Rolacue Pearl / Rolacue Sapphire (1992)
Avolites

Avolites Rolacue Sapphire

1992: Rolacue Sapphire: Twice the size of the Pearl. 120 channel faders, 20 cue masters, thus able to control up to 60 moving lights.
From the Avolites History website:
The Rolacue Sapphire was the first console designed to control moving and generic fixtures in the style with which touring designers were familiar from the QM days. Modelled on the previous Rolacue range of consoles but with a totally new set of electronics and software. The console quickly became a touring standard.

1994: Rolacue Pearl: 512 channels, 450 memories (30 pages of 15 cues)
Floppy disk storage. Launched at PLASA 1995.

Users frequently requested a physically smaller console, which could be put in the back of a car and was a 'one person' lift. So the Pearl was designed, based on the very successful Sapphire, but with smaller dimensions. It was launched at PLASA 1995 and became an instant success requiring an immediate increase in the production capacity at Avolites.