timeline-projects

Kohar SA Tour 2012

End customer: HAYASA Productions LTD

Planning and realization of the sound system and FOH-mix for a tour of an Armenian ensemble to select places in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Special challenges / difficulties:
The wide range in musical style (Armenian music from folk songs up to the pop songs), length of the shows (3 hours), the size of the ensemble (more than 160 participants), the size of the stages (width of 26m) and the infrastructures of the venues.

 

At a Workshop in October 2011, Ralf Kesser asked me whether I would like to be part of a project for his Hamburg based company "Penguin". The Armenian ensemble "KOHAR" intended to do a tour though Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. For years Ralf's company has been responsible for the sound part of the touring activities of "KOHAR". I should be a part of the planning team as well as doing the front of house-mix during the shows.
In 4 cities (Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Sao Paulo) 9 concerts were scheduled between the 23dr of October and the 11th November 2012.
The ensemble consisted of 62-choir-singer, 75-orchestra-/band musicians, 11 solo singer, 1harpplayer, 1pantomime, 11dancer. I had to deal with 148 audio inputs.
3 mixing boards (FOH, monitor, sting & choir submix) where needed at the venues.
3 DAWs and a whole tv-production had to be supplied with the required audio signals. The audio distribution system we had to plan had to be extremely adaptable and reliable as well. For example at one venue the decision whether the submix console could be placed at FOH or had to go to the stage could first to be taken during the setup at site. Moreover, the cable runs we had to deal with where partly more than 100m. All these considerations made us use an IP-based audio network as the backbone of our audio wiring. Arthur Koll played an important part in the audio crew. On top of doing the job of monitor engineer, he was responsible for the planning and management of the Dante-audio-network we had chosen.
So it happend that we created, as far as I know, the biggest IP-based audio network of that time. Yamaha network specialist Arthur Koll built up a redundant Dante network with 628 sending and 580 receiving audio channels in total. Because of the long cable runs we decided to change from cupper to fiber for the connection from FOH to stage. For this task we used CYBERTEC splitters form TEQSAS. Beside the transformation to fiber and the distribution of the Dante network we were able to realize the transport of monitor signal for our wireless microphones with that system at the same time. The mixes of the submix engineer Christian Schmid were fed back to the Dante network so they could used at FOH and monitor positon as well.
All the input signals had to be recorded on 3 single laptops coupled via Nuendo system link. One reason for that was the use for backup of the post production of the planed Blue-Ray video. Another reason was to use the records for "virtual sound checks" so we were able to reduce the rehearsal time for the orchestra at the venue.
After a recce tour to all the venues in July 2012 we had to draw up a tender text. It would have been too expensive to taransport all the required audio equipment to South America. Touring between the different countries would also be was much easier for a company from this region. At the end the Sao Paulo based company "Gabisom International" made the best offer and got the job.


Beside the technical there was also a big musical challenge.
Different programs had to be played. None of the 3-hour shows were identically to one another. Next to the FOH we were supported by Hrólfur Vagnsson an Icelandic sound engineer and tonmeister. He was reading the scores and gave us important cues that helped us with the mix.
The range of the songs went from traditional folk songs to modern style pop songs. So the variety of the orchestra sound had to be convincing in the "traditional" as well as in the "pop" parts of the program. Also the very big size of the stage (26m width) had to be considered and let to a complex time alignment.

more pictures

Links:

Website Kohar Concert

Report at Yamaha Pro Audio

 

Liquid Penguin Ensemble

"Der Fall Sola" /("The case Sola") is speech-music-performance with a live-illustrator.

This performance is mainly about language in general, its development and use.
Language is expressed not only with words but also with musical and graphical elements during this performance. Although language is the topic, spoken words and all other elements are of equal importance in the play.

Special challenges / difficulties:
The actors on stage are: voice, viola, violoncello, double bass , piano , illustrator and a choir. One fact that had to be considered was that everybody on stage would change their positions very often. Because all movements on stage where important for the play almost everybody in the audience should be able to track that action acoustically. This was one of the big challenges for the sound design. Beside that the listeners should never have the impression that there was a sound reinforcement system in use. Another important detail in setting up the sound system and doing the mix was giving the audience the impression that all sounds came from its original position on stage and not from before or behind the stage at all times.

