8 Apr, 2020 | ETC, High End Systems
The 2017 closure and eventual demolition of the Sherwood Auditorium in San Diego could have dealt a fatal blow to the La Jolla Music Society who had been its tenants since 1986. “It was a huge shock,” recalled Christopher Beach, the society’s president and CEO, “We had no place to call our own.” Now, after a Herculean fund-raising effort, it has a new home in the $82 million dollar La Jolla Conrad Prebys Arts Center.
Located in the heart of La Jolla Village, the 49,200-foot facility houses two performance venues with a total capacity of 620. The 49-foot stage can be configured for concerts, theatre, lectures, or film. Curtis Kasefang of Theatre Consultants Collaborative, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, turned to ETC and High End Systems to create a house rig that could be augmented by touring shows. “There were several factors that drove fixture selection: color rendering, fixture noise, and heat contribution chief among them,” says Kasefang. “The client had a clear vision of a very theatrical space, not your traditional concert hall. He wanted it to be able to support acoustic music, amplified music, film, and secondarily dance and other performing arts.”
Kasefang faced several challenges. “The noise floor was very low, so lighting fixtures had to be fanless for acoustic events and the lighting had to be invisible. The audience chamber and the stage are surrounded by wooden grillage, through which you can see the enclosing box, which was built as an enveloping cyclorama. The initial architectural lighting fixtures didn’t cut it, so we employed the ETC ColorSource CYC fixtures which provided a beautiful quality of light that felt limitless.”
FIXTURES AND CONTROL
The project is predominantly ETC equipment driven by an Ion Xe 20 Console, including Source Four Series 2 Lustr+ front light for amplified events, ColorSource Spots for side and high side light for amplified events, Desire D40 Lustr for down lights, ColorSource CYC lights and wall wash fixtures, and High End Systems SolaFrame Theatre automated fixtures.
“We banked on the development of the High End Systems SolaFrame Theatre units because the tightness of the room and the acoustic requirements demanded a remote focusing light, but we could not tolerate the noise. Early in design, we met with Bobby Hale and based on his word, we trusted the fixture would be a success,” said Kasefang. Being a California installation, environmental factors were important. “The decision to go all LED was a big one. In truth, cost was a wash relative to halogen, but it enabled a reduction in duct sizing which made the building design possible,” Fang explained.
8 Jan, 2020 | ETC, High End Systems
After
more than two years of renovations, the celebrated Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris has recently reopened its doors to
the public. With the intention of restoring the venue to its original
splendor, the project saw the inclusion of an array of products from ETC
and High End Systems.
Christophe
Leuba – one of the venue’s two lighting managers who assist lighting
director Renaud Corler – recognized the
potential of ETC Eos consoles after attending an ETC training session.
“I loved the event and as soon as I got back to the Châtelet I arranged
an ‘Introduction to Eos’ session for our entire team,” says Leuba.
Several
other desks were considered, but Eos family consoles emerged as the
best solution for the theatre. “Thanks to their
simplicity, it’s obvious how to make a patch,” says Leuba. “But it’s
the color tool that really stands out. With the level of color control
they offer, there is no comparison with other consoles at the moment.”
Subsequently, two Eos Ti consoles were installed in the theatre’s control room – one of which is used in the audience during
creation phase – and a more compact Ion Xe 20 was chosen for use elsewhere.
Even
though decision-making for lighting control and power control was not
connected at the outset, the Eos consoles chosen
complemented the Sensor3 Power control system selected, with both
product families originating from ETC. “It’s really convenient to be
able to control the dimmers from the consoles,” says Bernard Maby, the
theatre’s other lighting manager. “In addition, it’s
very nice to have the feedback directly on the desks.”
The electrical room features seven Sensor3 power control racks fitted with 582 modules, plus 24 modules in an additional
rack for lighting. The team opted to work in sACN for communication between consoles, dimmers and fixtures.
