Streamlining Multiple Cuelists in a Live Programming Atmosphere (Ion)

litedesign:

Also, is there a way to change the function of the fader itself?  Perhaps to use it as a manual timing override or an intensity master?

 Hi Ethan

You can change a playback fader to be an I-master.  If you press the [cue] button twice, this will bring up the cuelist display.  From here you can change fader behavior from "Proportional" to "I-Master".  This will make the playback fader behave in a similar way to a hog.  Off the top of my head the syntax should be [cue n/ {fader} enter].  

If you wanted to use the master as a manual timing control, try leaving your fader mode as proportional and assign a manual timing to the cue.  You will then be able to control the fade manually using the fader.  I don't use the console in a live environment, so my info may be slightly off, but have a play around and you should be able to get it to behave the way you want.

With regards to getting fixtures to go to their background state on the main list would be to assert them from the command line.  For example, if you wanted to have chans 3 > 5 return to the position that is recorded in the main playback, the syntax would be [3 >5 assert cue n/n enter]

 I realise this is a fair bit to enter on the command line on the fly. Suggestions I have would be to use direct selects or groups for selecting your chans, or alternatively, if you have spare subs, record those chans onto subs.  That way you can use the top bump button to select the chans (group sub) - Kind of works the same way as using groups.  Assuming you have cuelist 1 on your master playback, you could also write a macro [assert 1/] so all you have to type is the cue number and enter.

Another thought or 2....could you record a general state onstage as a preset and use that as your home preset, that way when the fixtures go home, they go to a position, colour, etc...  Not sure if that would work or not...just food for thought.

I believe you can also record submasters and use the top bump button as an assert (if the fader is not at full).  You could record some states on subs and assert them back to sub control using the bump button.  Again, haven't played with this feature so not entirely sure if this would work, but again...more food for thought 

On a side note...Question for ETC... do you have to enter the cue number when asserting from the command line, or can you just enter the cuelist number? Would that make live assertion a bit faster then having to enter the list and cue number?

 Cheers 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. 

So I was holding off on really exploring this stuff until I got my new 2x20 fader wing this week.

Now that I have it and I've begun to program more seriously, I thought I would list a few problems that are standing in my way.

- When you hit GO on a playback, it automatically makes that cuelist your default record target.  That means not only will your manual changes update into that cuelist by default, but it takes away the view of your main cuelist on the monitor display, and takes away your ability to GoTo Cue quickly in your main playlist, as you have to re-specify Cuelist 1 in your GoTo command.

- An easy way to turn a playback fader into a toggle (as I detailed in my original message), would be to record an empy Q2 in that cuelist that executes a macro that does the following:

    1.) Selects the channels in Q1
    2.) Asserts them back to the Main Cuelist in the desired time.

The only problem is, is there syntax that allows you Assert whichever cue is ACTIVE in the selected cuelist (simply typing Assert Cue 1/ ENTER assumes you are trying to assert the first cue of the list, not the active cue)?

Also, the cuelist that stomped itself should reset to cue 0, so you can fire it again with the next bump.  Does this functionality exist yet?

I have also found that macros don't always work properly when Executed from a cue.  For instance, if I have a macro that does "GoTo Cue 0", when I Execute it from a cue it seems to do absolutely nothing.

More to come.  I will continue to edit this post as I continue to work and find things.

Hi there

"  When you hit GO on a playback, it automatically makes that cuelist your default record target.  That means not only will your manual changes update into that cuelist by default, but it takes away the view of your main cuelist on the monitor display, and takes away your ability to GoTo Cue quickly in your main playlist, as you have to re-specify Cuelist 1 in your GoTo command."  Update will update changes back to their source.  If you have 2 cuelists up on stage and you make manual adjustments, the updates should be stored into whichever cue they are recorded into.  This is true from my experience and experimentation

" I have also found that macros don't always work properly when Executed from a cue.  For instance, if I have a macro that does "GoTo Cue 0", when I Execute it from a cue it seems to do absolutely nothing."  Goto Cue 0 will send the active cuelist to 0.  Try specifying a cuelist number in your macro and see if that works.

