Congo users poll- not official

My answers to the questions

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

50% if I am lucky, I wish it was more often.

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

RPN

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

I find the Congo to be some of the most logical and intuitive software in a light board.  I can usally guess a keystroke combination with one or two tries.

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

Not difficult, but once in a while when I go to bring up worklight on the Express LPC before shutting down the Congo, I goof the keystrokes.

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

Every project that I have done for the last year that wasn't on a Congo, I knew I could have done quicker and better with Congo.

I work with a Congo at Grand Performances in downtown Los Angeles.  We go between cued theatre shows and complete seat of the pants concert lighting.  We chose to buy a Congo because we thought it was the best console on the market for the type of show we do.  I haven't seen anything to make me change my mind.

John

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

Exclusively, with a few one offs on another console.

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

RPN

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

Yes, I do.  I can frequently figure things out just by switching to RPN in my brain.

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

It takes about ten to twenty minutes to "get out" of RPN when programming regular, when quick programming, the RPN sneaks back in.  Getting back into RPN is no problem.

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

The couple of shows I've done on other consoles (I'll spare the name, but it was a console I never liked as much as my old Express that the Congo replaced) I found myself cursing the fact that I wasn't on my Congo!

So, of the Congo users out there, I have a few questions:

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently? Exclusively

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"? RPN

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations? Depends on the function

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult? N/A

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo? N/A

50% of time 

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

always RPN 

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

Yes of course 

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

no 

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

 I don't understand exactly this question so with other console like Hog 2 or Road Hog, it is not a problem because I like them too !

Hi everybody

 and my answers are:

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

I use Congo or Congo Jr 90% of my work time

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

Always use RPN

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

I think that it's very logical. We can´t forget what we are doing cause if the console doesn't do what we want logical we do something wrong before.

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

No

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

I think yes. I've got people that work with others consoles and almost everyone wich to have a Congo.

Hi All,

Sorry to be a little negative but I don't quite understand the point of an "un-official"  poll.

I assume that most people using this forum are fans of the Congo as I am so most of the answers should be positive, however, what worries me is the two questions about RPN v @mode.

When I was part of a group of 6 people having to find a replacement desk for ITV in London (a process that took many years) we turned down desks that had RPN mode, none of us liked it. The only way the Congo won the day was having the facility to revert to @mode.

Yes, we could be accused of living in the past but we needed something that we were used to, having used the wireless remote recently which only works on RPN I found it a totally illogical way of working.

Apologies to all of you out there that love it, I just felt the urge to even up the "poll"

Best wishes

 Another John
 

Hi Folks,

So, of the Congo users out there, I have a few questions:

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

When I'm not doing sound, rigging, or staging, it's now 90% Congo 10% Strand 300

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

I made the concious choice to learn RPN ( aka, Congo language) in order to change the way I program to suit the desk. There were far too many differences to the Strand to carry on using @mode and expect the Congo to operate the same way. I found it lead to frustration, so went to RPN.

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

Yes & No, I still have to refer to the manual for updating times in cues or end up going to Spreadsheet view. I can't do Cue 50 Time 5/12* and change the up & down times in one line or add follow ons or waits.
Other things dont seem to be consistent, but are slowly becoming 'I just do it this way anyway'.

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

Not now that I've had plenty of time with the Congo, I can still make the Strand sing & dance :-)

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

I love the Strand purely as it's command line is faster, seems more logicaly consistent & more well known, BUT there is so much more that I can do on the Congo now that it's very hard to go back to the Strand 300.

Hi guys -

I've been trying to stay out of this thread because it's John's poll (and I find the answers quite interesting - keep them coming!)

But, with reference to Ric's post I just wanted to add a tip here - modifying times on existing steps of a sequence: to use Ric's command line example above the Congo equivalent is [50] [MODIFY]&[TIME]. This will open a dialog that contains all the timing information of that step including the Preset attribute times and buttons that will get you directly into the attribute editor for times on individual parameters and another  button that will take you directly to the Channel Time Groups editor for that step. I think this will make your editing go a little easier.

Hope that helps!

Sarah

Hi

1) I use the Congo most of the time (we have two theatres and I have a Congo in the bigger one.) Otherwise I use a Maxim xxlp and an Express 250

2) I use RPN for everything

3) I find the software logical

4) Not really, it's kind of like reversing a car with a trailer on, it only takes a moment to switch into RPN mode after using other consoles.

5) Yeah it's my preffered desk I only use the Express 250 when I'm running a show from side of stage and then only because it's a lot easier to lug around. The only things the Maxim has over the Congo is 90 subs without changing a page and a faster start up time.

Have a goodun

Chris

JPALMERLD:

Hi Folks,

So, of the Congo users out there, I have a few questions:

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

Exclusively

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

At Mode

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

Sometimes

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

Take care,

John

Hi Folks,

So, of the Congo users out there, I have a few questions:

1.)  Are you using a Congo...exclusively, often, 50% of the time, infrequently?

very rarely, am currently programming my 4th show over the last year on one....

2.)  Are you using RPN for everything or do you use "at mode"?

 RPN, I am trying to learn the Congo in its "native tongue"...

3.)  Do you find the console software logical?  ie. If you aren't sure of a console operation, can you intuit the keystrokes based on other console operations?

 Absolutely not! it is the most unintuitive console I have run across, and I use different consoles for almost every gig. I spent 3 hours tonight with a manual in my lap AND on screen, trying to assign a chase to  a Master, Unsuccessfully. (I have found a couple of posts tonight that may help me with this), but I have been operating, programming and even teaching other consoles for nearly 30 years, and nothing makes sense to me on this board. (How Do you clear a preset from The Mains?, should be simple, but I have to write a B/O cue and jump to it... just for instance)

4.)  For those using other consoles, do you find shifting in to and out of RPN difficult?

