Benjamin decided to invest in his own console as he feels that programming shows himself allows him to get the most out of his creative designs. To achieve this he needed to have a desk that he could easily get to know 'inside out'.
To ensure he was making the right choice, Benjamin trialled three major brands of console for one month each. At the end of the period his decision was very clear - Jands Vista.
"I learnt the Vista T2 with incredible ease" he states, "I really love the interface, it makes programming exceptionally fast and enjoyable!"
Benjamin has been running Jands' next generation Vista v2 software since its launch early last year. One of his favourite features is the powerful Effects functionality. Being a theatre designer, timing is very important to Benjamin, and along with simple in and out fades he likes the detailed control he can achieve with the Timeline.
"The Jands Vista T2 and v2 software has definitely been designed with theatre shows in mind" he says. "While features like Matrixing are very useful for rock shows, I also find it extremely effective for theatre."
In producing Les Misérables, Benjamin employed the Matrix feature to dramatic effect, using forty 50cm household light bulbs hanging from the ceiling to create a major 'ambience feature' for the musical's famous 'barricades' scene.
Other lights in the Les Misérables rig were Martin Professional MAC 401s, MAC IIIs, Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungstens, along with a quantity of generics.
(Jim Evans)