 Hope that helps

Cheers 

Oh - one other thought as a workaround for quickly displaying desired cuelist on screen. Could some macros be a possible solution?  Macro 1 for list one, macro 2 for list 2, etc... with each macro having [cue n/ enter]

I must say however, it would be nice if there was a quicker way to be able to display the desired cuelist on screen.  Pressing the associated load button perhaps??

Cheers 

Thanks for your response Brent. 

BrentFJ:

Update will update changes back to their source. If you have 2 cuelists up on stage and you make manual adjustments, the updates should be stored into whichever cue they are recorded into. This is true from my experience and experimentation

You're right, that is totally true.

BrentFJ:

Goto Cue 0 will send the active cuelist to 0. Try specifying a cuelist number in your macro and see if that works.

Tried that.  No dice.  Besides, since hitting GO on that fader automatically makes it the active cuelist, I shouldn't have to specify the cuelist number.  The macro works fine when fired normally, but not when executed from a cuelist.  I wonder if this has something to do with an earlier post of mine, about a Lamp Off macro that won't work, which Anne said will be fixed in the v1.4.2.

BrentFJ:

 

Oh - one other thought as a workaround for quickly displaying desired cuelist on screen. Could some macros be a possible solution?  Macro 1 for list one, macro 2 for list 2, etc... with each macro having [cue n/ enter]

Not a bad idea... only saves you the / keystroke though.  Actually, I am finding that in some cases it is nice to have the most recently activated cuelist on the monitor... but only if that cuelist has several cues in it.  This should be a function that can be toggled on a per-cuelist basis.  But it would also be nice to have a shortcut to re-select the cuelist in the main fader, without using a macro.  Maybe by double-pressing the LIVE key?

It would also be nice to be able to customize the order of the softkeys that show up when the Fader Control key is held down.  Some useful live programming functions, such as OFF, are buried on the second page of softkeys, and the ones on the right are difficult to press while holding down the Fader Control key.

A question for the ETC chaps....Would it be possible to make the load have more functionality?  For example, use the load keys to be able to post the cuelist assosiated with it to the display?  Also, could you use the load keys for asserting as well?  Instead of having to type [assert 1/34], would it be possible to type [assert load], the load key being the load for the cuelist you wanted to assert?

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers 

A thought on executing.....since you can execute cues as well as macros, try executing cue 0 instead of a macro.  May need to specify the cuelist as well (eg execute x/0).  Seems to work on the OLE

Cheers 

BrentFJ:

Also, could you use the load keys for asserting as well? Instead of having to type [assert 1/34], would it be possible to type [assert load], the load key being the load for the cuelist you wanted to assert?

On the Ion, when you hold down Fader Control, an Assert softkey comes to the screen.  If you press assert, then press LOAD for the main fader (or bump/solo on a fader wing fader), it will assert the active cue in that cue list in the default assert time.

BrentJFJ:

 

A thought on executing.....since you can execute cues as well as macros, try executing cue 0 instead of a macro.  May need to specify the cuelist as well (eg execute x/0).

Good call.  I did discover that if you link the final cue in your cuelist to Q0, it will indeed reset the cuelist.  Unfortunately, while GoToCue 0 will reset the cuelist and kill the intensities that were active in the list, its default functionality (leftover from the Obsession days) is to leave all other attributes untouched so the lights fade out in place.  This is as opposed to actually Releasing, and allowing the levels currently controlled by that cuelist to be restored to the main fader.

BrentFJ:

Also, could you use the load keys for asserting as well? Instead of having to type [assert 1/34], would it be possible to type [assert load], the load key being the load for the cuelist you wanted to assert?

On the Ion, when you hold down Fader Control, an Assert softkey comes to the screen.  If you press assert, then press LOAD for the main fader (or bump/solo on a fader wing fader), it will assert the active cue in that cue list in the default assert time.

BrentJFJ:

 

A thought on executing.....since you can execute cues as well as macros, try executing cue 0 instead of a macro.  May need to specify the cuelist as well (eg execute x/0).

Good call.  I did discover that if you link the final cue in your cuelist to Q0, it will indeed reset the cuelist.  Unfortunately, while GoToCue 0 will reset the cuelist and kill the intensities that were active in the list, its default functionality (leftover from the Obsession days) is to leave all other attributes untouched so the lights fade out in place.  This is as opposed to actually Releasing, and allowing the levels currently controlled by that cuelist to be restored to the main fader.