The world's smallest gobo projector

Darklight’s Gantom iQx can be DMX-controlled

Posted on 21 January 2014 by Mo

Gantom iQ, the world’s smallest gobo projector, developed by Darklight, a young Californian company, is everything but a toy. A newer version of this ultra-compact, award-winning (including the much-coveted Etoile du Siel in Paris) fixture was just released in version iQx, with DMX control and once again, won an award for innovation, this time at LDI (USA).

It is basically the size of a pen (90mm long, 30mm diameter), mounted on a 50mm high mini-yoke and integrates 2 lenses to adjust the beam angle between 25° and 40° and the focus on gobo.

Presentation of the Gantom iQx

Gantom iQx uses a powerful 3W LED Cree XP-G, cool white (6000K), allowing 350 lux at 1m with narrow beam (25°): stunning ! Of course, it is the LED dimming that can be DMX-controlled, as well as the pre-programmed effects, not the zoom nor focus…well, not yet 🙂

Thus, the great feature of this mini-projector is its built-in EEPROM enabling to store and play various effects: flicker, surge, strobe, fade-in, fade-out programmed on a lighting desk and that it will reproduce in a stand-alone mode. Gantom iQx receives the DMX stream on a small 3.5mm TRS jack connector or terminal via a XLR/jack adaptor and power (12V) is made through a 2.1mm DC jack. A new Ethernet/DMX converter was also displayed during LDI.

Gantom iQx in Christian Paillard’s hand on Alterlite’s stand during JTSE show…

… projection of gobo on Romain Blondel’s shirt, (Alterlite’s sales rep in greater Paris area)

Gantom iQx will be useful for numerous applications where a powerful and ultra-compact fixture is needed (museums, shop windows, decor lighting in opera houses, theatres, buildings…), thanks to its discrete size, quality of light and IP65 rating.

Characteristics :

Power supply: 12 V
Power consumption: 2,7 W (12 V- 225 mW)
Led lifetime: 50 000 h
Led type: Cree XP-G cool white 6000K
Body in black anodized aluminum
IP rating: IP 65

Photometric data (Darklight) :

LED Fresnel projector in cool white and warm white

Robert Juliat ZEP 340LF, the cyber-Fresnel.

Posted on 16 January 2014 by Mo

The Fresnel and the profile spot may be the most emblematic luminaires for theatre and opera. It was only natural that France, with its rich cultural heritage, gave birth to one of the leading manufacturers of theater lighting, the timeless Robert Juliat.

Nearly 100 years after its birth, this company has remained true to its iconic classicism, at least as far as aesthetics are concerned. Following the introduction of the fully outfitted Tibo range, it was time to modernize its sacrosanct Fresnel projector, in an LED version. Join me in a tour around this high-tech fixture.

Previously, in SoundLightUp…

If you click in the right column on the title “Tibo 533”, you will find the results of my test of the Tibo LED profile. The article is very poetically subtitled “Un Tibo, deux Tibo, plein de Tibo doudou” so that, first of all, you will get the background on Robert Juliat LED fixtures and, as a bonus, without realizing it, you will begin singing the little tune in the title.

If the Tibo range was intended as a break from tradition to offer new customers diversity and a more affordable price, ZEP, instead, fits right into the continuity and know-how of Robert Juliat, following the risky gamble of proposing LED sources in a rather conservative environment.

One recognizes the body of a halogen fixture, a precision assembly of steel and aluminum under black epoxy, a functional and classic look yet packed with features. Something with which to renew one’s lighting kit without upsetting old habits. Only its DMX base and a simple display give away its type. This control panel is now common to all the Robert Juliat LED projectors.

The choice of a high-efficiency 150 W LED light source addresses several issues.
The first of these is staying within a price using a proven technology and, secondly, offering the equivalent of a 1000 W halogen source with the warm white LED version or of a 2 kW source “cooled” by a color corrector – like a Lee201 – for the cool white version.

The Cast

The two main models: same outfit but different role.

Two models of Fresnel are available under the 340LF reference, only the color temperature of the LEDs differs. The WW model (for Warm White) is rated at 3200 K and has a beam angle variable from 11° to 68°. The CW (Cool White) model, at 6500 K, claims an output 40% higher than that of the warm white model, which sort of changes everything as we shall see later.

The fixutres are delivered in their original shipping carton with their instructions, PowerCon TRUE1 power cable, a filter holder and a Wi-Fi DMX antenna, if you purchased this option.

[private]

LED references (“cool” or “warm”) and the country, important for the voltage standard.

Freshly unwrapped, with instructions in French, if you please.

On the back, you find the connector for Wi-Fi DMX antenna (protected by a small red cover), the male and female DMX connectors, the connections for power input and output and a resettable circuit breaker, which takes the place of a standard mono-use fuse.

As a reminder, the power connectors are yellow PowerCon TRUE1 for a secure connection.

CW = Cool White = 6500 K / WW = Warm White = 3200 K. It’s almost Braille so that you can differentiate in the dark.

A serial number plate indicates the type of LED source with a small “x”, which is visually the only way to know if the fresnel is warm white or cool white.

Costumes

The ZEP Fresnel dressed in steel with black epoxy paint, equipped with handles, ergonomic molded gray plastic knobs and some pink indication keys that are more subtle than in the past.

The ZEP Fresnel weighs as much as a 2 kW halogen Fresnel and is about the same size, a little more narrow, though

The output lens is identical to that of a 2 kW Fresnel, with a diameter of 200 mm, but the frame is reduced to the format of a 1 kW Fresnel (215 X 215 mm) and therefore perfectly compatible with the accessories of this range.

The release latch of the gel frame or barn door pane is visible on the upper left. Of course, without a lamp (and therefore no risk of explosion), the front grille is now superfluous.

The yoke of the fixture, with its graduated tilt index.

The central yoke is still adjustable and lockable with its detachable molded handle, the azimuth can be set using the etched index. For custom orders, Robert Juliat offers a special version of ZEP with adjustable offset handles for azimuth, sharpness and zoom.

The top, bottom and, to a lesser extent, the sides of the fixture are almost completely made of vents, evidence of the ever-present constraint of maintaining optimum cooling of the LED module. In detail, the light source is cooled via a heat pipe radiator. Underneath, a silent fan speeds controlled heat exchange.

The impressive copper piping of the cooling system.

The exhaust fan in its place when the beam aperture is set to a minimum.

For the regulation of the beam width, this whole module slides inside the fixture – LED and ventilation included – on a set of frictionless guides. On the body of the fixture, a graduated scale allows the user to take reference values for identical settings of multiple fixtures.
All of the elements of this Fresnel exude sturdiness and an understated efficiency.

Menu and Settings

The display, an aluminum panel delicately set in the right side, plunges us into a world of information and settings hitherto unknown on a Fresnel fixture. The interface is identical to that of the Tibo LED, which I previously tested, so I will summarize here the main points.

Modernity to serve the theater. The four navigation keys, the display and an insert point for carrying out an electronic reset using the tip of a pencil.

The first menu for the DMX addressing of the fixture. The indication “Val” means the value given locally (and in analog) to the fixture.

To adjust the focus without a console operator, one operation is essential. From the initial screen (corresponding to menu “1/6 DMX config”), if you press the “exit” button you will light projector at 100% for one minute. You press it a second time to turn it off.
This first menuallows you to perform the DMX addressing of the fixture. Depending on the selected operating mode, a submenu appears with the exact address for each parameter.
This second menu allows you to enter a value for current output intensity directly on the fixture. In case of conflict with an intensity value given by the lighting console, the higher of the two values is chosen.

Manual control of the fixture locally or via an optional analog remote control.

Setting up the fixture. Here the intensity control is at 16 bits, the curve is linear, the inertia similar to a 600 W halogen lamp, the dimming in PWM and the strobe activated.

The third menu lists the operating modes: 8-bit dimming or 16-bit for precision, linear or exponential dimming curve, simulation of the inertial dimming of a halogen lamp (smoothing), a choice of a continuous, stepped or mixed dimming (this last mode maintains the advantage of the precision of the first and the lack of flicker of the second), the possibility to add a strobe channel and another Master (maximum permissible limit).A final parameter allows you to limit output intensity, in order to calibrate an entire inventory of ZEPs with slightly different fluxes.
The fourth menu, which is quite long, contains all the operational information and highlights any eventual failures. Thus, it displays the various operating voltages, temperatures within the unit, the fan speed, etc. Automatic display shutdown and the reset to factory settings are in the 7th and 8th positions in this menu.

The different protocols available.

Software version and manufacturer contacts.

In the 5th position, a surprising menu provides the firmware version and the contact details of Robert Juliat, in case you want to write them a little note.

Wireless DMX menu

The final menu allows the activation of wireless DMX. Robert Juliat has selected the protocol of Wireless Solution, a leader in wireless transmission

DMX-In must not be connected in this case, but the DMX output remains active, allowing you to chain to other devices.

Under the test cells

Robert Juliat provides a series of very detailed measurements for both models, to which we compared our own calculations. The two blocks of Osram LEDs consume 150 W and offer a lifetime 50,000 h

ZEP 340 WW (warm white)

The “warm” white LEDs provide a color temperature of 3200 K and a proper CRI of 82%. The luminous flux delivered by the single module is 12,000 lm, which provides 2700 lux at the center at 5 meters with minimum opening of 12° and 280 lux at 69.6°, according to the manufacturer’s data.

Tight beam

Our measurements give us nearly 3000 lux at 5 meters, with a measured aperture of 11° at I/2, which is consistent with the values reported. The flux is close to 3500 lumens.In practice, the flux is almost identical to that of a 1000 W halogen Fresnel.

With such a small beam width, a large part of the energy of the light source, whether Halogen or LED, is lost in the body of the luminaire. The resulting beam is very coherent, with normal hot spot at the center. The edges are soft, and quite circular. The color temperature of 3160K measured here is identical to that of a filament lamp.

Wide beam

The ZEP WW open to the max, with the beam’s unfortunate yellow border.

At maximum zoom we get 256 lux at the center and a 72° aperture at 1/2 maximum intensity, for a total luminous flux of 9740 lumens.

The beam is quite homogeneous, practically constant from one side to the other with almost no interference.

Some iridescence appears at the edges, slightly tending towards yellow.

This can be attenuated by using barn doors. The leaves of the barn door will hide the edges, though you will lose 1° or 2° of aperture.

20° Beam

With the focus set to 20° (our reference value) we measure a luminous flux of 4840 lumens, with 1260 lux at the center, at 5 meters. Again the beam remains perfectly traditional.
In mixed halogen/LED use, the ZEP equipped with warm white source provides a less warm but very controlled light, at the same time golden and slightly pink. Its advantage is to be free from chromatic alteration depending on the intensity, although this characteristic glow gives its charm to halogen sources.

The ZEP 340 CW (cool white)

This version has a better luminous flux, “cool white” technology has been better mastered by manufacturers of LEDs. This module produced a luminous flux of 17,000 lumens. In exchange, the very high color temperature (6500 K) and the CRI of 70 will fade the colors of sets or costumes illuminated by the Fresnel. Robert Juliat declares 3850 lux at the center at five meters with the minimum aperture of 10.6° and 370 lux at the maximum of 68.7°.

Tight beam

Again, our measurements confirm the manufacturer’s data. 3400 lux at the center and 12.4° at I/2 with a luminous flux of 4660 lumens.

Wide beam

With the maximum aperture, we measure an illumination of 325 lux at the center, with 71° at 12,300 lumens of luminous flux.

20° Beam

At our 20 degree (I/2) reference point, we measured 1850 lux and 5850 lumens.

Tungsten + Lee201 vs. cool white LED

By comparison, a 2 kW tungsten Fresnel with a correction filter, like a Lee 201, proves to be 15% less powerful than the ZEP CW.

