CONTROL

Control and Patching
Control Boards:

Direct manual control

Resistance, autotransformer, very simple electronic boards
   Early Resistance dimmers

Piano boards
	* Often "Live front" early on
	* Later became "Dead front"

Mechanical mastering:
   All in one boxes, or "Six-packs" One scene live, usually no preset

Electrical mastering:    Master handles full load


Patching
     * Hard-wired
     * Direct plugged

Patch panels.
     * Patch cord
     * Patch panel
     * Clothespin patch
     * Slider patch

Remote control boards:
Electronic boards and mag-amps
   Small control voltage used to control large one
   Typical control voltages, 0-10, up to 28 volts.

Preset boards:
     * Banks of potentiometer controlled by other presets or reostats
       Basic layout, cascade of controllers from individual to groups to 
       full board.

Group Master boards
     Dimmers assigned directly to a larger number of submasters.  Looks 
     created by bringing up several submasters together rather than single 
     banks of individual channel controllers.

More elaborate boards have a master for the submasters as well Often more 
useful for on-the-fly live shows; popular for R&R and clubs.

Computerized or "Memory" consoles

Began with "A Chorus Line", Tharon Musser.
virtual presets recorded as computer files.

That first board used an 8080 chip and a punch tape memory.
Once concept proved, technology advanced with computer advances.

Current boards are pcs with a dedicated case and buttons
Impression is a 486-DX; Obsessions and newer Impressions are Pentiums.

Two approaches:
	* Tracking boards (Strand, ETC Obcession)  
        Saved memory by recording only changes. 
        Changes and levels track through.
	* Presets boards (Kliegl, ETC Impressions)  
        Saved cues as discrete presets. Each cue independant from others.

Dimmer-per-circuit and electronic patching
 
Separation of dimmers and control channels: 
     * Hard-patch vs. soft-patch, made possible by computers 
      (took too long otherwise). 
     * Can be easily changed by loading a new patch, manually or from disk. 
       Dimmer/channel assigns, profiles, max levels, all part of patch.

Recording cues also changed greatly
	* Set by either keyboard or parellel capture of preset board
	* Record fade times, auto-follows, chases and loops, etc.
	* Load and run at push of a GO button.
	* Number of cues limited only by memory, not prowess of crew
	* More duplicable, fewer errors, faster loading, easy to archive.

Group Master memory boards
Similar to manual Group master boards in principle.
Memory capability allows multi-page memory

Show control:
Devices can trigger other devices, MIDI and SIMPTE triggers,
   Controlling computers with computers