Control/Dimming - ETC Express HTP Annoyances

[ajblanck]

Originally Posted by icewolf08

As for HTP faders, there are very few consoles outside of the most recent generation that have LTP faders by default. None of the ETC line pre Eos nor the Strand 300/500 lines had LTP faders by default. On the 300/500 series desks if you programmed attributes to subs they became LTP, but not for intensities. As has been mentioned, unless you are busking a show, it should be much faster to key things in (at least for intensities). You don't have to hunt for a fader or try to manipulate a group of faders.

I think that my conception that the faders should be LTP came from the board that our high school has (a Levaton innovator). I'm surprised that this board would have a feature that is in more modern boards. I usually think of this console as anything but modern. As you mentioned, I should really get used to programming with the keypad. It's easy to see that many consoles are lacking faders these days.

Originally Posted by Grog12

aj, at the risk of sounding a little snarky...the Express wasn't meant for scrollers or a basic moving light like the IQ. I assume you're more familiar with something a bit more modern. Being unfamilar with the channel plot is hardly a board limitation.

Alright, the Express wasn't meant for these things. However, I'm sure that many people have added a scroller or i-cue to their rig and controlled them with the express. As for a board that is a bit more modern, the auditorium that I am talking about has an Ion downstairs that is waiting to get a DMX connection dropped in. The channel plot was new to me, but I am the only one at fault there. I'm not sure how I could blame the board for that.

[Esoteric]

I learned to program lights on an Express. 4 of our 5 theaters in college had them (the other one was an Obsession II). If the Hog was not available we patched movers into the Express with no problems.

I learned on HTP so for the longest time LTP drove me NUTS! I hated it. Now I can do both equally well, but it takes a change of mindset.

It is very simple to control movers on an Express. Either in mixture mode or just patched as channels. I have done it both ways.

I am with the guys that use the kaypad almost exclusively. I hate programming with faders, etc. You are going to have to use the keypad to adjust cues during tech, you might as well use it to program them.

Mike

[Les]

I also use a hybrid of the keypad and faders. The community theatre where I volunteer at on a less consistent basis has an Express and usually I will program my color washes and cyc into subs. Then I use channels 1-24 manually because they coincide with the FOH lighting, and I find it much easier to set up my facelight with the sliders. After that I'll add in whatever color wash, cyc look, etc using subs. Then I will go in and add any other detail or specials armed with my magic sheet. This way when they say "DSL needs more face light" I can just bring up the slider rather than keying it in. Normally if I'm programming the board someone else will have to sit out in the house because the stage looks much different from the booth. Trying to program a show from the booth exclusively would be a nightmare.

[Esoteric]

Oh yeah. I NEVER design a show fom the booth. I will only design from the house.

Mike

[PMWest]

Icewolf is right about the Express trackpad "speed" settings, but I've found that the trackpad is one of the Express' weakest components. They tend to be erratic, or fail, especially on rental desks. When I modify channel levels on the fly I'll use the keypad "@ +" or "@-" keys to bump a channel up or down 1%. Unlike higher-end ETC desks, this one doesn't have dedicated "+10%" or "-10%" keys, so it's a good idea to program those functions into two of the numbered macro keys.

[Esoteric]

Good idea PMWest. I let my ops set the board how they want usually. But I know my last op complained about the lack of +10 and -10 keys.

Mike

[ajblanck]

How would you make a +10 or -10 macro? I'm still not very familiar with ETC boards, and I'm guessing that the answer is simple for someone else.

[xander]

A +10 macro would just be: @++++++++++. For -10 you would obviously replace the + with -. The only problem is that I don't think that you can use the @+ and @- with groups for some reason. I maybe wrong, but I seem to recall that causing a problem for me.