Martin by HARMAN MAC Axiom Hybrids were selected by Clearwing Productions to
light many of the stages of the biggest annual music festival in the world,
Summerfest. The festival, which draws close to one million fans each year,
provides the backdrop for the music industry’s hottest stars, emerging talent and
local favourites to create unforgettable live music experiences in a world-class
festival setting.
Renowned as one of the leading rental companies for touring, festivals and concerts
in North America, Clearwing has purchased 76 of the new compact, all-in-one
hybrids specifically for Summerfest, installing them on six out of 11 of the festival’s
permanent stages. Twelve MAC Axiom Hybrids are now in use on each of the stages
of the BMO Harris Pavilion, the Miller Lite Oasis, the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
as well as others.
“One of the main features of the Axioms that we like is being able to access
multiple effects in a compact, low-power fixture,’ said Ania Dankow,
Operations/Logistics – Lighting for Clearwing. “You don’t have to switch modes on
the fixture to go from a tight beam to a wide zoom; it’s a nice fluid motion.’
Dankow also appreciates that all features of the fixture are available in one mode.
“You basically get everything all in one mode on the Axioms,’ says Dankow. “That’s
a unique feature; with some of the competitors, you have to pick the feature you
want. You can either have that tight beam or the wider zoom, but not both at the
same time.’
“The colour mixing is great on it,’ Dankow added. “We also like the fact that it has
an independent CTO wheel, which is nice because you can roll that in and not have
to affect other colour wheels. It’s lightweight, bright and it’s fast.’
The fixture’s seamless zoom and focus capability eliminates the need for dedicated
beam or spot modes and allows for both instant as well as discrete transitions from
a high-intensity collimated beam to a flat field spot. The MAC Axiom Hybrid’s
precise optical system offers high contrast, both in mid-air and projection, as well
as a surprisingly flat field not often seen with this short-arc lamp technology.