Console Cocktails

Cocktail #8: Converting Showfiles and ShirleyTemples

Cat — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:01:30 +0000

This time we take a look at the new grandMA1 to grandMA2 showfile conversion utility, and then we give a classic drink an adult update.

You can download the MA Showfile converter for free at http://www.malighting.com/support.html?&L=2.

Recipe: Converted Shirley Temple

Ingredients:

6 oz. Reeds Extra Ginger Brew

1 splash Rose’s Grenadine

1 Shot Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquor

1 Shot 42 Below Vodka

Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Combine the ingredients in a glass with ice and stir (don’t shake). Add a cherry or two for garnish.

Please Enjoy!

Cocktail #7: Smells like Bacon

Cat — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:52:35 +0000

Besides serving up the recipes you submitted for a Wholehog colored cocktail, we include a video covering all of the Wholehog 3 OPEN key shortcuts.

We received four suggestions for a Wholehog flavored cocktail, so we included all of them in the video. Thank you to everyone who participated and Enjoy!

Want to watch this in HD? Watch it on Vimeo.

Cocktail suggestions came from @cynicalgrim, @xedmada, @housetohalf at @lightjams.

Additional Training Videos

Cat — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:47:44 +0000

In the past few weeks, I’ve added a couple of new sections to the ConsoleCocktails site. These pages include embedded console training videos that I’ve created in addition to the podcast videos. There are three sections:

grandMA2 videos: These are the brand spankin’ new videos I made for MA Lighting. They’re so new, in fact, that not all of them are available online yet. As MA releases each video into the wild, I’ll add it to this site as well- so you’ll want to check back.

Wholehog 3 videos: These are a bit older, but you might still find them helpful

Other products: Videos on using Pixellage and the Axon Media Server’s CMA app

Note: you can also find the Wholehog/Pixellage/CMA videos on High End Systems’ website. The grandMA2 videos are also available on MA Lighting’s YouTube channel.
Thanks for watching!

Here’s a sample of one of the grandMA2 training videos:

Video 9: Special Dialog- Colour + Shaper from Cat West on Vimeo.

LDIBarCrawl Details

Cat — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:25:29 +0000

RSVP for the BarCrawl here!

Here we go:

The Crawl starts at 7pm at Gordon Biersch Brewery at 3987 Paradise Road (phone: 702-312-5247). Why? Well, first: it’s close to the convention area. Second: Since it’s a restaurant, you don’t have to be 21 to join us (we’ll wrangle up some tables next to the bar). Third: You can order an AronTheIntern Cocktail. Ok, well technically, they call it a Firefly Tea, but it’s the same thing.

After the brewery, we’re taking a short walk to the Hard Rock Hotel to enjoy the original Center Bar.

From there, we’re cabbing it up to the strip. Even though the crawl hasn’t started yet, my memory of the exact order of locations is a bit fuzzy… but we’ll keep you all in-the-know as the night goes on. Locations will include Red Square (my favorite!) and Nine Fine Irishmen (yummy). Depending on who’s up for it – we may hit a perennial Vegas favorite: the Peppermill. I like to call the Peppermill “classic Vegas cheese.” I <3 it.

Exact times will depend on how everyone likes each bar. You can join us at any point in the evening. To see where we're drinking at any point, follow us on Twitter, or via our Facebook page updates.

Cocktail #6: Aron the Intern

Cat — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:57:09 +0000

This time WTH stands for “Where the heck,” as in “Where the heck have we been for months?”

Well ok, fair enough. Its been a looooong time. We try to explain that in the video and offer you up a bit of good humor at the same time.
You’ll also notice there are lot of things are gone – and it’s not just Joe’s long hair. For example, we’re keeping it simple and foregoing the green screen (you would not believe how long that takes to set up and later to render in post). I’ll let you figure out the rest…

You can follow Aron on Twitter: @aronaltmark
To make the Aron the Intern cocktail:

1 part Sweet Tea Vodka (there are a variety of brands at your favorite liquor store: we like Bevmo)

1 part Peach Schnapps (we used DeKuyper)

1 part lemonde

Cocktail #5: HTP, LTP and Gummi Bears

Cat — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:40:01 +0000

This time we’re talking about priority levels when you have multiple playbacks and how to determine which will win. We’re also having drunken gummi bears… which are always full of win. Thanks to Aron Altmark for the suggestion!

Cocktails on Facebook

Cat — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:41:51 +0000

We’ve put up a new Facebook page for Console Cocktails. The page includes all of our Cocktail Recipes along with embedded copies of our videos. We’ll update our page as we create new episodes or articles. You can also use the Discussions tab to talk about what you’d like to see us cover in a video (or suggest a cocktail).

If you’re on Facebook, come join us! http://www.facebook.com/ConsoleCocktails

Console Cocktails – Video Podcast on Facebook

We’re on iTunes!

