Steven Ketterman

A professional event’s success often depends on its technical setup, and a critical component of that setup is the truss system. Trusses serve as the framework for lighting, audio, video, and stage equipment, supporting both safety and visual aesthetics. Choosing the right truss is essential for ensuring structural stability, audience safety, and optimal performance of your event equipment. Trusses come in different forms—box, circle, I-beam, triangle, and bolt—each with unique properties suited to specific applications. Understanding these options helps event organizers, sound engineers, and production teams select the best system for their venue and event type. This guide provides an in-depth overview of each truss type, their applications, advantages, and best use cases, along with practical considerations for professional setups. Box Truss: Strength and Versatility Overview Box trusses, also called square or rectangular trusses, are widely used in professional audio, lighting, an...

In professional live production environments—concerts, festivals, club nights, corporate events—the backbone of any rig is not just the fixtures and gear you see, but the cabling infrastructure beneath it. When you organise equipment for lighting, sound and networked control, understanding the differences between DMX cables, power cables and Ethernet cables becomes vital. Combined into your suite of pro audio cables, these cable types enable control, energy and data in perfect sync. This article provides a structured, informative overview of each cable type, their role, key specifications, installation best-practices and how you can choose wisely for your production. The role of each cable type DMX control-cables DMX (specifically DMX512) is the standard for controlling stage lighting and effects. It carries digital control signals—such as intensity, color, movement—from a lighting console to fixtures. The cable specification calls for a shielded twisted-pair with 120 ohm impedance ...

Putting on an outdoor event—whether a live music performance, a festival, or a brand activation—brings a host of challenges beyond those of indoor venues. Among the most critical is lighting. Proper outdoor stage lighting can elevate your event, ensure clarity for performers and audience alike, handle the vagaries of weather, and create an immersive atmosphere. This professional guide addresses what you should know: from equipment selection and layout planning to programming, power management and operational logistics. If you are a DJ, musician, sound engineer or event organizer looking for reliable performance, this is for you. Understanding the outdoor environment and its lighting demands Outdoor stage lighting must contend with distinct variables: Ambient light vs show lighting: Early evening or daylight events require high output fixtures to dominate ambient light. As the show progresses into night, effect lighting becomes more prominent. Weather exposure and durability: Rain, du...