DMX computer controlled lighting

[bigcreekcowboy]

I am on the lighting committee of a small community theatre. We have been using a traditional 24 channel controller that is about 20 years old with good old fashioned lamps. The board is starting to show its age getting glitchy, It was decided to modernize and go with a computer based system. We have the enttec USB pro and I am now trying to find a good computer program to run it with. Our club is in a small town and made up mostly of retired elementary school teachers, blue collar types, etc. In short I am looking for a idiot proof program that is easy to learn but still has all the features to put on a stage production. We already use mac computers in our theatre (Qlab). The first program I tested was mini console. I love the simplicity of it, I was able to show how it works in a few minutes, but found it to be extremely glitchy. Next I tried JV lighting control (only the free version so far) I like that its fairly simple and the ability to colour code and name each channel is a nice touch. But it has no chase or follow options that limits it to only the simplest shows (90% of our productions). I am looking for any recommendations for programs to test. I keep finding programs that seem to be more geared for LED lighting and need a degree to operate.

Also concerns I keep hearing from the theatre membership about changing over are:
1: you can not get a feel for the lighting using a computer
2: you can not use the sliders in a hurry and move multiple sliders at once (almost half the board when you use your arm)
3 Actors have a habit of finding dark spots during a show and computers are to rigid in their programming.

If you can help me with suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. I am quite certain if the old board was not dying I would not have been able to drag them in to the 21 century.

 

[Amiers]

You can still upgrade to the 21st and have faders. You don't need to move to a computer based system.

What is your budget?

 

[robmerow]

Yes, with a reasonable budget you can most certainly have real faders (however most of these boards are just a computer under the hood anyway )

The 'go-to' recommendation for a small theater would be an ETC Element, which would run in the $5k range. It is designed for small theaters, and has all the benefits of an old-fashioned button and fader console and the network/show control benefits of a 21st century computer solution.

If your rig is small enough, which it may be, you could also look at the Colorsource console, which is a small, less expensive solution still with enough features to run a simple theater show/ on the fly submasters etc. These run $1,500k-3k depending on which version.

Below this are some lower tier and DJ consoles with faders which are pretty basic in their operation and limited in feature set, but could get you 24-48 faders for only a few hundred dollars.

 

[bigcreekcowboy]

A few hundred bucks. and the old board is still hanging in there. Just looking for suggestions for easy to use programs that work well with the Enttec. At the moment I am thinking I will put mini console, JV Lightning control on the mac we already have and let the lighting designers chose what they want to use depending on their skill and what they are comfortable with. Or use the the traditional board minus channel 1 (does not work)

 

[Amiers]

Yeah a few hundred does limit you to some sort of software solution.

But if you want to go down the used route there is always this.

https://www.usedlighting.com/categories/used-lighting-more/consoles?sort=5

 

[robmerow]

I believe MA dot2 supports a free universe with this device. Since you already have it I would download it and give it a try. It's great, easy to use software.

You may also be able to map Midi faders to it and run some submasters manually. This would give you a pretty good solution for $100.

 

[Blackfaer]

I believe MA dot2 supports a free universe with this device. Since you already have it I would download it and give it a try. It's great, easy to use software.

If Ma dot 2 works with Enntec, that's probably your best bet, though it's not user-friendly from the standpoint of inexperienced users. Unfortunately I have yet to find an Enttec compatible software that I actually like and find as useable as pro consoles. Light Factory might be your best bet; it doesn't address your #2 concern but it addresses #1 and is probably the best option if you've already spent the money on the Enttec unit. Concern #3 is unrelated to the console; dark spots have to do with how you hang your instruments and your plot, not the console. I don't like Light Factory because of how it interfaces, personally, but for inexperienced users it's pretty good so long as you're not getting into complicated moving lights.

All lighting consoles are computers any more; the idea that computer-based systems won't give you a 'feel' or are too 'rigid' is really people are afraid of the technology who don't want to have to learn the admittedly complex new system. It's like arguing that a Model T is a better car because hand cranks give you a better feel for the car than a modern battery does. That said, if your users don't know how to operate a modern car, you're going to have trouble getting anywhere. I really think you'd be better off if you can afford it to go with an ETC Element as suggested above.

 

[coldnorth57]

this is the page youy want to look at....
http://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70304


I like Martin's M-pc

And here is the link to M-PC

http://www.martin.com/en-us/product-details/m-pc

 

[Joshualangman]

Try this:

http://www.loomin.io/

(It's in beta, but very promising. I know the developer, if you have any questions.)

 

[dbaxter]

Cue Player Lighting is designed for a stage production, but also has submasters used more often in dance. It works very well with the Enttec Pro. Disclaimer - it is from my company.

 

[JonathanHarpur]

This may be slightly more jiggery-pokery than you'd like, and may be more than your budget allows, but I've heard of board ops using fader consoles like the Behringer BCF2000 in their rig. Might be worth looking into, if only as a potential future upgrade. Personally, I dislike being limited to single-finger operation as is typical for most computer-based platforms, but you can get away with a lot using timed macros and such. I'd definitely look into the Dot2 software, too.

 

[cbrandt]

Midi solutions like that work beautifully, provided you have someone knowledgeable to set them up and maintain. I've done some very clean and easy media server programming that way, and have met dozens of LDs who use them as part of their regular rig.

However, they take a lot of care and attention to get set up the first time, and are not as cheap as you'd really like them to be when you're talking about the budget range that you are.

 

[bigcreekcowboy]

We are still using our old board for some applications. but decided with JV Lightning control using two screens on Macs. We are now looking at pairing it with a iPad for remote access from any point in the theatre. So far I am very happy with the set up.