STRAND News - Strand Lighting

STRAND
News
AUTUMN 2005
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
► C21 Dimmer wins Product of the Year at LDI 2005
► Vietnam TV (Studio 10)
► Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
► OneLights light up Paris Fashion Show
► First EC21 Installation at St David’s Hall, Cardiff
► Woman In White on Broadway
► Trey McIntyre Project
► PLASA & IBC Reviews
► Strand 500 Series Master Class
► NEW OneLight 1200W
► NEW 6pack and 3pack Digital Dimmers
► Console Programming Tips
► John Wright celebrates 40 years with Strand

C21 Dimmer Rack wins Lighting Product of the Year Award
at LDI 2005
by Peter Rogers
The C21 Dimmer range was recognized as the
Product of the Year at LDI 2005 in Orlando recently.
Tim Burnham, President of Strand Lighting, accepted
the award at the LDI Awards ceremony “All of us at
Strand are pleased to receive this recognition. I am
very proud of the technical achievements of the entire
C21 – EC21 design team led by Michael Lay and Steve
Carlson.”, he said.
C21 and EC21 dimmer racks are designed for
global operation and provide a number of advances
in technology. In addition to providing support for
conventional SCR dimmers including Quad, Dual and
single modules with ratings up to 12kW; sophisticated
Sinewave dimmers are also available. Dual Sinewave
modules may be freely mixed and matched with
standard dimmers in the same rack for complete
flexibility. No special wiring or separate racks are
required for Sinewave dimming as we offer dual
modules that are the same size as our standard dual
dimmers. Strand TrueSine Sinewave dimmers offer
a fully symmetrical Sinewave output for completely
silent lamps and control for a wide range of loads. All
systems are simple to use and set up through a Web
Browser interface and an Ethernet input is standard
on all racks.
Strand has already demonstrated the full range of
standard and TrueSine dimmers at trade shows
throughout the world along with our powerful web
based configuration and monitoring tools.
Further product information is available on our
website:
www.strandlighting.com

Vietnam Television (VTV) Studio 10
by Gary Yap
Completed in July 2005 Studio 10 at
Vietnam Television (VTV) in Hanoi,
has been designed specifically for
the popular “Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire” game show. Designers
also needed to consider the need
for flexibility, as Studio 10 will
also be required to accommodate
any drama or game show in future
projects.
Design of the studio was completed
in conjunction with VTV Technical
Center For Program Production’s
Mr Tran Van Long, Director and Mr
Cao Van Liet, Deputy Director
Strand Lighting were appointed for
the design, supply, supervision,
testing & commissioning of the
project.
Strand’s local distributor Tech
Ventures System Pte Ltd worked
closely with contractor Equipment
and Materials of Information Import-
Export Company (EMI Ltd) to ensure
timely completion.
Training will also be provided by
Strand Lighting.
Equipment List
Rigging System
1 x 6m diameter Prolyte CircularTruss
lifted by 4 x 1000kg Prolyft Chain
Hoists
4 x IFF Combi Hoists with 10m
triangular truss
16 x IFF Combi Hoist with 7.3m
Lighting Batten
1 x Double Track IFF Type Rail
Cyclorama Tracks with Off White
Cyclorama Cloth and Surge Wool
Black Curtain, with 2 x Side
Tensioning Towers for Cyclorama
Cloth
Luminaires
6 x Bambino 5kW P.O.
16 x Bambino 2kW P.O.
15 x Studio 1kW P.O.
50 x 1kW PARCAN
25 x 1kW Short Nose Parcan
30 x Iris 4, 1.25kW, P.O.
24 x Orion 4 Rigid
6 x Orion 4 Hinged
25 x SL15/32 Zoom Profile
12 x Arturo 2 (1.25 / 2.50 kW)
6 x Coda 500/1
12 x Martin Mac 550
12 x Martin Mac 600E
Project Information
Client
Vietnam Television (VTV) , Hanoi / Vietnam
Distributor: Tech Ventures System Pte Ltd
Contractor: Equipment And Materials Of Information
Import – Export Company (EMI. Co.)
Accessories
5 x Orion Input Cables
6 x Eggcrates Narrow for Arturo 2
6 x Eggcrates Wide for Arturo 2
10 x Hercules Stands
8 x Large Gaffer Grips
2 x Operating Poles (1.4 - 4m &
2.1 - 7.5m)
25 x 19 degree SL Lens Tubes
25 x 36 degree SL Lens Tubes
1 lot of Socapex Extension Cables,
16A Extension Cables
Lighting Control and Dimmers
1 x 520i Console 500 channel plus
500 Attributes
1 x A4 Digitising Tablet for moving
lights
1 x DMX Distribution System with
Patch Panels and Strand 1-In
6-Out DMX distribution amplifier
220 Way CD80SV Dimmer System
comprises:
2 x CD80SV Large Racks
1 x CD80SC Small Rack
Single Processor for all racks
22 x Dual 5.5kW Std Rise Time
Dimmer Modules
82 x Dual 3.3kW Std Rise Time
Dimmer Modules
12 x Dual 25A Relay Modules
Additional information
DMX data is distributed on Cat 5 cable.
This will provide an easy upgrade path
to a fully networked system.

