Soundwise is a busy Aarhus, Denmark-based full production rental company, which was founded by Lars Thorsager in 2001, initially, as you might expect from the name, as an audio specialist. Their client base includes music and cultural shows and events, touring and corporates, the latter being a rapidly expanding sector. It’s that growth in premium industrial shows over the last year that has fueled a new investment in Robe moving lights, with 12 ESPRITES and 12 LEDBeam 350s joining the rental fleet.
These were initially purchased with an event at the Clarion Hotel at Copenhagen Airport in mind. “The design featured 100 square meters of LED screen, so we needed lights that could punch through and excel even with all that ambient light onstage,” explained Thorsager. He noted that many of the awards show designs for which Soundwise supplies production have LED surfaces prominent on the stage, so intensity was the first consideration generally.
The Robe moving lights were delivered by Danish distributor Light Partner, located conveniently around 50km away in Herning. Before this major investment, they also had 24 LEDBeam 150s with which they were very happy.
Thorsager explained that it was important to invest in a brand that was rider-friendly and well-received by the freelance lighting design community, as they are often collaborating with different creatives on the various projects. Naturally, reliability was imperative as it is for any rental company. Apart from all these reasons, the ESPRITE / LEDBeam 350 combination is extremely popular in Denmark, boosting the kit’s value on the cross-rental market, which is also constantly busy.
“Both these fixture types are bright, well built, they have lots of features and offer great ‘bang-for-buck’,” confirmed Thorsager, “and Robe is the largest brand in Denmark right now”, so it made a lot of practical sense to invest in kit that works well in other rental scenarios.
Thorsager sought the opinions of his crew and the company’s in-house LD Claus Pedersen who was pushing to get brighter fixtures than the ones already in stock. (The lighting department was started with a different brand.)
The first show for the new ESPRITES and LEDBeam 350s was an annual kick off meeting and motivational and awards event for McDonalds, where Soundwise was working for producers Event Works. Claus was the LD, and he relished the experience of using the new kit and having all that power under his fingertips. For Thorsager, the support and service generally from Light Partner is “excellent”, they already have a long-standing relationship, and this also factored in his decision to purchase more Robe. “Light Partner are always helpful and will turn repairs and other service jobs around super quick,” he observed, impressed that they also have a ‘hotline’ for out of hours tech support and emergencies.
Thorsager – for whom audio is a passion second only to skateboarding, a sport he still keenly embraces – likes keeping a hands-on perspective, so he produces, and project manages some of Soundwise’s shows and tours. The company is currently looking forward meeting to the challenges and hyperactive schedules of Denmark’s famous summer tour season where the new Robe luminaires will be getting a good workout.
Further information from Robe lighting: www.robe.cz
Photos: Louise Stickland + Maria Stougård Mathiasen (please see filenames)
