SteveLynch
Member
Hello All!
I've been running an event production company for the better part of 25 years. I have a pretty good stable of over 250 fixtures, and I've been running everything on Freestyler DMX and madrix for the last at least 10 years or so. I do a lot of pixel based lighting, a lot of LED par work, and a fair amount of moving head work. (usually no more than 15-20 movers max) Say what you will, but I've gotten really good with it, and there's not much I cannot do with what I'm currently using..
However, as I get older, and my business is changing, I'd like to move to a platform that does not require such copious amounts of "half-assery, and twiddling" to run a show... It's par for the course for me, but I cannot always be the one to run everything anymore, and I guess I need a little more "solid" solution. I do not need, or want a $10,000 lighting console, so I'm wondering about the viability of an older unit.
I see a lot of whole Hog, and Hog 500's out there for really low prices, and I even have 2 Grand MA full sized consoles I could pick up for less than a Grand. My question is: is a hardware console a better option for me? I understand DMX pretty well, but have never worked on a console... How is the learning curve for someone wanting to use one for smaller productions like mine? will it be somewhat intuitive coming from a PC based solution?
It does not make sense for me to spend a huge amount of money on this. When I have a bigger show, I hire a guy with a console. But I'd like something I can screw with and set shows on.
So with the disclosure that I really have no aspirations of becoming a full time lighting guy, or anything like that, and knowing what I've been comfortably using, would something like an older used hog suit me? Or should I just get a couple cheap chinese 1024 Avolite pearl type consoles and call it a day?
I'm not a super pro, I always could stand to learn more, and I'm open to any and all reasonable suggestions as to what direction you would go in to get a unit that is more solid, dedicated, and economical, as opposed to future proof, and "the latest and greatest"..
Thanks so much! I'm all ears.
I've been running an event production company for the better part of 25 years. I have a pretty good stable of over 250 fixtures, and I've been running everything on Freestyler DMX and madrix for the last at least 10 years or so. I do a lot of pixel based lighting, a lot of LED par work, and a fair amount of moving head work. (usually no more than 15-20 movers max) Say what you will, but I've gotten really good with it, and there's not much I cannot do with what I'm currently using..
However, as I get older, and my business is changing, I'd like to move to a platform that does not require such copious amounts of "half-assery, and twiddling" to run a show... It's par for the course for me, but I cannot always be the one to run everything anymore, and I guess I need a little more "solid" solution. I do not need, or want a $10,000 lighting console, so I'm wondering about the viability of an older unit.
I see a lot of whole Hog, and Hog 500's out there for really low prices, and I even have 2 Grand MA full sized consoles I could pick up for less than a Grand. My question is: is a hardware console a better option for me? I understand DMX pretty well, but have never worked on a console... How is the learning curve for someone wanting to use one for smaller productions like mine? will it be somewhat intuitive coming from a PC based solution?
It does not make sense for me to spend a huge amount of money on this. When I have a bigger show, I hire a guy with a console. But I'd like something I can screw with and set shows on.
So with the disclosure that I really have no aspirations of becoming a full time lighting guy, or anything like that, and knowing what I've been comfortably using, would something like an older used hog suit me? Or should I just get a couple cheap chinese 1024 Avolite pearl type consoles and call it a day?
I'm not a super pro, I always could stand to learn more, and I'm open to any and all reasonable suggestions as to what direction you would go in to get a unit that is more solid, dedicated, and economical, as opposed to future proof, and "the latest and greatest"..
Thanks so much! I'm all ears.