ETC, or Electronic Theatre Controls, based in Middleton, Wisconsin USA, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of entertainment and architectural lighting systems. While their products are quite ubiquitous, such as their iconic Source Four range of lighting fixtures introduced in 1992, their strengths have been primarily in the theatre and fixed installation market where high-grade, built-to-last equipment with a sensibility to the theatre lighting designer is paramount.
ETC has always been a company that revolves around innovation. In 1987 their flagship Expression console, which came about as a result of their pursuit for a “better way to make a lighting control console’, was a breakthrough for its time. The Expression was one of the first microprocessor-based systems that incorporated a 2MHz Intel 8080 CPU and that paved the way for what has culminated into an entire range of consoles that are thousands of times more powerful.
Today ETC offers three families of consoles: Smart Solutions, Cobalt and Eos; the Eos is the focus of this user review.
The Eos family comprises six consoles: Nomad Puck, a ’mini computer” that supports both the Eos and Cobalt software scalable from 256 to 2 048 outputs; Nomad, computer-based lighting control software which supports both the Eos and Cobalt software; Eos Titanium, ETC’s flagship lighting control console that supports up to 16 384 outputs; GIO, a compact lighting control console built for touring shows; Ion, a portable package; and Element, the most basic of the control surfaces offered in the Eos family.
All the Eos-family controllers run the Eos software platform with features varying based on which hardware option you choose. Pro Systems caught up with a few local and international lighting designers who utilise the Eos-range on a regular basis. This is what they had to say.
Daniel Murfin, lighting control supervisor, Royal National Theatre, London (Eos RPU3, Eos RPU, Eos Ti, Eos, Gio, Ion, Ion RPU, Nomad, Nomad Puck)
“The National Theatre requires powerful cutting edge control for the large number of productions each year. The Eos family provides sophisticated control of very large rigs and speaks the language of lighting design. The console therefore makes it possible to create the largest of shows with the minimum amount of effort. Eos is one of the best supported consoles I have worked with.
“When you purchase an Eos you know you are getting not just what you have bought on the day but many years of technical support and software releases which make it more valuable every day. It is certainly in the elite class of lighting desks as demonstrated by the many shows it is used for. That said, where it really shines is that it is designed to be a lighting console, not just a way of controlling lights. What that means is that every area of the desk is tailored around how we light shows. I love the command line interface; it is the fastest way of getting things done when working on the biggest of shows. Much thought goes into the command line syntax so it is as clear and consistent as possible.
“I also love the direct selects, particularly with the ability to split the screen in version 2.2. The direct selects make accessing record targets really easy and the labels mean you can see exactly what you are doing. Magic Sheets have also become a very important part of my workflow recently. While their usage varies from user to user, I find they are excellent for dealing with non-light fixtures, such as practicals. They’re also great for visualising effects. I wouldn’t say there is anything I don’t like but there are always things I wish it could do. I’m particularly looking forward to the addition of OSC and the new colour controls. I’m also really hopeful that we’ll get API support to allow independent developers to build apps which work alongside Eos.’
Declan Randall, freelance, UK (Eos, Eos Ti, Gio, Ion and Element)
“Essential features of any lighting console for the type of work that I do are tracking and blind editing modes – Eos handles both of these aspects brilliantly. Plus they “think’ the way that I do, so I don’t have to convert my requests/thoughts into complicated reverse syntaxes.
“I get to programme the desk in ’English”. The way I give the instruction to a programmer is the way that the type the instruction into the desk, so it’s really intuitive and logical. It is my understanding that they offer excellent value for money and are fully-functioning consoles capable of handling any show or event from the smallest to the largest – the 2012 Olympics in the UK is a prime example.
“I have been using the platform for about six years now and I have seen the software develop and grow and become more and more powerful. As a truly theatrical console, I think you would be hard pressed to find another console more suited to its application. There is a powerful effects package and it is more than happy to handle video, pixel mapping, magic sheets or any other complex tasks that you might want to throw at it. It is also an extremely stable platform – it is extremely rare that is crashes. There are some great features, like Query, which allows you to ask the desk questions based on what you have programmed and can be quite helpful when wanting to select fairly specific channel ranges or complex ranges of channels based on what their current output is. SNEAK is also a feature that I find I now miss on any other console that I use.’
Toto Yende, head of lighting, Woordenlewe church (Ion)
“The ETC Eos-series is smooth, effective, and it is easy to train volunteers to use the equipment without worrying that there will be a problem if they change the settings. I find that with the ETC Eos-series I am in control of every move every second. So, for me, its control is what separates the platform from others.
“The GUI is easy to understand and I enjoy features such as Direct Select, Magic Sheets, live split channels and DMX over Ethernet. We use Watchout, so being able to control media servers is cool. As far as things I don’t like go, I wish it was able to sync with the ETC Congo. Also, I wish there was a history folder so I can go back and find the auto-saved show file. Lastly, support for the Eos-range locally has been ten out of ten. They know exactly what they are doing!’
