In the world of cinema AV, few voices resonate as clearly as Steve Guttag’s. Known for his insightful Q-SYS Cinema blogs, Steve combines deep technical expertise with a passion for storytelling. His work spans small independent theaters to complex multiplex installations, always with a focus on reliability and innovation. This interview explores his approach to cinema deployments, favorite tools, and the lessons learned from years in the field.
🎬 Deployment Strategy
Jason: What’s your typical workflow when deploying Q-SYS in a cinema environment?
Steve: That depends on the cinema. First, I try to find out what is to be accomplished. Are we just providing a sound system? Are we going to take advantage of massive control capabilities from Q-SYS? Are there other considerations, like the lobby and/or an Entertainment Center? Based on the client’s stated goals, I try to come up with a system that meets those goals.
The design normally starts before the equipment goes in and is then refined as needed. After the system goes in, it is commissioned, and the theatres are tuned. Finally, the system is updated to eliminate any problems that the user may find or adapt the system to the user’s needs.
Jason: How do you determine the right Q-SYS Core Processor for a given cinema setup?
Steve: In cinema, the biggest driving force is the input channel count. If the theatre is to support HDMI sources with a DCIO-H, you’ll have to allow for 20 or more input channels, per screen. That starts to dictate what Q-SYS Cores are suitable for the design.
Since I also like to run redundant networks, I also try to use Q-SYS Cores that have Aux network capability. This was one of the things I really liked about what I saw in the new processors that came out in 2025.
Jason: What’s your go-to Q-SYS Core for small cinema installations?
Steve: This one is easy. The Core Nano. It covers a LOT of ground. With a scaling license, it can go out to 128 x128 inputs/outputs so it covers, at least, 4-screens plus it can cover immersive systems, like Dolby Atmos®.
Jason: How do you approach redundancy in cinema networks?
Steve: Almost without exception, I try for redundant Q-SYS Cores and redundant networks. There are some single screen systems, particularly early ones, where I didn’t put in the redundant Q-SYS Core. But really, they should have redundancy too. Comparatively, it provides a lot of insurance to not going down versus the cost of the second Q-SYS Core (typically the Core Nano).
Likewise on the networks. The cost of the redundant network is trivial compared to having glitches or failures due to something as simple as a network cable not connecting well.
Jason: How do you configure network redundancy in cinema installs?
Steve: I use completely separate networks rather than VLANs. Whenever possible, QLAN-A is “blessed” and treated like an island. The only way onto it is with a physical connection. This, I feel, provides a high degree of reliability (and it has).
QLAN-B, in my more moderate systems (Core 510 and Core 610), also is treated as an island. In my smaller systems (Core Nano, Core 110f), I convolve QLAN-B as the redundant audio network and the control network. I then utilize the booth router to allow control communication with the normal booth LAN. Since I mostly use the Core Nano, this comes up quite a bit. So, far, it has worked out very well.
🛠 Technical Challenges
Jason: What’s the most challenging cinema deployment you’ve worked on?
Steve: It may sound corny but, really, Q-SYS removes challenges. Sure, it can add to the work, because it can do so much. However, it can solve so many problems. Using the Voicing component alone can speed up tuning greatly as well as improve consistency.
For the most part, cinema is about repetition. Once you have your design for one screen, you just have to duplicate it for the other screens.
Our most diverse system, thus far, was the Cape Square Entertainment complex (Rio Grande, NJ). It touched on so many aspects. It is an 8-screen movie complex. It has a Dolby Atmos® screen. It has AV capabilities in its theatres as well as a PA system in the largest theatre. Additionally, it has a full Entertainment Center in the lobby with a sports bar, bowling alley and arcade. A lot of the Q-SYS line up (Q-SYS Cores, amplifiers, loudspeakers, touchscreens) was used in that facility and it came out very well.
Jason: Have you ever had to troubleshoot a system mid-show? What happened?
Steve: Sure. One of the many great things about Q-SYS is the ability to troubleshoot problems. Within every cinema design we deploy, we provide an audio bypass for things like screen channel failure. The user can perform that bypass mid-show, on their own. We also provide for an overall status indication so the user has an idea of what isn’t working right.
