These adverts are supporting the forum's costs and the products/services are not endorsed by the forum owners.
First have you tried?
Log in to Search the Forum for help!
Learn more about using FreeStyler at the FreeStyler WIKI HERE
Learn more about DMX in General at The DMX Wiki HERE

if all else fails and you need a fixture consider the fixture building service HERE

Only Button Control?

Questions and discussions regarding FreeStyler Software.
Forum rules
Please do NOT post bugs here! If you spot a potential Bug please report it HERE first then you can chat about it with other users in the appropriate section.
Post Reply
Blockparty
Knows how to turn Lights ON
Posts: 9
Joined: April 21st, 2015, 7:37 pm
FreeStyler Version: 3.5.5
I Use FreeStyler for: DJ

Only Button Control?

Post by Blockparty »

Hi Party-People!

I'm using Freestyler for quite a while as a mobile DJ now. I control everything with my laptop keyboard and a MidiFighter Spectra (4x4 Button midi-controller with side-buttons for up to 4 internal pages)
My problem is, I'm running out of possibilities which really is a shame!

What I try to do:
Control everything only with buttons. Me as a mobile DJ need to access everything very quickly while mixing and talking to the audience, so my plan was so far to pack everything on buttons.
I want some buttons for override things (Colors, Strobe, Blackout etc)
Some buttons for sequences (Multiple Sequences for some Fixture-Groups)
Thats the basic thing I want. but Freestyler seems not to support this kind of usage:

The Problems:
I have a Master Cue-List which is packed full with sequences
- 8 Par Sequences
- 1 Sequence for a Simple Fixture
- 4 Chaser/ Blinder/ Strobe Sequences
- 7 Scanner Sequences

Thats it! The que is full, but I would need at least twice as much space for sequences to realize a basic show.
Submasters would be the thing I need, but its not possible, because I need to start sequences with a press of ONE button. The Cuelist is completely overfilled and only 3 to 5 sequences are running at a time. the rest is not used.
Example:
Sequences

1 Par Slow1
2 Par Slow2
3 Par Slow3
4 Par Slow4
5 Par Med1
6 Par Med2
7 Par Fast1
8 Par Fast2

Only one of these 8 (of 20!!!!) sequences is running at a time, and the other ones block my cue.

But I would like to have with a push of a button (for example):
- Scanner Paths
- Scanner Gobo Patterns
- Scaner Color Patterns

My new scanners now get me in trouble. I had have enough space for sequences for my basic fixtures. But now I can't control everything anymore - the cue is full and the override page too.

2 Pages not possible (page 1 stops if 2 is loaded)

Any Ideas how I could control my lights like that? The Program can do it, but I can't map my keyboard or midi controller any way to achieve this comfortable set :(


Mobile DJ Germany

www.blockparty.dj
Partyman
FS is my life
Posts: 772
Joined: July 11th, 2007, 8:39 pm
FreeStyler Version: 4.01
I Use FreeStyler for: Nightclub Lighting
Twitter: twitter.com/
Contact:

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Partyman »

Sounds like you need to trigger cuelist. just like building submasters but instead load a sequence for every fixture group (running or not) into cue window, save cue. Load Cue to cuelist (right side of Cue window). Select the option to run multiple cues at once. Now when you hit a single button it will affect all of your lights.
Example:
I have 5 fixture groups: Movers, Scanners, Pars, Strobes, Front Wash

If I wanted a slow blue scene then my cuelist would look like this:
Pars Blue
Mover Wh Sweep
Scans Sparkle
Strobe Off
Front Off

All of these would fire with the press of 1 button and will control all lights in my system

You then use the override buttons for color, gobo, strobe, ...

I have many more fixtures groups than this but am using this for example only
Blockparty
Knows how to turn Lights ON
Posts: 9
Joined: April 21st, 2015, 7:37 pm
FreeStyler Version: 3.5.5
I Use FreeStyler for: DJ

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Blockparty »

At first thanks for your help Partyman!

But this won't work. The problem here is - even if I could use multiple cues at once - I can't map midi buttons to page 2 oder 3 I can only map Sequence 1 - 20 and this will be all the same in every Cue Page.

