DRAKE

Boy Meets World; World Meets Production Elite

TPI AWARDS 2017: THE WINNERS • ON TOUR WITH GREEN DAY • ON THE ROAD: BELGIUM • JBL AT 70 MARCH 2017
#211
GEAR HEADS: DIGICO SD12 • PET SHOP BOYS LIVE • BACKSTAGE WITH TWENTY ØNE PILØTS • PSA
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EDITOR’S LETTER

CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS

Highs and Lows…

This time of year is unlike any other for us. We’re constantly busy creating 17 printed magazines
every 12 months, alongside our various websites and events, but our annual awards show is Frankfurt
4. - 7. April 2017
something else. For us, producing a live event - with the incredible help of our suppliers and
sponsors - is an opportunity to be behind the scenes and put on the kind of show we usually write
about. It blows my mind - every time - how the live production industry takes an idea blurted out
over a cup of tea and turns it into a reality, often surpassing original expectations. Thank you for
attending, and huge congratulations to all of the people and companies recognised by their peers
this year - it’s truly deserved. If you missed the party, you can find the winners on Pg. 12, and the
full production profile of the Awards will be featured in our next issue.
With talent comes brilliant opportunities but, as is the nature of event building, unfortunate • Chain Hoists
dangers can lurk. There’s a lot of coverage in this issue of tours that have been successfully BGV-D8/D8+/C1
completed without a hitch, as is thankfully the norm. However, what I really want to pay attention
to here is the loss of life that came as part of a tragic accident during Avenged Sevenfold’s (A7X)
• VarioLifts up to 42 m/min
current outing. A 19-year-old local crewmember from Germany, Marvin Puchmeier, is no longer • JumboLifts up to 6000kg
with us. The PSA’s column on Pg. 138 pays tribute, and aims to support those affected. Our A7X • Control Systems D8/D8+
tech profile, from an earlier UK date, is dedicated to Marvin’s memory. It’s been on our minds for
the last couple of weeks, and the only thing we can take comfort in is that Marvin was working in a
• Wireless Control Systems
role that he loved, a role that he was clearly respected for. BGV-C1
RIP • Computer Controls SIL3
Kel Murray
Editor
• Load measuring systems
• Rigging Equipment
• Trainings
EDITOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE • Accessories
Kel Murray Justin Gawne
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360
Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767
e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Ste Durham
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385
GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk
Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk
Hall 3.0 Booth B30
Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 We are pleased about your visit!
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STAFF WRITER
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Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Damian Walsh WWW.CHAINMASTER.DE
Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344
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Drake by Tom Martin
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ADVERTISING SALES Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions,
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EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS www.tpimagazine.com

Mo Naeem www.tpiawards.com
Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8358 www.tpmeamagazine.com
Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313
e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk Issue 211 - March 2017 info@chainmaster.de
GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS
Hannah Eakins (on materninty leave until July 2017)
CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBH
TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence.
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 ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS
09 Daytime TPi + TPi Awards Winners
All the news from the 2017 event.

14 Shockerz
ADJ delivers a Dutch dance delight.

16 Adele In The Round

Star Events pushes the envelope.

18 Busted

18
The one-time pop punks premiere a new
look, courtesy of Tim Routledge.

22 A Day To Remember
Adlib provides unforgettable audio.

24 The NAMM TEC Awards

Hollywood Vampires perform live.

30 Britannia Row Productions

New training courses for 2017.

32 Sennheiser’s Latest Launch

The Digital 6000 microphone system.

36 D.A.S. Audio
The Spanish manufacturer unveils Sound

40
Force.

38 Hawthorn Celebrates 30 Years

TPi attends the tech specialist’s birthday.
PRODUCTION PROFILE
40 Drake
The global superstar takes things up a
notch from the Summer Sixteen tour.

56 Pet Shop Boys

Es Devlin’s striking show design is
modified and taken out on the road.

66 Green Day
The trio goes back to basics for a

56
stripped-down and intimate rock show.

76 Twenty Øne Piløts

Kel Murray goes behind the scenes
at Chicago’s United Center.

88 Avenged Sevenfold
Dedicated to the memory of late
crewmember Marvin Puchmeier.
ON THE ROAD
98 Stew Hume dusts off his Flemish
phrasebook for a Euro road trip.
INTERVIEW
112 Talking shop with NAMM’s Joe Lamond.

76 120 Dave Rat joins forces with Powersoft.

IN PROFILE
124 Bryan Bradley on 70 years of JBL.

130 Sam Hughes pays a visit to A.C. Lighting.

GEAR HEADS
136 James Gordon gives the lowdown on
DiGiCo’s new offering, the SD12.
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
138 Coping With Tragedy.
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

124
140 The latest movers and shakers.
BACK CHAT
146 Luis Berlanga of Fluge Audiovisuales.
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 EVENT FOCUS

INTRODUCING…

In addition to TPi’s annual Awards festivities, this year we opted to add a brand new event to the
schedule, Daytime TPi. The goal of the afternoon was to allow attendees of the Awards even more
time to network with fellow guests and, crucially, take time to discuss new ideas and pressing
concerns.

Following the PSA’s (Production Services Association) AGM and a relaxed lunch, the day’s sessions began,
tackling issues including the mental health and general wellbeing of touring crewmembers to the paradigm shift
in technologies within the live events industry. With over a hundred people opting to join in the debate - some
of whom were straight off international flights - Daytime TPi endeavors to create an inviting space in which to
openly talk about pressing issues and present beneficial ideas that need to be heard. Overleaf we summarise the
very first Daytime TPi.

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09
DAYTIME TPi

SESSION ONE • LOAD IN, BREATHE OUT

Chair Andy Lenthall – General Manager, Production Services Association

Speakers Chris Parry-Jones – Group Director, Human Resources, Gallowglass
David NG Lawrence – DNG Production Crew
Andy Franks – Tour Manager, Co-Founder, Music Support

The first panel of the day, chaired by PSA’s Andy Lenthall, wasted no time
in diving into some of the challenges facing crewmembers today, from
long working hours to pensions, mental health issues and dealing with
aftermath of an unexpected fatality on a tour. This was far from a simple
conversation. Lenthall guided the discussion through the myriad issues
offering an optimistic look at the future with some safeguards that could
perhaps be put in place to maintain the health and wellbeing of crew and
travelling industry members. He commented: “This year one of the main
goals that the PSA hopes to achieve is to give greater exposure to mental
health, with the message that it is OK to talk about.”
Panellist Andy Franks, whose organisation Music Support offers a
channel for people in distress, explained: “We never know how issues such
as grief or bereavement will affect us and it’s not necessarily the job of a
production manager to have all the answers. One of the goals of Music
Support is to offer a one-stop-shop to give some help or refer touring
personnel to the adequate support.”
With such complicated and sensitive issues it’s always hard to draw
a logical conclusion. However, one thing that all three panellists agreed
on was the need for greater transparency between promoters and
productions. Lenthall concluded: “You are not just paying for equipment on
a tour, you are paying for people and their time and we have got to be realistic
about humans capabilities.”

SESSION TWO • CONCERT TOURING’S PARADIGM SHIFT

Chair Justin Gawne, Mondiale Publishing / TPi Chief Executive

Speakers Mike Simpson – Global Application Lead, Philips Lighting
Bryan Bradley – Senior Vice President & General Manager
Entertainment SBU, Harman
Steve Halliday – Business Development Manager UK, Absen

The next panel, hosted by TPi’s own Justin Gawne, was entitled Concert
Touring’s Paradigm Shift and focussed on the way our industry is likely to
progress in the face of ever-advancing technology.
Topics for this talk included the way the internet has transformed how
artists earn a living, the future development of video screen tech, and using
new tools to create a more inclusive and immersive live experience.
For the talk, Gawne welcomed three representatives from leading
manufacturers - Harman, Absen and Philips Lighting - to discuss how they
are dealing with the rising expectations in technologies. Commenting on
the subject was Bryan Bradley, Senior Vice President and General Manager
Entertainment SBU, Harman: “At Harman, and other manufactures, there
are two things we try to achieve with new technology: firstly to expand the
creativity palette available to artists, be that musicians or engineers, and
secondly, we try to increase the speed at which a job can be done.”
Throughout the talk each panellist seemed incredibly optimistic about
the future of entertainment technology, as well as the challenges it could
face in the future. As we enter an age of true immersion where audiences
are given greater control in the entertainment they choose to consume.
This is a discussion that will no doubt continue to evolve.

10
 IF YOU CAN
IMAGINE IT,
WE CAN
BUILD IT.

2017 TPi Favourite

Staging Company

Thanks to
Concert
everyone who
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in all sizes.
Stageco Belgium N.V.
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BELGIUM FRANCE NETHERLANDS GERMANY AUSTRIA USA

STAGECO TPi Awards AD April2017.indd 1 02/03/2017 10:07

 THE TPi AWARDS 2017
WINNERS ARE…

LIVE PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR FAVOURITE REHEARSAL FACILITY THE DENNIS SHEEHAN TOUR MANAGER
Sponsored by PRG XL Video Sponsored by Vista Insurance OF THE YEAR AWARD
Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams World Tour LH2 Sponsored by VER
Glen Rowe

PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR FAVOURITE RIGGING COMPANY MONITOR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by EFM Sponsored by Area Four Industries Sponsored by Solid State Logic
Ola Melzig UK Rigging Amanda Thomson

FAVOURITE SOUND RENTAL COMPANY FAVOURITE SECURITY COMPANY FAVOURITE TRUCKING COMPANY
Sponsored by Harman Professional Sponsored by TPi Magazine Sponsored by LS-Live
Britannia Row Productions Showsec Fly By Nite

FAVOURITE BUSSING COMPANY THE MARK FISHER SET DESIGNER FAVOURITE CREW COMPANY
Sponsored by Production Futures OF THE YEAR AWARD Sponsored by VME
Beat The Street Sponsored by Perry Scenic Creative Stage Miracles
Rob Sinclair
 RIGGER OF THE YEAR FAVOURITE VIDEO RENTAL COMPANY LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Rigging Services Sponsored by d3 Technologies Sponsored by Martin By Harman
Pete ‘The Greek’ Kalopsidiotis PRG XL Video Fredrik Jönsson

FAVOURITE SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY FAVOURITE POWER SUPPLY COMPANY FAVOURITE VENUE
Sponsored by Fix8Group Sponsored by SES Sponsored by BVE
BPM SFX Power Logistics Royal Albert Hall - London

FAVOURITE STAGING COMPANY FAVOURITE FREIGHT COMPANY STAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Absen Sponsored by ER Productions Sponsored by Brilliant Stages
Stageco Rock-it Cargo Emma Reynolds

THE DES FALLON VIDEO VISIONARY AWARD FAVOURITE LIGHTING RENTAL COMPANY FRONT OF HOUSE ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Green Hippo Sponsored by Robe Sponsored by Martin Audio
Oli Metcalfe Neg Earth Lights Colin Pink

FAVOURITE SET CONSTRUCTION COMPANY FAVOURITE TRAVEL COMPANY THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD
Sponsored by J&C Joel Sponsored by Principal Hotels Sponsored by Blackmagic Design
TAIT Towers The Tour Company Noreen O’Riordan
EVENT FOCUS
ALMOST 200 ADJ FIXTURES DEPLOYED
FOR DUTCH DANCE EVENT
For the second consecutive year, a large quantity of ADJ lighting fixtures were used to transform
the massive Maaspoort Sports and Events space in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, for the
Shockerz hardstyle dance event.
At the last instalment of the annual party over 100 ADJ units were
deployed, however this time the bar was raised dramatically with almost
200 fixtures spread across two huge dance arenas.
With an epic line-up of Dutch hard dance DJs and live PAs, this year’s
Shockerz event was dubbed ‘Project F.E.A.R.’ and attracted thousands of
partygoers for 11 continuous hours of intense music. The audio, visual,
lighting, and effects production for both of the two large dance spaces was
the responsibility of local Dutch AV company Trend Productions, headed
up by Adje van Veghel. Since this was such a large-scale production,
Veghel also brought in another local lighting supplier, Jan van Bree and
his company ALE Light & Sound, to help supply and install the epic lighting
system.
Having been impressed with the performance of the variety of ADJ
units used for the previous year’s Shockerz party, the Trend Productions
team decided to return to ADJ for the majority of the lighting fixtures used
across the event’s two large rigs. They were particularly impressed by
the reliability of all the units, encountering no problems or malfunctions
across the whole complement of fixtures used for the event. Another real
14
advantage that Veghel recognied in the ADJ equipment is its excellent value
for money; offering a very good price versus performance ratio.
For the primary dance area, Trend Productions created a truly
impressive rig that filled the vast space at the front of the venue’s main
sports arena. This featured a central arrangement of four straight truss
segments, which decreased in size from the lowest to the highest to create
a pyramid-style effect. A large video screen was then positioned in the
center of the ‘pyramid’, surrounded by a triangle of smaller screens. This
structure was then flanked on either side by four quarter-circles of truss,
which conversely increased in size from top to bottom. The trussing setup
was then completed by four straight ‘fingers’ of truss, hung above the
crowd, positioned so that they fanned out from the stage. With the DJ
booth positioned at the centre of it all, the effect of the set was impressive
in itself. However, with the addition of a vast number of ADJ lighting fixtures
rigged to the truss, the complete effect was truly awe-inspiring.
Lighting Designer Sjors van Erkeland specified no less than 96 of ADJ’s
108W LED-powered Inno Color Beam LED moving head beam fixtures,
spread across the vast expanse of truss. This allowed the crowd to be

bathed in vast swathes of richly coloured light and meant that Erkeland,
who also served as the lighting operator for this area, could create
impressive mid-air beam effects.
Interspersed with the Inno Color Beam LEDs, the Trend Productions
team also rigged 24 ADJ Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R moving head fixtures for
GOBO projections and further mid-air effects generated by the units’ in-
built 8-facet prisms. These were further augmented by 12 of ADJ’s flagship
Vizi Hybrid 16RX fixtures. Powered by revolutionary Philips Platinum 16R
discharge lamps, these groundbreaking moving heads offer a true hybrid
of wash, spot, and beam functions. This meant that, at different times
during the event, Erkeland could use the fixture to wash the stage or crowd,
project sharp gobo patterns around the venue, and generate pin-sharp
moving beams. ball-shaped moving heads each feature 12 pixel-mappable RGBW LEDs and
The overall effect was truly epic. Thanks to the extensive truss rig,
the lighting fixtures could be arranged such that their beams projected
from all over the stage set as well as up above the dancefloor. The beams
of vibrant colour punctuated with crisp gobo projections sweeping and
spinning through the cavernous space above the mass of music lovers on
the dancefloor ensured that the energy level in the room never dropped
throughout the whole 11-hour party.
For the event’s second area, a further line-up of ADJ fixtures were
deployed to give this space a different feel, while also providing lighting
operator Yannick de Kort plenty of beams, colours, and effects to work
with. The focal point for this arena was an array of 24 ADJ Vizi Beam RXONE
moving heads, arranged in three rows of eight behind the DJ booth. These
compact and quick fixtures are powered by potent Osram Sirius HRI 1R
discharge lamps which allow the creation of super sharp 3 degree beams
of light that can travel up to 100m. This meant that de Kort could shoot a
barrage of fast-moving razor sharp beams out from behind the DJs that
travelled the whole length of the space to hit the back wall, filling the air
15
SHOCKERZ
above the dancers with a myriad of movement and colour.
Further Vizi Beam RXONE fixtures were also rigged from a pair of
trusses that were hung in the ceiling above the dance area. These were
interspersed by 10 of ADJ’s unique 3 Sixty 2R moving head fixtures that each
feature two independently tilting heads mounted to a common panning
yoke. This meant that de Kort could project two different coloured patterns,
in different directions, from a single spinning base. He was therefore able
to create a variety of dynamic, mesmerising movements perfectly suited to
providing the backdrop to the event’s frantic style of music.
The inclusion of another of ADJ’s unique fixtures completed the lighting
rig in the second area; 8 ADJ Asteroid 1200’s were spread out in pairs
across the length of the two trusses above the dancefloor. These unique
offer continuous 360 degree rotation of the head and yoke allowing for the
creation of hypnotic, fast-paced mirrorball-style effects.
Due to the extremely fast BPM of the music played at Shockerz, this
event truly puts the ADJ fixtures that are used through their paces. Running
constantly for 11 hours, the heads are required to move rapidly throughout
their whole pan and tilt ranges for prolonged periods of time to accompany
the continuous and rapid beat of the music.
ADJ reported that, once again, all the fixtures that Trend Productions
used for the event passed this grueling test with flying colours. According
to the company, everyone involved was extremely impressed by the
lightshow including the organisers, the Tread Productions crew, and - most
importantly - the hordes of music lovers on the dancefloors!
TPi
Photos courtesy of ADJ
www.shockerzevents.nl
www.americandj.eu
www.trendproductions.nl www.alelight.nl
EVENT FOCUS
ADELE IN THE ROUND WITH
VERTECH ULTRA
Star Events has designed and built two completely new stages to
accommodate Adele’s 2017 ‘in the round’ stadium shows that are
currently wowing critics and audiences across Australia.
Initial audio planning required eight hangs of L-Acoustics K1 and
K2, some 10m high, arranged facing outwards around the stage and a
substantial sub-bass hang dead centre of the stage. However, for optimum
results, the speakers had to be suspended 25m up.
With Adele wanting to be closely surrounded by the audience in a
genuine 360° layout, there was no available real estate for all the usual
control equipment. Tour Production Manager Richard Young conceived the
idea of building the racks into two shipping containers that form the heart
of a production area suspended high above the stage.
Required to suspend over 40 tonnes at 25m before starting on the rest
of the extensive production install, Young approached Star Events for a
solution from the planned upgrade to its VerTech system.
Star had four months to develop and ship the stages to Australia.
Badged VerTech Ultra, the new components are dimensionally compatible
with existing VerTech parts, but the configuration for Adele is totally
unprecedented.
An eight-spoked grid, with PA cantilevers on each, is free-standing on
just four 100 tonne capacity Ultra towers with no ties between them at
ground level and no storm bracing anywhere within audience sight lines.
16
Every conceivable element of the stage build and production rigging is
monitored by systems supplied by Load Cell Rental.
Below the roof-mounted production area, a suspended 14m octagonal
‘witch’s hat’ roof protects the main performance area from rain and sun
and provides additional rigging points. As the roof has to move during the
show, tracking the 20m diameter screen ‘drum’, all water from the gutters is
pumped away via the work area above.
Young commented: “Star Events rose to the challenge with enthusiasm
and some great solutions. The fact that this is on just four legs, that are not
tied together, has enabled us to get people as close to Adele as possible,
maxing out the capacity on the floor and creating and breaking attendance
records all over Australia. The ultimate ground support!”
Star Events’ Special Projects Director, Roger Barrett, said: “It has been
a huge privilege to be trusted with enabling this record breaking tour to
happen. We looked hard at the few previous ‘in the round’ stadium shows
and tried to learn from them, we are delighted with the end result. Once
this tour is over we will be using the new Ultra components to upgrade our
existing VerTech festival stages so that we can always say yes to whatever
weights our clients want to fly.”
TPi
www.home.adele.com
www.stareventsltd.com
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EVENT FOCUS

BUSTED
Acclaimed Lighting Designer Tim Routledge dug into his sci-fi film collection to inspire a sleek show
design for the one-time pop punks’ recent tour cycle. TPi’s Ste Durham spoke with the visual team
behind one of the most surprising visual reinventions in recent years.

Attempting to recapture past glories can be difficult at the best of
times, and that harsh reality is rarely more apparent than in a world as
unforgiving as that of mainstream pop music. A particularly shrewd way
of sidestepping this problem is to return to the limelight as a different
prospect altogether.
Although Busted’s revival began with a ‘comeback’ tour that allowed
hardcore fans to revel in some early-noughties nostalgia, the band then
wasted no time in embarking on a period of reinvention - a decision that
was apparently instrumental in making the reunion stick in the first place.
Essentially the band discovered a shared interest in the idea of
exploring a more electronically influenced variation on their already well-
honed pop rock sensibilities, which in turn spawned a new album, Night
Driver, and an accompanying headline tour.
Such a shift in artistic direction and image inevitably nudged the band’s
production to follow suit - a challenge that Show Designer Tim Routledge
was more than happy to tackle head-on.
He explained: “I designed the band’s comeback tour, which was very
much focussed on their back catalogue of hits, but this time they have a
drastically different sound. The electronic bands of the ‘80s, as well as more
modern acts like Daft Punk, have been a big influence on the music, so we
needed a new look to match.”
This led Routledge to draw on the metropolitan, neon-hued aesthetic
synonymous with sci-fi touchstones such as Blade Runner for his design,
and ultimately create a futuristic cityscape for the band to inhabit during
their performances. “I came up with the sketches quite quickly and sent
them straight over to the band,” he said. “It absolutely ticked all the boxes
they were looking for and the subsequent conversations with management
only led to a couple of tweaks. We pre-programmed everything in
WYSIWYG, so we were able to show the band how good it was going to look
the second they walked into rehearsals.”
The foundation of this look comes from the 14 ‘skyscrapers’ that loom
behind the band, which are made from trussing towers clad with LED

18

fixtures and bespoke lining by Light Initiative, and topped with Robe’s
versatile new offering, the Spiider - a unit Routledge has been particularly
impressed with.
He said: “To me it’s one of the best fixtures invented in the last few
years. I previously used it on The X Factor last year and it’s fantastic whether
you are using it as a wash, spot, or for the wide range of effects it offers.
There’s nothing bad to say about them and they are perfect for this show.
I am very much about using the same kinds of fixtures where I can, rather
than mixing and matching just because I can.”
Routledge continued: “Everything had to be modular and scalable
given that we would be playing academy-style venues as well as theatres.
We designed it so the towers could go anywhere on the stage, and either
contract or expand both width-wise and downstage as needed. The high-
gloss lining of the towers and minimal use of fixtures maintained a really
clean look.”
Having previously worked with Light Initiative on custom-built pieces
for Take That and Gary Barlow among others, Routledge knew he could
again rely on the company to help create his vision of the future. He said: speed, or position, generates content based on these parameters and
“They have very clever products and some incredible software, as well as
superb attention to detail and a fundamental willingness to get involved
throughout, which I really appreciate. They understand how to build
interesting and exciting pieces.”
Light Initiative’s Creative Director, Bryn Williams, explained: “We have
built up a great record of innovative and appropriate solutions over the
years. Tim approached us early on in his own creative process, which
invariably leads to an improved end result. Not everyone has the self-
confidence to do this.
“As always with touring, the solution must meet or surpass its creative
and practical objectives, all the while ensuring that it is consistent from
“I am bursting with pride. My sincere thanks go
out to Andy Lenthall, TPi, Mark Cunningham,
Craig Duffy, Adam Stevenson, Jonny Clark,
Team Pendleton, Team Entec, Luke at Blackmagic
Design, the legends who contributed to the
amazing video tribute and, of course, all our
valued clients and inventory suppliers. Big love!”
NOREEN O’RIORDAN
Managing Director
Entec Sound & Light
Winner of the
TPi OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD 2017
sponsored by Blackmagic Design
WINNER
ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT 517 Yeading Lane, Northolt, Middlesex UB5 6LN, UK • +44 (0) 20 8842 4004 • sales@entecLIVE.com • www.entecLIVE.com
19
BUSTED
the first show to the last,” he added. “To achieve these objectives, we
designed and manufactured a system of modular LED embedded claddings
that clamped easily to the supporting box truss infrastructure. To further
support the practical objectives we designed and manufactured two
custom dollies to efficiently house the claddings when not on stage.”
As well as requiring the fabrication of custom cladding, Routledge’s
design also asked more from Light Initiative’s proprietary IntelliFLEX LED
strips than usual, as Williams elaborated: “The design outline Tim provided
us was very clever in many ways, and not least in terms of pure bang for
buck. The collection of LED embedded skyscrapers formed a large and
artful background canvas, control of which would, in the majority of
circumstances, be via some form of pixel or video mapping; indeed these
techniques account for 70% of our delivered solutions. However Tim and
his team chose the extended version of IntelliFLEX software to generate and
deliver all the skyscraper LED for the show.”
IntelliFLEX is a piece of software contained within Light Initiative’s LED
drivers that receives parameters from a lighting desk such as colour, effect,
delivers this content along with power to the LED. According to Williams, all
of the major lighting desk manufactures have a personality for this system
in their fixture libraries.
He continued: “This extended version of IntelliFLEX exposes a lot more
parameters of control than the standard 12 channels per layer version.
Lots of control options can sometimes be pretty daunting, though Tim’s
history using the IntelliFLEX software goes way back. I had previously coded
two extended versions of IntelliFLEX for first time use by Tim, a 50-channel
version [used on the P&O Britannia cruise ship] and a 70-channel version
[used on Gary Barlow’s tour].
“These extended versions provided huge creative scope and fine detail
BRINGING EVENTS
TO LIFE SINCE 1968
BUSTED
control right from a lighting desk. In many ways, having this IntelliFLEX rig
is like having a rig of moving lights and, like all things, you get out what you
put in. The cue stack size alone was testament to this effort and attention
to every beat of the music.”
Routledge also had Claypaky’s brand new SharBar at his disposal, a
fixture that got the majority of its stage time during the band’s older, pop
punk tracks. He explained: “It’s kind of the modern equivalent of an ACL
PARcan bar, with a global tilt and six individual pans. We primarily use
them for cutting through skyscrapers or the boys themselves. The lights
were flown in from Italy on the last day of rehearsal so we’re one of the first
shows to use them.”
The skyscrapers were given added depth by two staggered rows of SGM
Q7 strobes, situated upstage and downstage, which could also be used
to silhouette the band during some of the moodier moments. These were
complimented by the rest of the floor package, which was completed by
Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profiles and more Robe Spiiders.
Although Routledge briefly flirted with the idea of using some form of
backdrop to add depth his cityscape, he eventually decided that simplicity
was key to the overall look. “We discussed the idea of video but we thought
it was an added complication that could also detract from the clean lines.
These days a lot of people think show designs are like shopping lists that
need to be ticked off in terms of throwing in as much video, special effects
and staging as possible,” he said.
“I think the cost and the time involved in creating video content may
have taken something away from the statement that we wanted to make,
particularly in the smaller venues where we wouldn’t have been able to rig
it anyway. We had video on last tour but, to be honest, it’s nice for me to go
back to being just a lighting designer.”
Routledge continued: “I’m mainly known for arena and stadium-sized
gigs so it was great for me to go back to being the only creative on this job.
I love the thrill of the big shows but they’re layered with so many other
creatives and producers that you have less freedom as a designer. This
production has given me back that freedom and it certainly equates to a
good amount of job satisfaction.”
Routledge designed the overhead truss so that the movements could
easily be cloned onto in-house rigs wherever possible, thus adhering to the
brief from Production Manager Rob Highcroft to make the lighting package
as easy to tour as possible.
On the original plot, three more MAC Viper Profiles on the front truss
were used as individual key lighting to pick out each of the three full-time
band members. Lighting Operator Tom Young explained: “The Vipers
basically act as our main key on the boys, but we’re not keying in bright
20
white light as that would destroy the look completely. We’ll almost always
key in colours like blue, red or lavender to make sure the show maintains its
look.”
Young is currently on tour with the show as Lighting Director on behalf
of Routledge, with whom he’s been employed directly for three years.
Routledge commented: “When we’re not on the road, he’s with me in the
office drawing up and designing shows, helping me with WYSIWYG drawings
and programming the shows alongside me. He took Busted’s last tour out
on the road as well, which was certainly one of the selling points to the
band.
“Tom is certainly one of the fastest programmers out there and he’s
clever with it too - he’s a real asset to have around. He’s been cloning the
show off beautifully every night into the house rigs and his work in the
programming stage was invaluable,” Routledge said.
He and Young spent a week in Routledge’s studio on WYSIWYG to create
the initial showfile, before three days of production rehearsals at Cato
Music’s facility in Wandsworth.
Young continued: “I do a first pass on the songs based on creative ideas
from Tim, then he comes in so we can work through and refine it together.
We’ve tried to make no two songs look the same in order to combat the
disparate styles of music, though the old songs do tend to be a bit flashier.
“My work is based around intricate programming and accenting certain
parts of the music like subtle cymbal hits. This show is all done to timecode
so we can spend time beforehand picking all those accents out. It’s quite a
theatrical design in that sense; people may not realise its happening, but
we still want them to feel it.”
Lighting control came from two MA Lighting grandMA2’s, which spoke to
two NPUs via MANet. Data was distributed by sACN down to the stage and
out of several Luminex nodes. Young added: The whole network was really
stable and the MA2 is always my console of choice. When you’re copying
and cloning so much, as well as dealing with lots of timecode, you need
something quick and adaptable and the MA2 is just that.”
All of the lighting was supplied by Neg Earth Lights, as were Crew Chief
George Doherty and Lighting Tech Davide Palumbi. Routledge enthused:
“Neg Earth are always wonderful and are my preferred vendor for concert
touring. Their attention to detail is exceptional and they are always willing
to invest in new technology to help us to deliver something special.”
TPi
www.busted.com
www.timroutledge.co.uk
www.negearth.com
www.lightinitiative.com
 Volkstheater Cologne, Germany

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xS_04_UK(TPI)_297x210_230217.indd 1 23/02/2017 15:07

EVENT FOCUS

ADLIB ENJOYS A DAY TO REMEMBER

Adlib’s busy start to 2017 has included supplying a full arena sound system for the European leg of A
Day to Remember’s Bad Vibes World Tour, complete with a console package.

