Too Much Ion

3. What's with the Park-Park? Why not just park? (this goes for all double click functions) 

You can also say [channel] xx [@] xx [park] [enter]... 

4. I need to create Subs in blind mode.

  If you want to create a sub in Live, you should be able to hit [select active]  ...this captures all the content on stage... [record][sub]xx[enter].  Or do you WANT to create them in Blind?  Not sure I understand if you want to create in Live or Blind...

5. Why GoToCue? If I'm in Cue 5 and the actors skip a page of dialogue, I should be able to press Cue 9 - GO. It seems inefficient to have to learn two different command lines to complete the same action.

I think this is a syntax/terminology difference - see above. 

6. Same issues with cue runtimes. If Cue 6 has a time of 10 and cue 7 has a time of 5, I can't jump to Cue 7 - both cues will run out their times together! That's no good if you've been running a two minute sunset and the performer gets to the end of the song, and the blackout, before it's over.

Try [Load][cue] xx.  You might have better luck there.   

7. This is a pretty standard situation for me: Oh look, the MC decided to go to CS instead of DSL like he said he would. Okay, Channel 3 @ sneak up using the wheel; Channel 5 @ sneak out using wheel - RELEASE; Channel 3 @ (wait until he's done talking) sneak out using wheel - RELEASE. Notice no "enter". The Ion is not helpful here.

 For this, try [channel]xx[enter] ...roll wheel... and then when he is done talking ...roll the wheel... (channel is still captured)... [@][enter] will release the channel.

8. Speaking of... the wheel is too small and too smooth - it needs a little tread on it for traction. How can I adjust the sensitivity so the intensity doesn't jump from 0 to 40 with the slightest touch?

Yep.  You can change the sensitivity in the setup... 

9. Clearing out a cue - Do I have to go to Cue 0 every time? This doesn't help me program any faster.

Hitting [select active][sneak][enter] will clear the programming too... 

Hey TechieMom!

I know that the Ion takes some getting used to...I am / was a LONG time Expression user!  The ION is a GREAT board.  We had Ellen White come from ETC to do a training session with colleagues, students and myself.  It made a WORLD of difference.  We spoke quite a bit before she came to visit so her presentation was tailored to us.  She brought along (I think) four or five units so it was very hands on.

It was quite reasonable to have her come.  I think we paid for her lodging while she was in town.  If you can swing it, I highly reccommend it!  Also, this forum is a *wonderful* resource.

 Best of luck!

Now you understand how its difficult to switch from the Obsession/Eos/Ion to the Expression.  I read Kixwy2's reply and that hopefully well help.  Some other things to think about.  

1. Where is the RELEASE button? (Even the training guy had to call tech support for this) I use release constantly. When I release something I want it to go out or to revert instantly - I don't have time to wait the 5 second fade it takes the Ion to clear out my command.

Sneak is almost the equivalent of release.  Assert is will also set the cue back to the state of the cue programmed.  Changing the assert time and the sneak time in setup should help, but if instead of rolling the wheel up you could type [ch] xx [@] level [sneak] (insert a time) and it will move to that level in the time specified and you don't have to keep messing with the wheel.  Don't worry about waiting for it to finish the command, just keep typing.  It will finish the command when it does and you don't need to wait for it.

2. The extra step of having to press "Enter" every time I want to bring up a channel is driving me crazy.

Just think of it as a "are you sure."  I get nervous when I don't get to type the enter.  It's just a syntax issue.

 
3. What's with the Park-Park? Why not just park? (this goes for all double click functions)

In the need to save buttons they've added this double click command (that's the only reason I can think to have it) I find it annoying too, but as with all things new, sometimes we just accept that that's what it is.

 
4. I need to create Subs in blind mode.

 I don't have a board in front of me right now, but if you double click sub or hit [blind] [sub] you should be able to help you.  Someone who's done this more than I should be able to tell you (BrentFJ?)

5. Why GoToCue? If I'm in Cue 5 and the actors skip a page of dialogue, I should be able to press Cue 9 - GO. It seems inefficient to have to learn two different command lines to complete the same action.

[Load Cue] [9] [enter] - [Go].  One more keystrokes.  Same outcome.

6. Same issues with cue runtimes. If Cue 6 has a time of 10 and cue 7 has a time of 5, I can't jump to Cue 7 - both cues will run out their times together! That's no good if you've been running a two minute sunset and the performer gets to the end of the song, and the blackout, before it's over.

