peeriebryan

mikeyboy and Urabug, we're in danger of going off topic...
 
 

  You have my sympathy!
 

  It's not like you to give up so easily Ghostrider. I thought you were a stubborn auld dug?
 
Re: "Culture.... depending what its defined as"
 
The consultation offers the following definitions (so I'm sure something amongst it will chime with you)
 

DOWNLOAD 4 TRACK EP>>> "SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR FIRE"
 

 
https://brundlehorse.bandcamp.com/album/shut-up-and-eat-your-fire

Those are all fair questions.
 
Meetings are in the Town Hall and the public can attend.
 
My communications with the forum secretary are via email so I can't say for sure how widely any documents are distributed or meetings publicised.
 
I shall inquire and post back here.

^Good guess then!

I don't think that question is entirely relevant.
 
As stated on their web page, "COPE Ltd is a charity and social enterprise which provides employment and employment skill development for adults with disabilities".
 
The "people/participants" you refer to are the whole point of COPE's existence. 
 
I would not be surprised in the slightest if COPE's businesses cost more to run - and make less profit - than similar ventures run on purely commercial terms. The reason? It's because they are NOT operating on purely commercial terms. Their remit is greater than that. That's why they are a charity. That's why they operate as a social enterprise. That's why they need public funding to make it all work.
 
You can't just subtract items from their existing costs to produce figures showing what things would be like without the participants. If the participants were not involved, everything would be different, and all costs would change. But the bigger point is that, without the participants, the businesses would almost certainly not exist at all. 
 In the grand scheme of things, COPE doesn't get very much public funding at all. And, from what I can see, they make excellent use of what they do get.
 
Might there be room for further improvement? Of course. But there is room for improvement in every single organisation, everywhere. The key is to continually strive for better. It looks to me like COPE is making excellent progress on various fronts, and good on them.

I have had a brief skim through these comments and am totally amazed by the level of ill informed, opinionated and down right personal comments made! (And just for the record this is shona manson on Paul's account)
What mostly annoys me on this alleged forum is that you all make your comment under a pseudonym? What's that about?
And ur point ghost rider is?

I hae a copy o the same book. A jolly good read
http://www.outpost221.com/images/pugwash/pic_1.jpg
 
 
Check these things out for real sea monsters. I'd love one - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekranoplan

Most recent points have been answered by other folk, but I'll pick up on a couple:
 
Re: sound system output. There are numerous variables involved and ways to measure a rig, but for the sake of providing a figure, the theoretical peak 'volume' of the auditorium PA is about 140dB (decibels), roughly the equivalent of a shotgun blast a few inches from your ears and enough to cause permanent hearing damage. The on-stage monitor system is about the same and that doesn't include guitar amps etc. The subs (low frequency speakers) are capable of producing levels that literally take your breath away.

'Watts' isn't a relevant measurement of sound levels as it refers to power consumption and doesn't take into consideration the efficiencies of amps and speakers etc. For the record, both the main rig and the monitor amps are rated at less than 10,000 watts but they are particularly efficient.

All that said, the rig is run at nowhere near those levels - the headroom means the system can operate with virtually no peak distortion (interestingly, what many people perceive as 'loud' is actually a psychoacoustic phenomenon caused by the harmonic distortion and peak compression of a system operating at beyond it's capabilities - e.g. an electric guitar through a small distorted amp can sound instinctively 'louder' than acoustic guitar producing the same dBs).

In the two and a half years since Mareel opened, no musician, band, sound engineer, promoter or anyone else has ever asked for specific information on the capabilities of the sound system. The only times it has ever come up is on this thread.

