Rebel Grace

REBEL GRACE

Production company Loud and Clear chooses Equipson’s LightShark console to boost workflow efficiencies.

When Milwaukee, US-based sound, lighting and video event production company Loud and Clear Productions LLC was putting together equipment for Rebel Grace, a local country band that averages 50-60 gigs a year, it needed a package that could cope with a range of venues, from small clubs with a capacity of up to 500 to county and state fairs and summer festivals, where audiences can number over 2,000. Eric Reese, Founder of Loud and Clear, explained that his company was looking to make changes to its set-up to accommodate the various venues. “We had a lighting console that we had used on previous Rebel Grace shows, but given venues and crowd concerns with these events, I wanted to change the workflow paradigm in audio/lighting operation from a FOH based control position, to an option that could be located at monitor world, while operating wirelessly around the venues,” he commented. “We also wanted the new console to be compact, portable and be capable of producing an impactful show while still delivering workflow efficiencies,” he added. The brief initially sounded hard to fulfil, but Loud and Clear settled on two intermediate-level DMX-based hardware lighting consoles that offer completely integrated hardware and software control via smartphones

and tablets: Spanish manufacturer Equipson’s recently released WorkPro LightShark LS-1 and LS-Core. Both products are aimed at small- to medium-sized touring productions and fixed installations such as theatres, nightclubs and houses of worship. “I w as introduced to LightShark by Blizzard Lighting (Equipson’s US distributor) and I was intrigued by the LightShark LS-1 because it offered features and connectivity one would normally find in a much more expensive product,” Reese explained. “These included built-in ‘brains’ accessed by web service, along with expandability of DMX universes.” Reese decided to incorporate a LightShark LS-1 into the Rebel Grace shows and built the entire audio and lighting rigs specifically to maximise impact with minimal footprint. “We wanted to maintain the utmost efficiency of system control and deployment, as well as to provide an aesthetic that was different from other local acts,” he commented. “The ability to control the LightShark LS-1 via web server from a tablet or smartphone made it the right choice for this application.” Toby Tobolt, Loud and Clear’s Light Designer, agreed that being able to access the LS-1’s software via Wi-Fi or ethernet on any device was a very compelling feature. “I didn’t need to download any software or depend on

a computer,” he noted. “The LS-1 also had two universes, both five-pin and three-pin, on the board to plug into, which was ideal for the way we wanted to use the board.” Loud and Clear used two universes of DMX via wireless DMX, Blizzard PX6, Blizzard EMPulse, wireless Blizzard BLOK2ip and ChromaQ Color1 100X fixtures. On t he audio side, the equipment line-up included a wirelessly controlled Yamaha QL1 console, RCF TTL6A mains and TTS36 Subs, Shure PSM1000s for IEMs and a Shure Axient Digital wireless system on all vocals and guitars. “The entire audio path is ‘direct’ except for drums via wireless to (Kemper) Profilers,” Reese added. “The LightShark LS-1, along with wireless DMX, has made the lighting system equally as efficient.” As well

as being impressed with the LightShark LS-1, both Reese and Tobalt were pleased with the customer support they received. “I w as extremely impressed by Equipson’s willingness and ability to respond to an issue from a small company,” Reese commented, reflecting on an unexpected glitch that was quickly resolved after a call to Blizzard Lighting’s customer service. “They solved the issue even more quickly than I would have expected, within a week of bringing it to their attention.” TPi Photos: Ryan Pintor www.workpro.es www.blizzardpro.com