Return-Path: X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.6 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #281 Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 03:00:51 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #281 1. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by "Delbert Hall" 2. Re: Rough Cut Lumber and Condemned Veal by "Andrew Nikel" 3. Re: Orchestra Shell spare parts by "Jon Ares" 4. Re: Orchestra Shell spare parts by "Paul Schreiner" 5. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by Bill Sapsis 6. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by Tony Miller 7. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by Charlie Richmond 8. Re: piano tuning by "Karl G. Ruling" 9. Re: piano tuning by Boyd Ostroff 10. Re: piano tuning by John McKernon 11. Re: piano tuning by "LES LIND" 12. Re: piano tuning by IAEG [at] aol.com 13. Re: piano tuning by "Karl G. Ruling" 14. Re: piano tuning by "ladesigners [at] juno.com" 15. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by Dale Farmer 16. Re: piano tuning by IAEG [at] aol.com 17. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" 18. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" 19. Re: piano tuning by "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" 20. Re: piano tuning by Stephen Litterst 21. Re: piano tuning by IAEG [at] aol.com 22. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by "Joker7" 23. Re: HOT DMX! by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 24. 1" by Greg Bierly 25. Re: HOT DMX! by Jerry Durand 26. ETC LA open house by "Joe Golden" 27. Rents by Cosmo Catalano 28. Archives Problem and Tool Question by "Robert D. Ingram" 29. Re: Rough Cut Lumber by Dale Farmer 30. Re: DMX512-A by Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions 31. Re: Automated fixture comparison by "John D. Palmer" 32. Re: Archives Problem and Tool Question by "Jonathan S. Deull" 33. Re: Archives Problem and Tool Question by "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" 34. Re: Archives Problem and Tool Question by Stuart Wheaton 35. Re: Ronnie Reagan (was Rough Cut Lumber) by Steve Boone 36. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by "Delbert Hall" 37. Re: Ronnie Reagan (was Rough Cut Lumber) by Herrick Goldman 38. Re: piano tuning by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 39. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by Tony Miller 40. Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer by MissWisc [at] aol.com 41. Re: DMX512-A by "Tony" 42. Re: DMX512-A by Mitch Hefter *** Please update the subject line of your reply to use the subject *** line of the message you are replying to! Please only reply to *** one message subject in each reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: In-Reply-To: From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 06:34:07 -0500 First, I would recommend that you incorporate as an LLC. This will provide you some protection for your personal assets in case you are sued. It is much easier and less expensive in the long run to incorporate as an LLC than as an S corp. Next, you might want to purchase a general business liability policy. Insurance has gotten VERY expensive since late 2001. $1,000,000 of business liability could cost in the $4-5K range. Depending on exactly what you are doing, you might not need this much insurance, you might need more. I know that this is short and will probably raise a lot more questions, but I am off to sunny Florida to work for the next few days and this is all the time I have to go into this now. I hope this helps. Delbert L. Hall 423-773-HALL (4255) ------------------------------ From: "Andrew Nikel" Subject: Re: Rough Cut Lumber and Condemned Veal Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 07:19:17 -0500 Message-ID: Well, thanks, but ... the originator of the Condemned Veal phrase was an Opera director referring to the female chorus over the Voice Of God at a late night tech (right before Grey Lady, which gives away the locale). 1 inch bigger than the door frame? Yowtch! Andrew ------------------------------ Message-ID: <014D202957F6D8118924000F20D7342B01E011BC [at] az33exm01.corp.mot.com> From: Wood Chip-P26398 Subject: RE: Rough Cut Lumber Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 13:53:57 -0700 Methinks, here lies a frustrated playwright. Man, that phrase is worthy of Shak^h^h^h^h Shaw. BTW, have you ever built a wagon 1 inch bigger than the door frame? Chip Wood -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Andrew Nikel it sat like 900 pounds of condemned veal at the Chicago Stockyards. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <000701c50930$c308ef30$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References: Subject: Re: Orchestra Shell spare parts Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 06:09:08 -0800 > They also did a recall recently on the > closing mechanism on the Rollaway and should have send you replacement > parts > free of charge. Do they also send replacement fingers?? :) -- Jon Ares Program Director, West Linn HS Theatre Arts www.hevanet.com/acreative www.wlhstheatre.org ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Orchestra Shell spare parts Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 09:14:54 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A0196C6EA [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > > They also did a recall recently on the > > closing mechanism on the Rollaway and should have send you=20 > replacement > > parts > > free of charge. >=20 >=20 > Do they also send replacement fingers?? :) Only if you sign up for the supplemental maintenance plan when you purchase the units... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 09:28:08 -0500 Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 2/2/05 6:34 AM, Delbert Hall at flyingfx [at] hotmail.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > First, I would recommend that you incorporate as an LLC. This will provide > you some protection for your personal assets in case you are sued. It is > much easier and less expensive in the long run to incorporate as an LLC than > as an S corp. Next, you might want to purchase a general business liability > policy. Insurance has gotten VERY expensive since late 2001. $1,000,000 of > business liability could cost in the $4-5K range. Depending on exactly > what you are doing, you might not need this much insurance, you might need > more. > > I know that this is short and will probably raise a lot more questions, but > I am off to sunny Florida to work for the next few days and this is all the > time I have to go into this now. I hope this helps. > > Delbert L. Hall > 423-773-HALL (4255) > > Well, I'm sitting at home today waiting for the cable guy, so............ Reality check. Bottom line with insurance is that it's only as good as the attorney representing you. you can have all the insurance in the world, but if the other guys lawyer has found a loophole or a chink in your armor, your done. Contrary to what they want you to believe, Insurance companies do not have your best interests at heart. They have their interests at heart. I don't have a grudge or anything with ins. companies. It's just a fact of life. some people choose accounting to make a living. Some people choose theatre. And some people choose insurance. their job is to make as much money as possible and to pay out as little as possible. how many of us have had a minor car accident and did not report it for fear of our rates going up? Show of hands please...... 1, 2, 17, 345, 1277. Right. Having an insurance policy may protect you....or it may make you a target. In the event of an *incident*, the insurance companies go looking for the party with the deepest pockets that they can hang the blame on. That's why, when there is an accident, everyone, including the janitor, gets named in the lawsuit. Then the ins. folks start looking for who has money. If you are sitting there with a 5 million dollar insurance policy, they may start taking a closer look at you. to have or not have an insurance policy is not a question for companies. I have insurance. Lots of it. I spend over $50K a year on it. Fortunately, I almost never have to use it. For a freelancer though, it's a different story. Not only are there $$$ issues but there are plenty of legal ones also. Including the legality of your 1099-Independent Contractor status. My recommendation is that you talk to professionals in the business that you know and trust. And by professionals I mean an insurance person and a lawyer. All the info you get from us theatre types is purely anecdotal and may not (probably isn't) accurate for your situation. Neil Huff runs an insurance company called Prism. he's the agent for ESTA. You might want to talk to him. (Not all of you, please. He'd kill me) Zat help? Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile We stand behind, and under, our work. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:30:43 +0000 Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer From: Tony Miller Message-ID: > I have a question for others that freelance in the US > on the list. How many people carry any type of > liability insurance for yourself for work? You surprise me that in such a litigious society it is not common practice to carry at the very least Public Liability Insurance. It is common here in Europe and pretty cheap too. I have the equivalent of about $4million for about $100. Just think of the lawsuits if something you built or a lantern you rigged fell onto the talent. Stay safe Tony Miller. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 14:35:26 +0000 (GMT) From: Charlie Richmond Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Tony Miller wrote: > You surprise me that in such a litigious society it is not common practice > to carry at the very least Public Liability Insurance. It is common here in You've probably identified the reason right there! Liability Insurance of almost every type has become incrediby expensive in the US and for companies operating in the US. This is one of the main reasons we have shut down our US division... > Europe and pretty cheap too. I have the equivalent of about $4million for > about $100. Just think of the lawsuits if something you built or a lantern > you rigged fell onto the talent. Check with your broker how much it was cost you if you operated in the US.. you may be amazed.... Charlie ------------------------------ From: "Karl G. Ruling" Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 09:43:14 -0500 Subject: Re: piano tuning Reply-to: kruling [at] esta.org Message-ID: <4200A0B2.1214.2FAF56 [at] localhost> In-reply-to: > > >He says it was in tune. Beyond that, we know nothing. To which, Chris Babbie wrote: > Which is why