Cat — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:46:16 +0000

Yup, we’re officially a Video Podcast on iTunes. So… if you want to take the videos with you – or just have your own offline copies that you can watch on your computer – just subscribe.

Now it’s Favor-Asking-Time. If you like the episodes at all, please give us a nice, high rating on our Podcast page. We need to get a few more ratings before iTunes will give us an “average rating.” If you’re feeling saucy, give us a review! It would mean a lot to us, and if you give us a nice review – Joe and Cat will owe you a hug (and a martini).

Obviously, you can still watch all of the videos here on this site – and we have a couple of other locations as well for your viewing pleasure:

Our YouTube Page

Our Vimeo Page (here you can watch HD versions of our episodes)

You can also get immediate notifications of new blog posts and episodes by following @ConsoleCocktail on Twitter.

Cocktail #4: Parameter vs. Channel Calculation on grandMA

Cat — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:12:57 +0000

The grandMA console calculates DMX output by Parameters – NOT channels like most other consoles. This video explains the difference; how this affects your install; and why it’s so useful. This is consistently one of the more confusing aspects of the console – but this video should help.

We’re also enjoying Vespers – which is a drink that needs to be ordered using the correct terminology if you want to enjoy it as much as James Bond did. The video will explain…

Cocktail #3: Squintin’ at the grandMA2

Cat — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:39:44 +0000

During LDI, we got together with Brian Dowd of ACT Lighting and Justin Lang of iSquint.net to talk about the grandMA2 and what’s new with the hardware and the software. Justin conducted this interview as part of a longer podcast for iSquint.net. I brought along my camera (cause you just never know) and got some video that I thought was pretty interesting. You’ll need to watch iSquint for the full podcast next month, but this Cocktail will certainly get you thirsty for more.

FYI – the Dirty Pete Cocktail is…

3 parts vodka
1 part Dry Vermouth
2 parts Olive Juice (ok, 1 part if you like – just don’t use that premade dirty martini mix: use the brine out of the olive jar)
5 dashes of Hot Sauce (Pete’s Hot Sauce is recommended, but substitute as needed)
At least 2 Olives

Cheers!
-Cat

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-8f2ce457697bab191caf440f96ff7a6d}

Cocktail #2: Doin’ Shots at LDI

Cat — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:32:31 +0000

I decided to have an impromptu meetup during LDI to film an episode on what we saw on the exhibit hall floor. Lucky for me, Daphne Mir (@lekogirl), Peter Kirkup (@pkirkup) and Aron Altmark (@AronAltmark) were kind enough to answer the Twitter call! The result is a cute, and often times SILLY video recap of new products and swag!

Production Note: Joe was not able to be in this video because he was giving grandMA 2 demos like crazy!
Thanks again guys!
Cat

Scootin’ around at LDI2009

Cat — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:20:56 +0000

Every LDI, Joe says he’s gonna get a scooter to ride around the showfloor. Well, this year – there was a real, honest NEED for a scooter. See, the tradeshow is in the South Hall, but our training and demo room is in the North Hall. It’s a bit of a hike, but the scooters save you a LOT of time. Plus – we look wicked cool on them. Right? Right?

They definitely work better on the concrete than the carpet, but – for $20 – I’m not complaining. They worked pretty well on the pre-carpeted showfloor on Thursday. If we could just get them to take all of the carpet up and get all the attendees to move on to a booth and out of the aisles, we could have some real fun.

To prove how AWESOME we look on them, I’ve placed some iPhone-quality (what an ironic combination) videos for your viewing pleasure below.

Special thanks to the LDI Interns for making extra Wal-Mart runs so that we could have these.
-Cat

Cat’s LDI Martini Bar Guide for Orlando – 2009

Cat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:33:56 +0000

In doing my research for martini bars in Orlando this week – I’ve found a couple that look pretty good. I’ve actually sent this list out in a couple of emails, so I figured I’d add it as a post as well. Outside of the rest of the social goodness we’ll be enjoying at LDI, you might find me at one of these bars:

Blue Martini Lounge (12 miles from convention center): The one in Vegas is pretty good, so I assume this one should be pretty similar.

Bosendorfer at the Grand Bohemian (13 miles from OCCC): Lookin’ Classsssyyyyy… I expect to see some sort of retired-couple lounge act in there.

Timpano Restaurant (2.5 miles from OCCC): Looks like Daily Grill/Flemings type place – I’m REALLY interested to try the Three Olives Martini. It’s basically a dirty martini that includes (among others) a caviar-stuffed-olive. mmmmmm.

Hue Restaurant (15 miles from OCCC): They don’t have a cocktail menu online, but you gotta love the name of this place.

xoxo
Cat

LDI 2009

Cat — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:24:09 +0000

We’ll both be making the journey to Orlando this week for the LDI tradeshow. There should be plenty of opportunities for ~~drinking~~ networking throughout the weekend, so look us up!

