Control/Dimming What Console Should I Learn

[Amishplumber]

Hi all,

I'm currently finishing up college and working as a freelance LD for mostly theater, but also occasionally dance, concerts and corporate events. Probably a 60/40 split between theater and everything else. Thing is, the only console line I'd really consider myself a master of is the express/expression line. I feel pretty limited by that and am worried that some awesome gig will come up where I'd need to use a newer console and I'll have to turn it down because I don't know the board.

I've got a few gigs coming up in the Spring where I have money to rent a board and really want to use it as an excuse to learn a new console line that would help my career down the road. Theater shows I usually work on are in the 50-100 dimmer range with 6-12 leds thrown in and maybe a few movers and dmx toys. Dance is similar. Concerts are dozens of LED fixtures with 2-6 movers and a few conventionals.

What console line should I put some serious effort into learning considering I expect my career to progress down more or less the track its on right now? In an ideal world I'd like to get into more concerts, but I bet every lighting designer says that!

Options I've been thinking about are ETC Ion/Element, Hog, Chamsys Magic Q. The demo videos I've seen for LSC Clarity LX also look awesome, but that console don't exist yet, so not an option. Open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[chausman]

Almost all of those have offline editors available for free. I'd suggest downloading a few and seeing which one you like best from the offline side of things.

 

[soundman]

Options I've been thinking about are ETC Ion/Element, Hog, Chamsys Magic Q. The demo videos I've seen for LSC Clarity LX also look awesome, but that console don't exist yet, so not an option. Open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

I have seen a few want ads for EOS programmers so there might be a demand for that. But if you really want a license to print money master the Grand MA. Hogs are on the decline and while there are a few things they handle better than the MA overall the MA gets more work.

 

[rochem]

I'm very biased, but the Eos is a great console to learn. The Eos is becoming more and more prevalent on lots of professional shows, often doing the work that used to be done by the Obsession/Grand MA combination. The MA is certainly a fantastic console, but the market that uses them is smaller, and breaking in as a MA programmer can be difficult. Starting out as a theatrical programmer, you're probably gonna see more Eos consoles than MAs, and if you're already an Obsession programmer, you'll have a good knowledge base to go into the Eos.

I have seen a few want ads for EOS programmers so there might be a demand for that...

Care to share where? My gig for late this month just moved around its schedule, and now I'm looking for something new.

 

[bishopthomas]

I know Avolites and MagicQ only. I have lost a gig by not knowing GrandMA. I also have no experience with Hogs. This basically sums up the list for concert work. If you're doing mainly theatre work, though, I would think the ETC consoles would be more prevalent.

 

[LXPlot]

I've been told several times that GrandMA is the one to know. There are a lot of Hogs around but a ton of people who can program on them. Eos might be a good one to learn, but knowing Eos and Expression only gives you the skillset of the majority of lighting people graduating from a BA program across the nation. Also, Eos is easy enough to learn at a sufficient level with the OLE and manual that it might not be something to spend money on.

Here's an idea: why not find something like MA University or another manufacturer designed training program and learn there? While it's good to say that you know a console, if I were a producer or hiring a programmer (which I most certainly currently am not) I would be reassured by the fact the person has real training.

 

[soundman]

Care to share where? My gig for late this month just moved around its schedule, and now I'm looking for something new.

There was something on backstage jobs not too long ago. As well as a post on lightnetwork every now and then. I think most of the posts on backstage jobs were for ME/LD types that could drive an EOS/ION.

 

[derekleffew]

Simple answer: learn ALL of them. PLSN | Console Agnosticism .

 

[Amishplumber]

Simple answer: learn ALL of them. PLSN | Console Agnosticism .

Great article!

So, my thinking right now is to rent an Element for my first show in the spring and then an Ion for the second. The reasoning being that I looked at the manuals and demo videos for both boards and the Element seemed like a great stepping stone for me into the Ion. It is just an Ion lite after all right? I'm worried that if I rent the Ion for a week that won't be enough time and I'll end up staying up late, getting all stressed trying to get it to do what I want. Renting an element for a week, learning those new features and then doing the Ion for a week seems less stressful. Splitting it into two stepping stones basically.

With the Eos and the Ion running the same software, does that basically mean that knowing how to use an Ion you know how to use an Eos?

