When you design a rig, you typically use fixtures for a given look that you are trying to achieve. Say you trying to wash a stage in a color, or you are looking for something that can project gobos. You choose a fixture based on its abilities. There is a give and take sometimes with a choice of fixtures. You might want the color mixing abilities, but the shuttering of a profile is something you can live with out.
Ever get to rehearsal and curse yourself, wishing you had gone with a different fixture than the one you chose? I cannot count the number of times this has happened to me, wishing I had gone with a different fixture that would have been able to offer a little something more for the same or slightly higher price. So instead of getting the ultimate look you were hoping for, suddenly you might have to compromise a little bit.
After listening to LD concerns and reviewing their wish lists, Elation launched the Platinum Profile 35 Pro, one of their largest moving heads to-date. Taking your first look at the fixture, you would think this thing is a beast, and it is! The weight of the fixture alone is 88 pounds. That is massive compared to almost all of the other moving heads released recently by the company.
With everything that Elation has included inside of the Platinum Profile 35 Pro, however, you’ll begin to see why the fixture isn’t something you can easily slip into your pocket. “Compact” and “lightweight” may be on a lot of LD wish lists as well, but if this isn’t the smallest or lightest-weight moving light fixture out there by a long shot, it manages to include just about every other feature an LD could want.
The Source
The Platinum Profile 35 Pro starts off with a Philips 800W MSR Platinum 35 lamp. While not touted primarily for its “green” attributes, this new light source promises both powerful output and energy efficiency, insofar as its light source is bright enough to hold its own with a typical 1200 MSR lamp fixtures. It also helps keep the fixture’s total energy draw close to the 1,000-watt level.
Inside the Housing
This fixture’s long list of features (see sidebar) is impressive. I keep looking over the list trying to figure out what is not included in the fixture. And to my glee, it seems like everything I could ever possibly need is packed inside. The longer I look at all this fixtures offers, the more surprised I am that this beast isn’t actually even bigger and bulkier.
Tickled Pink
Color is always a big thing for LDs, and it’s definitely one of the Platinum Profile 35 Pro’s strongest points. Along with its variable CMY mixing system, the fixture includes a variable CTO wheel to help you mix any color you desire — and match the color temperature of almost any other fixture you might have in your rig. If that wasn’t enough, Elation includes an 8 interchangeable dichroic color wheel with UV + CTB.
Show Me the Patterns
Having a gobo wheel is always a good thing when it comes to profile fixtures. In this fixture’s case, Elation includes two. The first wheel has 6 indexing, rotating and interchangeable glass gobos. The second wheel has 3 fixed indexing gobos and a 160° animation effect. And with the built-in control parameter for the animation wheel, you can add some interesting movement to the beam or morphing effects to the other gobo wheel. Seems odd to have the animation wheel a part of a gobo wheel, but Elation makes it work.
Framing the Beam
Some profile fixture manufacturers skimp a bit when it comes to providing LDs with the ability to frame the beam. Not so in this case. Elation includes a four-blade shutter system that is fairly quick. The speed of the blade movement allowed for some great effects just by themselves — I could go from a vertical hairline to a horizontal line in next to no time. Another nice thing about how the blades work is that they overlap each other to fully block out the beam. You can create some neat “revealing” effects with just the shutters alone. There is also a rotation control on each blade along with the ability to rotate the entire shutter assembly.
Morphing the Beam
The Platinum Profile 35 Pro offers a number of options to change the look of the beam. If you need to use this fixture as a quasi-wash unit, you don’t have to swap it out of the rig, just used the frost filter to get a softer effect. You can also use the three-facet rotating/indexing prism, taking advantage of the built-in prism macros to create some eye-catching looks. To control the size of the beam, you have an 8° to 50° zoom at your disposal, along with a 5 to 100 percent mechanical iris. The speed of both are pretty impressive, and dead accurate, thanks to the unit’s 16-bit control. There is also a strobe feature along with 100 percent mechanical dimming capability that will squeeze the fixture’s luminous output to zero.
