help for a newbie

[jmwhite]

Hi

I am a total newbie with lighting software as I have been using a lighting desk for a few years now. I now own 8 new moving scanner type fixtures and I want to do somethng more complicated with them. I have programmed 3 or 4 sequencies that I want to run at once. What is the best way to do this?? I can set the seq's off one by one but that defeats what I want to do. As I am working primarily with bands I need thenm all to start at the same time and indeed stop at the same time when the song finishes. Do I somehow assign them all to one button?? Some of my fixtures have moving gobos so I want them to remain static whilst the ones around them do figure 8's and circles etc. Then the floor ones might strobe for instance. Can someone explain in "Newbie" terms the order to do this please?

thanks

Jeff

[remco_k]

Use the cue, and cue list buttons.

Create a cue for each song (can have max 20 sequences running at the same time), save the cue for each song and add that to the cue list buttons.
Now when you press the cue list button, the complete previously saved cue is loaded and all inserted sequences are started at once.
If the band starts to play the next song, just press the seconds cue list button and the other cue is loaded and started.

[jmwhite]

I think that's the bit where I get confused. Say I have one sequence which has 2 lights doing a circle. I add that to the cue list> Then I create 2 further seq's and add them. How do I then get them to the buttons?? Do I just drag and drop each one to the same button from the cue list?? Or do I do each of them as added steps in the one seq - but then wont one stop while the next one starts etc??

[remco_k]

1. You first make all your scenes you need for each song 1 for pan/tilts, 1 for colors, 1 for gobos. They all may have different step counts.
2. Open the cue window, empty it. Add (for example) 3 sequences for the first song. The cue now contains 3 sequences (pan/tilt, colors, gobos)
3. Save that cue and check the "add to current cue list button tab", or save the cue and later on right click on the cue list buttons, choose "Insert cuelist". A browser appears. Drag and drop your newly created cue to the button of your choice.
4. Clear the cue, now add the sequences for the next song. go to step 3 and repeat until you've created all cues.

So: Every cue is one song. Every cue contains one or more sequences that can run all simultaniously. You can start a cue from the cue list buttons.

Also have a look at the help: "Playback sequence"

[jmwhite]

Hi and thanks for your help I appreciate it. I live in Australia so unfortunately there's quite a bit of time difference between our posts but its all good info

The terminology is probably what confuses me the mosts. Deciphering a step from a cue from a sequence from a whatever?? Everybody uses different words for the same thing in teh lighting world I see!!

You mentioned I create a sequence for each pan/tilt - then a sequence for colour and lastly gobo?? surely they would all be together in the one step anyway? I think I am getting confused because I am thinking steps make sequences and that then makes a cue (or in my desk it does before making a show)??

So.... say for instance I want fixture 1 and 6 (either end of the truss) to do figure 8's (each going opposite directions from each other) with a white colour and a shimmer/star type of gobo on both. I set that up and call it sequence 1 perhaps. It contains two steps - step one is fixture one clockwise and step 2 fixture 6 anticlockwise? Or does that mean that step one will run and stop and then step two will start and stop before repeating again?? I then save it to the cue list and once it's on the cue list I add it to the button???

I can't seem to get that to work right.

[jmwhite]

I have just read the "Freestyler Guide" by Ryan Lelek and that seems to have solved the terminology aspect for me. I can get the sequences into the cue slots ok but I am still having trouble asigning them to the buttons. Sorry to be a pain but I just can't drag and drop them from the slots to the buttons on the right and renaming them or should I be doing something else entirley??

[aquas]

Hi, you can´t drag and drop sequence in the "cue button". After drag and drop all the sequences you "need" on the Cue window, go to the cog wheel and choose "Save Cue", after saving you can put the saved cue in the cue list button, just right click on a button an "insert cue", now choose the Cue that you save before.

Cumpr

[jmwhite]

Aquas my friend you are a genius. Bingo that worked and I can't thank you enough. I knew I was missing a step so thankyou for explaining in non tech terms.

Now I am off to create.

[jmwhite]

hey guys

I did it all correctly and got every thing I needed onto my buttons in the sequence list but when I selected the buttons it all looked good on the screen (not the visualiser though) however nothing worked in the room. I ended up just using the main screen and doing everything manually like changing the colour and gobos. As I was doing a live band and not a disco movement wasn't critical so i just set up a few circles and 8's occasionally and the rest of the time left the fixtures in the same place. I am just working with it at home now and I am still not getting the fixtures to cue properly with the visualiser. hmm frustrating - so not sure what to do next. What settings could I try and see if are incorrect??

thanks

Jeff

[jmwhite]

oh yeah another quick question - can the shapes be used in the cue list?? It seems once I start to use shapes the steps don't recognise them. I think something is amiss somewhere