Support Forum

I don'
t know if what I'm experiencing is a bug or just lack of unbderstanding on how Freestyler works. I've been using it for several years now, but I have a problem. I have multiple sequences I created for the various lights on my truss. I programmed several shows for my Cahuvet Colorsplash Jr.s, several sequences for my New 60 watt LED scanners, several sequences for my CVhauvet Qspot LED 150's and also some for my American DJ megaBars. The problem is that I'll have say, a sequence for the scanners running, and then I start a sequence for the Color SPlash Jr.s. When I start it, the scanners stop working. They essentially lock up and are unresponsive even if I shut down all sequences. The only way to them back is to shut down the program and restart. I can play several sequences individually, but not together. Same thing with my moving heads. They will be running in a sequence and then I go to start a MegaBar sequence and the moving heads shut down or stop moving and I have to restart Freestyler to get back control. I checked my fixture list and non of the DMX channels are overlappinfg to I don't think it's a signal conflict issue. Maybe there's a setting for running multiple sequences that I have to turn on, but I can't find it. Any ideas?

Yes there is a "running multiple sequences" option.

Open freesrtyler
1)"Setup"
2)"Freestyler setup"
3)"Preferences"
4)"Extra options"
5)enable "Cue Multiselect Always Enabled"

This should solve your problem.

and you also what, if you stop a sequence it should go back to Default postion..?
you can do this with the Cue winodw by enable the "Restore Value"

You can also find allkinds of info about freestyler Here, http://www.freestylersupport.com/wiki or open freestyler -> Help -> Contents

Hi, it's been a while since your answer, and since I've used Freestyler, but I checked my computer and the settings in Freestyler and they are already set the way you suggested. What else couyld be causing the first sequemce to stop when I start a second sequence?

hello, blaide13

can you send me a Back up file of your show maby i can find the problem that way.

How do I do that? Just for some additional details - one example of my problem is that I have 4 Chauvet Qspot 150's running the prepreogrammed circular movements in Freestyler, then when I turn on a sequence for some MegaBars that I created, the moving heads go dead.

yes i do understand your problem.

the only thing i can think about is "Cue Multiselect Always Enabled"
and if the dmx value's doesn't overlap.
i'm out of options.

Cue multi-select is checked and the DMX channels between fixture don't overlapp. I thought about that to. I will set up everything tonight and test again. If need be, I'll erase my sequences and start over from scratch. Such an annoying problem. It's probably something I'm overlooking.

Make sure you program your sequences in Transparent mode. if not, a sequence will controll all DMX channels even when you did not alter values for other channels.

my guess is that your sequence(s) controls more than you think. check your sequences and make sure they not controll channels for other fixtures the wanted ones. its easy to check. Open the sequences in the "create sequence" window go through each step. if a fixtures is controlled by a step, a star (yellow i think) will be shows at the fixture icon in FS main window.

A Backup File of your FS content would help us to find the problem:

I followed your suggestion and opened one of the sequences for my MegaBars. I steppede through the sequence step by step and watched the Freestyler desktop looking for the yellow stars that indicate what fixtures are being controlled. Only the MegaBars showed the yellow stars, nothing appeared on my Moving heads. So I still don't know what is causing this problem. If I program the moving heads by creating a sequence for them, then they may work at the same time as when I start my sequence for the MegaBars. But the premade movements in the Movement panel are convienent and there should be a way to use them together with a running sequence, unless Freestyler itself does not allow a movement to run in the movement panel at the same time as a sequence. Can anyone verify that or if they can work together, suggest what else might be causing this problem?

aaaah yes the missing link.

you are tring to run a sequence and run a shape (from the pan/tilt panel) at the same time?
i tried it and it doesn't work for me to.

thats becuese you need to make a Sequence with the shapes.
the Shapes in the pan/tilt panel isn't maked form playback, but programming.

so if you make all kinds of sequences and put them in the Submaster or cue window it should be possible to run multi sequences at the same time.

/spirit

Thank you so much. At least now I know what to do. I guess I'll use the tutorial to create a cue submaster for the heads which should be able to run alongside a sequence, right? I remember I did play around with the submasters and my moving heads but one or two controls didn't seem to have any effect. I think it was the submasters I created for gobo rotation or Prism. Anyway, I'll find out over the next day or two as I start programming. Thank you for enlightening me as I was getting very frustrated last night.

Ok, I learned how to successfully create submasters to control my moving heads and all their different functions (movement, color, gobo, etc). Work like a charm. Can do anything i want with them. Still have a problem though and hopeing someone can help as I' stmped. I have 2 American DJ Mega Bars which I'm using in 11 channel mode (3 color segments each bar) and 3 AMerican DJ Mega Bar 50's (the short/mini versions). I created several chase sequences for the (total) 5 bars and they work perfect when I fire them off in the cue window. Then while they are running, I open the submaster window to start my moving heads and when I do, the long megabars turn off. So I figured, everything must have to be controlled using the submasters in order to be compatible. I created submasters for the Mega Bar colors and dimmer. But when I goto activate the Mega Bars using the submaster controls, nothing happens. I reprogrammed 6 times to make sure I had the little side buttons set to snap/fade/off, depending on which feature I was programming, but nothing works. This is extremely frustrating.

