If you've spent any time within a high college theater or even a nearby community playhouse, you've probably crossed pathways with the etc express 48/96 . It's among those consoles that will just seems to live forever. In spite of the world relocating toward touchscreen notebooks and massive electronic consoles that seem like they belong on the spaceship, this gray workhorse remains the staple. It's dependable, it's tactile, and honestly, it's got a personality that modern boards occasionally lack.
I recall the first time I sat down in front associated with one. I was used to a little little 12-channel panel with no storage, and seeing the Express 48/96 felt like I'd simply been handed the keys to a luxurious vehicle. Even though it's been around for decades, there is a reason tech company directors still hold onto all of them. They just function. But, if you're new to this unique model, there are usually a few things should know to make your life easier just before the curtain rises.
Understanding the particular layout and settings
The "48/96" in the name isn't only a random set of numbers. This actually tells you specifically how the board can be set up. The truth is, the etc express 48/96 is of a shapeshifter. You can operate it in two-scene preset mode or wide mode.
In two-scene mode, you have forty eight channels. The very best line of faders controls your channels, plus the bottom row acts as the second scene. This is great for manual busking where you setup a look on the particular bottom row whilst the top line is live, after that use the crossfaders to swap together. It's very "old school" but incredibly intuitive for simple shows.
Nevertheless, if you switch it to wide mode, you abruptly have 96 stations to try out with. Both rows of faders now control personal channels. This is definitely usually how many people end up making use of it because, let's face it, all of us always want even more control. The catch is that you lose that actual "manual crossfade" tactile feel for two different looks, but you gain a lot of real estate intended for bigger lighting rigs.
The pleasure from the tactile keypad
One point I absolutely love about the etc express 48/96 is the keypad. In a world of mouse clicks and touchscreens, there will be something so satisfying regarding the "click-clack" associated with those physical control keys. Programming a film will become a rhythmic workout.
Type in one [Thru] 10 [At] 50 [Enter] and boom—you've got light. It's fast. Once you obtain the muscle memory down, you may program an entire series of cues without having even taking a look at the board. You simply keep your eyes on the stage and allow your fingers the actual work. Modern application is powerful, sure, but it rarely matches the velocity of a dedicated hardware keypad upon a classic Express.
The "Record" button is the greatest friend here. It's big, it's easy to find in the dark, and it's remarkably forgiving. If you mess up an appearance, just tweak the faders and strike record again. It's a very "what you see is what a person get" type of expertise, which is perfect for students or volunteers who might become intimidated by more complex systems.
Why the floppy drive is really a badge of honor
Yes, we need to speak about the floppy drive. If a person find an etc express 48/96 in the outrageous today, it probably still has that slot on the particular front. For more youthful techs, a floppy disk is the fact that "save icon" delivered to lifestyle in plastic. For those of us who grew up with these planks, it's a supply of both reminiscence and anxiety.
You absolutely must save your own shows to a disk. I've seen as well many people drop hours of work just because a power rise hit the theater and the internal memory space decided to rest. Finding working floppy disks in 2024 is getting tougher, but it's worth hunting them down on eBay. Presently there are even USB emulators you may install to change the particular floppy drive, which I highly suggest if you plan on keeping the board for another decade. This makes transferring display files way much less of a headaches.
Dealing with modern fixtures on an old board
Here's where things get the little spicy. The particular etc express 48/96 was designed in an era when "lighting" designed tungsten lamps, gels, and maybe the few scrollers if you were extravagant. It wasn't actually built for the regarding LED pars and moving heads with thirty different DMX attributes.
Can you run LEDs with an Express? Definitely. But it's not as "plug plus play" as it is upon an Eos or even a GrandMA. You have to patch each color (Red, Green, Blue, etc. ) to an individual channel. So, a single LED fixture might take up five faders. If you possess twenty LEDs, you're going to go out of channels faster than you believe.
Moving lighting are even more difficult. You'll be using the "encoders" (those little wheels) to control pan plus tilt, but this feels a little bit like wanting to drive a car having a joystick. It functions, but it takes several used to. If your show will be 90% moving lighting, you might need a more modern console. But if you've got a rig complete of Source Fours and just a few LEDs for color washes, the etc express 48/96 handles it like a champ.
The legendary "Low Battery" warning
If you ever turn on your etc express 48/96 and discover a "Low Battery" warning within the keep track of, do not ignore it. This is usually the board's method of telling a person that its inner memory is about in order to go poof. Within the chassis is the little CR2032 coin cell battery, just like the ones in a computer motherboard.
When that will battery dies, the particular board can simply no longer hold onto its settings or even show data as soon as you pull the plug. Replacing this isn't too hard—you just have to pop the hood—but you'll want in order to make sure a person have a backup of your show on a disk before you do it. It's a small bit associated with maintenance that retains these machines running for thirty yrs instead of ten.
Why we all still love this
At the end of the day, the etc express 48/96 is popular because it doesn't try in order to be something it's not. It's the dedicated lighting controller. It doesn't have got apps, it doesn't try to connect to the internet, plus it doesn't obtain distracted. It provides a reliable, physical user interface for creative phrase.
There's also something to end up being said for your studying curve. Because it's a bit even more "manual" than contemporary software-based boards, it forces you in order to actually know how DMX and patching work. You can't just click a profile and hope intended for the best; you have to know your rig. For anybody learning the ropes of technical theater, I think spending a season with an Express is actually much better than starting upon a high-end gaming console. It builds a foundation that makes almost everything else make feeling later on.
Therefore, if you're staring at one of these brilliant within a dark booth tonight, don't be frustrated by the age. Embrace the faders, get used to the keypad, and maybe discover a spare floppy disk in case. The etc express 48/96 could be the legacy product, but it's still got plenty of great shows left in it. Just remember in order to save often, and don't hesitate to push those faders up to ten.