Explore the revolutionary ETC SiteLink, a cloud-based monitoring solution offering real-time access to lighting and rigging systems worldwide. Hosts Chris and Lacy dive into its features, customization options, and impact on the entertainment industry.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:19):
All right, welcome to Future Tech.
Let's jump right in. ETC just announced their site
link solution. It's this cloud based monitoring
tool for lighting and rigging. Think about it, literally all
your critical systems monitored from anywhere in the world,
right from your phone or laptop.They launched it just last week
and honestly, it's going to be agame changer.
(00:41):
Cloud based monitoring. That sounds fancy, but what does
it actually mean for, like, the people on the ground, you know,
the stagehands or facility managers of the world?
Oh, it means no more waking up in a cold sweat wondering if a
hoist is failing mid show. Seriously though.
And with this you've got instantalerts, real time system updates
for everything from lights to rigging.
(01:03):
Say goodbye to those frantic preshow system resets.
Right. I can think of so many times
when something broke down and itwas this scramble to figure out
what went wrong before doors opened.
Exactly. For example, I had this incident
back in the day. It was the final show on a
European pop tour. Everything's running smooth
until Wham rigging failure. We didn't know till part of the
(01:27):
lighting rig went dark during the opener.
You're lucky to even identify the problem, let alone fix it in
time. Like I would have killed for
something like Site Link back then.
You could have diagnosed half those issues even before
stepping foot on stage. So what?
It monitors everything, rigging,lights, the whole setup.
Yep, everything ETC touches And the genius part.
(01:49):
It lets you group systems how you like.
You've got the traditional setup, like separating by
physical location, say proscenium versus backstage.
Or you can organize by function,like fixture power or house
lights. There's just this whole new
level of visibility. That's pretty wild to think
about. It's almost like having a behind
the scenes tech supervisor watching it all for you.
(02:10):
Exactly. It's like having that behind the
scenes tech supervisor but with even more control.
Customization is where ETC. Site Link really shines.
Not only can you group your systems however you want, but
you can also set up custom alerts for, well, pretty much
anything. That could mean getting a
warning if, say, one specific winch on a rigging system looks
off, or even narrowing it down to something like house lights
(02:33):
not responding. Whatever you need.
Wow that's that's pretty next level.
I mean think about venues like No2.
Setups are exactly the same but everyone has to deal with that.
Oh no what's wrong? Panic during pre show checks,
right? Exactly.
And here's where it gets even better.
You can tailor what specific team members see.
(02:53):
So let's say you're the crew chief.
You only want to know if like a major part of the system goes
down. But your techs, they need every
single alert because they're troubleshooting in real time.
With site link that's totally doable.
OK. Yeah, because I've seen like,
facility managers who have to manage all these different
departments, they're walking that tightrope, trying to keep
(03:15):
everyone informed without overwhelming themselves or the
crew with too much information. Yep, and there's no
one-size-fits-all either. Every user can fine tune their
account, text alerts, daily digests, whatever works best.
And let's say the touring crew pulls into a new venue.
They can set up Site Link in a way that only monitors the
(03:35):
system critical parts for that location.
It's modular, you know. So much better than the old way.
I remember this one venue I worked at.
It was kind of cobbled together and geez, troubleshooting was
like trying to read a map with missing pieces.
Half the time we didn't even know where to start looking when
something failed. That's the beauty of this
system. You're not just reacting to
(03:56):
problems, you're ahead of them. And Laci imagine the education
space, right? Schools and universities can use
this to keep their administrators and facilities
managers In Sync without boggingthem down with every little
issue. Oh yeah, schools could really
use something like that, a safety net for their
performances or assemblies. Kids don't exactly wait
(04:17):
patiently while you fix the spotlight, do they?
Ha, ha, ha. Not a chance.
But yeah, whether it's a Performing Arts Center or a
stadium, this level of control is a game changer.
You can focus on, I don't know, the actual event instead of
losing your mind over last minute hiccups.
And that's just scratching the surface.
