Automated Fixtures Which movers are preferred?

poolman78

Member
Hello all, I am designing City of Angels this Spring, and am allowed to add some movers to my rig. I have worked iwth both Mac500's and Technobeams. Moving yoke or moving mirror? Which is best for noise control? Also I need beam control, is there any prefered models with automated shutters? My local place is heavy on Mac750s and 2000s. Any other suggestions?
 
My thoughts, in an itemized list:

1) What do you want to achieve with the movers?

2) Given a standard theatre situation (repositionable specials, some animation effects/rotating gobos, some gobo washes), I'd say go for yoke fixtures because none of the mirror fixtures available have the zoom range or effects package to do theatre stuff. And with that, get a fixture that has zoom - at least out to 30 degrees - so that you can cover more stage area when needed. Also, get something that has CMY mixing. Color wheels are far too limiting for theatre if you have the option of CMY.
3) There is no MAC750 - you probably mean MAC700. Wonderful lights, great zoom range, good gobo and effects package for theatre. Probably the most versatile mover you can put in your rig.
4) If you really, really need shutter beam control, the MAC2000 Performance is what you need. Both the MAC700 and the MAC2K Performance have animation wheels, which can be useful for theatre. Or if that's too much, a VL1000TSD which many houses carry as well.
 
Caveat: I don't like Martin

That being said. Vari-Lite makes the best shutter unit (VL1000), hands down, period, end of story. I happen to love their wash units (VL500 or VL3000 depending on your throw) as well. You can't go wrong with HES units in theater use either (Studio Commands, Studio Spots, X-Spots).

The advantage of moving mirrors is that they will get into position faster than a moving head. Also, for theater, moving heads don't have the cool "look" that they have in rock and roll (where the look of the rig is just as important as the look of the design). But you are limited in selection. I love the Technobeams myself.

As far as fan noise HES and Vari-Lite are the best for theater environments.

Vari-Lite and HES are all I use (although I have tried out some Robe and for the price they are not bad units I must say).

Mike
 
Could just be me but all the HES fixtures I have used (rented them from 4 different companies now) have all been noisy while moving. I love Martin fixtures for concerts but wouldn't really consider them for theatre because they are also kind of noisy while moving. VL in my opinion is the most versatile light for theatre. However Martin does have a tungsten fixtures so your color temps would match, but it is only a wash fixture.
 
I love our VL1000's, but they are noisy for our environment. I don't know if that will change after they get a check up next week or not.

Brian
 
If you want framing shutters there are very few instruments to choose from: HES VL1000, ETC Revolution, and Clay Paky Alpha 1200 are all that come to mind unless you want to get into digital lighting then there are more options.

Any ML will make noise on a rapid move. The Martin line in "studio" mode is virtually inaudible except for rapid pan/tilt moves. I've heard rumours that the Clay Paky HPE 300 Alphas are quiet but can neither confirm nor deny it.
 
Yeah, if they move too quickly they will always make noise. HES and VL are the quietest around. Martins make too much noise for theater for me. But your milage may very.

Mike
 
+1 for the VL1000's. We have rented them many times for theatre productions, and love them. They are the quietest I have found.

~Dave
 
+1 VL1000TSD. No fans, so if they are not moving or running an effect they make no noise at all.
 
If you want framing shutters there are very few instruments to choose from: HES VL1000...

I believe you mean the Vari*Lite VL1000.
 
Vari*Lite are the ultimate in moving light...

The VL1000TSD is becoming popular over here for theatre use, because the VL1000TSD delivers a 10,000 lumens with the consistent color temperature of a simple tungsten source fixture. This makes it easier to integrate the VL1000TSD into your light plot, keeping a similar color temperature. It also has a beam shutter system comparable to conventional 'profile' ellipsoidal fixtures, making it a versatile choice for theatre use. The VL1000TSD with tungsten source is quiet due to convection cooling and silent electronics.

I recently used Vari*Lite VL3500Q moving lights and was really impressed by this Vari*Lite flagship. It can be used as profile spot and as wash, it has an impressive zoom function and a very usefull beam shutter method once you are used to it. Color selection is CMY.

