Total Amateur - moving head and some other things

[rickw]

Hello

I'm a complete but enthusiastic amateur using a Solution desk at a school. I've been playing around with the desk for about 4 years and am basically ok with it. We've slowly been building up our capacity and have now got an Infinity Furion s402 moving head spot. I'm just getting to grips with how to use it and have a question.

One of the wheels on the desk under Beamshape is "Control" which allows me to set Pan/TIlt Blackout or not. However, it seems like this is a general setting and now available for each cue, is that right? So either the light will track to the next position every time, or it will blackout before moving every time.

My question is, how can I get control of this per cue? Most of the time I'll want the light to be off before it moves, but sometimes I won't! Is the best way to do this to create an identical cue but with the furion off, then set the next scene with it on but in a new position? This seems a bit of a bodge but provided I'm thinking ahead when I program the show it should be ok!

 

Speaking of which, there are two function that I can't get to work on the desk. I cannot Delete a single cue. If I press Delete and Go, it deletes the entire stack. 

Secondly, I can''t insert a cue in between two others. The insert button does nothing.

As you can imagine, both of these things are really useful when programming (especially if I **** up the moving head position as above!)

 

I'm in Non-Tracking mode on the desk because a) I've no idea how to change that and b) Tracking mode scares me a bit, as the manual says I work by setting a whole scene as I want it, then pressing record.

 

EDIT - I WISH I'd found this forum three years ago! I can now Insert and Delete cues to my heart's content.

[Edward Z88]

Hi Rick,

Welcome to the Zero 88 Forum. 

1 hour ago, rickw said:

My question is, how can I get control of this per cue? Most of the time I'll want the light to be off before it moves, but sometimes I won't!

By default, the console will do this work for you, without having to change the fixture’s control channel. This function is called Move On Dark. Whenever you store a cue where a moving light is at 0% intensity, the console will see if it can prepare its colour, beam and position information to the values needed for the next time the light is on. I’d therefore recommend not using the Control function, as this is available for if you are using a console without Move On Dark functionality. 

1 hour ago, rickw said:

I cannot Delete a single cue. If I press Delete and Go, it deletes the entire stack. 

That’s correct. If you wish to delete a single cue, or a few cues from the playback, tap DELETE, and then using the MFKs type the cue number you wish to delete, and then press the playback’s button. You can then confirm to delete the cue. 

1 hour ago, rickw said:

Secondly, I can''t insert a cue in between two others. The insert button does nothing.

The same process as above goes for inserting cues. Create your lighting state you wish to insert, tap RECORD, and then using the MFKs type the cue number you wish to store this as, such as 10.5, and then press and playback’s button to store this onto.

The INSERT button used to be used in older software versions. Now the INSERT button is a spare button, which you can configure to give advanced functions. To do this hold SETUP and tap INSERT, and then choose a normal and a shifted function. 

If you wish to confirm your current software version, tap Other Windows, which is found top left of the Output Window. From the drop down choose System Information. In here will be a line of text showing the software version.

1 hour ago, rickw said:

I'm in Non-Tracking mode on the desk because a) I've no idea how to change that and b) Tracking mode scares me a bit, as the manual says I work by setting a whole scene as I want it, then pressing record.

If this is the mode you’re happy in that’s fine. The video below explains tracking, which might help you out...

Hope this helps, if you have any questions let me know. 

Edward

[rickw]

47 minutes ago, Edward- Z88 said:

Hi Rick,

Welcome to the Zero 88 Forum. 

By default, the console will do this work for you, without having to change the fixture’s control channel. This function is called Move On Dark. Whenever you store a cue where a moving light is at 0% intensity, the console will see if it can prepare its colour, beam and position information to the values needed for the next time the light is on. I’d therefore recommend not using the Control function, as this is available for if you are using a console without Move On Dark functionality. 

 

Hope this helps, if you have any questions let me know. 

Edward

Hi Edward

Thanks for the reply. All good on Insert and Delete, it seems our software was newer than the manual!

Regarding the moving head. This is fine for going from a cue where the fixture isn't on, into one where it is.

My query is more when the light is pointed to one place, then needs to point somewhere else.

In this case am I right in doing three cues:

1. Scene with moving head

2. Fade out moving head but keep everything else the same

3. New scene with new position and intensity

 

As we only have one fixture at the moment, it might well be going some heavy lifting in the next show so is likely to be on in different places in consecutive scenes. Then when I run the show I can just quickly tap through cue 2 and 3.

[Edward Z88]

Hi Rick,

42 minutes ago, rickw said:

My query is more when the light is pointed to one place, then needs to point somewhere else.

In this case am I right in doing three cues:

Yep that’s it. If you program the blackout in there, the console will be able to prep the fixtures for you. If a quick move is required, hold SETUP and tap the playback’s button to open the Playback Settings. Then tap Move On Dark from the top. You can then configure the delay which is the time the console waits once the fixture is at 0%, and the fade is the duration the fixtures then take to move. 

In your example the third cue, could be an Auto After previous, so you simply press Go to go into black, and the console then moves the light and turns it back on automatically. 

Hope this helps,

Edward

[rickw]

Ah brilliant. How do you set auto after? Never used that.

[Edward Z88]

Hi Rick,

Just now, rickw said:

Ah brilliant. How do you set auto after? Never used that.

To configure a cue to automatically follow the previous, tap the Settings button at the end of the cue’s row in the cue list window. Then from the trigger drop down, choose Auto After. You can then configure a wait time if you wish, and click OK. 

Hope this helps,

Edward

[rickw]

It does help, thanks so much!

 

Really excited about getting stuck in again and working out the show lighting (and insert/delete is going to change my life).

[Edward Z88]

Hi Rick,

Great glad to hear it. If you have any questions let me know. 

Edward

[Davidmk]

Worth noting that the word amateur means someone who does something they love. It should not be taken to mean incompetent. In fact, people who are passionate will generally strive to be the best they can be. Keep trying stuff, read books, look at old paintings and watch TV. Look at the light (and the shadows), ask yourself why did they light it like that? How could you do that on your stage?

[rickw]

Thanks David! I do love doing it, and like to think I can do it pretty well (at times). I'll keep experimenting and looking for sure!