DENVER, CO – Blazen Illuminations owner Nate Webb used Martin Professional's M1 lighting controller to control a large LED lighting system for "Independence Eve," a concert celebration held in Denver's Civic Center Park. "The M1 performed flawlessly and made it possible to do this event without all of the heavy lifting. Setting up the console took about two minutes and we were up and running."
Despite its compact size and price, the M1 promises a full list of features and the ease of use associated with the Martin's Maxxyz controller platform.
"The M1 has all the great controls of the bigger consoles but without the heavy motorized faders," Webb said. "There was no learning curve from the Maxxyz to the M1, it's all there. The standard 10 cuelist faders and the 12 playback faders make it easy to control any show.
"The best part of it is the size and weight," Webb added. "I can carry it by myself and set it on a table. This is the best small console out today."
The concert event, held July 3, was headlined by a live performance of the Colorado Symphony and included the Denver City and County Building as a backdrop, lit with color schemes set to music.
The City and County Building was equipped last fall with over 585 American Lighting LW-36 LED Wall Washers and is controlled via a Martin Maxxyz Cerebrum with Maxxyz Manager. For the "Independence Eve" event, 24 James Thomas Pixel PAR 90s were added by rental company Opera Shop of Denver, all controlled by the new M1 console.
"We control the building with ArtNet using Enttec ODEs," Webb said. "With ArtNet we are able to tie into the building from outside via a wireless connection or simply by running a Cat5e into the building. The M1 connected right up and had no problems finding the ODEs.
"The M1 is awesome, there are no unneeded cables or monitors to hook up," Webb added. "We only used the power cable and a Cat5e for Artnet. Operating on the proven Maxxyz software, there was no problem migrating the show from the Maxxyz Cerebrum to the M1. I believe that the new M1 will give any designer the freedom of Maxxyz control on any tour or fly date."
Independence Eve, to be an annual event, was organized by the Denver-based Civic Center Conservancy.
Crew
Lighting Company: Blazen Illuminations LLC
LD/Maxxyz Operator: Nate Webb
Gear
1 Martin Maxxyz Cerebrum
1 Martin M1
585 American Lighting LW-36 LED Wall Washers
24 James Thomas Pixel Par 90s
Photos by Heidi Webb/Blazen Illuminations
For more information, please visit www.martin.com.