The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
by Stephen Yim, Chia Kah Leong
The Kuala Lumpur Performing
Arts Centre (PentasSeni KL) is
fast becoming the hub for the
performing arts community,
fostering creative excellence
through the development and
nurturing of performing arts
culture.
Main Theatre Pentas1
A not-for-profit organisation, the
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts
Centre is designed to meet the
needs of an ever more demanding
and diverse performing arts scene
in Malaysia. Located in the midst
of parkland and lakes in Sentul Park,
the arts centre is located only 10
minutes from a railway station and
20 minutes by car from the city
centre.
The complex comprises a 504 seat
proscenium theatre, a 200 seat
experimental black box, the IndiCine
for independent film makers; an
onsite set construction workshop,
an academy with 10 studios, and
much more.
KLPac collaborates with companies
from around the world on a regular
basis. They also work closely with
organisations such as the British
Council, The Japan Foundation
and the cultural sections of many
foreign missions to bring overseas
productions to the Malaysian stage.
The founding partners in the
complex are Yayasan Budi Penyayang
Malaysia, YTL Corporation and The
Actors Studio.
Penyayang’s role in the newly
formed KL Performing Arts Centre/
PentasSeni KL is in keeping with
their objective of assisting the
promotion of cultural heritage and
the arts. Datin Paduka Seri Endon
Main Theatre Barrel View
Main Theatre Grid Floor
Mahmood, who heads the charitable
Foundation, is the Patron of KLPac.
YTL Corporation is widely recognised
as a supporter of the arts with their
sponsorship of the Penang-YTL Arts
Festival, the annual YTL Concert of
Celebration and past sponsorship
of the Kuala Lumpur Symphony
Orchestra. KLPac is a continuation
of this commitment to share the gift
of the arts with the community and
to promote cultural development in
Malaysia.
Experimental Theatre Grid View
Experimental Theatre Dimmer Room
The Actors
Studio is one
of Malaysia’s
l e a d i n g
t h e a t r e
companies.
F o u n d e r s
Joe Hasham
and Faridah
M e r i c a n ,
in their
r e s p e c t i v e
roles as Artistic Director and
Executive Producer of KLPac, will
be instrumental in managing the
artistic programme and helping to
realise KLPac’s vision of establishing
the Centre as the performing arts
heart of the community, making
quality live theatre accessible to all
Malaysians.
Equipment List
www.klpac.com
Control & Dimming Systems
Main Theatre
4 x CD80SV (192 channels) with SN110/
POE
Controlled by a 600 channel 520i control
desk
Network & Accessories:
R140 Wired Remote Focus Unit,
xConnect USB Designer Remote, SWC
System Wide Control, 6 x SN110/POE
Ethernet Nodes
Experimental Theatre
1 x CD80SV (48 channels)
Controlled by a 125 channel GSX desk
Luminaires
48 x Alto F Fresnel Spotlight
26 x Alto PC PC Spotlight
24 x Cantata F Fresnel Spotlight
18 x Cantata PC PC Spotlight
40 x SL19 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
40 x SL26 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
40 x SL36 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
30 x SL50 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
30 x SL15/32 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
30 x SL23/50 Coolbeam Profile Spotlight
20 x Quartet F Fresnel Spotlight

Collection d’hiver mise en lumière par le OneLight PAR 575W
Ecole des beaux Arts, Paris. 25 Juillet 2005
Lumière et Son Paris a inauguré l’utilisation du
OneLight PAR 575W à l’occasion d’un defilé de
moded’une marque de haute couture. “C’était
en fait l’un des derniers défilés de la saison,nous
venions tout juste de recevoir les OneLight et nous
avons tenu à les utiliser avant la prochaine saison
qui débutera en Octobre”, indique Monsieur Pierre
Heyligen, Directeur général de Lumière et Son
Paris. L’utilisation de projecteurs en lumière du jour
est unetendance actuelle des défilés, elle permet
de recréer les conditions photographiques d’un
studio photo. Les OneLight PAR ou Fresnel 575W
sont tout particulièment adaptés à cette utilisation,
en effet leurmise en place est aussi simple que
pour des projecteurs tungstènes: plus de montée
de lampe, plus de ballast à cacher !
De plus, le pilotage par DMX rend l’ensemble
dusystème très facile à gérer depuis le pupitre.
20 x OneLight PAR 575W on the set
Winter Fashion show put in light
with OneLight PAR 575W
Ecole des beaux Arts, Paris. 25 July 2005
Rigging the OneLight: a piece of cake
Lumière et Son Paris has pioneered the use of the
OneLight PAR 575W during a Paris Fashion show held
at the Ecole des beaux Arts in Paris.
“It was one of the last fashion shows of the season,
and we’d just received the OneLights. We wanted
to test them live before the next season started in
October”, indicates Mr Pierre Heyligen, Managing
Director of Lumière et Son Paris.
The use of daylight luminaires is a new trend in fashion
shows, recreating the conditions of a photographic
studio. The OneLight PAR and Fresnel are particularly
suitable in this application. Installation is as simple
as tungsten luminaires: No head to ballast cable, nor
ballast to hide!
In addition, the DMX function allows easy control of
the whole system by the control desk.