I asked the question in the first place. No, if I go to > a show and I have Jeff Haskell coming in to play the piano for a > client, I will, without fail, have the piano tuned after it has been > placed where Jeff will play it. If I don't, jeff will not play, > because the piano WILL be out of tune. He will know it, and I will > know it. Even if he IS playing for a Caterpillar Tractor conventions > (BTW, this never happens) and they haven't a clue, it will be painful > for both of us, and the tuning is worth it just for that. For the > record, it is pretty SOP to have a piano tuned for any performance > after it has been moved. Yes, in my experience it is standard operating procedure to have a piano tuned before any performance. In my experience this was done whether or not it had been moved. I'm curious about what would be proper qualifications for a person to decide that a piano is in tune? In a previous occupation, when I was responsible for getting the piano on stage, getting myself and the crew off the stage so the piano tuner could do his work in quiet, and then stage managing the concert, I had many occasions to hear a performer complain about the terrible tuning of our freshly-tuned piano. Was the piano tuner not qualified to say it was in tune when he finished, or was the performer not qualified to complain about the tuning? Is there anywhere a third-party certification program that will confer on a person the indisputable authority to judge the tuning of a piano? I don't know of one, and I don't know how useful that would be anyway. In that previous job, I tried to make the performer happy; that never included telling the performer that he was wrong. > I will not say that iis is impossible to > move a grand with a forklift and not effect the tune, but if it > happened, I want to tell the story at many bars, and I want to have my > facts straight. "The janitor thought that the pie-anuh sounded real > good after we ddrug it up on the stage with the backhoe" is not as > good a story, you see. Why do you disparage the musical ability of janitors? Let us not forget that Charles Ives ran an insurance company for a living. In regard to Ives, there is an interesting story about his father, George, from whom Charles is said to have learned about polytonality. George Ives supposedly was inspired to experiment with quarter tones by the out-of-tune church bells of the First Congregational Church next to his home. That's a better bar story than lifting a piano with a forklift. Who cares if it's true? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 09:50:56 -0500 (EST) From: Boyd Ostroff Cc: kruling [at] esta.org Subject: Re: piano tuning In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Karl G. Ruling wrote: > I'm curious about what would be proper qualifications for a person to > decide that a piano is in tune? We have an arrangement with Yamaha to be our offical piano and use a tuner which they specify. But in addition we've got various other people who have established their credentials over the years with us as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra. However you might want to investigate the "Piano Technicians Guild" regarding certification, etc: http://www.ptg.org/index.html | Boyd Ostroff | Director of Design and Technology | Opera Company of Philadelphia | http://tech.operaphilly.com | ostroff [at] operaphilly.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:18:16 -0500 Subject: Re: piano tuning From: John McKernon Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > Is there anywhere a third-party certification program that > will confer on a person the indisputable authority to judge the > tuning of a piano? I doubt it, but I do know that some tuners use electronic tuning meters to ensure their accuracy. Of course, some pianos (usually those which haven't been tuned in years) simply can't be brought to "correct" pitch, in which case the tuner will make all of the notes correct in relation to each other, so the piano at least sounds coherent. Fortunately, most concert grands are kept in pretty good tune, so a truly accurate pitch is easy to get. - John ------------------------------ Message-Id: Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:36:24 -0500 From: "LES LIND" Subject: Re: piano tuning I've heard the argument that a piano sounds better tuned with a tuning fork as apposed to the electronic meters. Now I'm not a pianist, just a janitor in real life. Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 10:46:27 EST Subject: Re: piano tuning In a message dated 2/2/05 10:38:58 AM, lindl [at] nesd.k12.pa.us writes: >I've heard the argument that a piano sounds better tuned with a tuning >fork as apposed to the electronic meters. Now I'm not a pianist, just a >janitor in real life. there are two issues here, , , real pitch and tempering, depends on the tuner as to how they do it to get to the correct tempered pitch, my fav tuner here in Tampa Bay, , ( he does everything for the Florida Orchestra ) does use an electronic "tuner" BUT then relies on his own trained ear to temper the piano to the proper intonation best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ From: "Karl G. Ruling" Cc: ostroff [at] operaphilly.com (Boyd Ostroff) Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:48:02 -0500 Subject: Re: piano tuning Reply-to: kruling [at] esta.org Message-ID: <4200AFE2.9588.6B00F1 [at] localhost> In-reply-to: References: > However you might want to investigate the "Piano Technicians Guild" > regarding certification, etc: Thanks. I'm sure our tuners were certified. My experience was at a couple of fairly fussy music schools in California. (I didn't have to do the piano tuning contracting then, and I'm not looking for a piano tuner now.) ------------------------------ From: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 16:04:48 GMT Subject: Re: piano tuning Message-Id: <20050202.080536.27549.66094 [at] webmail05.lax.untd.com> OK, but will 'Concert A' be set at 440hz, as it is in the US, or 442hz? /s/ Richard Fortunately, most concert grands are kept in pretty good tune, so a truly accurate pitch is easy to get. - John ------------------------------ Message-ID: <4200FD30.477431F7 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 11:17:52 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer References: Michael Heinicke wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > I have a question for others that freelance in the US > on the list. How many people carry any type of > liability insurance for yourself for work? > While I trust that the company insurance at my full > time job SHOULD cover me if there is an accident (I > hope), what happens when I am freelancing and there is > an accident involving something I built? Especially if > I am working for an individual or small group that may > not have much or any insurance. > I have a couple of potential projects coming up that > would have me building stuff that will need to last > longer than typical scenery and that will leave my > control once I am done, unlike my previous freelance > experience. While I do my best to compensate for > potential problems, there are always people that do > something stupid or the unforeseen problem. > I did a search of the archives and it seems the brief > mention of this type of problem suggested an the > solution of an LLC with proper insurance. > Comments or suggestions anyone? > > Thanks, > Mike H I was working a conference the other day, and one of the presentations was on protecting your assets from a lawsuit. It boiled down to a few things. First, do your protection activities prior to the incident, anything done afterwards can be revoked by the judge. Declare a homestead on your home. This varies by state so consult a local attorney on how to do this. Put your assets into a trust, ( Not a realty trust, but a real trust. ) With yourself and your family as beneficiaries and yourself as the trustee. Again, work with a local financial attorney to do this. Get some liability insurance, make sure that the fine print doesn't have too many exclusions. The goal is to make you not an attractive 'deep pockets' target. Most of these ambulance chasers are working on a percentage of the final award, so by making yourself more difficult to extract money from, you protect yourself from them. Having a large insurance coverage puts the deep pockets over with the insurance company, who has lawyers on staff to fight this. But always remember that those lawyers work for the insurance company, not for you. There was a lot more, but I wasn't taking notes. --Dale ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:21:31 EST Subject: Re: piano tuning In a message dated 2/2/05 11:07:06 AM, ladesigners [at] juno.com writes: >OK, but will 'Concert A' be set at 440hz, as it is in the US, or 442hz? >/s/ Richard I am aware of it being as high as 444hz with some major European Orchestras best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" Subject: RE: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:52:08 -0500 There is a good book, The Business of Theatrical Design (ISBN 1-58115-248-5) by James L. Moody that covers a lot of this. It is not the most exciting reading and you can figure out "who done it" before the end, but it does give a lot of good information especially for those that are free lancing. Steve Waxler Technical Director College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" Subject: RE: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:58:06 -0500 Along the same line that Bill was talking about, the deep pockets, when you are starting out and don't own more than your ipod then insurance becomes a risk assessment. When you grow up and have cars and houses and all the other silly things we buy then it is also a risk assessment but the decision may be different. Steve Waxler Technical Director College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" Subject: RE: piano tuning Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:06:16 -0500 We have piano tuners on staff and they work their way through the Conservatory doing all the performance venues and studios. The performance venues get extra care. Often a piano is moved during a performance and it is not possible to retune at that point. Steve Waxler Technical Director College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati -----Original Message----- From: Boyd Ostroff [mailto:ostroff [at] operaphilly.