British manufacturer of lighting consoles running Titan OS, controlling up to 256 DMX universes via touchscreen-based desks such as Arena and Sapphire Touch.
Current Avolites consoles, such as the Arena series or the Quartz, operate with the proprietary Titan operating system and feature 15.6" touchscreens with a 1920x1080 pixel resolution. The consoles typically offer 20-60 physical playback faders, 10-40 macro buttons, and process DMX signals with a refresh rate of 44 Hz. Via Art-Net and sACN, the devices can output up to 256 DMX universes network-based. The personality library includes over 30,000 predefined device definitions for luminaires from all manufacturers.
Professional models like the Sapphire Touch or Diamond 9 support timecode synchronization via SMPTE/EBU and offer integrated real-time visualization of programmed lighting scenes.
The company Avolites was founded in London in 1976 by Avo Electrics and Mike Bishop, initially developing analog dimmer packs. In 1982, the first digital lighting console, the QM500 with 12-bit resolution, followed. The breakthrough came in 1995 with the Pearl series, which combined moving light control with conventional dimming for the first time.
In 2004, Avolites introduced the Titan operating system, which has been continuously developed ever since. In 2018, Harman International (a Samsung subsidiary) acquired the company. The current Titan version 16 from 2023 offers advanced pixel mapping functions and AI-powered color calibration.
In film productions, Avolites consoles control complex LED installations and synchronize the movements of moving lights with camera movements. In "Blade Runner 2049" (2017), gaffer Roger Deakins programmed the color temperature transitions of over 200 LED panels for the futuristic city scenes using an Avolites Sapphire Touch. The consoles store complete setups as shows, allowing identical lighting moods to be reproduced during multi-day shoots.
Typical workflows include pre-programming lighting scenes in the studio and transferring them to set via USB stick or network. The integrated visualization allows for lighting rehearsals without physical luminaires.
Main competitors are MA Lighting (grandMA series) and ETC (Eos family). While grandMA dominates large concerts, Avolites scores with more intuitive operation and more affordable entry-level prices. MA consoles offer higher channel counts (up to 196,608 parameters), while Avolites devices impress with faster programming of complex effects.
For smaller productions, the compact Titan Mobile (1,024 channels, 999 Euros) is suitable, while large productions rely on Diamond 9 or Arena. ETC Eos is primarily suited for theater operations but offers more precise dimmer curves for conventional tungsten lighting.
Ich schätze an Avolites die präzise Farbtemperatur-Kontrolle und die Möglichkeit, LED-Panels stufenlos von 2700K bis 6500K zu dimmen, ohne Farbverschiebungen zu riskieren. Die Konsole synchronisiert Lichtbewegungen millisekundengenau mit meinen Kamerafahrten, was bei komplexen Steadicam-Shots durch beleuchtete Räume entscheidend ist. Besonders die Pixel-Mapping-Funktion hilft mir, großflächige LED-Wände als homogene Lichtquelle zu nutzen.
Ich nutze Avolites-Konsolen, um emotionale Bögen durch subtile Lichtveränderungen zu verstärken – etwa wenn sich während eines Dialogs unmerklich die Farbtemperatur von warmem 3200K zu kühlem 5600K verschiebt und so die Stimmung kippt. Die Möglichkeit, hunderte von Lichtszenen vorab zu programmieren und per Timecode mit dem Playback zu synchronisieren, gibt mir totale kreative Kontrolle. So kann ich Lichtdramaturgie wie einen Filmschnitt behandeln.
Eine Avolites-Konsole amortisiert sich durch reduzierte Einrichtzeiten – statt 3 Stunden Setup für komplexe LED-Arrangements brauchen wir nur 45 Minuten, da alle Parameter gespeichert und reproduzierbar sind. Die Anschaffungskosten von 8.000-35.000 Euro rechnen sich bei längeren Produktionen gegenüber täglicher Anmietung für 200-400 Euro. Der größte Kostenfaktor ist ein erfahrener Beleuchter, der 450-650 Euro täglich kostet, aber durch die intuitive Bedienung schneller arbeitet.
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „Avolites"?
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