Techie_v2

Yeah I get what your saying, then I could have 1.1 thru 1.8 all the way to 24.1 through 24.8?

Hi all, I have got some Showtec Octostrip units to have a play with and get my head around before we do a show with them in Feb. These are multicell batons where 8 separate batons each with 8 separate cells in them, connect back to a controller that then connects to the dmx chain. I understand the principals of multicell control, for example using syntax to select 1.1 thru 1.8 to select each individual cell within 1 baton, but how would this work when there are 8 units on 1 patch. I haven't had a play with them yet, just a quick browse through the manual but in my head I'm thinking that baton 1 would be 1.1 thru 1.8 then baton 2 would be 1.9 thru 1.16 and so on until you get to baton 8 which would be 1.57 thru 1.64? Then you patch the second controller with the next set of 8 batons connected which would be 2.1 thru 2.64 for all 8 batons? If anyone can confirm or deny my assumptions or has any experience with these that would be great. I've got 24 batons in total. Thanks

Hi Edward, Thanks for taking the time to explain I think this is where I'm going wrong so to speak. I shall try the track forwards option. I rarely use remove, mainly because I have to look up how to do it each time and I'm scared of breaking something, where update seems a simpler process. If I keep having the same issue I'll grab a copy of the show file if you don't mind taking a look to see if you can figure out what I'm doing wrong! Thanks

Hi all, Sometimes, probably through copy and paste I end up with position data in a cye for some moving lights which aren't on. Through the trick I learnt recently on the forum of going into a cue after copying it and using update with smarttag on, I can remove this position data. I was just wondering what are the pros/cons of using update or remove. Say I had a cue where some movers were on in a set position, and I canged my mind and didnt want them on, would going into that cue, turning them off and updating the cue be good enough or is it better to use the remove function. What are the differences? Sometimes I have had to go into cues before and after the cue I have made changes to and update them to get them move on Dark sequence to work properly. I know its got something to do with the way I'm programming, just want to understand, why, and what I can do differently so pregaps save some time and paracetamol! Thanks

That's fine, just takes some timing practise when firing through half dozen or so cues in quick succession. Thanks for all your help as always!

One more question I've thought of, I've noticed the cues are triggered on the release of the go button for playbacks (not the master). Is there a way to have them triggered on the press of the button, not the release?

Perfect thank you!

Thanks both, that's perfect. In my example, once I have triggered playback 1, fir that particular song, do I also need to raise its playback to run through the cues on it or not as sometimes (probably because I was doing it wrong), it doesn't be have, lights don't come on when I press the button and I've found that raising the playback solves it. Thanks

I'm doing a bit of programming for a small music concert we're having next week. My plan was to have my master playback with the basics on, house lights etc and some simple states for some of the songs and then for a couple of songs, program a couple dozen cues on different playbacks for different songs. I did the first song on playback 1 and created a cue in my master playback that triggers playback 1, then I can move through the cues for that song using playback 1's button, then another cue in the master playback that releases playback 1 at the end of the song. My question is, if I set playback 1 to latest takes preference, as obviously I want any fixtures to follow programming in this playback for that sing, but my master playback is still set to highest takes preference, which does take preference. Let me try and explain a little better.... if fixture 1 is set to 80% in my master playback, and set to 20% in playback 1, what will happen when playback 1 is triggered as that is set to lastest but the master is set to highest? Thanks

Think I'd found the relevant bit in the manual... "Then tap Record , and tap the attribute button of where you wish this palette to be stored. For example: Record Colour . In the Record Options window that opens on the external monitor, you can manually add other attributes into the palette. To open the Record Options window on the internal touchscreen, press and hold Record, and then tap the attribute key. To add the other required attributes, disable SmartTag, so it has a blue stripe, rather than red, and then use the attribute filters along the bottom of the Record Options. To add position in for example, double tap Position , so that it has a green stripe. Then type the palette number followed by enter, to record. You will notice this palette is now annotated with the attribute letters of the stored attributes." So if I record into a shape pallette, it will only record the parameters that fall under the shape category, even with smarttag on.

Hi all, Yesterday I was having a play with some lights and tried to rescind a pallete. I set my light us how I wanted them, so selected a gobo, prizem, zoom, focus and was trying to record that into a pallete. I reposed record, had smarttag enabled and touched an empty pallete on the shape pallete window. I thought this would record everything I had done into that pallete but the pallete only had a S in it, not BS as I had altered both beam and shape parameters, intact I had also moved the position but wasn't worried about recording that but a P didn't show in the pallette window either. If I recorded it as a snapshot, then chose and empty pallete it did as I expected and I got ICBSPE in the pallete window. Anyone any idea why I didn't get all the parameters recorded when I used smarttag (the light were at 100%) I know its something I did wrong or wasn't doing....... Thanks

Just as a small update to this. Today I had some time to "Play" and was testing automating the opening of a presentation/awards show. Using companion, I got 1 button on the streamdeck to start a video playing in Vmix, adjust the fader levels on my Allen & Heath Qu 16 to set the level for the above video through the PA and trigger my flx to go to the next cue in the playback to set the lighting state I wanted. Using the OSC commands on the zero88 guide its took no time at all to get companion and the streamdeck talking to the flx. Supper job on implementing this!

Just thinking out the box as I don't really know about signal strengths but.... Have you used a terminator on the last fixture in the chain? Perhaps the strength coming out of the desk is not strong enough and you don't need one but the strength coming out of the gateway 8 is strong and is causing some bounce back/reflection?

Ahh right, But yes, having programed and done another show tonight I did have smart tag disabled

Hi Jon, Yeah I suppose that would work as long as the following cue after the snapshot one doesn't require any move on dark features to have run?

Thanks Edward, I haven't checked that smarttag was disabled, will do tomorrow. It's something I always forget to turn back on after disabling to stop an effect etc. Wish there was a way to have it auto re-enable after turning it off as 99% of the time I want it on, but forget when recording the next cue

Hmmm, but this is just after pressing Record -> master playback button Using tracking made if that helps?

Hi all, Can someone remind me why the pause button is flashing after recording a cue. I can figure it out! Thanks

Exactly why we went with the insurance claim for a new one! I'll do some more testing with it, just a bit treppid that the thing will catch go bang or catch on fire!

Thanks for the replies. I'm not looking to get it up and running for ourselves. If our main one does fail I could get hold of one pretty quickly in an emergency. Just interested if it's worth anything to get some much needed funding for things like new fixtures etc. As Edward says there isn't really a market for spares so I wouldn't even know what price to put on it.

So a year or two ago we had a leak over a weekend which drenched our FLX. Insurance claim was made and we got a new one, however the insurance company didn't request we do anything with the old one. After taking it apart to inspect the damage and dry it out, the desk still powers on but I haven't tested it any further than that. There was some corrosion and black marks on some of the internals so I deffinitly wouldn't trust it. Sopke to support and a few local industry people and a new desk was deffinitly the way to go vs repair/replacement parts. So my question is, where do we stand and is there a market, if we wanted to try and raise some capital by selling it as spares on a generic auction type website? Thanks

Nor did I untill now. I ofter get issues with movers not MOD'ing and thought it was down to copying cues. Will try the update trick, so copy X to Y then go into Y, tap update, make sure smart tag is on (red stripe) and tap the playbacks button?

Do the lights flash on the etherbet socket when the flx is plugged in?

Have you tried plugging anything else into the port on the router to see if it gets an ip address. A laptop or desktop?

Thanks! Worked a dream!