Elation dealer SRB PRO has completed a major lighting upgrade at the University of Texas El Paso’s Magoffin Auditorium, installing a cutting-edge, all-LED Elation lighting system fully controlled by an Obsidian NX4 console.
The auditorium, UTEP’s largest with 1,162 seats, serves as a versatile venue for everything from plays and concerts to pageants, comedy shows, commencements, and other events that require broadcast-quality lighting.
SRB PRO has been a trusted Elation dealer in the Southwest for over a decade. Led by Scott Brown, the El Paso-based company was commissioned by UTEP to design a complete power and lighting upgrade for the auditorium’s stage area.
The room’s multi-purpose nature required a lighting solution flexible enough to cover the variety of events, something that was easy to operate and gave them precise colors, including full-spectrum shades for concerts and performances and true whites for broadcast.
SRB PRO was responsible for the complete design and installation of the system, replacing the auditorium’s aging dimming system and 1970s-era halogen ellipsoidal and Fresnel fixtures with modern, energy-efficient LED lighting.
The new rig includes dynamic ellipsoidal, Fresnel, moving head, and cyc lights, bringing new possibilities and consistent colour performance to the venue’s stage.
Brown worked in close collaboration with Elation Market Manager Esteban De La Torre, who assisted in specifying 11 KL CYC L, 48 KL PROFILE FC, 18 KL FRESNEL 8 FC, 6 PULSE PANEL, and 6 FUZE MAX PROFILE luminaires for the project.
Control is by an Obsidian NX4 lighting console with NETRON NS8 IP (5), EP4 (2), and EP2 (1) nodes ensuring reliable data distribution.
Built on years of successful collaboration, the venue placed their trust in SRB PRO’s expertise. “We’ve partnered with the university for many years,” Brown explained. “They trusted our guidance on the best approach. With Elation’s broad portfolio, we were able to choose the right products for the right applications, and they were very happy with the results.”
All of the KL Series fixtures used in the installation, along with the FUZE MAX PROFILE moving heads, feature Elation’s RGBMA color mixing engine, ensuring consistent color reproduction across the entire rig, an essential requirement for the project.
“We wanted to make sure the fixtures perfectly matched across the board in all colors and orientations, with no variation,” Brown said. “Elation was one of the few manufacturers that could offer a package where the LED engines were identical, so colors would match each other.”
The system allows for rich saturates, subtle pastels, and accurate whites, with high CRI to ensure vibrant colors on camera and stage alike. “We now have full color across all fixtures and high CRI so colors look great and really pop.”
The upgraded system is designed for maximum flexibility. Two FOH electrics hold 24 full-color-mixing KL PROFILE FC ellipsoidals to cover the entire front stage in any color desired, or can be used for specials or gobo patterns across the deck. An additional 24 KL PROFILE FC fixtures, mounted on a third electric, are used as overhead lighting, back lighting and for specials.
The KL FRESNEL 8 FC soft lights provide a beautifully diffused wash of full-spectrum illumination, while the linear KL CYC L cyclorama lights, flown on an electric across the back curtain, deliver an even wash of background color. For quick washes during events, the multi-functional PULSE PANEL offers an easy, vibrant, and uniform wash across the deck.
The FUZE MAX PROFILEs, an LED framing moving head with zoom, dual gobo wheels, and animation populate the FOH and over stage electrics, delivering movement, quick positioning, and framing shutter flexibility.
As a truly multipurpose venue, the auditorium also hosts events that require camera-friendly lighting like graduations, live streams, and a variety of broadcast performances.
“It was essential that the lighting offered high CRI and flicker-free operation to ensure consistent results for video,” Brown emphasised.
“The Elation products not only render accurate skin tones but also deliver a level of brightness needed for any on-camera event.”
SRB PRO has several Obsidian control solutions in its inventory and specified an NX4 lighting console for its feature-rich control surface, including motorized faders.
“We wanted the system to talk to each other without problems, so we used Obsidian across the board, including NETRON nodes on every electric to ensure seamless communication between the fixtures and the console,” Brown noted.
The new LED system at Magoffin Auditorium has not only increased their lighting versatility and expanded creative possibilities, but it also provides greater reliability, less maintenance, and improved energy efficiency.
“The all-LED system is far more efficient than the old rig and has reduced stage power consumption from 1,000 amps to 400 amps while producing less heat,” Brown said. “UTEP now has a versatile, easy-to-operate lighting system that meets every requirement for their diverse programming.”
The installation was completed in August 2025, with the new system already supporting a diverse range of events, including a December performance of The Nutcracker ballet.
“This was a huge upgrade for the venue, and we’re grateful to UTEP for trusting us with the project,” Brown concluded.