Adlib’s Sam Proctor and Mike Flaherty have been working closely with McKinnon used a wireless Shure UR4D microphone fitted with a Heil Sound
the A Day To Remember’s (ADTR) System Technician Justin Lenards to RC35 capsule. The European leg of the Bad Vibes World Tour ended in Russia
fine tune an L-Acoustics system each day, ready for FOH Engineer Nate on 18 February.
Northway and Monitor Engineer Adam Schuler. The PA was chosen for TPi
its power and dynamics to match the intensity of the band. In its largest Photos: Adam Elmakias
format, the main hangs were 14 K1’s per side with three KARA downfills. www.adlib.co.uk
These main hangs were complemented by side arrays of 12 KARA stage
left and right.
Positioned across the front of the stage were 24 KS28 subwoofers,
selected for their extra 3dB of SPL over the standard SB28 subs. The
speaker count included a selection of KARA lip fills and ARCS2 infills, and
the system was driven by 16 L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers per side with three
LA12’s powering the subs.
Northway’s FOH console was a Midas PROX, with a Neutron NB dual
network bridge expansion module, giving an additional AES 50 outputs into
the DL451 I/O outboard insert rack. A DN9650 multichannel interface was
also run as an AES to MADI converter. Onstage, Schuler specified a Midas
PRO 9 monitor console while using an Avid Pro Tools rig running various
tracks. In addition, two KT DN 9620 AES extenders were run down a fibre
multi to the stage, feeding into a DL351 stage rack.
All five band members used Shure PSM 1000 IEM’s, with additional
monitor mixes provided for the three backline technicians. Singer Jeremy

22
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SD12 Total Production TPi 3-2-17.indd 1 02/03/2017 15:35

EVENT FOCUS

32 ANNUAL NAMM TEC AWARDS

ND

The busy evening ceremony saw awards presented to industry stalwarts like Aerosmith’s Joe Perry,
producer & engineer Jack Douglas was inducted into The NAMM TEC Hall of Fame and the crowds
were treated to performances from acts such as Hollywood Vampires.

Comedian Sinbad returned as host for the annual awards, which boasted
a roster of guest presenters including Johnny Depp, Lita Ford, The Foo
Fighters’ Rami Jaffee & Jessy Green, Om’Mas, Jerry Harrison, Geoff
Emerick, Jeff Greenberg (Village Recorder), and Eric Boulanger. Winners
in 31 technical and creative achievement categories were announced at
the 32nd Annual NAMM TEC Awards, which was presented by the NAMM
Foundation and held on 21 January in Anaheim, CA.
The event celebrates the best in professional audio and sound
production and is held during The NAMM Show, the world’s leading global
music industry trade event.   Production while Star Wars: Battlefront won for Interactive Entertainment
Four companies, AVID, iZotope, Sennheiser and Solid State Logic scored
several Outstanding Technical Achievement awards, each taking home
two statues each. AVID’s Pro Tools Dock and Pro Tools 12.3 picked up in
Workstation Technology and Audio Apps & Hardware categories; iZotope
in a new designation: Audio Education Technology, for the company’s
Pro Audio Essentials and the Ozone 7 Advanced in the category of Signal
Processing Software; Sennheiser in Wireless and Headphone/Earpiece
Technology categories for the Wireless G3 A-1 Band and the HD 25 Plus and
finally Solid State Logic for Large and Small Console Technology categories
for the System T and the Sigma Delta. Outstanding Technical Achievement
honours were chosen in 23 categories.
  Game Of Thrones returned for its second win in a year for Outstanding
Creative Achievement in the Television Sound Production category. David
Bowie’s Blackstar won in two categories, Record Production Album and
Single, while several Star Wars-themed projects beat out the competition
as well: Star Wars: The Force Awakens from Lucasfilm won for Film Sound
Sound Production. Outstanding Creative Achievement honours were
chosen in eight categories.
Joe Perry, one of music’s most significant artists and executives,
received the evening’s highest honour, the Les Paul Award, presented
to remarkably-distinguished and accomplished individuals from the
music industry. Hollywood Vampires bandmate and actor Johnny Depp
presented him with the award, then joined Perry, Brad Whitford, and Alice

24
 NAMM TEC AWARDS

Opposite: Hollywood Vampires performed with frontman, Alice Cooper;

Bandmember and actor Johnny Depp presented Joe Parry with the 2017
Les Paul Award.

Cooper on stage for a live performance. Perry dedicated the award to

his Manager, Howard Kaufman, who recently passed away. Keeping it in
the family, famed Aerosmith engineer and producer Jack Douglas also
became the newest inductee to the NAMM TEC Awards Hall of Fame.
Douglas engineered and produced many multi-platinum associated for
many of Aerosmith’s most iconic releases and is affectionately dubbed
‘the sixth member’ of the band.
Taking care of the technical details in the venue, the Pacific
Ballroom at the Anaheim Hilton - which measures at 29,000 sq ft -
was home to the TEC Awards. The event was serviced once again by
Freeman AV, technical supplier for both the TEC Awards and NAMM
itself. Additionally, GeerFab Acoustics, a full-service acoustic design
and manufacturing company, treated the room where the awards, and
live performance took place. Screen content was provided by Video 4
Creative.
The lighting rig was comprised of Martin by Harman Quantum
MAC Profiles, Robe Robin 800 LEDWashes and a mix of 8-inch and
6-inch generic fresnel fixtures, operated on a High End Systems Full
Boar 4 console. Lighting Director Marc Powell told TPi: “We needed a
design that worked well on camera for meetings, award shows and
performances. I tried to approach this design as I would a TV studio
setup. I laid down a base wash with 6-inch and 8-inch fresnels, then
added some Lekos for highlight and specials when needed. I used the
Robe Robin 800 LEDWashes from the back to add colour to shoulders
and give a completely different feel between the morning meetings
we had in the room, the performances, and the award show sections.
One of the main issues we have with this show is rigging. There just isn’t
enough support in the ceiling of the venue to hang what we would like.
For this room, I am constantly making fixture choices almost solely
based on availability and weight. The main reasons we use the Robe
Robin 800’s are the zoom range and the fact that they are lightweight.
I used to use VL 770’s as my spot fixtures for this show. This year I took
a suggestion from the shop and used the MAC Quantum Profiles. They
were available, used less power, are bright enough, have an acceptable
zoom range, and were lightweight enough to sub into the rig. Needless
to say, for this application, I love them. They fit much better with the
show and will be a permanent addition moving forward.
“I learned to program automated fixtures on a Whole Hog 2 and
have stuck with the Hog line ever since - the Hog 4 Full Boar fits this
show well. The console makes live programming and off the cuff
changes easy to deal with. Most of the ‘performance’ sections of
the show are programmed live and the Hog allows me to program
backgrounds to the central LED walls with some base stage looks and
effects.”
The video package included a Barco Encore video processor
and Green Hippo Hippotizer media server running V3 Grass Hopper
software, two 10ft x 60ft screens for outboard (with a four-projector
blend on each) and a centre screen of Absen LED wall tiles. Content was
created by Denise Gallant and Kevin Monahan at Video 4 Creative. They
created nominee reels for over 30 award categories, the biography
/ documentary shorts for the special awards including the TEC Hall
of Fame and Les Paul Award, and a variety of other clips such as the
sponsor reel, credit rolls, and the TEC History minutes, of which there
were three different screenings.
As the technical producer for the show, Wes Lane worked very
closely with Executive Producer, Pete Johnston, to help realise the
vision of an environment which not only showcases the achievements
of the nominees and award winners, but one which also provides an
entertaining and informative social gathering for industry professionals
to meet face to face and reflect on the previous years’ achievements.
He commented: “Being the TEC Awards at the NAMM Show sets the bar
extremely high for live sound production. Every person in the room
is truly an expert in their field, and most are involved in some sort of
audio technology. We had auditioned several audio systems in that
room, and the NEXO system provided everything we needed. Due to its
wide dispersion pattern, and its compact form - it fit the bill perfectly.
The main and out fill boxes were NEXO GEO S12’s, centre fills were NEXO
PS15’s, and subs were NEXO RS18’s.
“The main reason for selecting the NEXO System was its ability to
perform well under the most demanding of circumstances. Spoken
word and live music are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum

25
NAMM TEC AWARDS 2017
Areosmith’s Joe Perry; Host, comedian Sinbad.
when it comes to amplification, so we needed a system that could provide
the clarity and natural tones required for the award presenters and
acceptance speeches, while still being able to deliver the punch required for
a full-on rock show.”
For the 16 channels of wireless microphones, Shure’s Axient Wireless
Systems were chosen. Axient features technologies that drive a range of
innovative wireless system capabilities. Individually compelling, these
features collectively represent forward-thinking innovation by Shure, and
realise the most complete vision yet for the integration of RF management
and control solutions in a single wireless platform.
Stage monitors were d&b audiotechnik M4’s. Lane commented: “The
M4 is a 2-way high performance stage monitor employing an integrated
26
15-inch low frequency and 1.3-inch exit horn loaded high frequency coaxial
driver design that utilises neodymium magnets. The constant directivity
dispersion of 50° x 70° which this unique horn provides, delivers an
accurately defined coverage area on stage.”
For mixing consoles, four Yamaha CL5’s (two at FOH, one at Monitors,
and one for the broadcast / recording mix) were specified. “These consoles
communicate with each other on a Dante network so programming
changes and channel assignment made on one console are received
universally.
In June 2013, Eric Geer was Sponsorship Director for the TEC Awards and
his company GeerFab Acoustics won a Best in Show Award for the original
MultiZorber product. At that time, an agenda item for the TEC Awards was

to find a sound consultant to optimise the room. Geer stepped in: “I had
already formulated a plan in my head from working on three previous TEC
Awards shows so I proposed a solution that could be installed before NAMM
week and dismantled post-NAMM and put into storage until the next year.
The layout is the same now in its 4th year.”
A total of 274 2-inch thick MultiZorbers - made from fibreglass wrapped
in black sailcloth with various configurations of grommets for hanging -
were used to tame the acoustics of the room: 131 4-ft x 9.5-ft hung with zip
ties on box trusses around the perimeter – 1 ft from ceiling and 1ft from the
walls, which created a 700ft long bass trap. A total of 45 4-ft x 8-ft units were
placed along the back wall behind engineering / production stations and 58
4-ft x 2-ft MultiZorbers were hung from the ceiling. Another 40 4-ft x 8-ft were
laid flat on box trusses above stage, again secured with zip ties.
Geer commented: “The installation of 274 MultiZorbers is a testament to
NAMM’s vision and commitment to the technical excellence and creativity
that TEC stands for,” he concluded.
Pete Johnston, Executive Producer of Special Events summed up the
event: “I felt that this year was one of the best TEC Awards, (if not the best)
that I’ve witnessed to date. Sinbad was the perfect host with his ability
to infuse humor and his deep understanding of our industry. I feel like
we continue to add value to the TEC Awards for the companies who are
CREW:
Executive Producer - Pete Johnston
Technical Producer - Wes Lane 5th TEC Awards
Lead Audio Engineer / Broadcast Mixer – Max Gross 5th TEC Awards
Live Sound Engineer - Scott Rodgers 5th TEC Awards
Monitor Engineer – Stuart Sanders 3rd TEC Awards
Video Engineer In Charge / Camera Switch - Dean Daniels 5th TEC Awards
27
NAMM TEC AWARDS
nominated. This pro audio community has become an integral part of The
NAMM Show and this event is important for them and for us to continue to
grow the pro audio sector.
“Live shows are never perfect, but I was very proud of our crew and the
quality at which we were able to deliver to the audience. It’s very important
for us to have top notch audio quality in this show as we are there to honor
the companies that make it all possible.
“It’s not easy to produce, mix and deliver a ‘rock’ show at a decent audio
level without blowing everyone’s ears out, but I felt like we were able to do
that at a high level this year. We were really focused on making sure that
we did not clip our db ceiling. I also felt like the crowed really enjoyed the
pace and the entertainment of the show. I heard more than one audience
member gasp as the celebrities continued to flood our stage. I was very
happy with the outcome of this year’s show.”
TPi
Photos: Getty
www.tecawards.org
www.namm.org/thenammshow
www.freeman.com
www.geerfab.com
www.video4creative.com
Live Screen Blending Engineer – Kent Worley 5th TEC Awards
Video Playback and Graphics – Kait Robison 3rd TEC Awards
Lighting Director - Marc Powell 5th TEC Awards
Projectionist – Alex Ayers 5th TEC Awards
Video Content Creators - Denise Gallant & Kevin Monahan
Director, Pro Audio Relations & Acoustic Expert - Eric Geer
NAMM TEC AWARDS
THE NAMM TEC AWARDS 2017 WINNERS
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Amplification Hardware - Studio & Sound
Reinforcement
Crown • XLS DriveCore 2
Ancillary Equipment
Rupert Neve Designs • RNHP: Precision
Headphone Amplifier
Audio Apps & Hardware/Peripherals
for Smartphones/Tablets
AVID • Pro Tools | Dock
Audio Education Technology – (new category)
iZotope • Pro Audio Essentials
 
Computer Audio Hardware
Universal Audio • Apollo Twin USB Interface
 
DJ Production Technology - Hardware/Software
Native Instruments • TRAKTOR Kontrol S5
 
Headphone / Earpiece Technology
Sennheiser • HD 25 Plus
 
Large Format Console Technology
Solid State Logic • System T
 
Microphone Preamplifiers
AMS Neve • 1073DPX
 
Microphones – Recording
Schoeps • ORTF-3D
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.
Microphones - Sound Reinforcement Wireless Technology
Shure • KSM8 Dualdyne  Sennheiser • evolution Wireless G3 A-1 Band
   
Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects Workstation Technology / Recording Devices
Softube • Marshall JMP 2203 AVID • Pro Tools 12.3
 
Musical Instrument Hardware
Moog Music • Mother-32 CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
  Film Sound Production
Musical Instrument Software Lucasfilm • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Softube • Marshall Bluesbreaker 1962  
  Interactive Entertainment Sound Production
Signal Processing Hardware DICE / Electronic Arts • Star Wars: Battlefront
Warm Audio • WA-2A Tube Opto Compressor  
  Record Production - Album
Signal Processing Hardware (500 Series Modules) David Bowie • Blackstar
API • 512V  
  Record Production - Single
Signal Processing Software David Bowie • Blackstar
(Dynamics / EQ / Utilities)  
iZotope • Ozone 7 Advanced Remote Production - Recording or Broadcast
  CBS • 58th Grammy Awards
Signal Processing Software (Effects)
Soundtoys 5 Studio Design Project
  Walters-Storyk Design Group Boston Symphony
Small Format Console Technology Orchestra Control Room
Solid State Logic • Sigma Delta  
Television Sound Production
Sound Reinforcement Loudspeakers HBO • Game of Thrones
Meyer Sound • MJF-208 Stage Monitor  
Tour/Event Sound Production
Studio Monitors Sting and Peter Gabriel • Rock Paper Scissors North
Genelec • 8430A IP SAM American Tour
28
 THE NEXT BIG THING!

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ROBE_210x297_6mm_ADVERT_ka02.indd 1 7.3.2017 9:21:21

EVENT FOCUS
BRITANNIA ROW PRODUCTIONS
Favourite Sound Rental company at the TPi Awards 2017, Britannia Row Productions, announce
training courses for 2017.
Britannia Row Productions Training is running its core 12 week Live
Sound Technology Course (LSTC) from early April. The 2017 course will
primarily be delivered from South Thames College in Wandsworth, with
sessions at Britannia Row’s main headquarters in Twickenham, and
some on site at shows. The tutors delivering the course will be Britannia
Row staff & freelance engineers and technicians.
The range of courses offer a variety of learning options for those
wanting start a career in live sound, those already working who wish to
30
enhance their knowledge and skills, and those working in symbiotic areas
such as audio equipment manufacturing or live production who would
benefit from a greater understanding.
Britannia Row Productions Training 2017 course dates are as follows:
Live Sound Fundamentals, 21st January - 13th May; a part time course
in Twickenham held every Saturday for 16 weeks with a one week break
for Easter. The course has started but bookings are still being taken for
individual one-day sessions.
Live Sound Intermediate, 22st January - 14th May; a part time course
in Twickenham held every Sunday for 16 weeks with a one week break
for Easter. The course has started but bookings are still being taken for
individual one-day sessions. Live Sound Fundamentals and Live Sound
Intermediate Courses will also be run in the Autumn of 2017. Dates to be
announced.
Live Sound Technology Course, 3rd April - 30th June; a 12 week full time
course in Wandsworth with a week break for Easter.
BSc Hons Degree Course in Live Sound Production, 2nd October 2017 –
2020; a three year course in Wandsworth.
TPi
www.britanniarow.com
EVENT FOCUS
SENNHEISER’S DIGITAL 6000
TPi visits Sennheiser for the launch of its Digital 6000 microphone system.
Incorporating the acclaimed Long Range transmission mode and
proprietary audio codec from Sennheiser’s top-of-the-range Digital
9000 series, Digital 6000 delivers impeccable RF wireless and audio
performance. At the same time, the system fulfils the business need of
rental companies, theatres, broadcasters and houses of worship for a
flexible two-channel wireless solution that allows the use of existing
accessory infrastructures. Designed for demanding live productions,
Digital 6000 also addresses the challenges of the shrinking UHF
spectrum. The system eliminates intermodulation, enabling more
channels to operate in less spectrum space.
  Tom Vollmers, Product Manager at Sennheiser: “Digital 6000 is a
wireless system that is all about performance. It brings the benefits of the
Long Range mode of our benchmark Digital 9000 system to a two-channel
receiver, while allowing the use of standard UHF antennas and existing
Sennheiser capsules or microphones. Integration into analogue and digital
workflows is seamless, and the fact that frequencies can simply be placed in
an equidistant grid will help users in congested RF environments a lot.”  from the touring world so it was a challenging transitions coming into the
The Digital 6000 series comprises a two-channel receiver that is
available in two different versions, a bodypack and a handheld transmitter,
and a rack-mount 19” charging unit. The receiver’s switching bandwidth
of 244 MHz (470 to 714 MHz) is covered by three transmitter versions
(470-558 MHz, 550-638 MHz, and 630-718 MHz). Up to eight receiver units
can be daisy-chained without the need for an additional antenna splitter;
the multi-channel system will work with a single pair of antennas. System
latency is three milliseconds.
  Digital 6000 is compatible with Digital 9000 in long-range mode and with
the EK 6042 digital / analogue camera receiver.    True bit diversity is a diversity technique that ensures a far better
Greg Beebe, Director of Live Performance and Music, discussed where
32
the new product fit in the current market: “The previous Digital 9000 is very
much flag ship model for Sennheiser as an eight channel of digital wireless.
What the 6000 model brings to market is scalability offering a two channel
solution, ideal for the rental market.
“Prior to the launch we had already sent out some samples in the field
for three months to gain some feed-back on how the system faired. We got
some really positives comments during those early.”
This in the field experience was also highly valued during the creation
of the Digital 6000 as was seen with the appointment of Tom Vollmers
as Project Manager: “Tom has had years of experience within the live
events sector,” explained Beebe. “He was brought into Sennheiser for the
soul purpose of adding some in the field knowledge to our development
process. His presence was incredibly valued by our developers and I think
the product is all the better for it.”
Vollmers commented: “I was brought into the company one and a
half years ago, this being by first project for Sennheiser. I come very much
corporate side of the industry but I learned a lot. I think it is something that
other companies should do. If you want to produce products that your
customers need, one of the best ways is to bring them into the creative
process.”
SUPERIOR RECEPTION, RELIABLE AUDIO
Reliability has always been a hallmark of Sennheiser wireless systems, and
Digital 6000 is no exception: true bit diversity, transmission error correction
and additional intelligent error concealment make this a system to rely on.
reception quality than other diversity techniques, for example switching
TPI_E-Series_QU03.indd 1 7/11/2016 8:37:09 AM
SENNHEISER DIGITAL 6000
Soul Singer Anna Rossinelli showcasing the capabilities of the new system; Axel Brisard Customer Development and Applications Engineers Systems Solutions Channel for
Sennheiser France; Dr Andreas Sennheiser; Tom Vollmers as Project Managerfor the Digital 6000.
diversity or true diversity. While the latter either use the RF signal of a single
antenna or the audio signal of a single reception path, true bit diversity
combines the information content of both reception paths for an optimum
signal. A Link Quality Indicator on the receiver informs the sound engineer of
any issues.
If, as in difficult RF environments, the signal should get temporarily
corrupted to such an extent that the transmission error correction can no
longer repair it, the intelligent error concealment of Digital 6000 sets in.
It employs intelligent learning algorithms to replace the corrupted part,
enabling Digital 6000 to still transmit flawlessly where other digital systems
fail. For data security, a feature that is particularly important for conference
and corporate use, Digital 6000 features switchable AES 256 encryption,
with the transmitters also supporting the proprietary encryption of the
Digital 9000 system.  SMART CHARGING SOLUTION
 
USING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURES AND ACCESSORIES
Digital 6000 has been designed to keep additional investments as low as
possible. Existing antenna infrastructures can continue to be used as the
system works with standard active and passive wideband UHF antennas,
with the highly frequency-selective input filters being contained in the
EM 6000 receiver.
  The Digital 6000 transmitters use the same high-performance
rechargeable accupacks as their Digital 9000 counterparts. The SKM 6000
handheld transmitter features Sennheiser’s standard capsule interface
- it can therefore be used with any microphone head from the evolution
wireless Series, the 2000 Series, and also with the special 9000 Series heads.
  The SK 6000 bodypack excels as a high-end solution for wireless
instruments such as guitar and bass, or is ready to use with a variety of
Sennheiser clip-on microphones and headmics. These include the MKE 1
and the digital-transmission versions of the MKE 2 and MKE 40 clip-on
microphones, plus the SL Headmic 1 and the HSP 4 headmic as well as the
upcoming digital-transmission version of the HSP 2.
EASE OF USE FOR THE ENGINEER
In addition to making it possible to plan frequencies simply in an
34
equidistant grid, Digital 6000 is fitted with an automatic frequency set-up
function to make the job of the monitor engineer or dedicated RF engineer
easier. As usual, the Sennheiser Wireless Systems Manager (WSM) software
can be employed to control and monitor the wireless system.
  The receiver’s operating controls have been modeled on the well-known
EM 3732 to ensure straightforward operation. A new, user-friendly menu
control with a bright, white OLED display gives a quick overview of the RF
signal, link quality, audio signal, battery status, frequency, transmitter
name and encryption. Several home screens provide easy access to further
information, without the user having to navigate through submenus. Critical
operating conditions and error messages are directly indicated on the
display.
 
The series’ L 6000 charging unit is a 19”/1U mainframe device that can be
fitted with up to four charging modules as required, each of which recharges
two bodypack or two handheld batteries, respectively. Three-coloured
LEDs on the front panel give a quick overview of the charging process for
each battery, while two additional LEDs monitor the device status. More
detailed information as well as additional parameters such as battery
runtime, charging cycles and remaining capacity can be accessed via the
Wireless Systems Manager. The L 6000 charging unit can also be used for
Digital 9000.
SEAMLESS WORKFLOWS
Digital 6000 integrates seamlessly into digital or analogue system
infrastructures. The EM 6000 receiver is fitted with a digital AES-3 output
with wordclock in/out, high-quality transformer-balanced analogue
XLR-3 outputs and ¼” (6.3 mm) jack outputs. Its Dante counterpart,
the EM 6000 Dante offers an additional Amphenol RJ-45 connector for
integration into a Dante network. 
TPi
Photos: Courtesy of Sennheiser
http://en-uk.sennheiser.com
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EVENT FOCUS
D.A.S. AUDIO
D.A.S. Audio recently took the audio world by storm with the launch of its new Sound Force systems
at a spectacular event held in Madrid, Spain.
Around 200 professionals from across Spain, and visitors from countries
inlcuding France, the UK, Morocco and Italy made the trip to Arganda del
Rey to attend the event, which was celebrated at the magnificent Plató
Louladi set at the Fluge Audiovisuales facility.
The event was hosted by renowned DJ and radio announcer DJ Neil,
along with special guest Daniel Neumann, the prestigious sound artist and
audio engineer known for his work with artists such as David Guetta and
Diamanda Galás. The New York City-based engineer was born in Germany,
originally studying music at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig and
electronic music composition in Italy, which lead to his pioneering work in
exploring conceptual and often collaborative strategies to modulate the
environment with sound.
Neumann shared a stage with D.A.S. Audio Head Engineer Javier
Navarro and Live Events Engineer Joel Damiano. Neumann and Damiano
discussed the main features of PA systems at large-scale, high-level
events like major festivals and concerts, while Javier Navarro focussed
on the features of D.A.S. Audio’s new line-up of Sound Force products,
underscoring the unparalleled performance of these “systems designed for
state-of-the-art clubs”.
The range is now comprised of 10 units, including the SF-M 4-way DJ
monitor, the SF-10 and smaller SF-26 2-way passive systems, the SF-20A
powered mid-high system, the SF-158 3-way full-range system, and the
SF-112 3-way passive system. Low frequencies are also catered for by the
36
Sound Force range, with the SF-1521A powered 2-way subwoofer, the SF-
215 bass-mid passive system, the SF-221 hi-power Ultra LF, and the beast
that is the SF-30A powered subwoofer system.
Cabinet construction for the Sound Force series is consistent with the
D.A.S. pro systems standards, using birch plywood and the durable ISO-
flex coating. System details can be painted in Pantone colours by special
order, while threaded rigging points are available on the SF-112 and SF-215
cabinets to facilitate flying.
The day’s talks were followed by a spectacular promotional video and
the highlight of the show: four impressive Sound Force systems set up in
the four corners of the set were unveiled for a hard-hitting demo of their
impressive power set to the audio of the video. The audience was treated
to a surprising display of the earth-moving capacity and response of the
systems as a whole and particularly the 30-inch powered subwoofer.
The demo was immediately followed by a DJ session by the charismatic
and energetic DJ Nano. The 30-minute-plus electronic music set
showcased the SF systems in their element, a mega club at full capacity, an
outstanding way to feature both the unmistakable sound of DJ Nano and
the singular performance of D.A.S. Audio’s SF systems.
TPi
Photos: D.A.S. Audio
www.dasaudio.com
 seven Enhances the exceptional

96 Inputs and 56 Busses
With 48 configurable
busses assignable as
Group, Stereo Group,
Aux, Stereo Aux or Matrix.
Intuitive
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display the exceptionally
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Low Latency Custom Fader Layers Waves on Board
Less than 0.4 millisecond User definable layers, or Integrated Waves card,
from input to output groups, of any mixture of fitted as standard,
including fully automatic inputs, busses, VCAs and provides direct
3 stage latency Monitor faders. connectivity to Waves
management to ensure SoundGrid technology.
phase coherency.

