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Cool set design: part 1

After a longer-than-expected holiday break, I’m back with a slightly different topic: set design and construction. Someone else designs and builds our sets, but I get to light them, and I’m usually tasked with documenting them. Our lighting console evaluations have been on hold for the holidays, but I plan to get back to it later this month.

The set I’m writing about today is one of the more exotic ones we’ve tried. Here’s how it looked when lit

Pieces were cut from white Styrofoam and stitched together to make a wall of crazy curves:

The set was lit from below with cheap LED panels. The black boxes in front of the fixtures are cinder blocks that are basically sitting there to keep people from stepping on or kicking the fixtures as they enter and exit the stage.

These LED fixtures are handy, but they have their drawbacks. That will be the subject of another post.

ChamSys MagicQ console review::part I

I don’t know how to pronounce it, but I like it!  This review is based on my impressions gathered from a few minutes of hands-on experience at LDI 2007, and the MagicQ PC software that I downloaded from ChamSys. I plan to review a lot of consoles by downloading the offline editors, and hopefully we will get demo units of our favorites.

Installation:  Download from the link above.  I’m thrilled that it runs natively on Linux.  I made a directory /opt/magicq/  and uncompressed the tarball.  I had to install libftdi as indicated in the instructions (version 0.7 works fine).  In order to run the software as a non-root user, I had to give write permission on the usb device, even though I’m not using any wings.  That was the only hitch.

Programming: The MagicQ has a programmer and a playback section–the playback section can be playing cues from lists, while the user is manually setting values in the programmer.  This is similar to the Hog, but different from the ETC Congo.  Like the Hog, there are multiple playback faders, each with a cue list, and the console mixes the outputs using HTP or LTP (highest- or latest-takes-precedence).

The MagicQ assigns HTP or LTP per DMX channel.  Conventional lights are usually run HTP, while movers are run LTP.  This overcomes one of the worst features of the Hog–you can only choose HTP or LTP for an entire cue list, meaning that it’s hard to mix conventional lights and moving lights in the same cue list.

Neat feature: the manual is available on the console by pressing the Help button.

Next time, I will try patching some fixtures and running the demo show.

LDI Report::Part 3::Midrange Lighting Control Consoles

My real mission at LDI was to review lighting consoles–management is considering replacing our Hog 1000 in the next year or so.  The Hog is serving our needs well, but we’ve already used up both DMX outputs, and Hog programming is not the easiest thing to teach to new lighting operators.  So, we’re looking at consoles that match or exceed the capabilities of the Hog 1000, with 4 DMX outputs and hopefully with a more user-friendly design.  We’re keeping the price below $30,000–hopefully well below!  So, without further ado, here are the consoles I got to see in person. Please keep in mind that these are first impressions, and I really need to download the offline emulators before I say anything more.

The Avolites Pearl Expert and Pearl 2008.  The main thing that caught my eye with this console is the fader paging system.  There’s basically a big drum embedded in the board above the playback faders.  You use console tape on the drum to label the faders.  To get to a new bank of faders, roll the drum one click and bring up a new set of labels.  It’s intuitively obvious when you play with it.

The MagicQ is a module console from a new company called ChamSys.  It’s being distributed in the US by PRG.  Some of the programmers previously worked on the Hog 2 and 3, so this board runs much like a Hog 2.  It might be described as “what the Hog 3 should have been.”  Very programmable–and Linux-based!

These are Vector consoles from Compulite.  They seem to be reasonably priced and extremely programmable, but retain some of the simplicity of a theater-style console.  I got to talk to a software developer on the project, and although the consoles run a Windows XP operating system, they have taken great pains to maintain realtime hardware response.

The Congo and Congo Jr. were originally made by Avab, and somehow acquired by ETC.  Compared to other brands, I was most impressed with the user interface of the Congo.  It’s designed like an ETC theater console, but integrates moving light support seamlessly.  There is no separate programmer–you are always working within a cue.  It’s probably too early to say this, but I think this would be the easiest one to teach to a beginner.  Unfortunately, it seems to be one of the more expensive consoles in this lineup.

Here is the LeapFrog from zero88.   I didn’t get much chance to use it, but with only 2 built-in DMX outputs, I’m not sure this is going to have the horsepower we need.

The Frog 2 seems to be very much like the Hog 1000 or Hog 2 in terms of its programming style.  I don’t think it adds much value when compared to the Hog 1000.

