Best place to sell a lighting console?

[Ynot]

Hmmm...

Well, where do we start?

 

I'm sure Gareth will be along later, but let's be honest here - whilst you may be a regular at the venue, you're still 'only' a casual - I suggest your profile may need amending in that respect.

 

Rude? I'd say more hard-nosed, in a way.

 

You must understand that there is a lot of noise generated here, with a comparitively low signal ratio at times, so sometimes it's easy to get a little harsher response than you may have bargained for.

 

However, back on topic.

 

Is the desk the venue has the wrong one for the user base? Possibly.

Is there a good reason for dumping it for a less complex, more well known option? Possibly.

Will you get anywhere NEAR the £6k purchase price? Not a chance!! Sorry, but you won't.

And as for mis-treatment by others, then that's VERY likely, not necessarily by direct intent, but it's sods' lasw that if it doesn't belong to you, you won't worry nearly as much about it if you accidentally drop the cans belt-pack on the fader panel and bend something, or drip a cooling drink into the keypad making it sticky, and a little less responsive, etc etc - you see where I'm going?

 

Now, back at the decision making process.

Does the venue not have a house technician? Or are you saying that you are that person?

Having looked at the web site, it appears that Pound AC is a volunteer run house, (so here I'm on VERY familiar territory!) but must surely have someone who occupies the head tech job, or surely there are going to be more problems than just an infamiliarity with the lighting desk....?

[ale.heat]

Thanks for the advice about being thicker skinned.

 

Now, back at the decision making process.

Does the venue not have a house technician? Or are you saying that you are that person? Yes that is me. If something isn't working or they need some advice or help I will almost always be the person called up to have a look at it because they deal with "artists, facts figures and bookings not plugs, sockets and technician stuff". I will rig and run shows as well as talking to the artists before to talk about technical requirements.

 

Having looked at the web site, it appears that Pound AC is a volunteer run house, (so here I'm on VERY familiar territory!) but must surely have someone who occupies the head tech job, or surely there are going to be more problems than just an infamiliarity with the lighting desk....? It has me doing the technical side of things. There is no permanent member of staff at the venue for technical. There is no budget to keep someone on there full time so they call me in when there is a show or event that requires technical equipment. There are volunteers used however there is a permanent base of office staff and managers that run the venue. The volunteers are foh and bar staff.

 

I am going to be looking for jobs after university this is something to stop the loans building. After I leave they will have to look for someone else to run the shows and equipment. The reason for swapping out the desk is just to make that change easier for them (their words). They wont be able to afford a professional freelancer as currently they can't afford me and I am cheap because it isn't my living yet I don't rely on the money. The desk is high powered and good for some events and shows, however the people who use the venue need something simple and easy to use for when touring shows come in and they need to be able to problem solve if something goes wrong.

The shows we have are one off events and so typically rigging, programming, tech rehearsal and show happen between 2pm (when venue is freed from other hirers) and 10pm. Often it is busked on two pre-set faders however we have some shows that require programming.

 

I have got the information I need pretty much about where to buy and sell and also I have listened to your views and ideas. I will again review decisions and ideas again just to make sure and I will see what will happen. After that it is the Pound's choice I am just supplying the information to them. Cheers again.

 

 

Alex

[andystone]

Alex,

 

I specified that desk for the Pound and the reason was that it offers a very good combination of features for different users i.e. you can use it as a basci two preset manual console, you can use the 20 submasters, you can use the crossfade playback or any combination of these - none of the other desks mentioned in this post really offer that much flexibility.

 

As to ease of use, I can't really see how things could be simpler than selecting the channels and levels (either using the keypad and/or channel faders) and then pressing STORE SELECT or STORE +! Even if someone coming in doesn't know the desk, it shouldn't take them more than a couple of minutes to be up and running with most of what they need. Again, none of the other desks mentioned offer this, although I accept some might be better known, but whatever desk you have you are always going to get people coming in who don't know it.

 

If the desk is crashing a lot I would get it looked at by Fuzion, who are the UK distributor for Compulite, as this isn't normal and there must be a fault with it. You should also make sure it has the current software 10.6R1, especially if it does things you don't like as the software is updated quite regularly and a lot of the input comes from the users, so these issues could well have been resolved.

 

As to re-sale value, I would agree with the other posts, you are unlikely to get more than 50% of the value.

 

My conclusion would be that it isn't really cost effective to change, the Dlite might have more than you need, but it also has a very basic side and you are unlikely to better this combination on any other console, so you would better to go with what you have - stop the negative attitude, this won't get you anywhere, get positive about it and you will make much more out of it!

[JohnMac]

As a user of the Strand 300, I would not recommend it for use in a theatre based on volunteers.

The version I have uses a silicon disc drive. Although its' referred to drive C: if the desk is switch off incorrectly or the operating system is rushed, the system can corrupt its' operating system and crash big time!

 

This has happen to me on at least two occassions with my students driving the desk. In the past I've been able to call on the excellent services of the strand service department, ;) who reformatted the silicon disc and reloaded the operating system for me but this option I believe has gone. :(

 

Since parts and support for the Strand 300 no longer exists, In my option you could live to regret the change.....

 

Regards

 

John Mac.