stage lighting control

[Mal]

I've now been playing with FS and DMX for a few days, and i'm starting to get an idea of how it's working. The 2 hour stage show i'll be doing is now just 3 weeks away.

I've seen a number of tutorials on youtube and read most of the wiki - some of which i even understood. But now i'm now stuck trying to understand how to make FS "perform" the lighting script i've been given.

I can (just about) make a few sequences, but they'll need to be long for the show and they look complicated to me. I'm concerned i'll make a mistake when creating them.
Besides, sequences seem to need to be timed, and loop around at the end when using the cue switcher. I'd much rather control the step changes (?) myself manually as i have no confidence in the timings (in the performance - not FS!).

I could use the override buttons, but i'm not yet sure of their behaviour. Sometimes buttons will work with other buttons, and sometimes not. Issues with the sequence(s)? I think i can have 180 buttons total - with 1 per transition, it may be enough for the whole show. But then, keep track of which button to click next may not be easy.

Then there are the more basic questions. Tonight's problem is that i see that the sequence creator is offline. Apparently something is running, but the cue switcher is not even open and no little blue override dots. Where can i see what sequence is running? Only way i found to clear it so far is to restart the PC.

Then for these PAR lights i have today, i can make a fixture setting by the colour panel, the macro panel, or the slider bar. Does it make any difference which i use to set the step in the sequence?

If anyone has any advice, especially about the best way to make the play back for a show, then i'd love to hear it.

Thanks in advance,
Cheers,

Newbie Mal

[Kings]

FS is set up more for live fixture control (ie doing it on the fly). In theatre you need to preprogram a whole bunch of cues that need to be triggered sequentially and at certain times depending on whats happening onstage. I strongly suggest you research the 'Go Monkey - Theatre cue stack' software here on this forum. It will allow you to create all your sequences and then trigger them sequentially one at a time. In theatre someone always 'calls the show'. It may be the stage manager who has an exact copy of the script with every cue marked. So at the end of a say a characters line, they will say "LX 23 Go!" and that will be a lighting change of some sort. I've done this many times but unfortunatley I've never had the chance to use Go Monkey. Let us know how you go!

Restarting FS is also the easist way I've found to get out of the offline mode.

Using the colour panel, Macro or slider does the same thing (ie changes the DMX value to the one you want) so it doesnt matter which one you use...the sequence will always be the value you chose.

[buttza]

Hi, Cue lists are good for what you want. That is what we use too. There is about a 1-2 sec fade between scenes. Override buttons are good for instant scenes however they are only one step. If you have a 4 step scene it will on play 1.

To get out of offline mode, close the Cue window.Then reopen sequence window.

Hope that helps.

[Mal]

Thanks, GM is now downloaded and the whole GM topic read a couple of times - i'll give it a try tonight. I was getting XML fear until i got to the end of the topic As i need to be the one starting the changes then i guess the sequences need to contain just a single step, as they would be used for the override buttons?

I'll certainly let you know how i get on....

Cheers,

mal

[Mal]

Are cue lists the same as the cue switcher within FS? If so, how do i control the change to the steps inside each sequence?

Thanks for the tip about offline mode, i'm sure i'll have plenty of opportunity to try it.

Mal

[Mattotone]

The cue lists are what can be stepped through, (the left hand side box in the edditor) the left hand side box is the sequences you want to be played in that scene.

You will build your show as a set of sequences.
you can use multiple sequences to build your scene. The sequences could be single steps (static) or have multiple steps.

you can also reuse the sequences to build different scens too.

hope this clears things up.

Matt

[Civette]

Hi Mattotone,

And what about submasters ?

I had a read in the wiki but it is not 100% clear to me. Would you have a quick explanation on SM's advantages ?

Thx

[Mal]

Thanks Matt, i think clear for the moment. Until i try using it again

Trying to use GM now, in creating the xml file, where do i put the GM executable itself? In the chases folder (which i have now also copied from "\programs files\freestyler\" to just "\freestyler\") i have a number of chr files, one for each sequence. Yet GM easyXML doesn't see them. Does it need .chb files instead? if so, what operation in GM creates them?