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:51 AM To: Stagecraft Cc: kruling [at] esta.org Subject: Re: piano tuning For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Karl G. Ruling wrote: > I'm curious about what would be proper qualifications for a person to > decide that a piano is in tune? We have an arrangement with Yamaha to be our offical piano and use a tuner which they specify. But in addition we've got various other people who have established their credentials over the years with us as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra. However you might want to investigate the "Piano Technicians Guild" regarding certification, etc: http://www.ptg.org/index.html | Boyd Ostroff | Director of Design and Technology | Opera Company of Philadelphia | http://tech.operaphilly.com | ostroff [at] operaphilly.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:10:59 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: piano tuning Message-id: <420109A3.844FF460 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- Often a piano is moved during a performance and it > is not possible to retune at that point. We had that happen during a dress rehearsal for "Rhapsody in Blue." The soloist scooted along with the piano, not missing a note, until the conductor stopped for some other reason. It was hard to hide the smiles and giggles in the orchestra from the very upset pianist. Steve Litterst -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: <15b.49cd4cfc.2f32641f [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:13:03 EST Subject: Re: piano tuning In a message dated 2/2/05 12:12:14 PM, slitterst [at] ithaca.edu writes: >We had that happen during a dress rehearsal for "Rhapsody in Blue." >The soloist scooted along with the piano, not missing a note, until >the conductor stopped for some other reason. It was hard to hide the >smiles and giggles in the orchestra from the very upset pianist. > >Steve Litterst choreography for the piano during the piece ? I thought Keith Emerson was the only one to do that, , best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001e01c5094c$e7242f80$0100a8c0 [at] tricia> From: "Joker7" References: Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 17:30:34 -0000 Here in the UK we can get £3million public liability insurance for around £18 UKP I thunk thats about $9 from BECTU. If anyone in the UK want's to know more: http://www.bectu.org.uk/about/mem/pli_desc.html Chris Ps: BECTU is union for all working within the broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment,ect. ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1ec.33d54f8c.2f326acc [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:41:32 EST Subject: Re: HOT DMX! In a message dated 02/02/05 02:31:05 GMT Standard Time, jdurand [at] interstellar.com writes: > Reading through the new spec. and see a comment that "It is recommended > termination components be chosen to withstand continuous voltages of at > least 30 VAC 50Hz/42 VDC." > > Aside from the fact that a typical MAX485 transceiver chip is only good for > about 12VDC, 42VDC across a 120 ohm termination resistor is 14.7W! > > I will hereby state that we do not intend to put 15W resistors and cooling > fans in our devices. :) > > So, anybody actually do this? Call it a wise precaution, but some sort of voltage limitation device is usually fitted to inputs fed from long lines. One way to do this would be to divide the termination into three, and fit diodes from the intermediate points to the power rails, so that if these try to go outside them the voltage is clamped. There are many other ways. Frank Wood ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <3448DA2A-7544-11D9-8CFE-000D936BFA94 [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: 1" Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:59:37 -0500 > 1 inch bigger than the door frame? Yowtch! > > Andrew For some odd reason the backstage door is the shortest door in the entire high school (1 block shorter than most). Every choral riser and orchestra shell needs tipped to clear. I am off by 1/2" on the shell and 1" on the risers. I can't tell you how many time I have been tempted to sawsall 3 inch wide notch in the frame to accommodate. It is a fire rated door so don't worry Doom, I won't actually do it. ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.0.14.0.20050202100332.041b87c0 [at] localhost> Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:08:43 -0800 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: HOT DMX! In-Reply-To: References: At 09:41 AM 2/2/2005, you wrote: >Call it a wise precaution, but some sort of voltage limitation device is >usually fitted to inputs fed from long lines. One way to do this would be to >divide the termination into three, and fit diodes from the intermediate >points to >the power rails, so that if these try to go outside them the voltage is >clamped. There are many other ways. That's fine for receivers, not so go for transmitters and RDM (all ports are both receiver and transmitter). I would guess PTC thermistor fuses in the lines with voltage clamps on the circuit side of the fuses. Assuming you don't have total isolation, ground is troublesome. You really don't want that fuse to open first. The DMX512-A spec. recommends a 2W, 100 ohm resistor from the cable common to ground on receivers only. Transmitters are to be hard-grounded. Not sure what you would do for RDM (transceiver). Also, that 2W, 100 ohm resistor doesn't meet their own "continuos 42VDC" requirement. ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ Subject: ETC LA open house Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 10:31:26 -0800 Message-ID: From: "Joe Golden" ETC and USITT SoCal cordially invite you to an ETC open house: Lighting Event and Student mixer Come for the moment or come for the day. Come with questions. Come to be educated. This is a day for you!!! =20 What you'll see: Source Four Revolution Smartfade Smartbar Smartpak Emphasis ETCNet 2 =20 =20 When: Saturday February 12, 2005 10am-8pm Student mixer 2pm-4pm Food and drink will be provided =20 Where: University of Southern California Bing Theatre USC is located near the intersection of the 10 and 110 freeways =20 Time: 10am-8pm =20 R.S.V.P.: David West 323-461-0216 by February 9 2005 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:51:02 -0500 From: Cosmo Catalano Subject: Rents Message-id: <62D36D0C-754B-11D9-AFD7-000D936C1414 [at] williams.edu> We've has some discussion regarding rentals for productions. Does anyone have a situation where you have long term tenants, say over the course of a summer season? Cosmo ------------------------------ Message-id: Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 13:59:55 -0500 Subject: Archives Problem and Tool Question From: "Robert D. Ingram" References: In-Reply-To: Good Day Everyone, Has anyone noticed a problem with searching the archives recently? I know we've covered the topic of "tools to outfit a scene shop" a few times recently, but I haven't been able to pull any archived messages. If anyone has an outline for a scene shop tool list, or where I can find one (I know one of the trade mags did this last year - 3 levels of outfitting based on budget, but I can't seem to remember which mag did it), could you please email me off list. Thanks for the bandwidth, back to the sidelines. Rob Robert Ingram Signature Program Technical Director and Media Services Technician James Hubert Blake High School 300 Norwood Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20905 Main: 301-879-1300 Office: 301-879-1335 Fax: 301-879-1306 Email: Robert_D_Ingram [at] fc.mcps.k12.md.us ------------------------------ Message-ID: <420026BB.F6443F78 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 20:02:51 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Rough Cut Lumber References: Heather Hillhouse-Deans wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Hi All- > Thanks so much for the good information- it will make things much > easier! A little more info for those who asked.... > > The actual platform will be a castered 2x4 framed, 3/4" ply decked unit, > with 5-1/2" rough cut lumber planking on top of the ply. It also has 6 > 1' square columns of various heights, the tallest is 5'. It is a > representation of a slave ship for "The Colored Museum". Most of the > cast is dressed, or not, appropriate, so the costumes won't be a huge > issue. Splinters might be, but its a small unit and I don't think they > will actually be ON the unit- I'm working on that. > > The supplier is cutting the pieces to size, and refers to it as "green". > Poplar. They do have dry, but it is more costly, and I don't have the > budget (the projections ate my budget....) for it. The show opens on > Feb 18th, and only runs 2 weekends, so I don't have to worry much about > long term issues. Splits/Cracks are an issue, but a tolerable one. > > I have worked w/ rough cut and green lumber before, but not much, so I > appreciate all the comments and thoughts! > Thanks- > Heather For something that is only running two weekends, don't worry about it. Just have one of the carps check it over before each performance to hammer down any protruding nails. Dismantle after the show and store the wood in your lumber rack to dry out. --Dale ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.0.0.25.2.20050202155015.01d854e8 [at] 212.86.129.164> Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 16:00:16 -0500 From: Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions Subject: Re: DMX512-A In-Reply-To: At 05:44 PM 2/1/2005 -0800, you wrote: >A note for people shipping things, putting a soft-bound book (like the DMX >spec.) in a padded envelope and then shipping by UPS results in a crumpled >spec. Better to ship padded envelopes by US Mail, cheaper, too. The advantage to the vendor of UPS over USPS is the free tracking and insurance (up to $100 value). A priority mail envelope with insurance and delivery confirmation added is $5.60 - more than UPS I expect. Without those services a customer could claim he never received the envelope, and dispute the charge on his credit card bill. If the spec was free, then sure - mail is the way to go. But this would all be moot had the product been packaged in more protective enclosure . . . Nathan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Look Solutions USA, Ltd. 114 W. Third St. Waynesboro, PA 17268 Toll-Free: 1-800-426-4189 Phone: 1-717-762-7490 Fax: 1-717-762-7366 Company Email: usa [at] looksolutions.com Personal Email: nk [at] looksolutions.com Web: www.looksolutions.com and www.fogspecs.