Automated Fixtures - Moving Light Cues with an Express 48/96

[marshmolly123]

Hello all! I'm working, still, on my first show as LD, Honk! It's going quite well, and I'm starting to record cues for the shows, which is where I ran into this problem. I feel like there is probably a simple answer, but I've searched through Controlbooth threads and other resources, and haven't found an outright answer.

First some details: I'm working with an Express 48/96 (I know, not a terrific board for intelligent fixtures...) and 4 Studio Spot 250s.

When I record a cue that requires the moving lights to pan/tilt across the stage, as well as bring up the shutter/iris/dim channels, it brings them all up at the same time, and I end up with the light moving across the stage. I want it to move to the point, and then have the beam come on.

I know I can, and probably should, have the movers move to wherever I want them in the previous cue, and then just have the cue I want turn on the beam, but I was just wondering if there was an easy way to achieve what I described above. Thanks!

- Molly

[cprted]

Originally Posted by marshmolly123

I was just wondering if there was an easy way to achieve what I described above.

Nope ... at least not with that console.

[marshmolly123]

Hm, well at least that's a nice cut-and-dried answer, thank you

Guess I'll just continue fumbling along as I am.

[Grog12]

Its incredibly easy to do what you want marshmolly123, and you yourself have said exactly what you need to do.

No it is not as easy as clicking the MIB on a MA or adding a mark cue on a Hog. But it is by no means difficult to preset your mover in the previous cue with a little additional planning on your part before you sit down to Q'ing.

Also see this article http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/c...press-ion.html

[marshmolly123]

Yes, that's my plan, I suppose. Thanks so much for the help, and the link -- I hadn't found that!

[gpforet]

I marvel at those who think this is so difficult. Simply add a two cues between the two looks, the first one closes the shutter, the next one moves the light into the new position with the shutter closed. I've always referred to these as BLIND cues, and I typically use auto-follow so I don't have to manually hit the go button 4 times to have the light fire off two cues.

This was the way I learned to program movers, long before "mover friendly" consoles can into existance. And even when driving a rig with a GrandMA, I still tend to program my shows this way. It has become second nature to store two cues for each position, one with shutter open, one with shutter closed.

Originally Posted by marshmolly123

Hello all! I'm working, still, on my first show as LD, Honk! It's going quite well, and I'm starting to record cues for the shows, which is where I ran into this problem. I feel like there is probably a simple answer, but I've searched through Controlbooth threads and other resources, and haven't found an outright answer.

First some details: I'm working with an Express 48/96 (I know, not a terrific board for intelligent fixtures...) and 4 Studio Spot 250s.

When I record a cue that requires the moving lights to pan/tilt across the stage, as well as bring up the shutter/iris/dim channels, it brings them all up at the same time, and I end up with the light moving across the stage. I want it to move to the point, and then have the beam come on.

I know I can, and probably should, have the movers move to wherever I want them in the previous cue, and then just have the cue I want turn on the beam, but I was just wondering if there was an easy way to achieve what I described above. Thanks!

- Molly

[starksk]

Originally Posted by marshmolly123

...When I record a cue that requires the moving lights to pan/tilt across the stage, as well as bring up the shutter/iris/dim channels, it brings them all up at the same time, and I end up with the light moving across the stage. I want it to move to the point, and then have the beam come on.

I know I can, and probably should, have the movers move to wherever I want them in the previous cue, and then just have the cue I want turn on the beam, but I was just wondering if there was an easy way to achieve what I described above. Thanks!

- Molly

In addition to the resources mentioned above, you can also use part cues with wait times. These are a great little trick that, if you have the time to play with, can also achieve what you are looking for without increasing your cue number. I say "if you have the time to play with" because these can take a little time to get used to programming with softkeys that are not oft used.

More information about creating multipart cues can be found on page 111 of the manual found here.

Also, when using part cues, the cue list will be your best friend for editing timing.

[marshmolly123]

Yeah, one thing I did was write, say, cue 400 to move them and get everything except opening the shutter in place, then 400.1 following 400 with a wait time of say, 2 or 3, depending on how long it took to move them there. However, I've just decided that including them in prior cues was more effective, so they could come on right when I needed them without having to wait for them to move to position.

[derekleffew]

In a linearly-cued situation, it probably makes more sense to have the mark cue be an autofollow to the cue that takes the dousers to zero; i.e. Q399.5 would be the MIB cue triggered by the completion of Q399. Q400 could then happen At precisely and In the desired time with no delays.

[sclausenETC]

Have you patched your moving lights as fixtures? If so, you can copy the information from your fixture quite easily using the ONLY and GROUP CUE functions - so if you get into a cue where you would like to have the fixture move while dark, you can then select the fixture, then use ONLY GROUP CUE # FULL to get the levels from the cue # you enter. This and other hints for controlling moving lights using Express and Expression consoles can be found in a guide I wrote a number of years ago - the Expression/Express Moving Lights Programming Guide. You can download it here.

I hope this helps!

Thanks -

Sarah