VDO Sceptron Creative Accessories

The first product in a brand new line of creative video products has just been released by Martin Professional.  The VDO Sceptron family of products are a series of robust and water-proof LED video "sticks" designed for the rental market.  Each one is fully pixel-level calibrated to ensure perfect color and intensity matching.

The three versions are as follows:

10 mm pixel pitch (now shipping)

20 mm pixel pitch (shipping soon)

40 mm pixel pitch (shipping soon)

Each is available in 2 different lengths (1.05 foot/320mm or 3.28 feet/1000mm) and can be controlled either from the P3 System Controller or via DMX.  If you have not seen the VDO Sceptron products yet, contact your Martin dealer as they are really cool.

But there is much more to know.  There are many different accessories available for the Sceptron units.  First is a wide variety of diffusers available in either white or smoked.  The smoked (grey) diffusers are great when you want the units to "disappear" into the set when not in use.  There are different shapes available too.  The options are: Square (included), Flat, Round, and Tube.

Round Diffuser

Furthermore there are also two lens options: A Narrow Lens for 20 mm and 40 mm units and the Asymmetric lens that fits all models.  The Asymmetric lens is great for washing a wall or part of a set and it allows the unit to be placed very close to the illuminated surface.

The VDO Sceptron units also have a range of attachment devices to allow for quick installation of creative setups.  First is the Sliding Bracket that allows addition of a clamp or half-coupler at any position within the unit.  In addition, a Linear Coupler allows fixtures to be easily linked end-to-end while the Parallel Spacer allows the units to be hung parallel to each other.  Two different models easily adjust between three spacing options: 30/40/50 mm or 60/70/80 mm.

Additionally a specialized VDO Sceptron Accessory & Test Tool is available to assist with two important functions.  On one end it has an embedded magnet that is used to activate an internal "test button" on the VDO Sceptron units.  The other end it has a point on the front to assist in removing diffusers or lenses.

Many exciting stage designs and looks can be created with the new VDO Sceptron products.  With unparalleled brightness, calibration, easy of installation, and the power of the P3 System Controller the VDO Sceptron units are the perfect choice for any production. 

Check out this video featuring Wouter Verlinden, Product Manager LED Video, as he further explains the products and possibilities:

New Accessories for MAC Quantum Wash

You may not have known this, but Martin has a special lens available for the MAC Quantum Wash luminaire.




The Soft Lens Accessory (P/N# 91611600) easily attaches to the front of the unit and adds a softening lens and small snoot to the light.  This is great for theatrical or other uses where a even softer than normal wash is desired.






In addition, City Theatrical is now offering two custom accessories for the MAC Quantum Wash luminaire.  Both are also specialized front lenses designed to eliminate the stray light coming from the lens in narrow zoom and also give a more discrete look as they hide the lens itself from audience view.

The first is the Hexcel Louver (City Theatrical P/N: 2794) and the second is a Concentric Ring (City Theatrical P/N: 2795).  Both units are currently in stock and shipping from City Theatrical.

Mac Viper Pan/Tilt Speed Settings

Did you know that you can assign the default movement abilities of the Mac Viper products by making a change in the menu system or via DMX?  There are three options: Normal, Fast, and Slow.

The Normal setting is the default and the one that most people will use as it works well for most shows with combinations of fast and slow moves.  However, there may be specific cues or sequences where you choose to change the pan/tilt speed.  The Slow setting is optimized for smooth movement and is best when performing slow movements at a long throw.  The Fast setting is optimized for speed and is handy when building fast chases and ballyhoos.

Using the control channel, you can change the pan/tilt speed setting as needed, just remember to restore it back after the required instance.  Otherwise you might find subsequent cues reacting differently.  Also note that the pan/tilt speed will revert back to the Normal speed setting after a power cycle (when changed via DMX).  To lock the pan/tilt speed to a particular setting, make the change directly in the Speed section of the fixture menu instead of via DMX.

 It is also a good idea to confirm that all your fixtures are set to the same pan/tilt speed setting before starting a programming session.  Otherwise you might find some fixtures moving differently from others!


To make pan/tilt speed changes via DMX use the following values on the control channel.  Note that the value needs to be held for 1 second for the change to take affect.

DMX 80-84 - Normal pan/tilt speed

DMX 85-89 - Fast pan/tilt speed

DMX 90-94 - Slow pan/tilt speed

Have fun with the settings and experiment with how you can optimize your Vipers for whatever movement task you give them!

Menu Shortcuts

Did you know that many of the Martin Professional products have a great shortcut menu that allows you to quickly access common menu functions?  Depending on the model, all you have to do is hold a specific button sequence and then the Shortcut Menu will be displayed.  The menu will include items such as Reset All, Lamp On/Off, and Rotate Display.

