In this case study you will see how ten disguise gx 3 media servers and the disguise OmniCal projector calibrator helped Solotech deliver an elegant, media-rich environment for Adele’s performance to the enjoyment of her legions of fans. As the first company to invest in an inventory of the recently released disguise gx 3s, Solotech’s first project with the equipment was able to keep up with the demands of one of the world’s most high-profile tours.

Summary

Weekends with Adele has received unanimous praise from critics who cite its “breathtaking” staging and elegance and its remarkable ability to combine the spectacular and the intimate.  The sold-out slate of dates attests to the show’s hit status.

Solotech provides the video technology and crew for Weekends with Adele, in which floor-to-ceiling projection screens span the width of the room, where Adele performs alone or accompanied by her pianist, choristers and musicians on the 2,000-metre stage. Creative content by Treatment Studio is projected on multiple video canvases, across a full design by Stufish.

The challenge

The same Solotech and Treatment teams had previously worked with Matt Askem, Adele’s video director, last year on her concerts for British Summer Time Hyde Park. Adele was very involved with the look of the show, which went beyond using traditional IMAG and required media servers with powerful capabilities.

For Adele’s Las Vegas residency, Solotech and Adele’s team picked up on the beyond-traditional IMAG approach using Notch and LUTs to give a very elegant look to content that matched with cameras and also matched projection screens to two different types of LEDs.  

Although projection has taken a back seat to LED displays in recent years, Solotech sees projection making a resurgence. Every projector, however, needs a full-scale image and for a show with the scope of Adele’s – featuring more than 15 4K projectors. That means driving a massive number of pixels compared to what is needed for an all-LED display. The show required powerful media servers with high-capacity storage to handle the sheer amount of data for the projection screens plus Solotech’s and house LED videowalls.

The solution

Solotech initially specified disguise gx 2 media servers for the show, but, knowing that gx 3 media servers were coming soon, Solotech recommended that Adele’s production design team consider the new gx 3 for their increased pixel-pushing capabilities and the processing power they offered for Notch graphics.

Known as the go-to media server for touring artists who want to run the most intricate set designs, the gx 3 provides more video throughput, the ability to unlock new creative potential for Notch generative content, and peak performance for modern workflows and complex video files. Coupled with disguise’s OmniCal camera-based projector calibration system, the disguise solution was a win-win for the show.

Learn more about disguise's gx 3 media server

Whilst there are many media servers on the market, the company you are purchasing it from must give you the confidence you need when working on a project of this scale.. Having the right partners means you’re all on board to resolve any problems. Solotech can call disguise, and the disguise team is on it. There’s a mutual understanding from both teams of the importance of this show. Ian “Woody” Woodall, Director of Special Projects, Solotech

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Results

The projection-intensive show created for Adele’s residency offers a warmth and authenticity that critics and fans have responded to, creating an unforgettable show that Woodall likens to the feeling of listening to a great vinyl recording.

According to Woodall, “there was a Who’s Who in live events behind Weekends with Adele, resulting in a show that is ‘outstanding’ and the balance between projection and LED enhances the intimacy that Adele was hoping for.”  

“Solotech wants to be at the forefront, investing in new technology, but we need to be confident in the technology, suppliers and suppliers’ support of the technology as we are in our relationships.  There are new solutions on the market every day, but that doesn’t mean they are great.  We were pleased to work with disguise on this project.,” explains Woodall.

Credits

Video equipment Supplier: Solotech

Design: Stufish

Production Manager, Adele: Paul English

Creative Director: Matt Askem

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