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    Blog Series: Designer Profiles

    REND COLLECTIVE ROCKING THE NEXUS

    REND COLLECTIVE, rocking with NEXUS 4x4s!  Check it out!

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    SUNRISE, FL – When lighting designer Tyler Santangelo decided that floating diamonds would look better than squares on the stage for the Irish Christian experimental group Rend Collective, he simply adjusted the Nexus panels on his rig and created a new look. This was the first (but certainly not the last) time that Santangelo got to appreciate the versatility of the intense COB LED panels from CHAUVET Professional.

    As the LD on the Rend Collective tour, which has crisscrossed the globe from Sioux Falls to West Sussex and Manhattan to Budapest, Santangelo has frequently called on the Nexus panels to create new looks to fit different venues and keep pace with spontaneous flow of the group’s performance.

    Rend Collective, which reached the top of the Billboard Christian Album charts (and number 13 overall) in 2014, has played in venues ranging from small churches to large arenas. “At the start of the tour, I knew that given the wide variety of stage sizes we’d be dealing with, we would need a lighting rig that was not only road worthy, but also very flexible,” said Santangelo. “The Nashville office at 4Wall Entertainment worked closely with me to put together a rig that was simple, easy to transport and very flexible. Nexus panels were at its center from day one.”

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    Santangelo makes frequent use of his rig’s flexibility as the tour stops at its widely varied mix of venues. “At most stops we use 10 Nexus 4×4 panels on four towers, which really fills out the stage nicely,” said the LD. “However, we’re often in a position where we have to use only half or fewer of the Nexus panels. Yet we’re still able to create an interesting looking show, because of the output and versatility of the Nexus panels make the stage look full – plus we have full 53-channel control, which gives us the capability to match our design to Rend’s songs. We use a Martin M1 Console, and other additions included TMB 4-lite Punch Lites, Leprecon ULD-360 Dimmers, and Lex Distros with the ability to switch between single and three phase to program the rig.”

    The color rendering capabilities of the Nexus panels also create an engaging look on stage through various venues. “We’ve used the full spectrum of colors, but we’ve tried to stick mainly with warm colors such as amber and CTC,” said Santangelo. “I’ve been amazed by the colors from the Nexus. None of the colors were off from some of my other LED fixtures on stage. It was nice to have matching reds and blues.”

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    The low power draw of the Nexus was also critical to the versatility of the touring rig. “I had to make sure the show could go on whether we had lots of power or were plugging into a couple of sockets in a wall,” said Santangelo. “The Nexus panels allowed me to fill a lot of space on stage using low amounts of power — not to mention, they can get so bright! It was nice to have so much color on stage.”

    A dynamic six-member group that seems to be constantly moving on stage, changing positions relative to one another and engaging the audience with unexpected actions, Rend Collective also created a special set of demands that called for a flexible lighting rig. As anyone who’s ever been to one of the group’s concerts will attest, these are artists who believe in their message and relish the opportunity to engage the audience with spontaneous actions.

    This exuberant spontaneity provides audiences with a memorable experience, but it also creates challenges for a lighting designer. “It’s incredibly fun and rewarding to be involved in this tour, and part of the reason is that it does present some cool creative challenges,” said Santangelo. “Right from the start, I knew we needed a lot of versatility on this tour. This is where the Nexus panels came in handy. Whether I used a single light on a panel or all 16 lights, I was able to do so many different things with the Nexus. I could make the fixture look identical to a blinder in one of Rend’s songs, then turn it into a vertical LED strip for another number.”

    The intense output of the Nexus panel added to its versatility, according to Santangelo.
    “At full output, this fixture is stunning,” said the LD. “I saved 100% as a cool effect such as when there were sudden pops or a Capella blinder type moment. If the band was in a standalone calm moment, I ran the fixture anywhere from 5%-20%. This allowed me to keep the focus off of the fixtures but still wash the stage with some amazing colors.

