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Fernando Rodriguez Berzosa Orchestrates Maestrissimo Show With ChamSys MagicQ MQ80

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

MADRID – The great Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis once referred to Niccolò Paganini as a “phenomenon” rather than simply an extraordinary talent. It was an apt description. In a relatively short, tumultuous life filled with passionate romances and bitter rivalries, the petulant genius blazed through Europe, upending musical orthodoxy with his novel compositions and pioneering techniques that continue to influence the way the violin is played to this day. 

Producciones Yllana captures the swirl of emotions and music that surrounded Paganini’s life in “Maestrissimo,” a 90-minute show that is being performed before very limited, socially distant audiences in Spain. Weaving together the action and music on stage, while also making performers comfortable in near-empty venues, is an immersive three-universe, 150-fixture lightshow created by Fernando Rodriguez Berzosa.

A longtime ChamSys user, Berzosa programmed his show on  a MagicQ with a PCWing. He is running the show at venues throughout Spain on his MagicQ MQ80, and notes that the compact size of this console makes it an ideal traveling companion.

“Nowadays I always use a ChamSys for any project I am involved in,” said Berzosa. “My reason is simple: dependability. I can’t afford to have a console fail; that is why I always depend on my ChamSys. There are many other things I love about the ChamSys consoles, like how logical and user-friendly they are, but things always have to begin with dependability. This was my first show after the long lockdown, and it was comforting to have the MQ80 with me.”

Like the life and music of Paganini itself, the Maestrissimo moves fearlessly through intense mood changes. Drama gives way to a comedic moment at one point, while frantic action settles into a soft contemplative scene the next. Being able to run his show smoothly has been essential to  Berzosa, who praised the user-friendly features of his MQ80 with its 12-inch display.

“The Plan View Grids in the output window that allow you to have multiple Grid Plan Views to divide up a lighting grid views are very useful when you have so many elements in your show,” said Berzosa. “It is easy for me to simplify things by using the buttons and encoders to change brightness levels and colors for fixtures by groups, especially since I had so many things going on. Also, having the faders and encoders arranged around the touchscreen is very convenient.

Berzosa was also  happy that his console allows him to adjust the fade time of each instrument’s parameters, color mix, pan and tilt – as well as every beam function – individually by using the Time Window.

While running his show, Berzosa keeps the four performers on stage in mind. “The people I am lighting are not actors, but professional and accomplished violinists,” he said. “They are comfortable playing music on stage, not acting. I use the lighting to help them remember positions. I wanted them to feel the light. Communicating with light is something I have missed doing for many months, and it is wonderful to be back, even before a small audience.”

Photo Credit: Luis Supertramp

Iwan Hutapea Powers Indonesia’s FLAVS Livestream Hip Hop Festival With ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA  – Organizers had big plans for FLAVS when they sat around a table planning the event last year. Billing itself as “the largest hip-hop festival in Indonesia,” FLAVS was more than ready to live up to this claim. Glastonbury headliner Stormzy was schedule to appear at the festival, which was supposed to kick off April 4 at Istora Stadium in center of the city. So too were  international stars like Azealia Banks and Lil Pump.

Of course, COVID-19 put an end to these plans. After first being postponed to a later date, the live festival was scrapped and moved to a virtual two-day event streamed from Studio Md TV. With local artists replacing the original star-studded line-up, skeptics might have expected the August 15-16 show to be a subdued, meandering affair haunted by thoughts of what might have been. They’d have been dead wrong.

As so often has happened when creative spirits have been challenged by this pandemic, those involved in FLAVS came roaring back with a fierce burning intensity that blew away any disappointment. The 40 artists who appeared at the festival created a tight, nonstop torrent of raw unapologetically passionate sound, leaving those who paid Rp 99,000 (US$6.99) for a virtual day pass with the feeling that their money was well-spent.

Supporting these artists was a rapid fire, colorful Iwan Hutapea lightshow run on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 console. Busking to keep pace with an ever-changing set list, Hutapea moved his six universe 80 fixture show through a varied mix of looks that reflected the music and personality of each artist.

The user-friendly layout of the MQ500, with its HD display made it easier for him to keep pace with the high energy performers on stage. “When you are running the boards in a show like this, you appreciate the logical layout of the MQ500 with its HD display and how easy it makes things,” said Hutapea, a longtime ChamSys users who’s work many large Indonesian festivals like Soundrenalin.”

The customized Color Picker feature of the MQ500 was also essential to Hutapea’s design, as he bathed the stage and surrounding area with a wide variety of color blends to give each group a unique visual signature. “Given that this is a relatively small studio rather than a bigger festival stage, we were limited in the looks we could create with aerial effects, so we often relied on creating unique color combinations,” he said.  “The MQ500 gives us a lot of power to do this.”


Those color combos were coordinated with the distinctive configuration of seven video walls that ran across almost three-quarters of the upstage wall. With a larger square wall behind the DJ booth flanked on each side by three irregularly shaped panels, the video displays focused attention on center stage.

“Everyone associated with this festival worked hard to make it a great experience,” said Hutapea. “This includes Visicita and DiandraPromosindo, the  Indonesian LD Association, and Pecahin (Penata Cahaya Indonesia). They all gave me a lot of support.”

Hutapea took this support and ran with it, creating  a compelling array of looks that any festival, virtual or live, would be proud to call its own.

Kiriakos Dimitriadis Creates Light Dance with ChamSys at Cavo Paradiso

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

MYKONOS, GREECE – Happy are those who get to sail the Aegean Sea. Visitors to Cavo Paradiso would have no argument with this sentiment uttered since the time of ancient Athens. Perched atop a granite outcrop overlooking the billowy Mediterranean embayment, this iconic open-air nightclub enchants patrons with its breathtaking views.

The world class DJs who perform here don’t require a backdrop, not with the starry sky and wide expanse of sea behind them. They do, however, need a dynamic light show to reflect their personality and music, which is precisely what Kiriakos Dimitriadis provided German DJ Boris Brejcha on August 15 when he appeared at the reopened club.

Because of the pandemic, the club had to follow strict social distancing protocols. Temperatures were taken before anyone could enter, the number of visitors was drastically limited, and patrons could not mingle between tables, at the DJ booth, or on the outdoor dancefloor.

Without the crowds, and with no one dancing, the vibe at this normally jubilant club could have seemed flat. Dimitriadis did his part to prevent this from happening.  With human movement absent from the dance floor, he made sure to provide a “dance of light” with his full-throttle four-universe, 75-fixture show that he ran on his ChamSys MagicQ PC Wing with an Extra Wing.

Dimitriadis arranged some of the fixtures in his rig on five totems behind the DJ booth, spacing them out to preserve the sea view. Other fixtures were positioned on overhead hang points as well as on each side of the booth. This allowed him to hit the DJ and the widely separated tables on what would normally be the dancefloor with an immersive web of light from every direction. 

