21 Mar, 2017 | ETC
The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama: The Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall
Situated at the heart of The University of Manchester’s campus, the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama recently underwent a significant refit, including the installation of a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient production lighting package, featuring a control desk, LED luminaires and power controls from ETC, and auditorium lighting from GDS, all supplied and installed by Stage Electrics.
An important arts venue for north-west England, the Martin Harris Centre offers students a fantastic space in which to study and perform, as well as hosting many professional musicians, performers and prize-winning authors. It provides an excellent space for contemporary and classic theatre, music and comedy events, and holds a reading series that has in the past featured such literary luminaries as Martin Amis, Will Self, John Banville and Clive James.
The project, which was made possible due to significant funding from the Faculty of Humanities, is part of a campus-wide initiative that supports the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability and saw a complete overhaul of the lighting in the venue’s Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall and John Thaw Studio Theatre.
Longstanding supplier to the University, Stage Electrics was appointed to design, specify and install a complete lighting system for the two multipurpose facilities. Karl Spencer, the venue’s technical services manager, worked closely with Stage Electrics’ Rob Beamer and Karl Formstone to ensure the right solution was selected and installed.
“Energy efficiency was a driving factor in this project, but there were other points to consider too, like flexibility,” says Rob Beamer.
“The venue hosts a lot of classical concerts where maximum light levels are critical, whereas colour rendering and colour mixing capability is important for lighting dramatic performances, for example. For power controls, space was at a premium, so we had to bear that in mind too.”
The comprehensive solution, specified following extensive demonstrations between Stage Electrics and the University, includes an Ion® console with two fader wings; a Unison Paradigm® power control system; Sensor® dimmers with ThruPower modules; and an array of ColorSource® PAR, Source Four® LED Series 2 Lustr® and Daylight HD fixtures and a comprehensive state-of-the-art house lighting system from GDS.
Rob Beamer adds: “We put a lot of time into getting it right. The challenge was to deliver a versatile, energy-efficient lighting solution to maximise the experience for both performer and audience, without compromising on quality. And I think we have succeeded.”
Karl Spencer, the Martin Harris Centre’s technical services manager said, “As part of this extensive lighting project, our spaces have been converted to energy-efficient LED, for both lighting performances and house lighting. The end result is excellent and our performers and audiences alike are already enjoying the improved lighting. The installation offers us a flexible, efficient and sustainable lighting solution which underpins the University’s environmental sustainability strategy.”
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8 Feb, 2017 | ETC
Integrated Systems Europe, often referred to as ISE, is the largest AV systems integration show in the world. In 2017, the annual four-day event takes place from 7th February to the 10th February at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam.
ETC’s booth at ISE 2017 will be packed with lighting solutions designed to meet the diverse needs of any installation. ETC employees will be on hand to answer your questions, discuss your project requirements, and demonstrate a selection of equipment, including:
Unison Paradigm
Designed as a new way of thinking about building control, ETC’s visionary Unison Paradigm® system fuses architectural lighting control advances with entertainment lighting-control technology. ETC brings its award-winning expertise in both areas together to give you the best of both worlds.
Paradigm delivers a new level of comprehensive control – sophisticated facility-lighting and building systems integration. And it does so with unprecedented flexibility and simplicity: a green-minded energy management system that capitalises on daylight-harvesting, occupancy sensing and time schedules for maximum electricity and budget savings, combined with a deep library of lighting fixtures (LEDs, moving lights, and more) for dynamic effects, plus the power to speak fluently to different devices from different manufacturers over the same control system.
The Unison Paradigm family of products includes powerful software, elegant touchscreens, wall stations, modular control electronics, dimming and control enclosures, and accessories to offer the most customisable and people-friendly control systems available. Paradigm addresses the whole space – bringing the beauty of well-controlled light in line with today’s environmental concerns and real-life needs. Restaurants, hotels, casinos, schools and universities, museums, houses of worship, office buildings, and conference centres – Paradigm scales to all.
Irideon FPZ
Making its international debut at ISE is the new portable version of the popular Irideon FPZ luminaire. The fixture pairs the best of ETC’s popular Source Four® Mini LED platform with exceptional output, flexible zoom optics and a sleek industrial design to light your space with elegance and subtlety. Available for use with Eutrac® three-circuit track with data, the feature-rich design is perfect for museums, lobbies, and retail environments.
Irideon FPZ boasts its own set of enhancements such as lockable 3-plane shutters, zoom optics, and the ability to dim using either remote DMX control or a local dimming knob located on the track adapter. FPZ puts out over 800 field lumens, with a wide selection of colour temperatures. This luminaire is fully convection cooled for fan-less operation and is available is a variety of colours, including custom options.
FPZ gives you the versatility you need to create the beautiful light you want from an integrated, unassuming design that won’t dominate your space.
Networking solutions
To assimilate all of the different devices that a lighting system requires, ETC offers a range of networking solutions that ensure problem-free installation and smooth operations.
ETC pioneered Ethernet-based networking in entertainment-lighting systems, with the power to transmit DMX, video and remote-focus data on a single wire. ETC’s Net3 suite, powered by ACN (Architecture for Control Networks), goes beyond that, providing an open network with the highest degree of reliability and streamlined system control for greater flexibility and efficiency. And with the company’s leadership in the development of the ANSI standard for ACN, it continues to innovate in entertainment and architectural control using Ethernet-based protocols.
ColorSource family
The ColorSource family of products was developed for those with limited budgets who want a complete, high-quality LED lighting system with plug-and-play setup. The newest additions to the ColorSource family are the portable ColorSource control desks, which are available in two sizes with optional audio visual capability, and provide hands-on control with the ability to run effects, mix LED colours, control moving lights and play back cues – all with the flick of a fader. The ColorSource® Relay can wirelessly switch power and transmit DMX and RDM to hard-to-reach places. And the ColorSource® Spot, ColorSource® Linear and ColorSource® PAR luminaires can create bright light with the broadest colour gamut possible from a four-colour LED, thanks to their unique RGB-Lime emitter mix.
Gio @5
The Gio @5 lighting control console, brings the acclaimed, professional-grade control of the Eos Ti® and Gio® consoles within reach of users with tighter spaces – and tighter budgets.
This portable console packs all the control necessities into a compact footprint, so external monitors and accessories are optional. With an articulating, 17-inch, multi-touch LCD display, five definable and page-able motorised faders and a master fader pair, Gio @5 is the perfect step up for Ion® users who want expanded hands-on access to playbacks, colour control, touchscreen Magic Sheets and more.
The console features the same full-function, backlit keyboard as the Eos Programming Wing and Gio console, providing an easy transition for experienced Eos users looking for a smaller desk – and a good platform for new programmers looking to gain professional skills that scale up.
Please contact us for more information on these products.
For further information about ETC at ISE 2017, visit etcconnect.com
