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grandMA2 in Tune
UK-based lighting designer and programmer Neil Trenell of M Squared Designs has invested in his own grandMA2 full size console. He's most recently used it on the month-long iTunes Festival at London's Roundhouse, an event featuring 62 shows in a month and an impressive line up including Oasis, Snow Patrol, Simple Minds, Newton Faulkner, Placebo, Kanye West, A-ha - and many more.
The grandMA2 is the first desk Trenell has bought and represents a substantial investment. However, in addition to lighting, he also does a lot of work producing and programming video and visual media and integrating this into shows, so the release of the latest flagship product from MA Lighting presented a perfect opportunity.
"A lot of shows are using a grandMA platform at the moment, and in additional to utilising it on my own shows, having the desk myself also enables me to keep learning new techniques so I can become really efficient on it, and also keep right up-to-date with the latest software and ongoing new features."
Trenell has been using the grandMA control platform for the last two years and likes many elements. Topping the list is the system's network-ability, followed by the 24-bit resolution of the grandMA2 encoders - which is ideal for video. He thinks the new console's ability to communicate easily with third party elements like media servers has been well thought-through, and being able to view video clips on the console screens is "excellent".
"What was 'great' on the grandMA ‘series 1' consoles is even better now - plus there is a host more functionality on the 2," he comments, adding that having enough faders to playback both lighting and video on the one console is another major bonus. This allows him to split the desk between 15 playbacks for lighting and 15 for video. He also likes the MA2's larger touch screens, further enhancing the 'fingertip operation' that makes the programming of any grandMA console exceptionally fast.
In addition to all this, he reports that the service and support from MA UK and in Germany has been "absolutely excellent".
The first work for his new grandMA2 was as LD for John Barrowman's most recent UK tour. He ran the grandMA2 platform in ‘series 1' mode while he familiarised himself with the console's operating basics and updated layout. This was followed by a major concert with classical singer Katherine Jenkins and then the iTunes Festival.
For iTunes, he decided to start running grandMA2 software on the console. This was controlling 3 Hippotizer v3 digital media servers supplying all the playback video content and also taking in and outputting live camera feeds to seven separate screen surfaces - five columns of Stealth upstage, and two side IMAG screens. He also co-ordinated all the iTunes branding in the venue - which appeared only onscreen.
Once familiarised with the new software, he found it was "very quick and easy" to 'busk' the operation of eight layers of live video!
The iTunes festival production design was a three-way collaboration between Trenell, Liz Berry who produced the set design and TV lighting director Girdip Mahal. Video equipment was supplied by CT and lighting by PRG. Lighting programmer was Brian Cook.
photo: Philip Norfolk
2nd September 2009
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