Cheers,

Mal

[Mattotone]

Thanks Matt, i think clear for the moment. Until i try using it again

Trying to use GM now, in creating the xml file, where do i put the GM executable itself? In the chases folder (which i have now also copied from "\programs files\freestyler\" to just "\freestyler\") i have a number of chr files, one for each sequence. Yet GM easyXML doesn't see them. Does it need .chb files instead? if so, what operation in GM creates them?

Cheers,

Mal

You can place the exe where ever you like, the desktop is fine.
To add the sequences to GM, open the folder in windows that contains the chases and drag them into the GM edditor window. There is a quick video of this on the GM topic.

Matt

[Mal]

That's what i thought. Clicking and start to drag any chr file and the pointer changes to a black circle with a diagonal line through it.
Move the pointer over the left explorer pane and the pointer changes back to an arrow allowing you to drop.
Continue to drag the pointer over the GM XML window and it's back to the circle again. nothing to drop.

Mal

[Mattotone]

they should be .chb files,

[Mal]

Ok. What function in FS creates CHB, and in which folder would i expect to see them? Created sequences only get saved in the chases folder as CHR files.
I'm using 2.96j - do i need a later version?

Mal

[Mattotone]

Chb should be the sequences saved in the chases folder. Perhaps they have been renamed.You are running quite an old version there has been many bug fixes since that release. Matt

[Mal]

I can try another machine next week - i'm currently stuck with 2.96j on this machine due to this issue:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5007
if i could get hold of a version >2.96j but <3.5.2 then i'd try it but there isn't one in the archive.

As a test i'll rename a chr to a chb and see if i can drag/drop, even if it gives a GM error.

mal

[Mattotone]

setup (1).rar

Version 3.5.0

[Mal]

Thanks Matt, that's very kind.
Unfortunately, it has the same issue as 3.5.2 for me.

Mal

[Mattotone]

are you still using the virtual interface? try it with the enttec open selected, it will say failed but will rule out a interface error

[Mal]

Nope, using a Enttec open DMX now.
When i start it i get "invalid datafile, most settings can't be loaded", then "open failed".

Mal

[Mal]

Hi Matt,

With my old/spare machine, 3.5.0 is now working. GM also "installed", and seems to be just what i need - thanks!
As a test so i can understand the behaviour, i've just 2 PARs, and in FS i made 4 simple single-step sequences in which each PAR is a different colour. Then in GM i made a cue to switch between the different sequences and saved as XML. Easy, great....
But then running the cue stack which consists of just those 4 sequences, it seems to go automatically to the last sequence; back button doesn't seem to get back to the previous step.
So if i wanted to control the change from say R-G-B, would i need to make them 3 separate cues?

Cheers,

Mal

[Mattotone]

can you send me your xml or a screen shot of GM with it loaded

[Mal]

screenshot

[Mattotone]

I see your problem. You have made a scene made up of all your sequences. Seperate your sequences inyo miltiple scene's. Your list of scenes will appear in the left column of the editor

Also ensure you have set to allow playback of multiple cues in freestylers options.

[Mal]

Ah, so each scene contains 1 light change for each fixture, then add a new scene for each new light change? Generally there could be 1 sequence per fixture per scene?

Did i see somewhere that each XML can contain up to 20 scenes?
I'll have a play around tonight but is there an easy way to easily start the next XML when the previous has finished? I seem to have been asked to prepare for around 80 changes which isn't a problem, just i would like to prepare myself....

By having "Cue multiselect always enabled" selected does it effectively mean that all channels' data from each sequence in 1 scene is added together, as if with a logical OR? Thus, producing the final output stream?

Cheers,

Mal

[Mattotone]

Each scene can have 20 sequences.
you cane have as many scenes as you like. (in the software a scene is displayed in the cue stack) the sequences are the sequences that make up the scene. the sequences are loaded into the slots in the cuelist in freestyler.
using your example
#scene one right red & left green
#scene two right blue & left red

so on your first click of the go button, the stage will be lit RED to the right and Green to the left.
you press go again and scene two will load the stage is now blue to the right and red to the left.

to start the next scene automatically ensure halt is not selected and set the wait time to the time you want the software to wait before moving onto the next scene.

[Mal]

Thanks Matt, i knew 20 came into it somewhere.

in your example of scene 1 (or 2), would each lamp colour be a separate sequence in FS and added together in GM? Or, would you make both lamp settings in the same FS sequence?

Mal