    “Then, when the band did a more upbeat song, I ran the panels anywhere from 40%-75%, which still kept them in background, but delivered a powerful impact to the stage,” continued Santangelo. “If you ask me to describe what the Nexus does, I couldn’t give you a simple answer, because it does so much – it’s as limitless as your creativity. When you want a small rig for a band that has a large personality and an extensive musical repertoire, the Nexus can be your best friend.”

    For more information on 4Wall Entertainment visit www.4wall.com
    For more information on Tyler Santangelo visit www.tylersantangelo.com
    For more information on Rend Collective visit www.rendcollective.com

    Squeek Lights Has Gone ROGUE!

    Victor Zeiser of Squeek Lights has gone ROGUE!!  Check it out!

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    LONG ISLAND CITY, NY – With over a million albums sold, Canadian post-hardcore group Silverstein has defied expectations as well as easy categorizations. Moving seamlessly from reflective emo tunes to pop punk power chords, these young artists are bent on keeping their creative options open. This independent streak is enthusiastically shared by the band’s LD Victor Zeiser.

    Wanting to expand his creative direction as a lighting designer, Zeiser recently started his own rental company, Squeek Lights, and purchased his own gear so he could pursue his unique design vision. Included in this mix of fixtures are a collection of Rogue R1 Spot moving heads and COLORdash Batten-Quad 6 linear washes from CHAUVET Professional.

    Zeiser is using both of these CHAUVET Professional LED products to stunning effect on Silverstein’s current “Discovering the Waterfront” 10th Anniversary Tour. “After getting stuck with limited options on a couple tours, I decided I wanted to invest in getting some modern lighting on my own, so Squeek Lights was born,” said the LD.

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    On the 2015 Silverstein tour, Zeiser has included ten Rogue R1 Spot and six COLORdash Batten-Quad 6 fixtures. He uses the fixtures to backlight the band and illuminate scenic elements and lend rich theatrical colors to the stage.

    “The band has a wall of amps on either side of the drum riser, so I decided the best way to navigate this was by building a pipe and base goal post behind each amp wall so I could have lights peeking over the amps,” he said. “We positioned the fixtures 6 feet high, which allows me to use them as low backlights on the band or shoot beams up into the space, depending on the music.”

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    In addition to the Rogue R1 Spots on the amp wall, Zeiser positioned four of the moving spot fixtures on the stage floor “to fill things out.” He flips these fixtures around at points during the concert to highlight the front of the amp wall. “The prism in the R1 helps me get a really wide beam, which is great on this tour, because of how close the fixtures are to the amps,” he explained. “A thing that I really like about the Rogue’s 3-faceted prism is that it gives me the versatility to do either tight beam looks, or blow things wide open and fill the stage with light.”

    Zeiser uses the COLORdash Batten-Quad 6 for “a mix of eye candy,” as well as for its strobe and blinder capabilities. “I wanted something with great saturated colors and a lot of punch to use as a sidelight,” said the LD. “The amber is deeper on the COLORdashes than it is on some of the other fixtures out there, and that gives me a warm color. I like that because I really like to fake a tungsten look. I decided to go with the bar format of the fixture, because this allows me to use it as eye candy – as I do on this tour – or as a wash.”

    Backlighting and front lighting from Rogue R1 Spot, along with the lush colors of the COLORdash Batten-Quads help Zeiser lend a theatrical touch to the Silverstein performances, a quality that highlights the band’s multi-faceted music.

    “With post-hardcore bands it’s easy to fall into the pattern of strobe, strobe and strobe some more! However, I try to ease back from that and focus on making big looks, with lots of front light, to keep the show clean,” said the LD. “This band runs around a lot on stage, and I feel it is important to keep the focus on them. To keep it interesting during break downs and bridges we do some fun silhouette looks. One of my favorite moments in the show is when 4 of the R1s silhouette the singer in a big amber beam, and then snap to white and strobe on a drum fill into the chorus.”

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    For the Silverstein tour, Zeiser is using an Avo Quartz to control his rig. “It’s been treating me well,” he said. “The small size of the console makes it perfect for this size tour, but it has the power of a full desk.”

