As production continues to resume around the world, lucky programmers will be greeted with a powerful and elegant new lighting control desk: the Eos Apex console. With three sizes to choose from – the Eos Apex 5, 10, and 20 – this latest release ushers in the next generation of ETC’s flagship controls line.

A lighting control desk is more than just a powerful piece of hardware, it is your home away from home when you’re working on a show. Eos Apex consoles prioritise the user experience with creature comforts to ease those long hours behind the desk. The massive multitouch displays offer generous screen real estate for Magic Sheets, Direct Selects, and Augment3d models, and feature eye-strain-reducing 4K resolution. The displays articulate on a dual-axis and feature a 160-degree viewing angle, so you can see all your tools and data from anywhere along the programming surface. With an ergonomically redesigned wrist-rest, book lights built into the sides of the desk, hand-holds for easy carrying, and drawers and charging ports for your accessories, Eos Apex is the ultimate workspace for high-level programmers.

The luxurious innovations extend to the programming surface as well. New-to-the-industry technologies provide programmers access to their most-used tools right on the face panel. The familiar Eos Family programming keypad has been enhanced with a touchscreen that thumps with haptic feedback when you press your soft keys or mapped content. Eos Apex also introduces customisable Target Keys for your Direct Selects, which boast individual OLED displays that can be customised with images, icons and text. The encoder area from the Eos Ti console has been expanded to include eight mini-encoders and a navigation dial to easily switch between parameters. The five, ten and twenty motorised playbacks on each Apex console (respectively) now boast an additional, separately-mappable scroll wheel for on-the-fly programming. With more buttons, encoders and Playbacks than ever before, Eos Apex makes fast, hands-on programming a breeze, all while maintaining the familiar, sophisticated look and feel that users of the family love.

A powerful lighting desk demands a powerful system, and the Eos Apex line delivers with brand-new components to build out your lighting network. The Eos Apex Processor provides the power of an Eos Apex console in a portable, rack-mountable box that makes an ideal primary or backup controller or remote programming station. When you need a portal into your lighting system but not the processing power, the new Eos Remote Interface lets you view and edit your system from anywhere in your venue.

Apex consoles themselves are built with flexible system-building in mind, allowing users to mix and match DMX and show control ports on a per-show basis using customisable widgets. In addition to standard etherCON Gigabit connections, all Apex-class controllers also feature SFP+ ports that are compatible with the latest high-speed copper and fibre networks. Eos Apex consoles and Processors provide 24K output, allowing them to control complex rigs with ease. And because shows keep getting bigger and bigger, expansion processing options are already in the works as the next phase of Eos development.

The Eos Apex line ushers in a new era of control and comfort for professional programmers. Though the new consoles directly replace the Eos Ti and Gio in ETC’s currently-shipping line-up, those desks will continue to receive new software updates, as well as the full benefit of ETC’s industry-leading customer service and support for the duration of their long lives in the field.