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I'm getting pretty good at Freestyler. But, I read in this forum about scenes and sequences and start to wonder if I'm actually programming wrong.

Here's what I do to create a show.
I simple open the little window that I can save steps with.
Set my fixtures and save the "step".
Move the fixtures, fade time, and colors and save the "step", etc. etc.

When I get a few really nice steps saved, I simply save it as a cue.

When I want to run the "cue" I open the cue window and click the cue and it runs.

What's all this talk about scenes and sequences?

I'm just using "steps" and "cues". Is this the same thing?

bump

I'm still very new to freestyler and am a complete novice at lighting shows, but here's my 2 penny worth.

As I understand it, a sequence is a series of steps. So, for instance, step1 light red, gobo open, position top left, step 2 light blue, gobo open, position bottom right. This would make a diagonal sweep from red to blue.

A cue is one or a a series of sequences. So in the cue window, you may insert a variety of sequences, say a zigzag red effect, or a strobing circular effect or whatever. This will give you a list of up to 20 sequences which you save as a cue.Image

You may build many cues from your sequences, save them and use the drop down menu at the top of the cue list to change to them.Image

To play the cue, simple click on the blue button next to it in the cue window.Image

You may also like the sequences to play in order one after the other automatically. Do this by clicking on the icon next to the drop down menu and choose 'loop all sequences' Image

I imagine that this would have a practical application for a set lightshow, say for a theatre where you would have a fixedtimeline for your show.





An alternative to using the fast cue switcher (it's what the cue window is called) is to use the submaster window (the cue window also opens and you may adjust the lightshow speed or sync to tap here).

Here's how you could do it:
Make a sequence up with positional data (i.e., only the pan/tilt movement of your lights). Set the other channels of your lights to OFF (turns red). Save this. Then turn it into a cue and save
Make a one or more step sequence for your lights with colour/gobo/strobe data. Repeat the sequence with different colour/gobo/strobe data. Set the other channels of your lights to OFF (turns red). Save these. Then turn them into a cue and save.

Open the submaster and insert your cues. You would in this instance have one column with your positional sequence in it and one column with the 2 colour/gobo/strobe sequences.Image

Double click the postional sequence in the submaster window to get your lights moving then double click on a colour/gobo/strobe sequence to add illumination.Image

You may then doubleclick on the other colour/gobo/strobe sequence to change the colour etc.Image

Make different movement sequences and different colour/gobo/strobe sequences, load them all up into the submaster as cues and you have a flexible lightshow that you can control 'on the fly'.

Hope this helps

wow! I appreciate your response and time that you took to write it. But, I fear I'm a little more confused.

Let me see if I understand this.

Make one sequence of steps with just pan and tilt type movements.

And, another sequence of steps with just color and gobo changes.

Save them both as cues.

Load both cues into the submaster.

And.... somehow running them together will get me some decent, versitile shows?

I've never heard of anyone programming JUST movements into one sequence. And, JUST colors/gobos in another sequence and somehow merging them.

It is one way of programming. I gleaned this method from this thread. If you think about it, when you start the movement sequence the colour/gobo/etc channels are set to off, so no data is sent on these channels by the movement sequence. When you play the colour/gobo/etc sequence no data is sent on the pan/tilt channels as you set them to off. Combined, these 2 sequences transmit data on the pan/tilt channels and also the colour/gobo/etc channels, giving you a light show. As the submaster continues to play the sequences until you press stop, the movement sequence will continue to run even if you switch to a different colour sequence.

Here I've tried to illustrate the thought behind this. The top 3 tables show the steps in the programmed sequences for colours and movement. The bottom shows the output when they are run together. Hope this helps.

ahhhh. I see. I cannot wait to try this technique. Geez. I wish you lived in CT. I'd pay you to get me on a better track with the programming.

Thanks, but to be honest it's just what I've picked up by reading this forum and the tutorials. Happy sequencing.

Tip:

Sequences where you want colour and movement locked in sync would be best programmed as a single sequence, not 2 seperate ones.

