GEAR HEADS
AVOLITES DIAMOND 9
In line with a logo redesign, Avolites reveals its hotly-anticipated flagship console, the Diamond 9. TPi’s Stew Hume makes the trip to Avolites London HQ pre-lockdown to discover how the release will benefit the productions of tomorrow...
The ‘integration of video and lighting’ has been a developing point of interest in the live events industry for some time. With show designers, creative directors, lighting designers and content creators assessing the creative parameters of a stage, the days of video and lighting departments existing as separate entities are seemingly over. In line with the merging of worlds, Avolites has announced its latest flagship console, the Diamond 9. Released in two versions – D9-330 and D9-215 – with the tagline ‘designed by visual designers, for visual designers’ the new consoles promise to combine lighting, media and other visual aspects into one central point of control. It’s not a pure lighting desk nor is
it a visual operator – it’s everything rolled into one. “The Diamond 9, along with our new brand logo, marks the first step in our future-facing strategy as a company,” explained Avolites Managing Director, Paul Wong. “This is the result of four years worth of work, following a great deal of research and R&D investment, building on our current software platform.” The desk offers numerous contact points for users, with 11 touchscreens including three main workspace screens and three media previews, as well as specific screens for attribute control and soft key shortcuts. There are also numerous indications across the surface that this desk is also designed for the use of video operations – notably the T-bar. 44