    Silverstein’s musical range is well known and much appreciated by the group’s legion of fans. During their concerts, the Canadian-based musicians can go from a brooding emotional sound to a thunderous runaway freight train riff in the blink of an eye. It’s the job of his lightshow, says Zeiser, to keep up with this musical whirlwind.

    “The lightshow is really there to support and enhance the show,” he said. “There are very distinctive moods to many of the songs and I try to create an environment for each of the songs to live in. There is a moment in the show when the stage goes dark except for the six R1s on the goal posts. At this point, the bass player starts egging the crowd on to shout along with him. Then the lights push up into the crowd, creating this really great effect, where it feels like there is no separation between the crowd and the stage. As a designer, you always feel great when lighting engages the audience like that.”

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    Steve Lieberman’s YUMA TENT Design, with NEXUS, at COACHELLA!

    Steve Lieberman, EDM’s lighting rockstar, has created another amazing experience for the Coachella crowd using NEXUS Aw 7×7 from CHAUVET Professional!  Check it out!

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    INDIO, CA – With 163 acts serving up an array of great music from rap to pop to EDM to classic rock and a plethora of other styles, Coachella has aptly been described as a “forest of festivals.” Dedicated techno house heads and dance music fans had no trouble finding their way through this musical forest at the 2015 version of the festival. They headed straight for the Yuma Tent, where house bumping heavyweights chugged away for hours on end in an eye-popping DJ Booth set off by a swarm of pixel mapped Nexus Aw 7×7 LED panels from CHAUVET Professional.

    Lighting designer Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting arranged 47 of the Nexus Aw 7×7 panels in front of the DJ booth to create a video surface that lent a club look to the performance area. The LD also deployed over 100 other high output fixtures throughout the tent, positioning moving beams in the upper sections of the ceiling and strobes along its rim. He also placed six giant mirror balls across the spine of the tent ceiling and a disco shark designed by Kevin McHugh in the center. The end result was a tent interior that had all of the mind searing energy of a Las Vegas nightclub.

    “We gave the tent the look and feel of a club, which made it a unique spot in the festival,” said Lieberman, who has designed many of the most famous and critically acclaimed nightclubs in the world. This made sense, since the Yuma Tent has been a paradise for club fans since it was introduced to Coachella in 2013.

    For much of the time during the festival, Lieberman ran his own lighting rig at the Yuma Tent with a grandMA Series 2 console. “I love this music and I love being involved on a hands-on level in lighting it,” he said. “I enjoyed working with the Nexus Aw 7×7 because of its output and super sharp beams. It also allowed me to get the kind of incandescent glowing look that contributes to a club atmosphere, but at the same time it’s an LED fixture with all the good stuff that entails. Plus it’s very versatile when you pixel map it.”

    This versatility was very much on display at the Yuma Tent. Lieberman used the panels to display breakout video patterns at key points during the different performances, in addition to having panels work as lighting effects and as marquee tickers to display text. “Versatility is key in an event like this, because you have so many artists taking their performances in so many different directions,” said Lieberman.

    Indeed, the renowned LD navigated his lighting rig through some astounding musical twists and turns at Coachella as a full array of club music artistry was on display inside the Yuma Tent, including old-school three-hour back-to-back sets from icons Danny Tenaglia and Carl Craig, who dropped an unforgettable remix of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams. On the other side of the spectrum was the hard mechanical experimental house chugging of the UK’s Jon Hopkins. Through it all Lieberman’s rig kept pace, providing the crowd with a complete club experience in the middle of Coachella.

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    For more information on SJ Lighting visit www.sjlighting.net

    Lighting Designer Rachel Miller Makes Lucid Candy

    Lighting Designer Rachel Jaime Miller from Kinetic Lighting in Culver City, CA made some awesome lumen magic with the COLORado 1-Quad Tour and her own mad skills! Check it out!

