ION RFU parks channels

[mstutzman]

So my latest struggle with the ION console, well actually the ION RFU is that channel check runs in the park screen. No matter if I hit (ch# clear), or (ch# @), I end up, or more importantly my stage manager who runs channel check ends up parking out channels.

Its very easy for me to unpark channels, and slightly more of a hassle and even more of a risk that the stage manager will not see the parked channels and run the show with them parked out.

Has anyone found a good safety practice to not let this happen?

[bdkdesigns]

First off, it is called an RFR.

Anyways, there are two ways of doing a channel check on the RFR that I am aware of. First off, it can be done in live via a macro. Simply record a macro in the console that starts a channel check and you can use the scroll wheel on the right side to go through the channels. When you are done, simply hit clear.

To do a channel check or address check in Park mode, type in the number that you need at full (or whatever level you want to run the check at). Use the RIGHT sided scroll wheel to cycle through the numbers. When finished, simply hit clear. If you type in @0, you will park that last channel off. Also, if you change the intensity with the left scroll wheel, you will change the intensity and park that channel/address at that intensity. Another thing to keep in mind, in park mode, do not only bring up one channel/address and then hit clear or else you will park it. The only way to prevent them from parking is to use the right scroll wheel to at least change the channel/address at least once, although probably the only time that this will matter to you is when you accidently type in the wrong number to start on.

Personally, I go with the macro route to ensure that nothing happens. I have a channel check macro and an address macro since the only way to bring up addresses is via the park screen.

[mstutzman]

A Radio Focus Remote is still a Remote Focus Unit, Yes?

The Macro is actually a good idea, one of which I plan to borrow. TY

But I am not crazy in thinking that having the channel check function in PARK, and not LIVE is just the most dangerous thing I could think of in the hands of a stage manager? No?

[mstaylor]

Wasn't that the purpose of the macro? If I read it correctly, and I'm trying to understand myself, is by using the macro you can do in live and use the scroller ball to advance.

[mstutzman]

Yes. I believe what BDK is saying is that if you use the macro via the "RFR" you can eliminate the need to be in PARK, mode. Intern eliminating the danger of parking channels out whilst doing channel check.

Although, if it is the same (@00,+@100) Macro that you would write for the Express, you will still end up with all your channels at 00, after channel check is complete. But this is much easier for a stage manager to remedy, since they will need to put the show in cue at TOS, subsequently releasing those channels.

[icewolf08]

Is it not possible to change the user of the remote? In Obsession, the default user for the remote was "Phantom" which operated in park mode (which is sometimes very convenient as it does not affect someone trying to program). However you could change it to default to a normal user or you could change it by holding down a key combo (which I forget) on the remote when you powered it up. It would seem odd to me that this feature would have been removed from ION.

Of course it is simple enough to just hit "Park, enter" after channel check or record a macro for the remote that does that to release any accidentally parked channels.

[derekleffew]

A Radio Focus Remote is still a Remote Focus Unit, Yes?

Technically, maybe. The most recent nomenclature has RFU meaning a wired remote. See also ETC Remote Devices (A Brief History).

[bdkdesigns]

Sorry for the delay in getting back, we are currently in tech for Brighton Beach Memoirs and the set is a bit behind schedule so I've been helping them out.

As Derek pointed out, there is a bit of a separation now. I was quickly corrected by an ETC employee at USITT for accidentally calling it an RFU.

I'm not really sure if you can change the user of the remote. I know you can set the frequency but I don't recall seeing a user change.

Channel check is a bit different on the EOS platform though. In order to start channel check, you would type 1@Full(soft key)Channel Check, Enter. When you are finished with your channel check, you only need to hit clear to finish it out. So you basically record the macro the same way that you would start your channel check and then use the scroll wheel. The only disadvantage of the macro route is that you don't have the freedom to start wherever you want unless you recorded several different macros.

[SteveB]

Channel check is a bit different on the EOS platform though. In order to start channel check, you would type 1@Full(soft key)Channel Check, Enter. When you are finished with your channel check, you only need to hit clear to finish it out.

Been playing a bit with Eos/Ion off-line and could get as far as the above in getting a channel ON with Ch Check, but then was lost as to how to advance to the next channel. The Next and Last button, nor the + or - button didn't do it, so I was being dumb somehow.

And while I'm here, can you do multiple addresses On at the same time in Park ?, or Live for that matter. And can you advance thru the addresses using +/- or Next/Last on the RFR ?.

I'll be doing a lot of Ion manual reading starting tomorrow. Just this morning faxed the purchase order to Barbizon, for a new Ion with 3 fader wings and an RFR, so need to get up to speed.

Thanks in any advance for any useful advice/tips/suggestions.

Steve Bailey
Brooklyn College

[starksk]

Is it not possible to change the user of the remote? In Obsession, the default user for the remote was "Phantom" which operated in park mode ...

There is not an alternate user on the RFR. Channel check operates in park mode on the RFR as bdkdesigns described above.

Been playing a bit with Eos/Ion off-line and could get as far as the above in getting a channel ON with Ch Check, but then was lost as to how to advance to the next channel. The Next and Last button, nor the + or - button didn't do it...

On the console, the next and last buttons advance or retreat the channel being checked.

