Avolites recently introduced Prism, an intuitive media control interface that allows users to introduce dynamic visuals to their shows without the need for complicated programming, to the market. The launch followed an extensive period of early access.
“Our goal is to bring intuitive media control to both lighting and video professionals – not oversimplifying the result but simplifying the process,” Avolites Product and Marketing Manager, Jon Hole said, sharing the inspiration for the solution. “We set out to develop an accessible way to introduce dynamic visuals that look impactful, without needing to navigate complicated programming.”
Historically, Avolites’ media portfolio has been targeted at video professionals. With Prism, the company aims to reach lighting professionals too, creating tools allowing them to quickly and easily integrate media into their day-to-day workflows without significant retraining or experience.
“Presenting powerful and complex media tools in a way lighting professionals will connect with intuitively, whilst still making perfect sense to video professionals, has taken us several years,” Avolites Technical Director, JB Toby explained. “Prism was in ‘early release’ for over three years, allowing us to gather vast feedback from a wide range of users.”
Prism’s straightforward interface is visual and intuitive, with tools that make media playback, manipulation, and pixel-mapping a natural extension of lighting design. “When paired with Titan, the power behind all Avolites’ lighting consoles, Prism makes media part of a connected show environment,” Hole added.
Toby added: “We’ve worked hard to ensure almost anything can be played natively, whatever you throw at us! However, for the best possible performance you need to convert these files to something called our ‘AiM Codec’ – which means nothing to a lot of users… so we’ve built an embedded tool, which easily converts the media without the user needing to understand how or why.”
According to Hole, Prism helps video translate better when mapped onto lighting fixtures. “Pixel map adjustments gives users a simple way to smooth motion, correct colour, and shape media feeds before they reach the rig,” he explained.
Prism is built to work with Titan through what Avolites’ calls ‘Synergy’ – which brings media control into a connected Avolites environment. For Titan users, this means media and lighting can become part of one, connected show. “This bespoke two-way integration is so much more powerful than the simple fixture libraries and relatively basic protocols used up to now,” Toby commented. “The only way to achieve this tight integration is by the same teams developing both the media and lighting control software.”
During the 15 years since Avolites first invested in the integration of lighting and media, the company has witnessed video proliferate through an ever-increasing percentage of productions. Toby elaborated: “50 years ago, Avolites was built on a simple but powerful idea: creative people deserve tools that are fast, flexible, and built for the realities of live performance. As technologies have been introduced, Avolites have adapted – colour changers, moving lights, LEDs and most recently video – so making media control accessible to designers and operators perfectly aligns with that original 50-year-old idea.”
For lighting professionals and installers, Prism gives practical, creative video control across screens, displays and lighting fixtures. Avolites’ first show using Prism since it launched was the FOLD x Stone Techno Festival collaboration running a Q3 Server running Prism connected via Synergy to a D9-330 and D7-330 in session with each other as Backup and Multi-User.
James Newmarch, Director of RefraktLabs and Technical Manager of Fold in London, said of Prism: “It just works, it runs smooth, never having to change anything, it’s just there working, in the background, doing its thing. The workflow works with how I think. I can get my ideas out a lot easier. It allows me to translate what I want to do from an experimental basis to getting it into a desk, and getting it programmed, and getting it out there.”
