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Core Considerations
Things to think about when choosing basic lighting consoles
While we would all love to have the latest and greatest, state-of-the-art lighting console, sometimes the budget just doesn’t allow you to drop the equivalent of what a nice car costs. When you are just starting out and wanting to take the next step from throwing the breakers on the lights in your church—then you want to get a simple, basic lighting controller. Here is a look at some basic, entry-level control consoles as well as some questions and advice when you are shopping around for a controller. For the purposes of this story, I am focusing on basic, entry-level consoles in the budget range of $300-$2,500, although a couple of them went over the top end of the budget. (In CPM November/December 2007, I took a look at mid- to higher-level consoles.) There are a lot of great choices in purely manual, preset consoles for lower budgets.
There are many great models available to learn and grow with.
The companies that I spoke with for this article all consider the house of worship market a key segment for their products; many of them take the feedback that they get from the market and put it into their existing products, as well as developing new products specifically for church users. “We have consoles with more advanced features that are a direct result of the house of worship market that started out with our more basic consoles,” says Julie Sanders, sales – Eastern U.S. with Leprecon of Hamburg, Michigan.
The development plans for Elation Lighting of Los Angeles, California, are also responsive to this market, according to Eric Loader, director of sales with Elation. “We have a couple of new products coming out in a few months. They fit perfectly into all the aspects that this market’s users have been asking for from the industry.”
Donald Poppendieck, QA manager with Lightronics, Virginia Beach, Virginia, has also seen sales grow in this market segment “as churches look to enhance their services, and particularly for youth activities and facilities.”
Here are some things to think about when you are looking at different consoles.
“The quality of the console is important because it will potentially be a part of your sanctuary for years,” comments Sanders. “You’ll want to consider a manufacturer that has been in the lighting industry for several years, and make sure there is a good support network in place. Basically, ‘whom do I contact if I have questions or problems or need service?’ Local authorized dealers can offer services like a demonstration of the product before you purchase, and they can also offer training and service of the product after the sale. Make sure you ask these questions.”
Sanders adds that “console features to consider include questions such as ‘how many different areas do you want to light?’ Answering this question will help determine the number of faders you’ll need. ‘Are we using the console for a more contemporary service?’ If so, ‘what kind of looks do you want to create? Are you thinking of doing special events where you may want to run a series of looks with a Go button?’”
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Michael S. Eddy writes about design and technology. He can be reached at mseddy2900@hotmail.com. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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