J Pearce

Though mixing 32ch on an LS9 is sufficient challenge for me not to consider attempting 64.

MPEG is just a container - do you know what codec it is in? I'd start by transcoding to Prores or H264 - I use ffworks, but there are various options available.

I'd say that's a Thomas 4 cell 1k asymmetric cyc flood.

Got no experience with the S4WRD, so can't help there.

Blue fabric or blue painted timber, lit with blue light - it'll also still look half decent in daylight too then.

I've not played much with the new S3 Lustrs, but had a rig full of the S2 Lustrs at my last job. Really really good. Very flat beam and able to focus very sharp. The gate diffusers are good at controlling chromatic abberation on gobos. White at 3200K is probably closer to a 575W HPL than a 750W, but white at 5000K is much brighter than a 750W HPL S4 with CTB gel in. The only time I felt I needed more punch was on the FOH units in the big concert hall (30m + throw), but I think I would have had the same issue with a 750W HPL, and using fixed lenses rather than zooms would probably have been a big help too (it really needed 10deg rather than 15-30s, and in theory fixed angle lenses are more optically efficient). I've not played much with the white S4s, but be aware that they don't respond to gel colours in the same way that a HPL lamp would.

Most big touring shows use a fairly cheap analogue CCTV camera, cat5 baluns and cat5 cable. Lower latency than most HDMI setups and digital converters, and just simple and easy to use. (Some are using Canon or Marshall cameras with SDI links - but only the biggest best funded companies) We have some nice Bosch cctv cameras I usually use for MD cams - they have manual exposure which is handy, but I've happily used cheap £40 cameras without issue. You may find an IR emitter is useful.

I’d plan on treating driver and tape as a fixture, and switching feeds into the drivers rather than the feeds from the drivers. I can’t imagine that paralleling an AC feed will work unless they are synchronised.

We get all of ours terminated to Lemo before they come to us. There are some options for retermination to microdot (I'd need to check my notes at work) - but tbh, I've rarely bothered reterminating a capsule as I don't see the labour and parts as a good investment to a used capsule that's probably already sufficient sweaty to be B grade. YMMV if you're doing lapels instead of hairlines etc.

Freeze-distilled whisky.

It is relevant because, in the UK at least, gas price pretty much sets electricity price, and if your theatre electricity bill goes beyond your takings bad things happen. Also, many of us need to start considering what we do if our venue is knocked out by a rolling blackout. How do we send comms to staff and patrons with no internet or phones? What's our process if it happens mid performance?

I live next door to a hospital electrician. They've run backup power drills this year and ensure they have sufficient fuel etc. Their setup is quite interesting, they distribute around the site at 8kV, and they've got a mix of battery and generator backup.

It’s just a balance of contrast ratio. Keep your ambient low enough and your image bright enough and it’ll be fine. I’ve done plenty of projection onto black, even a black gauze. Obviously bright block colour/white works much better than a detailed image, but we’re a long way from the 3000 and 5000 lumen Sanyos of the 2000s now.

You probably want to look at proper install kit rather than live sound kit. Allen and Heath's AHM is a fairly affordable setup that can offer hardware controllers as well as tablet control. Be aware that installing this sort of system opens you up to being tech support 24/7, and something not working will be your fault even if it isn't. Sometimes, each dance tutor having their own active speaker is just easier.

Don't forget the admin costs of compliance - daily usage checks, monthly inspections, recording and storing of these. They're fairly low maintenance til something goes wrong. Some things you can fix yourself, others will need a service engineer.

FBT's not a brand I've used. I may be wrong, but my impression has always been that they're a budget brand rather than a proper sound reinforcement speaker. I would recommend getting a listen of the ZXA1s, they're a significant upgrade on any of the cheaper brands. Depending on what bass response you need, you may find they're ok without subs. I found they were absolutely fine for vocal/guitar type setups without subs.

If you're looking at taking a small sub anyway, look at 8" tops. I had some EV ZXA1s at a previous job and they were loud/good quality/very light/easy to handle. Of the rest of the list I'd be looking at the RCFs and the QSC. The Alto stuff is good for the money, but in my experience lacks the refinement to work well as a sound reinforcement box - for loud playback they're very usable though. I know a few folk who've had power supply issues with the RCF active speakers.

We did once get the ML3000 on the campus shuttle bus...

A y cord should have no effect if nothing is plugged into the extra leg. Keep it simple.

And heat pumps are over 100% efficient, as they just move heat around rather than convert electricity/fuel into heat.

At my last place we had an advance request for projects, but bits and bobs we would usually supply ad hoc. Essentially, if you wanted guaranteed availability it was at least a week in advance, but if kit was available I wouldn't hold it back without reason. Large scale late notice requests would usually be declined on a staffing time basis. Continual last minute emergencies from a student would have triggered a conversation about planning being a professional skill. I had the advantage of only needing to serve around 50 students from my store. My colleagues in music tech servicing all the musicians and music tech students had to be stricter, though would still be willing to help if possible.

Various companies make relays that can be controlled using MIDI. Depending on what you’re controlling you may need to use that relay output to control a bigger/better isolated relay or SSR. This may prove simpler than trying to use audio.

Why then, if it is such a cherished skill, do most places think they can get away with paying minimum wage or BECTU minimum to those who have the skills?

I do this for anything that I know is permanent. However many of our racks get modified through the year. I have used the backplates but tbh, with a pair of needle nose pliers the nuts aren’t too fiddly and are much cheaper. The backplates may only be 38p each, but that starts to add up. They also often can’t be retrofitted to extant rack tails.

It's out! - https://qlab.app/docs/v5/general/new-in-qlab-5