St David’s Hall, Cardiff - turns on first EC21 installation in Europe
by Bethan Dickson
August 2005 saw the commissioning
of the first EC21 installation in
Europe. Strand distributor, Northern
Light, completed the installation as
part of ongoing improvements to
the venue, which is situated in the
very heart of Cardiff, capital city of
Wales. St David’s Hall is the National
Concert Hall and Conference Centre
of the principality.
St. David’s Hall has a main stage
platform with capacity for a full
international orchestra of up to
120 musicians, with the flexibility
of ten lifts within the stage area
to accommodate any performace
requirement. Today the venue
presents a multitude of live
entertainment, including pop, rock,
jazz, comedy, children’s shows,
lunchtime concerts, classical music,
light entertainment and dance.
The new EC21 dimmers replace the
long-serving Strand MCM dimmers
which were installed during a
previous redevelopment of the site
in 1982.
David Vandepeear, Project Manager
for Northern Light, led the installation
team with Strand commissioning
engineers also attending in support
of the new product debut.
EC21 dimmers proved easy to install
and were quickly up and running.
St David’s Hall also features Strand
530i control desks with 510i backup.
A new fibreoptic connection to
the dimmer room now links the
consoles, nodes and dimmers
using Strand ShowNet making a
comprehensive Strand network
installation.
Equipment List
2 x EC21 digital dimmer racks
with 166 channels
comprising:
40 x Dual 3kw modules
37 x Dual 5kW modules
12 x Single 10kW modules
www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
www.northernlight.co.uk
EC21 Now ex-stock
Delivery of first EC21 racks and modules. Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Mike Stanners, Customer Service Manager (right), takes
possession of his first EC21 racks.

Woman in White: From the West End to Broadway
By Bobby Harrell
“Woman in White”, the popular West End musical, is
making the trek across the pond from The Palace
Theatre in London to The Marquis Theatre in New
York this fall. The show goes into previews on
October 28 th with an opening
night on November 17 th .
I asked David Howe, Associate
Lighting Designer for Paul Pyant,
to tell me a little about the
process for selecting control for
this show.
“We chose the Strand 500 Series
console for ‘Woman in White’ for a
variety of reasons:
Strand consoles are well used in the
UK especially as many houses
(theatres) own their own consoles. For the West End we
augmented the house desk with an upgrade of channel
software to their existing 520i console and 510 backup.
For the production period we then rented a larger 550
console as a programming surface which acted as a
slave console to the house desk, allowing our
Programmer, Vic Smerdon, to use the extra sub masters
and faders for the plotting of the show.
For the New York production it
made sense to transfer the show
and console spec directly from
London, we used a 550i console
and 520i backup console and
imported the existing show file as
a starting point for programming.
Due to the network capabilities of
the console also we were able to
provide the amount of video output
for the LD and team both via
Video Nodes and also the
xConnect software to our PC’s at the tech table to save
on the multiple number of Video Monitors.
From a designers point of view the console gives us a
very stable control platform from which to light the show,
the flexibility of the software enables us as designers to
work in either tracking or Genius mode dependant on the
show requirements and our approach. In New York and
London, our programmer, Vic Smerdon, has worked hard
in her set-up of the console and software to allow us to
quickly respond to what is happening on stage,
attributes, color and Moving Light templates are all laid
out on the sub masters for ease of access. In the UK the
relationship between a designer and the programmer is
integral to the lighting of the show, we rely on the
operator to undertake a great deal of the ‘behind the
scenes’ programming and the 500 series software and
consoles give us and the programmer this high degree
of control.”
Vic Smerdon is programming in New York on a
Strand 550i with a 520i for backup. She is
controlling 13 VL3000Q Spots, 14 Clay Paky Halo
Alpha Washes, 18 ETC Revolutions, 10 City
Theatrical Auto Yokes, 6 Strand Pirouettes with
Rainbow Scrollers, 14 Strand Tocatta Effects
Projectors with White Light VSFX Discs, 1 PANI
2.5k HMI projector, over 100 Wybron scrollers,
over 200 conventionals and 15 Look Solutions
Unique Hazers and Viper NTs.
All the lighting equipment is provided by Hudson
Sound & Lighting.
Here are her comments on the desk:
“As someone who is very familiar using the 500 series
as a theatrical lighting console, for a show like this I
feel that it is absolutely the best for the job. It enables
us to control both the generic and automated units with
ease and fluidity, and gives us a greater control of cue
structures than is perhaps available
with some of the more common
'moving light' desks.
Because each cue sequence is
closely tied in with complex
projection and automation cues, we
quickly discovered during the
original process in London that if we
could create a sequence of cues that
would run happily along with the
various scene changes, it would make life easier for
the DSM (Stage Manager) and board operator alike.
Thus for every scene change there is generally a linked
sequence of cues and part cues, which means that in a
fairly busy show there are little more than 50 called
cues for each act, but a total of at least 400 cue parts
for the entire show. The ease with which we did this is,
I think, down to the Strand's functionality and versatility
in building such sequences.
Furthermore, from my point of view, the presence of
preset focus groups made transferring the show much
easier than I expected - coupled of course with
FocusTrack it became a very straightforward process

