Robe Getting into the Ultra Eurozone

Robe Getting into the Ultra Eurozone posted: 14/08/2018

Ultra Europe 2018 was staged in the sizzling sun and amidst the great vibes of Split, Croatia, offering three dynamic performance areas - Main Stage, Resistance and Arcadia - in and around the Poljud Stadium, with a lively and eclectic line-up, a myriad of sounds and styles and, this year, a thousand heartfelt musical tributes to the much missed Avicii .

Where theres a will, theres a way, kind of beautiful . every night has its day, so magical *

Zagreb based Promo Logistika was the site-wide technical provider for sound, lighting, video, rigging, logistics, crew and - via carefully selected partner companies - staging. It's the sixth year the massive event has been presented in Europe, and the fourth year that Promo Logistika has ensured that the many layers of demanding international creative and technical standards have been met and exceeded.

Over 300 Robe moving lights featured prominently on the Main Stage this year explained Miro Hrg, Promo Logistika's production lighting co-ordinator for that area.

The process starts each year for the company by offering a list of lighting and video kit that's available to the Ultra production team from the U.S.

After that first step, Ultra's creative director Richard Milstein produces a series of concepts together with technical drawings by production director Ray SteinmanThey present this to Promo Logistika owner Zoran Bi kupi , creative director Miro Hrg and other key members of the production team. Together they work on providing the best technical solutions to bring the design to life.

As Promo Logistika has made serious investment in Robe light in recent years, this was the only moving light brand on the main stage.

The overall production lighting design for the Main Stage was created by Patrick Dierson who works on all Ultra events worldwide, and the Resistance lighting was designed by Andy Hurst, working in a similar capacity.

Around 80 percent of DJ's including all the headliners and anyone playing after 10 p.m. each night brought their own LDs / lighting directors / operators which this year included, Afrojack, Hardwell, Axwell Ingrosso, Eric Pridz, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Marshmallow, Armin van Buuren and loads more.

As always LED screen was instrumental in the aesthetic of for the 75 metre wide main stage design, so everyone on the international and regional teams were happy to be working with Robe units as they hold their own again so well against very bright LED!

The main stage moving light count broke down to 20 x BMFL Spots, 26 x BMFL Blades, 48 x MegaPointes, 40 x Pointes, 48 x Spiiders and 42 x LEDWash 600s.

These were spread out on trusses and metalwork all over the architecture of the stage and wings, which was 15-metre-wide a StageCo structure, extended by 3 metres on the front elevation by a purpose-built aluminium Ultra logo.

The BMFL Spots were scattered around the stage in front of the DJ booth, and the BMFL Blades were hung on the three overhead trusses above the Main Stage.

The LEDWash 600s were behind the DJ booth on truss frames, in ideal position for powerful back looks and effects.

MegaPointes - Promo Logistika were the first company in Croatia to have Robe's newest and most popular unit - were also rigged on truss frames left and right of the stage. Their power, potency and the sheer range of effects clearly made a big impact.

The Pointes were hung above the first row of truss frames on both sides, while the six BMFL Blades were ordered for back key lighting of the DJ booth.

It was a reasonable amount of lights but not overkill for the size and scale of the show. Italso illustrated that a range of well used, positioned and defined fixtures enables plenty of dramatic variations in looks and texturing rather than just blasting in loads of lights for the sake of it and it turning into a complete mush!

The design was clearly and intelligently through through commented Miro, Enough presence but sensible numbers so that each light source had a proper job to do He added that the Robes were a perfect unit to use. Miro is also an LD in how own right and uses Robe frequently in his designs.

He commented that Robes are also great for EDM shows like this because of the routine hammering they receive over 14 hours of constant and full-on operation. Absolutely nothing breaks these lights, we have not had to service any of them this year! There are more than enough other things going on, so that's great news for any crew!

For main stage control three grandMA2 full size consoles were used, with another full size and full pre-viz running in the onsite previsualisation suite, an invaluable facility in which each artist's operator had an automatic slot, of which the vast majority took advantage.

This year's Resistance stage was in a slightly different location which improved the crowdflow and it was also fully enclosed with exterior skins for the first time which made a big difference in recreating the starker more alternative clubby vibe embraced by its community.

The lighting design was based on the ten automated hexagonal trussing pods clad with video panels and rigged with an assortment of lightsources that has also become instantly recognisable worldwide. Andy Hurst himself operated each night, also with some Robes at his disposal - 14 x CycFX 8s, 28 x MegaPointes, 20 x BMFL Spots and 8 x LEDWash 600s.

Performance collective Arcadia's crew built their well-known Afterburner set - a 360-degree stage complete with flaming central spire and dance platforms radiating outwards,rings of fire-shooting torches, gas tanks, smoke machines and other pyromaniac craziness! They frequently bring quanities of their own kit, but this year Promo Logistika topped up their lamp count with 22 x Pointes!

LINK:	https://www.live-production.tv/news/shows/robe-getting-ultra-eurozone....
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