To convey “the energy of motion” through the movement of his light, he created a relentless flow of pixel mapped chase effects on his 10 color bars. Dimitriadis, who used a Resolume Arena Video Server, credits his MagicQ PC Wing with helping him achieve these compelling looks

“The pixel mapping server and my MagicQ were invaluable,” he said. “I used Art-Net to connect the PC with Resolume.  “Then I mapped the Resolume to my console to make it simple to use it. I pixel mapped the fixtures with my MagicQ.”

Rapid-fire crossing patterns that Dimitriadis created with the moving fixtures in his rig added to the sense of motion. “I wanted to make sure this show was fast,” he said. “The layout of the MagicQ was important in this regard. Throughout the show, I tried to make every moment unique in its appearance.”

By doing this, Dimitriadis was able to endow Cava Paradiso with a vibrant energy that reassured regular patrons who were returning to the club. The dancefloor may have been empty, but it was alive with light; and the Aegean Sea in the background was as beautiful as they remembered.

Chauvet Expands US Operations With New Las Vegas Facility

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SUNRISE, FL – Chauvet has doubled its capacity to serve customers in the west region of the US by opening a 35,000 square foot satellite facility in Las Vegas. The new office-warehouse-service center complex is twice the size of the company’s West Coast Burbank, CA satellite facility that it will be replacing on Aug 10th .

“Our investment in a new, larger and more technologically advanced facility reflects our commitment to this industry – and our belief in its future,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Being in Vegas will enhance the level of service we’re able to offer our customers.”

Combined with the company’s Global Headquarters in Florida, the new Vegas operation gives Chauvet  the capacity to ship to any point in the 48 contiguous United States within three days, maximum.

The Las Vegas facility will stock CHAUVET Professional, Iluminarc, CHAUVET DJ and ChamSys products. Modeled closely after the company’s East Coast operations, the satellite facility is actively recruiting and will host technical support, sales, demo/training programs, quality control and shipping operations.

Although the Chauvet Las Vegas facility is new, it will be staffed by many familiar faces. General Site Manager Todd Bearden has made the move from California to Nevada, as have Warehouse Lead

Mark Guzman, Sales Support Specialist  Elizabeth-Aye-Darko, and  Repair Specialist Brandon Cooks. They will be joined by a professional local service, support and warehouse staff.

“The strength of any company begins with its people, so I am proud and gratified that there are key team members that are joining us in Las Vegas,” said Chauvet. “We’re looking forward to building a great future together there and will be ready to serve our US customers as the pandemic passes and business grows.”

Alvaro Piedra and ChamSys Create Stories for Cicatriz

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

HEREDIA, COSTA RICA – Scars are where the light shines through wrote the 13th century Persian poet Rumi. In the searing and intense multi-media dance performance Cicatriz (“scars”) Alvaro Piedra masterfully wielded light to penetrate the tangled layers of shame and secrecy that have often kept issues of gender and violence against women hidden in darkness.

Aiding him in this endeavor was a newly acquired ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 that he adroitly used to create a unifying architecture of shapes and colors that pulled together the intricate facets of this interdisciplinary production, which involved some 40 choreographers, theatrical directors, dancers, actresses, , video designers, costume designers and stage designers.  

Taking place at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica School of Dance in late 2019, the production won the national Mireya Barboza 2019 award for best designed dance show in February. It captivates audiences by presenting a series of stories built around its central them.

“The movement and choreography are what set the pace for our stories,” said Piedra. By creating textures and moods with colors and patterns, lighting supports these stories.”

This production marked the first time that Piedra used a ChamSys console. He recalled how the MQ80 contributed to his creative effort, making it easier for him to manage the variety of looks called for by the show’s procession of stories. He was also impressed by how the fluidity of the console’s user interface allowed him to change fixture positions and colors in less time.

“In a production such as this one, where there were so many components and so many changes of scene, it was very important to have a smooth workflow,” said Piedra. “The ChamSys console aligned with my creative process. This was fantastic, because it let me focus on what is truly important, telling the story and creating the right visuals. 

“The MQ80’s encoders and the touch screen made it very easy for me to start creating cues and looks,” he continued. “Having the soft buttons and encoders next to the screen made the programming process much faster. I also loved how I could manage the scenes in each fader to keep better track of each scene and be able to go back easily.  With the cue Stack, it was great to have a single stack for each scene. This made it easy for me to manage a large number of cues, without worrying about it. I designed each scene separately one stack at the time and if I needed to go back to a scene was super simple.”

Piedra’s creative effort  was also greatly aided by the collaborative work of the entire team involved in the production, including the head of the project head of the project Nandayure Harley, Dance Company Compañía de Cámara Danza UNA, Producer Mario Blanco from Costa Rica’s Nacional University, Tech Director Christian Villalobos, assistant LD Manfred Rivera, Composer/Producer Carlomagno Araya, theatrical  Director Reynaldo Amien, Dance director and Choreographer Nandayure Harley  and Costume Designer Carla Morales.

For Piedra, Cicatriz was an experience of discoveries, involving new talented people, new creative ideas and a new lighting console. “This was my first time using a ChamSys,” he said. Based on this experience, it certainly won’t be his last.

 

Photo Credit: Esteban Chinchilla

ChamSys Introduces MagicQ MQ500M Stadium

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SOUTHAMPTON, UK –  ChamSys has made it easier and more seamless than ever for fades to be woven into a greater variety of massive lighting designs with the introduction of the MagicQ MQ500M Stadium console. This new powerhouse, which offers 256 universes of control direct from the console without the need for additional processing nodes, gives designers and programmers greater flexibility at the highest level of show control.

The MagicQ MQ500M Stadium incorporates a robust array of software features that support motorized playback faders, playback encoders and customizable illumination.  Thanks to its motorized function, the playback section can be used for multiple purposes with shortcut buttons to change the function.  

With 15 motorized faders and 15 playback encoders per bank — and up to six banks — a total of 180 playbacks can be accessed at the touch of a button. RGB LED illumination enables different colors to be assigned to each individual fader and playback encoder enabling unlimited customization. In keeping with its versatile design, the MQ500M Stadium console supports many different fader modes in addition to the playback mode, enabling the playback section to be used in a wide variety of applications. 

The programmer modes give access to intensities for each patched fixture, to groups of fixtures, or to individual channels of a fixture.  The selected modes enable instant access to the intensities or channels of the currently selected fixtures. 

The master modes provide instant master control of individual fixtures or groups of fixtures without having to pre-program masters, making it ideal for those live moments when lights are flaring in cameras or key lights need modifying.

Playback encoders can be used in many different ways: controlling intensity, LTP channels, FX size, FX speed, rate and time.  They can also control cue stacks of their own, be tied to the fader playback below, or even control a whole bank of playbacks.

Rugged and ergonomically designed with an inbuilt UPS, the console has two inbuilt full HD multi-touch displays with adjustable viewing angles. The feature-rich MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Wing adds a third full HD multi touch display and doubles the number of fader and encoder playbacks.  Up to five additional touch monitors can be connected to the system via network using the simple Multi-Window PC application giving a total of 8 monitors.

