MagicQ Creating a Chase

[PeterD]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm having a real hard time trying to get my head around Chamsys MagicQ.

 

I can now record all cues etc and am happy with doing stationary cues. But how would I create a chase within the cue stack?

 

I want to basically have a prominent 4 colour chase as a cue within one of the cue stacks. I have played with the effects but they never seem do just as I want and also they completly blackout the stage when I go to the next cue. not what I want!

 

can anyone help or point me to somewhere that will?

 

Cheers in advance

 

Peter

[mark_s]

I'd say the easiwest way is to reate the chase as a series of cues on a separate playback (using chase timing rather than cue timing), and then either manually activate it at the appropriate time or trigger it from the original cue using a cue stack macro.

 

I'm sure other people will have other suggestions or methods though...

[PeterD]

I'd say the easiwest way is to reate the chase as a series of cues on a separate playback (using chase timing rather than cue timing), and then either manually activate it at the appropriate time or trigger it from the original cue using a cue stack macro.

 

I'm sure other people will have other suggestions or methods though...

 

That seemed to be the only way around I can think of as well =/ with the macro though would it then swap me back to my original cue stack and stop the chase?

[mark_s]

Stick a second macro in the next cue on your original playback to release the chase playback.

[johnhuson]

There is another way of doing it (isn't there always on Magic Q).

 

What you do is create the four steps of your chase in the appropriate place in the cue stack and then set the timing to Chase in the timing column of the four cues in the cue stack window. Next set the next cue number of the last cue to the number of the first cue. Finally on the buttons tab in the cue stack options set the 'Go jumps out of loop' option to Yes.

 

Now when you arrive at the first cue it will chase between the same four cues until you press the Go button again when it will fade/snap into your next cue.

 

EDIT One thing to note with this method, you can only have one chase time per cue stack as far as I'm aware. Consequently if you have more than one chase in the stack they will both have the same chase speed unless you manually adjust the chase time in between loops.

[paulears]

John - thanks for that one. I've seen the Go jumps out of loop option and never clicked as to how it would be used. Top tip that I should have known, but didn't!

Paul

[johnhuson]

No problem!

 

I still personally tend to use macros to trigger other cue stacks because I just find it that bit more flexible but the method I described certainly comes in handy.

[PeterD]

Ok thanks for all the replys guys now a question from your replys!

 

How would I make one of these macros?

[themadhippy]

And another way is the "make fx" button,make the chase on a spare cue stack,keep hiiting the select button of that cue stack until make fx apears on one of the soft buttons,press it and enter a name.next make a group of the heads used,select that group,add fx,select the one youve just made,tweek until happy and record into the cue stack you want it,then you can delete the origanal cue stack and use for something else

[gareth]

Macros to trigger other cue stacks, and release them when you're done with the chase, is the way to go.

[PeterD]

And another way is the "make fx" button,make the chase on a spare cue stack,keep hiiting the select button of that cue stack until make fx apears on one of the soft buttons,press it and enter a name.next make a group of the heads used,select that group,add fx,select the one youve just made,tweek until happy and record into the cue stack you want it,then you can delete the origanal cue stack and use for something else

 

Doing it this way I had the problem where the stage would black out then fade up to the next state... is there anyway of avoiding that?

[tonythetechie]

Ok thanks for all the replys guys now a question from your replys!

 

How would I make one of these macros?

 

The way I do it is as others have said create the chase in a second cue stack and then use E(cue stack number) in the macro column and use F(cue stack number) to release the chase.

 

The cue stack number you insert is the number of the second cue stack.

 

Hope this helps

 

Tony

[paulears]

Tony - could you explain that again - I don't quite follow this one?

[gareth]

You can enter cue stack macros into the Macro field in each cue stack - the same sort of thing as comment macros on the Hog2. For example, to get cue 5 in your main cue stack to fire a chase that you've programmed as cue stack 9, you'd enter E9 in the macro field for cue 5 (and F9 in the macro field for the cue which you want to stop the chase).

 

The above is for firing and releasing stacks in the stack store - if you want to fire and release stacks on actual playback faders, use A and R instead of E and F.