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by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Thursday, 09 April 2009
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To supplement headline act Motorhead's lighting requirements, Desert Rock Festival lighting director Steve Shipman added 70 moving lights and an extra truss to the stage's already hefty lighting rig. The end result was an immensely powerful, omnipotent lighting setup.
Lights galore graced the stage of the 2009 installment of the Dubai Desert Rock Festival. Par can after par can populated the rig, with moving lights also in no short supply.
The result of such a massive setup? Adaptable and unique lighting designs for each of the eight hard rock acts that took to the stage during the festival.
Although few performers on the bill demanded the full capabilities of the lighting insta llation, deploying such an impressive array of technology enabled the production crew to develop striking and unique lighting presentations for each individual act.
The overall lighting design was the brainchild of Desert Rock's lighting director, Steve Shipman, who has worked on a number of high-profile concerts in the region as a freelance lighting specialist.
As Shipman explains, the configuration was developed in response to the core demands of the headline act, Motorhead, and the stage layout provided by the promoter, Centre Stage Management. The resulting lighting rig was as comprehensive as it was effective.
"Motorhead sent through a basic plot for a huge par can rig, which I then modified and added additional fixtures to for the festival," explains Shipman. "So, we took the band's request for a massive number of par cans and then added a whole bunch of moving lights to it, to create an accomplished rock'n'roll lighting design," he adds.
"The brief I had required me to take Motorhead's lighting plot and develop the rig around that, making it bigger and more festival-friendly so we could accommodate the other lighting designs we had planned during the show."
And make it bigger, he certainly did.
In addition to adding his own touches to the design and providing the appropriate lights for the festival's support acts, Shipman ensured that he took full advantage of the large amount of available roof space.
Even Motorhead, an act not known for doing things by halves, may have underestimated the size and scope of the eventual lighting design and the space available on the 25 metre-wide stage.
"The actual specification request from Motorhead was basically for an all par can setup with only six moving lights," he says. "I added approximately 70 moving lights to this and located them among the par cans. I also installed a 60 foot truss across the rear of the stage.
"We had to put in the extra truss to support the array of moving lights because there simply wasn't enough trussing space available on the Motorhead plot to accommodate the number of fixtures we added."
Dubai-based Al Laith Scaffolding supplied the festival's all-steel stage, which is one of the largest in the Middle East.
Desert Rock Festival 2009 kit list
Lighting
Generic lights
Par 64 1000 watt lights, 6 par CP 60 X 18 bars
Par 64 1000 watts lights, 6 par CP 62 X 16 bars
Par 64 ACL lights - 4 lamp X 26 bars
Molefays 8-lite, DWE X 6
Molefays 2-lite, DWE X 20
ETC Source 4, 19 degree X 6
ETC Source 4, 36 degree X 8
Par 64 floor cans, CP 62 X 2
Par 64 floor cans, CP 66 X 4
2.5K HMI follow spot X 4
Intelligent lights
Clak Paky Alpha Spot, HPE 1200 X 24 (plus two spares)
Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1200 X 22 (plus two spare)
Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 X 24 (plus two spare)
Martin Atomic 3000 strobe X 13
Control and dimmers
GrandMA full sized console X 2 (one on stand-by)
Avolites Pearl 2004
MA NSP unit
MA 2-port node
Avolites 48 way dimmer X 4
Misc
DF-50 haze machine X 2
Jem DMX fans X 6
F 100 smoke machine X 4
Distro and accessories
400 amps hot power DB
200 amps main power DB
63 amps main power DB
CEE power cables
Socapex multicore cables
DMX signal cables
Trussing for lighting
Maxibeam 2.4 metre truss section X 33
Maxibeam 1.2 metre truss section X 2
Maxibeam corner blocks X 4
Maxibeam base plates X 2
Litec 30x30 truss, (20 metres for backdrop)
Litec 30x30 truss, (16 metres for gust banner)
Litec 30x30 truss (10 metres for cable bridge)
Trussing for rigging points
Litec QD 40 truss 6 metre section X6
Alsec beam 6 metre section X 4
Motors
One tonne CM Lodestar motors X 22
Half tonne CM Lodestar motors X 6
Sixteen way motor controller
Four way motor controller
Audio
Main sound system
JBL Vertec line array
Main PA
Vertec 4889 (flown) X 32
Vertec 4880A (ground stacked) X 40
Vertec 4887 - (ground stacked - front fill) X 4
Vertec 4888 - (flown - outer fill) X 8
Amplifier racks
Crown MA 5002 & 3600 amplifier racks
Crown IT 6000 & 4000 amplifier racks
Multicore speaker cables
Multicore signal cables
Power rack and motor control X 2
Flying and rigging accessories
Vertec VT 4889 flying bumper X 2
Vertec VT 4888 X 2
One tonne Lodestar chain hoists X 12
FOH and monitor control
Dolby Lake Processor X 2
