Show control

Show control is a computer system, especially in the entertainment industry, that combines disparate hardware and software-controlled lighting, sound, and visual effects into a single, synchronized system. Show control is used for theatre productions, rock concerts, multimedia presentations, outdoor spectacles, and similar events. A show control system may combine a number of technologies and standards such as DMX512, MediaLink, MIDI, MIDI Show Control, and various Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers standards. (www.whatis.com)

What will be described here is some of our experience in design, development, integration, operation and maintenance of show control system and equipment used in show control system.

Automation system for a small in house theatre of 100 seats:

It is a PC based control system. Producer can enter ‘cues,’ in a form of text file, to the system for controlling the sequence of events during a show. It is a fully automated system, when the operator presses a start button, the door of the theatre will be closed, house light will be dimmed, and then various video player and slide projectors will start running. In this case, we fabricated a special remote controllable sub-woofer to meet the space and budget constraint. The block diagram below shows the structure and function of the system and saves many words to experienced engineer.

We have been responsible for the design of the system, coding of software, fabrication of control boxes and interface hardware required, installation and commissioning of the whole system. There was no off-the-shelf control unit and software in the project. Actually we produce the sound tracks to be playback and edit the video to be displayed too. (For show control system built with commercial units, please click on links listed below.)

Block diagram of the system:

Other Links

Links for demo