MTC’s new theatre is one of the first theatres in Victoria to make the jump to the new generation of ETC lighting consoles: a 4000ch Eos and a 2000ch Ion, coupled with RPU (backup PC), client PC’s, RVI (remote video interface) and Net3 four port gateway makes for a very flexible and powerful control system.
“The console itself is a very user-friendly piece of hardware to sit behind every day,” said Brett (Smiley) Mellor, Lighting Supervisor Melbourne Theatre Company. “The keypad feel, direct selects overlays for touch screens and positive feedback, plus fine and coarse function on the encode wheels make it a very tactile console to work with.
Brett states that both designers and operators over their first few seasons have been very impressed with the console and even though most of them come from different non ETC backgrounds (MA, Hog and Strand) they have found the transition very easy.
“From a networking side of things I have found ETC’s software package to be a great thing – gone is the day of having to be an ‘IT Guru’ to get a network system up and running – even with the system outputting on multiple protocols.”
Brett explained that even with a short lead in to their first few shows and still learning the console on the fly, he has become very comfortable with the console quickly. “And are looking forward to some of the new features coming out in the in the next few versions of software, which ETC have demoed for us and they were very receptive of all the feedback we gave them. All in all a great control package from ETC.”
Poor Boy was the opening production in the new MTC theatre, and lighting designer Nick Schlieper had the following to say about the ETC Eos…
“I have to say I’m much more interested in the Eos as the new generation of lighting consoles than I am of some others. The Eos thinks like a theatre desk whereas some others, in my opinion, have a perverse logic and are counter-intuitive in the way that they work. The Eos is really an attempt to amalgamate the logic of a Strand desk with that of an ETC desk. However, there are some definite improvements on what a Strand desk can do, such as the ease with which you can put a different time on every single channel within a cue without having to make a million parts. I think that’s terrific.”
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