Introducing the The CDC seven takes the CDC six format a step further by providing dual screens, increasing the
number of faders to 36 and expanding the input count to 96.

CDC seven It still retains the incredible human interface of the CDC six, resulting in a minimal learning curve,
but provides the user with the luxury of an expanded physical user interface.
As a result the CDC seven is an incredibly attractive proposition for those who demand
something that stands head and shoulders above the norm.

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Sales Tel: +44 1299 488808
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cadac-sound.com

Cadac CDC seven.indd 1 16/09/2016 11:48:43

EVENT FOCUS

HAWTHORN THEATRICAL TURNS 30

Hawthorn celebrated turning 30 in style on Saturday 4 February, when more than 500 of its clients,
suppliers and colleagues partied the night away at the company’s Leicestershire HQ. TPi’s Kel
Murray and Ste Durham attended the event.

The full service technical production company drew on its expertise to
transform its 105,000ft warehouse space into a glamorous party venue
where guests enjoyed a night of fun, food and drink.
Guests were kept entertained throughout the evening with a live band,
karaoke, retro games and cocktails galore. Delicious food was served by
Smart Hospitality and guests were treated to a menu of special themed
cocktails kindly donated by Ambersphere.
Chris Green, Lighting Designer for the event, made full use of the in-
house inventory, showing off fixtures such as the Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20
& K10, Alpha Spot QWO 800 and over 100 pendant lights with squirrel-cage
lamps. Green’s desk of choice for the evening was a Tiger Touch Pro lighting
desk.
To make sure the audio quality was on top form, Rob Allen, Hawthorn’s
Group Head of Sound, installed eight boxes of d&b audiotechnik V-Series
(four per side), T10 front fills, T10’s in cluster format as delays and 6 V-SUBs.
These were run from D80 amplifiers and a DiGiCo SD8 desk with Stealth
Core2. Monitor speakers were Martin Audio LE1500’s, run from Powersoft
X4’s.  Professional, Ampco Flashlight and TMB.
The company was formed in 1987 after Martin Hawthorn spotted a
gap in the market for a top quality technical equipment hire company that
could also provide excellent customer service. 30 years on, and having
acquired well known technical supplier Core Creative, Rex Howard Drapes
and production house Anagram, Hawthorn is currently celebrating a record
year, turning over £18 million in its last financial year.
Martin Hawthorn, Managing Director of Hawthorn, said: “After 30 years
we have so many long-term customers and felt it was important to thank
them for their business and recognise our valued suppliers.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to our partners and colleagues who
have been so generous in their sponsorship for our 30th anniversary party,
helping us to really make it a night to remember.
“Our 30-year anniversary is a great opportunity to not only share and
celebrate our history but also look to the future. Hawthorn continues to
grow and that’s a true testament to the hard work and creativity that the
company bases itself upon.”
The party was sponsored by Five Star, Ambersphere, Barco, Chauvet
Professional, Doughty, KB Event, Panasonic, Ten47 & Lex, SGM, Fly By
Nite, Entertec, Lightware, GDS, ETC, Crewsaders, Prolyte, SES, Harman
TPi
www.hawthorn.biz

38
DRAKE: BOY MEETS WORLD
Grammy-Award winner, platinum-seller, record-breaking chart-topper; since emerging from
the world of television acting in 2008, Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham has risen to the top of the global
hip-hop scene, securing a place as cultural icon and collaborative driving force, all the while
building a dedicated and influential following. Pete Brewis reports.

40
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

41
DRAKE

Below: Demetrius Moore’s DiGiCo SD7 at FOH.

Having concluded his phenomenally successful 2016 North American MANAGING THE MATH
Summer Sixteen tour alongside American rapper Future, Drake turned Ensuring the smooth running of this entertainment juggernaut are
his attention to Europe and the creation of an audio-visual spectacular Production Manager Chris Roberts and Stage Manager Paul Lovell-Butt.
worthy of his devoted fans across the pond: Boy Meets World. Roberts has worked with Drake since the Canadian star’s 2014 tour with Lil
“It’s about the experience,” Drake notes in his official web-bio. “If Wayne, but this run has proved a step up from previous outings. “It’s the
the city isn’t talking about it five, six, seven days later, or if people don’t immensity of it,” said Roberts. “There’s definitely a lot more mathematics
remember it for years to come, then I haven’t done my job.” This is the ethos than your normal tour, especially with a crew this size and the amount of
at the heart of all Drake’s tours. Evolve; improve; create a show that your local crew you have to bring in. And because there’s so much stuff and so
fans will remember. small a floor, everything has to be timed a lot
In many ways this Boy Meets World tour is more than for a normal tour. 10 trucks: simple;
an evolution of Summer Sixteen. As those same 40 trucks: totally different.”
devoted fans began to amass outside Sheffield One look at the fleet of 11 Beat The Street
Arena, several hours before lights-up on Drake’s buses and 41 Fly By Nite trucks parked outside
12th UK date, the crew inside were finishing the confirms the scale of the operation, one that
load in and fine-tuning of a show that promises relies on a tight team that can adapt quickly on
total lighting and sound immersion on an the fly to keep things flowing.
impressive scale. While some elements will be “It’s about the experience. If the “It’s one of the biggest tours we’ve ever done,”
familiar from the US tour, Drake’s constant push enthused FBN’s Matt Jackson, noting how only
to improve on past triumphs has resulted in
city isn’t talking about it five, six, Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball production required
a ramping up of lighting and effects, with old seven days later, or if people this many vehicles from its fleet of 120 to be out
favourites tightened up and new ones added. on one tour “Working with Paul Lovell-Butt from
Arenas filled with floating bubbles of light and a
don’t remember it for years to our time with Lady Gaga was key to securing
finale set around the gentle death of a giant sun come, then I haven’t done my this contract; we know him really well. It’s been
(more of which later) combine to make this a a high profile job for all of us, and we’ve had
completely new beast - and one requiring some
job.” a great team of over 40 drivers working on it.
expert logistical grappling. Drake They’ve travelled through all major European

42
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DRAKE

cities, and although the distances haven’t been particularly far, we’ve needed
extra drivers to load-in days at some venues.” The FBN trucking team was led by
Lead Driver Phil Linfield and Assistants John Burgess and Richard Emeney.
BTS provided a total of 11 busses; 1 Star bus, 1 Entourage Bus, 2 Band busses
and 7 crew busses, taken care of by Joerg Philipp in the company’s Austrian HQ.
BTS’s Ian Massey commented: “We also take care of Drake’s ground transport
in the UK and across Europe, which is overseen by Mark Baddams and myself
from our UK Ground Transport office. Things change constantly for the Artist
party and we have to be available 24 hours a day, but we pride ourselves on a
seamless service.”
“It’s a group effort”, added Roberts, noting that while he focuses on the
advancing of the other shows, it is Stage Manager Lovell-Butt who ensures the
day-to-day stays on track. “Paul’s definitely important because he’s the one who
actually gets it in and gets it out,” Roberts said.
Lovell-Butt, in turn, is quick to praise his crew. “It’s a tight team,” he said.
“And it’s a family thing, because everyone helps each other.” This is especially
true of the load out, he said, where the sheer mass of truss laden with hundreds
of Glow Motion LED balls means every extra pair of hands is welcome. “Lighting
guys jump in, winch guys jump in, everyone jumps in to help - and that’s what
its all about. Everyone helps each other and that’s the gel that keeps this all
together - it’s how we’re able to do this.” On average the crew will come in at 7am
and are done by 3, with a quickest load out standing at 2 hours and 55 minutes -
not bad for 40 trucks.
The hand-picked crew comprises the same core that worked on the
American tour, but augmented with local teams - drawn from Roberts and
Lovell-Butt’s extensive list of contacts - to meet the demands of this scaled up
show. With an expanded lighting crew, enlarged pyro team and a load more
carpenters (the European tour sees the addition of a B-stage among other
things), one of the few unchanged constants has been the audio, supplied by
Eighth Day Sound.

SMOOTH SOUNDS
Sitting at his DiGiCo SD5, tucked away under the main stage, Sean Sturge

44
WE ARE PROUD
TO BE
INVOLVED

THE BOY
MEETS WORLD
EUROPEAN TOUR

DRAKE

www.beatthestreet.net
DRAKE

Lighting Designer Guy Pavelo.

handles Monitor Engineer duties. It’s a straightforward but effective set it does what we want it to do: it covers the room evenly and smoothly,” he
up of Sennheiser inputs and outputs running through an SD5, loaded with said. “A lot of people will cut their PA down because of money and then they
the latest Stealth Core2 digital processing software. The 9000 series mics have to cheat the top or cheat the bottom, undershoot the top then turn it
use 9235 capsules alongside the 2000 series, running at 96k. In-ears are JH up louder. But no - we want clean sound the whole way.”
Audio Roxannes. The system is completed with 8 V8’s per side, flown as a rear PA for
18 tracks run off Ableton (including keys and drums) while a Waves C6 quad sound special effects. “It starts at the top of the show and is used
multiband compressor and Waves TrueVerb help recreate a studio sound throughout. You’ll hear anything from special effects to vocals to just
for Drake’s vocals. “It’s very important for his reverb to be something he’s something that adds stereo imaging,” Moore said. “We wanted to bring a
familiar with, in consideration of what he used to record,” said Sturge. “So movie theatre to the concert and we have achieved that.”
we use a TrueVerb and an IR-Live, and we have two Waves Extreme Servers.” At the heart of delivering that live Drake sound is Moore’s console
Key to the show, he said, is the MIF4, which sends MIDI notes to change of choice, the DiGiCo SD7, which proves its worth through features like
all the snapshots on the desk. “There is a snapshot for every aspect of the multiband compressors, dynamic EQ, a joystick for panning and timecode.
show, probably two or three on some songs, “Timecode’s probably one of my favourite
based on if he’s singing or if he’s rapping; he’s features. Some songs have multiple snapshots
the most famous rapper-singer alive – there isn’t and I can fire very accurately now, as opposed to
another.” a smidge late or a smidge early,” said Moore.
In addition to engineering duties, Sturge The desk’s four BNCs are also essential.
is also sales agent for Eighth Day Sound, Three are used to record the show (each show
responsible for delivering the d&b audiotechnik is archived and used for virtual sound check)
rig used on the tour. “A lot of people come to a hip- and the fourth used for effects, run through an
The main hang comprises 24 J8’s per side, 8 Ableton rig, which sits alongside two Avalon
J-SUBs per side in the air, along with side hangs hop show and expect to hear 737’s.
of 12 J8’s and 4 J12’s, plus 12 V8’s. On the ground feedback, like and it’s going to All effects run through the Ableton, with
were 24 B22 subs with 4 Q10’s and 6 V12 as front everything MIDI-mapped back to the console.
fills. The production required the PA to be a few be loud and bass heavy. But no! “This desk gives me the sound I need. I use it
feet lower and further apart than normal so the - me and this console, we have a as is. I haven’t put an instrument through this
V12’s, configured in stacks of 2 x 3, provide cover console that I can’t use minimum EQ and make it
for the centre. relationship - it gives me a clean, sound good,” said Moore. “A lot of people come
As on previous tours, Demetrius Moore smooth, natural sound.” to a hip-hop show and expect to hear feedback,
handles FOH. While some might be surprised like and it’s going to be loud and bass heavy. But
by the size of the PA, Moore knows it delivers
Demetrius Moore no! - me and this console, we have a relationship
exactly what’s required. “It’s not really massive; FOH Engineer - it gives me a clean, smooth, natural sound.”

46
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DRAKE

Above: FOH Engineer Demetrius Moore; System Tech, Arno Voortman; Monitor Tech Eoin Collins and Monitor Engineer Sean Sturge; Video Crew Chief Mark Stutsman; Stage
Manager Paul Lovell-Butts; Pyro Crew Chief Simon Brierly; Production Manager Chris Roberts.

But Moore’s highest praise is reserved for a one-of-one Dual MGB, by Stage Group Production Services in the US). The third pass provided the
created by DiGiCo at Moore’s request. The piece is a rack mounted, initial master for a lighting rig that would extend out in to the house, but the
dual power supply unit – essentially two MGBs where everything stays signature look of the show came after one of Drake’s team found a video of
connected and the network is built in to the box. “I called DiGiCo and said, an art installation in Japan. The piece comprised a mass of baseball-sized
‘This is what I’m looking for. I want it to be in a rack, I’m tired of them sitting
elements that danced in the air to create three-dimensional patterns.
in a doghouse, overheating and being bounced around’, and they made this “We took that and tightened up the grid to make it functional, but when
for me. It’s exceptional.” we looked into vendors we realised: oh, this doesn’t actually formally exist
Moore records 72 channels every day without ever having an issue. “If I yet,” said Pavelo. On closer inspection, the clip that had provided their
was ever to lose this I would be heartbroken,” he stated. “I don’t ever want inspiration was actually a six hour time-lapse, compressed into a 20 second
to go back there!” clip. Undeterred, the team worked with different vendors until the right
solution was found. “We lucked out working with Glow Motion and Stage
THE VISUAL DIMENSION Kinetik to come up with a winch and ball package that actually moves
One of the key aims of this tour was to create a really quickly,” Pavelo said. “It’s a little less than
show that worked together as a whole - where gravity, so we’re really pleased with that.”
audio and visuals work together like never Each basketball sized Glow Motion sphere is
before to take the audience on an immersive suspended from its own DMX-controlled winch,
journey. Taking up the aesthetic side of that allowing it to move independently through the
challenge was Lighting Designer Guy Pavelo - “There’s definitely a lot more vertical. A three-cell LED chip inside each sphere
another trusted veteran of Drake tours past. is wirelessly programmed to become a single
The look of the show is the result of a mathematics than your normal element in a collective pattern of light and
continuous process of collaboration with Drake tour, especially with a crew this motion.
and his team. It took four draws to achieve the Having been successfully deployed on
required impact that greets the audience on size and the amount of local Summer Sixteen, the rig was fine-tuned for the
Boy Meets World, with each pass providing an crew you have to bring in... Ten European run. “This version is nicely squared
element that made its way into the final design. off and cleaned up, the lines are straightened
First came the enormous video wall at the back trucks: simple; forty trucks: as opposed to just filling in whatever void we
of the stage, curved to add an extra sense of totally different.” could,” explained Pavelo. “It’s really worked out
depth to the set. The next drawing produced - we get a little more dimension than with the
the stage set, with hill ramps and lift elements
Production Manager previous version.”
built in to it (set construction was carried out Chris Roberts The show begins with the Glow Motion balls

48
 The world’s biggest tours...
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Snake Newton & Charlie “Chopper” Bradley
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DRAKE

lowering in a single plane above the heads of the audience - almost (but Drake, Future and Mike Carson over in the US. Pavelo is able to balance this
not quite) close enough to touch - before whipping away in a wave that rolls with the mass of fixtures available to him, ensuring they complement rather
back to the stage, to reveal the arrival of Drake. Later on in the show, each than compete with each other. “If it’s going to be a quiet content piece
ball appears to float independently like bubbles on a summer breeze, while then we’ll quieten the lights down, try to keep it low so they don’t conflict,”
at other points they move in pulsing waves or as collective geometric forms. he said. “Then at other times we actually have two of the servers running
All this would have proved a programming headache were it not for mapping, because behind the wall there are more trusses of equipment, so
Pavelo’s MA Lighting grandMA2 console and MA3D - and the support of the when the video’s all aggro, those lights are getting the same content fed to
team at ACT Lighting and MA Lighting, who helped create a host of new them and pushing right through.”
assets and sequences so that the team could visualise what they were doing Live content can also be mixed in, though this predominantly features
in 3D. on the IMAG screens flown at either side of the stage. A team led by Video
Lighting and video for the rest of the rig was supplied by PRG and Director Alex Castaneda Cabrera produces the live feed using Grass Valley
includes: Best Boy Spot and Wash, Bad Boy GroundControl followspot, a switcher and cameras. Six cameras are mounted throughout the truss,
‘mountain’ of PRG Icon Beams, High End SolaSpot Pro 2000’s, High End along with one FOH, one on the second tier of the arena, and two in the pit.
SolaWash 19’s and 37s, SGM Q-5’s and Q-7’s, From the opening number and throughout
Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performances, the entire show, kinetics and pyro add an extra
MAC Viper AirFXs, Claypaky Stormys and regular punch and provide the final element to this
Sharpys, Barco MMS projector heads on top ‘multi-dimensional’ tour. “There’s lots and lots
of 30Ks and, for the show’s ‘giant sun’ finale, 8 of fire, and lots and lots of pyro,” said Pyro Crew
Panasonic 30k laser projectors. Chief and Shooter Simon Brierley of Pyrotek
The whole lighting rig is controlled by the Special Effects. “I’ve got 400 pieces of product
MA2, all from one master file, from the normal in the air, on the ground and under the stage
lighting to all the servers for the different video “He knows exactly where he coming up. Plus there’s fires all along the big
surfaces, to the kinetic kit in the rig above - a should be and he plays with it. ramps and fire on the floor.”
total of 142 universes. On the recommendation In order to retain an open, clean aesthetic
of ACT and MA, a separate console is used solely The more confident he is the to the stage, Brierley is positioned high up at
to push out the vast amount of information more confident I am, obviously. the side of the arena with both a direct line
used. This then goes through a stack of MPUs to of sight and a monitor providing a live top
unlock the 50,000 or so parameters. But he’s a lot of fun, so it’s great down feed from a camera in the truss. But, as
PRG Mbox 4 media servers use the newest to shoot.” Brierley notes, the star rarely gives him cause
software to handle the larger-than-4K screen for concern. “He’s great with it: he knows exactly
on stage and deliver a mix of content, created Simon Brierley where he should be and he plays with it. The
in collaboration with various teams including Pyrotek Special Effects more confident he is the more confident I am,

50
DRAKE

obviously. But he’s a lot of fun, so it’s great to shoot.” As this giant sun dies, the show comes to an end, leaving Drake’s star
The wide-ranging movement of the Glow Motion spheres meant all pyro shining ever brighter. With heavy hints dropped that the singer’s annual
required an extra level of planning. The 12 boards up in the sky have to be OVO Fest is to make a London appearance this summer, Boy Meets World
precisely attached each morning to avoid hitting any of the fixtures, and fire has primed UK fans for the next stage in the Drake story. As the man himself
has to be timed perfectly to avoid moments when the spheres are at their said: “I’m going to find out what comes after this, but there’s definitely
lowest point over the stage. another evolution of Drake.”
TPi
STARLIGHT Photos: Tom Martin
The night concludes with one final art-inspired spectacle. The audience www.drakeofficial.com
watches as a giant, ghostly form morphs into a perfect sphere. Perched on www.prg.com/uk/en
top of the B-stage, this giant ball suddenly bursts into light as the Panasonic www.glowmotiontechnologies.com
30K projectors cover it in images of a dying sun’s burning surface. The www.stage-kinetik.de
original - a 45ft piece by artist Director X - formed part of Toronto’s annual www.8thdaysound.com
Nuit Blanche light festival. While this version has been scaled down slightly, www.sgps.net www.flybynite.co.uk
it nonetheless dominates the B-stage, providing an arresting backdrop to www.beatthestreet.net www.pyrotekfx.com
Drake’s farewell. www.rockitcargo.com