for focusing all the moving lights - even without focus
notes we would have been able to figure out how it
should have looked with preset focus groups for
positions, zoom, gobos etc.
From a programming point of view, the Strand is one of
the most versatile systems I have ever come across.
Things like the user-edited ATC pages mean that you
can set up the console exactly how you might like, and
with the ability to double or even triple macro buttons by
using the submaster bump buttons, almost everything is
accessible at the touch of a button. Hence we're able to
keep up with changes from automation and video very
easily, and so we all look good!”
Vic mentions FocusTrack.
Go to http://focustrack.co.uk/ for details.
One of the things that David mentions is the
xConnect software that Strand has developed to
expand the way that designers think about video for
the tech table. With xConnect, the design staff can
choose their own screens in their
own format independent of the
programmer’s choices on the
console itself.
in Login mode. In Login mode, Jared is logged in
as a console! If this were a non-union situation,
Jared could actually have control of the lights. He
could bring up channels, dimmers, run
cues…anything a console can do. But since this
is a Broadway show, I have restricted the
functionality to conform to Local 1 limits. That’s to
say, he can’t actually control any lights, but he can
control how his screens are configured. With
Victoria programming the show in Genius mode,
she likes to use the Galaxy screens which layout
the channels in a vertical format. Since this is a
screen format that most American designers are
not used to, Jared has configured his screens for
LightPalette mode. These limits are actually a
good thing. This way, Jared can’t accidentally
press the wrong key and affect the programming
of the show. He can look at any screen he wants,
(live, preview, groups, subs, fx, or macros) or page
to a different channel screen whenever he wants
and not affect the programming…ever!
Here is what Jared Sayeg, the US
Assistant Lighting Designer, had to
say about xConnect:
“X-Connect became an invaluable aid
during production by providing a unique
way of viewing information through
customizing screen displays and user
settings. This gave me the information I
needed to be viewing without
interrupting the command line of the
programmer or interfering node
display's on the network. For year's
designers, assistants, and technicians
have become used to viewing the
typical 2-screen node display, only
changing at the keystroke of who
is operating the console. Now with
xConnect, not only have you gained flexibility in
viewing the console's information, you have completely
bypassed taking the programmer away from their work
by asking to ‘PAGE’...a dream finally realized!”
Jared has setup his laptop with a four screen view
using multiple logins. The top two screens are in
Monitor mode. This means that xConnect is simply
monitoring the console screens. (This is what we
are all familiar with using an SN100 video node.)
The unique thing is the bottom two screens that are
Assistant Lighting Designer Jared Sayeg’s xConnect
screens at the production table for Woman in White
xConnect can be utilized with any current 500
series installation and any 300 series console that
has a network card.
Additional production staff includes:
Vivien Leone - US Associate Lighting Designer
John Lawson - Production Electrician

Trey McIntyre Project 2005 Inaugural Season
by Nic Phillips
When planning TMP’s first tour I
decided it was necessary to have
the company tour with a lighting
console. The company was touring,
for the most part, to festival venues
where there would be significant
recreation work to be done as no
two plots were the same.
Without question the Strand 500
series was the only choice for me
with its unique features to translate
shows within the console. The rep
consisted of three ballets, one
a premiere, and the other two
from two existing with cues from
different sources. One of which
was a Trackmaster 2 (by Status
Software) file, and the other an
ETC Expression file. Using Strand’s
Showport program, I was able to
convert both to a Strand Show File,
and then use the console to translate
the old channels to the new.
This saved an immense amount
of time since the console already
had cues in the console ready to
go for the first tech. I could then
quickly track changes needed to
make the pieces look as they did
when originally set. Features like
trackback, spreadsheet style editing
in the live command line, the ability
to renumber channels globally,
selective loading of show data, and
all the features of the Tracker Preset
application are what make the
Strand system stand out. To me it
equates confidence in not having to
be concerned with how the console
is going to get done what I need
done. Strand’s software actually
helps the designer!
This would have all been so easy
if I could have actually sent a 500
Series desk with the company. On
the other hand, this would not be
so interesting if there was not some
sort of limitation, and in this case the
console needed to travel as checked
luggage on a commercial flight. This
requirement put the 500 Series form
factor out of the question, so the
compact and arrange-able panels
of the 300 Series fit the bill exactly.
To make the 300 Series tour able
this way I turned to Strand dealer
Parlites. Cary Levitt, Walt Dowling,
and their staff worked with Strand
to devise a system that fit the travel
and design requirements.
Our “custom” solution consisted of
a 300 Series programming panel, a
fader panel, a 300 Series processor,
two 15” LCD displays, a Linksys WiFi
router, a UPS, and a SN110 node. All
of this was packaged into two hard
cases that fit airline checked luggage
regulations, so it worked quite well.
The console was packaged with
400 intensity channels and 200
attribute channels, WiFi, and all of
the applications commensurate
with a 500 Series package.
Networking and the SN110 node
proved to be invaluable.
Being able to put two
universes of DMX away
from the console let
me quickly place the
faceplate in the house
for tech, and then to
the booth or backstage
for the performances.
XConnect running on my
Powerbook then allowed
me a remote console and
monitors anywhere in the
theater, and of course,
wireless remote via the iPaq, need
I say more?
Thank you greatly to Parlites and
Strand Lighting for their assistance
in making Trey McIntyre Project’s
inaugural such a success!
“Without question the
Strand was the only
choice for me ”

PLASA & IBC
PLASA (September 11-14)
Our new digital dimming products
took centrestage on the Strand
booth this year.
Appearing at PLASA for the first
time was the EC21 series dimmer
rack. The new racks support a wide
range of dimmers including Quad
2.5kW, Dual 3kW and 5kW and
Single 10kW thyristor dimmers.
There are also dual 3kW and
5kW Snewave modules and
each features a fully symmetrical
Sinewave output with less than
EC21 digital dimmer rack
1% harmonic distortion. Sinewave
dimmers may be mised and
matched with standard dimmers in the same rack for
complete flexibility.
Also shown for the first time was the new 6pack digital
dimmer, featuring 6 x 10amp dimmers in a compact
rack or wall mounting package.
Our thanks to Sparks Theatrical Hire for their work
installing lighting for our stand.
6pack digital dimmers
IBC (September 9-13)
IBC 2005 proved to be very busy and we were able to
showcase the latest additions to the OneLight PAR and
Fresnels range.
The new 1200W MSR daylight luminaires were introduced
at IBC.
Like the 575W OneLight units introduced last year, the
new OneLight 1200W features a quiet fully integrated
high frequency electronic ballast designed with
ClearArc technology for maximum useful lamp life and
performance.
OneLight 1200W PAR & Fresnel
These new OneLights also
support an optional DMX
control module.
Our thanks to Barndoor
who assisted us in the
design and build of our
stand again this year.