For example:
My midi controller has 16 buttons, then I can switch with a side button to another page - mapped to cue page 2. No problem so far. but when I now trigger Buttons, nothing would happen, because I can only map one Button to Sequence 1 - 20. But when I switch the page on my midi controller then there are different notes that I play.

Also: If I switch the cruelest, the programs may keep running, but I still can't trigger anything from the other pages, because then I would stop the sequence running on cuelist 1.

It would all be so much easier if you could just map:
Midi c1 - sequence 1 page 1
Midi c2 - sequence 1 page 2
etc.
but you can't do it, and also it seems like there is no possibility to run more than 20 sequences separately.

:( I almost tried everything to make it work, but it seems like the poor midi mapping capabilities from Freestyler won't let me program any simple button solutions for triggering more than 20 sequences :(
Mobile DJ Germany

www.blockparty.dj
Partyman
FS is my life
Posts: 772
Joined: July 11th, 2007, 8:39 pm
FreeStyler Version: 4.01
I Use FreeStyler for: Nightclub Lighting
Twitter: twitter.com/
Contact:

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Partyman »

Not sure whether I am confused or you are :)
When using the Cuelist each press of a button can fire 20 sequences at once. There are 16 Cuelist buttons and multiple pages available. Every cuelist button can fire 20 different sequences allowing you up to 320 sequence options on the 1st page only

Rusty
Blockparty
Knows how to turn Lights ON
Posts: 9
Joined: April 21st, 2015, 7:37 pm
FreeStyler Version: 3.5.5
I Use FreeStyler for: DJ

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Blockparty »

Yeah, but you can't run 21 sequences right?
I don't even need that much sequences running at once, but I need to combine them in different ways. so if I say okay, I put my pars and simple effects + chaser on cuelist 1 and my scanners on cuelist 2:
Freestyler won't let me play sequence 1 on cue 1 and also sequence 1 on cue 2?

I'm programming at the moment, trying to replicate your suggestion, but It doesn't want to work :S
Mobile DJ Germany

www.blockparty.dj
Blockparty
Knows how to turn Lights ON
Posts: 9
Joined: April 21st, 2015, 7:37 pm
FreeStyler Version: 3.5.5
I Use FreeStyler for: DJ

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Blockparty »

I give you some visuals:
CueSwitcher2.jpg
I made those cues real quick. the first one contains:
- controls over my pars (different programs and stuff)
- my vertigos
- some blinder/ chaser stuff
and well this gets the first cuelist pretty much to an end.

so now I made a second cuelist like you said for my Scanners:
- Complete Shows
- Movement Sequences
- Color Sequences
- Gobos etc
-> page 2 also full

But when I start the pars in the first cue and Switch to cue 2, then the pars still Keep doing what they did, but reset tempo/ flashing very fast. Now Seq 3 on page 2 is blocked - I cant Combine my pars with the scanner :S You know what I mean?
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Mobile DJ Germany

www.blockparty.dj
Partyman
FS is my life
Posts: 772
Joined: July 11th, 2007, 8:39 pm
FreeStyler Version: 4.01
I Use FreeStyler for: Nightclub Lighting
Twitter: twitter.com/
Contact:

Re: Only Button Control?

Post by Partyman »

I am understanding what you are saying but you are still misunderstanding what I am saying.
You are still trying to run the Cuelist like a submaster where each submaster controls a channel of a fixture (color, gobo, movement...) and you must run several sequences to get the desired effect form your fixture.

What I am saying to do is a completely different way of programming. When programming cuelist you can do it several ways. I prefer the method where each sequence completely controls the fixture.
Example: Cuelist 1
Sequence 1 White figure 8 starburst (scanners)
Sequence 2 Color Chase (par cans)
Sequence 3 Strobes Off (Strobes)
Sequence 4 Blue/Yell Circles (Moving Heads)
...
...
...
You have a sequence for EVERY group whether it makes the light do something or tells the light to do nothing.

This way you only need as many sequences per cuelist as you have fixture groups. You make different cuelist for different tempos, an "all strobe" an "All Off". Then you just use the override buttons to control color, gobo, and lamp changes. You can then setup the pages however you like(page for slow Cues, page for med, fast...) or you can set up as (dancefloor, Band, karaoke,...).
The possibilities are endless this way and it is VERY user friendly to control on the fly

Rusty
Post Reply

Return to “FreeStyler Software”