Full Production future-proofs with Q-SYS system architecture
UK – For a company dealing with the complexities of multi-faceted show control, including in demanding visitor attraction environments, the ease and reliability of integration is key. It’s something of which Full Production, the Berkshire-based production services specialist, has always been aware. And now, with its adoption of Q-SYS, it believes it has found a methodology which delivers a real advantage.
Although a significant investment for Full Production in terms of time and R&D, it’s a move which promises important benefits for the company and its clients, setting a new benchmark for the quality of its ongoing audio-visual systems creation.
This new approach future-proofs the company’s design and installation projects, improving not just the speed of integration and the reliability of operation, but the flexibility of control, monitoring and maintenance. “The major appeal for us is that Q-SYS gives us a dedicated show control system – one that is open, versatile and robust,” says Full Production managing director, Steve Richardson.
Created by QSC Audio, the Q-SYS software system drives and manages a wide variety of integrated AV components, aided by an ‘ecosystem’ of approved tools developed by third-party technology partners, plus the support of a worldwide community of programmers and developers.
Treetop Success
It was adopted by Full Production in time for their design and installation of the latest Treetop Golf visitor attraction in Bristol. Here, Q-SYS integrates with lighting controllers from Visual Productions and spatial audio elements within QLab to drive an immersive, dynamic and ever-changing environment for visitors. As players make their way around the two 18-hole indoor mini-golf courses – plus bonus 19th hole – their movements activate sensors, which trigger a variety of actions – in sound, light, video and atmosphere.
Richardson continues, “Now, 99% of the brands and hardware we’re using have Q-SYS plug-ins, so we can monitor everything within Q-SYS itself and get auto email alerts. We can build in automated processes where the client gets a count on sensor interactions, giving them important insights into how the system is operating.
“It gives us more flexibility with updates and tweaks, certainly when it comes to the timing and triggering of screen content. If the client wants to amend a schedule with, say, a half-term override, we can do that easily, without having to reprogram a lot of the show just for one week of special content.”
He adds, “And from a fault-finding point of view, it’s more proactive, a much finer diagnostic tool.”
Visual Productions Partnership
To incorporate a dedicated lighting control system within the new architecture at the Bristol site, Full Production turned to Netherlands-based Visual Productions. As a specialist in lighting control technology for more than 25 years, its solutions are found in theme parks and attractions, cruise ships, conference venues and corporate spaces worldwide. It officially began its technical partnership with Q-SYS in 2023, and its leading control tools are now available as plug-ins within the platform, making integration and set-up a fast and simple process.
Full Production met with the Visual Productions team at the PLASA show in 2023 and, along with the brand’s UK distributor, Entedi, began discussing the potential for Q-SYS/VP solutions. Ronald Barr, business developer for Visual Productions, says, “We’re seeing a growing demand for combining lighting and AV in many projects. Working in partnership with Full Production gives us valuable insights into the end-customer’s needs. Their input will be used to further develop our products, to cater for this market even better.”
Future Capability
Full Production has been the regular service supplier to Treetop Golf since 2020. Bristol is the third site that they have developed and installed for Treetop in that time, and they provide service support for all six Treetop Golf attractions across the UK. Working closely with a forward-thinking client on successive sites has resulted in each new installation raising standards in terms of both technical capability and visitor experience. For the Bristol site, the advance was a major leap.
“We had to recode the entire show from scratch, which was no small undertaking,” says Richardson. “Part of our commitment to Treetop was that we would cover the reprogramming time. There’s very little difference in the cost of hardware, so for them it was a neutral cost. It was just our time – but it enabled us to carry out a great deal of R&D and, in doing so, iron out any kinks months before getting on site.”
Now, and in the future, that efficiency and stability is essential, says Richardson. “We’re getting around 2.5 to 3 million triggers per Treetop site, per year: six sites is approaching 18 million triggers. So we needed a stable, robust, approach, which also future proofs us for sites seven, eight and nine. We can now roll that out pretty quickly.”
Connected Learning
Support from the manufacturer and the accessibility of training also drove the adoption of Q-SYS. After visiting the Q-SYS Experience Centre in Egham, Surrey to see the system’s capabilities first-hand, Full Production’s Project Manager, Lee Phillips, undertook the Q-SYS Level 1 training course online, followed by the Level 2 course in person at Egham – both free courses.
Although the software is designed to be intuitive and accessible, even Level 2 can only really scratch the surface of what’s possible from this powerful tool. With such endless options, a selective approach to learning is vital. As Philips says, “The modular nature of the training benefits us as a company, because we can pick up the elements we need, without having to go through the whole thing. Their Experience Centre is amazing.”
Service Above Par
The result, Richardson believes, is a faster, stronger, more powerful solution. “Q-SYS gives us the ability to do more for our clients, while at the same time improving the stability of the systems we produce for them. And it’s as versatile and accessible as we could wish. We look forward to exploring new possibilities, and creating more and more with it as time goes on.”
Photos © Matt Eachus – The Manc Photographer
