OllieT

Avitel MPS 3302 Modular video distribution unit- would be nice if its useful to someone Contains: 4x VDA 3214A 3 channel component video distribution equalising amplifier 1x VDA 3310K Video equaliser DA 3x PDA 3317 Pulse distribution delay amplifier 1x VMA 3216 Video YUV- RGB(s) Matrix amplifier 1x MPS 3302 Mains power supply Pictures here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Hx7EftTY3t4oUeD1dG2c7K1ESzEQqh2?usp=sharing Untested, sold as seen £70 ish Collection from University of Bath

Allen and Heath GL3 that has seen far better days, certainly not working. Would be nice if it could go for spares, or a very intensive repair, rather than the bin. £50 (the fader caps and knobs are surprisingly valuable and it still has most of them) Pictures here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ovg4bN56PinZn1j44tsZPRNiEkMWgSWS/view?usp=sharing Collection from the University of Bath

An Arri imagine 3 (a rebadged ETC Expression x2) than no longer turns on, this is suspected to be power supply failure. Would make a nice project is someone would like to try and nurse life back into it, the alternative is sadly the bin. Has a nice flightcase which is in decent condition. £60 inc flightcase £20 ex flightcase Collection from the University of Bath

This seems to be what is recommended by manufactures. DPA did a good article on it here: https://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-university/proper-mic-hygiene

I think it is really down to the designer: for the show I saw it done they needed a set piece to be very low to the ground and very stable, so it made sense for the wheels to retract/extend. The set piece had a CO2 cylinder inside of it which provided the pressure to run the system, which was controlled using disguised buttons on the outside of it.

If this isn't ok then Mods please remove! I am currently selling an MC^2 T1500 on Ebay, which to me looks like it fills all you needs (data sheet: https://www.mc2-audio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/t1500_datasheet.pdf), and is well within your budget. It is certainly an incredibly robust, good amp, at a price well within your budget. PM me if you are interested

Stage electrics certainly offer the service, I don't know if they will do it in the North West, or how competitive on price they would be They have always been very thorough and good to work with in my experience (in an education setting)

Yeah it is absolutely maddening, the only way round it is to print lots of labels at once using the "chain" function, and cut using a pair of scissors

Thanks everyone for your replies, I think I will go with the one suggested by Dicky (Brother PET 300VP) as it seems very good value for what it is. Any recommendation on what type of tape to use? Consensus seems to be that the off brand ones are fine, but do the the flexible, heat shrink ect work are are they a gimick?

Has anyone got any suggestions of useful features to have in a label printer, and secondly any suggestions of make/model? I am looking for a handheld unit, that won't be too expensive to run Thanks

I think long term Tungsten is toast, so I have told the school that I am involved with to start saving because in a few years they are going to need to take a big hit. There are big savings by going LED, not just the energy. LED removes the need for PAT testing huge quantities of socapex, removes the need for lots of dimmers and their maintenance ect, massively reduces the amount of heavy power you need to run in for an event, removes lamp costs, in some cases removes gel costs, much safer as it doesn't get as hot ect ect. Yes it is expensive, but buying a tungsten S4 is not much cheaper than a colour source LED S4, and that cost will quickly disappear with the savings you will get out of led. You also only need one colour source to do the job of 2 or 3 Tungsten S4, so the flexibility you gain is huge

The problem I see with this is that if you start heating a rig up to the point where cable droop/lx tape failing is a problem, then the cables are quickly going to be the least of your concerns. We would then need to look at how the rest of our kit holds up to being heated up like that- I can't imagine hemp bars would take it well! Neither would slings or strops, and you would have to look at how large, plastic cased items (projectors, moving heads ect) would respond, along with pretty much every other component of a rig. It does make a lot of sense to have cables well supported over fire exits- the easiest way to achieve that is for venues to install cable tray over each exit, which would have the added bonus of making our lives much easier when running cable. Because its easier than the alternative it also means it will get used, rather than some rule (everyone must use stainless steel cable ties ect ect) that isn't enforced and is therefore widely ignored. I think what is actually needed is better fire fighting plans for a theatre/stage environment. I certainly wouldn't want to have to go into a theatre that was on fire, because there comes a point when things are going to start falling out of the sky. At first it may be the cables, but eventually bars, drapes, lights, set ect are going to start falling, and as the person on the ground in a smoke filled room its probably impossible to tell when that exact moment will be. The ideal is to avoid putting anyone in that situation of having to go into that environment.

I would be very surprised if you can't find a torch bright enough. Have a look at the torches aimed at the shooting/hunting market (search "Lamping"). These often have different coloured LEDs or filters that fit the torches to change the colours, and are used at 200+ meters so are very bright. Have a look at the LEDLenser brand

Do you want something tightly focused or a wide spread? If focused have a look at the LED (with zoom) torches on ebay/amazon. Some bodergy could be done to arrange a power supply rather than using a battery. If a wide spread hen have a look at LED floodlights from the same sources.