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    CULVER CITY, CA – Alternative artist Børns didn’t just perform for fans who turned out for Lucid Candy, a pre-concert event celebrating his Candy EP, he took them on a dream-like journey reminiscent of Alice’s fantastical walk through the Looking Glass. From the moment fans entered the event’s Playa Studios venue, they were swept up in a swirl of images, sensation and colors that sent their imaginations whirling in new directions. Lighting designer Rachel Miller used a collection of fixtures from CHAUVET Professional to add to the evocative power of the event, which was created by 72U and Mophonics Music & Sound.

    The magic Miller worked with lights was evident in the event’s mesmeric tunnel entrance, which visitors walked into after being presented with intriguing pill vials filled with M&M candy. With dry ice produced fog rising from the ground and flowing fabric covering the walls and ceiling, the tunnel gave visitors the feeling of walking into a dream. This effect was accentuated by Miller’s use of COLORado 1-Quad Tour RGBW LED wash fixtures to backlight the fabric.

    “We were able to achieve the artist’s vision of sunlight coming through the tunnel by lighting the sheets from behind with the COLORado 1-Quad Tours,” said Miller. “I added medium flood par lenses to the fronts of the fixtures to achieve a wider spread. We mixed the colors manually to get the precise shades the artist wanted.”

    Miller praised the color rendering capabilities of the COLORado 1-Quad Tour, which has color temperature presets from 3200 to 10000K and offers manual as well as DMX color mixing. “I use these fixtures as often as possible, because of their color,” she said. “In this case, the saturated hues and manual color mixing gave us the exact colors we wanted. Plus, since they’re LED fixtures, their low wattage made it easy to use a single circuit for all units.”

    After walking through the dreamy tunnel, visitors passed through a succession of rooms with images of clouds, psychedelic abstracts and a female astronaut, before entering a main room where Børns performed a number of songs from the Candy EP as well as some covers, like a steamy rendition of Elton John’s “Benny and The Jets.” Large white projection mapped cubes dominated the visuals for the band’s performance. Then during the DJ/iPod playback part of the event Miller used the Wash FX from CHAUVET DJ, a punchy wash light with 6 zones of control.

    “”We set the Wash FX to audio activated to stay within budget,” said Miller. “However, the room had a very rich exciting look. The Chauvet FXs were extremely helpful in giving me a full room wash with movement and color changes that match the mood of the music and the crowd. The client wanted to create an extraordinary experience, so the bar was set very high for this event and the lighting certainly didn’t disappoint.”

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    For more information on Kinetic Lighting visit: www.kineticlighting.com

    Cole Swindell Goes CHAUVET Professional!

    NASHVILLE –  Like many fans, lighting designer Justin Kitchenman of FadeUp Design Group and the team at Elite Multimedia were impressed with rising country music artist Cole Swindell when he opened for superstar Luke Bryan last year. They were in a good position to appreciate this emerging talent, since Kitchenman was the LD on the tour and Elite provided its lighting and video package. So when Swindell announced his current Ain’t Worth The Whisky tour, they were eager to put together a lighting package, which is precisely what they wound up doing in colorful fashion with some help from 44 ÉPIX Strip 2.0 units from CHAUVET Professional.

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    “We’ve had a great relationship with Justin and production manager James “Mo” Butts, who works with Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell,” said David Venus of Elite Multimedia. “Justin has used the ÉPIX strips in various rigs over the past few years.  He has found them to be a versatile, impactful video element that is easily deployed and extremely reliable. They worked great for him in the Luke Bryan tour, so it was pretty natural for him to include them in the Cole Swindell rig.”

    Like Bryan, the Country Music Association’s Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 2014, Swindell brings a high level of energy to his performances. Seeming to cover every inch of the stage as he jumps and struts from side to side, he captivates audiences with a heartfelt country sound that often veers into progressive territory.

    Keeping up with such a passionate performer requires an intense lightshow. Kitchenman delivered this and more with a collection of high output moving fixtures and the ÉPIX strips. Pixel mapped to display video images, the strips added a level of depth to the stage that provided a counter balance to the moving beams. The pixel mapped images were fed to the units via Kling-Net driven by a media server which was triggered by lighting cues on a grandMA2 Light. 

