Mac Viper
- Thread starterStNic54
- Start date
I got a chance to mess with a demo unit at Martin when I got certified a few weeks ago. It's a pretty nice unit. Fast pan and tilt- supposedly as fast as a Sharpy so they say. It was nice. Though I didn't get much chance to look at the inside. They say it's alot easier to work on but not nearly as easy as a Mac 3. As long as it's better than a 2K, I'm happy.
Glad to hear that the pan/tilt have some speed. Thanks!Ya. It's a nice fixture overall. Plus it's only 75 pounds I think. So that's a plus. There is only one quark about the fixture that I'm not into and that's the "animation wheel". On the previous fixtures with an animation wheel, it was tilted into the light and then rotated. This animation wheel is already in the light but with an open slot. And it has four random other cutouts in the same wheel like the old trackspots. So I'm not entirely a fan of that part of the fixture. But the gobos aren't bad. I remember an amorphous, a 5x5 of squares, and a cone/gatling gobo. I forget the other one.
Outside of that though, the fixture seems solid and quiet. I didn't get to play with it for more than a couple minutes and the demo unit was still running on some finicky software. But it still seemed like something I'd get if I had the option.
Outside of that though, the fixture seems solid and quiet. I didn't get to play with it for more than a couple minutes and the demo unit was still running on some finicky software. But it still seemed like something I'd get if I had the option.
DELO72
Well-Known Member
Just an FYI- the Viper is a Series of fixtures. So while the Viper may be their last product line planned to use discharge sources, the Viper Profile (the one just launched) is not the last fixture.
(and... not to brag too much, but it has one heck of a great lamp inside-- the Lok-it! HTI 1000W/PS (Power Series). )
Had them on 2 shows now.
They are a very nice fixture. I had one that was a little bit tweaky but straightened out after a hard reset. Here's the rest....
Pan/Tilt: They are super fast but not quite as fast as a Sharpy. Furthermore moving a 75lb object at those speeds is not neccesarilly awesome.. more on that later.
Color Mix: Very smooth, many kudo's on that. Same as the iii.
Gobos: HOLY ****, it's like Martin finally remembered how to make gobo's that don't entirely suck! Well at least for rock, EDM and arial effect. Recapping countless drunken ***** sessioins I've had about "how many 'radial sun' effedts does one fixture really need?" and why offset dot form the 250+ was maybe the best gobo of all time. So seriously they finally put out a fixture with some really quality gobos. The iii was definately a step in this directioin but it looks liek for the first time in a decade Martin asked someone who ran lights for a living what they thought about gobos.
Animation Wheel: I think someone already made the point about the old school trackpot.. yeah.. not really sure what the point of that thing is. It just seems like a place to stick more gobos....
Prism: Very nice but no real advances in Prism technology.... surprise?
Iris: Again... not really imporved but there is one.
Zoom: Another HOLY ****.... take a row of Vipers and run a sin wave across the zoom channels... I don't think I've ever seen a zoom move that fast. It's stupid impressive.... Pretty much as fast as the iris... The one downside to this is that running that much glass back and forth that fast will make your fixture rock. Be prepared for your fixture to jiggle a bit if you plan on moving the glass that fast.
Those were my thoughts....
Other than that we are all holding out for a fully featured 350.
They are a very nice fixture. I had one that was a little bit tweaky but straightened out after a hard reset. Here's the rest....
Pan/Tilt: They are super fast but not quite as fast as a Sharpy. Furthermore moving a 75lb object at those speeds is not neccesarilly awesome.. more on that later.
Color Mix: Very smooth, many kudo's on that. Same as the iii.
Gobos: HOLY ****, it's like Martin finally remembered how to make gobo's that don't entirely suck! Well at least for rock, EDM and arial effect. Recapping countless drunken ***** sessioins I've had about "how many 'radial sun' effedts does one fixture really need?" and why offset dot form the 250+ was maybe the best gobo of all time. So seriously they finally put out a fixture with some really quality gobos. The iii was definately a step in this directioin but it looks liek for the first time in a decade Martin asked someone who ran lights for a living what they thought about gobos.
Animation Wheel: I think someone already made the point about the old school trackpot.. yeah.. not really sure what the point of that thing is. It just seems like a place to stick more gobos....
Prism: Very nice but no real advances in Prism technology.... surprise?
Iris: Again... not really imporved but there is one.
Zoom: Another HOLY ****.... take a row of Vipers and run a sin wave across the zoom channels... I don't think I've ever seen a zoom move that fast. It's stupid impressive.... Pretty much as fast as the iris... The one downside to this is that running that much glass back and forth that fast will make your fixture rock. Be prepared for your fixture to jiggle a bit if you plan on moving the glass that fast.
Those were my thoughts....
Other than that we are all holding out for a fully featured 350.
