In the last 20 years we have seen more lighting consoles come on the market than I can remember. They all strive to achieve the same thing; talk to lighting fixtures, dimmers and media servers. They all get the job done eventually, but I've come to conclude that certain consoles execute some tasks well and others, not so much. In the Beginning
In the 1980s there were two kinds of lighting desks; the ones that ran conventional fixtures and the ones that ran automated fixtures built by the same company that made the console. Every show needed two board operators to run cues on separate consoles. The automated fixtures all had their own proprietary protocol that spit data at the fixtures, so they needed their own controllers. But in the early 1990s, lighting equipment manufacturers decided to start making their lights run off of DMX and the race was on. See Factor developed the Light Coordinator in an effort to become the first console that could run any fixture from a dimmer to a scroller to moving light. Compulite had the Animator and High End released the Status Cue along the same vein. Even the mighty Avolites figured out a way to run movers off of the same style desk.
Console Evolution
The majority of these new consoles all worked with various spreadsheets and computer jargon that most people didn't understand back then. But then the Flying Pig Systems Wholehog burst onto the scene. It was simple and it followed the logic of such consoles as the ETC brands with cue lists as well as lots of faders for different tasks. Its simplicity and easy learning curve made other consoles pale in comparison. By the late 1990s the Hog 2 and its effects engine ruled the lighting industry. It set a precedent for the way we run shows. Most manufacturers have followed this formula to this day. But that console had limitations and now the times have changed.
There are still a few poor souls who can only run that console, and I feel sorry for them. Nowadays lighting consoles have become so powerful and departmentalized that I pity the fool who only knows how to run one type of console. So many of them have different features and things the others cannot do. It's amazing. That's why I use certain consoles for certain gigs and trade off on them constantly.
The MA series of lighting consoles is probably the most popular console on the market these days. After more than 10 years, they have finally released the grandMA 2. This is good because no matter how well you design the hardware, eventually it will wear out. The grandMA 1 was rock solid for a long time and set the bar for all other desks in the last millennium. Its built-in effects and chase options are second to none. The executor buttons and many ways for an operator to lay out a desk how they want it are fab.
Different Strengths
But it is my opinion that this desk is old now, and in a few years will join the Hog 2s as they get farmed out for parts. But that's really okay, because all the users want the next model anyway. I like the grandMAs because of their ability to network with each other and the way they run video components. In this department, they can do things no other console can do, and their loyal followers won't use anything else. I feel the MAs are more set up to run a tracked cue list type of show. They never added a few software options that would have made it a great rock console. But it's their prerogative to go in that direction.
Flying Pig Systems took so long to stabilize the Hog 3 operating system that they unfortunately lost a lot of users. It is a good desk now, and I still use it on certain types of shows. Whenever I am going on a gig where I need to collage a lot of images from different media servers or DL.3s, it is the easiest of all the consoles. It can also effortlessly track large cue lists for any theatre type show. The hardware is rock solid, but sometimes this desk exhibits time lags in executing cues. I can still crash this console when programming too fast or furiously activating cues for a rock show, so I will use something else for those gigs.
Nook's "Mattel" Desk
I like the Maxxyz by Martin. It is still the simplest console in the world to operate without a manual. I call it my "Mattel" lighting desk. I prefer this desk whenever I run an awards show, theatrical show, or corporate theatre. The compact models have better flash buttons now and are much more stable in the hardware department than the larger desk was. And they are cost efficient. Unfortunately, the effects engine cannot perform up to speed with the latest technology, and that is a liability in this world of flashing LEDs.
The Compulite Vector has followed a natural progression through the years. This console is pretty solid, and I found it could now do anything I asked it to. Like the grandMA, there are so many ways to execute cues, each operator will have different keystrokes to accomplish the same task. I don't see too many of these desks in the U.S. so I don't know if they will stand the test of time.
And the List Goes On…
There are consoles that do things their own way, refusing to follow anyone else's way of thinking. And this is good. The Jands Vista thinks outside the bun. It uses timelines and writes cues the way a video editor would. It is extremely powerful, but few have mastered it. Avo has had great worldwide success for years. While I have never mastered this console, many users swear by it, and I have used it in more clubs and festivals than I can remember. The Virtuoso is loved by a select few, especially in the TV industry and by old Vari-Lite operators. But there aren't enough of these desks in existence for the general – public to ever grasp how to operate one. ETC has put out so many different consoles from the Congo to the EOS to whatever the latest is – that I simply couldn't keep up with them. But they still to this day made the best conventional desk I've ever operated for TV and practical lighting – the Expression.
A New Favorite Toy
This brings me to my new favorite toy, the Chamsys. Mark my words: this console will be the desk of choice for the next 10 years. There are models for clubs, theatres and huge rock shows. It has every option I have ever dreamed about and more faders (58 on the one I am using) than I need – almost. Plus the manufacturers listen to users. If I request something, they provide it quickly. They have taken all of the little things that every other console has and made them better; bit-mapping, turning chases into global effects, tons of priority settings and it saves your show in mere seconds. It is the ultimate rock console.
I don't think there are any bad consoles out there. Everyone should learn a few different types and not get stuck on one model. It limits your horizons and your ability to work on certain shows where the console being used may not be your choice. If you don't try something new, you may never know what you are missing.