XTA DP 448 X 2
XTA DP 226 X 2
SIA SMAART live PC ***
FOH console - A
Yamaha PM5D RH digital sound console
Dual PSU
FOH outboard processors
Lexicon PCM 91
Yamaha SPX 990
Yamaha SPX 2000
Roland SRV 2000
TC Electronics M 3000
TC Electronics D2
FOH source rack
Tascam CD and mini disk players
Klark Teknik DN 370 equaliser
Monitor console
Yamaha PM5D RH digital sound console
Outboard processors
Lexicon PCM 91
Yamaha SPX 990
Yamaha SPX-2000 multi effects
TC Electronics D2 delay unit
Wedges
Martin 2100 bi amped X 12
Martin LE400 bi amped X 12
Crown Amp racks X 4
Klark Teknik DN 360 X 12
Side fill
Vertec VT 4888 DP X 8
Vertec VT 4880 Subs X 4
EAW KF850EFD3 tops X 4
EAW SB528RD2 subs X 4
Crown Amp rack X 3
Drum fill
Vertec VT 4888 DP X 2
Vertec VT 4881 subs X 2
Turbosound TFL 760 tops X 4
Martin Audio WS2A subs X 4
Crown amplifier rack
Labgruppen amplifier rack
Microphones
Shure wireless microphones
BSS AR 133 active DI boxes X 50
Talk back system
Clearcom MS 704 master station
Clearcom RS 601 body packs X 10
Clearcom CC 40 single muff head sets X 6
Clearcom CC 60 double muff headsets X 4
XLR cables
Shout system
JBL EON G10 powered speakers X 2
Shure SM 58 microphones X 2
Stage splitter system
BSS MSR 604 48 way active stage splitter
Multicores and signals
48 way multicore mains
32 way multicore returns
48 way multicore tail section (FOH) X 2
48 way multicore for monitor
8 way stage box X 20
8 way mutlicore for stage box
Mains distro
400 Amps main distro X 3
63A three-phase main distro for guest
125A three-phase main distro for FOH
Lighting
Generic lights
Par 64 1000 watt lights, 6 par CP 60 X 18 bars
Par 64 1000 watts lights, 6 par CP 62 X 16 bars
Par 64 ACL lights - 4 lamp X 26 bars
Molefays 8-lite, DWE X 6
Molefays 2-lite, DWE X 20
ETC Source 4, 19 degree X 6
ETC Source 4, 36 degree X 8
Par 64 floor cans, CP 62 X 2
Par 64 floor cans, CP 66 X 4
2.5K HMI follow spot X 4
Intelligent lights
Clak Paky Alpha Spot, HPE 1200 X 24 (plus two spares)
Clay Paky Alpha Wash 1200 X 22 (plus two spare)
Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 X 24 (plus two spare)
Martin Atomic 3000 strobe X 13
Control and dimmers
GrandMA full sized console X 2 (one on stand-by)
Avolites Pearl 2004
MA NSP unit
MA 2-port node
Avolites 48 way dimmer X 4
Misc
DF-50 haze machine X 2
Jem DMX fans X 6
F 100 smoke machine X 4
Distro and accessories
400 amps hot power DB
200 amps main power DB
63 amps main power DB
CEE power cables
Socapex multicore cables
DMX signal cables
Trussing for lighting
Maxibeam 2.4 metre truss section X 33
Maxibeam 1.2 metre truss section X 2
Maxibeam corner blocks X 4
Maxibeam base plates X 2
Litec 30x30 truss, (20 metres for backdrop)
Litec 30x30 truss, (16 metres for gust banner)
Litec 30x30 truss (10 metres for cable bridge)
Trussing for rigging points
Litec QD 40 truss 6 metre section X6
Alsec beam 6 metre section X 4
Motors
One tonne CM Lodestar motors X 22
Half tonne CM Lodestar motors X 6
Sixteen way motor controller
Four way motor controller
Audio
Main sound system
JBL Vertec line array
Main PA
Vertec 4889 (flown) X 32
Vertec 4880A (ground stacked) X 40
Vertec 4887 - (ground stacked - front fill) X 4
Vertec 4888 - (flown - outer fill) X 8
Amplifier racks
Crown MA 5002 & 3600 amplifier racks
Crown IT 6000 & 4000 amplifier racks
Multicore speaker cables
Multicore signal cables
Power rack and motor control X 2
Flying and rigging accessories
Vertec VT 4889 flying bumper X 2
Vertec VT 4888 X 2
One tonne Lodestar chain hoists X 12
FOH and monitor control
Dolby Lake Processor X 2
XTA DP 448 X 2
XTA DP 226 X 2
SIA SMAART live PC ***
FOH console - A
Yamaha PM5D RH digital sound console
Dual PSU
FOH outboard processors
Lexicon PCM 91
Yamaha SPX 990
Yamaha SPX 2000
Roland SRV 2000
TC Electronics M 3000
TC Electronics D2
FOH source rack
Tascam CD and mini disk players
Klark Teknik DN 370 equaliser
Monitor console
Yamaha PM5D RH digital sound console
Outboard processors
Lexicon PCM 91
Yamaha SPX 990
Yamaha SPX-2000 multi effects
TC Electronics D2 delay unit
Wedges
Martin 2100 bi amped X 12
Martin LE400 bi amped X 12
Crown Amp racks X 4
Klark Teknik DN 360 X 12
Side fill
Vertec VT 4888 DP X 8
Vertec VT 4880 Subs X 4
EAW KF850EFD3 tops X 4
EAW SB528RD2 subs X 4
Crown Amp rack X 3
Drum fill
Vertec VT 4888 DP X 2
Vertec VT 4881 subs X 2
Turbosound TFL 760 tops X 4
Martin Audio WS2A subs X 4
Crown amplifier rack
Labgruppen amplifier rack
Microphones
Shure wireless microphones
BSS AR 133 active DI boxes X 50
Talk back system
Clearcom MS 704 master station
Clearcom RS 601 body packs X 10
Clearcom CC 40 single muff head sets X 6
Clearcom CC 60 double muff headsets X 4
XLR cables
Shout system
JBL EON G10 powered speakers X 2
Shure SM 58 microphones X 2
Stage splitter system
BSS MSR 604 48 way active stage splitter
Multicores and signals
48 way multicore mains
32 way multicore returns
48 way multicore tail section (FOH) X 2
48 way multicore for monitor
8 way stage box X 20
8 way mutlicore for stage box
Mains distro
400 Amps main distro X 3
63A three-phase main distro for guest
125A three-phase main distro for FOH
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