Tech Talk
The Living End
ROADSKILLS The Living End by Cat Strom. Photo Credits: Troy Constable On the back of releasing their eighth studio album, Wunderbar, Australian rock legends The Living End have begun a string of tour dates throughout the summer. Echoing the Wunderbar album cover, the stage design is littered with old TVs, half of which actually…
Read MoreRoad Skills: Sam Smith
ROADSKILLS Sam Smith by Cat Strom. Photo Credits: David Youdell / James Barber. It’s not often that the set design for a concert almost steals the show but Sam Smith’s The Thrill Of It All was impressively creative. A long, thin triangular stage thrust its way into the audience allowing intimacy with the artist…
Read MoreCaloundra Music Festival
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Caloundra Music Festival by Cat Strom. Every spring, the township of Caloundra celebrates the popular Caloundra Music Festival, a non-profit family-friendly event that includes music performances, cultural programs, environmental awareness, and community events. Held over four days at King’s Beach, the festival started in 2007 and has since become quite refined. Not…
Read MoreHow To – The Properties of Sound
HOW TO The Properties of Sound by Sidney Kidman. Andy Stewart of The Mill writes a regular column in CX which I always look forward to reading. Earlier this year Andy wrote two articles about positioning voices in the studio mix; taking care of early reflections and reverbs. I found Andy’s advice excellent (as always),…
Read MoreLDI 2018
TRADESHOWS LDI 2018 by Cat Strom. LDI 2018 celebrated its 30th anniversary with the best-attended October show in its history with over 14,000 registered to attend and over 360 exhibitors. While the core of the show remains entertainment lighting, LDI 2018 showed attendance growth from key segments including audio engineers, video and projection designers, and…
Read MoreRoad Test: Ayrton Ghibli Profile Fixture
Road Test Ayrton Ghibli by Ben Hunt, Head of Lighting, Empire Theatre Toowoomba. Ben has been involved in the technical production world for over a decade. Preceding his appointment at The Empire Theatre, Ben worked as a freelance Lighting Designer for the Empire Theatre and other venues in SE Queensland, and has toured nationally. His…
Read MorePortman Custom Lights P2 Hexaline
ROAD TEST Portman Custom Lights – P1 Retro Lamp and P2 Hexaline by Tim Beeston. Tim Beeston is the Managing Director of Melbourne’s Flashbang Productions which offers services ranging from entertainment lighting and design to production services and event logistics. Their creative community includes experts in lighting, set, and production design, as well as fabrication and…
Read MoreHistory: Communications – A “How To” (2009)
HISTORY: 10+ YEARS AGO In June 2009 we ran a “How To” on communication systems that discussed basic principles and some advanced broadcast applications, including technology current in the market at the time. Communications – A “How To” by Jimmy Den Ouden. We all know a functional comms system is one of the most…
Read MoreROAD TEST: ADJ PAR Z100 3K and 5K
ROAD TEST ADJ PAR Z100 3K and 5K by Jim Kumorek. Styled in the traditional Par Can format, the Z100 fixture from ADJ has a 100W COB (chip-on-board) LED light engine; beam angles of nine through 30 degrees with detents at nine, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees; five-pin DMX in and through; PowerCon AC…
Read MoreTechnical Terms Used In Comms
COMMUNICATIONS Technical Terms Used In Comms by Simon Byrne. Mix-Minus A mix-minus, or clean feed, is a particular way to setup a mixing console, such that a mix-minus output of the mixer contains everything except the associated input. For example, in a teleconference, the remote presenter’s audio is fed into the PA system, whereas the…
Read MoreListen Here – Five Reasons For, Five Against – Part II
LISTEN HERE Five Reasons For, Five Against – Part II by Andy Stewart. Some musicians just want to mix their own music… Following on from last issue’s rant, here are some more reasons for and against the vexing issue made famous by Shakespeare himself: to mix or not to mix your own music, that is…
Read MoreThe P.A. People – Comms for major sporting events
COMMUNICATIONS The P.A. People – Comms for major sporting events Sydney’s The P.A. People hold what is the world’s largest Clear-Com rental inventory right here in Australia, and the following brief list gives some idea of the scale: Over 30 Eclipse HX matrix frames; Omega, Median, Delta, and Pico. Over 400 V-Station matrix panels; Lever,…
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