Deciding on a Lighting Controller

Well the scene setter 48 only has just that, 48 channels. so that is only like 8 LED par cans in 6 channel mode. The Trio 2496 is a decent console but the learning curve is pretty steep. But anyone can learn it if they put their mind to it. Are you sure a magic 260 or a Show Designer 2 won't bee good enough for you? Those are pretty popular consoles.
Sincerely,

Hi Eric and welcome to the forums.

I agree with Jingles that the Scene Setter 48 is probably not the console you want. It is made mainly for controller conventional lighting and that's it. With that in mind, what are some of your goals with lighting? What are you looking to do and how are you looking to expand? Also, what type of shows are you doing and is this setup for an install? If so, where at? A church setup is vastly different than a bar setup as an example.

Let us know and we can better suggest options then.

Well mostly for church purposes. We rent out a school auditorium every Sunday and they have an ETC ion but only par cans are hooked up to it no effects or anything. So I wanted to liven things up with effects, color changers, moving heads, etc. So I looked around at computer programs and saw that most of them were used for recording and playing back while I was looking to be able to control each light live and quickly. Which is why I thought that the scene setter 48 would be good for my purpose but then again it is only 48 channels. So, main purpose would have to be for effects, leds, and moving heads. But I would also like to try and keep the price at most $800 if thats at all possible. Now with that said I would also like to take this to be able to DJ or for parties and such.

Well, there are a few options then.

You could look at the Trio's, 1248 or 2496. Both of those are above your $800 limit but can do everything you seem to want. The 2496 has more faders and a higher channel count but costs about $300 more than the 1248. Another option is the Show Designer 2 like jingles suggested but that costs as much as the 2496. Cheaper than that, you can look at a Magic 260 but that is a bit of a pain to try and control everything you are looking to do. Also the channel count is relatively low at 260 channels. Below that, you will just be unhappy most likely.

The other route to go is Emulation or CompuCue/Show. You can get CompuCue Basic and Emulation for less than your $800 limit. You will need a computer to control them however. You also don't have a hardware interface but can add a Midicon latter for that option. CopmpuCue regular will cost right around $800 and CompuShow will be a little more but with more features. You will have to weigh if the features are worth it or not.

As for when you are at the church, I would learn the Ion and use that. It will probably be faster and easier, especially if they have fader wings and/or touch screens with it. It has 2 universes on it, so plug the LEDs, movers, and effects into the second universe.
An Ion is WAY overkill for a few conventional lights. Learn it and use it to its full potential with movers and LEDs. Once you get that down, you will most likely find it faster and easier than anything else you can buy with $800. It is a 5k console after all without the screens and wings.