Sound Input - triggering a lighting cue

[Danny Williams]

This may have been answered already, but I've had alook and can't find anthing - apologies if I am repeating something here.

 

Is it possible to have a programmed lighting cue triggered by a sound effect on the Jester? I am doing a school production of R&J and thought it would be nice to have a gunshot SFX from a CD/MP3 player which triggers a blinding flash of light and then sudden blackout (saves on buying a stage gun!). Doing it manually will be too much out of time (according to our tech person!). I see there is a sound input but it only relates to chase sequences and bass lines!

 

Any advice gratefully received!

 

Thanks.

 

Danny

[Paul]

The sound input is only used to advance chases when a bass beat is detected, so you wouldn't be able to use it for the effect you're describing.

 

You could try using the remote switch input to trigger the timing more accurately. This can be assigned to the GO button or to a submaster flash button. Your best bet might be to assign it to a submaster flash button, then set the flash mode to solo. Then program a chase on the submaster with the first step as the flash, and a number of additional blackout steps. When you flash the submaster, it will solo (thus removing the current memory). Add enough blackout steps to the chase so that you have time to GO to a blackout memory before the button is released. Also make sure there's enough so the chase doesn't loop back to step 1 before your button presser releases it.

 

If one person is triggering the MP3/CD player and pressing your remote button at the same time, then the timing ought to be pretty good. Experiment a bit to get the timing right for pressing/releasing the button and synchronising with the lighting desk operator doing the GO from the normal scene to the next blackout scene.