Lighting control console

They are used throughout the entertainment industry and are normally placed at the front of house (FOH) position or in a control booth.

Some consoles can also interface with other electronic performance hardware (i.e. sound boards, projectors, media servers, automated winches and motors, etc.)

Some lighting consoles can communicate over a Local IP network infrastructure to provide control over more scalable systems.

However, for small setups such as that of a DJ, they remain the board of choice for their simple to use interface and relative flexibility.

Memory consoles are preferable in productions where scenes do not change from show to show, such as a theatre production, because scenes are designed and digitally recorded, so there is less room for human error, and less time between lighting cues is required to produce the same result.

The console may also have provision to operate in analog to a manual desk for programming scenes or live control.

Unlike a fader that shows its value based on the position of a slider, a wheel is continuously variable and provides no visual feedback for the value of a particular control.

The more advanced desks typically have one or more touchscreens, and present a GUI that integrates all the aspects of the lighting.

As there is no standard way of controlling an intelligent light, an important function for this type of desk is to consolidate the various ways in which the hundreds of types of intelligent lights are controlled into a single abstract interface for the user.

Personal Computer (PC) based controllers are increasing in popularity owing to portability and reduced cost.

This system allows a "build-to-fit" approach: the end user initially provides a PC that fits their budget and any other needs with future options to improve the system, for example, by increasing the number of DMX outputs or additional console style panels.

Commercial lighting control software often require a specific, and possibly expensive, hardware DMX interface.

However, inexpensive (<$150) DMX -> USB PC interfaces such as the ENTTEC and DMXKing DMX USB Pro with public API and other DIY, and free or Open source software hardware combinations are available.