Overall, I was impressed with the consoles I saw at LDI.  My impression is that there are many powerful consoles to choose from, but many of them are too programmable for their own good.  I love programming features, but that’s because I’m a professional programmer who happened to learn lighting.  What about the theater lighting person who needs to run moving lights?  Is it really a good thing that bump button #7 can be programmed to shut off the console?  On another note, a lot of people were very helpful when showing me their consoles.  However, they would have been a lot more effective if they had just shut up and listened to my needs for a minute before going off and describing all kinds of features I don’t care about.  Stay tuned for more in-depth reviews!

LDI Report::Part 2::Cool Products

These are a few interesting products that I saw at LDI.  I spent most of my time at the show looking at and trying out various lighting control consoles.  I didn’t have time to prowl around the smaller booths where the most interesting products are sometimes hidden.  These are just the things that caught my eye on the way from one place to the next.  Over the next month, I will go deep into detail on the lighting consoles I saw, so I’m excluding that product segment from this post.

Here is a giant video ball from Skyview.  It’s inflatable, it will float if filled with helium, and it has a video screen.

This is an innovative product for the film industry from Airstar.  It’s an inflatable flood light.  The large, inflatable reflector housing seem easy to set up, and compact to store when deflated.

This is Airstar’s booth.  I was really impressed with these illuminated spheres, which can also be filled with helium to make them float in midair.  Check out their gallery page for cool applications.  I want to rent some of these!

Last but not least, the Fogscreen!  It uses plain water and ultrasonics to produce a very fine fog of water–the drops are so fine that it doesn’t even feel like water, and you don’t get wet at all from standing in it.  The fog is forced into a sheet that can be used as a screen for projection.

LDI Report::Part 1::Eye Candy

LDI is where lighting designers go to dream. Companies spend big bucks to bring their products and show them off in the most spectacular fashion. Ironically, some of the less-reputable names have some of the largest booths. High End was completely absent–a source told me that they don’t spend money on trade shows because they introduce new products directly to key designers (not because they are having financial difficulties).

In this post I’m going to highlight a few photos of the show in general. For more, check out my Flickr photostream. In future posts, I plan to focus on reviewing some lighting consoles. First, some spectacular booths from Chauvet and Robe–it appears they are trying hard to be taken seriously by lighting professionals.

At the Chauvet booth, note the array of 96 mini-movers! I was also impressed with the booth from XST:

I’m not a rigger, but it sure looks like they know what they’re doing with truss. Cyberhoist also had a really sweet booth. The trusses moved up and down at changing angles in various coordinated patterns.

Finally, it wouldn’t be polite for me to finish without a picture of the Barbizon booth, since they were responsible for my free admission to the show!

LDI is a great show, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the lighting industry. LDI 2008 will take place in Las Vegas.

Lighting design review: Mutemath in Orlando, FL

I don’t go to many concerts.  I don’t want to spend the money to hear a band play a poor version of their CD.  But I heard from several people that Mutemath was a great live act, and it turns out that the rumors were true.  I saw them on November 2 at House of Blues in Orlando, FL.  Not only were the music and showmanship excellent, the lighting design was first-class.  Too many rock bands have a cloud of haze, a bunch of colored par cans, and some moving beams.   Mutemath is not  your average rock band, and I have the poor-quality cell-phone-camera pictures to prove it.

First, we have an overall shot of the stage.  Nothing too special about the lighting in this view.  Note that there was almost no front lighting.

Here is a creative look.  Notice the beams coming from below the video screens, illuminating everything within three feet of the floor.  The LD told me they are MAC 250’s that tour with the band.  These lights were only used for floor-level illumination.  Most of the lights on the truss overhead were wash lights and par cans belonging to HOB.  In this picture you can just barely make out that the drummer has taped his headphones to his head with gaffers’ tape.

A blinding, cold white look.  Notice the vertical white stripes visible below the video screen panels.  Those are fluorescent light bulbs, rigged to turn on and off instantly in chase sequences.   The LD told me there is one brand of bulb in one specific fixture that will do that.  I wish I had gotten a good pic showing how effectively the fluorescents provide cold, dynamic light.   Another interesting thing about this photo is that the bass player is sitting behind the drums, the lead singer/keyboard player is also playing drums, and the drummer is doing some improvised percussion on top of the keyboard.  This is part of what makes Mutemath so much fun to watch.

