Syncing Lighting and Music

[smalljoshua]

I am currently in the early planning stages of the schools first annual musical and I want it to look good.

 

I am looking to create imaginative lighting to all of the numbers of the show. I want to keep all of the movements of the lighting in sync with the music. to do this I have decided to use some form of time code.

 

This is the Million Dollar Question.

 

How do I go about this.

 

I don't want the whole thing to time code just the songs, so I can run cues and when it comes to a song just trigger another cue that will trigger the song.

 

I will be hiring in a lighting desk, not sure which one yet.

 

I will have a Laptop available to me with no network ties just a new install of XP Pro. (1.6Ghz Pentium M, 512Mb RAM)

 

Any comments gratefully received.

 

Josh

[paulears]

They are doing a musical? As in Musical Theatre? First thing you need to find out is if they will have real musicians - if they are having proper people, playing live things are difficult. If they have some live musicians playing to click, hings are better. If they are using tracks and no musicians then things are simplest. You just need the playout kit to support some kind of time code - SMPTE is the obvious one, but even midi time code (MTC) can be used.

 

Snags? Most problems come from inexperienced performers - so a fully automated show may simply not work if they are not disciplined enough. The other thing is the show itself. Les Mis doesn't lend itself to moving lights that much, but We Will Rock You does.

 

 

Quality - school and college shows are frequently pretty grim, and spending large amounts on automation only makes sense if you have a really big rig (and matching budget).

 

Very few professional shows run synced lighting - thats what the DSM is for? Surely running a show this way must be so dull for the op? The other thing is that if the show is being graded for things like BTEC production - then an automated show won't give you any grades for operating?

 

So - as usual....... more info please!

[Jivemaster]

Time code will kill the show if the "talent" cannot perform to time precisely. Remember that time-code controls the whole show timing it waits for nothing.

 

Look for a desk that will give you some manual control, Chases in time to the music are probably best done on a row of flash buttons.

[Beaver]

If this is a school production as I know them I would avoid complete autamation because you cannot trust the actors or musicians to be consistant. Plus in my experiance you will not get the rehersal time to program and check the cues.

[smalljoshua]

@ Paulears: everything is to backing track. Also my school has never even heard (or so it seams) of the Technical Theatre BTEC.

 

@ Everyone I only want to run the Lighting while the song is going to time code, I want to trigger everything else manually eg LX 1 go would bring lights up then LX 2 go would start the first song and accompanying lighting synced to the music. the Show is the rock monster show. A bit like rocky horror but for schools.

 

I have been given £800 for lighting and sound about £500 will be avaliable for the lighting and about £200 for the desk for a week

 

Josh

[themadhippy]

1)record the audio track to one track of your revox and feed this to the pa

2)record a 100hz tone on the other track every time you want a cue to go and feed this to the audio input of a sirus

3)set the sirus up to go on click in super user

rewind your tape,reset the sirus back to the first cue,press play on the revox and sit back and watch the lights change

[smalljoshua]

I don't wish for there to be whole show automation, that would be boring.

 

The school now has a Frog anyway not a Sirus but I will be hiring in a different desk anyway to cope with my Roboscan 218s.

 

I just want to press go like normal but for the songs I would also like the song to play and then advance on to the next cue after

 

Something Like

 

CUE 1, lights up

 

CUE 2, lights down

 

CUE 3, Lights up

 

CUE 4, Song 1, triggering song as well as the accompanying lighting. at the end of the song advancing onto the next cue

 

CUE 5, Lights up and so on...

 

it submitted it's self for some reason.

 

Josh

[gareth]

Timecode? Don't you think that's heading a little towards overkill for a couple of Roboscan 218s on a school musical?

 

If you want lighting cues to go in sync with music, you could just use the tried and tested method of getting a board op with a sense of musical timing who knows the songs.

[smalljoshua]

I don't think I am communicating what I want properly.

 

I want to have the song play when the Appropriate cue is activated.

Not the lighting being activated automatically that will be manual.

 

I would like to use a PC for the Audio and Video and reduce it all to one Operator on the Go button.

 

I will have up to 3 days to program the desk.

 

What piece of software will be needed for this.

 

I don't want to use a media server unless I have to.

 

I just want to CUE a song with Video and that some timecode to accompany the song to allow me to have the movements and chases to be right.

 

Josh

[gareth]

I don't think I am communicating what I want properly.

I'd agree with that.

 

So - what you're saying is that, rather than using timecode to trigger (some of) your lighting cues - which is what you implied originally - you want to have the lighting desk triggering audio and video cues? Sounds to me like a job for MIDI ...

[Wuddy]

As I understood it Josh, you are wanting to 'GO AUDIO' to start the track which simeltaneously starts the required lighting cue, the lighting states then to change automatically throught-out the audio track, ie start with simple chase, 28 bars in 'all red' 128 bars in 'all green, 216bars in 'flash whites' etc etc, yes?

 

You can do this on a PC with Sweet-Light, I'm sure other software packages will do it too.

[smalljoshua]

I don't want the whole thing to time code just the songs, so I can run cues and when it comes to a song just trigger another cue that will trigger the song.

I want to have the song play when the Appropriate cue is activated.

Not the lighting being activated automatically that will be manual.

I thought I got my point across quite well but never mind.

 

 

Thinking about it, MIDI would be perfect to trigger a PC for the Sound and Video. Thanks Gareth.

 

I have a Frog in School, can this output the Appropriate MIDI signals. I think it can, but can someone just remind me please.

 

What software would I then use on the Laptop?

 

@ Woody you are correct in your interpretation. I already have Sweetlight and The appropriate Dongle but don't want to go down that route becuase it doesn't have a Theatre Stack. I also don't want to go down the PC based lighting route.

 

Josh

[dave singleton]

SFX & Light Factory will do what you want. No too sure who hires however...

[woody74]

If this is a school production as I know them I would avoid complete autamation because you cannot trust the actors or musicians to be consistant. Plus in my experiance you will not get the rehersal time to program and check the cues.

 

This is by no means only a "school production" issue; you'd be amazed how off professional musicians can be when they lose monitors...

 

You'd also be amazed at spell check :unsure:

 

And to the OP, my guess is you are trying to make this a "one-finger" show? I would suggest having a look at Qlab, but you said you were using a W!ndows machine...I believe Qlab can receive MIDI.

 

-w

[mr_cahonjes]

And to the OP, my guess is you are trying to make this a "one-finger" show? I would suggest having a look at Qlab, but you said you were using a W!ndows machine...I believe Qlab can receive MIDI.

-w

 

Damn beat me to the punch. If its windows then Sound Cue System would be useful but I can't remember if it works with midi, I guess it would though.

 

In Qlab you are using MIDI Show Control Cue which is easy enough to set up.