The MagicQ MQ500M is built on the proven reliable MQ500 software which has excelled on 200 universe shows with thousands of fixtures.  Show files are fully compatible between MQ500M, MQ500 and all other ChamSys consoles, making it easy to move between consoles.  Show files unique to ChamSys are both forwards and backwards compatible with the console, eliminating the need to be concerned about software versions.

In addition to its rich feature set of core lighting control, MagicQ MQ500M has inbuilt plot and visualisation, audio timeline editor, and a multi emitter color picker.  The inbuilt 3D palette system and support for external XYZ trackers allow innovative features like Focus line, Focus Hold and tracking of artists and moving objects to be used.

Shows with all 256 universes can be previsualised and preprogrammed on a PC or Mac without additional hardware or dongles and then loaded into the MagicQ MQ500M console. All 256 universes can also be visualised within the inbuilt MagicVis visualiser or with a direct link to 3rd party visualisers such as WYSIWYG, Capture, Vectorworks, Depence and L8.   Both the Patch and the XYZ fixture position can easily be transferred from the chosen visualiser into MagicQ.

The MQ500M Stadium console also has two front pockets with high power USB sockets intended for charging phones and storing small objects. This convenience is just one of the ways that this powerful will make life easier for designers and programmers.

G.I.S. Sound and Light Brings Rijeka’s Town Center Back To Life With Help From ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

RIJEKA, CROATIA – For centuries, Trg Rijecke Rezolucije has stood as the “town square,” and cultural hub of this bustling port city, hosting events, concerts and rallies. But with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing ban on public gatherings, the picturesque plaza fell eerily silent.

All that changed recently, when it hosted “All For Our Kids,” an annual charity concert that raises money for the medical care of children. The crowd was small, and people sat 1.5 meters apart in observance of social distancing rules, but music rang out, followed by cheering, laughter and applause at the historic venue for the first time in months. 

Supporting the on-stage performances with a rich mix of hues and soft glows that played off against the lemon meringue masonry background of the Municipal Palace, a former Augustinian monastery, was a supple a varied Mateo Kustić MattGarret design powered by his ChamSys QuickQ 20.

A ChamSys user for five years, Mateo, who works for G.I.S. Sound & Light, decided on the compact control console because its size and versatility made it well-suited for this application. “I have been lighting this event for some time,” he said. “This year, we had a small audience, perhaps 150 people, and fewer performers, so a compact console fit my plans nicely. Its small footprint was perfect.”

However, Mateo was not willing to give up performance for the sake of compactness. His 21- piece rig was made up primarily of RGBW fixtures, and changing color gradients was critical to his plan to reflect the varied moods of the show. Being able to achieve precise control of LED color mixing was important to his design plans, as evidenced by the vivid palettes he used to create visual separation between different performers and speakers at the event.

Also essential was the QuickQ 20’s ability to, detect and patch RDM-compliant fixtures using the QuickQ app. “The remote app was one of the most important features to me in this job,” said Mateo. “It made the process go a lot easier, given that we had a small crew because of social distancing. The large screen and simple ways I could scroll and zoom were also helpful.”

When all was said and done the 2020 version of All For Our Kids was not the biggest show in the history of this event. But it raised much needed funds for local children’s hospital, and for the people of Rijeka, it was a hopeful sign that their beloved cultural hub was indeed gradually coming back to life.

The New ChamSys MagicQ MQ50 Opens More Design Options For Installations

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SOUTHAMPTON, UK – ChamSys has expanded its award-winning MagicQ series of consoles with the introduction of the MagicQ MQ50. Compact and lightweight, but powerful, the new console brings the same level of flexibility to the installation market that the groundbreaking MagicQ MQ70 has brought to touring.

As part of the MagicQ series, the sleekly-designed console works with advanced features such as MagicVis and MagicHD connectivity. The console’s show files are compatible with all products in the MagicQ range.

The MagicQ MQ50 offers six universes of control and supports four assignable physical DMX outputs, MIDI and audio in and out, to open new creative possibilities for programmers and designers working at mid-sized theatres, clubs, schools, houses of worship or any similar installation.

Easy to operate, the new console features an intuitive high-quality multi-touch HD display and 10 full Cue Stack playbacks over 200 pages, as well as a network port for ArtNet and sACN output. RDM autopatch enables automatic configuration of the console to the connected fixtures.  WIFI is inbuilt to the console with QR code scanning for quick and easy connection to the ChamSys MagicQ Remote App without the need for external networking hardware or any networking knowledge.

Small to mid-sized venues that are seeking to engage visitors with compelling visual settings will find the new MagicQ MQ50 to be an invaluable tool.  With inbuilt pixel mapping and color mixing on all fixture color emitters including white, amber, UV and lime, it makes creating complex looks simpler than ever.

ChamSys Now Supports XYZ Positioning In MagicQ Consoles And Software

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SOUTHAMPTON, UK – ChamSys has added a whole new dimension (quite literally!) to building lighting designs on its award-winning MagicQ series of consoles and software. The company’s just-introduced XYZ positioning feature makes it simple for designers and programmers to achieve the looks they envision in 3D space, without getting slowed down adjusting fixture pan and tilt parameters.

Building on the company’s existing Focus Point and Focus Line, the new feature allows MagicQ users to store XYZ palettes referencing static positions, dynamic trackers, and Visualisation objects.

MagicQ supports direct import of patch and XYZ information from popular 3D Visualisation packages, such as WYSIWYG, Capture, Depence, L8, and Vectorworks.  (ChamSys has recently implemented the emerging industry standard GDTF MVR protocol enabling direct import from Vectorworks.) 

„Our customers often patch and pre-program their shows in advance either using our ChamSys free fully featured MagicVis visualisation or their own choice of third party visualisation packages,” said Chris Kennedy, ChamSys Software Director.  “Whichever option they select, we ensure that they only have to set up the patch and the positioning of the fixtures one time to seamlessly transfer this information to MagicQ so they can take full advantage of the 3D XYZ features.“

Using MagicQ PC free software on Windows, Mac or Linux, a designer/programmer can create, visualise, and pre-program a full show of virtually any size with MagicVis or 3rd party visualiser software. 

„MagicQ does not require expensive per universe external processing nodes for show playback or for pre-programming,” said Kennedy.  “An entire show can be pre-programmed on a laptop without any hardware connected, which makes this feature ideal for those last- minute tour bus situations.“

Dynamic trackers can be received from external inputs over industry protocols such as Esta E1.59 Object Transform Protocol (OTP), PosiStageNet (PSN), or ChamSys simple open tracking protocol.  With any of these protocols, lights can be made to follow performers automatically in real time, track lighting of moving set pieces, and make compensations for lights on moving trusses. 

For those that are more adventurous, MagicQ allows the use of dynamic tracking inputs in its inbuilt automation system.  Automation events can be built-up to trigger events when received Trackers move in and out of areas on the stage, allowing changes in intensities, zoom, colours or any attribute to be triggered automatically.  

