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    RickR
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Training materials?

I've played with the board but never run a show with it. I'm going to be doing a system training in late September and need to come up with a plan.

Are there plans to produce some training materials? Sure it's relatively easy to learn, but guided learning is still better than newbies (dancers!) flailing around trying to learn lighting and the console all at the same time.

Is there, or could there be a deeper technical document? How does it handle marking? Color blending between playbacks? Are the color chips referenced or absolute?  For those of us that understand such things it would be useful to be told and not go through the guessing and experimenting to figure it all out. Marketing would hate it but I'm asking for a "what it can't do" list.

  • Hi Rick - 

    First, yes we are planning to release a ColorSource course for the LearningStage with the v2.0 software release, coming in a few months time. For now I can offer the user manual to answer your big questions. For the things you mention specifically:

    1) the console does automark devices in cue lists and sequences.

    2) Color blending is HTP between playbacks.

    3) The color chips are not palettes - they are absolute un-referenced color points.

    I'm sorry I can't provide a more thorough "what it can't do" list, but keep in mind it is intended for a novice user with a rig of mainly LED fixtures.

    I hope this helps -

    Sarah

  • in reply to sclausen
    Thanks for the info. I have the manual. I look forward to seeing more materials, but they won't be in time to help this job.

    The console is for some college dancers who have probably never used one before. That's why we picked this board. Right now I thinking about getting them to track page changes and doing fader 'level matching' which always seems to confuse novices. I'm also trying to figure out how much they need to know, not just about the console but also about lighting in general! After all you can't learn to use a tool without understanding the goals.

    Perhaps instead of "can not do" the list should be "automated functions the user can't really affect." Automarking is certainly high on that list. Color control is another. The manual lists the 5000K default white. Dimming curves? Starting and stopping effects? There are probably others...

    Color blending is an interesting point. There are old discussions here where ETC staff claim HTP color mixing is a meaningless concept. For this console, do you mean individual R, G, & B in a pure RGB space, rather than individual parameter HTP? Or does it perhaps use an HSI space like Eos? The differences wouldn't be part of any training. I just want to be able to accurately predict the consoles actions. If I had time, experience would teach me.

    I've never been shy about asking questions and all of ETC has been good about answering them. So I'll continue to ask as they arise.
  • in reply to RickR
    ColorSource's colour control system might be better described as "Gel mixing".
    (It isn't quite a 'classic' HTP)

    Imagine that you have multiple Source Four Jrs, each gelled a different colour and focused at exactly the same place.
    As you adjust their levels, you get the various different additive mixes of their gels - so far, so normal.

    ColorSource simulates this behaviour with all your colour-mixing luminaires.

    For a simple example, record the same ColorSource Spot in Red, Yellow, Green and Blue on different Playbacks, then watch what happens as you raise the faders in various ways.
    - CS Spot doesn't have a yellow emitter, yet Yellow + Blue gives you a White, as expected.

    I find this demo gets the idea across much better than any explanation ever could - set it up and play with the faders.
  • in reply to Richard
    I now see 20 Youtube videos on the CS console.

    www.youtube.com/watch
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