsts. If you can’t do it
now, do it tomorrow.’”
The majority of the 200-strong crew had already experienced Eurovision
in one way or another, with many of the Swedish contingent having taken
part in the Melodifestivalen tour – a preliminary contest to choose the
nation’s Eurovision entry. This led to a tight knit community within the
Globe, despite the weight of numbers.
Melzig added: “We always find ways to do things better, which is the
beauty of our team doing it so many times. Sweden is by far the most
experienced country in the world when it comes to the Eurovision. We’ve
done our own, as well as some abroad. The format we use today was
something we established in 2002, or at least the core values, and since
then we have focussed on polishing and adjusting it to be smarter, more
efficient, cheaper, and better.”
FORM FOLLOWING FUNCTION
Along with Viktor Brattström, Frida Arvidsson was tasked with creating
46
another iconic Eurovision stage, a position that required close
collaboration with many of the other creatives and technical crew. Starting
in June 2015, the pair wanted to design an angular, layered and masculine
set that would allow the huge Litecom rig to take centre stage.
Arvidsson explained: “We put a lot of our effort into finding the right
products for the LED floor and lights. The sizing and measurements were
created after we found the products. We didn’t want anything decorative,
just the technical stuff. It was designed around the old cliché that ‘form
follows function’. It was really easy and a great situation for us because we
just basically sat there and wanted stuff and they picked it out!”
The giant upstage video wall was made up of five tiered, triangular
ramps either side of a deep entry walkway, completely covered in 10mm
LED and magnified by a custom acrylic diffuser layer. There was more LED
to serve as the very back of this three-dimensional set, and each of the tiers
were lined with Clay Paky Mythos. The stage floor was also covered with
video panels that could house bespoke content as well as the graphics that
dictated marks for staging elements and performers during each of the
impressively choreographed 30-second changeovers.
There were two ‘pools’ in the stage, which housed rows of Ayrton
MagicDots. A walkway snaked from stage right of the A-stage out to an LED-
clad B-stage that a number of the performers used to interact with fans in
the pit.
Arvidsson continued: “The practical elements informed design in terms
of things like loading props from the side of the stage. It was a perfect
excuse for us to build the depth that we envisaged! We wanted the set
to be physical as well as digital. The sense of depth was accentuated by
lighting placement as well. We knew that we needed a set that could be
transformed as much as possible. It needed to be distinct and anonymous
at the same time.”
Given the fact that the team had “almost every problem on the table”
from the word go, Arvidsson quickly had to adapt. The roof weight in
particular was a challenge because of automated LED arches that were
suspended above each side of the stage, to be lowered and raised where
xy

Welcome, Dante.

The new DS10 Audio network bridge provides

a unique integration of networked audio with d&b systems.
d&b users can now directly interface with other Dante enabled
products further up the signal chain. The integrated 5-port
Ethernet switch offers unparalleled network flexibility and
access to d&b amplifiers using a laptop via the d&b R1 Remote
control software. Additionally, the unique DS10 transmits Dante
meta data information including Dante channel labels to the
d&b amplifiers. www.dbaudio.com

Welcome to System reality.

 ESC 2016

NOT ALL
HYBRIDS
CREATED
A
R
E

EQUAL.
The Award Winning
PLATINUM™ Hybrid Series
PLATINUM FLX™

A crowd level shot from public rehearsals; Ukraine’s Jamala and her winning performance, complete with a
PLATINUM SBX™

subtle lighting design and imposing video content.

necessary and accommodate content.

Melzig said: “It was quite obvious that we needed a lot of automation. I approached
CyberHoist, who had their generation two ready to release – it had been used on a couple of small
things but they were looking for a big show to introduce it. That was music to my ears. Eurovision
2003 was the first show that ever used CyberHoist so it was a nice way to close the circle.
“The new system is amazing in terms of the advanced cues you can programme simply and
quickly. It’s extremely helpful for us as we had one control system to move the LED arches in and
out, the truss ladders, props and the back follow spot truss.”

FIVE STAR
PLATINUM HFX™

With the contest at the mercy of a government budget, one of Melzig’s primary concerns when
enlisting suppliers was getting the maximum bang for his country’s buck, given the fact that there
were no sponsorships in place. This also means being discerning about the manufacturers and
brands that will best suit his team’s designs, while keeping one eye on the bottom line.
Color version
C/100 M/50 Y/50 K/50
C/98 M/88 Y/22 K/18
Danish Lighting supplier Litecom had become increasingly busy from its Swedish branch,
originally finding its way onto Melzig’s radar due to its membership in the PRG Alliance.
C/0 M/0 Y/0 K/0

ELATION PROFESSIONAL EUROPE
www.elationlighting.eu
info@elationlighting.eu
+31 45 546 85 66
Although it was something of a step-up to take on Eurovision alone (around 50% of the gear
had to be sub-hired from AED, NicLen, Rent-All and Ampco Flashlight), Melzig was thoroughly
impressed with the service Litecom provided. He said: “Litecom has been five star. Ask any lighting
company to supply the amount of fixtures, truss, rigging, cable and PDUs that Litecom have and
they would would struggle. Sourcing is challenge number one, then to build a system that works
16 hours a day.”
The main lighting rig consisted of (deep breath) 88 Robe BFML Blades, six Robe BFML Spots,
308 Clay Paky Sharpys, 166 Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330’s, 120 Clay Paky Mythos, 58 Clay Paky
Scenius Spots, 67 LightSky AquaBeams, 173 Martin by Harman MAC Auras, 105 Martin by Harman
Atomic 3000 Strobes with scrollers, 90 Ayrton MagicDot-Rs, 40 Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Washes, 200
SGM P-5’s, eight Robert Juliat Lancelots, five BBS Lighting Pipelines, and six ARRI 300W Fresnels.
Grayscale version
C/50 M/50 Y/50 K/100
C/0 M/0 Y/0 K/0
The company also provided 11 MA Lighting grandMA2 Light (five active, five spares and one
remote), and three MA Lighting grandMA2 full-size for video control.
In terms of delegation-specific extras, the UK specified 108 High End Systems UNOs and five
Clay Paky Stormys, while Belgium requested 30 ADJ Dotz Matrixes and Sweden asked for 21
Chromlech Elidy-Big panels.
Black version
C/50 M/50 Y/50 K/100 Litecom also provided 143km of cable, 1,397 metres of truss, 15km of high voltage Powerlock
cable, 4.64MW of generator power, and 25,300 control channels for lighting.

48
 ESC 2016

Melzig explained: “We have a fixture count close to 1,856, around 50%
are Clay Paky. We established a really good relationship in 2013 and the
colours are great for TV – the new Scenius is probably the best light for TV
ever made. The white is so white and the ZRI levels are perfect for large-
scale events like this. Having a lot of the same brand definitely speeds up
programming, not to mention the similarities in colour, response, and the
gobos.”
As well as supplying the gear, the company also devised a complex
network to provide a reassuringly secure operating environment. Litecom’s
Technical Manager, Balder Thorrud, explained: “We had two symmetrical
dimmer cities on either side of the arena because we couldn’t cross
cables. The network is based on two separate fibre rings, using Luminex
GigaCore16 switchers – one to use as an MA net and one for comms,
internet and so on.
“The whole system is built over six MA sessions – one video, one key
light, and four effect light main sessions – all for one operator. We have
main and back up desks at FOH, so a full switch can die and all the operator
has to do is turn his chair 90°. Of course everyone has different ways of
putting a network together but, in my eyes, if you do the right way then you
are fully protected. You can take a cable out of this system and you can’t
see it at all to look at the stage.”
Lighting Designer Fredrik Jönsson was invited to Litecom’s rehearsal
facility in Denmark and left to spend the day alone with with around
40 lamps in order to formulate an ideal specification. Girts Putelis, Key
Account Manager at Litecom, explained: “There was no pressure from us,
we let them decide what they needed. He subbed in a number of fixtures
to improve his initial specification, including Robe BMFLs, LightSky
AquaBeams, and Martin by Harman MAC Auras. We’d already built a
relationships with a number of partners so we were ready to go.”
Once the rig was finalised it was a case, much like with Arvidsson, of
trying to create something distinctive that was also versatile enough to
be used in dozens of different ways. Jönsson commented: “Each act has
to hand in a document called ‘Look and Feel’. It explains what kind of
production they like, what kind of atmosphere they want to create and even
if there are some colours they don’t want to use. Most of the acts also give
you mood boards. That could be a piece of paper with a photo on it or it
could be 36 pages of detailed information on the lighting, video playback
and camera angles that they want. We try to take in all that information and
see what we can do with it – and of course make them as happy as we can.
“We also have to bear in mind the need for variation. Not all countries can
have blue lights or confetti or something like that. We have trends every
year. It’s quite difficult to keep the acts different and stretch the look each
time. When you have 42 songs to take care of and you have three opening
acts and three interval acts, you need a ‘candy bag’ of fixtures big enough
to give you plenty of different options.”
Jönsson allowed the no-nonsense set design to inform his own, sticking
to a rock’n’roll-style rig that would run at high intensity. He said: “It has
a huge perspective, fixed lines and fixed angles - all very symmetrical. It
feels enormous, so whatever lighting I put up had to be just as confident
or ‘masculine’. For inspiration I turned to the huge rock’n’roll tours of the
‘90s when you had rock bands touring with enormous lighting rigs built in a
symmetrical way all the time.
“The lights in the rig will be in very straight lines and in groups of four,
six or eight, and even one with 56, all in a long straight row. We also have a
large number of lights inside the stage.”
Using an MA control network enabled Jönsson’s four Programmer /
Operators - Calle Brattberg, Danne Persson, Fredrik Stormby and Timo
Kauristo - to work simultaneously but independently in their own sessions
on different aspects of the show. This was the only way to deal with the
level of programming detail and fine-tuning needed to perfect the cues for

AWARD WINNING HIPPOTIZER V4 SOFTWARE FOR MACBOOK PRO

PRE-ORDER YOURS TODAY

POWER AND PORTABILITY, TWO ATTRIBUTES RARELY FOUND IN A MEDIA SERVER.

MEET THE HIPPOTIZER V4 PORTAMUS.

THE NEW HIPPOTIZER V4.1

THE BEST HIPPOTIZER VERSION TO DATE.

VERSION 4 BEARS THE FRUIT OF GREEN HIPPO'S DEDICATION TO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING FLEXRES

CODECS, BUILT IN 3D VISUALISER, SHAPE 3D MAPPING INTEGRATION, ALL NEW OUTPUT MANAGEMENT AND

INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE. INSIDE, HIPPOTIZER V4 INCLUDES ALL SOLID STATE DRIVES AS STANDARD AND THE

LATEST GRAPHICS TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE.

WWW.HIPPOTIZER.COM/PORTAMUS

SALES@GREEN-HIPPO.COM

USA +1 818 239 4778 UK +44 203 301 4561

49
ESC 2016
Above: The huge audience for the grand final; The pyro-related madness that was Azerbaijan’s performance; Video Content Designer, Mikki Kunttu; FOH Engineer Mattias
Winther; Pyro Designer Markku Aalto.
each of the 42 numbers, given the scheduling and time pressure through
the rehearsal and build up period ahead of the semi-finals and final.
The four lighting operators used Cubase projects running on laptops
to generate timecode that was routed into their respective grandMA2
light consoles allowing them to work on the different songs as needed,
speeding everything up considerably. During the visualisation part of the
process, Kauristo had established a master cue list for each of the different
songs which were already timecoded. This cue list was then loaded into
all the grandMA2 so all operators were working on the same cue list, but in
separate sessions.
This simplified the process of understanding the lighting scripts
produced by Jönsson for the songs. The cue sheets for the 42 songs were
then divided up amongst the operators who started programming all songs
during a pre-visualisation period lasting four weeks before they were in situ
in the Globe with all the production installed.
The songs could be updated and tweaked as required, then switched
back into the master show timecode session and the revised work viewed
using MA3D. Complex and intense programming was needed to get each of
the 42 songs looking dynamic and individual.
Jönsson worked closely with Assistant Lighting Designer Emma Landare
and joining them, the lighting operators and Video Content Designer Mikki
Kunttu at FOH were Video Programmers Neil Trenell, Fraser Walker and
Pekka Martti and Follow Spot Caller Q-Lan Wallertz.
Another interesting contribution from Litecom was the use of its very
own equipment-monitoring app. The program, which is downloadable onto
a crewmember’s smartphone, allows those on site to see statistics on each
and every fixture in the network. As well as providing real-time notification
of which fixtures require maintenance, the results can be collated and
presented to the manufacturers and suppliers to create a respective
performance report.
Thorrud explained: “During 2014’s Eurovision in Copenhagen we made
a simple Google document to stay on top of the performance levels of
the fixtures. We have a really clever guy at the workshop who I asked to
do something with the spread sheet to make it easier to report and show
50
statistics. He came to me a week and a half later and he’d created an app!
It’s been so useful for this project because we have so many lamps. We
can track them by serial number and then print everything out for the
companies so they can see exactly what we’ve done with the lamps and
how they performed.”
Jönsson concluded: “The Eurovision Song Contest is like the Holy Grail
of television. It attracts an enormous number of viewers from all over the
world, and it’s a huge challenge: to do it and to do it right. That means quite
a bit of pressure. At the same time it is also the most fun thing you can
do because you will never work in a production team as competent or as
strong as you do with [Eurovision]. And if you are as lucky as I am to do it
more than once it’s a privilege.”
A CUT ABOVE
Kunttu was another one of the core team that worked on Eurovision
in Malmö in 2013. He said: “You get the stage design and see what that
provokes. One of the paths I have is to follow the set; another is the
brief from delegations. My role is to merge these two as well as I can,
though some briefs are more specific than others. During production
rehearsals we find a common ground through a lot of correspondence and
communication. The challenge for me is to keep the process creative and
out of the spread sheets and budgets.”
Sweden’s Mediatec provided 900 square metres of high resolution
LED-screen and LED-floor, 12 HDQ40 projectors, 10 High End Systems MMS
moving mirrors.
Visual production expert FIX8Group was part of the team operating the
video content for all of the competing acts as well as pop megastar Justin
Timberlake’s performance at the final. Managing Director Neil Trenell led
the FIX8Group team, working with Eurovision’s Kunttu and Jönsson to
create a cohesive, broadcast-ready visual picture. “This was an incredibly
large-scale project,” explained Trenell. “We had around nine terabytes of
content, and 7,500 files. Each output required seven different media maps
to get a single image on the screens.”
The carefully crafted video content was displayed across the stage’s
 Desired
Desired directivity
directivity
and
and better
better impulse
impulse response
response