Areas are created simply by adding and positioning objects such as rectangle and circular forms into MagicVis. The user can choose whether events snap in and out as the Tracker enters the object area, or changes proportionality as the Tracker moves from the edge to the centre of the object.

„ChamSys has always been committed to leading edge software features and has been a strong supporter of third-party open protocols,” said Kennedy. 

The company’s support for XYZ Trackers, OTP and MVR maintains this tradition, offering our customers excellent system integration opportunities.“

ChamSys MagicQ software can be downloaded from https://chamsys.co.uk/mqdownload/

ChamSys Announces Winners of Online Programming Competition

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SOUTHAMPTON, UK – With many designers and programmers looking for new challenges during the lockdown, the ChamSys Online Programming Competition offered a creative outlet: the chance to program the power packed 200-plus fixture rig that CHAUVET Professional had earmarked for the company’s stand at the 2020 ProLight + Sound exhibit before the show was ultimately canceled.

Drawing over 200 entrants from around the world, the contest asked participants to create a three-minute or shorter show with the PL+S rig, using ChamSys MagicVis software. The large outpouring of creativity awed the panel of five judges, though it made their job of selecting three finalists more challenging.

After a careful evaluation, the judges named Amir Cohen of Tel Aviv, Israel the winner for his inspired two minute and thirty-eight second show. Cohen’s design flowed seamlessly in sync with dramatic musical shifts he selected, as it transitioned from blinding effects, to black outs, to swirling gobo patterns, conveying myriad moods all along the way. Amir dove into MagicVis and even wove in different camera vantage point angles to stunning effect in his programmed show.

Second place winner, Niklas Fuchs of Vienna, Austria, created a dramatic choreographed display of light in his three-minute submission, which was entirely busked, with no time code. Third place finisher David Misakyan of Moscow, Russia, devote considerable creative juice to matching his lights with the music, weaving a mesmerizing pattern of strobes and crossing beams around Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die.”

Cohen received a MagicQ MQ70 console for this winning effort. Fuchs and Misakyan were awarded premium swag bags, and 25 other entrants were given MagicDMX Test Kits. All earned the satisfaction of taking a show rig that never got to be, and turning it into a virtual engine of unforgettable looks.

The work of the contest’s three top finishers can be seen on the ChamSys Facebook page.

Martin Dudley and Chris Davey Get Versatile For MiQ Ignite With ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

DANANG, VIETNAM – Lighting, like music, is a universal language. That’s one reason why MiQ, a New York-based global market research firm, retained designers Martin Dudley and Chris Davey through UK-based event technology specialists Great Expectations, to provide professional lighting design services for a series of events the company was holding around the world for local clients and other interested parties.

But even though lighting has the power to move people everywhere, the availability of lighting fixtures cannot always be relied upon in every corner of the world. Understanding this, Dudley of Martin’s Lights Ltd. and Davey of Stagelighting Tech (both of the UK), knew they would need a powerful, yet flexible, controller that would allow them to accommodate a wide variety of rigs. They also wanted a control solution that they could they could carry on international flights.

These considerations led them to pack two ChamSys PC Wings for their globe-trotting “MiQ Ignite” tour, which concluded shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown. “We are both longtime ChamSys users,” said Davey. “This made us confident that we would manage very well running MagicQ software on Windows laptops with the PC Wings as we traveled to places that were not on the main international lighting circuit. Its programming power is fully fledged, yet it’s in a format that makes sense for travel.”

This confidence was well founded, as Dudley and Davey created engaging and aesthetically pleasing looks, often with widely different rigs in places like Cancun, Mexico and Danang, Vietnam. With Dudley handling the main conferences, while Davey took care of the entertainment lighting, the pair created looks that ranged from professional to festive, all while reflecting positively on their client.

“With all production equipment being supplied locally there was always going to be an element of surprise,” said Davey.  “We knew that no matter how much we put into the pre-production, what turned up on site was always going to be uncertain, both in terms of the type of equipment and also its of service history.  So, we often had to do things on the fly.”

In addition to having to deal with inconsistent rigs, Dudley and Davey had to design for a wide variety of entertainment specifications. “One day it could be a handful of lights for a roof-top reception, and the next night a vast acre of beach party, but the client expected -and got — the same vibe for both,” said Davey. “The power of the MagicQ software, its ability to morph quickly and transform shows, was invaluable; so too was the way it allowed us to find and create head files quickly and easily for random unknown fixtures.”

The ability of their control solution to handle different venues was also appreciated by Dudley and Davey. To illustrate this point, they recall how easy it was to move from copper DMX to ArtNet and back again, from a single PC Wing.

When things didn’t go as plan, their system served as fast diagnostic tool. “The ChamSys PC Wings made it incredibly easy to troubleshoot when the unexpected happened,” said Davey. “We both found ourselves playing teacher to the local crews and they were all very impressed with what we’d brought with us. It’s nice to know that in addition to serving our client, we helped advance local lighting markets.”

 

Machine Head Livestreams With ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Streaming has to be “part of the equation” for metal music to survive Robb Flynn told Loudwire in February. The Machine Head frontman was talking specifically about music services, but at the time, the Oakland, CA- based quartet was also video streaming shows from their Burn My Eyes European tour.  In March, when COVID-19 caused the cancelation of the remaining tour dates, the band was still able to reach its deeply loyal fans by making videoed shows available on a subscription basis via Nugs.net. 

Niklas Fuchs of MartinKames.com ran the tour’s intense, but highly nuanced lightshows, which used between six and ten universes, on his ChamSys MQ100 Pro 2014 with an Extra Wing. “The two months we spent on tour were very memorable,” said Fuchs. “Each show was over three hours and our show file consisted of 314 fixtures.”

Even in a musical genre populated by fiercely independent iconoclasts, Machine Head stands out for their willingness to bend (if not break) metal norms and race forward on their own path with the hungry intensity of lone wolf. The band’s uncharacteristic (for a metal act) embrace of streaming is just one example of their go-it-alone nature.  This distinctive trait is also very evident in the unique visuals they wrap around their music.

“A special thing about this tour is that three different designers contributed to the look, Thomas ‚Church‘ Christmann, Martin Kames the head of our company, and myself. Each of us had his own creativity flowing,” said Fuchs. “Robb Flynn and Machine Head are very interested in a complex and sophisticated show.  They want the lights to be 100-percent on time, lighting up the right person at the right time. Our lighting needs to be calm and slow when the song is kind of soft and then be super punchy and hard when the song is more aggressive. Robb spends a lot of time with the touring LD to get every bit of the lightshow perfectly synced to the actions happening on stage, making the lightshows pieces of art.”

The MagicQ’s robust cue stack control on ten different playback faders made it easier for Fuchs to manage the intricately complex Machine Head show. He was also aided by the desk’s intuitive easy-to-navigate layout.

“Speed and responsiveness were of paramount importance on this tour,” said Fuchs “The windows gave me fast and easy access to different FX.  I made great use of the Cloning and Morphing as well as the Playback Priorities and Swap Function. Of course, the compact size was invaluable to me as we went from London, to Warsaw, to Paris, to Brussels. It was a nonstop whirlwind, but lots of fun!”

