We have Wenger, it's not bad to set up, we have a few problems with getting it hooked on our traveller, but if we have 3 people moving it, it goes fast. It does have a very small footprint in storage, if put away correctly. However, we have the problem mentioned earlier, the lights in the "sound clouds" (flying pieces of shell) were cut out because of budget, and now we have to try to light from the electrics, around them. It's pretty bad, I would definetly reccomend getting lights installed in them even if it costs a lot more.
Acoustical Shell Experience
- Thread starterMorydd
- Start date
FYI, you can have Wenger come back in and add them after-the-fact, like they did in our case. Might be worth talking to them just to see how much it would cost. I believe they had to send one of their guys out for a day's wages plus travel expenses, plus the cost of the hardware, the fixtures, and our in-house licensed master electrician ran the necessary conduits and cables on each of the clouds.
Speaking of lights. An idea has just occurred to me. Would LED Pars be sensible in this application? It seems like the lower heat load and energy use would be better great. I don't know if it's even an option, but if someone has a good idea why _not_ to do it, I'd like to hear them before I talk to the manufacturers.
Not really. This is a case where color washes aren't necessary, which is where LED's really win over tungsten sources. The three qualities to be looked for in concert shell lighting are brightness, a natural no-color wash, and minimal heat out of the front of the fixture. A 750w tungsten source will outshine an LED fixture pretty easily. It's only a fair fight if you're willing to buy fixtures that cost $1000-$2400/ea, and instead of going with something that's RGB/A/W, I'd suggest something more akin to the product Color Kinetics markets to film studios for white light or more to the effect of ETC's Pearl fixture.
Really though -- you'd be fine with standard Source Four PAR's for a fraction of the cost. If heat is a big problem, then a PAR MCM is still cheaper than an LED fixture with a white that'd be good enough to use for concert shell lighting. If you cheap out on an LED fixture, you'll end up with a very digital white that will be painful to watch a symphony perform under.
Another issue you may be faced with is that I've only ever seen mounting brackets for PAR's. With an LED fixture, you may need to have custom recessed mounting brackets fabricated.
llecount
Member
Another here with a Wenger Stage Master shell, going on 20 years old. 10 towers, and 3 overhead "clouds" as we call them.
We use it as a default setup for all our concert performances (choirs, bands, orchestras, etc.). For lighting we use our 4 electrics loaded with 8' Altman R40 strips. Gives a good, even wash which the musicians love. Only big drawback to those is the heat output they produce (we call it the "easy bake oven"). I've staggered the tower wings to where they have an upstage gap that allows the air from offstage to blow in to the shell, which seems to work out well.
We use it as a default setup for all our concert performances (choirs, bands, orchestras, etc.). For lighting we use our 4 electrics loaded with 8' Altman R40 strips. Gives a good, even wash which the musicians love. Only big drawback to those is the heat output they produce (we call it the "easy bake oven"). I've staggered the tower wings to where they have an upstage gap that allows the air from offstage to blow in to the shell, which seems to work out well.
Wenger Diva shell in our space. 7 towers, 3 ceiling panels, no lights installed. We run our lights on our electrics between the ceiling panels. The Diva (as mentioned) has a little hovercraft moving device and ours got a small tear in it once, but it is fixed now. Our stage deck is pretty smooth so usually not a problem.
Ease of use: Tedious to move, but not overly difficult. Just have to be slow and steady with it to be safe. Two people can do it in an hour or less. (our facilities guys like to drag it out half the day) We have a cove built in the wall on the SL side of the stage where it fits nicely. (That was obviously a pre thought design)
Durability: Ours is only 5 years old and is in pretty good shape. It gets moved about 6-7 times a year for stretches of concerts and plays.
The issue in our space is that due to the location and height of the towers and width of the shell space vs. our electrics, I have to use drop bars on my 2nd and 3rd E to get the lights low enough to fit in the ceilings. If I don't, the E's will hit the top of the shell towers. Once it's up I can't access my 2nd either without the Genie lift or moving a tower.
The cool thing I've done with it though is use it as a back drop and legs. I have a dance studio that comes in twice a year and it's usually around concert time. Instead of taking the whole thing down, I just rotate the side towers like legs (this also gives me access to my electrics again) and keep the back of the shell as a cyc-ish/white backdrop. Put some RGB gelled Cyc strip lights up and RGB mix colors on the back shell. They like the look of the shell texture and how the side towers give great cover for dancers to come on and off at different depths of stage. (plus it saves me a ton of set change time).
BJH
Ease of use: Tedious to move, but not overly difficult. Just have to be slow and steady with it to be safe. Two people can do it in an hour or less. (our facilities guys like to drag it out half the day) We have a cove built in the wall on the SL side of the stage where it fits nicely. (That was obviously a pre thought design)
Durability: Ours is only 5 years old and is in pretty good shape. It gets moved about 6-7 times a year for stretches of concerts and plays.
The issue in our space is that due to the location and height of the towers and width of the shell space vs. our electrics, I have to use drop bars on my 2nd and 3rd E to get the lights low enough to fit in the ceilings. If I don't, the E's will hit the top of the shell towers. Once it's up I can't access my 2nd either without the Genie lift or moving a tower.
The cool thing I've done with it though is use it as a back drop and legs. I have a dance studio that comes in twice a year and it's usually around concert time. Instead of taking the whole thing down, I just rotate the side towers like legs (this also gives me access to my electrics again) and keep the back of the shell as a cyc-ish/white backdrop. Put some RGB gelled Cyc strip lights up and RGB mix colors on the back shell. They like the look of the shell texture and how the side towers give great cover for dancers to come on and off at different depths of stage. (plus it saves me a ton of set change time).
BJH
I have the Wenger Diva set-up , four clouds , 9 wall towers . They are durable and easy to set up . But , they've made my job difficult . We don't have enough fly space to store the clouds high enough to be out of the way of my electrics . I really have to work hard to light any show . The towers totally enclose the stage behind the main drape , upstage , stage right and left . Our stage isn't big enough for that type system . If I have a large band or orchestra , the percussionsectionhas to hold back because they are right up against the towers upstage . Sometimes I have a 60 piece orchestra and 150 person choir onstage . I have to mic the choir to get them up to the level of the orchestra , actually , slightly on top of the orchestra . I use hanging choir mics and it is a nightmare . Just imagine a 3 sided , hard surfaced box also enclosed top and bottom . Throw 210 people in there , a bunch of instruments , mic the choir , and try to get decent seperation and clarity out of that mess . I've got it down now , but it wasn't without a lot of blood , sweat , and tears . To top it all off , the shell system cost $180,000.00 . I constantly think about what my life would be like without them and I had the money to put into other equipment . On a high note , they are neat for bouncing light off of . People will sell you anything you are willing to buy , whether it fits the bill or not . Believe me , a stage with drapes only is far better than an improperly installed acoustic treatment . If you must go with acoustic treatments you need to consult with somebody that has studied the physics of sound , not an architect .
