With two large ballroom spaces configurable by air walls into 230 possible layout combinations, lighting supplier Barbizon chose a Jands Vista control solution for the MGM Grand portion of the Foxwoods casino resort. For smaller-scale events the casino staff can control room lighting using a wireless pen tablet PC while a full size console is used to control lighting for performances at larger functions.

“The Vista is sophisticated, powerful, and the right solution for this environment,” said Scott Stipetic, system integrator for Boston-based Barbizon, noting the user-friendly features of the pen tablet graphics for the different room configurations. “I knew that being able to see each room layout’s lighting plot visually, combined with a timeline, would make it so much easier for the staff to operate the lighting fixtures than on a traditional console.”

The Vista provides a flexible lighting control system that can handle the variety of ballroom layouts. Control of each room’s lighting is represented graphically on the pen tablet screens. If an air wall is moved, the Vista simply updates the lighting and the control screens of the newly adjoined rooms, so the operator can always see what they are controlling. “The Vista’s user interface also makes it very quick to manipulate cue structures, saving valuable room setup time,” Stipetic added.

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Tom Roach, Foxwoods Entertainment’s lighting supervisor, worked closely with Stipetic and Barbizon to supply, install and integrate the architectural and entertainment lighting systems for the MGM Grand’s Premier and Celebrity ballrooms. Each is equipped with nearly 300 channels of ETC dimming and a variety of light fixtures, including Robe 700 spot and wash moving lights.

“I was also confident that the support would be there from Jands and A.C. Lighting Inc., should it be needed, when installing such a technically complex product application,” Stipetic said. “After Foxwoods saw the Vista demo they were adamant it had to be Jands Vista for this particular lighting control application.”

Lighting for each of the 15 smaller room zones is controlled by a dedicated Vista PC, which is operated via VNC on a pen tablet screen from within the rooms. The casino also purchased two full size Vista T4 consoles and four Vista S3 playback control surfaces to operate conference or performance events taking place in the larger room configurations. All Vista products were supplied to Barbizon from A.C. Lighting Inc., the exclusive North American distributor for the Vista range.

The Vista lighting control system and all associated equipment was installed by Jason Hoots, Andy Aldous, Tracey Costa and Mike Goudzwaard in Barbizon’s technical services team.

“When I approached Scott Stipetic with the concept of having a permanently installed moving light system in the ballrooms which could be operated by banquets staff, he immediately recommended the Jands Vista for the application,” said Roach. “The Vista allows us to offer a top of the line lighting system to our clients without all the costs associated with trucking, rigging, flying truss, hanging fixtures, programming, running the event and strike and restore of the room. The banquet staff is able to turn on and operate the moving lights, which helps reduce the turn around time between events — meaning more revenue for the company. The Vista is the top notch lighting control system we were looking for.”

The MGM Grand is part of the overall Foxwoods resort, the biggest casino complex in the world, with more than 40,000 guest visits each day. The Premier Ballroom at the MGM Grand is also the largest such ballroom in the Northeast, measuring up to 50,000 column-free square feet. Like the smaller Celebrity Ballroom, the spaces are equipped with moveable air walls that let the staff create smaller rooms for banquets and other functions and gatherings.

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Now available for download, on the support page, version 1.13 of the Vista software brings a host of new features to your console. Read more.

Three new venues across Europe with first class technical facilities and very different system requirements are benefitting from the Jands Vista’s advanced approach to lighting control.

Finnish professional systems integrator, Electrosonic Lightinen Oy Ab, has supplied Jands Vistas to the Levi Summit venue in Lapland. Multi-purpose facilities, hi-tech equipment and an auditorium large enough to stage world-class performances and major product launches make the Levi Summit a first class venue for diverse events.
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Jands Vista T2 consoles helped worshippers celebrate Easter at Europe’s largest all-night worship event, attended by 30,000 people at London’s ExCel, and a separate event at Wembley Arena.

Worshippers packed out ExCel’s main hall for ‘Festival of Life’, a unique event supported by over 150 churches in the UK which has become the largest all night non-denominational gathering of people in Europe coming together to celebrate God.

Reading-based production company SFL Group provided the complete technical solution and production management for both events. This included over 120 speakers of d&b audiotechnic with Yamaha digital control surfaces, Barco projection and control systems, acoustic draping and stage lighting.

Brighton-based Tamplins Stage Lighting, which has a reputation in the industry for providing lighting production services to conferences, rock concerts and one-off programmes in the Worship market, was engaged by SFL to provide the stage lighting element.

Show lighting designer Sam Tamplin knew there was only one console he’d want to use for the job of providing the lighting control on the massive ExCel event, and knew his choice would also have the full backing of his client.

