Need console ideas

[digitaltec]

Alright Kids, I need your help...

I am looking for a console or controller that I am able to record cues and be able to trigger programmed effects (such as a color blast sequence) off of a fader or cue stack. The budget is $400 or less.

Pretty much i want to have a go button that will trigger the cues and effects in order.

Would something like smart fade work?

thanks for your help!

[Jby007]

Yes a smart fade will work great how ever you are limated to 48 channels you might want to consider the smart fade ML that supports a lot more.

But I have no clue how much either console costs.

Jeffrey

pm me if you have any other questions

[digitaltec]

All I'm running is 5 color blasts, a fogger, and a dimmer. So thats only 18 channels.

After review... the smartfades are running around 1k. So thats out if the question now. I am looking at Elation controllers and production bought one but it wont do cue stacks. The biggest issue I see is making everything go off a go button per say and keeping the console under $400.

Here is exactly what im trying to achive...

cue 1 Fade Up 5 color blasts
cue 1.5 Auto follow
cue 2 Flash between two colors go on fog
cue 3 fade out all

seems simple i know but it has to be all one one button...

[soundlight]

I'm pretty sure that you won't get autofollow for under $400.

How many control channels do you need?

[jmabray]

Originally Posted by Jby007

Yes a smart fade will work great how ever you are limated to 48 channels you might want to consider the smart fade ML that supports a lot more.
But I have no clue how much either console costs.
Jeffrey
pm me if you have any other questions

This is pretty much wrong.....

the SmartFade line will support a variety of channel counts (up to 96). The SmartFade ML will support 24 "devices" (fog machines, moving lights, led fixtures , etc....) and then an additional 48 dimmer channels. You cannot rob peter to pay paul - ie you cannot have only 12 devices and then have additional dimmer channels.

Let me know if you have any more questions.. Thanks!

Oh - and you probably aren't going to find a smartfade new for the 400 buck price that you are looking for.... a 1248 list price is 1,495.....

[digitaltec]

Originally Posted by soundlight

I'm pretty sure that you won't get autofollow for under $400.
How many control channels do you need?

Thats pretty much what I have told production. Right now we are running off of a computer program like LightJockey but its not working out very well and the computers keep resetting themselves and we lose DMX from time to time and have fried a dongle or two. So they have asked me to come up with solutions. The smartfade being my first but I have been given a max of $400 per controller. Which has to be be user friendly (hence the go button) given its being ran by the carps.

Kinda hoping there is some under the table console out there that i don't know about.

[soundlight]

You could use some sort of DMX recorder/playback device which you can use a full console to program, but only requires a small playback unit with a GO button to trigger the whole show. Wouldn't necessarily be the same manufacturer's unit, but possibly just a DMX recorder that then plays back cues in sequence. I don't know much about these, so I don't feel qualified to make any recommendations.

[Charc]

Originally Posted by soundlight

You could use some sort of DMX recorder/playback device which you can use a full console to program, but only requires a small playback unit with a GO button to trigger the whole show. Wouldn't necessarily be the same manufacturer's unit, but possibly just a DMX recorder that then plays back cues in sequence. I don't know much about these, so I don't feel qualified to make any recommendations.

I don't know much either, but Doug Fleanor (spelling?) sells something along these lines.

[avkid]

Originally Posted by digitaltec

Thats pretty much what I have told production. Right now we are running off of a computer program like LightJockey but its not working out very well and the computers keep resetting themselves and we lose DMX from time to time and have fried a dongle or two.

It sounds like you need to do a few things first:
Get dedicated terminals(delete all programs except IE for updates and your controller software)
Get a power conditioner/ voltage regulator
make sure you have your DMX lines terminated

[Arez]

Originally Posted by soundlight

You could use some sort of DMX recorder/playback device which you can use a full console to program, but only requires a small playback unit with a GO button to trigger the whole show. Wouldn't necessarily be the same manufacturer's unit, but possibly just a DMX recorder that then plays back cues in sequence. I don't know much about these, so I don't feel qualified to make any recommendations.

Are you referring to a show controller?