If the ZEP WW gives a white very close to a halogen, the ZEP CW pulls blue and green, more than a halogen corrected Lee201. However it deviate more widely if it use dimmer while ZEP will see their color vary only slightly.

The ZEP CW also has a border, which is more greenish.

But this power is less controlled in the cool white LED than in the warm white LED. The beams are less uniform. In particular, at maximum aperture the light spreads like a pond covered with small waves caused by a slight breeze but this is nothing serious, considering the low amplitude of the undulations: ±1% and thus invisible to the eye.

This, combined with some reflections on the inside the chassis, causes various chromatic aberrations, including an increase in color temperature to around 8000 K (also mentioned by the manufacturer) and a greenish edge around the beam. The barn doors are also almost mandatory to cover up this defect.

ZEP CW is therefore not a replacement for a halogen Fresnel, but a complement. It has more metallic color, of course, but it provides very nice power with color that doesn’t vary with intensity.

Dimmer

The intensity variation is perfectly controlled, either with a linear curve, which is straight as an arrow, or a so-called “Square” curve, which provides the most authentic feeling of a traditional projector.

Thermal and noise measurements.

Several constraints mandate optimal cooling of LED sources. The temperature tolerances on the substrate of light emitting diodes are very limited, and exceeding them will initially result in reduced luminous flux and significantly reduced operational lifetime.

RRobert Juliat has chosen to use a massive heat pipe radiator in conjunction with an automatic fan for cooling of the LED source. This system works like a chimney and the expelled hot air encounters no baffle and no extraneous noise is created. With this oversized cooling system, the LEDs can be used at their maximum capacity, without risk or noise.

Derating

Derating is negligible here: just over 1% of luminous flux loss after 30 minutes of operation with the projector at full power for the WW (warm white) version and just 2% for CW (cool white) version. The cooling on this fixture is perfectly engineered.

In normal use the ZEP is almost silent and the chassis gets barely warm. Inside, as indicated by the temperature sensors accessible from the menu, only the CPU warms up.

In use

This Fresnel remains a classic. Solid construction, well balanced, comfortable handles, easy access to all settings, accuracy of focus, clear and simple accessory installation, this product meets the highest Robert Juliat quality standards. The focus control has a graduated index and a very pleasant and smooth movement. The menu is simple but effective, with enough parameters to lose most beginners. Therefore, the settings of the curves, the electronic dimming or fading may not be so easy to understand the first time.

Control via a console allows you to adjust the intensity precisely, even in 8-bit mode, and dimmer variations are smooth. The simulation of the inertia of a halogen lamp filament is finely dosed and brings a little soul back into a rather synthetic light. The power is quite reasonable, comparable to that of a 1- or 2-kilowatt halogen Fresnel, depending on the settings and the desired effect.

The strobe feature provides some additional effects, but do not expect to find randomized effects, flash or sawtooth pulsing. This parameter, too, remains very practical. Note that the strobe will lock to the frequency of the DMX frame, allowing all the fixtures to be perfectly synchronized. There is, however, a slight delay when setting the strobe, until it locks onto the correct frame.

Accustomed as we have been for decades to the warm glow of an overheated filament, the luminous flux emitted by the LEDs does not seem very natural, especially when conventional sources disturb our vision. Even if the ZEP with the warm white source brings a certain sweetness and a pleasant shade on faces, which would be ideal for small scenes, the cool white source gives a very industrial impression, with low contrast. The CRI of the latter also quickly buries warm or vivid colors, but will provide very interesting results for contemporary performances, urban or tragic operas. For use in the TV studio it is an excellent choice, with reduced consumption and no heat emission.

Maintenance

En ôtant la lentille Fresnel, on accède directement au circuit de led

Removing the Fresnel lens leads directly to the LED circuit. It should never be touched or cleaned by someone who doesn’t know how, for risk of damaging it. Interestingly, the inner lining generates green hues.

Maintenance is reduced to its simplest form. Apart from possible mechanical maintenance – tightening the bolts and cleaning the lens – the LEDs do not require any intervention.

A blast of air from time to time through the ventilation grills will be sufficient, keeping in mind to block the fan. Certain improvements could be made to the software in the future but, in this case, contact your dealer.

It is not possible to change a faulty LED module yourself or exchange a “cool white” module for a “warm white” or vice versa

Verdict

The ZEP Fresnel is not presented as a replacement for a traditional Fresnel, but as a brand new product, bringing other ideas of light. While its use will prove to be a real gain in power economy and certainly in comfort on TV sets or conventions, the theatrical lighting designer will have at his disposal a different source, which he will have to tame in order to use it at tits best. By the way, Robert Juliat continues the evolution of its halogen and discharge ranges more than ever, evidence that all these technologies can coexist when the users know how to employ them wisely.

[/private]

Best Wishes from SLU

For good vibrations in 2014

Posted on 16 January 2014 by Mo

We would just like to take a few moments to send our best wishes all of you, who have made a dream come true and have turned the work of a small passionate team into a magazine that is growing tremendously!

Comparing the period from April to December 2013 with the same period in 2012, unique visitors of SoundLightUp jumped 259% and page views by 196%. Because you deserve the truth, starting in the second quarter of 2014, our readership will be certified each month by the OJD*, the only organization that certifies the circulation of the press worldwide ( More information at: www.ojd.com ).

2014 will also see the arrival of classified ads and job listings, two services that you frequently ask for, which will be free and accessible around the clock from wherever you may be, like all of SoundLightUp.

Finally, even if 2014 isn’t starting out with the best economic situation, the year will certainly shine in the glow of the new stars – men and machines – that we will search to the ends of the earth and use all of the resources of the Internet to bring to you in articles, tests, interviews and news.

Happy New Year from the staff of SoundLightUp and thank you for your loyalty!

Clay Paky is a Sure Bet for Rod Stewart’s Las Vegas Residency

Posted on 7 January 2014 by Mo

Las Vegas – International rock icon Rod Stewart is performing his Caesars Palace residency show The Hits under the powerful reach of Clay Paky’s Alpha Spot QWO 800s and Alpha Wash 1500s – proving some guys really do have all the luck.

Stewart’s long-time lighting designer Mark Payne – who has worked with Rod for the past 20 years – specified the Clay Paky fixtures from the Caesars Palace technical department for star’s Live the Life tour earlier this year and was so impressed with their capabilities that he requested them again for the Las Vegas show. With several large video screens onstage and one of the largest LED screens in North America taking up the entire back wall of the stage, Payne’s required a fixture that could provide a clean, pure, and powerful output to enhance his lighting design vision.

Payne rigged the Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800 to the feature helix trusses (at the top of the picture) that flew in and out during the performance

“I don’t use any smoke,” explains Payne, “It is a very clean, very sharp stage. There is a lot of white in order to let the video take centre stage. With the lighting it is all about what is happening on the ground, not in the air.”

Payne rigged the Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800 to the feature helix trusses that flew in and out during the performance, “The QWO 800 is small and light with a lot of inbuilt effects. They were perfect for the flying truss as they kept weight down and provided me with all the effects I needed. I used them to focus in on Rod during the more intimate, acoustic set.”
Providing the stage with its characteristic clean wash were the Alpha Wash 1500’s, “I specified the Alpha Wash 1500’s because they are bright and consistent. I used them to create saturate washes and wide, open whites.”

Rod Stewart, The Hits is currently showing at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas on selected dates until May next year. It is a high-energy show with guest performances from a variety of artists including Rods own daughter, Ruby Stewart.

ACT Lighting is the Clay Paky distributor for North America.

Elation Professional EU Hires Karl Lager New Sales Rep for Austria

Posted on 5 January 2014 by Mo

Elation Professional EU is pleased to announce the hiring of Karl Lager as the company’s new sales representative for Austria.
Karl, who starts in the new position on January 1^st, is tasked with using his extensive industry knowledge and customer network to build a strong Elation dealership structure in Austria.

Karl comes to Elation from industry trading company Licht-Lager GmbH, which he founded along with two partners in 2003.

Born into a theatrical family that worked in Vienna’s Burgtheater, the Austrian National Theater, where he gathered a wealth of technical and sales knowledge, his years of experience working with lighting companies gives him a unique insight into the Austrian market and its key players.

Marc Librecht, Sales & Marketing Manager at Elation Europe, commented on the hiring, “We are very happy to have Karl join the Elation team in Europe and are confident his years of industry experience will be a great benefit to our customers. Having a highly competent representative on site in Austria to carry out product demos and shootouts locally will help us move the Elation brand forward in the Austrian market.”

Contact:
Elation Professional EU
Junostraat 2.
6468 EW Kerkrade
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)45 546 85 66

[email protected]
www.elationlighting.eu

New L-Acoustic System

ESI Audio Deploys North America’s First K2 System for “The Gift”

Posted on 3 January 2014 by Mo

Between the K2 mains, deadmau5 was flanked on stage by a powerful KARA/SB18 monitor rig. (Photo: Leigh Barnes, Kerrigan Studios)

On December 26, ESI Audio gained the distinction of being the first sound reinforcement company in North America to deploy L-Acoustics’ new K2 system.

ESI gave the rig its first official workout at “The Gift”, a one-day EDM festival staged outside Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium and touting deadmau5 as the headlining act.

To properly cover more than 12,000 enthusiastic dance music fans packed onto the parking grounds of the Buccaneers’ home turf, the ESI crew deployed a system featuring left and right arrays each comprised of 18 K2 enclosures.

For the generous low end that EDM requires, three dozen SB28 subs were ground-stacked across the front of the stage in blocks of 12 – four wide by three high.

Two Karaenclosures perched on the center sub cluster provided front-fill, while two ARCS II cabinets per side delivered out-fill. All loudspeakers were powered/processed by a total of eight LA-RAK each equipped with three LA8 amplified controllers running LA Network Manager.

ESI Audio’s new K2 system rocked Tampa’s EDM festival. (Photo: Leigh Barnes, Kerrigan Studios)

“K2, in one word, is amazing!” enthuses ESI Audio President Erick “Otto” Celeiro. “The sound quality for ‘The Gift’ was astonishing and the coverage was incredible at 400 feet linear through the plane. K2 is also the easiest system I’ve ever flown. V-DOSC has been my favorite box for many years, and K2 brings that familiar tone along with improvements in rigging, weight and flexibility.

After the festival, compliments came in from all directions, including the promoter, video and lighting company, audience members and deadmau5’s production manager. Everyone was extremely pleased.”

The ESI Audio crew seen flying the new K2s in groups of four. (Photo: Leigh Barnes, Kerrigan Studios)

Although ESI has used a variety of systems over the years, Celeiro has always considered L-Acoustics to be the crème de la crème. “We originally contacted the manufacturer with K1 in mind, but when the initial reports on K2 first came out, we were tremendously excited,” he adds.

“Even before we saw or heard it, based on our love of V-Dosc and L-Acoustics’ track record of excellence, we were immediately confident that it was the right box for us – and it is! In fact, we’ve already submitted an order for 24 more because we very strongly feel that K2 is our future for regional and touring sound. This PA is incredible. It’s the best investment we’ve ever made.”

Contacts : www.esiaudio.com

Illuminated by Jason Bullock

Wiz Khalifa in Paris, Under the Influence of MagicPanel

Posted on 18 December 2013 by Mo

A brilliant red stage picture! Side lighting of the group with MAC 2000 XBs, MagicPanel pods with mapped LED chases moving at slow rotation. Multibeam MAC Vipers providing back lighting describe big circles, while the MAC Auras slowly swing their red beam left and right. The Mac 2000 XBs send red from the trusses.

The young American Hip-Hop phenomenon appeared at the Paris Zenith for a one night only performance to kick-off the European leg of his «Under the Influence of Music» world tour.
Jason Bullock, the tour’s Lighting Designer, has done a spectacular job with luminaires that virtually set the Paris stage on fire.
Upstage left and right of the wonderful Wiz, hang beautiful, brand-new Ayrton MagicPanel™ fixtures, Jason’s new favorites.