Lamps in having a lot of the Viper fixtures for a number of months now out on tour are yet to have any issues similar to normal new fixture lamp problems or other problems with new high wattage fixtures that often seem to have in initial months of use prolems with or continue to have problems with over heating issues especially on the dual ended lamp side. In other words, seems like it will be a good reliable fixture so far by way of lamps.
Side note, expect about half or normal the expected lamp lamp life of the Sharpee. In other words, if selling point is expected 2,000 lamp hours... bypass that selling point in being normal instead at best but a I'm told nice fixture and I know a large amount of them are in the inventory - but with the above lamp hour stipulation of like at best 1,000 hours of lamp life. In the hundreds range of them in inventory.
Play testing a Osram version of the Sharpee lamp not designed for it right now but did work initially and so far. A little more expensive but just as I now buy my own custom fabricated for me Martin Atomic 3000 strobe light lamps so as to replace the crappy ones currently sold or supplied by others, at times a little more money is worth it. If the Osram version of the Sharpee lamp works out - even if not designed for the fixture... if it lasts longer and more towards the lamp life expectation, for a few dollars more I will switch.
This all coming at inventory time, and in problems of bulk buys of I got all kinds of GE, Osram and Philips for instance of MSR 700 mini fast fit lamps for each - literally like a hundred of each brand or less. One designer wanted one lamp, than the other and now a third for a tour. Can imagine the dealer price in buying so many lamps of each type over a one year perod so as to supply a popular lighting fixture at the time. And for the designer.. X and Y weren't working and the third brand suddenly worked. Most can't tell the difference in brand of lamps, and indeed this is going to be an inventory discussion. This especially what ever fixture we bought big into, I am rare at this point to get spare lamp requests for.
Buying mover light lamps sucks at times. Sent out a boxing show with one of four MSR 575/HR in the spares - three short as another show earlier in the day required most of my spares. Luckily my local supplier had more in stock in shipping next day and the more lamps needed will just ship with the crew that will leave the shop Monday. Unfortunately it's a crappy lamp designed for a followspot and now used on a moving light which is fine but if in transport gets bumped about, the lower lead in wire isn't sufficient to survive bumping about. It fails frequently due to this just lamp was bumped problem. Capsule of the lamp engauges the upper lead in/support wire and blows out at that point. Got this very popular moving light fixture that's using a follow spot mid-size throw distance lamp (wich doesn't travel as per a follow spot thus isn't bumped around) and just with a little more support or thickness of the lower lead in / support for the lamp capsule wire wire, there would not be a problem. As if French... there is no problem you silly American.
Lots of problems in lamps/design, Viper so far doesn't have problems with lamps that I have noted at this point. That is a good thing.
Side note, expect about half or normal the expected lamp lamp life of the Sharpee. In other words, if selling point is expected 2,000 lamp hours... bypass that selling point in being normal instead at best but a I'm told nice fixture and I know a large amount of them are in the inventory - but with the above lamp hour stipulation of like at best 1,000 hours of lamp life. In the hundreds range of them in inventory.
Play testing a Osram version of the Sharpee lamp not designed for it right now but did work initially and so far. A little more expensive but just as I now buy my own custom fabricated for me Martin Atomic 3000 strobe light lamps so as to replace the crappy ones currently sold or supplied by others, at times a little more money is worth it. If the Osram version of the Sharpee lamp works out - even if not designed for the fixture... if it lasts longer and more towards the lamp life expectation, for a few dollars more I will switch.
This all coming at inventory time, and in problems of bulk buys of I got all kinds of GE, Osram and Philips for instance of MSR 700 mini fast fit lamps for each - literally like a hundred of each brand or less. One designer wanted one lamp, than the other and now a third for a tour. Can imagine the dealer price in buying so many lamps of each type over a one year perod so as to supply a popular lighting fixture at the time. And for the designer.. X and Y weren't working and the third brand suddenly worked. Most can't tell the difference in brand of lamps, and indeed this is going to be an inventory discussion. This especially what ever fixture we bought big into, I am rare at this point to get spare lamp requests for.
Buying mover light lamps sucks at times. Sent out a boxing show with one of four MSR 575/HR in the spares - three short as another show earlier in the day required most of my spares. Luckily my local supplier had more in stock in shipping next day and the more lamps needed will just ship with the crew that will leave the shop Monday. Unfortunately it's a crappy lamp designed for a followspot and now used on a moving light which is fine but if in transport gets bumped about, the lower lead in wire isn't sufficient to survive bumping about. It fails frequently due to this just lamp was bumped problem. Capsule of the lamp engauges the upper lead in/support wire and blows out at that point. Got this very popular moving light fixture that's using a follow spot mid-size throw distance lamp (wich doesn't travel as per a follow spot thus isn't bumped around) and just with a little more support or thickness of the lower lead in / support for the lamp capsule wire wire, there would not be a problem. As if French... there is no problem you silly American.
Lots of problems in lamps/design, Viper so far doesn't have problems with lamps that I have noted at this point. That is a good thing.
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