LX desks for touring houses

[martinw]

Compulite desks are very popular in the TV industry, I would probably say (and am bracing to be fought with) that Compulite are typically the industry standard in TV. Many TV Programs utilise their desks.

 

Why is this? What features make Compulite popular in the TV industry in preference to Strand for example? Is it just a case of one influential LD, programmer or studio deciding to buy Compulite and everyone else following, or are there advantages with functionality and features?

 

Coming from a Strand/ETC/Hog background, I've always found the Compulite syntax somewhat hard to understand, but I guess it really depends which system you learnt first. I also heard that the Vector offers a choice of Compulite or Light Pallete style syntax.

 

Martin

[benweblight]

my answer remains the same, strand 500 series

if it were a concert style, it would either be an avo desk or a wholehog

 

ps: does anyone use the pda/laptop control facilities on the strands

[mike]

500s please!

Certainly the most common on our touring circuit

 

Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, also have an ADB. I take a desk with me.

mike

[robloxley]

Well given that the Strand 500/300 series pretty much has the market (except in smaller places) then as suggested there's no decision to make. Most shows proably tour a 500/300 disk, though White Light seem to send their tours out with an Expression conversion also. If you're set on using anything different, you probably want to tour your own desk.

 

When I last toured a show as electrician, I also had a Sirius memory card as we found quite a few studios and smaller venues with them, though I'd rather not come across one as the fade times syntax really bugs me. I'd also be happy to find an Arri/ETC desk and remember still happily blind-plotting the one at the Bloomsbury as the audience came in. We did however run some wagglies off a Masterpiece (AKA Disaterpiece...) which we toured.

 

I think recieving venues that have weird and wonderful or obsolete and non-compatible desks might soon decide that the cost of paying their electrician to bash the plot in from a paper print-out soon adds up, and makes an upgrade seem much more appealing.

[andystone]

Compulite desks are very popular in the TV industry, I would probably say (and am bracing to be fought with) that Compulite are typically the industry standard in TV. Many TV Programs utilise their desks.

 

Why is this? What features make Compulite popular in the TV industry in preference to Strand for example? Is it just a case of one influential LD, programmer or studio deciding to buy Compulite and everyone else following, or are there advantages with functionality and features?

 

Coming from a Strand/ETC/Hog background, I've always found the Compulite syntax somewhat hard to understand, but I guess it really depends which system you learnt first. I also heard that the Vector offers a choice of Compulite or Light Pallete style syntax.

 

Martin

It definitely isn't the case of one LD, we have Compulite systems in TV studios all over the country including BBC London, Bristol, Birmingham, 2 at Norwich and 7 at Belfast, 2 at LWT, 3 at Granada, YTV, 6 at Sky and quite a few others plus around 50 systems in rental companies.

 

Historically Compulite made the first every moving light control desk way before anyone had ever heard of Flying Pig, unfortunately they spent far too much time improving their existing systems to meet the demands of the customers instead of developing a new system so when the Hog came out it was far more advanced than the Compulite Animator of the time.

 

There are definite advantages of functionality, mainly the speed of programming and the speed at which you can modify things on the fly.

 

With the Vector we have hopefully overtaken everyone else (for the time being) as it has all the features the others have and more, plus as you say you can change the mode of operation to the syntax (or at least close) to any other console on the market. This you can run in Compulite mode, Tracking (as with the Hog) and Q only (Pallete) mode and you change even change the syntax so it does things as you type or you have to press enter at the end of each sequence.

 

Andy

Stagetec

[andystone]

So the only other theatres in which I'm aware of the existence of a Compulite desk are Basildon (Towngate) and Bolton (Octagon). WNO have one, too, if I recall correctly. Where else do you have Compulites installed, Andy?

To be honest we tend to concentrate more on the TV market these days as Compulite are well known so it is quite easy for us to sell and they have more money (generally) than theatre so there is no haggling on price, they are more interested in getting the right features than worrying about the price.

 

That said in addition the ones you listed we have systems in the Empire Theatre Sunderland, Marina Hall Fleetwood, Charter Theatre Preston, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Kenneth More Theatre Ilford, 3 systems at the Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Hull New Theatre and City Hall, Harlow Playhouse, Shanklin Theatre and quite a few more.

 

There is a full list on our web site at http://www.stagetec.co.uk/php/index.php?se...&contentid=1147

 

Andy

Stagetec