Affordable hardware controller with palettes?

[mate_stubb]

Hi all, long time no post. Last time I was here I was building out my live band system with a bunch of movers. I have since decided they are not practical for the venues I play and have scaled back to 4 Q12+ on each front corner and 2 SnowBanks on each back corner. So 12 fixtures, either 26 channel or 12 channel.

 

I have an Obey 40 which I used exactly 1 gig during which it froze up and got confused multiple times. I also use DMXIS at home but do not want to have to carry a laptop on stage.

 

Would like a hardware controller I can take onstage that is reliable, not too expensive ($400-$600), and which allows ample chase programs. I am totally enamored with the palette approach to programming, so I can program colors only once, so I am looking for this ability.

 

I would be OK with using a computer to set everything up to load the controller as long as the computer is not required to play back. Anything like that available these days?

[stevegarris]

I wanted something similar, and ended up with a Magic 260 I purchased used on eBay for $180. It's a larger, more solid board than your typical cheap Chinese controller, and has some great features, such as a master dimmer. I can also save my programming to a pc via a usb cable. It is a "push button" controller, designed for running scenes or chases via 24 buttons (with indicator lights), and multiple pages, so unlimited scenes or chases. Probably not good for busking. I can't speak to "pallets" but I had no trouble getting no-name Chinese pars to cooperate. I believe Elation has a large library of dmx profiles for various fixtures that can be emailed or downloaded from their site. This controller is no longer made, so shop used.

 

I use mine as a remote light board via the Donner wireless dmx transmitters/receivers. It's a very slick setup that's easy to deploy, and I'm very happy with the purchase.

[mate_stubb]

Thanks for the reply. The Magic 260 looks a lot nicer than what I have, but I think has a max of 16 channels per fixture ( I need at least 26. ) The only thing I have found with palettes approaching my desired price range is the Show Designer 1. They call theirs Presets. It's a powerful way to program things once and reuse little pieces instead of duplicating things by hand.