An Avolites Diamond 4 was used to run a Hippotizer digital media server controlling 10 standard G-LEC Video surfaces forming the backdrop around the stage in the main Stravinsky Hall venue at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival.

The legendary Festival celebrated its 40th glorious anniversary in 2006 with as varied, hyperactive and interesting a programme as ever.

This was a major visual effect available for use by all artists playing in this hall and was used extensively by most of the visiting and resident lighting designers throughout the two week event. As with all the rest of the lighting equipment in this venue, the D4 was supplied by St Gallen-based Stagelight, and was purchased specially for the festival.

The D4 was also used to run the TV lights - including a selection of profiles 2K fresnels and PC spots, plus 20 channels of house lighting. It was programmed and run by Peter Haeusler from IQ Unlimited, Avolites' Swiss distributor - who supplied the desk to Stagelight.

They created custom content on the Hippotizer for several performers including the Black Eyed Peas, Deep Purple, Sean Paul. "We needed this element of the system to be flexible and easy to programme" comments Haeusler, "and that's why Diamond 4 was chosen".

Particularly useful features on the desk, he says, include having direct access to 96 buttons on the front panel .... an ideal scenario for media server work, plus the ability to patch fixtures into preset pages and then store them onto the live page. This gives access to 110 cues in one view - completely bypassing the need to change pages. "The live operational elements are just so powerful and very easy" he concludes.

This is among the primary reasons that Stagelight has invested in their new console, says boss Peter Lemmenmeier, adding that they have been using Avo products for 20 years now, which he thinks is an excellent brand track record.

This is the first year that Stagelight has supplied lighting production for Montreux Jazz. In addition to the Stravinsky Hall, they also supplied a complete rig to the Miles Davies Hall on a lower floor of the same building - the overall design for both venues was created by Marco Bossi.

Across town in the Casino de Barrière, the third - and also the original - Montreux venue, lighting rental company Skylight from Geneva supplied another Diamond 4 console and a Pearl 2004. This was operated by Morret Charles and Marie Du Catez.

Dimming for the Stravinsky and Miles Davies Halls, and in the Casino was all Avo ART 2000.