...I'd be interested to hear the response of several rental house owners...
For example, I purchased a really expensive custom playback rig for running the media software Isadora. It hasn't even come close to paying for itself in rentals but it did give me the chance to use Isadora on every show I design projections for which, in turn, has made me really good as an Izzy programmer.
Conversely, I have a lot of sound gear that I have purchase over the years that has been a pretty poor business decision. Once I sell it all over the coming months I will have made a little money off of it but not nearly enough to justify the headaches I have had trying to manage it as a (really) small time rental business over the past few years.
I guess I didn't make myself clear, this isn't for a rental business start up. I know by all means unless i can offer a full rig there isn't a point in buying equipment like that. This would be a console that I want to use, and be able to bring it along on gigs and such that I land and possibly end up using instead of using a rental gear and pay for it back. By no means am I trying to get a console to rent, this is for sole use by me but with the flexibility to rent it out if it comes up during a gig or while I own it. I'm leaning towards a chamsys system or grandMA system just because I have used the PC version of the chamsys and think it would excel more with the physical console than having to use a PC version. The GrandMA because it seems to be an industry standard and very popular among concert gigs around here.
Duck, I think you're on the right track looking at Chamsys. Get yourself a USB DMX Pro and you've got your first universe super cheap. Alternatively, in the Sub $1000 market, Light Factory is the major open source competitor with inexpensive fader wing you can get to plug into your laptop. That said, even that setup is still more like 3x your $400 budget. $400 just isn't really console pricing.
Otherwise, if you're looking at maybe more like $2000 for your first console, consider a Jands Vista wing with your laptop - that's a more high-end console software like a Grand MA without the price tag, at least not for your basic kit. But get comfortable with that and then when you have the funds you can more likely add a full-size Vista to your inventory.
As others have said, figure out what kind of console you want to use, and go that route - if people are wanting a specific console for a specific user, you can always sub-rent from Des Moines or St. Louis (or wherever you're close to) - but in the mean time, you need something cheap you're willing to use all the time for your gigs. Don't look at trying to rent out the console on its own without you until you've got a lot more funds to work with, because rental houses that rent consoles need to keep an inventory of several different consoles of different styles and price points.
If you think you'll be working with theatre venues and theatrical systems, take a look at that website on the Ion - their pricing is a STEAL. If I had $7000 to spend on a console for theatrical use, I'd be going straight to that vendor at that price - get a Ion plus a universal wing and you're set for a really good price. My Congo Jr is a comparable setup and was almost 50% more, and I got a good deal myself.
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