WL provides Royal Albert Hall LED upgrade
- Details
As it hosts concerts on an almost nightly basis, the venue houses its own in-house kit which is used by incoming shows. The rig has to be flexible in order to adapt to such a varied programme, as well as needing to be energy efficient and sympathetic to the needs and requirements of a wide range of different lighting designers and productions. The existing ETC Source Four Revolutions, whilst having served their time very well, were due for replacement in line with the Hall’s ongoing replacement programme. As a result, the venue approached WL in order to invest in some LED alternatives for these new fixtures.
WL’s business development manager Jonathan Haynes explains: “I met up with lighting design manager Richard Thomas who told me about their existing set up and what he was looking for to replace the ageing Source Four Revolutions. The main priority was that the new fixtures were LED and provided a tungsten colour match that was at least as bright as the fixtures they were replacing. They also needed to be quiet, as well as have the ability to provide a high output in cool white to cut through the rest of the rig for aerial work.”
WL put forward a range of options and held an on-site demonstration at the Royal Albert Hall for the lighting team to see each one in situ. Haynes explains: “It is so important to shoot out fixtures in the venue for which they are intended, to see how they react to the conditions, throw distance etc. After discussing suggestions with Richard and his team, it became obvious that the Martin MAC Encore Performance CLD was the best option.”
Thomas adds: “Integrating the Encores into the rig has revolutionised the way we are able to light certain areas of the hall, as well as offering a whole new palette of gobos, colour potential and framing options that previously did not exist. Added to that the increase in reliability in the rig means less maintenance time required over a typically busy week. We have received many positive comments from a whole host of lighting designers in just a few week after their install.”
The Royal Albert Hall invested a total of 18 fixtures which have all been successfully delivered and are now in pretty much constant use. The investment reinforces the continued relationship between WL and the concert hall, and adds to a large stock of Martin MAC Viper Wash DX fixtures that were purchased last year, along with ETC Lustr Series 2 LED profiles and Robe Mega Pointes. The venue also recently replaced its stock of Robert Juliat Cyrano followspots, again all purchased through White Light.
(Jim Evans)
