Tag: theatre

Google Drive and orphaned files

TL;DR: Clean out your Google Drive of old, orphaned files you didn’t realize you still have – and close up a potential privacy hole. The Story: I am working on a longer, detailed article on how I use Google Drive, and how it has transformed how I work on live productions. In researching what might …

Visions for your Versions

TL;DR: Cover your assets by working with versions The Story: I talk a lot about Qlab on this blog, but today’s installment applies to working in any application. I’ve always been pretty organized, even before I started using computers. (You know, before entering college in 1994…) Keeping things straight is critical to knowing where you …

Dirty Programming: Clear your Cache in Qlab

This post has been updated after a Twitter conversation with the good folks at Figure 53 got me thinking…I’ve made this much more useful as a result, so you don’t pull your whole show down to a stop. TL;DR: Clearing out a buildup of cues in Qlab via a script, which is a little more …

An Occasional Midsummer Night’s Dream (David Bowie)

The director chose this as an ensemble piece. It was for tech, too! February has fallen into a pattern over the past few years. It’s when things start picking back up from the quieter January. The gradual changeover between maintenance, and repair throughout the theatre leading into prep for my usual season of shows coming …

Color-code your problems in Qlab

TL;DR: Color-code cues in Qlab while they are highlighted, during your run, so you can go back to them later, using Hotkeys. The Story: I love books. But I hate paper when it comes to the production process. Partly because I’m a geek and want to find cool ways to do things. And partly because …

QLab licensing, costs, and what it all means

TL;DR: A primer on what you have to pay for – and what you don’t. And how it’s more affordable to use QLab than you might think. The Story: We have all been there. People use iTunes and Keynote (or, gasp, PowerPoint!) for a live production, because they don’t know what’s better out there. (That’s …

Aggregate Audio Interfaces in OSX (to use in Qlab, of course!)

TLDR: Combine audio hardware interfaces into a singular virtual device. The Story: As the head of sound and video for the theatre department at NVCC, I often will bring my own gear in for use in the show. It’s a learning-and-sharing thing for everyone involved, including myself. But it can also be a bad habit, …

How long is this Qlab Playlist?

TL;DR: Calculate how long a list of songs is in Qlab. The Story: In my early days of sound design, I would play my house music in iTunes. What could be easier? It was a drag and drop interface I knew well, and people who weren’t me could also control/change it. Of course, as I …

DVD player control within Qlab

TL;DR: Use Qlab to play physical DVDs The Story: I was called in to be the lead video for a small event, located in a beautiful, historic ballroom. It was the preview screening of a very popular television show’s final season, so I was pretty into it, all things considered. This was the hall before …

Show files, folders, and web design

TL;DR: Talking about templates from one last angle, and ensuring your show files don’t get lost. The Story: After I graduated from college, I started working on a number of websites, big and small. This was before things like WordPress and other CMS platforms were out there, organizing your work for you. Back then, you …