Strand Announces Cost Effective, High Powered Spectra Series Consoles

	Spectra is a lighting design-centric console targeted at schools, houses of worship, and broadcast studios and more. Photo: ©Strand Lighting

Strand, the original name in theatrical lighting and a Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) entertainment lighting brand, announces the Strand Spectra Series of lighting consoles. Built on the award-winning ZerOS software, the Spectra is a lighting design-centric console built for the non-designer and is targeted at schools, houses of worship, and broadcast studios, as well as small, quick turnaround portable events in a lobby, breakout room, and so on.

"In a performance environment such as a primary school or a smaller house of worship facility, adding new theatrical lighting solutions can quickly get overwhelming. The potential of adding color changing LED luminaires or even moving heads to a solution can sound exciting at first, but commissioning and controlling these fixtures can be a challenge," explains Jon Hole, global product manager, Strand and Zero 88 Systems and Controls at Signify. "The Spectra Series addresses both of these concerns, simplifying setup thanks to ZerOS's exclusive RigSync technology and simplifying programming thanks to an intuitive layout and easy-to-program interface that allows any user to quickly create beautiful looks in less time."

The Strand Spectra Series includes the 24 fader Strand Spectra Console and the 48 fader Spectra XL Console. Both consoles include a 7" multitouch screen for quick, dynamic adjustments, while also providing four physical encoders and seven dedicated physical buttons for go, record, delete, and more. The ZerOS software includes color selection options such as the onboard image picker and Mood Boards by LEE Filters that streamline the selection of complimentary colors for the perfect look. With the image picker, users can upload a photo that matches their design, such as fire, water, a sunset, or even a corporate logo, and then use the multitouch screen to select different colors in one or more spots in the image. This lets users add more color variation and depth to their lighting design with less effort, the company says.

"Today's facilities are faced with the challenge of hosting increased events using more complicated luminaires, and in most of these applications, the primary user is a teacher, staff member, or volunteer who does not use a lighting console on a regular basis," explains Hole. "These users want to add color mixing and more to their application, but they want the experience to be about as easy as controlling static white-only luminaires. The Spectra allows users to program their consoles in only three steps: simply select the fixture you want, adjust the parameter how you want, and then send it to the fader or cue where you want to use it. No need for complex scripting or confusing keystrokes. And to ensure users never get lost when using the console, ZerOS's onboard Guidance tool and simple Z button provide assistance right where they need it."

The Spectra Series also simplifies setup and commissioning of systems thanks to multiple connectivity options and helpful software features. The smaller Spectra Console supports 48 fixtures while the Spectra XL Console supports 96 fixtures, and both versions feature up to 1024 channels of DMX control. Fixtures can be connected via the two 5-pin DMX ports available on both consoles or over the onboard Ethernet connection, with support for protocols such as Art-Net, sACN, CITP, etc. To simplify patching and monitoring of connected luminaires, ZerOS software includes exclusive RigSync technology that finds fixtures using Remote Device Management (RDM), assigns DMX addresses, and automatically patches them. It then continually monitors the system and automatically adapts to changes, for a seamless experience.

"We know that lighting systems in applications such as schools and houses of worship need to be built for the long haul," adds Fernand Pereira, global head of marketing and product management, entertainment lighting at Signify. "Customers want to know their console is stable and reliable, which is why we are proud to bring the Spectra Series to market. With quality hardware and the mature ZerOS software, the console looks and feels the way customers expect from Strand."