grandMA3 is the choice for Beste Zangers Live

The Netherlands – The power of MA Lighting’s grandMA3 system was the choice to carry out the lighting design and delivery of the Beste Zangers Live concert at Rotterdam Ahoy. In the hands of specialists from Utrecht-based light and video studio Light Image, the system ensured the efficient preparation and delivery of this spectacular talent show spin-off.

This was the fourth live concert edition, which celebrates the phenomenal success of Beste Zangers, the popular television singing competition which has now been broadcast for 15 seasons. This year’s live show took place on 9 May 2025, bringing together favourite performers for a one-night-only live appearance. 

Technical production is by Unlimited Productions bv, while the complete lighting, PA and rigging package was once again supplied by Eventec. With a wide stockholding of grandMA3 systems, Eventec is one of the leading suppliers in the country, and a major player in the Dutch rental market for TV and live events. As MA Lighting’s local distributor in the Netherlands, Rolight was always available to provide support and acted as the main point of contact throughout the project.

grandMA3: the front-runner

“We continuously invest in the latest technologies,” says Eventec’s Stefan Bensch, “and these are backed by our well-trained crew to ensure the shows we work with are technically outstanding. Working to support the team from Light Image with such great systems is always a pleasure.”

William van Rumpt, lighting designer and programmer at Light Image, agrees. “To be honest, grandMA3 is my platform of choice,” he says. “Using it, I can program quickly and efficiently and know my way around the desk blindfolded! Also, the grandMA3 is pretty much the industry standard for events of this kind in The Netherlands.”

With almost 25 years’ experience in show lighting, Van Rumpt began his career in a small local venue in his home city and worked for various lighting companies offering both supply and creative services. For the past 10 years he has specialized in lighting design and programming and has frequently worked with Light Image on a range of live and broadcast events.

Of his history with MA Lighting control systems, he says, “I have used every bit of MA hardware for a long time. I started on an MA Lightcommander 24/6 and Scancommander and have since used every grandMA desk they’ve produced!” Although familiar with other manufacturers’ systems in that time, he says, “I always preferred going back to MA because I liked the programming style and the possibilities it offers.”

With Light Image, Van Rumpt was an early adopter of grandMA3, and notes that the earlier software versions were difficult to work on. “I missed a lot of functions I used in grandMA2, but I really liked the way the new console was set up. Finding my way around the software – especially the new functions like phasers, tree structures etc – was quite the challenge, but in the end, I can say I would never go back to grandMA2 again.”

Managing Complexity

The lighting rig for the show was extensive, including well over 1,000 fixtures. Van Rumpt and his Light Image colleague, Bas van der Poel, used two grandMA3 light consoles and a grandMA3 processing unit M which increases the overall grandMA3 system capacity by 4,096 parameters, all running software version 2.2.5.0. One grandMA3 was outputting all sACN universes and controlling the main part of the stage lighting rig, while the other was taking care of keylights in the same session, with a different user profile.

Van Rumpt says, “Because the grandMA3’s multi-user setup lets different users to work on the same show file at the same time, it allowed me to concentrate on the show and music while Bas could focus on keylights and followspots. Also, because preprogramming time was limited for this production, we used a combination of busking and pre-programmed looks. This allowed us to be as flexible as possible, giving each song and artist something unique. Using recipes was a great way to create looks and song-specific effects and settings, while being able to always use my busking page to hit accents and bumps.”

Time-Saving Features

He adds, “I also tour with a couple of bands and using the recipes feature in grandMA3 is a real time-saver. Also, the import of MVR (My Virtual Rig) files really saves time as well: we use Vectorworks as our main CAD package, so we save a lot of time using MVRs to quickly get patch and 3D positions into our visualizers and grandMA3 systems. Other time-saving features include the import/export menu, and the new PSR (Partial Show Read) feature is generally a good way to save time on the road, and during changeovers.”

This hugely popular show was a massive success, reliving the favourite performances for 16,000 keen fans. Using the powerful, flexible and robust grandMA3 system, Light Image was able to give those fans a show to remember.