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[Erik Jerde]

As a grizzly world weary LD who taught me early in my career once said:

“You aim a gun.  You focus a light.”

Yes, it’s a bit pedantic but it’s also good to know proper terminology for the industry you’re working in.

[Scott Holtzman]

Tim and Jeff thank you both for great posts.  I can't possibly give these the response they deserve tonight as I have early call tomorrow and I am driving the crew in!


I am looking forward to continuing this thread and I hope it will help others with the similar situations.


Thanks again guys.

[Jeff Lelko]

No worries Scott, it’s all good!  Tim nailed the detailed explanation of Focus Palettes and how you typically walk through a rig to set positions.  Terminology and keystrokes will vary slightly by console brand but it’s mostly all the same in practice.  I think it’s also worth adding that you typically get more than just focus too - most consoles give you Color and Beam Palettes, and oftentimes some global attribute palettes on top of that.  They all work the same way though - through the magic of the color palettes I can change my entire show from the orange and white of the Kubota brand to the green and yellow of John Deere in about 3 minutes - no need to manually reprogram all the color chases and eye candy effects in that 80 fixture rig...

Have fun on your gig tomorrow!  Tomorrow (later today) is my first shop day in over a month - planning to play with some Chauvet Epix product I bought for a proof of concept before making a larger investment in it.  Fun stuff!

[Tim Weaver]

The guys at Chamsys were the originators of the "Hog" style of programming. They sold it to High End and then continued developing the MagicQ desk which is similar, but different enough.

MagicQ is cool in that every desk and even the PC version is all the same software. So learn one, learn them all. The advantage to having larger desks is more physical controls and bigger screens.


The Chamsys product is definitely the underdog, but it can be used just like the big boys. https://chamsyslighting.com/blogs/news/nico-riot-drives-theatrical-looks-for-marilyn-manson-with-chamsys


In my experience I'm not convinced that Hog desks are tough enough for touring. I've seen a lot of broken Hogs. GrandMA's seem to be the biz, but I have zero experience with them.

[Jeff Lelko]

The guys at Chamsys were the originators of the "Hog" style of programming. They sold it to High End and then continued developing the MagicQ desk which is similar, but different enough.

Ah, that was it.  I knew that both products shared a tie in the past at some point and were basically developed by the same individuals.  I’ve admittedly not used a MagicQ product for any length of time in the past 5 years, so I certainly can’t speak to what the OS has become in light of Hog 4. 

I’ve never personally had technical issues with the boards, but I’m also not an owner or rental house that seems them going in and out daily.  I’d be curious if the ETC ownership of the brand will fix this reputation over time.  Reliability is obviously a top priority for any investment I make or recommend to someone else.  I would think Scott’s uses would be gentle enough compared to what I’ve seen things survive in the field, but definitely a point for consideration.     

[Tim Weaver]

I’d be curious if the ETC ownership of the brand will fix this reputation over time.  Reliability is obviously a top priority for any investment I make or recommend to someone else.

I would think so. ETC's are built like tanks. Of course my experience with those are back in the Expression/Obsession range.

[Scott Holtzman]

Hi Scott, I’m glad to hear that you continue to mind my contributions here useful!  Knowing the kind of work you do it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve hit the wall of what can really be done with the cheaper controllers. 

Jeff - See my PM, sorry to ping you in public but the notification system is unreliable...thx

[Dave Batistig]

Does anyone here have experience with the Chamsys QuickQ line of consoles? They are priced really well and I have been considering a QucikQ 20 for smaller "club level" band shows, which would consist of a dozen or so flat LED pars and up to a max of 8 LED movers. I am a Avolites Titan user, however my "Mobile" has become something less than mobile with a 27" touchscreen and a wing, however, TitanOne and a touch laptop is a more than viable option. That said, a few of the guys that work for me aren't reall enthused about having only a touch screen to work with, especially when busking, so the playback faders on the QuickQ line make it attractive.

[Tim Weaver]

Does anyone here have experience with the Chamsys QuickQ line of consoles? They are priced really well and I have been considering a QucikQ 20 for smaller "club level" band shows, which would consist of a dozen or so flat LED pars and up to a max of 8 LED movers. I am a Avolites Titan user, however my "Mobile" has become something less than mobile with a 27" touchscreen and a wing, however, TitanOne and a touch laptop is a more than viable option. That said, a few of the guys that work for me aren't reall enthused about having only a touch screen to work with, especially when busking, so the playback faders on the QuickQ line make it attractive.

I don't know if anyone here has had their hands on one yet, but I wouldn't have hesitations about buying it. It's the same software as the full size desks as well as the PC version. Chamsys hardware feels good in the hands and is very durable. You can clack-a-lack those buttons as hard as you want.

[Jeff Lelko]

Hi Dave, you might want to try asking this question over at Control Booth - I know several folks there have used them on actual productions and not just the demo floor.  I agree with Tim though that the QuickQ is a generally safe purchase.  As with any product it's important to understand the limitations and where the unit sits on the larger food chain, but I don't think you can really go wrong with it per say - just read the manual and play with the MagicQ PC demo for a bit so that you know exactly what you're getting before making the investment.  Good luck! 

[ProSoundWeb Community]