bishopthomas
Well-Known Member
So, my partner sold the Pearl in order to fund another purchase and now I need to replace it. I can't afford another Pearl, but I can afford the Hog500. I am only familiar with the Pearl, being fairly new to lighting (I'm a sound guy, don't hurt me), and am weary about starting over on a new controller. At the same time, though, it will give me a chance to learn something new, and I think that if I know how to use both a Pearl and a Hog then I'm in a good spot for walk in jobs or freelance LD work.
So, my question is, what's the learning curve on a Hog 500? I have heard that Hogs are harder to program than Avolites, but worth it in the end. If I get the console on Thursday could I use it on Friday for a small accent lighting gig with 4 MAC250's and 6-8 LED's if I read the manual several times before then? Is there an offline editor that I could use to get familiar with the console? I like the Pearl Simulator as it is exactly the console on my computer screen; anything like that for the Hog500?
I am typically using 24-40 channels of dimmers, several (4-6) MAC250's, and about a dozen 28-channel LED bars, but would need to be able to expand to maybe 60 dimmers and 12-14 MAC250's for larger shows (if my bid is accepted this is what I'll have on an outdoor gig next month). I am 100% busking, no hitting the "Go" button on concert gigs, so it needs to be at least as good as the Avo at this type of situation. What do you think? It's half the price of a used Pearl, and I don't think there's anything else in this price range suitable for this type of work, but correct me if I'm wrong. Please don't recommend software solutions, though. I have a cheap PC controller and to get what I want out of a higher end system I would need programming/playback wings. In that case I would just buy the new Pearl or a Tiger Touch.
Thanks!
So, my question is, what's the learning curve on a Hog 500? I have heard that Hogs are harder to program than Avolites, but worth it in the end. If I get the console on Thursday could I use it on Friday for a small accent lighting gig with 4 MAC250's and 6-8 LED's if I read the manual several times before then? Is there an offline editor that I could use to get familiar with the console? I like the Pearl Simulator as it is exactly the console on my computer screen; anything like that for the Hog500?
I am typically using 24-40 channels of dimmers, several (4-6) MAC250's, and about a dozen 28-channel LED bars, but would need to be able to expand to maybe 60 dimmers and 12-14 MAC250's for larger shows (if my bid is accepted this is what I'll have on an outdoor gig next month). I am 100% busking, no hitting the "Go" button on concert gigs, so it needs to be at least as good as the Avo at this type of situation. What do you think? It's half the price of a used Pearl, and I don't think there's anything else in this price range suitable for this type of work, but correct me if I'm wrong. Please don't recommend software solutions, though. I have a cheap PC controller and to get what I want out of a higher end system I would need programming/playback wings. In that case I would just buy the new Pearl or a Tiger Touch.
Thanks!