Here's the real game changer. Global access.
(04:39):
Let's say you're running a tour.Whether you are in Altoona or
Zurich, Site Link keeps you in the loop.
You can see it all in real time before you even step off the
bus. So you're solving issues before
they ever become problems. Yeah, And touring is so
unpredictable. Like, even when you've got the
best crew on the planet, things can still, you know, fall apart.
(04:59):
A tool like this would make sucha difference.
Like you could put out fires before they become, well, actual
fires. Exactly, and site Link is built
for it. Whether you're dealing with
rigging, stress or electrical quirks, you've got a complete
heads up. And let's say the venue's got, I
don't know, some funky old setupsite link helps you stay ahead
of it so you don't walk into a complete blind spot.
(05:22):
Totally sounds a bit like havingan extra pair of eyes on
everything, even when you're, what, a bunch of time zones
away? Yeah, and you're not just
reacting to issues anymore, you're proactive.
Like no more scrambling after something breaks mid show, you
can pinpoint the problem and send instructions to the crew
all in real time. You know, hearing you talk about
(05:42):
this makes me really think back to all those moments where we
needed something, anything like this.
I mean, how much stress could wehave saved?
Oh tons, no doubt about it. In the live events world, speed
and mobility are everything. Site link not only gives you
flexibility, but it really elevates how you handle your
entire operation. Yeah, I feel like every
(06:03):
production team out there is going to want to give this a
shot. I mean, it's just one of those
things that makes sense, you know?
Exactly. Whether it's a tour, a big
campus system, or even just one busy theatre, that kind of
insight and control goes a long way.
And honestly, staying connected has never been this easy.
Well on that note, I think we can both agree ETC site link
(06:25):
could really change the game. Thanks for breaking it all down,
Chris. My pleasure as always, and to
all the geezers and Gizettes outthere, thanks for tuning in to
hear us geek out about site monitoring on today's future
tech. Stay safe, stay lit, and we'll
catch you next time. Future tech is here.
(06:50):
Come on man, you make the spec so clear.
Oh La La with music to your ears.
Hey, hey. Yeah, let's go.
New gear vibes, new tech.
All right, welcome to Future Tech.
Let's jump right in. ETC just announced their site
link solution. It's this cloud based monitoring
tool for lighting and rigging. Think about it, literally all
your critical systems monitored from anywhere in the world,
right from your phone or laptop.They launched it just last week
and honestly, it's going to be agame changer.
(00:41):
Cloud based monitoring. That sounds fancy, but what does
it actually mean for, like, the people on the ground, you know,
the stagehands or facility managers of the world?
Oh, it means no more waking up in a cold sweat wondering if a
hoist is failing mid show. Seriously though.
And with this you've got instantalerts, real time system updates
for everything from lights to rigging.
(01:03):
Say goodbye to those frantic preshow system resets.
Right. I can think of so many times
when something broke down and itwas this scramble to figure out
what went wrong before doors opened.
Exactly. For example, I had this incident
back in the day. It was the final show on a
European pop tour. Everything's running smooth
until Wham rigging failure. We didn't know till part of the
(01:27):
lighting rig went dark during the opener.
You're lucky to even identify the problem, let alone fix it in
time. Like I would have killed for
something like Site Link back then.
You could have diagnosed half those issues even before
stepping foot on stage. So what?
It monitors everything, rigging,lights, the whole setup.
Yep, everything ETC touches And the genius part.
(01:49):
It lets you group systems how you like.
You've got the traditional setup, like separating by
physical location, say proscenium versus backstage.
Or you can organize by function,like fixture power or house
lights. There's just this whole new
level of visibility. That's pretty wild to think
about. It's almost like having a behind
the scenes tech supervisor watching it all for you.
(02:10):
Exactly. It's like having that behind the
scenes tech supervisor but with even more control.
Customization is where ETC. Site Link really shines.
Not only can you group your systems however you want, but
you can also set up custom alerts for, well, pretty much
anything. That could mean getting a
warning if, say, one specific winch on a rigging system looks
off, or even narrowing it down to something like house lights
(02:33):
not responding. Whatever you need.