Some clarification. Here is an example step by step of what happens.

Step 1 - I created a sequence where my 2 Mega Bars (11 channel Mode) and my 3 Mega Minis are set to blue color and they pulse, meaning the brightness goes from off to full and off repeating to give a glowing pulse effect. Save the sequence and insert it into the cue window list.

Step 2 - start the sequence to test in the cue window and it works perfect.

Step 3 - I click on the submaster button in the top tool bar to open the submaster window and as soon as I do, the 2 full size Mega Bars that were pulsing while running in their sequence, turn off. The Mini Mega Bars are still pulsing properly, but the full size Mega Bars go dark and I can't even turn them on agaion manually. If I select their dimmer portion and try to use the sliders to turn them up, I get a little red triangle ocer the slider button, but nothingnhappens with the lights. I'm guessing their is a signal conflict somewhere but all my fixtures are on their oen channels. Nothing is overlapping in the DMX channels between fixtures. Also, when I programmed and created the submasters for the moving heads, the mega bars were not selected, so it doesn't seem to be a conflict there. Really at a loss right now.

I'm testing again and have the Mega Bars all pulsing, as soon as I click the submaster button, the 2 full size mega bars turn off. It looks like the signal cut cut to them or something. All I did was open the submaster window, I didn't even start any of the moving head submasters, just opened the window. Why would opening the subm,aster window kill the 2 MegaBars?

Ok, I thought perhaps that something in the moving head submasters may be conflicting with the channels on the Full size Mega Bars, so I removed all the submasters from the submaster window. The window is now empty. I restarted Freestyler, started the pulsing sequence from the bars (so far so good) and then clicked on the submaster button AND t5he full size Mega Bars turn off still. SO there is something about the submaster window itself that seems to be cuttingoff signal to the Mega Bars. Can anyone assist me or is there a way to forward this to Ralph without filling out a bug report, just so he could see the steps I've been taking?

Ok, I thought perhaps that something in the moving head submasters may be conflicting with the channels on the Full size Mega Bars, so I removed all the submasters from the submaster window. The window is now empty. I restarted Freestyler, started the pulsing sequence from the bars (so far so good) and then clicked on the submaster button AND t5he full size Mega Bars turn off still. SO there is something about the submaster window itself that seems to be cuttingoff signal to the Mega Bars. Can anyone assist me or is there a way to forward this to Ralph without filling out a bug report, just so he could see the steps I've been taking?

Hej blaide13

The cue and submasters are one of the most used and tested part of FreeStyler.

It is most likely not a bug but a user error you are faceing.
Think you should make a backup file with the simplest setup that fails and post it here.

It is not dangerous to make a baskup file and post but it tells more than you can explain with words.

I am not a super user on submasters but there are other here that has a high know how on this topic.


/Jan

can you tell me how to make a backup file so I can post it

Yes!

It is under file.

Hej spirit think this is just you to have a look on.

/Jan

Same problem here. Everthing in freestyler is working fine, except submasters.....

I would like to manage my lightshow by submasters. I created 3 cues:
1. Movement
2. Color
3. Lamp on

All sequences are created in transparent mode, and only the channels used that has to do something in that specific sequence (for example, a color sequence, only the 'color channel' is set to FADE, all others are set to OFF).
'Cue Multiselect always enabled' is marked as well. I am using a DMX4ALL dongle.

When I want to run the cue's in the submaster, they act after eachother, not at the same time. I checked many topics about submasters on this forum, but can't find what I am doing wrong.
A backup of my freestyler can you download on this link: http://www.yourstylemusic-design.nl/fre ... asters.fbf. (2,5MB) (attachments in this forum is 2MB, thats why an external link).

I hope that someone on this forum can help me! Many thanks in advance,

strange it tried it with 3.4.4 and it seems to work fine.

can you explaine your problem a little bit more.

And about the lamp on seqeunce.
I would not recommend to use the Lamp on from a Mh and put that in to a sequence.
The lamp on and off are made to trun on the lamp in de beginning of a show and lamp off at the and of the show.
during the show i recommend to use the dimmer channel.

only i tried it with the interface "virtual interface" maby you can also try this, and see if this works?

I agree, LAMP ON is not a good one to have in your submasters. I just created it for the case there was no light. I didn't use this submaster in this case.

I have customized 3 submasters (1. movement, 2. color, 3. lamp on). The lamp on is not used (I had added this one, in case there was no light).

When I start submasters 1 and 2 (leave 3 for what it is). The MH's are doing the movements of the sequence. When the sequence is ended, then automaticly starts the 2nd submaster. The MH's are not moving anymore, and the colors change on the way I created the sequence. When this sequence has ended, submaster 1 is doing the movement again. Now, the MH's are not changing color.
So the cue's are running after eachother, not at the same time.

Spirit, thanks for looking. Have you used my file, and this one is working at your side? That's weird. Maybe my DMX4ALL controller is messing up my submasters?

woo wait you say the submaster are running after eachother and not at the sametime?

Also sorry but can you explain your problem

Yes, that's what I mean.

I click on both submasters to start (at the same time), but they act after eachother.

Realy realy strange never seen that.

i assume your running version 3.4.4?
and which operting system do you use.?
did you allready tried it on a other pc?