Sneak/Fade Changes function, few other conceptual questions

First of all, the fundamental differences between Eos Family (eg Ion) and Congo Family:

Congo is a Direct-Action, Preset-based console. Eos is a Command-line, Move-Fade console.

Direct-Action means that everything is short, fast actions.
- on a Congo, every command is somewhere between one button and a number + 2 buttons.

"Build a long command then press enter" is a command-line concept, and simply does not apply.
- Looking for a command-line on a direct-action console is like trying to find the steering wheel on a motorbike! It's not there and adding one would make it harder to ride.

1&2) Assign your Direct Selects as the Types Color and Focus, then type "4 [DS: Color Palette 5]" to get a 4-second fade into Color Palette 5.
- Alternatively, put the palettes of interest onto Masters and use # [Master_Key] to fade to the palette on the Master in time.
In Congo, you can put practically anything onto a Master.

Your selection is only cleared by [C/Alt][C/Alt] or starting a new one, so a syntax for your (2) is:

201 [ch] 204 [Thru] 5 [DS:Focus 1] 5 [DS:Color 2]

3) Eos Family's Presets are not the same Congo Presets. Unfortunately while they have the same name, it's a different concept*.

In Eos Family, a Preset is a 'super-palette' - a collection of values (that might further include palettes) which you can use either as referenced data or a shortcut for copy-from (automatically-Make Absolute). A Cue doesn't have to include all the lights in the Eos Preset (though you often would) any more than it would have to use all the lights in a color palette, it just references (or copies) the ones it needs.

In Congo Family, a Preset is a Cue** without crossfade timing - it's the complete actual look on stage that the playback will really be using.

• A Sequence Step adds crossfade timing and the ability to include automated actions (move a Master, wait-and-follow times etc) to your Preset, making it a complete Cue.
  - Re-using a Preset in a Congo Sequence is similar to using link-loops in Eos.
• Placing a Preset onto a Master means it uses the Master's timing, by default fully 'manual' and following the Master.

The similarity is that in both cases, Presets are partial or complete looks-on-stage.

If you re-use Presets, # [Goto] will always go forward in the Sequence. (Then loop back to the start if not found)

Finally, the Sequence Step numbers are purely to define the ordering, nothing else.
Think of them like the page numbers in a book - it doesn't matter what the numbers actually are unless you're checking the Contents/Index, just that they are in the right order.
I prefer to hide them using the option "Show Sequence Numbers" in [Setup] > "Crossfade".

* Unfortunately there is a lot of that in lighting - like Focus (Pan&Tilt) and Focus (Edge)...

** More or less. A Preset alone only has attribute timing, it takes the crossfade/Intensity timing from the place that plays it back, like a Sequence Step or a Master.

Thank you Richard,

1,2) I'm aware of the differences in programing philosophy between the two, thanks for that syntax list. I think what I was skipping/missing was using direct selects instead of just typing in 2 pallet color

3) Yes, this is as I expected, I guess i'm looking for best practices of getting something I could give to a stage manager so they could call cues? The reason we started recording everything as a new preset for those sort of shows was because the stage manager did not take kindly to calling the same number multiple times for a blackout, so on. 

Thanks again!

In general Preset == Cue.

Re-using Presets multiple times in the same Sequence is an 'advanced' feature that very few people need.

For the most part, straight copy/paste of the Preset (as opposed to the Step) is what you want.

Hey austin,

I have the same problem sometimes when we use an SM (which we normally don't use!). 

But I always tend to educate them, that a Blackout/Light/Blackout/Light/… sequence or something similar can be called with the same cue number, since the look is always the same.

It makes my programming a lot easier. 

You're not your Stage Manager's slave: he or she should be able to learn the concept that the console (or LD) uses!

I don't always have a stage manager calling cues, but when I do, I just label the Step "LQ5" or whatever and take responsibility for my Step GoTos. 

Takes a couple of seconds to label things, but it's still pretty quick to build shows and soothes the feelings of the show caller. As always when re-using Presets, I just take care to make very clear to that person* when looks are re-used and when they're unique.

*It's extremely rare in my venue to have a theater-style stage manager--even when someone's calling cues here, it's a road manager/SM/LD/video operator-type person who's also responsible for adapting lighting content. Typically, Congo comes in very handy here if they're willing to wrap their brains around a Verse/Chorus/Verse/Bridge kind of format, and, of course, if the show itself works that way.

Anne S