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001301c5096f$a9662270$6501a8c0 [at] Toshiba2> From: "John D. Palmer" Cc: mharvey [at] d.umn.edu Subject: RE: Automated fixture comparison Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 13:39:23 -0800 I have seen a side by side comparison. The Revolution was brighter in no color. It was quieter when moving. I did notice the gel string noise mentioned earlier, but I feel that this can be minimized with a full size clear frame and moving the gel string at a slower rate. The Modular options are good. The price point is great. The setup is very easy. As is providing it power. Now, I haven't yet had a chance to play with the Revolution in a theatre, but I am looking forward to it. All of the above, IMHO. See ya, John D. Palmer Palmer & Company Design & Production (213) 453-1547 ------------------------------ From: "Jonathan S. Deull" Subject: RE: Archives Problem and Tool Question Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 17:43:06 -0500 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: ...If anyone has an outline for a scene shop tool list, or where I can find one (I know one of the trade mags did this last year - 3 levels of outfitting based on budget, but I can't seem to remember which mag did it), could you please email me off list.... Please do it on list. Jonathan Deull Edmund Burke School ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Waxler, Steve (waxlers)" Subject: RE: Archives Problem and Tool Question Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 18:06:21 -0500 So much of it depends on how you build and how many floks you have working in the shop at the same time. Steve Waxler Technical Director College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati -----Original Message----- From: Jonathan S. Deull [mailto:jdeull [at] clarktransfer.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 5:43 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: Archives Problem and Tool Question For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- ...If anyone has an outline for a scene shop tool list, or where I can find one (I know one of the trade mags did this last year - 3 levels of outfitting based on budget, but I can't seem to remember which mag did it), could you please email me off list.... Please do it on list. Jonathan Deull Edmund Burke School ------------------------------ Message-ID: <42016268.5010707 [at] fuse.net> Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 18:29:44 -0500 From: Stuart Wheaton Subject: Re: Archives Problem and Tool Question References: In-Reply-To: Waxler, Steve (waxlers) wrote: how many floks you have working > in the shop at the same time. Floks? When I was there it was one sheep at a time! Baa! Baa! ;-) Stu ------------------------------ Message-Id: In-Reply-To: References: Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 18:40:59 -0500 From: Steve Boone Subject: Re: Ronnie Reagan (was Rough Cut Lumber) That one's called _The Hasty Heart_ by John Patrick. Oddly enough, I've worked on it twice!!! Steve Boone Bowling Green State Univ. At 3:00 AM -0800 2/2/05, mo wrote: >Oh so many years ago, I got a steal of a deal on fresh from the mill >rough cut green 2x4s for that play that starred Ronnie Reagan in the >Burmese jungle RAF hospital (the name escapes me). ------------------------------ Message-ID: In-Reply-To: From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 18:37:28 -0500 I am in "not so sunny" Florida - its raining. Here is a short reply before I go get something to eat. You, of course, should talk to an attorney about your particular situation and what liabilities you will have in the case of an accident. If you are working as an individual, and someone sues you, they can go after your personal posessions. Incorporating is one way to help protect your assests. Your attorney will probably discuss "pearsing the corporate vail" and what that means. Insuraqnce is something that you do both for yourself and your clients. If there is an accident - it protects your assets up to the limit of your policy, but it also protects your clients because they have a means of getting compensated for the accident. This is one reason many states require car owners to carry insurance. IMHO, people will look at you differently (more positively) if they know that you are bonded or insured. Also, you will probably sleep better. I have never filed a business insurance claim. No one wants to use their insurance. But, if you ever need it, you will certainly be glad that you have it. That my opinion. OK, off to dinner. -Delbert Delbert L. Hall 423-773-HALL (4255) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 18:42:40 -0500 Subject: Re: Ronnie Reagan (was Rough Cut Lumber) From: Herrick Goldman Message-ID: In-Reply-To: The "Hasty Heart" is a great show! It was my final appearance as an actor. I can name all the books of the bible because of that show. Pretty good for one of the Tribe. I've done it twice too. _H On 2/2/05 6:40 PM, "Steve Boone" wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > That one's called _The Hasty Heart_ by John Patrick. Oddly enough, > I've worked on it twice!!! > -- Herrick Goldman Lighting Designer, NYC www.HGLightingDesign.com 917-797-3624 "To the scores of silent alchemists who wreak their joy in darkness and in light bringing magic to life, we bow most humbly. "-CDS ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <7a.6c295705.2f32c0b5 [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 18:48:05 EST Subject: Re: piano tuning In a message dated 02/02/05 16:07:06 GMT Standard Time, ladesigners [at] juno.com writes: > OK, but will 'Concert A' be set at 440hz, as it is in the US, or 442hz? > /s/ Richard > > Fortunately, most concert grands are kept in pretty good tune, so a truly > accurate pitch is easy to get. 440Hz is the international standard, but in the earlier years of the last century, it could be a lot