52
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56

PET SHOP BOYS
Converting an intricately designed, one-off residency into a worldwide headline tour was never
going to be a simple task, but thankfully for the electronic duo, it was one that their established
crew was more than happy to undertake. TPi’s Ste Durham reports.
If you have anything to do with the live production industry, chances are
you’ve at least seen a few images of the multi-coloured madness that
was the Pet Shop Boys’ four-night residency at London’s Royal Opera
House. The visual aspect alone was overwhelming - complete with light-
up balloons, inflatable fat suits and enough laser firepower to raise an
eyebrow or two on the bridge of the Death Star.
The group’s subsequent Super tour is essentially a road-ready
incarnation of that wonderfully weird Es Devlin show design that, despite
the aforementioned, still retained an air of subtlety thanks to the space
given to each aspect of the production. 2017 TPi Awards Winner, Rob
Sinclair, created a lighting design which is tastefully sparse, allowing the
scenic elements, lasers and video projection to work holistically as a fluid
canvas for the show’s bold imagery.
“Every Pet Shop Boys show is different and in all of them every element
plays its part. The lighting is often supportive, sometimes dominant and
always appropriate,” Sinclair commented. “My design for the tour all came
from conversations with Es Devlin, where we decided that the show needed
more blinding strobes and bold colours. We cut lots of the flown lights from
the London shows and added more TMB Solaris Flares and a few Martin by
Harman MAC Vipers.”
As Sinclair was due to be away during the arena run, he turned to
trusted collaborator Ben Cash to programme the show and deal with
rehearsals, while Jon Barker was brought in as Road Lighting Operator and
Neg Earth Lights was chosen as the designated supplier.
Production Manager Olli Windprechtinger explained: “The tour started
in Chile after a UK rehearsal period in Millennium Studios, which wasn’t the
easiest way to kick things off! The hard-working crew around made sure it
happened - special thanks goes to Ben Cash and Jon Barker, who endured
some very long nights to set up the show in time. From then on we did
well - we did all our homework and made sure this beautiful show worked
57
PRODUCTION PROFILE
perfectly on the road.”
He continued: “Pre-production is the most important part of touring
in my opinion. I am pretty good at collecting information and making sure
the venues and promoters have our needs and specs. From there on it is
all about communication between me, the local production and to my
departments.”
Sinclair was also keen to praise the hard-working duo: “Ben really was
key during the show’s development. We’ve worked together a lot and I
knew I could rely on him,” Sinclair added. “Jon operated the last PSB tour
- we all love him and knew that he’d be ideal to steer the show round the
world.”
Barker explained that the main bulk of the lighting work was taken care
of by the Flares on the floor, which were arranged in three main rows at
different stage depths - nine upstage, eight mid-stage, and six downstage -
as well as three more on each side of the stage and one on each of the three
stage risers; making 32 in total.
He added: “Key light-wise the show is strongly side lit by 6 MAC Viper
Performances per side. There are 15 flown MAC Vipers, 8 MAC Vipers on the
upstage floor and 7 MAC Aura XBs along the downstage edge.”
THE GLORIOUS INFLATAVIA
One of the reasons for the scarcity of conventional lighting fixtures, aside
from the presence of video and lasers, was the space in the design given
to some of the other key elements in the look of the tour. This included
features such as scenic ‘pods’ to house the band, a flown structure of LED
clad rings, and a series of drapes that were used for varying levels of video
projection. Another addition was the 32 ‘balloons’ that were created and
supplied by Airworks to mimic the original ones hung in the Royal Opera
House.
Windprechtinger explained the situation: “Although the original
PET SHOP BOYS
shows came together really well, the next challenge was to create a
tourable version of the show that could be rigged everywhere, including
South America and US theatres. It was clear early on that we needed an
alternative to the 3D pods, which is where Perry Scenic helped us with the
touring ‘discs’.
“The LED rings were more flexible so we only had to lose the biggest
one for the US tour, leaving the balloons, which were our main challenge.
After one or two ideas that weren’t suitable I started to think about the
truss box that we use now to fly them in and out on a Kinesys System,”
Windsprechtiner said. “From there on we just had the issue to work around
floor space and some set changes - though this has been a big part the
band’s live show since the Pandemonium Tour.”
Airworks’ Creative Director, Matthew Whitehead, talked through the
design of the balloons themselves: “They’re basically self-inflating spheres
that have a full RGB, DMX-controlled LED PAR inside for the LD to play
with. We took the lenses off them so we can have a nice, even wash effect.
They’re all adjustable, height-wise, and are cabled through so they can be
rigged onto the truss in twos or threes vertically as well.”
While the original Opera House shows made good use of standard
balloons with lights attached to them to create this effect, this technique
was judged by production to be some way off a comfortably tourable
system.
“They were great for a one off but obviously couldn’t be toured,” agreed
Whitehead. “This was firstly as they are fragile and difficult to rig and de-rig
consistently, as well as not being fireproof. We ensure that everything we
provide follows all of the many rules and regulations that these kinds of
scenic objects fall under. The fact that they are flown means we have even
more to consider during the design and manufacturing process.”
Airworks had collaborated with Devlin on projects in the past,
which naturally prompted her to enlist its expertise for another, albeit
58
slightly atypical, challenge. Whitehead explained: “We tend to make very
complicated, sculptural objects (see A7X’s spaceman, pg. 88) but this job
is completely different. People usually come to us with an idea, based
on a mascot or album cover for example, and we do our best to create
something that is as close to the original image as possible.
“You want the piece to actually look like a spaceman or a dog, rather
than looking like an inflatable imitation of it - that’s the kiss of death. This
one had to look like a balloon, so the design process didn’t take quite as
long!”
The Airworks team spent most of its time figuring how to make the
balloons fit easily in each venue, how to rig them and what fabric to use.
Whitehead continued: “This time we were left with more practical questions
than artistic ones. We then ran through with the Production Manager how
they should ideally be transported, as we didn’t have any crew on the tour.”
The company provided custom flight cases, within which the deflated
balloons were stacked each night during load-out. After transportation,
the balloons could be pulled straight out of the case at the next venue and
attached onto the truss, before concealing them in a black drape bag and
flying them high into the air.
Lighting Crew Chief Mikey Bowerman explained: “The balloons are hung
on Kinesys, which allows us to bring the truss down halfway through the
set, take the bag off, and then raise it back up while strobes are blinding
everyone for the big reveal. We pipe power and data up there, which means
Jon can then control them in full RGB from his desk like any other basic PAR
fixture.”
Barker used an MA Lighting grandMA2 light at FOH to run the show,
which was all synchronised beat-perfectly to timecode, with a backup
console also connected to MANet. This allowed him to concentrate on
calling the two Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots that were operated by
local crew each night. He said: “The balloons, like any scenic element, are
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PET SHOP BOYS
sometimes a challenge to tour but they’ve performed extremely well under
the harsh conditions being on the road has thrown at them.”
The other scenic aspect of the lighting design consisted of five bespoke
rings flown behind the mesh that contained internal RGBW LEDs and had
mirrored sides. Total Solutions Group manufactured the rings, which
ranged in diameters from 1.5m at the centre to 8.5m at the outermost layer.
Mervyn Thomas, Managing Director at Total Solutions Group,
elaborated: “The rings are flown from drop cables to form various looks
on stage. Each unit has its own power supply and DMX driver to allow
RGB colour changing through the front of the ring. Given that each ring
was being flown vertically, they have to be structural but break up in to
manageable pieces for touring. It turns out all of the components fit into
one air-freightable dolly.”
He continued: “In order for these to work structurally and be
manageable to build, the three mirrored sides have to be solid, but also
clean and sharp edged. This meant we had to be clever during the design
and build process to ensure it was light enough to fly and stay circular when
flown, but strong enough not to distort.”
ER Productions’ Tom Vallis was on site to act as touring Laser Tech,
working to a design originally programmed by himself and Andrew Turner
for the Opera House residency. He said: “We’ve basically taken that
design and modified it for the tour. After rehearsals we always look at
bits of programming while out on the road to continuously make minor
improvements to the look of the laser show.
“Most tours that feature lasers will limit them to a handful of songs but
we probably use them on half of ours in one way or another; whether that
is focussing on the pods, mapping the upstage rings or the traditional laser
show that kicks off later on.”
ER provided 16 of its BB3 laser units, which are DMX controlled for
60
traditional scanning and diffraction effects that are safe to expose the
crowd to. Eight of the BB3’s sat behind the pods for the first four songs in
the set before being rolled off stage. The other eight units are upstage along
with 4 Tripan RGB lasers, while the front truss housed two more Tripans for
the ring mapping movements. The Tripans were controlled using Pangolin
Beyond, while the BB3’s were controlled using a High End Systems Hog 4
lighting console, both of which are synced with timecode.
Vallis explained his interaction with the flown rings: “When we map
the rings through the screen it gives a new dimension to the look of them
compared to the LED that can only be controlled in segments. Using lasers
on them gives a sharp image compared to the diffused look from the
LED. We effectively draw a circle onto each ring, warp it to fit and then run
various effects through it. Towards the end of the show, video drops out
and basically hands the show to the lasers and lighting.
“We work closely with the other departments to decide what times
we should punch through the lighting and video. Our units here are bright
anyway and we aren’t fighting against a big wall of LED light.”
As is always the case, safety was of paramount importance to sole laser
crewmember Vallis, who explained the day to day protocol: “The units are
all physically masked off once we’ve set the safe projection zone, so it’s
impossible for beams that are too hot to drop into the crowd in the event
of a software or hardware failure. The diffraction effects are metered every
day and set at a safe power.
“With this show there are a lot of stage moves going on, like when
the risers are pushed forward to drop the balloons in, so we have to be
extremely careful. While crew are working on stage the two lower upstage
towers are not used. The two outer positions are above head height so can
continue to be used while people are working on stage.”
In order to get the most out of his lasers, Vallis distributed a fair helping
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PET SHOP BOYS
Stage Manager Ringo Landowsky & Set Carpenter Robert ‘Masi’ Masel; Laser Tech Tom Vallis.
of smoke and haze around the arena using 4 Look Solutions Viper deLuxe
smoke machines on the downstage edge, two Unique 2.1 units at FOH, and 6
Reel EFX DF-50 hazers upstage, which were supplied by Neg Earth Lights. He
said: “Getting the perfect amount of haze is a constant struggle - today the
venue looked perfect during rehearsal but 20,000 people coming in and a
huge air con system could soon change that!”
The lighting crew was completed by Neg Earth crewmembers Mark Cooper
and Jamie Catt.
VIDEO PROJECTION
A major contributor to the subtlety of Devlin’s original show design, and
something of a Pet Shop Boys hallmark, is the exclusive use of video
projection over LED. Having helped cultivate this look over the past four years,
Really Creative Media was again asked to provide kit and crew for the tour.
Nick Dew, Managing Director of Really Creative Media, commented: “We
worked with the Pet Shop Boys during their four-night residency at the Royal
Opera House last July. From these shows designed to celebrate the launch
of the Super album, the creative process further developed the necessary
themes and content ahead of taking the tour on the road.”
Jack James, Creative Director at Really Creative Media, managed the
overall vision of the tour video, while James Adkins served as touring Video
Director.
Dew continued: “For the UK leg we have upgraded to seven projectors
as the stage set grew in width to accommodate larger venues. During the
show rehearsal period, we used Blackmagic Design’s HyperDeck Studio
Pro recorders to record numbers with timecode. This helped all the tour
departments enormously with timecode-accurate references of what
happened and what to change.”
The 7 Panasonic PT-DZ21K 20,000 lumen projectors were used to create
62
some stunning visuals, with a mixture of lenses to suit different venues for the
projectors while touring. A pair of custom Catalyst V5 media servers ran the
content. The media servers are based on Apple’s flagship Mac Pro 6.1, and
they output frame synchronized HD-SDI signals. An MA Lighting grandMA2
command wing controlled the servers over ArtNet.
“We also used our own timecode changeover device, which was designed
to help with programming changed on the fly,” explained Dew. “It allows
for changes between local timecode from a programmer’s laptop and with
production’s timecode. Monitoring and changing the timecode source helped
us get frame-accurate programming changes done without bothering other
departments for yet another timecode play, or having to wait for everyone
else to be ready.”
A crucial part of the look came from the fact that the content is
deliberately aimed low through the stage at band member-height, creating a
wash of imagery. This was easier said than done at times, as Adkins explained:
“A lot of band key lighting is done with projection, which also adds a great deal
of depth once you remove the layers of sharkstooth and drapery. Projector
location is very important and sometimes becomes quite political as I often
need the best seats in the house for the best angle. We just have to strike
up a compromise in terms of the overall show’s look versus the audience
enjoyment!”
Although Really Creative Media was not tasked with designing the video
content, the crew did have to ensure that it fit the stage correctly in each
venue and hit all of the scenic points of reference as accurately as possible.
“We travel the globe so it changes a lot,” explained Adkins, “but we know the
show better than anybody by now. There are four layers; the upstage review
cloth, a semi transparent projection screen, a mid-stage shark’s tooth, and a
black drape behind it.
“The depth changes as these layers come out and during this time the
 PET SHOP BOYS

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The original Inner Sanctum shows had a pair of 3D spherical pods that featured projection
around their surface, but touring these pieces would have necessitated another full artic to
transport them. Unique 2.1
Adkins continued: “Lining up the content for all of these surfaces and layers are made
so much easier by the MA console. The ‘copy and paste’ function keeps the mix count down
on the Catalyst, which in turn helps for keeping processing down and, more importantly,
maintaining my sanity every day! The console sees the physical layer has dropped and
immediately reconfigures, which also speeds everything up no end.”
Adkins has managed to cut down his programming time from almost five hours to around
two “on a good day”. He said: “I could do it quicker but I want it to be perfect. It always makes
me happy when it looks as good as it can and the regular thanks we receive at FOH from the
fans really helps to justify all that extra effort.” Haze generator DMX, 1500 W
IMAG projection, and the requisite camera package, were only used on the show dates at
Birmingham and Manchester and were sourced locally from Video Design. Adkins elaborated: Viper S, Viper nt, Viper 2.6 & Orka
“We will avoid IMAG if at all possible. Obviously we are thinking about the audience first but
we all spend a lot of time on making it look good holistically, so we feel that’s the best way
to enjoy it. The cameras would traditionally spend a lot of time zooming in on Neil [Tennant,
vocals] and we think they should be looking at the whole thing. We advance as well as we can
and the systems have been as flexible and reliable as we could have wished for.”

AUDIO
The complex and theatrical look of the show required a crisp and powerful audio setup to
match, provided in this instance by returning audio rental supplier, Capital Sound. The Pet
Shop Boys’ FOH Engineer, Holger Schwark, was in luck given that his preferred rental company
was also able to provide one of his favourite PA systems. Fog generator DMX, 650 W, 1300 W,
He explained: “One of the main questions was whether to go with the d&b J or V-Series, 2600 W, 3000 W & 9000 W
but in the end I preferred to have a long array of smaller boxes as I like the sonic signature a bit
more.” Cryo-Fog & Cryo-Gate
The main hang consisted of 20 boxes of d&b audiotechnik V-Series, which was reinforced
by 8 V-SUBs flown directly behind and a 16-piece V-Series outfill. This statement was Low fog generator 2300 W and
underlined further by 16 d&b B22-SUBs and more V-Series on the ground, all of which attachment 80 W to produce low fog
powered by D80 amplifiers situated stage left and right.
He continued: “It’s an unusually long array but it helps to deliver that punch even to the

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back row. I’m always trying to convey what I hear at FOH to the whole audience and I always
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Schwark made use of d&b’s ArrayProcessing software to get the most out of this elongated
system, which worked as well as the engineer could have hoped: “It’s sounded fantastic so
far and the system is really powerful. Even the nearfill on the downstage edge aren’t tiny cake
boxes; they’re proper speakers that are the same as main hang. That way the tonal quality Fog machines made in Germany
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quiet experience for the first few rows. He elaborated: “Those seats quite often fall in between
the coverage of the main array, and with the backline being almost all digital it would be a

63
PET SHOP BOYS
Video Director James Adkins; PM Olli Windsprechtinger; Monitor Engineer Seamus Fenton; FOH Engineer Holger Schwark and System Tech Stefan Holtz.
really awkward and underwhelming experience.”
The engineer placed a pair of self-powered Meyer Sound UPJ speakers
on each of the three mobile stage risers and, through what I can only
assume is witchcraft, managed to solve this elusive problem. He said:
“I’ve developed quite a clever matrix that puts certain signals in certain
speakers, making it seem as if the sounds each musician makes are coming
from their direction. It’s basically a backline but it’s under my control
instead of a band member!” Schwark’s SD10 at FOH, Fenton’s SD10-24 at monitors, the SD rack and
Schwark chose a DiGiCo SD10 at FOH, a console that he said was all
about “access and convenience” when it came to juggling the various
musical layers inherent with a Pet Shop Boys live show. “I first started
using the SD series in 2008 and I’ve never looked back,” he said. “They
sound great, they’re convenient to operate, and they tick all boxes for a
electronically based tour like this. There are more desks on the market now
that when I first started on SDs but, when I’m already 100% satisfied, why
would I change?”
The FOH engineer made use of Waves plugins and Avid Pro Tools HDX
for much of his effects: “I use analogue emulation plugins on Waves to
round out the digital edge of electronic signals that appear at show volume,
though I sometimes deliberately go for digital clarty. It gives transience
and punch on kicks and snares that sounds great. It’s purely subjective but
quite a few signals sound nicer when they’re less perfect and it’s great to
have that choice at my fingertips.”
He continued: “The only hardware I use is a TC-Helicon VoicePro, which
is discontinued so I hope it lasts! I use it to create a realistic double-tracked
vocal effect. The band’s songs are nearly always doubled and to create
that distinctive sound with one mic needs sophisticated hardware like this.
I also carry a Meyer Sound Galileo GALAXY so I can tweak any mediocre
house system to the best of its abilities. You need to cover your back, but
obviously not while we’re carrying this massive d&b system!”
Schwark also had Richard Smith from Capital Sound to assist with the
system, as well as System Tech Stefan Holtz.
64
Monitor Engineer Seamus Fenton explained the crux of the audio system:
“Effectively we’re mixing two MADI streams, one from the playback and
one from the band, and the really clever bit of kit in all this is the Optocore
DD4MR-FX, which is basically a MADI stage box. The mics are double-
patched as well - analogue into the SD rack and digitally through the router
and the Dante card - so Holger can take the digital signal and I can take the
analogue.”
the DD4 are all part of an Optocore loop that is almost exclusively digital,
with the exception of the analogue microphone signal and, paradoxically
enough, Chris Lowe’s keyboards. Fenton continued: “Each musician on the
three risers has an RME Fireface and a laptop and all those positions come
into the back of the rack through a custom line system that’s owned by the
band.”
Another big fan of DiGiCo, Fenton was keen to praise the flexibility of
the SD10’s short-frame relative. He said: “It’s my favourite thing in the world.
If you can think it, you can do it. Actually if you can think it, you can pretty
much put it on a button!
“I’ve always made the smart keys my mix buttons, they then brought out
the rather fantastic mix panel; I do everything on that and I’ve programmed
it on every bank so my mixes are always there, no matter what I’m looking
at - absolutely brilliant.”
The band owns their Shure microphones package (KSM9 for lead vocals
and SM58’s for BVs) and PSM1000 in-ear monitors, which Fenton said were
perfect for discerning and mixing the “extremely hi-fi” signals that come
from the stage.
“Mixing-wise it’s all programmed, I just have to stay on top of the fader
movements in between songs. For me it’s mainly about keeping Neil sitting
where he should be,” Fenton explained. “I’ve been with them since 2008
and in that time it’s become really instinctive. We’ve been stopped for two
months before this and after coming back you realise your fingers are doing
the work without you. For example, I know on West End Girls he’ll sing
 PET SHOP BOYS

the chorus 5db louder than he does the verse without looking. It’s quite and nice characters. A lot of this crew been with the Pet Shop Boys for years
bizarre!” and there must be a reason why. I like to treat the crew well but always stay
ready for a serious chat if issues arise.
LOGISTICS “One of my philosophies is not to lie to the artist and try to get their
Transport for the tour was provided by Fly By Nite trucking and Phoenix direct feedback; whether that is praise or criticism. The Pet Shop Boys
Bussing, with the latter providing two crew double-deckers. In fact, as are one of the nicest touring artists for me - Neil and Chris are great
Paul Hattin explained, Phoenix can boast one of the longest-standing personalities with a clear view of what they want and expect. They always
relationships with the Pet Shop Boys: “We have a great relationship with give me the feeling they trust their production and the way we work with
the Boys going right back to Len Wright days in the 80s - although I’m sure the show.”
there’s not many on either side prepared to admit it! The PM concluded: “This is one of the loveliest tours I have worked
“We haven’t worked with Olli until the European tour before Christmas on over the last 15 years - everyone is focussed and sticks together. I am
but Andy Crookston is an old ally and even though this is my last year of thankful to work with each and every person on this tour, a lot of whom I
working, hopefully the relationship will carry on for a good while longer.” can now call my friends.”
Also accompanying the band for the duration of their seven-show tour in TPi
the UK and Paris was Eat to the Beat. Alicia Boardman, who has worked for Photos: Andrew Benge
Eat to the Beat on several of the Pet Shop Boys tours, again made sure they www.petshopboys.co.uk
were looked after on the road. www.esdevlin.com
Kim Joyce, Account Manager at Eat to the Beat, said: “We are excited to www.gribiche.org
be back on the road with Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe and their crew - they are www.millenniumstudios.co.uk
a great team and we are delighted they choose us to cater for them again.” www.negearth.com
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THE LAST WORD www.capital-sound.co.uk
As with many tours of this magnitude, a significant factor in their success or www.er-productions.com
failure is the collective philosophy of the crew - whether that comes from www.flybynite.co.uk
the artist, PM, management, or any number of other sources. In this case, www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk
it seems as if the Pet Shop Boys and their crew exist in a working harmony www.globalinfusiongroup.com/gig-eat-to-the-beat
that must be the envy of many a touring unit. www.perryscenic.com www.trussing.com
As Windsprechtinger said: “I always like to deal with great professionals www.airworksinflatables.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO PERFORMANCE VISUALS

THE PET SHOP BOYS ON THEIR FILMING & IMAG

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Projection, Media Servers and Crew provided by Really Creative Media - Pet Shop Boys Super Tour 2016-2017

65

GREEN DAY
The American punk rockers were back on UK shores once again to promote their recent release,
Revolution Radio. TPi’s Stew Hume caught the last date at London’s O2 Arena to see first-hand why
the band are still a force to be reckoned with…
When Green Day first formed back in 1986, the music industry was a very
different place. The purchase of cassette tapes was the norm and radio
was still the purveyor of all that was cool and relevant. Although many of
the fresh-faced kids currently crowding into the O2 Arena are more likely
to listen to Green Day’s new album on Spotify, it is amazing that the trio
has been able to stay popular and important during a career that has
spanned over three decades. Furthermore, each album cycle welcomes
yet another batch of fans eager to join the band’s global family. For
their current tour, in support of last year’s Revolution Radio, Green Day
presents fans, both young and old, with a more traditional stage show,
during which their music and stage craft was front and centre, in the true
spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.
PRODUCTION
Several hours earlier TPi caught up with Greg Dean, the band’s Production
Manager, who outlined the origins of the Revolution Radio tour: “Way back
in January last year we began throwing around some ideas of what we
wanted to achieve on the next album cycle. However, the production really
kicked into gear later on in 2016 around promo for the new record.”
For this run, the band and production put forward a clean-cut rock show
that harks back to Green Day’s original DIY punk rock aesthetic. “We’re not
carrying too many bells and whistles on this one,” explained Dean. “We
wanted to keep the focus very much on the band. They are known for being
a solid live act with lots of energy and we wanted to make sure nothing
detracted from this. More than that though, people spend their hard-
earned cash to see these guys. The least we can do is make sure they’re
67
PRODUCTION PROFILE
visible on stage and not hiding behind video screens.”
Despite the simpler stage show, the production couldn’t resist adding a
certain element of glamour to the performance with three staircase risers
containing several molefays. “The staircase staging elements actually
came together quite quickly,” stated Dean. “Prior to the tour, the band had
expressed a desire to add something a little classier and more elegant to
the stage.”
Collaborating to produce the various staging elements were Brilliant
Stages from the UK and the American company, Gallagher Staging. “This
was the first time I had worked with Brilliant,” stated Dean. “The company
has a special relationship with Gallagher and thanks to them we were able
to have both companies work on the set simultaneously.”
The need for A and B sets came down to the band’s hectic touring
circuit which, after the UK tour concluded, saw the band jet off to America
for a tour, only to then head ‘Down Under’ for their Australian leg. “The A
and B set up was always going to be a necessity for this world tour and,
thanks to the fine guys at Sound Moves, handling our logistics, we are able
to showcase this performance across the globe.”
Sound Moves’ John Corr added: “Sound Moves and Brian Santos in
particular has been the lead agent working closely with Greg on this touring
cycle. We are providing full logistics support for the tour from local trucking
on the west coast, small urgent packages, domestic moves, international
airfreight, ocean freight and finally a return of everything to its point of
origin when the tour is completed. Greg is amazing to work with, extremely
thorough, efficient and we try to plan well ahead to anticipate any issues
that may arise by using knowledge gained on current moves to make future
GREEN DAY
Frontman extraordinaire Billie Joe Armstrong utilising the Telefunken M80.
moves safer and more cost effective.”
Ben Brooks from Brilliant Stages discussed the company’s involvement
with the tour: “We worked on the design for stage right across the
Christmas period, successfully sending it the first show in Italy on 8
January - a very short build time!” During the final stages of the build, Set
Carpenter Kirk ‘Rockit’ LaRocco joined the Brilliant crew to aid with the final
preparation. “Working with Greg, Jason and Rockit has been nothing but
an enjoyable experience from start to finish,” concluded Brooks. “Greg’s
meticulous attention to detail and professionalism, coupled with Rockit’s
sense of humour make them a great team. We had a challenging deadline to
meet, especially with the Green Day marquee sign, which was required for
programming as soon as we could deliver it.”
Joining Rockit on the road and completing the carpentry duo was J
’Dot’ Dennis. Dot laid out some of the logistical challenges on build: “For
this run we don’t have our own rolling stage. This means we have to build
all the set elements on the show floor then have fork lifts place them on
the stage. This adds a bit of time to our build schedule, but we are still
managing to be done in plenty of time.” Reaching out from the main
stage was a long catwalk that extended several metres into the audience.
Noticeable while walking along the barriers was the narrow pit. Bringing
this up with Dean, he responded: “It’s something that the band themselves
insisted on. They like to feel the energy of the crowd and often like to invite
people onstage. During one tour I tried to move the band further back and
the feedback was not positive. I now know not to mess with that!”
Fourth Generation supplied the power to the Revolution Radio tour. The
mere mention of the company and its Director, Anthony ‘Tweed’ Hurlocker,
had Dean singing its praises: “I have known those guys for a very long time.
Tweed is a great dude and it’s always a pleasure to have him collaborate on
68
any tour I work on.”
Tweed offered his thoughts on his company’s latest outing with the
band and production. “It’s always a pleasure to get a call from Greg Dean
when Green Day head to European shores. We’ve been happy to supply to
them on their last few trips over and we’re looking forward to having them
back in the summer.”
Finally, overseeing all the flown elements of the show was Head Rigger,
Brian Collins. This was his third outing with the band although, as TPi found
out, it would also be his last. “For this tour, along with holding the Head
Rigger title, I am also Project Manager for VER. I have been working with
them since January and when I come off this tour I will begin working for
them full time. I’ve had 27 years on the road and I’m ready for a change,”
Collins said.
Collins could have hardly asked for a better swan song, as he freely
admitted: “The production have formed a tremendous crew for this tour
and everyone has gelled really well. If this is to be my last outing, I am glad
it’s on a traditional rock ‘n’ roll show.”
The main rigging supplier for this run was PRG XL Video, and audio
motors were provided by audio supplier VER. “All together I have 74 motors
up in the air. It’s a pretty quick show to rig, only taking between two and
half to three hours each day. We are weighing in at 70,000 pounds so it’s not
a particularly heavy show, which I have been thankful for as the size and
weight capacity have varied throughout some of the European dates.
LIGHTING
Taking his place in the creative driving seat once again for Green Day was
Ethan Weber. This was the second time the LD had joined forces with the
band, having worked with them in 2012 for the 99 Revolutions Tour.
 TPiMagazine-StageSafeAd.pdf 1 01/03/2017 07:28

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GREEN DAY

For the Revolution Radio tour the band opted for a clean-cut rock show harkening back to their DIY punk aesthetic.

Weber described the initial brief that was given to him for this project: longs. We therefore have a lot of white light that illuminates the audience.”
“Due to the band’s itinerary, my main directives for this tour were to design Supplying lighting for the show was PRG XL Video. The company
something that festivals could easily duplicate and a system that fit in a provided the production with 78 Martin by Harman MAC Viper AirFXs, 46
reasonable number of trucks; both of which, I think, are very reasonable Claypaky Mythos and 46 Atomic 3000 strobes. The company also supplied
requests.” With this in mind, Weber opted to produce a set that relied 22 TMB Solaris Flares. Horton told TPi: “My decision to deploy the MAC
heavily on soft goods, utilising several backdrop changes to present the Vipers came after seeing them be used extensively on the Black Sabbath
audience with different scenes throughout the night. He did admit that this tour. It was the first time I had seen a washlight with gobos I thought I
represented a change of pace, saying: “I generally do more lighting than could use. I’m a fan of big colour walls; so the idea of lining the truss with
scenic elements and getting the drape dimensions right and programming washlights instead of having to alternate with profiles was very appealing.
timings for all the drops was certainly a bit of a challenge.” The decision to deploy the Mythos, on the other hand, came down to
The LD went onto describe the creative rapport he struck up with the experience. I had used them on previous tours and have always been very
band: “Green Day has a strong sense of the environment they want to play pleased with their look and versatility. Finally, for cost and availability, the
in. I came up with a few different design ideas until we found one we all Atomic 3000 is still a great strobe light. I still really like the effect you get
agreed on. As far as individual song looks go, when they’re on low levels. It fills up the picture
they pretty much leave that up to me. There nicely.” Finally, the production deployed two
will be occasional suggestions, but they don’t manned PRG Bad Boy Spots, which were placed
generally get too involved in the colour and on the front truss and focussed on Armstrong for
cueing of the songs.” Considering the band’s most of the night. PRG’s S400 Super Nodes were
extensive back catalogue, Weber’s challenge also utilised for the Green Day marquee sign that
was to design as many tracks as possible before is revealed towards the end of the show. The
handing over control to Tommy Horton, the sign constituted 762 LED blubs, brought down
Touring Lighting Director. “I had met Ethan via a Kinesys automation system. On the front
during Judas Priest’s run in South America while truss there were 10 8-lite molefays, with 23 4-lite
he was doing Ozzy,” began Horton. “We got on
“I’m a fan of big colour walls; so molefays on the three trusses behind, as well
straight away and he thought I would be right for the idea of lining the truss with as the three scenic drum risers. There were also
this project.” Revealing what audiences could several molefays on each riser step.
expect, Horton had one word: “Bright!”
washlights instead of having to Horton launched the show from an MA
The LD elaborated: “As a frontman Billie really alternate with profiles was very Lighting grandMA2. Horton told TPi he’s in the
likes to see the audience throughout the show process of moving over to MA: “It’s a transitional
to feed of their energy, especially during the call
appealing.” process when you move from one desk to
and response sections of the set and the sing-a- Ethan Weber, Lighting Designer another and there is so much to learn on this

