timsabre Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Have a look at Chamsys MQ500 - if you're thinking along the lines of GrandMA you shouldn't be disappointed. The Chamsys infrastructure is well worth getting into - very scalable and usable in a school environment. I should know, I put Chamsys into my last school with great success! Until he answers the question of how much money he has to spend, all our suggestions are somewhat pointless. He mentions Infinity Chimp 100 which is a very new and largely unknown desk costing about £3K. But also "Used GrandMA" which could be anything from £20K-£40K. His current desk cost about £2k. Not many schools have even £3K to spend on a lighting desk, never mind £20K for a GrandMA, although he is in Finland where I suppose things may be different in education... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 And we have the age-old issue it seems where the OP is in fact a student at the school in question and therefore not necessarily in a great position to advise anyone there in authority on any actual purchasing choices. To Timppa - The school's BEST bet will be to involve the local theatre supplier who can hopefully come to site and make informed decisions based on what the actual budget is vs the overall setup and equipment already being used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Infinity Chimp! Ha, I had to look that up. It does indeed exist and actually looks like a decent control surface. They have obvs. copied all the form factor etc from various other desks, no idea about the software though.Never seen an Infinity Chimp 300 on a rider. Anyway motorised faders: GrandMA2 full or light, Avolights Sapphire, ETC Gio or Eos. You may want them. But you dont need themSo that has opened up a few more options. Avolites Tiger Touch, or MQ500.I wouldnt put an MA in a school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Infinity Chimp! Ha, I had to look that up. It does indeed exist and actually looks like a decent control surface. They have obvs. copied all the form factor etc from various other desks, no idea about the software though.Never seen an Infinity Chimp 300 on a rider. Apparently it has only existed since Jan 2017, it appears to be something to do with Highlite in Holland, though also appears badged Showtec. I had never heard of it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjadingle Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 ...and you can also get what every good Chimp should always have by it's side.... A banana wing! (Not making this up!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 ...and you can also get what every good Chimp should always have by it's side.... A banana wing! (Not making this up!) Ever since the raspberry pi, every product range has to involve a pun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmxlights Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 ...and you can also get what every good Chimp should always have by it's side.... A banana wing! (Not making this up!) When I read this I had to go back to Thomann to have a look. I was think yea sure on till I scrolled down the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timppa Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Have a look at Chamsys MQ500 - if you're thinking along the lines of GrandMA you shouldn't be disappointed. The Chamsys infrastructure is well worth getting into - very scalable and usable in a school environment. I should know, I put Chamsys into my last school with great success! Until he answers the question of how much money he has to spend, all our suggestions are somewhat pointless. He mentions Infinity Chimp 100 which is a very new and largely unknown desk costing about £3K. But also "Used GrandMA" which could be anything from £20K-£40K. His current desk cost about £2k. Not many schools have even £3K to spend on a lighting desk, never mind £20K for a GrandMA, although he is in Finland where I suppose things may be different in education... We have about 5000€ to spend and due to my lack of knowledge about consoles I have to ask. What I do want to have is possibities to connect somekind of monitor to the desk and a 3D program like capture. We have about 20 led lamps, 16 moving heads, and about 25 theatre spot light and some flood lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 The other guys are right about going for something standard. For 5k euro you might squeeze a Chamsys mq60, or an Avolites quartz if you can get a good deal on one. Or an ETC Element 60, which are not that great for moving heads, but ETC is a good platform to learn. Zero88 desks are also popular in uk schools, not sure about in your country. The best thing you can do is to get a lighting dealer to come and demonstrate some desks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timppa Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 I thought about it and looked at the choices on thomann and found the Work LightShark LS-1 and it is just like I expected and if it is a internet browser based console it will be easy to connect some tablets to it and its ready to go. It does also have an ethernet connection so I can connect capture to it. Well it might not be the most popular and most used desk but it is a pretty new one too. I think it will make an great job next to our SGM desk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theatretechie Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I would avoid buying a series 1 MA console, simply because hardware support is now thin due to age. If MA is really the way you want to go then an MA2 Commandwing would just about fit in your budget from Thomann in Germany. If Chamsys is an option as others have mentioned maybe a call to usedlighting.co.uk in the UK would be a good place to start. They some used and are very good with support and after sales service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I thought about it and looked at the choices on thomann and found the Work LightShark LS-1 I'd try to get your hands on a Lightshark and try it out well before committing to it. It might be the most fantastic, natural way to program lights, it might have the most idiosyncratic and annoying interface you've ever seen, and without trying one you won't know. It's a new desk on the market so there isn't going to be a large user base to talk to as there is with the well established lines, which is always a bit of a risk with a new product. So far there doesn't even appear to be a manual for download so you can't even get a feel for how it works (at least the chimp manual is available). I'd be asking a supplier to come and demonstrate a range of desks at the price you can afford, and then take a decision with the people who are going to have to use and support it after you've left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDLX Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 You could possibly get a used ETC Ion for that price. Are you mainly looking at programming linear cue list based shows or are there more rock and roll/busking type shows? If the latter then maybe a Chamsys or Avo would be better suited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 For school desks, its really handy to have a bunch of faders so that folks that know almost nothing can get some lights going when necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timppa Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 Thank you you guys we settled on a zero 88 desk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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