Snow Patrol
UK - LD Nick Jevons of Electric Fly Productions chose an Avolites Diamond 4 console as the primary control desk for the main stage at Radio One's Big Weekend in Dundee.

Headlining artists included Razorlight, The Streets, The Editors, Muse, Snow Patrol, Mylo, Pink, Keane and the Sugababes. For the first time, the event was recorded for broadcast on the digital channel, BBC 3.

The high profile two day event - Radio One's biggest Weekend to date - was the first time that Jevons has used a Diamond 4 - although he is experienced on other Avo consoles. "I always like pushing the technical boundaries for these shows," he enthused. "I needed a powerful desk and it was an absolutely ideal opportunity to use a D4," he says.

A week beforehand, he went into Avolites' training room for the day in London and did a crash course on the console - which he found extremely easy to pick up. He also liked the friendly atmosphere at Avolites.

Jevons' combined lighting and video design for the show was based on "eclecticity", a new concept he's been developing over the past few weeks. It is a special visual combination of dynamics, power and brightness - both literal and metaphorical . His work has always had an experimental edge, and this was no exception.

The Diamond 4 was controlling all the moving and generic fixtures onstage. This included over 40 Robe moving lights - 18 ColorWash 1200s and 20 ColorSpot 1200s - arranged across the three onstage trusses and the two audience goal-posts - plus another six 'special' CS 1200s on the floor - used for the headlining acts.

The generics consisted of four bars of six PARs and six Source Four key lights on the front truss, and 12 bars of six rigged on the structures in the crowd, used for TV audience illumination. There were also a selection of blinders and Atomic strobes scattered all over the stage. All trussing, rigging and lighting equipment was supplied by a combination of Bandit and HSL, with over 7000 Mi-Sphere LED elements coming from XL Video. The D4 was supplied via HSL.

An Avolites Pearl was also used to run the Catalyst digital media server that was feeding content to the Mi-Spheres that were draped on the three over-stage trusses and above the audience.

Jevons loves the D4, he says: "It has everything you'd expect and more. The programming facilities and functionality are great - the fixture library is very comprehensive and up to date. I was completely comfortable with going in at the deep end on this one - it's the best way to learn any new piece of kit."

He specifically liked the 'Fixture Overlap' facility which allows the staggering of timed movement cues, saying he'll definitely use it again.

Several visiting LDs also made the most of the D4, including Dom Smith (Razorlight and The Editors) and Craig Allnut (Bloc Party and Pink), both of whom are regular D4 users.

(Chris Henry)


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