Where to save the focus

[richard]

Hello

 

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on structuring your preset focuses with moving lights on a strand 500 series desk.

 

For example, with focus, would you save the information in a group with the position (as focus will be different depending on the position of the light), in a seperate group, or just in the cue?

 

I am half tempted to keep it with the position, but then if you use the same position with two different focuses (focii??) then you would need two groups..

 

 

Any thoughts?

 

Richard

[mac500]

The way I've done it is to save it as a group with position only so that it only saves the position nothing else.

[Paul J Need]

When I read this post my first reaction was to write the following:

 

Simple - don't use a 500 when using lots of moving light...... then I thought better of it. :)

 

You could use groups, subs or even cues to store your presets. Gareth is the man to ask really. But he will probably say, "use a Hog II" :)

[richard]

I am totally happy with using the 520 for large quanities of moving lights, and would use it over a hog II for a 'theatrical' show - with a lot of generics as well. It does everything simply, logically and quickly.

[Paul J Need]

I am totally happy with using the 520 for large quanities of moving lights, and would use it over a hog II for a 'theatrical' show - with a lot of generics as well. It does everything simply, logically and quickly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I did say "I thought better of it" Richard :)

 

As someone who was brought up on strand logic I prefer strand desks for plotting theatre productions - I just hate the "golf" ball.... Was lighting a couple of Operas at the QEH recently and only had 5 Pirouettes.... took forever to get them into position with tha stupid ball!!!! gggrrrrrrrrgh!!!

[richard]

Ah ha, but if you set up your ATC page correctly then you can at times assign the pan/tilt to your rotary encoders - which I have done for the last week with 6 pirouettes to program!!

[mattwright15]

I would have to agree with not using a strand console for large quanities of moving lights, there are much easyer ways of working then strands way I personally think. I swear by the Grand MA console, but for most situations u can use the Grand MA Light which is more suited I believe for theatre just because its a bit smaller and u dont need all the extra stuff the full console has. I know this doesnt help much with ur question on presets but of a grand ma its extremly easy.

 

Matt

[Stu]

For example, with focus, would you save the information in a group with the position (as focus will be different depending on the position of the light), in a seperate group, or just in the cue?

I personally would save the focus with each position, even if it meant having 3 groups with the same position but different focuses (or is it foci as you say Richard?!). Not sure why I do it like this, but seems the most logical way to me.

 

I just hate the "golf" ball.... Was lighting a couple of Operas at the QEH recently and only had 5 Pirouettes.... took forever to get them into position with tha stupid ball!!!! gggrrrrrrrrgh!!!

Ah ha, but if you set up your ATC page correctly then you can at times assign the pan/tilt to your rotary encoders - which I have done for the last week with 6 pirouettes to program!!

If you've not tried it, programming Pirouettes with an Expression 3 is even more fun! I only had 2, but it was a bloody nightmare! :)

 

Stu

[slim_mcslim]

well seeing as nobody has said it...

 

use a hog... or any other desk that has preset areas for colours, gobos, groups and positions... (that rules out a pesky pearl then)

 

paul...

[SimonW]

But, its not really the desk that you use that matters - its _how_ you use it. For instance, on a Hog, you may have specific IFCB palettes, but you can still save (for instance) edge information into a position palette if you so wish.

 

In response to Richard's original question, I find it really difficult to decide on where to store focus (edge) information, as it is dependent on so many different factors - the position the fixture is pointing in (throw length), the zoom that the fixture is at, and the gobo wheel in use.

 

Generally, I'd trust the board op to sort out this mess for me. However, what I've done in the past is to create focus groups for each of my zoom settings and each of the gobo wheels in the head, generally creating a 'hard' and 'soft' setting for each. I find that the optical arrangement in the head generally affects focus far more than the throw of the head - and much of the time I'm more concerned about the sharpness in the air, rather than on the floor.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon.

[gareth]

Hmmm, not sure whether there's a great deal that I can usefully add to the above posts (will resist the temptation to reiterrate the comments about using Hogs ... :)).

 

Personally, for a theatre-playback-style show, which always runs in the same kind of linear fashion, I'd be equally happy with either a 530 or a Hog2 at the business end. The 530 would take a bit longer to prepare in terms of getting it set up the way I'd like it and getting some nice useful basic 'building blocks' into the desk, but once it comes down to the actual programming then, as long as you don't have a particularly large number of heads and you don't need too much in the way of effects engine facilities, there's probably not a huge amount to choose between the two boards in a theatrical situation. (OK, if you really pushed me I'd go for the Pig, but I'd be quite happy with either - I'd be likely to be a bit more concerned about the quality of the coffee at the production desk!)

 

To address Richard's question ... I'd say the answer is "whatever suits the situation best". If you're moving a show from venue to venue, your heads are likely to end up in radically different places each time, and you have some cues in which the sharpness of an image which is used many times during the piece needs to be altered accordingly, then yes, stick it into the same preset focus as the position. You can selectively record and recall preset focuses on the 530 in the same manner as you can on the Hog, it's just not quite as intuitive. So I suppose the answer is, record it anyway, and recall it if you feel the urge! It can't do any harm if it's just sitting there in a preset focus group and you never reference that group for that parameter.