Colorado Springs, CO – Austin City Limits, the longest running live music television series in America, has a new home – a state-of–the-art studio at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. Designed for a variety of live music performances KLRU-TV produces the PBS series there approximately 20 days a year. The mixed-use entertainment venue boasts the cutting-edge in custom TV/video taping lighting systems with a commitment to green building standards. This commitment to greening the project, enabled the facility an opportunity to apply for LEED certification, the highest standard for sustainable development.
Walter Olden, the lighting director for the Austin City Limits television show since 1982, shared some insight into why Wybron's Cygnus LED fixtures were the first choice for the project. “During the planning and design phase of the space, there was always talk of LED lighting because of wanting to be a green project, trying to make it as green as possible.” Looking to incorporate the latest in green lighting technology, the Cygnus LED family fit the bill perfectly. Walter stated that overall maintenance costs is something they definitely looked at for the long run, as it was a huge concern since they were now sharing space. “We wanted to go with a minimum number of lights, so to have a light that can serve multiple purposes in the same area is a huge plus. Not having to redo it each time and being able to make it a different color, that type of thing. We were really excited to be able to do something like that.”
Cygnus LEDs are compact, lightweight and self-contained, significantly reducing power consumption. Due to recent innovations in LED technology, coupled with an advanced thermal management system, Cygnus' energy efficiency is unparalleled. The compact size means more light in less space and in terms of lumens per dollar, no competing fixture comes close.
Since Austin City Limits has a reputation for quality production value, there was always a concern of “flicker” from lighting during the filming process. In the past, other LEDs have created flicker problems. “With Cygnus LEDs there is never an issue with flicker and it's exciting for us to know we have lights that won't give us any issues with video," explained Walter. Another concern is the rainbow shadow created by some LED fixtures on the market without integrated RGBW. This wasn't an issue for Walter knowing that the Cygnus LED luminaire are the first fixtures on the market to incorporate red, green, blue and white elements eliminating the rainbow shadowing. “I have demoed this light before and I knew it took care of everything pretty effectively,” said Walter.
Walter incorporated 50 Cygnus LED fixtures into Austin City Limits' overall lighting plot: 10 VN100s used as backlights on the balcony rail; 25 MF200s placed as audience lights and to highlight the cityscape buildings to create a nighttime feel; 15 VN200s, including 3 sets of 4 light arrays – center up-stage, far-stage right, and far-stage left. He shared that with Cygnus LEDs, he has the ability to do more with the audience lighting – colorize, change the color, change the tone and add more dimension.
The excitement was evident as Walter discussed his overall assessment of why Cygnus LEDs were the perfect fixtures for their new state-of –the-art studio space. “ The brightness is the biggest positive. The good rendering capabilities are important, especially since we are using it as daylight source shooting at night; they give us much more flexibility in that way. You can get quite a lot of punch and that's pretty exciting.”
Cygnus LEDs are up to five times brighter than comparable products with a color-rendering index up to 92. It's no wonder the lighting director of a venue that showcases diverse music artists from around the world is so delighted to have this unparalleled quality of lighting available. The Cygnus LED family has definitely delivered while meeting the needs of Austin City Limits within the new leading edge, green space at ACL Live at The Moody Theater.
About Wybron Inc. - For over 30 years, Wybron has been a market leader in lighting innovation, dedicated to creating, manufacturing and marketing products that advance the art of lighting. Wybron invests heavily in engineering, research and development to remain on the cutting-edge of entertainment, church and architectural lighting, providing solutions to stay ahead of the rapidly changing needs and demands of the industry. For more information, visit www.wybron.com or call 719.548.9774.
About Austin City Limits
About AUSTIN CITY LIMITS:
Accomplishing what no other show has done in the history of American television, the series has, for more than three decades, presented audiences with the most diverse, original, cutting-edge talent music has to offer. ACL airs nationally on 97% of the country's PBS stations. In addition to being broadcast on PBS, select AUSTIN CITY LIMITS episodes are available to view online and on DVDs. More information can be found at austincitylimits.org. After 36 years taping shows in the historic KLRU Studio 6A, in 2011, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS moved to the new ACL Live at the Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Produced by KLRU-TV, funding for AUSTIN CITY LIMITS is provided in part by AMD, Budweiser, the Austin Convention Center Department and its newest supporter, Dell. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits.
About KLRU
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas through creative excellence, community engagement and lifelong learning. In addition to providing locally produced and quality national television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events. Known as the producing station of the longest-running live music television show AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, KLRU has also worked on several other national productions including the documentaries CITIZEN ARCHITECT and LAST BEST HOPE. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.