Strand 500 Series Master Classes
By Bobby Harrell
Many new features have been added to the Strand
500 series consoles over the course of its 10 year
development. So much so, in fact, that official
training has been requested by operators that have
been using the desks for years! Compared to the
functionality of the consoles from the late 1990s, it’s
like having a brand new desk for some users. Many
of the features that have been recently enabled
allow for much smarter use of conventional fixtures
and so many more of the features increase
functionality of automated luminaire programming.
Philadelphia Local 8 Training
I have developed a
training course that I
teach for user groups
all over North
America. This
summer, I was
brought in by IATSE’s
Local 8 in
Philadelphia for a 3
day masterclass at
the Kimmel Center.
This was taught to
users of all levels that
work with the 500
series consoles all
over the city.
IATSE Local 8 members
discussing moving light programming.
Each class starts with conventional lighting
programming and then moves into automated fixture
programming. We had full use of the Kimmel
Center lighting rig with 5 Strand 500 series consoles
all linked together on the same network running
conventional lights, scrollers and movers.
Here is what David W. Cecil, a participant, had to
say about the class…
“Although I had been operating Strand Lighting Consoles
for several years I found Bobby Harrell's instruction for
the Strand 520i and 550i to be invaluable. In his course,
Mr. Harrell outlines an efficient approach for the
operation of intelligent lighting fixtures.
His demonstrates how to edit fixture libraries, attribute
filters and profiles. His methods for organizing
groups and macros proved to be most illuminating. His
comprehensive methodology enables you to
successfully integrate moving and conventional fixtures
on a single console and still program complex lighting
presentations. It is, without a doubt, one of the best
professional courses I have ever attended.”
Many thanks to Michael Sweeney, Master
Electrician of the Kimmel Center and Jim
Utterback from Local 22 for their help.
Canada Training in Edmonton & Calgary
In September, I traveled to Edmonton and Calgary
to teach master classes for Canadian users.
Always starting with conventional programming
then moving into automated fixtures, each class is
customized to the students’ level of experience.
Each Canadian class lasted one day but I have
taught extensive 5 day classes. That gets very
hands on and finishes with a single day design
and cueing project for the students.
The Masterclass in Edmonton. 5 – 520i consoles,
4 - Technobeams with xConnect and WYSIWYG.
Thanks to Rob Montgomery and Richard Goode
for all their help.
If you have a need for training in your area, don’t
hesitate to contact your local union. Many have
education programs for funding of training. For
non-union training of designers, programmers,
electricians and students…contact me directly or
sign up for my classes at future trade shows!

NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS
NEW OneLight PAR 1200W
by Alain Wisniewski, Quartzcolor Product & Sales Director
The OneLight family welcomes the 1200W Fresnel and PAR.
The OneLight concept of integrated ballast technology makes
the use of daylight luminaires very easy - no more hassle with
ballast to head cables, and no separate ballast.
This technological breakthrough uses a sinewave ballast
designed by our partner Power Gems Ltd. This ballast is flicker
free, through the innovative use of a high frequency sinewave
(300 kHz ) to operate the lamp from the integrated ballast.
OneLight units provide totally silent operation; crucial in
sensitive applications like movies, interviews, studio work.
OneLight 1200W also has a weight advantage. At 16kg, it is
only slightly heavier than many of the “head only” alternatives
available on the market!
One Philips MSR 1200W HR lamp is provided with the unit.
As with others models in the OneLight family, the 1200W very
cost effective with savings of up to 25% for similar separate
head, ballast, and lamps systems.
Successfully introduced at both PLASA, London and IBC,
Amsterdam, the first units will be available early next year.
NEW Philips Lamp: MSR 250W HR
by Alain Wisniewski, Quartzcolor Product & Sales Director
Philips has announced the launch of a new daylight lamp MSR 250 HR. This development enables the immediate
extension of our OneLight family with the 250W Fresnel OneLight. This product is already listed in the Strand
Product Guide (originally developed with the CST lamp)
a
b
Figure a : existing 250W CST (3200 ºK)
Figure b: NEW 250 MSR HR (6000 ºK)
OneLight Fresnel 250W CST
and now also MSR 250W HR

NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS ∙ NEW PRODUCTS
6pack 6 x 10A Digital Dimmer
3pack 3 x 25A Digital Dimmer
Ideal for use in small to medium size
installations, rental applications and for
portable use.
The 6pack and 3pack are a family of
cost effective, fl exible digital dimmer
packs with a wide range of features
and socket options.
The 6pack features 110µs chokes
(3pack 140µs).
The simple control interface enables
users to set DMX address, minimum
/maximum levels and dimmer curves
channel by channel.
Three dimmer curves including linear,
non-dim and square may be assigned
to each dimmer
Each channel is protected by a
magnetic circuit breaker and rated at 10
Amps (2.3kW) for 6pack; 25A (5kW) for
3pack. All racks are convection cooled
for quiet operation.
The sliding electronics tray gives easy
service access even after installation.
Ordering Information
Cat No Description
75301 6pack 6x10A Hardwired
75302 6pack 6x10A Dual 15A
75303 6pack 6x10A Dual Schuko
75304 6pack 6x10A Dual CEE17
75305 6pack 6x10A Dual French
Special Order 6pack 6x10A Dual Swiss
75300 3pack 3x25A CEE17
Features
• MCB (SPN) protection for each channel
• Wide range of socket options including
Dual UK 15A, Schuko, French, CEE17,
CEE17 (32A connector, 5kW load) and
hardwired
• Suitable for portable, rack-mount and
wall-mount operation
(wall brackets included)
• Single or three phase operation
• Fully digital control electronics
• DMX In/Out
• Simple Set up using front panel keypad
and LED display
• DMX fail hold function
• DMX termination switch
• Selectable Minimum Level for each
dimmer
• Local on/off test buttons
• DMX addressing with individual
patching for all dimmers
• Simple slide-out service access
• Fan free convection cooling for quiet
operation
6pack Dual Schuko
6pack Dual 15A
6pack Dual 16A
3pack 3 x CEE17

