Obsidian joins Steve Hackett Foxtrot at 50
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The 31-show tour, Foxtrot at 50, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Genesis's Foxtrot album, kicked off on 3 October in Montreal and concluded on 18 November in Los Angeles. It marked Morris' first time designing and operating lighting for the guitarist, with tour manager Adrian Holmes overseeing the logistics.
Alec began designing lighting on a Martin LightJockey and M-Series consoles years ago, transitioning to Obsidian after Elation took over the console line. “The software kept developing and improving,” he says. “I saw improvements in functionality and the support was excellent, so I continued to use it.” In early 2023, he acquired his own NX1 through Obsidian UK distributor Entedi, which he utilised on the Steve Hackett tour. Previously he had used Obsidian’s NX2 for a couple of projects, also supplied by Entedi, but found the NX1 to be a best fit for his needs.
According to Alec, there are a lot of different factors that made the NX1 a good console for this tour. He comments: “I wanted the show to be cue-stacked and more polished rather than a busking show. I wanted it to look more or less the same each night. The NX1 allowed me to do that because it’s so versatile and is a working environment I am used to. It just flows so nicely and just does what I need it to.”
Alec praised the NX1's motorised faders, allowing swift adjustments and easy navigation between fader banks during the show. He highlighted the instant access to inhibit groups, emphasising the console's quick and efficient functionality. “I’m always doing little adjustments during the show. It’s very quick.”
The NX1 offers an expandable playback wing (NXP) along with a 10-digit keypad (NXK), modular components that combined with the NX1 create an even more powerful and flexible console. Alec took advantage of both. “I needed the additional faders the NXP offers but also with the 8-universe licensing it gave me 8 physical DMX outputs. The NXK gives you a tactile feel for control which really speeds things up.”
The modular system proved beneficial in adapting to limited spaces during the tour, allowing him to rearrange the add-ons as needed. “Sometimes space at FOH was a little limited and with the modular system I could easily move elements around as I needed to.” A simple magnetic alignment system allows the components to attach to either side of the NX1.
The designer used the NX1 to control a lighting rig that consisted mainly of house lights, which varied from show to show, supplemented by a small floor package of seven moving lights. The base rig he used for programming consisted of nine spots, 16 washes and the floor package. Floor package lighting vendor was Solotech.