Control and Configuration
The fixture offers a number of control options on one side of its base, including 5-pin and 3-pin XLR for DMX control, with powerCON power-in connections. Art-Net is absent from the feature list as is RJ45 connectivity. While that might be a slight downside, the unit does offer RDM control, and Elation offers another control option — a built-in EWDMX wireless receiver that runs on W-DMX systems.
On the other side of the base of the unit, you’ll find a full color LCD menu display with six-button touch control. The menu display is easy to read and use, making fixture setup a snap. And if the fixture is coming right out of the case and needs to be set up before power is available, the unit has a rechargeable battery system. And the screen display can flip 180.°
Pick Your Control Flavor
With the number of features found inside of the Platinum Profile 35 Pro, you’ll begin to eat up control channels. Elation provides some options there if that’s a concern. You can opt for full (16-bit) control, with the ability to manipulate every parameter to the fullest, or combine a few features by using the 8-bit control option. As for me, I’m always looking for complete control, so I opted for 16-bit control and 60 control channels. You can also take the more conservative route by opting for a 37 and 39 channel mode of operation.
Heavy in Features, and Weight
I love the fact that there are so many different features inside that I don’t have to worry that I picked a fixture missing a parameter I might need. The light output is amazing and clean, with some dazzling effects. The more I play with it, the more looks and combinations I am creating, and I find myself falling deeper in love with the fixture.
But then I tried to lift this beast by myself, and I found something on my wish list that Elation was not able to meet — the ability to easily move this fixture around by myself. At 88.2 pounds (40kg), I’m going to always need to find someone else at a gig to help me move this beast around; it’s definitely a “team lift.”
Even so, I appreciated the pluses like the ability to plug this fixture into a 15-amp outlet without needing a PD (the unit has an auto-switching power supply from 100-240V AC). I’m not sure if I would prefer this fixture as much if that feature were taken away to make the unit lighter.
At a Glance
A Heavy Hitter
If the fixture’s weight (88.2 pounds/40 kg) makes it a back-breaker for solo gigs, it’s not a deal-breaker for any gig where you can ask someone else for a hand. My other quibble is the lack of Art-Net in- and pass-through, but I could also live without that; at worst it would just require some forward thinking and control plot planning. Bottom line: with this fixture’s endless feature set and powerful output, its big size seems like a small price to pay.
Features
Output Comparable to 1200W Fixtures
Motorized 8° – 50° Zoom
4-Blade Rotating Framing System
Built-In EWDMX Wireless DMX Receiver
Light Source
Phillips 800W MSR Platinum 35
750 Hour Average Life
Photometric Data
20,101 Lumens, 7,400K, >60CRI
18,750 LUX @10M 8° Min Zoom
812 LUX @10M 50° Max Zoom
Effects
4 Blade Framing System
160° Animation Effect
Frost Filter
3-Facet Prism; 16 Prism Macros
Strobe; 5-100% Iris
Mechanical Dimming: 0-100%
Color
Variable CMY Color Mixing/Variable CTO
8 Interchangeable Dichroic Colors Including UV + CTB
Gobos
2 Gobo Wheels
6 Interchangeable/Rotating/Indexing Glass Gobos
3 Fixed/Indexing Gobos
Size: OD 29mm / ID 24mm
Control/Connections
3 DMX Channel Modes (37/39/60)
3- and 5-pin DMX In/Out
6 Button Touch Control Panel
Full Color 180° Reversible LCD Menu Display
8/16 Bit Resolution Adjustable Movement
powerCON Power In
Size/Weight
Length: 19.9”
Width: 17.6”
Vertical Height: 28.6”
Weight: 88.2 lbs.
Electrical/Thermal
AC 100-240V – 50/60Hz
1044W Max Power Consumption
-13°F to 113°F (-25°C to 45°C)
Approvals/Ratings
CE Approved
cETLus Approved
IP20 Rated
Retail Price: $13,995.95
