The Maison de la Culture d’Arlon, a busy theatre and cultural destination in the south-east of Belgium, has taken delivery of a UNITOUR system from LSC Control Systems, the Australia-based manufacturer of data distribution, power and lighting control systems.
The theatre’s Technical Director, Benoit Petit, said: “We needed a power distribution system that could solve various problems in a single device. It had to be easy to move, quick to set up, fairly compact, able to provide both direct and dimmed power and sACN compliant for dimmer control. It also needed to include a monitoring system and electrical protection.”
Portability was key because although the system would mainly serve the smaller, 120-capacity secondary venue, it would also be needed for other stages around the building, or sometimes in different locations across the town.
Following a demo of UNITOUR given by Controllux and LSC’s Business Development Manager for Europe, Kris Noerens, Benoit was convinced by the system’s extensive functions and intuitive, straightforward user approach. Furthermore, the Houston X software – which would allow for remote monitoring and configuration, enabling the team to receive alerts ahead of dropouts – was a major consideration.
“UNITOUR turned out to be the right choice,” said Benoit. He placed the order just before Christmas, and delivery followed in mid-February – carefully timed to fit within the theatre’s complex production planning. Specified and delivered by LSC’s Benelux distribution partner Controllux, the chosen system is a 24-channel UNITOUR rack, complete with Houston X remote control software.
Because UNITOUR is a touring-grade power distribution system, it’s built for the road – rock-solid. It features LSC’s well-known and highly-valued TruPower dim/switch technology, so the client is able to protect and monitor the venue’s equipment in a proper, reliable way.
UNITOUR is the ideal mobile solution for venues needing to power and manage equipment in a 100% controlled way. Its functionalities are almost exactly the same as those offered by LSC’s UNITY systems, which are designed for fixed installations, but in a robust, mobile rack. The staggered channel start-up, avoiding high inrush currents, makes this system ideal for powering equipment with switched power circuits, such as LED walls.
Of UNITOUR’s portability, Benoit said: “Most venues choose fixed equipment, but that limits their ability to address one of the most important challenges: optimizing investments by using equipment to its full potential. If we had chosen a fixed system, we would have needed to buy additional dimmers and distribution boxes for use outside the range of the fixed installation.”
