Light Factory

[Ryan M]

Hi im new to this so bare with me,

 

My company are going to buy Zero 88 Light Factory after several years using Pearl consoles. What im asking is this for a company called Stage School they are holding a play at a venue that uses 8 ETC smartrack dimmers (12 15a Outlets) with an ETC 48/96 Console. I am doing this for free as this is where I started doing Lighting and im a nice guy . Rather than having to pay £40 an hour to learn the rigging which is changing as its a college I beleive it would be good if I could litteraly walk in and plug my laptop in with the USB-Dongle to their dimmers and then do their lighting off of that. I have never used a PC based program before so I need to learn pretty fast. If I was to plug Lightfactory in would it firstly update the fixtures and channels or would I have to do that manually myself, and of course two like ive said how do I plug it in . These are probably very stupid questions but heh im a console user and not PC based programs so I have no real idea. If anyone can help it will be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

Ryan

[paulears]

I'm not quite certain what you mean, but as a console operator you surely already know that the most annoying bit is walking in the door of a strange venue and getting your equipment to talk to theirs? As long as they can give you a plan showing where things are, what things are, and how the DMX cahannels are allocated you are away - either hardware or pc based. The usual snags of having fixtures hung that your control has never heard of is the same. As for 'update the fixtures'? Lightfactory needs to be told what the fixtures are - there's no magic system for it finding out for itself, but the patching process on most software or hardware desks is pretty quick nowadays.

 

I'm sure Light Factory is great, but using software systems you've not become familiar with on a new project in a venue new to you does seem a bit worrying. Me - I'd use whatever console you are used to for this one, while learning the new stuff. If you are an avo person, why not just use one of the company pearls?

[Ryan M]

Okay so you have to manualy imput the fixtures, I managed to find them out so thats fine. I cant use one of my pearls because one the insurance is funny on these things and I have asked the Venue and they have said no unfourtunetly. However it was a good idea , yeah it is annyoing and what I was looking for was an easier way of doing in the time I have allocated eg a month. The venue's policy of changing the console around is worrying for them and that is the case why I cant use my avo. I apologise I didnt clearly state what I meant about light factory, I am fammilar on how to use the actual program e.g. setting cues up, patching and the rest what im new to is how to link it up to their dimmer packs which yes is always a great snag but im pretty experienced in linking up actual consoles rather than a laptop with Light Factory on it. So is it a case of were to plug the Dongle which I beleive comes with the package you buy from Zero 88 which is USB to XLR. Or something else ? Plug it into the console ? Plug it into straight the dimmer packs (ETC Smartrack). Thats what I need to know.

 

Thanks again

Ryan

[gherriott]

I don't have any experience with LightFactory, but do own a generic USB to DMX dongle, and it just plugs into my laptop's USB port and then you plug in the DMX from the dongle to the racks....the dongle then becomes the DMX output of your laptop as it would be on a console basically.

[Ryan M]

Oh right that yeah that what I kinda need to know, which means ill contact central studio tommorow and hope that they can allow the dongle on their smartracks.

 

Thanks

Ryan

[paulears]

No No - the dongle goes onto the laptop - it has an XLR output the same as your Pearls. See where their cable leading to the dimmers starts from and plug yours in instead - the only variable is the possibility you need a 3 to 5 pin adapter! You don't need to touch their dimmers.

[Ryan M]

Right, ETC I know is 6 pin but yeah maybe theirs is a 5 pin I dont think theirs is 3 pin. What do you mean the cable leading to the dimmers ? Im not sure what you mean by that. Where does the XLR connector plug into if not into their dimmers?

[paulears]

er.... your member details say you run a production company and you are familiar with pearls.

 

If they have dimmers, then I assume they have/had/or plan to work them with something, and this something would be in a useful place. So I'm assuming that the control location would already have cabling to their dimmers, either with a wall socket, needing a short patch lead, or a dangling plug.

 

I'm not familiar with DMX connectors in 6 pin?

 

Are you sure you're not pulling our legs here?

Crystal Vision is a production based company with Lighting and Video as its main focus, sound equipment is always included if needed with the price charged. We deliver high quailty HD filming to any stage school, band and other events that can be sold as DVD's. We also offfer a high quality proffesional lighting including simple lighting like Par Cans- to intelligent lighting such as Moving Heads and many others. We also offer a service of designing Lighting for a very small fee which can either be put onto a PCI card or any other methods that the hirer wishes.

 

 

Come on, own up, you're having a giggle, aren't you?

Paul

[Ryan M]

Well that was slightlly unexpected taking the mic ? I was told by the Venue that theirs is 6 Pin ETC thats what I meant by what I was saying, and when I said but I think theirs is 5 pin is because I wasent sure they were right so that awnsers your little question. You dont need to start saying that am I joking or you taking the mic because I came on here for help not to be taken as a joke. I didnt understand your wording that dosent mean my knowledge is flawed as your coming across as saying. Yeah I am fammilar with pearls and linking them up to my own company's dimmers is a piece of cake, but im just a little unsure where to plug the dongle into a venue that I arent fammilar with. We use Zero 88 Dimmers not etc. Reading what you have said as made sense as now I know what you mean. But come on no need to think im pulling your leg here ? Trying to take the mic ? I came here again for help why do you feel the need to do that ?

