I haven't seen any recent post that cover this issue, so I am going to throw this out, tell my story, and get some opinions...
I just started working for a production company about a year ago, first as an a/v tech at one of the local hotels and now I am the new bench tech at the shop. I had done stage washes and simple up lights, but nothing requiring more than a NSI 8 channel dimmer. What little I had done with LED Par's, control wise, was stand alone/set and forget type installations. When I came to the shop, I requested a small console to test our movers. Since the only lighting technician we had that used HOG became our lighting designer, I was given the hog3 PC super widget which I have been using with Hog4 PC software. I have also used the Avolite Pearl consoles we have, which our techs seem to love more than the IPC we have sitting in the shop. Anyway, Thursday we were short handed and they made me the lighting tech for a charity event in one of the hotels. I got with our lighting director and our sales rep and they agreed to let me use the super widget and my laptop to control the show. Well, long story short (too late), The client was impressed and I got a lot of good jobs from people that didn't know that was my first show and the only "training" I had gotten was testing fixtures during repairs. I also got some compliments for not having a console taking up half of an 8' Table to control a hand-full of lights(typically they would send a Leprechaun 1524).
I am really looking for a good console that I can run through linux. I am not "tied" to linux, but would like to be. I am not going to have 10-20 grand to drop on a good console(or 1 to 2 grand for that matter) and personally I think they take up way too much room. As much of what I will be doing is a here and there job, I also don't want do dump an exorbant amout of money into a software solution that is really just a rough cut patch. I have played with Hog 4 PC of course, I really wished it worked in Linux. I have also played around with Cuelux, Cromateq's LED Player, MagicQ, QLC+, and another one I can't think of the name of right now because it sucked. My current opinions on the software I have tried are as follows:
Cuelux: I love the interface, just really wished it had two universes and more than 48 fixtures. Don't get me wrong, I could deal with the 48 fixtures as you can assign dimmers into sub-fixtures, but some of our larger rigs have gone bigger on movers.
LED Player: It seems to be powerful, but it doesn't look professional. I also can't figure out what the effing Live Mode is for.
MagicQ: I am getting used to this one, but I really wished they would replace the up/down button for the spinners with actual spinners, even if it were just for the X/Y axis. Perhaps even just add in joystick control for the position of movers. It wouldn't be anything for me to keep a game controller in my laptop case. My Xbox 360 controller works great with Cuelux.
QLC+: I really wished I didn't have to build a virtual console that doesn't have all of the functions I would put onto a console. Granted, I haven't spent much time with it because I discovered MagicQ about the same time and have spent more energy with it.
HOG 4: I haven't had any issues with the software with the exception of Elation Platinum Beam 15R Pro which are becoming our mover of choice as of late. Everything else seems to be user error. I just really don't have the money to spend on a Hog Super Widget. If I did, I wouldn't be on here asking I would just pull the trigger on it.
I would really like two universes. Even if I never use the second universe for actual address space, I like having the option of splitting my data runs without an opto-iso. I only used 72 of the 512 addresses Thursday, but because of my data runs, I saved at least 200' of DMX just by running my Coemar's on Universe 1 and my Dimmers on Universe 2.
Just to give a little more about the uses, for me it will always be the smallest local show we have going. I would say no more than a dozen 15R Pro's or Mac 700's (those are our current work horses) possibly some MAC 101's, Source4's (Par and 10-50 barrels), Par-Bars, and Par LED's.
Thanks for any advice.
I just started working for a production company about a year ago, first as an a/v tech at one of the local hotels and now I am the new bench tech at the shop. I had done stage washes and simple up lights, but nothing requiring more than a NSI 8 channel dimmer. What little I had done with LED Par's, control wise, was stand alone/set and forget type installations. When I came to the shop, I requested a small console to test our movers. Since the only lighting technician we had that used HOG became our lighting designer, I was given the hog3 PC super widget which I have been using with Hog4 PC software. I have also used the Avolite Pearl consoles we have, which our techs seem to love more than the IPC we have sitting in the shop. Anyway, Thursday we were short handed and they made me the lighting tech for a charity event in one of the hotels. I got with our lighting director and our sales rep and they agreed to let me use the super widget and my laptop to control the show. Well, long story short (too late), The client was impressed and I got a lot of good jobs from people that didn't know that was my first show and the only "training" I had gotten was testing fixtures during repairs. I also got some compliments for not having a console taking up half of an 8' Table to control a hand-full of lights(typically they would send a Leprechaun 1524).
I am really looking for a good console that I can run through linux. I am not "tied" to linux, but would like to be. I am not going to have 10-20 grand to drop on a good console(or 1 to 2 grand for that matter) and personally I think they take up way too much room. As much of what I will be doing is a here and there job, I also don't want do dump an exorbant amout of money into a software solution that is really just a rough cut patch. I have played with Hog 4 PC of course, I really wished it worked in Linux. I have also played around with Cuelux, Cromateq's LED Player, MagicQ, QLC+, and another one I can't think of the name of right now because it sucked. My current opinions on the software I have tried are as follows:
Cuelux: I love the interface, just really wished it had two universes and more than 48 fixtures. Don't get me wrong, I could deal with the 48 fixtures as you can assign dimmers into sub-fixtures, but some of our larger rigs have gone bigger on movers.
LED Player: It seems to be powerful, but it doesn't look professional. I also can't figure out what the effing Live Mode is for.
MagicQ: I am getting used to this one, but I really wished they would replace the up/down button for the spinners with actual spinners, even if it were just for the X/Y axis. Perhaps even just add in joystick control for the position of movers. It wouldn't be anything for me to keep a game controller in my laptop case. My Xbox 360 controller works great with Cuelux.
QLC+: I really wished I didn't have to build a virtual console that doesn't have all of the functions I would put onto a console. Granted, I haven't spent much time with it because I discovered MagicQ about the same time and have spent more energy with it.
HOG 4: I haven't had any issues with the software with the exception of Elation Platinum Beam 15R Pro which are becoming our mover of choice as of late. Everything else seems to be user error. I just really don't have the money to spend on a Hog Super Widget. If I did, I wouldn't be on here asking I would just pull the trigger on it.
I would really like two universes. Even if I never use the second universe for actual address space, I like having the option of splitting my data runs without an opto-iso. I only used 72 of the 512 addresses Thursday, but because of my data runs, I saved at least 200' of DMX just by running my Coemar's on Universe 1 and my Dimmers on Universe 2.
Just to give a little more about the uses, for me it will always be the smallest local show we have going. I would say no more than a dozen 15R Pro's or Mac 700's (those are our current work horses) possibly some MAC 101's, Source4's (Par and 10-50 barrels), Par-Bars, and Par LED's.
Thanks for any advice.