All Time Low scored a UK number one album in 2015 with Future Hearts, elevating them to arena status with legions of new fans. Their long time lighting designer Maker responded by conceiving a sense of the design 'being alive, to achieve the ultimate engaging experience for the audience.'
"I've been using Avolites consoles for 10 years and I've been using the Sapphire Touch since 2014," says Maker. "I absolutely love the console. The set list function puts the playbacks I need at my fingertips and I love how exact and sensitive the touch screens are. It's easy to update any attribute on the fly, it's extremely user friendly, and easy to program.
"I enjoy using the Pixel Mapper and Key Frame Shape Generator as well. It is the perfect console!"
Maker specified two networked Sapphire Touch consoles for the tour - one as main and one as backup - as well as an Avolites Quartz on the same network at stage and DMX processing handled by an Avolites TitanNet Processor.
The main concept for the UK tour staging involved four diamond-shaped screens - all of which moved during the set, transforming the design throughout the show - alongside a large rig.
"I created some new static looks for certain songs and some constant motion for entire songs, Maker explains. "In terms of staging, we installed an elevator upstage center for the band's entrance as well as for the first song of the encore. I also wanted to have a catwalk for the guys to use, which brought them right out into the audience. I designed the set, lighting, video and truss to work together for the biggest impact possible for these arenas."
Maker's rig consisted mainly of Robe fixtures - Robin BMFLs, Pointes, 600 LED Wash and Beam fixtures, 600e Spots and Cyc FX8s. In addition, Maker specified Elation ACL 360 LED Bars and Martin Atomic 3k Strobes, which provided rock looks.
"As an LD I like to think every lighting moment is a special one," Maker continues. "I try to marry video, lighting, and pyro in blissful matrimony and give each song its own personality and mood based on lyrics. There were some beautiful moments, for instance when the band first rise onto the stage using the elevator, and when the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, performs an acoustic song at the end of the catwalk, which are great lighting focal points. But overall, it's a pretty fast-paced set."
The Sapphire Touch offers designers fast, live and hands on control. Powered by the regularly updated Titan software, the console provides a plethora of design possibilities. Features such as Key Frame Shapes allows designers to create radically different looks in seconds, whilst Quicksketch means the user can design their own interface, creating custom icons which are fast to find during show time.
All Time Low played London's O2 Arena, the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Manchester Arena, Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena and the Glasgow SSE Arena.