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Keeping Behind the Scenes Front and Center

Keeping Behind the Scenes Front and Center

Although getting hurt on the job is the last thing anyone wants to think about, it happens.  So while you’re thinking about it, have you thought about where you might turn if you’re injured so badly that you can no longer work or find yourself unexpectedly ill and off work for several months?

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Ibiza Rocks LED-clad booth, photo by Gabi Vazquez

Immersing the DJ in LED Visuals

LS-Live Updates Prolyte’s LiteConsole with Video for Ibiza Rocks

LS-Live has created a custom triple-size DJ booth to amp up the visual performance of well-known DJs for live music/dance hotel brand Ibiza Rocks. The three-meter-long DJ booth featured a front wall of LED panels which, from an audience perspective, merges visually with the big LED screen behind the DJ, allowing the artist to become immersed in the show.

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Show Networks and Control Systems by John Huntington

Show Networks and Control Systems by John Huntington

If you think you have a handle on control networks, good for you. Computer networking is a big field of study, with a wide range of certifications and career opportunities for those who can keep all the bits and bytes straight when it comes to digital connectivity.

Network administration and configuration is not for the faint of heart, however. With today’s systems, it takes more than just the right IP address and gateway setting. Setting things up properly also now goes far beyond simply plugging the console in and making sure the correct DMX cable is in the right DMX output.

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Ian Anderson, left, performing with his new band mates on TAAB2

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson: Still Thick after All These Years

As the wild-eyed flute-wielding frontman of Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson has often presented, with a hefty dose of camp, highly theatrical musical productions, and he’s been doing in over a span of 40 years. Whether through comic absurdity, interactive props, visual spectacle or dramatic flair, Anderson and Tull rarely disappoint audiences. So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Anderson has challenged himself, his band, his creative tech team and potential audiences once again by organizing his latest ambitious tour.

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To use Siphon, place a media file in the media bin inside VDMX…

Mad Mapping with Syphon

Recently, I began experimenting with ideas for an event that will involve video onto a building, walls, and other 3D objects. Hoping to be able to use the MBox Extreme, I set up a system and proceeded to create a 3D model of a building with windows using 3D object creation software. Once the model was built, I loaded it into MBox and was easily able to add movies and images to the object with no fancy setup required.

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Laser Projecters are Coming

The Lasers Are Coming! (To a Theater Near You)

In the events biz, it’s no secret that COE (Cost Of Ownership) is an ongoing issue. There’s one area in particular that rings up the cash register on a regular basis — namely, xenon lamp replacement. Whether the projector’s part of the rental inventory or permanently installed in a theater, it’s the same situation. In terms of lamp runtime, at somewhere between 600 and 2000 hours, the lamp needs to be replaced — and the cost (per lamp) for these little hand-made high-pressure xenon beauties can top $1,000, depending on the wattage. And speaking of COE, we’ll disregard the fact (for now) that each time you light that 7K lamp, another turbine has to spin up at Hoover Dam.

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Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Studio, front view

Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Studio

Tapeless storage has been making some rapid advances in recent years as the need for speed and quality increases.  More and more, we’re asked to be able to record gigs not only for archive or artist review, but to have that session available for edit as rapidly as possible. While workflows on set or at the gig will vary greatly, the ability to capture the highest quality imagery with the least amount of hassle is paramount.  With the advent of super-fast SSDs and flash memory, this is getting easier and easier.

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NanoLumens NanoFlex screen

NanoLumens NanoFlex Screen

NanoFlex, NanoLumens’ new flexible LED display, breaks all of the rules of LED technology: it’s lightweight, thin, and can be flexed into concave or convex configurations, making it well-suited for digital signage and scenic applications where standard LED products just wouldn’t work.

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Swisson RDM Controller and DMX Tester

Swisson RDM Controller and DMX Tester

Swisson recently introduced the latest version of their hand-held, battery-operated DMX tester, the XMT-350. It might not give you the power to control everything in the universe, but it will give you the ability to control and test most everything in your rig — including an entire universe of DMX data. And it runs off a 9V battery.

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PLCyc LED Luminaire from Philips Strand Selecon

PLCyc LED Luminaire from Philips Strand Selecon

Philips Strand Selecon has come up with a unique product in the PLCyc LED Luminaire. The fixture utilizes various aspects of new technologies to elegantly and efficiently light cycloramas. When I first heard about this unit, I had a mixed reaction — “No way can this do what they claim,” coupled with, “Wow, someone has finally come up with the right solution.”

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