Beware: A bargain is not always bargain.

Recently a private school in Adelaide purchased from EBAY a bunch or brand new radio mics for use on their musical production. They were very happy with their brand new radio mics until they started to fail during thier major musical. The audience complained, the school was not happy and tried to blame the theatre technician. The problem was they were a cheap brand with a bad reputation and they did not understand what they really needed. They thought they were buying quality at a cheap price and got stung.
The moral of the story is buy a reputable brand or if you cannot afford new, hire from a quality company quality equipment.

Been A While

Been a long time between drinks. Need to get into the habit of posting. Been busy working for Australian Audio & Lighting Technology. I manage their hire department and we have some really cool equipment. EAW speakers are our favourite. At the moment upgrading our lighting department.

The Art of The Lighting Board Operator

Has the art of the lighting board operator died?

It is no longer the art of the lighting board operator but the art and skill of the lighting desk programmer.Being in the industry for a fair few years I have noticed this change. In fact I noticed this change in roles about 15 to 20 years ago, when I first used a Strand M24. Suddenly the possibilities opened up to me. This is thew way of the future and now with desks like the vista, you are literally painting with light. But all this fancy equipment is no good without a decent lighting design and a understanding of what is going to be achieved.
How many of you have gone and seen shows where the lighting looks similar, all of the intelligent fitting all seem to do the same sweeps and patterns. And you think to yourself surely it is not the same designer, well it is not. The desk can be the culprit. These new high end desks have a variety of patterns and palettes stored in them, ready for you to use and the some people are to lazy to modify and sometimes there are time constraints on programming, so people take the easy way out.
For those of you that have not used these high end desks with intel's they do take a fair bit of time programming time. That is why the advent of visualisation software is a god send. At least you can program and have a rough idea of the look before the plotting session.
So we are now having to learn new desks and programs. But if we perserve and learn hese new skills the end result should be great.

The Sweet sound of EAW

Well I used the EAW speakers I installed the other day for a show. Very stunning. A marked difference from the BOSE speakers that use to be installed at Golden Grove Arts Centre. The sound was well defined with a very smooth frequency response. They will cope well we the shows that the venue has.

Another EAW install

Just installed some EAW NT 59 speakers into Golden Grove Arts Centre. Fired up the system and boy do they sound sweet. EAW sure do make some of the nicest speakers around.

Some of My Favourite Products

Working for the new company has shown me some great gear, stuff I have always wanted to use. We delivered some great kit to a local venue in preparation of installation. Stuff like EAW speakers, these sound so clean, and also some Powersoft Ampsand a Crest Mixer. Still more to come in next few days. Then we can start the install. Below are some links to these great products.

EAW

Powersoft

Crest

A New Direction

Been rather busy for the last few months. Work as a Stage Manager for Urban Myth Theatre Company for their production of Midsummer's Nights Dream. This was an amazing experience. Great company to work with. Also been working at the Marion Cultural Centre , this is a rather nice venue. It does not have much technical equipment, but it has great staff. It is a pleasure to work at. Work at the other venues has fallen off. What happen was my casual job was advertised as a full time position. So I applied. The job ad also asked for skills in marketing and programing events, and contracting artist. This I thought was rather odd skills for a theatre technician to have. They way things were put these were only minor part of the job and would be learning from the boss how to do these things.
I was told that I was not successful in getting the full time position, this would have included my position. So it is back to limit casual hours yet again. Sometimes life can suck, especially when the boss asks me to help the new guy transition in to the job.
But things seem to be on the improve, I have joined up with a lighting and audio hire, that I have dealt with over the last few years. This company I have a lot of respect for. One of my tasks is to increase our client base, a task I am looking forward to. I might not make much over the next few months, but I am sure it will pay of in the end.
So who is this company?
Well they are Australian Audio & Lighting Technology
Do visit them and have a look.
Well more later :)

Picture of one of my work places

This is a pic of one of my set ups at the Park Theatre and Functions Complex. And this was only for a simple drama production by a local high school. At least it looks cool.

Maintenance Tips

Maintenance Tips
Is the light output of your fittings starting to look dim. The shutters are sticking, basicly the fitting is not working like it did when you removed it from the carton, a brand new gleaming lantern.
Well it is time to clean the fitting and go over it and fix all of those niggly faults.
first of all give the outside a clean. Inspect the powwer cable and plug for any damage. Check the lantern body for any damage. Any damaged control knobs etc should be replaced.
Now it is time to open up the unit, taking particular care not to loose any screws, nuts etc. Also you should try and remember how it comes apart as you are going to want to put it back together.Blow out any dust.Gently clean all the lenses with a lint free cloth and maybe a little bit of window cleaner. Use the lint free cloth to clean any dust of the reflector, being mindful of not touch the lamp. Lubricate the shutters if there are any, graphite powder is ideal. Check all the internal electricals to make sure they are sound.
When all is clean and put back together you should have no parts left over. It is time to test the unit, there should be a noticeable improvement of the beam quality and it should all be working like a charm.