Jands Hog 1000 Lighting Desk

[Reqel]

Hey All

For Theatre Studies (similar to stock standard drama, except it's not just acting, but also sound, lighting etc) at school this year we have decided to do Alice in Wonderland. Everyone picks two stagecraft areas (acting, sound, costume, set etc) and we go through the motions of putting a play together. I am the LD for the show.

One of the other guys in lighting "group" has contacts with a production company, and organised for us to demo some kit (Hog 1000 and a couple of movers). It was really great because I got to play with A Hog for a couple of hours, and consolidate my knowledge about DMX and addresses etc

The thing is, the other guy wants to use the Hog to control the lights. However I believe that using the Hog is

A)overkill for 4 or 5 movers

and B) I've heard that a hog isn't all that great with conventional fixtures.

so, is the Hog overkill and a pain with conventional fixtures?

I have final say on the board because I'm the operator but the whole system is that everyone has a go focusing and building looks and hopefully learns something new.

I myself are leaning towards a MaxiM with a PatPad because I've used one before at my old school, and the time to learn a new desk is diminishing.

The conventional fixtures in the rig aren't all that complicated either at the community centre, and it was suggested that we just use their LSC Axiom for the conventionals, and a cheap DMX controller for the movers. Is this a viable option.

Thanks

Reqel

 

[David Ashton]

the cheap mover desk is probably the best option, it also gives 2 people a job.

 

[Esoteric]

I love the Hog, and look at it this way, the point of school is to get an education that will carry over to the real world.

Using a cheapo moving light console will not translate into the real world and any eductional opportunity will be lost.

On the other hand, the Hog is one of the industry standard light consoles so you would be getting experience on a console that you can actually use in the real world.

I have no problem with conventionals on Hogs. I don't see why people complain about it. If you use it as a theater stack you should have no issues.

I say go with the Hog.

Mike

 

[TimMiller]

I would use the hog, especially since i use one everyday. I have used a hog for just 2-4 movers, and use one in the shop for repairing lights. I hate cheap moving light desks. They are a pita it work with plus recording cues is never easy. Conventional lights on a hog are not any different than on an express board. You just dont have handles for the lights, which doesnt bother me, since i first learned console programming on a strand mini light pallete, in which you had to enter in your fixture and intensity.

 

[David Ashton]

Nice in theory but in practise learning a completely new board and plotting conventionals and plotting movers, using tracking mode which they're not used to, strikes me as very potentially problematic, and with very little time.
Using the LSC and plotting their conventionals in advance and thus leaving time to play with the movers makes much more sense in the time constrained environment they will have.Some cheap moving light desks are quite easy to use, even DJ's can work them, and it is the safe option to do it with 2 desks, once you are used to a Hog it is easy, but you forget how long it took to learn it and be competent.

 

[Reqel]

the cheap mover desk is probably the best option, it also gives 2 people a job.

Good idea, but I'm the only one who wants the job. Everyone else is acting.

As it turns out, its cheaper to get the Jands Hog1000 than the MaxiM for the period. So it looks like its gonna be the hog as I don't want to run two desks at the same time. Things got "interesting" as I found out this weekend.

Thanks everyone for the help

 

[TimMiller]

anyone can make lights wiggle off of a dj board, but laying a show out is a different story. Programming 100 cues, on a dmx operator, and then going hey i want cto in all of my fixtures is not an easy task. Then things get even weirder when you need different fade times for different scenes, and then you want mark cues to run autmatically so you dont see the fixtures move around like a disco between every scene.

 

[Franklights]

the problem with a cheapo intelligent lighting controller is that they are typically not that intellligent. it will literally take you at least twice as long to program a nice mover show and you will be wasting the whole point of having movers on the show as your potential will be limited by the weakest link in the chain -> the cheapo lighting console.

My vote is to get into the hog 1000. If your aim is to learn something new why not learn one of the top industry consoles for intelligent lighting? expand your knowledge as opposed to keeping it contained to what you already know.

As for using it for conventionals, I have used the console for that and it is definitely not a problem. you write your scenes and record. granted it it not using a fader to set your conventionals but you get to the same ends by setting a percentage.

My favorite console for your application however is an Avolites Pearl. It is a great compromise between a conventional console and an intelligent console.

good luck and I hope my longish post helped!

 

[TimMiller]

I really think thats why the gma is such a popular console, because i have seen lots of ld's throw their conventionals onto the handles. I have had plenty act like i was crazy because i did not do this, i am much faster at typing in numbers than i am handle grabbing. I also really like the avo, but i havnt played with the theater stack yet. I have just the subs, when i am on the avo, i am programming for some concert so its a lot of flash and trash.

 

[Franklights]

Yeah - I ususally go into concerts with a all my palletes done to include some effects and run the board in program mode. I just love to go live! plus a lot of times the acts are unfamiliar to me or they haven't given me a set list (think festival lighting). I will wind up writing the subs as I run teh show.

re theater stack: I have to say it is the best for programming everything on a stage. easy to add, edit or whatever. The only hickup that screwed me the first time I programmed in that mode was that to save the show you have to exit theater stack mode to save. yes, I know the option is there and it even lets you supposedly save from within theater stack mode but trust me, it doesn't work and you don't want to have to start from scratch as I had to. Waaaaa - still shudder at the amount of times I had to program that show before I called Brad. lol