7 Aug, 2017 | ETC
When Eos® family console users install software v2.6, they may find that their systems get a serious boost. As announced at CUE, ETC’s professional development conference, Eos v2.6 brings major upgrades for Element consoles, and improvements to Snapshots and other programming features. The release also marks a change in the way the console family handles output upgrades for both new and existing users.
Upgrades, unlocked
Eos v2.6 dispenses with the notion of incremental upgrades, by which customers could purchase consoles and output upgrades at a number of different levels. From now on, any upgraded console is a fully-upgraded console. Moving forward, each Eos family controller will be sold in two formats: base and unlocked. A base level Gio @5®, for example, will have 4,096 (4K) outputs, while an unlocked Gio @5 will have 24,576 (24K) outputs.
If a user wishes to increase a base-level console’s control potential, a one-time, very cost-effective upgrade may now be purchased to expand the desk to its full capacity. What does this mean for users who have already purchased incremental upgrades, or who have purchased a console above its base-level output capacity? Upon installation of v2.6, all existing upgraded desks above the new baseline – even those that have only been upgraded to partial capacity – will be automatically expanded.
Element, empowered
Eos v2.6 brings massive upgrades to Element consoles, enabling a whole host of features previously reserved for the larger Eos family platforms. For entry-level Element users, day-to-day operation will not change. More advanced users, however, can now take advantage of multi-user control, partitioned control, virtual media server functions, full display controls, new timing options, filters, presets, highlight functions and more. Touring productions and receiving houses will also find the changes beneficial; a show programmed on an Ion® or larger desk can now more seamlessly transfer to a venue with an Element console.
More features for all
The software update also adds new display and playback features for all Eos family consoles. With the push of a button, users working in the live table view can now bring up part structures, output level, playback sources, or the DMX map. Manual timing masters enhance live playback options, and the ability to assign Macros to playback buttons unlocks a new layer of playback flexibility.
To download Eos v2.6, visit www.etcconnect.com/Products/Consoles/Eos-Family/Eos-Ti/Software.aspx
For a full rundown of Eos v2.6 features, download the release notes at www.etcconnect.com/Products/Consoles/Eos-Family/Eos-Ti/Documentation/
Please contact us or your local ETC Dealer for more information on ETC products.
2 Aug, 2017 | ETC
As part of its summer programme, English National Opera appeared at the Royal Festival Hall for a captivating production of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. Multi-award winning lighting designer Lucy Carter used light – controlled with ETC Eos® Ti and RPU3 – to create an additional layer of emotion and energy to support and reflect the music.
Widely regarded as Elgar’s finest choral work, The Dream of Gerontius relates the journey of a pious man’s soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory. To evoke an otherworldly feel, Carter opted for simple staging with abstract lighting energies that combined with the music to create an ethereal quality.
“When I was researching this production and arrived at my eventual design decisions, I knew that in order to create the complex and detailed environments to match the expansive and evocative music and themes of the libretto, I would need an immense amount of flexibility from my rig,” says Carter. “I chose to work almost exclusively with the GLP impression X4 Bars and Eos pixel mapping, and to use video files to populate the designed structure of the lights with energies and light textures.”
Supplied by PRG, the rig consisted primarily of 163 GLP impression X4 Bars, arranged into six concentric triangles positioned over the orchestra, and three rows over the chorus. Lighting of the choir and orchestra was delivered by 12 Martin Mac Aura XBs, with the soloists and conductor lit by a combination of ETC Source Four® LED Series 2 Lustr and Vari-Lite VL1000 AS fixtures. The rig required in excess of 40 universes of DMX, delivered via 14 ETC DMX/RDM Four-Port Gateways mounted locally on the trusses by production electrician Martin Chisnall.
To deliver the dynamic range of looks required, Carter worked closely with lighting programmer Jenny Kershaw, with programming support from Andi Davis, on behalf of ETC. “Jenny and I have been working with these ideas for a few years, and the ETC desks are an essential tool for our design work,” says Carter. “I want the lighting textures to feel organic and not mathematically produced and Jenny is able to manipulate the effects tools to create the dancing light textures I want. These are not repetitive effects, but seemingly evolving and dynamic.”
