cedd Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 I'm currently looking into setting up a small intelligent lighting setup to go with the PA I run. Potential use is for schools (One of my main sources of work doing sound) and local am-dram groups on their larger more technical shows. Plan is for the setup to grow slowly but basically to end up with a stand alone system but that can also tie in with a venue's installed setup. Clearly a desk is a good place to start and something I need to give a lot of thought as it needs to work for the entire system once finished.The Licon CX came to mind and is particularly interesting as Thomann bundle it with 4 moving heads that we were looking at anyway! I have cut my teeth on a FatFrog and played a little with a Pearl 2004 though I've only scratched the surface. Clearly I want something easy to learn and capable of driving the 4 initial moving heads, plus possibly 4 more scanners, a couple of moving head washes and LED pars, plus generics. I doubt this will ever exceed the 48 generic channel limit. At the same time students will maybe be using the kit (though mainly myself) and I want something easy to learn but that will teach skills that can be passed on to other consoles. The Pearl 2004 is a little out of budget and the Fat Frog is, well, a Fat Frog! I have also looked at other consoles including the Azure, Leapfrog and BullFrog, plus offerings from Hog but this seems to be the best spec for the lowest price. As for the type of stuff I'll be doing with it, think fashion shows, band nights, upbeat shows like "We Will Rock You" and "back to the 80's" plus the occasional big disco! So, user thoughts, criticism, generally reviews all welcomed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 At that pricepoint there are actually several very good consoles.The ETC offering is SmartFade ML, which supports up to 24 intelligent lights and 48 dimmers, spread across two full universes of DMX. This means that SmartFade ML is actually cheaper and more powerful than the console you mention - have a look on the ETC website and see what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 well, it can manage a few movers and generics, has lots of flash features and is - quite expensive. I'd forgive it if it had matching features to more expensive desks and was cheap, or was expensive but half the price of desks with the same feature set - but it's no really either.http://images4.thomann.de/pics/prod/173624.jpgJB-Lighting Licon CX lightcontrol. Technical data: 512 DMX-channels for moving-heads and dimmers, 16 Moving-Lights max. 25 channels each 48 PAR channels. 16 keys for direct access to moving-lights/PARs. Graphical LCD display. Pan/Tilt control by encoders or trackball (optional) Pan/Tilt channels 8 or 16bit, direct access to mx. 136 cues and 64 chases, 4 slider for PAR-cues/chases, 3 masterfader, 32 chases can run at the same time. Effect generator for fast programming of chases, preprogrammed moving patterns, Remote controllable by MIDI, software updates by PC, backup on USB-Memory Stick. The downside is, it is not a mainstream make, and appears to have 'borrowed' many features, controls and methods of operation from other desks from the well know manufacturers. It does, from our favourite German company, have a decent guarantee - but we have no idea if this is a necessity? For over two grand, I suspect I'd choose something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 A few months ago I bought a SmartfadeML with my own hard-earned cash and am very impressed with it. For the money it is a very powerful desk and the more I use it the more features I discover. I love it's size and weight (or rather lack of) - I'd got fed-up of humping flightcases. I've taught a touring LD to use it in under 5 minutes and it's currently 'doing panto', happily running 48 channels of dimmers alongside 4 movers. There are some nice product demo videos on ETCs website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted January 7, 2008 Author Share Posted January 7, 2008 Now that looks an interesting piece of kit, and is a lot more compact and easy to handle. Never come across it before for some reason. I'll do a bit of digging and manual reading. The other option of course is the second hand market, but I'd like to start off with something new (and in warranty!). Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechnicianDan Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Most of Avolites and Zero 88's Desks are very easy to programme, I have been working with them a lot in my secondary school. I suggest if you want movers or more intelligent lighting you should get a more intelligent desk so it is easier for you to control but they are pricy. The Licon CX looks quite fancy but would be harder to control the movers live. For the cheaper range SmartFade ML sounds good and is easier to control in live productions. It depends on what you will need it for and what you want it for.Dan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Dan - what Avos have you actually used that you found simple to programme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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