Wow that's that's pretty next level.
I mean think about venues like No2.
Setups are exactly the same but everyone has to deal with that.
Oh no what's wrong? Panic during pre show checks,
right? Exactly.
And here's where it gets even better.
You can tailor what specific team members see.
(02:53):
So let's say you're the crew chief.
You only want to know if like a major part of the system goes
down. But your techs, they need every
single alert because they're troubleshooting in real time.
With site link that's totally doable.
OK. Yeah, because I've seen like,
facility managers who have to manage all these different
departments, they're walking that tightrope, trying to keep
(03:15):
everyone informed without overwhelming themselves or the
crew with too much information. Yep, and there's no
one-size-fits-all either. Every user can fine tune their
account, text alerts, daily digests, whatever works best.
And let's say the touring crew pulls into a new venue.
They can set up Site Link in a way that only monitors the
(03:35):
system critical parts for that location.
It's modular, you know. So much better than the old way.
I remember this one venue I worked at.
It was kind of cobbled together and geez, troubleshooting was
like trying to read a map with missing pieces.
Half the time we didn't even know where to start looking when
something failed. That's the beauty of this
system. You're not just reacting to
(03:56):
problems, you're ahead of them. And Laci imagine the education
space, right? Schools and universities can use
this to keep their administrators and facilities
managers In Sync without boggingthem down with every little
issue. Oh yeah, schools could really
use something like that, a safety net for their
performances or assemblies. Kids don't exactly wait
(04:17):
patiently while you fix the spotlight, do they?
Ha, ha, ha. Not a chance.
But yeah, whether it's a Performing Arts Center or a
stadium, this level of control is a game changer.
You can focus on, I don't know, the actual event instead of
losing your mind over last minute hiccups.
And that's just scratching the surface.
Here's the real game changer. Global access.
(04:39):
Let's say you're running a tour.Whether you are in Altoona or
Zurich, Site Link keeps you in the loop.
You can see it all in real time before you even step off the
bus. So you're solving issues before
they ever become problems. Yeah, And touring is so
unpredictable. Like, even when you've got the
best crew on the planet, things can still, you know, fall apart.
(04:59):
A tool like this would make sucha difference.
Like you could put out fires before they become, well, actual
fires. Exactly, and site Link is built
for it. Whether you're dealing with
rigging, stress or electrical quirks, you've got a complete
heads up. And let's say the venue's got, I
don't know, some funky old setupsite link helps you stay ahead
of it so you don't walk into a complete blind spot.
(05:22):
Totally sounds a bit like havingan extra pair of eyes on
everything, even when you're, what, a bunch of time zones
away? Yeah, and you're not just
reacting to issues anymore, you're proactive.
Like no more scrambling after something breaks mid show, you
can pinpoint the problem and send instructions to the crew
all in real time. You know, hearing you talk about
(05:42):
this makes me really think back to all those moments where we
needed something, anything like this.
I mean, how much stress could wehave saved?
Oh tons, no doubt about it. In the live events world, speed
and mobility are everything. Site link not only gives you
flexibility, but it really elevates how you handle your
entire operation. Yeah, I feel like every
(06:03):
production team out there is going to want to give this a
shot. I mean, it's just one of those
things that makes sense, you know?
Exactly. Whether it's a tour, a big
campus system, or even just one busy theatre, that kind of
insight and control goes a long way.
And honestly, staying connected has never been this easy.
Well on that note, I think we can both agree ETC site link
(06:25):
could really change the game. Thanks for breaking it all down,
Chris. My pleasure as always, and to
all the geezers and Gizettes outthere, thanks for tuning in to
hear us geek out about site monitoring on today's future
tech. Stay safe, stay lit, and we'll
catch you next time. Future tech is here.
(06:50):
Come on man, you make the spec so clear.
Oh La La with music to your ears.
Hey, hey. Yeah, let's go.
New gear vibes, new tech.
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