It seems as if they were custom made for this Rapper – both doing bump cues as they illuminate the performer and as powerful audience blinders.
Installed in a 4 x 4 matrix, MagicPanel dominates the lighting rig, which is loaded with an impressive number of moving lights – both spots and washes, and proving, once again, that the future belongs to LED technology. We take you behind-the-scenes of this incredibly effective show.

We met Jason Bullock and his road crew backstage at the Paris Zenith. Then we had the chance to catch this high-energy concert and bring you some remarkable images of the design: Under the Influence of both Jason Bullock AND Ayrton.
Jason has mostly been a rock & roll designer (working with a variety of musicians from the heavy metal and electro scene). Lighting a genius of American Rap has whetted his appetite for even more.
His choice of lighting gear says everything. Big movers, mostly hung from three high trusses that loom over the stage like fingers. Ground units on the floor upstage include an impressive fixture selection – 24 strobes (SGM X5 LEDs replaced the Martin Atomic 3000s that were used on the US tour), and lots and lots of smoke.

Because the tight stage has to accommodate the rambunctious rapper and all his musicians, set decoration was minimal. The lighting has to do it all… and it did – seemingly effortlessly.
High up, we could see an arsenal of Martin spots and wash lights, MAC III Profiles and MAC 2000 Wash XBs, plus powerful MAC Vipers installed below.
For alternate effects/beams from the trusses, Martin Washes and Clay Paky Beam (replacing the Vari*Lite VLX units on the European tour) were used for overall beam sweeps and color washes.
Custom ”Pods” were built to house the Ayrton MagicPanel™ arrays. Two 4×4 arrays flank the stage and totally dominate the dynamic lighting design.

Jason told us how Ayrton’s latest “square creations” inspired his design concepts.

Fabulously unleashing all the luminaires on the public awash in light–I love it!

MagicPanel, the master of ceremonies of the lighting rig.

[private]

SLU : Jason, you signed on as Production Designer for the Wiz Khalifa 2013 tour – for both the US and European dates. Please tell us how you discovered the MagicPanel?

Jason Bullock : There was this video of the panels at ProLight & Sound, and one of my friends said, “Dude, these are definitely made for you!”. And, when I saw it, I said: “Have to have them!” This tour was still a couple of months away, because PL&S was early in the year, and we weren’t going out till July. So I talked to Chris and I talked to Upstaging, and said: “All right, you guys sort it out. I need 64 of them. I don’t care how you get them. I don’t care what you do, but will there be enough?” So after a lot of back and forth, they said, “We’ll have just enough. Isn’t that great?”

SLU : Why are you using only 32 here in Paris?

Jason Bullock : Because it was just too expensive to bring all 4 of the “pod” structures over here.

One of the two 16-MagicPanel™ pods hanging, on the European tour. Note that the aluminum frame is mounted on wheels, ready to roll straight onto the truck.

SLU : So, on the European tour will you use just 32 MagicPanels?

Jason Bullock : Yes, for all of Europe, because in the UK we’re doing a lot of the O2s and small venues (200 seats). Those pods are on wheels. So when you roll them right up on stage, you can move them around with the set-change.

And the configuration we have overhead is similar to what the summer tour was, but with whatever different fixtures they have over here in Europe. I’m not really that picky, you know, as long as I could bring some of the MagicPanels.

Because it’s the first time we’ve brought anything over. We didn’t bring any audio. We didn’t bring any sound desks. We just brought the two MagicPanel pods and the back line gear, because it’s too expensive to ship it all… but we need to have something. Today, in Paris, I definitely could have used all four pods, but in a lot of these small venues that we’re going to do, two will more than blow everything out. When I had the 64 at once during the summer, they’d bury everything else in the lighting system.

SLU : What do you think of overall performance?

Jason Bullock : I love them. During the entire summer, we changed only one out, and I think we opened it up and because it had been banged around, and it had a loose connector. They put it back on and we powered it back up and we went “Okay”. They are absolutely wonderful. We turned them on this morning, after being on a boat coming across in a sea container. We had put pieces of foam on the front and the back just to stabilize them, rolled them out. We uncovered them, plugged them in and “pzzzt”, not a problem at all.

SLU : What do you think of the brightness, enough or maybe even too much?

Jason Bullock : Oh yeah… it is bright enough and, no, not too bright at all.
The MagicPanel units may literally shine, but they aren’t the only fixtures on the stage – they have to fit in with the gear that includes a lot of non-LED lighting products.

The Jason Bullock’s rig in Paris with totems and MagicPanel™ pods for back light, two side trusses on the extremes positioned lower than the main finger trusses running upstage / downstage.

The pixel wins

SLU : You’ve hung a lot of other types of fixtures and sources on the stage. Does the MagicPanel LED source (Osram 15W RGBW) fit in with the rest of your rig?

Jason Bullock : Compared to anything else out there, it’s incredible. I mean, even if you put one MAC III and one MagicPanel side by side, the light output on the MagicPanel is going to beat it. There’s a lot more foot-candles coming out of the far end. And that’s especially because it stays so narrow.

You know, our Sound Engineer, Kevin, used to laugh because he’d be out at the Front of House during the day when I would first turn them on, and then while testing the rig, and I’d just turn them all on, on white. Back then we had the line of four pods, but I did it to him today with just the two—point them out at the audience or straight up in white, at full, and just watch him, and he was like “Whoa, man! Did it to me again!” After that, you’d look down here and can’t see the buttons on the console, because you would literally be that blinded. But, the nice thing is, when you put them in effects, you put them in a bitmap, and it breaks them up, and because they’re so narrow, it doesn’t just kill you all the time.

You know, the Showpix and other earlier LED stuff, had no real light output. You had the nice little face but no beam definition. Then, Upstaging came up with their Headlight fixture. It was like, “Alright, that’s a good start!” But they’re big, they’re heavy and, you know, now they’re four or five years old. So, I said, “If you’re really cool, you’ll make an RGB one on a yoke.” They tried to do a couple of things. They tried to see if there was a yoke they could fit to hold it.

But, no… the thing weighs like… well, too much! So we said, “We’ll just scrap that idea for now and we’ll get back to it later.” And we were going to talk about it again for this summer, but then Ayrton made these… and it was like “Ha! Never Mind!” Somebody’s now taken care of this… and it’s excellent, absolutely excellent.

One of the two side trusses with three MAC IIIs and four MAC 2000 XBs. [Between the MAC 2000, the SGM X5 LED strobes replace the Martin Atomic 3000 DMXs in the spec.

MAC 2000 XB and MAC Viper Profiles surrounded by two MAC IIIs

Continuous, unlimited Pan and Tilt

SLU : What do you think of the movement, and in particular, the continuous pan/tilt? You are using it on this show?

Jason Bullock : They’re incredibly accurate as far as maintaining their focus/position in DMX control. One thing I that Ayrton may want to look into is, when you put them in continuous spin mode and then drop them out and back into DMX position control, they can have a bit of a jerk. The only way to get around it is if you made it—just another range setting—so, it just took whatever time was in the cue. You know what I mean?
Other than that, they’re great. They’re great. To be able to do that continuous spin surprised a lot of people, especially because during the shows there were one or two songs in particular where you’d do the nice, big keel-over like that, and everybody would say, “Did you reset that every time?” “Oh no, they just keep going.” “What?” Just keeps going and going and going, and then they can go the other way. People just didn’t know what to make of that.
New indeed, but the Lighting Designer still needs the right tools to control these luminaires and make them follow his concepts. And considering that, 160 DMX channels are required to control a single MagicPanel™ in the “extended mode”, it is hard to imagine implementing a big system using some 32 units without pixel-mapping.

From effects to mapping

A Smiley emoticon image that Jason was glad to find in the MagicPanel macro library. Having this native image saved him a lot of time in programming the MagicPanel units. The emoticon swings back and forth to the rhythm of the music – amazing!

SLU : Are you using the internal effects of MagicPanel?

Jason Bullock : Yeah. I found them very handy… I have one or two places where there’s a bitmap playing. In the first song, I’m using one of the square chases that’s native in the fixture, and I’m running a bitmap underneath. So you see just pieces of the square come out and it works very well as a masking layer. You can run color effects and stuff on it and use that as a blackout filter, and just keep that pattern there.

The Smiley faces – that we use for “Young, Wild and Free…” which is all just about drinking and having fun – and… I was going through the macro channels, and I saw the Smiley face was already a macro and said, “Oh, I got just the song for that.” And I went right to that song and… I didn’t have any cues for that song written – so, I just recorded that in the first cue. Finally, after I worked my way to the end of the set list and I pulled out that first cue and it was just the 64 Smiley faces. I put them all pointing at the audience, turned them on. Whacked me in the face and it was just like, “Oh, yeah… I’ve been waiting for this!”
Absolutely great, and they simplify a lot of things, because if you had to go through and make those for every fixture, it would take forever: Pixels 1 and 5 and 4 and 9… oohhh… especially, with that many units.

At first, because I didn’t know all the pre-canned effects were in there, I actually drew the whole thing out on four sheets of graph paper taped together. I drew the entire grid of all the LEDs – 2304 pixels. Then, of course I saw the macros and was like, “Oh, you’re kidding me. I don’t even need this. It’s all right there.” And it’s nice that you have both static patterns and the moving ones. Gives a really good variety. I think it’s wonderful.

ChamSys, the ideal console for MagicPanel™

Jason Bullock, Wiz Khalifa’s Lighting Designer, a virtuoso at the ChamSys console.

SLU : Is programming the MagicPanel difficult?

Jason Bullock : I will say that it was challenging to get them configured…. I know people using them on MA2s. I’m not an MA2 guy. I used to work with Flying Pig consoles back in the early 90s. I lived in London for quite some time. I like to program my own things, and do my own things. There are a lot of channels here, especially bitmapping out every pixel as a fixture. But the end result is a bitmap engine that’s build into the ChamSys. You draw on a grid, you put the fixture in, and it patches it in the internal media server.

SLU : Do you have several layers in the ChamSys?

Jason Bullock : Yes, right now I’m running four separate layers of bitmap all done through the desk. You can take a movie and convert it into CMV file format and then upload it into the console. So a lot of those textures…are actually movie files that are colored and are all in the desk. No separate server, no nothing. All built into the console. Plus there’s a whole channel for horizontal lines and vertical lines… and you can control the density and the speed and the crossfade. So you can have horizontal lines to start and then you offset them, and then a whole offset breaks and then you can make it thicker or thinner, or change whether it fades or whether it snaps — it’s all built into the desk.

Here, several media server layers integrated into the console are used to drive the versatile MagicPanel LED via a video file. Never a dull moment!

SLU : Then, the ChamSys is perfect for this application!

Jason Bullock : Yes, Perfect! The nice thing is, because of the way the bitmap in that desk works, I can turn the light to blue, just the fixture itself, and turn the bitmap on, on top of it. So that’s why a lot of those multiple layers are just one color in the fixture itself, and then the bitmap is running and doing its own color effects and… I think you can do up to 8 or 10 layers max.

I only did four here, because that was all I needed. But it just makes a virtual fixture that does a generic bitmap and you can do up to 20 different grids and layouts all layered in, all through the desk. All those letters and stuff that you saw going on, that’s one layer. I put in one letter, sized, moved it. Done! No separate media server… no separate anything!

SLU : Are you running data by Ethernet, by Art-Net, or some other protocol?

Jason Bullock : What we did in this particular case is, from my console, we run a piece of fiber optic cable to backstage. The fiber goes into a splitter. The splitter resends data over a Cat 5 cable. So, one Cat 5 and one Socapex run to each MagicPanel pod, and then there’s a Martin Ether2-8 Art-Net to DMX box sitting on top of each pod. You just plug the Cat 5 into that. Then we did hard 5-pin DMX lines out of that. Very reliable. Never had a problem.

