Congo version 6.3.0 now available for download!

Hi all -

As announced at PLASA this week, Congo v6.3.0 is now available for download here. You can find the software, release note and new user manual there as well. As always, the newest content is within the online help system right in your console, available by using the "?" key at any time.

I've done a short video explaining many of the new features here.

In short, we've done a lot of work on the user interface, adding in new CONTEXT MENUS that reveal functions of the console in the context of the display/tab/dock where you're currently working. These menus can be accessed using the SELECT key (press it twice) or by right-clicking with a mouse in many areas of the screens.

We've also added a new editor type, the ORGANIZER tab, which displays the content of your show file in a tree view. You can navigate this tree just like you navigate the Browser and you can drill down into the tightest detail of a recorded object, right down to the parameters of a single channel in a preset. You can use this editor to not only view data, but copy and/or move data from one object to another - copy effects from one preset to another, or move devices from one preset to another, or manipulate your sequences using drag-and-drop editing. The new organizer tab also allows us to renew the IMPORT function, using two organizers to let you see the entire importable content of the source show, and simple select it and drag it into the current show, bringing all the dependencies along with it.

Speaking of DRAG-&-DROP EDITING, we have added a lot of areas where you can drag-and-drop with a mouse to move data around. This includes inside the Sequence List editor, in the Masters tab and dock, and also right in the Playback tab itself.

We've added a new organizational tool in the main sequence - SECTION MARKERS - that not only provide a graphical indication of important parts of your show like the tops of scenes or songs, but also provide a quick way to use the direct selects to jump to those points in your sequence.

We have also added support for the Open Sound Control or OSC protocol so that you can be even more creative when you interact with your console with other OSC-capable devices. For more information on OSC in general, see this site. For the specifics on what's supported in Congo, please search for "OSC" in the help system or user manual.

I hope you enjoy working with version 6.3.0!

Thanks -

Sarah



[edited by: sclausen at 1:30 AM (GMT -6) on Thu, Sep 13 2012]
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  • As someone who was involved in the beta I can honestly say that I love the new mouse functionality; particularly when working with the offline editor.  The new organizer will be great when building shows from a rep plot or serving as a programmer for the same designer in multiple spaces with multiple rigs.  I can't see ETC letting this get to the point of having to use a mouse or touchscreen to perform common actions; one of the key strengths of this console, and one of my main selling points, is how fast the desk is specifically because my hands never have to leave the surface to reach for a mouse.  That being said, many of the new users I work with are used to being able to do everything with a mouse and have been frustrated by the lack of that support.  Breaking that habit early can make them a faster programmer, but in some cases it drives them away from the desk.  To me this is, at least the start of, the best of both worlds.

    My .02...

    Best,

    John

  • Just to clarify, all the new features Sarah listed above are available without the use of a mouse or other pointing device.

    For example, you can use [Copy/Cut] and [Paste] in the Organisers to Import and rearrange items.

    The mouse functions are simply an extra way to do things - and as John said, I find them rather useful in the Offline Editor, PC Client and when working on a Congo LightServer.

    The only thing that needs a mouse is drawing Channel & Image Layouts and Images, and that's only because drawing using arrow keys is slow and tedious.

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