Grand MA?

Charc

Well-Known Member
Okay, okay, okay... this may be the worst question in the history of CB, but here it goes.

The Grand MA, is a high-end ML board, right? Well for the first time I discussed it in a conversation today (as opposed to reading about it), and I realized I never quite figured out how to pronounce that name. I mean, I guess the way it's written it looks to me like it's to be pronounced like the word "grandma" (as in grandmother). However that seemed so silly to me as I ran it by in my head I instead decided to stress the "A" in "MA" which then to me sounded more like a cow mooing. Now I am thoroughly confused on pronunciation...:oops:
 
I know what you mean, Charc.

On my gig, I usually call it "The Grandma" (yes, we have several and sometimes they are as cantankerous as an old lady), occasionally I'll say "the Grand Em Ay" for whatever reason. All the squints usually know what I'm talkin' about either way.
 
It always sucks when words sound right in your head until you try to say them out loud. I always think "Grandma". But I've heard from a few places "Grand M A", so now I say whatever comes out. I like Grandma better.
 
I have always said "Grand M A" It is MA lighting, which I assume is probably an acronym for something, not pronounced "mah"

My 2 cents.
 
Grand Em-Ay

Luckily, for some reason I never read it as "Grandma" (and it took me a few seconds to even realize that's what it was.)

Silly germans. :D
 
Yeah I too have heard: "grandma", "Grand-mah", and "grand em-ay". I purposely went to the MA booth at LDI only to hear the name pronounced by their people. Sadly it's the more boring option "Em-ay".
 
Well, the did run a series of adds a few years back that had a really old grandma looking lady next to the console... saying its not your "grandmas" lighting console...
 
Yeah "Grandma's" lighting console was 8 feet high and 12 feet wide and only had 16 dimmers. But it was a great workout running those lever's up and down.
 
Its dust cover was crocheted, too. And instead of fans to keep it cool, it had a little compartment where you put an apple pie.
 
Fans? The one I learned on you could see sparks flying inside the cabinet at times.
 
Sparks everytime you spun the wheel. There was even a big metal grill with a "You will die if you open this grill" sign on it.
I always thought it was Grand em-ay.
 
Sparks everytime you spun the wheel. There was even a big metal grill with a "You will die if you open this grill" sign on it.

Yeah I loved the day we pushed up the lever and saw flames shooting out the back of the wheel inside... uh... I guess it's time to call in a repair guy.
 
WHAT? How?

Sounds like you don't know! Eh? Old timer! (In jest, of course) You oughta brush up on your reading there. (Time to gloat, as I am familiar with these.)

Designing With Light said:
Saltwater Dimmer
The oldest type of dimmer was a frightening contraption. The primary component of this death trap was a bucket of salt water. Metal plates were attached to one leg of the circuit, and one of these plates was cmpletely immersed in the bucket. The current passing through the circuit varied with the depth of immersion of the second plate.

Did I best Gaff once? I may now die happy.
 
WHAT? How?

They are the most dangerous things that can possible exist in a theatre. It blows my mind that they were actually used. Its a fun science experiement to do, but not something that I would want to actually run. Google it, there are some guides out there to build one.
 
Hmmm... I wonder why theaters used to burn down all the time. Salt Water Dimmers... Candle lit Chandeliers... Gas lights... It's amazing that our tech ancestors didn't just say it's too dangerous and give up.

For a real good time read up on the Iriquios Theater Fire
 
I once worked a theatre that had a mercury bath dimmer unit. And it still worked, and they still used it. I ran screaming from the room when they told me I had to wear an oxygen mask and a face screen to patch the lights.
I believe the local council made them disconnect the whole system when they found out. I believe the only way they could deal with it was by sealing the room and puting skull and cross bone signs on the door. That was about 30 years ago.
I remember being able to buy mercury at my local chemist when I had a chemistry set in the sixties. I was about 12.
Gafftaper I just read your link above, scary. We had a similar problem in Sydney about the same time. I can't remember the name of the theatre so I can't find it on line but what happened there was that up in the Gods (the highest balcony) the cheapest seats were simply wooden planks bleacher style and rubbish had been allowed to build up under the seats. Sweet wrappings, old programs and so on. Smoking was allowed in theatres in those days and it is believed that a cigar butt dropped between the planks started a fire. A couple of hundred people died in that fire and Australia became the first country in the world to ban smoking in the auditorium of a theatre. So the story goes.
 
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