Recent content by Blackfaer

This is indeed a really complicated question. Affordable is as affordable does. I'd spec Selecon Pacifics as my favorite conventional instrument, they run about $300 each, and of course have about 12 options for lensing not counting zooms. So a lot depends on where you're putting them and what...

Another vote for Milwaukee. I use Craftsman - they were the first to have a huge range of tools on the same battery packs, so I've got literally more than 12 tools including my hedge trimmer and weed whacker on the same batteries as my drills and saws. Milwaukee I've used in a couple of scene...

I'm of the opinion that I always want more tools. I most frequently go to PARs for the oval beam over a fresnel or parnel. Occasionally I'll go another route. But for a venue with a lot of S4 PARs, that's a sweet tool to be able to swap a lens and get a WFL beam that's round. I won't use it...

Green Room dates back to Shakespearean era, which negates any television-related theories or money-related theories as money didn't come in green then (or ever in the UK)

If Ma dot 2 works with Enntec, that's probably your best bet, though it's not user-friendly from the standpoint of inexperienced users. Unfortunately I have yet to find an Enttec compatible software that I actually like and find as useable as pro consoles. Light Factory might be your best bet...

This is the Wile. E. Coyote method of rigging?

Looking at both your vendors, the Avolites console and Ovation units vs. the ETC console and units, I think your second vendor is much more understanding of theatrical needs, but with regards to budget, the Ovations are cheaper than the ETC LED units.It does make sense, however, to have a...

If you've got the skills, Access is your best bet. I built Access databases for payroll and billing and such for crew hours and contract/rider tracking, and it's time-consuming but when you're done you can have forms that let any inexperienced person enter data and do searches. I'd make a form...

It's already competing with MA/Hog/Avo in Europe. Only in North America are we all freaked out by the RPN programming. The Congo/Cobalt is almost as capable as the high-end desks as a busking console for a much lower price. I'd gladly take one on tour or install one in a touring venue or...

I don't think this is possible under about $2000. Possibly if someone is selling a used console like an Element or a newer Strand unit. PC-based systems like Light Factory and using PC-wings like the ENTTEC wing make a system possible under $1000 that does what you want, and you can get it set...

Makes me miss my Congo. Yes, I had a Congo and I'm in the US... now I'm in management so I still get to decide what consoles to buy but I no longer get to use them myself; my crew here has a Grand MA and a couple of old ETC consoles that need replacing next year. :( That second video really...

Yes. This is a key difference. PC instruments typically get a more controlled narrow beam than Fresnels, but would be more limited in getting as wide a flood, because the glass would be so much thicker with a wide-angle PC lens. Also, PC's light 'texture', the quality of the light, is more like...

Duck, I think you're on the right track looking at Chamsys. Get yourself a USB DMX Pro and you've got your first universe super cheap. Alternatively, in the Sub $1000 market, Light Factory is the major open source competitor with inexpensive fader wing you can get to plug into your laptop. That...

Timecode is probably your best option given the constraints; if you could find a Rosco Keystroke, that'd be perfect; it's what I use for executing Qlab cues from my console, and it's wonderful. I hadn't heard that it's been discontinued - looks like they didn't have enough purchases. Makes me...

It would be more limited than what Keystroke currently does. Keystroke can do stuff you can't do with simple key presses. That said, Keystroke is going away, so what you're talking about would be 90% of what Keystroke does, and 100% better than nothing at all. I'd be your first customer, except...