The feedback on the sound system (pardon the pun) has been unanimously positive, the auditorium is an excellent sounding room with a very well balanced frequency response and we have some of the best sound engineers in the business (I tip my hat to their lugs). I may be biased, but it's one of the best sounding rooms I've ever heard. All is well in that department
 
Re: finances. They're all available on the Shetland Arts website and we're governed by all the usual rules and regulations regarding financial reporting - http://www.shetlandarts.org/about/shetland-arts/reports-and-documents/

Most recent points have been answered by other folk, but I'll pick up on a couple:
 
Re: sound system output. There are numerous variables involved and ways to measure a rig, but for the sake of providing a figure, the theoretical peak 'volume' of the auditorium PA is about 140dB (decibels), roughly the equivalent of a shotgun blast a few inches from your ears and enough to cause permanent hearing damage. The on-stage monitor system is about the same and that doesn't include guitar amps etc. The subs (low frequency speakers) are capable of producing levels that literally take your breath away.

'Watts' isn't a relevant measurement of sound levels as it refers to power consumption and doesn't take into consideration the efficiencies of amps and speakers etc. For the record, both the main rig and the monitor amps are rated at less than 10,000 watts but they are particularly efficient.

All that said, the rig is run at nowhere near those levels - the headroom means the system can operate with virtually no peak distortion (interestingly, what many people perceive as 'loud' is actually a psychoacoustic phenomenon caused by the harmonic distortion and peak compression of a system operating at beyond it's capabilities - e.g. an electric guitar through a small distorted amp can sound instinctively 'louder' than acoustic guitar producing the same dBs).

In the two and a half years since Mareel opened, no musician, band, sound engineer, promoter or anyone else has ever asked for specific information on the capabilities of the sound system. The only times it has ever come up is on this thread.

The feedback on the sound system (pardon the pun) has been unanimously positive, the auditorium is an excellent sounding room with a very well balanced frequency response and we have some of the best sound engineers in the business (I tip my hat to their lugs). I may be biased, but it's one of the best sounding rooms I've ever heard. All is well in that department
 
Re: finances. They're all available on the Shetland Arts website and we're governed by all the usual rules and regulations regarding financial reporting - http://www.shetlandarts.org/about/shetland-arts/reports-and-documents/

I'll do my best to briefly address some of the concerns raised here, but there's not much to add that hasn't been covered in considerable detail in previous posts dating back a number of years.
 
Re: parking. I'm not aware of any issues or complaints about parking. Personally, I often come and go several times a day and I've been at the majority of events there but there's only been a handful of times that I haven't found a parking space in the main car park. Each time there's been plenty of alternative spaces at the museum, SIC offices or North Ness car parks. 
 
Re: soundproofing effectiveness. The sound systems in the cinemas and auditorium have been extensively tested and the Sound Pressure Levels have been pushed to extremes with no problems whatsoever, neither internally nor externally. I'm not aware of any complaints from neighbours or customers either.
 
Re: soundproofing design. In essence the auditorium and cinema are physically decoupled as much as is practically possible from the the rest of the building (like boxes within a box), combined with standard treatments such as heavy airtight double doors and absorbent wall materials. The design has proven to be more than up to the job.

Re: the rake of the cinema seating. The rake is indeed steep, but that's the nature of cinema design and Mareel isn't unusual. There's access from the top and bottom of the rake, and there's the option of the smaller second screen if folk prefer. The Front of House staff are happy to help anyone with mobility issues.
 
If folk have concerns, complaints or suggestions then please do get in touch with Shetland Arts and we'll do our best to help (admin@shetlandarts.org / 01595 743 843). We're always looking at ways to improve what we do so we'd be delighted to hear from folk.

In the meantime, let's try to keep this discussion polite and good natured 

I'll do my best to briefly address some of the concerns raised here, but there's not much to add that hasn't been covered in considerable detail in previous posts dating back a number of years.
 
Re: parking. I'm not aware of any issues or complaints about parking. Personally, I often come and go several times a day and I've been at the majority of events there but there's only been a handful of times that I haven't found a parking space in the main car park. Each time there's been plenty of alternative spaces at the museum, SIC offices or North Ness car parks. 
 