David Kane, IATSE Local &28 lighting console programmer, Los Angeles (Gio)
“The majority of my gigs are as a gun-for-hire, so typically I will come in anywhere from one day to a few weeks to programme a rig. As such I need a console that is versatile, powerful and portable. I got all of that in my GIO.
“Its compact footprint makes it easy to transport, yet it has all of the features that I look for in a higher level console such as motorised faders, built in touch screens, programmable macro buttons and, of course, the clutched encoders are a great touch! My GIO was hands down one of the best investments I ever made. Financially speaking, it was affordable enough where I could easily pay it off within the first year of ownership. Where my GIO really stands out in this field is that it is manufactured by ETC, a company that backs its products in a way I have never seen. ETC is constantly working to improve upon their consoles, releasing regular free software updates that improve my life as a programmer and greatly expands the functionality of the desk.
“They also listen – closely – to their customers. The on-board touch screens on my GIO allow me to fly while I’m programming. Combine those with the new split-screen and multi-workspace features released in the latest software release and you can build incredibly specific programming environments for yourself. I make extensive use of the magic sheet functionality to create custom programming interfaces, and then I can share those on a screen with the Eos standard displays. By doing this I have been able to create very specific and specialised interfaces for various tasks, such as moving light programming, media server programming, effects creation, playback, etc.
“The hard macro buttons on the face of the console also enable me to further customise my programming experience by adding functionality that is accessible at the touch of a button. I wish the console had better live-playback functionality such as a master time parameter or the ability to assign separate parameters to the pot and buttons on a single play playback fader, although I am assured this is coming!’
Denis Hutchinson, freelance (Element, Ion)
“For anyone with a theatrical background the syntax and system philosophy is very reminiscent of Light Palette and Obsession so it’s a less steep learning curve than would be the case with a programmer-based console.
“This has a lot of advantages for venues that are purely theatrical, but so much depends on the types of shows that need to be controlled and whether they’re generated in-house or need to satisfy riders. It’s the tracking console most specifically designed for theatre rather than other areas of the market. There are other theatrical boards, but they are mostly non-tracking and in my less than humble opinion, if it doesn’t track it’s not a lighting desk. [Saying that], I’m not a fan of the GUI interface at all – it’s Blackberry rather than iPhone. Also, kill the bloody tombstones! I really don’t like the displays as there is way too much unnecessary “information’ that one has to process. Less is more. I also find navigating between screens very clumsy, but that may only be on the ION which uses the same software.’
Kobus van der Berg, managing director, Sonique Productions (Ion)
“Every painter requires a proper palette to create the perfect picture. For a lighting designer familiar with LEE gels and the exact number it is a walk in the park to create what your production requires [with the Ion].
“The Ion function of selecting the LEE filter and dropping it into the fixture is remarkable. This is what separates the Eos-family from competing brands. You select the desired LEE gel number and slot it into the LED fixture or intelligent unit and it automatically mixes the colour for you. It has seamless step-by-step cueing with smooth scene-to-scene changeovers as well. What I like specifically about the Eos-family is stability. It is as stable and reliable as the old school lighting consoles and recalling a file or a previous show, without the thread of bugs, is a plus point on the ETC Ion.
“Also, soft patching is as easy as you can get; you just drag and drop with the touch screens. Assigning fixtures to faders is a walk in the park. It speaks for itself – ETC is the Rolls Royce of theatre and broadcast lighting was the obvious choice. [As far as support goes] Our relationship with ETC and local distributor company – Prosound are fantastic. Ian Blair and Sales Manager Lindsay McGuire are a formidable team. They are always prepared for the extra mile and the back-up service is incredible.’
Stuart Cross, West End freelance, UK (Ion, Gio, Eos, Eos Ti)
“The Eos system is almost seen as the industry standard and the way ETC keeps updates coming; it is proving quite future proof.
“The main difference between the Eos system and other competitors’ desks is quite simple in the way the information is displayed. Obviously this is great for the programmers such as myself, but is invaluable for the lighting designer who quite often does just require very limited information of which lights are on, in what colour and pointing where.
“I do think the best thing about the Eos system is the GUI. The basic “Tombstone’ display means you can see what fixtures are doing, especially if you use pallets and presets, but with a single push of a button you’re into the “Table’ view which gives you a comprehensive view on what everything the fixture is up to. The fact that you can use a mixture of command line and “Direct selects’ makes programming extremely quick and easy.
“The information that is displayed on “Playback Display’ is amazingly comprehensive but looks so simple, from telling you if something is live moving (moving position while fading up from zero, as opposed to moving while active) to giving you all the link, loop, mark, and of course timing information.
“If I feel that the platform lets itself down anywhere, it would be in the area of effects but I know this is something that is being worked on. In fact, some of the changes that have been implemented in v2.2 go a long way to alleviating my problems. The fact that you can now adjust an effect on a channel-by-channel basis as opposed to globally, and that when you recall the channel from a cue it remembers these changes, solves my biggest problem. There was always a way to do what you needed but it was just a bit complicated.’
