Making the switch to Congo

Matt -

Congo's programming syntax is indeed different than the Expression family of consoles.  However, Congo's syntax derives from a long line of  AVAB consoles, primariarly in Europe and Canada. The AVAB programming Syntax has been around for some time. 

As with any new lighting console there is a learning curve.  The more time you have to play with the desk prior to cueing a show the better.

I spent about 12 years programming on Expression sytle desks, and about 6 years programming on the HOGII platform, prior to Joining ETC.

Congo is different, hoever I find I rather like the syntax and am finding my self getting more proficiant every day.  I can't urge you enough to play around with the software and get as much exposure to it prior to being in a show enviornment.  

The offline software is available for download it on yor PC or MAC. Download and install, and see what you think. 

I hope you enjoy your desk a much and I like mine and let us konw if you have any questsions.

Happy Congoing!

-Ben Smith 

 I had never used a moving light console before, and in one week I felt very comfortable with it.  Just do as many mock set ups as you can.  The best thing for me with Congo is:

First - build your palets from the direct select (Color, Beam, Focus & Group)

Second -  then build your presets from your palets (the direct selects)

From this I just play the presets back from the main playback, or load them into the master faders. 

This console is extremly fast and amaizing.  The thing that helped me was to learn something small everyday, and break up the console in sections and focus on those sections. 

I hope this has helped. 

Keith

Thanks Keith-

Nice to hear the console's so user friendly.  I think it's just going to feel daunting until I get my hands on it.  A little bit at a time seems like a good way to approach learning the new system.

Thanks,

Matt

Hi Matt,

My name is David Smith, I am one of two Field Project Coordinators at ETC's Hollywood office, and am the main trainer for Congo on the West Coast. I just want you to know that you can call me at anytime to make arrangements to come to the office and get trained on the console or if you have any questions about the console please don't hesitate to ask.

 Thank you,

David Smith

323-203-3263

david.smith@etcconnect.com

We have a Visualization program that will allow you to see what your doing in a virtual enviorment to help learn the desk.

Hi Matt

I'm Ulf from the Development Team - and I'm responsible for the manual (on-line and paper) and the movie tutorials. I suggest that you check the movies in the MEDIA folder of the Browser out, and the three "Quick Introduction" chapters in the manual. I have tried to make them helpful for anyone in your situation.

Please let me know what you found hard to get your head around once you are up and running - it will help me improve the support for future Matt's.

All best

Thanks to all those who have shared their wisdom with me so far.  Once we get the console, I'm told we will be receiving a training session. 

Ulf-

I've already downloaded the manual and am about to download the offline editor package.  Are the tutorial movies also in the offline download.  If not, can they be made available somewhere online?

 Thanks, and please keep the suggestions coming!!!

Hi yes the Movies are in the off line Congo, also don't forget the Help button which brings up the manual then just hit TEXT and type in a key word in. The relevant pages will pop up without you looking though the whole manual, a Cool Function which saves loads of time !!!!!!

Carlos

Another thing about the help system - you can navigate the hyperlinks without having to use the mouse - just use C/ALT & the UP or DOWN arrow to move from one link to the next.

If you find pages that you want to return to easily, you can use the NOTE key to set a Help Favorites link in the Browser. Type a little note to yourself (or to others) to remind yourself why you would like to return to that page. The link to the page appears in the Browser, and the note you type appears in the Info area below the Browser.

BTW, I was also a big time Expression user when I took on the Congo project. I have been using Expressions since 1989 (I've also used Artisans, Virtuosos and Hog2s). I found that the hardest part of learning the Congo wasn't actually the syntax of the desk, rather it was teaching my typing hand to not hit the C/ALT (Clear) key when I meant to type "0". :-) Structurally, Congo is quite similar to the Expression, and I think with a little practice you'll find the syntax of the console to be very fast and very intuitive. And as always, we're here to help if you have questions.

Thanks!

Sarah

 

Thanks Sarah.  This is the kind of response I was looking for. If anyone has had similar experiences, please continue to share.  I look forward to joinging the family of Congo users.

Hullo Matt,

As a longtime Obsession user with several years of Express/Expression too, I found switching to the Congo pretty easy. The RPN so many non-Congo users fear isn’t a big deal; my hands picked it up pretty quickly.

