Avolites D7 in Heaven Nightclub

	"Everything is in these faders, including a degree of separation so the lighting rig effectively becomes like an orchestra of performers and instruments," says Sanders. Photo: Sarah O'Gorman

Heaven, London's most iconic gay nightclub, has recently installed a new Avolites D7 console in its main room, delivered via technical production and installation specialist Subfrantic, to provide lighting and pixel control for the main room, a high-energy dance environment open seven nights a week.

The project was led by the venue's head of lighting, Shane Finucane, and regular programmer/operator, Dan Sanders, who were looking to upgrade the previous Avolites Sapphire Touch console installed around ten years ago.

Located under the Charing Cross railway arches on Villiers Street in London's West End, Heaven has been a popular safe space and entertainment hub for London's vibrant LGBTQ+ community since its opening in 1979. It occupies three-and-a-half arched tunnels, with a total capacity of 1,725.

Running lights at the club is a completely hands-on experience for Sanders, who mostly freestyles; while he doesn't need a massive amount of programming macros, he does utilize every last flash button to craft this highly syncopated style of operation.

He likes to play his console like a classic keyboard. "I like a certain level of tactility and granularity on these, so you know exactly what to expect when you're playing arpeggios -- exactly how much muscle power to apply, etc.," he says.

He finds that this fluid and kinetic workflow is vital, especially for lighting trance and heavier dance genres, where multiple lighting effects can be applied simultaneously to offer the absolute best visual effects down on the dance floor: "Everything is in these faders, including a degree of separation so the lighting rig effectively becomes like an orchestra of performers and instruments."

He also like the D7's playback touch screens and the Active Playback Window, usually having 20 or 30 open on the center screen when running a show, plus running virtual playbacks for haze, video wall intensity and the group master. He uses the ten macro buttons along the bottom for his strobe bumps, and he also adds his own 16-button InTech MIDI trigger pad to playback effects out of sight of the window.

He notes that the physical size of the D7 is a good fit for Heaven's operating space. While the console is rarely moved, he likes the fact that it looks and feels like a proper full-size console yet is still a one-person lift. He also appreciates the new black Avolites livery, the LED strip light across the top of the screens, the tip-able screens and the generally well-designed ergonomics of the user interface.