70
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GREEN DAY
The audio team: Audio System Engineer Clark Thomas Monitor Engineer Timothy Engwall, FOH Engineer Kevin Lemoine; Lighting Crew Chief Jason Dixon and Touring LD
Tommy Horton; Carp J ‘Dot’ Dennis; Head Rigger Brian Collins.
console. I am doing the maintenance but it’s really Ethan’s programing. I’m
just adding a bit of flavour on top.”
FIRE
On hand to ensure the fire bringing heat to the band’s performance was
German pyrotechnic company ffp. “My relationship with ffp goes back to
my early days with Rammstein when I was working with the company’s
Managing Director Nicolai Sabottka,” remembered Dean. “We wanted to
use pyrotechnics several times throughout the show to pack a punch.”
Handling the flames were Pyro Technicians Alex Hammel and Naloni
Hydo. Hammel listed the effects used, including concussion bangs, a
sparkling waterfall effect and six confetti blowers for the final encore,
adding: “Last, but not least, we have our custom ffp flame system, which
has the ability to move on an axis and produce sweeping effects.” During
the show Hammel physically triggers each effect while Hydo acted as his
spotter.
AUDIO
Since the creation of Green Day in 1986, the band has always been made
up of three core members. However, over the years the trio has expanded
their on stage ensemble. As well as long-serving second guitarist, Jason
White, the band enlisted two additional musicians who now join to provide
another layer of instrumentation. Controlling the wall of punk rock sound
was FOH Engineer Kevin Lemoine.
72
Getting the ball rolling, Lemoine spoke of his rather unusual control
package for this tour: “I have always opted for a full analogue control
package for Green Day. The band have always swayed to that style, using
vintage amps and guitars that they began their career with. We also have a
fantastic backline team who keep all the older amps and guitars sounding
their best. It wouldn’t feel right, after all that care and attention, to put the
band through a digital front end.”
Having used Midas consoles for several years, Lemoine thought it was
time for a change, opting instead to mix on a PMI Trident 88 analogue
console. Using this desk became quite a touring landmark; this is the
first of its kind to have been packaged for the road. Dating back to the
‘60s when desks garnered a reputation as one of the go-to appliances for
studio recording, here, the familiar routing and feel of a classic Trident
desk has been given some modern refinements that now serve to improve
functionality, workflow and performance specifications for live engineering.
Lemoine gave his verdict: “We are 19 shows in so far and it’s held up pretty
well ...”
For PA, the production deployed a d&b audiotechnik system consisting
of 40 boxes J-Series for main hang with 24 V-Series for the side hang.
There were 16 J-SUBs and 8 J-INFRAs for ground subs, with an additional
4 J-Series utilised for front fill. “On the last Green Day tour we came across
the system a few times and I really liked it. I also got to give the system a
good test run when I took it out with a couple of other bands. I’ve really got
comfortable with it,” the FOH engineer said. One of the biggest challenges
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GREEN DAY
With the European tour over, UK fans can catch the band again for their Hyde Park headline performance in July.
that Lemoine faced on a daily basis was the catwalk that extended into the
crowd. “It’s such a fine art dealing with the potential feedback we get when
Billie walks out into the crowd. We have to shade the bottom cabinets just
a little and everyday we put his microphone (a Telefunken M80) right at the
end of the catwalk to test the limits of how far we can push it.”
As well as keeping an eye on the faders during Armstrong’s jaunts out
in front of the PA, the FOH Engineer also has to accommodate for members
of the audience who are invited on stage. “It’s just a case of keeping your
wits about you and keeping an eagle eye on the lucky individual. A few
tours ago it used to be a bit more of a challenge. As a gag, the band used to
pull various people from the crowd, hand over their instruments and form
another ‘band’ on stage. Funnily enough, I heard a rumour recently that one
of those ‘bands’ actually got together for real,” Lemoine recalled.
VER supplied all of the production’s sound reinforcement. And although
the company was chosen by Production Manger Greg Dean to supply some
of his past projects, this was the first time VER worked with Green Day - a
prospect that excited Account Manger, Jason Vrobel. He told TPi: “It’s very
special for me because I was their System Engineer and Audio Crew Chief
for 9 years. I now get to work with them again, and fully understand their
needs for a touring package of this scale. We can deliver what they need
no matter where they are in the world. For example, we’ve packaged a very
specific console arrangement for FOH Engineer Kevin Lemoine, who is using
the Trident 88. It’s currently the only touring Trident 88 desk, but we sorted
everything he required without any issues.”
Holding down monitor duties was Timothy Engwall. At the helm of
an Avid VENUE S6L, the Monitor Engineer walked TPi through his control
package. “Currently we are working with 58 inputs, although, admittedly
many of those are to make our lives easier, such as several talk back
channels.” Other then a drum thumper for the bands stickman, Tré Cool,
74
all the musicians were on IEM. “We have deployed Shure PSM 1000’s. Each
band member has an individual mix, which I sprinkle some of the audience
microphones into, but for Billie’s mix the crowd volume is essential. A large
chunk of my show, along with certain set cues, is taken up by riding the
audience mixes to make sure he can hear all the call and response and sing-
a-longs through the gig.”
GRUB AND GAS
Coach Service and Stage Truck provided busses and trucking for the UK run.
Stage Truck’s Su Shanahan discussed the company’s involvement with the
show: “Altogether, we provided nine trucks and one merch truck. We have
worked with the band for almost 12 years now, and were excited to be back
on the road with Green Day again. It was a great collaboration and we look
forward to the next outing this summer.” Finally, ensuring all the crew and
band were fed through the tour were Eat Your Hearts Out.
Looking at the smiling, sweaty faces around the O2 Arena, it was clear
that Green Day’s stripped back, personal rock ‘n’ roll show hit the nail on the
head for the their die hard UK fans. Those few already feeling the post-show
blues could take solace in the fact that Green Day will be back soon. With
several UK festival dates confirmed for the summer, it will not be long until
they get to reunite with Billie and the boys for yet another time of their life.
TPi
Photos: Matt Rakowski, PRG XL Video
www.greenday.com
www.prg.com www.ver.com
www.brilliantstages.com
www.coachservice.com
www.stagetruck.com
www.fourthgenerationltd.com
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

Opposite: Lighting Designer Tyler ‘Shap’ Shapard; Monitor Engineer Lawrence ‘Filet’ Mignogna mixed on a DiGiCo SD10.

TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

Formed in 2009 by Ohio native and band vocalist Tyler Joseph, Twenty Øne Piløts (TØP) in its
current formation is completed by drummer Josh Drun. Together the duo are a truly genre-bending
outfit, and despite their small headcount, the pair’s stage presence is undeniably fierce. TPi’s Kel
Murray went behind the scenes at Chicago’s United Center to meet the technical talent behind the
Emotional Roadshow tour, a dedicated crew if we ever met one...

Production Manager Daniel Gibson’s work ethic is evident; he’s focussed
and ingrained as a cog on this tour, a tour that has grown considerably
over the last couple of years. Having been with the band from the
beginning of their real touring requirements, he knows what their show
needs from day-to-day. Whereas in the beginning, the band bestowed
a determination to succeed rooted in a DIY ethos, in 2017 their integrity
remains... just on a much larger scale. The hard work paid off and these
days TØP can be heard on daytime radio, soundtracking blockbuster
films and selling out arenas on several continents. The one on home
turf we had to see for ourselves, and their show production had to back
up the hype. With a jaw-dropping assault on the senses, it seems to be
doing a good job, but it’s the crew who have absorbed the importance of
a genuine work ethic.
VER has taken the lead as the tour’s technical supplier, providing
lighting, rigging, video and audio while special effects came from Image
Engineering. Accurate Staging and SGPS delivered set fabrication, catering
was via Center Stage Catering, Senators Coaches handled bussing needs
and Stage Call Trucking got the equipment on the road.
VERSATILE SOUND
Twenty Øne Piløts puts on the kind of live show you have to see to believe.
Singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun emerge from backstage in ski
masks. They crowdsurf on a platform while playing drums. Joseph crawls
through the crowd inside a giant red hamster ball. Dun does a backflip off of
Joseph’s piano. Joseph climbs the stage to nerve-wracking heights, singing
all the while.
The difficult to define duo - with music falling somewhere between the
genres of alternative rock, electropop, hip hop, and indie - has captured
worldwide attention since the wildly successful release of 2015’s Blurryface.
Inevitably, this has led to bigger shows than the band has ever played
before.
Right now, Twenty Øne Piløts is in the midst of a massive 11-month tour
entitled the Emotional Roadshow World Tour. The band performs at venues
ranging from amphitheatres the size of Berkeley, California’s 8,500-capacity
Greek Theatre to Pennsylvania’s 30,000-capacity Hersheypark Stadium.
This posed some challenges for the audio crew, but with a 72-box Meyer
Sound LYON line array rig, VER Tour Sound has been able to provide flexible
live sound for the tour’s varying scale of venues.
Audio Crew Chief / System Engineer Kenny Sellars of VER spoke a little
about the setup at the Greek Theatre shows in Berkeley. “We have 12 LYON
per side on the main hangs, and 12 LYON per side on the side hangs,” he
explained. However, the system expands effortlessly to a full 72-box rig for
the tour’s larger venues, where their main hangs are 20-deep LYON and side
hangs are 16-deep LYON.
Throughout the tour, Sellars has been constantly impressed with the
Meyer Sound system. “The scalability has been super solid for me. That’s
what I planned on, but the fact that it’s worked flawlessly and easily has
been the key,” he said.
Shane Bardiau, Twenty Øne Piløts’ FOH Engineer, has also been very
satisfied with LYON’s versatility. Initially, the tour was considering using
the larger dual 15-inch Meyer LEO line arrays. But Sellars’ suggestion to
Bardiau to use LYON to better accommodate the varying size of venues on
the tour appealed to him. “I was skeptical at first because it is a smaller
box,” recalled Bardiau. “But wow, I was blown away. And to be honest, this
12-inch (LYON) driver is perfect for our music.”
Independent engineer Adam Stroop - who initially ran monitors on the

77
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
Meyer Sound provided sound reinforcement for the tour.
first leg of the Emotional Roadshow World Tour explained that the band
occasionally relies on side fills from LEOPARD cabinets on each side of
the stage. He likes having loudspeakers that are “very controllable, very
smooth. That’s really hard to beat.”
For Twenty Øne Piløts’ biggest shows, the crew will use up to six
LEOPARD boxes per side for greater horizontal coverage. “They’re very easy
to set up and sound excellent,” said Stroop.
FOH
Bardiau met the band five years ago while mixing their support band and
after clicking with them, he became a fully-fledged TØP crewmember. He
told TPi: “Their live sound is not at all album-like; everything on their record
is digital-sounding. Tyler, for instance, records everything in Logic and
he makes all the sounds himself, and comes up with an album. Live, it’s a
completely different atmosphere; you’ve got Josh hitting those drums really
hard and it creates a totally different sound. I’m going for a big drum sound,
mixed in a digital world that Tyler has created.”
To achieve this sound, Bardiau opted to “open things up a little bit, and
try and get a clearer sound, but be able to colour it in where I wanted to.”
The tool kit? A DiGiCo SD5. “This desk has really allowed me to do that. With
DiGiTube, I can create the colour in my inputs and if I don’t want that, I don’t
use it.” The engineer is also using Waves: “I don’t think I’ve ever actually
mixed this band without Waves,” he noted. “I use a lot of C6 and the API
2500 compressor on the piano, which makes it sound ‘alive’. I also do a
lot of tricks with the C6 and side-chaining. I side-chain his L-R mix and his
vocal, so every time that he sings it cuts out a hole in my mix with the C6 off
the L-R. It really allows his vocal to sit in the front, and that’s the sound that
he wants.”
Microphone and RF preference is Shure throughout, as he explained:
“We use the wireless Axient system due to its very clear sound, and I’ve
78
been very happy with it. For Tyler’s microphone capsule we use the Shure
KSM9HS, which works really well.
“Josh, he loves to hear his drum sound; he’s very in-tune with me on
that. If he wants to sound a certain way, he’ll talk to me about it and we’ll
come up with a solution. Tyler is very particular - listening to him dial
on a monitor mix cracks me up because he needs to know what knob
you’re turning and where. He likes to give me creativity but at the same
time, he wants things a certain way so he’ll just hint about it. I guess it’s
psychological with Tyler; he’ll tell me how he feels, knowing there is an
employer / employee relationship there, but it’s more like a friendship
really. If he hates something, he’ll tell me, and he’ll expect me not to get
offended by it, and I’ll do the same thing. That’s why we work so well
together; it’s almost a brotherly relationship. It’s like that with most of our
crewmembers. It creates a cameraderie. It’s a little different than anything I
have experienced to be honest…”
Kenny Sellars, VER’s Audio Crew Chief and Systems Engineer, has been
the first port of call for the sound team. He commented: “Their music
truly is genre-bending so we go for moments that are EDM-based, we go
to reggae-style with a ukulele, to piano ballads. It’s kind of all over the
place but Shane and myself work towards a vivid picture of what’s going
on sonically; big and punchy but crystal clear. We want you to be able to
grasp all the different pieces of the music whilst still understanding his
vocal, which can be tricky at times because there are moments where he
is intentionally being dark and ‘mumbly’ vs moments where he is belting it
out.
“My specific focus is making the band sound the best everywhere
in the room vs just at FOH. I work closely with Shane to explain how
things translate throughout the rest of the room, so that he can focus on
the overall sound but the two of us communicate on how it’s affecting
everybody,” added Sellars.
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TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
Daniel Slezinger and Justin Roddick’s company, Concert Investor, facilitated the production design.
Bardiau added: “One of the biggest things I have learned is to trust the
people that are around you that are working for you. For instance I have
handed a lot of things over to Kenny and trusted him. It took some time to
earn that trust, obviously, but enabling other people to do their job, instead
of micromanaging it, has got us where we are. For instance, using DiGiCo
desks wasn’t my idea, but I told him what I was trying to accomplish and he
came up with all of these options. To be honest, I was scared to go with a
console choice I didn’t know, but I trusted him and trusted that what he was
saying. Needless to say, I took his advice and it’s turned out really well - I’m
a convert for sure!”
MONITOR WORLD
Over in monitor world, Lawrence ‘Filet’ Mignogna is the tour’s newcomer
- having taken over from Stroop - and upon our meeting in Chicago, was
mixing just his ninth show with the band.
TPi met Mignogna some years ago on a Britney Spears tour, and he’s
still preaching the same sermon: “I’m DiGiCo all the way,” he smiled,
80
commenting on his SD10. “We’re sharing a rack, so we run the same
things. Because it’s a show with only two guys, we have the tracks, live
drums and Tyler also plays a bunch of instruments himself [from piano to
guitar].
“We also have various opening acts who return to the stage for
eight minutes in a guest segment. We have four vocals and a few extra
instruments which goes through a mash-up of ‘80s and ‘90s songs. We then
have elements like a marching snare and the drum island - where they carry
the drummer, Josh, out on a platform. That’s their signature thing, which is
why everybody rushes to the front at the beginning of their set - they want
to help carry Josh and crowdsurf.”
Filet’s gear can handle the potentially turbulent surroundings: “DiGiCo
can do anything that you want it to; out of all the digital desks out there,
this is by far the most versatile for monitor mixing. First of all, it sounds
great, and second of all, it’s very reliable. A digital desk is just a physical
fader and you should be able to make it do anything you want, yet not
all desks have that capability. My favourite feature is the multiband
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
FOH Engineer Shane Bardiau with VER Crew Chief & System Tech, Kenny Sellars; Bardiau’s DiGiCo SD5 console; The band played to sold-out arena venues in North America.
compression on every channel - it’s such a big thing. I have no limitations
here.”
LIGHTING & SHOW DESIGN
Production Designers Daniel Slezinger and Justin Roddick’s company, Concert
Investor is coordinating lighting, sound and video for the latest TØP tour,
together with special effects, fabrication, content creation and programming.
Tyler has always taken a creative lead in the shows, explained Slezinger,
with the team around him interpreting this vision. LD Tyler ‘Shap’ Shapard and
Video Director Chris Schoenmen from Tantrum who creates the show visuals,
all evolved the aesthetic for the tour under the creative direction of Mark C
Eshleman.
On last year’s Blurryface tour the band played some venues without flying
or rigging, so they devised a custom ground package that could extend up to
16ft and be totally independent of any top rigs that happened to be present.
When they stepped up to arenas, they added more production. At the start of
the Emotional Roadshow tour in May, Slezinger and Shap decided to specify
more Robe fixtures, adding 56 BMFL Spots and 12 BMFL Blades, 68 Pointes,
14 LEDWash 1200’s and 28 LEDWash 600’s to the plot.“The Robe Pointes are
basically the backbone of the show. The 56 Robe BMFLs are our big spot
movers; the Pointes are really fast, the BMFL’s apply really big looks to the
stage,” he commented.
There’s also 10 Sharpy Washes, 8 Claypaky A.leda K20 B-EYEs, 24 Robe
1200’s, 28 Robe 600’s, 83 Philips Nitro 510Cs. The 12 BMFL Blades are used
for front wash, and up to 50 Elation Professional II and IV LED fixtures. “They
help to keep the power demands down, and are supplied through Image
Engineering along with out pyrotechnics which complete the show design.”
Special Effects include 14 Sigma Co2 jets, and six generic confetti cannons.
Shap noted: “Misdirection is really the key to the show. Energy, but more
specifically an energy build up. The show is extremely dynamic. We open the
82
show very small, but there’s 365 lights in the rig and I only use a very small
portion of them strategically, almost until the seventh song. You never see the
full potential of the show until about 45 minutes into the show. It’s not a jam
band concert; this is a theatrical performance. What you see is very thought-
out and planned to bring your attention to something specific. There’s a lot
of misdirection; you look one way and something happens on the other side.
There is a lot of that.”
When the LD first started touring with TØP, I’d never done the LD thing
before, but I have a background in video production. I’d directed and
technically directed a couple of things on television, so I have a background
of how to use a console, and I just applied what I know from that world to the
lighting world. Having a creative background and being a camera director, I
was able to apply this to the show design and concept. I’m a musician myself
too, so I was able to relate to a lot of things. One thing you will notice about
a lot of the lights is they react specifically to what you hear. You can see the
instruments come to life in the show. That is really important and it’s definitely
a design feature we intentionally do.”
Coming into the fold as LD, there was a learning curve to undertake. He
reminised: “I remember sitting in a room in Australia, and I’d had my worst
show ever, it was my second show as an LD, and I was so nervous. It was a
train wreck, and I thought I was going to get fired. What actually happened
was that Tyler sat me down and said: “You’re my guy for this job and I want you
to know everything about everything.” Now I’m probably the only person in the
world who can hear a part of our song and can tell you where he’s at on stage
and exactly what he’s doing, specifically with his hands or arms movements,
where he’s looking and what part of the show he’s reacting to. When he talked
to me that day, he said: “I’m going to be here for you through the bad times and
the good.”
“Ever since then, we’ve had a great relationship; he’s one of my greatest
friends. I know exactly what he wants, and he can trust me to make it happen.
TWENTY ØNE PILØTS
This tour opted to utilise IMAG to ensure the crowd sees every strategic move on stage.
That’s what makes this tour so different; it takes a long time to build an
artist’s trust because they have a personal vision. When Tyler writes songs
he also thinks about how he is going to perform them. It’s really become
a fine-tuned machine, in my opinion. From a design standpoint, I think
every LD likes to do that. Most LDs travel from band to band, but I have only
ever lit TØP. You could say I don’t really know much about the industry as a
whole, but I don’t have to know - I just have to know my band, and I do.
Daniel Slezinger who is my design partner and co-programmer for
Twenty Øne Piløts. He’ll program some of the songs, and I’ll program some
of the songs, and we have two very different programming styles. If you
knew what our styles were, you could figure out who programmed what
song, but we strategically program different songs throughout the set
so the whole show is big and dramatic. It can be crazy one minute, and
really down to earth the next, and then all over the place. It just keeps you
guessing a lot.”
There are two MA Lighting grandMA2’s at FOH, plus an MA Light. “We run
most of the show off timecode, about 70%. Perfection is a very important
thing to us, myself included. There are a lot of moments where Tyler and
Josh could change it up or drift off somewhere, so I leave a lot of things
open for the ability to manoeuver around the show with them.”
“The VER guys are stellar; they’re always on top of their game. I’ve never
had a problem with anything, and even if there ever was something, or
something goes down, no one asks questions and they just send it to you.
The support alone is worth working with them.”
VISUAL IDENTITY
“There is a strong architecture to the video content and, especially with
some of the earlier and pre-radio era art, the show is essentially a narrative
journey,” said Slezinger. “It’s also difficult to take it all in just seeing a single
performance!”
Adam Clay Peck, Video Director added: “Video is really important now
that we are playing larger stadiums and arenas. It’s just the two guys on
stage yet there’s so much action. They’re so animated on the stage so I
think video plays a really crucial role in showing that to every seat in the
house. We’re not only utilising the side screens for IMAG, we’re also using
them to put more content on the main video wall. We combine them
together and they play off each other from time to time. It helps fill in the
gaps and makes it seem larger than it actually is.
“We work side-by-side with Chris Schoenmen from Tantrum, our
84
content company. Chris designed a lot of the content and created it himself
andhe enjoyed a lot of free-run with the ideas. We sat side-by-side with
each other and watched through old videos of the show, and would say, “I
would like to do content here,” or “I would like to do IMAG here.” He was very
accommodating and helped us with everything we needed, which was an
amazing experience.
“A lot of the stuff that Tantrum did was abstract, and more filler almost
to accent the lighting. They have started getting more detail orientated the
bigger they get. They are trying to do less abstract art and we are trying to
do stuff that almost sits on top of the live feed, to make it feel like you are
almost watching a TV show that he’s in, but he’s on the stage. Tyler has a lot
of things that are emotionally tied to him, and you can see that in his lyrics.”
The tour utilised a ROSS Carbonite Switcher and Sony, Panasonic Robo
cameras plus a d3 Technologies PRO media server for content control.
Continued Peck: “There isn’t quite a separation between each of the
departments. We all go hand-in-hand and help everybody out. Our crew
is like a big family. I’m really good friends with a lot of this team. There’s no
separation: we all intermingle and help each other out. We even hang out
with each other on our off-days, because we have so much fun together.
“I didn’t really know the band before I started working for them, but now
I’ve seen their live show and I know the 100% commitment they give every
night, and how hard this crew works, you can’t help but put your all into this
team. It’s not just another gig for most of these people.
“For example, I give up a lot of my free time during the day to just sit
there and nitpick on things that I wasn’t to improve. My crew guys are
willing to sacrifice their time and throw in just as much commitment, so this
is one of the best shows you could come and see.”
TPi
Photos: Brad Heaton
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AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Dedicated to the memory of late crewmember Marvin Puchmeier.
 PRODUCTION PROFILE

“On behalf of the entire Avenged Sevenfold family,

we send our sincerest sympathies to Marvin
Puchmeier’s family and friends. This terrible
accident has affected not only this incredible
group of men and women deeply, but an entire
community of touring and local professionals. I
would like to extend my gratitude to everyone in
and around our industry that has reached out
to both myself and my crew with tremendous
support, as well as to anyone who has helped
Marvin’s family and friends get through the very
toughest of times.”
Production Manager, Jordan Coopersmith

After bursting onto the heavy metal scene in the early 2000s, Avenged
Sevenfold (A7X) very quickly became one of alternative music’s biggest
names. Garnering fans from both metal and hard rock factions, the band
has headlined festivals including Download and Mayhem, and even
accomplished a number one album in the UK. for a Slipknot show,” stated Coopersmith. “They’re great to work with and
With their previous Hail To The King record cycle coming to an end,
fans began to wonder what was next for the Californian five-piece. The
result was a secret release of their seventh studio album, The Stage, which
arguably stands as one of the most concept-driven albums ever attempted
by the band, tackling issues such as artificial intelligence and the self-
destruction of modern society. As the band pushed the boundaries of their
musical material, it seemed fitting that the impending tour would follow
suit.
Enter Production Manager, Jordan Coopersmith, the band’s long-
time collaborator. TPi last met Coopersmith when he was heading up the
production of nine-headed, masked beast, Slipknot. Almost a year to the
day, we sat down with the PM / Creative Director of to discuss life on the
road with another of metal’s best and brightest.
SETTING THE STAGE
Throughout their career A7X have become known to present a live show
aesthetic filled with traditional hard rock tropes. The last run’s main
stage prop was an imposing ‘skeleton king’ which towered over the band.
However, as TPi would discover, The Stage tour required some thinking
beyond the norm…
“Normally, we do really prop-heavy shows with lots of flames and hard
rock imagery,” began Coopersmith. “But for this tour I wanted to design a
show that was much more abstract and dealt with themes, such as artificial
intelligence, in a much less literal way,” jokingly adding: “I had no interest in
having large robots run across the stage!”
From the beginning, Coopersmith knew that video was going to play
a huge role in the set design, a medium the band had not before utilised
to this scale. The PM continued: “When I began to design the show, one of
my goals was to steer clear of flat projection walls. It took a lot of trial and
error using various configurations until we found something that gelled.”
The resulting stage aesthetic included eight video surfaces of varying size,
all centred around a large automated cube which also acted as a video
surface.
“Tracking video-projection on the centre cube is the real meat and
potatoes of the show,” described Coopersmith. “The cube is tracked
throughout and we are able to move it 60ft down stage along the catwalk
out to the audience. It also has a 45 degree tilt capability.”
Supplying all the video equipment for the tour was Solotech, who also
took on the role of audio vendor (more on that later). “My first experience
with Solotech came a few years ago when I took them on as my PA vendor
have the ability to offer the entire live touring tool box.”
The tour was headed up by the company’s Nashville office. Managing
Director, Paul Owen, discussed Solotech’s involvement: “We have been
associated with the band for the last 10 years and have got to know the
crew really well. This tour represented a real departure for them stylistically.
Jordan came to us saying he wanted to do something really outside the
box of rock ‘n’ roll and set the band apart from their peers. We then began
to discuss various options with video projection and 3D mapping. What he
and the production have put together is incredibly effective.”
It was also thanks to Solotech that Coopersmith was introduced to
4U2C, the content creators for the tour. “I ended up meeting Olivier Goulet
from 4U2C during a visit to the Solotech’s HQ in Montreal,” commented the
PM. “During that first encounter, I began to discuss some of the goals I had
for the impending tour. They haven’t worked too much in the rock ‘n’ roll
world, but he and his team have a vast technical knowledge of working on
technically demanding and creative shows such as those with Pink and
Justin Timberlake.”
Coopersmith continued: “We have a lot of talented people that came
to work on this show and everyone from our suppliers, to the content
creators and all of our hard working crew have produced something really
impressive.”
A TRANSATLANTIC PRODUCTION
The creation of this show materialised on both sides of the Atlantic, with
much of the visual design happening in the States while the physical set
itself was produced in the UK. “We knew that the best option would be to
find a staging company in the UK,” explained Coopersmith. “This was a
really ambitious project for us, the likes of which we had never attempted
before. Due to the various projection elements and automation we knew
we needed as much rehearsal time as possible. Also, the tour itself fell at an
awkward time right after Christmas, and, with the first show in Dublin taking
place on the 7 January, I knew the only realistic option was to have it built
in the UK so we could hit the ground running on European soil.” Production
Park-based Perry Scenic was asked to lead the build.
Handling the logistical staging elements for the show was Stage
Manager Ethan Merfy who was candid about some of the challenges he and