Re: soundproofing effectiveness. The sound systems in the cinemas and auditorium have been extensively tested and the Sound Pressure Levels have been pushed to extremes with no problems whatsoever, neither internally nor externally. I'm not aware of any complaints from neighbours or customers either.
 
Re: soundproofing design. In essence the auditorium and cinema are physically decoupled as much as is practically possible from the the rest of the building (like boxes within a box), combined with standard treatments such as heavy airtight double doors and absorbent wall materials. The design has proven to be more than up to the job.

Re: the rake of the cinema seating. The rake is indeed steep, but that's the nature of cinema design and Mareel isn't unusual. There's access from the top and bottom of the rake, and there's the option of the smaller second screen if folk prefer. The Front of House staff are happy to help anyone with mobility issues.
 
If folk have concerns, complaints or suggestions then please do get in touch with Shetland Arts and we'll do our best to help (admin@shetlandarts.org / 01595 743 843). We're always looking at ways to improve what we do so we'd be delighted to hear from folk.

In the meantime, let's try to keep this discussion polite and good natured 

I'll do my best to briefly address some of the concerns raised here, but there's not much to add that hasn't been covered in considerable detail in previous posts dating back a number of years.
 
Re: parking. I'm not aware of any issues or complaints about parking. Personally, I often come and go several times a day and I've been at the majority of events there but there's only been a handful of times that I haven't found a parking space in the main car park. Each time there's been plenty of alternative spaces at the museum, SIC offices or North Ness car parks. 
 
Re: soundproofing effectiveness. The sound systems in the cinemas and auditorium have been extensively tested and the Sound Pressure Levels have been pushed to extremes with no problems whatsoever, neither internally nor externally. I'm not aware of any complaints from neighbours or customers either.
 
Re: soundproofing design. In essence the auditorium and cinema are physically decoupled as much as is practically possible from the the rest of the building (like boxes within a box), combined with standard treatments such as heavy airtight double doors and absorbent wall materials. The design has proven to be more than up to the job.

Re: the rake of the cinema seating. The rake is indeed steep, but that's the nature of cinema design and Mareel isn't unusual. There's access from the top and bottom of the rake, and there's the option of the smaller second screen if folk prefer. The Front of House staff are happy to help anyone with mobility issues.
 
If folk have concerns, complaints or suggestions then please do get in touch with Shetland Arts and we'll do our best to help (admin@shetlandarts.org / 01595 743 843). We're always looking at ways to improve what we do so we'd be delighted to hear from folk.

In the meantime, let's try to keep this discussion polite and good natured 

I'll do my best to briefly address some of the concerns raised here, but there's not much to add that hasn't been covered in considerable detail in previous posts dating back a number of years.
 
Re: parking. I'm not aware of any issues or complaints about parking. Personally, I often come and go several times a day and I've been at the majority of events there but there's only been a handful of times that I haven't found a parking space in the main car park. Each time there's been plenty of alternative spaces at the museum, SIC offices or North Ness car parks. 
 
Re: soundproofing effectiveness. The sound systems in the cinemas and auditorium have been extensively tested and the Sound Pressure Levels have been pushed to extremes with no problems whatsoever, neither internally nor externally. I'm not aware of any complaints from neighbours or customers either.
 
Re: soundproofing design. In essence the auditorium and cinema are physically decoupled as much as is practically possible from the the rest of the building (like boxes within a box), combined with standard treatments such as heavy airtight double doors and absorbent wall materials. The design has proven to be more than up to the job.

Re: the rake of the cinema seating. The rake is indeed steep, but that's the nature of cinema design and Mareel isn't unusual. There's access from the top and bottom of the rake, and there's the option of the smaller second screen if folk prefer. The Front of House staff are happy to help anyone with mobility issues.
 
If folk have concerns, complaints or suggestions then please do get in touch with Shetland Arts and we'll do our best to help (admin@shetlandarts.org / 01595 743 843). We're always looking at ways to improve what we do so we'd be delighted to hear from folk.

In the meantime, let's try to keep this discussion polite and good natured 

Hi Kendal, and welcome to the forums.

