budget light board

Pie4Weebl

Well-Known Member
Fight Leukemia
I'm looking for a cheap lighting console for the black box space, all I need is 24 channels and basic cueing, possibly a 24/48 2 scene preset if it isn't much more, but nothing too fancy. Any suggestions?
 
two off the top of my head:
Leprecon LP1524
ETC Smartfade

both boards are pretty good, though i like the smartfade quite a bit more.
theyre both pretty cheep in terms of lighting consoles.
 
I second the Leprecon 1524 and also suggest the NSI 7524. They both have about the same capabilities in terms of cueing.
 
by the way, the Leprecon 1524 costs $1927 and the ETC Smartfade 2496 costs $1516
both of these prices are from BMI Supply.
 
I've used the basic NSI 2 scene preset boards. They don't really have any programability but they are small, functional, and cheap... under $800 I think.

Try to find a used board. See what you can find on
http://www.solarisnetwork.com/

You might look at a PC based system instead. I'm not really up on what's available but there are a lot out there. They use a simple DMX to USB interface and software that turn your PC into a light board. I have used the Horizon system and it's pretty slick. I think it's one of the more expensive ones. I think there are some that you can get into for $500 or less. Anybody got any suggestions on PC solutions?
 
I have used JANDS Stage 24 (24/48) ... fairly basic and retails AUD$1,399 (about USD$1,000). A bit bulky, but serves the purpose.
 
You can get the Leprecon 1524 for under $1500 and the NSI 7524 runs just barely over $1200 ($1203 if you go to the right place). I get prices from NSL, Northern Sound and Light, northernsound.net (may as well list all the names that they go by!)
 
Another question . . . you mentioned "looking for a cheap lighting console" . . . a lot of $1,000 plus suggestions . . . that is not my idea of cheap . . . but I run Elation equipment, a Scene Setter, that is cheap to me . . . simple . . . but then again, that is all I need for now . . . may not have a huge budget like some, but my shows are not that bad . . . my wife dictates my budget ! I keep reminding myself this is a hobby ! ;)

OK . . . sorry . . . just curious on the "cheap" term . . .
 
that is something to consider.
for my personal purchases something like a $1500 board is hell on me. theatre wise, thats pretty cheap.
most boards cost into the 10s of thousands and much much more.
so is this a personal puchase, or theatre?
 
cheap being, when the year ends and we have money left in the budget trying to get one purchased. The ETC smartfade looks like it might fit the bill. That scene setter actually looks pretty good do, I got the impression though it was more ment for chases loading presets as oposed to cues, does it work in a typical hit cue 1 , and then "go" to get to each next one with cross fades and what not?
 
If money is really tight, some of the DJ import equipment is worth considering. If you open it up, one of the Chinese 24x2s (in a 19" rack profile) uses better pots and better construction than, say, an NSI MC7024, even though the NSI board is more than twice the street price.

I don't mean to pick on NSI, I'm just pointing out that a traditional dealer channel in theatrical lighting adds some cost. So a $300 mobile DJ product might have a very similiar BOM to a $800 theatrical one.

On the flipside, if you are buying from a good and reputable dealer, that extra cost (which typically provides a profit for them and their distributer) can really pay off down the road when you need support and service.

-jjf
 
If you can some how pull some strings and wiing it for a really nice cue stack, or higher end board, it might make for less head aches in the long run. then again i was jsut reading about a school who's dimmers were controled by enourmous levers back stage where students did a veritable ballet act to dim the lights so, teh grass is always greener.
 
kingfisher1 said:
If you can some how pull some strings and wiing it for a really nice cue stack, or higher end board, it might make for less head aches in the long run. then again i was jsut reading about a school who's dimmers were controled by enourmous levers back stage where students did a veritable ballet act to dim the lights so, teh grass is always greener.

Autotransformer (probably Ward L.), and it may well turn out dramatically better future LDs. Seriously, I'm amazed at how many young would-be designers I meet who do not understand that transitions are every bit as important as the static scenes at each end of them.

-jjf
 

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