With Viper products, hold the Escape (C) button for 2-3 seconds, then choose the shortcut with the jog wheel (B).

With Quantum products, hold the Menu button (A) for 2-3 seconds then use the arrow keys (B) and Enter (C) to select the shortcut.

With the Aura or Aura XB there is not a shortcut menu, but there is a shortcut for Reset ALL:
Hold the Menu/Escape button and press Up.

M-Series Multi-Part Fixtures

The M-Series consoles and PC software have a really great feature for programming complex fixtures.  Many LED fixtures utilize multiple cells or pixels contained within a single fixture instance.  On many console systems you have to program each part as an individual fixture.  However, the M-Series allows you to utilize Multi-Part Fixtures to aid in patching and programming these types of fixtures.

When you patch a Mulit-Part fixture, the fixture ID controls the overall fixture and each  individual cell is assigned a point number.
So if you patch an LED strip light as fixture 401 the software will give you fixtures 401, 401.1, 401.2, 401.3, 401.4, 401.5, and 401.6.  Fixture 401 is the entire fixture and the point numbers are each of the cells.  You can then use these numbers when programming and select just the portion of the fixture you need.

However the M-Series software does much more to assist you with Multi-Part fixtures.  For instance, it intelligently knows that if you select the master (401) at full then all the cells will go to full along with the master.  Also if you use the Grouping button in the Fixture Center then you can change to a Block Mask value to allow the next/back keys to jump between each entire fixture.  Additionally if you use the Slice function you can make quick fixture selections of specific cells within a range of fixtures.  With these tools and many others, programming of multi-cell fixtures becomes a breeze on M-Series controllers!

The Multi-Part fixture functionality of the M-Series is useful with many different types of fixtures including Aura, Aura XB, and Quantum Wash as well as many strip lights and other multi-pixel units.

For more details about M-Series Multi-Part Fixtures consult the user manual and watch this video:

Aura XB is Awesome!

Martin Professional now has a full family of LED wash luminaires allowing designers to choose the model they need for specific applications.  The MAC Quantum Wash, MAC Aura XB, and MAC Aura each provide tremendous wash and zoom capabilities along with the patented Aura effect.

The middle model of the family, the Aura XB, is a truly wonderful fixture with many incredible features and an amazing 6,000 lumens of output!

The fixture includes new 15W LEDs and improved optics.  That is quite a short sentence for just how great the output looks.  First the unit is extremely bright, nearly twice as bright as the original Aura.  Everyone who sees it is totally blown away.  Next, the new optics allow for a great wash but also you can achieve a narrow, hard edge beam.  This is great when seen in the air or used as a backlight.

The color mixing has been massively improved which now allows you to get to deep saturated colors as well as pastels and everything in-between.  Combined with the standard zoom and patented Aura Effect the Aura XB really is amazing!

Also it is important to note that the Aura XB uses the new True1 connector instead of the powercon connector on the original unit.  Not only is it an improvement in functionality (the True1 can be hot-plugged) but it also helps identify the new Aura XB from the original Aura.

If you have not seen the Aura XB yet, then contact your dealer or email me and let's get one in front of you so that you can see this newest member of the MAC family!  Until you do get your hands on one, check out this video:

Quantum Profile Animotion FX

The Quantum Profile has a really cool trick that provides unique looks both in the air and as projections.  During the development of the proprietary LED engine and optics used in the fixture, the engineers at Martin quickly realized that never-before achieved effects were possible.  By cycling individual sections of the circular LED array, the output image becomes animated.  This results in pulsing, flickering, and scrolling looks that are created from the light source itself instead of other mechanical devices.  Believe me, the Animotion FX is really cool and useful!

The Animotion FX is controlled by values in the FX channels that are available when the fixture is set to the 16-bit Extended Mode.  You also need to make sure that your console profile gives you full access to these channels (23-27).  If you are not clear about this, be sure to ready the DMX Protocol in the fixture's user manual.

To use the Animation FX, simply set FX1 selection or FX2 selection to a DMX value between 30-37 (see below for specifics).  Then you can further adjust the speed of the Animotion effect via the FX1 or FX2 Adjustment channel.  So it is just an easy combination of two DMX channels (similar to selecting a gobo and rotating it).

Here are the various Animotion FX and their DMX values:

•  Stop Motion - DMX 30
• Movie Flicker - DMX 31
• Cross Chase - DMX 32
• Random Dimmers - DMX 33
• Shakey Dimmers - DMX 34
• Center Out Chase - DMX 35
• Negative Pulse - DMX 36
• Positive Pulse - DMX 37

If you cant wait till you have a fixture in front of you, check out some of the possibilities in this video (Animotion starts at 2:32): Quantum Profile Video

Now go have some fun with the Quantum Profiles!