I'd love to learn GrandMA. I could see myself taking a course like that a few years down the road. Does anyone in the Boston area even own a GrandMA?! I've never heard of or seen one here.

As far as Hogs go, I heard a theater I'm working at in March just picked up an older used Hog. No idea what model. Is that worth learning? If it ends up being some old Hog 500 or 1000, will those skills be useful if I ever find myself in front of a Roadhog or Hog III?

Thanks again!

 

[cbrandt]

The grand ma is a great console, but you're mostly going to only encounter it in large touring situations. They're mostly the only ones that can afford those things.

Hogs are pretty common, and are pretty easy to learn. I would stay away from a hog 500/1000 if you're looking to learn. Basically, stick with something that has hog3 software on it.

Maxxyzz/M1 (from Martin) are newer consoles, but don't have a lot of market penetration. I personally love them, but you're not going to run into them often in the wild. It would be a board that you bring with you yourself.

Avos are awesome consoles if you like to have a lot of physical interface. They're much more common in touring/rock situations, and in Europe.

On the ETC board issue. If you're going for learning, rent yourself an Ion. The element cannot do a lot of things that the Ion/Gio/Eos can, and it will frustrate you for learning about complicated cueing and running moving lights. If you don't use those features, it won't hurt you while you're learning, but they'll be available to play around with.

Offline editors are an amazing way to learn. They look just like your console, and will give you the idea of how they work, and what their programming philosphy is. And if you haven't looked yet, go to youtube. Just about every manufacturer sponsors basic instruction videos on how to setup and use their consoles. I've known a lot of programmers that have gotten their start that way.

But, in the end, I have to agree with derekleffew. It is more important to learn how to program, than to learn how to program a specific board. Get yourself confident enough that you can sit down with anything with buttons, and make a show happen. It might be scary the first time you agree to do a show with a board you've never touched, but putting yourself in that hotseat is great motivation to learn a new skill!

 

[rochem]

So, my thinking right now is to rent an Element for my first show in the spring and then an Ion for the second. The reasoning being that I looked at the manuals and demo videos for both boards and the Element seemed like a great stepping stone for me into the Ion. It is just an Ion lite after all right? I'm worried that if I rent the Ion for a week that won't be enough time and I'll end up staying up late, getting all stressed trying to get it to do what I want. Renting an element for a week, learning those new features and then doing the Ion for a week seems less stressful. Splitting it into two stepping stones basically.

With the Eos and the Ion running the same software, does that basically mean that knowing how to use an Ion you know how to use an Eos?

Just go straight to the Ion. The Ion and the Element are very similar in their handling of conventionals, but anything above that is pretty different - and since you come from an Obsession background, you're already mostly familiar with that syntax. To be honest, the Ion would probably be a bit easier for someone new to the line, because you have quicker access to certain functions which the Element locks away or rolls into others. But since I used Eos and Ion long before the Element was released, that's just a guess.

As for the Eos question, that's a tough one. A programmer friend of mine likes to say "A good Ion programmer makes a great, slow Eos programmer," and that seems to be pretty accurate. From a software standpoint, the consoles are pretty much the same, but the benefit of the Eos is really the hardware. Things like having constant access to the pan/tilt encoders, two touchscreens of direct selects within quick reach of the keyboard, the numerous keys that aren't included on the Ion, the ability to have three external monitors (for a total of five montors) versus the Ion's two, the motorized faders, the dedicated fader control buttons, all of these are things that can still be accessed on Ion, but take quite a bit more time and effort - and when a show is paying the extra expense to rent an Eos, you better be able to use that hardware effectively. I program on Eos primarily and less often on Ions, but my entire console configuration and workflow is COMPLETELY different when I'm on an Ion. Now of course, an Eos is hugely more expensive to rent than an Ion. So get yourself an Ion, get to know it inside and out, but when the opportunity comes up to program a larger show on an Eos, recognize that you'll need to reteach yourself a lot of what you already learned in order to use the console effectively.

Hope that helps!

 

[mstaylor]

To be honest, Element or Ion is going to be a fairly easy transition, which to rent depends on what's available and how complicated a show it is. The big difference between the boards are ease of using movers and a few extras. If you rent an Ion, definitely get a wing. It will make it more like the Expression. Programming patches and cues will be the same between the Element and Ion.
What Mike says in the previous is pretty accurate, from my understanding. I have never used an Eos but I have used an Ion.