The Road Hog is running a new v2.2 build of the Wholehog 3 control software. The Road Hog does use the same .msi installer that we use for Hog 3PC stand-alone and Hog 3PC on the Hog iPC, but it will not allow versions older than 2.2 to be installed. As we move forward, our major software releases will probably be released for all platforms at once, although this isn't as big a deal for the Road Hog because it does not support networking.
Sorry to be a pain. Is the console made to the same quality as the hog pc wings or have you make some cheaper subsitutions on faders ect. Not to sound harsh but there is an open day in Australia and I wont be able to make it but I will need to order a console in the next few days and I was just wondering why this is so much cheaper then the rest of the hog family. I know it doen;t have networking is that the only reason? :dunno:
Don't worry you are not a "pain". These are good questions to ask when considering a console purchase.
The Road Hog uses the same Penny and Giles faders as on all our current Wholehog products. The flash keys and other buttons are also the same, in fact most all the components are shared between our various products. Much of the cost reduction comes from changes to the chassis, desklights, and encoder knobs. Also as you point out, the reduced DMX output capabilities (only 2048 ch) and non-networking allows us to sell this item at a lower price.
From a programming and operation standpoint, the Road Hog console is of the same high quality that the Wholehog consoles are known for.
Thanks for your kind words. The Road Hog as been very well received so far and we're very excited about the addition to our product line.
To provide a few more details about what Brad had mentioned earlier, All of the front panel controls use the same components as our other products. The encoders have different caps on them, but even the encoders themselves are identical to our other consoles. Brad mentioned most of the other differences, including the change from lots of custom, anodized metalwork to our new, sleek panels.
The Road Hog is a completely new chassis design, but it is built from aluminum like the other products in the Wholehog 3 family. Our testing has shown it to be a very sturdy and road-worthy console and it definitely has the high build quality that users expect to see from High End Systems and Flying Pig Systems products.
Thanks for that Tom I will talk to the accounts department and get the money allocated and get the ball in motion what is the wait times on these consoles??
The Road Hog has been very well received so far. We've taken orders and consoles are now shipping. I'm not sure what the lead times are and I would assume that they change as orders come in and consoles ship.
I would suggest that you contact your local dealer or regional sales manager to get the most accurate information about how quickly we could get you a console. If you're not sure who that is, send me a private message here or an email to let me know where you're located and I can get back to you with additional information.
I have used several Road Hogs and Full Boars both on shows and in our showroom. Good desk, a little different feel from the other Hog 3 products.
So far it's been very stable even driving lots of LEDs and media servers. Also have not experienced any noticiable lag in processing even when running lots of LEDs with effects engine loops and multiple cue lists. In our showroom we run as many as 20 cuelists at a time and have not had any issues.
As has been stated, having a 3rd monitor would be nice and many are hopeful that will be enabled ala the iPC especially since they came out with wings for it. Would be nice to use the screen in the Road Hog wings with the Road Hog desk. But if you are careful building your views, you can work around it for programming smaller shows.
A couple quirks to get used to. The armrest is pretty non-existant so you have to be careful when resting your wrists on the console as you can start pushing buttons especially your arrow keys without even realizing it. (Turn your bumps off if you aren't using them.) Also you may have to prop the back of the desk up to see the bottom of the screen (command line) unless you are sitting very high or leaning over the console. Works great for standing, but a little shallow for sitting height. Encoder wheels being lighter take a little bit to used to if you are accustomed to the heavy metal wheels. Desk lights go off rather than dim in stand by mode as there is only white. Aside from the screen angle most of those things are minor and if you haven't run the other Hog III products you wouldn't notice them.
As far as storage goes, you can connect an external CD-RW if you want optical storage. I think are biggest issue with storage is that the top USB port won't work with almost any other USB key than the FPS that ships with it. They should be selling those and giving them away as SWAG candy. Otherwise you are stuck using a port on the back which is not as convienent. Also I would highly recomment using multiple flash drives and we have seen those go bad on occasion. I consider them a transfer device, but for back-ups I always go back and burn a CD and write to an HDD or Zip disk. Also it seems there is a big difference in quality of flash drives so I would say don't cheap out, but a good brand name drive.
Remains to be seen how the new style of construction will hold up to the riggers of touring or rental business, but the case design is solid. Overall a great desk for many applications. You get the full effects engine and all the software features of Hog III OS so you can run anything from conventional to DL.3s. A lot of bang for the buck in a compact 1-piece package.
you said "...USB key than the FPS that ships with it. They should be selling those and giving them away as SWAG candy."
The USB drive is part number 90903025 and can be purchased directly. At tradeshows and in some special events we do give them out as SWAG. I took 24 with me to give out at LDI this last year...
I use all the Hog's, and do not have any problem with the RoadHog. They work as good as the big Hog, also with all the 4 lines in use.
I have a USB-zipdrive, so I can work on any Hog3-desk and still have all my show- and preference-files. Works really well for me. I did notice I have more merging-show issues on the RoadHog's and iPC's then on the big Hog.
