How do you program your Hog?

[Esoteric]

Okay, so this applies to any moving light console, but I thought it might be interesting for our younger readers to see how others program their desks.

For me, I set palettes, and then use the palettes to program looks in a specific sequence into each cue list.

Then I attach the cue list in order of performance (be it by song, scene, whatever) into subs with the last couple of subs on each page reserved for special components (haze, front light, house light, blinders, etc) or used for more cue list storage if everything is written into cues.

Mike

[Grog12]

Generally I like to program using my fingers...occastionally I'll use my nose...or a pencil.....



Oh wait...not what you're talking about.

[soundman]

Depends on the event. But the basics are all the same, First up house keeping. Get all the monitors up and running recalibrate the touch screen and set all my preferences the way I like them make the views I use all the time here as well. I have a blank show todo this but sometimes it stays home.

I patch the fixtures in using notes to desginate the blocks of conventionals (1-15 warm front) (21-35 warm top) etc... It saves me time when I am not thinking clearly or if I am doing a show with a lot of specials and therefore doesn't fit into my numbering strategy very well.

Next up are a few palettes. I let the board make color beam and group palettes. I will make some more group palettes after that based on purpose. If I am working with alot of moving profiles I might make some focus palettes, one for each wheel. I rarely make any position palettes at this stage, but I don't do shows with a lot of fat areal looks that can be done ahead of time.

If I haven't worked with the director before and its possible I will make a few scenes to show her/him. I like to use scenes instead of cues because it is a snap shot of exactly what I want to show them, no tracking issues to worry about.

Now I dive into cue building building palettes for any positions, colors, or effects I use. Each cue gets labeled when created and timed as segments. repeat until finished.

[TimMiller]

If its a theatrical show i program the entire show into one cue list. And put foggers, and other types of special instruments on separate faders. Both concerts and theatrical shows i setup focus palletes, lots of them if required. For theatrical, i set key positions, for concerts i set all the lights at each individual (a focus for guitar, keys, lead, etc). I also set focus pallets at the audience, floor, wall, ceiling, truss, etc. Being able to grab any light and know it will be saved in the focus pallete will save you aggrivation when it comes to show time. Now when it comes to setting faders. I will set my common wash positions on a fader, the fader next to it will be wash colors. Then i will do the same with my hard edges on the faders. I skip a fader if i have room, then i will do spot position, spot color, spot gobo. If i have more than one type of spot (ie studio spot, and cyber) then i will make two sets of those fixtures on faders. Now if i have some lights in different positions such as 4 studio spots on the drum riser, then those will be on another set of 3 faders (expansion wings come in very handy, or if i dont have a wing then i just use a generic 24ch dmx board with flash buttons, and set that up to work like a wing).

[alexwrath]

So I have a fairly large (24 movers, 68 LED pars and one lonely desk channel) show on Sunday.

I touched a Hog for the first time yesterday.

lulz.


actually, I've taken to it kind of easily... considering I'm used to my rig usually consisting of a SmartFade ML and a Lepi 624. I think scenes and palettes should do me okay, and if anything... I'll just set scenes with mover macros, should I have to make it 'dance-y'.

Housekeeping came first. All of my fixtures are patched, numbered and groups are set up. I have some color, beam and focus palettes done... I usually just use these and go on the fly with the ML, but I'm getting the feeling that's not gonna cut it on a Hog.

I have some questions regarding cuelists that the manual seems to be absolutely horrible at explaining, and just a few clarifications on tracking (I don't want certain banks of Coemars going apesh*t when I change scenes).

I know it's Friday night, and I'm asking for advice by Sunday, but if anyone would like to help me out via email or AIM, I'd be truly grateful... and I know, it's not like anyone here works during weekends or anything

anyway, if anyone can... shoot me a PM, and I'll cough up my contact info of preference... AIM/YIM/email/phone/telex/x.25 PAD/smoke signal direction

(darned crawlers are getting too good at email obfuscation, haha)

thanks in advance.

[NevilleLighting]

I'm a cue list guy too. All of my work is in theatre (or opera, dance, etc.) so I rely heavily on the cue list and the lovely "insert mark" feature. All cues must be the same from night to night, including timing. It does take the fun out of running the console though. I do build many focus palettes and color and beam palettes to make cues from. Time on stage with cast is always very limited. Anything you can pre-program in the lower stress environment of a lighting call always helps.

[jxgriffi]

As I use my H3 5-7 days a week...it all depends on the events going on. I have my basics that I will list here...

Left Screen - Full Screen for Groups: All VL Spot, VLSpot 1/2, VLSpot 2/2 (odds/evens), VLSpot 1/3, VL Spot 2/3, VLSpot 3/3 (for 3 step chases). I do this for each type of fixture for quick access to groupings.

Right Screen:
Top Left Corner - Color Box
Bottom Left Corner - Beam Box
Right Side Full Height - Positions
External 1 - OUTPUT
External 2 - Chosen Cuelist

For VIEWS, I set up a full complement that allows me quick access using the keypad and not having to go up top to push buttons.

View 1 - MOVERS - This is the screen setup I described above)
View 2 - POS - This is an additive view that changes my POSITION box to full screen on the right screen
View 3 - COL - This is an additive view that changes my COLOR box to full screen on the right screen
View 4 - BEAM - This is an additive view that changes my BEAM box to full screen on the right screen
View 5 - EFFECTS - This opens both effects windows on the right screen to full screen
View 6 - LIST - This is an additive view that opens the "Chosen" cuelist to full screen on the external monitor 2
View 7 - ALL CLOSE - Closes all Windows
View 8 - BUSK - This closes all external windows, opens a "CUELIST" window on both touchscreens using the "split" function and allows me trigger busking lists as virtual masters (effects, colors, bumps, etc.)
View 9 - LAMPS - This opens a window for "Lamp STRIKE and Lamp DOUSE"
View 10 - MEDIA - This changes my screen configurations for Media Servers (Groups, Colors, Beams, and Positions all change).

Now with all of this setup, I can use the keypad to quickly jump around without my fingers having to leave it and reach up for the buttons on the left screen.

OPEN + 1 - Opens view 1, OPEN + 2 - opens View 2...etc.

For the actual run, it all depends on what I'm running. If it's scripted, then it's generally page per song with a set of "effects" setup on the template page so that I don't have to keep loading them to every page. Fader 1 and 2 are generally reserved for the actual song specific information while Faders 4-10 are setup from the template page for effects (bumps, blinders, odd/even, etc.)

If it's a true busk show, then I have my BUSK page open on the lists and everything else is build and move as needed.

Hope that helps...

[thelightguy87]

Originally Posted by TimMiller

(expansion wings come in very handy, or if i dont have a wing then i just use a generic 24ch dmx board with flash buttons, and set that up to work like a wing).

How do you do that?

[jxgriffi]

Unfortunately...that only works on the Hog 2...not the Hog 3.

For the H3 products you have to either use the playback wing (10 faders) or the expansion wing (20 faders and 20 executers).