Re: Need help to decide to buy Congo Jr.

Masters can have any recordable content put onto them - if you can record it, it can go there!
You can also put parameters there if you want to have a fader for them.

The import of Strand files is done via Strand Showport - export the show as an ALQ, and then Congo can read it.
Note that macros and certain moving light functions don't come through - you'll get most of the show but not necessarily 100%, so treat it as a starting point.

Congo shows themselves are USITT ASCII based, so Showport should be able to import them and convert back to Strand - however I do not know how well it handles them, as Congo is obviously much newer than Showport!

I don't own a Congo Jr, yet. However, I did have the pleasure of trying one while on demo at Applied Audio/Brighton Lights outside of Rochester, NY and i was thrilled with the usability of the hardware and the software. At the time, my High School theater was trying to decide between an Express 72/144 and the Congo Jr to request to replace our Idea 48, and after that and our playing with the offline editing software, we're ordering one for next year.

The Master Wing panel is a pretty sweet thing, especially because of its multiple modes- the Jam Mode, Masters, and Channels. The ETC rep there patched things to the master mode in a matter of seconds, which was impressive to me.

 If you still want to lean things, you can download the Offline Editor software and play around with that, most of the console keys have keyboard mimes, and its helpful with learning many of the cooler features (channel layout anyone?) as well as allowing you to familiarize yourself with the console before buying it

I own a Congo Jr, with a fader wing.

Its a great piece of kit, packed full of features including great theatre playback and great live busk-ability. the console is a very different way of working  and does take a while to know your way around.

On the bad side - I have lost alot of trust in the console due to software crashes, I dont think the software running was really ready for release yet as I have found many errors, which have nearly cost me a show!

I would wait for software version 4.3 to come out and check back to this forum to see weather many problems have been resolved - or not. We shall see. I am hoping for a much improved update because this console has a lot of cool features about it.
 

Chris,
 If you are still having problems after we replaced your original faulty unit, then please contact me directly about them as I don't check the forum all the time!
 Remember that you can contact Jeremy regarding additional training for your casuals - I believe the next organised session is in a couple of weeks time, but he can confirm this.

Im not forgetting the Congo support - ETC have been really helpful and and have gone way out there way to help me and have listened to everything ive had problems with - one of the main reasons why i decided to give Congo a 2nd chance and keep using it. (special thanks to Richard)

All im suggesting is that there are still bugs in Congo software and people should be aware before they buy.
 

I have double checked this with Richard and, as far as I understand, the software problems that you were suffering from have been fixed now with the release of version 4.3.0. (Most of the problems that you were having were actually hardware releated and should be fixed with the new console that you got.)

If you still have software related problems after upgrading to 4.3.0, please let us know. (As with all software in the world, it is difficult to get to a completely bug free state but we are working hard to eliminate the bugs that are found.)

I appreciate that Anders. I do realize that bug free software isn't a reality in this world. I will be in touch if there are any issues.

Thanks for all your support. 

We upgraded from a Strand desk (in our case a GSX) to a Congo Jr at the end of last year - in fact 2 days before starting the plot on Panto (the biggest show of the year - YIKES!!).  Luckily we'd done some excellent training first and played with the offline editor.  Jeremy was also great at the other end of a mobile phone whilst we were sitting at the desk wondering what we'd done wrong this time!

 The basic desk is good, but with the addition of the fader wing it's excellent.  40 faders which can be channel faders, subs, chases etc. along with 40 buttons (with 5 pages) which can be used as pallettes for colour, beamshape, position or "all pallettes", flash buttons, buttons to tap in the speed of a chase etc. etc. make it a very versatile tool.

 It takes a while to change from the Strand way of working to the Congo way of working (keep remembering to press "ALL ALL" before recording anything, for instance) but once you get the hang of it you realise how precise and quick you can be when plotting.

Also useful is the ability to load any little bit you like ffrom a previous show.  For instance you can pull in some subs you recorded from the last show, or some pallettes you made last time you had a particular fixture, without having to start with the whole thing and delete stuff.  There's also the ability to delete a step from a sequence without deleting the preset: in other words when the director cuts a cue you can remove it from the show, but when he decides next day to put it back again, it's still there in the preset list and easily reinstated.

These are just a few of the things we've found useful in the 4 months we've had the desk and I suppose we probably only know about 25% (if that) of what the desk can do.

Get a demo and see what you think.

I was in exactly the same situation as you a year ago.  We were running a Strand 300 in a medium scale receiving venue, but needed a desk that could cope with movers better but still be a good theatre desk.  After some research and demo's I found the Congo Jnr to be the best solution.  I ran one of our largest shows of the year with only a days training from Jeremy at ETC, and it did everything that the Strand could do and a lot more, but so much easier.  My decision was made and we had the first Junior in Europe.

Read my report for ETC for more details: http://www.etcconnect.com/news.asp?id=20060