Of course, the “whirlwind” did stop, coming to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit. Sidelined, Fuchs now enjoys the band’ shows through the videos that were created, and looks forward to the day when the tour resumes. 

“I think streaming a show is a good way to reach more people, especially those who miss the tour,” said Fuchs. “However, nothing beats being there! The experience of sound, lights, the band members giving absolutely everything on stage, the energy of the crowd — these are just not transferable to a video stream.”

Murphy’s Production Services Powers “COVID-19 World Tour” With ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

MIDVALE, UT – It’s been said that humor can make a serious difference in how well we deal with dark times. Nicolas (“Murph”) Murphy has no argument with that! Ordinarily at this time of year, the owner of Murphy’s Production Services is busy touring with The Piano Guys, Wax Tailor or some other client. Not in 2020!

No worries though, with live shows put on hold, Murph embarked on his own “world tour,” all without leaving the friendly and safe confines of his Salt Lake City suburb. Rather than simply livestreaming a band and calling it a day, he created a full blown, albeit virtual, tour package, complete with posters, virtual “backstage passes,” and even donates his time with a weekly streaming service: Social Antidote. 

The looks he’s created for his wryly named “COVID-19 World Tour,” are also very good replicas of the real thing, using eight “lazy universes,” a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console and a ChamSys SnakeSys R8 Artnet to DMX Node 5 for each of its weekly broadcasts.

“Not being able to go out on tour, I figured why not make up my own,” said Murph. “It gives me something to do while sitting at home. I make tour posters with dates and print them on my wide format printer that is usually spitting out lighting/video/scenic plots. I also make laminated ‘tour passes’ for friends.”

Although purely virtual and not good for admittance to any show, each tour pass is customized for Murph’s friends, with their name, as well as job title, which is some form of “House Integration Specialist.”

As for the Social Antidote Series streaming umbrella, it was the brainchild of one of Murph’s clients. “They had a whole warehouse full for production gear not doing anything, so why not use what they have on hand and try to keep everyone from getting rusty?” he said. “I pretty much only leave the house for groceries, or for this live stream. The software we use streams to multiple services, but doesn’t give us the viewer count to my knowledge. So, we rely on one of us looking at the different sites and putting the numbers together.”

Videoed in a warehouse-turned-studio once a week, the “tour” features a different local artist in addition to highlighting area businesses as a way of boosting community spirits.

Murph is gratified that his “world tour” is making a difference in the lives of people close to home. He’s also grateful that it gives him the opportunity to work his console.  “I have been touring with a MQ500 since 2017, right when they came to the United States,” he said. “From what has been told to me, I was the second person in the States to take delivery of the MQ500 and the first to take one on a North American Tour.”

“The COVID-19 Tour is fun, but on the serious side of my work, all of my concerts are programmed out quite well,” he continued. “So, if I’m unable to run the show for any reason, a half competent house LD could run it without too much trouble. This livestream has been no different. I come in the night before and sit down with the artist’s set list to hammer out lighting cues for seven or so songs that I have never heard before.”

When Murph needs to punt openers, or a musician wants to do a song that he hasn’t created cues for, he jumps to a page that includes his pallets in Playback form. “This way, I can have what are essentially two programmers at the same time and I can have them work independent of each other or effect each other,” he explained. “It’s one of the many versatile features that make the MQ500 so valuable.”

As rewarding as his weekly livestreamed shows have been, Murph is looking forward to getting back on the road.  He describes it as “surreal,” not being able to hear the sound of the crowd during show. “When the feed is cut, you are just done,” he said.

That is, of course, until the next weekly installment of the COVID-19 tour, which in turn marks one step closer to the day when Murph is back doing live shows again. Until then, humor will see him through just fine.

Mass Hysteria Streams Recorded Show Powered by Chirac Design and ChamSys

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

NANTES, FRANCE – Like a fierce winter storm blowing in off the nearby Atlantic, Mass Hysteria shook this port city to its foundations two years ago, when they performed a show for the 10th anniversary of the Elvish. Small wonder then, that the metal icons selected this show for their April 8 stream. Featuring 75 minutes of nonstop heart-pounding intensity, the show served up a pure distilled shot of the band’s fire driven passion.

Throwing fuel on the flames of Mass Hysteria’s sound was a relentless Romain Dronne designed lightshow powered by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 with an Extra Wing.

Part of the Chirac Design team, Dronne turned up the brightness of his rig at key points throughout the show, transforming the relatively tight confines of Club Le Ferraileur into a ball of light. The close-in setting of the club made the show well-suited for streaming, since many fans would be watching on mobile phones with their relatively small screens.

However, beyond this “technical” consideration, the size of the venue also reinforced the close relationship that the band has with their fans according to Dronne. “This is a small venue by the standards of Mass Hysteria,” he said, noting that the band has opened for the likes of Metallica. “But, the intimacy of this show’s venue is in keeping with the kind of connection that the guys share with fans.”

The connection, Dronne speaks of is readily apparent during the streamed show, as the band exchanges quips with the crowd and tosses swag into the audience, while fans share the moment with Mass Hysteria singing along and clapping in rhythm to songs.

Through it all Dronne’s design races forward in step with the show, accenting crescendos with bursts of light, engaging the crowd with audience lighting, strobing, creating evocative silhouettes and changing perspectives with unusual side lighting.


If the lighting seemed to flow naturally with the music to those watching the stream, it’s because Dronne is fully immersed in his client’s sound. He busked the entire show, never pausing for a millisecond. Indispensably valuable to him in this process was the user-friendly layout of the MagicQ MQ 80 with its 12-inch display.

“The brilliant thing about the MQ80 is how easy it is to navigate, especially for its size,” said Dronne. “I mean, here is something that is compact enough for me, yet its display is really easy to work with because of its size and high resolution.

“I especially like the Execute Buttons on the MQ80,” continued Dronne. “I used them, including Play and Pause to control Grid One. The Color Palette was also very important, since I relied on gradients of different shades when creating silhouettes to change up the mood on stage.”

Although his show used three universes and 32 fixtures, Dronne was able to create expansive looks and unsettling intensity without interruption. Like his client, who played in a smaller-than-usual venue for this show, he proved that the power to move comes in all sizes, an especially important lesson when streaming to an audience watching on smaller mobile screens.

ChamSys Expands Training Academy, Adds Weekly Live MagicQ and Multi Language Material

Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

SOUTHAMPTON, UK – ChamSys continues to build on its global commitment to education, making webinar bookings and 20-munte appointment consultations found on the training page available in German, Italian and Spanish versions.  The company has also broadened the scope of its training with the addition of new Live MagicQ sessions that will stream every Tuesday  at 11 am EST (4 pm BST).

Conducted by the ChamSys training staff, the new sessions will delve deeply into key MagicQ software capabilities, such as mapping complex fixtures, FX setup and tracking. In addition to being livestreamed on Facebook, the lessons will also be made available on IGTV.

