Brian Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Just a thought but for £500 you could buy a good condition used desk - I've seen a brand new Strand MX12 for £350 plus VAT. Add on a Showtec demux for around £100 and you've got everything you need for the tour plus you've got the kit a the end of the run.
Guest mattladkinlx Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 How can an MX12 be brand new - they stopped making them! Also if a 3 year warranty it will have expired and its only 12 channel - maybe 24 in wide mode (cant remember!)
sam.henderson Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Well, I don't know your other venues but the redgrave in bristol has DMX dimmers and I think a strand 300 as their house desk (but don't hold me to that!) Sam
david.elsbury Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 How can an MX12 be brand new - they stopped making them! Also if a 3 year warranty it will have expired and its only 12 channel - maybe 24 in wide mode (cant remember!)<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Brand new, as in unused perhaps?
Stu Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Strand 200 is a good desk...For live work yes, but the lack of a GO button (the whole Strand workaround isn't quite the same if you ask me. I mean how much would a GO button cost?) makes it a poor comparison to some of the lower range Z88 stuff for 'theatre work'. At least you can now insert cues unlike the old MX range. Well I say insert, creating links to other submasters and then back again isn't quite the same if you ask me. How can an MX12 be brand new - they stopped making them!Something that has been sat around on a dealers shelf since then I suppose, and as such has never been touched.Also if a 3 year warranty it will have expired and its only 12 channel - maybe 24 in wide mode (cant remember!)No wide mode on the MX range, so 12 channels is all you'd get. Not that would be a big issue for some small scale shows, I have loads of little studio shows run on less than 12 ways of dimming. I personally would just use house equipment for such a small show, but as you said you can't work round this it would seem... Stu
Bryson Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 In my experience DONT go with Stage Electrics or Gravav etc. as they are more expensive than smaller companies.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bzzzt! Wrong! In my experience, (which, dare I say, is considerably longer) larger companies are in a better financial position to offer better discounts, particularly if they think it might get them more work in the long run. Either way, there isn't a hard and fast answer to the big vs small companies question. Lightgirl: You never did explain why you can't use a house desk. Is it a plotting issue?
sam.henderson Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 In my experience DONT go with Stage Electrics or Gravav etc. as they are more expensive than smaller companies. I agree with Bryson not all Big companies are expensive, although Stage are quite a lot (7 quid for a par in their new catalogue and over £9 for a chrome birdie!!). As an example White Light are sorting me out with something at the mo and they are great, really personal service, quick response to all requests and some great discounts becuase of the size of the order!! Sam Moderation Note: Quotes Fixed.
Stu Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 7 quid for a par in their new catalogueSlightly :P so I apologise, but how cheap do you want a Par 64 for a weeks hire?! £7 has been the going rate for donkeys years, something like 15 or so, and therefore quite a reasonable price and not at all expensive. So I can contribute something meaningful to the conversation, how about trying Bright* who are based in Taunton? Not too far from the beginning/end of the tour and might be able to help - I've always found them very useful. Can't remember their phone number but a search of the Blue Room should wield it. Stu
Ben99 Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Hi Alex, Although I basically agree with Brian's "use-the-house-desk" argument (unless you have a really complex plot) I understand your producer's wish for an easy life... However, the Rondo has a Strand 520, the ArtsDepot has a Strand 300 - and if Sam is correct about the Redgrave having a 300 - it is looking like your producer might be being a bit lavish... he/she should probably take your advice, and save some money! You could perhaps just take a GSX* or a 300 to the venues who don't have a strand desk already, and just take a disk to the others... When I last enquired (March 05) Stage Electrics told me they had sold all their GSX hire desks. Although I know Celsius have one (www.celsiusproductionmanagement.com) if you're London based. Good luck! *Remember that a disk from a GSX will work in a 300 or 500 series, but a disk from a 300 or a 500 won't work in a GSX.
gareth Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 as I understand you will use the installed light equipment, so why do you need your own desk?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am only contracted to do 3 venues of the tour, so the stage manager is re-lighting for me. The director/producer wants us to tour a desk to save on time at each venue. I haven't had much of a say on the matter unfortunately.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I think they're being a bit misguided in that assumption. Using a small desk like a 200-series or Elara/Alcora in a small-scale one-night-stand touring-relight kind of situation is almost certainly far more hassle than it's worth - they're not designed for quick and easy modification of programmed memories in the same way that larger consoles (e.g. Strand 300) are. And any time saved by not having to plot the show into a house desk will almost certainly be negated in many venues by the time you'll have to waste in getting your touring desk to talk to the mixed bag of skanky old house dimmers which are pretty much a fact of life on tours like this. (Remainder of reply added after reading the rest of the topic!) However, the Rondo has a Strand 520, the ArtsDepot has a Strand 300 - and if Sam is correct about the Redgrave having a 300 - it is looking like your producer might be being a bit lavish... he/she should probably take your advice, and save some money!Really?! Crikey, the OP made it sound like all the tour venues were dodgy little 'community theatres' and village halls! If the above is the case, then you really don't need to consider carrying a desk on tour - just carry a disk! If you're touring to venues which are already packing decent consoles, then unless there's a very very good reason for carrying your own (eg. you're touring moving lights and want to carry a desk to run them) then don't bother! *Remember that a disk from a GSX will work in a 300 or 500 series, but a disk from a 300 or a 500 won't work in a GSX.Oh yes it will! ;) Not with 100% success on 100% of occasions, I'll grant you - but I've loaded 500-series show disks into LBXs in the past. You just have to rename the show file to "strand.ssf" ...
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