“The Eos Ti’s ability to deliver pixel mapping via the on-board Virtual Media Server, along with its conventional channel-based control, meant it was the perfect solution for this project,” adds Kershaw. “The content was generated on-board via effect layers, allowing for fast and convenient creation and editing of the looks required.”
The demands of this project saw ETC further expand the capabilities of its celebrated Eos software by adding extensions to the existing Eos Family Virtual Media Server feature. The pixel map size limits have been enhanced, allowing for control of up to 16,000 pixels. Additionally, Virtual Effect Layers have been modified to enable generation and manipulation of content for much larger pixel maps, and a variable server smoothing feature has been added.
“Thanks to the fantastic support we received from ETC and Andi Davis, we managed to achieve the complexities I was looking for,” says Carter. “With almost 500 cues and effects and numerous cue lists running simultaneously, Eos never let us down.”
Please contact us or your nearest ETC Dealer for more information on ETC products.
6 Jun, 2017 | ETC
ETC has announced the addition of the DALI Gateway – that accepts DMX input and outputs DALI protocol – into the company’s line of Response products. The DIN-rail-mountable Response DALI Gateway delivers a single loop of DALI control for up to 64 devices and 16 groups.
ETC Networking and Architectural Controls Product Manager Lowell Olcott explains: “This product allows for the control of DALI devices to be added to all of ETC’s lighting systems, making the product a great option for retrofits and new installations alike.” Users have complete control over their entire system with a patchable output map, allowing for the assignment of individual DMX addresses to each DALI device.
The Gateway supports auto-replace, allowing failed DALI devices to be replaced without the need for configuration tools. The DALI Gateway uses special calculations for individual, group, or broadcast DALI commands, to optimise fade performance and ensure dimming quality.
For more info about the ETC DALI Gateway, please visit www.bit.ly/erdalig.
Please contact us or your nearest ETC Dealer for more information.
6 Jun, 2017 | ETC
Because everyone should have access to great LED
ETC is an industry leader in entertainment lighting and controls and with their ColorSource range of fixtures and consoles going LED is now even easier than it has ever been.
As the distributor of ETC in South Africa ApexPro is offering a special deal on a ColorSource starter pack that is designed to get any user up and running with quality LED. For users with small theatre spaces, school auditoriums, promo stages or houses of worship, the starter pack offers an excellent opportunity to either upgrade your existing rig or start fresh. And with ETC’s excellent quality assurance and technical support network, you can rest assured that you won’t ever be left in the dark.
The starter pack includes:
- 1x ColorSource 20 Console
- 2x ColorSource Spots with 26° lens tubes
- 4x ColorSource PARs with medium round lenses
- Associated DMX and Power cabling
Specially designed to work with LED fixtures and with up to 40 control channels and 1 universe of DMX 512 the ColorSource 20 is the perfect console for small LED rigs. It makes both programming and operation a simple and enjoyable experience for everyone from beginners to more experienced programmers. The console manages to balance ease of use with powerful capabilities helping to make your lighting look as professional as a Broadway production.
ETC’s ColorSource range of fixtures are unsurpassed in their class in the entertainment lighting industry. With their patented colour chip mixing system ColorSource fixtures can access colours on the spectrum that no other LED fixtures can, giving you smooth and rich colour fades and brilliant hue and saturation options that aren’t limited to just red, green and blue.
The ColorSource Spots offer brilliant lighting shaping options with shuttering, barrel rotation and gobo and iris slots. Anyone who has ever worked with a tungsten profile will feel right at home except that now you don’t have to waste time with gel changes and even gobos enter a whole new realm of possibilities. Equipped with the 26° lens tube which offers a beam angle to suit most spaces the spot makes for a superb addition to any rig.
Like its big brother, the ColorSource PAR offers all the same colour and dimming capabilities as the spot but in a compact and stylish PAR package. With a medium/wide lens it’ll give you great washes across the space you’re lighting immediately transforming it into a wonderland of colour.
