With an accessible programming interface and a focus on hands-on fader control, Element has historically been a go-to controller for conventional rigs and smaller venues. Now, with the release of Element 2, the entry-level Eos family console gets a major upgrade, manufacturer Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) reports.
A strong family resemblance
The Element console received an internal makeover last fall, when a software update unlocked a range of advanced-programming features. The new Element 2 hardware boasts the same hardkey layout as the other desks, bringing the console even closer to its bigger Eos siblings.
“Sharing a common keyboard design with the larger desks makes it easier for those who usually work on the larger desks." Anne Valentino, Eos Product Manager, ETC
“Element is used in venues around the world by novices and professionals alike,” explains Eos Product Manager Anne Valentino. “Sharing a common keyboard design with the larger desks makes it easier for those who usually work on the larger desks. Because the feature set for Element was unlocked last year, this new more generous keyboard also provides the same quick access to advanced features available on the rest of the family.”
ETC representatives report that now any Eos family product will provide the same hardkey layout to help speed programming. Wherever church clients are working, the console will feel like home.
Users can experience the console’s 40 pageable playbacks for hands-on, true latest-takes-precedence control of individual channels, or turn a switch and map them to submasters, IFCB palettes and presets, or manual timing or global effects masters.
The goods
Element 2 offers the sophisticated control of the Eos software with an interface and price point that is accessible to a broad range of users and venues. Novice users will find that commonly used functions are brought to the surface, the company reports, while experienced programmers can dig deeper to access advanced controls. Users can experience the console’s 40 pageable playbacks for hands-on, true latest-takes-precedence control of individual channels, or turn a switch and map them to submasters, IFCB palettes and presets, or manual timing or global effects masters. They can also build their own customizable graphic control interfaces with Magic Sheets, or record looks to Element 2’s single cue list for streamlined playback.
The console boasts 1,024 or 6,144 outputs, 32,768 channels, five USB ports, four DMX ports, two individually configurable Ethernet ports, support for up to two standard or multi-touch external displays, and full, synchronised backup options via ETCnomad, ETCnomad Puck or another Element 2 console.
Introducing a new, dedicated Eos remote
ETC offers another new hardware offering -- ETCpad (ETC Portable Access Device), a tablet accessory, provides dedicated, touchscreen-based remote control for all Eos family consoles and controllers. The device connects directly or wirelessly to a Net3 lighting control network, providing the functionality of the iRFR/aRFR mobile apps in a robust and show-proof industrial-grade tablet.