89
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Production Manger, Jordan Coopersmith; The carpentry team: Keith Ramirez, Callum short, James ‘Chief’ Yepa and Bob Strakele ; Stage Manager, Ethan Merfy.
the crew faced on this run. “The days have been long on tour and it’s an
interesting challenge logistically due to how wide the set piece is. On the
first few dates we started at 7am and didn’t really stop until doors. However,
I feel the whole crew is easing into it now and, as of last night, we actually
had an hour free before the band hit the stage - it’s a step in the right
direction.”
Pulling the pieces together for the scenic elements was Head Carpenter
Keith Ramirez and his three crew. Ramirez commented on the division of
labour he deployed on the run. “We split the work in half, with two of the
team taking care of building the stage while the other built the columns
that hold the projection screen. The biggest challenge for us is probably
the columns as each one is made of almost 50 pieces. Also, because they’re
a projection surface we need to ensure each object is in exactly the right
place. Each venue is different and you have to think about the space your
trying to fill before laying down the stage. But after several shows I think we
have begun to get into the swing of things.”
Finally, providing barricades for the tour was Mojo Barriers. Kevin
Thorborn, Mojo’s UK Manager, elaborated: “We supplied almost 100m
of equipment for the UK and European dates, with a bespoke barrier
configuration that contoured the additional thrust and b-stage elements
of the set. It was great to be involved with such a progressive tour. With so
many productions pushing the boundaries when it comes to stage shows
and production, we’ve seen an increased demand for our specifically
designed touring barriers, which offer a more tour-friendly product whilst
maintaining the highest levels of structural integrity and safety.”
UP IN THE AIR
Taking the lead on automation and the build of the central cube was Ryan
Staplehurst. He told TPi: “My usual trade is dealing with d3 Technology’s
media servers,” began Staplehurst. “However I have had experience
plugging automation into d3. That was the primary reason I was picked for
this job.” All the automation was done using Brilliant Stages’ in-house kit
and Staplehurst was keen to state the usefulness of working from Brilliant
Stages’ HQ at Production Park for the rehearsal stage of the project. “It
was fantastic. I was always able to pop over to Brilliant Stages site and get
90
anything I needed, from flight cases to encoder cables. You can call the
office and they will have it over to you in a matter of minutes.”
Head Rigger Johan Van Den Heligenberg made use of both Solotech and
lighting supplier Neg Earth’s stock to run the show. He did acknowledge,
however, that this created a mathematical challenge. “We have steel
coming in from the ‘States which uses imperial measurements, whereas the
equipment from Neg Earth uses the metric system.” Despite the challenge,
Van Den Heligenber shrugged off the potential headache, joking that his
dual Dutch and Canadian citizenship had trained him for the job.
The show itself utilised 95 points and weighed 85,000 lb (38,591kg). He
discussed some of the other considerations he took in his daily plots. “Due
to the automation elements with the cube running along the track, I have
to deal with the weight shift and incorporate them into my rigging plot. All
the points are designed and calculated for the maximum weight as it travels
very slowly. The speed at which it travels is actually a real blessing. Some
projects, with fast moving automated pieces, often bump at the end of their
track which gives you another 50% force which you need to consider.”
LIGHTING AND VIDEO
Coopersmith employed long-time collaborator, Lighting Designer Trevor
Ahlstrand for the task. “For the last 10 years Trevor and I have split the
workload. While I design the sets, Trevor gets to produce the lighting,”
stated Coopersmith. “It’s a collaboration that has been really fulfilling.”
Speaking from his Tennessee base, Ahlstrand discussed his approach to
the tour: “The entire goal of the show was to capture the look and feel from
the album. We went through a handful of concepts and many revisions but
from a lighting standpoint my aim was to be able to tone and accent the
band without ever interfering with the automation process or competing
with the video.
“It was great to collaborate with Jordan again. He is an extremely
talented designer and always produces sets that are out of the box and
extremely fun to light. With the amount of time we have been fortunate
enough to work together we have a good understanding of each other’s
styles and goals so it is easy to come together to make an amazing looking
show.
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AVENGED SEVENFOLD
To go with the ambitious new set design, production employed the services of 4U2C and LD Trevor Ahlstrand;
Lighting Director Eoghan Tansey; Video Director Larn Poland.
Ahlstrand was on site during the rehearsals at LS-Live before handing
over operating duties to touring LD Eoghan Tansey. “This is my first tour
with Avenged, although I worked with Trevor on the last Slipknot tour,”
started Tansey. “I came into the first show in Dublin while Trevor showed
me the ropes. After a few days, I took complete control.” Ahlstrand added:
“I have known Eoghan for a few years but this was the first time we got to
work with each other. He helped out a lot in rehearsals when it came to
timecoding a few parts of the show. It’s been a pleasure to work with him
and hope that we are able to continue to do more in the future.”
Ahlstrand deployed 62 Martin by Harman MAC Viper AirFX, 38 MAC Auras
and several Martin by Harman Atomic LEDs on the lighting rig along with 24
Robe Spikies. There were also several Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlaze LED
fixtures on the down stage area.
Also present on the rig was the new Robe Spiider, the latest LED
WashBeam luminaries from the lighting manufacture, which contain 18
30W and a single 60W LED. “I was really excited to put them on this show
and now that I’ve gotten to program an entire show with the fixtures I’m an
even bigger fan. Due to the height of the video I felt that I needed to frame
it top and bottom, because of the limited space available I was looking for
something that would be small and fit within the pods on bottom without
being too big or obtrusive. The Spiiders fit the bill perfectly. They are
definitely a big part of my programming in this show and something I am
really looking forward to using again on other shows.
Also on the rig were the Elation Professional 2-lite blinders, a must for the
band who, according to Tansey, insists on being able to see the crowd
throughout the evening. All control elements came from the MA Lighting
grandMA2.
A notable addition to the rig was the new Follow-Me spot system, the
Art-Net based calibration software package that utilises moving lights as
follow-spots.
“I first heard of the Follow-Me system through my friend Niller
Bjerregaard, who is the designer for Volbeat,” commented Ahlstrand. “When
he had nothing but positive feedback I contacted them and started trying
to work out how it could work in our show. I wanted to use the system with
PSN information coming from it and have more control and availability
92
on the MA side of things. This way we are able to rotate which fixtures are
aimed at which targets as well as being able to use any of the rig to highlight
solos or specials. This takes an extra step in the calibration everyday but
having these extra features available has really changed the way the guys
can move around and still be highlighted when it calls for it.”
Discussing the new technology was Lighting Crew Chief Antti Saari.
“The system’s main advantage is that it gives so much control to the LD.
Backstage we have five operators who have control of pan and tilt and keep
their markers on each of the band members. Our LD, Owen, can then select
which member of the band he wants to focus on.” Tansey added: “It’s a
work in progress just like any new piece of technology. I do like how much
control is given to the LD at the desk. The system also means that every
song cue can be incorporated into the spots so colours match. Everything
you do normally with a gel change we can now do over the board.”
Concluding, Ahlstrand discussed the collaborations he undertook with
Neg Earth: “Neg Earth and the guys out on road have been nothing short
of amazing. Their gear and attitudes are always top notch no matter what
changes or obstacles they were faced with.”
On the other side of the arena holding down the role of Video Director
was Larn Poland. The VD was brought in prior to pre-production, during a
few one-off performances to become accustomed to the band’s material
- along with the various personalities in the group. Poland elaborated:
“During that time I got to know the various characteristics of the band and
how they act on stage. This is not a one man show and I always want to
ensure each member is given equal exposure on the screens. It’s good fun
and makes it more interesting for me as a director to try and get that story
across of who they are.
“The goal of the design, as I always understood it, was to steer clear of
having two big IMAG screens either side of the stage. Instead the band and
the production wanted to have video content that integrated with their
live performance.” In total, Poland had two robo camera feeds along with
four from manned cameras. Two of the cameramen were situated at FOH
with the other two in the pit. “It’s always interesting building a rapport with
cameramen. The way I work is very much with zones. Each band member
has their own starting position and each cameraman has their individual
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Audio Tech Alexandre Bibeau with FOH Engineer David ‘Shirt’ Nicholls;
Monitor Engineer Bruce Danz; Automation Ryan Staplehurst; Head Rigger Johan Van Den Heiligenberg; Lighting Crew Chief Antti Saari.
targets. The challenge is that this band does not stop moving! But it’s great
to see the guys on the cameras have really got into the rhythm of the show
and now are able to switch targets as they cross over the stage throughout
the night without me telling them to switch. As a director it’s a joy to watch.”
Poland used a Grass Valley Karrera video switcher with d3 Technologies
media servers handling the final output. A total of 18 Christie HD-20K
projectors were also used. Media Server Operator Eric Zimmer discussed
the challenges of this ambitious video mapping project. “Calibration is
always a lengthy process but we have found our feet with this one. Although
the d3 system does all the maths, we still have to teach it all the positions
and movements that the cube will do throughout the show. As every venue
is different we have to start from scratch each day.”
Although the show didn’t have as many visual gags as some of the
previous A7X tours, the production could not resist one – a giant inflatable
space man. The figure, which towered over the band during the later stages
of the evening, was the creation of inflatable specialist, Airworks. Discussing
the company’s involvement with the tour was Matthew Whitehead: “The
spaceman we produced was based on the album artwork from the
latest record. We are all very happy with how he looks and proud of the
deployment system we created that enables him to rise up from behind
the band.” The artwork on the inflatable is based on renders that Airworks
made of a detailed 3D model commissioned specially for the show.
AUDIO
Despite the band venturing into new visual realms, one unchanging
element of their show was the audio. Once again the band’s production
brought in the duo of FOH Engineer David ‘Shirt’ Nicholls and Monitor
Engineer Bruce Danz.
Shirt kicked things off describing the run up to The Stage tour: “For a few
years now I have pulled double duty working on both Avenged Sevenfold
and Slipknot. At the end of last year, around November, the Slipknot cycle
came to a close which gave me two glorious months sat on my backside!
But it’s great to be back on the road again with these guys.”
For this run Shirt again made use of a L-Acoustics set up, consisting of
14 L-Acoustics K1 speakers and four K2 on the main hangs. “For me it’s the
94
best sounding PA for this type of show. It’s got all the grunt with a lovely
mid-range but it can turn your stomach inside out as well.” A new addition
to the PA arsenal that the FOH Engineer deployed was the KS28’s. “They are
fantastic!” Shirt exclaimed. “In my opinion they are more musical and much
tighter than the previous range. Also, and most importantly, they’re louder.
We have 24 out on this show and they have been working really well.”
Ensuring the PA sounds its best each night was tasked to Audio Tech
Alexandre Bibeau. Both he and Nicholls had worked together on the last
Slipknot run and Shirt was very excited to keep him on. “When you build
a good team it really makes no sense to break it up. It keeps everything
consistent when you know how each other works. I don’t think I have ever
walked away from the PA feeling disappointed. He does all the hard work
really.” However, Shirt did also attribute his and Bibeau’s good working
relationship to the several tonnes of Wine Gums he supplied the audio tech
with throughout the tour.
Speaking to Bibeau, he also expressed his admiration for the new Sub
system. “They are so much tighter than the previous range which is so
important with metal and rock ‘n’ roll bands. It’s a really good product that
you can feel when you’re standing at FOH.”
For audio control, Shirt opted for a Midas PROX. “I had been using the
PRO9 model for a few years but it was time for a bit of an upgrade. So far
it’s been great. It has a shed-load of effects options, although, for these
guys I only use two delays for main vocals and another delay for guitars and
hi-hat. Everything else is reverb. I’m a firm believer that the band should
make all the sound, I just make it louder. I have never delved into the world
of multiple plug-ins and nor do I have interest in doing so.”
One of the biggest changes for the band on this run was adopting a new
vocal microphone, the Heil Sound PR 35 with a Shure wireless system. Shirt
expanded: “Compared to some of the other acts I work with M. Shadows,
has a much quieter voice. He has tremendous control of his tone but is
always conscious not to push his volume too far so as to maintain his voice.
He also likes to spend a lot of the set out on the catwalk in front of the PA.
This meant that we needed to find a product that had a good rejection level
so as to avoid bleed from the PA. It also meant he could hear in his IEM’s
when he was singing too far away from the microphone and helps maintain
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AVENGED SEVENFOLD
For the tour the LD Trevor Ahlstrand deployed the new Follow-Me spot system.
that sweet spot.”
As well as a new microphone to aid Shirt in feedback issues, the FOH
engineer had one more trick up his sleeve; the Rupert Neve Designs Portico
5045 Primary Source Enhancer. “It works almost like a noise gate in reverse.
With gates, you can tell when a source is cut off and it sounds unnatural.
The Portico on the other hand subtly prevents unwanted background
sounds bleeding into mics so it’s almost unnoticeable to a listening
audience. It’s a very intuitive piece of kit and you can set the parameters as
you see fit.”
For lead microphone the was a main and a backup with all switching
happing on the same channel in monitor world.
Heading up monitor duties for the tour was Bruce Danz. Having worked
with the band for almost a decade, there are few who know A7X like him.
For this tour the band completely did away with any on-stage sound,
isolating all guitar cabinets and removing wedges. “It’s kind of an ideal
world for a monitor guy to have a complete IEM show,” stated Danz, from his
workstation underneath the stage.
“For control I’m using a Yamaha PM5D. For me it’s been an incredibly
dependable desk. I have thought about upgrading to the PM10, which
would give me a few more options such as the inclusion of stage talk back
microphone. But, honestly, once the show gets going we have very little
communication and it runs really well.”
Danz worked with 24 outputs and a full 48 inputs. Before the run began
he had a few spare channels which have now been utilised for extra vocal
microphones on the wings for the two guitarists, meaning that neither of
them have to run back to their home positions for their various back up
sections.
“For IEMs we are using the Shure PSM 1000’s. The RF quality is great,
and when you’re in an environment with so much potential interference it’s
important to have the best possible kit.”
With the large amount of integrated video content, a show click track
was always going to be a necessity for the band. Danz expanded: “This was
the first time we have used time code to this extent. I have control of six IEM
channels of audio and there are two click tracks. One of the clicks is for the
drummer, who is always on it, and the other is for the guitarists who only
have it duck in and out when there are necessary cues.”
A final highlight the monitor engineer was particularly keen to cover was
with lead guitarist, Synyster Gates’ effects switching system. “He is running
all guitar effects via a Fractal Audio Systems interface. We are sending out
midi commands which then do all his switching for him. It means that he is
given more freedom on stage. The only down side is that I have a bit more
on my plate to ensure it doesn’t mess up. But it’s worked out so far.”
Despite the addition of various digital elements to A7X live set up, Danz
states that he still mixes in a traditional ‘old school’ style. “There are some
guys out there that work several scenes during songs but I really like to mix
on the fly. I also don’t have too many cues so it’s manageable. The fact that
96
I’ve used the same desk for so long was helpful as I simply loaded my old
show file from the last tour and we were pretty much ready to go from day
one.”
SHEPHERD OF FIRE
Eat to the Beat (ETTB), a division of Global Infusion Group (GIG), kept the
artist and crew well-fed, supplying 2,250 meals during the nine UK show
days. The ETTB team - including Richard Huggins, Ian Tomblin, David Lesh
and Danielle Scoggins - provided the A7X crew with a taste of traditional UK
cuisine. “We do quite a few American style dishes, although we have found
that many of the crew that come from that side of the world have become
slightly obsessed with Shepherd’s pie,” commented Head Chef Ian Tomblin.
“Clearly they are all going home and spreading the word!”
He continued: “We had previously worked with Jordan during Slipknot’s
show, and clearly did a good job as we are back on the road with him again.”
Finally, providing production trucks was Trucking Service and Beat The
Street supplied band and crew transport. “I have had personal experiences
with both companies in the past,” commented Coopersmith. “Trucking
Service have been with the band for several years now. Funnily enough,
after one tour they ended up hanging onto one of our props, a giant replica
of the band’s ‘Deathbat’ logo. It has been in their offices now for almost four
years.” The company provided a total of 11 trucks and drivers.
Project Manager, Leo Steffen. “It is always great for us to have a tour of
this size on the road during this time of the year. It’s a lot of work, but it was
exciting as always and, at the end of the day, it is what we love to do. It was
great to work with our friends from this production again, tackling new
challenges together.
Speaking of Beat The Street’s inclusion was the bussing titan’s MD,
Jörg Philipp. “This was actually the first time we had worked with Avenged
Sevenfold - although we worked with Jordan on the last Slipknot tour and
got on really well.” The company provided three band busses and three
crew busses for the UK and European legs. They also provided ground
transport for the tour’s support bands, Disturbed and In Flames. “It’s is
great to have an all-black tour,” joked Philipp, adding: “We are having a
great time on this run. Both the band and crew are great to work with, so
here’s to many more outings with them!”
TPi
Photos: Sarah Womack, Production Park
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ON THE ROAD

ON THE ROAD: BELGIUM

TPi’s Stew Hume travelled to Belgium to meet some of the companies

putting the small European country on the map for live events.

Touching down in Brussels airport early in the morning, TPi was met with
a rare vision of February sunshine. Blinking in the dawn, we collected our
thoughts on the adventure laid out in front of us. The mission; visit the
companies and individuals that have helped to make Belgium a hive of
activity for the live events industry, burgeoning over the last decade.
With a rich heritage of festivals dating back to the Summer of Love,
Belgium has nurtured a whole generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
Unbeknown to their fellow Belgians and the rest of the world, they would
take the grassroots skills learned in the fields and extend them to the
international market from their European epicentre.
Fast-forward to today and almost every sector within the industry is
represented here in Belgium. Now, thanks to its fantastic transport links
to the rest of Europe, businesses from further afield are tarting to show an
interest in the region, opening European HQs in the country.
With several cities to travel to - and only five days to do it - we head
straight to the train station, naturally praising the efficiency of Belgian
public transport as we went.

98

DAY ONE - GHENT
www.chauvetprofessional.eu
The first stop on our road trip was Chauvet Professional’s Ghent branch. The
North American lighting manufacturer officially opened its European base
in November 2015, although trading started six months prior. On a short
drive out of the medieval city to reach Chauvet’s premises, Steven Batslé, the
company’s European Sales Manager, told TPi why Belgium had been chosen.
“Logistically, this country has a number of advantages. Here, we are able
to serve not only the local market but neighbouring France, Netherlands,
Luxembourg and western Germany. Furthermore, the domestic market in
Belgium is one of the most vibrant in Europe, with a large amount of lighting
consortiums, considering the country is relatively small.”
After a look around the warehouse facility and a quick photo op with the
entire team, executed with all the finesse of a school portrait, Batslé - along
with Chauvet’s (and former TPi-er) Patrick McCumiskey - lead TPi up the
blue-lit stairway and into the cave of wonders that is the company’s show
room. Pointing out some of Chauvet’s latest fixtures, Batslé discussed some
99
TPi IN BELGIUM
key products: “Recently our Strike 1’s have received an excellent response.
Their tungsten emulating dimming effects have already been specified on
a number of high profile events, such as the Hair musical and Belgian girl
band K3’s recent tour. The Maverick Series has also been very popular since
it was showcased last year during the festival season on many of Belgium’s
main stages.”
The tour ended back in the city centre of Ghent with a couple of
rounds of traditional Belgian beer (perhaps yet another reason why so
many companies choose to move to the region.) With our glasses full,
Batslé summed up his thoughts on Chauvet’s first two years in the region:
“The growth which the Belgian operation has seen since its inception is
staggering, and we hope to continue upon this upwards trend by fortifying
relationships with existing customers and accommodating the needs
of new ones. With an ever-expanding team and an increasing number of
fixtures in stock, we’re ready for all that 2017 has in store!”
TPi IN BELGIUM
DAY TWO - TILDONK
www.prg.com; www.thepowershop.nl; www.stageco.com
Day two, and TPi, with no hint of a hangover, headed east to Tildonk, a
small oasis for the live events industry. Just down the road from the Rock
Werchter festival site, this neighbourhood is home to PRG Belgium, The
Powershop and Stageco - all of which share the same street.
First on the itinerary was PRG. Handling almost 1,200 productions a
year, PRG Belgium is able to provide a complete turnkey option for events,
including audio, lighting, video, rigging and automation services. The
towering three-story warehouse contains an impressive smorgasbord
of gear, including one of the largest Adamson speaker stocks in Europe.
Needless to say, the 100 full-time employees on site have their hands full.
Over a welcome cup of coffee, TPi spoke to COO of Central Europe,
Thomas Van Lokeren, who talked through some of the initiatives PRG
Belgium had in store for the coming years. “At the moment our real focus is
on the quality of stock we distribute and the service we provide. A trend we
have seen across the board is the price of equipment dropping with smaller
companies being able to invest in products. What we want to be able to
provide is an unmatched service ensuring our products are maintained
to the highest quality. So when you see the PRG logo on a flight case, you
know you’re getting the best.”
It is not just the quality that PRG Belgium has been striving for in the
past few years. When it comes to staff, the quantity matters too. In fact,
100
the company has even run an incentive to give local youngsters a gateway
into the live events industry. To explain, TPi spoke to Birgit Everaert, PRG
Belgium’s Marketing Executive: “The name of the campaign was Jobbattle.
We had 40 students come to our office and compete in various warehouse
challenges against the clock, such as hanging several PARcans on a piece
of truss and packing away several metres of cable. The goal was to give
local youngsters a chance to experience what it was like to work in the live
events industry. We had great feedback and have even gained one fixed
employee from the day. It’s a hands-on industry and this incentive was
perfect to see if they measured up. We want them to start their career at
PRG!”
Just next door to PRG is generator and transformer specialist, The
Power Shop. The company’s Managing Director, Jan De Meyer, started
from very humble beginnings - as he freely explained himself: “Like many
others in the region I started my career at Rock Werchter festival. In those
days we had no grand business plan, but many of us believed there was a
real potential to make a career out of what we loved to do. Turns out we
were right, and in only 10 years these companies have become some of the
biggest in the world.”
Although the festival market is surely what made The Power Shop,
nowadays the company is also hailed for its work in the live touring sector.
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TPi IN BELGIUM
Managing Director of The Power Shop, Jen De Meyer; General Manager of Stageco Hedwig De Meyer at U2’s 360 tour; PRG Belgium’s Marketing Executive Birgit Everaert
and Thomas Van Lokeren COO Central Europe.
“The niche we fill is with American artists touring through Europe who
have to deal with the differing electrical standards as well as the differing
voltage,” explained De Meyer. “The Power Shop acts as an interface to
ensure their productions are a success.” It is not just equipment that The
Power Shop has to offer but knowledgeable personnel. “We have a fixed
team of 10 engineers who often go out with a tour or a festival to ensure
everything goes off without a hitch.” The company has certainly gained an
impressive array of international clientele and just this year has worked on
tours with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Justin Bieber.
Moving forward, De Meyer stressed that one of the company’s goals
was to ensure the environmental sustainability of the solutions it offers.
“Oil management is very beneficial as well as replacing small generators
with battery power. We put more time into measuring and controlling the
oil systems. That’s the way to make the most savings. Power is always a big
cost for a production and, as the productions get bigger, so does the cost.”
People often say this industry is one big family. In Tildonk, this
statement rings true. Jan De Meyer’s base is situated next door to Stageco,
which is run by none other than Hedwig De Meyer – his brother.
Last year’s winner of the TPi Outstanding Contribution Award, Hedwig
De Meyer has spearheaded Belgium’s impact on the global touring world.
Over its 32 years in business, Stageco has provided custom staging for Pink
Floyd, The Rolling Stones, U2, Coldplay and Beyoncé to name just a few.
Guiding TPi around the facility, De Meyer retold the Stageco narrative;
102
from the muddy roots of the festival circuit to the international player
it is today. “While working on the various festivals, I made contact with
some fairly high-profile production managers and the one who really gave
Stageco a leg up was Genesis’ Morris Lyda. He hired us to build the stages
at four venues on the 1987 European leg of the Invisible Touch tour, and that
led to us working on Morris’s next project: Pink Floyd’s Momentary Lapse Of
Reason tour.”
After the genesis - pun intended - of the company’s involvement in the
touring industry, Stageco went from strength to strength, taking on bigger
and better challenges, and setting standards that remain the benchmark
for concert staging.
Today, Stageco has expanded its physical presence with branches in
France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the US. Despite a growing
global base, the company’s home is still very much in Belgium. “When we
first started the business, I didn’t realise just how central the country was.
We are conditioned from school to be multi-lingual and, logistically, our
location is ideal, with amazing transport links to the UK, Europe and the
rest of the world. More than that, however, I feel being based in the country
is now vital. So many of our peers are also based in the region - and even
this street. It leads to a deeply collaborative and creative environment.”
This summer, the company will tour with U2, Coldplay and Robbie
Williams, as well as maintaining its presence on a diverse range of
European and American festivals.

Painting with Light’s Luc Peumans, CEO and Creative Director.
DAY THREE - GENK
www.paintingwithlight.com www.luminex.be
After a rather bizarre night in Leuven where our ‘hotel’ turned out to be
a single room above a restaurant, TPi met up with industry PR guru,
Louise Stickland in her Abarth pocket rocket and hit to road. Strapped
into a racing harness - that’s no exaggeration - we sped along to our
next appointment in Genk with Luc Peumans, Painting with Light’s CEO
and Creative Director. Peumans cut his teeth in the theatrical side of the
industry.
Today, from its ultra-modern building - the former pit pony stables
completely reimagined and renovated - that sits shadow of the old C-Mine
shafts, Painting with Light services a varied clientele from large scale
theatrical productions and musical performances to slick and inventive
music shows.
“I have always been interested in investing in new technology,”
Peumans began. “When I formed the company, I invested in a WYSIWYG
system. I think a few of my peers thought I was crazy at the time but I knew
the only way to move the company forward was to always stay ahead of
the curve when it came to technology. It was the right call as now WYSIWYG
is an industry standard.” Continuing, Peumans explained that this drive
to innovate comes from being based in Belgium: “Because we are a small
country, we do not always have the luxury of having big budgets. Rather
than seeing this as a negative I think it forces show designers to be more
creative. For example, early on in my career I knew that to be successful
would require a level of multidisciplinary application. This started with
103
TPi IN BELGIUM
lighting and scenic / set design and then as time passed resulted in
Painting with Light increasingly exploring and delivering video design and
content creation as that became more common in a broader range of
productions”
Looking to the future Painting with Light has some fairly ambitious
goals. Due to its recent investment in both d3 Technologies and Cast’s
BlackTrax realtime tracking system, the company has found itself providing
services for an ever-increasing international clientele.
However, there are still one or two ‘bucket-list’ jobs on Peumans’ radar.
“My ultimate goals are to work on the Opening / Closing Ceremonies of the
Olympic Games and also to design a Broadway show. I think we are on the
way to getting there but we will have to wait and see…” ”
The Genk region has also begun to attract other members of the
industry such as Luminex Network Intelligence, which is set to move to
the area in May. The company has invested €2m in the new build. CEO, Bart
Swinnen, discussed the latest developments. “We have certainly come a
long way since the release of our flagship product, the Ethernet-DMX8. In
the last four years we have gone from providing lighting control equipment
to delivering wider networking options for audio and video.” In the past
few months Luminex has continually been a prevalent force in the live
touring industry including being used on Muse’s Drones world tour. The
company also has plans to expand its physical holdings with the opening of
a Japanese branch in the near future.
 TPi IN BELGIUM

TPi’s ride for the day, Louise Stickland’s Monster; WIcreations’ Hans Willems.

DAY FOUR - HEIST-OP-DEN-BERG

www.wicreations.com

Buckling back into Stickland’s mini monster, TPi travelled to Heist-op-den-
Berg, to pay a visit to WIcreations’ Hans Willems. A veteran of Stageco,
which he started working for in 1991, Willems was already a familiar face
within the industry before setting up his company. “I got to a stage in my
career where I wanted another challenge,” began Willems. “I had always
been interested in automation and other creative staging elements so I
struck out on my own to see how I would fair.”
The first show with which Willems was given a chance to spread his
creative wings was with Belgium rock legends Clouseau. “Their production
was requesting for an ambitious movable stage. I was brought into the
project as somewhat of an advisory role but ended up taking control of
most of the set design. That ended up being WIcreations’ first show.”
From the very beginning, Willems always wanted to keep as many of the
processes in-house, with initial technical design all the way to fabrication
all taking place under one roof. “The foundation of WIcreations is having a
backbone of engineers. In my opinion you always need to start show design
from a theoretical standpoint. Recently, many companies have invested
in motion hoists but few could go as far as we do with actual design. This
requires some very specific mathematical understanding and both the
capability and the attitude to pull off extremely ambitious shows.”
WIcreations is certainly placing itself at the forefront of innovation in
terms of what is possible with automation, devoting half of its staff base
to the R&D department, with pads of paper on every table in the building
ready to scribble down the next groundbreaking idea.

