Lighting control console: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:01, 22 November 2017

Revision as of 07:37, 16 January 2018

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[[Image:Acclaim lightboard.jpg|thumb|right|An Acclaim two-scene preset board by ETC]]

Preset boards are the most basic lighting consoles—and also the most prevalent in smaller installations. They consist of two or more identical fader banks, called '''scenes'''. The faders (control slides) on these scenes can be manually adjusted. Each scene has the same number of channels which control the same dimmers. So the console operator can build a scene offline or in "blind", a cross-fader or submaster is used to selectively mix or '''fade''' between the different scenes.

Generally, at least with a preset board, the operator has a cue sheet for each scene, which is a diagram of the board with the faders in their positions, as determined by the lighting designer. The operator sets the faders into their positions based on the cue sheets. Typically during a cue, the operator sets the next scene. Then, the operator makes the transition between the scenes using the cross-fader.

Preset boards are not as prevalent since the advent of digital memory consoles, which can store scenes digitally, and are generally much less cumbersome but more expensive than preset boards. However, for small setups such as that of a [[Disc jockey|DJ]], they remain the board of choice for their simple to use interface and relative flexibility. Preset boards generally control only conventional lights; though some advanced hybrid consoles can be patched to operate intelligent lights in a round-about way by setting the control channels of the light to channels the preset board can control. However, Thisthis is however not recommended since it is a long, drawn-out, and cumbersome process.

=== Memory consoles ===

[[Image:ETClightboard.JPG|thumb|right|An Express series memory console by [[Electronic Theatre Controls]] capable of controlling both normal [[stage lighting instrument]]s as well as [[intelligent lighting]]. ]]

Memory-based consoles have become very popular in almost all larger installations, particularly theatres. This type of controller has almost completely replaced preset consoles as controllers of choice. Memory consoles are preferable in productions where scenes do not change from show to show, such as a theatre production, because scenes are designed and digitally recorded, so there is less room for human error, and less time between lighting cues is required to produce the same result. They also allow for lighting cues to contain larger channel counts due to the same time savings gained from not physically moving individual channel faders.

Many memory consoles have a bank of faders. These faders can be programmed to control a single channel (a channel is a lighting designer's numerical name for a dimmer or group of dimmers) or a group of channels (known as a ""submaster"") . The console may also have provision to operate in analog to a manual desk for programming scenes or live control. On some more advanced consoles, faders can be used to control effects, [[Chase (lighting)|chases]] (sequences of cues), and moving light effects (if the console can control moving lights).

=== Moving light controllers ===

[[Image:ETC-expression3 Fixture Box.png|thumb|360 px|right|[[Electronic Theatre Controls|ETC]] boards compile ''attributes'' into a "fixture box" for easy control]]

Moving Light Controllers are another step up in sophistication from Memory Consoles. As well as being capable of controlling ordinary luminares via dimmers, they provide additional controls for [[Intelligent lighting|intelligent fixtures]]. On midrange controllers, these are usually provided as a section separate from main Preset and Cue stack controls. These include an array of buttons allowing the operator to select the fixture or fixtures they want to control, and a [[joystick]], or a number of wheels or [[rotary encoder]]s to control fixture attributes such as the orientation (pan and tilt), focus, colour, gobos etc. found in this type of light. Unlike a fader that shows its value based on the position of a slider, a wheel is continuously variable and provides no visual feedback for the value of a particular control. Some form of display such as [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] or [[light-emitting diode|LED]] is therefore vital for displaying this information. The Moremore advanced desks typically have one or more touchscreens, and present a [[graphical user interface|GUI]] that integrates all the aspects of the lighting.

As there is no standard way of controlling an intelligent light, an important function for this type of desk is to consolidate the various ways in which the hundreds of types of intelligent lights are controlled into a single ''[[abstraction|abstract]]'' interface for the user. By integrating knowledge of different fixtures and their attributes into the lighting desk [[software]], the detail of how an attribute such as pan or tilt is controlled for one device vs. another can be hidden from the operator. This frees the operator to think in terms of what they want to achieve (e.g. pan 30 degrees clockwise) instead of how it is achieved for any given fixture (e.g. send value 137 down channel 23). Furthermore, should a lighting fixture need to be replaced with one from a different vendor that has different control sequences, no change need be apparent to the control operator. For some further discussion on how intelligent fixtures are controlled, see [[Digital MultipleX]] (DMX).

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===Remote focus unit===

Many memory consoles have an optional Remote Focus Unit (RFU) controller that can be attached to the light board and used to control the board's functions (though usually in some limited capacity). They are usually small enough to be handheld. This is ideal in situations where moving the light board is impractical, but control is needed away from where the board is; i.elocated. That is, if the light board is in a control room that is located far from the fixtures, such as a catwalk, an RFU can be attached and an electrician or the lighting designer can bring it to a ___location which is close to the lights. Some of the newer, and more advanced boards have RFUs that can be connected through USB or even wirelessly.

Various manufacturers offer software for devices such as [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[IPhone|iPhones]] that cause the devices to act as remote controllers for their consoles. Also, independent software developers have released applications that can send [[Art-Net]] packets from an iPhone, thus enabling an iPhone to serve as a fully featured console when used in conjunction with an Art-Net to DMX converter or Art-Net compatible luminaries and dimmers.