Lighting using Freestyler

[ben-collins]

Hello!

 

I am doing a show and want to control via a USB to DMX interface using Freestyler. We have 42 dimmer channels, 8 DMX pars, 6 moving heads, 2 DMX audience blinders and DMX strobe. Also the venues house lighting is also included in the same DMX chain which is two channels. But I have only used freestyler for very simple shows and I know that using a desk is alot easier and a lot more flexible but this is the only method of control ive got. The pain is that I don’t know how to control these all at once using only a keyboard and a mouse! Does anyone have any more experience using this program? And what’s the easiest way to program the lighting using this software.

 

Cheers!

[smalljoshua]

Hi Ben,

 

Does it have to be Freestyler?

 

If not, have a look at MagicQ, MagicQ Website. It's a very powerful piece of software and there are some great tutorials over at On Stage Lighting.

 

Josh

[KevinE]

To be honest I wouldnt control a show with FS. It is still a buggy program for live work, it's fine for a disco where you can afford to have the odd weird thing happen. Running more than a couple of cues at the same time can cause timing errors and alter fade rates etc in an unpredictable way.

[themadhippy]

As much as I like magic q I wouldn't want to busk that lot without a wing,especially if I'd never played with it before.

[smalljoshua]

In that case, it may be worth clarifying the type of show. I (perhaps mistakenly) read it to be a theatre show.

 

Josh

[Richard CSL]

Freestyler is a good basic program, but to do what you want to do I would strongly suggest getting a BCF2000 midi control surface. this will help ease your programming issues, use each slider as a submaster control for each different type of lights, use 2 sliders for house lights. and use the top buttons for up down of each cue stack.

[collism]

As a convert to Magic Q from freestyler I would suggest controlling that lot with magic Q would be easier then with freestyler. Even with no wing.

 

The first thing in Magic Q is to make sure you are using the playback screen as well as the bottom playbacks to give you a lot more faders/buttons.

 

The next thing is to group fixtures together to make them more managable - by colour, position for conventional and usually by type/position for moving heads..

 

For each group of moving heads I like to have separate cue stacks with only the following on the bottom faders:

 

1. FX - circles, fig 8 etc all recorded as fast and large as possible and then controlled by a size/shape master.

2. Colours (assuming colour wheel only) - each colour as a different cue

3. Gobo wheel 1 - each gobo as a different cue

4. Gobo wheel 2 - each gobo as a different cue

5. Shutter chases (if there is space - depending on how many groups of movers)

 

Then on the playback screen faders I have

 

1. Prism on/rotate

2. Gobo wheel 1 rotate speed.

3. Gobo wheel 2 rotate speed.

4. Dimmer/ shutter open

5. Size master

6. Speed master

 

Hope that helps!