Strand NEO Help

Robert F Jarvis

Well-Known Member
I have been asked to work on a Strand NEO but I only have ETC Experience and finding it really tough to get to grips. I have been trying to join the Strand Forum for over a week with no success. Desperate to find any one who has used this board to answer some pretty basic questions.
 
Sending out the bat signal for @bharrell .
 
Ask your questions. I’m sure we will be able to walk you through it.
 
Ask your questions. I’m sure we will be able to walk you through it.
With two hours experience running the NEO software at home I was really looking for any "Cheat Sheets" or "Quick Notes", "Bench Notes" whatever that any Strand NEO folks had made for themselves and perhaps others nearby.
I've already hacked some of my own questions spending several (of the wee) hours on the simulator but they want me to do a show in the near future so any shortcuts would be appreciated.

As a general comment; How popular is this console? I'm way too used to going into the ECT forums whereby - within minutes one gets a lot of very experienced tech answering questions but have found it difficult to get into the NEO forum.
 
I grew up on ETC gear and found the transition into LF/NEO pretty smooth, I mean; it's got a patch, a channel view, and a cue list... I'd suggest looking for Lightfactory content (manuals, videos, tech support, etc) to supplement, it's the same software.

...How popular is this console?
It's not. But it is relatively new. The problem seems to be that it's new so there are not a lot of users, and folks don't want to use it if there aren't other users, so noone uses it, so there aren't a lot of users, so....
 
Thank you and to the others. I now have about 3 hours on the software at home, found the quick sheets etc and to be honest amazed at how quickly I've become familiar with it. Because I was new to lighting consoles there was a long leaning cure on the ETC's. But with the basic concepts being the same I'm confident I can go in tomorrow, put my hands on the real console and bring up lights, save cues, subs and run some FX. Have to agree that this board is pretty darn good. Though I do wonder if the mechanics is all that tough! Two Level Wheels broken in 18 months!
 
Thank you and to the others. I now have about 3 hours on the software at home, found the quick sheets etc and to be honest amazed at how quickly I've become familiar with it. Because I was new to lighting consoles there was a long leaning cure on the ETC's. But with the basic concepts being the same I'm confident I can go in tomorrow, put my hands on the real console and bring up lights, save cues, subs and run some FX. Have to agree that this board is pretty darn good. Though I do wonder if the mechanics are all that tough! Two Level Wheels broken in 18 months!
@Robert F Jarvis Please appreciate two of the CB members who've read and / or replied to your post:
@bharrell is the best / highest level person for your purposes on Strand's payroll within Donald's walls.
You're not likely to get better advice than from one of their employees who helped write the software and its syntax.
@Ron Foley commisions essentially every Strand installation across eastern Canada from approximately Manitoba to Prince Edward Island in addition to selling and performing warranty and post warranty service.
If / when you hit a brick wall you're having trouble scaling, you're NEVER going to find better resources than either @bharrell and / or @Ron Foley
Toodleoo!
Ron (Posting from north of Donald's walls) Hebbard
 
@Robert F Jarvis Please appreciate two of the CB members who've read and / or replied to your post:
@bharrell is the best / highest level person for your purposes on Strand's payroll within Donald's walls.
You're not likely to get better advice than from one of their employees who helped write the software and its syntax.
@Ron Foley commisions essentially every Strand installation across eastern Canada from approximately Manitoba to Prince Edward Island in addition to selling and performing warranty and post warranty service.
If / when you hit a brick wall you're having trouble scaling, you're NEVER going to find better resources than either @bharrell and / or @Ron Foley
Toodleoo!
Ron (Posting from north of Donald's walls) Hebbard
Is "appreciate" on this forum same as hitting the like button? I'm going in later today for 1st session with Console. So standby!
 
