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ETC's Congo Console Lights Up World Music Expo
It was in this atmosphere of exploring the new that the technical department of The Sage Gateshead decided to road test ETC's Congo lighting control console. Using it for the first time, lighting technician Jonathan Morson required just a morning's training before programming up to four sets a day on the Congo.
Jonathan said: "Initially I just started playing. This is often the easiest way to learn new equipment as it helps me develop the way I will eventually plot and manage the layout of the board. I found it intuitive to use and deceptively easy - I actually began to think I must be doing something wrong or missing a vital point!"
Instrumental in ensuring The Sage Gateshead received its Congo in time for WOMEX was Ed Gamble, business development manager for Stage Electrics. He explained: "ETC's Congo was specified because of the ease of use required for the challenging environment of WOMEX. It involved multiple performances requiring numerous styles of lighting each day. The Congo gives back what you give to it. It's a very fast and hands on desk no matter which way it's used. Most importantly, the handling of moving lights rivals any other desk on the market while retaining the functionality of a conventional theatre style desk."
The features Jonathan particularly likes about Congo are the ability to light on the fly and the number of groups and pallets that can be easily stored and accessed. "All consoles are different but I feel the Congo is as close as any console can be to bridging the gap between rock and theatre," continued Jonathan. "I think it will become industry standard for multi-disciplinary venues because of its flexibility.
"The board is suited to a wide variety of venues from the small receiving/producing house to the larger concert halls. Theatre and multi purpose venues are where I see it becoming most widely used, venues which do a lot of theatrical shows mixed with live music performances that require the operator to fly the board live."
According to Ed, the many customers that have purchased the Congo have been impressed with the whole ethos of Congo's development. This has been driven by the "development team", which has always been willing to listen to user suggestions and integrate good ideas into the console design.
After only five months in the market place and following its first beta test on the Eurovision Song Contest, Congo has been a great success. The console is now to be found in a diverse range of settings, including TV studios, theatres, concert halls, multipurpose venues as well as being integrated into rental stocks worldwide.
8th December 2005
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