Jason loves to use the green! Fine color calibration in an image mixing arc sources and leds. making MagicPanel beams dance.

Another magnificent picture showing a powerful and fantastic choice of colors and intricate programming work on the MagicPanel.

SLU : Really? No connection or cable problems?

Jason Bullock : Just two cables every day! [laughs] You know, for that many lights and that much stuff, people are like, “What do you mean there’s only two cables?”

SLU : That’s got to be great—because your tour is 20 days, with a show every day.

Jason Bullock : Yes, we only have four days off in the next three weeks….

Organizing his control as well time

Jason contrasts the color temperature between cold white and amber. He also plays with break-ups strobes and video mapping from the ChamSys console, which includes an internal media server. Another dynamic sequence!pupitre qui intègre un média serveur. Encore une séquence très dynamique !

When Wiz Khalifa’repertory tilts toward reggae, Jason switches over to dance lighting using color. The MagicPanel video mapping effects are programmed to the tempo, while spots are programmed faster to animate the stage.

SLU : It must require a lot of organization.

Jason Bullock : Yes it does! I need this stuff to work. I need it to do what it’s supposed to do. Fortunately it does that! It also does cloning and morphing, changing from spots to hard edges. It tracks all the cue information…

I think we’re playing a club in Switzerland, that’s literally going to be like 12 wash and 12 hard edge, and I’m going to put those two pods on the floor right beyond the risers and, when they come up, everybody’s going to go, “Oh, my God! What just happened?”

The MagicPanel is that remarkable. Everybody I’ve seen has been putting them into some form of bank or pod…. Once you get your head around programming them… and again, I cue using the bitmap. I know a lot of the guys… other programmers were using media servers, using Mboxes and all that crap that goes with them. I was saying, “Nobody every tries this ChamSys desk – but if you did, you’d find out you don’t need all that crap. Just do it straight out of here.” But you know how people are about consoles –they know what they know and that’s what they want.

I use the ChamSys because its easy, it’s quick, and because of all the things it can do; because it has all the bitmap; because it has the fixture profiles. We went and edited all of them on board—on the desk. You don’t have to do it offline, so as we figured out things, it was like, if I default all the colors to black, when I turn on the bitmap, the bitmap fades in.
When I wrote this show for the first time, I was still in Europe, finishing up with the Korn tour. We did Rock in Rain, Rock The Park, all those big festivals. So, I literally flew from Europe straight to the Upstaging shop in Chicago, walked in at one o’clock in the afternoon, had 48 hours to program before the rig went on the truck, went home for two days, and met the show on our first load-in – because that was how it had to go. I had just two days of rehearsal. Then we started the tour. /p>

SLU : You must be some sort of a magician!

Jason Bullock : Love what I do. Love what I do.
This show as designed and run by magician Jason Bullock clearly takes full advantage of his main resources, the MagicPanel™ arrays, which are as fresh and innovative as the artist himself. But really… Does Wiz Khalifa take inspiration from his LD?

Always surprise the artists

Tight beams of backlight, wash, beams and strobes

Tight beams of backlight, an AlphaBeam 700 as a wash and a cascade of individual emitter beams from MagicPanel… plus X5 strobes, all in a monochrome moment full of energy.

SLU : Does Wiz Khalifa have specific requests, requirements for lighting?

Jason Bullock : No, actually, because the type of music he’s from – the Hip-Hop, R&B area – it’s incredibly competitive, and you get people like JZ and Kanje West, and everybody wants the latest and the greatest and the coolest thing! This was the chance we had to get it in the show. We are now at that level. We’re getting enough, in the way of a fan base, so let’s bring up the level technology. Let’s start to match those guys, start to show them something different – and that’s MagicPanel™.
When some of their production staff came to the first show, they were like, “Why don’t we have those?” Answer, “Cause there is no more. There’ll be some soon. But right now…that’s all there is.” So, Wiz was very excited to be a part of that, and to see new stuff like that.

He’s one of those guys who’d say, “Man, just make it cool.” And when I got done with those first four days of programming, the day before the first show, we sat down, went through every cue in 35 minutes, and he went “I love it. See you later.” And I never saw him again. You know, if he gets a crazy idea, he’ll come up and say “Oh, Jason, I was thinkin’, can you do like a swirly thing that goes flash-flash on the beam?” “I’ll do whatever you want man, no problem”. But generally, he just wants to be impressed. He wants to see something… something that hasn’t been done.

SLU : Do all your artists want to be impressed?

Jason Bullock : Yes, yes, yes, they definitely want to be impressed.

Not just a Designer, he’s a real lighting guy

A section of the center ”finger” truss. Between the pair of MAC IIIs, Jason alternately uses three MAC 2000 XB wash lights and two Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s, which replaced the Vari•Lite VLX that were on the US plot.

SLU : You do a lot to satisfy them.

Jason Bullock : I try, but you know, a lot of it is for my own personal satisfaction. You know, over the years I’ve worked for a lot of people. I programmed for a lot of big Designers. That’s what I did for my first 10-12 years. I had my one or two little bands that I would do on my own tours. And then, I got to do Gloria Estefan in four stadiums in South America.

Oh great, so there’s 20 universes and the old Hog II had two desks wired together just to make it all work, and data systems were hell before you could do Art-Net and that stuff. You know, I’ve seen what can be done, but seen also when people go crazy. Like all right, it’s going to be 150 motor points but you’re only going to use these lights for two songs. You’re like, “Alright, dude, we’re talking about a 15-hour load-in to do a two-hour show.”

People get crazy. I call it getting “click happy.” Because you can tell that they were sitting at their computer, and it was like “copy-paste, copy-paste, copy-paste” and… like, “Wait a minute, if you had to draw each of these by hand you would only have six fixtures in there, not 35! Back when everybody had to draw their plots by hand, it was like, “Do I really need this?” You had to do a little stencil, trace, and fill it in… and people thought about it a little more.

One of two back light “totem poles” alternately using MAC Aura and SGM X5 strobes.

I mean, the big system that we started out with this summer, had HUD truss… where all the lights all ride in the truss, and the four MagicPanel pods… That was it! We’d start load-in, we’d come in and mark the floor at 9:30. Lighting system, set, everything would be done by 1:30. When you’re doing six shows in a row, you need to have that kind of thing.

We’ve all been to shows… where we started 5 o’clock in the morning and now it’s 5 at night and we’re still trying to make it work. Sorry, I was a tech for too many years. I was the guy dragging the cable. I refuse to do that to my guys. There is no need. You know, if a Designer says “Let’s put seven lights over there,” you’d like to say, “The Socapex cable only has six circuits… I understand you’d really like seven, and yeah, as a tech, I’ll do it because it’s your show, but…” As a Designer, I know better. Why? You’re really going to do that to your guys? You’re really going to make them run an extra cable all the way from the rack just because you think you need one more light there? People don’t think about it. You know, a lot of LDs, and especially a lot of the younger LDs, haven’t spent time loading in, and haven’t spent time dragging cable around.

A lot of programmers who are out there are people who’ve come out of school, have a good talent for programming but haven’t ever had to push a road case into a truck at five in the morning in the pouring rain… not once in their entire life. They come in, wearing nice shoes and nice outfits. They walk in, they walk out. And you like say, “Really, you have no respect for the people who are back there killing themselves to make you happy.” One of the guys today lost a strobe light on one of the side trusses right after they trimmed it and he was like, “Man, I’m so sorry. We lost a strobe light.” I said, “I have 30 up there. It’s not going to be the end of the world if I’m missing the one strobe light from the side.”

I mean… come on, am I going to make you go up, rappel off the ceiling to change a strobe light? That’s absurd, that’s just absurd! If we’re filming it or something, I might be a little worried, but in this case, no one’s going to notice that one strobe light not working! And I just see a greater divide and a bit of a rift between the people who sit out front at the consoles and the people who sit backstage. I think a lot of programmers I’m starting to see coming up in the industry have just gotten this attitude that they’re so much better than anyone else, and they can’t bother themselves to go grab cable and stuff.

Valère Huart-Gyors (left) of Ayrton and Jason Bullock, Lighting Designer for Wiz Khalifa, standing next to the tour bus used by the crew for overnight travel between European venues.

Today, I was out unloading the truck, running feeder across the floor, and the French crew guys from the lighting company were surprised. I was catching their cable while they were standing there and the guy was lowering the cable off the stage, and I said, “Oh, gimme that.” And he was like, “No, no, it’s okay.” And I’m saying, “No it’s okay, I’m like standing here. You’re dropping the cable. It’s no problem, man.”

My advice to young Designers is to get your hands dirty! Get involved because: a) it gives your guys greater respect for you, and b) if something screws up you know what’s up and can just say, “All right, dude, just walk up on stage, unplug that box and plug this back in, it’s right over there… and the cable runs down here.” Because I ran the damned cable, I know where the stuff goes. I know some programmers who, if you ask them to go and run a data line to a certain spot, couldn’t tell you how it was done. I have no respect for that. I tell ‘em, “Get your hands dirty. Get involved. Why not?” and they’re like, “Well, you know, I’m the programmer. I don’t do that” “Stop. You’re not a just a programmer. You’re a lighting person. Be a lighting person!”

Conclusion

Powerful back lighting with a MAC III

Here’s a Designer who gets his hands dirty, working with his lights on stage, off stage, ready to pull cables; who really knows all his fixtures, especially the new ones, and how to program his console with complete conviction.He is excited to see what he can make his lights can do, like the Ayrton MagicPanel™ which he uses to maximum advantage.

As Production Designer he has to satisfy both his client and himself. On stage, an impassioned Bullock uses the LED matrix to incredible effect, with their futuristic facets –16 of the square face fixtures like so many mirrors, emitting unbelievably powerful light and magnificently rich colors. The looks are often primary colors or monochrome – one of Jason’s trademarks – and create heavily saturated images which until recently were unimaginable without LED technology. With each of the 36 emitters controlled independently, our eyes were dazzled by the crazy mapping effects generated and by the massive rock & roll-beam and the astounding use as audience blinders. Jason’s light cues, which, at times, outpaced the music’s tempo, were almost overloaded with strobes. At times it reminded me more of Heavy Metal than a Rap concert.

But it certainly moved! It was totally alive, brilliant and festive–lighting that made you want to dance and sing, highlighting the talented young Rapper who clearly deserved this outstanding environment!

[/private]

Walter Eugene Clair died December 3 2013

Posted on 5 December 2013 by Mo

It is with a heavy heart that we pass along the sad news of Gene’s passing. Gene died peacefully in his sleep, having said his final goodbyes to his family.

Walter Eugene Clair, one of the Clair Brothers Audio entrepreneurs, died December 3, 2013. He was 73. Gene, as everyone knew him, was born May 6th 1940 to Roy B. Clair and Ellen Mae (Ulrich) Clair, in the Lititz area and lived here all his life.

He graduated from Warwick High School in 1958 and was awarded as one of the top athletes of his class. He went on to get a two year degree in Engineering from the Penn State York campus.

While working in the Foreign Language lab and general electrician at F&M College, Gene and his brother, Roy, set up the sound for a visiting musical group – The Four Seasons. The group was

so impressed with the sound they asked the brothers to tour with them, and so Clair Bros. began. Gene continued to be a sound engineer/mixer for bands such as Elton John, the Moody Blues, Michael Jackson and Peter Wolf, to name a few, and travelled all over the world.

Gene sold his end of the business to his son Troy in 1995, and split his time between Lititz and his mountain home in Sinnemahoning, Pa. Gene joined the Pennsylvania Forestry Association as the Board of Directors, and spent every Penn State home game entertaining friends and family with tailgating extravaganzas.

