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Would explain why I've never seen one then... Haven't dabbled with DJ Dave Doubledecks gear in over 35 years!

Erm, huh? Lighting desks with IECs for controlling fog machines? That's definitely a new one on me. Can't see anything obvious on Google for any Cobra LX desks, so maybe a good start pointing us at what that is to start with...

I suspect that in many other industries, if there was even a minor (eg up to and including non-fatal) incidence that perhaps was repeated following similar 'phoenix-like' resurrections, there could well be an outcry from the public aspect - eg the users of the product may well revolt and black-ball said products until such time as those company owners accepted the liability by way of recompense/settlement of fines.. But as LeM have such a large market share in THIS industry, I suspect that this would be a case of cutting the throats of so many customers who rely on their pyro for hundreds of companies nationwide... It's all very well looking at Sky High, or other suppliers, but as I mentioned before, that would involve either significant reinvestment in hardware and/or adaptors for the different effects platforms. Which may be viable for larger users, but maybe not so for those at the lower/middle scale operators... Hmmm... (tm)

The only problem there is the incompatibility with any plug-in effects for those who already have a stock of LeM gear... 😞 Though I think someone did say that adapters may be available...

Not entirely sure how to take this... 😞 I would hazard that the moves to liquidate the original company then re-start under a 'different' name will have been mostly under the advice of the corporate lawyers trying to limit the exposure of their bosses, and doing so in a different situation MIGHT be something I'd sort of understand, but here, where there appear to have been some serious breaches in basic safety practices, it does smack of panic avoidance of just doing the right thing... 😮 There is surely a moral responsibility apart from the now proven legal one for the company to step up, and considering Le Maitre is one of the major players in the pyro industry (we've ALL used their gear, right..?) you'd perhaps have expected much more from them..... So - as I say, not sure how I feel about this overall...

I'd say that pretty much depends on the requirements of each show's production needs and the work of the #1 noisies... I doubt you'll get much of a knowledgable average tbh. Why the question?

Yep - that's precisely what it is/has.

Multi-way controllers like this are common where multiple motors need to be driven at the same time - eg bringing in a truss or larger bespoke items. Trying to bring in a 4-motor truss using 4 separate hand-held pickles would be a logistical nightmare!! And whilst yes you CAN get males with flaps, it's unlikely to find them in most ents situations, particularly indoors...

Nope - the reds are female as they take the power UP to the motors, the yellows are male (and thus don't need flaps) bring the control power DOWN from the motors.

Another open 'secret' (these days) are the underground facilities in BT exchanges. Most notable in my experience was under one of the Birmingham main exchanges (if you know it, you know it, but might be wise to still keep shtumm). Down there is a fair sized facility with bunk rooms, canteen facilities, operations areas, generators and a manual switchboard which used to have private wires to other main (back then, GPO) centres. Word was that if the balloon went up, the nominate senior (in rank) engineers would be allowed down there, along with some of the (majority female) operators from the other floors. The engineers for obvious technical reasons, but whilst the operators were ostensibly for staffing the switchboard, the 'other reason' was to ensue there were enough pairs of humans to start repopulation once the dust had cleared... How true that was..... well..... 😮 There are also miles of tunnels deep underground linking key buildings, though I guess those are probably all defunct now other than as cable routes. But I believe that the fire service have at times used them, dark and filled with smoke machine smoke as training grounds.

SSSSSH!!! We're not supposed to tell.... Oh - OK, it's common knowledge now 😄 😄 😄 So yeah - spent quite a few days down some of the ROC underground posts back in the early 80s, wondering at the 1940s vintage gear down there. And checked off a fair few of the direct circuits that fed the sirens...

Though it won't avoid any venues with Sunday afternoon matinees... (And there are a few, even in the West End) My guess is that those venues will have to post signs warning punters to ACTUALLY turn off their mobiles, rather than just set them to 'stun', but my other guess is that a LOT of them will ignore that - even if the test being due is included in the pre-show announcements... It only takes a couple to let the whole audience know they didn't comply...

