Advanced Live control > Master Fader

[support]

My question to support is, would it be possible to create groups of sliders? Not just whole fixtures ?

A fixture can have only one channel (one slider).
Then a group of such fixtures is a group of sliders.

[DHoude]

I am cunfused by that, so to put an example to it. I have 6 Chauvet Color Pallettes that have 27 Channels/Sliders (24 of which are RGB channels). In Editor I have all 6 Chauvet Color Pallettes in 1 group (called All). I can select that group, then select my color and then use the intensity slider (next to the color wheel) to dimm all the RGB channels in those 6 fixtures. Does this mean that in this new method I can control the RGB values with 1 slider, that is linked to that group of 6 Color Pallettes to limit their over all intensity? I do understand that we are not setting color with this new method. Just strictly Master Intensity of the RGB in that 6 fixture group.

Next example (John's case), I have 2 Chavet DMX 4 boxes. They are 4 chann/sliders, dimmer/relay boxes. If I have one box on either side of the stage and each DMX 4 box controls 2 Par cans in the front of the stage and 2 Par cans in the back, I would want to take 2 chan of the left DMX 4 and 2 chan of the right DMX 4 and Group them as front stage. The reapeat for the back.

So his outlet switches are divided up. If he controled 1 box in 1 group, this would only limit the values for all channels that the switch box has. In this case limiting both front stage and back stage. I think he would like a slider for the Front stage Group and another for the back stage group. He would like to select the front channels of each box and map them to 1 front group in Editor. Then the other 2 channels of each DMX 4 for a second back group. Not exactly, but I am sure you get the point...

Just trying to put this in words. He seems to have a solution with remapping DMX channels and that is great. But I wanted to make sure that I understand how this works.

If it works like my 1st example, then I understand it right. But he wanted to divide up his outlet switches. One box controls different parts of the stage. So I was wondering if that sort of thing could be done in editor, by simply selecting the individual channels in a group rather than a whole DMX 4 as 1 fixture. So he can fade front stage with one Master slider and back stage with another Master slider other.

Please feel free to correct me if I got this wrong

[JohnRichards]

@DHoude
Just to explain further what I do to achieve greater control is that I have a fixture that I created called "Control". This is also in its own group.
This has 9 (dmx 1 to 9) channels namely
1-White-Dimmer (1st Group parcans)
2-White-Dimmer (2nd Group parcans)
3-White-Dimmer (3rd Group parcans)
4-White-Dimmer (4th Group parcans)
5-White-Dimmer (5th Group parcans)
6-Dimmer for Colour
7-Red
8-Green
9-Blue
There are numerous fixtures at each theatre that I go to. I do all my programming on this control fixture, and then map dmx values to the clients dmx's of dimmer pack etc.
Also I would add moving heads as separate fixtures.
I could use Editor with this config, but it would be a lot more convenient and speedy to be able to have master faders mapped to whichever channels are required for a particular show(they are never the same).

[ritter]

I am new to this forum, but have had a lot of the same desires as many others in this group. I use the software to operate my lighting for a DJ setup. I have 4 main led par cans, 20 uplights, and 2 moving heads. I agree with several other posts that others have made. I have done theater as well as DJing. In a theater production the scenes are pretty typical and the live screens do stay pretty consistent. But in DJing, as one individual had stated, you may need to adjust levels on the fly. The attached pictures shows one concept that I had drawn up.

This is the way I would see it configured. (We will just focus on the Main Dance Lighting Section)

with sliders.JPG

- For each of the color buttons, the color meters would be set to their needed levels, but the brightness channel of the light would be disabled.
- The “Main Levels” slider would be able to be configured so that you could specify the channels that it affects.
- For example, my 4 main lights are setup with DMX addresses 1, 9, 17, 25. The slider for this would have these same addresses since the brightness channel is the first of each.
- Using this same thought process, I would do the same for the strobe level. But for these the slider would be assigned the addresses of 6, 14, 22, 30.

The other topic that has been brought up in this thread is the ability to have a color wheel on the live screen. Again is a must, no, but it surely would be handy. Currently for my uplighting I customize my colors for every wedding I do. The bride and groom always want a specific color to match their special day. Inevitably there is always that small tweak that needs to be made to satisfy the bride. Currently I would have to open the editor, select the color I want to edit with the color wheel, save the file, and return to the live screen to select that custom button. Having it on the live screen allows those quick last minute adjustments that count when they do most.

I could go on, but I thought this was already too long. If there were any questions or if I need to expand further please let me know.

current state.JPG

[DHoude]

Great contributions! Your first idea is pretty much how I pictured it at first. But what we were talking about now is a master slider for a Group of fixtures, like the Groups used in Editor. So you can group those up lights all together and every scene that contains that group will consider the Master intensity slider for that Group. So all of your scenes can be Limited (dimmed) to the right level in one shot. I have also asked for a Manual Scene Bypass. So if you have a scene that you don't want dimmed for that Group, you can just bypass that Fader for each individual scene.

So when you want to dim a group of fixtures that is too bright for your current Venue. Just make a Group of similar fixtures and link it to a Fader to control the Master Intensity of that group. So it will be a much simpler interface with allot less clutter (sliders on each button) and way faster to control on the fly. But you can still bypass that slider for Strobe scenes, or any other scenes that you still want bright.

As for the second part, having a "Live color wheel". In an attempt again to keep the interface simple, they are planning an "Open scene in Editor" option, to the live screen buttons. So if the color is not exactly right when you get all set up, just right click the scene, select "Open in Editor". Make your changes in Editor and save.

Not sure if you will need to restart the Live scene after you saved it. Or, if we will be able to preview the final outcome as you adjust it in Editor. That would be a question for Support that we have not discussed yet. But a preview would be great and a refresh of the button after saved to apply the new changes would make it very seamless.

This is not quite as on the fly, but I feel it takes allot of steps out of the process (Minimize Live, Open Editor, Select Open, find your scene...). Also, all these ideas that I have stated are all subject to what TLC can and are willing to do for us. So none of what I have stated is a guaranty. It is just a summary of my understanding of this project up to this point.

[DHoude]

Out of all that I forgot to mention that the Master Intensity faders (I think they are planning 5) will be on a seperate Tab near the upper right, under the File menus. So there will be a Buttons tab, Timeline tab and possibly "Master Intensity" tab (or something named like that).

This is to keep the interface simple and clean, but it also keeps us from bumping all those sliders on each button accedently.

[support]

Not sure if you will need to restart the Live scene after you saved it. Or, if we will be able to preview the final outcome as you adjust it in Editor

Live is not able to apply the scene change made in Editor, while the scene is running in Live (must restart the Live scene).
Preview can be done in Editor with dmx/3D button on.

[DHoude]

Thanks, I was pretty sure that is that way it would work.

[support]

We will start soon working on "master fader" "section". There is three different locations we can put this "section":

1. a new tab in the main window (after tabs "Buttons" and "TimeLine")
2. a new tab in the existing "child" window ("Buttons #2"). The child window, which shows presently only buttons, will go for two tabs.
3. a new "child" window. This means it will be possible to show three windows: the main window, the current child window with only buttons, and the new "child" window with the faders

We have to chose only one location.
Please tell us the best choice for you, with, if possible, the reasons.

[marco]

For me 3 would be a logic place
Gr marco