I didn’t get a picture of one of my favorite looks.  They managed to find some huge, clear incandescent bulbs and hang a couple of them on either side of the video screen.  With the stage nearly dark and filled with haze, the bare bulbs were turned on to a low intensity, allowing the glowing filaments to illuminate the haze with an eerie warm glow.

This was easily the most creative lighting I’ve ever seen in my limited concert experiences.  I did stop by after the show to compliment the LD, but I didn’t get his name, and there are so many things I want to ask him!

Tags: "entertainment lighting", "Lighting design", Lighting, Mutemath

My current Gentoo Linux setup

This post is a reminder to myself more than it is intended for anyone else.  Well, that’s most of this blog.  Gentoo is a great distribution of Linux, but you have to install everything yourself. This is a good thing, because you get a very lean system, but the downside is that you are re-inventing the wheel somewhat with every install. So, without further ado, here is my current favorite configuration:

Global USE flags: X cups dbus hal jpeg png gs dvi gif tiff mpeg bzip2 gtk lapack tetex -gnome -kde

Package list (basic software):

• dbus (message bus system)
• hal  (Hardware Abstraction Layer)
• gentoolkit
• vim/gvim
• x.org
• xfce4
• thunar
• mozilla-firefox
• acroread

Package list (technical software):

• blas-atlas
• lapack-reference
• numpy (unstable 0.90.1)
• matplotlib (Matlab-like plotting package for Python)
• texlive (experimental, hard-masked)
• lyx
• evince (dvi, ps, pdf viewer)
• paraview (3D visualization of datasets, unstable)

Tags: gentoo packages use flags

Blog infrastructure update

During the past week, the blog engine was updated and a few things were tweaked “under the hood.”  You may have already noticed that the theme has been totally changed.  It’s a modified version of the Blue Box theme by Bob–the header photo is mine.

Hog Programming: Cuelists vs. Palettes

I’ve always programmed the Hog 1000 lighting console using cue lists.  Why?  My prior lighting experience involved HogPC, which is essentially the same software running on a standard Windows PC.  The HogPC software emulates the hardware of the Hog console with graphical buttons and wheels on the computer monitor, which can be manipulated with the mouse.  This works, but it is much more awkward than having a physical console with real buttons.  Using HogPC, it makes sense to pre-program as much as possible, because doing complicated things “live” is difficult using only a mouse (especially on a smaller monitor.)  When I moved to the Hog 1000,  I continued to rely on cue lists, mostly because I didn’t feel comfortable enough with the console to do things “live.”  As I’ve grown more familiar with the console, I have begun to experiment with running moving lights off of palettes, rather than pre-programming cue lists.

Cue lists have a couple of problems.  On the Hog, a cue list can have either “latest takes precedence” (LTP) or “highest takes precedence” (HTP) as the priority scheme.  HTP makes sense for conventional dimming-onlyfixtures (desk channels) and LTP makes sense for movers.  Things get tricky when you mix desk channels and movers on one cue list.  Another obvious problem is flexibility–when you have a pre-programmed list of cues and something changes at the last minute, you have to do some fast editing and hope you didn’t screw up something later in the cue list.

Palettes offer the flexibility of running “on-the-fly”: choose fixture(s), color,  position, and hit ENTER.  That’s great when you don’t know what to expect.  One disadantage is complexity–you have to hit a lot of buttons quickly, and do it again for every transition.  It’s easy to mess up.  Another difficulty is adjusting the rate of the transition–it’s hard to make two movers do a slow sweep across the stage while eight others snap into position.  This is also a problem for smooth color fades on LED fixtures.

So far, the best strategy I’ve found is to mix the methods.  Program cue lists for rehearsed shows with known, fixed programs.  For a more fluid situation, program cue lists with only position and fade time for moving lights.  Use the cue list(s)  for position (and maybe focus) and manually set color and gobo on the fly using palettes.  Keep movers and desk channels on separate cue lists.  That’s my best practice so far…but I’m always learning and open to ideas.

ODEPACK re-released

Minutes ago I uploaded a tarball containing my re-release of ODEPACK, a standard numerical tool for the solution of systems of ordinary differential equations. The algorithms and numerical code are identical to the distribution found on Netlib, but everything has been placed into an organized “package” with Makefiles, examples, documentation, etc. The code is set up to be compiled as a shared library that you can link to your code. Download and enjoy! And tell me if you’re using it!