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104
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TPi IN BELGIUM
AED Group’s CEO Glenn Roggeman; AED Rent’s Managing Director Steven Mansvelt.
DAY FIVE - WILLEBROEK
www.aedgroup.eu; www.arkaos.net
Before flying back to the UK, TPi had one final stop. Situated just north
of Brussels in Willebroek, is AED group’s expansive headquarters. When
entering the main reception of the company, the first thing that catches
your eye is a huge poster that outlines all the various services that the AED
Group has to offer.
Currently the company is separated into six factions; Rent, Display,
Distribution, Store, Lease and Second Hand. If that wasn’t enough, AED also
now has its own private studio which has played host to some of the most
ambitious filming projects in Europe.
During TPi’s day with AED, we visited each section of company and
the discovered the relationship each of them have with one another.
Laying out the company’s mission statement was Filip Van Vlem, the
company’s international PR and Communications Manager. “During 2003
106
AED underwent a dramatic change when Glenn Roggeman (CEO of AED
Group) took the bold decision to take the company out of the production
side of the business to focus on solely becoming an equipment bank. From
that point on AED has focussed on becoming a business that is able to
accommodate any rental house’s given circumstances. We offer a solution
that allows customers to have the latest technology without endangering
their balance sheet by offering a whole array of financial options - from
outright purchase, renting and even leasing products.”
Moving onto the warehouse floor, TPi caught up with Steven Mansvelt,
AED Rents Managing Director. Throughout the tour Mansvelt walked us
through some of the latest products in the group’s equipment catalogue
including its plentiful stock of L-Acoustics K-Series speakers. “We have
invested in L-Acoustics for a very long time purchasing our first system back
THIS IS
NOT
STATE-OF-THE-ART
WIRELESS
COMMUNICATION
SEE RIEDEL‘S NEXT STEP AT

www.riedel.net
 TPi IN BELGIUM

AED’s stringent assembly line to check each fixture is in working order; Scale model of the AED’s HQ; the AED warehouse team taking a welcome break for a quick family
photo.

in 2002. Last year we made a sizable investment with a purchase of 96 K1
cabinets, to strengthen the K1 network and help to meet the continuing
demand for this large-scale line source array.” Another notable element to
the AED Group’s stock was the company’s own in-house Luxibel range of
lighting fixtures - a new line of entry-level products for the lighting industry.
“When designing the warehouse, the goal was always to have an
efficient and effective work flow,” stated Mansvelt. “Everything from our
integrated digital manuals on every floor to our stringent quality control
processes are in place to ensure our products are kept to the best standard.
More than that though, we wanted this facility to be as sustainable as
possible. A high percentage of our power comes from solar panels and all
the water that we use to clean trussing, and even flush our toilets, comes
from recycled rainwater.” Walking around the AED campus this eco-driven
visions can also be seen with several electric car charging points and the
sizable fleet of Tesla vehicles.
Regrettably, one company that TPi didn’t manage to catch while visiting

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TPi IN BELGIUM
AED Display’s Joeri De Clerck; ArKaos’ CEO Marco Hinic.
the country was lighting and video expert ArKaos. At the time the company
were in the middle of moving to a new facility. However, we did manage to
grab Agnes Wojewoda, the company’s Managing Director to discuss what
lies ahead for ArKaos.
“Our Founder and CEO Marco Hinic has always had one goal; innovation
and our simplicity doesn’t compromise performance!” Since the inception
of the company we have always wanted to produce software that is user
110
friendly and prevents customers’ creatively being blocked by technology.”
As well as developing user friendly software, the company is also making
strides to educate its customer base with the new ArKaos Academy. “This
is all coinciding with the new move,” explained Wojewoda. “Every month
we are looking at organising various classes and panels to show end users
more tricks and tips how to better use our software.” At least TPi has an
excuse to travel back to the region when the facility opens…
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INTERVIEW

JOE LAMOND
Ask a person over a certain age how they first got into the audio industry and there are two
common answers: the tech heads who are fascinated with the physics of audio; and those who
started out wanting to be a rock star, but eventually realised they had to get a real job. For current
President and CEO of NAMM, Joe Lamond, his story begins with the latter, although, like many
others, he has managed to achieve the perfect blend of a good living in an industry he is truly
passionate about. Rachael Rogerson-Thorley carried out the transatlantic interview to learn more
about the man behind what is arguably the industry’s largest tradeshow for MI and pro audio,
organised by a non-profit association.
 JOE LAMOND

Growing up in East Aurora, New York - where his parents still live -
might not immediately denote a career in the music industry, but
Joe Lamond’s musical family set him on the right track. His mother
is a pianist and the piano was a centrepiece in the family home. His
NEW GENERATION
ELECTRIC CHAIN HOIST LP
father listened to a lot of music, with Joe describing him as ‘a hip guy
for that era’ for enjoying the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles
and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Joe and his five siblings were, in fact,
all influenced by music growing up and everyone played a different
instrument. Joe chose drums. “I was just drawn to the drums,” he
said. “Maybe it was the sound of them. I also always thought of the
drummer as the anchor, a reliable, sturdy position. My first gig was
at aged 12 with my older brother, and of course, I was playing the
drums. From then on, I’ve never really looked back, I can’t remember
a time when I didn’t consider myself a drummer.”
Upon entering his teenage years, Joe developed a second love,
the outdoors. He was always outside, so much so that when it came
to choosing a college major, Joe opted for forestry. He attended
Paul Smith College in Lake Placid in upstate New York. “It was very
interesting because it was a lot of science, learning about the science
of trees and forests, but I had a romantic view of it. I thought I would be
walking through the forests and up mountains looking for forest fires,
WEATHERPROOF
but when that didn’t materialise - after about a year and a half I realised
I didn’t want to be a forest ranger, I really wanted to be a drummer,”
he continued. But instead of a cut and run into the unknown world of
LIGHT
rock ‘n’ roll, Joe took advice from his parents and transferred to State
University of New York (SUNY) to get a Business Administration degree,
so that he had something to fall back on.
Two months after graduating though, Joe did go after his dreams
ROBUST
and moved to California. He recalled: “I was in a band in Buffalo, New
York. When I first auditioned, I’d noticed Californian licence plates on
the guitar player’s car, so I figured he must have a connection there,
and it turned out to be a family member in Sacramento. After a couple
of gigs in the middle of Winter in New York, loading out in the freezing
cold and two foot of snow at 3am, I said, ‘hey, what’s Sacramento like?’
He said, ‘a lot warmer’, so I said, ‘let’s go.’ I had a girlfriend in California,
so that’s where I wanted to be. A month later we loaded up his 1962
Station Wagon and we drove across the country to Sacramento, and
the only thing we had lined up was a place to stay for the night when we
arrived - the guitar player’s relative.”
That was 1982 and Joe was just 21-years-old. He needed an income
so he started looking for work in music stores and was quickly hired
as a book-keeper, which then turned into managing the store. Having
just moved 3,000 miles away from home, Joe grew up quickly with the
responsibility of living on his own and managing a business at the age

QUIET
of 21. Drum & Guitar City - which no longer exists today - sold guitars,
drums and PA systems during the ‘80s and it was by working there that
Joe attended his first NAMM Show in 1983. “I was 22-years-old, so I

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didn’t know anything. I look back at myself, going to the show at the age
of 22 and look at myself now and I think, ‘oh my God, if only I could go
back and see it with those eyes again.’ It was huge and overwhelming.
In fact, only two halls, just a fifth of the size it is now, but I remember
thinking ‘oh wow, this is unbelievable!’”
Over the next 15 years, prior to joining the NAMM team, Joe
continued to work different day jobs to ensure he could pay the rent,
DURABLE
but he played in a number of bands too. He played with Tommy Tutone,
which had a successful record, 867-5309/Jenny - one of those phone
number songs - and he travelled the world with the group. Japan was
and still is Joe’s favourite place, having racked up a total of more than 3 YEAR
30 visits during his touring career and his NAMM career so far. “I love it
because I am actually a big Japanese history fan. Japan was a good WARRANTY
place to suss out the bugs of the tour before it went over to the States,”
he explained. “At the end of a show, there was an army of workers that
tore the stage apart, the truck would be loaded within an hour, and it
really was so efficient. The audiences in Japan are just amazing - and I
left that tour with a deeper appreciation for the Japanese people and
their culture.”
Joe had his ‘Spinal Tap moment’ when he was touring with Tommy
Tutone. In the words of Nigel Tufnel - the fictional character in the
1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap - ‘it’s not that the audience is
shrinking, it’s just that they are becoming more selective’. So as the
tours began to get smaller, Joe took on some of the business duties:
collecting money from the box office at the end of a gig; sorting GIS AG I Swiss Lifting Solutions I CH-6247 Schötz I Phone +41 41 984 11 33
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for the band. “I soon realised that in itself was a job… a production

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JOE LAMOND
manager,” Joe remembered. “I started getting a little extra on top of my
drumming salary from Tommy, and I quickly realised how much I connected
with this side of the business, it seemed to fit with how I was wired inside
and how my brain worked.
“I then became Production Manager for Todd Rundgren - as well as
subbing on friends’ gigs when they had double booked themselves - but
primarily I worked for Todd. He was one of my idols growing up, he was
just such a great musician, producer and engineer in his own right,” he
continued. Joe was on the verge of turning 30 at this point, and he came to
the conclusion that he wasn’t going to make a career out of drumming, and
that actually the production side was much more engaging. “Todd taught
me about sticking to your vision and always giving 100% to everything you
take on,” Joe said. It was also around this time that he met music retailer,
Skip Maggiora from Skip’s Music in Sacramento California, who taught Joe
about the music business and the joy of helping others to make music. He
considers both to be influential figures, who entered his life at the pivotal
moment - which also happens to be when he met his wife, Alyson - when in
his own words, he needed to get serious about his career.
Reliving his early days as a PM, Joe remembered how he had to quickly
get to grips with the audio and lighting technology that was obviously
part and parcel of any gig. “We experimented so much and made every
mistake in the book,” he said. He particularly remembered the first version
of IEMs - which are obviously much more sophisticated today - but back
then were essentially a Sony Walkman ear bud and an ear mould stuck
together. “There were no dedicated frequencies for these of course, we
were kind of rogue on this. We would use a small FM transmitter, a Walkman
radio, and for every city we went into, I had to find an open bandwidth,
usually down in the 80Hz area. Quite often the frequencies would be wide
open, so I would just slip through white noise and then I would dial in the
transmitter and receiver, and we would have a connection. It had a very
114
short range and not a lot of power, but if you were within a five-block radius
of the theatre we were playing at you would be able to listen to live on your
radio. Sometimes, we’d find an open frequency in the afternoon during
sound check, but then by the evening, it would no longer be open, so I’d be
rushing to readjust it in time for the gig.”
Something else Joe remembered is hiring the best companies he could
find for lighting, staging and the PA. “Sound on Stage was one of the sound
companies we used all of the time. They had the best gear and the best
people. I think what I learnt from that, which I use now at NAMM, is that you
don’t need to know everything yourself, but you need to be able to hire
people who know everything in their area of expertise.” Joe spent seven
years on the road touring as a PM, spent a year at home, before heading out
for an additional year ‘on the road.’ It was after that he decided he needed
to be a little bit more settled in his home life with his wife and young
children.
Joe’s passion for music took on a slightly different turn when he got
involved with creating programmes aimed to get more people into playing
music, one of which was called Weekend Warriors - basically a programme
to get lapsed musicians back into playing again in an easy way - and it was
this that led him to connect with NAMM. Weekend Warriors took place in
music stores. “A room was set up with all of the latest gear and the store
co-ordinated the people who were interested. They placed a drummer
with a guitarist and a bass player who all liked the same kind of music, and
these individuals formed a band who would practice together. NAMM had
seen the programme for Weekend Warriors and approached me to license
the programme so that all of their music products dealers could use it -
setting up this license agreement meant I got to work with NAMM market
development,” Joe explained.
When an opportunity came up at the association, the NAMM team
thought of Joe for the position. “What interested me about the role was that

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JOE LAMOND

I would be able to transfer what I was already doing in Sacramento and the in charge, although he said the growth is more a by product rather than
Weekend Warriors; but I would be able to do it on a larger, national, possibly the primary aim. “I look at it like a recipe, in a recipe you have to get just
global scale. It was a difficult decision, as all I had done up to that point the right amount of everything,” he said. “I tend to look at it in terms of the
was work in retail, touring and production. I hadn’t really worked for an velocity of purchasing power rather than just straight registration numbers.
association before,” said Joe. But he decided to take a leap of faith, joining The incentive for us is really about getting the right mix rather than just the
NAMM in 1998 as Director of Market Development. “The office was 500 miles numbers.
away from my home, so I did a lot of commuting and I did this for three and “I like to think of the NAMM Show as the crossroads of the global music
a half years, but I absolutely loved it.” and sound products ecosystem. We focus on three main pillars at our show:
When Joe’s CEO predecessor Larry Linkin announced his retirement a robust tradeshow floor where innovative new products are launched
in 2001, he didn’t consider himself as the and business relationships and opportunities
obvious choice to fill his shoes, but the are reinforced or made; the best education
association had different ideas. Clearly available - free to all attendees to enhance
they saw something in Joe and felt he had their businesses or skill sets; and the
the skills needed to take on the position of hundreds of networking events, parties and
President and CEO, which he still holds today. concerts that make it one show you don’t
Joe moved his family from Sacramento want to miss. And then I think of it as the show
to San Diego County and began what he with a heart, because revenues from the event
thought was going to be an ‘alien’ role, but, “I realised that really it was just a are then reinvested to support music, and
he remembered: “When I sat down I realised music education in the US and around the
that really it was just a combination of combination of everything I had world.”
everything I had been doing for the past 20 been doing for the past 20 years in The reinvestment is triggered by
years in the business... it was very much to the ‘Circle of Benefits’ model, which Joe
do with relationship building, which is one of the business... it was very much to explained further: “Our model is pretty simple
the things you learn on tour. I was also very do with relationship building, which really, produce successful events and after
fortunate to have the support of the NAMM all the bills are paid, invest the proceeds
Board of Directors and the incredible staff; is one of the things you learn on into creating more music makers. A growing
they deserve all the credit for the successful tour.” market results in a growing industry, which
transition.” in turn leads to further growth in the NAMM
Obviously, the show has grown and Joe Lamond Show; it is a circle that has been repeating
evolved over the 16 years that Joe has been President & CEO, NAMM since NAMM was founded in 1901. The

116
 JOE LAMOND

strategy to grow the market has evolved for sure, music education has
always been a core target but we are involved in so many more areas today.
The NAMM Foundation is the leading voice in music and music education
policy in the US and increasingly, around the world.”
The Circle of Benefits model was actually brought about by trying to
simplify the concept of NAMM. Joe said: “I even struggle to explain it to my
wife! She gets asked what it is that I do and she simply says, ‘I think he’s
in the music industry but I’m not sure exactly what he does’.” The Circle of
Benefits has replaced a 12-page set of objectives and over 2,000 words
with a one-page document that is 200 words and can now be explained to
anyone who asks in a very short conversation.
The NAMM Show has evolved as the industry has evolved. Each year Joe
and his team start planning with a blank piece of paper and ask themselves,
‘what are the needs of our communities this year?’ “It’s a powerful concept,
as it allows us to explore how we can be of service to the industry at-large,”
Joe continued. “The results are reflected in positive growth and customer
satisfaction, expanded educational and training opportunities and the
continued growth of the show to the complete signal chain. However, our
work always begins and ends with asking what our members need and
meeting those needs of the industry segments.”
Looking ahead to the NAMM Show 2018, it will be the first time the
association has had the opportunity to remodel the store in 15 years. A new
building is being erected, which will allow for a redesign. “We will take what
we have learnt from studying all aspects of the show including floor traffic,
noise reduction, segments that are growing or shrinking, and the increasing
global nature of the industry and ask that big question of, ‘what do our
members need to be successful in 2018 and beyond?’ said Joe. “And based Francisco and his son at university in Texas - it does mean that Joe and
on that, I suspect you will see measured and well communicated changes.” his wife, Alyson have got more time on their hands, and the aim is to travel
Joe likened the show redesign to neighbourhoods, and what makes together a little more.
people want to live in a certain area - having things in common and wanting But if Joe does need to get away from it all and have a thinking session,
to socialise with those around them. Transferring that idea to NAMM, Joe he says the best place to do that is on the back of his motorcycle. He tries to
and his team will be aiming to create like-minded neighbourhoods, which take one long trip a year. “Some of the best thinking and planning occurs on
will connect neighbouring stands, making the show easier and simpler to the back of a bike!”
navigate. The new layout and the new hall will also allow companies to For a man that was influenced in his early years by the likes of Ringo,
grow, in terms of floor space coverage. “I think the industry is in a state of Charlie Watts, and John Bonham, and later Stewart Copeland, Larry Mullen
flux with lots of change happening and the entrepreneurial nature of our Jr. and Steve Gadd, Joe Lamond has fallen a long way from that tree now.
members is very unstable by definition. Therefore, our role is to be stable, But he is part of an industry he loves and has become somewhat of an icon
predictable and reliable, we need to be that platform that they can count himself for the younger generation to look up to. Summing up, he said: “For
on.” many of us, myself included, we’ve spent our careers playing professionally,
When Joe isn’t working - although he doesn’t always consider it to going into retail, manufacturing or the studio, some into touring, lighting
be work in the strictest sense because he loves what he does - he does and installation; some, like me, have dabbled in all those things. As I age, I
find some spare time. To be fair, when your work includes going to The reflect on many NAMM Shows and am reminded that no matter your title or
GRAMMYs, it is any wonder it doesn’t feel like work? “Going to The GRAMMY role in the industry, we are cut from the same cloth and unified by our love
rehearsals and meeting all of the people who work in the trucks and the of music. The recognition of that fact is what makes the annual reunion at
staging guys doesn’t feel like work to me, but I guess it is.” But aside from the NAMM Show so special.”
that, Joe does enjoy going fly-fishing with a group of musicians. And TPi
now his children are grown up - his daughter a graduate and living in San www.namm.org

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INTERVIEW

DAVE RAT DEBUTS M FORCE-POWERED SDS30

SUPERSUBS WITH RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

The growing number of high profile adopters of Powersoft’s M-Force

subwoofer technology has added eminent American Sound Engineer and System Designer,
Dave Rat of Rat Sound Systems to its ranks. TPi finds out why...

The Florence HQ of Powersoft has been the latest port of call in Dave Rat’s
mission to push back the frontiers of sub bass reproduction, while the
band he has been mixing for around a quarter of a century, Red Hot Chili
Peppers (RHCP), provided the perfect opportunity for him to evaluate the
new Rat Sound System speakers, dubbed the SDS30 SuperSubs.
Offering an extremely high output to size / weight ratio and a frequency
response that extends from below 23Hz to 80Hz, the key differentiator of
M-Force is that the heart of the system is the radical Moving Magnet Linear
Motor Transducer. This is designed to deliver unbelievable performance in
terms of power handling, electromagnetic conversion, reliability and SPL.
It’s small wonder then that when Dave Rat first learned about the new
product from Powersoft US Sales Director Kurt Metzler around three years
ago, he responded immediately: “Kurt told me there was a product I would
be interested in, but people weren’t sure what to do with it yet,” he said.
That was sufficient to whet the appetite - and set the challenge of
implementation.
Massimo Minardi, Sales Manager for the M-System division, takes up
the story. “Having just presented M-Force to the market it was important
to receive feedback from such an experienced FOH engineer, with a long
history of designing speakers.
“I think Dave already had the concept behind the [30”] SDS30. The
philosophy of minimising cabinet losses, with its transfer of energy to
usable power and increasing sound quality even in the very low-end part of
the spectrum was crucial.
“Having such a powerful and highly efficient transducer, with such low
distortion, excited him immediately. The SDS30 would be the final piece to
transform a live concert into an event that the attendees will remember for
many years - not just with their ears but with their body too.”
It looked like the perfect fit - in every sense - as the cabinet was 32”
wide, to house the 30” HDPE (high-density polyethylene) cone, while in

120
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RAT SOUND
the four corners were long ports for time delay. His philosophy uses highly
symmetrical, precision loading techniques, with everything facing forward.
“It’s a 95% radiating surface so it’s true point source,” noted Rat.
While in Florence, he worked closely with the company’s Claudio Lastrucci
and Mario Di Cola. “And they don’t follow conventional thinking,” he smiled.
“I already had the acoustic design ready and I knew I could tackle the
mechanical side.”
The test enclosure itself went through a number of hand-built prototype
stages. “As soon as I listened to it I understood the concept and then I figured
how to do predictions on it. I listened to what Mario was saying and did
successive predictions.” Eventually he was ready to correlate his prediction
software and tune the system for the real world.
Back home, Dave Rat undertook a number of tests on the way to producing
an industrialised design.
He wasted little time in blogging about the technology, noting, “These
transducers are literally a new technology. They are not moving coil in a
magnetic field like most loudspeakers, they are not rotary woofers using a fan
and they are not ServoDrive subwoofers that use a rotary motor to drive belts
attached to opposing cones.
“What these are is a flat composite paddle-like structure with four
embedded magnets surrounded by fixed coils, such that the paddle moves
linearly inward and outward guided by precision bearings. The protruding
threaded bolt is then attached to a 30-inch diameter HDPE cone.”
He immediately deployed a 16-box set on the RHCP tour (eight each side
in cardioid arrays). Initially he chose to under-run them. “But after three days
I started opening up the bottom end and understanding what was going on
because they are not resonant at all - which was a wonderful thing. And I
absolutely loved it,” he added.
On tour, several aspects of the sound immediately became apparent, he
said. “Firstly, these subs go so low that I had to high pass them so as not to
overwhelm with frequencies below 30Hz. Secondly, they are fast, like hard
hitting punchy fast. The kick jumps out in ways I have not heard since mixing
on horn-loaded subs, yet without the low frequency limitations and pesky,
122
non-linear peaks that plague those systems.
“Also the box resonance is so low that it’s subdued and a non-issue.
Beyond messing with the high and low pass filters, I used no external EQ.
Typically dialling in sub EQ is one of the more challenging aspects I face when
tuning a system.”
As the voyage of discovery continued Rat discovered better rejection in the
off-axis zones than previous array setups had displayed - due to the reduced
resonance at the tuning frequency.
Going further, he said: “With a conventional 2-inch x 18-inch I was using four
bands of parametric EQ but the current processing we had no EQ and just 12Hz
high pass filter inside. I put in in two more minor EQs and they were sounding
perfect.”
The journey to developing to the SuperSub can be traced back to his
development programme with Blink 182. “I have been pushing cardioid arrays
to get loud clear sound and to control the energy - but I knew I could go
further. So with RHCP I have been able to apply these [M-Force] designs.”
And as for speed of deployment, the subs are wheeled in on castor plates.
“We built a template and rolled in all eight boxes (four stacks of two) with the
stage piece on top. In fact the load-in time was superior.”
Summing up the SDS30, Rat commented: “These are truly something
new and offer a combination of fast, powerful transients with an extended LF
response unlike anything I have ever heard before.”
Meanwhile he will continue to refine the SDS30 SuperSub, adding setting
and EQ buttons, while collecting interest from potential purchasers on his
website. A major upcoming festival exposure will give him further information
on his journey to creating final specs.
After pricing and warranties have been set the demonstration programme
and introductory seminars will begin.
“But the initial interest has been phenomenal,” he confirmed.
TPi
Photos: Courtesy of Rat Sound
www.ratsound.com
www.powersoft-audio.com
IN PROFILE

JBL: 70 YEARS OF INNOVATION

With a rich tapestry of manufacturing, a heady mix of rock ‘n’ roll heritage and an list of interesting
ownership under its belt, loudspeaker titan JBL is a live force to be reckoned with. Having
undergone some recent strategic changes via the helm of SVP Bryan Bradley, JBL continues to rise
to the top of its game. At the company’s HQ in Northridge, CA, TPi’s Kel Murray sat down with the
man himself to discuss business progression and what the future holds.

JBL - named after founding father, engineer James Bullough Lansing - is,
after 70 years, one of the most well-known loudspeaker brands in pro
audio. During its seven decades of innovation, the brand has naturally
seen various changes, successfully survived economic recessions and
enjoyed some technological breakthroughs in sound engineering. As it
stands today, JBL is a Harman Professional Solutions brand alongside
Crown (celebrating 70 years, alongside AKG), Soundcraft, AMX, BSS, dbx,
Studer, Martin, SVSI, Lexicon, IDX and DigiTech, yet in November 2016,
Samsung Electronics placed a bid of $8 billion USD to take ownership
of Harman International Industries, a move which would see Harman’s
technological scope expand.
Interestingly, Harman continues to run as a standalone operation,
allowing its brand directors to move forward with the expertise they’ve
honed. Running JBL Professional’s day-to-day is Bryan Bradley, who since
2015 has been the company’s Senior Vice President & General Manager
for the Entertainment Business Unit, during which time he’s implemented
changes within the company that has seen some impressive results.
Since its inception in 1946, JBL has been at the forefront for some historical
moments, and boasts some of pro audio’s significant firsts including the
1962 launch of the very first 2-way studio monitor, which used a high-
frequency motor lens. Its early foothold in the market allowed the name to
become well known. Once bought by Sidney Harman in 1969, it went on to
achieve great success for live concert sound.
In 1974 CalJam used a sound system comprising of JBL components, also
in that year, the Grateful Dead’s audio engineer Owsley ‘Bear’ Stanley took
out the band’s famous ‘wall of sound’ design, a system designed to act
as its own monitor system, controlled by the band, which among others,
consisted of an eye-watering 586 JBL speakers. Weep.
Back to the present day, and meeting at JBL’s Northridge, CA,
headquarters, Bradley discusses his introduction to the fast-paced world of
pro audio. “I was the Music Supervisor on The Young and the Restless soap
opera, so I wrote music for TV shows. I segued from that to the business
side, working for Guitar Center in its corporate office. I started out as a
buyer and worked my way up, eventually in the Strategic Planning division.

124
JBL

First page: James B Lansing, founder of JBL. Below: Woodstock in all its glory.

