Hog 1000 or Hog PC

zackw250

Active Member
Currently, at my church we run a Hog 1000. We have 8 high end intellegent lights, with 30 ColorTran ellipsoidals and 6 3-cell ColorTran FarCYCs.

We are looking into the possibility of selling our Hog1k and getting the HogPC... any advise?

I personally like the Hog1k, it was hard to learn, but know that I know, programming is a breeze.

Anyone that has used the HogPC know of the pros & cons? Any thoughts?

Thanks ---

PS This place is great!
 
I've just used HogPC to play with on my computer, and i didn't find it too difficult to learn. The nice thing is that it can interface with some visualizers such as Capture 3.0, Martin Show Designer, and WYSIWYG, allowing you to program your show when you're not in the church. You can download HogPC if you want to try it and use demo versions of some of the visualizers to see the offline proudcts at http://www.flyingpig.com/support/hog2/downloads/
The downside would be if your computer isn't very stable and it crashes often.
Hope this helps,
Lincoln
 
Yeah, I've used WYSIWYG and Capture 3.0, and I've seen the HogPC in action.

Im looking for more information like peolple that have used it extensively....

or switched from one to the other....

Yeah, if we switch to HogPC the PC running it at church will be robust, and so will the laptop I'll have for designging shows at home or in my office :).

THanks... ZW
 
It's great to see a fellow House of Worship Lighting Tech!

I use Hog PC for all of my offline programming and patching. Honestly, I cant see why you would to sell your console. If you do want to go to a computer bases lighting controller, I would look at Light Jockey. It's by far the best one I have ever used during a live show. I have not used Hog PC in a live situation, and I think it would work well but you might like the interface of Light Jockey better. You can download Light Jockey for free.
 
The reason we are thinking about selling the Hog1000 is because we like the idea of being able to create cues & shows away from our worship center (visualization is great!). It's mobile. The other thing is, if the Hog1k was to die, we would be SOL! But, if we had HogPC, we could just install it on another computer, and import a back up, no issues.

Plus, i've heard the learning curve is alittle less since it's ina familiar interface (windows).

What would you prefer the Hog1k or HogPC for a house of worship type setting?

Has the HogPC every froze on ya? Did you use the programming/playback wings? What's the pros and cons that YOU have noticed with the HogPC versus Hog1k?

YES... WE ARE FAR AND FEW BETWEEN GOD BLESS CHURCH LIGHTING TECHS! ZW
 
Zac,

To tell you the truth, unless I was doing a club gig or a mobile DJ, I would not use a PC based controller if I had the option of having a console or controller.

If you are curious about HogPC, download the manual and the software. It's all free. The only think you need to buy is the widget. HogPC does not have a visulizer, though you can run it with a visuliser just like all offlines.

I am about to become a Hog II certified programmer/ intructor and dont have any experience on a Hog 1000 so I can't compare the console to PC. Though HogPC is the computer version on a Hog II. Is the Hog 1000 unstable? had any major problems? If you are worried about the console taking a dump, maybe you should find a local dealer that has one that you can have an agreement with that if your's dies, they will have a backup for you. Or you could even buy a cheaper console as a backup.

Hope that kinda helps. Like, I may have said before, I use HogPC as an offline, I will do my patch and some of my basic cues on that. then pop the disk into the console and be ready to do more programming. Thats just how I use it, in no way am I telling you going to HogPC is a bad dessision if your church has reasons to make this change. I personally like having a console over a PC.
 
i agree with digitaltec, if i had the choice bteween a pc based 'desk' and a real desk i would by far take the desk.
i like to use the features of thepc software for desks 1) to learn how to use the basic features of the desk without actually have one and 2) program cues and subs without been at the venue and then just uploading them to the desk to save alot of time.

again, if you do have problems with your console look into getting it serviced, and always keep the software up to date as bugs are constantly been sourced and repaired in newer version. if it does crash often then grab a back up desk, remember an event 60 plus can operate ur rig (ud have to sacrafice some fixtures) if you ran into trouble, or even have a pc on site as a back up.

i have worked at venues that have strand desks and run the console with a network to a pc box that is constantly updated. the pc runs the same cues as the desk so if the desk drops out the pc can pick up from the exact spot.
 
