I need instructions

[Jacob]

Okay so i will be taking over lighting in my high school ( our board is a Etc Express 48/98) and there are a few slight problems:
1) I have only basic knowledge of programing and even basic knowledge has its limits.
2) Some one has walked of with our manual for our board.
3) We rent out our theater because it is the biggest in our town and some group has reprogrammed our lights such what light one is light thirty-four. Nice right?

Anyway some help would be much appreciated by myself and studio director.
-Jacob Perrott

Post script: This is a very nice website.

 

[soundlight]

Well, here's the manual: http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/manuals/Express_Two-scene_Preset_v3.1_User_Manual.pdf

What the other group did is called "soft patch". It basically means that you can tell the board what lights correspond to what faders, or more technically, what dimmers correspond to what channels on the board.

 

[lieperjp]

If you have a problem with the patch, read in the instruction manual how to do a 1-1 (one to one) patch. That will set everything back to normal. If you had a different soft patch, you're out of luck unless you have it written down or backed up on a floppy disk.

As for having beginner's knowledge, read the manual now that you have it! ETC does a good job with tutorials in their manuals. Everyone has to start somewhere... If you still can't figure something out, put up a post and those with the Express can help you out.

 

[derekleffew]

Should you need (or desire) more instruction than the manual offers, CB member AndrewWebberley has a very nice set of instructional videos for sale at Dominant Field. Something your school might want to investigate.

Of course, feel free to ask your questions here as well. A nine-minute response time is pretty good.

 

[soundlight]

A nine-minute response time is pretty good.

I try Derek, I try.

Definitely look in to those videos as a training resource, the manual can be difficult to dive right in to if there isn't someone there to assist you. But then again, you may pick it right up. I first worked with an Express back in the summer before I was a senior in HS. Within minutes I could bring up a channel, record a cue and set times, and do a few basic things in the setup menu, because there was someone to show me how. It all made logical sense as it was explained to me. Best of luck tackling the manual, and as Derek said, ask questions here if you have 'em, we'll try to get back to you quicklike.

 

[MNicolai]

If another group has caused havoc, you can hold down keys 7, 8, and 9 while the console is booting, and it will reset everything to default values. However, that will also reset system settings. If you're looking for something less destructive you can go to Setup > Clear Functions, you can clear 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9. That should give you a pretty stable base to work from. It will preserve the system settings while clearing the functions (to default values) that other groups are likely to have edited.

I would highly recommend you download Expression Off-Line from ETC's website. It gives you a full console layout for any/all of the Expression consoles, and shows you the screens. Anything you can do on the console, you can do on EOL, and you can save your files to floppy discs and load them into the console. That means you can theoretically program an entire show from home on your computer and just walk into the venue and load the files and you're set. Another upside is that for someone who is new to the console, you can not damage anything or mess anything up using the Editor, so you can learn the desk without taking the risk you might mess a setting up in the process.

Expression Off-Line
http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/offline/Expression_Express_Offline_v311.zip

 

[thommyboy]

As wonderful as this site is for all technical areas, you can also go to the source and register at Lighting solutions for Theatre, Film & Television Studios and Architectural spaces : ETC They have forums dedicated to each board/family of boards they have produced in the last 15+ years. Here is the express/expression/emphasis and obsession forum take a look around. I have found it to be an invaluable resource for my new ION console.

 

[David Ashton]

I always tell students and teachers they must play with their gear, try stuff, you learn sport by practice and the same applies to lighting, avoid being "precious" with the gear, it is very hard to do damage, so just spend time and play.

 

[Pie4Weebl]

Also I think having your patch changed is a valuable lesson about the value of having a rep disk stored, the board has a floppy drive to which you can save everything on the board, making restoring after a rental that much easier. I'm willing to bet there is a college nearby who would be more than willing to send an undergraduate student out to show you the ropes on the board and that would be infinitely easier that trying to figure it out on your own.

 

[mbenonis]

I always tell students and teachers they must play with their gear, try stuff, you learn sport by practice and the same applies to lighting, avoid being "precious" with the gear, it is very hard to do damage, so just spend time and play.

I agree 100%. This is the only way to truly learn how something works. It's how I learned, and I always tell people I am teaching that there is nothing they can do to the system (sound, in my case) that I can't fix short of blowing out the speakers.