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GEARBOX<br />
<strong>Jands</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>M1</strong> <strong>Control</strong> <strong>Surface</strong><br />
Watch on CX-TV.com<br />
By Jimmy Den-Ouden<br />
<strong>Vista</strong> v2 is the current<br />
software version of <strong>Jands</strong>’<br />
<strong>Vista</strong> lighting control<br />
platform, and it’s basically<br />
version 2 of <strong>Vista</strong>.<br />
<strong>Vista</strong> v2 has seen a big<br />
overhaul of the platform,<br />
and brings with it better<br />
reliability and a lot of<br />
other good stuff. We’ll look at<br />
it in detail real soon, but for<br />
now this story is about<br />
hardware.<br />
<strong>Jands</strong> make really nice hardware. This applies across the<br />
board, from the full size <strong>Vista</strong> consoles down to the Stage-CL<br />
console. It all feels good, and the <strong>M1</strong> control surface is no<br />
exception. It’s very compact – our test unit shipped over to<br />
the CX Bunker in a Pelican case (a 1520, not one of the huge<br />
1600 series), and there was still some air space inside.<br />
The wing itself is constructed from extruded aluminium<br />
with a nicely screened metal faceplate. The back panel has a<br />
pair of 5 pin DMX ports, a USB connector and Kensington<br />
lock slot. A Kensy lock is probably a good addition, since<br />
the size of the wing makes theft from a venue a believable<br />
possibility – you could actually stuff it down your trousers.<br />
There’s no power connector required since the <strong>M1</strong> is powered<br />
directly from the USB bus. Depending on what you<br />
connect it to this could be a good or a bad thing – it worked<br />
first go on my Mac. You can also hook it up to a larger <strong>Vista</strong><br />
console and use it to extend the surface.<br />
<strong>Vista</strong> is “self aware” enough that I didn’t need to tell it the<br />
wing was connected – clicking into the “console” tab the <strong>M1</strong><br />
just showed up. The surface itself has 5 faders, each with<br />
a key below and two above. The normal purpose of these<br />
would be flash, go, and step back buttons but <strong>Vista</strong> v2 allows<br />
you to assign any mappable function on any key. There is a<br />
swagload of choices.<br />
Four additional modifier buttons at the upper right corner<br />
of the surface perform various functions – for instance hold<br />
the green button and the go keys become release keys for<br />
their assigned cuelists. Lists can be as complicated as you<br />
like. There’s a rotary master fader and a DBO button top<br />
left. The red LED inside the button does double duty as a<br />
quick diagnostic tool - fast flashing means no connectivity<br />
to v2. Page up and down buttons adjacent to the fader bank<br />
allow you to have more than one page of lists assigned to<br />
the faders. Granted you’re limited to accessing 5 fader strips<br />
simultaneously, but if you’re clever about it that doesn’t<br />
matter.<br />
I like what the <strong>M1</strong> can do, and how easily it does it. I like<br />
the price and the fact it weighs a mere 2kg. But mostly I like<br />
how it feels. I reckon I could stand there excitedly smashing<br />
buttons for a week solid, and I’d give it up well before they<br />
did. It’s funny how something so small can yield so much<br />
satisfaction, yet somehow the <strong>M1</strong> just manages to.<br />
52 | www.juliusmedia.com CX79
It’s even made in Australia<br />
Small form factor<br />
Brand:<strong>Jands</strong><br />
Model:<strong>Vista</strong> <strong>M1</strong> <strong>Control</strong> <strong>Surface</strong><br />
RRP:$1120 inc GST for the <strong>M1</strong> surface<br />
only,or around $1495 bundled with <strong>Vista</strong><br />
v2 software and 512 DMX channel license.<br />
Product Info:www.jandsvista.com<br />
Distributor:www.jands.com
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