Avolites launches its
D4 Desktop system, a fully functional “Virtual” Diamond
4 Console. “D4 Desktop” consists of several components
running “Avolites D4” software – the OS for Avo’s
top of the range, Diamond 4 Elite & Diamond 4 Vision consoles.
The highly flexible “D4
Desktop” offers several advantages. It’s a reasonably
priced backup for a full console, a fully featured playback system
for when a full console is not required and also ideal for offline
programming, editing or adaptation of shows. The system can be composed
from individual hardware components, to match the customer’s
exact requirements.
Avolites Sales Director, Steve
Warren “Our virtual D4 Console, the “D4 Desktop”
has been designed to address two clear needs – The first being
a fully functional and stand alone “Back-up system”
for large Diamond 4 shows and also for smaller or “Hands Free”
productions where access to the comprehensive control surface of
the D4 Consoles is not required.
At the heart of the D4 Desktop
system is a PC, running MS Windows XP with available USB ports.
In its most basic form, the
“D4 Desktop” consists of the PC and an Avolites “EZ
– DMX” interface which plugs into a USB port providing
8 DMX universes and a MIDI in/thru/out connection for timecode,
etc. The D4 software connects to the “EZ DMX unit” via
a dongle.
This basic system can run an existing D4 show, or be used to program
a new show. Running identical software to the real console, every
function is available on the virtual version.
Optional to the system, is
a D4 Desktop controller named the “D4 Pilot” consisting
of 8 motorised, moving faders and associated buttons that can connect
to any bank of faders and become any playback on the desk. Additionally
a separate ‘GO’ and ‘Pause’ button are fitted
to allow the running of Cue Lists.
The second optional component
is an Avolites Graphics tablet which exactly mimics the D4 Programmer
controls, greatly enhancing the speed of plotting and further increasing
the attraction of the offline system. This enables the programming
of larger shows with the addition only of the low-cost Tablet. The
D4 Desktop Pilot and Avolites Graphic Tablet can be used together
or separately as required.
Avolites Diamond 4 - Off Line
Editor
The “Diamond 4 Off Line
Editor” runs on a Windows 2000/XP platform PC. The program
is available free from the Avolites website – www.avolites.com.
Every function operates in exactly the same way as the actual console
and is user configurable as either Diamond 4 Elite or Diamond 4
Vision console.
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