Quote:
Originally Posted by charcoaldabs
That killed me on this last show... killed me. I've learned my lesson though... record things as subs, then start with new fresh cues, and use the subs to record the new cues... with how many changes the dept head wanted... in the middle of the shows, everything got messed up. Not to mention the number of "impossible" things she wanted done. Impossible in that I had to do like 30 keystrokes in 5 seconds, record, and GO next cue. She doesn't follow that once the cue is recorded, using the master and channel faders isn't gonna help. I'm thinking maybe I should take tracking off. If it confuses me, I'm sure it confuses everyone. Edit: Unless someone wants to explain it...  ? |
On some lighting software, you can record various effects and store them with a name (like an oscillating light pattern). The same can be done with groups of lights (typically run with submasters), but saved with an easily remembered name.
I do a lot of pre-show prep to put together these various patterns. The lighting software I use has the ability to record a list of light channels, a list of effects, and a list of light groups, or any combination of these in each cue. Cues are then very easy to create, simply by adding in named washes, named effects, and named groups. Then during techs, and even during shows, it becomes a no brainer to add these elements to a cue or remove certain of these elements from a cue, depending upon the whim of the director, SM, or me, the LD.
By default, the software has tracking off. Which kind of makes sense in my scenario because cues are so easy to create, and can even be created off line, which I did for one show, while sitting in the bar one night filling my stomach with beer and the cues with pre-designed special effects. Try and take a lighting board into a bar and create a light show! (I run my shows off a laptop).