Console Screen Shades

[Brian Bolly]

Now that festival season is starting to wind down into fall, a lot of us can reflect back on those summer shows and continuously look for ways to improve our work and look for things to make our jobs easier.

One subject that inevitably comes up is difficulty seeing screens, specifically console screens outdoors. Whether it's amount of light, glare, or fighting with polarized lenses on your glasses, it's inevitably part of our world with the amount of digital consoles and screens we use on every show.

Are you using some sort of sun shade or glare reduction on your screen(s)? What are you using? Is it homemade or commercially produced? Feel free to share photos of what you use.

 

[John Fruits]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Since this issue has come up again, I wonder if anyone has looked at the options available for film and video. Whenever you see a behind the scenes video of film productions there are always lots of sun shades on video monitors.
http://www.markertek.com/Video-Equipment/Camera-Gear-Accessories/LCD-Sun-Shades-Cleaners.xhtml

 

[Tom Manchester]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I had thought about making something. The hard part would the attachment to the console. It gets so windy at some shows I think something attached by magnets or Velcro might pop off and blow away with a sudden gust.

 

[Brian Bolly]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Once upon a time, Digico made some for the D-series desks that were collapsable to fit in a rack drawer (or briefcase) and had magnets in them so they would stay on the surface - it would take a pretty gnarly wind to knock them off. But those are the only ones I've ever seen made specifically for a console.

 

[Alan Hamilton]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Well, my consoles aren't touch screen but they have screens nonetheless... The SC48 screen is a little better than an X32 screen since it actually sits straight up so if you can keep the sun in front of you.... But I digress...

About the main thing I do is carry shade cloth to attach to FOH tent or booth to help knock off the sun. You can even put it in front of you since you can still see thru it and any sound blockage is minimal at worst. Usually the sun is to the side of us at most outdoor venues we have so it is placed on the corner or sides ....usually....

 

[Bob Urtz]

Re: Console Screen Shades

There was an early moment where I was getting ready to sound check and I looked at the scrreen on the LS9 and it was blank. Positively off. But audio was still passing. I had a brief panic moment and instinctively pulled off my shades to begin an unfettered troubleshooting bout and realized that my polarized sunglasses would not let any part of the LS9 screen through the lenses. Everything was fine, but I had to get a different pair of sunglasses...
My first experience with a Midas Pro-2 was that , in direct noon summertime sunlight, the screen is absolutely visible and completely usable. I want that feature on all of my consoles...

 

[Rob Timmerman]

Re: Console Screen Shades

There was an early moment where I was getting ready to sound check and I looked at the scrreen on the LS9 and it was blank. Positively off. But audio was still passing. I had a brief panic moment and instinctively pulled off my shades to begin an unfettered troubleshooting bout and realized that my polarized sunglasses would not let any part of the LS9 screen through the lenses.

Given that a polarizer is part of the design of an LCD screen, what you've described is pretty typical.

 

[Kevin Maxwell]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I did an outdoor show yesterday. We use an E-Z up 10x10 tent, it came with a white roof and it seems to me that it acts as a light diffuser. It keeps me from getting cooked but it seems to minimally block the amount of light that is hitting the console. I even have a hard time seeing any lit indicator on an analog console. I think it would make a big difference it the roof were white on the outside to reflect the sun and heat and matte black on the inside to minimize the reflections. And a sidepiece or 2 like that to block the sun from the sides or the back. I can’t find a tent cover made like that. I am tempted to try and make an inner piece out of duvetyne and put the regular white top over that.

 

[Jay Barracato]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I did an outdoor show yesterday. We use an E-Z up 10x10 tent, it came with a white roof and it seems to me that it acts as a light diffuser. It keeps me from getting cooked but it seems to minimally block the amount of light that is hitting the console. I even have a hard time seeing any lit indicator on an analog console. I think it would make a big difference it the roof were white on the outside to reflect the sun and heat and matte black on the inside to minimize the reflections. And a sidepiece or 2 like that to block the sun from the sides or the back. I can’t find a tent cover made like that. I am tempted to try and make an inner piece out of duvetyne and put the regular white top over that.

I figured it would be easier to cover myself rather than the tent frame.

So I made a hood and robe out of lightweight black cloth.

The only place it fit in was a death metal concert.

So I tried a lightweight white cloth for a hood and robe.

That one really went bad fast...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD

 

[Kevin Maxwell]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I figured it would be easier to cover myself rather than the tent frame.

So I made a hood and robe out of lightweight black cloth.

The only place it fit in was a death metal concert.

So I tried a lightweight white cloth for a hood and robe.

