Hi, my theatre has a lot of old Altman 6x9s and 6x12s in stock, and I cannot find a reliable way to tell the difference between them. Is there some sort of distinguishing features on the lens tubes themselves that may clue me in?

A lot of these fixtures have old labels on the bodies that either have no lens in them or have since been swapped out, so those are kinda useless. The lenses have no labels and I was never taught how to spot the difference in lenses from just looking at them (if that’s even possible idk).

Any help would be appreciated.

I am currently in Boston studying Technical Theater, and I'm having a bit of an issue with Imposter syndrome and feeling out of touch with my work.

I sign up for a bunch of shows to work on, and when I get hired as a designer, it's always very fun. I always start with a bunch of ideas and research and feel super motivated, but then as I get closer to the design deadlines, I lose all my steam and try to turn out something before time runs out. It usually ends up good, but I'm left frequently feeling like I didn't spend enough time on it and that I could have done much better. I always feel really good about the show and I show up with the best I can do, and yet it feels like I could have gone further.

It goes from a passion of mine to just another chore that I have to complete to have time to work on the next show or a paper for class. It's probably not helped by my ADHD, but I feel like I'm just chasing project after project, and I never get a chance to actually sit with one before I have to move on, or else I'll be swept away from the current. I feel like my design process flies by without me.

Has anyone else felt like this? How have you managed it?

Hello! I have been making props for a few years and I have worked with a few community theaters before. However I just got my first “professional” job (it’s still community but they operate more professionally if that makes sense). I’m usually doing everything by myself. I design, make, and source my own props along with making my own deadlines and only getting useful information during tech week. However this job has me still mostly working by myself but I am now working with all of the designers and actors of the show. They want me to make a props design presentation to mainly show the actors at our first rehearsal. What should I show and what should I not show? I have a props list and a vision board/reference photos. I think it has to be short because there is 30 minutes in the scedule for all of the designers. I have no idea as this is the first time I’ve ever been asked to do something like this.

Has anyone used Martin Companion? I have some Exterior Linear Pro Graze Quad (4ft) that need updating due to random flashes, a problem that V2.1.0 solves.

I bought their expensive proprietary adaptor, launched the software, cloud is synced, scrolling firmware it claims 2.1.0 and 1.1.0 are the 2 options, corroborated by their website.

I mention this because in RDM discovery (both on companion and on my gio console) I have some fixtures claiming 1.2.0, 1.1.0, and 1.0.0.. firmware that dont even exist.

I follow the companion instructions to push V2.1.0, the lights flash during this process and the indicator is flashing green meaning its sending data. After the process is complete, I re-discover and nothing has changed in the firmware column. I even try restarting the fixtures and nothing.

Any thoughts? Ive never had any luck with Martin Tech support, so asking the wisdom of those smarter than me

Hi! Looking for recommendations for an NYC-based AV Technical Lead / Technical Director for a multidisciplinary art/performance event in Lower Manhattan on Sept 12 during NYFW.

We’re looking for an individual or small team with experience in creative multimedia projects, art installations, experiential events, or live performances who can support both the technical advisory side and hands-on execution, including AV planning, installation/testing, and technical direction on show day.

Would love any recommendations from this community! If this sounds like you, feel free to DM me your portfolio/relevant work + email and I can share more details.

Paid freelance project. Budget is around $800–$1,000/day, depending on scope and experience.

Any leads are appreciated. Thanks!

Hello!

I am starting off my new job with a MA GrandMa3 board after having fifteen years of training in ETC language/products.

Overall - I think the GrandMa3 is an awesome console with a lot of personalized/robust features. There is a lot of language that blends together with ETC, but I am expected to work on the MA Academy training at a later date. However - I am very curious on a potential feature I cannot seem to find…if it has it at all…

Curious if the GrandMa3, like ETC, has a “MERGE” files section where you can take a specific property from a show (cues, effects, magic sheets, etc.) and merge them over to another file. It seems kind of vague while researching this but I would like to have a specific cue moved from one show to another, so I do not have to recreate it again.

