Lighting grid numbering

[chil6ep]

Currently involved in a perminant install and wandered what peoples opinions were on numbering a rig? One method I've been told of is -

------------------------------------------

48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37

Stage

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36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25

 

======================== Pros

 

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12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Auditorium

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24 23 22 21 20 19 8 17 16 15 14 13

 

ie. from pros forward then pros back always stage left - stage right

 

I'm not sure if this is logical or not, any sugestions?

[CPlater1]

Personally I would find that counter-intuitive. I would've thought that having the lower on the left going to the higher on the right by looking from the back of the auditorium. This would then be nice, logical, and with 1:1 patching makes it slightly easier and quicker to use.

 

As always YMMV

[adamharman]

To number everything from one end is logical.

 

Not sure I like numbers increasing as they go away from the pros. I'd prefer 1-12 and 13-24 to be the swapped over so it runs on order from one bar to the next.

[boatman]

This looks like a school hall or maybe a village hall.

 

I don't think the numbering order is that important as you will most likely be able to patch your desk. However, I would suggest that you have three bars over the stage rather than two. The first and second with eight circuits each and the third with four circuits having a minimum of three outlets on each circuit. That way bar three is ideal for cyc lighting. The remaining four circuits should be at floor level preferably two on each side of the stage.

 

HTH

 

 

 

Edited to remove unnecessary quote.

[chil6ep]

The drawing was not of the actual install, I just couldnt be bothered to draw all 10 bars. As it happens it is a large school hall with 4 bars above stage, 1 bar FOH and a grid including a further 3 bars (+1 at either side) FOH which douubles for a studio, 'in the round', environment but thats a different issue. Thanks for the input, I personal agree but was taking advice from my elders with the "from the pros" method.

 

Moderation: Edited again to remove unnecessary quote.

[chrishandcock]

Personally I think I'd go for numbering Left to right starting from the bar furthest away from the pros and work forward, so you highest number would end up in the top right on the stage.

But anything the makes logical sence is good.

The college I work at has the numbers all over the place, partly as the hall used to be used the other way round, and partially as we had 2 dimmer racks installed by one company and then later, another dimmer rack installed by another company. This then ended changing all the numbers for some odd reason... goodness knows what happened.

[MarkPAman]

This brings back memories of a place I worked with a horrible system, which I susspect was the order the sockets were insalled. Took me about 6 months to be able to patch up without refering to a plan.

 

I would favour using three figure numbers, with the first figure being the bar, & the other two being the position on the bar, left to right as seen from the control position.

 

eg

 

101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112

 

201,202,203,204, etc.

 

301, 302,303,204, etc

 

401,402,403,404, etc

 

Any side bars could be 5 and 6 hundreds, floor can have 7 hundreds

[Ynot]

I would favour using three figure numbers, with the first figure being the bar, & the other two being the position on the bar, left to right as seen from the control position.

 

eg

 

101,102,103,104,105,

 

Hmmm...

Likely flaw in that plan is that unless the venue has a hard-patch bay (doubtful in these days of decent desk soft-patching), the socket outlets need to directly corelate with the actual dimmer numbers, which are assigned from the desk - also then limited to 512 dimmers per universe.

[MarkPAman]

I can see that.

 

'tis a long time since I did any lights that involved a grid & I've never had a desk that can soft patch. Or for that matter, that many dimmers that they could be put 1 per circuit.

 

Still think it's a good system if you do patch at the dimmers though.

[discosi]

I would definitely number from lowest circuit number being furthest from the stage House Left (Stage Right) upto furthest onto the stage House Right (Stage Left), I would then number floor level circuits like Dips & Traps from Downstage Right to Upstage Left. i.e. As you look at it!

[Jamtastic3]

My old high school, had, if I can remember correctly...

 

25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 - Back

 

17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 - Front

 

====================== - Pros

 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 - FOH

 

Sockets 13 and 14 were on SR FOH boom and sockets 15 and 16 were on SL FOH boom

 

 

For different IWB's at my work, I use a letter and number scheme:

 

IWB 1 - A1, A2, A3...

IWB 2 - B1, B2, B3...

etc...

 

Separate TRS runs usually have duuble letters (AA, BB etc) but I never have more than 10 seperate runs

[Just Some Bloke]

I've often known LX bars themselves to be numbered moving out from the proscenium, so LX1 is always nearest the pros and LX5 would be nearer the cyc and usually FOH1 is nearest the pros and FOH2 further away. However, I wouldn't do the same with the circuit numbers. I'd just start nearest the rear of the auditorium and end up nearest the rear of the stage. Seems the most intuitive way of doing it and it's alway nice to have the numbers the most obvious way round.

[LeeStoddart]

I agree with the general feeling described above so that sitting at the back of the auditorium the numbering "reads" left to right and increases as you move from FOH furthest away from the prosc to onstage furthest away from the prosc.

 

Think of the way the lighting rig plan is laid out - numbering will then be from bottom left of the diagram to top right. What to do with additional FOH booms or onstage dips is another question but I'd have all the FOH positions lower numbers than any onstage. And for any vertical boom positions always number from the lowest socket to the highest socket - so the numbering increases with height.

[Andrew C]

Sitting in the auditorium with a plan of the stage on your lap, the stage at the top. The intuitive numbering is lowest USR to USL, then working up the numbers as you come down the page.

 

1---------12

13-------24

 

Just like orientating a ma when out walking.

[Ynot]

Here's our LX plot sheet.

Hopefully can be read OK, though may be a bit small.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/Ynot_01/LXCctPlot.jpg