He is survived by his brother Roy Clair; his partner of 23 years, Betty Shenenberger; the mother of his children, Joan Clair; his children Troy (Katy) Clair and Gina (Stan) Zeamer; his grandchildren Shaun (Nicole) Clair, Matt (Natalie) Clair, Gail Clair, Kyle Keener, and Taylor Keener; and his Great Grandchildren, Bella, Lilly and Otto, who was born on Gene’s birthday.

Preceding him in death were his parents and son, Cory Clair.

A service will be held at the Charles Snyder Jr. Funeral Home at 3110 Lititz Pike, the details of which will be available once finalized.

Interment will be at the Moravian Cemetery in Lititz. In lieu of flowers, we ask that a donation be sent to any of the following: Moravian Manor, which took incredible care of Gene during his final days, 300 West Lemon Street, Lititz, PA 17543; Hospice of Lancaster 685 Good Drive, P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster PA 17604-4125; or the Lititz RecCenter, 301 Maple Street, Lititz PA 17543.

At the Opera Bastille , the Liebermann hall

Didier Paillet opts for a GDS LED solution

Posted on 7 November 2013 by Mo

Here, the general light full on. The light has a beautiful rendering just slightly pinker than halogen. Musicians no longer complain about the heat.

The musicians were complaining about the heat, especially in summertime! Originally lit by 49 duo PAR 500 W, the Liebermann hall, reserved for rehearsals of the orchestra at the Opera Bastille ( Paris ) did not provide comfortable temperature conditions to the virtuosos nor their instruments.

Didier Paillet , head of the Bastille lighting department chose LED projectors to replace the original system . Now, the musicians can rehearse in the light of 49 GDS ArcSystem 8Cell projectors : cool in many ways!
We toured the facility, along with Didier Paillet and Nicolas Dacanal (maintenance manager).

The Liebermann hall created by Hugues Gall

Duo-PAR fixture, responsible for the overheating of the room for ten years and, on the right, the savior GDS ArcSystem 8 cell, smaller, less power-hungry and more efficient.

Didier Paillet : “Originally at the Bastille Opera house, the orchestra rehearsed in the pit or in the Gounod hall, there was always a conflict between musicians and technicians until Hugues Gall , director of the Opera Bastille from 1995 to 2004 , decided to offer them the Liebermann hall 10 years ago . “

With a great acoustic, seating for the choir, a large orchestra pit and 9 meters high fly-bars, the Liebermann hall is comfortable … except in the summer because of the air conditioning inefficiencies and the PARcans getting very hot as everyone knows.

Didier Paillet, Nicolas Dacanal, Christian Paillard, Claude Léonard

In the Liebermann Hall , left to right , Didier Paillet , Head of Light Opera Bastille, Nicolas Dacanal , Maintenance manager , Christian Paillard, sales director of Alterlite , the GDS distributor in France and Claude Léonard, electrician.

Didier Paillet : With Nico ( Nicolas Dacanal , Head of Maintenance) we started by installing a timer set to turn off the power at midnight, because the musicians knows how to turn the light on but often forget to switch it off . At least, the room temperature at night fell but we still had complaints.

As changing the aircon was not possible, I suggested replacing halogen spotlights with LED projectors as they are now able to provide a sufficient level of illumination.

[private]

The technical specifications

Didier Paillet : The following is typical. We launched a tender with a set of technical and budgetary constraints, analyzed all proposals and offers and selected the device suitable for our needs: Alterlite with GDS ArcSystem met all our expectations.

A beautiful uniform light that mimics halogen fixtures although its colour temperature is slightly cooler, 3000K, for easy reading of yellow music scores

SLU : What were your technical requirements ?

Didier Paillet : The lighting level should be 400 lux at 9 m in height , which is not necessarily sufficient, but we knew that multiple sources would offer us a high level, and this is the case . With 4 spotlights you get more than 800 lux. The music scores the musician use have two different textures: one white and one yellow. The latter offered less contrast.

We obviously wanted silent projectors, so no active cooling and a fairly precise beam angle related to the 9.60 m height.

Of course, it is possible to lower the fly-bars, but the aim of the game is to leave a sufficient space above the benches for the comfort of the choir. And we wanted a colour temperature colder than tungsten because of the yellowish scores. It is now 3000 K. This is a rehearsal room so white only is enough. As soon as there are multiple LED colours, prices are skyrocketing and the overall budget explodes.

49 projectors GDS ArcSystem hooked 9.60 m above the ground and spaced 2.40 m.

SLU : What exactly was the projection angle needed?

Didier Paillet : The set up of projectors has not changed , we have chosen an angle of 37 °, which is quite common among manufacturers’ offers, so not too narrow to avoid having to add sources ( always the budget issue ) , and not too wide in order to retain brightness.

They are spaced every 2.40 m precisely, arranged in lines, themselves spaced 2.40 m.

Winner at all levels

The Wall-mounted “Stick” from Sunlite with Touch control and just above, the operation manual produced by the Opéra Bastille lighting technical service.

If halogen lighting requires the use of a lighting desk, dimmers and people trained to use the console under penalty of malfunction or even failure, with LED lights with integrated power supply and driver, a wall console is all you need. It significantly simplifies the operation.

Nicolas Dacanal, Nico : The GDS ArcSystem is controlled over Wifi (GDS ArcMesh) so we had no additional data cable to install, we just used the existing power cables .

Didier Paillet : The wireless control was not a parameter required initially, but we realized that it was possible with the equipment proposed. Not having to install data cable represents a further saving.

The ArcSystem luminaries are controlled by area: full on Hall, full on orchestra, full on choir and one memory for each fly-bar. All projectors are independently addressable. They all have a wireless receiver card.

It allows us to meet any request for specific area lighting, at any level.

In detail, for musicians , the function keys : 8 zones are programmed with light intensity adjustable from 0 to 100%.

Nico : Setting projectors can not be done directly on the device. They do not have dip switches. We had to go through a GDS dongle, which makes the communication between the computer and the transmitter to address the spotlight. If one has many fixtures and does not know who is who, there is a useful “Identify” command that makes the device flash. Then, the address can be set. It’s super simple.

After setup, the dongle is no longer necessary, it serves only for addressing and parameter adjustment. DMX is then transmitted by the wireless emitters to the projectors’ receiver cards.

The programming was done using a Sunlite software and stored in their wall-mounted control board, the STICK, with touch screen, which also allows the internal clock to turn the spotlight off at 23:30.

Didier Paillet : We had already installed this system in the Ravel room. It is very simple to use, musicians choose a memory and they can even modify the light level.

SLU : you probably makes a nice energy saving…

Didier Paillet : Yes, because 150W Leds against 1000 W tungsten lights gives for a total of 49 projectors, a consumption 7kW instead of 49 kW , and in terms of light level, it is equivalent or even brighter because, when we compared 4 x ArcSystem 8 cells to 4 Double PARs, we found a higher light output . So in the end, you win on both sides.

In addition, there is no risk of conflicts with other wireless networks as GDS masters its network in 5 GHz

Side RJ45 Ethercon connectors with possible linking to a DMX cable network. Below the generously-sized heatsink cools off the 8 modules of 20 W with natural convection.

On the opposite side of the connectors, the WiFi antenna in the top right corner.

SLU : Are the musicians satisfied with the quality of light?

Didier Paillet : When we made up our mind on the equipment with Nico, we asked the Conductor and the first violin to validate our choice and agree to it, which they did.

Nico : it is a great lighting source . We cannot see any difference with halogen lights. The look on the floor is quite interesting. And besides their gradation curve mimics the halogen. It is definitely designed for easy standard replacement.

full-on orchestra

with only one fly-bar switched on, we appreciate the homogeneity of the light on the floor

SLU : Is the light spread evenly in the hall ?

Didier Paillet : Yes, the illumination on the music stands is between 800 and 1000 lux , no hot spot and without derating , the LED cooling system is correctly sized and very effective.

GDS ArcSystem

The GDS ArcSystem consists of 8 modules of 20 Watts white LED.

The ArcSystem, manufactured by the British company GDS, is a range of LED projectors specifically designed for the lighting of auditoria. Thanks to its proprietary control protocol over WiFi called Arc Mesh, the easy replacement of power-hungry fixtures is made easy, without even having to install data cables.

The range consists of different fixtures (1, 2, 4 or 8 cells) built around 20W white LED chip(s) from Bridgelux (made in the USA) nested in a reflector and providing an angle of 37 ° and a soft edge 19° and 24 ° also available ) .

Arc System is therefore in 8 modules (the Bastille ), version 4 modules in mounted version also to spot unit .

4 single colour temperatures are available: 2700K , 3000K , 4000K and 5600K, GDS guaranteeing a minimum CRI of 93 on the 2700K unit.

The projector is convection cooled (using a large heatsink) and so, totally silent

Power supply: 80-230 VAC
Control modes: Analog, DMX , ArtNet (Ethercon) networks.
Designed and assembled in Great Britain
Price : 1800 € HT

Contact : www.gds.uk.com

[/private]

News from Plasa 2013

A motorized fixture from Robert Juliat

Posted on 3 November 2013 by Mo

Things are moving at Juliat! The brand-new and beautiful prototype of a motorized Fresnel was presented on the stand of the French manufacturer.

With perfectly silent operation ensured by its lack of forced ventilation, it meets the increasingly urgent demand for installation projects in large theaters and convention centers.

The moving yoke, coupled here with the Cin’k 325 LF, provides DMX control of tilt, pan, focus and color changer with a 16-bit resolution that provides a beautiful smooth and slow movement.

Robert Juliat has come up with an affordable solution for remote repositioning and focus. To respond with a simple and quick solution for this application, the manufacturer has chosen to partner with a European manufacturer of motorized yokes.

The luminaire itself is a standard product in the Juliat range. Currently this can be a Cin’k 325 (2500 W) or a Cin’k 350 (5000 W) Fresnel, which have the same dimensions and only the power source changes.

To be continued…

Electric Zoo Festival in New York

Jonathan Goldstein’s original Design includes huge video screens and 80 MagicPanel™602

Posted on 24 October 2013 by Mo

At the center of the media image, slowly rotating MagicPanel units produced remarkable, dynamic, 3D volumetric animations.

The Electric Zoo Festival is, by far, the largest Electronic Dance Music event in New York City, with 190 international artists from the global electronic music scene performing over 3 days (and into the night) on 5 stages for 150,000 enthusiastic attendees. 2013 marks the fifth year for Electric Zoo. With each successive iteration, Production Designer Jonathan Goldstein has pushed the edge of the envelope for technological originality – with more stages and more fabulous visual environments. In 2012 StarLight Visual won an award from the Los Angeles 3D Film Festival for the first live 3D stage design incorporating custom 3D animations, 30,000 pairs of glasses distributed, and live 3D HD cameras.

Main Stage East in pre-production: at the center of a wide V shaped video screen is a matrix of 80 MagicPanel^TM602 units. Trusses above carry Vari*Lite VL 3500 Wash, VL 3000 and Martin Atomic 3000 strobes. In the proscenium, on the stage floor and on the sides are many, many Clay Paky Sharpy units (still under platic covers). The 8-light units at the top are dedicated blinders.

This year’s festival also saw the addition of a new Stage, called the “Main Stage East” – which featured over 8,000 square feet of Nocturne 28 mm video screens surrounding a matrix of 80 Ayrton MagicPanel™602 LED beam projectors. Jonathan and his assistant Matt Shimamoto were first introduced to MagicPanel via You Tube videos of the impressive, 25-fixture display at the ProLights & Sound trade show in Frankfurt, Germany (April 2013). They reacted immediately and, in more than tripling that number, assembled the largest MagicPanel installation in the world to date! Magnificent!