And while I'm here, can you do multiple addresses On at the same time in Park ?, or Live for that matter. And can you advance thru the addresses using +/- or Next/Last on the RFR ?.

I am assuming that you are asking about doing a channel check for multiple addresses at a time. The answer there is no you cannot step through multiple channels or addresses on. When you select multiple addresses and attempt to next through them on the RFR in park mode, it will park that range at the level you have set and then next through the channels only in the channels that you have selected for further modification. The same selection behavior is true in Live.

You can advance through addresses in Park mode as bdkdesigns described above.

[bdkdesigns]

Steve, to add onto what Kirk talked about, did you download the cheat sheet from either the EOS or ION downloads page? On the offline version, keys on your keyboard function as keys on the console. The cheat sheet lays out what each key on your keyboard acts as.

Also, if you are messing around with it with the thought of possibly converting, don't be afraid to give ETC a call. Soon after the ION was released, I gave ETC a call to see if we could get a demo out to Montana of the EOS and ION. Without hesitation, at least that I'm aware of, ETC drop shipped both consoles to us and then flew someone out to give a demo. I had a demo of both consoles at LDI. The chair of our department however did not go and was married to Strand consoles. This of course meant that he was planning to stay on that route. He agreed that if I could get a demo here, he would consider it. Needless to say, after the ETC rep left, we changed our order specs to an EOS and two ION consoles.

[SteveB]

I am assuming that you are asking about doing a channel check for multiple addresses at a time. The answer there is no you cannot step through multiple channels or addresses on.

To starksk:

Actually it was 2 questions, Can you bring up multiple addresses at the same time on the RFR, for which the answer seems to be Yes, and the other was can you use the Next/Last OR +/- key(s) to step thru addresses and/or Channels on the RFR ? (but not while I have multiple addresses and/or channels parked).

The Ion off-line editor cannot answer functionality questions for the RFR, thus the query.

As a side note, on my version of the OLE for Ion (v1.7), attempting the channel check function using the following key strokes "Channel, 1, Full, Channel Check, Enter", does not allow the Next and Last buttons to step thru channels. I believe that is the correct syntax and that it's "supposed" to work this way, but not on my OLE (WinXP Pro laptop).


To bdkdesigns:

We just yesterday placed an order for an Ion 1000, 3 - 2x20 fader wings and an RFR package. We (I) chose this system for a number of reasons:

1) I need a certain level of compatibility with legacy Express/Expression systems, with visiting companies handing me Express/ion disks regularly and I need the least painful method to get cues to the house console. Ion/Element/Eos is going to be out there in great numbers I suspect, so it's a buy for future compatibility as well. I also need a "theatrical" desk for the bulk of my events.

2) I might well have preferred a GrandMA2 light or some such, for the events where I use my Studio Spots, but I need a desk with greater fader capacity then was available with the GrandMA fader wings, which only give you 15 faders in a size similar to an Ion 2x20 wing. I will have to work a bit harder to get the Ion to act like a R&R busking console, but it will be easier to do that then to get any GrandMA to think like a theatrical desk. Plus I need, roughly 70% of the time, a desk that uses a syntax that a lot of operators/visiting SM's will know. That's not the case with GrandMA and even though it's a widely used desk, it's mostly in the R&R world, lot's of industrials, some road houses, but in general, I think the Ion/Eos/Element OS will become the prevalent OS, as they replace Express/ions and Obsessions.

3) Support. I had to call ETC TWICE today (it was a long day), but got instant solutions to my problems and didn't lose any time to system failures. That's the deal breaker.

Steve B.

[bdkdesigns]

Perhaps that is a question left for ETC then. That is the correct key sequence for a channel check. It must be a glitch in the offline editor. I am still sitting in 1.4 on my offliine and it works fine there but perhaps something went a bit crazy.

On the RFR, as far as I have found, you can only have one address up at a time via Park mode. When you receive your RFR, you will notice two thumb wheels on the side. The left side one adjusts intensity and the right side one adjusts channels. So if you are doing your channel check via "Park" mode, the syntax would be"1, Full, Enter". Then the right side wheel would bring up your next channel. When you are done, clear should be your next stroke before going back into live. If you want to check addresses, it would be Address, 1, Full, Enter. Both Address and Full are soft keys on the RFR.

The other cool thing about the channel check function is that it only steps through patched channels. Stepping through channels in park mode does the same thing. At the end of the day though, I'd recommend using macros though to start your channel check and a macro to bring up an address. It is just way too easy in my opinion to accidently park something. Last year I had a first time ME for a show I designed. At the end of channel check, she typed in @ 0. Needless to say, that instrument didn't work that night.

[starksk]

As a side note, on my version of the OLE for Ion (v1.7), attempting the channel check function using the following key strokes "Channel, 1, Full, Channel Check, Enter", does not allow the Next and Last buttons to step thru channels. I believe that is the correct syntax and that it's "supposed" to work this way, but not on my OLE (WinXP Pro laptop).

Do you have those channels patched? If you do not have channels patched, the next and last functionality will not work because it only checks patched channels.

[SteveB]

Do you have those channels patched? If you do not have channels patched, the next and last functionality will not work because it only checks patched channels.

Nope, of course not as I was merely "playing" in OLE and have yet to dive deep enough.

Thanks for the correction (smack self on head !).

SB