Manipulating Cues

It's been a while since I've worked on an Emphasis, but I'm pretty sure it only has a single simple cue list (unless you're doing subroutines, but those are more of a specialty thing).
 
For (1), I know on the O2 you can copy a range of cues out to a different range and renumber them all at the same time.  The syntax is [Blind] <Copy Cue> 1 [Thru] 30 [At] 401 [Enter]
You can then delete the original range and copy the new range back to the original range.  Of course this only works if you're using less then half of your cue space.  And, as I said, this is on the O2.  I don't know if Emphasis does a similar thing.

I don't really understand what you're saying with (2).  Are you talking about a need for more point cues?

I don't really understand (3) either.  As I said, Emphasis only has a single simple cue list, so the "flow of the show" is linear.

I'm sure I'm missing something in how you're using the console.  What is it? 

I don't think that you are mis-understanding what I was saying.  I know that the Emphasis (expression) board only has a linear cue list.  What I was attempting to say in my previous post was that I wished that the cue list was not quite so linear. I haven't tried copying the cues, deleting, and then re-copying them like you suggested-- but that sounds awfully clunky. What I was musing about was a function on the board that would allow you to renumber all cues with a set spacing in-between them.  What I'm comparing it to in my head is the software SFX which is a sound control system that allows you, at the click of the mouse, to renumber all of the cues so that there is a logical (and hence easire for the SM to call) numbering of the cues.  I know that in the ideal world I'd come into tech with all of the cues neatly laid out and only have to insert a couple, but life never seems to work that way.

As to my second point-- this is again wishing that the way in which the emphasis/expression system worked with its cues was not quite so linear. What I was saying in my second point was a simply cut and past control from the stage screen might be nice--the ability to copy a look and then paste it into the linear stream of the show without having to go into blind and copying the cue. Yeah, I could do a macro, and maybe that's the best way to do this...

 As to my third point it was more of just a musing on how the cues are organized on the board. Right now we have two options to see the cues:
1) In the stage or blind mode as a representation of what each channel is set at. or
2) In the blind cue-list.
What I was trying to say in the previous post was that it might be an interesting way of looking at cues if we could see them represented in a third manner of a graphical representation of the flow of the show. Each cue represented by an icon: almost like a flow chart for the cues.  Within this chart it would be really nice if you could grab cues with the mouse (in emphasis) copy it, move it into different positions, open it to edit, etc. This simply would be a different way of looking at the overall flow of the show. It may be completely impractical or, even more likely, something that no one other than myself would be interested in.

Perhaps what I am really struggling with is the fact maybe I'm outgrowing the strictly linear control of the emphasis system.

kbraden:

Perhaps what I am really struggling with is the fact maybe I'm outgrowing the strictly linear control of the emphasis system.

I think you answered your own question there.  Emphasis is an established system that has really found its niche.  (1) would fit Emphasis ok, but (2) and (3) don't really fit the philosophy of the console.  What you're looking for is a completely different way of thinking about a show.  Having said that, ETC doesn't really have a line of consoles that fits the graphical mentality you're suggesting, nor do they have an "experimental" production line.  So it might be something they'd be interested in researching, but don't expect to see it in a software update anytime soon.

To me it sounds like you want an Eos or possibly a Congo!

The Emphasis system is a purely linear console - there is one cuelist, and the cue display is fundamentally text-based.
These are due to the basic design concepts of the console, and are therefore simply not going to change!

Eos is a multi-playback fully-tracking console, and Congo can support multiple sequence lists drawing from a common pool of presets (cues/looks).
Both use graphical displays to show cuelist and level data, in different styles of course as they have very different methods of working.

Neither do drag'n'drop - personally I think that's an ugly way to work, but I'm very against needing a pointing device on a lighting console.

I cut and paste by playing back a cue, then recording that cue to the new cue. If you are using one look a lot, I will record it to a sub and throw it up when I need it. Maybe I misunderstood you, I don't know/

But on the same theme, I sure would like an undo on my Exspress!