KH3
KH3
KH3
Measures
Measures 10db
10db less
less noise
noise pollution
pollution on
on stage
stage
Measures 10db less Digital
noise pollution
acoustic on stage
steering
Digital acoustic steering
Digital acoustic
Hyper-cardioid steering
dispersion
Hyper-cardioid dispersion
Hyper-cardioidSelfdispersion
powered
Self powered
Self powered

www.k-array.com
www.k-array.com
www.k-array.com
ESC 2016
Above: The PixMob crew: Jean-Sebastien Rousseau, Christophe Lessard Drolet, Sophie Blondeau, Ysabel Vangrudenberg, Nico Dupont and Rafael Linares; PixMob’s Crea-
tive Technology Officer, Vincent Leclerc; Dan Shipton , Creative Director for the UK’s entry.
900 metres of LED screen, which included the super high resolution floor of
71 million pixels. The FIX8Group team also worked closely with the show’s
camera operators to ensure that the visuals looked perfect in every scripted
shot.
“We were constantly looking at the footage, even before it went to the
viewing rooms for feedback,” continued Trenell. “This allowed us to make
sure there were no camera shots with dark holes in the background.”
The creative process saw several versions of video content for each
delegation, with Cyprus having as many as 10. Trenell and his team also
had to accommodate a constant stream of revisions, up until the day of the
grand final.
“The Hippotizer-V4 worked really well - the engine is very stable,” said
Trenell. “The Zookeeper feature proved incredibly useful and Green Hippo
also added coloured boxes to it at our request. This allowed us to keep
track of the adjustments and manage our media a lot more effectively.”
Melzig added: “The FIX8Group team are incredibly good at what they do and
know how to get the maximum effect out of the Hippotizer. If you give Neil
the simplest video clip he will turn it into million-dollar content, just with his
MA2. He does a lot of effects on the fly and brought the whole thing to life.”
It is easy to suffer from a certain amount of ‘LED fatigue’ given the
current trend in pop production, but both the rig and the content at
Eurovision were a cut above. The 10mm panels on the stage took the
content particularly well, creating consistently impressive looks throughout
the week. This is no accident however, simply the result of an experienced
team working tirelessly to achieve the highest level possible.
Kunttu laughed: “I call Eurovision a black hole, because it eats you up
and spits you out after two months and you’ve no idea what happened!
That said, because everybody is focussed on one thing for so long, you
have a good chance of reaching a higher level than would be possible on a
normal production. The biggest challenge is the vast amount of information
that you receive every day until the last week of rehearsals. I’m really happy
that I managed to do it all without printing a single piece of paper! Instead,
all communications came through a website I built. After the production is
done, I can also go back in time and review the process.”
52
Beacon provided 19 Green Hippo V4 Hippotizer media servers, and all
video content management was led by Peppe Tannemyr.
COME TOGETHER
Some of Eurovision’s most impressive effects came courtesy of interactive
LED magicians, PixMob. Using a combination of its PixMob PRO and PixMob
VIDEO technology, the company turned the audience into a lighting canvas.
The standing section of the crowd were supplied with PRO wristbands,
while the advanced VIDEO pendants were distributed among the seated
fans. The entire arena was blasted with invisible infra-red light, allowing
the PixMob crew to control the colour of every individual in the audience to
create specialised effects, such as strobe, shimmers, pulses, fade ins and
outs, and so on.
PixMob’s Creative Technology Officer, Vincent Leclerc, said: “We’ve
already used the video technology on major projects like the Sochi 2014
Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl half time show, but Eurovision is
a perfect fit for us. We realised that, for events like this, you want bold,
impactful moments. We don’t just want to use the audience as a canvas, we
want them to feel something special as well. The ultimate goal is to unite
people and the Eurovision slogan of ‘Come Together’ couldn’t be more apt.”
European Sales Director at PixMob, Ysabel Vangrudenberg, added:
“We received the main video content in advance and created effects for
each individual country, though SVT has the final say on who will get to
use them. We tried to keep the content closely related to the stage video
concepts, bringing them out into the audience.”
One country that used PixMob’s technology to great effect was
Australia, whose pulsing video content appeared to ripple out into
the audience during the song’s chorus, contrasted by a more subtle
shimmering effect during the verse sections. The lighting scaled back
slightly during these sections, allowing the PixMob technology to
demonstrate its full potential.
Leclerc commented: “For us to be impactful we have to be in control of
the ambient lighting as well, otherwise we can get washed out. This means
we have a lot of discussion with the lighting guys. We are also working in
 dot2
THE ESSENCE
of MA Lighting

EASY OPERATION | CLEVERNESS | SUITABILITY | MULTILINGUAL | DESIGN | MA DNA

The new Range of Lighting Control Solutions from MA Lighting: www.ma-dot2.com

UK Distribution:
Ambersphere Solutions Ltd · Phone: +44 (0) 208 992 6369
info@ambersphere.co.uk · www.ambersphere.co.uk

dot2_Anzeige_blog_Print_Total_Production_International_210x297.indd 1 25.08.15 14:48

ESC 2016
Above: The Ericsson Globe in all its glory, with the delegations gathered in the central ‘green room’ during the performances.
such a low resolution because each pixel is attached to a person. With only
11,000 audience members, and each pendant roughly 80cm apart, we can
only achieve a tenth of the resolution you get on a phone. This, however,
would be difficult to improve as people are not likely to suddenly shrink in
the next few years!”
The team, stationed way up in the rafters at the Globe for the perfect
view, was completed by Sophie Blondeau, Jean-Sebastien Rousseau,
Christophe Lessard Drolet, Nico Dupont, Pascal Trips and Rafael Linares.
FILLING THE GLOBE
The Stockholm-based audio team were hired directly by SVT and have
collectively worked on countless gigs in the spherical venue. Head of Audio
Oskar Johansson specified an L-Acoustics system, primarily because of
the directivity control courtesy of the mechanically adjustable K-Louver
technology. Johansson said: “We needed the flexibility in dispersion for
such a big room, and I think we’ve got it to a point where it sounds really
good. It’s also lightweight, which has been helpful considering the issues
we’ve faced.”
Sweden’s Live Media Group provided the system (with some elements
of the PA sub-hired from Rent-All), which consisted of 16 L-Acoustics K2
per side, nine KUDOs as back fill, and four delay clusters of nine K2’s, along
with six Martin Audio MLX flown per side and two underneath the stage.
Johansson explained the reason for the mixture of gear: “We changed
subwoofers to Martin Audio MLX for weight purposes and nearly saved a
tonne per side. We originally specified 16 L-Acoustics SB28’s but the six MLX
give us similar power.”
The control system consisted of DiGiCo SD5’s at FOH, SD7’s at monitors
and SD9´s, for pre-listening to the microphones, all on dual optic loops
(main and back up). These were supplied by multiple Optocore DD2FR-
FX and DD4MR-FX MADI devices, which were used to interface with
the broadcast consoles, sending signals between broadcast and live
transmission.
After decades with Sennheiser as the competition’s official
microphones, the team changed to a Shure Axient system with DPA d:facto
capsules. Johansson commented: “They’re wonderful. We are also using
Shure PSM1000 in-ear monitoring, we think it sounds so much better than
it did before. SVT can’t get anything for free, but when you are renting
everything it means you can choose exactly what you like. We’re not using
that many channels; 48 channels of wireless microphone and 18 of in-ears –
54
this includes steadycam operators, hosts and so on.”
There is no live band at Eurovision, with the rules stipulating that only
six singers can be on stage per country. The backing tracks ran from laptops
with Cubase software, as Johansson clarified: “We have two stations, main
and backup, each consisting of two Apple Macs running in parallel with a
direct out autoMADI switcher, in case it breaks down.”
Johansson had nothing but good things to say about his team and the
various companies who came together to ensure that the competition’s
audio lived up to the high-standards being set by the visual departments.
“I’m really happy with Live Media Group, and the desk support from Dave
Bigg from DiGiCo has been very reassuring. He’s been here for two weeks,
just in case, and it’s been great to have Jan Heering from Shure here to keep
on top of the frequencies.”
FOH Engineer Mattias Winther was another crewmember blooded at
Malmö in 2013, though he has has quickly acclimatised to life at the centre
of the Eurovision whirlwind. “I think its fun actually, having such a variety of
things to work with certainly keeps you concentrated. With the amount of
pre-production we have it becomes normal - if you feel happy that you’re
on top of things then it’s fine,” he said. Having been stationed at FOH for 10
of the preliminary Melodifestivalen shows, Winther has had a lot of practise
mixing for this style of production.
“In a way it’s harder than mixing a live band, as you have something that
has already been mixed somewhere else. To maintain consistency between
the tracks has definitely been a challenge, but it’s something we’ve had
time to work on during pre-production and the rehearsals we did with
the local students. We basically ignored the vocals and concentrated on
mixing the tracks, shifting our attention to the mics once artists arrived,”
commented Winther.
He went on to explain that the shape of the venue can lead to difficulties
with slap back and headroom restrictions during touring performances,
but the amount of time the team had in the venue, along with the resources
available, have allowed them to combat these more effectively.
FINNISH FIRE
Although pyrotechnics are a relatively new addition to Eurovision, Pyro
Designer Markku Aalto has been on board since their introduction in
Athens, where he operated for costumed Finnish rockers, Lordi. He said:
“Not everyone is using pyro, around 13 or 14 acts using a combination of
flames, waterfalls, mines, and CO2 jets. We have 16 permanent CO2 jets and
 INAVATION AWARDS
TECHNOLOGY WINNER 2016

30K lumens, true 4K resolution,

60-120Hz, low cost lamp operation.
And still floats like a butterfly...

The multi-award winning 30,000 lumen projector

“that’s not the size of a small car”.
Clive Couldwell, Editor AV Magazine

Up to 30,000 lumens | up to 4K | 68kg | Upgradable

This is your arena

christieBOXER.com

CD0644_Boxer_Core_ad_EN_Art.indd 1 03/06/2016 12:44

ESC 2016
Above:Litecom’s Technical Manager, Balder Thorrud, and Key Accounts Manager, Girts Putelis.
26 permanent pyro positions all around the stage to shoot whatever we want.
We have two boxes into which we can load the effects for the next act. Most of
the effects we use are manufactured by Le Maitre, though our waterfalls are
Ultratec, and some of the flames and comets are made by Next FX.”
While the original idea for each design comes from delegations, it is Aalto’s
job to mix them together, provide consultation and ensure that the audience
is not watching the same display time after time. Almost all of the effects are
shot by timecode, using the Fire Ctrl Touchscreen Digital firing system, leaving
the crew to manually activate the heavy fog.
Aalto added: “The Fire Ctrl system is good because we can control flames
on same time level as pyro, with no need to play with DMX. It’s safer and easier
to programme. I like the system, and have been using it for many, many years.”
The crew was subjected to inspections from security and fire marshals
during the rehearsals to ensure that safety distances have been calculated
in accordance with the law. “There’s not much on the stage at the same time
and we don’t use propane or gas. These alcohol-based pyro effects aren’t that
strong, they are more of an illusion.”
Having been at the venue for five weeks prior to the show, Aalto and his
crew were not immune to the rigorous rehearsal schedule. He chuckled: “My
God we rehearse! Israel has rehearsed pyro 10 times for example - that means
30 waterfalls 10 times! Azerbaijan are using just as many, as well as 50 mines
for the fast chase sequence - that’s 500 mines and 300 waterfall units! The fact
that we have everything permanently hidden under the stage definitely makes
life easier because we don’t have to run anything in and out. It all makes for
clean stage and a smooth performance.”
CREATIVE INPUT
With such an impressive technical production in place, the delegations could
not have asked for a better foundation on which to build their respective
countries’ expectations. Black Skull Creative’s Dan Shipton was brought on
board as Creative Director for the UK entry, You’re Not Alone by Joe and Jake,
with hopes of employing a more credible approach to the nation’s offering
than had been seen in previous years.
“I formulated the original idea for the music video I directed for them,” he
explained. “We were inspired by using a wall of Ayrton MagicDots, provided by
Neg Earth. We also wanted to integrate the two drum risers, which had been a
signature look from the beginning.”
Shipton decided to use High End System Unos instead of the MagicDots
for the Eurovision performance, as they were “cheaper, lighter and did more or
less the same job” allowing him to max out the design in other areas and still
comply to Eurovision rules on the amount of set pieces and weight on stage.
He continued: “We used static white light in the middle eight of the song to
create a contrast before the explosion of colour and pyro accents on the last
chorus. We also used live shots of the audience in the video wall, something I
believe has never been done in the competition before.”
In pulling double duty as Creative Director for both Italy and Australia,
Nicoline Refsing experienced two very different versions of the creative
process. She explained: “The Italian delegation gave me the keys and this led
to me listening to the song about 300 times to come up with the idea! I wanted
56
to use the tree of life as a base, adding the flowers and other props made for
us by Blackfriars Scenery in London, to represent all the parts that make up
your life. [The artist] Francesca [Michielin] is very poetic, playful and quirky
and I wanted to bring that out.”
Conversely, Australian Head of Delegation Paul Clarke had some very
specific ideas about what he wanted out of his entry. Refsing helped him to
realise them, visualise them, and explain how they would work on stage. The
idea of isolation in the city and the world of social media was represented
using the Holo-Gauze as a central feature, making the artist Dami Im seem as if
she was suspended in the air.
Refsing continued: “With the addition of Holo-Gauze to the already
different screen depths, as well as the lighting and PixMob technology, there
was certainly a lot going on. SVT has been fantastic to work with and they
made sure we delivered it. They took everything we wanted on board and
gave as much as they could.”
Melzig commented: “The use of the Holo-Gauze is my biggest delight, as
it’s the first time it’s done in Eurovision. The Belarusian delegation came up
to me and said that they’d been waiting until the competition returned to
Sweden before they dared to do this. It can be difficult to integrate with the
lighting levels, but it’s a case of making the director, LD, and video realise
that they need to sit back at certain parts of a song. When you find those
compromises and the stars align, its wonderful.”
RAISING THE BAR
As you may have noticed, I was very impressed with my first taste of the
Eurovision Song Contest. While I genuinely was astounded at the stratospheric
level of production and professionalism, I was just as surprised by how good-
natured and familiar the mood was in every corner of this massive venue. This
surely filters down from Melzig himself, a man inexplicably calm and jovial
even after months with the weight of this titanic production on his shoulders.
The good news is, he was pleased with the results: “In my opinion this has
been the best Eurovision ever. It’s been so intense, so well put together and so
well produced. It takes us months and months but if it makes good TV then it’s
all worth it. This place boils when we get all the fans in, and the atmosphere is
electric. At the end of the day, none of us are in it for the music, we are in it for
the production, and my God do we spoil them!”
TPi
Photos: Ralph Larman and TPi
www.eurovision.tv
www.svt.se
m-m-pr.com
www.litecom.dk
www.pyro.fi
www.mediatecgroup.com
www.fix8group.com
www.pixmob.com
www.livemediagroup.se
www.blackskullcreative.com
www.rockartdesign.com
 MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
US hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis bowled into London’s 02 Arena with a stage show honed
during a relentless European tour and crew morale sky high. TPi’s Ste Durham was on site to meet
the team.
Even the most experienced of touring crews could be forgiven for feeling
the strain after a long stint on the road, particularly when the majority of
that crew is thousands of miles from home. In the case of the group behind
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ latest production, a strong ethos centred
around one hand washing the other has done the power of good for on-site
unity.
This philosophy stems from Production Manager Chris Fussell, who has
spent years carefully assembling a team to realise his utopian idea of life
on the tour. He said: “We’ve got a good team here. A lot of these guys have
toured with me before and I dictate that everyone helps everyone. It’s the
way I like to do things from the first tour meeting. We’re all one big team
and everybody’s going to have bad days and good days with load-in or tech
issues at one point or another. If there’s no line in the sand as far as duties
are concerned then it removes some of that pressure. Everybody got it right
away and it removes animosity, which is good for tour morale.”
58
While talk is cheap, Fussell is very much of the view that leading from
the front is the most effective way of instilling his methods within the team.
This was never truer than earlier on in Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ European
run. He said: “Everybody has been ill during this tour at one point – our
Stage Manager Dave had it worst; we were in the south of France and he
had a temperature of 104°, which meant he was in bed for two days, man
down. Everybody, including me, jumped in and became the stage manager.
If someone finished early then they stayed to help. It wasn’t easy but it
was a perfect example of how I like a tour to work. Every tour is different,
and there’s no right or wrong way, it’s just how I like to do things. It opens
everyone’s eyes to the big picture, and that helps me do my job better as
well.”
With his cohesive team in place, Fussell could then focus on the
production itself. The concept and design came from Lighting Designer
Paul ‘Arlo’ Guthrie, in collaboration with Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and

