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May 2008

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Whether you are programming the lighting to playback looks at the touch of a button, running complex, multi-cued presentations, or are running manually with a fader, the choice of console can help or hinder your plans. For the purposes of this story, I am focusing on mid- to higher-level consoles. However, I will say that there are a lot of great choices in purely manual, preset consoles for lower budgets. Comparing features and functionalities of these consoles will answer most users’ questions.

Most of the designers and consultants for worship facilities that I spoke with for this story work in facilities that average 1,000 to 2,000 seats; approximately one to three dimmer racks (96 to 288 dimmers); and 12 to 24 moving lights. Even in facilities not initially starting out with moving lights, the consultants will always put in the infrastructure and specify control equipment that can handle growth so moving lights can be added without major changes. For most of their projects, the specifiers commented that 75% to 80% of the end users of the lighting console would be volunteers-sometimes with a staff person in charge of the technical aspects and supervising the volunteer crew.

The industry standard of DMX is a control protocol that lets consoles control more than just dimmers-including scrollers, moving lights, and many effects devices. Another communication feature to look at in consoles is networking capabilities which will allow the console to connect with a variety of equipment including console accessories such as wings and processors as well as dimmer control and feedback systems.

In the recent past, most consoles were either good for controlling dimmers and conventional lighting or were better for purely automated lighting. Fortunately, most manufacturers have been producing consoles that offer good, integrated control of both conventional and automated lighting in one console, which helps tremendously with the budget and staff needs. Today there are many console options, so it is important to look at ease-of-use based on who in your facility will be running the console and looking for features that are relevant to how the console will be used, while allowing room for expansion.

Words of Wisdom from the Pros
Tom Stanziano, lighting director for Joel Osteen Ministries of Houston, Texas-whose Lakewood Church skews the average size of projects that I am discussing-does have good advice to offer on this subject. “Once the venue decides what types of productions will be done, then the features play a huge role. You also need to know the staff or volunteer-user’s ability and what training they will need. I set up mock services and have my staff design it. I try to give them every possible scenario from a typical song, services, dramas, concerts, and even throw in the occasional audible. I also try to show them what to do in case of an emergency and what to do if the console crashes. I do recommend that they take additional training courses at LDI and WFX. There are always different ways to operate a console, and the more ways they can do something, the better [off] they will be.” Stanziano also suggests, “You should think about expandability; how long will it be before the first additional piece of equipment is added whether permanent or for a special production. Whether it is a matter of upgrading software or an additional piece of hardware, consoles do not need to be replaced every few years if you are able to upgrade. It also helps in the training if your operators can work on the console for several months without movers-the transition can be a lot smoother because they are not trying to figure out console commands and what the lighting can do at the same time. Finally, I would look at customer service-how and who will be assisting you when the console has a problem.”

David Stephens, senior consultant with Acoustic Dimensions, asks the worship facility to answer questions about how they are planning to operate the lighting before he specifies a console. “First you have to find out what’s the technical proficiency of the staff. Who is going to be running the console on a week-in, week-out basis? Is the person running the console different than the person who is programming the console? That happens quite often. The trick of choosing a console is realizing that different people are often using the console. Some of the higher-end consoles are harder to adapt to different levels of operators. I would rather put a simpler console into a project, and then for special productions you can rent a more sophisticated console if you have to.”

Jason Foster, consultant with Acoustic Dimensions, agrees that you have to carefully weigh the options. “There is always that balance of trying to specify the console that is capable of doing everything the clients want to do while still maintaining a level of ease of operation.” If the church is going with a high-end console, Foster speaks about a way to get up and running faster. “There are churches that have brought in a designer or a board op to initially set up their console-the consoles that are more complex and have a heavier need for programming over simple operation. These professionals can set it up with the staff there so that they know that here are the buttons you want to push. It is all set up and there are the looks to get things up and running. Then the staff can take the time to learn the console and the more complex operations themselves at their own pace.” Stephens adds, “We suggest that the church videotape the training. This helps with questions later and with training new people.”

C. Andrew Dunning, owner of Nashville, Tennessee-based Landru Designs, counts off his main considerations for consoles. “The two biggies would be, how easy it is to teach, and how easy it is to learn. Those would be on top of the usual-is it dependable, is it flexible, things like that.” It is an interesting point because there is often higher turn over among volunteer staff, and in many facilities multiple groups are using the console, so when there is only one staff member that is the constant, ease of teaching becomes an important consideration. Dunning also suggests thinking about future networking and the training: “These days I would definitely want something that has some network capability to it. I am going to want a console that is part of a product line. So that if you have multiple venues or at times of the year you need to augment, you can add in another console and you don’t have to re-learn everything.”

