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Reply to "light show videos"

Based on your description, I don't think this "ballyhoo" feature would be super expensive to implement, but I think it might be time to go for maybe a Show Designer 4?(concept) were some of these more advanced features are added. That's not just a simple thing to implement, and I know working from a modem firmware point of view. Granted, writing modem firmware and DMX operation code are two different beasts. Still, the DMX stuff would be significantly more to implement as you do require a smarter console with more bells and whistles, if not buttons and switches.

I think Elation and ADJ, in a quest to offer an inexpensive solution for people/customers, has to cut corners. And like you said, I don't feel this is a bash at ADJ or Elation by any stretch of the imagination. I think ADJ and Elation knows their typical client isn't corporate and is probably trench-diving workers looking to get the most out of their hard earned dollars.

The next step up is for people who are seriously making their living at this and are spending the big bucks for the big features. Just different categories. It's like with sound systems. Not to knock anyone, but you typically see a DJ with a couple of junky speakers on sticks with a cheap amp, and if lucky, you see a second amp, a cross-over and a sub or two, probably run in parallel off the second amp. Then you get the guys like me spending $40,000 on subs, amps and mains to do live sound production. Clearly, different categories. Likewise, my lighting can do shows, but it is NOT appropriate for BIG shows, although it can within reasonable limitations. I'm not going to fool myself for one second and think I can properly handle an A-list performer with my lights unless they just want simple washes.

The ADJ and Elation products are priced right for what they are. And based on the pricing, they offer just about the right amount of features. Look at me, I'm just now, 5.5 years later, finally realizing the potential(and now limitations) of my DMX Operator. I've had this thing for that long and only now am I getting into programming it. And now that I am programming it, I'm liking what I see, but I am seeing it doens't have enough storage. But considering what I spent and how well it served me just turning stuff on and off, I'm pretty darn satisified with the rush purchase that it involved. I learned this stuff by doing, and sometimes i do good and sometimes, well, it ain't pretty. But for a low end controller, it has served me very nice and I see myself getting another 5.5 years of usage out of it, maybe more. My next steps in lighting control are unclear, but I like the concept of a control surface tied to a computer, with the computer running the show mainly and the controller being a supplemental controller and/or fail-over unit.
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