Almost all of the video content for the tour was collected by Ryan Lewis.
Ryan Lewis themselves.
Fussell explained: “It started with the stage design and the overall
shapes and Arlo applied the lighting and video to cover it equally. Ryan
Lewis suggested the idea of video screens that would start upstage,
separate into three, move downstage and join back together. During
rehearsals and the first few shows we realised that it took too long for them
to travel and the system was too cumbersome.”
According to Fussell, almost all of the video content for the tour was
collected by Ryan Lewis, a man whose “workaholic” nature serves as the
driving force behind the production. He said: “Ryan spends most of the
day on tour working, and he and Ben are always together conspiring the
best ways to put the show together. They found out what worked and what
didn’t after the first night of the tour. With a few further tweaks after the
following shows it was pretty much set in stone.”
A number of the vendors present at O2 Arena had been on board since
the last Macklemore & Ryan Lewis tour, strengthening relationships Fussell
had made while production managing other artists. He explained: “Eighth
Day Sound was our audio supplier last time as well, and when Tim Colvard
was hired as FOH Engineer he wanted Adamson and d&b audiotechnik PA
equipment - Eighth Day stocks both.
“We used PRG in the US for their GroundControl Followspot System, so
we used PRG XL Video over here in Europe as well, though they provided the
whole system this time. All Access Staging & Productions have done a great
job, particularly as we were able to design the stage using stock gear for the
most part.”
The crew bedded down at LS-Live’s studios in Production Park,
Wakefield, for two and a half weeks in preparation for the European tour.
After a two-day load-in, the lighting crew worked day and night in shifts
59
PRODUCTION PROFILE
to ensure that the programming was ready for the arrival of the band. The
rest of the time was spent working on a selection of new songs in audio
rehearsals, before switching to full production rehearsals.
HIP HOP ROYALTY
We hear a lot of live gigs here at TPi, yet it must be said that the system in
place at O2 Arena, masterfully mixed by FOH Engineer Tim Colvard, was
particularly impressive.
He said: “This has been my first tour with Adamson. I’d heard prototypes
about six years ago, and I just kept my eye on development. Last year I used
it on a festival in France for Lionel Richie and from that point I really wanted
to try it on an arena tour. This was the perfect application.”
Eighth Day supplied Colvard with 24 Adamson E15 boxes per side for
his main hangs, with eight E119 subwoofers flown behind, and a side hang
made up of six E119 behind 12 E15’s. The rest of the system consisted of
d&b audiotechnik J8 loudspeakers for side fills, a front hang of d&b Y10P’s
and 12 Adamson E119’s per side on the ground. This is controlled by his go-
to console, the DiGiCo SD7.
Speaking of the Adamson array, Colvard commented: “I love it. It sounds
clear, natural, and is very pleasing to the ear. Usually you suffer ear fatigue
during a run of back-to-back shows, mainly from overproccesed systems,
but this is our 47th of the year and I haven’t felt it at all. I would definitely
use it again and again.”
Given his background riding the faders for hip-hop royalty such as Dr
Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent, Colvard was well within his comfort zone when
TPi came to watch him work in London. To hear Colvard tell it, the formula
is tried and tested, and fits perfectly with the sound Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis look to achieve.
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
Macklemore took the time to make a costume change and pay tribute to the UK.
He continued: “Bass is the foundation of hip-hop but vocal clarity is
important. These guys speak so fast sometimes and you need to make sure
the audience knows where they are in the song as half the time they are
rapping along with the performer. He’s speaking on a lot of political and
emotional subjects so you want to make sure that the message gets across.
“Aside from the sound itself you have to know how they are going to
perform on stage. For example, most of the time in hip-hop your sub stack
also becomes an ego riser and Macklemore is no different. He’ll instinctively
run and jump on to them but it’s no problem, you just have to make sure
you’re prepared! They came out in the beginning during rehearsals and
liked the way it was sounding. So far they’ve trusted management reports
and what they feel on stage, it’s a good working relationship.
“The band uses Ableton and there is a DI’d string section, four horns on
Shure SM98’s, a couple of guitarists, drums and Ryan Lewis’ DJ setup. We
use Sennheiser 5200’s for vocals, which have produced good results for us –
keeping the vocals up front and intelligible.”
Colvard used BAE 1073 and Avalon preamps along with older analogue
choices such as Eventide H3000 and TC Electronic 2290 delay. “I try to find a
good vocal reverb as well. I use a TC Electronic 6000 or Lexicon 960L/LARC2
Soft ware depending on what’s available. It’s just a case of implementing
it while the guys are here. Audio-wise it’s been one of the smoothest tours
you could ask for.”
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and the rest of the band are on Ultimate Ears
UE 11 Pro in-ears, while the side fills serve as bass reinforcement for the six
dancers.
Colvard also reiterated Fussell’s statements about the tour, having
nothing but good things to say about the PM and his team: “Chris and I
have worked together previously on Beastie Boys and Beck, and it wasn’t
a big learning curve for me to come in and figure out what sound the band
wanted. In general it’s been upbeat day-to-day and a good tour overall.
60
Usually it’s rare you see everyone pitching in to help but it all comes from
Chris and the performers, themselves. If a tour is easy going then it allows
you to be as professional as you can be.”
FULL INTENSITY
Lighting Crew Chief, Ryan Tilke was another that joined Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis at the beginning of this tour, though he was no stranger to Fussell’s
philosophy having forged a relationship during a previous stint with Nine
Inch Nails. He said: “In our camp everyone works together - nobody has any
problem helping other departments. I have a couple of pyro guys that hang
lights for me every day, you get carpenters that run cable out, and we help
situate the video where it needs to be. Everyone is on the same page and we
try to help each other out.”
PRG XL Video supplied six Robe PATT 2013’s, eight PRG Bad Boy
spotlights with accompanying GroundControl Followspot units, eight PRG
Best Boys, 64 Chauvet Professional Strike 4’s, 74 GLP Impression X4 Bar
20’s, nine Martin by Harman MAC Rush PAR 2 RGBW Zooms, nine Martin by
Haman MAC Viper Air FXs, 20 Ayrton MagicPanels, eight Clay Paky Mythos,
24 Robe BMFLs, 88 Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330’s, 10 Vari-Lite 4K Beam
Washes, 34 Philips Vari-Lite VL5’s, and 14 Vari-lite VL5 Smart Repeaters.
The system was controlled by an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size with a
grandMA2 light as back up.
The eight PRG Bad Boys were mounted in the truss: four downstage, one
right, one left, and two upstage. The eight operators, three lighting crew
and five from trucking, were situated behind the stage. Tilke commented:
“They’re super intuitive and very easy to use. It’s not a hassle to set up and
takes the pressure off one operator. We could let the operators change
colour, iris, black out, and so on, but on this tour we have it all pre-
programmed in the desk. There’s also four NPUs and PRG Super Nodes to
make sure we get the necessary output.”

This was the first that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis toured with their own staging
elements which, for this run, was supplied by All Access Staging & Production.
ETTB_ad_tpi_000516.indd 2
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
LD Arlo positioned the Chauvet Strike 4’s throughout his rig to give a
tungsten glow and audience abuse where necessary. He explained: “On the
US leg of the tour, we have them on downstage truss and on four towers -
they are all over. I hung a lot of them in a diamond configuration to create a
different look.
“They worked perfectly as a blinder during intense moments. We also
strobe them in a few spots, and then we use them as a low level glow wash
at a couple of points in the show. I didn’t end up driving them with a media
server, but we do some cell chases and patterns with them for some cool
looks.
“Of course, we run the Strikes at full intensity for most of the show,”
continued Arlo. “The show goes through a lot of messages and moods, but
the intensity level is high throughout. There were some more mellow songs,
though, where we ran the fixtures on a glow for a super soft wrap.”
The crew split the fibre runs into two sections - the first goes 350ft from
FOH to the front truss and joins at dimmer beach behind the video wall,
avoiding fire lanes, while an additional cable extends that range by 100ft.
TRANS-ATLANTIC COOPERATION
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have never toured with their own staging
elements before, an aspect that Fussell was keen to introduce with a view
to elevating the tour to “the next level”.
He explained: “Interacting with audience is a key part of touring in
venues this size, and the stage had to look as custom as possible for the
minimum cost. We have a history with All Access as we’ve used them for
festivals and the guys were great - we made sure to get them on this tour.
We brought carpenters from US but we also have some from UK.”
One of the US contingent was Head Carpenter Jesus Arryo, who called
the shots when it came to rolling the complex All Access stage. He said: “The
whole setup is assembled at one end of the venue, including the three lift s,
a toaster, two bunkers stage left and right for monitors and backline and
two graded decks downstage for fog and the extra lights to come out.”
61 5/24/2016 11:03:58 AM
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
Video Crew Chief Johnny Moore and Barrie Roney, PRG Nocturne Video Tech; Truck Driver Gerry Pavis and Production Manager Chris Fussell made sure everything was
done by the book; Head Rigger Joel Gburek; FOH Engineer Tim Colvard with his trusty DiGiCo SD7.
During the show the crew were under the stage running the lifts, and
preparing instruments, dancers, and props on the decks before they were
raised. The toaster lift is operated manually by Arryo and used to allow
Macklemore to ‘pop’ out from under the stage once during the intro and twice
in later songs to keep the element of surprise.
Arryo continued: “‘Underworld’ is real busy for certain songs as there’s six
local hands to help with props and instruments getting on the lifts – there can
be up to 12 people underneath at some points in the show. All of the decking
for the lifts is custom as is the deck for the toaster and the pointing of the
stage, everything else is rental.
“I try to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved. Sometimes time
is tight with lighting, screens or rigging, so we always have to be ready to roll.
We have to work closely with every department as there’s lighting, video and
audio pieces all over the stage. I’ve been touring for 15 years now but this has
been awesome. Everybody on the tour is treated like family.”
ROAD READY
The video walls were made of 12mm PRG Nocturne V 12 panels, a resolution
that Video Crew Chief Johnny Moore felt was ideal for the tour. He explained:
“I think for a concert, with all the lighting, bells and whistles, you can get
too tight with the pitch. From my experience - the higher the definition, the
more delicate the screens. They don’t take as well to bouncing down the
road into fast load-ins and outs. You want durability when you are on tour.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of that screen to create a 1920 by 1080 pixel field,
and personally I think these screens look consistently impressive, even at the
downstage edge.”
The automation track, provided by TAIT in the US, that moves the video
wall back and forth causes the wall to split into three, meaning, lighting has to
be cabled up and over independently using a cable bridge, with everything on
sub hung motors.
“Chris was working with the band to see and one of the first concepts was
62
breaking upstage video wall to track downstage then close together at front
of stage to be used for reveals and so on. We tried that in rehearsal but it was
taking a little to long for them to move the whole way, so they shortened the
distance it had to move,” Moore said.
While any video automation can cause problems such as screens knocking
together and becoming damaged, Moore felt confident that the screens and
the way in which they were rigged would minimise any incidents. He smiled:
“TAIT does such a good job with the smoothness of the automation that we
don’t have a whole lot of problems. It’s becomes more or less of a given now
on so many tours that we know how to handle it. It also helps that we have
such a good crew here - Chris has done an incredible job of assembling a
team.”
The crew had three manned cameras and three robocams, which were
operated by Moore himself. The cameras were paired with one of PRG’s
PPUs, based around a Grass Valley Karrera Sport system. Playback content
to the screens was driven by PRG Mbox media servers. Moore continued:
“The servers get fed through to the PPU to switch between camera feeds and
playback content. We also have side screens using double-stacked Barco FLM
R22+ projectors, shooting portrait style for IMAG. The PPU system is supplied
in Europe by PRG XL Video along with the cameras and projection system.”
Moore concluded: “When the fans comes to a show it’s a multimedia event
and there’s so many levels to what’s going on. They expect to be bombarded
and the artist has to rise to that level. The days of a few PARcans pointed at
someone with an acoustic guitar have all but disappeared. That said – it keeps
us working so I’m happy to go with it!”
PARTY TIME
“The band love to make it a party so they use all kinds of special effects,” said
Fussell. “The last tour they had cryo, pyro, concussions, flames and so on, so
they didn’t want to just mimic that again this year. We added other things like
automation and toasters to helps the ebb and flow of the set – though we still
 tour europe

Headoffice Austria: joerg@beatthestreet.net | klaus@beatthestreet.net | hannes@beatthestreet.net