The new MagicQ material, which will be available only in English initially, will feature the following topics:

 

  • Control and Mapping of Complex Fixtures With Multiple Elements, which covers subjects like Ind/Dup, element selection, and  non-linear shape fixtures used in Grids — 14th April          
  • Better Busking With the Execute Window, which offers tips on setting up grids with groups, palettes and cues – April 21
  • FX 101, which looks at  setting up custom FX, group FX and playing back FX – 28 April
  • Faster Programming With Tracking, which explains tracking, detailing how it works with MQ, and also HLF, viewing tracking, block cue and block FX – 5 May
  • Advanced Pixel Mapping, which covers pixel mapper FX, movies, gifs and live feeds 12 May
  • Effective Playback With Options, which provides a detailed review of topics like advanced cue stack options, fader options and  playback holdover – 19 May
  • Timecode With MagicQ, which examines issues relating to timecode on cue stacks

For more information visit the “Training” section of the ChamSys website:

Training: https://chamsyslighting.com/pages/training

      ChamSys Training Academy Expands Online Learning Opportunities

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      SOUTHAMPTON, UK – Touring and live events may be on hold for now, but learning and career development continue to move forward at the ChamSys Training Academy. The lighting console maker has been actively expanding its online education resources with new courses, tutorials and appointment opportunities being added on a continuous basis. In addition to providing programmers with the chance to sharpen their skills (and develop new ones), the academy is serving as a platform for them to remain connected to the industry in the wake of the closings and cancelations that have taken place.

      Open to anyone, the academy offers daily online webinar training sessions. Conducted by active lighting designers and programmers, like Philip Watson, Brett Lorins and Charles Courser, these sessions cover a range of basic, intermediate and advanced topics.

      The ChamSys Training Academy also features an expanded menu of video tutorials, including Beginners Sessions that provided a basic look at subjects like windows, buttons, faders and shortcuts; to Intermediate Sessions that deliver in-depth guides to topics like using the Execute Window to its maximum benefit.  An extensive collection of Advanced Sessions is currently under development. 

      Another highlight of the academy is its free MagicQ and QuickQ online training sessions. Free of charge, the sessions provide practical user-friendly guides to mastering these powerful software tools.

      For programmers and designers seeking a more personal learning experience, the ChamSys Training Academy offers one-one-one consultations during normal business hours. There is no charge for these sessions, but they must be scheduled in advanced via the academy’s website. 

      For more information visit the “Training” section of the ChamSys website: 

      US: https://chamsyslighting.com/pages/training

      Outside US: https://chamsyslighting.com/pages/uk-training 

      ChamSys Unveils Contest for Programmers “Stuck at Home”

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      LONDON – There’s a massive new 200-fixture rig that was going to premiere at the now-canceled Prolight + Sound 2020 show.  There are also a lot of talented lighting programmers and designers finding themselves “stuck at home,” who would love a chance to show their creative chops. Put them both together and you have an exciting remedy for the “Coronavirus Blues,” called the ChamSys Online Programmers Competition.

      Sponsored by ChamSys, the contest, which runs between now and April 10th, provides lighting pros with more than a creative outlet during slow times, it also offers a chance to win a new MagicQ MQ70 console, something that is sure to open bright, new possibilities when the curtain rises once again on live concerts and festivals.  The first 25 entries in the contest will also receive a MagicDMX Test Kit, while the three top runners up will earn a premium swag bag. 

      Entering the contest is simple. To participate, entrants merely have to download the Vis/Base show file of the CHAUVET Professional PL+S 2020 rig, select a 1-3-minute song of their choice, and then program the lights using MagicQ with MagicVis visualistion.

      Once they do that, entrants have to record their entries via screen capture, and submit them, along with the show file to [email protected] by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (US) on April 10th. The entrant’s name, location and mailing address must be included in all submissions.

      The judges evaluating each submission are Max Koehler and Ryan Warffuel of Antic Studios, Phil Watson and James Harrison of ChamSys, and Michael Graham of CHAUVET Professional.

      For complete contest rules visit https://cutt.ly/Dtl7HQa

      ChamSys To Skip Prolight + Sound 2020

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      SOUTHHAMPTON, UK – After careful consideration and consultation with its customers as well as end users, ChamSys has elected not to participate in the rescheduled Prolight + Sound 2020. Although the company will miss the opportunity to meet with its friends and colleagues at Frankfurt, this decision was necessary given the large number of exhibitors who have already withdrawn from the show and the difficulty in rearranging scheduling and travel plans.

      ChamSys looks forward to participating fully in Prolight + Sound 2021. Meanwhile, the company will continue to present customers with information about its new products through upcoming roadshows as well as its standard marketing and communications channels.

      Kaiser Chiefs Duck Tour Powered With ChamSys MagicQ MQ 500

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      LONDON – There may be thousands of people filling arenas on the Kaiser Chiefs’ current Duck Tour, but after only a few notes have been struck, most of them probably feel like they’re enjoying the convivial company of close friends in the warm confines of their favorite pub. Such is the magic that this multi-platinum band is working on audiences with their spirited singalongs and on-stage antics.

      The iconic quintet from Leeds is not only a lot of fun to see on this tour in support of their seventh album, they’re also really enjoyable to light, especially when you have a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium at your disposal.

      Just ask Lighting Director and Operator Jason Hyne, who is running the boards for the show, which was designed by Rob Sinclair. A ChamSys user since 2013, Hyne is working with the MQ500 for the first time on the Ducks tour, and finds that the console has greatly enhanced his work.

      “The MQ500 has been a pleasure to work with and has made running the show a lot of fun, by simplifying things and giving me more time to be creative,” said Hyne. “Rob Sinclair is responsible for the show’s lighting and set design. The Kaiser Chiefs new album Duck and its cover artwork heavily influenced his design path.  Consequently, the pace of the songs and show is quick. This is reflected in the lighting cues and programming. The extra number of faders, buttons and Exec in the MQ500 provides me with so many more capabilities.”

      Hyne notes that the band’s set is made up of 23 songs from a list featuring around 50 numbers. Each song has a page and is structured roughly to 20 cues per song; and each cue is running and releasing macros.

      “There is no time code, and Ricky Wilson, the frontman, runs around a lot,” said Hyne. “So, I’m working with a playback structure whilst I busk all of the front lights. The robustness of the MQ500 and its intuitive layout make it easier to manage all these variables.”

      The lightshow uses 12 universes over sACN and includes over 100 fixtures. Most of the programming for the show was done in Liverpool at Adlib.

      “I was very impressed with Adlib’s new programming suite, as well as team account handler Jordan Willis, and the lighting team of Kev Byatt, Paul Hyne and Oli Gorman,” said Hyne. “As you would expect, the MQ500 connected seamlessly every time to the WYSIWYG and was key in giving as true as possible perspective to the show. Again, it made the whole process easier every step of the way.”