This is an awesome feature, but if it bothers you block the cue that has to complete and it will force the other cues to finish in that time.  Block is the equivalent (almost) of an "allFade".
7. This is a pretty standard situation for me: Oh look, the MC decided to go to CS instead of DSL like he said he would. Okay, Channel 3 @ sneak up using the wheel; Channel 5 @ sneak out using wheel - RELEASE; Channel 3 @ (wait until he's done talking) sneak out using wheel - RELEASE. Notice no "enter". The Ion is not helpful here.

Again, I would use 3@Fl Sneak 8 enter to put it up in an 8 count, 5@0 sneak 10 enter to take out in a 10 count, when he goes back to his blocking type assert enter and it will restore the cue to programmed in the assert time.  If you don't put a number after the sneak it will move in the default sneak time. 

9. Clearing out a cue - Do I have to go to Cue 0 every time? This doesn't help me program any faster.

Does the Rem dim button help?   

Best of luck.  Hope any of this helps.  I'm sure you can sell the board on e-bay for a good price if you decide you hate it.  I would be interested in buying it off you if its going to sit in the closet.  But that makes me sad.  Good luck.

Thanks for the reply - sorry about the frustrated tone but well, I'm really frustrated!

The first note I have for the software gurus is to make the "enter" an optional function. I don't consider bringing up a channel as critical of a command as deleting a cue. I also don't need to confirm every patch change that I make. I have 192 dimmers. I'm not going to go far wrong.

Second note, if I type something in error on the command line it gives me a syntax error message that I then have to clear out before I can do anything else. My buttons seem to stick a little so that happens a lot - again, every second counts here.

The sneak function doesn't work in our situation as people rarely go where they are supposed to, nor do they stay put when they get there. I need to have hands on, manual control. What I need is forty crew people on follow spots. It would be SO GREAT if the software was at a level that would allow a technician to assign buttons to do what they need them to do. Give us a section of blank buttons and a bunch of little stickers to label them. Have all the options from all the ETC boards from the last 20 years and let us choose. (As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm not one to suck it up and just accept what I've got. Good or bad personality trait? Hmm...)

So... If I default the Sneak time to 0, when I press it will it get rid of all the channels that are up or do I have to select each of them (3+17+25thru30+ 42...) and then sneak them out? If the latter, I ask again - how can I release everything instantly? And I don't necessarily want them out, sometimes I just want to revert to the cue I was working from. A director will say "what about this" and I will try it, add a light here and there, change some levels, and they will say no, and Release is the fastest way back to where I started.

I do want to create cubs in blind. Quite often I decide during a show that having something in a sub would be more efficient. The last time I tried to set a sub in blind the lamp came up on stage (during pre-show). Not sure what happened there but the command line will only allow me to record a cue and not a sub in blind.

I'm still not getting the point of the two different Go commands. Why??? Why would you need to have a separate command? Is there some special uber-programming thing I don't know about that makes the GoToCue necessary? Is it used somewhere outside of running a show? With my Impression, when I want a cue to run, I press GO. If I need to get to a cue outside of the sequence I type Cue # GO. If I'm in Cue 10 and I need to get to Cue 12, I can press GO twice and skip over cue 11. With the Ion, cue 11 and 12 will both run at the same time! Why is it set up that way and how can I change it?

I apologize for going on forever. I want to find a way to make this board work in my world but I whisper obsceneties every time I use it.

I think I addressed a lot of what you said in my reply to Kixwy2. Thanks to you both for trying to talk me off the clocktower... I'm an ETC supporter but this one has me going wiggy.

I don't think RemDim is what I'm looking for when I'm programming. I need to be able to revert back to the original cue I'm building from, or to clear out anything that isn't saved into a loaded cue.

I just looked at my board and even though my manual gives me information on them, I don't have a SELECT ACTIVE key - or a SELECT MANUAL key. I only have a SELECT LAST key. Am I missing something? If I had a Select Active key that might actually be helpful. Is that an Eos reference that somehow got into the Ion book?

I can cope with everything else (I think), I just want my GO button to work like it's supposed to and I want my Release button back. Too much to ask?

It occurs to me that the enter button would be important is everything I had programmed was going to change with one false entry. I've defaulted to Cue Only mode. I don't use the tracking feature at all. If ever I needed to add a channel(s) to every cue I would normally go into track sheet and insert it there. How I would do that now, I don't know. Further reading required...

TechieMom:

I just looked at my board and even though my manual gives me information on them, I don't have a SELECT ACTIVE key - or a SELECT MANUAL key. I only have a SELECT LAST key. Am I missing something? If I had a Select Active key that might actually be helpful. Is that an Eos reference that somehow got into the Ion book?

