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Hi all, I've been reading your replies and they've really meant a lot to me, thank you. I've deliberately waited a few weeks before replying. All the very best for the future and, if you're at a trade show in the future, please come and say hello - this LinkedIn post shows where I've headed to, if you're interested! Jon

Hey, so I tested the show file during the final rehearsals on Friday and on two shows today. They work perfectly. Without you, those fixtures wouldn't have been used in this production. Thank you SOOOOOO much, you're the best! ♥ ♥ ♥ All the best from Leipzig Lena

Update as promised: Using the personality in the desk, and when viewing the DMX Output charts under the Z Key, the values corresponding to CMY remained on '0' even after changing colour parameters, or running colour effects etc. Definitely confirmed it was a personality error at this point. So using the inbuilt fixture editor, I took a copy of the existing personality and amended the CMY control channels to be 'Other Colour' control parameters. This worked and enabled the encoders to control the CMY parameters, however colour palettes or picker didn't work as the desk didn't know what colour they actually were. So I then edited the 'copied' personality, changed the 'Other Colour' parameters back to CMY, which then worked as it should have done so in the first place. I now have full control of CMY, using colour palettes or the colour picker! No idea what was going on, but quite the oddity and an annoying time sponge trying to resolve! Either related or unrelated, I also had the desk crash four times throughout plotting, so will forward on the crash reports to the team after the show is done. Thanks again all for suggestions, research, and the created fixture profile @kgallen

Hi @Lena Here you go, all three modes (phew!). Everything is in there including all channel "details". You will find lots of channels under Colour and Beam(shape) so you'll have to rotate through the "pages" of them on your S24. However there is a limitation in what I've created. The FLX S24 will support multi-cell fixtures and the TMH-W555 looks like it could benefit with being defined as a multi-cell fixture for the 36 and 48 channel modes. However the Windows Fixture Editor does not support this (as it's a new console feature). You would need to request such an enhanced fixture definition from Vari-lite (or write one using GDTF which I'm not capable of!!!). I'm not sure if the colour palettes will work in the 36 and 48 channel modes as I've not picked any of the RGBW 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 as "primary". But they should work fine in the 24 channel mode. You'll have to see how you go on in 36/48 channel mode and come back to me if it's a little unworkable - I would need you to tell me which segment 1-7 you want to be "primary". Just put this file on a USB stick and use Load on the console. When you patch it, it will show in red text as a "non-library fixture". Enjoy! (ps there is a lot of info I've had to enter so if you see an error or spelling mistake, let me know) eurolite_tmh-w555.ift

Raise lower effectively emulates moving the faders, which are limited to 8bit. All other calculations for fades etc, are 16bit. I have raised this as issue ZOS-12581 for future consideration.

I have been experimenting a bit with OSC and faced the issue of the software being recommended for windows being Show Cue Systems. While I have no doubt it's brilliant, for my limited requirements, it's a little pricey. All I needed was to start some music and be able to have a desk change cues at set points of the music. I came across Multiplay software and found that it has all the features I require. So far I've only run it with the Phantom software, looping back via 127.0.0.1 localhost, but I see no reason it won't run with the actual desk when I get a chance to run it, long as the IP address is updated. I've done a screen recording which should show all the required information to get you going quickly, but I'll type the main points. Going to File > Production Properties > Network, you can add a network patch. Patch name isn't important, as long as the destination IP is your desk, the port for OSC is 8830 (or whatever your non factory setting is changed to on your own desk) and the encoding is OSC. Next you need to select a Network Cue (little icon that looks like an RJ45 connection). Description is the only important part of the Common tab, then in the network messages tab, you need to select the Zero88 network patch (or whatever you named it above) and create an ASCII command with the form /zeros/cue/go/<cue number>. In the video I have created a cue 0.1 which sets everything to black each time everything is run, so the lights come on with the music. For the Cue 0.1 alone, I also change the Cue Advance options to Action: End Play and Target: Next Cue and the Post Wait option to 1.00 seconds, so that when it is played, as soon as it does its 1 second to make sure the desk has time to move everything back to black, it then advanced to the next cue. All the other cues are just duplicates of this with the description changed and the cue number changed in the ASCII command. You can just add as many of these as you require. None of these have the above options for Waiting and going to the next cue of course. I then insert an Audio file just below the Cue 0.1 cue, which is played once Cue 0.1 has done its 1 second wait. You can obviously select whatever audio file you need to run in the Audio tab. The important bit for this is the Cue Points tab. I add a list of New Cue Points for each of the cues from 1 onwards. Time is changed for each one to be the time in the audio playing that I want the desired cue to be run on the desk. The target option is the name of the Cue I want to run, based on the description of the cue. As such, you could imagine making a standard file with a large number of cues and cue points, then putting in the times for the ones you need and deleting any after that point you don't need. Just a note also that the OSC command I have used runs a cue in the current playback, so make sure you have the correct playback active. You can use cues that run a given cue in a specific playback if you need to. For more information on the possible OSC commands, you can check this link: https://www.zero88.com/manuals/zeros/setup/triggers/osc-examples Not saying this is the best way to do it, but it's a way I've got it working and it's free to try. Hope it proves useful to someone. You can find the screen recording here:

Darren @DMH, Ryan @RJP any thoughts on the matter, is this a bug? I also cross posted to the Facebook group, someone called Bobby who also appears to work at Vari-lite left me with no solution either. Disappointed at the new 'service' level!

