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    gbclancaster
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I have the ETC Element and would like to hook it up to my computer where I am running Pro Presenter and would like to be able to trigger cues via Pro Presenter. Any help would be great?

Running iMac with latest OS.

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  • 0

    If you are running Pro Presenter on a Mac, it is possible to trigger AppleScripts on that Mac from an Element via OSC.  With a little digging around, you can send keystroke commands to any application.

    That link talks about using Qlab, but the process is the same from an Element.  Give it a look and see if that would do what you want.  We can help you set it up.

  • 0 in reply to Paul Toben
    Thanks Paul. Before I dive to far into that I should have prefaced this by saying that ProPresenter has a module that should be able to communicate over ethernet or over midi. Didn't know which was easier and if this would work with the Element and what I needed to get started. If that option doesnt work I can certainly look into your route of using OSC. Let me know if you can help. Thanks.

    http://www.renewedvision.com/propresenter.php?page=modules#communications_module
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster

    The Eos Family consoles don't output MIDI over Ethernet, but they do output Artnet.  There is a ProPresenter fixture profile already loaded on your desk (under RenewedVision in Patch).  Take a look there.

  • 0 in reply to Paul Toben
    Sorry really new to this board. What do you mean a profile and where can I find that? So I need a cat 5 cable between computer and desk? Sorry for the ignorance.
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster

    Yes, you would need to connect both the Element and the iMac on the same ethernet network and configure their IP addresses so they're able to talk to each other.  Once you've got that set up, you'd go into Patch on your Element, pick an empty channel, and assign it the fixture type for Pro Presenter.

    I've never used Pro Presenter, but I will say that controlling any media server on an Element is not for the faint of heart.  Perhaps others who have used Pro Presenter will chime in with advice.

  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster
    Found the profile and added it to a channel but now how am I sending that to the computer?
  • 0 in reply to Paul Toben
    I don't want to control the media from the Element, I want to control the Element from the media if that makes sense. So when I trigger something in ProPresenter it triggers a cue on the Element. Also I don't have an ethernet cable run for the network on the iMac I just use wireless. Im guessing I need to run one for the Element? There is nothing I can do to tie it straight into the iMac without running new cabling?
    Thanks
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster

    Running any show-critical communications over consumer-grade WiFi is not a good idea.  WiFi is far too unreliable.

    Again, I don't know anything more about ProPresenter than what's listed on their website, but the link you sent about the Communications Module says this:

    The communications module for ProPresenter gives you advanced capabilities to control ProPresenter running on your Mac from other production devices (emphasis added).

    I don't believe ProPresenter has any options for show control output (MIDI, MIDI over Ethernet, OSC or any other), but if you find one, let me know and we'll help you get it set up.

  • 0 in reply to Paul Toben
    Paul,
    I sent an email to Renewed Vision a while back and here is the reply.

    "Chris,

    Do you know if this unit can receive Midi signals? This is the kind of cue that ProPresenter can send out to consoles like this using the Communications Module. I don't know enough about the ETC Element to know if it has this feature."

    When viewing the page I sent to you under the midi section it says,
    "In ProPresenter 6, you can now send a MIDI note directly from any slide. For example, when you click to display a particular slide, you could have a MIDI note sent to your lighting console to trigger a particular lighting scene."
    We are running ProPresenter 6.
    Thanks
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster

    There are actually two types of MIDI:  MIDI Notes (which PP can output, apparently), and MIDI Show Control (also called MSC).  The first challenge is that Element can *output* both MIDI Notes and MSC, but it can *only input* MSC.  Can PP send MIDI Show Control commands?

    The second challenge is that the Element does not process MIDI over Ethernet, so to use any form of MIDI you would need to add a hardware MIDI Output Interface to your iMac, and then run a MIDI cable from your iMac to your Element.

    MIDI is a protocol that was first introduced in 1981.  Over the years, folks have sort of figured out ways to make it do more advanced things, but there's no getting around its limitations.  OSC replaces MIDI with many modern features.  ETC and most other lighting control manufacturers have embraced OSC, and so I wouldn't hold my breath for new MIDI-In capabilities on the Element.

    I do know it's possible to convert MIDI Notes to OSC (which the Element is happy to accept over Ethernet), but it involves purchasing a license to a program called Qlab. Is that something you'd be interested in doing?

    In the meantime, I would email the PP folks and ask them if they support MSC (and buy a MIDI interface & cable) or OSC (and buy an ethernet cable).

  • 0 in reply to Paul Toben
    Will do. I will let you know what I hear back. Thanks so much Paul.
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster
    Our church has an ETC Element 40 and ProPresenter so I'm very curious about this as well. Would be HUGE for us if this could be done. Please share if you find a solution. I think I could figure it out on the computer end but wondered if the Element needed a special set up. I would just want to be able to simply advance cues...
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  • 0 in reply to jcanfield82
    I also was thinking this would be fairly simple as I just wanted to advance cues with ProPresenter. Unfortunately they said they only support MIDI notes which it sounds like Paul was saying wouldn't work without Qlab. So Paul are you able to guide me through the setup with QLab? I am interested enough that I am willing to purchase whatever I need within reason to get this working.
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster
    element doesn't support MIDI Notes input. your best bet is OSC, which is a network protocol. the good thing is that qlab supports OSC too!
  • 0 in reply to gbclancaster

    So it took me a minute, but I figured out how to do this with OSCulator instead of Qlab.  A license for OSCulator is much less expensive than Qlab.  The guide is here:

    Converting MIDI Notes to OSC
    Not Answered
    At the request of gbclancaster and jcanfield82 , here is a guide for translating MIDI Notes (which the Eos Family can't natively take as inputs) into OSC Commands (which the Eos Family loves). The forum…
    By in Eos Family Consoles > Eos Family Show Control Support (MIDI, SMPTE, OSC, RTC, etc)
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    I don't know anything about ProPresenter (as we've established!) so I can't help you with attaching MIDI note commands to ProPresenter.  In my guide, I used Qlab as my MIDI Note source.  So just replace everything I do in Qlab with stuff you do in ProPresenter.

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