In Ion, hold down the Select Last key, then Select active appears in the softkeys on the LCD screen. Annoying I know.

Do you have the universal fader wings? It seems to me that you are looking for something more like the Insight which has a good number of subs. With the fader wings, you can run your show more "on the fly" rather than bothering with all the syntax frusterations. 

Dear TMom,

I remember when I asked about the Enter key second-guessing my commands.  I was pummeled with the fact that the Level button doesn't require an Enter.  And you can set default levels for the level key like always.

If you find yourself with a mile of nonsense on the command line, (I am very familiar) a single press of the Undo key will clear it all away.

If you are really looking for the Release key, but Sneak (with a default of zero) doesn't do it for you, I have to think you're being a little stubborn and you'll get over it in a little time.  Please empathize that there are a lot a folks out here for whom the Release key was a burdensome chore that when neglected, resulted in unwelcome channels trucking along into unexpected territories.  As for a whole bank of of buttons to program- I'll bet you are aware that you can create a crazy lot of macros to mimic just about any old feature for which you are nostalgic.  If you are indeed happy with the Mouse interface then a macro section on the Direct Selects should make you a bit happier.

Believe me when I repeat what I have seen expressed here numerously- Let Sneak be your friend.  It's been a journey, but Sneak is way more cool than I thought it was going to be.  Say you are in cue 2.  You have alterred the levels of 3+17+25>30, giving them Manual levels in Red.  You have just changed the level of 42 and still have it Active.  If you press Sneak Enter, 42 will revert to Cue 2.  If you don't have anything specifically Active, then Sneak Enter will revert all Manual (Red) levels to Cue 2.  Also in this scenario, Goto Cue Enter will revert you to the current cue.  By the way, I just learned in a post above that you needn't press the Time key to enter a Sneak time.

Of course you can create Subs and anything else in Blind.  Double tap the Subs button.  This will take you to the Blind Subs screen.  Here, there is a Softkey for Edit.  It is here that you are allowed to create or change Subs (secretly).  Remember that everything you do in any of the many Blind screens is automatically recorded. 

I can load a cue when I need, but I use Goto Cue a lot.  If I'm in cue 10 but want to be in cue 20, I don't want to press Go ten times, especially if cue 20 has a time of  30 secs.  The reason that your cue 11 and 12  will both run at the same time is that this board knows that cue 11 might be a two minute sunset with maybe another cue or two happening in that time frame.  I think on older ETC boards, you would have to use two faders to do that.

Yeah, Select Active is really cool, and I think most everyone is appreciative that it is on the ION now (even just a SoftKey) But it's not in ver 1.3.  You should get the latest 1.4.2, but hurry- 1.5 is right around the corner.

You can add a channel to every cue (1 thru 100) in the Tracksheet (I think it's Blind, Format) or do it Live like this: Put channel 1 @ 50, leave it Manual (Red). Now say Update 1 thru 100 enter.  If you have other channels with Manual Levels but only want ch 1, you'd say, 1 Update 1 thru 100.

Hey, for whatever reason you are attempting this- making your boss not feel bad, or just for the sake of learning something more modern and cutting edge, commit to it with an open mind or stay with what makes you happy.  Over the past year, my Eos/Ion Freshman year, I've expanded my knowledge greatly, with the help of everyone here.  I can pretty much assure you that if can get your quandries down to specific queries, you will  get decent answers within 24 hours, be it from meager Sophomores like myself, the numerous upperclassmen, or the Princinpal herself, M. Valentino.  And don't forget Tech Support, they're always great. 

Have a little fun, you driving a sports car now, we'll keep you out of trouble-

B  

Nice info Brent (Smith). 

Just to add....  I find having [Go] and [Goto] HEAPS useful.  Mainly when I'm editing a cue blind while still running cues back.  Lets say during a dress rehearsal you're running a sequence and the LD asks you to change the time of the previous cue to 10 secs.  While typing [cue 10 time...] the stage manager calls "LX 12 Go".  If you were to press [go] with the current command line, cue 10 would execute instead of cue 12...not so good.  It's situations like this where I find it useful that [go] will execute the next cue in sequence, not the cue that is entered on the command line.

If you're operating in cue-only mode, you can use the [cue only / track] key to update changes to track.  Simply append [q only / track] to the end of an update command before hitting enter.

As Brent Smith mentioned, macros can be very useful.  Some macros that might be helpful for on the fly stuff could be some macros with different sneak times.  Perhaps one that is [sneak 3 enter]  another [sneak 6 enter] and another [sneak 10 enter].  That way you can select chans and give an intensity value, then press one of your sneak macros to make it fade in the desired time.

