RFR Channel Check - Show Channels

My first thought was why would you have unused addresses in the patch in the first place ?.

Isn't that inviting trouble in other ways ?, such as potentially calling up a level on a channel that has units not focused or otherwise used for that production.

If you just patch the used addresses, you can live in patched view and not have to deal with this in the RRFU.

Do you chan check by Address or by Channel?  I don;t know if the current flexi state tools can support this natively - If the RFR is the same user number as the desk does it respect the flexi-state of the currently selected tab on the desk?  Seems unlikely but I may be wrong.

There are probably 3 or 4 ways to solve the problem - the best solution will be based on your specific situation which we kinda don't know.

Based on your description how about a quickie Macro like - Build a group that is all your channels minus your show channels.  Go into patch.  Group  move to "1st channel + 1000" Enter

This would push all your unwanted channels out into the 1000's while retaining the number structure - keep the same order and spacing.

To drag them back in it's just Group Move to First Channel - and your default patch is restored.

If it's by address - Group at 16/ Enter would move your unwanted channels out to universe 16.  

Either way now your channel check wouldn't hit the unwanted fixtures until the end - which is nice when you need to add a fixture back mid run.   No need to get the lightwrite - the old Ch 28 is just 1028 and you look like a superstar.  For this reason I would avoid unpatching the unwanted channels.

With a little noodling you could Macro-tize it to be a single key-press in and out of your range based on your current flexi state - or based on a list of channels (group or sub) you maintain during focus.

MACRO IDEA

"Tab_down 1 *               ///Selects the Chan Display

Flexi Show Channels*             ////Ensures you are in the right flexi state

1 thru last chan recordOnly Group 998**                   ////Builds a group of your show channels

1 thru thru last chan - Group 998 RecordOnly Group 999**            /////Builds a group of all those unwanted channels

Open_Patch                    

Group 999 MoveTo"

This is where you manually enter your first unwanted channel + 1000.  If you have the ability to make channel 1 always unwanted then you can automate this part as well.

As no one else has yet, I'll make a comment on rep plots.

Often large rep plots without a rep focus have a permanent patch, and channeling is by position.  Even spare circuits, floor pockets, mult drops, etc will have a patch, so if you need to add a light you can do so very quickly and without much documentation.  You do wind up with many unused, but patched, channels.

-Josh

I have a medium sized rep. plot, 250+ units or so, no rep focus or color.  Each patch is determined as per event.  I don't keep un-used units patched to console channels, though they still have addresses..  The patch changes as per the hookup, which in any event is a file imported from Lightwright.  In 10 years on this system I've really never had issues finding an address and quickly patching it, but as it's a rep hang that has been in use for 10 years, I could tell you the address of every unit from memory.  

Note that's not in any way criticizing the methods used by others, as my situation may have any number of differences in how and why the system gets used, but is only why I pondered the OP.

That Macro idea is a tiny bit buggy.  If your first channel is currently not in your show - Channel 1 thru X will then ignore the flexi state of the screen and record the whole channel selection as a group.   Kinda defeats the purpose.

Youd be better off maintianing a list of used channels in a sub or something as you focus them.   Then 1 thru thru 999 - group sub X will build your group of unwnated channels so you can move them out of the way in Patch without destroying them.

Our rep plot has about 400 units that have a rep focus.  They are always channeled, focused and available for a designer to use at anytime.  We may get through tech without using a particular wash but a designer may add it into a cue or two even after opening.  Ideally all of the rep channels always stay available.

I think I'll end up using a version or the macro solution.  I'll play around with "Group Cue 1 Thru Enter" and inverting the selection to get a group of unused channels.  The Group Cue option is actually a little better than Show Flexi since Show Flexi will include channels with hard zeros but Group Cue will only select channels that go above zero.

I'll report back if I settle into a particular workflow.  Or maybe a future release will include some more options for channel check from the RFR.

Hey Matt,

I think I have an answer for you. The board I just tested this on doesn't have an RFR attached, so I can't check it totally, but I've used most of these functions before on RFRs so it should work.

Make a macro that is simply:

Flexi_Show 1 @ Full Rem_Dim [Enter]

Then use the wheel that is the Next/Last to advance a show channel or go back. On the board it works like a charm and only advances through the Show Channels. When in "Show Channels" flexi mode, the board will advance to the next Show Channel so even if your first channel is 10, when you start at 1 and hit next, it will go to channel 10 and won't go back to any channels that are not in the show.

Obviously if you never use channel 1 you can start where you like. Like I said, it works on the board so it should work on the RFR.

Note: To get the Flexi_Show command in the macros, I had to edit the macro manually and add it from the CIA display. It's hidden but its there.