LD Systems continues the expansion of its lighting department with the purchase of many new cutting edge automated fixtures, LED fixtures, and control boards. This marks the second major lighting equipment acquisition for LD Systems this year and reflects its growth in the touring and corporate events arenas.
The new equipment includes a number of the High End Systems® DL.2s and Studio Command 1200s, MA Lightings® grandMA control consoles, Vari-Lite VL-3000 fixtures, and Coemar LED fixtures. The new upcoming VL-3500 wash fixtures have been ordered and will be available for use just as soon as they come off the first production run in April 2007.
“The recent equipment purchase reflects our commitment to our clients and our continuous efforts to stay at the forefront of lighting technology,” says LD Systems owner, Rob McKinley. “We attended this year’s LDI with a critical eye towards what we need to both satisfy our long-term needs and stay on the crest of industry trends. It’s a strategy that has served us well for thirty-plus years.”
The MA Lighting® grandMA lighting control boards give lighting designers unprecedented control both in the creation and operation of live shows. Designed as a multi-media console, the grandMA is able to control moving lights, conventional effects, as well as LED fixtures and video, even when working in real time with maximum channel count. Add to all these capabilities real-time rendering visualization via grandMA 3D. The reliable and proven operational philosophy allows a direct, flexible, and intuitive way of working.
“The boards will be a welcome addition once we’re into production for the 2007 RodeoHouston® events,” notes Jim Brace, head of LD’s lighting department and lighting designer for RodeoHouston®. “Every year we’re challenged to make the new season better than the year before and the grandMA’s flexibility and versatility gives us the control over the new instruments we need to make it all better.”
The High End Systems’ DL.2 Digital Light instrument is a revolutionary hybrid of light and video. “It makes the video boys nervous,” says John Dickson, lighting designer for LD Systems. “We control all the functions with a lighting console which integrates video and lighting seamlessly. I think there will always be video screens but now the video image is not bound by them. The whole venue becomes the screen.” The DL.2 integrates a media server loaded with a wealth of digital content with a high output 3-chip light engine, a highly sensitive HAD sensor camera and an infrared illumination system. The DL.2 mounts like any other automated moving luminaire and controls just as easily with plug-and-play operation using standard DMX cabling and protocols. Production set-up time is reduced as there is no need for RGB cabling, and racks of servers are no longer necessary at front-of-house or backstage area. Some unique capabilities include seamless image-blending, real-time 3D object manipulation with video mapping, and curved surface distortion which corrects for non-flat projection surfaces.
The Coemar LED fixtures give unparalleled color saturation while generating practically no heat. This feature allows for greatly enhanced lighting of sets for corporate and themed events. It also allows industry partners to build decor elements with internal lighting in mind as the power consumption is far less than a conventional PAR instrument and the overall weight is greatly reduced.
The Studio Command 1200 automated wash lights provide a leap forward in power and flexibility. Studio Command's patented lenticular array optical system enhances the homogeneity of the projected light. The optical head is compact and lightweight, while still offering a large diameter exiting beam. In all models, the CMY dichroic color-mixing system provides rapid and quiet color changes, and the mechanical douser provides a smooth fade to black. The 8.25-inch output beam is full and vibrant and takes on a searchlight effect look, as the output lens is positioned relatively close to both the pan and tilt axes. The moving yoke fixture, controlled by DMX, features an adjustable field angle from 18° to 32°. It also offers a variable mechanical and Electronic Strobe™, with extra punch provided by the Light Burst™ effect.
The major lighting equipment purchase follows last year’s expansion of LD Systems’ audio inventory. “We always try to raise the bar on our clients’ events without them asking us to.” says Robert Ausmus, director of production services. “They expect us to have the best equipment and talent and we are committed to that.”