Ynot

We're changing the PC in our sound booth, and upgrading some of the gear, and moving away from the Firewire external sound cards we have at the moment. So - I have the following available for sale: Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 Both in pretty good condition, never taken outside of the venue, and one has been in the box for probably 2 years now, so relatively unused. Both have the firewire cables included, one has the PSU, and the other is around somewhere (just need to locate it :) ) No software disks included unless they appear from wherever they are hiding, but I guess you can get whatever's needed of t'interweb. I have them up on Fleabay at the moment with buy it now for £175 on the 24, £150 on the 14, but will entertain any serious offers around that mark. If more than one person is interested, I'll take the best offer on the table. :) Cheers

I'm very unclear as to why ANY venue (looking for clarity from Jon Pearce on his supporting statement there) would have LED fixtures powered 24/7. OK - if there's a need for ambient lighting for the exterior perhaps (though that through the day would also seem OTT) but indoors, when a stage only really needs illumination there's an event in progress (or setup/reh) I'm at a loss to understand why that's the norm. Our rig - around 60 to 70% LED now - is only powered when it's needed. All switched via relays from the booth inside, and the outside wall-washers are on a timer/light sensor arrangement so they only light up when it darkens.

Fair point, and very valid. Especially as my daughter (who's currently working FoH at the Shaftsbury (and hasn't really mixed with the techs thus far) has said yesterday that there are maybe 3 W.E. big shows that are open at the moment as many others HAVE been closed due to cast infections. That said, there's meet, and there's a 'Hi' across a desk perhaps... Wasn't looking for involved social interaction - just a courtesy greeting and 'How ya doin'?'. :D

Coming down to London in a couple of weeks, and have seats for Come from Away (Phoenix) and Be More Chill (Shaftsbury). Anyone here working tech on either of them that fancies saying 'hi' at the venue?

OK... To do this properly you need to go look at this guy's efforts on Facespace... He's done a cracking job in converting a large barn sized structure at his home into one heck of a movie theatre cum small stage cum bar cum man-cave play-room... Edward Zarick | Facebook Most of his posts are in the 'Everything Stage Lighting' group so you may need to join

It's actually the date they've pencilled in for ALL restrictions to be lifted.AS LONG AS the data supports the plan. Which colour me the pessimist, I'm not confident we/they'll hit... :( The statement was that they need 4 to 5 weeks after the stepped changes to judge whether the next step can go ahead or if they need to delay it. And (as a laymen) I see that as a logical stance to take. I'm still trying to figure out how ANY venue can hit 50% capacity whilst maintaining the 1m + distancing. No matter how we cut it we can't get much more than 30%...

We always planned for a limited opening at max 30% when we can, and that does look to be the May 17th earliest as above, but whether that can be extended after June 21st remains to be seen. I have to admit I'm fully expecting that date to slide as we progress.

Although I doubt it.We REALLY need a 'like' button on here... :D

That's the other element to consider here - The OP is clearly an inexperienced tech ny his on admission, and the suggestion of a house party of his making does make it sound very much as though he'd expect to be part OF the party - ie not actually running the tech in any way - it sounds very much like a plug it in and leave it be for the party. Of course, I could be wrong..........

Kerry's got it pretty much on the nose :)

Good decision.BUT that doesn't answer the other question.... When are you planning this party?

OK - based on this extra info, the very simple answer is a heartfelt NO! Don't even contemplate using lasers in any way shape or form. It's clear that you have no real-world understanding of the dangers, and just don't realise that lasers of any type in a domestic setting are a big no. YOU have the responsibility of keeping guests safe and in this scenario you're immediately putting everyone who walks into the room at a high risk of optical damage. Add to that that if you're considering a house party any time soon (certainly in the UK) that would be an illegal event and you risk serious fines then this really isn't the right thing to do. And I suspect you'll get little support from anyone here,...

Another vote for this being a very poorly thought out questionnaire. IF you want to get viable info for this theoretical product you need to completely rethink what you're asking. It matters not what level of qualifications I have, for example. Nor is it relevant (certainly at this stage) what the logo design might be or even what the palette colours could be. One huge hurdle you need to address is how venues might be able or willing to set these panels into their floors. There's only the choice of including one type of floor in the survey, but in my (small) venue, we have concrete, carpeted concrete, timber floorboards, carpeted floorboards, sprung floors, flooring chipboard (with and without carpet/lino) just for starters. I get that the idea is a theory at this stage, but part of that theory needs to be how you'd be able to install not just the panels themselves but also the control and power within each type of flooring. The idea MIGHT have some merit, but given the likely VERY high cost and installation time fro something like this it could be a non-starter even on the drawing board....

