Pyrotecnico Adds MA Lighting's dot2 core Consoles for SFX Control

	Nicki Minaj in concert

Pyrotecnico, the special effects company headquartered in New Castle, Pennsylvania and with offices nationwide, has invested in two dot2 core consoles from MA Lighting. A.C.T Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of MA Lighting products in North America.

"They just arrived, and it's Christmas all over again for our staff," laughs Rocco Vitale, creative director at Pyrotecnico. The company has been delivering "wow" experiences to customers since 1889 and today offers fireworks, indoor and outdoor pyro, lasers, flames, cryogenics and fog, snow, and confetti, and streamer effects.

Pyrotecnico took delivery of two dot2 core consoles with four dot2 F-wings. Part of MA Lighting's new range of compact dot2 consoles, the dot2 core is designed for small- to medium-sized productions -- theater, concert touring, corporate projects, television, and education -- with up to 4,096 control channels. dot2 core is durable, compact, and lightweight with intuitive operation. It includes a full programming section, master playback section, six fader playbacks, and 12 individual playback buttons. The dot2 F-wing offers modular playback expansion by adding eight faders and 16 playback buttons.

"We have an MA ultra-light console and began researching new consoles late last year," Vitale says. "A.C.T Lighting sent us a dot2 core to demo, and we explored it in our shop in New Castle. We do a vast variety of special effects, and the dot2 core was versatile and adaptable to our needs. It puts a lot of control into one very flexible console. It was definitely the right console for us."

An important factor in choosing dot2 core was the speed at which Pyrotecnico's staff learned to operate the demo console. "Once they got their hands on it everyone quickly picked up the console: That was a big thing," Vitale notes. "But we also plan for staff to get training from A.C.T on the dot2 core."

Another feature in the console's favor was its small footprint. "Any time we can get a lot of power out of a smaller footprint, that's a plus," says Vitale. "We're a national company and ship our gear a lot. So a smaller but powerful unit is always advantageous."

Pyrotecnico plans to use the dot2 cores for DMX-controlled flames, CO2 jets, confetti, and streamers, and even DMX-driven laser technology.

"We expect to invest in more dot2 cores for our facility in Los Angeles, where the ultra-light console currently resides," says Vitale.

Pyrotecnico owns a complement of MDG foggers and hazers, which are also distributed in North America by A.C.T Lighting. The company has Atmosphere haze generators, Super MAX fog generators, and ICE FOG Q and Compack low fog generators, some of which were purchased last year.