OBSIDIAN ONYX (NX1 NX P NX K)

The Obsidian ONYX is a platform of lighting consoles and accessories designed for small to medium size set ups. For those familiar, it has the same look and feel as the old Martin M2GO.

Familiarity is a good thing, especially when it comes to lighting consoles. It was a good move by the Obsidian brand to stick with a well- known and well-liked layout and modernise it to suit today’s gigs.

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Dutch-owned lighting company Obsidian Control Systems combines over 25 years of experience developing professional entertainment lighting control solutions for automated and theatrical lighting fixtures. Products are designed and maintained by lighting professionals offering a wide range of lighting controllers, including excellent entry level options.

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Meet (some of) the family:

NX1: Essentially the main control surface in the modular set up of the ONYX platform. It has the full feature set and ONYX operating system in a more compact footprint. The NX1 includes a high-brightness 10.1″ HD multi-touch screen. It also has four assignable parameter encoders, 10 full motorized playbacks with four freely assignable buttons plus an extra playback and function key hybrid array. One additional touch monitor is supported for even more direct access at anytime.

NX K: The NX K is a USB powered control surface for ONYX and works with the NX1. It features the full keypad and command section of the larger consoles in the ONYX range. It also has four encoder wheels.

NX P: The NX P is a motorised fader wing for ONYX. The NX P replicates the layout and all functionality of the NX1. Multiple NX P wings can be connected to an ONYX console.

All three of these can be run together to form one larger console which can output eight Universes. They all connect together using a magnetic alignment system. This means no broken clips, no tools required and a neat, presentable finish.

In a nutshell, what we have here is the main control surface (NX1) which can be further expanded by adding an NX K, NX P and/or an external monitor.

Construction

They are all well-built. Although lightweight, they don’t feel like they would easily break. That said, whenever you buy a console, you should buy a roadcase for it – this is no different.

All three components are the same length (298.5mm) and the same height (71mm). The NX1 is 636mm wide and weighs 8.1kg. The NX P is 373mm wide and weighs 4.5kg. The NX K is 160mm wide and weighs 1.4kg.

It’s not an overwhelming console to look at. The slimmer, longer design might help with that. The flatter, wider faders have always been a favourite. It makes them easier to locate during a show when the operator might be an AV operator looking after vision, sound, and lighting, as opposed to just a lighting operator. With the NX K attached, you can get eight DMX outputs, as well as outlets for desk lights.

Applications and Features

This desk is perfect for running any small to medium size set up. The advantage of the modular style set up is that you can set up only what you need to set up. If you were running a simple show, which may just be a static look or a stage wash, you could just use the NX1.

If you needed to do something a little more programming or playback heavy, you simply add the NX K and NX P accordingly.

The ONYX has flexible DMX output, which is available via USB, Art-Net, sACN, and integrated DMX ports.

The biggest limitation with the desk is that it can only output eight Universes of DMX. Then again, if you were running a show with more than eight Universes worth of lights, you would likely be looking at using a full size lighting console anyway.

Control and Programming

It’s a very short learning curve for anyone familiar with the M2GO. Otherwise, it’s not the quickest console to learn, but not rocket science either. With a few reps, it becomes an easy console to use and control. It may sound obvious, but is also worth stating, that you would need a proper operator to get the most out of this console, especially when it comes to programming and plotting.

The fixture libraries provided by Obsidian are really helpful and accurate. They are always being updated too.

The ONYX 2D View is its own onboard visualiser. It gives live feedback of intensity, colour and position for immediate visual confirmation or to pre-program while on the go. This is a very understated feature of the desk and would normally be reserved for a much larger, more expensive, high-end lighting desk.

This console range features everything from basic stage wash up/stage wash down kind of lighting through to timecode. It can also be managed via a calendar system which makes it perfect for architectural or install set ups, as well as live shows.

Help and Support

Obsidian is a specialist lighting company, run by a team of seasoned lighting professionals. I ventured into their online documentation and found a useful help section with information and tutorials angled towards the novice user, as well as the more technical topics such as timecode and visualisation.

There is also an active online user forum with answers being given from the development team as well as end-users. The active user forum speaks volumes as to how often these consoles are being used. They also have a 24/7 support phone line that is staffed 365 days a year.

Verdict

Straight up: if you are a fan of the Martin M2GO, you will be a fan of the Obsidian ONYX range. It’s a great desk.

Product Info: obsidiancontrol.com

Distributor Australia and New Zealand: www.ulagroup.com

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The Specs

NX1

• 10.1” Full HD multi touch screen, 1x external touch display
• ONYX Essential license (eight Universes)
• 10x 60mm motorised playback faders, each with four function-assignable buttons
• 10x customisable playback or multi- function keys
• Playback Select button
• Master Go section with Go, Pause, Snap and Release
• Four digital rotary encoders with push function and status LED for fixture parameter control
• Virtual Keypad control
• 250GB NVMe M.2 storage drive Supports Windows USB touchscreens
• 4x DMX/RDM Universe In/Out: 5-pin locking XLR
• Network: 1x Gigabit RJ45 Ethernet for Art- Net, sACN and ONYX X-Net

NX K

• Full ONYX keypad and command section
• Four encoders with push and LED feedback
• ONYX Nova+ license (four Universes + MIDI/OSC/Timecode support)
• USB powered
• 1x USB-B 2.0 input

NX P

• ONYX Nova+ license (4 Universes + MIDI/ OSC/Timecode support)
• 10x 60mm motorized playback faders, each with four function-assignable buttons
• 10x customisable playback or multi- function keys
• Playback Select button
• Master Go section with Go, Pause, Snap and Release
• 4x DMX/RDM Universe In/Out: 5-pin locking XLR
• 1x USB-B 2.0 input