[private]

We are very proud to see a French manufacture’s product succeed in the U.S. to this degree. Ayrton products are distributed in the USA by Morpheus Lights of Las Vegas, Nevada – which has a long history as a top-level lighting service provider as well as an innovative developer of automated lighting products. For Electric Zoo, Morpheus provided the MagicPanel™ fixtures to Festival lighting contractor PRG, of Secaucus, New Jersey and supported PRG’s technology department to insure the installation and operation of the fixture array was flawless.

The Electric Zoo Festival is scheduled each year on the US “Labor Day” Holiday Weekend – which, by tradition, marks the end of the summer season. “E Zoo” is a private event, staged on beautiful public park land (leased from the City of New York) on Randall’s Island, in the middle of the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

The Festival starts at 11:00 AM and stops at 11:00 PM, so it is 12 hours straight with no stopping the music. All five stages are playing simultaneously, all day, from the moment the doors open.

In just five years, the Electric Zoo Festival has grown from attendance of 15,000 to 150,000 enthusiastic revelers, attracted to the best electro artists and the ability to leapfrog between multiple stages and that combine over-the-top visuals with the driving beat of EDM. Every year seems to leave them wanting more – so the staging, video and lighting production has had to grow with the attendance!

Jonathan Goldstein, Creative Director / Production Designer of the Electric Zoo

Jonathan Goldstein, of Star Light Visual Production, has been the Production Designer for Electric Zoo Festival since it’s inception in 2009.

Jonathan Goldstein has been Creative Director and Production Designer for Electric Zoo since year one, providing Design and Technical Management services through his company StarLight Visual of New York City. His credentials as Lighting Designer run deep – Kanye West, Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Donna Summer. As Production Designer, he has done World Tours with Kid Cudi, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. On the last day of rehearsals, in the midst of preparation for the Festival, this highly respected and accomplished American Designer kindly agreed to give me a few minutes for an interview. I am really grateful and impressed.

SLU: What is the origin of this festival?

Jonathan Goldstein: “Electronic Music has transitioned in America over the last five years from an underground movement housed inside gritty clubs in metropolitan cities, to a pop culture phenom happening in every major city. This show is promoted by an independent promoter called “Made Event” who has been working inside the Electronic Music Genre for 25+ years, they get the culture, the crowd, and what people EXPECT to see at their shows. We started Electric Zoo very small with 1 rollout stage and 3 tent stages over 2 days, and we have doubled the festival’s size every year. This is the fifth year anniversary.”

SLU: Is this the biggest festival in New York?

Jonathan Goldstein: “Yes, it is, by far, the biggest festival in New York City and, I’m not certain, but I think it is the biggest on the East Coast. It is in the top five festivals in the US, by size.
The vendors on site are PRG Lighting, PRG Nocturne, Christie Lites, Screen Works… I have to do the calculation, but I believe we have 10 miles (16 kilometers!) of LED product here. We have about 9,000 or 10,000 tiles of LED on site. We have enough generators to power 790 homes.”

SLU: Do you increase the lighting / production budget each year?

Jonathan Goldstein: “Yes… We wouldn’t be able to be this big if we didn’t increase the budget, as well. The production design has increased every year. I come up with ideas every year that everyone loves… and then we have to change those ideas, every year. So I am fighting myself every year to do more edgy innovative designs.”
No matter how big or small the venue is, we put the same amount of design into it…”

The transparency effect of the screen, plus Sharpys, plus wide lateral beams from the MagicPanel array.

Jonathan Goldstein: “We were the first ones ever to (present) live 3D visuals here on site for artists. Last year we did this and we won an award for that from the Los Angeles Film Festival, beating Disney out on “Best Live 3D Experience 2012”, so it was a big moment for us. We are doing that again this year. We will give out 60,000 pairs of 3D glasses, so that anyone can go and enjoy for free a very different experience in 3D with the real artists live. There are live 3D cameras and everything 100% in 3D. It’s really wild to experience especially for this genre of music.”

Jonathan breaks the mold of standard EDM design

At night, the atmosphere becomes magical. The media keeps coming and is contrasted by the MagicPanel array at the center. Each pixel generates a very tight and powerful 7.5 beam which is used fabulously to add to the experience.

SLU: When did you begin the design process?

Jonathan Goldstein: “We start production design of this show 8 months prior to the actual show date. It is a very layered process designing 5 stages and 190 artists worth of performances. Each individual stage is given the detail of production design no matter the scale or type of genre that is playing that stage. Each design is completely unique and purposeful. The concept for the Main Stage East was to make lighting an element that was at the forefront of the design. Knowing that many artist’s productions would give kick back as video and led walls are so overly used in this genre it has become an arms race as to who has the bigger “TV screen” behind them… In this case I took on the challenge of breaking the standard mold of design and sequestered my Design Associate Matthew Shimamoto to find me new lighting elements that could replace the size and scale of a 50′ high by 30′ wide video wall. In comes the MagicPanel 602.”

The towering array of 80 Ayrton MagicPanel^TM602 units – ready to take a spin.

“We’re using it on this [East] stage and so they are something unique to the festival, that are only here on this stage. The central focus of the design on this stage is the MagicPanel. We like using new things and exploring what’s new. This gave us an opportunity to bring lighting to the forefront in the design… something that has taken a back seat not only on my designs, but the trend for a lot of people is now “video, video and more video”. So, we are just bringing it back to lighting for this specific design and it is working very well. Everyone’s very happy with it and it’s something unique.”

SLU: What do you think of the MagicPanel environment you’ve created?

Jonathan Goldstein: “I think the fixture is extremely flexible for use, it’s amazing because during the daytime it can battle the sun and still be used as a viable design element, the intensity is numbing even during the day being used as “eye candy” into the crowds eyes. At night the fixture intensity had to be reduced so drastically as they were overpowering every other element in the design, but here is where you can really show the impressive beam column, as well as the LED mapping features available to us. We were mapping them through the grandMA2.”

I love this shot! The video image partially occupies the screen , with the structure being revealed by MAC Aura units behind, the MagicPanel beams are in continuous rotation: all at a perfect balance of illumination.

Another MagicPanel effect which supports the media content.

Jonathan Goldstein: “For us we had 80 fixtures and it would have translated into something like 60 universes of DMX over Art-Net, which is a massive amount of data flowing… and at this time the Ethernet connectivity to the light was not functioning properly as per the manufacture, so they suggested we run them via DMX.”

SLU: Do you always work with the same team – Matt and Brian?

Jonathan Goldstein: “At StarLight Visual, the team is a fluctuating entity, because our guys are so talented you may imagine they are so extremely busy certain times throughout the year. Matt and I have been working together since he was a guest lighting director on a show that SLV designed back in 2011. Matt has some unique skills, he is a very talented programmer and lighting director, but also has production knowledge as well as running his own business, Volt Lites (of Los Angeles, California). This unique skill set is a perfect lineup for being the Associate Lighting Designer on a show like Electric Zoo.

This happens to be the first chance that I have been able to work with programmer and lighting director Brian Jenkins, I can tell you it wont be the last. Brian had the most compressed programming / directing schedule on the show, as well as it was his first year and first EDM festival, as well as we handed him 80 new fixtures that he had never used and the result was pure success!”

Matt Shimamoto – Associate Production Designer

Two of Jonathan’s assistants: On the left, Brian Jenkins, Programmer and Lighting Director for the Main Stage East. On the right, Matt Shimamoto, Associate Production Designer for the Festival.

Jonathan then passes the interview over to his assistant, Matt Shimamoto, an impressively calm 27 years old with enthusiasm and quite a résumé of his own. Unquestionably Jonathan Goldstein knows how to unite a team of talent.

SLU: What is your role in this festival?

Matt Shimamoto: “I work in conjunction with Jonathan to come up with a design with lighting to compliment his beautiful structures and all of his video walls and scenic pieces. We just finished putting this stage together yesterday.”

Posing in front of the Main Stage East with Associate Production Designer Matt Shimamoto (at center) during pre-production, are (from left) Valere Huart-Gyors and Yvan Peard, of Ayrton, and Mark Fetto and Paul Weller, of Morpheus Lights.

SLU: Is this the first time you’ve worked with the MagicPanel?

Matt Shimamoto: “Yes this is the first time. We saw this product on You Tube, after the launch at ProLight+Sound and we were in the midst of putting together the design for this festival. We immediately said: “What is that? How do we find it? So we started poking around and found out that it was going to be available in time.

So far everything has been holding up well. We’ve been able to figure out how to program this fixture. It’s a little bit of a different way of thinking, but we knew it was going to be a little bit of a challenge to get up to speed on how to make it work right, but Brian is an awesome programmer and he has been able to figure it out pretty quickly.”

Another amazing mix of media with MagicPanel.

SLU: How are you controlling it?

Matt Shimamoto: “It is controlled currently via hard line DataMax system, just because of the infrastructure that we have here, we had to go that route. The plan originally was to run media through it, but with normal budget constraints we weren’t able to make it happen this time. What we were able to do this time was to use bit-mapping through the grandMA2 console.

We don’t have a media server running through it. We have so many guest artists coming through the festival; we are just trying to make it as simple as possible for them to operate. The plan is, if everything goes well, maybe this will return next year and we will get a little more extravagant with how we use it. But with five stages here and everything else, it was hard to dedicate a lot of time to get everything where it could be. We’ll get there, but this is a stepping stone to get to the next level.”

SLU: Are you driving it in the extended channel mode?

Matt Shimamoto: “We are using it in the 160-channel mode, so we are using every single feature of it. We’ve got a slew of MA NPUs to drive them… It’s pretty impressive. Just running basic effects through it is impressive. Overall the sheer brightness of it is just crazy. Even at 50%, it’s projecting all the way out to another tent, to another stage and lighting up a DJ all the way over there. It’s crazy. We’ve been kind of toning it down a little bit because it’s really bright. And the fact that it can rotate like that in 360°, it’s really cool.”

Brian manages the grandMA2 Full Size console at Main Stage East – with DMX control via NPUs to 64 universes.

SLU: Have you been using the grandMA2 for a long time?

Matt Shimamoto: “The consoles are grandMA2 Full Size. We’ve been using grandMA2 for about two years; we were using MA1s prior to that. But with the scale and size of these festivals and with the technology that they’ve updated on the consoles, it was a “no-brainer” to make the move to the new version. It’s handling it extremely well – that’s a lot of processing going out to the rig now. In the current configuration we have hazers and foggers throughout the whole stage and, when we fill it all up, the aerial beam from these MagicPanel units is “super-beamy”… when we use them with just, maybe, two pixels and spin it around. So we get a lot of different looks out of it, which is really impressive, versus having something that is very “washy”, because a lot of units out there are in that very “soft” configuration. I like the fact that it has a hard-beam quality to it.

We have two grandMA consoles per stage, one active and one backup. There are five stages total so there are ten throughout the whole site. We have numerous NPUs driving every stage and a grandMA2 in our pre-visualization suite. So we invite some of the designers and directors from the other artists and they come out and program their shows. This way, when they come out on the main stage, they just bring their show-stick, plug it in and they are able to get pretty close. With the number of deejays that are here, they don’t have a whole lot of time to dial in their shows, so any time we can give them with the pre-vis suite, we are happy to help.”

SLU: Have you had any problems with the MagicPanel?

Matt Shimamoto: “We haven’t had any problems with the Panels per se, the only thing I’ve heard that has been a little touchy was the addressing of the units; on the User Interface there’s a little graphic display, and some of them weren’t responding. Maybe our people’s hands weren’t clean enough for them. Other than that, they’ve been holding up really well… and we’ve had rain, a lot of humidity, followed by some serious heat on a couple of days. So they’ve seen a lot of different atmospheric elements over the last few days and they’ve held up pretty well. We are going to be running them pretty hard for the next three days.”

SLU: What other types of fixtures have you chosen ?