From there I went to Alfred Music Publishing, which is in the education to use our own products.
sector. I worked there until Blake Augsburger - Executive Vice President of “That was our biggest problem. Therefore we had to make a change;
Harman Professional - hired me to run JBL Professional.” 17 months ago we did a major restructure. Instead of being brand-based,
In the four years that followed, Bradley has become Senior Vice President we are now vertical-market-based,” said Bradley. He explains that the
& GM, Entertainment, at Harman Professional Solutions. Upon his arrival division went from having five brand SVP/GMs to two vertical-focussed
to the JBL family, it’s fair to say that all of the different brands were run executives, including him and Enterprise division SVP, Kevin Morrison.
like companies, and he elaborated: “JBL Professional was one group, Bradley now oversees Harman’s MI retail business, including Guitar Center;
Crown was another separate group, AKG Microphones was separate, as the recording, touring, and cinema businesses.
were Soundcraft mixers. The businesses were all run that way and we “Now, when I want to make the next studio headphone, I can brand
had 10 of them, with five different presidents running each businesses. I that AKG or JBL or Crown; the brands are there to be used to produce the
personally looked after JBL and AKG. When I started here four years ago we solutions that we want. We have end-to-end control of what the customer
were a $620 million USD business, we are now needs, leaving just one person dealing with the
a $1.1 billion USD business. The way that grew retail product. This has actually been the most
so fast is that we bought Martin Professional significant change to the business in the past 20
[now Martin by Harman] and AMX Audio Video years,” he said.
Control Systems [now AMX by Harman]. Those As with any major change, the first six
acquisitions, combined with strong organic months were a somewhat difficult time, and the
growth grew the business. “An employee went from being necessary transition led to almost everybody’s
“What we discovered was that the way we an expert in amplifiers to being job role undergoing change - unless you worked
were structured meant we had hit a wall. For in the factory.
example, I am running JBL and I want to make an expert in retail products; Continued Bradley: “An employee went from
a powered loudspeaker. Harman owns Crown so, there was a big shift. Over being an expert in amplifiers to being an expert
amplifiers but JBL is a separate company to in retail products; so, there was a big shift. Over
Crown, which has its own targets and goals. If a year later, I think it is has a year later, I think it is has been a huge benefit
Crown made an amplifier to put in my speaker, been a huge benefit to our to our customers. The people that they interact
they wouldn’t get any revenue. Therefore, I was with have the power to create the change. For
using other companies to make my amplifiers. customers.” example, if Guitar Center said they want to
The structure we had meant it didn’t make sense Bryan Bradley rebrand AKG headphones to JBL, the product

126
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JBL
Bryan Bradley, SVP of JBL; JBL speakers were the system of choice at CalJam in 1974.
manager handling the headphones category would have the power to
agree to that. Before, they couldn’t have that conversation, so from a
customer perspective, we are now focussed and able to pull the resources
in.
“It started with SRX speaker, but we now have a Crown amplifier - which
I think is a better amplifier than the ones we were using previously. Our
customers can now leverage Harman’s strength,” he explained.
A prime example of this integration comes following the 2017 NAMM
Show, where visitors to the impressive Harman Professional booth saw
a connected PA system. This notion doesn’t just stop with enabling
superb manufacturing, it also introduces artists to every brand within the
portfolio, as Marketing Specialist Becki Barabas explained: “If an artist
comes in as an AKG artist, I can ask them what kind of monitors they use
or if they use portable PA systems. I can then bring in our other brands and
can combine them together for a tour rig so the artist becomes part of the
Harman Ambassador Programme. Instead of just enjoying an AKG or JBL
endorsement. It’s fine if they are only in need of one brand, but the point
is we can offer a complete package for all of our artists, regardless of what
genre they’re part of. We have brand expose on so many levels too; from
bands playing small clubs, to touring for thousands of people, and sound
engineers.”
Within this streamlining, roughly, there’s an even split between what
Harman manufactures in-house and what is deployed to outside factories.
Bradley continued: “For us, on the high-end of JBL, we are one of the only
companies - if not the only company - that actually manufactures all our
own components. We don’t trust - with high-end needs - other people to
produce our transducers, for example. We design and build it ourselves,
and make sure it passes our stress tests and policies before we put it in one
of our products. At the same time, there is a lot of lower-end stuff that we
don’t have the scale to make worthwhile; the cost would be too high if we
128
tried to manufacture ourselves, so we use third party manufacturing.”
Now part of the vertical marketplace, distribution channels have also
taken on a new era. “If you are a distributor for Harman, we don’t just
evaluate you on one number, we look at your business based on the vertical
markets and that is where we make decisions. As an example, if you are
doing great in the installation market and hospitality is going well for you,
but you haven’t invested in the touring market and can’t grow our business
in that area, we may pick a new distributor for touring only in that region. In
the normal course of business, we evaluate all our partners, whether they
are reps or distributors, based on their success in each vertical market. As
an example, we’re launching a new product and will identify the customers
we think are the influencers for that market. Another example is that
we recently got into the video panel business, so with our first product
shipping, we pre-identified the top 12 partners in the US that we wanted to
trust with this product.”
Leaving Bradley’s office, it’s clear that 7 decades in, JBL today is in very
good hands. With a clear business strategy now in working order and an
SVP who is as knowledgeable as he is approachable - so much so that we
asked him to be part of the first ever TPi Awards Daytime panel on concert
touring technology’s paradigm shift (P.10) - it seems that JBL is moving into
another successful year.
We couldn’t leave the building however, without a tour from Director of
JBL Technology, Mark Gander; a hugely respected industry veteran with,
refreshingly, the enthusiasm of a brand-new graduate. From the locked
doors of R&D basements to the disorientating anechoic chambers, the
awe-inspiring detail of JBL’s history never fails to impress. Long may it
continue.
TPi
Photos: Courtesy of JBL and John Chester
www.jblpro.com
 W E L O V E F O O D, M U S I C & PA R T I E S

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IN PROFILE

IN PROFILE: A.C. LIGHTING

The story behind A.C. Lighting goes right back to 1971 - and it’s one that has
seen many twists and turns, however, at the heart of it is continued development,
growth and, the key to it all, innovation.

Over 45 years ago, co-founders Richard Floyd and David Leggett set up
Alpha Centauri Light Show to provide lighting and projection to clubs
and other multi-purpose venues. From there, the company was renamed
A.C. Lighting, with offices and separate divisions opening over the years.
Then, in 2008, the company restructured and changed its name to A.C.
Entertainment Technologies - highlighting the vast portfolio available
from the dedicated divisions. Including audio, rigging and video, along
with lighting, too.
From there, A.C. Lighting was introduced, like the other divisions, as
a separate entity to help support the UK-based parent business in North
America. Based in Toronto, with a distribution centre in New York State,
the aim is to provide a dedicated service that meets the specific needs of
clients in Canada, the US and Mexico.
From its 43,000 sq ft office in Toronto, A.C. Lighting supplies lighting
fixtures, along with associated rigging and video products, for the likes of
theatres, houses of worship, exhibitions, film, television and commercial
markets. As an exclusive North American distributor for a whole host of
world-class brands, such as Jands Vista, LumenRadio, ArKaos, Prolyte and
others, the company is able to provide instant solutions to their clients as a
true distributor.
However, A.C. Lighting in North America is much more than that, as JF
Canuel, the Managing Director for the past seven years, explained further:
“As well as a true distributor, we also cover research and development,
design, manufacturing and other areas, too, like technical support and
training.”
With a range of departments under one roof, it’s clear that A.C. Lighting
can cover the lighting needs for various industries. A huge part of this is,
of course, Chroma-Q, which is A.C. Lighting’s very own LED lighting brand.
Since its launch in 2004, Chroma-Q has produced innovative, award-
winning entertainment and architectural lighting products that have

130
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First page: JF Canuel, Managing Director at A.C. Lighting.

become a huge success with lighting designers, venues, events and shows Canuel added: “People we have worked with for a long time told us that
right across the world. they were happy with our fixtures - how they are performing, what they
Over a decade has passed since the launch of the Chroma-Q Color provide for their event or venue. So, if they are happy, we want to continue
Block DB4 - its very first LED product - which was revolutionary at the time, that by extending their return on investment as much as we possibly can.
as its ‘building block’ design allowed users to create a complete LED system Whatever industry you are in, It’s clear that too many things are disposable.
using just one fixture type. We’re not about the short term when it comes to our products.”
After the initial success of the Color Block DB4, the Color Web LED matrix With this in mind, Chroma-Q’s products have been specifically designed
system soon followed, with the Color Block 2 offering further improvements to be both upgradeable and backwardly compatible when used alongside
in 2009. The innovation didn’t stop there, fixtures from a previous generation - even to the
though, with Chroma-Q soon delivering “the true point where they use the same accessories. For
successor to conventional tungsten lighting” in example, customers who are still happy with
the form of the Color Force range. their Color Block range can use the Color Block
How do the team at A.C. Lighting maintain Plus Replacement Engine.
this formidable track record of introducing That ethos runs through the company,
high-performance, energy-efficient LED lighting with the 95 staff at the Toronto office all
solutions? John Fuller, Global Brand Manager “Whatever industry you are in, working together to leverage the assets that
for Chroma-Q, puts it down to knowledge and they have, which are always expanding within
listening to what the industry wants. It’s clear that too many things each department. No stone is left unturned
“With the demanding nature of the are disposable. We’re not about at A.C. Lighting, with extensive research and
entertainment industry - not to mention the development allowing the team to design
other industries we work within - the only way to the short term when it comes to products from scratch. The whole team work
succeed is to listen to the customer. They want our products.” on projects from start to finish - right down
the best possible experience with the products to designing and producing their own tools,
and that’s exactly what we look to provide,” said
JF Canuel equipment and prototypes using 3D printers.
Fuller. Managing Director The manufacturing team assemble the

132
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fixtures each day; with recent moves also seeing certain sections of the It is easy to see why Chroma-Q products have become synonymous
manufacturing process become automated for increased efficiency and with quality, innovation and longevity, which, in turn, has led to the
accuracy. products being adopted in clubs, bars, restaurants, theatres, performance
However, A.C. Lighting knows the importance of the human eye, too - venues, retail and leisure facilities, concerts and tours, hospitality and film
and that is taken into consideration when it comes to the rigorous testing and television. But, with so much having already been achieved, what is
that occurs for everything that is created by the company. Everything is next in the future?
tested, from the quality, safety and durability, Growth is on the agenda, of course, which
right through to how each fixture copes in Canuel explained further: “Having moved to our
extreme conditions. In truth, the relentless current facility in 2014, we are already looking to
attention to detail goes even further, starting increase our capacity due to our growth. We feel
right at the beginning, with the team testing that we need more space to continue what we
each individual LED. This allowed A.C. Lighting “We are looking closely at the are doing and incorporate our future plans.
to understand exactly what the Chroma-Q “We are looking closely at the film industry
products are capable of, how long they will last film industry and architectural and architectural lighting, but we’ll also continue
and the quality they will offer throughout their lighting, but we’ll also continue to provide a high quality service and innovation
lifespan. to the sectors we have already enjoyed our
The level of knowledge helps the technical to provide a high quality service success.”
support department, as well as team behind the and innovation to the sectors “As ever, we will look to build on the strength
product training sessions, offer the best support of our existing channels,” furthered John. “Using
available to customers whenever they need it. we have already enjoyed our that experience, we then hope to open new
They will know exactly what is in the specific success.” channels for what we provide.”
fixture, allowing them to quickly offer advice and TPi
solve issues - further highlighting the start-to-
JF Canuel Photos: Courtesy of A.C. Lighting
finish nature of A.C. Lighting. Managing Director www.aclighting.com

134
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GEAR HEADS

DIGICO’S SD12 CONSOLE

LAUNCHES AT NAMM
James Gordon, Group CEO of DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Calrec talks to TPi’s Kel Murray
about the latest addition to the DiGiCo lineup.

DiGiCo has billed the SD12 an ‘evolution of everything we’ve learnt in the
last 10 years’. What were you setting out to create wiht this desk?
It combines elements of the both the SD-Series and S-Series consoles into
one neat surface. New features taken from the S-Series include the DMI
and UB MADI connectivity options. Having the DMI slots on the back of the
surface means that you can directly connect to multiple formats straight to
the console. These include Dante and Waves options, as well as a Hydra 2
format to directly connect into a Calrec network.
From the SD-Series there are the features from the SD5 and SD7 that our
users have come to depend upon, including HTL encoders, multiple touch
screens and fully assignable faders. Having this level of work surface at the
SD12 price point is something very different.
What kind of time did your R&D department spend on the desk - has it
literally been years in the making? And why was 2017 the right time to
launch?
The project moves from team to team depending on if it is in the
mechanical design stage or more S/W and firmware development. In total it
was about a two-year project from start to finish, although we never really
finish as there is always more to come.
Actually timing-wise we could see demand for a small surface with
the same workflow as our larger work surfaces. I think this comes from
engineers needing more speed and flexibility at almost all levels of live
sound.
The jobs don’t get any easier these days.

136

Opposite and Below: The SD12 combines elements of the both the SD-Series and S-Series consoles into one neat surface.
Although your global distributors got a sneak preview with a live
broadcast in December, you chose to launch the physical console at
NAMM in January. Why is this tradeshow significant for the DiGiCo brand?
The timing worked, and NAMM has an increasing live sound presence so
launching there would get more impact that the normal ProLight+Sound
event. Also, we wanted to do something different and having 29 consoles
globally launched on the same day created the right amount of a social
media frenzy. It was a challenge to get the consoles out there and our
distributors did an amazing job with their own launches and keeping them
secret for six weeks!
What was the reaction from your chosen distributors and the reception
on the tradeshow floor?
Everyone took part and bought into the idea, so when it all came together
137
DIGICO SD12
I think we all took a sigh of relief and enjoyed the moment. It was a lot of
work but the end result and the buzz it created made it all worthwhile.
For touring engineers familiar with a DiGiCo desk layout, where will the
SD12 sit in the current family of products?
One of the best elements of an SD-Series is you can just walk up and mix
on it, and the SD12 is no different and your session files can freely move
between all the SD-Range.
Where are we likely to see the SD12 in the coming months?
Sales are going extremely well and consoles are shipping all over the world
so they are likely to be popping up all over the place.
TPi
www.digico.biz
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
COPING WITH TRAGEDY
No ‘Care Corner’ this month...sadly we need two pages.
I know where I was when I heard; in a hotel bar in Dublin. I’d just thought
of a joke about pies and reserve goalkeepers and felt the need to share
it. Out came my phone, I opened Facebook and thought what’s all this
‘thoughts are with everyone in Stuttgart tonight’?
Joke’s over. A 26-year-old local rigger has fallen from the grid and
landed on a 19-year-old member of the local crew, Marvin Puchmeier,
who died of his injuries. The rigger survived but was seriously injured. It’s
usually at this point we launch into Work at Height Regulations autopilot
but do forgive us for simply pointing out that this happened in Germany,
in the 21st Century; of all the places. In fact, let’s make a bold statement.
It shouldn’t have happened, falls from height should never happen, that
drum needs beating again which, in itself, is tragic. This particular train
of thought is, however, about people rather than process.
We’re quite familiar with the ensuing legal process, in this case the
scene was sealed and a police investigation instigated. Nobody really
knows what happened, investigations are thorough, cases take a long time
to get to court, the process is slow, none of it helps those people that have
138
lost loved ones, they’re still gone and the drawn-out process can often
make things worse. We can also speculate about the cause, but that doesn’t
help people either.
Of course, someone somewhere has to consider the band’s approach
to the tragedy, these are people who care about the crew, it might come
through their PR people to make sure nothing affects any investigation but
it comes from the heart, their hearts go out to the families and the crew and
there is no doubting that. The next few shows are cancelled; Stuttgart to
Milan back-to-back is off.
The accident happened during load-out. A lot of people saw what
happened: locals; touring crew. It’s a busy time. It’s 2am and the scene is
sealed for investigation, so what happens next? Stuck for an answer? If you
are, you’re not the only one. How do we help those that have to cope with
the trauma of having witnessed an incident like that? Two words that spring
to mind from communication with the touring crew are ‘struggling’ and
‘wrecked’, friends are rightly concerned.
In this particular case, help was at hand. Production Park, one of the

suppliers to the tour has a retained counsellor as part of the student
welfare team for their Backstage Academy. He was dispatched to the tour,
made available to anyone who wanted to talk. An impressive move, not
part of any wider plan, just people doing the right thing. We put great faith
in that though, people doing the right thing, but perhaps we do need to
have a more considered, planned approach to the aftermath of tragedy.
During a wider discussion on crew welfare and mental health at the
recent TPi Daytime sessions, we heard of the experience of Adam Ant’s
band and crew after the sudden death of guitarist and MD, Tom Edwards,
from the immediate aftermath, the insistence by Tom’s mother that the tour
should continue, to the collective debrief at the end of the tour. In this case,
those involved were a close-knit unit, the classic touring family, band and
crew, able to help each other through the rest of the tour but leaving us to
wonder what happens next, when everyone goes home.
In the case of Stuttgart, however, the band and crew are more
separated, the big tour supply chain more fragmented. It’s an international
tour, subbed to a local promoter using the touring package supplemented
by local techs and crew. We know that people step up to do the right
thing, we hear that the band also brought in specialists to support those
affected but, if we know where the duty of care actually lies within that
mix of international promoters, agents, management, local promoters,
suppliers, local crew, and self-employed touring crew, we know where to
start building a plan of action. Some guidance and support on how to deal
with the effects of trauma. The live music and wider events industry may be
forced to find who has that duty of care. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is
not exclusive to the armed forces, it is recognised as a debilitating illness,
sufferers can be unable to work and that leads to material loss which, in
turn, can lead to claims for compensation, meaning a loss for insurers.
Perhaps they are the people to involve as they are always interested in
reducing the potential for claims, whether it is the tour’s insurers or those of
the individual suppliers who hire the crew.
139
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
Perhaps it seems a bit odd to mention the Construction Design and
Management (CDM) regulations at this point but perhaps it would have
some bearing, given that it defines responsibilities when construction
activity takes place. CDM is UK law, but it is derived from an EU Directive
so will have its German equivalent. Under CDM, the client is the person or
entity for whom the construction activity takes place, the one that pays the
bill. It is the client’s duty to ensure welfare facilities are provided but, as far
as I can see, they don’t extend as far as aftercare in the event of witnessing a
traumatic event in the workplace. However it is achieved, finding where the
duty lies is the first step in developing a process.
It is heartening to know that, in both the cases highlighted here, people
weren’t left to simply get on with the job while dealing with trauma in their
own way. Two different approaches for two different tours; we, too, hope
to offer some form of solution from the bigger picture perspective. Our
Welfare and Benevolent Fund, Stagehand, has already started investigation
Mental Health First Aid, researching training that we hope to encourage
and, in certain cases, fund in order to seed our industry with people who
can better spot the signs of mental health issues and signpost people to
the help they need. We simply want to make it OK to have the conversation.
We raised the issue at a recent meeting of the UK Live Music Group - we
pulled no punches - and we’re counting on support from other areas of the
business. The Health and Safety Executive are also focussing on workplace
stress - we will be telling them a similar story.
The penultimate word goes to Music Support, the charity formed
to fund and operate a 24-hour support line for people within the music
industry with drink, drug or mental health problems. You’ll find someone to
talk to; they’ll find you expert help.
Their number is 0800 030 6789, 11 digits that mean you are not alone.
To Marvin Puchmeier, to Tom Edwards, rest in peace, young men.
TPi
www.psa.org.uk
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Above: The team from HWPco; Uwe Horn; Cynthia Austwick.
Allen & Heath USA and its distributor, American Music & Sound, welcome
HWPco as its Southeast representative, covering North and South Carolina,
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
HWPco offers a wide range of professional services including order
processing, high-level tech support and formal training.
Tim Schaeffer, Senior VP for Allen & Heath USA, commented: “HWPco
sales and tech support people are well trained professionals who will help
us strengthen relationships with dealers, consultants and end users in a
wide range of vertical markets. We’re looking forward to working with the,
beginning with dLive Certified Training classes.”
Events, digital and video production agency Glasgows is celebrating
double success with its appointment in the Events and Video Production
categories of the new pan-governmental Communications Services
Framework.
The framework has been set up to provide all central government
departments and public sector organisations with improved access to a
wide range of the UK’s best marketing and communications agencies.
“It’s a massive boost for the company and gives us the opportunity to work
across the sector for at least the next 2 years,” commented Joint Managing
Director Paul Morey.
140
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www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
Winning places on the Communication Services Framework
consolidates a year that saw Glasgows deliver major events including the
UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial in London, and contract wins with
the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the Pensions
Regulator and Innovate UK.
Alex Aiken, Executive Director of Government Communications, said:
“We set the bar high and the standard of submissions we have received has
been excellent with extremely strong competition from a range of agencies.
I believe that we have chosen the best to work with the government and
deliver world-class campaigns”.
Uwe Horn has been introduced as d&b audiotechnik’s PR Manager after
joining the company in December. Horn is based at the d&b headquarters
in Backnang, Germany, and his responsibilities cover corporate
communications, trade press and the global communication strategy.
Prior to his appointment, Horn spent over a decade at Reader’s Digest
Germany as Head of Public Relations, before moving to Porsche Consulting
as Head of Marketing. Most recently he was the Corporate Communications
Team Leader at Maquet.
In the run-up to Christmas, Green Hippo welcomed Cynthia Austwick as
their new West Coast Account Manager in the US office.
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002 INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Below: Maestra London grows its team.

Having worked in the entertainment industry since 2007, Austwick

joins the company from 4Wall Lighting in Washington.
“My new role is a fantastic opportunity to expand Green
Hippo’s reach and explore different markets across the country,”
commented Austwick. “I look forward to making media
approachable to both large and small projects.”
Technical event production and management specialist
Maestra has added to the team based at their newly expanded
premises in Woolwich with four new appointments.
Kate Jarvis joins as a Senior Project Manager, after working in a
similar role for five years at a leading UK events company.
Project Manager Henrietta Appiah takes on her new position with
10 years experience in event co-ordination. She has worked with
a variety of companies, including Unilever where she managed
internal and external promotions and clients.
Jamie Twyman comes on-board as a Production Designer,
bringing vast experience and technical knowledge to his role.
He is also a keen artist whose work has been exhibited
prolifically in galleries and events around London including the
Strand Gallery, the Menier Gallery and the London Urban Arts Fair.
Finally, Georgie Archer has been appointed to Operations &
Admin Assistant, following a series of jobs as an event organiser.
Emma Perrin, Maestra London’s General Manager, commented:
“It’s exciting to welcome new faces to the company and each was
picked for their skill sets, lively personalities and ability to think
out-of-the-box.”
Mojo Barriers has continued its redevelopment following its
acquisition by Evago Group, and has appointed Jordi van Berkum
as the company’s US Manager.
“Jordi’s experience working for Mojo Barriers gives us
confidence that his understanding of our delivery and service
values will be at the core of his management strategy,” said CEO
Alex Borger. “He’s a fantastic addition to our management team
who will help to shape the US company to make the best of new
opportunities.”
WorldStage has announced two new positions within the
company; Shawn Oatey has been promoted to Director of

141
INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS
Below: Symphotech (pictured Clockwise from top left) Eddy Grant, Peter Golding, Graham Picken, Duncan White; Paul Morey; Dan Esparza; Shawn Oatey.
Marketing and Dan Esparza has joined the company as National Account
Manager. Both are based at WorldStage’s Tustin, California office.
Oatey steps up to Director of Marketing 10 years after he began his
WorldStage career with Video Applications.
“Shawn’s commitment, expertise and contributions to our marketing
efforts have led to successes and improvements within the company,”
commented President and COO, Josh Weisberg. “In his new role, he will
design and execute all aspects of our strategic marketing plan, including
our website, social media, sales support and promotional items.”
Esparza’s appointment as National Account Manager brings a roster of
strong client relationships and more than 10 years of industry experience
in sales and operational roles. He was formerly Senior Account Manager for
AV Concepts in San Diego, with a further seven years spent managing the
event technology departments for the luxury hotel brands The Ritz-Carlton
in Laguna Niguel, California and The Four Seasons in Las Vegas.
Chartered safety and health practitioner, Eddy Grant, has joined the
Symphotech North West office as a Legal and Safety Consultant. With over
30 years of industry experience, Grant has overseen health and safety on a
variety of events including the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Tour
de France 2014. Specialising in event safety and crowd management, Grant
142
www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002
will lead Symphotech’s new IOSH accredited safety training.
Also joining the North West office is Graham Picken as Safety
Consultant. Picken was part of the major events planning team at
Merseyside Police, and became lead logistics officer for Aintree Grand
National Planning Team, specialising in crowd safety management and
crowd dynamics.
Duncan White is joining the South West office as Lead Consultant for
event fire and crowd safety. White brings over 30 years of experience as
a former fire officer with Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, where
he was responsible for the event safety management team. In addition to
being chair of the Chief Fire Officers Association Event Safety Group, White
worked with the HSE to produce the fire safety chapters for the new Purple
Guide.
Peter Golding also joins the South West office as fire and event Safety
Consultant. Golding’s background lies in licensing, technical fire safety
and building regulation consultations. He leads the Symphotech team
responsible for undertaking fire safety risk assessments for permanent
venues including theatres, concert venues and warehouses. Both White
and Golding will be designing and delivering event and fire safety training.
www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/
 We’re hiring!
Due to continued growth in our business,
we have a variety of roles open in sales, production, technical and operations.
We are seeking talented, enthusiastic individuals to work in our
Longbridge, Birmingham operation and/or our central London office.

If you’re interested in working for PRG XL Video in the UK,

send us an up-to-date CV with a covering email to
prgvacancies@prg.com

0845 470 6400 www.prg.com/uk

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday 5 April
6.30pm
Room Panorama 2
The Forum
HEADLINE SPONSOR

SPONSORS
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,
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144
 TPi PRODUCTION GUIDE

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145
BACK CHAT
LUIS BERLANGA
Owner, Fluge Audiovisuales
How did you initially become involved in the
industry?
Well, it all comes from my love of music. I was a
promoter in the 70s before managing concert
halls in the 80s. After making an agreement with
a partner of mine, we decided to start providing
audio equipment and everything escalated from
there. We’ve grown into the largest rental house in
Spain, able to provide full production to some of
Europe’s biggest events.
How has the company developed since its
beginnings?
We were purely a rental company up until the crisis
of 2008. At that point we started to diversify and
the idea came to make installations an important
part of what we do: this included everything from
football stadiums to airports, halls and convention
centres. We still continued supplying events, and
we’ve since expanded in our scope geographically
as well.
We’re in Shanghai, Panama, and Doha, as
well as having bases across Spain everywhere
from Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, San
Sebastián, Galicia, Vigo, Valencia, and Ibiza.
146
What have been some of Fluge’s major
milestones in terms of the events you supply?
We’ve now done 14 editions of the Benicàssim
Festival. We’ve also done Alejandro Sanz’s
international tour and supplied Juanes, Violeta,
Miguel Bosé and, a wide range of large corporate
events. We recently did a convention for surgeons
where we broadcast from the Hospital de La Paz,
as well as sporting events and a ceremony at the
Panama Canal.
How did you initially decide which
manufacturers to build relationships with?
When the company started we all had to rely
a little on the riders and on market demands
to make these choices. Gradually we started
collaborating with manufacturers and
construction companies, particularly when
dealing with everything that has to do with the
tours and the equipment for live performances. We
have also collaborated on structure design. Lately
we’ve been working a lot with Eurotours and many
of the leading brands: D.A.S. Audio, Adamson,
Meyer Sound, L-Acoustics, d&b audiotechnik, MA
Lighting, DiGiCo, Yamaha and Avid. We work and
collaborate with all of those brands and they, in
turn, listen closely to our feedback.
How do you see Fluge’s market position now and
are how do you want to expand further?
Expansion is good whenever there are good
opportunities, but right now we’re consolidating
everything a little bit. We’ve had a lot of growth
over the last five or six years. Everyone at Fluge
is happy at the moment, and I certainly am.
Knowing this business and how competitive it
is, you have to remind yourself what a great and
admirable achievement it is to run a shop like this.
Nevertheless we are eager to take advantage of
the opportunities presented to us.
 WWW.TPiAWARDS.COM

ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE TPi TEAM…

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR

KIND SPONSORS AND
CONGRATULATIONS
TO OUR 2017 WINNERS
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