    “The ÉPIX strips are positioned both vertically and horizontally throughout the entire rig in pre-rig truss as a backdrop to the band,” said Venus. “They do a great job filling in space to make the design look much bigger. We ride the strips and pre-rig truss in set carts, so they don’t have to be torn down and setup every day.”

    Most of the ÉPIX strips in the “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” tour are positioned at a slight angle. Each strip is angled in the opposite direction of the one next to it to highlight the band on stage.

    Like a good country artist, the ÉPIX strips have earned praise from Nashville’s Venus for their rock solid performance.  “Overall we can rely on the ÉPIX Strips because they are a reasonable fixture that fills a lot of space in lighting rigs,” he said.  “We constantly have them working on tour and one-off shows without a problem. They help pull a lot of designs together.”

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    For more information on Elite Multimedia visit: www.elitemultimedia.com

    For more information on FadeUp Design visit: www.fadeupdesigngroup.com

     

    Steve Lieberman Uses NEXUS and EPIX for XS Las Vegas

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    LAS VEGAS – You have to stand out to stay ahead in Las Vegas; nowhere is this more apparent than at XS. The award-winning club at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas has led Nightclub & Bar’s Top 100 list for an unprecedented six years. Never one to rest on its laurels, the team at XS has continuously sought out new ways to provide guests with an unparalleled nightlife experience, whether it’s by bringing in the most sought-after DJs or taking a great lighting design to the next level of technology.

    Renowned nightclub Lighting Designer Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting is intimately familiar with the latter point. The creative force behind many leading nightclub lighting designs, Lieberman was engaged to work his magic on XS and give the club a new, more technology driven look. He met this challenge with a bold futuristic design that drew on the pixel mapping power of the Nexus Aw 7×7 warm white LED panels and ÉPIX Strip 2.0 LED strips from CHAUVET Professional.

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    “I’ve enjoyed a good relationship with the team at XS,” said Lieberman. “When XS managing partner Jesse Waits announced that they were ready to take the next step at the club in terms of lighting, we put our heads together to come up with a state-of-the-art concept. They wanted to incorporate newer technology into the design so they could stay ahead of the competition. We built our design with pixel mappable fixtures such as Nexus and ÉPIX, which could do things that weren’t possible when the club was originally conceptualized.”

    Among the high-tech features that Lieberman incorporated into his design was a custom designed DJ booth. “We wanted a booth that allowed the DJ to face front and back,” said Lieberman. “We created a 3D video screen with six cubes that displays video on four sides to create a sense of depth.”

    Once the DJ booth was constructed, Lieberman turned his attention to the overall design of the venue. His goal: to use lighting to create a completely immersive experience in the club, making every aspect of the room an interwoven nexus of light, music and energy.

    “When I looked at the room I wanted to highlight all of its architectural elements with tech driven visual excitement,” said Lieberman.

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    Lieberman lined the walls, archways and soffits of the club with 80 Nexus Aw 7×7 panels. Using a MADRIX controller with a grandMA console, visual elements are pixel mapped throughout the venue via the Nexus units.

    While the Nexus panels unify the visual landscape at XS, the ÉPIX Strip 2.0 units and struts that support the large DJ video panel provide greater depth and detail to key scenic elements. Like the Nexus panels, this technology is pixel mapped to display images that coordinate with video.

    “Everything in this room works together,” said Lieberman. “Technology has given us great new tools to create more movement and add unity to lighting designs. We wanted to use this capability to create something cutting-edge and unique at XS – it’s what this club is known for.”

    For more information visit: www.sjlighting.net
    For more information on XS visit: www.xslasvegas.com

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    Steve Lieberman, ULTRA 2015, and the Legend 230SR Beam!

    Ultra Music Fest 2015, MAIN STAGE

    TOO COOL!!!  

    Sit down and have a chat with Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting, the lighting designer and mind behind ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL, as he talks fixtures, Legend 230 SR Beams, in fact 124 of them and making the photons match the music!