Hi all, To ensure Vari-Lite can provide the best possible support, I’d like to quickly remind everyone of the three active support routes: Emailing entertainment.service@signify.com or calling +1 214 647 7880 (While the legacy Zero 88 contact methods are still monitored by the UK-based support team, the above contact details are the “official” routes which are monitored by the global support team). This “Vari-Lite Controls Support Forum” (Over the years this has become a fantastic resource of data and is home to some very knowledgeable users. The Vari-Lite team regularly monitor the forum (your forum admins are Darren - @DMH and Ryan - @RJP from the UK-based support team). However, if you require immediate direct support from Vari-Lite, the contact details above are the correct method). “Vari-Lite Console Programmers” Facebook Group Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to say farewell, as I’m stepping down from the team. I’m so proud of the products we’ve launched over my time - FLX, ZerOS Wing, FLX S24 & S48, ZerOS Server, RigSwitch, AlphaPack 3, BetaPack 4, Splitter 8, Gateway 4, Gateway 8, Neo X15, Neo X5, Neo X Server and RigSwitch+. And I’m delighted to have finally released ZerOS 8! Here’s a couple of ZerOS screenshots comparing when I started (ZerOS 5.4), to now (ZerOS 8): But it’s not all about the products - there’s been so much more too. Three (1, 2, 3) PLASA Awards for Innovation, several patents, our industry’s best RDM implementation with RigSync, the first console to implement Art-Net 4, Zero 88’s 40th Anniversary and the “Me and My Zero 88” competition, being ahead of the curve on natively supporting GDTF, the Simplifying Jargon videos, “Live at the Congress” Events and #WeMakeEvents campaigns over COVID, updating the Zero 88 website, our yearly Advent Calendars, our April Fools Day posts (anyone remember FLX switching to Roman Numerals or the new ZerOS Wing SD?) and the High Altitude Balloon into near space competition. So many great memories, fun, experience, knowledge and friendships have been made during this time which are, and will continue to be, very, very special to me. The Vari-Lite team are committed to continuing this good work – with plans to develop and support both ZerOS & FLX S, along with RigSwitch+, Neo X and VisionNet. I wish them all continued success with those projects. So, from me, it’s Time to Say Goodbye. And thank you.

Have fixed.. full update tonight. Thanks both!

Oh I doubt that! @scottydog75 Not sure if it's timely enough but I can have a go at making a new fixture profile later tonight (using ye-olde Fixture Editor which you may well be similarly familiar with). Other idea if the definition might be suspect is to use the fixture patch search feature to try and find another fixture definition that closely matches the luminaire you have in terms of which DMX channel controls which feature. I was re-watching one of Edward's videos the other day - might have been 7.11 update video which reminded me of this. Sorry I can't be of more immediate/direct help. I'll have a think, but I think @Davidmk and yourself have suggested/tried the obvious things and I know you're both not newbies with the desk...

I agree and would be happy to do this. I’m similarly a ‘mod’ on other community forums essentially in a capacity of spam removal in the European time zone. This forum may be different as it’s commercial, but the offer is still there.

Hi @Neil Macmillan I had a play with my FLX (ZerOS 8.0) and a Cameo Q-Spot 40 which has 16-bit dimmer. The fixture definition was written by myself. I use the Z key to access the DMX Outputs tab to look at the DMX values sent to the fixture on addresses 1 and 2 where the fixture MSB and LSB intensity channels sit. If I use the channel fader to manually play with the intensity, at 0% I see 0/0 (MSB/LSB). As I move the fader up the LSB goes to 128 and the MSB increments. When I get to 100% I see 255/255. Instead, making the desk do the dimming, I set Programmer Time on at 10:00 (10 minutes) and type syntax 1@@. I now see the LSB incrementing from 0-255 and the MSB increment when LSB is 255. Similarly if I do clear-clear I see the LSB count down from 255 to 0 then the MSB decrement then the LSB 255 to 0 again. All the way down to 0/0. So when the desk does the dimming, true 16-bit dimming is performed. When the fader is used, the dimming is understandably simplified - that fader doesn’t have 16-bit resolution! Conclusion - 16-bit intensity dimming works as expected. Hope that helps.

@Jon Hole I wish you future success in your forthcoming move. I think Zero88 now have their work cut out to maintain the support levels we have enjoyed in recent times.

I'm my red mist I've so far failed to acknowledge @Jon Hole. My apologies. Thanks for so much Jon over the years - great products, accurate and timely support, recruiting some other great team members, and putting up with some quite strong feedback and comments from us on here. You will be missed as will all of the legacy Z88 team. Good Luck!

Good luck Jon but I'm not surprised. TBH since the Varilight take over it's felt like the beginning of the end. The issue of the latest software will probably be the last so I hope we all got our wish list items sorted.

I notice the two support personnel Jon quotes above have a combined contribution of posts on this forum of exactly zero (since Sept/Nov 2024 when they joined). Looks like we're on our own folks, or they've got some work to do to establish their credibility and start making an active contribution - which I guess is part of what they are paid to do (unlike us). A 'hello' and a short resume would be a start…

My sentiments exactly. Keith, Edward and now you. My disappointment knows no bounds.

Far and away my biggest want is Mac Phantom zerOS. My Apple silicon Mac runs Capture at 100+ fps without the fan even turning on! Phantom is pretty stable under Parallels 19 running side-by-side on the same monitor with Capture, but there are some glitchy bits that I assume are due to the emulation.

If you've got sufficient evidence you should mail support as it doesn't look as though anyone at VariLite ever looks at the forum.