[Dj Dunc]

Is it just me or does "We also offer a service of designing Lighting for a very small fee which can either be put onto a PCI card or any other methods that the hirer wishes." prove that PCI cards are taking over from DVDs as portable storage O.o

[Ryan M]

"or any other methods that the hirer wishes" <

[gherriott]

The '6 pin' could be to do with ETCnet that ETC dimmers have incorporated so that they can relay operation status information back to ETC desks. Your dongle just needs to plug via usb into your laptop. You then link the dongle via its 3 or 5 pin XLR socket to the DMX input of the dimmers, exactly how you would connect the pearl or any other desk to the dimmers. So in essense your laptop becomes your lighting console, the dongle becomes a convert from usb to DMX, this DMX being your DMX universe output from your 'console'. Hope this makes a bit more sense? So the ONLY thing connecting to their dimmers a length of DMX cable from the DMX output of the dongle to the DMX input of the dimmers.

 

Greg

[Dj Dunc]

Not meaning to cause a flame war, as I may be talking bull, but how the hell can you store info on a PCI card Ryan? thats a new one on me.

[Ryan M]

Yeah as I said the Venue told me 6 Pin and I havent come across 6 pin I dont think hence why I said maybe their is 5 pin. Yeah thats how I would link a pearl up but as ive said again never done it with a usb-DMX before. Thanks greg yeah that makes perfect sense to me. I think its just the wording I got confused about in the end, but still no need to try and make a joke out of someone.

 

thanks again greg.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

I didnt write that one mate im in a partnership here I think my busisness partner has worded it wrong, Heh he is video so he might be referring to video but worded it wrong who knows, I certinaly didnt write it one of the perks of being in a partnership you see. I thought PCI myself was for computers as in motherboard PCI. Heh who knows what my partner was thinking ?

[Just Some Bloke]

My company are going to buy Zero 88 Light Factory after several years using Pearl consoles.

Presumably this is as well as the Pearls rather than instead of? Surely you'd want to keep one of the most popular desks around for when people ask for a Pearl?

Rather than having to pay £40 an hour to learn the rigging which is changing as its a college

No, sorry you've lost me there? Who would you be paying the £40 an hour to? And what do you mean when you say the rigging is changing? The truss is changing shape? They're putting new IWBs in? The lx rig is being changed - surely if you're designing lighting you will specify how you want these things?

If I was to plug Lightfactory in would it firstly update the fixtures and channels or would I have to do that manually myself, and of course two like ive said how do I plug it in .

You'd do exactly the same as you'd do on a Pearl but just in different software. If you don't know how to set up fixtures and dimmers then I'm sorry but you don't know how to use a Pearl either.

I cant use one of my pearls

How many Pearls do you own?

because one the insurance is funny on these things and I have asked the Venue and they have said no unfourtunetly.

The venue won't insure you to use a Pearl? I'm completely lost again. Sorry.

I was looking for was an easier way of doing in the time I have allocated eg a month.

You have a month to light a show without a fee? A lot of us professional LDs think that having a week to light a show is a luxury and a day has to suffice sometimes. A month is lovely and has been done many times, but never without a fee!

The venue's policy of changing the console around is worrying for them and that is the case why I cant use my avo.

I've never come across a venue that says you can't use a Pearl but you can use Lightfactory. Either you can use anything you like or you have to use their desk. I can't see any reason at all for saying you can use a laptop but not a board of your own choice. Wierd.

I apologise I didnt clearly state what I meant about light factory, I am fammilar on how to use the actual program e.g. setting cues up, patching and the rest

So if you're familiar with patching why does your first post ask about if you'll need to patch in the fixtures/dimmers, and how is it done?

So is it a case of were to plug the Dongle which I beleive comes with the package you buy from Zero 88 which is USB to XLR.

The laptop has a USB port and the dimmers have a DMX port on XLR. There's only 1 way it can possibly work.

Right, ETC I know is 6 pin

Do you have a source for any ETC product that has DMX on 6 pin, because I don't know one.

You dont need to start saying that am I joking or you taking the mic because I came on here for help not to be taken as a joke. I didnt understand your wording that dosent mean my knowledge is flawed as your coming across as saying.

Your problem is that you're trying to tell us you are an experienced lighting programmer and operator but every sentence you write disproves that. If you'd just come on and said "I don't know what I'm doing so can somebody help me" no-one would have taken the mick and we'd have been happy to help.

 

Please own up to who you really are and tell us what you really know.

 

Then we might be able to get somewhere.