Catalyst For The Kings

Two Catalyst digital media servers are being used to great effect on the Kings of Leon 'Only By The Night' tour in an integrated visuals show created by Live Visuals Director Phil Haynes, Lighting Co-Designer/Director Ali Bale, Creative Designer and Co-LD Paul Normandale and Live Video Director Phil Woodhead.
The Catalysts - running a pre-release version of the latest V4-2 software which gives ten submixes on 16 layers - are outputting the nine camera IMAG mix and assorted playback content to 1000 tiles of Barco MiTrix screen and 270 Element Labs VersaTUBE HDs.
These latest spec Catalyst machines were supplied by Catalyst's UK distributors Projected Image Digital (PID) to the tour's UK & European lighting contractors Lite Alternative.
They are fitted with two Apple MAC 3.2 GHz Quad Core Intel Xeon processors, 4GB RAM, an 8800 Graphics card, 128GB Solid State Drives and Active Silicon HDSDI Capture Cards.
The MiTrix is used to clad both wings of a chevron shaped front truss which 'crowns' the stage. The VersaTUBES are arranged in ten varying sized pods attached to the front of ten individual lighting trusses, all of which move into different configurations via a Kinesys automation system during the show. All video equipment for the tour apart from the Catalysts is being supplied by XL Video.
The ten lighting pods are what initially prompted Haynes to go for the V4.2 software - because he wanted the facility to mix each pod individually.
He said: "Although content is king, there are some song visuals that are created in Catalyst just using the power of the FX and colour FX to create unique looks. This is achieved using a simple image transformed into a dynamic visual via Catalyst magic."
Playback material is a collage of new and existing footage and includes two authorised Black & White Hammer Films B-Movies which have been re-edited and treated in Catalyst. Approximately 40 songs worth of playback content is programmed into the Catalysts, of which about 22 are chosen for each night's set.
The Catalysts are triggered via a Hog IPC console running in Hog II mode. They're used to produce some seriously funky positional and layering effects with the cameras, which enable changing the shape of anything appearing on the MiTrix - so it can be slanted, horizontal, vertical, layered, tiled etc.
The outputs of the nine cameras - 1 Sony D50 at FOH, four operated Robo cams onstage and four static mini cams, three onstage and one at FOH - are all sent from Woodhead's GV Kayak switcher to Haynes' Catalysts where they're tweaked for every song - be it positional, sizing, colouring, graphics, etc.
This gives ultimate versatility and is an extremely interactive way of creating show IMAG visuals that also relies on the spontaneity and improvisational abilities of Haynes and Woodhead alike. Haynes can output these as one single or up to eight different camera shots. Woodhead said: "It's a great illustration of Phil's Catalyst skills. And it's great for IMAG to be involved in the whole song 'look' equation rather than just doing its own thing."
Further information is available at: www.pi-digital.co.uk.
(KMcA/BMcC)