Activities Board Technical Committee
Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, PA

AB Tech provides sound and lighting services to organizations affiliated with or planning events at Carnegie Mellon. Most events are on-campus, but we also assist with a few select off-campus events each year.

We can assist your organization's event in a number of areas:

• Sound reinforcement: From small vocal performances to dance parties to large bands, we are experienced in the art of sound reinforcement. Most events can be handled with our own inventory, providing great discounts off rental prices at external companies. As necessary, we can also rent equipment and bill you at-cost.
• Lighting: We can provide lighting for small shows using poles or floor lighting, or setup spans of lighting truss overhead for larger events. We have traditional colored lighting as well as moving lights, strobes, and black lights.
• Staging: If your event requires additional staging material, we can coordinate the rental of stage components from outside contractors. We do not carry any staging ourselves.
• Power: Larger venues (especially those with complex lighting requirements) will require more than wall power. In some cases, generators are rented to supply this additional power. We can coordinate this.

AB Tech does not officially provide video services (including projection/playback of slideshows, DVDs, etc., or video recording/filming of events). If your event requires these services, we may subcontract cmuTV (Carnegie Mellon's on-campus student-run television station) or another local production company at an additional charge.

• Precise show information: To book an event, we need at minimum:
  • the type of event (describe in detail)
  • venue (Please be precise. "Rangos" is ambigious, while "Rangos 1-3" is helpful)
  • setup time (see below)
  • show date and time(s)
  • estimated length of the event
• Advance notice: At least one week advance notice of the event. Larger events require more lead time (at least 2 weeks), and we recommend contacting us at least a week in advance for other shows. Since we are often working at 2 venues, and occassionally at 3 or more, our schedule is restrictive. Changes to the event (venue, times, equipment needs, etc.) less than 48 hours before the show may not be possible.
• Setup and teardown time: Smaller shows may only require an hour for setup, but larger shows may require 8 hours or more. Please contact us before reserving a venue and confirming show time, so that we can estimate the time required. We need full access to the venue from the setup time through our teardown, which can take 1-2 hours following the end of the show (again, depending on the complexity of the show).
• Technical riders and contracts: If performers have provided you with technical "riders" or requirements in their contract, it is best for us to have a copy of these to ensure they are met. Additionally, contact information for the performer is often useful if we need to request a clarification on technical requirements.

Other options:
If AB Tech is not available to work your show, you may want to check out our production contractors page.