ETC’s newest control desk, Gio, has had its first ever use on a show, with programmer Andi Davis using it on the UK tour of Dirty Dancing. The production opened in Bristol with an extensively revised lighting design by original LD Tim Mitchell.
The desk fills the mid-range position in the Eos family, between Eos and Ion. It offers the power of full Eos functionality, but in a smaller footprint.
“We’d already specified an Eos system for the show, so we jumped at the chance to use a Gio,” says Davis. “We initially intended to use it just for pre-visualisation, but the opportunity to see how the all-new hardware performed in a real-world environment was too good to miss! We had an Eos on standby – but Gio’s amazing speed and stability meant the Eos was soon back in its case, unused!
“Given the production’s tight schedule and extensive rig, introducing a new desk into the equation was ambitious – but Gio was faultless.
“With touring in mind, we were impressed by Gio’s portability – it has the power of Eos, but its smaller, lighter footprint and fold-flat displays make it an easy one-person lift.
“UK touring shows have frequently been programmed on Eos but transferred to Ion for portability on the road. Gio’s balance of power and size should prove the perfect touring solution – I’ll definitely specify Gio-based systems for future touring shows.”
Visitors to the ETC stand at this year’s PLASA show in London queued for a demonstration, with many going away impressed at the desk’s power and versatility; the backlit buttons and articulating multi-touch screens, combined with the power of the Eos software, were seen as a very welcome addition to the product family.
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