mac.calder

I mean it's cloud based - doesn't even work when it's not phoning home.... however when you set up a Microsoft tennant you can elect where the servers it floats on are based. So geographically your data shouldn't leave the country. This became a nightmare for us when our owner company decided to move us onto their o365 system in the US - as MS is still not great with "these people need to reside on servers in this country, these people in this other country" etc - and a number of our contracts with clients are very particular about where their data is stored.

Most is pretty easy - meetings are meetings. Table reads and spoken word rehearsals are rehearsals. Any standard conferencing platform is good for that sort of thing. Making sure all people not in a scene stay muted is perhaps the most difficult thing to manage for rehearsals. For meetings - making sure people don't talk over each other is key - conferencing platforms tend to fall over a bit with multiple speakers. One other thing I will say is that if you are doing any type of show that requires timing - Zoom etc can have issues with latency - so rehearsing a musical number via Zoom isn't fun... But do not fear. For real time work, Jamulus is the solution to your problems. It is audio only and is designed to be ultra ultra low latency - so if video is important, just run a zoom session and everyone mutes zoom. Jamulus lets you control the levels of all users individually, so you can make your own mix - so from an evaluators point of view, you can bring all the show audio right down to keep the show call really clear - and from the performers point of view, they can just drop the show call entirely. Whilst not intended specifically for your application, it really does have some cool potential in theatre rehearsals. That said, if they just need to prove they can call a show, then send them a piece of show as an audio or video file and make them share the media via the in-app screen share feature of your conferencing app and call over the top of it.

Yed is okay Lucidchart is a good online option.

I use a TS100 (which used to be available from Bangood, I believe they have new models now). I run it off of my drill battery (18v) - heats up super quickly - and maintains temp. It's awesome - and also so light and maneuverable. Bought it because I could not fly with a gas soldering iron - and can't always be guaranteed enough power behind a rack to use an off the shelf electric iron.

Both teams and zoom support up to 49 participants on a single screen display. Teams can even do it in together mode - keying everyone onto a shared background. Poor mans solution would be send out invites to group meetings in sets of 49 to your virtual audience. Then join one PC per meeting to the call and feed that into your vision system. Bob's your bothers mother. I believe the NBA is using Teams in together mode for their virtual crowd - although I am sure MS probably did some funky engineering for them to avoid the whole "managing people into groups of 49" thing.

Reference here The relevant section: Not sure if the tariffs are still there for video cameras. Overheating may be another aspect of it? not sure...

You might find that a lot of SLR/stills cameras will cap their recording length at 29 minutes 59 seconds - so that may certainly need consideration. This cap was due to an EU import tariff that was applied to video camera imports in '06 - and the definition of a "video camera" - recording 30min +. So many of the manufacturers just crippled their camera firmware so as to avoid the tariff.

Also don't forget the laminated "Microphone Cleaning Procedures" sheet stuck to the wall and the cleaning sign-off sheet

For handhelds, I would recommend sanitising wipes - they can be bought in huge rolls of biodegradable cloths with self-tearing dispensers. The Mic Handler grabs a fresh wipe in each hand when taking a microphone and takes possession with the wipe, not their bare hands. The second wipe in the second hand is the main "cleaning" wipe, the mic is only ever being touched by the two wipes, the mic is then deposited in it's charger. The wipes are thrown out. When distributing, some hand sani near the charging station is more than sufficient. If you are worried about singers who "spray" - then perhaps the use of windsocks would be advisable. Only variation to the process would be to take the windsock off when cleaning and throw them into a bucket. At the end of the event, give them a soapy water bath and hang up to try for a couple of days. Lav's/headsets/belt packs - can be largely handled in a similar way - disposable sanitising wipes. I would probably suggest socking them if possible, and/or follow the DPA guide for cleaning lav. I would probably recommend trying to minimise re-use of microphones during a single session/day - reuse the beltpacks, but use individual mics where possible. Letting them wire themselves up shouldn't be an issue. Or, throw on a mask, grab your hand sanitiser and assist.

As odd as it sounds - you are probably better off looking old-school for a 0-10v demux. There are a lot of retrofit panels and ballasts designed for 0-10v operation in buildings with lighting automation systems.

