Working with effects more closely on this show than I normally do, as we are working with a buch of LED Striplights. I am noticing a lot of issues getting the effects to behave the way we need them to. Here's the stuff i'm seeing:
In an extisting cue list
If I offset a group of striplights to mirror out and run an effect, then in the next cue I offset the same channels to mirror in and run the same effect, it will do it and accept the update. When I play back the cues, the second cue will still be mirroring out the effect. I have to copy the effect to a different cue number and use that in the second cue in order for it to work.
If I change the rate of an effect in the effect status screen (hit [effect] in an active cue. Effect 18 {rate} 25 [enter]) there appears to be no way to update that into the cue. Nothing appears in the update screen, and when playing back the cue, the rate change is no longer there. Even if I change the rate of all the channels in the effect channels tab, the update has no effect - when playing back, the effect channels rate column is blank.
Occasionally, I will adjust an effect live to the way I want it, and when I Record or update, the effect will change in either the grouping or the speed or both.
If by some miracle I've managed to change the rate of an effect in a cue, that rate change stays with that cue, for that effect number, for all time until updated over.
The only way I have found to adjust the rate of an effect is to completely remove the effect from the cue, reenter all the information including the new rate and update that way. In fact, *ANY* change I want to make to an existing effect in a cue requires me to completely remove the effect from the cue, and reenter it and update. Those changes, however, track through the rest of the cues that the effect is in, even if I update cue only.
So my process right now is to: step through the cues in order. Any time a rate or size change wants to happen, remove the effect from the subsequent cues, reenter all the info with the changes, and update. If a grouping or offset change wants to happen, I need to record a whole new effect and use that one. And, once again, I have to do these changes in order from beginning to end. If I want to change something in the middle of the cues, I have to redo everything from that point on.
So:
Is there some underlying logic of this effects engine that I am not getting? Where is cue-level effect information stored and how do you update it? What is the deal with how effects are played back, and why can't the same effect number have a different channel offset in the next cue?
Thanks for any info.
Yes to all of the above. It is enough to drive you crazy.
2.3 has a rework of most everything you are discussing. The goal being to make effects behave more like other forms of NIP data - Block, make manual, update, track, recorded into Presets - all that stuff.
There is also much thought being put into how effects are really a 3 or 4 part construction : Channel order, Background Value(s), the effect itself, and then the overrides. Each of these parts needs to be considered as a real "thing" that can be changed independently, updated etc.
This rework has been a long time coming - so hang in there.
As for 2.2 - I have no advice really. There is always an element of surprise....
The specific problem in v2.2 is that for cue effects channel order tracks with the effect. So if effect 1 has a channel order of 1 thru 5 in cue 1, cue 2 can't change its order to 5 thru 1. To change the order in an effect that is also tracking into the cue, you must use a different effect number, or stop the effect, and restart it in a follow cue.
The other attributes of an effect like rate or size, should track properly, and update should be recording them into the cue. The update dialog in the CIA does not list out the effects that will be updated, but this will be added to that display in 2.3.