Console Programming Tips, Autumn 2005
by Rob Halliday
Moving Information Around The
Console
In the old days, it seemed so much
easier to use lighting consoles. You
brought up a bunch of channels to
make a pretty look on stage, then
you pressed the ‘Record’ key to
commit that look to memory. Later,
to get that look back you played the
cue; sometimes you made some
adjustments then recorded again.
The arrival of moving lights,
scrollers and all of the other current
Getting Lights To Look As They Do In
Other Cues
If you want the look of cue 1 back
on stage, that’s easy: run cue
1 either using [CUE][1][GOx1]
or [CUE][1][CUTx1] or
[GOTO][CUE][1][*] according to
taste (though note that there is a
subtle difference between the use
of GO/CUT and GOTO: when the
cue ends up on stage using the first
two the channel colours on the live
screen - green for channels going
down, purple for channels going
up - will be relative to whatever
was last live; when using GOTO
they will be relative to the previous
cue in the cue list regardless of
what was on stage beforehand; a
subtle difference but sometimes
an important one, particularly when
jumping around a show out of
order).
But what if you only want to pull
back part of the look - perhaps only
what channel 1, a moving light, was
doing in cue 50? Easy:
[1] [@] [CUE] [50] [*]
Channel 1 will now be doing ‘live’
exactly what it was doing in cue
50. But perhaps we only wanted to
get channel 1 pointing to the right
direction in the right colour rather
than have it come on:
[1] [@] [CUE] [50] {ATTS ONLY} [*]
ATTS ONLY means ‘pull back the
attributes only, ignore the recorded
‘must haves’ of lighting seem to
have made things harder - but only
because with them, you want to do
more complex things! If you wanted
to put channel 1 to the level it was
at in cue 1, you used to just look up
that level then type ‘1@5’, perhaps
followed by a press of the [*] key if
working in command line mode. But
if 1 is a moving light and you want to
put it back to looking as it did in cue
1, that’s harder.
Fortunately Strand 300- and 500-
series consoles offer lots of ways to
intensity’. Equally, we could have
wanted just to the set the light to
the level it had in cue 50 but leaving
it pointing where it was currently
pointing - intensity only rather than
attributes only:
[1] [@] [CUE] [50] {INTS ONLY} [*]
INTS ONLY and ATTS ONLY appear
as softkeys on the left-hand set of
softkeys on 530i and 550i consoles;
on 520i and 300 consoles you may
have to press the [REC MODE]
key to get them to appear on your
softkey LCD display; on an off-line
editor or xConnect, the ‘J’ key
corresponds to REC MODE.
It’s possible that we might want to
refine things further - to leave the
light pointing to where it’s pointing
now, but to set it to the colour it
was in in cue 50:
[1] [@] [CUE] [50] [@ATT] {colour}
[*]
(where @ATT is called ATTRIB on
300-series consoles)
This uses the consoles ‘function
filters’ to just pull back the attributes
defined as colour attributes . You can
combine multiple function filters, so
if you wanted to pull back position
and colour you could have said [@A
TT]{position}{colour}. You can define
which attributes are controlled by
which function filter (and create
your own, if you like) by editing the
console’s ATCPAGE screen - see
the December 2003 newsletter
for more details of doing this, but
help - and,
surprisingly,
some of the
f u n c t i o n s
that at first
seem to be
useful only
for moving
lights turn
out to be
surprisingly useful additions when
dealing with conventional lights,
too.
note that in current software you
can define twelve function filter
combinations instead of the six
described in that newsletter).
You can also pull back particular
attributes using the console’s
attribute numbers if you need to -
so set just the pan of channel 1 to
its value from cue 50:
[1.3] [@] [CUE] [50] [*].
Note that the console will fill in
channel numbers for you, so if you
did want to specify pan and tilt in
this way rather than using {@ATT}
{position} you’d only need to type:
[1.3] [+] [.4] [@] [CUE] [50] [*] - the
console would fill in the extra ‘1’ for
you. Or if you just wanted to pull
back the pans for channels 101 and
102 you’d just need to type:
[101.3] [+] [NEXT] [@] [CUE] [50] [*]
And, of course, you’re not limited
to doing this just one light at a time
as all of the normal commands you
can use for selecting ranges of
lights can be used here:
[1] [+] [2] [@] [CUE] [50] [*]
[1] {THRUON} [100] [@] [CUE] [50]
{ATTS ONLY} [*]
[GROUP] [800] [@] [CUE] [50] [*]
This means that, though useful for
moving lights, this is also useful for
other blocks of lights - perhaps the
LD says ‘make the cyclorama look
like it did in cue 50’. If the cyclorama
channels are 101-120:

