Control/Dimming Picking out a new light board.

[MillburyAuditorium]

Hello everyone, As well as picking out a new intercom system and building a booth, we are also picking out a new light board, We have one from the late 80s-early 90s, And it is dying, it wont save presets and such, and its just getting outdated. I have looked online but I can't seem to find anything I am looking for. We need a fairly large one, but not huge, but not small by any meens. DMX-512 protocal, would like a good number of sub-masters, preferably in two rows, would love one or two monitors, a scroll wheel for individual selection of fixtures, and basicaly, a medium sized auditorium/theatre lighting controller.

Thanks!

 

[TimmyP1955]

Don't put the sound console in the booth!

 

[Wolf]

They're quite a few threads on here already about purchasing new light boards so do some searching. But some more information would be helpful before we can really help you. Just some basics.

What type of events do you normally produce?
How many dimmers max?
How many control channels is normal for you?
Do you/plan to use automated fixtures/LEDs?
Do you want a board that can be a preset aswell?
What are you used to ETC, Strand, Leprecon?

But just to get the ball rolling the ETC Element might be of interest to you.

 

[soundlight]

Considering what you said in the other thread (new booth) about your shows, I'd say ETC Element as well - it's got the subs you want, as well as direct channel faders. Also has ML control onscreen if you ever need it, and it has a level wheel for keypad-selected levels.

 

[Darthrob13]

Right...cause no other console has these features....

It comes down to whose poison you like best.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Thanks guys, the ETC Element looks nice, But I had just remembered the name of a board we rented this last year because ours needed maintenance. The ETC Expression 3, Does anyone know where I could buy one? If they aren't sold anymore, the Element is probably what we will get. I really enjoyed the Expression 3, so it would be my first choice.

Thank you

 

[NickJones]

The ETC Expression 3 can be found on any of our collaborative article Sources For Used Equipment, might I also recommend you look at other consoles too, the Zero88 Jester TXL, see here, it has a few advantages over an express, USB backup, it's new, not second hand, and it's cheaper. The Expression is a more powerful console, but the venue that you describe is really not going to have heaps of professional LDs in and this console will serve your students nicely. Simple to learn to use, not to hard to master, with ML control, 200 channels, and also has encoder wheels, or thumb wheels, meaning that programming movers becomes both more accurate and easier, and stops you from smashing your head onto the console, and if you do, the faders are rubberised. I once fell asleep on mine, and it was kind of comfortable, although that might have been as I hadn't slept for almost two days previously. I don't have a console that I swear by, I love ETC and Strand, for different reasons, but in the situation you describe, a Expression is overkill. Worth a look at the Jester. I'm sure there are similar consoles out there that someone would suggest, get quotes on both.
Hope I helped.
Nick

 

[NickJones]

Oh, and also, what protocol! Early 80s sounds like AMX, not DMX, so you might end up spending money to get it running DMX, it's easyish. But bear that in mind when picking.
Nick

 

[shiben]

Im a big fan of the ETS Eos family of controllers, namely the Ion and the Element, having never used the Eos console. For your purposes, the Element is probably a great option, and it should not cost too much money.

 

[TimMiller]

Honestly the Element can do everything the expression can do and more. I have never programmed movers on the element yet, but there are a lot of local schools who are, but from what i have programmed on a Expression and express, anything is better.

 

[rschwimmer]

Right...cause no other console has these features....

It comes down to whose poison you like best.

Now that is funny

 

[Brownlight]

I would Agree the elemet sound like it would be a good start.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Oh, and also, what protocol! Early 80s sounds like AMX, not DMX, so you might end up spending money to get it running DMX, it's easyish. But bear that in mind when picking.
Nick

Did I say early 80s? Ment late, and we definitely are running DMX

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Im a big fan of the ETS Eos family of controllers, namely the Ion and the Element, having never used the Eos console. For your purposes, the Element is probably a great option, and it should not cost too much money.

Wow, the Eos has four big screens 0.0 It looks pretty confusing, and I don't really like it because it has a small number of sub masters, Our students, and myself like having everything out and not needing to switch between pages. So going with what you siad Ill look at the Element.

 

[Nobrakes15]

We are actually replacing our Obsession II system with a ETC eos system. If the Obsession II is up your alley drop me a line and we can discuss further off the board.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Nobrakes, Could you give me some specs on that board? I cant find it online. Also if you could get me some pictures of the unit itself, I might be interested. Is it fully operational?

Is it free? : D Heh, worth a try eh? If not how much would you want for it?

 

[Corbettlight]

In my opinion, the Obsession II seems like overkill for you, but I guess it's better to have more than you need than less. For example, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, which is in m area, has Obsession II consoles for all three of their major venues. I'm talking serious stuff. Also, the Silva concert hall in Eugene has one, and they're the biggest venue in the city.

Just my two cents.

Here's the manual and spec sheet of the Obsesion II:
http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/datashts/ObssessionII.pdf

And here are a couple a pictures: (Sorry for how big it is :/)

 

[tjrobb]

You have no idea how happy I am to know that I am not the only one working in a house with unusually green seating... :neutral:

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Thanks so much Corbett, I know it is major overkill xD But I'll wait and see how much it will be. But yeah, more is better than less.

 

[icewolf08]

Let me just start by saying that if you are going to upgrade now, you probably should not invest in used gear. It sound like you are in the middle of some serious capital upgrades and it isn't worth your time or money to buy old technology. In an educational setting, there is no reason to not be on the cutting edge of technology when you have the opportunity to. If you get an ETC Element then when your students go off to college they will already have the fundamentals down for sitting in front of an EOS.

The other thing to consider is that while there are many choices in the realm of consoles, it is often a good idea to stick with mainstream manufacturers. ETC, Strand, High End Systems are the most common. While there are many other great products out there, you need to think about future support. Almost every major city has shops that will support any or all of the aforementioned product lines whereas it may be a lot harder to find local support for some of the other major manufacturers' gear.

The best thing you can do is get in touch with some of your local dealers and set up demos. If you can't find someone locally to set up a demo for you, call the manufacturers and they will figure out how to get a console out to you. You should not even think of buying a console without a real hands on demo, preferably in your own venue.