FX or Subs?

i would look into a Global FX Fader. if you choose the fader behavior FX Rate pulling the fader to 0 will freeze the effect, bringing it back to 50% (which is its home position) will resume the effect.

Aha. Chance to learn something new here. Looking up GEF now. Thank you.

There is also a Freeze button on the keypad at least in the bigger desks and nomad (Control Alt F on external keyboard),  which freezes running effects  (Freeze Enter) doing it again unfreezes.    

I  have it setup on a magic sheet as I to have Ops that are mostly Go button pressers,  So the magic sheet has all the buttons and macros on it that are "safe" for them to push :)

I'm pretty sure ELE2 doesn't have a freeze button (I'm at home). There is mention of a "Delay Effect" in the manual I need to learn more about as well as uelriegg's Global FX Fader". Either way I need to control stop/start differently for each of the two MLs. My thought is to copy the effect I like into two new FXs and name them LIX1fx and LIX2fx. This should give them different numbers so I can independently control them whatever method used.

I like the MS idea. If I make macros to control this stuff then well labeled panels in the MS would assist our ops. Thank goodness this show is a couple of months off. I have lot to learn! Thank you for your help here.

You can use Tab 8 (Effect Channels) to individually control attributes of a single channel's effect:

Nice one, thanks. But I'm trying to make this KISS for our ops. Moving among different screens and operating inside them other than the magic sheet would require training. It is quite normal for a volunteer op to bow out late in the events so we put a large print script on the desk well annotated with Cue numbers. All they have to do is press the [Go] button. Occasionally we can get them to press a bump button for lightning but that's stretch!

Nice one, thanks. But I'm trying to make this KISS for our ops. Moving among different screens and operating inside them other than the magic sheet would require training. It is quite normal for a volunteer op to bow out late in the events so we put a large print script on the desk well annotated with Cue numbers. All they have to do is press the [Go] button. Occasionally we can get them to press a bump button for lightning but that's stretch!

Yes... If you change the rate on channel 1 to 0 in cue 21, that will pause channel 1 in cue 21. If you then change the rate on channel 2 to 0 in cue 22, and the rate on channel 1 to 100 it will swap the active light. This is all information you can store into cues.

Thanks. If I read you right then op runs the cue that starts the beams wandering and when they want to stop one hit the [Go] for new (freeze) cue and a further [Go] to resume? Interesting!

One thing can be said is that Augment3d is great for 'seeing' these scenarios at home here. I've copied all the answers into a working document so I can investigate the different ideas posted.

Is there a way to freeze a specific effect (by number) in a macro and another to unfreeze? If there was I could put the macros in the MS and just tell them to press them to stop and start each lamps travels.

Freeze Effect 1   does what you want.   doing it again resumes the effect.

So you can have two buttons on the sheet one for Freeze Effect 1 and the other for Freeze Effect 2

BTW you dont actually need to use a macro with the magic sheet.

Choose Command instead of Macro and then type in  as the target type on the drop down and then type the literal text    Freeze Effect 1 and press enter to include the enter at the end of the command then hitting the button just does that command.  For simple commands its easier than having a marco and point the button at the macro.

Screen shot of my freeze all button  - I also have a red stop effects button hence why this is orange :)  keeps it simple for the basic operators.

I eventually came around a big circle and found the Freeze buttons (monkey at a typewriter!) which - you are right - work perfectly. However your note on the need for Macros is entirely new to me and I am off to experiment, This would abide by the KISS principle,

Thanks for this Mike, My bench notes are getting bigger.!

Even better.. The Freeze did the trick to stop all FX. I changed text to "Freeze 1" and another button with "Freeze 2" and can now control them independently. So neat!