There's a wealth of people making short films in Shetland. Some recent examples include the 'Ebb Tide' project - http://www.shetlandarts.org/ebbtide - and the folk who had their films shown at this year's 'Home Made' screening at Screenplay (the local film festival) http://www.mareel.org/watch/cinema-listings/screenplay-home-made
 
Please do drop me an email and I'll be happy to help - bryan.peterson@shetlandarts.org

Hello all. 

 

I'm writing from a TV production company (http://mindseyemedia.tv/) who have recently been asked to make a series of documentary style TV commercials for a major British food brand. 

 

We're looking to film with people based in remote areas of the UK that are due to overcome long distances or hard conditions to be reunited with their loved ones. We think the remote islands in the Shetland could be a brilliant place to capture this story. 

 

We're looking for real people who are eager to reunite with friends or family living abroad. We'd ask that we could follow and film their reunion story. Essentially, we're looking to film the moment they come together with their family for a meal after time spent apart. 

Examples may include… An older couple whose children have emigrated, a resident not born in the region but who has chosen to reside here and left family/friends abroad, a wife & husband separated from each other… etc. 

 

We could help to make this reunion happen soon and would pay for all travel costs incurred! 

 

We'd be very keen to hear from anyone that maybe be interested in hearing more, all my details are below & I'm actually in the region until Tuesday. 

 

Thanks! 

 

Anna Martin

Producer

M: +44 (0) 7927 186 160

anna_martin@me.com

Colin, Shetland Youth Voice is predominantly voluntary. Young people stand to represent their area, as a councillor might, but they're not paid anything. There will be some level of support from within the council, but mostly administrative and for advertising whenever elections come around - I highly doubt there is any paid job solely relating to the organisation.

Well said. You would think these folk could only recieve one station on their radios. If you they don't like it, re-tune or switch off. Simples!
 
Radio Shetland has reared many great presenters who have gone on to do well. It's great to hear "weel kent" voices on major radio and television programmes/sports etc.
 
What makes it local and special is the variety of presenters, the fact there are a mixture of local and non local voices. The occasional mistake or fit of the giggles is the best bits about it. The presenters all do a good job sometimes under difficult circumstances. As for Jane, well she's just a star.
 
Some folk really need to get a life and get out from behind their keyboards a bit more often. Wouldn't it be great to stick them behind a mike for a night and see how they get on! They might then appreciate how difficult it can be.

Well said Hjasga. I resisted responding before to this cruel and hurtful thread previously as I am married to Jane. But to start up again on the new boys learning their trade is simply not fair. I am sure we all have moments in our jobs when things don't go to plan or we do make mistakes, but we are not subjected to this nonsense. I have been a keen " Shetlinker" for a long time but find these anonymous negative ramblings rather sickening.
James Nicolson

I use them regularly without giving it much consideration apart from these rules of thumb:
 
Switch the 48v on, and back off when you're finished, while the mic is plugged in. It's not so much of a concern now-a-days but some older or more fragile mics (ribbon mics in particular) can be damaged by 'hot plugging'
 
Switching the 48v on/off can cause a signal spike so it's best to mute, or turn off, the next piece of equipment down the signal chain.
 
Most dynamic ('normal') mics won't be damaged if you mistakenly apply 48v to them, but best not take the chance

Anidder tip, while you're doing the wiring, is to pull in conduit (flexible tubing) to areas where you think you might need to haul extra cables in future, such as behind the TV or a home office. Leave one end where it's easily accesible (usually in the laft) and terminate the internal wall with a blank plate. If, for instance, you wanted to upgrade your normal TV to Sky, or run in ethernet or a phone for a home office, it takes minutes to pull in the cable and change the blank plate to whatever termination you're after.
 
If you're not sure where your TV or whatever is going to go until you've moved the furniture in, pull conduit into the most likely areas and you can change they layout of the room without worrying about where everything has to be plugged in.
 