What IS challenging for me is moving BACK to something else (as a board op) or teaching someone else verbally to run a Congo. I had to LD an Expression show awhile back and remembering how to talk to the board op was a matter of two or three minutes’ mental reboot. And I have found that trying to explain to someone else how to run it, keystroke-by-keystroke, is very hard for me because I have to use words. But actually running it? No problem. I imagine the more I keep switching back and forth the faster I’ll get at adjusting.

In December we had a guest LD (rare) and did a lot of conventional programming (rarer), theater-style, with him giving levels on comm. Translating his “3@40 4@80 61 thru 71@90” into RPN wasn’t a problem until we really had to work at speed, the sequences got longer or more complex, he misspoke or changed his mind or I simply typo’d. When it was very fast and we had a lot of digits going I did stumble a lot more than I find acceptable, and in the future I would probably toggle to At Mode for channel entry to save confusion. I’ve resisted using At Mode so far so as to learn the RPN properly, and because it only refers to channel selection, not recording, navigating tabs, attribute selection (I think), and the many other functions. I wanted to keep the consistency. But in these circumstances, At Mode would probably save me.

Welcome to Congo!

Hello Matt,

I am having a demo of a Congo Jr. in March.  How are you doing with the console?  Do the students do the actual programming or are you the sole console operator?  I am the Technical Director for the North East School of the Arts here in San Antonio, Texas.  I am working hard to get moving lights and scrollers in our theater and upgrading our ETC Express 48/96 is on the list as well.  I would appreciate any feedback on the learning curve in an educational environment of the Congo Jr.

Thanks

Mark Ayers

Hi Mark-

 In case it wasn't clear in the earlier posts, I am a student.  I'm a senior at the Hamilton Academy of Music in Los Angeles, CA.  We do 6 major productions (2 dance, 2 drama, and 2 musicals) each season, as well as many concerts and various jobs for organizations that rent out our theater.  All of the programming for the dance, drama, and minor shows is done by students.  The musicals are almost always professionally designed and programmed by the designer.  (Except for our upcoming production of Les Miserables, which I am co-designing and co-programming.  Scrollers and movers find there way in for the dance shows occasionally, but mostly we only receive a budget to rent them during musicals or outside shows.  We have not yet received our Congo Jr. (the purchase order is fuddled up in the the school district somewhere), but are awaiting it anxiously.  For now we're using a loaner ETC Insight, which has proved very easy to use.  As soon as we get the board and I get my hands on it, I'll be sure to let you know how I feel about the learning curve.  I only ask that you do the same for me and the other users.  I created and am monitoring this discussion for that purpose.  Be sure to check out some of the other posts in the topic.  A few of them are right on the money.

 PS-for conventionals and a few effects type devices, the Express is a rock solid workhorse.  The design of the congo should make it more practical for intelligent devices.

Good luck, and keep us updated

Matt

Matt,

We just installed a Congo Jr. at the Greenville Fine Arts Center High School in Greenville, SC. They have an Express Console, 3 - Smartfades and a Congo Jr. in the school. I am pleased to tell you that the students run all of the consoles. They have actors, musicians, dancers and tech students all running the Congo Jr. console. The Congo is by far their favorite console. They are programming conventionals, movers, fog machines, and other DMX devices with the console. If you would like more information please contact me anytime. I have a contact at the school that would be more then happy to speak with you.

 Regards,

Rob Raff

ETC Southeast Regional Manager

407-843-7770

I'm primarily an Express/Expression system programmer for about 15 years now, have done thousands of shows of all varieties on one ETC console or another. I've used plenty of other consoles now and then, but nothing else regularly.

I took an 8-hour class at LDI last October from Sarah and Ulf on the Congo.

By the end of the class, I was faster at programming on a Congo than I am on an Express. I think it was about an hour into the class that it suddenly became much easier to understand.

The syntax is a little weird at first, but you'll pick it up faster than you expect. If you can get to a training class, definitely take advantage of that. As Sarah might tell you, one of the best things to do to learn the console is, once you're somewhat comfortable with it, stop using the trackball. Don't let yourself use it at all, just use the keys and tabbing and so on to navigate, and you'll find you end up much faster than using a trackball or mouse for navigation.

I'm back on an Express at my home theatre and just about every show I think about how much easier something would be on the Congo... I'm just waiting on the funds to get here so I can order my new Congo... looks like I might get it this summer. :)