LONDON – LD Yenz Nyholm used an Avolites Diamond 4 Titan console for an O2 Arena performance for Level 42, part of the band's 30th Anniversary world tour. Siyan provided the lighting gear. A longtime user of Avolites consoles, Nyholm credited the D4 as "very reliable" and well-suited to larger shows. Nyholm also got the chance to use Titan V4, a version of software set for release early in 2011.
The tour's lighting design was based around three large backdrops comprised of a central cloth and two legs, which featured artwork from all the band's albums since 1980.
Nyholm helped stoke the celebratory party atmosphere with big bold lighting looks, which alternated with a few moody dramatic moments for contrast and reflection. "It was a show with massive dynamics," Nyholm said.
The staging included a basic flown front and back truss with 14 SGM Giotto 400 Spots, nine Giotto 400 Washes, 8 GLP Impression LED wash lights, four Martin Professional Atomic strobes plus 2- and 4-lite Moles.
On the floor were six bars of ACLs, assorted PARs and Moles, and the back cloth and legs were illuminated with 12 SGM Palco LED washes. The D4 Titan controlled all this gear.
Nyholm spoke favorably of the faders on the console and how accessible the controls were – at your fingertips, without having to trawl through numerous sub-menus.
Being able to assign timings to all the fixture attributes is "great," he added, also crediting the D4 Titan for ease of use when creating elements like fanning effects.
The German leg of the festival section of the tour also put the console's Fixture Exchange feature to good use, and that feature was also important when the band performed at smaller clubs and venues and were hooking into the house rigs.
Another feature Nyholm uses is the D4 offline editor, which runs on his PC at home using a Capture visualizer. He did all the pre-programming for the Level 42 tour on this, as there were no production rehearsals. When he arrived, all he had to do was update his preset focuses.
The set list remained the same throughout the seven-month 30th Anniversary touring period, so Nyholm soon had it completely memorized. It was a complex show containing over 250 cues and requiring crucial timing, and he credited the D4 for optimizing the show's visuals.
Along with the gear, he commended Avolites on its support. "Everyone is friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, open to ideas and quick to respond to any questions."
Nyholm has since joined a tour with Marillion, and plans more work with Level 42 in 2011.
For more information, please visit www.avolites.com.