I generally put in at least one conduit run into every room I'm wiring before the plasterboard goes up. It's a 10 minute job and I've saved many hours and thanked myself many times for doing that.
 
Also, you can never have too many double sockets!

I worked for an electrical contractor for years on the mainland and have renovated a few houses, and my advice is......
 
Sketch out what you're planning to do (locations of sockets, appliances, lights and switches, cable runs etc) then get a sparky to check it over, principally to make sure you're not going to overload any circuits and that you're planning to use the right size of cables - usually 1.5 mm2 for light circuits, 2.5mm2 for ring mains, 6mm2 or more for radial (direct) circuits for large appliances (showers, cookers etc). The sparky will know the latest edition of the wiring regulations and will spot any potential issues straight away.
 
* It's worth considering pulling in bigger cables than you need for appliances such as cookers and showers. The difference in price is minimal but it means you can upgrade your appliances to something more powerful in future.
 
The sparky will advise you on the consumer unit(s) too (whether you need to upgrade them or not), and if you don't have the main power supply in yet you'll need to get the Hydro in for the connections to the main fuse.
 
Pull in the cables and cut out the boxes (if it's plasterboard) yourself, which in my experience is 95% or more of the work. Expect lots of crawling in lafts, under floors, boring holes through things and swearing.
 
Get a sparky in for the final connections and testing. They can usually bash the second fix of a house in a day or two and you'll know it's done right. They can sign everything off too to keep the paperwork in order. Also, sparkies tend to be able to get the fittings cheaper than you can yourself (get a quote for that first and check it against Screwfix - they always have deals on consumers units etc).
 
One thing to watch for is that the substation is able to supply the new load if it's a considerable extra, or new, draw on the power. I know a few folk who have come a cropper when they've gone to get the main supply in and the Hydro have insisted they upgrade the substation, which could be several grand.
 
In summary, it's best to get ask a sparky's advice afore you start. In my experience, they tend to accept a pint or two for an initial consultation
 
But as has been mentioned, if it's a new build you'll need to run everything past building control. Expect paperwork!

I worked for an electrical contractor for years on the mainland and have renovated a few houses, and my advice is......
 
Sketch out what you're planning to do (locations of sockets, appliances, lights and switches, cable runs etc) then get a sparky to check it over, principally to make sure you're not going to overload any circuits and that you're planning to use the right size of cables - usually 1.5 mm2 for light circuits, 2.5mm2 for ring mains, 6mm2 or more for radial (direct) circuits for large appliances (showers, cookers etc). The sparky will know the latest edition of the wiring regulations and will spot any potential issues straight away.
 
* It's worth considering pulling in bigger cables than you need for appliances such as cookers and showers. The difference in price is minimal but it means you can upgrade your appliances to something more powerful in future.
 
The sparky will advise you on the consumer unit(s) too (whether you need to upgrade them or not), and if you don't have the main power supply in yet you'll need to get the Hydro in for the connections to the main fuse.
 
Pull in the cables and cut out the boxes (if it's plasterboard) yourself, which in my experience is 95% or more of the work. Expect lots of crawling in lafts, under floors, boring holes through things and swearing.
 
Get a sparky in for the final connections and testing. They can usually bash the second fix of a house in a day or two and you'll know it's done right. They can sign everything off too to keep the paperwork in order. Also, sparkies tend to be able to get the fittings cheaper than you can yourself (get a quote for that first and check it against Screwfix - they always have deals on consumers units etc).
 
One thing to watch for is that the substation is able to supply the new load if it's a considerable extra, or new, draw on the power. I know a few folk who have come a cropper when they've gone to get the main supply in and the Hydro have insisted they upgrade the substation, which could be several grand.
 
In summary, it's best to get ask a sparky's advice afore you start. In my experience, they tend to accept a pint or two for an initial consultation
 
But as has been mentioned, if it's a new build you'll need to run everything past building control. Expect paperwork!

I worked for an electrical contractor for years on the mainland and have renovated a few houses, and my advice is......
 
