Naostage’s beaconless 3D tracking system, K SYSTEM, dazzled hundreds of thousands of revellers with seamlessly automated lighting effects at two of this summer’s biggest international music festivals.
Fred Hamonou, technical director for Mawazine and Main Square Festival – among the most prestigious music festivals in Morocco and France, respectively – used K SYSTEM to save festival organisers time and money, all the while delivering an immersive visual experience with less equipment than would be required from a traditional lighting set-up.
Hamonou is a long-time fan of K SYSTEM, having utilised its automatic tracking technology on a number of previous productions, as he explained: “My relationship with Naostage goes back a long way, and K SYSTEM is a product I’ve been following for several years now, because its promising future as a proAV technology. I’d previously had the opportunity to use it on several occasions – at the Transmusicales de Rennes, for Orelsan at [Accor Arena] Bercy, with Louise Attaque at [Festival de] Poupet – and each time I’ve been convinced by the product, its execution and its effectiveness.”
At Mawazine 2024, held in Rabat from 21 to 29 June, Hamonou turned to K SYSTEM to automate and manage the complex lighting set-up for performances by Camila Cabello, ATEEZ, Central Cee, Burna Boy and headliner Kylie Minogue, which would otherwise have required multiple lighting operators for the large number of Robe followspots. With a capacity of more than 220,000 per day, Mawazine is the world’s second-largest music festival, behind only Donauinselfest in Vienna.
Hamonou confirms that, without K SYSTEM, it would have been impossible for him to meet the artists’ lighting demands. He elaborated: “The Robospot is a recognised and sought-after product, but it also requires dedicated spotlights with a number of operators equivalent to the number of fixtures. The demand was such that it was impossible for us to supply the quantity requested by the various artists. That’s why K SYSTEM quickly appeared to be the obvious solution.”
For Kylie and co, Hamonou specified two KAPTA sensors, which covered both the stage area and the proscenium, to enable the automatic tracking of the artists, their bands and other performers, such as dancers, and the partial automation of the lighting effects.
The world’s first automatic, beaconless 3D tracking solution, K SYSTEM simplifies the creation of immersive, interactive live experiences by identifying and following visitors and performers wherever they are within the tracking area. The technology makes it possible to automatically trigger AV, lighting and media effects in perfect sync with a live show or fixed installation.
K SYSTEM comprises three elements: KAPTA, a lightweight 3D sensor bar that scans in real-time; KORE, an AI computing unit that merges sensor data and automatically detects, tracks and identifies people moving withing the tracking area; and KRATOS, a complete user software to design projects and manage interactions with external AVL systems.
After K SYSTEM’s star turn at Mawazine, where it delivered spectacular automated lighting effects for more than 250,000 daily attendees, Hamonou once again turned to Naostage technology for Live Nation’s Main Square Festival, one of the biggest pop and rock events in France, which returned to Citadelle d’Arras in the north-east of the country from 4th to 7th July 2024.
“Main Square is one of the biggest festivals in France, and they are always on the look-out for new ideas and technologies,” explained Hamonou. “Naostage and their K SYSTEM meet all these criteria.”
At both Mawazine and Main Square Festival, K SYSTEM was driven by two full-size grandMA3 consoles operated by the festival’s lighting designers. Hamonou says the LDs, who were not familiar with the system, were quickly won over once they realised how much K SYSTEM could streamline their workflows. In fact, “on several occasions, LDs and production staff even asked us for Naostage’s contact details,” he added.
It was a similar story in Morocco, where Camila Cabello and her team realised the potential of K SYSTEM after using it to solve a last-minute challenge associated with their Robospots. “They were convinced by the product and particularly happy with the ease of use and results, thanks to its quick deployment at the last minute to compensate for their problem,” said Hamonou.
He identifies the financial savings delivered by K SYSTEM as one of the chief advantages for organisers of festivals like Main Square and Mawazine, but also highlights the positive effect of having fewer lighting fixtures intruding into the sightlines of attendees: “There’s no need to add bulky structures to accommodate additional follow spots, which limits the visual impact of the scenic design.”
According to Hamonou, the support provided by the Naostage team during both festivals was top notch, and contributed to the positive impression left on everyone who came into contact with K SYSTEM over the 13 days it was in action for both festivals.
“Naostage helped us set up the right technical configuration, they helped us with the feasibility of the project – like adding the second bar for the proscenium [at Mawazine] – and they validated the final set-up,” he elaborates. “They were always available if we needed them. K SYSTEM is already a very mature product, but the Naostage team is always ready to listen and develop it further. They’re very easy to work with.”
Concluding, Fred Hamonou reflects on the positive reception given to K SYSTEM by all festival technicians – and the reassuring cheers that greeted the new technology among both festivals’ attendees. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback for K SYSTEM, thanks to its quality, simplicity and efficiency. As for the festivalgoers, they didn’t see any difference, as it was completely transparent for the audience. That’s what we’re aiming for, and it worked perfectly.”