Yet when they were changed from yellow ('everyday' engineers) and dark blue (Business Systems) to the very pale grey many of us saw that as a retrograde vehicle safety issue as when the fogs came down (which I seem to recall coincided with the change by chance) they were nigh on invisible... :o

Simple answer - YES.More complex answer - yes, but not quite sure how it would be managed....

and JUMPS, to be honest... I too am among those who feels that the use of lasers - although of course they LOOK cool and all - in any situation that is not properly controlled by an experienced and safe user is a huge no-no... :( FAR too many people ignore (or are ignorant of) the risks involved and just dive in. And this OP is again someone who's just joined the BR, asked a contentious question (the likes of which HAVE ben asked before) and is unlikely to be seen or heard from again, especially if we give answers they don't like.... :(

I joined BT (Sorry - PO Telecoms then) in '78 and our apprentice courses were full of safety training - ESG (Engineering Safety Guide), to name one, as well as some quite graphic videos they showed - most notable was the screwdriver inst No 1 through the palm of the hand..... :o

It is in the Everything Stage Lighting forum on Facespace and Tim's posted several responses to a question from a guy called Lee Riordan.

Of course, the 'Merkins on the fora seem to be salivating over the other big show last night (Superbowl half time) and seem to think that that was the ONLY thing worth watching ... Though personally it didn't have even a small part of the impact that the Palladium did (for me). OK - different arena (literally) and huge scale of size, but with the amount of $$ thrown at it, I'd have expected something a little more focussed and tidy. Always big challenges when trying to do stuff on that big a scale, but I recall the 2012 Olympics show to be far superior...

For those that I've seen with supposedly piped applause, including those with the myriad of flat screens in the 'audience' I've usually felt that the responses seem derivative and fake. I can't see that so many households can be completely silent for the duration of a programme except when they're needed to cheer or clap... And combining several dozen/hundred single feeds of applause into what a real audience should sound like strikes me as being rather tricky and unlikely to sound 'right' - so m money is still on the canned applause right through. Yep - that was the guy who was posting answers on that forum and also a grid plan (technician p0rn for the youngsters).

If anyone is still interested in buying a used Strand 300, I still have at least one n our 'to sell' pile... I can't actually remember if I managed to sell the 100% working jobbie or if I have the one that has a glitch... But..............

Firstly, I have no real desire to ask or know what the rig was for tonight's BBC Musicals event at the Palladium - although there have been posts on the Facspace lighting groups of what was used. But I have to say that the content I watched on TV was IMHO absolutely stunning. OK - with a nod to the LX #1, the amount of kit thrown at this gig was impressive, and the whole premise of having the talent perform to the up-stage wall (and cameras) whilst half the BBC Concert Orchestra and West End backing singers stand in the punters' seats was inspired, but strangely worked. It gave a whole alternative way of getting so many performers into a venue whilst still keeping appropriate spacing. But back at LX - given the scale of the canvas, this was an obvious play-time for the LD and he/she delivered in spades. I think I saw that Neg Earth were responsible for the show - whoever it was, that was a job well done. It's often easy when given a mass array of kit, to get stuck onto a small number of looks that repeat, despite the availability of such numbers, but this was clearly well thought out and executed. Some very clear and conscious decisions made for both effects and timing to compliment the performers that don't always get made for this type of show, but I'm betting that this is down to the fact that the team had pretty much sod all to do otherwise, so were able to concentrate on analysing the acts through rehearsals and planning one heck of a light show. Subtle when needed and flashy when that was right to do so. My only regret is that because of the demands for TV editors to switch camera views so often we probably didn't get to see the full effect of the designs. But I saw enough to know that it must have been a joy to work on (and one heck of a load-in/load out...!) Oh - the other regret is that there was by default NO audience feedback from the performances cos there was no audience.:( For them, that must have been hugely depressing, although being able to perform in the first place will have gotten them on a high.. But overall, well doe the Beeb...

And let's not forget, in that vein, the decision some years ago that decreed the practice of properly and organised movement of a Tallescope with a person at the top was outlawed... Despite there being few (if any) recorded incidents of Talles falling over on stages, that meant that the process of the focus tech having to descend and reascend the vertical ladder between positions AND the temptation to over-stretch to save on doing that so often meant that additional hazards (arguably more risky than the the proper movement) were introduced...Yes, that's an old chestnut here on the BR, but still valid, nonetheless

very random question, and one that won't win you many favours in here... :) Sorry - but if it's just a break-the-ice question, you'd be better to come up with something a little more viable to answer. However, you may be asking for research for your course - in which case there are a couple of better placed 'rooms' here - eg "Beginners Please" that may suit your needs better. Not trying to put you off, so don't take it that way :)

Yep - Elaine leaving was a big loss to a lot of customers - she was always ready and willing to help out and often sent samples for me to try out in the run up to panto when we were looking for something 'different'. I sincerely hope that a buyer can be found who will take on the product lines and keep them going. Pyro of course probably being their biggest seller will leave a huge gap in the market - there's a lot of Le M hardware out there that isn't really compatible with many (or any?) other suppliers' pods etc. And haze/fog juice is going to be a pain for many if that dries up... :(