Technical
solution provider Dushow was appointed to supply the lighting, and
began with a demonstration featuring all the
key brands of the sector. “The Dushow demo was superb because it was
very objective,” says Leuba. “The High End Systems SolaFrame 3000 stood
out thanks to its power, but also its color quality and full-frame
shutters. This led to an investment in 46 SolaFrame
3000 fixtures.”
The
venue already had a dozen Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr luminaires and
the team chose to add 60 units of the same
model, equipped with 25–50 ° zoom optics. “It’s a great fixture with
quality tungsten emulation,” says Leuba. “And the color management with
Eos is just amazing. It consumes nothing and it makes beautiful color!”
It’s fitting that the 72 ETC fixtures are proving to be a perfect accompaniment to the SolaFrame 3000s for Théâtre du Châtelet’s current production – An American in Paris.
29 Nov, 2019 | ETC, High End Systems
At the LDI 2019 exhibition, High End Systems will
introduce the new SolaHyBeam 3000 automated fixture. With a feature set
designed for beam control, aerial effects and raw power, the flagship luminaire
has all the elements to cut through the haze and shine brilliantly in the
world’s largest venues. Powered by an exceptionally efficient White Light LED
engine, SolaHyBeam 3000 features a large front aperture and optimized long
throw optics for superior light output throughout the fixture’s wide zoom
range.
Automated Lighting Product Manager Matt Stoner
commented, “We are so excited to have the SolaHyBeam 3000 added to our family
of ultra-powerful premium quality fixtures. The SolaHyBeam 3000 specializes in
a fantastic narrow 3.1 degree beam, turning its massive output and dazzling
front lens into a powerful narrow beam. Whether used as a long throw front
light (yes it has framing shutters) or for shining dazzling aerials across your
rig, SolaHyBeam 3000 is a beam light unlike any other, a wash light with punch
and versatility, and so much more. We can’t wait to see this fixture burning
the skies on festivals and tours around the world!”
HES General Manager Becky Koester added, “Our
development and product management teams did an exceptional job on defining and
pioneering the narrow beam capability and unique lens effect that offer a
unique tool set for designers and end-users. The SolaHybeam 3000 addresses a
universal segment of the market that has been dormant the past several years.
The early product previews have been remarkable.”
An ETC Company, High End Systems is a leading
manufacturer of LED automated lighting and control products for the
entertainment industry. For more information on High End Systems, visit
highend.com. To learn more about SolaHyBeam 3000, visit highend.com/products/lighting/solahybeam.
20 Nov, 2019 | ETC, High End Systems
ETC
and High End Systems will exhibit the latest innovations in lighting
technology in a combined booth at LDI 2019. Visitors will get the chance
to see
powerful fixtures, sophisticated controls, and intuitive rigging
products in booths 325, 425, and 525.
Among
the new in-booth products is the upcoming Augment3d programming
environment. This exciting tool will be included in Eos v3.0 and enables
programmers
to control and design in a three dimensional space. Live demos of
Augment3d will take place throughout the show.
The
High End Systems booth will be packed with new automated and effects
fixtures to view. The SolaPix family makes its grand entrance at LDI
with an exceptionally
bright wash. The HaloGraphic Pixel Definition featured in the SolaPix
provides improved face definition with edge lighting on the pixel cells.
For more unforgettable effects, TurboRay will turn heads with its many
different looks as a washlight or hard edge
beam. Additionally, SolaFrame 1000 and SolaWash 1000 make their first
appearance at LDI this year. Booth visitors will also get a first peek
at an upcoming addition to the Sola line of automated fixtures.
The
ArcSystem family of LED house lights heads to LDI with the addition of a
new Pro One-Cell High Output luminaire, packing more than 8,000 lumens.
For
advanced networking solutions, visitors can learn more about the
Response Mk2 DMX Gateways, offering easy-to-read status screens and a
configuration
interface on every unit. Rounding out ETC’s family of Show Control
Gateways, the Response SMPTE Gateway is another new solution on display
at LDI.
