For my first real post on lightbord.com, I figured it would only be fitting to talk about – well – a light board!
Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), is one of the largest manufacturers of theatrical lighting equipment in the world. They are internationally known for the quality and reliability of their products.
ETC announced their newest addition to their ColorSource family of lighting products (their budget, entry level products), the ColorSource Console. It is not a theatrical console. It is meant for smaller, less formal setups. A company event, a school event in a cafeteria. It’s designed to go hand in hand with their ColorSource Par and ColorSource Spot.
It can control anything from conventional fixtures, to budget level LED pars, to moving lights. ETC has recently been making a push to get into the entry level market with their ColorSource products. They lack the fancy features you would find on their more expensive counterparts, but still deliver the quality and reliability you’d expect from ETC.
The CS Console has four models: The CS Console 20, 40, 20AV, and 40AV.
The only difference between the 20 and 40 models is the number of sliders and channels it is capable of controlling.
The consoles also have a 7 inch touchscreen to facilitate easy programming and on-the-fly operation. They have built-in effects, as well as the ability to create your own. They also feature basic digital magic sheets, which allow you to lay out icons representing the lights you have in a way that represents how they are laid out in the room. This is hugely helpful for on-the-fly operation.
The AV models add audio, video, and image playback functionality. They allow you to play back sound cues with light cues, or show images on a projector thanks to the console’s built in HDMI port. They also include something ETC calls “Video Toy”. It allows you to use the touchscreen to create video effects such as bouncing balls on-the-fly, and project them onto a surface. It also has support for network lighting protocols, sound-to-light capability, and the “Amigo” platform independent, web browser based remote control, as well as support for OSC.
ETC’s only similar (and it’s barely similar) console is the SmartFade. The smart fade is old, and doesn’t have great support for modern LED fixtures and moving lights. It was a great product for what it was designed for, but what it was designed for is conventional systems with conventional fixtures. There is a moving light version, but it is not well suited to today’s fixtures.
Jands, an Australian company, makes a similar console, thats been out for a few years now, called the Stage CL. I’ve used it and it works really well. I can’t wait to try one of ETC’s CS Consoles out. If I know ETC, it’ll be the Stage CL, but way better.
I’m really excited about this new console. I think it could be a game changer for the entry level lighting market.
Here’s a link to ETC’s product page with the full scoop on the consoles:
https://www.etcconnect.com/Products/Lighting-Fixtures/ColorSource/Consoles.aspx