Office UK Buses: tim@beatthestreet.net | garry@beatthestreet.net
Office UK Cars & Vans: ian@beatthestreet.net | mark@beatthestreet.net

www.beatthestreet.net
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
After a successful finale of their European tour, the duo heads back to the US but will return for several festival appearance on the continent throughout the summer.
had to get some pyro in there!”
Pyrotek’s Nigel Deslippe first came on board with Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis to provide pyrotechnic support for a one off show in Seattle, making
the decision to stick around based on the evening’s success. He commented:
“For this leg of the tour we are using Le Maitre Sparkbursts, Falling Stars,
Tracer Comets and Comets with tails for pyro, a pair of Martin by Harman JEM
Glaciator X-Streams for the low smoke and eight confetti cannons. We have
been running effects this whole tour, both in North America as well as here
in Europe. The experience over here has been made so much better with the
quality of people put together by this production.
“In terms of health and safety, we have been lucky that the performers
know where not to be during the pyro cues. We always have eye on stage left
and right to assure everything goes according to plan.”
Production Rigger Joel Gburek took over a supervisory role for the
European leg of the tour, though the rig was scaled up considerably from the
theatres the duo played in the US. He was also one of the Nine Inch Nails crew,
having also worked with Fussell. He remembered: “When we first showed up at
LS-Live, the video and automation was heavier. Eventually it was refined and
that took more rigging. I handled ‘motor up’, basically ensuring that the right
amount of weight is hanging from each part of the building.”
Gburek supervised a different set of local riggers at each show, taking
charge of almost 30 at the London date. “They know the building, I know my
show. The majority of the rigging gear is Columbus McKinnon, rented from Rig-
it - it’s industry standard, roadworthy, tried and true.”
He said that a “good normal rig” consists of an hour to get the gear on
the floor, and another three hours for the 70 to 80 motors that need to be
installed. As with his PM, Gburek was of the view that the best crewmates to
work with are those that see the bigger picture. “At the end of the day we’re
all cogs in a machine,” he mused. “The timing is key but that rhythm falls into
place during the course of the tour. Everyone is happier when you know what
you expect from everyone else. Ultimately we all have the same objective – a
smooth load in, a safe rig, the correct engineering, and everything comes
down without anyone getting hurt.”
While cohesion with your own team is one thing, Gburek’s duties on the
tour also require him to work closely with in-house crews at venues across
Europe - even when communicating is not exactly straightforward. He said:
“You can go into a house and they can push you towards something that might
not be best for the show, but my priority is the show. It’s not a clash, but there
are certain times where the ‘usual thing’ has to change to accommodate what
the show demands, as long as I’m within the laws of the venue.
“Communication is sometimes an issue in Europe but the bottom line is:
if, god forbid, something goes wrong or the locals make a mistake, it’s still my
responsibility. That’s the value of research and good planning.”
UK Manager for Mojo Barriers Kevin Thorborn was on site to oversee the
install of a full system at O2 Arena. The company supplied 75 metres of barrier
along with 20 Vario Corners. Due to the complex shape of the stage, the Vario
corners were required to give flexibility when it came to matching its shape
64
and contours, while ensuring the utmost safety.
Thorborn explained: “We dry-hired our barriers, which meant that we
didn’t need to supply any crew with the tour. However, we’re always on hand
to answer any questions that may arise throughout.
“This is the first time we have worked with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis as
well as Chris Fussell, and they have certainly been great with communication
and are extremely knowledgeable of our products. The effort that went into
the production was huge and this really shines through. It’s been a really great
tour.”
Catering giant Eat To The Beat (ETTB) resumed its relationship with
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis having provided sustenance on their previous tour
in 2013. The team on-site consisted of Richard Huggins, David Lesh, Stephen
Wilson, Chloe Whitehead and Rose Ellis, who worked hard to deliver tasty
dishes around the clock. ETTB’s Susanne Howell said: “It’s not always easy
being the first in and last out, but ETTB are renowned for our delicious home-
from-home meals. Not only are we providing meals for the artist and crew, but
we are also busy in the background providing all the rider requirements from
the main dressing room and making sure the stage coolers are replenished as
and when.”
The team made sure that there was something for everyone, whether
they had an allergy, were vegan or on a particular diet. Howell continued: “We
always had an option or were willing to adapt to make sure everyone had their
home comforts while on tour. It’s been a great tour and we would just like to
thank everyone and hope to see everyone again soon!”
Fussell chose Stage Truck and Beat The Street to provide trucking and
bussing, respectively, for the tour, and was extremely impressed with how
both dealt with the complex driving restrictions that are par for the course in
European touring. He said: “It’s tough because the drivers have to have their
rest periods and logistically it takes a lot of planning. For a tour this size, I feel
like I could dedicate one person to doing just that!”
CAN’T HOLD US
With the European leg of the tour signed off in style at the O2 Arena,
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis headed back home to play run of shows in their
native US, before returning for a busy summer festival season.
TPi
Photos: Louise Stickland
www.macklemore.com
www.prg.com/uk/en
www.8thdaysound.com
www.allaccessinc.com
www.taittowers.com
www.ls-live.com
www.globalinfusiongroup.com/gig-eat-to-the-beat
www.stagetruck.com www.beatthestreet.net
www.mojobarriers.com
www.pyrotekfx.com
TPI_E-Series_QU02.indd 1 31/03/2016 3:37:49 PM
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: The two night, sold out event brought together three Liverpool institutions for a classical reworking of the traditional dance spectacular.

CREAM CLASSICS

When Cream announced a night of dance music classics as you’ve never heard them before,
performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in one of Liverpool’s most iconic
and breathtaking buildings, Liverpool Cathedral, needless to say the city was brimming with
excitement. TPi spoke to the suppliers who brought the event together.

Uniting three of Liverpool’s cultural institutions for a unique event
saw global dance brand Cream collaborate with musicians from the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and transform some of the
greatest dance classics from the electronic music genre in the majestic
surroundings of Liverpool Cathedral.
The unique concert featured special guest vocalists and performances.
Curated by dance music duo and former Cream residents K-Klass who
carefully selected the soundtrack for the concert, key contributors included
Executive Producer Dave Green from Liverpool’s Ameritz Music and
Conductor Tim Crooks, whose wealth of experience spans different sectors
of the music industry.
Sandra Parr, Liverpool Philharmonic’s Artistic Planning Director,
said: “We’ve worked with many of Liverpool’s great artists from across
every style of music, though this will be the first time we’ve worked with
Liverpool’s iconic, international club brand and it’s a collaboration that
we’re really looking forward to. The magnificent setting of Liverpool
Cathedral, the fantastic sound of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra along with the essential Cream club mix is set to be a memorable
night of great music in the city.”
As the UK’s biggest cathedral, and famously called, “one of the great
buildings of the world” by poet Sir John Betjeman, this 20th Century
architectural masterpiece dominates Liverpool’s skyline. Resonating with
all its heritage, history, ambition and creative possibilities, a centre of
worship, learning, culture and tourism, made the venue a perfect backdrop
for the unique event.
A CREATIVE AND CHALLENGING PRODUCTION
Andy Owen, Head of Creative at Cream, told TPi: “We’d seen several shows
where DJs had worked with orchestras - it’s not a new idea as names
such as Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold and Jeff Mills have all worked with
orchestras previously, and of course Pete Tong’s incredible BBC Radio 1
Ibiza Prom garnered a reaction from the audience and the wider public that
was quite something. We felt there was a real appetite for more of these
kinds of shows but we wanted to do it our way - to make it fit for Cream
and Liverpool. Cream’s classic tracks re-imagined with an orchestral and
impressive production but in a venue to match - that’s where Liverpool
Cathedral came in. We worked with Sam Newson of The Events Company
UK on a lot of our tours and events - he’s great at taking a few outline ideas
and concepts and turning that into a working show.”
The Events Company UK supplied Production Management duties while
Adlib provided both sound and lighting requirements. AC Lasers brought
laser expertise into the mix, West Coast Hire & Events provided staging
elements and additional local crew came from DNG.
Owen continued, speaking of the idyllic venue choice for this
prestigious, two night production: “Liverpool Cathedral is the largest
cathedral in the UK and the fifth largest in the world… what better for a

67
CREAM CLASSICS

Some of Adlib’s key crew: Lighting Designer Kevin Byatt; FOH Engineer Richy Nicholson; Chris Smethurst, Monitor Engineer.

backdrop for Cream Classics? The venue had to be part of the show - that of the design was also governed by how the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
was my main focus for the production, to light the cathedral rather than Orchestra wanted to be lit; with white light directly from above. This meant
light a show within it. Plus, as a cultural organisation, the cathedral is no front, back or side lighting, no strobes and no moving lights anywhere
incredibly forward thinking; artist Tracey Emin’s near them. This naturally impacted the look of
20ft pink neon message Love to Liverpool hangs the show. Putting in ground supports weren’t
over the main entrance of the building. really an option as this would take away from
“Our entire production team, crew and “Our entire production team, the building - so everything had to be done
suppliers delivered an incredibly clear sound, crew and suppliers delivered from the floor up or at head height. I worked
impressive lighting show and what has to be closely with Adlib’s Dave Eldridge and Kevin
one of the best laser shows in one of the most an incredibly clear sound, Byatt throughout the whole process to ensure
challenging spaces we’ve ever worked in.” impressive lighting show and that we were able to achieve the look we
The Events Company UK Director Sam wanted.”
Newson agreed: “I had a very specific idea what has to be one of the best For The Events Company UK - whose team
as to what I wanted to achieve from the look laser shows in one of the most included James Dutton and Mick Pearce - the
of the show and Adlib were great in working venue brought its fair share of challenges.
with us on the design aspects. I knew that the challenging spaces we’ve ever Continued Newson: “Between 8am-6pm the
main focus of our design should fit around worked in.” cathedral is open to the general public so all
lighting of the interior of the cathedral and the walkways had to be clear, and kit put away,
building itself so I wanted to make the altar a Andy Owen, apart from the main stage. We also had to down
real feature like a backdrop to the stage. Part Head of Creative, Cream tools and stop working for several hours a day

68
 SCALE THROUGH MODULARITY

A SYSTEM THAT
BUILDS
WITH YOUR BUSINESS
With NEXO, you can start small and grow big. STM is infinitely scalable,
so rental companies can configure simple groundstacks, small, medium
and large line arrays, and large-format festival systems – all from a core
inventory of four modules.

Add in a highly musical audio performance, focussed coverage and

one of the best power-to-size ratios in the industry, and the result is a
system that builds with your business, delivering a return on investment
that others simply cannot match.

www.nexo.fr Thinking. Inside the box.

#41706 Nexo Modularity ad - TPI.indd 1 29/05/2015 13:33

CREAM CLASSICS

Liverpool Cathedral set the scene for a mix of architectural glamour while housing a night club generation with a classical twist.

whilst prayers and services were taking place. The whole cathedral has a Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra alongside Cream’s own musicians and six
marble floor so everything had to have extra protection, from carpeting vocalists meant all the extra faders I needed were available on the SD7, so it
the bottom of speakers to covering the bottom of every single stage deck. was a good choice.”
Combined with the previous challenges mentioned and the acoustic issues At the monitor position, a DiGiCo SD10 (mixed by Chris Smethurst)
of trying to mix dance music with a 60-piece orchestra, guest vocalists and alongside 12 of Adlib’s MP4 wedges which were used for the Cream
session musicians in a cathedral, it meant it certainly was one of the most musicians, and a custom headphone monitoring system - designed by
technically challenging shows we’ve ever done. However, watching several Adlib - serviced the orchestra’s needs. Nicholson said: “The microphone
thousand people being blown away by a show that we’ve been working on package comprised DPA 4099’s which were used to close mic all of the
for six months was definitely the most rewarding part of the job.” strings, and then a mixture of Shure and Sennheiser dynamic mics and
Shure and AKG large diaphragm condensers were in play for the brass,
AUDIO woodwind and percussion players. Shure’s UHF-R systems were used
The acoustically challenging sound design was handled with ease by Adlib. for the vocalists - SM58 capsules on UR2 handheld units. A mixture of
The main PA consisted of ground stacked Coda Sennheiser mics and Radial DIs were used for
AiRAY boxes - four on top of one SC2 and three the rest of the musicians.”
SCP per side. Adlib’s Richy Nicholson, who Continued Nicholson: “We chose DiGiCo
mixed FOH for the gig commented: “Due to the for a few reasons really. Partly because of the
cavernous size of the building hosting two sold “The brief was to make this massive channel count and partly because
out nights, we put in delay stacks consisting gig feel like you were in a club they’re consoles that both Chris and myself
of four SCVs and six ViRay boxes per side just are very familiar with. There’s a lot of clever
behind FOH. Coda’s G Series boxes were used listening to these classic songs things that it can do that make managing a
for front fill and also as extra delay boxes to fill with the added element of big channel count easy such as multi channels
in some holes at the rear of the cathedral.” which allow you to get up to 12 channels
The speaker system was powered by all these fantastic musicians ‘folded’ together onto one fader. This then
Coda’s LINUS amplifier platform. At FOH, carrying all the melodies...” allows you to get a lot of inputs onto one layer
a DiGiCo SD7 console was used for mixing. of the console so you’re not bouncing around
Continued Nicholson: “There were a lot of Richy Nicholson, different banks trying to find the instrument
inputs coming from the stage; the Royal FOH Engineer, Adlib Audio that is taking the lead. You then have the

70
CREAM CLASSICS

A stunning laser show was executed by AC Lasers.

option to link together the parameters of each of those 12 channels, so you could be triggered in sync. I tried a few different systems to keep the
can EQ them all as one. laptops synchronised including MTC and LTC generators but its a case of
“The brief was to make this gig feel like you were in a club listening to the simpler the system the more reliable it is and less to go wrong. The
these classic songs with the added element of all these fantastic musicians playback project was sending drums, bass, some of the backing vocals and
carrying all the melodies. The Coda AiRAY system worked really well, mainly effects as well as the metronome as separate outputs to FOH and monitors.
due to the control it has, along with the work of Billy Bryson, our System This of course, gave more control over the mix at FOH.”
Tech, who made it work in this venue.
“A combination of good mic placement, and good deployment of LIGHTING
the system meant that we could create that club feel and still have the The lighting rig comprised mainly Martin by Harman fixtures. The moving
orchestra keep up volume-wise. It also gets pretty chaotic when you’ve got light package specified 20 MAC Viper Washes, 16 MAC Auras, two MAC Viper
so much going on in such an ambient space but by putting a delay system Profiles. Also present were 20 Clay Paky Mythos. LED lighting was made
left and right half way down the room, we were able to get the energy from up of 36 Core ColourPoint CP20 RX LED battery uplighter and the generic
each speaker stack up above people and directed down into the audience lighting units were four Arri 2000W fresnels, eight Arri 1000W fresnels and 12
space rather than having the main PA pointing all the way to the back of the ETC Source Four Profiles.
room to cover everywhere. It still sounded like you were listening to a gig The MAC Viper Washes were used to colour the altar as a backdrop
in a cathedral, but we were able to get enough definition and body into the behind the stage, and also to highlight the architecture. The Martin by
room so that everybody left the gig feeling happy.” Terry Smith and Laurie Harman MAC Auras were used onstage to give some footlights and dynamic
Binns also worked on the Adlib Audio team. effects to the orchestra and the Clay Paky
James Dutton of The Events Company Mythos were placed behind the stage and on
UK explained that the playback for the show the pre rig truss left and right of the stage in
was run on Logic Pro X via two Macbook Pro “We work often with the Royal order to give a wide spread of beam effects
Retinas as an A and B system. The playback across the whole orchestra and the audience.
rack consisted of two Focusrite Scarlett 18i Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra The LED uplighters were set up across the
20 and a Radial SW8 MK2 Auto Switcher which and it was really interesting to see length of the cathedral to create ambience
linked the two systems together, with the and to effortlessly highlight the cathedral’s
possibility to switch seamlessly to the back both their world and the dance stunning architecture. Finally, the two Martin
up system with a push of a button if there world come together for such a by Harman MAC Viper Profiles helped to
was a failure. project Cream logos into the roof space of
Dutton told TPi: “The two laptops unique event...” the building. The rig was controlled via an
were synced via Midi split so both laptops Dave Jones, Adlib MA Lighting grandMA2 Light console, and

72
operated by Adlib Lighting Designer, Kevin Byatt. The lighting crew from
Adlib was completed by Charlie Rushton, Stuart Gray, Ste Dolling and Rob
Bickerstaffe.

