Light Show Command Central: Elation’s Upgraded Compu Ware 04 DMX Lighting Software Takes PC-Based Lighting Control to Next Level
LOS ANGELES—All it takes is a simple point-and-click to trigger an instant, full-blown light show with Elation Professional’s Compu Ware 04 DMX Lighting Software. A significantly upgraded version of Elation Professional’s Compu Ware lighting software, Compu Ware 04 makes it easier than ever to use your PC or laptop to program and control a sophisticated light show. Plus, with the top-of-the-line professional Compu Pro 04 version of the software, you can completely integrate your light show with sounds and video.
Compu Ware 04 works with DMX-compatible lighting fixtures from virtually any manufacturer, and most of today’s popular lighting fixtures are already pre-programmed into the software’s extensive lighting library. Like its earlier incarnation, Compu Ware 04 comes in two versions: the deluxe Compu Pro 04, for lighting professionals who work with MIDI, SMPTE Time Code, Timer Date and Easy Show; and Compu Club 04, for those who want to use the software by itself.
The Compu Pro 04 professional version delves even further into the realm of multimedia with a new feature called Easy Show. This separate software program, similar to well-known Q-base software, allows Compu Pro 04 to integrate all kinds of other media—everything from CD song tracks to digital video—into a truly professional light show.
“Compu Pro 04’s Easy Show feature is ideal for situations where you want the software to integrate all aspects of a performance, which includes lighting, audio and video,” said John Lopez, national sales manager for Elation Professional. “It turns your PC or laptop into the ultimate command station for a mind-blowing show of light and sound.”
Numerous other upgrades in Compu Ware 04 apply to both the Club and Pro versions. For example, an improved 3D Rendering Screen allows you to visualize how your light show will look, down to the most precise details, including the ability to see actual gobo patterns and gobo rotation. With the software’s previous 3D Visualizer, you could only see beams of light, and not the gobo patterns themselves. Using Compu Ware’s Rendering Screen is easy—you simply enter the dimensions of the room and the approximate locations of lighting fixtures, and you’ll get a full-color 3D preview of your light show on screen.
Another improvement in Compu Ware 04 is that you can view multiple windows at a time, which lets you oversee more of what’s going on with your program. Each fixture gets assigned to a window, and multiple fixtures can be controlled simultaneously. Plus, Compu Ware 04 offers a compressed view of the control panel for each fixture. Instead of verbally spelling out the names of colors, rotation speeds and other important functions, the new compressed version shows pallets of colors and icons that take up less space and give you more screen to work with.
Both the Club and Pro versions of Compu Ware 04 have a new user-friendly feature called Easy Step, which facilitates the creation of chase sequences. It works more like programming a chase scene with a standard DMX controller, so the process will be more familiar to DMX lighting users right out of the box.
In addition to these major upgrades, Compu Ware 04 offers all of the same features as its predecessor, including the popular USB Interface Box, which can be used as a portable stand-alone controller. You can import lightshow scenes directly into the USB Interface Box and run them anywhere—without having to lug around your computer. Another handy feature is the ability to add settings for additional fixtures at any time, so you can expand your Compu Ware 04 library indefinitely as new products emerge from all of the major lighting manufacturers.
The suggested retail price of Compu Club 04 is only $649.95. The fully loaded Compu Pro 04 costs $1,295.95.
“At these low prices, Compu Ware 04 is the best value for DMX lighting software on the market today,” Lopez said. “This new software is yet another example of how Elation Professional is working to make technologically advanced products available to the professional lighting market at a great price.”
Included in the Compu Ware 04 package for both software versions are a CD-ROM, a USB/DMX module and a Reference Manual. Up to 512 DMX channels can be run per USB interface; to run more than 512 channels, an additional USB box must be used.
Compu Ware 04 can only be used with Windows ME/XP. Other system requirements are as follows: 800 Mhz PC Pentium 3 or better; 250MB RAM; USB port; 800 x 600 screen resolution or better. Requirements to operate the 3D rendering feature are DirectX 8.1 or better and 16 MB graphic memory or better.
For more information, contact Elation Professional at 323-582-3322. Fax: 323-582-3108. Website: www.elationlighting.com. E-mail: info@elationlighting.com.