iSquint Podcast: Episode 7 – Finding Your Next Lighting Desk
It is that time of year, the trade show season is about to begin. Visitors from around the country and around the world visit trade shows to see some of the latest products and services available to our beloved industry. One of the most talked about and sometimes confusing product to compare is lighting control and consoles.
So in episode 7, I sat down with Rob Halliday and we talk about lighting control and consoles. Rob Halliday writes reviews about lighting consoles in both Lighting & Sound International and Lighting & Sound America. Rob is a freelance lighting designer and programmer based in England and is known to show up state side now and then.
Our goal of this conversation was to get you to think about what you are specifically looking for out of your next lighting console or, if you really even need a new console!
Rob and I talked at length about different types, function and abilities of lighting desk to help you understand some of the choices you have out there. While we did mention a couple of brands and specific consoles in the podcast, we are not endorsing or recommending those desk. We used them as examples to help illustrate our points as the desk are well known throughout the industry.
If you have additional questions or comments, Rob and I will be happy to help. You can reach either of us through the Contact Us page here on iSquint.net.
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iSquint Podcast
Tags: Consoles, Control, Podcast, Rob Halliday
1 Comment
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By: Emiliano Morgia
Hi I’d like the podcast very much , but I don’t think a PC based desk have to be necessarily a laptop. i’m programming Lights since I was 16 years old, i’m 34 now , and I truly think the industry will be forced to create software based lighting controllers. In few words consolles are cool but they are cost too much and they are not following the speed of the technology . Look at GrandMA it’s a best seller and it use 10 years old technology. Yes there is GrandMA2 now but how long that will go on? For that price can’t be less the 7 years or more. So GrandMA2 it’s already 10 years old. If you buy it now you will have to keep it 5 / 7 or more years to pay it back. But how does the rest of technology? Look at Catalyst for example, first of all it’s not a laptop and it don’t get stolen, most important it’s affordable to be buy from who is using it not by a rental company. Why it’s so important that it’s the programmer to buy the “desk” instead the rental company? today a Lighting Controller it’s not anymore a desk like the old avolites , today the lighting controller use of network, software upgrades and it’s all based on very complex OS like Windows, Mac , Linux. So those todays controllers need a specialist to use it. There is no way that a non trained people can run a ION for an important show. So there is no point of spending money on a old not upgradable pc that cost 40.000 $ . I think the future it’s a PRO PC ( like a MAC PRO ) with a robust software and a various surfaces for controlling the cues or to programming it. Cheep interchangeable surfaces that works with various software.