There is a certain fervor that constantly surrounds discussions of lighting consoles. So much so that discussion may be one of the nicest discourses that could happen between the often zealot-like users of different desks.
You may prefer an MA Lighting grandMA, Flying Pig Systems Wholehog 3, Jands Vista or some other console that I inadvertently (or purposefully) neglected to list. Whether your chosen board is from the Netherlands, Germany or the United States, I am here to show you the light.
In the paragraphs that follow I’m going to offer up some reasons why you should become console agnostic, and then I’m going to tell you how to achieve multiple-console bliss.
I’m not going to say one board is better than another. I’m not going to try to prove the opposite either. But here are some absolute truths:
- Some consoles are more suited to specific applications than others
- Some consoles are more expensive than others
- Some people have had prior problems with a specific type of console
- So, why does this matter?
If I have the option, I use a different console to program media servers than when I’m programming a bunch of moving lights. I find that one suits me very well for the first task, while another gives me the ideal tools for working with the second. While many consoles are designed to do many tasks well, a few of them shine in some very specific scenarios.
No matter what show you’re on, there is a budget. When you don’t have infinite or near-infinite resources (you mean the budget is not a bottomless pit?), the difference in weekly rental rates of various consoles might mean the addition (or removal) of some other critical equipment. Do you need a six-foot long desk with five screens when you have four movers and a 12-pack of dimmers?
Bob Dylan sang, “It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Unfortunately, just as you have preferences, your boss might have a preference as well.
While it’s not a common problem, you have to be ready to work with a designer who got burned by a programmer (who was using alpha software) running this desk on his nationally televised TV event (five years ago). If the boss says no to your control platform of choice, where does that leave you?
Of course, while it would be nice if all of us were experts on every new console that came to market, that’s a pretty lofty goal. It would make things a bit easier, except for the fact that keeping up with all of those syntaxes might be challenging. It helps if you have access to the hardware, but that would cost quite a bit.
There are, however, a few things that you can do that will help:
- Learn offline
- RTFM
- Beg, borrow, or steal rent
Most major console manufacturers now offer free versions of their software to run on your computer. These “offline editors” usually replicate the screens and control surfaces of a console on-screen, allowing you to access all of the features of the full-size desk. It’s important to realize that tooling around in one of these programs for a few hours does not make you a world-class programmer. But it can give you some insight into the layout of a system and can also offer you powerful tools for setting up your shows ahead of time.
Not all manuals are created equal. If you read enough of them, you will find some that are the perfect teaching and research tools and you’ll see others that cause sheer confusion the first time through. That being said, if you’re reading this article then manuals were written for you. Why? Because you can read and you care.
There is no better way to learn a console than to get your hands on it. My favorite way to get my hands on a new console is to spec it on a really small show. Four movers and a dozen dimmers in a ballroom are the perfect occasion for me to try out a controller that I’ve never used before.
For years I’ve been deeply allegiant to a single console. I’ve recently come around to the fact that this just doesn’t make sense, and that I was walking around with blinders on to some really great technology that could be in my programming tool kit. So now, I’m console agnostic.
It’s not that all consoles are equal (they’re not). It’s that I no longer believe that there is one console that is perfect for every single application.
In the next Technopolis, we’ll continue this discussion, and I’ll tell you why it’s okay to sing the gospel of one console.