ETC and High End Systems will spearhead a number of sessions at LDI, including:
Students
are invited to the annual Student Session led by Nick Gonsman in room
N258 on November 23 at 6:15 to discuss all things lighting with product
experts
from ETC.
12 Nov, 2019 | ETC, High End Systems
With an eclectic program of events, this year’s Summer Nostos
Festival (SNFestival) attracted more than 200,000 people and featured an
array of High End Systems and ETC gear across five stages.
Athens’ most modern cultural landmark – the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center – played host to the annual, week-long SNFestival. The center’s beautiful gardens, the canal, the National Library and the Greek National Opera were transformed into stages for music and theatrical performances, family activities, educational workshops and sports for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
George Tellos of LightingArt oversaw all lighting design for the
festival. With a team of five lighting programmers, Tellos was tasked
with illuminating the vast and varied schedule of events while under
tight time constraints. It involved designing, programming and operating
50
shows over eight days. This was a manageable challenge for Tellos,
who is familiar with working under pressure, thanks in part to his role
as LD for the Sochi Medals Plaza at the 2014 Olympic Games.
This year’s events featured concerts by Neneh Cherry, Rita Wilson and Andrew Bird; Ana Sánchez-Colberg’s dance performance “Seven to Seventh”; Brian Eno’s music and image installation 77 Million Paintings; and the festival’s largest collective work, Tape Art.
“For the Alternative Stage we needed absolute silence for some of the performances and High End Systems’ SolaFrame Theatre fixture was perfect for this,” Tellos says.
“For some of the shows, including Rita Wilson, I used the SolaFrame
3000,” he adds. “I wanted an amazingly bright and precise fixture, and
anything else looked subdued in comparison. With its high CRI, low
shutter distortion and great zoom range it was an
obvious choice.”
Supplied by PRG XL VIDEO and UTG, the SNFestival lighting package also featured products from ETC – High End’s parent company. These included an Eos Ti and two Gio lighting control consoles; and Source Four LED Series 2 Lustrs, Source Four LED CYC Adapters, Source Four Fresnels and ColorSource Spot fixtures.
“ETC
and High End Systems products are first-class,” Tellos concludes.
“Working on this production I was reminded that even with a little
quality equipment you can do great things!”
24 Oct, 2019 | ETC, High End Systems
High End Systems has announced the launch of the
SolaPix 7 and SolaPix 19 wash luminaires. The SolaPix family takes the
traditional concept of a pixel wash and pushes it to its maximum potential.
With a wide variety of looks to help set the mood and steal the show, SolaPix
features an additive LED, RGBW colour mixing system for extremely powerful
saturated colours and tunable white control, a versatile 4.5° – 60° zoom range,
FleX Effects Engine and Pixel mapping on all models.
HES national sales manager Sean Hoey commented, “We
are excited to bring this new fixture range to market. SolaPix is truly an
innovative wash fixture. It provides incredible wash capability with great
output, and the face of the fixture brings a new, unique look.”
Automated Lighting Product Manager Matt Stoner added,
“Ever since High End Systems created the pixel wash with our ShowPix fixture,
it has been an integral part of lighting rigs of all types. The SolaPix family
builds on this technology by introducing new optics and next-generation
brightness in a fixture that is far more versatile than ever before. The
lenses and efficiency have been maximised, plus the size and footprint have
been minimised. SolaPix also features HaloGraphic Pixel definition, the newest
patent-pending innovation from High End Systems.”
“The fixture’s FleX Effects Generator is a macro
system that allows users to choose from a library of different patterns; once
selected, up to three colours can be selected for use in the pattern.
These patterns will display over the background of the fixture, which is also
completely user-controllable. Effect speed and fade rate add the final
touches, giving the user a massive level of control for fixture face looks.”
