ETC ION, Opinions?

ndiaz

Member
Hello, Our school's LD wants us to get the ION, and after looking at it, It seems like it'd be pretty good for us. Its a step up from the Express 250 we have, and then we wouldnt have to rent a moving light bord. Right? I just wanted to know what the ION has that the 250 doesn't have.
 
Your question is probably best answered in this thread. If anyone on CB has actually taken delivery of an Ion system, I'm sure they'll let us know.
 
We have a demo of it on Tuesday, I'll post a trip report after. I dont know what they are brining with it for wings though. We will be tied in to conventionals and movers to get a feel for all of the features. Unforchently unless they bring some movers I wont get to see how it deals with shutters.
 
First thing: download the offline editor (it's the EOS offline editor, and you run it as the ION option). Play around with it, see what you think.

Second thing: you can probably get a demo from your local ETC dealer. They can bring the desk out and plug it in to your rig, and you can try it out.

I've only played around with the OLE, but I like it. The moving light control is definitely a big step up from the Express (Expression software), and there are specific keys for ML functions (unlike the elaborate softkey menus of the express). However, I find that the drawbacks are in the lack of other buttons. Since the EOS operating system is equivalent to the Obsession operating system in the new ETC line, I compared it against an Obsession 600 (first gen). There is a serious lack of display keys. This is my major problem with the console. If you get it, make sure to get a fader wing or two.
 
From what I've seen in Demo's it's a great console for a school that occasionally uses lot's of intelligent lighting gear. Download the software and try it for yourself. Get a demo if you can.
 
However, I find that the drawbacks are in the lack of other buttons. Since the EOS operating system is equivalent to the Obsession operating system in the new ETC line, I compared it against an Obsession 600 (first gen). There is a serious lack of display keys. This is my major problem with the console. If you get it, make sure to get a fader wing or two.

Can you define what you mean by a "serious lack of display keys"?

I only ask, because if you haven't seen the desk in person, you wouldn't realize that there are display keys, just not hard keys on the console.

There is a <displays> button. When you press that button the softkeys all remap to your various displays -patch, color picker, etc. There are also <Live> and <Blind> keys as well.

Let me know what you mean because I haven't found it to be lacking in display options.

If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask. I have been demoing the console all week and am pretty familiar with it....



Thanks!

Jeff
 
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Can you define what you mean by a "serious lack of display keys"?

I only ask, because if you haven't seen the desk in person, you wouldn't realize that there are display keys, just not hard keys on the console.

There is a <displays> button. When you press that button the softkeys all remap to your various displays -patch, color picker, etc. There are also <Live> and <Blind> keys as well.

Basically, I really, really like the direct access display keys on the Obsession. I was very sad to see them go in to softkeys. Something else buried in the layers. One more keystroke. I must say, however, that I'd love to get my hands on one of these for a few minutes. If I get the job that I'm applying for this summer, I'm pretty sure that the company will get a demo.
 
Can you define what you mean by a "serious lack of display keys"?
I only ask, because if you haven't seen the desk in person, you wouldn't realize that there are display keys, just not hard keys on the console.
There is a <displays> button. When you press that button the softkeys all remap to your various displays -patch, color picker, etc. There are also <Live> and <Blind> keys as well.
Let me know what you mean because I haven't found it to be lacking in display options.
If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask. I have been demoing the console all week and am pretty familiar with it....
Thanks!
Jeff

Can you disable the "Slide on" windows so they just pop up as opposed to wasting prossecing power on a silly little graphical look?
 
Can you disable the "Slide on" windows so they just pop up as opposed to wasting prossecing power on a silly little graphical look?
Oh, come on! Your making it way two easy! Yore a graduate of which university? I'm guess it was a bassetball scholarship?
 
Oh, come on! Your making it way two easy! Yore a graduate of which university? I'm guess it was a bassetball scholarship?
Spelling's for the weak. ;)
 
Who you callin' week?
 
Thanks everyone, Our LD is going to a demo soon. I'm sure my friends and I wil be downloading the software soon.

Thanks Again
 
Spelling aside. Do you really think that with all the computing power available that a sliding graphic really eats that much into it? In any noticiable way? Really? Really?

I'm not trying to be an ass here, but don't you think that the manufacturer of a console would consider this? I know for a fact that ETC puts a significant amount of time and effort (read: MONEY) into the design of their layouts. Don't think that they would not have already thought of that.....
 
