Control/Dimming What is your preference MA2 or Hog Control systems

[ChamSysUSA]

Hi John and all on the thread:

Always good to hear peoples opinions and comments. If anyone needs help has questions or wants to arrange a demo, please get it touch.

 

[Old School 512]

I

I'll speak up for the ETC Cobalt. I love the desk for busking shows and theatre. It is very fast when designing and programming on the fly.
The drawback is that you need to have people trained to program it because most people are unfamiliar with it. I have gotten LD's up and programming on it in a few minutes, but there is A GREAT DEAL of hate for the RPN programming syntax. A well laid out house file and the touchscreens make it easier to get going.
I just saw the new Chamsys desk. It was pretty impressive, and the price point was phenomenal. Phil and I discussed as a matter of fact the issue with LD's being freaked out because the house desk wasn't the ... that they were used to operating. I have dealt with people that hate the Avo, or the Hog, or the Ion, or the whatever. I don't lose any sleep over it anymore.
Computer based systems are great for traveling and having what you want with you. A dedicated console is IMO a better option for a venue.
Take care,
John

Thanks John
I am not so worried about visiting LDs. As I have taught many newbie LDs in my time. That being the key word my time this is a new era of lighting, if I only was born 20 yrs earlier. I am trying to use MA on PC along with MA3D on PC. Without knowing jack it has been a bit frustrating. Yes my evening reading material is MA pdf manuals and you tube videos. I would love to try HOG4 on PC but I am not buying a visualizer pkg for a trial run of a lighting OS. Or maybe since the old HOG 1k was my last love I should give them a chance. UGH what is the Hogs future now that an ETC brand is burnt into the Hogs hind end.
I used ETC expression consoles on industrials and commercials but never on live music. They were well made consoles just not for busking. I have never laid my hands on a Cobalt it looks impressive but how difficult is the programming learning curve.
I am going to also look at this Chamsys line. Too many years have gone buy now with so many consoles and so many fixtures. Thank You for your input John.

 

[Old School 512]

Hi John and all on the thread:

Always good to hear peoples opinions and comments. If anyone needs help has questions or wants to arrange a demo, please get it touch.

Hi Phil
I have to plead ignorance to your companies products. I will do my homework on Chamsys over the next few days. Then I may get in touch I have found during my career give a piece of equipment a chance. You just may be surprised what you have found. Thanks Phil

 

[DavidJones]

Hi Phil
I have to plead ignorance to your companies products. I will do my homework on Chamsys over the next few days. Then I may get in touch I have found during my career give a piece of equipment a chance. You just may be surprised what you have found. Thanks Phil

A few people who worked at HES through the hog 2/3 days started Chamsys, so I think you will find the layout and syntax to be pretty familiar. While its popularity in the US has just started to grow, there are many pros using them in Europe, in some of the most impressive shows. Bands like Volbeat, Korn, Nine Inch Nails, and others have LD's doing a great job with Chamsys as their tool of choice.

Also, I guarantee, for the amount of power and control you get, nobody comes close to Chamsys' price.

The MQ60 or 80 sound like it would be a good starting point. the MQ60 does 12 DMX universes and the MQ80 does 16.

The MQ40n has more limitations and only 4 universes. Its great for small gigs, but it's not meant to grow with your rig.
The MQ80 has a battery backup, supports HD touch screens and all of the Chamsys wings if you want to expand the system over time.

Now with Chauvet as the distributor, the support network and availability has drastically increased.
If you were considering a used MA Ultralight, an MQ500 might not be out of the question.

 

[MichaelMacArts]

I

Thanks John
I am not so worried about visiting LDs. As I have taught many newbie LDs in my time. That being the key word my time this is a new era of lighting, if I only was born 20 yrs earlier. I am trying to use MA on PC along with MA3D on PC. Without knowing jack it has been a bit frustrating. Yes my evening reading material is MA pdf manuals and you tube videos. I would love to try HOG4 on PC but I am not buying a visualizer pkg for a trial run of a lighting OS. Or maybe since the old HOG 1k was my last love I should give them a chance. UGH what is the Hogs future now that an ETC brand is burnt into the Hogs hind end.
I used ETC expression consoles on industrials and commercials but never on live music. They were well made consoles just not for busking. I have never laid my hands on a Cobalt it looks impressive but how difficult is the programming learning curve.
I am going to also look at this Chamsys line. Too many years have gone buy now with so many consoles and so many fixtures. Thank You for your input John.

Cobalt is a impressive desk. It is ETC but its a different family than their EOS desks like the Ion. It's made for busking and working on the fly. I've had one for a few months now, coming from an old Insight and there was a little learning curve with the syntax. Its rpn so you have to think like Yoda for a little bit, it only took my a few hours at most to get used to it. I've used the Sapphire Touch and, in my opinion, the Cobalt is just as good for busking and just as good for theater as Eos.

 

[Old School 512]

Cobalt is a impressive desk. It is ETC but its a different family than their EOS desks like the Ion. It's made for busking and working on the fly. I've had one for a few months now, coming from an old Insight and there was a little learning curve with the syntax. Its rpn so you have to think like Yoda for a little bit, it only took my a few hours at most to get used to it. I've used the Sapphire Touch and, in my opinion, the Cobalt is just as good for busking and just as good for theater as Eos.

Sorry about the late reply and Thanks for the info. Do you know anything about the ION XE and do the EOS desks like this support ArtNet and or RDM? If so will they work with ArtNet /RDM compatible nodes?

 

[Old School 512]

OK so I guess within the world of control you have to balance Function, Price and ease of use for any experienced LD. Some of the riders I have seen specify more about craft services than lighting requirements. While others get upset when they cannot have a console they have never used or programmed. Thank You for all your input everyone!

I guess what I can find for lease (yeah I have decided to lease all the stage lighting/electronics for this client). Just so I can CMA as these folks have no in house tech for repairs but me and I am not there for every show. I sure don't want to be responsible for new fixture repair. Just as the client is not ready for the cost of repair parts. They would come unglued if a new piece of hardware died months after the warranty. And I had to tell them it was going to be hundreds of dollars for a replacement whatever and a few days to have it repaired. Leasing can be simple remove the problem, case it wait a day or three for a different one from the given warehouse.

Once again Thank You all for your advice. OS512

 

[Michael K]

Sorry about the late reply and Thanks for the info. Do you know anything about the ION XE and do the EOS desks like this support ArtNet and or RDM? If so will they work with ArtNet /RDM compatible nodes?

Yes to both:

INTERFACES
Four DMX-512 / RDM ports
Ethernet (ETCNet2™, Net3™,Artnet and Avab UDP output protocols)​

(From the Ion XE Tech Specs)

The Ion XE is just their (recent) update to the original Ion, with the face panel redone to match the larger Eos family consoles and updated computer guts.

 

[Old School 512]

Yes to both:

INTERFACES
Four DMX-512 / RDM ports
Ethernet (ETCNet2™, Net3™,Artnet and Avab UDP output protocols)​

(From the Ion XE Tech Specs)

The Ion XE is just their (recent) update to the original Ion, with the face panel redone to match the larger Eos family consoles and updated computer guts.

Michael, Thanks for the quick reply. I should have looked up the specs. I have been looking at fixtures and I thought there was a large control selection jeez. I may have to start a new thread LED vs HID or Arc.
While trying to find the manufacture that has the best hybrids. If you have any opinions please look for my next thread on fixtures. I should have it up in a day or so. Thanks Again.

Oh by the way do you think ETC is going to keep both their consoles and the HES HOG4 consoles or do you see a morphing or DNA swap in the future?

Best: Dave