Problem with cue buttons

[newbie84]

hello all

i've made a few different sequences and added them to the cue list. i'll play one and it works ok, but when i go to play another, the lights move to the correct positions but they don't change colour or shape accordingly, they're still the same shape and colours as the first sequenced played.

has anybody come across this problem before?

thanks

[wardomon]

The fixtures will keep running the last command sent. Does the leftmost panel of the cuelist show a gobo or color change?

[GaryBonaducci]

It sounds like its the way you wrote your Sequences. Let's go through the steps in writing a new sequence:

Stop any running Cues and close the "Cue" window; then open the "Create Sequence" window. The "Create Sequence" window should not have the words "OFFLINE MODE" in red across the top.

Click the "blank page" button to start a new sequence. The words "new_chaser" should appear on the window.

Next, select a fixture, then either click "Window > All" on the menu bar or click the "Show all panels" icon. (The "Show all panels" icon is located to the left of the round "3D" button.) This will open up all of the programming windows for this fixture. You should see windows such as "Lamp", "Gobos", "Color", "Pan/Tilt" and so forth.

Each of these windows has a fat rectangular button that can say "Off", "Fade", or "Snap".

In your example, the second sequence in your cue probably had the Color and Pan/Tilt buttons set to "Off":

Off = Doesn't change previous DMX value.
Fade = Gradually changes previous DMX value to new value, at speed set by "Fade Time".
Snap = Instantly changes previous DMX value to new value.

If you want these Colors or Shapes to change, you have to select either "Fade" or "Snap". Otherwise, if they say "Off", then you can change it while creating a sequence, but the new values won't be used in playback mode.

For convenience, you can have the fader panel (on the upper-right corner) automatically extend whenever you have a fixture selected. This panel is a quick and easy way to double-check the "Off"/"Fade"/"Snap" state of all the DMX channels, and that they are set to what you want them to be.

To do this, navigate "Setup > FreeStyler Setup > Preferences > Extra Options" and enable "Automatically expand faders when fixture selected".

Also, it would be nice for me if you could fill in where you are located. I like knowing where in the world people are from. Thanks!

[newbie84]

The fixtures will keep running the last command sent. Does the leftmost panel of the cuelist show a gobo or color change?

hi

the leftmost panel on the cuelist is the stop/play button. i can't see anything regarding colours or gobos

[newbie84]

thanks for the walk-through gary

i'm using the new beta version and it seems a lot of things have changed from version 3.2 or whatever i was using.

i seems as though the "blank page" button is where i was going wrong. i'm pretty sure you never had to use this before?

a couple of new questions/problems have come up though...

when i am in OFFLINE MODE. how do i get out of it? the only way i figured out how was to re-start freestyler

also, say if i'm running a cue but i quickly want to strobe a certain light or change it's colour. how do i do this? i just tried but freestyler wouldn't let me play about with colours/intensity etc.

i am from cumbria in the UK and use freestyler in a music venue. i have some basic cue's but a lot of the time i have to react to the music so cue's become a bit void if you know what i mean?

many thanks

[GaryBonaducci]

thanks for the walk-through gary

Sure! We all need to pitch in and help.

i'm using the new beta version and it seems a lot of things have changed from version 3.2 or whatever i was using.

i seems as though the "blank page" button is where i was going wrong. i'm pretty sure you never had to use this before?

a couple of new questions/problems have come up though...

when i am in OFFLINE MODE. how do i get out of it? the only way i figured out how was to re-start freestyler

I'm running one of the latest betas also. It should be the same throughout, as far as I know. When the Create Sequence window says "Offline Mode", it means that a sequence is currently running in the Cue window; hence, the Create Sequence window is not 'connected' to the lights. You have to close the Create Sequence window, stop the running sequence in the Cue window, then re-open the Create Sequence window to clear it from the "Offline Mode".

also, say if i'm running a cue but i quickly want to strobe a certain light or change it's colour. how do i do this? i just tried but freestyler wouldn't let me play about with colours/intensity etc.

Ahh... This is where Overrides are useful. Overrides are one way to do this. I think others use Submasters, but I haven't gone that route so I can't comment on that method.

I had attempted to start writing the Wiki pages for Overrides because it's a long topic and best to be explained in a common area rather than a post in a thread. But I got stalled because I needed to finish another section. I will try to step up and start writing it.

i am from cumbria in the UK and use freestyler in a music venue. i have some basic cue's but a lot of the time i have to react to the music so cue's become a bit void if you know what i mean?

many thanks

Very interesting! I want to tour all of Europe some day. I've never been there before, and through the internet I have been meeting some very interesting people and gaining insight on how life is around the world.

I think you will find Overrides to be suitable to do the fast type of switching you'd like to do. Also, take a look at some of the threads regarding both MIDI controllers and touchscreens. Each input methods helps improve the time it takes to switch sequences and whatnot.

[newbie84]

i used to be able to run/play a cue, then if needed, click a certain light/fixture, do whatever i want with it, be it change colour, gobo or move it about, then select 'release all' to turn it to it's original cue state

i may have to go back to the previous version of freestyler i was using and forfeit the keyboard shortcuts as using overrides sounds a bit tricky if you have to write a detailed explanation? would you say this is a bugg? as surely the 'release all' button is there so you can play about with a light(s) while a cue is being played, but just click the 'release all' button to quickly return the light(s) to it's original cue state?

thanks
m

[GaryBonaducci]

i used to be able to run/play a cue, then if needed, click a certain light/fixture, do whatever i want with it, be it change colour, gobo or move it about, then select 'release all' to turn it to it's original cue state

Interesting... I have not used this method to control my lighting during playback.

i may have to go back to the previous version of freestyler i was using and forfeit the keyboard shortcuts as using overrides sounds a bit tricky if you have to write a detailed explanation? would you say this is a bugg? as surely the 'release all' button is there so you can play about with a light(s) while a cue is being played, but just click the 'release all' button to quickly return the light(s) to it's original cue state?

I'm not sure if many people work their lighting this way, so I can't comment other than to say it seems to me like a difficult way to control your lights. For one thing, if you have several different fixtures and want to make them all Red, it's not possible to select all your lights and do this all at once. With overrides, you can.

Overrides are not difficult at all. It's just a bit more detailed thing to do; and once you have them set up, I think you will find it much easier to control your lights using overrides than how you're currently doing it.

Just my opinion -- I also think overrides are the preferred method, so the way you are controlling your lights during playback may not be supported in the future. Therefore, the fact that you can't do this anymore in the latest beta may not be technically described as a "bug", but rather an "unsupported feature" that's no longer supported? I can't say for sure, but if you like doing things a certain way, it may be necessary to run the previous version rather than to upgrade.

Take for example, a lot of people still use Microsoft Office 2003 because they can't stand the changes in the latest versions of Office. Some people still use Windows XP because programs they use work more reliably in XP. It's not unusual to remain with previous software versions and not upgrade if you're more efficient with older programs.