Is "appreciate" on this forum same as hitting the like button?
I'm going in later today for 1st session with Console. So standby!
@Robert F Jarvis Having lived my life in Canada and only having toured into Broadway and las Vegas on your side of Donald's walls; I don't know you from Adam.
When I typed: "appreciate", I was implying please be aware with whom you're speaking:
@bharrell I've NEVER met personally but Mr. Harrell's reputation precedes him, he's a long established, known, commodity.
@Ron Foley I've known for decades, sometime back in the 1970's. When I first met Mr. Foley he was a high school or college student sweeping the floors in Stand Canada's manufacturing plant where he remained post graduation, worked in their memory console construction and service shop, rose to their second in command of memory console servicing, and eventually began his own company selling, installing and commisioning Strand products, gear and software across all of eastern Canada.
By "appreciate" I was merely politely suggesting you understood the level of personnel you had direct access to in case you were suspecting Mr. Harrell and Mr. Foley were merely a couple of kids from some high school crew in a small rural town in the swamps of your southern states.
I trust I've adequately conveyed my intent.
(In 1973, Strand's system IDM Cue was comprised of a metal desk approximately 4.5' wide by 30" front to rear by tall enough to fit your knees underneath while seated and operating your 100 six Kw dimmers.
That was merely the control desk, the remainder of the system memory and control electronics occupied two 23" (23" racks were a telephone company standard far predating today's, comparatively svelte 19" wide racks) wide 44 RU racks behind you where the noise of the rotating drum memory and its cooling required your booth to be relatively sound proof, for the sake of the patrons, and you to wear double-muff head phones to hear your cues over the din of the memory system and its cooling. ( Your 100 dimmers occupied five racks in the basement plus one more rack for your house light dimmers and two more racks to control and distribute your 1200 Amp, three phase, 120 / 208 volt service.)
Suffice it to say: Strand's memory consoles have evolved CONSIDERABLY over the past 46 years as has 'young' Mr. Foley.
Good morning from Canada Mr. Jarvis; R.F. if I may be so bold.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
I have been asked to work on a Strand NEO but I only have ETC Experience and finding it really tough to get to grips. I have been trying to join the Strand Forum for over a week with no success. Desperate to find any one who has used this board to answer some pretty basic questions.

Send me your Strand-dev forum user name to [email protected] and I'll look into it.
 
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@Robert F Jarvis Having lived my life in Canada and only having toured into Broadway and las Vegas on your side of Donald's walls; I don't know you from Adam.
When I typed: "appreciate", I was implying please be aware with whom you're speaking:
@bharrell I've NEVER met personally but Mr. Harrell's reputation precedes him, he's a long established, known, commodity.
@Ron Foley I've known for decades, sometime back in the 1970's. When I first met Mr. Foley he was a high school or college student sweeping the floors in Stand Canada's manufacturing plant where he remained post graduation, worked in their memory console construction and service shop, rose to their second in command of memory console servicing, and eventually began his own company selling, installing and commisioning Strand products, gear and software across all of eastern Canada.
By "appreciate" I was merely politely suggesting you understood the level of personnel you had direct access to in case you were suspecting Mr. Harrell and Mr. Foley were merely a couple of kids from some high school crew in a small rural town in the swamps of your southern states.
I trust I've adequately conveyed my intent.
(In 1973, Strand's system IDM Cue was comprised of a metal desk approximately 4.5' wide by 30" front to rear by tall enough to fit your knees underneath while seated and operating your 100 six Kw dimmers.
That was merely the control desk, the remainder of the system memory and control electronics occupied two 23" (23" racks were a telephone company standard far predating today's, comparatively svelte 19" wide racks) wide 44 RU racks behind you where the noise of the rotating drum memory and its cooling required your booth to be relatively sound proof, for the sake of the patrons, and you to wear double-muff head phones to hear your cues over the din of the memory system and its cooling. ( Your 100 dimmers occupied five racks in the basement plus one more rack for your house light dimmers and two more racks to control and distribute your 1200 Amp, three phase, 120 / 208 volt service.)
Suffice it to say: Strand's memory consoles have evolved CONSIDERABLY over the past 46 years as has 'young' Mr. Foley.
Good morning from Canada Mr. Jarvis; R.F. if I may be so bold.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
When asked to 'appreciate' the "level of the people I was talking to" set me back. Sorry, Never been here before . Yep you did convey your intent. Kudos. I'm not looking for write ups on prima donnas in the "Strand" world Just asking questions. I'll handle Strand and whatever it can throw by myself.
 
Answering my own post to encompass all replies to that. Thanks guys. Ron and Bobby came through like gangbusters. Bobby remoted into my system this morning and with great patience answered everything I asked and a few I didn't know I needed (but did!) So bottom line, just over a week and I could go in tomorrow and program a show. Fast becoming a Strand NEO fan.
 
Answering my own post to encompass all replies to that. Thanks guys. Ron and Bobby came through like gangbusters. Bobby remoted into my system this morning and with great patience answered everything I asked and a few I didn't know I needed (but did!) So bottom line, just over a week and I could go in tomorrow and program a show. Fast becoming a Strand NEO fan.
@Robert F Jarvis Thanks for your politer post after having initially reamed my existing anal orifice, and carved me a redundant orifice in return, for my having the gall to flag you to the attention of Mr. Harrell and Mr. Foley.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 

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