Light board for High School Theater

Hi Wes,

I work at a high school as well, and when I saw this post I wanted to give you our 2 cents on a good ETC console for conventionals, movers, and students. I would have to agree with Sarah. The Ion is a fantastic board for all of your needs listed above. We currently have the Element which is the "little brother" to the Ion and our students immediately started utilizing it to the fullest potential. The software that the Ion runs is a great software for just bringing up lights, to doing high involved moving light displays. The UI is very user friendly and the Command Line interface is very intuitive and easy to use. The manual that comes with the Unit is extremely helpful for understanding, but the best way that our students found to learn the board was to use it. There is also a "learn" button on the console that you can press and then select other buttons and learn what that button does and how to use it. Finally, you can also contact ETC tech support 24/7 if you ever need any assistance with your console as well as training sessions from your local dealer.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend the ION to you, and recommend that you try both the Congo jr. and the ION before you make any definitive decisions.

Cheers,

Jared R.

Hi Jared,

     Could you say why the Element wouldn't be enough board for your high school with the movers?

ken

I work with a lot of High Schools and frequently teach the teachers and students the consoles. I've also taught loads of community theater volunteers.

Don't forget to do the math on channel counts. 30 movers x 10-20? channels each + dimmers is pretty close to the Elements 500 limit. 

The big benefit of the ION for you is the physical encoders for the movers. The Element has on screen ones that are more difficult if you are using lots of movers.

A big reason to go with Element is its help prompts. The constant listing of what to do next is ideal for students.

I work with a lot of High Schools and frequently teach the teachers and students the consoles. I've also taught loads of community theater volunteers.

Don't forget to do the math on channel counts. 30 movers x 10-20? channels each + dimmers is pretty close to the Elements 500 limit. 

The big benefit of the ION for you is the physical encoders for the movers. The Element has on screen ones that are more difficult if you are using lots of movers.

A big reason to go with Element is its help prompts. The constant listing of what to do next is ideal for students.