psylocyprine Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 I work in a a theater and we want to buy a new lighting desk. We choosed to buy an ETC Ion. Is there people that have ever worked with this desk? Is it better or worst than a Congo? Is there bugs in the software? What are the qualities and the defects? How is the technical support of ETC? Thank you... L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrydir Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Not sure if "choosed" means you have already chosen or are choosing, but I think it's a great choice for most venues, however without knowing any info for your venue, whether or not it's the right desk is hard to say. The Eos/Ion series is fantastic in my opinion and I would recommend it, but the Congo is an entirely different desk with, again, many good qualities suited to different applications. I regularly use all 3, and personally prefer an Eos, but needs must etc... However, things I can answer: ETC support is first rate, I can't fault it. Bugs may exist but if they do ETC will help you get round them and update the software ASAP to fix them. Maybe giving more details (size and type of rig, usual show type, movers?, busking? etc) will warrant better advice... H E2A: SPAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 I work in a a theater and we want to buy a new lighting desk. We choosed to buy an ETC Ion. Is there people that have ever worked with this desk? Is it better or worst than a Congo? Is there bugs in the software? What are the qualities and the defects? How is the technical support of ETC?We are currently touring 2 Ions, one as a backup, after programming the show on an Eos. The Ions are perfect for the relights as they are light and portable, and have the functionality that we require. Ok, they do not have the touchscreen lovelyness or the six rotaries that the big desk has, but we have found that such things are not that necessary. There are still bugs in the programming, but due to the excellent support from ETC, such things will be sorted in the next software release. Yes, it is better than the Congo, mainly because ETC have built these boards from the ground up and have listened to programmers and industry professionals all along the way. Two notes of caution though: The Ion/Eos is NOT a Strand 500. It does some things in a very different way (referencing information and archiving as two examples). Also, don't bother with the Eos/Ion flightcases as supplied by ETC - they are rubbish. In conclusion, Ion = good, although more information is required from you regarding venue size, rig size, type of rig etc, etc. e2a:spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn.williams Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Personally I'm a big fan of the Ion/Eos. I came from a strand background and found it really easy to migrate to the desk. To me everything about the console is logical and for the most part straight forward. Several 'big name' designers I've worked with that were used to the strand have been pretty happy with moving over to Ion/Eos, both with a programmer or programming it themselves. Although I frequently here 'but on a Strand...' Support is fantastic. The guys at ETC are always really helpful and quick to respond. Back in the early days I could phone them up when I had found a problem with the latest release and they would imediatley work on a fix. From what I can tell the industry seems to be pretty widely embracing the Ion/Eos, particualrly as a 'replacement' for the Strand 500s. A couple of months ago Whitelight struck a deal with the Ambassadors Theatre Group to replace all their Strands with Ions or Eos' over the next few years. My only real fault with the Ion is that the manual is a pretty poorly adapted version of the Eos manual - often telling you to press buttons that don't exist. Although, ETC admit this and are working on releasing a better/updated version (already may have done actually) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jay Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Ok, they do not have the touchscreen lovelyness or the six rotaries that the big desk has, but we have found that such things are not that necessary. The Eos Family are a great work horse in the theatre industry. I agree with what Jonathan says about the touch screens with the Ion, they make programming so much easier with pallet acsessiability but having the mouse is just a good. The thing I like so much about the Eos/Ion is the use with Intellegent fixtures, the quickness of making pallets and creating groups etc. Also it's so simple to make thinks like 'mark cues'. Although I do prefer the manual way Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Couch Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Yeah just reiterating what everyone else has said really, the Eos and Ion are great desks, I've used both and would recommend them to anyone in theatre. I mean the Ion is a really good little desk, really easy to program using the palettes, and you can add touch screens to it as well, to make it easier, but not necessary. And yeah I'd say the ETC support is amazing, probably one of the best. And there are little flaws, but nothing major, and the latest release has sorted most of the flaws out and added a lot of great features, so all in all, a very good desk imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psylocyprine Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Thank you for all your answers. For people who asked me to clarify what kind of shows we receive and what kind of rigging do we have: we receive big theater pieces, almost always without Moving lights but we need a desk that has the capability to control them anyway. The stage has approximatively 100 dimmers with Pc, profiler, etc... My other question is now: what is the better solution for remote control to do the focus from the stage. We now have a ELC focus brain that begin to be broken. We hesitate now to buy a new one from ELC or the one from ETC (ETC Net3 Radio Focus Remote), that is a bit expensive. One other solution is to work with an iphone or ipod touch, with the software IRFR: http://www.etcconnect.com/Community/wikis/...umentation.aspx Do people have experienced these products? I've used Luminair: http://www.synthe-fx.com/products/luminair But I had problems with the connection, every time I want to send commands I must re-connect to the network, waiting that the modem give me another ip adress via dhcp. Is it the same with Irfr? Does it stays connected even if the Ipod goes sleeping or if we go out of the software to another? Or do we must tell the ipod to never go asleep. Thank you L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrydir Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 The Eos series remote, which IIRC works on Congo too, is pretty good, does most useful things, albeit a bit bulky. The iphone version iRFR does exactly what the physical remote does, no added features, but it's on your phone, which is nice, and handy. Both are good for focussing and fault finding but as most remotes, not good for programming or complex playback, though fully capable. Connection with the Eos remote is good, never had dropout issues etc, and the basestation can be placed anywhere on the ETC network, not just USB in the back of the console, which helps if the safety curtain is in, etc. iPhones can be set to always