Off the very top of my head - trade price around AU$8000-$12000 (so roughly 4k - 6k in pounds) - retail, add between 20 and 40 points to that - between half and a third the price of a mac700. However it was a very long time ago - so my memory may be spotty. Can I ask why you are after it? As the price for a (relatively) full featured small moving head was significantly more expensive back in the long long ago (16 or 17 years ago now... would have been around '03 that the 250 entour came out IIRC) - and has very little bearing on market prices today. The entour was the top of the 250 tree - but compared to similar fixtures today it was a pretty basic light. Fixed colour wheel, a pair of gobos, decent brightness (5000 lumens, which was around the size of projector being used in most ballroom scenarios at the time - allowing the 250 to 'keep up' - now it wouldn't even keep up with a boardroom projector) in what was considered a compact package.

The general "name" for these is omega bracket with 1/4 turn fasteners. Whilst there is not a standard as such, many fixtures use something fairly similar to martin's spacing - the dimensions of which escape me at this point in time. -edit: spelling

Without knowing your exact situation. Wolfvision basically make the gold standard in camera systems for classroom/demo spaces - their ceiling visualiser is designed specifically to mount in the ceiling and capture documents etc on a desk. I would then pair it with a desktop gooseneck visualiser - for the closeup/angled views. I would be looking at using Crestron MPC3-101 for control - it is a glass fronted capacitive touch button panel with control system built in - which means it is very easy to disinfect. It is also very cost effective. I would then look at using a Crestron HD-TX-101-C-E for a ceiling camera, running to a Crestron HD-RX-201-C-E located near a desktop camera (this gives you a 2x1 switch with extension to a ceiling camera for a pretty reasonable cost), then the output of the 201 into an HDMI Distribution amplifier and appropriate cabling/extenders to your screens. Will need a Crestron programmer to install/program the control panel. Option B is a manual HDMI switch - I like the Extron SW2 personally - because you can wire this to a toggle switch or a pair of arcade buttons (or if you can do basic electronics, you can wire it to capacitive buttons - these are a lot more tolerant to being washed down than mechanical buttons but require power). You can then go with a couple of HDMI CCTV cameras or similar above the desk (or mounted to a boom arm). If they are statically mounted you can mask out a "zoom" area on the desk with some tape so that instructors know that items placed in that area will be visible on the closeup camera.

To be perfectly honest, I very much doubt that the volumes air moved by any form of air handling that is not disruptive to the theatre would have a significant effect on droplets expelled by both actors and punters. You need the air to be actively moving hard enough to shift droplets in the right direction - probably towards the floor - that is a huge down draft. Recommendations for indoors revolves more around not recirculating air and filtration over increasing volume. Generally an HVAC system will provide a percentage of fresh air (often called make-up air) and recycle the majority (return air) - this improves efficiency. Your existing air conditioning contractor can probably be engaged to increase the makeup air percentage, and apply filtration across both the makeup and return air. UV C based filtration is probably your best bet - kill the bugs in their tracks.

Unplugged - The problem is, that ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Now what I am telling you is that your current questions are answered in the basic riggers course - and holding an RB at the very least is a legal requirement for the installation of "cranes and hoists" you are attempting to undertake. So yes, it is necessary, because if you had done the course, you would know the issues with what you are proposing. If you do not hold an RB ticket then you should not be doing the work. This is not "rigger gatekeeping" - especially as most riggers in the entertainment industry have no love for the HRW license requirement (there is a big difference between entertainment rigging and construction rigging - and the HRW license is focused on the later), this is a statutory requirement.

If you are looking to do a streaming platform, then you do not want to be using an end-user product as your platform, surely. I would be looking at a Content Distribution Network (CDN) - these are companies like Akamai etc who power a number of the platforms you have mentioned (such as Brightcove). If you are aiming to be premium, this is the only way you can guarantee that. That said, I would avoid Vimeo and Daily Motion - they are slow and clunky. I have not used Brightcove in almost a decade. Never used the rest.

If you are asking these questions Unplugged, in Australia, you are not qualified to be using a hoist. Full stop. Do a dogging and basic riggers course to get your high risk work license. You should have these at a minimum to install and operate any form of hoist.. Then read the regulations. You are in QLD, so maybe talk to Theatre Safe Australia - they are in your neck of the woods and supply theatrical rigging equipment.