LASERS
The atmospheric visual elements were also catered for by Daniel Briggs
and Andy Thompson of AC Lasers which supplied a mix of RTI Nano AT6’s
and RTI Piko 14’s for laser projection, and several AC Lasers BeamNET-
PROs for the beam effects. Thompson said: “Using OPS lasers in a venue
such as this is really important because the high beam quality these
systems offer give the most sharp and vivid display for the audience,
regardless of where you’re watching from.”
Briggs operated the laser show on both nights. He said: “I was
excited to be part of such a unique production, and tailoring the cue
programming to the upbeat tempo of dance music classics, with the
rich sound of the orchestra in such a stunning venue, was an enjoyable
challenge.”
He added: “The addition of 90 parallel red laser beams from the
BeamNET-PROs came into their own on Mark Knight’s Man with the Red
Face, as they created a sharp ceiling of light throughout the length of the
cathedral.”
In conclusion of this culturally important technical feat, Adlib’s Dave
Jones commented: “It was great to be part of such a new and challenging
concept. We work often with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
and it was really interesting to see both their world and the dance world
come together for such a unique event. I was really impressed with the
whole show; credit goes to Sam and the whole production team for pulling
it all together. It’s something that we are proud to be associated with.”
TPi
Photos: Anthony Mooney
www.tec-uk.co.uk
www.adlib.co.uk
http://aclasers.co.uk
https://dngproductioneventcrew.wordpress.com
http://hireandevents.co.uk

Reinventing the large sound system

Do things you could never do before

AiRAY achieves an impressive downsizing while providing higher SPL and better directivity control than any
large format system existing before. Groundbreaking innovations including the newest generation DDP drivers,
AiCOUPLER and extremely efficient 12” cone drivers make AiRAY the world’s most advanced high-output sound
reinforcement system.
The result is more than just a new line array. It’s the future of line array.

73
TECH FOCUS

LASER FOCUSSED
TPi brings you the latest from the world of performance lasers. With exclusive interviews from the
designers working with bands like Muse and the Chemical Brothers, to Samsung’s latest record-
breaking Galaxy S7 launch in Milan, and new cutting edge product innovations from across the
industry.

Light up, light up: staging the world’s largest laser display
When Samsung created a brief of ‘lighting up Milan with the biggest
laser show in the world’ for the launch of its Galaxy S7 smartphone, the
electronics brand turned to ER Productions to mastermind its record-
breaking display – as Ryan Hagan, co-founder of ER Productions explains.
Tell us more about Samsung’s launch concept…
We were commissioned to illuminate some of the most iconic skyscrapers
in Milan’s Porta Nuova business district, including the Bosco Verticale,
Palazzo Lombardia, Solaris, Samsung and UniCredit headquarters.
Samsung’s vision was to connect these buildings through a 12-minute
choreographed laser sequence, which worked its way around the square
and finished at a purpose-built music stage where Fatboy Slim would play
a headline DJ set.
How did you start bringing such a huge scale brief to life?
We worked closely with creative directors Anghela Alò and Claudio Santucci
to bring together their vision and our capabilities. It was really important
that whatever we created utilised the buildings - the financial district in
Milan has such an impressive skyline, and the height of the buildings offered
an even larger scale to the show.
Our aim was to create an immersive laser environment that
spanned two cubic kilometres, so the audience really felt that they were
encompassed in something big.
What laser hardware did you use to create the desired dramatic
effect?
ER Productions has spent eight years building up a comprehensive hire
stock of lasers for different applications, and this was a great opportunity
to experiment with our supply! We used many different types of fixtures
for different areas. The connectivity element was produced by our very
BEAMBURST range of DMX fixtures with OPSL scanning units for aerial
effects within the space. It was important for us to find the technology
to fit the concept, not the other way around, so we could really deliver
aesthetically. In total, we used 222 laser fixtures weighing more than 10
tonnes.
I understand this highly complex project also had a very tight
timeframe…
The entire project had a very quick turnaround - the quickest we’ve ever

74
LASERS
First page and Below: Samsung’s laser madness in Milan, culminating in a performance by Fatboy Slim: Muse’s laser display at Reading & Leeds was matched to their
Origin Of Symettry album.
done, actually. From confirmation to delivery we only had five days.
Normally we would require one day to programme one minute’s worth
of show, but we worked intensively as a team to programme the entire
12-minute show in just four days.
What about the technical challenges of controlling the display over
such a large area?
We designed the show in such a way that the power requirements were
not unrealistic. When you’re 30 stories up you’ve got very little time
to consciously think about powering equipment, so we used smaller
generators that could fit in a lift. Over such a large area, fibre was not going
to be practical, so we used a combination of wireless ArtNet and DMX
products, which were very stable and easy to use.
This was the first time utilising this system, so we had on-site support to
make sure everything went smoothly, and we also had a back-up High End
Systems and Pangolin control at every location, just in case.
What was the atmosphere like at the big launch?
Amazing! Although we’re still waiting for confirmation whether it’s officially
the biggest laser display in the world, we certainly fulfilled Samsung’s brief
of lighting up Milan. And when Fatboy Slim hit the decks, we switched into
‘party mode’ with our lasers, creating effects that brought real energy and
excitement to the audience.
 
Finding a Muse: working with British rock’s biggest stage performers
When it comes to putting on a live show, there are few more hotly
76
anticipated tickets than Muse’s stage productions. We spoke to Oli
Metcalfe, stage, lighting & visual designer for Muse, about how he creates
lighting performances.
Let’s start at the very beginning: how did you get into the industry?
I have always had a very strong interest in technical production. I lit school
drama productions and generally found a love for all things lighting and
staging from this point on. I was lucky enough to live very close to Ronan
Wilson, who happened to own a large lighting company near London. One
evening I boldly went and knocked on his door brandishing a self-drawn
plot, which incorporated some intellabeams and other FX for the last of our
college shows before I graduated. He offered to let me have some kit to fulfil
this design, and that really was my first foot in the door; he ended up giving
me a summer job, and I was there for the next three years.
What other early influences have shaped your career?
Academically, I studied physics and electronics, which has put me in a great
position with regards to furthering my knowledge on show technology
and control systems. I also spent 10 years touring as a moving light tech/
systems tech before concentrating solely on design, which I’ve been doing
for the past seven years.
How would you describe your style?
I enjoy simplicity and practicality, with added dynamic effect. I tend not to
expose too much broad colour in my work - I prefer monochromatic scenes.
I’ve also become accustomed to using high technology, and refining it into
 LASERS

a unified medium for both light and visual delivery.

You were named TPi Lighting Designer of the Year in

recognition of your work with Muse – how did you get
involved with the band?
I became involved with Muse through working on the Red Hot Chilli
Peppers Californication tour as part of their lighting crew. Muse
appeared as the opening act for the ‘Chilli’s French dates and, after
lighting their set, I got a call from their management about working
on their own tour, starting in January 2000. The rest is history, as
they say.

What inspired the design of their Resistance world tour and

shows at Reading & Leeds Festival in 2011?
Resistance was a production inspired by the Orwellian themes of
capitalism and layered societies based on power and economy,
a common vein with Muse and what they stand for. As for their
Reading & Leeds shows, the design brief was quite simple, but still
challenging: I had to create a lighting production that matched
their Origin of Symmetry album, but was deployable at a festival.
To achieve this, I expanded on the theme and used the artwork’s
scenic masts in whatever way I could to narrate the entire album.

All of these shows had a very strong laser look - what were
you looking to achieve?
I like my work to be purposeful. For the Resistance tour, we wanted
to create a spatial effect that would touch the entire audience, so
we deployed diffracted effects from gratings positioned along the
downstage. We used a single beam that diverted off a hand-held
mirror where permitted. We worked with ER Productions on lighting
this show, which was a lot of fun, and encouraged me to introduce

USED EQUIPMENT SALE AT PRG UTRECHT (NL)

LIGHTING • VIDEO • RIGGING • AUDIO • MORE

GARAGE SALE - 15-17 JUNE

+44 (0)121 477 1239 www.prg-proshop.com

77
LASERS
Massive Attack’s show design utilised lasers thanks to Paul Normandale.
more creative laser tools. Resistance also inspired me to create a linear
grid of laser beams for Biffy Clyro’s Reading & Leeds shows. This used
Laserblade units and for the first time, we could control hundreds of diodes
with DMX. I think this was a big turning point for the new wave of laser tools
designed to operate in mass number, to great effect.
Does the band come to you with a brief or is it a collaborative
process?
It is a collaborative process. However, there is normally an opening idea
from management and the group, and I will feed in on the delivery format
and the sort of venues that will work. After our initial meeting I’ll go away
for a month or so before rolling out a conceptual design, which will be
moulded into the final design. Finding a narrative path is really important
for me to retain the fresh look I deliver for Muse.
Are there any new innovations you’re looking forward to using in
your upcoming work?
Innovations, invention, inventors, I like them all. If I’m honest, I sometimes
wish the pace of technology would just breathe for a minute, especially
when it comes to all the lighting and video display products arriving every
six months. I recognise a change in the way we use LED for lighting and
visual display, but I am most excited about interaction and how quickly this
is helping artists and performers drive their shows in real-time.
Music in motion: giving each artist their own visual identity
Working with a variety of artists can be very rewarding, but it also has
challenges - namely keeping each show fresh and unique to the performer.
78
We spoke to Lite Alt Design’s Paul Normandale about the rewards of
working with multiple musicians, and how he harnesses the latest laser
technology to keep his live shows cutting edge.
What excites you about working in the laser industry?
Working with small boxes that create coloured beams that go for miles!
I’ve been fascinated by lighting ever since I had a vacation job in my local
seaside theatre. Plus, we started work at 6:10pm every night, which seemed
like a good idea to me!
What are the new innovations that you’re hoping to use in your
upcoming work?
I think it’s an interesting time for lasers. There are lots of new smaller
devices, which mean that the point sources are both varied and
unexpected. It gives me a lot of scope to fulfil the creative needs of each
project.
Speaking of projects, you’ve worked with Massive Attack, Coldplay
and The Chemical Brothers this year – what was that like?
Each show has a different criteria and creative direction. Coldplay are
playing outdoor stadiums with an array of visual avenues. Massive Attack is
a much more limited means of expression.
For The Chemical Brothers, this is my third tour with them and I worked
closely with Show Designers Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall to help them
achieve their ideas. It’s a very collaborative process, which I enjoy. I’m very
lucky to work with a diverse array of artists, all with their own respective
ideas, and I use my translation skills to fulfil these as best possible.
 TT+ TOURING AND THEATRE
EXTRAORDINARY
EXPERIENCE

TTL6-A
ACTIVE THREE-WAY ARRAY MODULE
The TTL6-A is a high-power, three-way, active line source engineered
to deliver high fidelity output indoors and outdoors, for medium to
large spaces.
The TTL6-A provides all the advantages of line array technology,
such as high direct sound, increased range and a uniform level
distribution, with additional ease of use. It is the preferred sound
set-up for stacked systems as well as when a wider dispersion is
required.

FEATURES
• RDNet remote control
• 4 x Class D amplifier, 2200 Watt total power
• Premium-quality DSP with optimized phase response
• 1.4” neo compression driver, 3.0” voice coil with a waveguide
• 4 x 6.0” neo midranges
• 2 x 12” neo woofers
• 139 dB max SPL
• 90°x 30° directivity (+5°, -25°)
• Maximum output, perfect audio fidelity
• Tour grade cabinet and mechanics

sound culture
www.rcf.it
LASERS
Taipan HD by Coherent, has raised the bar by emitting the purest laser beam profile on the market; The laser module.
How do you keep things fresh when you’ve worked with an artist for
many years?
Honestly, I think the artists are constantly reinventing and exploring - I just
tag along!
Product focus: Is Taipan HD laser utopia?
New HD laser module, Taipan HD by Coherent, has raised the bar by
emitting the purest laser beam profile on the market. We caught up
with Marco Stümpel from laser manufacturer Lightline, to find out why
Coherent’s latest product is an industry game changer, and how Lightline is
bringing its capabilities to the wider market.
What makes Taipan HD so exciting?
It’s the latest development in Coherent’s Taipan series of OPSL technology,
and the whole range is very good quality in terms of beam characteristics,
colour range and reliability. Taipan HD is the TEM 00 (Transversal
Electromagnetic Mode) version of Coherent’s standard Taipan. Essentially
this means it has the best beam characteristics available, and the amount
of photons per square is higher than with other laser diodes.
What difference does this new technology make in terms of
performance?
For long range projections and displays, Taipan HD looks brighter and
cleaner than other laser diodes or regular RGB lasers. It’s sharp, bright and
the laser beams sparkle beautifully.
80
How has Lightline being experimenting with Taipan HD?
We have created Excellent HD, a product using Taipan HD as a component.
It can be integrated into almost all Lightline projectors, because they have
the same technical platform as other OPSL diodes. For customers who
already use Taipan modules, it’s easy to convert standard Taipan to Taipan
HD. Our vision is very much about developing laser technologies at the top
end of the market, which only use the highest quality components, and
Taipan HD is a very important part of that.
Too many laser manufacturers face pressure to drive down costs from
Asia and Eastern Europe, and this often means compromising on quality.
We’re focussed on bringing technology to market that ensures quality and
delivers the best possible results.
Laser in Focus: Marc Webber, ER Productions
What’s next in the world of laser technology? To get under the skin of the
latest UK laser developments, we spoke exclusively to ER Productions’ Co-
Founder, Marc Webber.
Where does your passion for laser innovation come from?
I’ve been working with lasers for 19 years, and being fed up with poor
industry equipment and crew standards inspired me to set up ER
Productions with my partner Ryan in 2007. Our vision was to push the
boundaries, which includes new product development. We kept having
ideas but the products to facilitate them didn’t exist, so the only way to get
what we wanted was to build our own equipment.
 Make everyone happy.
Even this guy.

