rob aylestone
Moderator
This amazing thing is NOT an organ - it is a lighting controller!
I'll explain.
In 1956, in England, Strand Electric, produced this control. It does look like a theatre or church organ. That is because Compton - the British firm who were sort of the fathers of 'modern' organs had a system the lighting folk could grab straight away.
I've spent three non-stop days explaining how it works. Organ folk need combinations of pipe ranks, lighting folk wanted combinations of lights.
The best bit is that there are 14 mechanical memories. It can remember the tabs that are down and recall these positions. To do this requires your right foot and a left or right hand. Prod the tabs you want to have working, prod the stud near your right foot, select the numbered piston, and job done.
Oddly though, how it works is quite unusual. Both lighting and sound people are used to the method of operation where shoving a fader makes audio louder, or lights brighter. This control does not work like this at all. Pushing a fader to .5 (out of 10) does nothing at all until it is 'activated' by selecting the same number on the tabs, and then prodding a button marked 'raise'. At this point a dimmer is connected to a motorised shaft, and it raises to .5 - half brightness! Actually, at this point EVERY activated tab will also change to whatever level is set on it's fader. Got it?
The speed of the motor doing the raise (or fade) is set by what would have been the organ swell pedal! No facility to do it instantly - you must stay within the range of around 2 secs to 30 secs.
The control was named Betty and went into the Palace Theatre in London's West End. In 1972 - it began operating Jesus Christ Superstar - and it did that until the show closed in 1980 - so 8 years. Betty was then retired, and is in our collection. She now has her memory restored and buttons make things happen! Sadly, I doubt she will never work lights again in anger as the only set of dimmers is in a TV studio, scheduled for demolition. We estimate removal would require 7.5 tons to be craned out, and frankly, where would we put it?
This was just one item in the exhibition at PLASA in London - and I did not expect to be sitting there explaining her for 3 days solid. The most popular thing we have ever showed. Betty is actually called a CD120 - 120 channels of CLUTCH dimmers. the motor shafts in the dimmers spin, and a clutch grabs the shaft for each dimmer that needs to go up, and another grabs the shaft for a fade. One person told us he was a day electrician for the show. He was given an asbestos glove that went to the elbow and had a spanner covered in tape. He then stuck his arm into the live works, turned a nut until the slipping clutch suddenly bit again, and then pulled his arm out quickly! That, apparently, was every day maintenance.
Jesus Christ Superstar had just over 90 cues - but that kept 2 operators quite busy!
I'll explain.
In 1956, in England, Strand Electric, produced this control. It does look like a theatre or church organ. That is because Compton - the British firm who were sort of the fathers of 'modern' organs had a system the lighting folk could grab straight away.
I've spent three non-stop days explaining how it works. Organ folk need combinations of pipe ranks, lighting folk wanted combinations of lights.
The best bit is that there are 14 mechanical memories. It can remember the tabs that are down and recall these positions. To do this requires your right foot and a left or right hand. Prod the tabs you want to have working, prod the stud near your right foot, select the numbered piston, and job done.
Oddly though, how it works is quite unusual. Both lighting and sound people are used to the method of operation where shoving a fader makes audio louder, or lights brighter. This control does not work like this at all. Pushing a fader to .5 (out of 10) does nothing at all until it is 'activated' by selecting the same number on the tabs, and then prodding a button marked 'raise'. At this point a dimmer is connected to a motorised shaft, and it raises to .5 - half brightness! Actually, at this point EVERY activated tab will also change to whatever level is set on it's fader. Got it?
The speed of the motor doing the raise (or fade) is set by what would have been the organ swell pedal! No facility to do it instantly - you must stay within the range of around 2 secs to 30 secs.
The control was named Betty and went into the Palace Theatre in London's West End. In 1972 - it began operating Jesus Christ Superstar - and it did that until the show closed in 1980 - so 8 years. Betty was then retired, and is in our collection. She now has her memory restored and buttons make things happen! Sadly, I doubt she will never work lights again in anger as the only set of dimmers is in a TV studio, scheduled for demolition. We estimate removal would require 7.5 tons to be craned out, and frankly, where would we put it?
This was just one item in the exhibition at PLASA in London - and I did not expect to be sitting there explaining her for 3 days solid. The most popular thing we have ever showed. Betty is actually called a CD120 - 120 channels of CLUTCH dimmers. the motor shafts in the dimmers spin, and a clutch grabs the shaft for each dimmer that needs to go up, and another grabs the shaft for a fade. One person told us he was a day electrician for the show. He was given an asbestos glove that went to the elbow and had a spanner covered in tape. He then stuck his arm into the live works, turned a nut until the slipping clutch suddenly bit again, and then pulled his arm out quickly! That, apparently, was every day maintenance.
Jesus Christ Superstar had just over 90 cues - but that kept 2 operators quite busy!