Of course, there used to be a LOT of secret squirrel siren and early warning systems routed through the BT networks ..... Not that I'd know anything about them........................ 😄 😄 😄 😄

Been catching up on some of the news about this new alert system that'll be sent to mobiles in cases of emergencies... Haven't yet found anything to suggest whether alerts will be UK wide regardless of the location of any specific incident (eg, not much point messaging Londoners about flooding in North Yorkshire...). And the potential impact on our events industry of alerts sounding during an event is perhaps something to think on... Especially if it IS nationwide... The test on 23rd April (A Sunday) is set for early evening - no definite time I've found so far - which means that any one-off specials at venues could well be disrupted for ten secs or so for the sirens blaring on any devices that are still switched on (even if their muted) so suggest everyone who might have a show that night announces the test pre-show to make sure patrons (and cast/crew/staff...) turn their phones OFF...

With respect, yes it IS really. Whether you're taping or zip-tying cables up anywhere near where people (staff) are potentially going to be or where the fire service may need to go in dark and/or smoke-filled locations, you definitely need to consider the possibilities of those cables (or any other fixings) coming down and hindering escape or firefighting. Yes, it's all about assessing the risks at all stages, but you actually have to be honest and realistic when doing so.

ANY area is in an escape route if someone happens to be the other side of the potential hazard from the normal exit.....

Have to be honest, gave up trying to advise the multitude of dance schools that have used our venue over the years about the needs for proper PRS/PPL info. To my knowledge, few, if any, pay any heed to what they use in their shows, and AFAIK so far none have been caught by the rights holders - Disney or otherwise - for breaches. Which is of course why they'll continue to do it.

Can't give you a chapter and verse answer, but in my opinion cable ties are basically useful for what they say on the pack... Tying CABLES together or in place. Anything of any serious weight (eg anything that might cause a nasty incident if it fell) should NOT be mounted using them for the simple reason that in the case of a fire (or even the ambient temp getting hot enough to make them become pliable... **) then anything that's held up that way could fall and add additional injury to the public or even emergency services tackling the blaze. ** Even in the UK, an item in direct sunlight, for example, or close to a lantern that's getting hot can result in cable ties warming up and going soft, rendering the zip-catch ineffective.

Who's got some reasonably priced radio mic sets (maybe 10) outside of ch 38?

There seems to be a bit of a kerfuffle in some of the punter-based social media about Wicked being cancelled last night due to some backstage issues... Hardly the first show to have some tech problems resulting in a short closure, but I'm a bit insomniacal again tonight and bored, so... 🙂 Some have suggested that it was because the set designer Eugene Lee (who won a Tony for Wicked amongst other designs) but it seems that happened on Feb 6th. And I fail to see why a London show would cancel for that reason, rather than maybe dedicate a performance to the guy. Google's not giving me much if anything, so anyone have the skinny??