More than just a loudspeaker company, we are in the business of delivering the experience.
So we think about things differently.
We create products that deliver the same pristine impulse response to everyone at the show. These solutions ensure that every seat
sounds as amazing as the mix and minimize the impact of the room.
No matter what.
So for every seat – set the stage, with an ADAPTive™ System.
Find out more about our industry changing ADAPTive Systems at eaw.com/products/adaptive

www.eaw.com

Adaptive_ThisGuy_TPI.indd 1 3/2/16 3:59 PM

 LASERS
Zayn Malik’s video for Like I Would made heavy use of the ER Productions Cyclone, and Tripan red and green Lase-Arrays.
How do you approach the research and development of new
products?
It’s a team effort across the whole company; we draw on the expertise of
people who use lasers day-in, day-out. In addition, we always have our ears
to the ground about what’s going on in the industry, and we listen to our
clients’ needs as well.
What new lasers can we look forward to seeing this year?
I can tell you about the BB3 & the Cyclone but the rest is top secret! The
BB3 is the first professional laser that is completely DMX controlled without
the need to upload frames or other laser-related software to use it. It’s not
designed to replace scanning lasers, but to add multiple heads easily, with
versatile programming features.
It has a double burst effect, indexable line grating and scanners that
output frames from a MACROs library. We’re very proud of BB3 and what
it can do – we’re using it in our upcoming work with Kasabian, Fatboy Slim
and at the Riverside Festival Glasgow.
What about the Cyclone?
Cyclone is a multi-directional, rotating, scanning laser system. It has a
modular design, which makes for an easy assembly and de-rig. It can be
mounted vertically or horizontally, and it pans and tilts to create a host of
stunning, full colour geometric effects. The sexiest bit is that it can be used
to create spherical shapes and cage effects around a performer, which
looks incredible.
And we gather the Cyclone had a starring role in ex-One Directioner
Zayn Malik’s video for Like I Would?
Yes; for the Like I Would video we encased Zayn in a cage of lasers, created
PH_Qtr_Strip_Events:Layout 1 11/04/2013 14:58 Page 1
Outdoor Events & Festivals
Audio Systems Power Distribution & Generators
Stage Lighting Site & Emergency Lighting
Towers, Rigging & Truss Systems
Recent projects for Outdoor Events & Festivals:
Cambridge Folk Festival Forest Live Global Gathering
www.pearcehire.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1733 554950 info@pearcehire.co.uk
82
using the Cyclone. Our US team worked with notable music video director,
Director X, and the lasers really create a focal point. The video was shot
in LA, and to complete the look we complimented the Cyclone with a
combination of Tripan red Lase-Array and green Lase–Array.
 
Deep Web: taking light performance to a new stratosphere
To say Deep Web is a light show is an understatement. This kinetic audio-
visual experience is entrancing, immersive, and wholly stunning. We caught
up with Light Artist, Christopher Bauder, and Composer, Robert Henke, to
discover more about their highly sensory performance.
What is Deep Web?
Christopher Bauder: the term Deep Web commonly refers to the unindexed,
unsearchable and widely unknown part of the internet. This idea of
extensive hidden datascapes and communication networks underneath
the common and well known surface inspired the storyline for the Deep
Web installation.
Robert Henke: Deep Web is a ballet of synchronised motion and music,
which is both archaic and raw, and highly sophisticated and intricate. It
is a celebration of light and sound, it brings together a three-dimensional
structure composed of moving spheres and laser beams, accompanied
by sound and inspired by network connections, nodes, and technical
drawings of information flow. A grid of 175 moving white spheres is
choreographed to a musical score, connected by multiple laser beams,
emitted from 12 state of the art laser scanners.
How did you begin the creative process?
Henke: Christopher is always the one who approaches me with a very
ambitious idea. My main part is the composition of the musical score, but
Lovebox Tribeca Film Festival, Doha
facebook.com/pearcehire

ER Productions also encased Malik in a cage of lasers during the shoot.
also to work together with him in developing an overall narrative. The process
is very collaborative and iterative.
Bauder: Each project starts out with a visual kinetic idea that I sometimes
prototype first to check the general feasibility. When I am sure the idea can
be realised technically, I meet up with Robert to discuss the storyline and we
bounce around sound and visual pattern ideas. For me, Robert’s sound is the
core element of the whole experience; his music sculpts deep emotions that
are then amplified and complemented by the visual side of the piece.
Talk us through the development process…
Henke: Because of its ambitious nature, Deep Web began life as a simulation.
The moving spheres were controlled by software, programmed by additional
collaborators in Canada and Germany. They created detailed models to help
us understand exactly what the spheres would look like when illuminated by
the laser beams. We launched the show at CTM Berlin, Germany’s festival for
adventurous music and art, and only saw the full scale set-up for the first time
ahead of the show. Here we could see real-time tracing of the spheres, through
custom code written by the laser manufacturer’s CEO, Michael Sollinger.
Without his support and technical excellence, Deep Web would not have been
possible.
Bauder: I usually sketch the new features I imagine for the kinetic control
software and then our collaborators implement them while adding tools and
patterns they find useful in the process. Like Robert said, Michael Sollinger
was also vital to the project- we deeply relied on his profound expertise to
integrate the lasers. The part I like most is when all of these elements come
together and we get to see Robert’s music driving the perfectly synchronised
visuals. In this moment, the whole installation starts to unfold like one
beautiful living organism.
How did the concept change when you saw it full scale for the first
time?
Henke: We had a rough colour concept in mind when writing out the
choreography on paper but we changed a lot when we were at the actual
space. The technology we were using was very helpful in this regard, as
nothing was pre-rendered; all colours, movements and sounds were created in
real-time. That allowed us to make changes on the fly. And because the lasers
weren’t limited to RGB, we could extend the colour range beyond what was
possible with video projection to use pastel colours, something rarely seen in
83
LASERS
laser performances.
Bauder: I really liked the possibilities of those lasers, especially in the white
and near white colour mix. We were especially intrigued by the resulting pastel
tones and used them deliberately in some of the scenes without contrasting
them with saturated colours. Also, the pulsing of the lasers and the alteration
of the pulse frequency, which was achieved by hitting different amounts of
spheres simultaneously created very interesting after images.
What technology underpinned the performance?
Henke: The real-time element was provided through a Touch Designer
application, which controls the movement of cable winches controlling the
spheres. Each winch sends back positioning data and this, combined with
colour information for each sphere, is sent to control computers inside the
lasers, which do the maths for hitting the right sphere with the desired colour
mix. The result is masterful.
Bauder: We could position the spheres with a repeatable accuracy of one
mm on a seven-metre lift range, and send continuous speed and position
data to the winches. The information was then forwarded 30 times per second
to the DSP processor of the laser system. This allowed us to hit the moving
spheres accurately at any given moment, with any of the lasers.
Why are lasers such an important part of your collaborative work?
Henke: When I started working with lasers six years ago, my friends questioned
it, because the medium had a cheesy reputation. However, I loved the
technical and aesthetic challenge, and the more I work with them, the more I
discover.
Bauder: I am generally fascinated with laser light because it has such
special qualities. Lasers seem just totally out of this world because they have
a fascinating iridescent, futuristic glow - there’s almost a physical quality to
them. They can also draw crisp and defined lines in thin air, which turns them
into a truly unique construction material. Just the look of a single laser beam
in a dark, hazy space can capture the eye for an infinite time.
TPi
www.er-productions.com
www.olimetcalfe.com
www.lite-alt-design.com
www.lightline.de
www.christopherbauder.com
ROAD DIARIES
MATT PENGELLY
Sound Engineer
Suff ice to say, my first show had not been a great one.
It’s 15 minutes into a 30-minute festival set and one-by-one, the in-ear
mixes are dropping like flies as the next band on stage powers-up their
wireless guitar packs - seemingly not bothered in the slightest about the
site coordination everyone else is adhering to.
Reassured nods slowly turn to faces of horror and panic, but by the time
we’ve figured out the cause of this radio meltdown the last song is well
underway. Everybody is very understanding about it in the dressing room
afterwards, but I’d be quite content for the earth to open and swallow me
up at this point.  Doing my best to walk calmly out of the cell before collecting my bags,
Jump to a week later and I’m packing my bags to start the tour
determined this time that no hiccups will stop me from making a good
impression! The 90-minute layover I have in Oslo to catch my connecting
flight to Bergen seems like plenty of time, so I’m not worried as I head to
baggage reclaim to pick up my cases and make the transfer...  on suspicion of international drug smuggling.
Even as my fellow passengers walk off with their bags, leaving me at the
carousel, I’m not unduly concerned. Perhaps they’re opening up my Peli
flightcase to have a look at the various tools and wires that are making for
such an interesting picture on their X-Ray images? Perhaps not.
Finally, with time getting tight, my bags fall down onto the belt and I
scoop them onto a trolley and head for the transfer. As I do so, the corridor
in front of me closes off and a hidden door in one wall is opened to reveal
two large dogs and their two (even larger) handlers. “Excuse me sir, could
you follow us please?” they barked, as the dogs looked on in silence. At this
point I began to worry. Not that I let on to the dogs.
84
I’m escorted into a brightly lit room with stainless steel tables and what
I assume to be a two-way mirror across one wall. At the end of it sits an
ominous-looking armoured door.
“One of our dogs has reacted to your luggage, sir. We need to search it,” I
heard. But before I could answer, another sentence was put to me. “Are you
carrying any drugs?” Christ!
I explain that I’m more than happy for them to search the bags and that
I certainly don’t have anything I shouldn’t in them, but I am due to make a
flight connection and I’m running out of time. They don’t seem to share my
concern. Shame. An even bigger shame is that they then don latex gloves
and slowly start pulling everything out of my - very neatly packed thank you
very much - bags.
After a couple of minutes they seem satisfied that I’m not some
Mancunian Pablo Escobar and they close my cases back up. Happy days, I
think. Alas, I am wrong!
“We’ve found nothing in the luggage, but we will still have to search you,
sir.” Again, I tell them that’s no problem and raise my arms to be patted
down.
“Oh no sir, you will need to come with us.” The man gestures towards
the big armoured door. I do not like where this is going...
On the other side of the door is a row of police cells. I’m taken into one
and the officer locks us both inside.
“Please remove your clothing, sir.” 
Sigh.
I strip to my underwear and my jeans, shoes and jacket are gone. Again,
they of course find nothing.
“Please remove your underwear, turn around and put your hands
against the wall, sir.” I swear the dog smirked.
After what feels like a very long time the next sound I heard was one that
will stay with me for as long as I live. The snap of the a rubber glove...
Gulp...
“That’s fine, sir. Thank you for your cooperation. You can get dressed
now.” I turn my head in time to hear the second snap as the customs officer
takes off his other glove. Never in my life have I got dressed as quickly as I
did in that moment.
I’m soon running to make the flight. I get there just in time to hear them
calling my name at the gate. I collapse into my seat with an almighty sigh of
relief. Only then contemplating how the hell I would have explained to my
Tour Manager that I wasn’t going to make the gig because I’d been detained
The sound of that first snap still resonating in my ears, the rest of the
day is something of a haze in comparison, but three years of touring life
later, and I’m still gainfully employed by that same artist.
I can only assume the second gig went considerably better than the first...!
Matt Pengelly
 Resident at the world‘s best clubs.

Stuttgart | Germany

>> 138 dB SPLmax

>> 2 x 10“ / 1 x 1,4“ passive point source top
>> symmetric construction for vertical or horizontal use
>> rotatable 90° x 50° horn exchangeable to 60° x 40° version
>> T20i (install) and T20 (touring) available
>> less than 23 kg

T20 Slim. Powerful. Flexible.

www.twaudio.com
CLOCKING OFF

The whole crew: Paul Stevenson (cox), Paul Lawrence, Steve Lilly, Rich Rowley, Adam Harris, Steve Smith, John Preece, Gary Howson, and Mark ‘Tank’ Tunley.

TAKING ON THE TIDEWAY

“On good days I row, on bad days I row harder...”
PRG XL Video Sales Director Rich Rowley takes to the water for Help The Heroes

PRG XL Video Sales Director, Rich Rowley, and seven other rowers from
Stourport Boat Club embarked on a nine-mile rowing marathon on
Saturday 16 April, to raise money for Help for Heroes. Their team, ‘Tank’s
Eight’, lead by Mark ‘Tank’ Tunley took to the water with over 100 other
boats in a timed race against competitors from all over the UK. The route,
affectionately known as The Head of The Dart took them through the Devon
countryside from Dartmouth to Totnes. With so many twists and turns and
being over twice the distance of the Oxford Vs. Cambridge course, they
had neither the time nor the energy for taking in the spectacular scenery.
Rich was excited about the event, although a little daunted by the scale of
the challenge: “We’ve been training for the race since October and have
been in the gym or on the water most days. It’s been a lot of effort and
commitment from everybody, but we’re up for the challenge and enjoying
the camaraderie!”
In preparation for the big event, Rich and the team headed to London
to compete in the Vesta Veterans Head of the River race from Mortlake to
Putney, a route famed for the Oxford Vs. Cambridge annual challenge.
Said Rich: “It’s the sport that is steeped in history, the sport of
Olympians and Universities. It’s also a sport that us Brits are very good
at… I’m lucky to live in a town that has six km of very rowable river. I live
in Stourport on Severn, some 15 miles south west of Birmingham. Most
weekends you can find me coaching juniors aged 15
- 18. I completed my Level two coaching award about
four years ago and my son Dan is also a keen sculler
and cox.
“Rowing is divided into two disciplines - rowing where each oarsman
has one oar and sculling where each oarsman has two smaller oars. It’s
a sport that you become a veteran at the age of 27! So why did I take up
the challenge of competing in a nine mile race. We competed at an event
called the Head of the River, which typically happens the weekend before
the famed Oxford Vs. Cambridge boat race across the same course from
Putney to Mortlake. In comparison to the Head of the Dart, the Oxford Vs.
Cambridge course is a little less than half the distance at four and a half
miles. We did that course for practise….
“Tank brought the crew together. We range from 46 to 62 and a whole
range of backgrounds. He decided that it would be a good idea to look at
raising money for a charity close to his heart – Help For Heroes. he’d served
in the Army and did tours in Germany, Northern Ireland and Belize, as well
as speding years as a trainer. Paul Lawrence - retired PE teacher and the
oldest of the crew at 62 - puts us through our paces and tells us what we
can and can’t eat (and drink!), pulls together training plans and coaches
accordingly.”
This extraordinary challenge pushed each member of Tank’s Eight
to the edge, while raising money for a highly respected charity that does
irreplaceable work supporting the UK’s veterans. To support Tank’s Eight,
please head over to their Just Giving page and give generously.
Since the race, the crew have decided to stay
together and compete in regattas, with the main focus
of competing on six lanes at the National Masters in
June.