YES

5.)  For those using other consoles, do you find yourself wishing you were working on a Congo?

Quite the opposite.... I am wishing I had anything else, an Express would be perfect in this theatre.... I would never choose the Congo if given the choice...

sorry to be negative, I am actually trying to be constructive, in the spirit of a poll, and not just vent, but it is literally the most frustrating console I have ever worked on, and it does not get any better the more I use it....

thanks for asking

Thom Roberts

Belmont University

Nashville

Hi Thom,

> Absolutely not! it is the most unintuitive console I have run across, and I use different consoles for almost every gig. I spent 3 hours tonight with a >manual in my lap AND on screen, trying to assign a chase to  a Master, Unsuccessfully. (I have found a couple of posts tonight that may help me >with this), but I have been operating, programming and even teaching other consoles for nearly 30 years, and nothing makes sense to me on this >board. (How Do you clear a preset from The Mains?, should be simple, but I have to write a B/O cue and jump to it... just for instance)

A fast way to clear the main playback is to hold the C/Alt key and press Playback in the main playback area.  C/Alt & Ch/ID will clear things out as well.

To put a chase on a master (V5), when you create the chase record it as a preset to a master. (Rec and the master Select Key)  The Congo will default to give it a preset number in the 800 range.  Warning, if you do it this way, make sure that you don't have anything but the chase selected.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post to the group.  We'll do our best to help you out.

Take care,

John Palmer

Los Angeles based LD and programmer

Thanks for the response, John....

  I finally found the "Normal/Chase" toggle in the Sequence List page this evening, and made my chases out of sequence's... which seemed to work just fine...

I got 80% of my show in tonight, and still have a couple of days to hone it into something presentable, so life is good....

The Chase wizard seems like a brilliant tool, but I still cannot activate the chase once it is created! I have read that phrase several times ("when you create the chase record it as a preset to a master. (Rec and the master Select Key) ) in the manual, and here in the forum, but Try as I might, I must be doing something wrong, because I have not successfully done it yet!

The show I am doing is actually two one act Opera's, I wrote all the primary cues in one sequence, but it occured to me late in the process, that it would probably be slicker to split it into two sequence's, One for each Opera... I assume it is possible to cut and paste the second show's cues, but would appreciate a little advise on the procedure...

Thanks

Thom Roberts

Belmont University

Nashville

Hi Thom -

I think there's some confusion here. If you are using the Chase Wizard within the Sequence List, this is not creating a new v5 chase effect. It is automating the creation of a simple sequence and the required number of presets in order to create a simple chase. This is the "old style" of creating intensity chases on Congo. To play back a chase sequence of this type, you need to assign that sequence to a Master Playback fader (# SEQ & Master Key, where the # = the sequence number of that chase).

I've attached an overview & tutorials document that covers the new v5 effects. I think you'll prefer the new chases to the old chase sequences.

Regarding your two sequence vs. one sequence question, you can cut and paste the steps from one sequence to another. I would recommend that you save your show before doing so, just because I would not want you to lose any data while learning this procedure. There's not really a danger of losing anything, but it makes me feel more secure to know I can always get back to the previous state when learning new editing techniques. :-)

Are these two operas always being performed together each night? I ask only because you may not really need two sequences at all if the operas are being performed as one program. While you could do two sequences, I'm not sure if you will have any real benefit from splitting the sequence apart. That being said...

To cut steps from one sequence and paste into another: 

Create the new sequence in the Sequences List by pressing SEQ to open the list, then type # INSERT, where the # is the desired sequence number. Let's use "2" for simplicity's sake. Then press MODIFY on that sequence to open its editor. Since this is a completely new sequence, we need to insert a dummy step first. Type 1 INSERT to insert a dummy step containing preset 1 into this editor. We will delete it later (and again I'm assuming you have a preset 1 in the show, you can use any number, though as it is possible to build up sequences using preset numbers that have not yet been recorded...)

Open the sequence editor for Sequence 1 (or the main sequence, I'm assuming it's 1 for now), scroll down to the steps for the second opera. I would scroll down until the first step of that opera is at the top of the table view. You can make more of the table view show on screen by holding TAB and rolling the intensity wheel up...

With the first step of the second opera selected, press COLUMN. This will select all the steps below the currently selected step. Press COPY/CUT twice to cut those steps out of Sequence 1.Tab over to the editor for sequence 2, then press PASTE. The steps from sequence 1 should now appear in your sequence 2. Find the step we inserted as a placeholder - it should now be at the bottom of this sequence - select that step and press DELETE. Press MODIFY to confirm the deletion.

You can assign sequences to Masters using the syntax # SEQ & Master Key, as described way above, or you can change with sequence is on the Main Playback using # SEQ & PLAYBACK. You might also be interested in the Playlist function, which allows you to stack sequences in the required playback order on the main, relieving you of having to load them manually. I would suggest a quick look in the manual or help system for that feature, if it's needed.

Regarding your general situation, I'm wondering if you received any training on Congo before jumping onto it for this show? Congo is quite different from the consoles usually found in the US market, so it appears quite unintuitive if you walk up to it cold. Once a proper (and usually quite short) introduction is made, however, Congo is quite intuitive because the rules it operates under are quite simple and direct. I hate to hear about users who have bad first experiences with any of our consoles, so if there's anything we can do to make your experience better, please let me know. You can contact me directly off-forum at sarah "dot" clausen "at" etcconnect "dot" com.

Thanks & I hope this helps - 

Sarah