For a couple of productions now I've managed to sell on the set pieces we built for Wind in the Willows and Young Frankenstein, and those pieces seem to be doing a mini-tour around the UK, which is nice. Basically the groups we sold to have in turn sold on to others and so on, so the initial expense can be mitigated going forward. Our last show, in November, was Singin' in the Rain, and I had a couple of supposedly interested groups contact me after I advertised on 3 or 4 re-sale groups on the FaceSpace pages. However, so far, none have panned out. So, thought I'd try here. Apologies for the LOADS of pics, but may as well show what we have in toto. The materials cost for all of these topped £2500, not including consumables like screws, glue, paints etc so looking for something in that order so I can start on what we need for the next one (Spamalot, in June) once I clear my garage.. So - any takers? I'd rather sell to one group as a job lot rather than bit by bit. Custom painted backdrop for the Cavalier filming scenes - bench and balustrade shown in another pic below. Rear view of the rain dropper we created using simple garden watering nozzles - obviously you'd need to arrange for a water disposal mechanism on your stage. Light-up heart-shaped gateway for 'Beautiful Girl' number. Lamps wired as two channels per side (via 2 x 15A plug-tops per side), the heart is split for easier storage/transport Recording booth - front side in this pic. Two 8 x 4 flats with open window in both. 'RECORDING' sign inset as seen has RGB LED tape for backlighting, but LED driver NOT included. Balustrade and bench (just visible 🙂 )for the Cavalier filming scenes with backdrop behind. A pair of these rose bushes for the second cavalier scene - heavy pots and wheeled bases included. Framed Monumental sign - sign itself is A1 size. Faux free-standing mirror and dressing table for Lina's dressing room scene. Pair of these simple rope-lines for the movie premiere scenes (crowd control) Birthday cake (above and below) - 4 ft diameter when together (attached at rear with pin-hinges). Top section hinges out when Cathy 'bursts' out of the cake. Wooden step-ladder for the romantic duet scene. Projection screen for both the RF's party scene and the over-dubbing scene. Screen detachable from the upright for easier storage/transport. Side view of that recording booth. Faux movie camera on wheeled tripod. Faux recording equipment to go inside the booth. 2nd hand sofa we used for both Make 'em Laugh and Good Morning. We added castors (braked at rear set) for easy movement. Our trio managed to easily tip it backwards after a few attempts and nailed it at every performance. RF's offce desk - again on castors for easy movement. (Chair NOT included) Small drinks bar for use in RF's party scene. Practical lamp-post. If base plate bolted to stage floor this is sturdy enough for Don to stand on the circular base top and lean out (ally scaff pole in centre of upright). Lamp is tungsten fed by 15A lead out of base. Full stage view of 3 of the 4 available illuminated signs for Broadway Melody. Wording is from 10mm fairy lights (2 per sign) controlled from switch pack (NOT included). Most sign outlines were EL wire (DMX controlled custom PSUs ARE included - 1 3-ch unit per sign) but two (from memory) are single-channel white LED tape surrounds (LED drivers NOT included). NOTE - umbrellas MAY be available at some stage (yellow (seen here) red and blue sets) but we need them here for June. Rear view of the party bar (front view a few pics above) PAIR of these timber lighting stands on wheels for the filming scenes. Lamps NOT included in sale, but a friendly Blue Roomer now has both and may be amenable to hire/loan. 🙂 Closer view of one of the illuminated signs. Fuller view of the heart gateway (Steps NOT included) PAIR of faux vintage mic heads (stands NOT included) Graumans theatre sign - approx 5ft long I think. Closer view of two of the illuminated signs. A1 posters used at various points in the show - those that were used on the easels are backed on hardboard. All at A1 size. Can't find pic of the easels, but they are included in the sale. The first three at top left we have TWO of. Faux switchgear panel on wheels. For the romantic duet scene. Two prop violins in 'Fit as a Fiddle' (obv)

I am a HUGE proponent of never using the headphone out for anything of any import. It's not really designed for this, and it's VERY easy to yank a 3.5mm jack out if there's a lot of desk shuffling. My venue invested in a simple plug 'n' play USB sound card years ago and on any show I work, it's alwas the recommended option if they have to use their own computer.

There was, I recall, a topic somewhere in here about options for degreasing used lantern stock - particularly those that have been used a lot around oil crackers etc... However, can't find it - anyone remember what it was and where?

I looked into this a few times over recent years and came to the conclusion that whilst dropping an ETC LED engine on the back of a tungsten S4 lens tube is quite feasible, (or indeed any of the compatible options from the likes of Chauvet etc) it was in fact a better choice to go with the lenses that are matched to the LED gear. The tungsten lens tubes are great in themselves, but to get the full benefit of the LED output you really need those matched bits of glass. And compared to the LED engines, the extra cost of a proper lens is relatively small overall..... You MIGHT find that if you by the LED backs, and sell the older tungstens as a whole, that may get you the wonga to invest in the LED lenses anyway. Selling the backs on their own is a less-likely success story.

OK thanks. Points taken on board. Will have to see if I can get some more of these drivers in time...