Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1998 - 59

EQ and delay of all inputs and outputs, tIiggeling of playback from tlle hard
dlive, or control of ex1emal de\~ces. Each LD-88 has tlme selial connectors
as well as MIDI in and out, so you can connect to de\~ces tllat use RS232 or
RS422 and use our system as a show contI'ol master.
"There are different ways for sequencing of events in linle. You Ct'Ul step
tllrough a cue list using a go button, or you can tligger cues from time code.
Our system \\~1I eitller slave to linle code or generate it, and you can freely
mix tl1e reCt1lling of cues by time code or manually. You can also recall cues
from an extemal show control system, using MIDI system exclusive messages
or progranl change commands.
"There is also a system for flymg sounds around which we call a
·'SpaceMap." We use "Bus TrajectOlies," which are dynamic patlls tllat a
sound can follow in space. You can build a graphic representation of a multichannel speaker setup, and tllen have multiple sounds traversing tlle space,
each in its own patll."

Gerrl8uS
ince-natiJrB1

29 Hutchinson Road· Allentown. NJ 08501
phone: 609-758-9121 * fax: 609-758-9596

to: The
Scenographer's Source
"Web-On~~"

Front &- Rear Projection Screens
Portable Dance Floor
Wide Width Muslin/Theatrical Gauze

\\IIIl'1I SrSTE.\1 IS BEST'!
There is no clear-cut \\~nner among all tllese different digital audio systems.
(Is tllere ever a cleaHut choice when buying expensive eqUipment?) However, most readers Ct'Ul agree tllat \\~tll so many options, and \\~tll suggested
list plices ranging from $149 to $20,400, people faced \\~tll buymg digital
audio systems for tlleatI'e sound playback need to do a lot of homework.
What are tlle specific needs of tlleir tlleatre envirol1Jl1ent? What is tlle budget'
Will tllere be more dollars later to expand andlor complete tlle system? The
nex1 section \\ill focus on different types of tlleatre el1\~ronments and how
tlley affect specific sound playback stI'lltegies.

Shimmer Scrims * Contra TeHtures
Uelour * Signature Curtains
Triple [ Hinges * I FR Materials

www.llshwyl.com/gerriets
e-mail: gerriets@ushwyl.com
*web-on \ ''''cbb-on \ vcrb: to chcck-OLlI, makc conlact,
gandcr aI, an il1lCrnCI \\'cbsiIC

DIPFEIIEYI' OI'ER.m.\G I'RO('EDrRES

How do I get up to 24 analog
signals combined with
my DMX512 console?

In some peIfonTIing ill1S facilities, tlle sound staff consists of a small number

of people who repeatedly use tlle SaIne equipment over a long peliod of time.
This situation tends to occur in regional tlleatI'eS, illld also in academic
gl'llduate and BFA progl'lll1lS specifically oliented to tlleatre sound. However,
in milllY academic institutions illld some professional theatres sound playback equipment is used by milllY different people, illld tllese users change
frequently. Equipment specifiers need to consider tlle inlplications of product
life-cycles, tlle leaIlung cUive of de\~ces, tlle storage metllOds tl1e de\~ces employ, illld tlle need for botll backup illld redundancy in tllese systems, pill1iculill'ly as tllese issues relate to tlle number of users illld anlount of time each
user \\ill spend \~tll tlle system.

With a SMART MERGE A-D from
Goddard Design Co.
for less than $1000.

Goddard Design? I thought they
just sold DMX512 test equipment?

Think again!

1'1I0UI'{'T LIPE-(,HLES
Before you spend tllOusands of dollill'S, it's imp0l1ant to know where a product is in its life cycle. Is tlle equipment brand new illld still being "debugged," or is it fully maltll'e illld \~dely adopted? How impOl1aIlt is it that
your sound system is "slate-of-tlle-ill1"? And convel'Sely, no one willlts to buy
something tllat \\~1I be obsolete before tlley finish pa~ng for it. Different tlleatres \\~tll different budgets, pel'Sonnel, illld operating procedures \\~1I willlt
to purchase equipment at different points in tlle product life cycles. For exillnple, Broadway tlleatI'es require tlle most advilllCed equipment in order to
remain competitive \\~tll tlle quality of sound in otller shows, illld money is
typically available botll for initial purchases, illld opel'llting expenses. Some
theatres may jump in at the "beta testing" or "eaI'ly adoptel'S" phase. Graduate progl'lll1lS in tlleatre sound ill'e excellent places for beta testing or eaI'ly
adopting, especially if tlle academic institution has made a commitment to

GODDARD DESIGN CO.
7 1 8-599-0 1 70
718-599-0172 FAX
DMX512 Merges, Opto-isolators, DMXNet, DMX WithOut Wires, and of course
Lil'DMXters & MiniDMXters

...

For Details See Our Website
http://idt.net/--goddard

T D 8< T

s \.

.\1

http://www.llshwyl.com/gerriets http://www.idt.net/--goddard

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1998