EOS owners input needed

Really just looking for any comments about things owners didn't like. All the literature so far I've read seems to be good, but looking for something that I'd hate to find out about later.

I have a Strand 520 and it's been great, but it's time for a new one. I looked at the Light Palette and wasn't a fan of the changes. Didn't like the placement of the rotary dials, didn't like the loss of the softkey windows, didn't like all the Select keys, really didn't like getting rid of the Ipaq remote. (We also have an Express 48/96 and am not a fan on them there either.)

Tell me what I'm going to like about the EOS.

We do some large scale musicals with mostly conventional lights, but with an increase in using moving lights, ICues, gobo rotators etc.....

We're in a College theatre so during the school year is used by students so it can't be to complex in the learning curve.......

Thanks

Geoff

Well let me be up front here - I work for an ETC rep.  Just wanted you to know where your information was coming from.

I think that if your kids are familiar with the Pallette line of consoles, they won't have much trouble picking up the EOS syntax. 

I don't know what you know about the EOS, but I can tell you what I like. 

 
The Encoders - not only are Pan and tilt in the same place for every fixture or fixture accessory (i.e. an I-Cue) but the are magnetically clutched so they can either go frame by frame (for a color wheel, gobo wheel, or scroller) or you click them in and they scroll through the entire scroll.  On the pan and tilt encoders there is a coarse mode, you click them in, and they switch to fine mode.

The patch - it is really pretty simple to patch any type of fixture.  And you can patch them by ranges.  Put in the number of fixtures, their type, and the starting address of the first fixture and they are all patched right on down the line.  Seems like a simple thing, but for me, coming from mostly and Express/Expression background, this was great.

The direct selects/palettes - these are the user configurable touch screen buttons - these are similar to the select keys on the palette - I like the fact that you can soft label them.  Not quote as user configurable as a Grand MA, but plenty configurable for my taste.

All this being said, this is very early in this line of consoles life span (yes, as I understand it, there will be other consoles to accompany this one)  The software is still on Version 1.0 (1.1 should be released any day now from what I hear)  The improvements that will come in the software as it progress should be pretty impressive.  I will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have - just let me know.

Jeff

Hi

I've used the Eos now on 3 shows and have done a lot more work on the console in the ETC offices in London.  I have been a Strand programmer for over 7 years and also was slightly disappointed with the new LightPalette console, so thought I'd give the Eos a go.  Suffice it to say, that even with a few growing pains, and the knowledge that the software is still in its early stages, I was very impressed.  And I didn't read the manual before programming 3 complicated shows, with moving lights and effects etc, and we managed fairly quickly and painlessly to programme the shows.

Since then I've demo'ed the console to a number of programmers from different console backgrounds, and they all seem to pick it up pretty quickly, I would definitely agree that it is a pretty intuitive console.  And most importantly, ETC seem to be listening to what users are saying to them about how the console can be improved.

Hope this helps

Vic
 

Thanks for all the input, we bought one. First EOS in Canada. Just got it and can't wait to unpack it.

Geoff