The Ion part 2

Double update for Thursday and Friday

Since I missed a day and for the Ion

So I spent the Wednesday and Thursday getting trained on the Ion by ETC. (it’s a lighting board)

At this point in my education this was the most useful thing I could have done. Let me explain, the Ion is an advanced board but has a good price tag, chances are it is going to replace the expression in the years to come as the go-to control desk. I am now a certified Ion operator, at the Intermediate level (I have a plaque) this means that once I graduate I will have a better chance at getting a job as a programmer or an assistant. That is not to say I don’t want to design, but one needs to work his way up the ladder right? I Also believe there is more of a call for skilled programmers, and who’s to say I won’t find a job where I am both programming and designing, I am sure there are places or groups out there that would need one person to fill both positions. Technically I am already working with a company that is having me be the programmer/designer, so there.

So thanks to the department I have been given an opportunity to increase my skill set and for that I am grateful.

Now about the Ion

I think ETC set out to make an simple board that handles moving lights efficiently, and I think the succeeded. The board has a smart staging feature, and it does all the tracking for you. You can also bring up a spread sheet that will tell you exactly were and what your movers are doing and in each cue. Live moves are no longer a problem, since it automatically gets rid of them; all you have to do is tick a little box at the beginning of the show and Bam! No live moves!

Then there is pixle bit maping. This feature is more designed for LED fixtures, but if applied to conventional fixtures or moving lights it can be incredibly powerful, esetialy you can make a movie and turn it in to an effect. Thus cutting down the time of editing effects and producing exactly what the designer wants