What's between CS40 and Element?

rphilip

Active Member
I work for a university where we have a 800 seat PAC that's designed for classical music but also has some religious and other more contemporary programs. We do very little theatre. We have around 100 dimmers, 15 S4LED's and currently no movers. ETC Sensor (v1) dimmers using traditional DMX infrastructure.

We've been using Luminair V3 which works fine til the WiFi between the iPad and the Entec node freezes. I don't like the subscription model and lower stability of Luminair V4. We also have an Element around. Other places on campus we have a CS20, CS40, Cognito and Ion Xe20. We like being able to run lights off an iPad as for 95% of our programing being able to recall presets is fine. We also don't have space at FOH for a console.

ETCnomad education package is certainly an option I'll be looking in to. Wondering what else I should be looking at?

Thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks

Philip
 
We have a CS20AV. Being honest, compared to anything Eos it seems like a children's toy. Wouldn't want to use it for anything but smaller events, and probably wouldn't have it as my console of choice in any sort of permanent venue on the level you described. It also does not have an iPad app, so that option is out. I would suggest you stretch for something a bit more powerful. Depending on what you do something Eos or HOG will serve you well.

My two cents.

- Nick
 
It would take you away from EOS, but it could be worth a squint at the Chamsys QuickQ packages, and the Zero88 FLX S packages - small footprint, designed to be easy for users who aren't heavily into lighting programming. I'd be a bit wary of depending on WiFi as the primary link for my DMX and control. It's useful, but as you've seen, can drop out. Relying on it and nothing else 100% for show control is courageous, in my opinion.
 
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Hi Philip,
It sounds like you’re describing the ChamSys QuickQ consoles. They are built with a large touch-screen as the main interface, and designed with control from a tablet in-mind. They have built-in WiFi and free apps for iOS, Android and PC.
ChamSys offers free online training classes, as well as a large library of training videos.
Check them out, and feel free to DM me if you have any questions, or would like an introduction to the ChamSys US team.
 
We have a CS20AV. Being honest, compared to anything Eos it seems like a children's toy. Wouldn't want to use it for anything but smaller events, and probably wouldn't have it as my console of choice in any sort of permanent venue on the level you described. It also does not have an iPad app, so that option is out. I would suggest you stretch for something a bit more powerful. Depending on what you do something Eos or HOG will serve you well.

My two cents.

- Nick
I do want to note that the ColorSource AV consoles do have a browser based remote. If you connect the console to a wireless network you can use a browser to remotely control the console. It is the "Amigo® Remote Web Browser"
 
I think folks overlooked the "wifi works until it doesn't". That needs to be addressed regardless of console choice.
 
it could be worth a squint at ... the Zero88 FLX S packages - small footprint, designed to be easy for users who aren't heavily into lighting programming.

Hi @rphilip , if you have any questions on the FLX S option (which is available under both the Zero 88 and Strand brands), feel free to reach out and we can chat through it. Alternatively, we also have loads of training videos online, along with regular live training sessions which you can join and ask your questions. There are multiple free apps for iOS / iPadOS / watchOS / macOS, Android and Windows that are designed for Phones, Tablets, Laptops and Apple Watch.
 
I think folks overlooked the "wifi works until it doesn't". That needs to be addressed regardless of console choice.
Hi Tim,
ChamSys addresses this with the 10-Scene, a wired wall controller that pairs with the QuickQ consoles. It basically allows for you to set looks or Executors to the 10 buttons. In this sort of setup, I'd consider parking one with the Stage Manager, and one Backstage (under a cover to keep it from being bumped into). This allows for you to set some "permanent" looks for rehearsal lighting, load-in/strike lighting, etc., that can be accessed easily by the TD, or SM, or whomever you need to give access to. Then you can have "backup looks" or general stage washes that the SM can throw on-stage should the WiFi go down during a show.

It was originally designed as a remote trigger for the QuickQ Rack (architectural controller), but we quickly saw other applications.

The whole system is really flexible. You can set priorities of the controllers, set access levels for users (playback only, Programming and recording, full access to settings and patch), you can network the controllers for remote access.... All sorts of features to make them useful as a part of a larger system, or stand-alone in applications which don't require a larger console, and which need something with an easy interface. But the setup and use is still very simple. The advanced features can be locked out so that your basic users can't get in and mess anything up.

Super easy to setup. Super easy to use. Super easy to train someone else to use...
As we dubbed it during development "Music-Teacher friendly, but with some horsepower under the hood" .
 
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It sounds like you’re describing the ChamSys QuickQ consoles. They are built with a large touch-screen as the main interface, and designed with control from a tablet in-mind.
This looks to be a very promising option. The rack mount one might work well for us which is an advantage.

Hi @rphilip , if you have any questions on the FLX S option (which is available under both the Zero 88 and Strand brands), feel free to reach out and we can chat through it.
These might work however I'm worried about running into the fixture count limitations. 48 certainly isn't enough and even 96 would likely mean grouping up house lights. I'll need to do some more checking as to how far 96 would go for me.

I think folks overlooked the "wifi works until it doesn't". That needs to be addressed regardless of console choice.
I'm comfortable with using WiFi for control data for most of our programs as its normally <10 "cues" or lighting changes per program. We have had surprisingly few drop outs even running DMX over WiFi. We do have a full ETC architectural system to fall back on. We have multiple Cisco AP's in the hall and a very good relationship with that part of the IT department.
 
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With <10 cues... the 10-Scene would allow you to have each Cue on it's own button. So, for safety's sake you could easily have a wired backup for your iPad (or tablet of choice).
 
If I'd been in my right mind this morning, I'd have remembered that every Thursday there is a live, online QuickQ training session.
the ChamSys Academy (online training page) is HERE
And the Intro to QuickQ registration link is about 3/4 of the way down the page, on the lefthand side.... or just use the link I added.
 
These might work however I'm worried about running into the fixture count limitations. 48 certainly isn't enough and even 96 would likely mean grouping up house lights. I'll need to do some more checking as to how far 96 would go for me.
Yes, sounds like those limitations might be tight (FYI - you can multi-patch a fixture on the console, so you wouldn't have to change any DMX addresses of the houselights, you could do that per-showfile on the console). There is a larger version, the FLX, which doesn't have any fixture limitations and is available in 4, 8 or 16 universes. It also has syntax, far more features, additional I/O (such as MIDI, close contact for external button stations, etc) - https://zero88.com/control/flx
 

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