CHICAGO - Zach Scott doesn’t consider himself a writer, but before he does anything with programming language at the start of the design process, he turns to the English language and uses words to put together sentences about the show he is about to light.
“It’s the first thing I do right after I listen to the music that’s going to be in my client’s set,” Scott explained. “I write a paragraph for each song that captures the vibe I want to create with my lighting. This includes the emotional tone and rough look for every song. Doing this helps me focus my visual ideas, and it helps me avoid repeating myself.”
Following this formula when designing for the recently concluded 20th anniversary tour by pop punk icons The Academy Is, Scott created a show that moves with the fluid grace of a page-turning novel. Helping him author this powerful story was the ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console with a MagicQ MQ80 coupled with an extra wing as the tracking backup.
“The show is fully pre-programmed -- each song lives on its own page with a main cue stack holding the core information,” Scott explained his process. “I also use a handful of bump buttons for kick/snare hits and big moments that need precise manual timing. The band doesn’t run tracks, so everything is triggered live without timecode. It’s been a refreshing change of pace from the heavily timecoded environments I’m usually in.”
“I programmed and pre-visualized the show using Capture 2025. I take the Capture file on the road with me so I can plug my console into my laptop and update or build new material whenever the band adds a song,” continued Scott. “The MagicQ 250M was great interfacing with the software. My programming and pre-viz setup stays consistent in my studio, which lets me work comfortably during pre-production. Once the show is dialed in, I simply save the file over to the touring consoles and hit the ground running.”
The flexible per-universe network protocol options were critically important to Scott on this tour. A pair of other features were equally significant: Group Cues, and the compact size of his ChamSys desk. He elaborated on how these attributes worked to make his life easier on the road.
“Being able to assign different network protocols on a per-universe basis is huge in today’s touring world,” he said. “My floor package runs fully on sACN, but some venues still rely on Art-Net. Having per-universe control means I can adapt instantly without reconfiguring my entire rig. As for the Group Cues, they are a game-changer for speed and accuracy when integrating house systems. Instead of relying on clone/morph workflows, I simply build new house-rig groups and copy data from my virtual flown groups straight into them. It’s fast, clean, and consistent.”
On the subject of console size, Scott noted that in some venues on this tour, the FOH positions usually had their own in-house consoles, which left touring crews with minimal space. “We don’t always have the ability to set up in front of their house equipment, so having a small footprint becomes key in these situations,” he explained.
With his ChamSys console saving him time and freeing him from other concerns, Scott was able to focus more energy on the creative side of his show, which featured slow emotional intros transitioning into high-energy choruses. He also credits the team at JRLX and their “immaculate prep work” with helping to make the tour go smoothly.
Looking back at his show, Scott noted: “For the most part, the verses stayed moody and toned-down, while the pre-chorus opened up into wide, fanned out looks, with strobe bursts on the downbeats of the chorus. Aerial looks formed the backbone of this show. Since the band hasn’t toured in many years, most of the audience consists of longtime fans who already know the music inside and out. I wanted to create a deeply immersive, atmospheric environment that amplified that nostalgia. My goal was for the visuals to hit just as hard for someone in the back of the room as they did for the fans right up front."
About ChamSys
Based in the UK, ChamSys Ltd. was founded in 2003 by a group of designers and product developers seeking to create a lighting console that offered greater flexibility. The company’s MagicQ range has set an industry standard used in some of the most prominent concert, theatre, broadcast and club applications around the world. ChamSys was acquired in 2017 by Chauvet & Sons LLC, a leading global provider of professional luminaires, trusses, controllers and related equipment headquartered in the USA. For more information, visit www.chamsysusa.com
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