Nexus Keys "Memorable Start" for Sunset Music Festival

	Sunset Festival in New South Wales, Australia with Chauvet Professional

The Sunset Music Festival at the Armidale Showgrounds was the first electronic dance music festival ever held in Australia's most populous state of New South Wales, and its organizers wanted it to provide an experience to build on for future events. Based on the reaction from the thousands of EDM fans who attended the one-day festival, they succeeded in doing just that, thanks in part to some unforgettable eye candy served up by the Nexus 4x4 LED panel from Chauvet Professional.

"The panels surpassed even our already high expectations; their impact was very powerful and instantly communicated to the audience that this was a very special event," said Adriano Mercurio of Showtime Promotions and Productions in Sydney, which provided the lighting rig. "Being an outdoor festival we needed intensity on stage, which is exactly what we got from the Nexus panels. We hung the panels on tiered trussing, which worked very well with the curved roof structure of Showtime's stage to create an intense focus of light."

Showtime used 12 DMX-controlled Nexus 4x4 panels on the stage, provided by Chauvet Professional's Australian distributor Showtools International. The panels helped illuminate over 15 of Australia's best-known electronic music acts including Aria chart smashing djs, the Potbelleez, Bombs Away, Kronic, Tigerlilly, and The Only. Mercurio praised the panels for lending a captivating eye-candy element to the festival while not distracting from the performances on stage or the rest of the lighting design.

"Going into the project, we were concerned about the age-old issue of balancing looks and functionality," he said. "We wanted to maximize the super powerful effect of the Nexus panels without compromising the design of the show or distracting from the performance. However, this proved to be far from a problem; it was very easy to incorporate the Nexus panels into our show without losing anything."

According to Mercurio, the versatility of the Nexus 4x4 made it ideally suited to meet the multiple demands of a festival that featured a variety of musical acts, held over a period that transitioned from day to night. "The panels were very easy to work with; they allowed us to accomplish whatever we wanted from them, whether as a set piece or blinder," he said. "We ran them at 20% power when using them as an effect, then propelled it up to 100% when the show called for a high-energy blinder function. Their color changing capabilities were impressive, and we relied on it to set different moods on stage."

Based on the popularity of the first Sunset Music Festival, New South Wales is certain to see an encore performance next year. As for the Nexus 4x4 panels, based on their performance at the festival, they are going to be more prevalent in Showtime's inventory. "We plan on adding more Nexus 4x4 panels in the near future," said Mercurio. "They are a very versatile fixture that can be used for multiple applications, making them perfect for our growing business."

For more information on Showtime Promotions and Productions visit www.show-pro.com.au.

For more information on Showtools International visit www.showtools.com.au.

See Chauvet Professional at PLASA Focus: Orlando, February 17 - 18, 2015.