Console Programming Tips, Autumn 2005 (continued)
[101] [THRU] [120] [@] [CUE] [50]
[*].
or - and this is a handy way to
‘preheat’ lights from one cue in a
previous cue without disturbing the
attributes in either cue, how about,
while in cue 2:
[CUE] [2] [-] [CUE] [1] [@] {INTS
ONLY} [0.5]
which could become a useful
macro:
[CUE] [NEXT] [-] [CUE] [LAST] [LAST]
[@] (INTS ONLY} [0.5]
All of these commands also work
in PREVIEW, so as well as setting
a light to its look from cue 1 live on
stage, you could also go to cue 100
(or sub 1, or an effect) in preview
and set the light to its value from
cue 1 there. When working in
tracking mode then, as with any
channel commands, you can add
QONLY/TRACK and/or TRACKBACK
to specify whether the change just
affects one cue or tracks forwards
or backwards through the show
(TRACKBACK is shift-QONLY/
TRACK; see the Summer 2004
Newsletter).
Setting Lights To Values Stored In
Groups
You can set a light to a ‘reference
group’ using similar commands to
those above:
[1] [@] [GROUP] [50] [*]
will set light 1 to ‘reference group
50’ - so, if group 50 contained the
values pan 30/tilt 40 light 1 would
now be pointing in the direction pan
30/tilt 40 but it would actually say
‘pan: group 50, tilt: group 50’ or, if
group 50 was called ‘Down Centre’,
it would say ‘pan: Down Centre,
tilt: Down Centre’. If you had to
fix the position ‘Down Centre’,
perhaps because the height of
the light changed, you’d merely
move the light then update group
50 - all of the cues that had the
light set to ‘Down Centre’ would
automatically update. There’s more
about reference groups, which are
invaluable programming tools, in
the June 2003 Newsletter. A variant
on this command is:
[1] [@ATT] {position} [50] [*]
which will set light 1’s position
to group 50, ignoring any other
attributes stored in group 50 - so
the same as typing [1] [@] [GROUP]
[50] {@ATT} {position}.
All of the rules about using function
filters, multiple channels or any
combination of these things apply
when using @GROUP.
More importantly, you don’t have
to remember a group’s number. To
set the light to ‘Down Centre’ you
could have typed:
[1] [@] [GROUP] [TEXT] [Down
Centre] [*]
or even just
[1] [@] [TEXT] [Down Centre] [*]
and, in practice you probably
wouldn’t have needed to type all
of ‘Down Centre’ since as soon as
you’d typed enough to make the
group name uniquely recognisable
to the console it would show the full
name at the bottom of the screen
and you could then just press the
[*] key.
Getting Lights To Look Like Other
Lights
You’ve set up a great look on one
moving light - channel 1. You want
channel 2 to look the same. So:
[2] [@] {COPYFROM} [1] [*]
(copyfrom will appear as a softkey
after you press the [@] key)
Note that this won’t necessarily
make light 2 point to the same
place on stage as light 1 - if 1 was
just sitting in a position such as pan
40/tilt 40, light 2 would just copy
these values and so would now be
pointing in the same direction as
light 1. However, if you’d had light
1 set to a reference group position
such as ‘down centre’, light 2 would
be pointing in the direction stored
for it in the ‘down centre’ group
- another reason why reference
groups are useful.
The same ‘modifiers’ can be used
with COPYFROM as above, so to
copy just the colour:
[2] [@] (COPYFROM) [1] {@ATT}
{colour} [*]
or to make lots of lights look the
same:
[2] [THRU] [20] [@] {COPYFROM}
[1] [*]
or any combination of these.
A quirky, little known, little used,
but occasionally invaluable variant
on COPYFROM is this:
[1] [@] {COPYFROM} [1] [@]
{FULL}.
It’s a strange syntax, but if light 1
had been set to some reference
groups (perhaps ‘down centre’ in
‘red’ and the gobo ‘stars’) it would
now look exactly the same on stage
but on the consoles would be set to
the actual values which were stored
in those groups rather than the
reference groups themselves (ie. it
would say pan 40 tilt 40, colour 1,
gobo 1 rather than ‘down centre’,
‘red’, ‘stars’). This might be useful
if you’d accidentally stored every
attribute for the light into the group
‘down centre’ instead of just the
light’s pan and tilt.
Copyfrom also works in preview
where it has one further use:
[CUE] [901] [@] (COPYFROM} [CUE]
[1]
will make a cue 901 which is a copy
of cue 1 including the look of cue
1 but also its structure - the cue
timing, cue text and cue parts, if
any.

