Intelligent controllers, robot lights - isn't it time you had a little help on stage? Ian Masterson shows'you how...

Back in the August '93 issue of MT, we looked at NJD's IQ-250 intelligent lighting system, together with the IQ-MX40 controller. While there was little doubt about the literally dazzling effects these particular 'robot lights' could throw on your live performance, the simple control structure of the IQ-MX40 unit may have seemed a tad limiting for the musician/DJ/multimedia experimenter demanding a more 'detailed' level of control over their lighting rig. NJD were all too aware of the non-programmable limitations imposed by the IQ-MX40, and have responded by producing a vastly more sophisticated box of tricks. Along the way they also saw fit to substantially overhaul the IQ-250s (see box out), bringing this already brilliant lighting system into new territory altogether - while retaining their extremely competitive pricing.

The IQ-MX80 comes packaged as a rack-mounting, flat black box with a front panel composed mainly of touch-sensitive switches. This is already good news for those demanding instant access to their lighting; touch pads like these are by far the most instantaneous method of controlling any performance technology. A rather cunning joystick is provided for programming and real-time control of the pan and tilt of the lamps, and an LED readout displays which memory program you are currently running, recalling or editing.

Connections to the unit are kept to the bare minimum; a captive mains lead provides power, a 1/4" mono jack provides audio input for sound-to-light operation (either 0dBm from a mixer, or speaker level from an amp), and another 1/4" stereo jack carries the DMX control signals which allow the IQ-MX80 to communicate with either the IQ-250 lights, or the larger IQ-500s. Each unit connected to the DMX buss is given an individual address, allowing the lights to be controlled independently. Up to 16 separate channels of intelligent lighting may be controlled on a single IQ desk.

When power is first applied to the IQ-MX80, it enters Manual mode, in which the user has direct control over any number of the lanterns connected. It's worth pointing out at this stage that although the IQ-MX80 has separate touch pads for selecting the colour and gobo of a lantern independently, these in fact only work correctly with the large IQ-500 lanterns. The smaller IQ-250s do not allow independent colour and gobo selection; when you select a star shaped filter, it always appears in yellow, as the colours are fixed to each gobo. (Considering the low price of these scans, this doesn't seem unreasonable - you'd have to fork out several hundred more notes per lantern to have the luxury of assigning any colour to any gobo.) So, when using IQ-250s, the function of the gobo selection pads on the IQ-MX80 is merely to switch between 'lantern on' and 'blackout' - the actual colour/gobo selection is performed using only the colour touch pads.

Once you've chosen your colour and pretty shape, the next step is to select the lanterns you wish this setup to be assigned to. This is accomplished by simply punching the required lantern number touch pad - from 1-16. Once a lantern, or group of lanterns, are selected in this way, their pan and tilt (the direction of the beam) can be controlled via the joystick. This means that you can select completely different colours/gobos for each lantern, and leave certain lanterns static while 'followspotting' with others. A strobe-like effect can even be achieved by holding the 'blackout' and '•' keys down together. Clever stuff.

However, before you get carried away spinning colours and shapes across your audience and blinding various members of your band with over-enthusiastic followspotting, it's worth investigating the comprehensive programming facilities offered by this desk. 20 program memories are provided on the IQ-MX80; the first ten contain factory preset programs, which cannot be overwritten, while 11-20 are available for your own creations. Programs consist of up to 250 separate steps, or events, and can be run either in sound-to-light mode (switching through steps on a bass beat), in free-run mode according to the speed set on a dedicated rotary, or in single-step mode, where the user manually switches between steps. Programs can also be run sequentially by activating run mode; you can even go directly to a chosen program by holding down the 'Prog' key and pressing lantern number pad that corresponds to your desired program. This may seem rather complex when explained on the page, but in practise things couldn't be simpler. The key component in the IQ-MX80's design appears to be logic...

Although the factory presets are extremely good, the dedicated lighting designer will undoubtedly wish to discover how to write and store their own programs. Once again, this revolves around accessing and creating individual steps, which compose complete programs. All you have to do, after entering write mode, is set up the position and colour/gobo for each lantern using the same technique as in manual mode. Then, simply press 'Enter' and the setup is stored in the selected step number. Move up to the next step, and repeat as required, changing your setup as you progress. Programs can be as involved, or as simple, as you wish. And should the idea of entering individual steps seem too laborious, set the required program running in free time and simply twiddle the joystick or change colours as and when the whim takes you.

Of course, as with any lighting product, the acid test only comes when the units in question are 'field tested'. Cue a sweaty, buzzing dancefloor of some 700 writhing bodies, a pounding house beat and a blackout. Cue the first program I had written into the IQ-MX80 - four IQ-250's spin round to produce a blinding white light that swoops down from the four corners of the ceiling into the centre of the floor. The beams then switch to blue, red and back to white, before sweeping sideways to a thundering kick drum.

I said before that the IQ-250 system is one of the most stunning, versatile, cost-effective intelligent lighting systems on the market, and the IQ-MX80 only serves to enhance this further. True, there are certain limitations imposed by the budget nature of the gear - such as the interdependent colours and gobos - but NJD still manage to cram a hell of a lot of features into these units. Similarly, MIDI control is not available (yet!) on the MX80, but if you like what you see here, you could always opt for the larger 'Merlin' console, which carries full MIDI implementation.

I would recommend that the minimum configuration needed to get a real idea of the effect that an IQ system can have on your performance is four lantern heads and a single controller; having said that, eight units would really blow your crowd away. Or how about twelve? The beauty of the IQ system is that the cost-effective pricing makes truly creative lighting affordable to anyone who is serious about their live work. It also means future expansion is more than attainable. NJD are continuously refining and upgrading their designs, but it's hard to see how this system has any room for improvement.

THE LAST WORD