ETC ION - Syncing Music with Light Cues - Midi?

Question

So I have a show coming up in a week, and I was wondering if it is possible to get a usb to midi cable and plug it into Ion's midi in to be able to sync a song with a midi track. For example, we have cues already made for certain points in the song, but would it be possible to make the midi go to the next cue at a certain time while that midi track is synced up with the song? 
 Thank's in advance. If I'm in the wrong place to ask this, sorry!

jhamil · Accepted Answer

Below is pulled directly from "I on_v1.7_Operations_Manual_RevA.pdf " can be found here: " http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/manuals/Ion_v1.7_Operations_Manual_RevA.pdf " 
 Hope this helps you with what commands you need to send your ION. I'll keep my fourth eye on this thread to learn what to use to create the MIDI code. Break a finger:) 
 
 Ion Command Interpretation When Ion receives a command from a MIDI source, it will look for and support the following MIDI commands in the following ways: &bull; Go Runs a cue &bull; Stop Pauses a cue &bull; Resume Resumes a paused cue &bull; Set Controls a submaster, playback, or grandmaster &bull; Fire Runs a macro The cue-related commands (go, stop, resume) affect Ion based on the cue and list fields also contained within the MSC data. Cue and list fields will correspond directly to the Ion cues and cue lists. In the command/effect tables below, if a field is present in the MSC data, the name is indicated (such as "Cue" or "List"). If it is not present in the data, a "-" is indicated. For example, "Cue -" implies that a cue is specified in the data, but not a list. Go When accompanying a MIDI "Go" command, data for the following fields will result in the following effects: Stop When accompanying a MIDI "Stop" command, data for the following fields will result in the following effects: Resume When accompanying a MIDI "Resume" command, data for the following fields will result in the following effects: Cue Data Field List Data Field Effect Cue List Runs the specified cue in the specified cue list Cue - Runs the specified cue in the default cue list - List Runs the next cue in the specified list - - Runs the next cue in the default cue list Cue Data Field List Data Field Effect Cue List Stops the specified cue & list (if running) Cue - Stops the running cue from the default cue list - List Stops the current cue from the specified list - - Stops all cues Cue Data Field List Data Field Effect Cue List Resumes the specified cue & list (if stopped) Cue - Resumes the specified cue in the default cue list - List Resumes the current cue in the specified list - - Resumes all stopped cues 24 Using Show Control 285 Set The "Set" command allows MSC to control potentiometers using both a numeric control number (which specifies the potentiometer) and a data field (which controls the level: 0-100). Control values are as follows: Accompanying any of these indications in the MSC data, a numeric value of 0-100 would set the specified potentiometer to that level. All other control values are ignored. Fire This command fires a macro. MSC supports macros 1 through 127 only. Therefore a numeric value of 1 - 127 would accompany this command. Control Value Indication 1-127 Submaster 1-127 128 Primary playback in 129 Primary playback out 510 Grandmaster

Hans.Hinrichsen · Answer

Hi there, 
 The Eos family has two methods of triggering cues from a form of MIDI input - MIDI Show Control (mentioned above) and MIDI Time Code (hinted at above). 
 MIDI Show Control 
 For a description on what the Eos Family sends and receives, see this wiki article: Understanding the MSC Commands Eos Family Receives/Transmits 
 If Eos is receiving MSC, each Go, Sub bump, Macro, or other action would have to be programmed at the show controlling device (aka not Eos) and fired at the appropriate time. Eos then responds immediately by executing the command. 
 (For the sake of thoroughness -- If Eos is transmitting MSC, each action (listed in the manual and wiki article) that the console does will be transmitted immediately out the specified MIDI port. As of 1.9.8, you can also have it output a custom MIDI string via a Cue Execute flag or via a Macro.) 
 
 MIDI Time Code 
 MIDI Time Code is a stream of time values coming into the desk either through local MIDI ports (Gio/Ion/Element) or a Net3 Show Control Gateway (all Eos Family consoles). The console can learn a show control list that tells it what to do at specific times. In contrast to MIDI Show Control, this doesn't require a lot of programming at the show control device, but requires some time on the Eos Family console to specify which cues and other actions happen when. 
 There are two programming options. First, there is a Learn function. When you are in Learn mode for the event list, it will record the action (pressing the Go button, firing a macro, etc...) and the time stamp when it did it. When you play the timecode back again, it will execute it exactly as you did it before. The second way to do this is manual entry in the show control list. This is also incredibly useful for editing timing once you've done your initial pass using the Learn function. 
 
 In terms of software to do this, I don't have particular recommendations. As has been pointed out, QLab is a popular option of Mac, but it is only on that platform. I think SFX has the capability to do most of these things, and there are other software packages out there. 
 Hope this helps as an overview of the options! Let us know if you have questions. 
 Hans