National Theatre of Namibia transitions to Ion

The National Theatre of Namibia just got a new Ion® control desk , thanks to ETC's South African dealer Prosound. Prosound's general manager, Ian Blair, says: "We recently did an extensive upgrade for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, and on one of our follow-up visits, we called in at the National Theatre of Namibia, where we met Technical and IT Manager Jack Francis, Jr., and Head of Lighting Asser Kauazunda. Asser and Jack advised that their current, old theater console had reached the end of its life, but with the upcoming Independence Theatre Festival, they really needed a new desk, and fast."

Blair recommended the ETC Ion control desk, plus fader wings for additional hands-on control. "We couldn't offer an Ion straight away, because all our demo desks were out at theaters in South Africa, but we were able to get an ETC Gio to them, which runs the same software as the Ion. That way, they'd be able to get used to the software and its features, and check that it was right for them, while waiting for their new desk to be delivered."

The theater's staff was delighted with the arrangement, says Blair, and is now fully up to speed with their new Ion, which will soon be upgraded with software v2.3, which will add new functionality to effects and implement Open Sound Control. The software upgrade also introduces new color controls that provide multiple options for color spaces, new tinting tools and live color-fade options.