Thanks everyone for all the help with this. Massive thanks also to graemeftv of Ultralightsound, who very kindly sent me (for free) a headset and some other bits that he had lying around, it was massively generous of him, and is very much appreciated!

A few years ago I was looking at buying more Techpro units for a school, to replace ones that had broken. I came across these and given they were a similar price to a techpro unit plus headset I asked Show comms about them. However I eventually decided they were going to be too flimsy for school use, especially given they had been broken/worn out a couple of the ASL boxes. There were also some questions about how well they would work given that wings have a solid masonry wall at the front- I was told they were effectively line of sight (although would obviously have no issues with drapes) Probably best to try to arrange a demo in your venue, and then you can get hands on and see just how good the build quality is as well

Adult size- mostly 17-18 year olds

Hi all, I school I am involved with have 4 AKG PT450 beltpack transmitters that are currently used with lapel mics that always seem worse than useless. I want to try to "upgrade" them by replacing the lapels with headset mics, as when we hire mics they come with headsets which are much better. I don't really want to spend too much, but they need to sound decent (I know they are never going to compare to the Sennheiser G3s that we hire). Has anyone got any specific recommendations of headsets to buy as I am baffled by the vast array online, and the vast range of prices! They will be used for both singing and speech, and will be in a school so need to be relatively robust, although they will only be used a few times a year. The belt pack needs a headset with a mini XLR connector. Thanks in advance

Hi Alister, Did you do this demo? I would be really interested as to the results Thanks

I recently did Guys and Dolls, and the set we hired included some large illuminated signs. They were quite old, so had fluorescent tubes in rather than LEDs, but they way they were designed is as follows; big wooden box made out of 2 by 4, and then a hardboard back, which the tubes were mounted to. Then on the front they had a piece of coloured Plexiglas, and then a plywood "stencil" over the top of the Plexiglas which actually formed the letters. I am not quite sure how the Plexiglas was coloured but my ideas on how they did it: A layer of gel (either on the back of the Plexiglas or over the tubes), then frost to diffuse the light, then clear Plexiglas Or maybe gel and then Plexiglas that has been sanded (Or frosted Plexiglas if such stuff exists) to act as the diffuser. Maybe just paint the Plexiglas on the inside so the light shone through the paint Pictures of these signs in use can be found here: https://drive.google...6ez?usp=sharing, sorry they aren't the best, but the photographer was focusing on the actors rather than the set for some strange reason!

I am also a young person, and have got interested in the world of theatre tech through school. I would absolutely love to do it as a career but I have decided to go to university to study mechanical engineering in september, because I just cannot see it working out long term. I am planning to do tech while a student to make some money on the side, but from the jobs I have seen advertised I cannot see how on earth you could ever hope to buy a home or start a family doing this as a career. I really didn't want to commit to a uni degree in say Lighting design, because I don't really see how (on the advertised salaries) taking on that level of debt would be at all responsible! I also am very aware that I have a huge amount to learn, but everything I know in Tech so far I have learnt "on the job", so I don't really see why a degree should be needed over an apprenticeship, or even starting at the bottom and working up. This idea however falls apart when a lot of these (very low paid) jobs suggest that they want a graduate! I have tried to be as multi skilled as possible, and it has definitely helped me with opportunities that I am fairly handy with a saw and an impact driver as well as a lighting desk or q lab; being as broad based as possible seems the logical way forward, rather than a very specific degree. I could not agree with this more! Between the blue room and youtube, most problems can be solved!

We will Rock you is the classic use of the red laser cage. I know of it having been attempted using a load of cheap laser pointers attached to a wooden frame, but it wasn't very successful: generally couldn't be seen. I think this was because your average laser pointer isn't terribly bright, and the haze needs to be really consistent, otherwise it just looks rubbish. Its something that if you are going to try needs to be done really well, or just have the actors act like its there, which is what ended up happening in this show.

That sounds great, let us know how you get on!

These sound hopeful although they are expensive This lack of white is my main concern; and main dissatisfaction with the Colordash pars: trying to get a natural looking facelight with them is maddening and to be honest impossible. Does anyone have any experience with the Chauvet Ovation FC fixtures? The Chauvet website doesn't make it easy to compare the multitude of models ect. I think before committing to anything I will certainly try to get a demo in situ to make sure that these are going to do what we need!

Apology's: I have been and measured today; the FOH bar is about 8 meters from the front of the apron; I have no idea where on earth I got 20 meters from and thinking about it now 20 meters is crazy! The kind of thing I am thinking of is something like the etc lustr (which I know are eye wateringly expensive) or the Chauvet equivalent; https://www.chauvetprofessional.com/products/ovation-e-930vw/. The challenge is to get the spread needed in few enough fixtures that the cost doesn't become undoable; hence my idea for fresnels. Point taken about the lifespan; I don't think is was very switched on last night, looking at it now I can see that is a silly expectation. I was really wondering if anyone had used LED fixtures to do as described and had any tips or recommendations for fixtures?