Busking on an Ion?

[Jay Ashworth]

Yes, ok, I'm nuts. But it's what they have.

At least it's jazz/vocal, not rock.

Specifically, I'm looking for tips on how to handle movers; I can do straight cues with the playbacks and bumps. But what's the easiest way to utilize movers (we have 4 VLX-3's and 4 -440s) in an operator-interactive fashion?

Specifically, I'd like to be able to set up what I guess amount to cues (point it here, set it to this color) and then let me handle level adustment by hand. I'm pretty new on the Ion; I assume this is something that's obvious to old hands...

 

[SteveB]

Touch screens ?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Just recently. One, at least, and I expect to set up the second one before the show. 2x20 wing, too.

Monthly jazz concert series, and our L1 is the A1 for those shows, leaving me a seat to learn up in.

The touchscreens aren't in an especially comfortable place, though...

And they are factory ELOs, and hence stupidly heavy.

 

[SteveB]

If you can reposition a TS, it'll make your life easier.

You CAN do cues and can even set stacks on separate faders (if you have enough faders), then fire away. Then do a fader with a basic/talk look and set channels to assert to override anything else. This works if you get a run thru and can pre-build a stack per song. I never get time for that.

I don't do this, as with 2 TS's just built up some Magic Sheets, one for my 6 Mac 700's, the other for my 9 Auras that are backlights. The 700 MS have focus palettes, color palettes and a lot of beam palettes that are very refined, as example a BP that just selects a gobo, another BP that sets size - SM/Med/Lg with an hard edge. Then a few BP's that will rotate CCW slow, or med., etc... then I have some faders, one per fixture intensity, another group inhibit. On the MS is a bunch of time macros that allow a sneak in 2, or 4, or 8, etc... thus I can preselects all the attributes, then do a sneak time macro.

It's also possible to build up a lot of buttons on the MS that are cues, thus you can pre-build a lot of complex looks into a cue with a time and just punch the button.

OS version 2.5.1 allows very customizable direct select pages and you can cram a lot of stuff on a page. I'm essence any DS button can be anything - palette, preset, cue, etc.... so you can put all that stuff I hpjust described about anywhere on the screen. The nice thing about DS buttons is when you press one on the TS, the button highlights that an action took place, something MS buttons don't do. Let's you know where the gears about to go.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Alas, we're still on 2.2 on this desk.

For the rest of that, let me read it 5 or 6 more times, and I think I may understand it.

 

[soundlight]

You'll want to update your desk, the effects controls for faders have been greatly enhanced. You can now have size and speed for effects on faders. I'd suggest using the magic sheet option for parameter controls, and using faders for intensities and effects. Make sure to add some sneak time macros to your magic sheets for graceful transitions.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Alas, it isn't my desk to update, at the moment at least. Working on that.

 

[sk8rsdad]

Alas, it isn't my desk to update, at the moment at least. Working on that.

2.5 and 2.5.1 added a lot in the way of fader management. It's a shame you can't upgrade. Most of the things you might want to do can be done without it but it's so much easier to build wrap-around cue lists and manage priority with the latest version.

Some things I've found helpful:

• wrap around cue lists for various palettes (colour, beam, focus).
• presets for master looks that you can layer other things on
• inhibit subs to take away things from the master looks

Patrick Boozer's session on live event programming on Eos has some good advice about how organize your console.

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[JonathanHarpur]

The updates add enough functionality for a busking show that it's worthwhile asking (pleading, begging - cry if you have to, if it might work) them to do an upgrade, even if they choose to retrograde after the show. It's a process which is just as easy as upgrading.

For me, the jump to 2.5.x brought the console from a "can busk on it, but unless you've got all your ducks in a row, you really don't want to" to a "yeah, this works pretty well" level. And I'm still in the "where did - that thing it does - go now?" phase. I'm still being pleasantly surprised on a regular basis.

 

[SteveB]

I'd maybe get a 2.2 file as well as a 2.5.1 file, update the desk for your use, then put it back.

ETC is consistent in not breaking connections such as device compatibility with old nodes and rack, etc... thus I've found every update to remain functional with my 12 year old gear.

I'm also still wishing for a master effect override fader capability.