    Check it out!

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    Adventures in Lighting with Michael Veerkamp

    Do you watch television?  We figured you did…  and you’ve probably seen some of Michael Veerkamp‘s lighting design work in doing so!  Come talk with Michael Veerkamp, creator of Team Imagination, Inc, as he tells us about his life, his lighting world, and some excellent experiences!  Thank you so much for this interview, Michael!

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    https://chauvetprofessional.com/adventures-in-lighting-with-michael-veerkamp/

     

    Nexus Aw 7×7, Steve Lieberman, and ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015!

    It doesn’t really matter what Steve Lieberman uses to make lighting magic, but we are super glad he likes the Nexus Aw 7×7 from CHAUVET Professional!  Check THIS out!

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    MIAMI – All eyes were on the Worldwide Stage at the Ultra Music Festival, and why not? With a superstar studded lineup of the crème de la crème of the EDM world performing, plus a surprise two-song appearance by Ariana Grande, the thousands of fans at the Worldwide Stage pavilion were transfixed by the scene on stage. This year, the awestruck crowd did more than look at the stage, they had their collective vision funneled into it, thanks to a commanding lighting and truss design by Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting.

    Lieberman’s design concept was developed around a massive double winged truss structure that resembled an arched bridge. The abutment at one end of this bridge started at the edge of the concert pavilion; the other end was anchored behind the stage itself. This end of the bridge ran across the entire 60-foot width of the stage.

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    A line of 12 intense Nexus Aw 7×7 warm white LED panels from CHAUVET Professional ran across the structure behind the DJ booth. Overhead were 36 additional Nexus Aw 7×7 panels on two curved rows at the base of the bridge arch that sloped toward the stage.

    This combination of arched trussing and intense light over the stage and behind the DJ booth focused the crowd’s collective vision. This allowed everyone to absorb a full view of the stage design regardless of where they were standing. “What I wanted to do was center the crowd’s vision,” said Lieberman. “The way we arched two truss structures pulled you into the stage and gave you a 180 degree perspective no matter where you were standing.”

    The idea for this mesmerizing arched design occurred to Lieberman after he observed his work at last year’s Ultra festival. “Everyone was thrilled with the design in 2014,” said the LD. “Still when I looked at it, I knew there was one thing I definitely wanted to change. Last year I noticed that when some people migrated toward the edges of the viewing area – as they always do – they wound up looking at the sides of my stage.”

    Determined to give the crowd a more complete viewing experience, Lieberman vowed to create a design that allowed everyone to see the whole stage regardless of where they stood. He also wanted something super bright there to make things popped. This is where the Nexus Aw 7×7 came in. “Having these fixtures behind the DJ and overhead on the arched truss was essential to energizing the stage and the crowd,” said the LD. “Audience blinders are critical at a festival and the Chauvet panels excelled in this regard. We ran them at 100-percent and they dominated. We had a lot of high output movers and the panels did more than keep up. Another thing I liked about the panels is that their beam is not only very bright, it’s also very narrow so it really works well with fog.”

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    In addition to using the Nexus Aw 7×7 panels as blinders, Lieberman relied on them to serve as header displays and for pixel mapping breakout images as well as chase scenes. “The efficiency of having one fixture that can do so many different things so well is a plus,” he said. “It’s sweet that these panels can be killer blinders one second, then pixel mappable the next. Plus I like that they have an incandescent look, but at the same time they’re LED fixtures with all the advantages of that technology.”

    Lieberman gave the Nexus Aw 7×7 high marks in every facet of their performance on the Worldwide Stage. “I love that these fixtures have the incandescence of a blinder, the efficiency of an LED and the pixel mapping capabilities of the 21st century,” said the LD. “I wanted to pull people into the stage and Nexus certainly helped me accomplish that goal.”

    Watch Steve Lieberman discuss The Worldwide Stage:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC2LjGCrjYs

    For more information on SJ Lighting visit www.sjlighting.net

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