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End Client: WDR (West Deutscher Rundfunk)

Conception and realization of the FOH-mix for an open air event with a symphony orchestra and varying instrumental soloists.

Special challenges / difficulties:
A very big and open round arch stage, different instrumental soloists, very wide listener's surface, television production (as little as possible visible audio engineering), a camera railway directly in front of the stage.

After the great success of the EBU´s young talent competition in 2014, again the WDR hosted this classical music event in 2016 for a second time. And again I was chosen by the cologne based company PADCO to be responsible for the conception and the realization of the FOH-mix. At first glance, the framework conditions seemed to be the same as in 2014.

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End Client: WDR (West Deutscher Rundfunk)

Conception and realization of the FOH-mix for an open air event with a symphony orchestra and varying instrumental soloists.

Special challenges / difficulties:
A very big and open round arch stage, different instrumental soloists, very wide listener's surface, television production (visible audio engineering as little as possible)

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Liquid Penguin Ensemble

Ickelsamers alphabet is a bilingual music performance in German and French. The performance has parts which are simultaneous in both languages.

Special challenges / difficulties:
For both languages I had to make sure to get a very high linguistic intelligibility. The second task was the acoustic realization of the small music ensemble consisting of viola, cello, contrabass, flutes and clarinets. On account of the special structure of the performance and the state of the performance rooms, the loudspeakers were placed behind the actors which complicated the electroacoustic conversion a lot.

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End customer: Kölner Männergesangsverein (Cologne men's choral society / stage play community Cäcilia Wolkenburg)

The "Divertissementchen" is a light opera in bigger dimensions (more than 100 persons on stage). More than 30 participants were equipped with wireless microphones to support them in their singing and speaking parts of the play. A big orchestra was responsible for the musical support together with a pop band. In addition there was a ballet on stage. All participants that appear on stage were recruited out of the Cologne men's choral society.

Special challenges / difficulties:
Traditionally the "Divertissementchen" is performed during the month before carnival at the opera house of Cologne. The opera was not available because of bigger rebuilding measures. The so called "Musicaldom" near the central station was selected as an alternative site. The "Musicaldom" was conceived as a performance venue for modern "pop musicals", this means that the acoustics have a very short reverberation time in the auditorium so it sounds very "dry". Moreover, there is no acoustically functioning orchestra pit. Also all acoustic activities which work out well at a "normal" theatrical stage did not. So there was some technical aid needed for the support around this stage.

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End customer: HAYASA Productions LTD

Planning and realization of the sound system and FOH-mix for a tour of an Armenian ensemble to select places in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Special challenges / difficulties:
The wide range in musical style (Armenian music from folk songs up to the pop songs), length of the shows (3 hours), the size of the ensemble (more than 160 participants), the size of the stages (width of 26m) and the infrastructures of the venues.

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End Customer: Lycée classique d'Echternach

Planning and Realization of the sound system and Front of House mix of a ballad opera.

Special challenges / difficulties:
Bandwidth of the musical spectrum, structure of the venue, number of participants, scenes with high demands on speech intelligibility

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Liquid Penguin Ensemble

A play that was especially set up for a certain room. Optical as well as acoustic peculiarities of the performance room were to be an essential part of the play from the beginning.

Special challenges / difficulties:
The location the event was to take place was the former canteen of a rail wagon repair shop in Saarbrucken. It was divided in two rooms separated by a folding door. The first section could be entered directly from the main entrance. This part of the building had very strong reverberations. The room which joined directly behind the folding door was the total opposite acoustically. It had a very dry acoustic environment. We wanted to use these two aspects as creative means. One big challenge was the need of extremely high speech intelligibility, because the play was bilingual (German/French) partly with two languages in parallel action.

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pazzaCaglia/Liquid Penguin Ensemble

Crossover – opera - project of the "Liquid Penguin Ensemble" and "pazzaCaglia"

Special challenges / difficulties:
On the one hand this project offered the big musical range from the baroque-music up to the contemporary-music of our modern times. On the other hand, there was a tremendously wide dynamic range from soft whispering to almost unbearably loud noise, from very rough up to the most filigree sound structures, from natural voice up to "eavesdropped" telephone calls. All that was to be realized in a way that, over course of the play, the audience should forget there was any sound-reinforcement in use.