Spelling aside. Do you really think that with all the computing power available that a sliding graphic really eats that much into it? In any noticiable way? Really? Really?
I'm not trying to be an ass here, but don't you think that the manufacturer of a console would consider this? I know for a fact that ETC puts a significant amount of time and effort (read: MONEY) into the design of their layouts. Don't think that they would not have already thought of that.....

Nope. (Sorry, it's devil's advocate night. :lol:)
 
First thing: download the offline editor (it's the EOS offline editor, and you run it as the ION option). Play around with it, see what you think.
Second thing: you can probably get a demo from your local ETC dealer. They can bring the desk out and plug it in to your rig, and you can try it out.
I've only played around with the OLE, but I like it. The moving light control is definitely a big step up from the Express (Expression software), and there are specific keys for ML functions (unlike the elaborate softkey menus of the express). However, I find that the drawbacks are in the lack of other buttons. Since the EOS operating system is equivalent to the Obsession operating system in the new ETC line, I compared it against an Obsession 600 (first gen). There is a serious lack of display keys. This is my major problem with the console. If you get it, make sure to get a fader wing or two.
Almost all of the record target displays (macros, effects, submasters, groups, IFCB palettes, cues, presets, etc) can be opened simply by double hitting the record target key. (This does not work on the OLE - where all displays other than Live/Blind are accessed via the browser. So, if your only exposure to Ion is via the OLE, you'd have no way to know this :).....

To access Patch and Setup, you press [displays] and then either key. There is a Live key.... and a Blind key (which by default puts you into Cue Blind).
Due to the sheer number of different record targets, its impossible to put a display key on the desk for each one of them. Eos has the exact same approach and users have had no trouble with display access that I've heard of. And believe me, Eos users are quite comfortable stating their dislikes and likes! Lord love'em!

I hope that this helps. It's hard to get a sense of a console only via the OLE.... so please try to see one in person soon!

Anne Valentino
Eos/Ion product manager
ETC
 
Almost all of the record target displays (macros, effects, submasters, groups, IFCB palettes, cues, presets, etc) can be opened simply by double hitting the record target key. (This does not work on the OLE - where all displays other than Live/Blind are accessed via the browser. So, if your only exposure to Ion is via the OLE, you'd have no way to know this :).....

To access Patch and Setup, you press [displays] and then either key. There is a Live key.... and a Blind key (which by default puts you into Cue Blind).
Due to the sheer number of different record targets, its impossible to put a display key on the desk for each one of them. Eos has the exact same approach and users have had no trouble with display access that I've heard of. And believe me, Eos users are quite comfortable stating their dislikes and likes! Lord love'em!

I hope that this helps. It's hard to get a sense of a console only via the OLE.... so please try to see one in person soon!

Anne Valentino
Eos/Ion product manager
ETC

OK, that makes me quite a bit happier. I like the idea of using one key for two purposes (recording and display access). I still wish that patch and setup were direct access display keys though - but I guess that's just me and my familiarity with older ETC boards. Things are gonna have to change as more and more features get packed into a single, powerful board, and it's probably better to shed the display keys and add more ML keys than make a console that has 150 keys and growing...

And I'd love to get my hands on one - I'll have to see if we can get a demo here at the college - we're starting to look at a replacement board as we will probably replace our old Obsession 600 in a year or two.
 
...
Anne Valentino
Eos/Ion product manager
ETC
Hi Anne,
Welcome (back) to the booth. So Sarah, Dustin, Chris, and Mr. Terry (and others) must have gotten to you.:) We won't rest until we have every employee of ETC as a member! ("Hi, I'm George, and I personally assembled all of gafftaper's SourceFours, right here in Middleton, WI, USA.") Maybe we need an ETC group, so we can tell who each of you are/what you do, OR just post the entire ETC directory here, to take some of the burden off SteveT.

If only other manufacturers could see the benefits of joining Control Booth and supporting their products... (kelite excepted, of course.)

I'm still trying to find a time to have Randy Pybas demo the Eos and Ion in Las Vegas, but I'm looking forward to it.

Once again, welcome, and don't be a stranger. See this thread.

Derek
 
Got the demo today, was pretty compact but for the list price you can not beat it. I was a little taken back that its closer to an obsession than the expression. Like any board in the upper tier of consoles it will do anything you want it to. The work around for not having a release button is pretty simple but if your JUST doing conventionals the expression still might be better for inexperienced users.
 

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