DONATE
“From April to September we train and compete in Rowley concluded: “There’s a certain calm to
‘head’ races, in the summer it’s regattas, which is the propelling the boat on the water that I love. Sometimes

HERE
more traditional side-by-side racing. the pain is like none I’ve ever felt, but when you’re part
It’s a team sport but you don’t look your teammates of the team you have to just keep going. Your chest is
in the eye, you look at the back of their head as you’re burning and your mouth is dry, but you continue to
also facing backwards! Thus you need a steersman or www.justgiving.com/ push till you cross that line.”
as we call it a ‘cox’ (coxswain). We win tankards, pots stourport-boat-club/ TPi
and medals. Not to forget the part where you wear a
unisuit made of lycra…

86
THE STARS ARE ALIGNING…

WWW.TPiAWARDS.COM
GEAR HEADS

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL’S
MAVERICK SERIES
After a successful launch at Prolight + Sound in April, TPi’s Kelly Murray spoke
with Mike Graham Education, Engagement and Product Manager at
Chauvet Professional about this latest fixture series.

Can you talk me through the initial thinking behind the new Maverick
series  - what did you want to deliver to the market?
The Maverick series comes from feedback we received from lighting
designers over the past several years. Feedback on the Rogue series
was great, but designers wanted more. We took all their feedback into
consideration when we came up with the feature set for Maverick. We
wanted to produce a cutting edge fixture series that delivered the
performance that designers required, and the reliability and serviceability
that the technicians in the field needed. Finally, we wanted to deliver these
fixtures at the value that event/rental companies require.
How long did the R&D take from concept to launching at Prolight +
Sound?
We started talking about these fixtures around two years before the Prolight
+ Sound launch. However, the final, hardcore push toward launching at
Prolight + Sound happened over the last 18 months. This is when we were
able to access the final light sources at the heart of these products. The
key was to have the best possible optical systems needed to create these
fixtures, and then design the rest of the fixtures around them. This took
quite some time. For instance, the optical system for the MK2 Wash was
developed from scratch with our optical engineers, and a European lensing

90
 CHAUVET MAVERICK SERIES

The new Maverick series of professional lighting fixtures; Mike Graham - Education, Engagement and Product Manager at Chauvet Professional.

manufacturer.  Including the sampling and manufacturing process, this purposes. Beyond that, there is software in the fixture that allows you to
took almost nine months just for the optical system. In addition, we are have control of the movement, dimming, and strobe over DMX, sACN, or
using the newest LED technology from Osram, and have developed our own ArtNet, then have control over the pixels with DMX, sACN, ArtNet or Klingnet
software platform, which includes a custom web server, and full support for separately in a completely different universe and start channel. This
TCP/IP protocols like ArtNet, sACN, and KlingNet.  innovative approach allows the programming team freedom to control
Similarly, we worked directly with the engineering team at Osram movement and dimming from one console and the pixels from a separate
on improvements to the Sirius SR440 lamp. All of this takes time, but we media server, while conserving DMX channels.  All of this makes large scale
recognised that Messe Frankfurt is the premier launch platform for all of pixel mapping much easier
Europe, and we needed to deliver these products on schedule.  
What are the key features within the Maverick series that LDs should get
Did you work closely with any lighting designers in order to complete the excited about? 
vision of this series? Maverick is a really exciting step for Chauvet Professional and there are
Of course, we have relationships with key touring and theatrical designers.  features in each of the fixtures that are special. The MK1 Hybrid offers CMY
Their input was critical to the development of the entire line. In addition, colour mixing, overlapping eight and four facet prisms, and an output that
we worked with everyone from service technicians to promoters and rental is designed to fill stadiums. The MK2 Spot has CMY+ variable CTO colour
houses find out what they wanted to see in the next generation of lighting mixing, dual rotating gobo wheels, a nice zoom range, and a flat field of
fixtures. We listened very carefully to make sure that we had integrated the light that makes everything from colour, to gobos, to prisms look perfectly
best ideas. even. The MK2 Wash delivers the output with its 40W RGBW LEDs and pixel
mapping power. 
What was the feedback like from the visitors to your booth?    
The feedback at the show was outstanding. We were very happy with what Billed as ‘tour ready’, can you divulge who has already invested in the
we heard from both lighting designers and rental/event companies about products?
these fixtures.   You are going to have to wait to see the tour riders come through, but we
  can tell you that there are several tours and rental companies worldwide
The product description of the MK2 Wash claims to ‘rewrite the rules on that have invested in Maverick. We can assure you that you will absolutely
wash fixtures’ - can you explain how? see Maverick on tour this year!
The Maverick MK2 Wash uses 12 of the brand new Osram 40W RGBW TPi
LEDs. Each LED can be individually controlled for pixel mapping www.chauvetprofessional.com

91
 NOW OPEN
The UK has a major music and entertainment industry and in order to
preserve that position we must ensure that major groups continue to see
the UK as a starting point for European tours. The facility itself is world
class and offers real life arena-sized environment for not just concert
tours but TV, film, corporate events and product launches.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK

CALL SCOTTIE +44 7789 831 615 OR EMAIL AT SCOTTIE@FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK
CALL CARL +44 7976 284 252 OR EMAIL AT CARL@FBNSTUDIOS.CO.UK

Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios Broad Ground Road, Lakeside, Redditch, B98 8YP
Main Phone +44 1527 962 963 • Email info@fbnstudios.co.uk
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group (PRG),
has appointed a new member to its Music and Touring team. Gordon
Torrington has been with PRG for several years, gaining a wealth of
experience and industry contacts during his time as a senior member of
the Event Services team. Torrington will now take up the role of Account
Manager focussing on lighting and rigging, and working alongside
Yvonne Donnelly Smith, Director Music Group, and Roy Hunt, Senior
Account Manager. He will also collaborate closely with the Music Video
team led by Phil Mercer.
Donnelly Smith commented: “We’re delighted to have Gordon join the
Music Group team. His enthusiasm for our industry is infectious, and with
the wide range of contacts he has made during his time onsite with the
Event Services team, he will be an excellent asset to the team.”
“I’m very pleased to join the Music Group team,” said Torrington. “I look
forward to bringing my technical and on-site knowledge into account
management, to see what that aspect of my experience can bring to the
role!”
Leading pro audio provider The Warehouse Sound Services
has been named the UK dealer for world-class loudspeaker brand
Adamson Systems Engineering. As one of the largest suppliers of pro
audio equipment in Scotland and North of England, The Warehouse
has opened a third branch in Lancashire to support its new Adamson
partnership. The Warehouse currently has offices in Glasgow and
Edinburgh.
To further establish Adamson in the UK, The Warehouse has also
94
Sponsored by
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
employed former Bose National Sales Manager Craig Buckley as a
dedicated Brand and Division Manager alongside Paul Atherton who has
become Business Development Manager. Buckley and Atherton will head
up the new Lancashire office in Chorley.
“We are very excited to start working with Adamson,” explained Derek
Blair, Director of The Warehouse. “The product line is very impressive
- everyone who has worked on their PA has nothing but great things to
say about the sound quality and technology. This fits nicely into our
expansion plans and is the perfect opportunity to provide our existing
and future clients the best products available.”
The Warehouse, headquartered in Edinburgh, has been providing
the highest quality audio components to the industry since 1980. Having
supplied audio equipment to Muse, Paramount Pictures, the BBC and
the Edinburgh International Festival, the company enjoys a tremendous
reputation across the UK. The company also has a royal warrant – as a
sound equipment provider to HM The Queen.
In response to an ever increasing workload, Rigging Team has
recently taken on two new members of staff; Andy Parish in March and
Shane Aldred starting in mid-May. Parish has many years working within
the theatre and events sectors and is using his organisational skills to
coordinate the day to day operations of the company. His extensive
experience in performer flying is also being put to good use, most
recently on a recording of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, broadcast on
BBC One. Parish said: “This is a bit of a change of direction for me but I’m
enjoying the new challenges and look forward to helping the company
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
Opposite: Leading pro audio provider The Warehouse Sound Services has been named the UK dealer for world-class loudspeaker brand Adamson Systems Engineering;
Event policing specialist TSG has promoted former temporary team member Martin White to Operations Executive; PRG XL Video is pleased to announce a new member
in its Music and Touring team, Gordon Torrington; Showsec has geared up for further growth in the North West UK region with the appointment of Lee Hazeldine as Area
Manager. Below: d3 Technologies has made a number of global new hires and announced two new office locations as the company rapidly expands worldwide.
develop over the coming years.”
Aldred joins Rigging Team to lead the Test & Inspection department
allowing us to better serve our growing number of clients utilising this
service. Additionally he is responsible for some of its key projects, as well
as bolstering the team of on site riggers when required.
“I’m excited at the opportunities my move to Rigging Team will
present,” said Aldred. “One of my first jobs is to implement new software
to streamline our inspection process and enable our clients to view their
certificates online.”
Event policing specialist TSG has promoted former temporary team
member Martin White to Operations Executive, a full-time position.
Responsible for maintaining trained staff numbers and equipment, White
will also look after the logistics behind TSG deployments, liaise with
clients and support the perpetual push for new business. After 23 years
in senior management at the MOD, where he was schooled in high-risk
search, explosive ordnance disposal and crisis management, White
worked with a number of private security agencies, including TSG sister
company Definitive Security.
David Boswell, Managing Director at TSG, commented: “Martin is a
perfect fit. On top of all his logistical experience, he has a comprehensive
understanding of the operational management processes that
are integral to TSG, the ability to expand and deploy TSG assets
nationally and a firm grasp of the company’s disciplinary values.”
Showsec has geared up for further growth in the North West UK
region with the appointment of Lee Hazeldine as Area Manager. The
crowd management and event security specialists are looking to
expand the business in an area in which Hazeldine has operated for
13 years, gaining a reputation which makes him an excellent addition
to the company’s management team. In seeking to build upon the
work of outgoing Area Manager Tim Chambers, Showsec has acquired
a replacement with considerable experience of working in different
security roles across many parts of the North West throughout his career.
“Lee is a great addition to our team. He comes to us with a pedigree
second-to-none,” said Alan Wallace, Showsec’s Regional Manager for
95
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
the North. “We have worked together with him for a number of years in
and around different festivals and seen the level of professionalism he
brings to his roles. Once he showed an interest in coming to work for us
by applying for this vacancy, it seemed an opportunity not to be missed
to bring him on board.”
He added: “The experience he has gained has been across a
broad spectrum of security roles, more especially in the mainstream
licensing trade. In any management infrastructure, you need different
dimensions, you need a good mix of individuals, and Lee offers us
something different.
“While he has much to offer us in that respect, this appointment
presents him with a great opportunity to add to his skills sets and
experience.”
d3 Technologies has made a number of global new hires and
announced two new office locations as the company rapidly expands
worldwide.
d3 has experienced rapid growth in the US where it is becoming
the media server of choice for many productions. High-profile credits
include the Grammys, Seattle Opera, Madison Square Gardens, Detroit
Auto Show, United Nations, and most recently Beyonce’s Formation
World Tour. Fleurette Vincent joins d3 as Sales and Training Administrator
based in New York City where d3’s first US office which opened at the end
of May. Fleurette will support the wider US team as d3 expands its profile
in North America. d3 is also looking to fill training and support manager
slots in the new US office.
d3 will also open a new office in Hong Kong in early May to meet
the growing demand for d3 products in the APAC region and to better
serve its customers there. d3 has already made headway into the APAC
region with credits including Infiniti Press Conference and Audi Press
Conference in China, Millenia Tower Singapore, Vivid and White Night
light festivals in Australia.
Desmond Yim, who has come on board as Regional Sales Manager,
will head up the APAC region. He formerly served as ETC’s Regional Sales
Manager for Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan and Singapore. Desmond
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Above: Acoustic and audio specialist Event Acoustics has appointed leading independent audio engineering and design consultancy Vanguardia as its UK distributor for
MeTrao, the company’s unique intelligent network audio measurement system.
has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Building Services engineering from
the University of Hong Kong and is currently completing his MBA. He will
be supported by Chrysant Liu, d3’s new APAC Senior Sales and Marketing
Officer, and another ETC veteran. Desmond and Chrysant speak fluent
English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
As well as making headway into new markets, d3 is growing at its
London headquarters with a number of new hires in development, software
engineering and finance.
Television and entertainment lighting rental specialist Aurora has added
Joe Marter to its Project Management Team.
Having spent a number of years at Aurora in the role of Equipment
Co-ordinator, responsible for the preparation and maintenance of a huge
variety of lighting equipment, Marter brings with him a unique industry
perspective and a serious understanding of the company’s product range.
With additional experience gained through his time as Technical
Manager with London Light, the transition to Project Manager allows Marter
to capitalise on a considerable knowledge of all aspects of entertainment
lighting to support and service productions at the very highest level.
On shifting roles within the company, Marter said: “It’s incredibly exciting
to be taking on a new role within a company that I understand so well - I’ve
worked as part of the Aurora team for several years, so I know exactly how
we operate and, more importantly, I know exactly what production expects
from us.”
Moving within the Aurora ranks means that Marter has been able to
settle into his new role relatively quickly, having already presided over a
variety of high profile projects including Love Island, Would I Lie to You? and
Aurora’s largest logistics challenge to date, Can’t Touch This.
Commenting on the appointment, VER European Sales Director Adrian
96
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
Offord said: “We’re delighted that Joe has chosen to make the move
internally. Expanding the Aurora project management team will obviously
enhance our service - however, with his in-depth equipment knowledge and
industry understanding, recruiting Joe from within brings an even greater
strength to the team.”
Acoustic and audio specialist Event Acoustics has appointed leading
independent audio engineering and design consultancy Vanguardia as its
UK distributor for MeTrao, the company’s unique intelligent network audio
measurement system.
Event Acoustics has also assigned Istanbul-based ELIT the sole rights
for Turkey, whilst audio visual design and distribution specialist ZAP S.A
will cover Switzerland, with a headquarters in Geneva and branches in
Lausanne and Winterthur.
To further boost the UK venture, Vanguardia has recruited Roly Oliver
as head of live business, with a focus on the distribution of MeTrao to rental
companies, consultants and temporary and permanent installations.
Oliver discussed why MeTrao is set to transform the audio management
aspect of the live event industry: “From my experience, as both sound
engineer and sound supplier, one of the most frustrating things has been
wanting to have real time information about the actual impact of our stage
on the perimeter levels,” he explained.
“MeTrao finally gives us that, including trackable third octave analysis
of the problem frequencies and even filtering out crowd noise. This allows
for a much more relaxed approach to staying within the licensing limits of
the event, but still delivering maximum enjoyment to the paying audience.
Promoters, sound engineers and ultimately audiences are going to love this
device. I cannot wait to introduce it to people over this summer.”
www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/
 REGISTER
NOW
USE CODE
TPIBPMPRO

NEW VENUE
NEW FEATURES
NEW DAYS
(SUN-TUE)

Sponsored by

11-13 SEPT 2016 | GENTING ARENA NEC | BIRMINGHAM UK

OUR PARTNERS
www.visitpro.co.uk
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

THOUGHTS ON THE C WORD

Competence, competency even, or maybe competencies; strikes fear into the heart
of many a poor soul when writing guidance or codes of practice. It’s a word that,
to many, defies accurate definition, as Andy Lenthall discusses.

