Australia - The Unity high-performance power switching and dimming system from LSC Control Systems is delivering a secure and reliable solution to one of Australia’s leading performing arts centres, the Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC).
CTC’s technical director James Tighe explains: “Our previous system was at the end of its life, and we were seeing intermittent faults, which were becoming less intermittent. Random dimming curves, channels powering up without control, and an increasing number of failing modules meant we were no longer able to reliably support performances to the expected standard.”
The search for a dependable replacement was also driven by the need for a system capable of supporting and powering a range of moving, LED, and incandescent lighting fixtures. “The existing system wasn’t capable of hot-powering circuits,” continues Tighe, “which meant most performances required temporary power at the side of stage – adding extra time, labour and resources to every production.”
As well as a reliable quality of performance, the team also wanted safety and flexibility, with the options of dimming/power switching, remote programming and monitoring. Unity is designed to meet those needs, combining traditional dimming with the latest technologies of LED control and direct power relays.
A further advantage was the venue team’s familiarity with the brand, as Tighe explains: “Our Playhouse and Courtyard Studio spaces are equipped with LSC GEN VI modules, so our crew were used to the LSC workflow, which made for an easy transition to the new system.”
The CTC’s new system has six of LSC’s new 72-way Unity prewired racks, which were introduced last year to add further choice to the range’s existing 48- and 96-channel models. The system is running LSC’s Houston X software for monitoring and control.
The installation was carried out by a company the CTC team knows well – Sound Advice, led by Norman Korte. “We have a long history of working with Norman and the team at Sound Advice, so it was great having that familiarity involved in the install,” says Tighe. He also praises the support from LSC, which he says was “second to none”.
The result is a great success. Tighe says: “The overwhelming response from our crew was ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’. Unity has made a massive difference to the workflow in the Canberra Theatre, with the crew now able to easily manage the lighting power requirements for each and every performance.”