Matt Shimamoto: “For moving heads, we have the Vari*Lite 3500 Washes, VL 3000 Spots, a slew of Clay Paky Sharpy, Atomic Strobes with scrollers, there are a ton of MAC 101 behind the LED wall plus some 2-light Moles and more Atomics back there. There is a base of 3500 Washes below the lower panel of video that shoot through.

There is a nice structure to the video wall, that we kind of treat as a scene piece to break things up from being so electronic and in-your-face; just some nice sexy theatrical light. We try to get as much variation as possible, because it is a very long show. You try not to blow all of your looks right away.”

SLU: What is the pitch of the video screens?

Matt Shimamoto: “They are 28 and 18 millimeter pixel pitch walls. They are provided by Nocturne. We have Mbox® media servers driving the video walls.”

LED color saturation is unsurpassed. The MagicPanel breaks all records with its bright, coherent beam.

No beam can compete with a full power video screen. The matrix at center stage is enhanced by a solid black background.

Conclusion

We were invited back the next night to witness the performances of two DJs on the first night of the festival – Excision and Knife Party. The visuals are GREAT! At the heart of the bustling video screen with hallucinating media in 2D the wall of 80 MagicPanel units is put through it’s paces – full beam, strips of light, individual pixels synchronized with unique head movement. The eye is mesmerized by the soaring beams and cannot be detached from the gigantic dynamic matrix. The balance between video and light is right on the mark. The MagicPanel beams break through in a 3D effect that no other projector could match. The sequence of media is perfectly synchronized with the electro rhythm. When the image is dark lights behind the screens reveal the structure and give an industrial look and depth to the scene, accentuated by the beams of Sharpys placed in the foreground. Then of course, the purpose of this gigantic treasure-chest of technology is for the DJ’s that appear in silhouette against the bottom of the screen behind their desks, The dynamic visuals reinforce their music in a Herculean way and create a fabulous setting for a dance space

[/private]

Innovation

SGM G-SPOT SCOOPS TOP PLASA AWARD

Posted on 11 October 2013 by Mo

All the endeavours that have gone into making SGM’s G-Spot the most revolutionary intelligent LED moving head on the market paid dividends when the IP65 rated fixture was to pick up a top award at the prestigious PLASA Awards for Innovation in October.

A packed audience gathered to see SGM CEO Peter Johansen collect the coveted prize from PLASA chairman, Ed Pagett in a ceremony at the ExCeL’s AudioLab Arena during this year’s PLASA Show in London, as Association CEO Matthew Griffiths made the announcements.

The PLASA Awards for Innovation recognise products that advance the industry by demonstrating a new style of thinking, improving technical practice or taking a key step forward in terms of safety. During the show’s opening two days, 45 new products were judged ‘live’ by an independent panel of expert judges who toured the show floor to view each product presentation.

The game-changing G-Spot was accoladed for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has achieved double the light output since the first protocol was unveiled to widespread acclaim back in the spring, and now delivers a brightness that outperforms most 1500 watt discharge lamps, with a virtually unlimited colour palette.

However, its IP65 rating is the real differentiator, making it is water-, dirt- and sand-proof. This means there will be no accumulation of dust or other externally induced impact on optics, gobos or lamp unit, and so reduces maintenance to a minimum.

Peter Johansen receives his award from Ed Pagett; close-up of the award, proudly displayed at SGM’s PLASA booth

These were all points picked up on by the adjudicating panel, who noted that “[G-Spot] is the first fully weatherised automated profile spot. It’s an elegant and aesthetically pleasing fixture that will be able to withstand any show in any environment, and be able to withstand even the British festival season.”

Added Peter Johansen, “In such a competitive marketplace it’s gratifying that the judges have recognised that G-Spot stands out as being completely unique. We already have huge advanced orders on this fixture, and once we start shipping we know this will find applications in arduous environments and climates where it has never previously been possible to deploy a product of this nature.”

LED beam projector with volumetric lighting effects

Ayrton MagicPanel™ 602

Posted on 4 October 2013 by Mo

MagicPanel™602 was a smashing success at the ProLight & Sound 2013 trade show in Frankfurt as evidenced by the impressive number of orders taken: 1,200 sold worldwide since July 1, with over 500 in the US alone.

Prominently featured at the Electric Zoo 2013 Festival in New York City, on Wiz Khalifa’s Under the Influence of Music world tour and on Nine Inch Nails’ Tension 2013 Tour, MagicPanel is also the choice of lighting star Dimitri Vassiliu working in association with Dushow for French pop artist Mylène Farmer.

This unique 36-LED matrix is capable of projecting volumes of visuals from its tight and powerful color beams. With continuous pan and tilt movement and unlimited possibilities for dynamic eye-catching effects, MagicPanel™602 will inspire creative lighting designers to explore new visual dimensions.

For the Electric Zoo 2013 Festival in New York City, Visual Designer Jonathan Goldstein specified a matrix of 80 new MagicPanel™ luminaires – supplied by Morpheus Lights of Las Vegas, Nevada – – along with a large compliment of other gear: Sharpy, Mac Viper, VL 3000 and 3500 units, provided by Festival lighting contractor PRG of Secaucus, New Jersey. At the center of over 8000 square feet (≈750 square meters) of PRG Nocturne V-28 video screens, the beams of the MagicPanel array rotated and gyrated with millions of effects. Magnificent visuals.

Présentation

Ayrton has been developing original and highly innovative LED luminaires since 2001 – exploring new concepts, rather than mimicking existing ones. MagicPanel™602 is mainly intended for special effects, though its beam can have a wider application.

As this article will show, Ayrton has gone all out on this new fixture, pulling no punches when it comes to quality in esthetics and engineering, not to mention hardware. The manufacturer has continued to improve the quality of both its mechanical and electronic design to allow for more precise adjustment as well as easier access for maintenance. The quality workmanship is clearly evident. Even the smallest curve has been thought out to give MagicPanel a uniformity of design. While the squared face might appear cumbersome at first, this wash light’s rounded corners soften the whole aspect.

MagicPanel™ is a dual-axis automated beam projector, with 36 RGBW 15W Osram LED emitters (6 columns of 6). Depending on the operating mode, the emitters can be controlled as a block unit or individually mapped. A major feature of MagicPanel™ is its continuous pan and tilt movement. Ayrton told us that continuous pan/tilt rotation was the brainchild of Morpheus Lights, the US company that utilized it in 2004, on its PanaBeam™XR2 wash light. Going even further back, Morpheus’ PCSpotTM offered continuous rotation (on the pan axis only) in 1990! (Coincidentally, Morpheus is now the exclusive distributor for Ayrton products in the USA.)
This fixture is relatively light weight (@ 19 Kg) and its compact size makes it easy to rig multiple units in close proximity. Controlling multiple MagicPanel fixtures collectively permits previously unimagined effects and images to be created. With individual LED control, Kling-Net protocol compatibility, and multiple inputs, you can quickly pixel-map and flesh out simple visuals.

What’s in the box?

[private]

Ever since the ProLight & Sound show, I’ve been dying to break open a box and take a serious look at MagicPanel™. As usual, Ayrton provides a complete package: User Manual, powerCON True1 power cable, 5-pin DMX cable, safety cable, two Omega brackets, and a fitted thermoformed polyfoam insert, that’s ready to drop into a roadcase.

MagicPanel™602, plus accessories

Fitted thermoformed polyfoam road case insert with each fixture.

A fitted thermoformed polyfoam road case insert is supplied with each fixture.

The front panel of the fixture base has a full-color display and touch sensitive keypad used to navigate the menus and configure the control settings. To prevent accidentally enabling a function while changing the options, fixture operation is deactivated when the User Interface is accessed and a menu is open. So, you have to exit the menu (or permit it to revert by timing-out) to re-enable console control.

Power and control connectors are found on the rear panel of the base. PowerCon TRUE1 connectors provide 110-240 VAC power input with pass-through output to permit power to be distributed to other fixtures. These new connectors from Neutrik are rated for power connection and disconnection under load, which eliminates the need for a ON/OFF switch on the fixture. DMX and RDM connection is via XLR 5-pin male and female connectors. There are also two etherCON connectors for Art-Net and Kling-Net signals. An Art-Net node and Ethernet switch are standard equipment. When MagicPanel™ is connected over Art-Net and the signal can be either re-transmitted by DMX or through the switch by an RJ45 cable.

Keep in mind that for smooth and uniform system performance, especially when it comes to video capture, no more than 7 to 10 switches should be linked over the same line from the console – according to Fabrice Gosnet, Product Manager at Luminex. Just above the connectors is an antenna, which permits control via Lumen Radio’s protocol. (FYI – The integrated Lumen Radio system was used in shooting the videos for this article.) For ease of storage and maintenance, there are yoke locks on both the pan and tilt axes.

MagicPanel connector panel with Lumen Radio Wireless DMX Antenna

A look inside

The basic tool kit is very simple — a screwdriver and two Allen wrenches. A few turns of the screwdriver removes the rear cover, revealing four cooling fans and the power supply. The LEDs are powered in groups of six and you can see Ayrton’s neat wiring harnesses. For maintenance – a shot of compressed air does it, and then you replace the cover.

The four-fan cooling system and LED power supply.

Extruded aluminum main-frame / heat sink

To give MagicPanel™ a thinner profile, Ayrton designed a new extra-flat 1.4” (3.5cm) thick heat sink, which performs double duty as the structural frame of the LED head. It is fabricated of single piece of extruded aluminum and placed in direct contact with the PCB for ideal heat dissipation.

The 45mm, 7.5° collimator, fabricated in France by Gaggione

Before removing the front cover of the LED head, you’ll want to lock the tilt at 90° (horizontal, facing upwards) to prevent the collimators from falling out.

Made in France by Gaggione, the 45mm diameter collimators might appear to be similar to those used on RollaPix™100, but these have a tight, fixed, 7.5° beam especially for MagicPanel™.

Index pins are provided to align the optical system and center the collimators. This insures that beams are maintained coherently at even level and color.

36 x 7.5° collimators on their support plate

Collimators 36 RGBW LEDs on the circuit board under the collimator support plate

Collimators removed - 36 RGBW LEDs on the circuit board under the collimator support plate

Four screws retain each yoke arm cover. You’ll find the tilt drive in one arm, electronics for the LED head and the continuous tilt commutator in the other.

One arm has the tilt drive mechanism and indexing system

The opposite arm has LED drive circuitry, protected from heat and head movement and the continuous tilt commutator.

TThe two 3-phase (hybrid) stepper motors that drive the pan and tilt are mounted in the cross bar of the yoke

The two 3-phase (hybrid) stepper motors that drive the pan and tilt are mounted in the cross bar of the yoke. The continuous pan commutator is at the center. Fixture power supply, data management circuits, connectors and User Interface are all in the base of the fixture.

Ayrton has developed an elegant new cover system for the MagicPanel™ yoke, with two identical plastic covers enclosing the cross bar as well as the inside of the yoke arms. This design frees up space and makes components in the lower part of the yoke much more accessible to technicians.

The cross bar area houses two, 3-phase (hybrid) stepper motors for pan and tilt as well as the pan commutator.
The base enclosure for MagicPanel™ has been carefully designed and will also be used on future Ayrton fixtures in the same power range.It houses the fixture’s main power supply, the control electronics that respond to the various command protocols and the User Interface.

Time to make Magic!

Time to light up the LEDs. For control on 160 DMX channels, select the “Extended” mode, which lets you manipulate each of the 144 LEDs on separate control channels. Two other modes, “Standard” and “Basic, ” use 20 and 18 DMX channels, respectively. While Pixel-mapping is not available in these two modes, a variety of effects are stored as macros in the fixture’s internal memory, and those offer some interesting possibilities for animated visuals.

