New Products From Stage Research

Stage Research has unveiled two new products: the latest version of their inventory and paperwork managing software program, ShowBuilder Version 5, and the Sound Template.

ShowBuilder
ShowBuilder is quickly becoming the latest must-have software program for industry professionals hoping to get a handle on the day-to-day paperwork of their jobs.

"ShowBuilder is a program that helps manage all the paperwork for your design", says developer Shannon Slaton. "We all do a lot of the same stuff when working on a show. We all have budgets, and sound cues, and notes, and lists of equipment.

Just one show could have several thousand parts and pieces used in it and ShowBuilder helps you keep track of where they are and where they came from. ShowBuilder streamlines the process by giving the user one central place to keep track of all your daily activities."

The latest version of ShowBuilder allows you to:

• Add devices to your system by quantity.
• Make an Equipment List a Global List so any show can see it.
• Create custom items to add to your sound system. For example if you use a drummer with four mics all the time, you can create that as a custom routine and drop it into any show in just seconds.
• Store connection points for a piece of equipment in the catalog.
• Patch equipment the way it really looks on a signal flow drawing.

The biggest improvement overall in ShowBuilder 5 is that everything has been streamlined and simplified in order to speed up all your daily routines.

Sound Template
Introduced during USITT 2007, the Sound Template marks the first time anything like this has been created for sound designers.

"It's the kind of thing that has been talked about for years", says Slaton. "Lighting designers have had templates for quick onsite drawing for some time now. This tool will allow sound designers to finally think out their designs with just a pencil and paper and help them fight for real estate on the lighting plot in those production meetings."

Sound Template features specs and sizes of over forty of the most widely used theatrical speakers from manufacturers like Meyer Sound, d&b, Apogee, and EAW.

"Having worked in regional theatre as well as touring and working on Broadway for years, I knew what would be useful while on the job, and what would benefit me the most while working on my designs", Slaton concludes. "The sound template is just another great tool to add to your professional designers arsenal."