      For Hyne, the move to the MQ500 was a “big jump” from the MQ80 he had been using. Although he had anticipated a “tougher challenge,” he found that learning to work the larger console was relatively seamless, the extra faders and buttons along with the second screen in the MQ500 making his work programming the Ducks show easier. “It gave the whole process a greater sense of freedom,” he said… not to mention making everything more fun.

      ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 At Home in Elsewhere

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      BROOKLYN – Technically, the “centroid,” or geographical center, of New York City, lies near the corner of Stockholm Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, just a short half mile walk from Elsewhere.  This distinguishing feature didn’t enter into the decision of the club’s owners when they opened their business at this spot in Brooklyn’s Bushwick section on Halloween, 2017, but the  location is very fitting, considering how their cavernous venue embraces the myriad artistic and cultural influence that give the Big Apple its distinctive and endlessly fascinating flavor.

      Every form of the city’s creative expression seems to find a home with the 24,000 sq. ft. confines of Elsewhere, which houses a loft café, art gallery and four performance spaces. It is, as one New York newspaper critic declared, a “community-driven environment where art thrives and different cultures meet.”

      Tying this creative cauldron together is a flexible lighting system that includes a large number of moving luminaires and stage fixtures as well as LED panels, most of which are controlled by the house ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console.  Chris Madden, Head of Production at Elsewhere, selected the ChamSys desk as the club’s main console because of its price to performance ratio.

      “In addition to having a large number of fixtures, Elsewhere relies heavily on LED installations in the Hall, and throughout the building,” said Madden. “The MQ80 can handle a huge number of universes, in particular for its price point. It allows us to control all of our fixtures and multiple LED installations. Additionally, when artists bring in their own lighting package or video wall to the club, we still have open universes to control them as well.”

      Elsewhere’s four performance spaces are The Hall (700 Cap), Zone One (250 cap), the Loft (100 cap) and a rooftop space (500 cap).  The MagicQ MQ80 controls the lights in the Hall, where the headliner performances take place, while a MagicQ PC Wing with a computer runs lights in Zone One.

      David Wilson, a lighting designer who often runs lights at the club, pointed to a number of reasons why the ChamSys consoles have been so important to Elsewhere.  “The flexibility of setting up playback options and programming styles to match our workflow with

      external LED mapping programs, in addition to running the moving and static light rig, makes the MQ80 a great fit for this club,” he said. “I also find the tap tempo and global tempo control to be essential for the variety of acts we light at Elsewhere. This allows us to keep our basic looks and adjust their feel from show to show, or act to act.

      “Chris Madden, and the head LD Andre Ferreira really hold the place down well,” continued Wilson. “Between them and the ChamSys console, plus all the cool people who come here, this is a very supportive place for an LD.”

      True to the spirit of Brooklyn nightlife performances at Elsewhere are characterized by free spirited creativity and improvisation.  It’s not surprising then that busking is common to the LD’s stock and trade in these parts.

      “Everything in Bushwick is busking,” said Wilson. “The vibe here is DIY, so people really like to get into it. With this in mind, I would say that flexibility is the number one asset that the MQ80 brings to the table for me as an LD. What’s really important, given the flexibility the ChamSys has, is understanding the relationship between your executor pages, playbacks and programmer. Once you get that down, things start to move quickly.”

      Wilson explained how this relationship between LD and console works out for him at Elsewhere in Brooklyn.   “I slide faders with my left hand and bump with my right — so with my ChamSys, I like to have a few key group intensity faders on my left, with effects in the cue stack, along with a global intensity effect fader,” he said “Then in the middle, I’ll have global colors, color Fx and movement. On the right I have a global strobe fader and a blackout fader with both bumps set to swap so any accents can really be felt.”

      When there’s a visiting band, as opposed to a DJ, Wilson makes sure to have the blinders on a separate fader. He also likes to keep the crossfader as global rate, and the tap timer set to selected cue stack.

      “We have cues for backgrounds, but we rely on busking and improvisation for our shows,” he said.  “Things can go in a lot of directions here, so yeah the ChamSys’ versatility makes it right at Elsewhere.”

      Photo Credit: Luis Nieto Dickens

      Resolution X Invests in ChamSys QuickQ Consoles

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      Resolution X expands their control inventory with 6 ChamSys QuickQ consoles.

      “We were looking for an easy to use reliable hardware based console, which would suit the applications that require between 1 to 4 universes of DMX control’, explains Tim Hall, Managing Director at Resolution X. “Something which would have an intuitive user interface for new operators and provide an extensive feature set for the experienced programmers on small to mid-scale shows.”

      After a thorough evaluation of a range of small form factor standalone consoles, their choice landed on the award winning ChamSys QuickQ consoles, with an initial purchase of four QuickQ 20 and two QuickQ 30 consoles, which are now available from their Melbourne and Sydney locations.

      “The QuickQ 20 and 30 offered great balance between simplicity and power, which will allow us to use them on both our own production shows and for dry hire. The consoles are compact, but they have a large inbuilt touch screen, so there is no need for an external monitor on many jobs. The mobile like interface leads you through setup, programming and operation, making it easy to use even for new operators,” comments Tim on their key selection criteria. “We put our shortlisted consoles in our training room and sent operators in to see how far they could get without prior knowledge of the platform, and QuickQ came out on top.” 

      “Having the same substantial fixture library and compatible show files with the larger ChamSys MagicQ console range was a big plus when it came down to decision time. We always consider how any item will fit into the systems we provide to our customers, so the ability of these small consoles to use DMX over Ethernet protocols means we can easily maximize their output by sending them out with an appropriate ArtNet, sACN or Pathport node, making them an ideal addition to the ResX production and dry hire inventory”, adds Tim.

      For more information contact: [email protected]

      Iwan Hutapea Covers Diverse Range At Soundrenalin With ChamSys

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      BALI, INDONESIA – The iconic and influential British pop rockers Suede felt right at home when they headlined the Soundrenalin. The upbeat spin on alt music that the band spearheaded in the 1990s was reflected in the sounds of some of their coheadliners at the two day festival, such as the popular Indonesian quintet Padi Reborn. But pop music in Indonesia is every bit as diverse as it is in the UK, so sharing the stage with alt rockers was a wide range of artists, from the hard driving Indonesian metal band Jamrud, to local R&B legend Glenn Fredly. 

      Tying this diverse musical offering together visually on two stages, while still creating unique looks that reflected the unique personalities of each of the more than 40 artists who appeared at Soundrenalin, was a challenge, according to festival lighting designer Iwan Hutapea. It was one he met, however, in beautiful fashion with help from two ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium consoles. 

      “The diversity on the stage was impressive,” said Iwan, owner of Etcetera Lighting. “We designed the lighting rig to be very flexible. As for the console, we used ChamSys, not just for its capabilities, but also because it is very user friendly for programming and networking, which made it easy to add ArtNet.”

      When Iwan ran the boards during the festival he was grateful that he could work with playbacks and preset faders without swapping between modes, which made it easier to busk.  “We did a lot of busking, because many of the bands gave us their song lists only at the last minute,” he said. “This is when you really appreciated that the ChamSys is so user-friendly.”