Interestingly, having typed competence into a search engine, it throws
up an ancient definition: ‘an income large enough to live on, typically an
unearned one’. So that’s me then, incompetent and likely to stay that
way. Of course, the more modern meaning of the word is described thus:
‘the ability to do something successfully or efficiently’. No mention of
safety there, yet so much safety-related literature mentions the word.
That said, I’d be happy to argue that a safe route to a successful outcome
is, in itself, part of the success. Interesting then, that in the relatively
new, revised Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations,
the absolute requirement for competence has gone, disappeared,
vanished. I hope they know what they’re doing.
The ‘C’ word has been replaced, quite deliberately, by a need for skills,
knowledge, experience and, where relevant, organisational capability
when it comes to the requirements for the role of principal contractor.
Nothing in there about training but that can, of course, deliver the skills and
knowledge into the mix.
Then there’s a question of context. Around 12 years ago, a few months
after I started working for the PSA, I realised that I’d be hanging around
with lots of health and safety professionals. I do have a natural ability to
pick up on salient points and handle myself in meetings and pressured
environments, sometimes referred to as winging it but, with the knowledge
I’d gained, it was worth adding a few bits and getting myself a qualification.
A little later, after paying £700 for a bunch of PDFs, a little light studying and
hand written exam papers that brought on a nasty bout of work related
upper limb disorder (still got the terminology down), I became the proud
recipient of a General Certificate from the National Examination Board
in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). I mentioned the fact in
conversation with a friend in the Health and Safety Game, he immediately
offered me a gig, in Spain; I had to decline. You see, my aim was simply to
sing from the right hymn sheet, I turned the work down because I didn’t feel
I had the experience in the field to take a first job on my own. Effectively, I’d
proven my competence by knowing my limits.
By taking out a single word and expanding, HSE has pulled a clever
stroke. It’s not just about a generic need for competence by whatever vague
definition. It’s a need for several elements related to each project. Take the
simple example of telehandler operation; your ticket doesn’t necessarily
say you’re experienced in the art of moving kit around a festival site.
Back to context though, because our very dynamic way of working can
change the working environment very quickly. An individual or group can
have all the skills, knowledge and experience they need to walk onto a site,
but without the information, instruction, training and supervision required
for that specific task in that specific place on that specific day, they could,
quite possibly, be made to look, well, a bit incompetent.
For example, at our recent ‘CDM for the PM’ workshops, we had a look
at the results of a couple of HSE site visits and one prosecution. A couple
of rather scary looking errors in work at height could have very easily been

98

avoided by a little communication of the work plan for that day. Climbing
onto a stage roof from a picker basket was only necessary because the
decorative cladding on the stage hadn’t been removed first. Something
missing in the planning there, something we don’t hear much of - toolbox
talks, an element that, along with site inductions, could be a simple route
to much improved performances in risk reduction.
By no means non-existent, site inductions are the way to inform
workers about safety procedures - first aid, fire, evacuation - as well as site
speed limits, PPE requirements (when and where hi-vis, hearing protection
or hard hats may be required) and perhaps site speed limits for festivals.
It can be a face-to-face session, it can be a short video or it could just be
an information sheet that crew sign for once they’ve read it. More of a
rarity, it seems, is the toolbox talk, a simple briefing on the day’s activities.
Who’s on site, what risks may be present from other contractors, schedule
of work. The examples we were shown by HSE, all from last year, were of
workers using the wrong tools or methods because there had been no
plan communicated. They looked like they didn’t know what they were
doing. They were probably qualified, trained and experienced, but there
was a little lacking in the information instruction and, perhaps, supervision
elements. It’s worth saying at this point that all of the examples cited were
from load outs, it seems that HSE sees rich pickings at that point.
We’re not just talking about individuals here either. Productions grow,
whether they be festivals, tours, AGMs, whatever. An event organiser may
well find themselves with contractors that are happy to say yes to a show
that is outside their comfort zone, beyond their organisational capability
perhaps. I can cook you a mean curry, just don’t ask me to do it for 150
people, I don’t have a pan big enough for the rice.
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
www.tpimagazine.com/subscribe/
99
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
When we asked attendees at our CDM Workshops to send some
questions in advance of the event, my particular favourite asked when we
could get some competent clients. A fair point, and one addressed during
the sessions. CDM does place certain responsibilities at the door of the
client but it’s not for contractors to sit back and wait for them to fulfil those
responsibilities, it’s for clients to appoint people in roles that can help them
discharge duties. The duties remain with whoever has them as defined by
their actions (the client will always be the person for whom the activity
takes place, they can’t contract that out), choosing the right suppliers
will help them discharge those duties. It was not an accident when major
staging and temporary structure suppliers got together to produce a neat
code of practice, it’s designed to help clients fulfil their obligations and
create a safe workplace. There will be more to come too – a revised version
is on its way and we’re starting work on a guide to choosing local crew, a
document to help clients specify the right skill sets for tasks.
If we were to wrap all of these elements, skills, knowledge, experience,
organisational capabilities, and add to them the information, instruction,
training and supervision, we might say that HSE, by removing the explicit
term competence, has gone a long way towards defining it for the needs of
a multi-contractor workplace involving construction activity.
Personally, I still have my safety qualification, the knowledge is there,
skills and experience have built over time but, after the opening of a tap
room at our local brewery, I did manage to gather a good number of local
friends in their building and we did get rather squiff y. I’m turning out to be a
right consultant.
TPi
www.psa.org.uk
TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

THE PRODUCTION GUIDE

The TPi Production Guide is kindly sponsored by
PRG XL Video – Tel: + 44 (0)1442 849 400 / +44 (0) 845 470 6400. Web: www.prg.com
2 Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DU / The Cofton Centre,
Groveley Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham, B31 4PT

Total Production Solutions

Corporate - Live Events
Touring - Broadcast
SOUND LIGHTING
VIDEO RIGGING
NOW AVAILABLE:

01565 652202
rental@vme-uk.com
www.vme-uk.com

Temporary Power Specialists

Power for Events, Festivals & Broadcast

Sync & Twinset Units
Full Site Power Design & Implementation
Nationwide Service
Contact our specialist team today!
North West - 01565 654 004
Wales - 01758 713 100
www.eurogenerators.co.uk
hire@eurogenerators.co.uk

Travel M
anagem CELEBRATING 15 YEARS
for the
Live Mu ent Services
sic Indu
stry

• Saving you time, money, stress and hassle

• Help with planning, budgeting and routing
• Hotels, flights, ferries and other travel products
• Various budgets and expectations catered for
• Trade only prices with financial protection
• Detailed itineraries provided for all tours
See the power of d3’s • Free travel advice and 24 hour support
Video Format Conversion Cards
SPECIALISTS IN THE ART OF
E: info@travel4tours.com
TOURING & ENTERTAINMENT
InfoComm 2016, 4-10 June T: +44 (0) 1904 777 217 (UK)

Las Vegas, #C6248 F: +44 (0) 1904 777 172

www.tourtravel.co.uk
W: www.travel4tours.com
T: +44 (0) 20 7434 7408

100
 TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

NEW!
GERRIETS G-SORBER

Acoustic Roll Banner • Size: 1,00 - 4,50 m

x max. 10,00 m (w x h) • Sound Absorption
Class: A • Custom Dyed Colors Available •
Can Be Digitally Printed

Gerriets Great Britain Ltd. +44 20 7639 7704

18 Verney Rd, +44 20 7732 5760
London SE16 3DH info@gerriets.co.uk
UK www.gerriets.co.uk

Engineering for the ears

Equipment we offer:

/ PROJECTION • Cable Ramp - Rental & Sales Customised personal

/ MEDIA SERVERS • ADA Disabled Wheelchair Cable Ramps - Rental
• Event Power Distribution - Rental
hearing solutions
simplified for you
/ CREATIVE VIDEO • Cable - Rental
• Powerlock Cable Systems - Rental info@proguarduk.co.uk www.proguarduk.co.uk
• Lighting & Adaptors - Rental

Tel: 0845 606 6049

TEL: 0845 689 2000 / WWW.CPLAV.COM Email: hire@tempower.co.uk
www.tempower.co.uk

To advertise here enquiries should be made to Hannah Eakins or Charlotte Goodlass

Hannah Eakins - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 8363 Email: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk
Charlotte Goodlass - Tel: +44 (0) 161 476 9126 Email: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk

JUNE 2016 ADVERTISERS

3db TPMEA DPA Microphones 6 Hand Held Audio 80 Prolyte TPMEA

Adamson 65 Duratruss 75 J&C Joel TPMEA Protec TPMEA
ADJ 57 DWR TPMEA John Henry’s 68 Radiotek 31
Allen & Heath TPMEA Eat to the Beat 61 K-array 51 RCF 79
B+K Braun 21 EAW 81 Knight Rigging Services 100 & 101 Rigging Services 26
Beat The Street 63 eclipse Staging Services TPMEA L-Acoustics IBC Robe 27
Bob Kelly & Co 100 & 101 Elation Professional 48 Leisuretec 4 & 19 Rock-It Cargo 35
Brilliant Stages 43 Entec Sound and Light 100 & 101 MA Lighting 53 Rockpool Tour Catering 37
Cadac 23 ER Productions 3 Meyer Sound IFC Rubber Box 99
ChainMaster 5 Evolution Events TPMEA Millennium Studios 31 Sennheiser 15
Channel 16 41 Fly By Nite 92 & 93 Milos / Area Four Industries 71 Sensorcom 100 & 101
Chauvet Professional 7 Focusrite 31 MTFX 9 Showtex TPMEA
CHRISTIE 55 Funktion One 17 Nexo 69 SNAP TPMEA
Clarke Cable TPMEA GearSource Europe 60 Pearce Hire 82 TECS Event Services TPMEA
Coda Audio 73 Gerriets 100 & 101 Philips Entertainment BC Tempower 100 & 101
d&b audiotechnik 47 GLP TPMEA Phoenix Bussing 33 The Revolving Stage Company TPMEA
DiGiCo 11 Green Hippo 49 PRG Gearhouse 39 TW Audio 85
Doughty Engineering 75 Gulf Crewing 100 & 101 PRG XL Video 77, 100 & 101 Video Illusions 71

101
BACK CHAT
NEIL TRENELL
Managing Director, Fix8Group
How did you first get your start in the industry?
I was always involved with amateur production from
an early age as my mother used to make costumes
at my school. I then got a chance to do a work
experience with Vari-Lite on Stars In Their Eyes at
Granada studios. It was only meant to be two weeks
but it ended up being two months. I then really got
the bug and started working with Andre and Dion
Davie at VME when I was 17 - getting into lighting by
accident. I met Nick Jevons and Philip Winward from
Electricfly when I was at Loughborough University
and they really got me on the correct path. I still have
no formal training in this industry and this is 16
years on.
Could you talk through the origins of FIX8Group?
There must have been a gap in the market for your
skills?
FIX8 came about as there was no specific company
looking after control systems from a creative
standpoint. I got my first lucky break when Nick
Jevons and Philip Winward asked me to work
with media servers at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in
Manchester back in 2003. I was on radlite V1 - the
start of media servers as we know today.
102
This year the FIX8 team led the visual and
content design for the TPi Awards. How was the
experience?
It was a good challenge. You have your industry
peers all in one room who all have an opinion, so I
guess it was good to keep it simple and make the
awards effective and as short as possible.
You’ve just completed working on the Eurovision
Song Contest. That must be an extremely
challenging project?
Eurovision is always a great experience and a
massive challenge at the same time. It is the most
professional team I have worked with and many
of us did ESC back in 2013 in Malmö. This year was
particularly challenging as the level of production
for each nation had risen considerably. We had
projection mapping for Russia with only 40 seconds
to change over from the previous act and line up
the projector. We had the moving mirror system
from Barco so it was like going back to Golden scan
programming. It was all a bit retro. Mikki Kunttu
[Video Content Designer] is a creative mastermind
and really knows how to get the best from the
entire team and the technology he is using. I don’t
think there is a better man in this industry for the
knowledge he has.
Is there a live event from your career that really
had an impact on you, how so?
There are too many to mention here. I guess I am
very fortunate to work in an industry that is still my
hobby with the crazy people who I have an honour
to call my colleagues and friends. In a time where
we are losing too many people close to our hearts, I
would say that it is not a singular live event that has
had the biggest impact, but the industry itself and
people that I get to work with.
 STAGE ESSENTIALS

X15 HiQ, REFERENCE STAGE MONITOR - L-ACOUSTICS X SERIES

In creating the X Series, we brought all of the experience gained in designing the K2 to bear on a new series of reference
coaxials. Optimized design, ergonomics, acoustical performance and weight make the X Series the most advanced coaxials
on the market. Four distinct enclosures with format, bandwidth, SPL and coverage angles perfectly adapted to short throw rental
or install applications, the X Series offers studio monitor sound quality, compact design, consistent tonal balance, no minimum
listening distance and exceptional feedback rejection. www.l-acoustics.com

Advertising_X15 HiQ_210x297_TPI.indd 1 17/09/2015 10:50:27

14919_HYDRUS_AD_MAY_TPI_v1R_OL.indd 1 18/04/2016 11:25