Strand Fx random step times

[krisn]

Seeing the topic on Dimmer flicker, made me remember a question I often have...

 

That of a random timed fx on a Strand 300/500 type desk. This is most commonly needed for a fire/lightning type effect where I just need some random flicker/flashes.

 

I can't see an easy way to give a random step time in the fx (setting a random level is easy). Normally I just end up programming 20 steps or so and giving each a different short step time. Am I missing something obvious?

 

What method would you use for doing this?

 

Thanks

 

Kris

[richard]

For this kind of effect I tend to, as you say, create around 20 steps, however I tend to leave them all with the same step time, but have many of them with the channels at the same level (ie 3 steps with the channel @20%, 3@50%, 3@100@, 3@0%) I then set the direction to random so you get the light doing quite a random look. If you have more than one channel to chase it is often good to put each channel in a seperate chase, and start them 0.1sec out from each other. If both are running in a random order then you can get a pretty good approximation of a fire or whatever.

 

Richard

[gareth]

There is no facility to 'randomise' step times in GeniusPro.

 

Richard's solution is a good one, and one which I often use too. Another way to do it is to create two random effects, both with a handful of steps with the channel concerned at various levels, but with slightly different step times (one runs faster than the other). Then run both at the same time.

[propmonkey]

Seeing the topic on Dimmer flicker, made me remember a question I often have...

 

That of a random timed fx on a Strand 300/500 type desk. This is most commonly needed for a fire/lightning type effect where I just need some random flicker/flashes.

 

I can't see an easy way to give a random step time in the fx (setting a random level is easy). Normally I just end up programming 20 steps or so and giving each a different short step time. Am I missing something obvious?

 

What method would you use for doing this?

 

Thanks

 

Kris

 

you can use the scalling to do fire effects

[LeeStoddart]

... set the direction to random so you get the light doing quite a random look. If you have more than one channel to chase it is often good to put each channel in a separate chase

 

Virtually exactly what I came up for a flicker effect inside the oven of Sweeney Todd recently. Two chases - one for each channel - I had differing step times and probably about six or seven steps for each of the chases.

 

One thing I found a challenge was starting both of the chases with a Cue - I ended up having two parts for the cue - Part 1 did whatever other level setting was required and started chase 1 then part 2 contained no channels it just started chase 2. Similarly when the stop chase was required it was a 2 part cue. Anyone have a simpler way of starting two chases with one cue?

[b1nuzz]

I also thought you could only start one chase per cue?

 

Is this wrong, please enlighten us.

 

Thanks

[gingertom]

I also thought you could only start one chase per cue?

 

Is this wrong, please enlighten us.

 

Thanks

 

You can create part cues to start off FX.

[Simmo]

99% of the time I write a macro to start more than 1 Fx.

 

The macro would read,

Fx1FxGoFx2FxGo

 

You can only start 1 Fx in each part of a Cue.

[richard]

The problem with using a macro to trigger or stop the effects is that it means that they ignore the cues timing so you have to set the fade times in the effect itself.

 

To trigger a cue to start more than one effect you can use part cues as mentioned above - to do this you would type..

 

[CUE][1][FX][1][*] for your first effect

[CUE][1][PART][2][FX][2][*] for your second effect. Note you can have up to 12 parts for one cue. You can then have different times for each part and delays.

 

To stop effects you use the same procedure, but typing [FX][-][1][*] etc

 

Hope it helps

 

Richard

[b1nuzz]

[CUE][1][FX][1][*] for your first effect

[CUE][1][PART][2][FX][2][*] for your second effect. Note you can have up to 12 parts for one cue. You can then have different times for each part and delays.

 

To stop effects you use the same procedure, but typing [FX][-][1][*] etc

 

Top guys. Thanks