He commented: “Last year I was looking for a more powerful desk to handle our growing show control needs and entered a competition to win a day’s free Vista training. I had to build a basic show using the Vista demo software, which left me very impressed by how user-friendly and intuitive it was. After then spending a whole day training on the console, I was absolutely convinced it was the only way to go, so I had to invest in one!”
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Leading French lighting production company Arpege selected a Jands Vista console to provide lighting control for the 32nd César Awards, the biggest annual film awards ceremony in France.

The star-studded event, which is French cinema’s equivalent to Hollywood’s Oscars ceremony, has been running for over 30 years and is televised live from the iconic Théâtre du Châtelet in the centre of Paris.

Lighting designer Jean-Bernard Favero-Longo and programmer Didier Dast had worked together lighting live television shows many times before, and recently tried out the Jands Vista to great success on several events. So when Didier suggested they use the Vista for the high-profile Césars live awards, Jean-Bernard had complete confidence in his decision.
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http://www.jandsvista.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=57#edit_timestamp
Following the success of last year’s dealer conference, Jands is pleased to extend an invitation to a series of Vista open days organised in association with its European dealer network.

For more information on the Vista open days, please contact your local dealer or Neil Vann Jands Product Manager, A.C. Lighting.

The open house days will provide the chance for visitors to receive a hands-on demonstration of the console, or spend more time familiarising themselves with it, as a step towards becoming one of the growing number of Vista people.

Taking place in relaxed environment, representatives from both the local Vista dealer as well as Jands Product Manager, Neil Vann, will be on hand to answer questions and provide demonstrations, including the latest addition to the range - the I3.

Lighting designer Matt Arthur used a Jands Vista T2 console to provide lighting control for the recent Mark Ronson UK tour.

The Brit award-winning solo artist returned with his formidable live show for a string of UK dates, with an array of special guests performing all of his hits against the backdrop of a 10-piece band.

LD Matt Arthur had been impressed by the Jands Vista’s capabilities after seeing it used for last year’s Keane arena tour, so decided to try it out for himself on the Mark Ronson tour.
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The Vista I3 – a revolution in lighting in one compact package

When our customers said they wanted a compact, portable, economical version of the Vista T series, we listened. The result is the Jands Vista I3. Including an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor®, the I3 puts all the revolutionary features of the Vista T series into a desk you can fit under your arm. Simply connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse and you’ve got a fully-operational and highly-portable Vista console for way less than the price of the full-scale console.

Read more on the I3 Product page

Photos from Flickr - see more >>

At ‘The People’s Opening’, in Liverpool, Stephen Page of DBN Lighting controlled the main stage with a Vista T2 while Rob Sinclair used his new suitcase-sized S1 for the CBS broadcast of their ‘Good Morning America’ programme.

From etnow.com News
HSL supplied all lighting equipment including over 200 moving lights and 12 crew for ‘The People’s Opening’ extravaganza that launched Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture year. The spectacular event was staged at - and around - St George’s Hall in the city centre.
The performances involved approximately 700 people including Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and local upcoming indie stars The Wombats, all of which took place on eight surrounding rooftops including the Walker Arts Gallery, St John’s Beacon, the Empire Theatre, Lime Street Station, etc. as well as on top of and in front of St George’s Hall.
The site was hugely challenging on which to work. Lights had to be craned into position and rigged at all these locations, and also onto a series of scaffolding constructions around the main area.
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Lighting Designer Chris Reade has specified a Jands Vista T2 lighting console for the current Dierks Bentley Throttle Wide Open US Fall tour, supplied by Bandit Lites Inc.

Known as the hardest working guy in country music, Dierks Bentley’s tour schedule has been at full tilt over the last four years. The multi-platinum singer/songwriter returns for an arena headlining tour, spending the next four months focusing his attention on connecting with his fans in larger venues.

Tour lighting is provided by Bandit Lites Inc. and Video by MooTV. The tour is managed by Todd Ortmeier. Production staff include Crew Chief Chris Hallman and Lighting Technician Dave Langford.

LD Chris Reade has worked with a diverse range of leading rock and pop artists, most recently providing design and/or programming for Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith. Although Dierks Bentley is Chris’s first experience working with a country artist, the partnership has been very successful, with him taking on lighting duties for a fourth consecutive tour.

Chris admits to having been a die-hard user of another console and pretty set in his ways before seeing the Jands Vista, so he wasn’t really looking to change consoles when he decided to see a demo while prepping the rig for the recent Dierks Bentley Summer tour.

He commented: “My first impressions of the console were fantastic. I was concerned about the learning curve, as I have done things a specific way for so long. I was impressed with the graphical layout and the visual timing features per instrument and per capability of the instrument. All without using a keypad. I was also impressed with the cloning features and duplication of instruments.”

On most consoles, changing or ‘cloning’ a fixture type involves substantial re-programming - a job that can take hours. In contrast, the Vista’s generic fixture model feature records the actual target look on stage so when the user changes a light, the console compares the abilities of the lights and works out how to achieve the same look on stage - even if the new light doesn’t have identical features.
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