The Jands Vista is a versatile system for different lighting control requirements. Vista’s flexibility works well within different environments and budgets, from nightclubs to ballrooms to international touring acts.
For venues with unskilled operators, like a nightclub or bar, the day to day “front end” control should be simple and easy for bar staff and DJs to use, while allowing fast and cost effective access for reprogramming and maintenance of the system when required. The Vista M1 is suitable for this situation. By providing a simple “5 faders and buttons” interface, connected through USB to a computer that is safely hidden away where unskilled users will not be intimidated by the full range of options available. When reprogramming and maintenance are required, a technician is able to log into the computer remotely to adjust any settings in Vista without an onsite visit.
Auckland-based Oceania Lighting, in conjunction with Entertainment Lighting Solutions, installed a system like this in a Taupo, New Zealand nightclub venue that needed a simple, small lighting console that the DJ was able to operate. Now a Vista M1 sits in the DJ booth, with the Vista software running on a hidden computer, which also runs the Jukebox software when there is no DJ. The installers also setup a virtual private network (VPN) between the nightclub and the installer’s offices, allowing them to remotely log in and change any settings in Vista.
Often touring shows will choose to rent the lighting production locally for each show, and only travel with a console to ensure each show remains as consistent as possible. In situations like this, the Vista S1 with a laptop is suitable. With five playback faders, one Super Playback fader set, three encoder wheels and a few extra controls, users will have everything they need for show playback and touching up on the road, all within their carry-on baggage allowance. If individuals cannot rent their favourite moving light for a particular show, Vista’s powerful Generic Fixture Modeller means different fixture types can be swapped into the show with a few clicks. All parameters are seamlessly translated across to the nearest equivalents, significantly reducing re-programming time needed between stops.
Compact consoles are handy for production and rental companies alike, but carrying a laptop everywhere can be a little difficult. Laptops do not last well in the truck, and building a road-case to handle a full-sized computer can occupy a lot of space in the truck and control area. The Vista I3 is a compact, economical console with a similar form to the Vista S3 USB wing console, but with an integrated computer. With the Vista I3, there is no need to bring a laptop. The Vista I3 uses a Linux operating system for reliability, and comes pre-loaded with drivers for popular peripherals such as ELO touchscreens and Wacom pen tablets, so users can customise their system as desired. The Vista I3 provides 20 playbacks plus encoders for programming. For a larger show, users can augment their Vista I3 with any of the additional wing consoles (M1, S1 or S3) as needed.
Fixed installations in multi-purpose venues generally require fast programming for a variety of shows, and integration with a variety of building control systems. The Vista T2 and T4 include an integrated LCD tablet screen for programming, which combined with Vista’s intuitive interface familiar to anyone who uses a modern computer, allows fast programming and reduces the amount of training required for new users, keeping the venue running as smoothly as possible. Built-in serial control options allow Vista to be integrated with any building or AV control system, allowing automation of the venues environment, lighting, and AV control systems.
AC Lighting and Finnish professional systems integrator, Electrosonic Lightinen Oy Ab, installed a Jands Vista T4 console and Vista PC with M1 playback hardware to the Levi Summit venue in Lapland. The Vistas can be remotely controlled through the building’s AMX system, enabling seamless automation of the auditorium’s lighting and AV systems, or programmed and operated by lighting staff for specific shows.
Hotel ballrooms present their own challenges. With lights spread throughout the ballroom and the lighting console often placed somewhere with little visibility, and divisible walls which create new venue spaces instantaneously, require the lighting system to be split into several smaller systems. Vista provides solutions for these challenges, as demonstrated in The Premier Ballroom at the MGM Grand; part of the Foxwoods Casino Resort in the USA.
With two large ballroom spaces configurable by air walls into 230 possible layout combinations, AC Lighting North America and Boston-based lighting supplier, Barbizon used Vista’s serial control options to handle the variety of ballroom layouts. Control of each room’s lighting is represented graphically on the pen tablet screens. If an air wall is moved, a serial command is sent to Vista, which simply updates the lighting and the control screens of the newly adjoined rooms, so the operator can always see what they are controlling. Lighting for each of the smaller room zones is controlled by a dedicated Vista PC system, which is operated through VNC on a wireless pen tablet PC from within the rooms. The casino also purchased two full size Vista T4 consoles and four Vista S3 playback control surfaces to operate conference or performance events taking place in the larger room configurations.