Ziggy Jacobs-Wyburn, Eos programmer, English National Opera, London Coliseum (all Eos-family consoles)
“As someone who uses the consoles in a wide variety of applications, I can say that the purchase of an Eos is one of the most solid investments to be made in entertainment technology. Since its inception and despite strong competition, the Eos has consistently pushed to the head of the pack, becoming the far and away industry standard.
“What I love about Eos is that it’s made for a huge variety of users, and the end result of all of those levels is always a creative, artistic tool that speaks the language of design. The Eos is all about minimizing translation between designer and programmer, making the operator more involved in the design itself. From the small-scale end of operation, this makes the one-man-band operation extremely simple and straightforward – I can programme for myself in a school hall or warehouse space, while keeping my designer brain in gear.
“I love the way the interface looks. I can read numbers, parameters and referenced information labels quickly and easily without digging around. It has an incredibly flexible display and with the advent of Magic Sheets I can now create virtually any display imaginable for myself – something that previously competing consoles banked on as their leg up.
“I am a bit of a Query addict; I love being able to ask the console for anything just like I would another person. Being able to simply ask “What’s moving while dark in this cue?’ or “What do I have unpatched in the 4 000 range?’ makes my life a thousand times easier, and I really feel as if the console is there to help. The consistency in logic means that I know exactly how it’s going to behave in any situation, and if I encounter a completely unfamiliar one, I can make a really good guess as to how to handle it, without even a bump in the speed of programming.’
Zakaria Al-Alami, lighting director, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Arc3Design, NYC (All Eos-family consoles)
“The existing reach of and familiarity with (now-legacy) ETC consoles make the transition to the Eos a very worthwhile investment. The Eos-series makes it easy to do simple and complicated work, and does so as a natural progression in learning and operating the system. And ETC’s constant development of the product line ensures its longevity and growth.
“The ETC legacy is ingrained in this desk. The Eos-series builds on and maintains existing protocols, syntax, habits (even general key layouts), and incorporates logical and easy-to-use advancements that make the desk a very capable and powerful control method for today’s complex rigs. I’ve always enjoyed that, right out of the case, an Eos-family desk is immediately operable, with all needed information easily accessible and clearly visible. The clarity with which information is presented is one of the great things about the Eos-family interface.
“Look at something as basic as the Live Channel Display: no matter how many fixtures you have on a show, or how varied they are in features, you can always immediately tell what a fixture is doing. Combine that with the About screen and you never have to hunt for the answer to “why is that light doing that?’ or “what’s controlling that light?’ – it’s all right there.’
Nick Simmons, freelance programmer and designer, UK (Nomad, Eos)
“I’ve been using the Eos family of consoles for over seven years and the newer Eos Ti and Gio hardware primarily in the last 12 to 24 months. I also have a new Nomad dongle, which is going to come in handy in the future.
“I worked at the National Theatre in London for many years and we switched over to Eos very early on in development with War Horse being the first show I used it on. Since then Eos has become almost the default console for theatre shows in the UK and the only platform I’ve used in the past six years since becoming a freelancer.
“The Eos family has a consistent command-line structure which makes learning the console very easy, once you understand this structure every feature follows the same method, this makes learning the console and handing over shows to touring and house crews very easy. The Magic Sheet feature has been a huge leap forward for designers and crews and they’re no long searching for pieces of paper to find information it’s right there on the screen, this is more important as shows are just getting bigger and bigger.
“Eos is becoming the one console family solution with a lot of shows moving their video programming over to Eos, this means once the show is up and running you no longer need two different console manufactures on the show with a midi cable sitting in between the two. I used the Eos system to control 128 layers of video for the London Olympic Opening Ceremony with no problems whatsoever and handling the time-code involved was nice and simple within Eos even on this large scale. ETC’s technical support is second to none and they have a large, end-user forum community, which is great for new users to ask questions in a friendly environment.’
James Ohrberg, lighting programmer, Candela Controls, Winter Garden, Florida, USA (Ti, Eos, Gio, Ion, Element)
“The Eos series is a worthwhile investment for several reasons: reliability, scalability, continued software development, and superb customer support. The ability to swap the different console hardware based on the immediate need in a venue is very powerful and efficient, ie. programme a show on a Ti, and then operate it on an Ion.
“The flexibility in display workspaces and the implementation of magic sheets allow for a user interface customised for efficient operation in any venue. As far as what I specifically like about the platform, first, Magic Sheets provide a way to access and view information very efficiently for different applications. I’ve been able to build pages that allow me to see and interact with a large amount of data in a very easy and visual manner.
“Second, as a frequent time-code user, the interface for viewing and editing time-code is quick and easy. Third, the ability to quickly export large amounts of data for documentation is a huge timesaver for analysing a show file.
“However, I do wish for more flexibility in the effect engine. Some consoles have wave-based editors that allow for effects that are more difficult to produce on the Eos. However, the Eos effects editor can also do some step-based effects that are much easier than other consoles. Lastly, ETC support is outstanding! I know I can always get technical support from the factory via the phone, but I heavily rely both on the ETC and Facebook Eos forums for ideas and solutions.’