However, if the problem is more complicated, we can remote-in (in most sites) to drill down further. Hovermon is an exceptional tool to see if we can find where something is going wrong in the audio chain. Q-SYS provides the tools to quickly determine if the problem is networking, or component failure.
In most cases, we can get a system to continue its show, even with something major, like an amplifier failure. We’re not losing shows because of Q-SYS…quite the opposite.
⚙️ Tools and Features
Jason: What’s your favorite Q-SYS feature when working in cinema environments?
Steve: If I had to choose a word, flexibility would be it. If I can expand on it, then the ability to adapt Q-SYS to whatever the needs are. The ability to troubleshoot like never before and to get answers quickly and accurately.
Jason: What’s your approach to integrating third-party devices with Q-SYS?
Steve: Step one is to always see if there is a plugin/user component that already exists. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. If one exists, I then try it out to see if it fits my needs and the needs of the system. For devices that do not have an existing plugin/user component, I’ll start the process of making one. I need to see if it has an API that I can, personally, work with. At this point, I don’t code in LUA but I do use the Block Controller a bit. So, if the API will work with that, then I try to make the user component that fits the needs of the system. I will, often, do more than just the bare minimum because I don’t want to have to revisit it later just because I found I needed to add a feature.
Once I have things working in emulation, I will push it to a Q-SYS Core I keep in my office and test it out live and make sure everything works as expected.
Jason: Are there any tools or workflows you’ve developed that others might benefit from?
Steve: Possibly. And I’m sure I would benefit by seeing how others approach problems. The Q-SYS community has been quite generous with sharing its collective knowledge and creations. I’ve tried to do my part on that too. I’ve posted some of my user components for Cinema and I’ve been writing a blog on Q-SYS for Cinema. So, if people want to know what I think about something on Q-SYS within the cinema industry, it’s all out there (and growing, as time permits).
👤 Personal Journey
Jason: What first got you interested in AV and cinema technology?
Steve: I’ve always enjoyed movies and I’ve always run projectors. Back in the 1970s, I was the kid that ran the film projector in class. In 1980, I started my career within cinema (projectionist), and my involvement never stopped. I’ve designed, installed and serviced cinema projection and sound since the early 1980s.
Jason: What’s your favorite part of working in the field?
Steve: Snarky answer: “Loadout.” Really, any time I can take a construction site to a functioning theatre or take a broken system and restore it to functioning, that is a happy day. Nothing beats a theatre full of patrons enjoying what is playing.
Jason: What’s one cinema deployment that stands out in your career and why?
Steve: If we’re talking Q-SYS installations, then, really, there are two standouts.
Warehouse Cinemas Frederick. That is the site where we went full-in on Q-SYS. It has 10-screens with all Q-SYS…loudspeakers, amplifiers, touchscreens, you name it. We located the amplifiers for the screen channels behind the screen and just the surround amps in the booth. Nine of the screens run via a pair of Core 510c and one screen has Dolby Atmos® via a Core 110c. Q-SYS even provided the flexibility to have their wireless microphones available to multiple screens at just the touch of a (touchscreen) button in any combination.
The other is Cape Square Entertainment, our most diverse system which I mentioned earlier.
💡 Advice for Newcomers
Jason: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in cinema AV?
Steve: Hurry up, we need you! Cinema used to cultivate techs. We had projectionists. The ones that had the ability to fix equipment and understand how things work became technicians. Now we don’t have that pool of people to draw from.
Being a cinema tech does require that a person be proficient with projection, sound and IT.
Check out Steve’s articles on Q-SYS Cinema here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-guttag-b43356b/recent-activity/articles/
Follow Steve on Communities here: https://developers.qsc.com/s/profile/0050L000009CmtzQAC
Jason Martinez
Derniers articles parJason Martinez (voir tous)
- Citizen Spotlight: Behind the Screens - September 25, 2025
- Developer Spotlight: Drivers of Innovation – The Chowmain Way - August 26, 2025