All eyes were on the new Avolites Diamond 7 (D7) lighting console at the recent Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt – a powerful, flexible, and highly portable control solution for lighting at shows, concerts, and live events.
The much-anticipated D7 was shown publicly for the first time with two variants on the stand – the D7-215 and the D7-330 – both running on Avolites latest Titan v17 software.
This initial product launch has enabled the Avolites team to gauge reactions and glean valuable feedback ahead of the full launch, planned for later in the summer.
The reactions were “overwhelmingly positive,” stated Avolites MD Paul Wong, delighted with the comments and enthusiasm he’d received from Avo users who rocked up from all over Europe as well as further afield like Asia, Australia, South Africa, and Latin America.
Avolites benefitted from additional footfall of people visiting the Robe stand, especially to catch the live “Power of Imagination” performance show which was also programmed and run from an AVO D9-215 console.
“The customers were genuinely amazed by the D7 range, they loved the portability, flexibility and touch and feel of the interface, especially the integrated illumination of the rear connection panel!
Furthermore, they think it’s great value and that we are hitting the right price point!”
In addition to all the interest and excellent feedback, the Avo sales team took multiple pre-orders on the stand which was “mind-blowing and completely exceeded our expectations!” stated Paul, such was the buzz and excitement generated by the product.
The D7 is designed and priced as a workhorse console that will unlock more creativity for designers, programmers, and operators. It sits above the Avolites Classic Range – the Tiger Touch II, Arena, Sapphire Touch & Quartz – and offers many of the larger D9’s most popular time-saving and handy features.
The compact D7-215 has two touch-sensitive screens, 15 motorised playback faders and 15 encoders. It is super-portable, fitting into a standard Peli Air 1650 case and coming within the checked baggage weight allowance of most airlines.
The slightly larger D7-330 features 3 x 14-inch screens and 30 motorised playback faders / 30 playback encoders, offering more control for even larger shows whilst maintaining portability.
The motorised faders have an RGB LED indicator along each one, and there is a single level RGB halo indicator for each encoder. There is in-built LED light at the top of the screen panel and along the rear of the console.
Rear ports include a 4-port network switch, 4 x DMX, LTC Input & loop, MIDI ports, 2 and 1 x external monitors for the D7-215 & D7-330 respectively, 1 x Secondary Ethernet, Trigger in, GP IO and both variants are showfile compatible with all Titan Avo consoles. The USB port is conveniently concealed from plain sight in the right-hand side handle recess!
Visitors at Frankfurt loved the cool clamshell screen panel / locking mechanism, and the general ergonomics that offer premium styling but are keenly priced so the D7 will be a rental company volume product and a favourite for concerts, music shows, touring productions, live events, and festivals.
“We believe D7 is an excellent investment, that will be an everyday go-to product appearing regularly on touring specs,” underlines Paul.
The latest processors and components give peak performance with inbuilt longevity. “Being future-ready was fundamental to the whole R ‘n’ D philosophy,” noted Paul. “We’ve made it powerful, quick to programme and easy to use which has always been an Avolites USP.
Anyone already able to operate an Avolites product will be able to run a D7 which currently runs on the just released Titan v17 software.”
All the vital programming tools are to hand via a touch screen for speed and efficiency, an enhanced back-lit keyboard located in a retractable drawer is optimised for assisting programming in dim or dark environments. The On / Off button is concealed under the keyboard drawer to reduce the chance of accidental activation!
Motorised faders were another big hit with visitors in Frankfurt, and these have also been well received on the D9.
The D7-215 can control up to 32 DMX universes out-of-the-box with expandable networking via TNPs (Titan Net Processors).
The reception and interest in Frankfurt has “reinforced our belief that D7 is the right product at the right time and that it will be a high-volume hit,” enthused Paul, advising anyone interested to “contact their Avolites distributor, get a demo and place an order!”
Avolites, proudly manufactured in the UK, is also buoyed by new energy generated with its recent acquisition by Czech moving light and LED manufacturer Robe s.r.o. in September last year.
Paul further reveals that several D7s will be in action over the summer on a selection of key and high-profile festivals and events … so watch the Avolites channels for more details!