Control/Dimming Need to learn the hog!

mason101

Member
Hey guys, i have a concert in september witch i am doing lighting on, i just been told i am useing a hog 1000, just wondering if anyone can give me any websites or something that will help me learn a bit more about it,

Thanks
 
September 2008 or 2009? I don't know how well you are versed in running boards, but it's kind of like saying, "Hey, I'm going to fly a 747 next month, any hints?" Now, if your already a commercial airline pilot, then that's one thing....

There may be a way of getting some feel for this in a roundabout fashion. You can download the MagicQ PC board from Chamsys for free. ChamSys Ltd

It has a lot in common with the Hog, and you can get a feel for the programming and layout. There is a pretty extensive help section. You might also want to check out the High End Systems website for what they have in pdf's on the Hog. (see above) Good luck!
 
Or you can do even better and download Hog II PC, which is still available as a legacy download. The HOG 500 and 1000 consoles use the legacy Hog II operating system.

Flying Pig Systems - Wholehog 2 Downloads

Remember that while Hog II PC shows the dual touchscreens of the Hog II, there are no touchscreens on the 1000, just selection buttons in the top row. So learn how to access things via the keypad and not the touchscreens when learning in Hog II PC.
 
Completely off-topic, but 747's aren't that ahrd, after you learn the systems.:rolleyes:

Maybe, but, I think your opinion would change when you're flying an ILS down to minimums with two engines compressor stalling. Or the old approach to Kai Tak would put some hair on your chest real fast.


As far as Hog Speak goes, definitely go for the Hog PC. While the faceplate won't be the same it will be entirely manageable. The Manual goes into differences between the II and 1000, mainly with using the external monitor.
 
Maybe, but, I think your opinion would change when you're flying an ILS down to minimums with two engines compressor stalling. Or the old approach to Kai Tak would put some hair on your chest real fast.

Eh, ILS is easy, and you've got those extra 2 engines there anyway, go do a DME arc and we'll talk, especially on the 747-100 with the actual instruments, as opposed to those new fangled -400s with the glass everywhere.


Hog is also fairly simple, powerful, but not difficult to learn. Provided you have the basic understanding of how a lighting console works, you should be able to learn it. I went from 0 hog time to running a small show of 96 dimmers and 6 Mac 2ks on a Hog2 PC in like 2 weeks.

Try to get the console early and just sit with one mover in a dark room and have some fun.

Side note, what kind of rig is this? A handful of scanners is going to be easier to deal with then 10 universes of VL3500s.
 
Where are you located at? There may be a place close by that will give you some playing time. The hog is an easy console (much easier than grand MA). The manual is pretty straight forward when it comes to patching and controling your fixtures.
 
Eh, ILS is easy, and you've got those extra 2 engines there anyway, go do a DME arc and we'll talk, especially on the 747-100 with the actual instruments, as opposed to those new fangled -400s with the glass everywhere.



Getting pretty far off topic here ha, but, it wouldn't really matter whether you're flying glass or not as in the 400's I believe the FMC's can't draw an arc, so either way you're flying it with the RMI and DME. Don't monday morning quarterback when it comes to flying; a sim (short of a level D full motion) is not even close to being real when you're in hard IMC with things going wrong.

DME arcs aren't even that bad; Turn 10 Twist 10. I'd be much more wary of an NDB approach. If you've ever done one and looked up at minimums you would see why they call it a non-precision.


But otherwise, I'm with ya Zac850. Given two or three weeks of good study and practice you should be able to pick up the Hog no problem. It's fairly straight forward. One thing I would read up on is the different types of recording (i.e. record state, active, etc..). This can really alter the way a cue behaves.
 
What is your background with consoles first of all? If you are use to cue-only consoles, stepping into a Hog which is tracking can be quite a confusing and big leap. As others have said, goofing around with Hog 2 PC will help you learn the layout of the console, but will not teach you the concept of tracking. Time to goof around with the console and lights is a must if you are not familiar with this concept.

The Hog also uses more then one cue list and no subs. This again falls back on your previous experiences on other consoles and training. Groups and scenes can be a powerful replacement for subs. The groups will let you control a group of lights or fixtures, just like a sub would. Scenes record just like a sub and recall a look just like a sub. Looks at these two things if you are use to using subs.

As for the cue list part, this is where the Hog and other moving light consoles get their power from. Don't think of them as cue lists sometimes. They can be chases, control just one set of attributes, light light intensity or color, or can be used like a normal cue list. The other nice part is you have tons avialbe to you, just remember to label them :lol:.

The other major thing that the Hog uses is a palette system. It is a very powerful tool and can make programing as well as updating fast and easy. Familiarize yourself with the palette system, record a bunch of palettes and cues with the palettes. Then go back and update the palettes to see what effects they have on the cues. It won't take long to learn, but learning it will be very rewarding.

And lastly, as others have said, read the manual. Get the console or Hog 2 PC, and re-read the manual with it in front of you, so you can actually see what the manual is talking about. I find this helps a lot when learning a new console. And when programing, don't be afraid to go back to the manual to learn how to do something, or see if there is an easier way to do it. Also try checking out the forums on High Ends website. Even though it is discontinued, a lot of stuff for the Hog 3 carried over from the Hog 2 line, and there is still information there about the Hog 2 line.

As for the universe question, both the Hog 500 and 1000 have two universes. The Hog 500 only can assign 512 channels and the 1000 is 1024 channels however.
 
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actually now with the new software the hog 500 will output 1024 channels of dmx. This was implemented about 4 years ago.

I know you can program for 2U on the 500 so the show is transportable to a HOG 1000, but it still only has the one 1U DMX output on the back.

(Unless that changed when I wasn't looking ;) )
 
Hog 500 has always had two universes on the back. Just back when it first came out the one universe was split to the two outputs. Now both universes work as true dmx universes with the capability of 512 channels each.

Hog 500 and 1000 both use the same CPU, just one is loaded with more ram than the other (if my memory serves correctly), but ram in both the hog 1000 and 500 can be upgraded.
 
They should update their manual on their website!
I just logged on to check it, and on page 11 it states:

"Please note that whilst you can patch to both DMX outputs on an HOG 500, only output 1 connects to the DMX port on the back of the console. The ability to patch fixtures to both outputs allows shows to be used on both an HOG 500 and an HOG 1000."
 
Yea, either I used a old version Hog 500 last time or they can only do 512 channels. Very possible there was an update and not in the console I was using however.
 
Hey. Try this Hog 3PC its a virtual hog, found it usefull for learnig the jester. havent tried the hog one but should give u abit of a good idea. Try googleing the theatre/venu and finding out the set up they have there. What channels each light is on that way we program the whole show before getting there. Giving us more time to play Halo. Anyway. Try it.
Nick
 
Hey. Try this Hog 3PC its a virtual hog, found it usefull for learnig the jester. havent tried the hog one but should give u abit of a good idea. Try googleing the theatre/venu and finding out the set up they have there. What channels each light is on that way we program the whole show before getting there. Giving us more time to play Halo. Anyway. Try it.
Nick

Hog III PC won't do the OP any good, because the Hog 1000 has the Hog II OS, which is why I and others recommended the Hog II PC software, not the Hog III PC software.

Also, we do place quite a bit of value on correct spelling and grammar here...
 

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