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End Customer: Lycée classique d'Echternach

Planning and Realization of the sound system and Front of House mix of a musical show in the tradition of a mystery play

Special challenges / difficulties:
Bandwidth of the musical spectrum, structure of the venue, number of participants, scenes with high demands on speech intelligibility

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End customer: Saarland Tour Team

Realization and planning of the stage activities for a show event at the square in front of the castle in Saarbruecken. The occasion was the arrival of the bicycle race "Deutschland Tour 2003".

Special challenges / difficulties:
The planned spot of the stage brought some challenges in the planning phase of the project. There was a construction area in the neighborhood of the stage, moreover, stage and cloakrooms and the whole backstage area were separated from the stage by a public street.

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End-Customer: ENSEMBLE VOCAL BERDORF
(since 2011 "Ambitus")

A children's musical based on the texts of the Luxembourg children's book author Guy Rewenig. A collaboration of the "Ensemble Vocal Berdorf" and the "TNL"(Théâtre National du Luxembourg) with compositions by Jean Marie Kieffer under the musical direction of Roby Schiltz.

Special challenges / difficulties:
A combination of singing and acting with a scenically performing choir, interaction between school children and musically skilled adult's, played in three acoustically very different venues.

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End customer: Saarland Tour Team

3 days of events with different concerts for the arrival on 7.July 2002 of the "Tour de France" in Saarbruecken

Special challenges / difficulties:
Beside the realization of live-concerts of different bands, several radio- and tv-broadcasts had to be integrated into the stage events. The spectrum of the appearing band had a big variety. Due to product-sponsorship demands specific items had to be considered in the planning of the sound reinforcement system.

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End customer: City of Grevenmacher/Luxembourg

For the of 750 year jubilee of the town charter a musical show was produced at the marketplace in Grevenmacher. The show included a big orchestra, a pop band, a clarinet ensemble, a percussion group, a church organ (not on the stage), three choirs, several vocal soloists and two narrators.

Special challenges / difficulties:
One special difficulty was the place the performance should be given. The housing which surrounded the place, reached very close to the spectators' area. Another challenge was the fact that a lot of performers had to find their place on stage simultaneously. Three choirs were to appear on stage. I had to find a solution that made it possible for choirs to enter the stage during the ongoing show. A quite special task was the fact that time pressure allowed only one single rehearsal on stage to take place.

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End Customer: Lycée classique d'Echternach

Planning, Realization of the sound system and the recording and Front of House Mix for a Musical show to celebrate 1300 years of the city of Echternach with more than 150 performers

Special challenges / difficulties:
The bandwidth of the musical spectrum, the structure of the venue, the number of participants.

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End - Customer: Saarländischer Rundfunk

Open Air event on the grounds of the "Saarländischer Rundfunk" with recording and partly direct live broadcast on tv and/or radio.

Special challenges / difficulties:
Big Number of artists, program changes due to late arrival of artists, infrastructure, extremely short change over times.

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19.06.1983 my first gig with the band

"Sioux" was a 3-man band (guitar, bass, and drums) that could not be pigeonholed. Funk, rock, latin, they sometimes played all together in one title. Three absolute virtuosi and unconventional musical characters who back then played more than 100 Gigs per year.

Special challenges / difficulties:
The very high musical standard of the band set the bar pretty high and cheered me on at the same time. The big number of appearances throughout Germany and the neighboring countries offered me the possibility to collect a lot of experience.

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6.3.1982 my first gig for the company

The company "Stamer" was founded in 1981, constructing and manufacturing loudspeakers for instrumental- and reinforcement- systems. Later they opened the first sound system rental in the south/west of Germany. In 1982 I started my work as a live sound engineer for them.

Special challenges / difficulties:
With the big range in event forms I found a great variety in new experiences in the live sound field.

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29.09.1981 my first gig with the band

"Double You" was a Funk/Soul-formation around the US-American singer Bob Mency which appeared nationwide during the time when I joined the band.

Special challenges / difficulties:
Back then, having had very little experience with formations that size before. Working at more and more complex mixes broadened my horizon.

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my first gig 29.10.1977

 The first gig with a teenage rock band who out started out played mainly cover songs; later progressed to composing more and more own tiles.

 Special challenges / difficulties:

The time in which the band was founded, meant a very small budget and not a lot available equipment. At this time very little information existed about all the technical – especially sound- topics concerning live music, in German there was nothing at all.

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