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D-Mix Pro Integrates Visuals for UB40

Lighting designer Dan Hardiman upped the creative ante on the UK arena section of UB40’s current world tour by also taking on the role of video director, directing and mixing a full manned-camera IMAG system and a substantial lighting rig . . . all via the lighting desk.

The piece of kit enabling him to do this was D-Tek Industries’ ingenious D-Mix Pro – a small 1U ‘black box’ device offering huge flexibility, plug-and-play simplicity and easy setup and operation.

The D-Mix Pro opens up new opportunities for small-to-medium sized tours to incorporate video very cost-effectively into their show, with no extra crew required. The operator can programme and sequence video mixes via any DMX user-interface, just as they would a moving light or other intelligent device. D-Mix Pro offers a truly unified and integrated show control option, for one creative director to produce seamless visuals across both mediums.

Hardiman also produced all his own playback video sources for the show, and designed the set in addition to the lighting and video. “I’ve always believed in total artistic control. Having one person totally responsible for all the show visuals is the only way I believe it can be done properly,” he says.

Before the tour commenced, he approached Dan Cook of D-Tek Industries, inventor of the D Mix Pro, one of a range of video integration products produced by the company to explore the range of possibilities. He also consulted Phil Mercer and Des Fallon at XL Video, suppliers of the tour’s production video. Collectively they came up with the solution of utilising the D-Mix Pro.

It was only once immersed in production rehearsals that Hardiman realised exactly how much brainspace was needed for him to process live camera direction plus operating lighting cues! This is where the programmability of the D-Mix Pro was invaluable, enabling him to pre-programme some basic camera mix building blocks, and work live ‘on top’ during the show.

The D-Mix Pro has four video inputs, each of which can be sent to up to four outputs via a matrix. It works with all video systems worldwide and has less frame-lag than a digital media server. It’s also an extremely keenly priced option compared to other solutions. The hardware is rock solid, guaranteeing reliable operation and involving no software with crash potential.

Hardiman says of the D-Mix: “I like the ‘anything-anywhere-anyplace’ facility and the fact that it’s a one box solution enabling me to run my M-Box playback footage and four live cameras through the WholeHog 3. D-Mix is finally giving me the huge potential, power and flexibility I need to focus simultaneously on the show’s creative aspects.”

The stage featured a large 34 ft wide by 18 ft tall 15 mm pixel pitch Sony LED screen. This was supported by two customised ovular soft screens either side of stage, fed with Barco projectors. The cameras were three of XL’s operated Sony D50s, two in the pit and one at FOH, plus a remote controlled hot head over-stage, all of which were run through the D-Mix Pro, along with the M-Box media server playback sources. The D-Mix effectively performs the functions of both a mixer and a switcher device.

The lighting desk and all the FOH gear is supplied by Hardiman’s own company t-h-c. XL Video built him a bespoke camera monitoring system for FOH, so he can view up to 16 sources in a variety of configurations on a single flat screen.

The tour continues throughout 2006 and Hardiman is taking the D-Mix Pro on every leg as it gives him the flexibility of using locally-sourced video production kit and blending exactly the content he needs into the show.

To free up some headspace, he came up with a nifty lateral manoeuvre to alleviate himself from having to call four or more followspots covering 10 band positions in addition to live directing four cameras and operating a complex lightshow. The idea came to him after a show in Russia where he had to call 12 spots via an interpreter!

Honing his followspot vocabulary down to 15 basic commands, he’s put the vocals into a sampler and created a system whereby the desk triggers pre-programmed macros that fire the necessary sample and create the right command at the right time! He runs two intercom networks, one exclusively for audio to the followspots and the other for cameras, dimmers and racks. In conjunction with main UK leg lighting contractors PRG, he developed a customised headset to mixes between the two systems.

The D-Mix Pro is also now being shipped as standard with High End Systems’ Catalyst DL2 projection head/integrated media servers, specifically to mix between their cameras.

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D-Mix Pro Integrates Visuals for UB40

5th January 2006

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