When it comes to features that are important for Stephens, the main thing after ease of operation is flexibility “A console that gives the user multiple ways to run their services is important. To have a console that gives them a way to quickly grab their basic faders, record cues to submasters, or to run the board at a memory-level configuration. It is good to have a few basic options but not get so confusing.” Foster adds that he likes to see “easy access to the fixtures, also faders, playbacks, or submasters. For moving light functions you have got to have encoders. Those are some of the main things.”

Integration is key for Dunning when it comes time to choose a console. “If we are talking about a console that will run both intelligent fixtures as well as conventional, I am going to want something that has a palette system of some sort; I’m going to want something that has an effects generator of some sort. One of the other things on my list of features is … a decent amount of faders.”

Paul Wonsek, president of Paul Wonsek Associates Inc. based in Marietta, Georgia, echoes the importance of flexibility and quick access to the lights. “In the churches and youth centers that I do, many of the services and/or performances are slightly spontaneous and one wants to have a console that allows for very quick access to things; to be able to change on-the-fly as a pastor or a singer moves to an unexpected spot. Flexibility is by far the highest priority for me. I prefer to have boards that allow for flexibility immediately-almost like playing a piano rather than going through screens to go to another set of commands to get things done.”

In addition to submasters, Wonsek points out that the “next thing that you look at is how easy is it to program autofollows, waits, and things like that. Forgetting about moving lights for the moment, the other area that I find to be sometimes cumbersome is the programming of effects. If I want to create a fire onstage; or if I want to have a water effect by having lights flicker; the ease at which one can do that is often very important to me. Also to be able to get random effects; to get programmed effects quickly and be able to manually adjust them so that you can make the effects feel the mood of the moment.”

There are also times when a worship facility may want to simply rent a console to supplement their system, perhaps to accommodate a larger special event or a seasonal production. If you are thinking of renting, Stephens recommends talking with the lighting designer and/or board operator for the production. “If you are bringing a designer in for the show you need to make sure the designer and/or the board op is familiar with whatever console you rent. Most often you can’t afford the time to learn the console.” For Foster, the choice of console is also a matter of what will be controlled: “After confirming you have someone to run the rented console, then you need to look at how many moving lights are you using, how many fixtures, so you can get the channel count right and the moving light count right and then you can figure out the console you need.”

For Wonsek, when looking for a rental console, it goes back to ease of operation. “For me, I would rather rent a console from a local dealer who knows how to use the console so that I have some sort of help if I run into trouble programming the board. Plus check to see what kind of backup the rental house has for you, because any kind of console can break down. If the console crashes and you have the show on a disc, they can get you another console and your performance goes on. That’s why I find it important that you have a relationship with a local theatrical dealer. There are a lot of good consoles out there so it is really-for me-about forming a relationship with someone or some company that you like and staying with that because they have a product that addresses your needs.”

Professional Consensus
All of the consultants recommend that you build a strong relationship with a local theatrical dealer. Do your homework. When it is time to pick a manufacturer and specific equipment, you need to make sure you are getting apples to apples to consider. Do you have any particular manufacturer that you prefer, and why? Ask for datasheets to see why a particular system is suggested. In addition to datasheets, you should go see other churches’ consoles. See them in operation and ask them about what they like and don’t like about the systems. Take time to try out and demo various consoles at LDI, WFX, or at your local dealer. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your designer or consultant why they have decided to use one console over another. You want a console that you are comfortable with and that suits the needs of your facility.

The photos of consoles in this story include many of the consoles used by the designers and consultants that I spoke with. There are also five brand new consoles/console families to add to your considerations. ETC introduces the Ion at LDI 2007, which is a more compact version of its Eos console. Also at LDI, Jands launched the Vista S1 and the M1 Control Surfaces that work with a laptop for a compact controller, keeping the Vista’s innovative timeline-based programming paradigm. Zero 88, which is distributed through A.C.T Lighting in the United States, has made some changes to the Frog console family. Debuting at PLASA 2007, the Jester and Jester ML replace the Fat Frog. The Leap Frog has become the Leap Frog 48 and the Bull Frog will be replaced by the Leap Frog 96.

Michael S. Eddy writes about design and technology. He can be reached at mseddy2900@hotmail.com.   Email Michael S.