Bridgewater Hall increases flexibility with Chamsys
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Jonathan Rowland, technical manager of the hall, recently made it easier for his staff to perform this task by installing a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. “Given the volume and diversity of what is booked here - everything from orchestral to rock concerts, as well as corporate events and graduations - our techs are often running the lights,” he explains. “We needed a lighting desk that all of our technicians could operate, even the sound guys!
“We looked at the available options that aligned with what our venue needed,” continues Rowland. “A trusted supplier, Chris Bogg of DBS Solutions, recommended ChamSys. The more we studied it, the more it seemed that the MQ80 with a PC Wing fitted the bill perfectly. The layout is simple and user friendly, and the touchscreen only adds to that simplicity. We like that the screen is a good size, easy to read, and allows you to change the user view when necessary.”
For a typical show or event, The Bridgewater Hall’s ChamSys console will use the pre- set faders or will work on the Execute function on the PC Wing. “This is really a treat for us,” says Rowland. “It’s really simple to put any previous settings/states onto the faders in seconds.”
Although the ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 is simple for the house technicians to run, the console, which supports 24 universes and has 10 Playback Faders with 200 pages, offers a robust array of performance features for running complex shows, something that the hall’s staff has been doing more of lately.
“Our desk is still used almost on a daily basis simply to control house lights, or for orchestral rehearsals, or to control the overhead white wash and conductor specials,” says Rowland. “Larger rock show tours inevitably bring in their own gear. However, we are beginning more and more to operate lights for shows using our ChamSys - and it excels in these applications.”
(Jim Evans)
