CHRONICLE:Lighting Management
Below L-R: Early Strand gems — the world’s first memory lighting console, the IDM (1967), the Lightboard (1976), and the Galaxy 2 Arena (1983-4).
philosophy up to date with simple direct benchmark price for that type of board. to form Tait Towers, was building his own
control of up to 768 channels, multi-part The original pin matrix design had been consoles for Yes up until around 1974
timed fades, colour VDUs and a host of popularised by the Electrosonic Rockboard — when he eventually asked Electrosonic to
options, allowing the theatre to construct the — a development of the prototype desk build him a new desk to keep up with the
ideal control for its facility. the company had earlier built for the Rolling band’s increasingly demanding show visuals.
Galaxy led directly to a smaller, Stones — and the Alderham Showdesk.
transportable version called the Gemini, but The portable Rockboard, with its pre- TOUR-WORTHY
in between, Strand’s best-selling Tempus programmed chaser, had been developed as a As a member of The Who’s road crew
M24 had also introduced the advantages of result of several years’ experience in designing from 1967 until the mid-’80s, Roger Searle
memory control to smaller installations. Taking and building custom-made touring systems. witnessed huge leaps of technological
the best functions of its most popular boards, The flexible mastering system also made it development. Online at TheWho.net, he
it added speed of operation and simplicity of suitable for theatre and TV productions. With recalls the band’s purchase of an Electrosonic
control to create an international success. two presets of linear faders for individual desk in 1970.
dimmer control, the Rockboard initially He writes: “It always went on stage right as
ROCK’N’ROLL CONTROL was available in 24, 36, 48 and 60-channel we could not run AC power into the audience.
Whilst many of Strand’s early boards are now versions and designed to be used with the At that time we used to hirelamps from a
looked upon as classics, the requirements company’s Portapak dimmers. theatrelighting company in London but they
for the rock’n’roll director were somewhat Each of the five methods of channel could not supply asuitable portable desk.
different. One of the disadvantages of most control (Presets, Flash Buttons, Pin “We were put in touch with Electrosonic
memory desks was the lack of manual control Matrix, Chaser and Touch Matrix) worked and basically told them to produce a desk that
should something go wrong, and it was often independently of each other on the ‘highest we could ‘tour’. The desk they produced was
found necessary to have a ‘pin matrix’ panel takes precedence’ principle, with the pin a three-preset desk with an electronic cross-
as a back-up. matrix allowing direct grouping of channels to fade (i.e. lamp on/lamp off) sequence as well
This was a small board with a grid of 10 independent master faders. as a mechanical ‘chase’ unit.
holes in which diode pins connected groups The matrix board itself was situated under “The outputs were18x15Amp theatre-
of dimmer channels on to a single fader. a hinged cover plate housing the faders, and style sockets (two per control fader). If
The disadvantage was that it was almost selection of channels to master control was by memory serves, therewas aselector switch on
impossible to recall the channels grouped means of inserting the yellow diode pins into each fader which decided preset master A, B
together at varying light levels (although the relevant board hole. Each master fader or C.
Avolites offered different coloured pins with was also provided with a three-position switch “In the early days I used to power this via
various intensity options). for Blackout, On and Group Flash. a 100 Amp, three-phase changeover switch.
Nevertheless, the pin matrix was used Early inventors and pioneers, working At a certain part of the show we would throw
extensively in rock concert lighting, where the directly with the more adventurous English the switch diverting power from the desk to
main desire was for masses of lighting flashing ‘prog’ bands such as Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, three 10,000W film lamps arranged across
on and off at full brightness. Deep Purple and Genesis, who would the back of the stage facing the audience.
The pin matrix itself was manufactured later bankroll the launch of Vari-Lite, were Most venues at this time did not have enough
by a company called Oxley Developments, commissioned to devise new solutions. And spare power for us to use everything at once
and such was the cost of this single most again Electrosonic held centre stage. so it was one or the other — a bit basic but it
important item, that it established a new One industry legend, Michael Tait, later worked.
Above: A ‘defocused’ Keith Dale operating the once heavily-favoured Electrosonic Rockboard; a 36-channel model of the Rockboard.
TPiMAY 09 • 45
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