Introduction

PCStage as well as being a comprehensive lighting control system for generic lighting is a framework application for the computer control of show elements. There are many other tools that do some part(s) of what PCStage does, but very few tools that cover the breadth of function that PCStage covers.

Although PCStage gets described as many things, calling a PC lighting desk or a show controller only describes part of it's capabilities.

Central to PCStage is a cue-list control paradigm, indeed PCStage supports multiple cuelists. A show can have a single cuelist holding all the cues, or can have several cuelists, organised any way the show programmer wants. Cuelists can control each other, so a common arrangement is a "master" cuelist which "drives" the show, and other cuelists for ornganisational reasons, or to support parallel events. If not controlled from each other, the cuelists are completely seperate, so it is possible to run several parallel shows from one computer, for example in a museum or themed show, without the elements controlled by each cue-list interfering with each other.

Also central to PCStage is the concept of commands, which cause "something" to happen. A command is a short text string, which is understood by either PCStage itself, or one of the plugins. Although there are many commands, only a few are popularly used, and there are buttons to help build the command. A command is typically issued as the result of a trigger, which is something that PCStage has been proigrammed to "notice" happening, such as a MIDI event, timecode passed, or a keyboard key pressed.

Supported Control Functions

The significant control functions are listed below, this list is not complete, there is more.

Lighting

PCStage a fully fledged conventional lighting controller with some support for automated fixtures. Up to 3 universes (1536 channels) are supported. Multiple virtual lighting consoles permit complex simultaneous overlapping states, each cue-list referred to above has it's own set of faders (and memories if so selected). Many strange (and some unique) features, including the ability to import a graphic of the lighting rig, and overlay faders onto the graphic allowing direct control of lights from the graphic image. Anything you want to do with conventionals, you can do with PCStage.

PCStage requires a specific DMX512 interface to interface to DMX512, which is only available from a small number of suppliers.

An external DMX512 source (such as an ordinary lighting desk) can be used to control PCStage, using it's faders and bump buttons to directly used to control PCStage submasters or crossfades, or indeed through the comprehensive triggering mechanism, command just about anything else, eg audio playback or MSC commands. Using an older big desk with lots of faders and bumps (eg TheatreLight ShowMaster II/ 48/96 has 96 faders and bumps) provides a huge control surface (by modern standards) at low cost.

Audio Playback

PCSateg supports audio playback, with cue-list controllable volume and panning. Tracks can loop. Supports as many stereo output channels as there are WDM soundcards available, with an unlimited number of simultaneously playing tracks to any mix of outputs. Provides a similar depth of functionality as PCStage Pro-Audio edition, the only audio features missing (that I can think of!) are variable loop points and cross-panning between different WDM outputs (a unique SFX feature).

PCStage has a CD plugin, that allows CDs to be played (and paused, and track selected etc) under cuelist or manual control. Multiple CD players are supported, but only one is active at once. CD control used to be an integral part of PCStage, but has now been relegated to a plugin as CDs have fallen from favour as an audio source for shows.

In addition to "ordinary" Windows WDM output, PCStage can also send audio to ASIO devices, allowing easy use of devices with many audio outputs but only the first pair are presented as WDM, for example the annoying Behringer BCA2000.

Show Control

• A fairly complete show controller system, allowing integration using ordinary MIDI events (eg Note On) and/or MIDI show control. Receives MTC allowing PCStage to "follow" external sources such as video playback

MIDI

• MIDI support allowing MIDI to do many things, so a MIDI control surface with faders can control lighting, MIDI buttons can trigger events such as cue list movement or audio playback or anything triggerable within PCStage. Also PCStage can track MIDI clocks, most useful for triggering chasers "on the beat".

Button panel

A simple on-screen set of buttons which can be individually created and titled, which directly in terfaces to the PCStage trigger mechanism, so anything that can be triggered can be put on a button. This could include cue list moves, lighting states, playbacks etc.

Joystick Port

For those computers that still have a joystick port, an external key panel can be wired to the port, allowing the keys to trigger events.

MediaSync

A specialised media playing plugin, designed to allow PCStage to display video whilst still operating as a control computer. Best set up with a twin screen system, where the second screen is a projector for the audience, and the first screen is PCStage control. Secondary screen is black between clips. Event triggers can be created to be invoked at the appropriate moment in the playback, so allowing easy integration with other show elements from video media files.

APIs

There are three levels of API supported:

• TCP/IP - A TCP/IP listener permits other applications (on the same machine or elsewhere) to issue commands to PCStage. This could be a simply as from a telnet client, to some application, to a hardware box or PLC that issues fixed strings when some event occurs. There is also a web version of the listener permitting commands to be issued from within a web browser.

• PCStage has a COM automation interface, allowing the issuing of commands from any language supporting COM automation, eg VBScript, JScript.

• The plugin interface - user created DLLs using COM programmatic interfaces. User created plugins are indistinguishable from "offical" supplied plugins. Requires fairly serious programming ability, plugins are most easily created in Delphi.

External Links

• Official (but awful and out of date) PCStage website
• Some PCStage Tips, Techniques and Software
• FutureLight - Swedish distributor of PCStage