All Q versions are the quiet versions of Vari*Lite, you can still hear them when non-moving in a silent environment and certainly hear them when moving or changing gobo's, but they are quieter then most MAC's. The VL1000TSD is silent (inaudible) when non-moving and within temp. spec.

Also used HES Studiospot in the past and these also delivered the desired light.
 
Vari*lite fixtures generally have the best optics, which is why their output is superior.
The VL1000 while silent makes a significant amount of noise when moving especially when moving quickly. But as stated by others, it will mix well with your conventional rig.
The VL3500Q is the quiet model with shutters. Plus, due to its significantly increased output as compared to others, you can afford to run it with its color correction when needed. The downside to this light is...well, its huge. Not so conspicuous for a theatre show.
Another option would be the VL2500. Its compact and fairly quiet. Its got decent options for its size. The only downside is the lack of shutters.
 
Anyone considering intel's should certainly take a look at ROBE. We have two 700 AT E's at school and they are very impressive units indeed. I personally think that they are trying to compete with the Martin level instruments.
 
I used a few of Robe 250s last summer on a concert and really liked how they had some built in movement macros. For what I was using them for and the really odd way I was using them it came in really handy. I don't know if ll models have that but to me it's something that almost puts them even with Martin in my mind.
 
From what I have seen Gafftapegreenia they are a step above Martin, below HES and VL, but great units especially for the price. Martin does not have the built in movement macro feature, HES does.

Mike
 
I just can't bring myself to support HES. Every time I've rented some I've been very very disappointed. I only use them when I have to now. The studio series is, in my opinion, extremely noisy, unreliable, and just ugly to look at.
 
Anyone considering intel's should certainly take a look at ROBE. We have two 700 AT E's at school and they are very impressive units indeed. I personally think that they are trying to compete with the Martin level instruments.

From what I understand, Robe units are very popular over in Europe. From what I've seen, they're better than Martin.

I looked at the specs for the 700E ATs when they came out, and was immediately impressed by the massive zoom range for a 700 watt fixture. Decent gobo selection, too, and it comes with some mid-air gobos if I remember correctly. Robe used to make a lot of stuff for Elation, and now Elation and Robe sell the same controllers (as does GLP).
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But back to the main topic, if you can get them, VL1000TSDs are something of the standard for theatrical movers. Matches the CT of the rest of your rig fairly well, has a decent zoom range for theatre, framing shutters, rotating gobos, and CMY. You just mentioned a lot of Martin so I replied with a lot of Martin, but the VL1000TSDs are one of the most popular theatrical movers - get 'em if your rental house has 'em.
 
I have to admit, when we used HES we needed the spare, when using VL's we never needed the spare so far

In general: if you are able to get Vari*Lite's for a decent rental price, I would almost always recommend them for theatre or shows. For party/DJ stuff all movers should be ok...

Indeed the VL3500Q is huge, we mounted them on a vertical truss once, and we needed four people to get the Vari*Lite's in place...

When looking at a moving head for replacing profiles... another good choice (in Europe) would be the motorized ADB WARP, this fixture is more a profile spot that has been motorized. Very decent optics, high light output, and an innovative beam shutter system with rings.
The Warp is silent since it has no fans... an award winning fixture...
http://www.adblighting.com/?page=productdetails&cat=1&subcat=36
 
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I have had wonderful experiences with the Mac 700's and the VL1000TS's. we have 6 of the VL's and we rented 12 Mac 700's for a show a couple of years ago...the 700 has very good effects (so does the VL) the 700s have a WONDERFUL prism effect. as far as HES, i personaly dont like them. we have 4 cyberlights and they give use SOO many problems, i would stay away from them. oh, and we rent Mac 2000 once a year for our christmas shows and they are great as well.
 
The StudioSpot is a decent fixture, It isn't the greatest in terms of deep saturated color, or in terms of the litho wheels it comes with, but it is quiet.

The Mac700, while being a little louder, is AWESOME. The template and animation wheels are amazing, and are really really useful in a theatrical environment. It can also punch out deep saturated colors that the SS couldn't even dream of getting.
 

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