Building basic shows, New user frustration!

[djtecthreat]

I've been playing with Freestyler for a few months now, I own an Enttec style interface, 6 LED pars, and 2 Scanners. I've read a lot, played a lot, but i'm still having problems.

I'm looking to build some shows for my Mobile DJ business. LED chasing, flashing, different color schemes (pinks, purples and slow movement for slow dances or entrances, flashy blues, greens, etc.. for upbeat stuff). Some cool stuff for scanners, criss-cross patterns, strobing, etc..

I know what I want to achieve but I have a hard time implementing it. I know how to build sequences, but they're not playing out how i planned.

-Sometimes the last step "sticks", so the last thing that I tell an LED to do (let's say 'turn red') stays while the sequence loops and starts over. Is there a way to tell freestyler to always return all dmx values to zero when changing steps or something like that?

-How do you guys (opinions) build scanner/moving head programs, I don't want to manually pick each step, color, and gobo. Is there a way to have a cue sheet with tilt, pan, parameters, and another with colors and gobo's? Can I have some better explanation on this?

-Are there easier ways to build LED par sequences? I'm so worn down from building sequences one step at a time over and over for each different thing that I want to do, or is this the only real way to do this?

This is all I can think of for now, I'm just overwhelmed and i'm trying to better understand, and pickup some better techniques for building shows.


Thanks!
-Tec

[remco_k]

-Sometimes the last step "sticks", so the last thing that I tell an LED to do (let's say 'turn red') stays while the sequence loops and starts over. Is there a way to tell freestyler to always return all dmx values to zero when changing steps or something like that?

I'm guessing that you forgot to set all the color control channels of your LED fixture to snap or fade or just to enter values for all colors in each step.

Say you have made a scene with 3 steps, the first step green (green:255), 2nd blue (green:0, blue:255), 3rd red (blue:0, red:255).
Now if the sequence starts when the LED fixture is completely off , then de first step is actually green, the 2nd blue, 3rd red.
BUT here it comes: if the sequence now loops back to the first step, where you have programmed that green needs to be value 255, then the LED fixture becomes yellow. Why? Because in the first step you did'nt tell the sequence to set red to value 0. Then it is normal for any light controller to preserve the last values of the unchanged channel. In this case red:255. Green:255 is mixed with that, and your LED fixture turns yellow for you.
This is how it works - and you need to understand it. It is called: LTP (Latest Takes Precedence). When an DMX channel in an sequence step is not changed (and the button for the channel says 'off') than that channel will not be saved in the sequence step and will keep the last set value in any other sequence/step.

A better way to make scenes like this is to set each color in every step, so you don't get surprised:
The first step green (green:255, blue:0, red:0), 2nd blue (green:0, blue:255, red:0), 3rd red (green:0, blue:0, red:255).
Now it is IMPOSSIBLE that when you sequence loops you get another color than you have programmed.

[djtecthreat]

Onge,

Yeah, I'm starting to realize that there isn't much I can do and I'll have to just build everything one step at a time. I figure I'll build my sequences for my pars separate from my scanners, so I can do different things at different times. (Par's fading colors while scanners do something else and then change the scanners to another sequence without effecting pars)

On that note, My pars have a built in program that fades between RGB to give me all different colors. This is nice when I use them for up-lighting and I link them all together, but I have no control over this once they're set up. Is there an easy way to build a sequence like this in FS. without going with the whole "little bit of blue, next step, little bit of green, next step, little less blue, next step"?


remco,

thanks for the explanation, I understand better and that solved my problem. I'm able to build sequences without the last step sticking.

[remco_k]

On that note, My pars have a built in program that fades between RGB to give me all different colors. This is nice when I use them for up-lighting and I link them all together, but I have no control over this once they're set up. Is there an easy way to build a sequence like this in FS. without going with the whole "little bit of blue, next step, little bit of green, next step, little less blue, next step"?

You started controlling your lights with DMX, don't expect that everything can be done in 10 seconds. The beauty of DMX is that it gives so many opportunities for lighting and others. But becuase soo many things are possible, you need to understand how DMX work and above all: when creating a new show from scratch; accept that that takes some time in the beginning. Especially when you are a beginner in the DMX lighting world. It could take weeks and for some people months before they really understand the basics.

If you want to have control over those RGB fades, there is no other way then creating a sequence that controls that.
Try this: make a sequence with say 10 steps, each step you select a unique color and you set all dmx color channels to fade (not snap!). Then you save the sequence and play it in the cue. But here it comes: play the sequence in random order. (there is a tiny button in the cue for that).
Maybe you're helped with that?

Another way is just use the DMX400 feature in FreeStyler. Although I never used it with RGB led pars, I thought it can control RGB led's and have nice preprogrammed scenes.

thanks for the explanation, I understand better and that solved my problem. I'm able to build sequences without the last step sticking.

Thats a good start!
I just have one thing to say, maybe it is to obvious, but still I do: Many people can create sequences and manage to get it to work without actually understanding why or how. I've learned in the past that it is _very_ valuable when you really go to the bottom of things and completely understand why things work and why dont. This kind of knowledge will come useful someday, 5 minutes before you should go "live" and have a problem that all you lights stay out. (or something like that).

[dmxlighting]

I just have one thing to say, maybe it is to obvious, but still I do: Many people can create sequences and manage to get it to work without actually understanding why or how. I've learned in the past that it is _very_ valuable when you really go to the bottom of things and completely understand why things work and why dont. This kind of knowledge will come useful someday, 5 minutes before you should go "live" and have a problem that all you lights stay out. (or something like that).

Never a better comment made! Not just for FS but for life!
It took me years to master lighting control and DMX and Im still learing all the time.
Just when you think you have worked out a great way of doing something and it works well, you then find that there is a better,quicker, easier way to achieve the same result.

I guess that many people who start using FS see the easy way of turning on some lights and adding a colour etc. because unlike other software out there it is much easier 'out of the box' to get on with. But then as in life when you want to move forward and do more interesting things it all falls apart because you 'THINK' you know how.