Both Joe and I will be working with our Console Cocktails sponsor, ACT Lighting. Joe will be offering 2 grandMA Level 2 training sessions as part of LDInstitute beginning Tuesday, November 17th. At the time of this posting, there was still space left to sign up – so if you’ll be in the Orlando area and want to get your hands on a shiny new GrandMA2, you might consider it.

I’ll mostly be at the ACT Lighting booth (Booth 209) on the Exhibit Hall Floor. Drop by and say HI! If you have a question for Console Cocktails that we could do a video answer for – this would be a good chance to discuss it. Or, if you know where to get the best vodka martini in Orlando, you absolutely MUST come find me.

Of course, unless something strange comes up, Joe and I should both be at the Jimonlight/iSquint TweetUp at the Peabody on Saturday night. More details here.

Cocktail #1: Busk Busk Baby

Cat — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:36:49 +0000

In our first episode, we talk about what “busking” on a console means, and offer up some suggestions on how to set up a simple busking showfile. This topic was suggested by Jim Galvin. Suggest your own topic, or send us a question for the series via our new form.

Of course, the cocktail in this episode is the grandMAr2ni.

Theme

Cat — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:47:50 +0000

To prove how excited I get over little things… I give you the “Console Cocktails” theme. 13 seconds of pure amateur MAGIC. Actually, I’m a little embarrassed about how long it took me to make this. Sheesh.

Happy Halloween

Cat — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:53:38 +0000

At the last minute we threw together some Halloween decorations for our front porch. Since there’s a console and a cocktail involved, we figured you might enjoy seeing it. Plus, there’s some cute trick-or-treaters.

PS: After the video, we added Voyant Chai Liquor to the pumpkin spice martinis, and it was even better.
-Cat

Tweaking Existing Shows

Cat — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:24:40 +0000

Normally, when you’ve decided that you want to learn a new console, you might take a leisurely path to becoming comfortable. In other words, it’s pretty typical to start by researching what the console does, how it does it, and how your friends like it. After that, you’d probably start playing with the offline editor (which should be free) and hopefully take a training class. Remember, I didn’t say you HAD to read the manual. I have a love/hate relationship with manuals. I love using the index to find what I need to know quickly. I don’t read the manual cover-to-cover because, no big surprise here, they’re boring. Regardless, you normally find your own path to becoming comfortable with a new desk in a somewhat controlled environment before launching it on to something large scale.

That’s not always the case, though. This year, Allison Brummer decided that she wanted to upgrade from the console she had been using on the Regina Spektor “Far” tour to a grandMA Full Size. This meant re-programming basically from scratch. Allison took the grandMA class from Joe at ACT Lighting, and then worked with a programmer in NY to put her show together on the MA. After using it on a few shows, she wanted to come back and get a little more in-depth with the console and really set it to fit her style. That’s when I got to come on board.

I had the pleasure of working with Allison for two programming sessions and then for a performance at the Greek Theatre. We updated some of the existing programming (which was already very clean and well organized) and tweaked some existing timing and effects before we wrote any new programming. As a designer, Allison looks at the show very theatrically and it’s fun to see a designer be able to mix the two genres. Anyone who’s worked in theatre and concerts will tell you that the two styles very rarely meet.

Having only used the console on the last few tour dates, she already looks like a pro – even busking some new looks at the end of the set. The tour still has quite a few North American dates left, followed by a European leg at the end of November. It’s a beautiful show if you get a chance to see it. I wasn’t very familiar with the music beforehand, but I’m thinking I need to hit up iTunes now because I really enjoyed it.

grandMAr2ni: How to

Cat — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:04:48 +0000

This was a really simple recipe that Joe covered in our announcement video. We’re drinking these again in the first episode (“Busk, Busk, Baby”). I’m not even sure this constitutes a “cocktail” since there’s really only one ingredient and one garnish!
The details:

Ingredients:

1 part Black Vodka

1 orange peel, cut in a circular shape

The vodka we used was Blavod. For some reason, when you buy it: it comes in a wetsuit. I’m serious. It’s cute, though. Not my favorite vodka, but certainly good enough to drink on it’s own without any sort of mixer. Plus, it looks cool, and that’s important.

To get the perfectly circular “trackball” orange garnishes, we used the lid from the vodka like a cookie-cutter. Blavod has a tin (or aluminum, I don’t know) lid, and it worked perfectly. Then, just pop out the orange pieces and pull off any extra orange guts that may still be clinging on.

It’s a little sweet, but it sure does look like the trackball corner of the grandMA 2′s front panel. In fact, the more you drink from it, it almost starts to resemble the console PERFECTLY. At least, that’s what I thought.

-Cat

The Video Series is GO!

Console Cocktails — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:58:34 +0000

Here’s the video to give you the details on how and why this series got started. More importantly, you’ll also learn how to make a grandMAr2ni.