higher, some times. Brass bands were often a whole semitone sharp, and the instruments were made to sound at that pitch. As you will imagine, this caused problems when they had to combine with more conventionally tuned instruments. It still causes problems for people trying to buy instruments on the cheap. Often, these were built for the higher pitch, and you have to stretch your clarinet a bit at the joints, and then lip the notes into tune. OK if you're a good player and have a good ear. Back to pianos. It has always been a slight mystery to me why moving a piano disturbs the tuning, as the myth has it. The tuning is determined almost entirely by the string tensions. Since the strings are attached at either end to a heavy, rigid, cast iron frame, the tensions are unlikely to change much. True, the strings bear down on the bridge, which is attached to the soundboard, but this in turn is attached to the iron frame, as it has to be to take the downloads of the strings. With a wooden framed piano or harpsichord, it's another question. These don't have the same rigidity. Indeed, you will often see a continuo harpsichordist fiddling with the tuning in the interval of an opera. Myself, I think it is due to environment changes. Cast iron and high-tensile steel have slightly different coefficients of expansion: the wood of a soundboard is sensitive to changes in humidity, as may be the felts on the hammers. All these may conspire to upset the tuning, especially as all the intervals apart from the octave are very slightly out of tune. Is there a piano tuner in the house? Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 00:17:18 +0000 Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer From: Tony Miller Message-ID: > This is one reason many states > require car owners to carry insurance. Only 'many states', what happens if you you have a crash that is someone else's fault in one of the other states? Tony Miller. ------------------------------ From: MissWisc [at] aol.com Message-ID: Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 19:57:11 EST Subject: Re: Slightly OT: Insurance and the freelancer Cc: tony.miller10 [at] btopenworld.com In a message dated 2/2/5 6:17:06 PM, tony.miller10 [at] btopenworld.com writes: << Only 'many states', what happens if you you have a crash that is someone else's fault in one of the other states? >> No need to worry... within a few days you'll have several dozen solications from various attorneys willing to take your case. (UGH!) Count me in the "if I can handle it without my car insurance company neeing to be bothered, I will" group. I was hit last fall. Would have taken longer to get an adjuster out to LOOK at my car than it did to get it fixed and send the guy who hit me the bill. Kristi ------------------------------ Message-ID: <004101c5098d$2a011580$0800000a [at] Tony> From: "Tony" References: Subject: Re: DMX512-A Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 01:10:31 -0000 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nathan Kahn/Look Solutions" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:00 PM Subject: Re: DMX512-A > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > At 05:44 PM 2/1/2005 -0800, you wrote: > >A note for people shipping things, putting a soft-bound book (like the DMX > >spec.) in a padded envelope and then shipping by UPS results in a crumpled > >spec. Better to ship padded envelopes by US Mail, cheaper, too. > > The advantage to the vendor of UPS over USPS is the free tracking and > insurance (up to $100 value). A priority mail envelope with insurance and > delivery confirmation added is $5.60 - more than UPS I expect. Without > those services a customer could claim he never received the envelope, and > dispute the charge on his credit card bill. > > If the spec was free, then sure - mail is the way to go. > > But this would all be moot had the product been packaged in more protective > enclosure . . . > > Nathan > I'm actually awaiting a package that was sent from New York to the UK by USPS in early December.....! A 6-pack of Shure drum mic's. NOT at all impressed, and seriously out of pocket now!!! Ynot ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.0.6.2.20050202211011.0202a618 [at] mail.DesignRelief.com> Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 21:20:35 -0600 From: Mitch Hefter Subject: Re: DMX512-A In-Reply-To: References: Jerry Durand wrote: >I just received my copy of the new DMX512-A spec., guess I'll be doing a >little light reading tonight. > >A note for people shipping things, putting a soft-bound book (like the DMX >spec.) in a padded envelope and then shipping by UPS results in a crumpled >spec. Better to ship padded envelopes by US Mail, cheaper, too. Message passed on to the USITT office. Thank you. BTW, there is now a DMX512 FAQ on the USITT Web Site: http://www.usitt.org/standards/DMX512_FAQ.html Much of this material has been derived from correspondence on this list, as well as the 6 year revision process which included over 955 comments. . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Hefter mitch.hefter [at] DesignRelief.com ESTA / USITT DMX512 Revision (ANSI E1.11) Task Group Chair USITT Engineering Vice-Commissioner, DMX512 Subcommittee Chair Office: Entertainment Technology / a Division of the Genlyte Group mhefter [at] genlyte.com ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #281 *****************************