link and step button on remote

[lxkev]

Any chance of a link function??? could we pos have a step button on the remote output??

[K-Nine]

Please explain what you mean by a 'link' function.

 

Remote output ? Do you mean the remote switches ?

[Kirkup_xp]

A link is a cue which triggers another cue simulaneously - as found on the Strand 300 and 5x0 series. It means you could have all your chases plotted on cues 900 onwards, and then reference them in your main cue stack cues 1 to 100.

So cue 3 might trigger cue 945 to activate, and cue 4 to deactivate it.

 

 

Personally, I think this is a little beyond the user interface of the Frog - it would end up being a complicated series of button presses to set up.

 

As for a step button on the remote, this would be very useful. You could also link that in to the "live editing of chase speed"

 

In the mean time, lxkev, you could make up a "step" button by shorting out the two poles on a jack plug using a press switch. This, complete with a chase on "audio trigger", acts as a step button.

[K-Nine]

A link is a cue which triggers another cue simulaneously - as found on the Strand 300 and 5x0 series. It means you could have all your chases plotted on cues 900 onwards, and then reference them in your main cue stack cues 1 to 100.

So cue 3 might trigger cue 945 to activate, and cue 4 to deactivate it.

 

Firstly, I don't think the Playback X is designed to be able to play back two cues simultaneously; it can obviously handle the transition between the current and next cues, but outputting two new cues at the same time is a very different matter.

 

However, if you make the fade times of the first cue zero or very short, you could always put in a jump to the chase memory at 900+, such that it would run immediately after the first memory; you could then have a jump at the end of the chase to return it to the correct point in the memory stack.

 

Personally, I think this is a little beyond the user interface of the Frog - it would end up being a complicated series of button presses to set up.

 

You are probably right :wink: That is one thing we have to be very careful of when looking at new features - you have to base the user interface on the existing front panel.

 

As for a step button on the remote, this would be very useful. You could also link that in to the "live editing of chase speed"

 

In the mean time, lxkev, you could make up a "step" button by shorting out the two poles on a jack plug using a press switch. This, complete with a chase on "audio trigger", acts as a step button.

[Kirkup_xp]

I think you may have slightly misunderstood linked cues. The theory is that they run on top of each other - so in cue 3 in my example, i may have the main stage wash plotted. In the chase cue, 945, I would have just a chase plotted (with no general wash) - the two mixed on an HTP basis means that you get a wash with a chase running indipendantly. This has several advantages, as you can edit the chase without having to modify the general wash, and the chase can be referenced multipul times within the cue stack.

 

Obviously this requires a lot of processing, and a lot of thought to impliment. On the Strand consoles, the key sequence is something like RECORD CUE # + FX 945 * (or a - instead of a +, to deactivate)

IIRC

How this would be implimented, I imagine, would be to use something along the lines of the "transfer" buttons.

 

Hope this explanation is slightly clearer.

[lxkev]

yes I meant the remote switches. thanks for the tip xp.

 

XP last explanation is exactly what I meant about links. As to how it could be implement? it could be done in the same fashion as creating a jump function?

[richard]

I would think that the easiest way to do this would be to have the possibility of triggering virtual bump buttons on subs - ie you could link cue 3 to sub 1.6, then when you run cue 3 (a static state) sub 1.6 would also be 'bumped' (a chase). You could have a 'bump_on' field and a 'bump_off' field, so a cue can turn one sub on and one sub off. Or you could 'link' to sub '-1.6' (the negative signifying that it should be turned off.

 

Before someone points out that you can already put chases in to cues, this I am fully aware of, but if you are lighting theatre, an want, maybe, a light bulb flickering overhead for a whole scene, it is much better to have only the light blub plotted into the chase, and the state seperatly so that you only have to plot the actual state once and can mod it easily.

[lxkev]

Richards why link into a sub? You would have to create a chase, then transfer it to the sub, then link it to come on, then link it to come off!! thats seems a little to complex..

 

My suggestion is that, its done in the same manor as the jump...simply add the mem #. in which you want itto link with. The scene memory fadeIN/OUT times would takeover the chases setting. and when u move onto the next memory...the link mem fades out with it...This is how it is done on the etc expression(i.e. fade in/outs)

[K-Nine]

My suggestion is that, its done in the same manor as the jump...simply add the mem #. in which you want itto link with. The scene memory fadeIN/OUT times would takeover the chases setting. and when u move onto the next memory...the link mem fades out with it...This is how it is done on the etc expression(i.e. fade in/outs)

 

It sounds relatively straightforward from a user point of view, but then again so do lots of other functions on the desk :wink:

 

Without knowing the details on how the memory data is stored internally on the desk or how the playback X and DMX generation algorithms work, it is difficult to say how easy or difficult this would be to implement :?

[Kirkup_xp]

Theoretically using lxkev's implimentation of it, it should be just as simple as adding another submaster - the problem would come if you had two chases plotted. LTP data from one and LTP data from the second would conflict with each other and cause you enormous processing problems. If you could stick to generics only, on an HTP basis, then it would be relatively simple.

[lxkev]

any chance of this feature being implemented????? go on, give it a frog ref number!!!!

 

 

PLEASE

[K-Nine]

Just because it has a Frog Reference Number does NOT guarantee it will be implemented :wink:

 

We have received loads of suggestions for possible features, but they all have to be reviewed, and decisions made as to which are the most important, feasible, economical etc.