Sketch out what you're planning to do (locations of sockets, appliances, lights and switches, cable runs etc) then get a sparky to check it over, principally to make sure you're not going to overload any circuits and that you're planning to use the right size of cables - usually 1.5 mm2 for light circuits, 2.5mm2 for ring mains, 6mm2 or more for radial (direct) circuits for large appliances (showers, cookers etc). The sparky will know the latest edition of the wiring regulations and will spot any potential issues straight away.
 
* It's worth considering pulling in bigger cables than you need for appliances such as cookers and showers. The difference in price is minimal but it means you can upgrade your appliances to something more powerful in future.
 
The sparky will advise you on the consumer unit(s) too (whether you need to upgrade them or not), and if you don't have the main power supply in yet you'll need to get the Hydro in for the connections to the main fuse.
 
Pull in the cables and cut out the boxes (if it's plasterboard) yourself, which in my experience is 95% or more of the work. Expect lots of crawling in lafts, under floors, boring holes through things and swearing.
 
Get a sparky in for the final connections and testing. They can usually bash the second fix of a house in a day or two and you'll know it's done right. They can sign everything off too to keep the paperwork in order. Also, sparkies tend to be able to get the fittings cheaper than you can yourself (get a quote for that first and check it against Screwfix - they always have deals on consumers units etc).
 
One thing to watch for is that the substation is able to supply the new load if it's a considerable extra, or new, draw on the power. I know a few folk who have come a cropper when they've gone to get the main supply in and the Hydro have insisted they upgrade the substation, which could be several grand.
 
In summary, it's best to get ask a sparky's advice afore you start. In my experience, they tend to accept a pint or two for an initial consultation
 
But as has been mentioned, if it's a new build you'll need to run everything past building control. Expect paperwork!

I worked for an electrical contractor for years on the mainland and have renovated a few houses, and my advice is......
 
Sketch out what you're planning to do (locations of sockets, appliances, lights and switches, cable runs etc) then get a sparky to check it over, principally to make sure you're not going to overload any circuits and that you're planning to use the right size of cables - usually 1.5 mm2 for light circuits, 2.5mm2 for ring mains, 6mm2 or more for radial (direct) circuits for large appliances (showers, cookers etc). The sparky will know the latest edition of the wiring regulations and will spot any potential issues straight away.
 
* It's worth considering pulling in bigger cables than you need for appliances such as cookers and showers. The difference in price is minimal but it means you can upgrade your appliances to something more powerful in future.
 
The sparky will advise you on the consumer unit(s) too (whether you need to upgrade them or not), and if you don't have the main power supply in yet you'll need to get the Hydro in for the connections to the main fuse.
 
Pull in the cables and cut out the boxes (if it's plasterboard) yourself, which in my experience is 95% or more of the work. Expect lots of crawling in lafts, under floors, boring holes through things and swearing.
 
Get a sparky in for the final connections and testing. They can usually bash the second fix of a house in a day or two and you'll know it's done right. They can sign everything off too to keep the paperwork in order. Also, sparkies tend to be able to get the fittings cheaper than you can yourself (get a quote for that first and check it against Screwfix - they always have deals on consumers units etc).
 
One thing to watch for is that the substation is able to supply the new load if it's a considerable extra, or new, draw on the power. I know a few folk who have come a cropper when they've gone to get the main supply in and the Hydro have insisted they upgrade the substation, which could be several grand.
 
In summary, it's best to get ask a sparky's advice afore you start. In my experience, they tend to accept a pint or two for an initial consultation
 
But as has been mentioned, if it's a new build you'll need to run everything past building control. Expect paperwork!

If it's a new house, building control will insist you provide proof that it was wired by a qualified sparky.
 
If it's a complete re-wire you would still be wise to get a qualified sparky to do the work, or one who will be happy for a competent person to do the donkey work leaving them to connect up. Unfortunately these are few and far between.
 
Consider any insurance issues should something go wrong in the future.