Dimmer rack / patch sheet advice needed

[YoungLD]

Hey Guys! I need some advice. I'm getting ready to do my 4th US tour as an LD but this is my first time being able to carry a floor package and a board. I am used to being forced to use whatever the venue has so I'm really excited. I do understand that there will be a lot more work involved now however. Will I need to supply them with a patch sheet? If so, what does a good one look like? Any examples? I have found some generic ones online but they kind of suck. I need to know where my channels should start if I'm using the venues dimmer rack or if I should require them to change their patch altogether based on my patch sheet. I also need to know how to connect the distro and dimmer rack or would I have the house electrician do that? What is the min type of dmx splitter i will need to make this happen? Whats the difference between a dimmer rack and a dmx splitter?

Here is the equipment list we will be traveling with:
8 Clay Paky Sharpies*
10 Color Blast
6 Atomic Blast 3000 120v
6 MAC 250’s
1 lemon w/floor mount*
3 X Laser X Beams w/ Software & Computer + DMX interface
6 cyro Jets
1 Console Avolite Expert
2 antari Hazers
1 antari High Output Fogger
1 dmx Opti Splitter*
1 Power Distro w/ Edison & Soco Distribution
6 12” 8’ Truss sections*
6 Truss plates*

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[Cooperhodges]

A dimmer rack, like this one, Lighting solutions for Theatre, Film & Television Studios and Architectural spaces : ETC, is made of up of individual dimming modules, like these, Lighting solutions for Theatre, Film & Television Studios and Architectural spaces : ETC, which are able to control two channels at once, and are assigned DMX addresses for patching to your console.

In my experience as a lighting technician, I generally do all the patch work and create a patch sheet only for my own use. I use programs like Excel or Numbers to make a spreadsheet. As far as patching, I would change your patch sheet to match the venue's dimmer rack. It makes life a lot simpler than changing their patches to match your sheet. Plus, by starting with their patches, you have something to start with rather than starting from scratch.

As far as connecting the dimmer rack, an electrician would probably need to do that, unless you have prior experience in that field.

Hope my answers helped!

 

[YoungLD]

Thank you, that was very helpful. If I change my patch to meet the venue's, would I have to reprogram the show everyday? I understand I will have to do minor adjustments anyway due to different stage sizes, etc but can I update a patch within the console and update the programming as well? Also, is there anyway you could show me a copy of one of your patch sheets? I would love to see a real life example of a concert patch sheet.

Thanks again!

 

[Cooperhodges]

Yes, if you're changing venues frequently, you would have to update your patches to match each venue's dimmer system. I actually didn't think about you moving venues frequently- if you are, then it may be worth it to come up with a preset for your board that you can use at each venue, and reprogram their dimmers.

As far as patch sheets go, this thread may be of help:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/11085-patch-sheet.html

 

[derekleffew]

[Mod. Note: Some posts have been removed from this thread as non-contributory.]

... Will I need to supply them with a patch sheet? ...

"Patch sheet" is not a standard piece of stage lighting documentation. And since it sounds like you're going into venues with an existing, pre-hung plot, the house should be providing you with information, not the other way around. If you're lucky, the venue Lighting Director will provide you with a Dimmer / Channel Hookup Schedule and/or Light Plot showing the dimmer numbers. It's up to you to softpatch the house dimmers to whatever Pearl Expert channels you want. The house really doesn't care or want to know. You probably want to dedicate one of your four DMX universes to solely controlling house dimmers. At each venue, you verify or determine what lights are in each dimmer, and patch that dimmer wherever you want. It could be something like:
Dimmer 1 is half the Red Front PARs
Dimmer 2 is the other half
Dimmer 3 is half the Blue front PARs
Dimmer 4 is half the Amber front PARs
Dimmer 5 blue
Dimmer 6 amber
and so on until you reach the end of the house dimmers, be that 96, 192, or 512.
So patch 1 & 2 to your RED channel, 3 & 5 to your BLUE channel, 4 & 6 to your AMBER channel. Continue until done. Your cues and submasters don't change, only the softpatch does. Some venues will have a more extensive light plot than others. It's up to you to decide whether you want to use everything each venue has (harder and more custom to each tour stop), or shoot for the least common denominator (easier, but possibly sacrificed quality).

If any of the venues have moving lights that you're planning on using, the process is similar but more complicated, as it involves cloning (substituting) from one fixture type to another, and I have no idea how the Pearl implements that.

I'm sure whoever is providing the lighting equipment will be happy to assist with your questions.

 

[YoungLD]

[Mod. Note: Some posts have been removed from this thread as non-contributory.]

"Patch sheet" is not a standard piece of stage lighting documentation. And since it sounds like you're going into venues with an existing, pre-hung plot, the house should be providing you with information, not the other way around. If you're lucky, the venue Lighting Director will provide you with a Dimmer / Channel Hookup Schedule and/or Light Plot showing the dimmer numbers. It's up to you to softpatch the house dimmers to whatever Pearl Expert channels you want. The house really doesn't care or want to know. You probably want to dedicate one of your four DMX universes to solely controlling house dimmers. At each venue, you verify or determine what lights are in each dimmer, and patch that dimmer wherever you want. It could be something like:
Dimmer 1 is half the Red Front PARs
Dimmer 2 is the other half
Dimmer 3 is half the Blue front PARs
Dimmer 4 is half the Amber front PARs
Dimmer 5 blue
Dimmer 6 amber
and so on until you reach the end of the house dimmers, be that 96, 192, or 512.
So patch 1 & 2 to your RED channel, 3 & 5 to your BLUE channel, 4 & 6 to your AMBER channel. Continue until done. Your cues and submasters don't change, only the softpatch does. Some venues will have a more extensive light plot than others. It's up to you to decide whether you want to use everything each venue has (harder and more custom to each tour stop), or shoot for the least common denominator (easier, but possibly sacrificed quality).

If any of the venues have moving lights that you're planning on using, the process is similar but more complicated, as it involves cloning (substituting) from one fixture type to another, and I have no idea how the Pearl implements that.

I'm sure whoever is providing the lighting equipment will be happy to assist with your questions.

Thanks! You guys have been really helpful! Patching the house system on a separate universe in the console makes a lot more sense than repatching and reprogramming the whole show everyday. By updating the fixture types and doing a soft-repatch on the Pearl expert I will be able to save my programming and use it from venue to venue with minor position updating. And by making a "channel/dimmer sheet" for myself, I will be to easily do a soft patch to update the board for their dimmer channels while still using my pre-recorded palettes for programming cues which will save a lot of time in the long run.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me.