Martin Maxxyz at WWE WrestleMania XIX

Debuting recently at SAFECO Field in Seattle, among the big boys of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Martin Professional’s new professional lighting console, Maxxyz, handled everything a major event could throw at it.

Held on Sunday, March 23rd WrestleMania XIX was the largest event ever held at SAFECO Field and the first major show (BETA test show) for the Maxxyz in the US. Some 54,000 fans cheered on their favorite wrestlers at WWE’s most extravagant event of the year, which also included a performance by metal-based hip-hoppers Limp Bizkit.

The overall lighting rig was made up of 16 large truss-structures of varying shapes and contained a mixture of automated (MAC 600, MAC 2000 Profile, Atomic 3000 Strobe) and conventional lighting and was controlled by multiple consoles. In the future, the need for this kind of arrangement will be replaced by a Maxxyz network system (either a single console or multiple consoles).  Additional automated lighting was placed on stage and on a special entrance ramp.

Maxxyz control
Matthias Hinrichs, lighting programmer for the event and part of the BETA-force of programmers working closely with Martin to ensure Maxxyz meets user demands, put Maxxyz through its paces, utilizing the many features at his disposal.
 
Matthias commented, “Connecting the main stage to the wrestling ring was a 135-foot ramp lined with 54 MAC 250 Profiles. Illumination from the 250s provided a dramatic background for wrestlers entering the arena and it was these fixtures that the Maxxyz controlled and it performed well. The software and programming were stable throughout the show, which is of course very important, and the console never lost its playback-abilities.“
 
3D Visualizer eases set-up
As the crew set-up for the show, with fixtures still in their cases, Matthias found the built-in 3D Visualizer to be a big help. “We really got a head start on things due to the built-in Visualizer. The images on the real-time rendering preview were quite amazing. The quality of the touch screens was also a benefit as we did a lot of programming during the day, in the bright sunlight, and the screens were still easy to read.”
 
Host of useful features
“The console was easy to handle due to its logical layout. The digital belts in the Programmer for example are quite nice – instead of the more typical encoders - and provide a great feel to control the fixture. Fixture parameters, visual representation such as gobo and color selection for example, are easily accessible and the digital LCD buttons proved to be a very important feature. They provide great feedback by changing colors to signal different functions and settings and make recognition and navigation simple. Some buttons even adjust their functionality following my programming by changing their labels to exactly what I need at that moment. The Effects Generator proved to be a real time saver as well - straightforward and fast - and delivered the desired looks for the show.“
 
Multi-media
Developed with multi-media as a key feature, Maxxyz includes a host of useful components including a DVD/CD-RW multi-drive, floppy disk drive and USB connectors for peripheral device connection. “The built-in Media Player was a great benefit for programming the Limp Bizkit performance in particular,” Matthias says. “The band handed the designer a CD and we started programming right away. The USB-connections made it easy to back up the show to a USB Flash drive and carry it around your neck. Saving the show took just a few seconds.”
 
Bandit Lites supplied the Martin gear with lighting design by long time WWE event LD Jason E. Robinson who had this to add, “I got exactly what I needed out of the console, and the Maxxyz Effects Generator was a great tool to create powerful looks, chases and moves on the MAC 250s that lead down the ramp."

Lighting Designer:   Jason E. Robinson
Lighting Supplier:   Bandit Lites, Inc.
Programmers:   Troy Eckerman, Benjamin Hay, Chuck Hastings
Maxxyz Programmer:  Matthias Hinrichs