That one really went bad fast...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD

That was funny.

 

[Matt Lillie]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Here's my sunshade today.

 

[Chris Greco]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I figured it would be easier to cover myself rather than the tent frame.

So I made a hood and robe out of lightweight black cloth.

The only place it fit in was a death metal concert.

So I tried a lightweight white cloth for a hood and robe.

That one really went bad fast...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD

U made my day, glad I woke up today!!!!

 

[Rob Spence]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I did an outdoor show yesterday. We use an E-Z up 10x10 tent, it came with a white roof and it seems to me that it acts as a light diffuser. It keeps me from getting cooked but it seems to minimally block the amount of light that is hitting the console. I even have a hard time seeing any lit indicator on an analog console. I think it would make a big difference it the roof were white on the outside to reflect the sun and heat and matte black on the inside to minimize the reflections. And a sidepiece or 2 like that to block the sun from the sides or the back. I can’t find a tent cover made like that. I am tempted to try and make an inner piece out of duvetyne and put the regular white top over that.

I replaced the top on my E-Z up with a blue one. It blocks the light better. Then I go to do a festival and the organizer insists on me using their white pop ups so they all match. Sigh... We then put the white cover on over the blue one. Problem solved.


Sent from my iPad HD

 

[Kevin Maxwell]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I replaced the top on my E-Z up with a blue one. It blocks the light better. Then I go to do a festival and the organizer insists on me using their white pop ups so they all match. Sigh... We then put the white cover on over the blue one. Problem solved.


Sent from my iPad HD

Everywhere I look for replacement tops they cost more then we can buy an entire tent for. Do you have a place that sells then at a more reasonable price?

Putting a white top ever a dark to was one of the ways I was thinking might work. We were also taking about hanging some black cloth from the structure inside of the tent.

 

[Rob Spence]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Everywhere I look for replacement tops they cost more then we can buy an entire tent for. Do you have a place that sells then at a more reasonable price?

Putting a white top ever a dark to was one of the ways I was thinking might work. We were also taking about hanging some black cloth from the structure inside of the tent.

Does buying a whole tent with the wrong top solve your problem?

Pony up and buy the top. I bought mine direct from E-Z Up.

Sent from my iPad HD

 

[Kevin Maxwell]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Does buying a whole tent with the wrong top solve your problem?

Pony up and buy the top. I bought mine direct from E-Z Up.

Sent from my iPad HD

I think you may have misunderstood my post. We didn’t buy the wrong tent we haven’t used a digital console outdoors till we had a demo of an X32 last Wednesday night. We have a bunch of E-Z up tents and they all came with the white top, which has never been a real problem before.

We have only been using much more expensive digital consoles and only for indoor shows. Now that we are thinking of maybe buying an X32 for some of the outdoor shows that we do, does the properties of the white roofed tents become evident. And we see that it might help to have a top with a reflective color on the outside and a darker color on the inside.

Yes I am cheap I can’t see spending more for a part then the whole thing cost me. That seems like something is wrong to me.

 

[Rob Spence]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I think you may have misunderstood my post. We didn’t buy the wrong tent we haven’t used a digital console outdoors till we had a demo of an X32 last Wednesday night. We have a bunch of E-Z up tents and they all came with the white top, which has never been a real problem before.

We have only been using much more expensive digital consoles and only for indoor shows. Now that we are thinking of maybe buying an X32 for some of the outdoor shows that we do, does the properties of the white roofed tents become evident. And we see that it might help to have a top with a reflective color on the outside and a darker color on the inside.

Yes I am cheap I can’t see spending more for a part then the whole thing cost me. That seems like something is wrong to me.

I understood.

They sell a pile of white ones. All the low cost ones are white. The higher end ones have choices of colors. The higher end ones gave heavier frames and heavier weight fabric.

You can't buy a whole one in the color you want for less than just the top in the color you want. They don't make the cheap tops in color.

As Tim would say, the wrong part at the right price is still the wrong part.

Sent from my iPad HD

 

[Tim Padrick]

Re: Console Screen Shades

Just spray the inside of the top with that paint for cloth & vinyl. Or glue a cloth liner to the inside.

 

[Randy Gartner]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I dyed my old one with black dye because the white got so dirty. It didn't work exactly as planned.It's now a cool black and grey camouflage. I get alot of nice comments about it too!

 

[Tim Padrick]

Re: Console Screen Shades

I dyed my old one with black dye because the white got so dirty. It didn't work exactly as planned.It's now a cool black and grey camouflage. I get alot of nice comments about it too!

Better than the beige pants I dyed black - they all came out purple ;-(