A significant quantity of ADJ Focus Profile, Vizi Beam 12RX, and Focus Flex automated luminaires were used to create an impressive atmosphere last month for a huge hardstyle dance event held at the Autotron exhibition center close to ‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands. Vroeger Was Alles Beter (which translates to ‘Everything Used To Be Better’) focuses on classic hard dance music and this special edition dubbed ‘The Man With The Golden Classics’ was headlined by one of the scene’s most prolific artists, Headhunterz. The sold-out event, which attracted a crowd of 8000, ran all day from 12:30pm through to 12:00am. It included a solo set from Headhunterz in the early evening and then closed with a 1.5 hour ‘vs’ set between the DJ and his musical partner Wildstylez.
Lighting for the event was provided by local full-service production company WSS Audio & Light, which has been established for over 20 years. Owned and operated by experienced event professional Willem Smits, who served as lead designer for the Vroeger Was Alles Beter event, the business has an extensive inventory of ADJ fixtures. These were utilized extensively for this project, both for illuminating performers on stage and to create big, room-filling looks comprised of intense aerial effects and vibrant color washes.
“The new additions to ADJ’s product range over the past year, which we have invested in heavily and used extensively on this project, are really good,” comments Willem. “They offer a combination of features, quality, and cost that make them perfect for our company. The support and service from ADJ is also very good. The fixtures are generally reliable, but if we ever do have a problem, we know that we will be looked after. I am very happy with our investment in ADJ equipment.”
Working alongside Willem on this project was young, up-and-coming lighting professional Rik Verschuren, who programmed and operated the show. As part of a college course training him to become a Lighting Technician, Rik carried out an internship with WSS Audio & Light a couple of years ago. This provided Rik with valuable experience but also brought his skills to Willem’s attention. After graduating, Rik was employed by a leading design company in the Netherlands, but also works as a freelancer for WSS Audio & Light and other local companies.
ADJ’s Focus Flex compact and versatile LED wash-zoom was the fixture type used in the highest quantity across Vroeger Was Alles Beter’s lighting rig, with a total of 54 units spread across the stage set. These were positioned, in rows of five, above and below the large screens flanking the stage; in three rows of four on trusses located at either side of the DJ position; and all around the circular truss situated directly in the center of the set. Each Focus Flex is powered by an array of seven potent 40-Watt 4-in-1 RGBW color mixing LEDs, all of which can be controlled independently. This, paired with a quick motorized zoom function, allows the fixture to output potent washes, piercing beams and dazzling eye candy effects.
“The Focus Flex is one of my favorite ADJ fixtures,” enthuses Rik. “It is really fast and very small, but the output is huge. It has a big zoom range, so can do a wide wash as well as a tight beam, and it is bright enough not to be blown away when used alongside dedicated beam fixtures. The colors are also good and everything in the fixture is quick – the pan and tilt, the zoom, everything! They are really nice, good-looking fixtures that work very well.”
Also integrated into the event’s lighting rig were 24 of ADJ’s Focus Profile automated luminaires. These were rigged in sets of three to six ladder trusses spread across the stage set, allowing beams to shoot out from across the back of the stage. Additional fixtures were also attached to the front of a master truss grid hanging over the crowd to provide front wash for the performers on stage, while a final head was positioned at the top of the circular truss to backlight the DJ position. Powered by a potent 400W white light LED engine that generates an impressive output of 20,000 lumens, this feature-packed fixture is the flagship model of ADJ’s popular Focus Series. Its integrated beam-shaping tools include four rotating framing shutters with shape rotation, an animation wheel, motorized zoom, motorized iris, motorized focus, CMY color mixing and variable CTO, an additional color wheel loaded with six dichroic filters, two separate GOBO wheels (one with interchangeable indexed-rotating GOBOs and the other with static metal-stamped GOBOs), a replaceable (medium) frost filter and two independent indexed rotating prisms (3-facet circular and 6-facet linear).
“The output of the Focus Profile is very good, as is the zoom range, which makes it a versatile fixture for this kind of event,” says Rik. “It can go very narrow to create a sharp beam, but also spread out wide for some nice big break-apart looks, which provided a contrast to the beam effects. The zoom speed is also nice and fast, which allowed me to include zoom bumps as part of my programming. The colors are good, and having the CMY mixing allowed me to not only have complete control but also to create some nice color fades. I also particularly like a few of the GOBOs that are supplied with this fixture, and I was able to get these really nice and sharp.”
The third ADJ fixture type deployed for this event was the Vizi Beam 12RX. This powerful lighting instrument is specifically designed to generate piercing mid-air effects. Harnessing the power of a 260W Philips® Platinum 12R LL lamp, coupled with precision-engineered optics and a large glass front lens, it is capable of generating an exceptionally potent and sharp 2-degree beam. The fixture also offers a versatile collection of onboard beam-shaping tools, which allow for a vast variety of different looks to be achieved. These include 15 colors, 17 GOBOs, motorized focus, rotating 24-facet circular and 6-facet linear prisms, and a frost filter. 24 of the fixtures were used for Vroeger Was Alles Beter, positioned at the end of vertical trusses hanging down from the master grid as well as lined across the front of the stage. This allowed Rik to engulf the large hall with beams, shooting them out from the stage as well as down from the roof, completely immersing the crowd.
“The Vizi Beam 12RX is a powerful fixture, you get a lot of light coming out, which is important for a big space like this,” comments Rik. “The colors are also very good, and it is pretty fast. Overall, it is a really nice fixture, which offers very good value for money. It competes with other models from other brands that are much more expensive, but delivers the same effect, which means that more fixtures can fit into a show’s budget.”
Each offering both versatility and powerful output, the three ADJ fixture types deployed by WSS Audio and Light for Vroeger Was Alles Beter 2023 allowed Rik to generate a wide variety of impressive looks. From vibrant color washes, to piercing beams, to wide break-apart effects, the vast hall was filled with immersive lighting which helped ensure the event’s atmosphere was electric from start to finish.
Event: Vroeger Was Alles Beter 2023 – The Man With The Golden Classics, www.vwab.nl
Venue: Autotron, Rosmalen, The Netherlands
- Lighting Production: WSS Audio & Light, www.w-s-s.nl
- Lighting / Stage Designer: Willem Smits
- Lighting Operator: Rik Verschuren
- Photography: Tessa van Nuland
ADJ Lighting Gear List
- 54 x Focus Flex
- 24 x Focus Profile
- 24 x Vizi Beam 12RX
