The debut of Ti coincided with the preproduction of Zorro at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, so lighting designer Ben Ormerod and programmer Andi Davis decided to put it to the test. Says Davis: "I'd previously had the pleasure of programming the first ETC Gio musical in the UK, which was a great experience, so I was keen to have the opportunity to use the Ti so soon after its official launch."
Ti was used to accomplish all programming for the show, running as a client in the theatre's in house Eos system. Specified by the Alliance's chief electrician Pete Shinn, the system includes an Eos RPU (Remote Processor Unit) as master, an Eos desk as a backup, Net3 Gateways, a Net3 Show Control Gateway and a Net3 RVI (Remote Video Interface).
"The ability to integrate the Ti into the existing Eos system was incredibly useful," explains Davis. "Ti shares the same software and show file structure as the other desks in the Eos family, so moving between Eos and Ti was seamless. During dress rehearsals, Lighting Operator Steve Jordan ran the show from the Eos, while Ben and I were able to continue making live changes from the Ti, which connected into the system as a client."
The new features that Ti offers also contributed to an easy design and programming process. "The three built in multi touch screens - which are larger and have higher resolution than on the original Eos desk - make it possible to display far more information," says Davis. "The new solid state hard drive increases the desk's speed - most noticeably its boot time. And I personally like the backlit keypad. I was able to program the show from start to finish without Littlites obscuring my view."
While Zorro was the first time the lighting team got the opportunity to use Ti, it definitely won't be the last. Says Davis: "I'm immensely appreciative of the time, care and commitment invested by the ETC Eos development team in creating such a fantastic lighting tool. I think the Ti is a great new addition to the Eos family, building on the strong foundations of the existing Eos platform."
(Jim Evans)