OP is in Australia - no a modification like extending a remote would not fall foul of our lifting regulations. The modification/misuse of the counterweight fly system however would be a massive no-no as it is an unauthorised modification of a system which has been engineered to function in a specific way. . If it is a direct drive pickle for the motor (which they normally are) then technically the extension should be done by a licensed electrician.

My advice - Don't f@ck with your flys. I can tell you right now that if you rig a motor to your fly bar in a way that is not approved by the manufacturer (which is basically in any fashion) then if there is a problem you are 100% not covered and worksafe will hang you out to dry. An experienced (even if not employed by your theatre) gentleman running the rail is preferable to a bodge like that! Hell - you are probably less liable with an untrained monkey than with that approach. If you are concerned then my approach would be to insist that "Since he has not flown in the theatre for a year, you require him to come in for a refresher and to demonstrate that he can act safely and in accordance with the venues fly policies.". Maybe bring it up with the councils legal department - ask them to prepare a waiver for this gentleman and the dance company to sign. Now they will probably tell you that this waiver is not worth the paper it is written on - as you cannot waive your liabilities like that, however IF the decision to refuse to allow the gentleman is handed down, it will come from the council, not you, whilst doing your job and looking after the theatre's safety obligations. That said - you are talking about 6 or so cues yeah? Do you have a duty technician? Can you not just have the duty technician run these cues?

There are so many ways it can be done... it is all down to imagination at the end of the day. If you can think of what you want to do (and your budget permits) it can be achieved. Commercially you can get amplifiers that hold 8 channels - there may be larger capacity amps, but I don't know of them off the top of my head - however in events we tend to just have a rack with as many amps as we need to drive the system. In this "digital" age there are 2 main ways that we tend to do audio mapped to a space - we either do it in the audio track itself when it is mastered (great for long run shows), or we use some software or hardware to "map" the sound around the space. If it is mastered then the audio file(s) will have as many tracks as there are speakers involved - and each track requires one input to the desk (and one output from the playback device) - and we won't really be able to tweak it without editing and remastering the audio file. Think of it as a 5:1 surround audio on a dvd. Same basic idea. The second option can be done multiple ways - you can do it in software on the playback device - we'll still need 1 output per speaker - in software we can move the source in a virtual space - and essentially the closer the source is to an output device in that virtual space, the louder the sound comes out that speaker.. There are also hardware options - some desks support multichannel panning - replicating the same sort of functionality as the software has but needing only a single input to the desk. The functionality is also available on every channel on the desk. That means that you can also use it to do things like throw an actors voice, amongst other things. There are also ridiculously expensive (and powerful) systems like Meyer D-Mitri. This thing can handle hundreds of speakers - I know Cirque has at least one show that runs something like 15:3 surround combined with left, centre and right channels in each seat in the auditorium. At the end of the day though, the proscenium tends to present as a 2d space - and left-centre-right can probably do 90% of shows pretty well - the other 10% might benefit from some rears for "in audience effects"

Be interesting to record a clip with background noise etc, pipe it through and record the output and compare what's going on... I could hear what sounded like a bit of gating in there - as well as some pretty intense compression whenever he used the mallet. Sounds like there is a high and low pass in there as well. I am sure there is a bit of machine learning or something in there which is doing a bit of interpolation and filling any gaps that get killed by their various filters. Cool tech, but I get the feeling it will fall over really quickly outside of a couple of guys talking in a room sort of environment.

I've seen 70, 92 and 130mm "conversion plates" for downlights - designed to fill in older incandescent can light holes... In Australia they are a stock item at the local bunnings for < $10 /pce. LINKY

The pre-manufactured double deploys... I find they tend to be clunky and loud. Most are just using a bigger version of the blind motor used for the screen surface. The plus side is easy limit setting - the down side is the noise - and the need for an ugly fall arrest, as the blind motor is not double braked.

If it is for a short run show - hire don't buy... Lexair would be able to point you in the right direction, I am sure. The widget is a small USB box, so will easily fit in an express post bag - so don't let geography get in the way.

Just highlights the value of engraving your gear - or at least using UV/microdot markers and tracking your serial numbers.