      Iwan also appreciated how easy it was for LDs who have never worked with the MagicQ MQ 500 Stadium to familiarize themselves with the new console. “ChamSys was the festival console, so visiting LDs were given the opportunity to use it of course,” he said. “It was really a very straightforward process for them to learn the console and make personalities for their floor package fixtures. Really, my biggest challenge was to convince new LDs how simple the ChamSys was to use. But once they tried it, they were convinced.”

      Nick Ho Adds New Dimensions To G12 Asia Conference With ChamSys

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      SINGAPORE – As time passes, events and the lighting designers who work for them year after year often seem to develop a shared sense of how to approach the job at hand.  Such is the case of Nick Ho and the G12 Asia conference. The Singapore-based LD began working for the massive worship rally in 2005, and has lit every one of its annual conferences since 2016. 

      Like his client, which is constantly looking for new ways to engage worshippers, Ho refuses to rest on his laurels. Although his big, multi-faceted lightshows have earned widespread praise from the conference’s attendees and its Technical Director, Dennis Thien, Ho is always working to make them more compelling. This year, he and his programmer Justin Poh upped the engagement level by doing something they’d never done before: pixel map their rig’s washes.

      Creating this new design with the 78 wash fixtures in their rig was made much easier, they say, by the pixel mapping features in their ChamSys MagicQ MQ100 Pro. “This was the first time that we have tried pixel mapping washes for such a large scale event,“ said Ho, noting that the conference, which was held at the Singapore Expo Hall, drew 10,000 people. “The pixel mapping functions in our ChamSys works very fast, which was good, because Justin wound up creating looks on site during the conference. 

      “Pixel mapping the washes added another dimension to our show,” continued Ho. “Having the simple low res animation effects run across the back line truss created very engaging looks. Doing this was a straightforward process with ChamSys. We just had to create a fixture layout in the Output Window View Plan, create the grid size, and assign heads correctly into the boxes, then patch PIXMAP — and we were done!  The ease of working with ChamSys removes a lot of stress when you are trying something new.” 

      Ho was also impressed with how smoothly his console worked with the different brands of washes in his rig. “We had three different brands represented, almost evenly,” he said “It was quite a task to make sure we had the correct color balances across this diverse rig.  This was especially important because we had to watch our colors for our video cameras.”

      Ho and Poh had 409 fixtures run across 24 universes in their lighting design for the conference. Their lighting filled a variety of roles, requiring a versatile system, and a flexible attitude on their part.

      “As always, we try to balance the important creative aspect of lighting design with the practical ‘light first’ concept,” said Ho. “I tried to make use of the correct timing during worship segment to enhance the stage and the surrounding environment. At the same time, we wanted lighting to reach the audience, and work well for the cameras. There were times when we would turn off stage wash to create a back-light silhouette effects, without losing anything for the camera. There were always many different demands to weigh, so having a console that simplified things was very important.”

      In addition to the MagicQ MQ100 Pro, Ho and Puh ran their lights on a Maxi Wing with a MacBook Pro. A custom designed MIDI Controller was also used.

      “This year, I introduced MIDI wing hardware to be used with MQ100 as an ‘extra fader wing,’” said Ho. “This wing sent MIDI output to ChamSys. There is a very useful Automation feature in ChamSys that allows you to assign any MIDI input command to trigger cues. For G12, I assigned it to trigger a ‘Executor Window’. This wing helped Justin and me trigger as many effects as possible without losing our concentration during busking moments, which were different and more elaborate this year.”

      Whether it’s pixel mapping washes for the first time, or pushing his busking envelope, Nick Ho continues to expand his creative horizons with his ChamSys console at the G12 Asia conference – and his client couldn’t be happier.

      Peter Therrien Creates New Looks With New ChamSys Console For The Interrupters

      Geschrieben von James Harrison am . Veröffentlicht in News.

      CRANSTON, RI – The chart-topping punk ska band, The Interrupters wanted a new look for their shows when they contacted Peter Therrien and JDI Productions through an intermediary. “I was touring with Flogging Molly when someone, I still don’t know who, gave the band contact info for JDI and me,” said Therrien. “Their management reached out to us. My Flogging Molly tour was over and I had time, so here we are.”

      The “here” where Therrien and the LA-based quartet are right now, is in the midst of an extended North American tour in support of their Top Ten “Fight The Good Fight” album. For Therrien, the tour not only represents the chance to spread his creative wings with a first-time client, but also an opportunity to run a different kind of show with his new ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console.

      “Cody James of JDI tried the ChamSys MagicQ MQ 500 Stadium lasts year, and told Derek Iorfida (owner of JDI Productions) great things about it, so Derek purchased some consoles,” said Therrien, who designs for the Cranston, Rhode Island-based company. “I wasn’t 100-percent happy with the console that I was using. I wanted something that would make it easier to patch and clone different house stuff on tour. My first show with the MQ80 was in June.  I haven’t looked back since.” 

      Unleashing some creative juices with his new console, Therrien is creating a silky smooth flowing lightshow that wraps itself effortlessly around the band’s bouncy ska sound with its very fast bass lines and airy upstroke guitar fills. Using intense downlighting against a backdrop of deeply saturated colors, he creates an ethereal glow around each band member, while geometric patterns of light created on risers accentuate the emphasis on the musicians.

      “I think all tours have their own set of challenges, but this one for me was all about learning the band, what they like, and what makes them feel comfortable,” said Therrien. “The

      Interrupters want a very classic ‘Punk Show’ at points so, verses get big looks. Then, I add some movements for choruses in deep washes of color. On the more ska/dance songs, it’s pretty much the same, but a little more movement and FX. The idea is to flow with the show and highlight the specialness of each band member.”

      Helping Therrien accomplish this in his 3-universe show is his ChamSys console. Given that his light show has to incorporate multiple fixtures from each new house rig on the tour, he appreciates how the cloning features of his console help him expand his rig.

      “This is just a really powerful option to have at your disposal on a tour like  Fight The Good Fight,” he said. “Going into the Patch Window, it’s very fast and easy to add fixtures when I get to a new venue. It’s also very convenient to be able to add fixtures, and sometimes just palettes instead of palettes and cues. The Execute Window is another great feature, since it lets me customize the console. Another thing I like is having all the Playback Buttons right below the screen.”

      Therrien is carrying an Extra Wing with him on the tour. The compact MQ80 console and the Extra Wing along with their cases, fit neatly in the trailer as the tour crisscrosses North America. “I have 26  programmed pages, plus one Exec Page for the 22 songs in the set, plus some others for the backup pages,” said Therrien. “The Extra Wing is where I keep all my ‘constants’ for every show.”

      This programming has worked to produced results that make the band and its legion of fans very happy. So much so, that when The Interrupters embark on their European tour at the end of the year, Therrien will be there as the band’s LD. Coming along with him will be his new ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. As he said, “there is no looking back.” 

      Photo Credit: vin_hel

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