Tips & Tricks

Lighting designer John Broderick once taught me that it is important on the first day to fully test the spare console.  He stressed that I… Read More »Test Your Backup Plan

Bob Peterson and I didn’t use a single LED or piece of video gear on the Bob Seger tour last year, but it was not… Read More »Classic lighting for rock ‘n’ roll gigs

There are times when a conventional desk needs to trigger an automated desk or vice versa.  The most common type of console triggering automation is… Read More »Know the ID for each triggered device

Everyone knows that networking skills can help with a job search — at least the kind of networking that circulates your name, abilities and career… Read More »Networking can help your career

Unlike full technical manuals, the readership percentage of Quick Start Guides is pretty high, because a QSG is fast and easy.  Follow the steps, and… Read More »Quick Start Guides to the rescue – almost

We no longer have to guess at sizing cables, and as a result we’ve reduced many of the hazards associated with power distribution. But that… Read More »Know how much current a cable can handle

I always make sure that I have a valid passport.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  It amazes me how many people I have seen lose… Read More »Be prepared before you travel

Many LDs mix too many colors on the stage at the same time. When you add all these colors together, the camera sees brown. Thus… Read More »Consider the DVD shoot when lighting live events

In 2002, I worked on several shows programming the Catalyst media server with the Barco R6. With a 5k ANSI lumen output, the throw distance… Read More »Advances in projection have changed lighting design

What we’ve done is to build a model of a three-phase power system that graphically illustrates the phase relationships between the three legs of a… Read More »Use mathematics to understand electricity

One of the concerns for a newbie in automated lighting programming is deciding which console to master. There are over 100 lighting consoles or software… Read More »Selecting the right automated lighting console to master

One rule that can’t be ignored at trade shows is this: Light the product. And white light is king. DMX512-controlled PARs with an arc source… Read More »Strategic lighting, and dimming, at trade shows