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RWCMD Takes FLX-able Approach

Wednesday 5th June, 2019

The College has recently invested in four of Zero 88’s powerful user-friendly FLX lighting consoles which are in daily use throughout the College’s multiple performance and rehearsal spaces.

Zero 88 Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama Flxrwcmd2

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru – National Conservatoire of Wales in Cardiff, UK provides specialist practical and performance-based training that enables young professional artists to enter and influence the world of music, theatre and related professions, and offers acclaimed undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Technical Theatre and Stage & Event Management. These have spawned many future entertainment technology industry professionals.

The College has invested in four of Zero 88’s powerful user-friendly FLX lighting consoles which are in daily use throughout the College’s multiple performance and rehearsal spaces.

Between all these and some other areas, including a large public foyer, over 550 diverse public performances are staged during term time alone. These range from Friday’s late afternoon AmserJazzTime events in the foyer to an array of international artists playing the Concert Hall, through to fully featured and supported student productions and in-house drama shows and musicals.

The FLXs – currently there are three FLXs and one FLX S24 – are working in all these different spaces and are also part of the teaching curriculum equipment, explained Matt Rogerson, one of four senior technicians at the college.

They chose FLX, states Matt, because “the range of features is unbeatable in my opinion for the price, and this combined with the straightforward operation made it a really easy decision as it definitely ‘punches above its weight’”.

Students on the Stage & Event Management and Technical Theatre courses are trained in how to learn different lighting control platforms including the FLX and how to adapt programming methodology between different console operating systems, a process which sees them utilise an identical set of moving lights and LED fixtures. They start on one console and with the assistance of staff, manuals and online help, set up the desks and carry out an array of tasks …  then repeat the process on the next desk, etc.

Features making FLX a winner in this context again include “its simplicity combined with the high level of features” confirms Matt, adding that he feels it is physically “a really solid package with many good things built into a small space!”