All lighting equipment is being supplied by High Wycombe based Siyan, who bought a large quantity of Pixelline this autumn from Lightfactor Sales, and already own eight RADlite digital media servers. PixelDrive is collaboration between James Thomas Engineering's Pixel department and RADlIte developers IRAD. Finch immediately liked the Pixellines after his first demo in the late summer, which happened simultaneous to PixelDrive coming on-stream. As soon as he had the chance to combine the two elements, he decided to take them on tour.
The PC-based PixelDrive system is triggered via any DMX lighting desk and gives control of visual images via a familiar set of attributes, offering LDs the opportunity of expanding their imaginative horizons, without spending endless hours programming complex sequences. PixelDrive integrates lighting designers with video and graphics departments, so all mediums can be controlled from a single lighting console. PixelDrive patterns and effects are quickly and easily mimicked in real-time via a preview monitor.
The idea was to produce a slightly different look for the band on this medium level of touring, whilst also introducing a taste of retro 1980s flair to the overall lighting design. After experimenting with different Pixelline configurations in Siyan's warehouse, Finch explained that he came up with these versions of the 80s lightbox, part of the 1980s Top Of The Pops televisual style used for the design of this tour. It involves big blocks of colour and dramatic cuts between different physical levels of lighting on the stage. He also created some of his own graphics patterns to run on the PixelDrive using PaintShop Pro, and created custom colour palettes within PixelDrive. He's running the show on an Avo' Sapphire console, for which two pages pf playback memories are allocated to PixelDrive effects. Other lighting fixtures on the rig include SGM Giottos for moving fixtures, and an assortment of generics including Pars and Source Fours.
Finch is working with his two Siyan crew-mates Brian Mandevile and Lestyn Thomas, and the tour is a great success - both in terms of everyone enjoying themselves, and it selling well. Sound is supplied by Capital Sound, FOH engineer is Mark Clements and Mark Jowitt mixes monitors.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