Not sure if you have a fader wing or not, but you can access virtual faders on the console.  In the browser, go all the way down to the bottom where it says "Virtual Controls"  Under this heading will be a line "Virtual Faders" or something to that effect.  This will open up a dialog box that asks where you would like the faders.  Select either upper left/right or open in CIA.  I'd recommend against using "Open as Primary Display" as this is not very space efficient with the monitors (you end up with a lot of blank space on the monitors that could be displaying other useful info).

The virtual faders will give you 10 faders which can be playbacks or submasters.  Off the top of my head I think there are 30 pages of faders, so you can have upto 300 subs/playbacks etc.

 Happy programming! - Hope this info helps

Cheers 

Here's my two cents on the philosophy of the command line.  Boards like the Expression are very much an evolution from the two scene preset.  Bringing up a channel on the keypad is fairly analogous to moving a fader pot, and hitting [Release] is very much like swiping across all the faders, taking away any modifications.  Recording is a lot like an automated substitute for writing down levels on a track sheet.

The Eos/Ion and it's Light Palette 90 and Obsession ancestors sought to look at programming a show from the standpoint of efficiency and features rather than emulating manual control.  (You may here these boards referred to as "tracking consoles," even though most available consoles now can record cues in either track or cue only).  Designing a show on these boards is a lot more like programming the show as opposed to just recording levels.  The command line provides for a lot of shortcuts, and setting the show becomes much more verbal and much less tactile.  

Think of the [Enter] key as completing a thought.  For example, to record a new cue with a bunch of time attributes I can say, "[Record] [1] [2] [Time] 10 [Time] 6 [Follow] [15] [Enter]" to record Cue 12 with a time of 10 up and 6 down and a follow of 15.  Not only is this fewer key strokes than on an Expression, but Cue 12 is now the active cue on stage, without having to hit the go button, wait for the cue to complete, the release.  If your programming with actors on stage, this mode of working is a huge time saver.  

As a designer, the command line philosophy lets me VERY quickly react to what I see on stage during a rehearsal.  If you're making modifications to a live performance, busking, etc., the command line is probably not as useful.  I think the Eos and Ion have been designed to do a lot more to aid in manual modification than the Obsession, but others will have to speak on that.

Incidentally, did you know that when setting a level that's a multiple of 10, you don't need to enter the "0"?  For example, to bring channel 2 to to 50%, the keystrokes can be [2] [At] [5] [Enter].  This results in the same number of keystrokes as a non-command line console.  Back when I learned how to program, I would substitute the enter key for the zero in my mind, i.e. the above would be [two] [at] [fif] [-ty].

The Goto Cue function was designed more with rehearsal than live playback in mind.  Say we want to go back to just before an actor's entrance in a rehearsal -- simply go to the cue we need to be in, without it's fade.  It's also a great help when going through a list of lighting notes to be able to quickly jump through the cues.  [Goto Cue] [next] is also a valuable key combination.  You might find you want to use Goto Cue where you used to use release.  For example, record cue 16.  Add the special and record as cue 17.  Go to cue 16, and record as cue 18.

As someone mentioned, the Load function is what's generally used to skip cues during playback.

Hope some of this helps.

-Josh

Not to beat the "command line syntax" issue to death, as all of the above responses has been near perfect, but...Yes!  The [enter] can simply be thought of as the period at the end of a sentence.  Furthermore, the command line lets one review what he has typed to verify it is correct before telling the board to [do it].  I was always annoyed that on the Expression, sometimes [enter] was required, and sometimes it wasn't: [rec] [cue] x [enter] [time] y [no enter-press anything else!] (as [enter] returns "Enter downfade time"). I'd much rather always have to press [enter] than remember when I should and when I shouldn't.  That, and the silly toggling back and forth between [cue] and [CH].  Who hasn't gotten tripped up by that?

Except for the few "self-terminating" commands: [level], [+%], [-%], [out], others?; [enter] is always required and becomes second nature.  Again, I'd prefer that there be NO self-terminating commands, but that's just me.  Obviously I can see where the saving of a keystroke when setting levels is appropriate.

1979LightPalette, 1987Prestige, 1992Obsession, 2006Eos/Ion think and work the same way Lighting Designers think and talk.  The Expression/Express family was great, but I suspect one of the reasons it didn't see the same caliber of use by professionals as Obsession (I don't think the Expression ever made it Broadway, for example, did it?) was that its "language" wasn't as close to "LD speak" as LightPalette, et al.