Thanks for your input. We have had no problems with our desk. That's not the issue, we just like that if anything was to happen, we could just install the software on another PC and swap it with the old one.

The only thing I like about having the physical console is you have the actual fadesr you can touch, you have the dials you turn. It's a physical interaction. Not a mouse or a keyboard.... BUT the HogPC comes with programming/playback wings so you still have that physical touch interaction. That's a major plus.

Plus, I want to have touch screens. You can customize views on yoru monitors, etc. Something you can't do on a Hog1000.

I especially like the desk lamps for the HogPC (they fade from red to blue) hehe.

Peter from Barbizon lighting is coming up tuesday & wednesdasy to demo HogPC for us and show us WYSIWYG I am really excited to finally get a professional in here to show us some stuff!

Thanks for your input.. ZW
 
Hiya,
I agree with Digitaltec on this subject. My two cents worth is this... In my experience, I find you will have more problems with a PC program running your show then a designated lighting console. PC's are a lot more susceptable to hang ups, viruses, other-programs interefereing, virtual memory issues, port and hardware issues, and memory issues, then a designated designed console for running lights would have for problems. I'm also a Hog 2 cert programmer...and honestly while Hog PC is a great program its BEST function IMO is as an offline editing program. Given that, I would suggest the following for your situation.. Keep the Hog 1k... its a good board and while it doesn't have touch screens etc--if you can run a HogPC or Hog 2--then its easy to run a Hog 1k. Get the Dongle for the HogPC (its not that expensive) and then you have a backup board in the wings for yourselves--whether its the Hog PC or the Hog 1k. Problem with using a PC and the idea of switching to another should you have problems with one PC is that corrupted files, infected files and issues can travel from one PC to another if you are not careful. If at all financially possible, I would see about the bare-basic Hog PC set up (program and dongle--and extras if money is not an issue) for yourselves and keeping the Hog 1k as well. If you ever do have a problem with your PC based program during a show, you have a Hog1k able to take over and get a show going in half the time it would take to set-up a new PC or re-boot and start over... JMO...

Best of luck to you..
-w
 
Hiya,
I agree with Digitaltec on this subject. My two cents worth is this... In my experience, I find you will have more problems with a PC program running your show then a designated lighting console. PC's are a lot more susceptable to hang ups, viruses, other-programs interefereing, virtual memory issues, port and hardware issues, and memory issues, then a designated designed console for running lights would have for problems. I'm also a Hog 2 cert programmer...and honestly while Hog PC is a great program its BEST function IMO is as an offline editing program. Given that, I would suggest the following for your situation.. Keep the Hog 1k... its a good board and while it doesn't have touch screens etc--if you can run a HogPC or Hog 2--then its easy to run a Hog 1k. Get the Dongle for the HogPC (its not that expensive) and then you have a backup board in the wings for yourselves--whether its the Hog PC or the Hog 1k. Problem with using a PC and the idea of switching to another should you have problems with one PC is that corrupted files, infected files and issues can travel from one PC to another if you are not careful. If at all financially possible, I would see about the bare-basic Hog PC set up (program and dongle--and extras if money is not an issue) for yourselves and keeping the Hog 1k as well. If you ever do have a problem with your PC based program during a show, you have a Hog1k able to take over and get a show going in half the time it would take to set-up a new PC or re-boot and start over... JMO...

Best of luck to you..
-w
 
Oh man, I totally wish we could have both. But the only way to get HogPC is to sell our Hog1k and use that money. So it's one or the other.
 
The hog 1000 and hog PC are an almost identical operating system.
If the main reason you want HOG PC is to be able to creat cues away from the console, then just go download it from flying pigs website. The version you download will allow you to fully creat and edit a show, just save it to disk and load it into the 1K.

The only thing you will not have with that solution are the DMX widgets (allows you to output DMX from a PC) and programming and playback wings. But with the small number of lights you have, just keep the 1K, d/l hogpc and use it to edit on
 
Well Sandals your solution doesn't really work that well for my situation (im not sure if you read all the previous posts). We sold our hog1k and our Hog PC will be here on Tuesday. Thanks.
 
where can i download an ole for a grandma or a flying pig, i just would like to see how their systems work. i know theres a link in another thread i couldnt find it.
 

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