An example of this would be a panning wipe where the mirror fades slowly in a pan direction with the lamp on and a colour chosen and then snaps back to it's start position with lamp off.

So, if I want both lights hitting the ceiling with blue stars and then I want both fixtures aiming to the right wall and shining yellow boxes, then I need to create ONE sequence of two steps to do that?

@ tendril: thanks for the credits!
When I started programming light shows with FS about 4 years ago, I only made sequences/cues in which all fixture channels were defined, meaning all channels of the fixture were set to fade or snap, never off.
When running a show, I got quickly tired of always the same patterns in the sequences. So next time I splitted up the movements, colors/gobo's and shutters in different sequences and combined them like I wanted in a cue (with the multiselect function on). But then the limit of max. 20 sequences in a single cue became a problem. Furthermore, in the cue I had to deselect a running movement sequence before I could start another movement sequence. This was absolutely not userfriendly...
Finally I discovered the submasters, as I explained in the other topic.

@ djharryg

So, if I want both lights hitting the ceiling with blue stars and then I want both fixtures aiming to the right wall and shining yellow boxes, then I need to create ONE sequence of two steps to do that?

Yes, if you want the movements of your scans/moving heads being sync'ed with the color/gobo, you must keep this within one sequence.
I have some of these sequences as well and added them to the cue with the movement sequences. One of these sequences has 2 scenes: the first one with shutter closed, pan center (snap), tilt up (snap), color white, gobo open, scene time 200ms (or a bit longer depending on the speed of your scan), the second scene with shutter open, pan center (snap), tilt down (fade), color white, gobo open, scene time = fade time = 500 to 1000 ms. This results in a white beam tilting down and then the mirror returns to the upper position while the shutter is closed.
If I activate this sequence in one of the submaster, the white color and open gobo will override a color/gobo setting defined in another submaster.

Again, it all depends how you will use FS for a live show.
If you are DJ'ing as well, it might be easier to create sequences in which all channels are programmed and then use the cue window only. In the mean time you can concentrate on your DJ work.
If you are a "full-time" LJ, I prefer to use the submasters as described above (and the other topic) so you can adapt your light show on-the-fly to the music/ambiance on your gig.

djharryg wrote:So, if I want both lights hitting the ceiling with blue stars and then I want both fixtures aiming to the right wall and shining yellow boxes, then I need to create ONE sequence of two steps to do that?

if you want them exactly in sync then yes. I have a mixture of pick 'n mix movements and colour/gobo/strb options in cues and also some fully programmed sequences.

If I loop the fully programmed sequences in the cue window then I can run a show without doing too much. Some sequences might include a fast random strobing effect, or a progression of movement.

If I want a more dynamic approach I can use the pick 'n mix and not choose the loop option. This way I can get a figure of 8 movement going, select blue, change to red on the beginning of the music bar, then change colour or strobe as I see fit, then maybe change pattern but retain colours... you get the idea.


p.s. I'm not an authority on this and could have some aspects wrong. I'm also waiting to go live when I can afford the interface, so all my programming is being viewed on the Martin visualiser

How did you guys get so good at this? Geez. I'm still trying to figure out what a transparent sequence is.

Is this what they call transparent cues? Dose it work like layers what you put at at the top of the list have piorty to the rest. thanks Mike http://www.directsound.com

I believe that that is the case. Transparent sequences/cues can be understood readily if you transfer the thought process to another, more familiar application - animation. You can see how it works:

If you take an acetate cell and draw an arm, then take another and draw a head, and contine drawing each body part on a new cell. When overlayed they form a complete picture. Change one cell, say the position of the arm, and the complete image is different. Make these layers of cells into a sequence and you have an animation.

So a transparent sequence is just a sequence of steps that send no data on some of the channels. In a transparent sequence you define only some of the paramaters, leaving the others with no data (i.e. set to off not 0). By overlaying sequences you can create a sequence where all the paramaters are defined. In Freestyler 2.96j transparency is the default setting. You can change this to 'static' for each sequence in the Create Sequence window if needed.


As I understand it...

Thanks i think am giting it! Mike