Magicq - simple screen query

[paulears]

Not sure on this one - I want to use the simple screen to control, via the faders various working lights dotted around. I don't want them to be cleared by the programmer, and I'd simply like to have them act as old fashioned manual faders. Ideally I'd love them not to be recorded either - just act as a a set of faders totally independently.

[Grum]

Think I know what you mean.

 

Record each fader as you want it. In options under (I think) the advanced tab Change the priority from normal to above programmer.

 

This will mean that whatever is on those faders is not recorded by the programmer (unless you specifically select those channels) but the lights will remain on even if you set them to 0% in the programmer.

 

Is that what you're after?

[indyld]

You can use the Intensity screen faders in two ways : as Preset, not Programmer, which will do what I understand you want. Top softbutton to toggle what you are working with.

 

An alternative is to record your working lights etc. in Exec window and set them to fader control.

[mark_s]

Ideally I'd love them not to be recorded either - just act as a a set of faders totally independently.

 

The playbacks have this behaviour by default; unless you specifically record 'entire state', only things in the programmer will be recorded. Therefore to record your working lights you'd have to explicitly include them in the programmer - either by setting them to a value, or using include on the cue containing them.

[paulears]

Probably my fault for not specifying exactly what I wanted to do - I wanted to use the faders on the 'simple' screen as independents - but they're linked to the programmer permanently. I didn't want to use the intensity screen - but I suspect the exec screen will be the place for this job - although I wanted to keep that spare for something else.

 

The problem is a user who had lots of separate disco style gadgets, each with a dedicated controller, and the operator is also the cleaner, the office person and the 'do everything' person. double clicking as a concept is causing me problems, and he has written down the start up procedure and 'continue last show' is a problem. The first 24 channels, of which maybe 14 seem to do something light various areas of the venue, and constantly these need to go up a bit, down a bit as people move around - so it's not possible to really stick them on a fader. I guess the exec screen as faders might be the way forward, and then I could put a few looks and stacks with times on buttons there too? I'm finding it very difficult to explain that you really can't make it look good by pushing a single button - I'm a non-nightclub person, not just because I'm ancient(ish) but because I never liked them when I was 18. So last night I had to stay there till 2.30am. The owner kept coming up and saying this was good,, and this was good, could I make sure they're in the 'show' - but in truth, it was a case of 'when' I hit the random white strobe button, rather than anything clever. I guess just empathy with the music to know what to do and when to do it and watch what people were doing. Does this make me an LJ? I do hope not. The owner, however, doesn't want one - can't see a point in having one - yet everyone kept telling him the lights were great, when all I did was connect 4 new ones and use the others he has had for ages. I had to knock up a switch so he can still use the masterpiece - with 8 preset buttons, that he's had for years. He'd never even seen some of the colours and gobos his old kit has.

 

 

I had to write the head profile for some myself - just used a couple of similar ones as a guide - but I've not got it quite right, all works fine, but when pressing clear, the dimmer doesn't shut the light off. Anyone know which of the parameters I've messed up? They look the same as the others in the dimmer line? The other stuff, shuts off on clear, but these don't - it's obviously something I've missed or put in badly?

 

MagicQ is a great product - but it does assume the users understand modern ways of working kit - and these don't!

[Shez]

I thnk you'd need to look at the "default" settings in the fixture profile. Those are what state the fixture should return to once settings in the programmer are cleared.

[paulears]

Yep - but I've stuck in 0 - and something else trips it up.

 

I'll probably work it out in the end - they're fairly elderly 250W discharge spots branded TAS, and visually look like the Futurelight, Coemars and others made by Robe at the end of the nineties, before Robe were a proper brand of their own. They're very tired, two work fine, one has very limited pan and tilt and another works but sounds like a tractor!

[Grum]

Sounds like the dimmer channel is set to LTP

 

If you set up an execute page you can set MQ to open in the execute window. Then all you need is to do is stick MQ in the start up folder (assuming its windows) and when the computer is switched on it'll automatically open MQ and give you cleaner access to whatever pre defined states you want to give him.

 

You about next week? Haven't seen you in ages.

[bigclive]

The owner kept coming up and saying this was good,, and this was good, could I make sure they're in the 'show' - but in truth, it was a case of 'when' I hit the random white strobe button, rather than anything clever. I guess just empathy with the music to know what to do and when to do it and watch what people were doing. Does this make me an LJ?

 

Well now you've succumbed to actually touching the equipment and thus made yourself the on-call lighting technician. "You need to come right now! The clubs open and nothings working!" I think from the description of what the owner liked that you might be better just setting everything to AUTO mode and perhaps replacing any traditional short duty cycle fixture with an LED parcan. Don't forget to install a cheap laser pointing directly into everyone's eyes.

 

Oh, and make sure that if the DJ touches anything that they die immediately. DJs live in a fantasy world where they are gurus of everything technical. When they inevitably get replaced by someone younger, trendier and cheaper, they usually start their own AV installation companies. :unsure:

[neilalexrose]

 

I had to write the head profile for some myself - just used a couple of similar ones as a guide - but I've not got it quite right, all works fine, but when pressing clear, the dimmer doesn't shut the light off. Anyone know which of the parameters I've messed up? They look the same as the others in the dimmer line? The other stuff, shuts off on clear, but these don't - it's obviously something I've missed or put in badly?

 

 

I've come across this issue before, but it was down to the scanners in question not actually having a dimmer channel, the blackout was part of the gobo wheel. Maybe this is the issue with the units your using?

 

Neil

[paulears]

No - oddly I do have some scans of this type that were a pain with my old Hog and the previous Strand, and it was a fiddle to make the gobo rotate to blank - but the Magicq profile did it automatically. I'll have some more time to fiddle when I go back to try and make it all simpler.

[norty303]

Instead of using the head profile for the default state, MagicQ allows you to set a default cue instead, where you record the default state for all the heads. This might be a solution if you can't get the head profile to sort it out.