Control/Dimming - New Lightboard: ETC Ion

[bestboy]

So our high school just bought an ETC Ion. and i have looked at the mini-site as well as the manual and even downloaded the offline version for my computer.

anyone have tips, pointers, do's and don'ts, that will help me out?

i have worked on the ETC Express so i know a lot already...

[gafftaper]

Check out the official Eos and Ion forum. One of the people who regularly answers questions there is CB member Anne Valentino (known around here as Avalentino). So say "hi"... although she'll read it here too... so I guess we can just say hi now. Hi Anne!

If you have a problem, remember that you can call ETC 24/7 1-800-688-4116. Program that in your cell phone RIGHT NOW. Then, print out the number and tape it on the wall by the Ion. If you have a non-emergency problem, post it either on the ETC forum or here and one of us or one of the ETC people will answer it either way.

Remember that Ion is a relatively new product and most of us don't own one. It's a great board and is likely to be widely adopted in the industry as time goes by, but most of the more experienced people around here are still using their old equipment and have only used Ion in demo so far.

[avalentino]

Hi Guys! Jake, welcome aboard. The Eos/Ion forum is a great resource - and it has a search function. A great many topics have been discussed there. A few immediate things though, if you are familiar with Express/ion.

There is NO release key. The closest similar function on Ion is Sneak. Although sneak does more than just release manual data. It is generally the first question that comes up though.

Although its much more fun to jump in and start playing about with ML controls, effects and so forth, I'd recommend you spend a bit of time getting to know how your desk thinks. It is philosophically quite different from the Express/ion line. It is a tracking, move fade desk. So, before you get into your first tech, understanding how the desk edits data, deletes data and handles insert cues will be of great benefit to you. A slightly boring task to be sure, but necessary - and when fully understood and trusted, can save you lots of time when programming. The manual covers these topics in good detail, but having a play yourself with these things will help (generally recommend that you work in blind spreadsheet to see how new cues and edits to cues are handled).

The third issue is the displays - how to get to the information you need to see, what the various display options are and what the symbols that sometimes show up in the channel views mean. There is a document at the top of the Eos/Ion forum that covers much of that. It's a good resource.

Finally, make sure you read the topics "block" and "assert" in the manual. The rest will come!!

Have fun!

Anne
Eos Product Line Manager
ETC

[shiben]

The theater company at Calvin College purchased an Ion this past fall, and I have loved it so far. It worked well using our inventory of scrollers, gobo rotators, and I-Cues. I like the programing language (much better than the Congo, imo). A problem we have encountered is that we can not mirror the screens, so as to have one in the house for the designer and the other in the booth for the board op during techs and dresses. There might be some way to do it, but we dont know it. Anyhow, have fun learning a new system!

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by bestboy

...i have worked on the ETC Express so i know a lot already...

Not disparaging your prior experience, but Ion is quite the different animal from the Express.

See this thread http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/l...-comments.html, and follow the links to the video. Also, Anne and Sarah's white paper here: http://redirectingat.com/?id=41X76&u...sophy_revA.pdf. I think you'll find both helpful in making the transistion.

[avalentino]

Originally Posted by shiben

The theater company at Calvin College purchased an Ion this past fall, and I have loved it so far. It worked well using our inventory of scrollers, gobo rotators, and I-Cues. I like the programing language (much better than the Congo, imo). A problem we have encountered is that we can not mirror the screens, so as to have one in the house for the designer and the other in the booth for the board op during techs and dresses. There might be some way to do it, but we dont know it. Anyhow, have fun learning a new system!

True mirror mode is coming shortly. When this is implemented, another device can be set to mirror another devices screens completely. Right now - as I'm sure you've discovered, if you set your designer as the same user as the programmer, the designer can see the command line of the programmer, and will be in the same operating mode as the programmer, but has his own screen formats and flexi-states. When Mirror Mode is implemented, we will maintain this current behavior when more than one device is set as the same user... as many designers do like it.

Hope that helps!

Anne Valentino
Eos Product Line Manager
ETC

[shiben]

Originally Posted by avalentino

True mirror mode is coming shortly. When this is implemented, another device can be set to mirror another devices screens completely. Right now - as I'm sure you've discovered, if you set your designer as the same user as the programmer, the designer can see the command line of the programmer, and will be in the same operating mode as the programmer, but has his own screen formats and flexi-states. When Mirror Mode is implemented, we will maintain this current behavior when more than one device is set as the same user... as many designers do like it.

Very much so. Thanks!

[NevilleLighting]

I think the biggest change you will experience is how the Ion/Eos differ in cue handling. This series of consoles harkens back to the programming language of the Obsession which goes back to the programming language of the old Strand series Light Palettes. The thing you want to concentrate on learning is about tracking features. Learn a LOt about tracking and you will go far. Also, the Ion has much more to offer in robust patching features so that toys you have like gobo rotators can become attributes of the lights they serve. I applaud ETC on their new consoles. I am not a fan of the Congo line but I do love the Ion/Eos line, really strong designer friendly software design.