be connected or just when you open the app, etc, but all varies the battery life as you would expect. Remember, if you decide to use the iphone version, you will need to set up your own wireless network for it to run on. As a receiving venue, choosing the Eos series would seem sensible as it seems to be taking the place of the Strand 500 as the 'standard' of theatre desks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyJ Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I work in a a theater and we want to buy a new lighting desk. We choosed to buy an ETC Ion. Is there people that have ever worked with this desk? Is it better or worst than a Congo? Is there bugs in the software? What are the qualities and the defects? How is the technical support of ETC? Thank you... L. I used the Ion for the first time earlier this year,to light the Mikadow. Despite being told that the board had a habit of crashing,nothing occurred all week.It doesn't seem to like programming chases,but again ran them without incident.I had not seen this board before and although I feel its a little too complex for its own good,it never the less impressed me and gave no problems even with the multiple cue chase at the end of act one of the Mikadow. I would certainly recomend the Ion. Regards RJ :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NineStoneCowboy Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I am joining and possibly hijacking this thread because it appears to be the closest existing thread to my question: Congo Junior or Ion? I understand the principal differences between the desks, ION being command line and Congo being more about direct control, with a strong busking ability. My situation is: I work for a school with a strong Drama department and a tradition of large theatre performances and live music events. The console is for our main space. Conceivably, one week the console would be operating a major musical with scrollers and moving lights (which I am sure the ION would walk) and the next week, operating "Battle of the Bands" with a rock rig and a need to busk. The desk needs to be a jack of all trades but not a master of none. We have in the past hired Pearls for the rock gigs but I want an in house desk that can do both. I like the ION because of my background on Strand 500 consoles, however I can see that the Congo will deal with our busking requirement. My question is, what theatre functionality do I lose by going for the Congo Junior over the ION? My apologies to the OP for thread diversion, hope it is relevant and of interest. -9SC I work in a a theater and we want to buy a new lighting desk. We choosed to buy an ETC Ion. Is there people that have ever worked with this desk? Is it better or worst than a Congo? Is there bugs in the software? What are the qualities and the defects? How is the technical support of ETC? Thank you... L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I suspect that this isn't necessarily going to help the OP, as I suspect that they may not be UK based. But there is a Stage LX demo afternoon in Leicester where ETC will be showing the ION and EOS desks - oddly enough in a pub, where Stage are offering a pie and a pint in with the deal...!clickyI shall be going over there - more from curioity than anything else at the moment. One of our local venues has an EOS, and I had a very quick gander a few weeks back during a plotting session I dropped in on, but always useful to see what else is around. If any other Blue Roomers are going, wave your hand in the air...:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I work for a school with a strong Drama department and a tradition of large theatre performances and live music events. The console is for our main space. Conceivably, one week the console would be operating a major musical with scrollers and moving lights (which I am sure the ION would walk) and the next week, operating "Battle of the Bands" with a rock rig and a need to busk. The desk needs to be a jack of all trades but not a master of none. We have in the past hired Pearls for the rock gigs but I want an in house desk that can do both.For this situation, a Congo jr is likely to be the better choice.A lot of multi-purpose venues have gone with the Congo for the busking ability. The core difference is that the Eos Family are 'Tracking, Move-fade' consoles, while Congo is a 'Preset, Cross-fade' console. In terms of doing a theatre show, there's not really much difference in the majority of situations.Both have a Main Playback theatre stack, and can run multiple cuelists at the same time. The main one you'll notice is that Congo will update Cue Only by default, and you manually choose if you want it to track, while Eos/Ion will track by default and you manually choose if you want it to be Cue Only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDD Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I like the ION because of my background on Strand 500 consoles, however I can see that the Congo will deal with our busking requirement.I'm not entirely sure where the idea that the Congo is not as good for those used to Strand 500 consoles, because (having also used a Strand 520i in the past) the Congo is very easy to use. If you don't want to learn a new syntax, it can be set to "at mode", which is practically identical to Strand's basic theatre programming. I also work in a school, and have a Congo Jr. with the playback wing, which has proved to be a steady work-horse and does everything we want - from big moving-light musicals to busked rock nights. With the Junior, as opposed to the full Congo, you'll definitely need at least one wing if you want the busking capability. The advantage is you can leave the wing behind if you need to move the desk around, as we do, to use in multiple venues. (This also applies to the Ion, of course.) Having said that, I have also come from an ETC Express console - and the new 'Element' looks to be the most likely replacement of that. I used the Express at my previous job in another school and found it to be excellent for teaching and hands-on use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jay Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Not directly about the EOS family, but the Element is a fantastic new adition to the EOS Family, Im sure you are aware it was made for people who want an Ion but dont have the money for the moving light capabilities. What makes this a brilliant desk is that you can program and very big show on a EOS and trasfer the show straight onto the element and run the show off that, thus making huge money savings on desk hire. The software is the same for all Consoles which makes the show file transfer so easy not to mention the Moving Light option on the Element, who ever came up with those controls is a brilliant mind :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NineStoneCowboy Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The core difference is that the Eos Family are 'Tracking, Move-fade' consoles, while Congo is a 'Preset, Cross-fade' console. The main one you'll notice is that Congo will update Cue Only by default, and you manually choose if you want it to track, while Eos/Ion will track by default and you manually choose if you want it to be Cue Only. Thanks Tomo, seems a good explanation. -9SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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