
Ringing Out Bells for Peace at Manchester International Festival's Opening Event posted: 08/08/2019
The unmistakable buzz of Manchester International Festival (MIF) kicked off with a choreographed bell ringing art piece, BELLS FOR PEACE, created by Yoko Ono at Cathedral Gardens in the heart of the city
tube uk provided a clear, precise quadrophonic sound system for this very special work, commissioned by MIF19, to ensure that the multiple layers and intricacies of the sonic impressions were heard with optimum clarity.
Yoko Ono, appearing on a giant video screen during the event, gave instructions to the thousands of people who had gathered to join in a mass bell ringing with handbells that had been issued to them on arrival. This was accompanied by a soundscape by composer and sound designer Max Ringham and three large tuned bells rigged in custom towers dotted around the event site.
This beautiful cacophony of bells was joined by impressive chorus-like peals from the powerful baritone bells of the adjacent Manchester Cathedral.
tube's Melvyn Coote and his team relish working with MIF, and the many innovative, different and interesting sonic opportunities it offers where their audio geekery and ability to think - and hear - laterally can provide incredible solutions!
While this event was relatively straightforward in terms of sound system design, working with an artist like Yoko Ono on something as unique as this, was demanding, exciting and inspirational, stated Melvyn.
Melvyn specified a d&b sound system to cover Cathedral Gardens, comprising a left and right system in front of the stage with four stacks of surround sound to create the immersive quad effect across the designated area.
The playback system was a QLab 4, with 12 channels running out of that to a Yamaha CL5 console, with two RIO 3224 stageboxes for the PA and several broadcasting feeds, as the event was live streamed by several media platforms. Melvyn uses QLab as it is the best solution for dealing with the details of multilayered compositions.
tube spec'd Sennheiser SK5212 series for the presenter mics onstage, complete with brand new DPA 6066 headset mics - they have recently invested in 50 of these, among the first in the UK to do so. Like many, they have enjoyed great success with the 4066s especially in the corporate and theatre world.
Ringing Out Bells for Peace at Manchester International Festival's Opening Event
They provided four Sennheiser SKM5200 handhelds for the hosts and three for mixing the tuned bells in the towers, which were fitted with condenser heads, chosen for their clarity and detail.
The video content was synched to the music track, so the timecode was sent from QLab to the video servers and that triggered the screen content.
The tube team ensured that the PA made minimal impact on site, and while there was no disguising the need for black boxes, the stacks were kept neat and streamlined.
The front left and right arrays were ground stacked and made up from 10 x d&b V8s, four V12s, four V-Subs and four B2's, all running off three D80 amps.
The four surround stacks were located in each corner of the site, made up from (in total) 16 x Y8s, eight Q-SUBS and four B2's and powered by 8 x D12s.
While this was carefully calculated to deliver perfect acoustics for the Cathedral Gardens site, improvisation and luck - in levels and directionally - were involved when the voluminous church bells joined the performance, but this played out almost perfectly in terms of presence and having an impact.
tube group photo left to right is Melvyn Coote, Darren McMahon, Gareth Davies, Ashley Burrage
It brought an ephemeral highlight to an extremely emotionally compelling and ultimately uplifting and highly inclusive collaboration.
The FOH operator was Gareth Davies and tube's techs were Darren McMahon and Ashley Burrage. Melvin was head of sound and coordinated this and the many other shows that tube is servicing throughout MIF19, in a major logistical and technical operation with challenges - and nimble responses - that keeps the whole company extremely busy through the periods and beforehand with all the prep.
In addition to BELLS FOR PEACE, tube provided sonic solutions and sound systems and crew for 18 major shows in and around Manchester through the duration of the Festival, plus numerous smaller ones, a major undertaking for the locally-based company that we are very proud to be a part of! We love all the challenges and the chance to work on some amazing shows with highly creative people, confirms Melvyn.
On the opening weekend alone tube was active in 20 different venues and performances which were enjoyed by between 10-12,000 people a day; from art, discussions and debates to staged spectaculars like BELLS FOR PEACE.
High profile artists commissioned to create works for this year's Festival including Pakistani Sufi singer, composer and musician Abida Parveen, Brooklyn-based dance collective FlexN, New York dancer and choreographer Trajal Harrell, and Skepta, one of the most significant British artists in music today.
That same first weekend, tube also supplied full audio to a 4000-delegate conference at Manchester Central presented by Maharajji Prem Rawat who also spoke about the global importance of peace.
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...