MagicQ Question
- Thread starterEsoteric
- Start date
Pan/Tilt mouse and/or trackball control is there, it just does not work unless you have a wing or a USB widget. Its one of the VERY few things they hold back (along with the HTTP remote). Buy a wing or a Chamsys branded widget and you are good to go with both of those things.
PRG is the only re-sellers in the US. Prices have gone up a bit in the last few weeks due to the pound changing prices. If you are looking for a wing or support for this console, contact Esteban Caracciolo at [email protected]. I just programed a full out show on the console and am going to buy the programming wing. I don't need the full out maxi wing, I am just going to get a touch screen and go with the regular wing. Its not a bad way to go, for about half the cost of a HogPC system its pretty well equipted.
PRG is the only re-sellers in the US. Prices have gone up a bit in the last few weeks due to the pound changing prices. If you are looking for a wing or support for this console, contact Esteban Caracciolo at [email protected]. I just programed a full out show on the console and am going to buy the programming wing. I don't need the full out maxi wing, I am just going to get a touch screen and go with the regular wing. Its not a bad way to go, for about half the cost of a HogPC system its pretty well equipted.
Yup. From what I have been told, if the touchscreen will work on windows, it will work in the software. I have a buddy who is using one of those touchsmart HP machines with HogPC right now, I assume that will also work with MagicQ. I am probably going to pick up an ELO touchscreen to go with my setup. If you click in the top right corner of the worksurface you can switch to touchscreen mode which looks pretty usuable.
paradoxism
Member
MagicQ PC has a dedicated touchscreen configuration with larger buttons and all the most common control buttons replicated onscreen. It turns the screen into basically what you would see on the LCD panel in one of their desks (they all use the same underlying software as the pc version)
I can imagine it would be hardwork to use without a touchscreen, but a combination of touchscreen and a standard programming wing (with the rotary encoders, playback masters, crossfader, GM and basic function buttons) is more than adequate for the majority of theatre style shows.
I regularly use this setup and it works well. The maxi wing is nice if you can afford it but everything extra on there can be accessed already onscreen - think it is basically an alternative option to using a touchscreen.
And as for a good deal - it's worth dropping ChamSys an email in the UK. They sometimes have ex-demo and B-stock units for sale that they will knock maybe 10% off for. With the UK to US exchange rate it may be cheaper to buy direct anyhow - depends if they have an exclusivity deal with PRG or not I suppose.
I can imagine it would be hardwork to use without a touchscreen, but a combination of touchscreen and a standard programming wing (with the rotary encoders, playback masters, crossfader, GM and basic function buttons) is more than adequate for the majority of theatre style shows.
I regularly use this setup and it works well. The maxi wing is nice if you can afford it but everything extra on there can be accessed already onscreen - think it is basically an alternative option to using a touchscreen.
And as for a good deal - it's worth dropping ChamSys an email in the UK. They sometimes have ex-demo and B-stock units for sale that they will knock maybe 10% off for. With the UK to US exchange rate it may be cheaper to buy direct anyhow - depends if they have an exclusivity deal with PRG or not I suppose.
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I frequently use MagicQ on my HP TX1000 touch screen laptop, and it works just fine. The touchscreen on this particular laptop requires a lot of pressure (passive digitizer) and still never feels all that accurate, so my favorite addition to the pc system is a $50 gamers keyboard with the big array of extra programmable buttons (the layout is for shooting games...but) that I've programmed with my most typical functions. (a row for changing views, go and back, record, update, block cues. I use the touchscreen for selecting groups and use the mouse for finer control like grabbing faders.
I'm looking forward to buying a wing soon, because I want the wing, I want the XY control, and I want to help support this company. Making fantastic pro-level software available for free, and making it work with cheap third party output hardware (as well as generic artnet nodes) is a really brave and generous thing to do and I want to do my little part to make sure that strategy pays off for them.
Art
I'm looking forward to buying a wing soon, because I want the wing, I want the XY control, and I want to help support this company. Making fantastic pro-level software available for free, and making it work with cheap third party output hardware (as well as generic artnet nodes) is a really brave and generous thing to do and I want to do my little part to make sure that strategy pays off for them.
Art
Tumbleweed
Member
I programmed a show (including 4 types of movers) on the MagicQ PC setup last year sans touch screen or wing, and it was surprisingly quick. Footer and I were able to bang out the whole show in about 6 hours. The only thing that really slowed me down is that the encoder wheels, which has to be clicked on with a mouse, moves by 1% per click, but if you click and hold it moves by about 75%/second. (Complete estimation, of course.) What it meant is that unless I was taking something all the way to 100% or 0%, I had to move it 1 click and 1% at a time. Let me tell, creating focus groups took for-ever!
Still my favorite moving light console, though.