The ETC ColorSource starter pack represents an excellent investment for your venue and with the savings you’ll make on electricity consumption and lamp replacements it’ll soon pay for itself. Whether this is all you’ll ever need, or is a good starting point from which to upscale later, the ColorSource starter pack is your chance to get your hands on some great LED.
Please contact us or your local ETC dealer for more information.
30 May, 2017 | ETC
ETC has released two new additions to its Unison Echo® line of architectural lighting control. The new Dual Tech Sensors ensure spaces can adhere to stringent energy codes, while also ensuring occupant comfort. And two Contact Interface devices provide simple and seamless integration with other systems.
Dual Tech Sensors
For locations where no movement doesn’t mean a space is vacant, the new Dual Tech sensors offer a convenient and reliable way to make sure illumination is constant. Dual Tech sensors couple passive infrared (PIR) detection with acoustic detection and can support almost any room size or configuration. Available in wall, ceiling and switch mount configurations, with a range of finish options, the Echo Dual Tech sensors offer different models for Occupancy or Vacancy, meeting energy codes without the need for advanced configuration. The Dual Tech sensor features a walk test function to confirm coverage, supports small movement detection up to 45-feet, and includes coverage patterns for most applications. They are UL Listed and CE marked, and meet ASHRAE 90.1, IECC, and CA Title 24 codes.
For more info about the Echo Dual Tech Sensors, visit www.bit.ly/echodualtech
Contact Interfaces
System integration is simple with the new Echo Contact Interfaces. Available in 4-input and 4-output versions, Contact Interfaces seamlessly join Echo systems to third-party, external control systems. The Echo Contact Input Interface (ECII) can receive wet or dry contacts and uses the closure to activate actions in your Echo control system. Anything from a basic toggle switch all the way up to an advanced enterprise A/V systems can trigger the Contact Input Interface. And with the EchoAccess® mobile app users can program the system for any Echo control action.
The Echo Contact Output Interface (ECOI) supplies contact triggers to external systems. A contact output can be generated as part of any preset or zone control to automatically trigger an external system, including functions like powering on a projector or deploying shades. Additionally, the Echo Contact Output Interface can send a contact to third-party management programs, keeping enterprise-wide systems updated of the lighting system status. Both Echo Contact Interfaces connect your Echo system to larger installations, bringing custom actions and high-level integration to a budget-friendly system.
For more info about Echo Contact Interfaces, visit www.bit.ly/ecinterface
Please contact us or your nearest ETC Dealer for more information on ETC products.
25 May, 2017 | ETC
The ColorSource® Relay system kick-started a new era of power control, bringing budget-friendly system infrastructure with data distribution to theatres, houses of worship, schools and community centres. Now the ColorSource Relay is upgrading its simple configuration and wireless performance with the addition of wireless RDM.
The latest release of the Relay software – version 1.1.0 – is available to download and offers venues the ability to add wireless RDM to their ColorSource Relay system. RDM makes the convenient system even simpler to use, letting users identify and address their equipment wirelessly and then configure and monitor it, no matter where it’s placed in the rig. The Relay and ColorSource Transmitter have a 100-metre (328-foot) range and require minimal setup and no programming whatsoever.
“The ColorSource Relay system was already a ground-breaking tool, but now it’s even more powerful with the addition of wireless RDM,” says Ned Keitt-Pride, power controls product manager. “The ColorSource Relay makes it easy to get DMX, power and the benefits of RDM into remote locations.”
RDM is available in all ColorSource Relay units with an upgrade to software version 1.1.0. . In order to upgrade their units, users should contact ETC technical support. In addition to adding wireless RDM, the latest version of the ColorSource Relay software also includes upgrades for performance optimisation of wireless DMX.
The problem-solving ColorSource Relay offers configuration and control without cords and gives experts and beginners alike the superior ETC control experience.
For more information on the ColorSource Relay and the entire ColorSource family, visit www.etcconnect.com/ColorSource.
Please contact us or your nearest ETC Dealer for more information on ETC products.