Console Programming Tips, Autumn 2005 (continued)
Storing Information From Live
The traditional way of storing cues
- RECORD - still works as you’d
expect: set up a look on stage,
then either press the RECORD key
or type [RECORD] {CUE] [1] [*] if
working in command line mode.
The complete state on stage will be
stored as the specified cue number.
A variant on this is to use the [REC-
SUB] key instead of the [RECORD]
key - this will store the look on
stage excluding any channels that
are up on submasters (so avoiding
recording the houselights into
cues!), or any channels that are
running in effects.
More useful in many cases is the
multi-faceted UPDATE command.
This works like a ‘selective store’
command, taking either any
channels that you have changed
(shown in red on the channel
display on a main console, or green
on the channel display on a remote
console in a multi-console system)
or any channels that you specify and
storing them into any location - cue,
group, sub or effect step - that you
specify. So, you could be in cue 10,
adjust channels 1 and 2 then type:
[UPDATE] [CUE] [10] [*] - to store
the changes to channels 1 and 2
into cue 10 and tracking on if in
tracking mode; this is in most cases
identical to re-recording cue 10
or
[1] [UPDATE] [CUE] [10] [QONLY] [*]
to just store the changes to channel
1 into cue 10, not tracking onwards
or
[1] [+] [3] [UPDATE] [CUE] [1] [*] to
store the levels of channels 1 and 3
(even though you hadn’t changed 3)
into cue 1 and tracking onwards if in
tracking mode.
or, if 1 was a moving light and you
only wanted to store its position
into the cue:
[1] [UPDATE] [CUE] [10] {@ATT}
{position} [*]
or, if you only wanted to store 1 into
a known range of cues:
[1] [UPDATE] [CUE] [200] [THRU]
[220] [QONLY] [*]
(QONLY required in tracking mode
so that the change didn’t just track
on beyond cue 220).
And you can combine update with
the commands described above:
[2] [UPDATE] [CUE] [1] [THRU] [50]
[@] {COPYFROM} [1] [*]
and other commands described
in more detail in the March 2003
Newsletter.
UPDATE is also used to store
information into groups when
making reference groups - so to
store light 1’s position into a new
reference group called ‘Staircase’:
[1] [UPDATE] [GROUP] [1] [TEXT]
[Staircase] [@ATT] {position} [*].
Pulling Information From Live Into
Blind
So far we’ve found ways of ‘pulling’
information from preview into live
(1@CUE 1), ‘pushing’ information
from live into preview (UPDATE
CUE) and copying information from
one light to another. One last trick is
that you can also ‘pull’ information
from live while working in preview.
In cue preview:
[1] [@] [LIVE]
will set channel 1 to its current ‘live’
value in the currently previewed cue
(with this new level then tracking
on if in tracking mode unless the
QONLY key was used: [1] [@]
[QONLY] [LIVE]).
All of the usual tricks work, so:
[1] {@ATT} {position} [LIVE] [*]
would just set light 1 to its current
‘live’ position. This is a really useful
way of presetting moving lights
or colour changers: set the look
you want on stage then go into
preview, scroll up until you find the
cue where you want the lights to
set then:
[1] [THRU] [10] [@] {ATTS ONLY}
[LIVE]
to set all of their attributes, which
would then track onwards if in
tracking mode.
Try It For Yourself!
As always, the best way to
get comfortable with these
commands is to try them for
yourself. All work in similar
ways and all can be ‘modified’
in the same ways - by specifying
particular channels, or specific
attributes (1.3, 1.4) or particular
groups of attributes (@ATT pos,
colour, beam), or ‘INTS ONLY’ or
‘ATTS ONLY’, so once you learn a
few it’s easy to start using them
in different ways as required.

40 years service with Strand
On September 9th 2005 John
Wright celebrated 40 years service
with Strand Lighting. Strand
commemorated this amazing
milestone during the PLASA show
with a presentation and cake,
which John graciously shared with
our customers. In 1965 John joined
Strand at the Kennington premises
following an interview with some of
Strand’s (and the industry’s) greatest
figures - Phillip Sheridan, Arthur
Earnshaw and Fred Bentham. John’s
thirst for knowledge and skills for
problem-solving meant that an early
move to the R&D department in the
late 1960’s became inevitable.
John’s contribution to product
development has been extensive.
Over the last four decades he has
been involved in most major product
developments including: IDM-R,
MMS, Lightboard and Galaxy control
systems.
His ideas and forward thinking
have helped develop Strand
digital dimming products and his
Tim Burnham presents John with his
“520i console” cake at PLASA 2005
contributions are still in demand
today. John has travelled the world
commissioning systems, and
solving customer dilemmas. He
now holds a central role in Product
Support for Strand Lighting. He has
had a varied career with Strand and
has served many of you with typical
enthusiasm, skill and precision.
Group President Tim Burnham
added a personal tribute at the
PLASA presentation: “In the sixties,
Strand was the only game in town,
and I remember as a trainee in the
West End being sent to Kennington
or Gunnersbury for lights or spare
parts. What blows me away when
I think of all the years and of
everything that has happened since
then, is that John Wright was there
then - and he’s still here with us
today! I have only had the privilege
of working with John for a relatively
short time, but I have developed an
enormous respect for his amazing
store of knowledge, his technical
expertise, and the way he pops
up all over the world, just when a
customer needs him - I swear he
travels more than I do! John is a
great and unique guy, and I deeply
appreciate working with him. I
heartily congratulate him on his forty
years with Strand Lighting.”
Everybody at Strand would like to
thank John Wright very sincerely
for his unique contribution to the
company - we look forward to his
50th anniversary!
New General Manager for Strand Asia
Strand Lighting has appointed
Kenneth Yeung as the new General
Manager of Strand Lighting Asia.
“Ken brings over 25 years sales and
business development experience
in the audiovisual and business
imaging industries to our Hong Kong
operation according Tim Burnham
Strand Lighting Group President.
“His responsibilities include
developing the company’s business
in the region, establishing strategic
partnerships to facilitate business
growth, and managing the group’s
day-to-day sales operation. All of
us are pleased to have Ken join
our team his experience and skills
will enhance our already strong
organization in Hong Kong” adds
Tim.
Ken recently worked with Lighthouse
Technologies Hong Kong Limited as
Director – Sales APAC . During his
time with Lighthouse Technology,
he managed to build the group’s
business in Asia and generated
significant financial results. Based
in Hong Kong native Ken is fluent in
Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
New Dealer in Sweden
We are pleased to announce the
appointment of Spectra Stage
& Event Technologies AB as an
official dealer in Sweden.
Spectra have four offices
throughout Sweden providing
rental and installation services
for local theatres, TV studios and
event venues.
www.spectraplus.se
The Strand Newsletter is published electronically four times a year. If you received this copy from an
associate and would like to receive a copy directly please email us at:
newsletter@strandlight.com