How Do I Choose My First (or Next) Lighting Console?
Nov 07, 2022I talk a lot about lighting consoles and software here at Above AVL, and it's one of the most common topics people ask about. Whether you run lights for a band, school, church, small or large company, a lighting console is a huge part of your setup. In fact, if you're currently frustrated with your lighting, it's probably because you're using the wrong console for your needs!
There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different lighting consoles on the market, and their marketing teams all want you to believe that they're the best thing since sliced bread!
Choosing your first (or next) lighting console can be one of the most overwhelming searches you find yourself on.
When you have the correct console for your needs, programming and playing back a great show is almost effortless.
When you don't have the correct console, however, lighting can be a nightmare!
While it might initially seem complicated to find the right console, it doesn't have to be. In fact, there are really only 3 categories of consoles out there, and once you understand those, it's much easier to find the right console for your needs.
In this article, we're going to dive in to the differences between Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced/Pro lighting consoles, and help you find the right category and right type of console for your specific needs!
Basic Lighting Consoles
The most basic of lighting consoles are consoles that can control anywhere from 1 light to around 1 full universe of DMX lights (which is 512 channels). They may be a stand-alone "fader-board" or even a piece of PC software.
What really sets them apart is the basic functionality. While they may be able to control over 500 channels of lighting, these most basic consoles only offer basic programming and playback abilities. Depending on the console, this may mean that you have multiple scenes, but you might not be able to fade smoothly between them, like the Chauvet Obey series. Other consoles allow you to put scenes on faders to fade between them, but may lack the ability to have more than a handful of channels.
WMX1 from ADJ
This stand-alone console has come a long way in the last few years! It is completely standalone, you don't need a computer to run it. Super easy for "non-lighting people" to use.
The "Wolfmix" or WMX1 MK2 from ADJ is easy to program and a good option for smaller productions and venues that use a lot of pre-programmed scenes. It does use a group-based approach, so isn't the best for controlling individual fixtures, but this model does now offer MIDI input.
Check out my video on How to Get Started with the Wolfmix/ADJ WMX1.
For most people, hardware-based consoles like these are too limiting and not the right choice. But, if you just need some faders to control a few lights and some basic scenes and chases, these can be great!
However, if my descriptions above sound limiting to you (and this is the case for most people), you may need to step up to a more intermediate level console like the MyDMX or LightKey.
Intermediate Lighting Consoles
These consoles mark themselves by having a design that is generally focused around controlling LEDs and moving lights. These may be PC-based, or have a stand-alone control surface.
They are generally able to control anywhere from 1 universe to many, and usually find their "sweet spot" with controlling 10-50 or more lights.
The biggest place that these consoles set themselves apart from the basic consoles is in the programming and playback - allowing you greater control over fades, effect (FX) speeds, the types of FX you can program and more!
While this might sound complicated, intermediate-level consoles keep all of these things fairly simple - in fact, it's what sets them apart from professional-level consoles.
While there are more options and abilities than the basic consoles, the options aren't unlimited and this makes intermediate-level consoles still reasonably easy to learn.
When it comes down to choosing an intermediate-level console, there are a lot of bad ones out there. I cannot count the number of both software and hardware-based consoles I have used that are frustrating to use.
For this reason, I don't recommend consoles like the Chauvet Obey 70, ADJ DMX Operator Pro, Magic 260 or Elation Show Designer 2CF anymore. They quickly get out of date and can be very confusing to program.
As we get to the intermediate-level, it's also important to consider whether our particular lights are included in the "Profile Library" of each console. With some consoles and PC software, you're stuck up a creek if the lights you have aren't in the library - it's very difficult to get meaningful control of them.
With the consoles below, you will find that they have a very full library of lights. And if they don't have your light, it's easy to create your own profile or have me create one for you as a Learn Stage Lighting Labs Member.
MyDMX 5 by ADJ
A very stable software/hardware combo option, MyDMX5 comes with a box that can save 10 scenes in it (more with Pages). This way, any volunteer can come up and press a button to operate the lighting. It also does a much better job taking input from MIDI than ONYX does. The software is compatible with iPhone/iPad, Android, and PC.
MyDMX5 offers two DMX universes, upgradeable to four. It has a cutting-edge timeline feature, live mixer and 3D visualizer. However, it does not have certain advanced features like presets or a palette-based approach to update cues later.
LightKey
LightKey is a Mac-based lighting software that really turns lighting control on its head! Most people will find that MyDMX has the price advantage, however, because LightKey is a subscription based on quantity of channels.
If you're used to other lighting consoles, then LightKey will simply frustrate you. But, if you're a Mac person and aren't very experienced with lighting, you'll really love the way LightKey walks you through every step and its very "Mac" workflow.
You can do some really cool, complex things with LightKey, as well as use MIDI controllers to get hands-on tactile control of your lighting. LightKey can sync with Ableton Live, drag your cues to the Ableton timeline and you can sync your lighting perfectly with your music!
For more about whether LightKey is right for you, and what output methods work with it, check out this post.
Learn more about how to get started with LightKey 4 in this video! The newest version, LightKey 5, just came out recently and we'll have a review up for that soon.
Advanced Lighting Consoles
Do you need more options for lighting control? Some of the advantages of moving to a pro-grade console are cloning, pixel mapping, and the ability to use a preset or palette-based approach. They have ultimate flexibility, moving between different spaces and different lighting rigs, with live manual control and the ability to adjust on the fly and follow an event no matter what happens.
ONYX by Obsidian Control Systems
Ready for a professional solution? An ONYX may be just what you need. They have several software and hardware options from just a few hundred dollars up to several thousand - check out our full line of Onyx consoles here.
ONYX is great at running shows live and on the fly. While it can handle time-coded shows and firing things over MIDI from other sources such as presentation programs, if that's your primary thing and you aren't controlling a larger rig of lights, ONYX may not be the best choice.
There are a LOT of pro-level lighting consoles out there that can control a lot of lights. I've tried, and know many of them well. However, ONYX really offers a unique blend of an easier learning curve, great functionality, and really good value for your money.
It's why I stand behind it and teach it here on Learn Stage Lighting. See my full review of the Onyx NX4 here, and follow our ONYX channel for more training videos and reviews.
Wrapping Up
For most users, a full-on professional console won't be your first step into the lighting world, but it might be your next step!
As I've laid it out above, I hope it is easy for you to find the console that is right for you, whether a simple standalone hardware console or a new ONYX.
Whatever you choose, take the time to make sure you choose well and find the right console for your needs. A great console really is the 2nd best investment that you can make in your lighting rig, giving you the capability to get the very most out of your lights!
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