Recent case studies, SineWave
Het Muziektheater, AmsterdamNational Theatre, Lyttelton, London
National Theatre, Olivier, London
San Sebastian Concert hall, Spain
Residenz Theater, Munich
National Theatre, Liechtenstein
Lampegiet Theatre, Holland
Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, Wisconsin
Copenhagen Opera House, Denmark
Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, Wisconsin
Five spring 2005 shows at the Overture Center for the Arts, in Madison, Wisconsin, were the first productions to run on ETC's SensorŪ+ SineWave dimming. During the same period of time, ETC broke ground for American dimming technology by earning UL/cUL listing for SineWave.
The Sensor+ SineWave system used at the Overture Hall comprised 96 circuits of dimming augmenting the core dimming system of 852 circuits of Sensor+ SCR dimming. SineWave controlled a wide variety of loads in the extensive lighting rig -- 2k fresnels, Source FourŪ ellipsoidals and PARs, and 12-cell Source Four MultiPARŪ striplights.
The first Overture production to enjoy the silence of ETC Sensor+ SineWave was the Natalie McMaster concert. ETC Sensor+ SineWave was used next for the noise-sensitive ballet production of Cinderella and the world-premiere opera production of The End of the Affair. The 2nd City Tour show and the Nylons concert followed, benefiting from the advanced dimming control of SineWave.
"Overture's employment of ETC Sensor+ SineWave dimming allowed them to bring up lighting in their orchestra situations without having any filament noise to intermingle with that of the music or setting," says David North, ETC Technical Service Manager.
Overture Hall, which just opened in 2004, was designed and built with superior acoustical quality in mind. Maestros like Overture's John DeMain are keenly aware of any acoustical disturbances in their facility. North explains: "Sine wave dimming supplements sound purity by eliminating any propagation of filament noise throughout the facility. With any performance where music is provided by the orchestra, sine wave dimming helps solve problems of ambient noise. During the quiet passages of any show you have all kinds of ambient-sound interference -- the jostling of people in their seats, the ruffling of programs, and the insidious white noise of filament buzz in the background. But not with ETC Sensor+ SineWave -- acoustical integrity is never compromised by the humming of lamps."
The numerous advantages of sine wave dimming reach well beyond noise reduction -- to the extension of filament life, the reduction of power usage, the elimination of power-line harmonics -all which adds up to a "greener installation" overall, adds North.
ETC Sensor+ SineWave was a great technical success at Overture Hall from the first moments of set up: "Everything came out of the box, plugged right in, and worked from the outset," says North. "With its built in, patented short-circuit and overload protection, it provides a very high level of reliability while delivering the quietest dimmer technology in the world. In addition, Sensor+ SineWave is able to handle a wide variety of load types from tungsten lamps to ballasted HMI fixtures to electronic transformers. Basically, if the load can be dimmed with an old-fashioned autotransformer, it can be dimmed with Sensor+ SineWave. What you hear with a Sensor+ SineWave system is eerie silence," says North. "And that can be a beautiful thing."