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Author Topic: Hog 500 opinions  (Read 2173 times)

Sndguy (Joel Ashcraft)

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Hog 500 opinions
« on: May 03, 2018, 11:07:17 AM »

Hello. I need opinions on modern functionality of a hog 500. What are they worth? And can I realistically use one for 12 movers and some LED pars and uplights?   

Thanks in advance!

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TJ (Tom) Cornish

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Re: Hog 500 opinions
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2018, 11:39:44 AM »

Hello. I need opinions on modern functionality of a hog 500. What are they worth? And can I realistically use one for 12 movers and some LED pars and uplights?   

Thanks in advance!
Is a Hog 500 capable of running some movers and LEDs?  Yes.  Are there better choices than a 20-year-old desk?  Probably.  Chamsys Magic-Q has very similar syntax to Hog (I believe some of the original Hog folks started Chamsys), and Martin M-PC with M-Touch is also similar, with a nice affordable control surface.

Running shows on PCs isn't my favorite thing either - a purpose-built device tends to be more reliable; however that stops being the case at some point - I'm not going to put much trust in a desk as old as a Hog 500.  PCs can be reasonably reliable if you keep them off the internet and don't run Windows Updates - basically treating them like a hardware appliance.

RE value - I have no idea, but it can't be much - a few hundred dollars.  Unless you are going to find and travel with several of them, you are going to find yourself at some point with a dead desk and no backup.
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John Fruits

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Re: Hog 500 opinions
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2018, 11:50:30 AM »

Well, it is kind of dated.  The last software update was 2007 and you have to deal with a floppy drive. Have you gone through the manual, or checked out the Wholehog 2 forums at highend.com?  Poking around I see some listed for what I think are very high prices, $1k and UP.
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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.  There's also a negative side."-Hunter S. Thompson

Lance Hallmark

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Re: Hog 500 opinions
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2018, 04:25:32 PM »

Chamsys is also coming out with a new line of controllers, lower cost and easier to program:
http://www.chamsysquickq.com

Pricepoint in the $1400-3k ballpark. Should be out by fall I was told.

Edit: Price Range
« Last Edit: May 03, 2018, 04:41:43 PM by Lance Hallmark »
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Lance Hallmark
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Chamsys, Crown, Danley, EV, JTR, Powersoft, Yamaha

Jeff Lelko

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Re: Hog 500 opinions
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2018, 07:56:03 PM »

There was a nearly identical discussion about this very board just under a year ago, seen here.

Really the only thing that has changed since then is that the board in question is yet another year older, ETC's Smartfade and Cobalt/Congo series are now heritage products (but can still be found), and ChamSys is in the process of releasing a new entry-level series of hardware boards as mentioned above.  The general argument is still the same though - don't be fooled by the attractive prices on usedlighting.com.  You get what you pay for. 

If you must have hardware, ETC's ColorSource and the upcoming QuickQ series will be about the cheapest 100% hardware consoles on the market that are actually useful.  Beyond that, be ready to drop $5000-7000 to have some real options, and even that is still considered cheap for a light board.  If PCs are an option - TJ's M-PC w/ M-Touch suggestion is the cheapest option out there that has some hands-on control.  Good luck!
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Hog 500 opinions
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2018, 07:56:03 PM »


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