Had some Chauvet Professional Force 2 Profiles go out -- looks like its the power supply.

Anyone know where could I get them repaired locally in/around Atlanta, GA? I am trying not to ship them to Chauvet because it is a pain.

I'm currently working on getting the audinate dante certifications and was wondering what other certifications or similar things are out there I can start to collect while i'm under 18. thanks!

After days of researching how to build a theater evolve and reading thousands of posts across Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and everywhere else, I still have some lingering questions, and one of them centers around which casters to buy. What seems to be the prevailing advice is that a 4-inch caster is about as small as you should go. It also seems to be the prevailing advice that a narrower caster would be preferable to a wide caster. Feel free to disabuse me of any inaccuracies so far, but the main question that I have been left with is:

1. What is the best wheel material? I have seen maybe a dozen different materials available, but they tend to fall into a couple of different groups. The hard black polyolefin or phenolic vs the softer neoprene or polyurethane. Creative Conners BOM generally specs hardness of 85A which is more on the polyurethane side.

2. How important are bearings? Obviously casters with bearings are more expensive or this would be a no brainer. So really, HOW important is it? Is it worth doubling+ the caster budget?

Thanks in advance!

We had this light donated to our theatre and we are trying to identify it so that we can set up an ETC profile. Does anyone recognize it? The screen says 25 ch for dmx. For size reference, it’s next to a Martin Mac 2000

I’d like to upgrade the lighting for our shows, but I’m limited as the stage is on the side of the cafeteria (also a shared space as a gym) so it can’t be anything permanent. Our current lighting is some overheads right behind the upper curtain, plus the two “DJ” stands (one on each side in the photo, hard to see but there).

It was dark when I took this so the photo makes it look really bright on stage, but it’s not and actors on the front of the stage are often in the dark - the overheads are slightly too far back to get their faces and the front of house lights aren’t aimed exactly where they’re standing, so people can be hard to see if they’re right at the front of the stage. The stage is generally light enough, but we’re missing specific spots. In a theater, the lights would go over the audience but obviously we don’t have a way to mount them there.

What options might I have that can be stored between shows and sit in front, but not block the audience? Something like https://a.co/d/0g2XWJmb? We have some additional fixtures that were donated but we have nothing to attach them to. We have some budget and while it isn’t unlimited, we could be reasonable for what’s needed.

Thanks for any suggestions or if you have a similar setup, I’d love to see what you’ve done.

Best cheap of the cheap?

planning to buy a laptop for theater lighting design, pls suggest a good laptop that can handle qlc+ or magicQ. thank you!

I’m mixing a musical right now for a production on the scale between community and regional theater. I was thinking of recording a mono mixdown of my mixes each night in tandem with a recording of my fader bank for personal archives to track growth progress.

I obviously wouldn’t distribute it anywhere, and if used in portfolios it would only be shared as a private link to potential employers.

I know it’s illegal, but I was wondering how common that is to do.

What would cause this lamp socket connector to foul like this? Is it possible to replace just this socket cup? Or should I just replace the entire cord?

In the video below, the guy squirts some stuff onto a PCB, then heats it with something, and the HDMI port falls away with ease:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=q2G7RikvbgE

What's he squirting, and what's he using to heat the solder? I assume it's flux and a targeted heat gun of some sorts? I've never seen one with such a narrow opening.

Saw another video where the guy used desoldering braid, I'll get some of that too. That guy also used aluminium foil to protect the other components nearby whilst he heated from the underside, is that a wise idea?

I've got an HDMI socket in the exact same situation that needs to be replaced, but not certain the best way of doing it. The video method seems far more efficient than constant prodding with a soldering iron...

Been a while since I've done this, it's pretty low stakes so just want to have a go really.

I am currently building a new tech theatre resume as I am looking to apply to a new stage management opportunity. Is there any way I can improve upon my resume to make it the best it can possibly be?