“It gets bigger and bigger”: grandMA2 joins CMT Music Awards

grandMA2 consoles proved to be country strong when they turned out in force for the 2013 CMT Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Lighting designer Tom Kenny used 6 x grandMA2 full-size for the gala special, which was hosted by Kristen Bell and Jason Aldean.

“The CMT Music Awards is a huge event on the music calendar and gets bigger and bigger every year. It outshines every other awards show,” says Kenny.

Kenny partnered with production designer Ann Brahic, who marked her fifth year with the show. “She designed a set that was a very modern scape. It went along with the theme of the show: a cross-cultural look at country music,” he explains. “People loved it. Ann really understands lighting, and we have a great relationship.”

advertisment

VER supplied Kenny with 140 Clay Paky Sharpys for inside and outside the arena. Two grandMA2 consoles were on hand to control the show’s video elements and four to handle lighting control. “They are the ‘the’ desk for live event television,” says Kenny. “We never have a problem programming them, their recall is fantastic and their memory is unbelievable. We plugged in the newest software, and they were up and running. And performing fantastic as always.”

advertisment

MA Lighting International, based in Paderborn, Germany, is the dedicated sales, support and service entity for the renowned control systems, digital dimming systems, networking tools and media servers of MA Lighting Technology, based near Wuerzburg, Germany. The product range offers cutting-edge solutions for control and dimming, including the award-winning grandMA2 consoles, the MA onPC command wing and MA onPC fader wing and reliable digital dimmer racks and packs. With its innovative MA VPU (Video Processing Unit) MA bridges the lighting and video worlds.

Today, MA Lighting is respected for its technical knowledge and has achieved a unique international reputation for its operational philosophy. The company offers more than 30 years experience and strictly follows a professional user-centric approach, getting as close as possible to the market via its own international offices and support centres in the UK, North America, Latin America, the Middle East/India, Asia Pacific and Scandinavia/Eastern Europe/Russia – supported by a world-wide distribution and service network.