So, I am nearing the close of this particular project. I have couple of detail questions.
On the Chauvet fixtures, I have heard that the Chauvet stops supporting and maintaining parts after it's become obsolete. I've also read that they are difficult to repair. I couldn't really handle them during the demo alas. Also, they seem to be the same-ish price as the ColorSource Spots.
...
I got back to what I can tell parents about my program. If I go the PC/Chauvet: We can train your kids to use moving lights and LEDs on a PC based
console. If I go
ETC: We can train your kids to use that same equipment in professional
theatre. Again, I really feel like
ETC gives my kids the tools they need to go work in colleges, studios, and professional theatres.
It is difficult for me to give an unbiased answer... as I am the SR Product Manager at Chauvet, but Let me make a couple of points, and Hope that they will help you with your decision.
BTW, before this, I was the
Master Electrician at Cornell University for about 10 years, and trained the students at Trumansburg central schools on their
ETC consoles (and followspots, and other gear that they got in for their annual musicals). I am a fan of
ETC. They are a great company. I have used and recommended their controllers for decades.
Fixtures:
The E190 (white light) is great, but if you are going to use this space for everything from talent shows, to theatrical productions, to a pep rally, to your
basket ball games, to a Halloween haunted
house... save yourself the hassle, and just get the Color units, and let the changes be made from the
ground, at the
console, rather than needing to get out a lift (are your students allowed in them?), and having to mess with the net or cage
system to get access to the fixtures. If you have the color fixtures, you will use them more, because it will be far easier to do so.
That said...
The E910 (COLOR) is more comparable to the
ETC LUSTR series in terms of
level of control, than to the COLORSource units. However, you are correct that the pricing is very similar to the COLORSource.
The E910's built-in whites, and Virtual Color Wheel give you the option of quick, easy color selection.
If you want precision, or to use a
console's
color picker you can mix the Red, Green, Blue, Amber and Lime individually, in 8-bit, or 16-bit control for more precise control.
This also allows you to get very saturate colors.
ETC COLORSource has
DMX channels for
Intensity, Red, Green, and Blue, and then automatically adds the Lime. From the
ETC manual:
The fixture listens to RGB but
interprets color output using the full
RGB-L array. It is not possible to
control a single group of LEDs; i.e.
only blue.
If you are looking for general color
wash units, then I would not recommend
Ellipsoidal style fixtures at all. Especially in a Gymnasium, where (no matter how hard you try to protect them) it is likely that at some
point they are going to get whacked by a ball (tennis, basketball, kickball, or even football or Frisbee). I'd look for something without shutters, and compact. If you want
zoom, to vary
beam angle, you could look at the COLORado 1 Quad
Zoom (Quad-color RGBW color mixing), or COLORado 1 SOLO (single source RGBW). If you don't need
zoom, you could go as inexpensive as the COLORado 1 Tri Tour (Tri-color
RGB only), or for more color options you could go with the COLORDash S-Par (Single Source RGBA color mixing).
For Control... this is really up to you. ShowXpress is extremely easy to learn and program, but follow's the control logic of a
Busking controller, like LightJockey. Your students will pick it up very quickly. They will be able to control lights "on the fly" for the non-theatrical events, but it doesn't use a timing/
cue based philosopy, like your typical theatrical controller.
If you're looking to control cost, and cannot afford a full
console, but want something more "
console like" than ShowXpress, then there are a lot of options out there.
A Few are:
The AVO TitanONE gives you 100
DMX Channels on a computer emulated
console (same look and feel as their full size consoles) for about $100. I believe that they may have replaced it with a TitanTwo (200
channel, I don't know the cost, but would guess that it's about $200). They have incredible customer service (Hi
Brad & Jim). but you're getting less than half a
universe of
DMX, so it may, or may not work for you.
CHAMSYS makes a variety of levels of software based controllers, and you can choose the interface to look more theatrical, or more "Whole-Hog-y". Their support is also good, although they are a smaller operation in the US.
Ma Lighting DOT 1. Similar to the Avo Titan, but with the Grand Ma interface. I have little experience with the Grand Ma customer service, but their consoles are used widely in the industry.
NOMAD... Pretty much what Rick R said, above...with
ETC support.
You mention that the Colleges around you use
ETC for control. Are they running the old Expressions, or one of the newer consoles (
Element,
Ion,
etc.)? In my experience,
ETC used to own about 75% or more of the theatrical controllers. Over the last several years, a lot of professional theatres have moved to consoles like the GrandMA, WholeHOG, or similar. I have seen more of these in collegiate programs that have upgraded their controllers recently. If your students go to work in event lighting (other than
theatre), they are likely to encounter consoles like these, rather than a theatrical controller.
I would also take a look at the Jands CL
line of controllers. If you are looking for intuitive, and simple, they have it nailed.
Finally,
ETC just launched their COLORSOURCE controller. I have no experience with it, but it may be worth putting your Google-Fu to use to check it out.
I hope this helps with your decision.
-Ford