There are only a few basic controls – so I’m sure you’ll get the feel of the fixture quickly and will find yourself creating cool effects in no time. A fixture reset takes a bit more than 28 seconds – plenty fast. After the pan and tilt reset, you’ll need to wait a few more seconds before DMX control of the fixture is restored. We discovered a slight bug in the fixture we tested: it emitted a small flash of the LEDs when you launched the reset – but Ayrton assures us this will be corrected very soon.

The output is impressive with all four colors at full power. “Watch your eyes!” There are plenty of possibilities for crowd blinding and bump cues.

The dimmer rise time has been designed to be slow for greater precision on the lower end of the curve. This is most apparent when dimming a single LED. This might be a concern to people shooting video, where some attention might want be paid to the evenness of the dimming curve, especially for a long fade. Of course, it should be possible to rework this curve on more sophisticated control consoles. Nevertheless, it would be nice if Ayrton would provide a selectable alternative dimming curve to give the user the choice.

In certain applications, the dimming curve might want to be reconfigured from the console.

When using only a single LED, the dimmer variation curve is even flatter on the low end.

Three-color processing is naturally based on RGB. Simulated CMY control can be used if your console’s library system will support it, e.g., for matching corresponding colors on other fixtures more easily. MagicPanel colors are deeply saturated and are as uniform on just a single LED as when the full beam generated by all 36 emitters projects together.

Adding the white LED to the color mix allows you to obtain beautiful pastels while maintaining optimum light output.In addition to providing a uniform beam, the emitters make split-second color transitions – an instant color change capability that also allows for lightning-fast transitions in special effects.

You can feel confident programming long fades with beautiful color transitions.

As you can see in the images and videos, MagicPanel™ 602 is powerful enough to project a well-defined beam with just a small amount of haze in the air. The result is round and fairly uniform at the area being illuminated, so the luminaire can be used effectively in lighting objects on stage as well as creating beam effects.

3-phase stepper motors on pan and tilt allow you optimum control of both speed and position change. Movements are linear (and uniform), with no speed variation and crisp deceleration. The Speed 1 setting allows both rapid and very slow movements via console control. Three other options let you regulate motor speed, which can be useful for limiting swinging motion of trusses and for running very slow, smooth cues. To be clear, MagicPanel™ doesn’t beat any speed records, but with 360° pan rotation in 2.24 seconds and 180° tilt in 1 second flat, it is plenty fast enough.

Continuous Pan and Tilt capability is an important feature of MagicPanel™ 602. Pan and tilt rotation have independent control channels that drive the fixture at variable speeds in both directions.
These continuous rotation features are simple to program and, when combined with pixel mapping on multiple fixtures, let you create effects never before seen.

For those who have limited DMX channels available and to and simplify programming, Ayrton has integrated a number of resident effects, which are managed by three independent functions: effect selection, power, and speed. This feature allows you to quickly access simple but powerful effects that are stored in the fixture memory. If you have enough DMX channels available, you can create you own effects, using your console’s internal pixel mapper. You can also use a media server; the Arkaos Kling-net protocol; or a frame grabber. And, for the best of all worlds, you can combine all these options.

In addition to simple opening and closing, the shutter channel provides a basic strobe function with random and variable pulse effects.

This article would not be complete without a few words on two rather interesting internal functions of MagicPanel™: the Presets and Scenes. These act as a sort of mini showSTORE recorder that stores in the Presets various fixed DMX commands sent by the controller. These commands can then be “played back” using the Scenes function.
This feature may be useful to those who have to use a MagicPanel™602 in a place where no lighting desk is present. You can program a simple pan and tilt position as a reference point, store it as a preset parameter with the dimmer open, and then restore this setting from memory, without a console, via the User Interface on the fixture. Once the fixture has been moved to the new location (without a console), you can call up the preset programming, re-adjust the pan and tilt position manually (again via the User Interface) and run the recorded program with the “new” pan / tilt position set at the modified start point.

What the numbers say.

We conducted our measurements in a dark air-conditioned room, projecting onto a white background marked in 10-cm increments along X and Y coordinates.

RGBW photometric measurements

With all four chips of all 36 emitters at full intensity, we obtained a cold test measurement of 20,300 lux—an excellent result. This corresponds to a flux of 10,070 lumens at a 13.7° angle. At that level, MagicPanel™ could easily be added to any lighting rig used at major concert or festival venues. After continuous operation @ full for one hour (an admittedly preposterous test for this type of fixture), intensity at the center is derated to 13,835 lux, corresponding to a 6800-lumens flux—still perfectly acceptable.

White photometric measurements

Lighting only the 36 white LED chips at full power, we measured an intensity of 10,900 lux at the center, which corresponds to a flux of 5,760 lumens (both cold and hot). Again these are excellent results for a cool, white light that is powerful, workable, and maintains color temperature stable enough for shooting video.

Derating

Again, while it seems absurd to conduct a derating measurement of all the RGBW diodes running at full power on a special-effects luminaire, we ran this test to provide information—in case someone out there might want decide to use MagicPanel at FULL power for an extended duration (and at an unknown, and probably erratic color temperature). As you might expect, MagicPanel™ has less favorable derating than wash lights such as WildSun™500 or IceColor™ 250, 500 or 1000, which are all equipped with high-performance heat pipe cooling systems that provide excellent thermal stability. With all LEDs at full power, MagicPanel™ light output shows a rapid drop of 35% before leveling off at 30%—proof of efficient regulation of current. This design decision to use the thin extruded aluminum heat sink and four fans in the flat head ensures excellent heat dissipation while keeping the whole assembly lightweight (and therefore fast). Notice the difference in the derating curve for the 36 white chips at full power—a much more realistic scenario.

The RGBW curve at full power

Derating curve for white diodes at full power

Conclusion

The Ayrton team did a truly meticulous job, and the result bears witness to the labor invested in developing this luminaire. Designing a square fixture is no mean feat and this is a real accomplishment. The MagicPanel™ design is esthetically pleasing, and Ayrton will be “sharing” certain aspects of the luminaire design with future products. The light quality is excellent. The powerful beam is even and the colors are uniform. Having both a beam and volumetric visuals is magical; and, in addition, MagicPanel™ can also be effectively used as projecting source with a useful field. More than just an effects projector, MagicPanel™ is a complete and finished luminaire.

I would like to thank Impact Evénement for making their showroom available to us; Dimitri Gogos for lending us his MA2 wing; and Dimension Network for supplying the Viper fog machine used in our testing.

[/private]

In a 6500 sq metre building in Aarhus, up to 400 new jobs

SGM Moves production to Denmark

Posted on 3 October 2013 by Mo

A year and a half ago, Peter Johansen took ownership of the Italian lighting company SGM and started up in humble facilities in Aabyhoj, Denmark. Now the entire production, warehouse and administration are combining in a new 6,500 sq. metre facility in Aarhus.

Peter Johansen

In the intervening 18 months since Peter Johansen became CEO, a complete new LED product range has been launched, a global distributor network established, top international touring references have appeared across the world’s media — and now the entrepreneur aims to establish a dedicated Danish base. What this will mean is Danish manufacturing, Danish employment and — to a great extent — Danish and European sub-suppliers.

“We anticipate that this move will create up to 400 new jobs over the next two years,” stated a bullish Peter Johansen, announcing the decision.

The strategy is based on the winning model that the entrepreneur has implemented over four decades, with a number of successful start-ups that quickly converted into market leaders. The success story began with Martin Professional in the 1980’s, with its foundation based on many of the same professional and innovative employees who are guiding SGM today.

Having headquarters and manufacturing in Denmark had always been part of the plan, so once the administrative organisation had become firmly established, work was put in place to accomplish the mission. SGM Manufacturing has now been founded as an independent company and a subsidiary to SGM Holding.

A new 6,500 sq. metre facility has been located in Aarhus and renovation initiated to create a state of the art production environment. Meanwhile, the Danish labour force is already increasing dramatically.

By the end of 2013, SGM expects to have moved all production activities to Denmark, thus ensuring greater flexibility and enhanced quality assurance for its customers.

“It is true that labour costs are higher in Denmark, but this evens out with the savings related to international sea and air freight costs,” maintains Johansen. “On top of that there is the ‘feel-good’ factor, knowing that all future products will be manufactured under the most acceptable working conditions and environmental considerations, while it enables us to monitor compliance, and uphold strict quality control.”

This accelerated programme has been made possible by a significant strengthening of the capital base, as Danish investment company, Industri Udvikling, last month confirmed a 30% stake in the Group. The company’s equity now stands at nearly 9.5 million euros.

Investment director from Industri Udvikling, Lars Buhl, comments: “SGM and Peter Johansen have demonstrated an impressive phase of development. In a very short time they have not only developed numerous new products, but they have also gained acceptance on the market. I believe that Peter Johansen and his team have ‘done it again’, and that SGM’s prospects are excellent.”

SGM’s turnover has more than doubled from 2012 to 2013 and the high growth rate is expected to continue as SGM is already market leader in several LED based products.

David P.Meyer, chairman of the board

This development coincides with the appointment of David P. Meyer (former COO at Velux) as chairman of the board. Announcing the appointment, Peter Johansen says: “Now that SGM has passed the start-up phase and is into the growth phase it makes perfect sense to have such experience and competence in our management.”

“SGM is an innovative and customer-focused company based on highly skilled and dedicated employees. SGM sets new standards in an industry where customer focus, creativity and speed are the key for success. It is motivating and inspiring to be part of a company with such significant growth and high potential. Add to this the fact that this growth is based on national labour makes SGM a great asset for Denmark. There should be more businesses like SGM,” concludes David P. Meyer.

This is the latest, and most progressive phase in a remarkable career for Peter Johansen. After building Martin Professional to become the largest company in stage lighting, he went onto further success with Nitram Dental (manufacturer of autoclaves to sterilise dentist equipment), Dencam (manufacturer of moulds for the windmill industry) and Lantic Entertainment Systems (manufacturer of entertainment systems for luxury yachts) — all of which became market leaders in their appropriate segments — before the new adventure with SGM began.

Contact : www.sgmlight.com

Stage lighting conference in Stockholm on October 16

Lighting star with Patrick Woodroffe

Posted on 25 September 2013 by Mo

Behind every concert and every TV show we see, behind every play of lights on the stage of a theater that leaves us admired, behind the effects of a skilful lighting of urban architecture or a space for the public, there is always a big deployment of sophisticated technologies. Not all shows, however, have the same ability to excite us, some are great and exciting, others are dull and monotonous.

What makes the difference is the lighting designer, the artist who uses light as a creative tool and plays with the rhythm of the music or the atmosphere of a theater piece. For the Lighting Designer, projectors are like the brushes for a painter and his art is to shape the light, adapting it to the needs of each show.

Patrick Woodroffe is one of the most famous Lighting Designer in the world since many years and shines with his art the most famous artists, the stars of the shows, on the stages of concerts, theaters and television studios.

The conference, the first of its kind in Sweden, is organized by Interlite in cooperation with Wireless Solution and Clay Paky, the Italian manufacturer leader in the professional lighting industry.

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO, Sales & Marketing Manager for Interlite AB, stated: “illuminating the Star will not only be a master of the Conference of the show-biz but a story full of excitement and compelling anecdotes. It is also a perfect place for lighting industry people from all over Scandinavia to social networking and share own experiences. We are proud that Patrick has accepted our invitation, he is a very respected man and a great communicator who likes to share his experiences from over 30 years including ABBA, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson to London Olympics.”

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 16, 2013 in Stockholm, beginning at 10 am, and will also include a working lunch. Participation is free but places are limited.

The conference will see the participation of the most important media of the industry as well as delegates from the major television networks and the national press.

Do not miss this event, a unique opportunity for your professional development, the occasion to meet a man who has made the history of stage lighting!

To register and for more information on the conference: www.lighting-the-stars.com