ETC Express Problem recording DMX information into cues

[theepicbeat]

I am having an issue recording cues from a simple led wash into my Express. We use many conventional fixtures and a few led washes. I have control of the fixture just fine. I can record cues that save the correct information, but when I play them back, for instance, if I have 2 cues, one with the wash set to R full, G 0, B 0 and the next going to R 0, G 0, B Full, it won't take the Red information to 0 when I switch to the blue cue. It simply adds the blue information (which of course gives me a beautiful magenta/purple color). Where in this board's guts can I make the necessary adjustment for DMX washes to go to 0 when I need them to go to 0.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[CrazyTechie]

Did you hit the track button when you recorded the first cue? Also (just to be sure) did you make sure there were no sliders, channels or submasters that were on while you were running/recording the cues?

 

[xander]

This could be any number of things. Some basics would be good. As CrazyTechie suggested, are you using any faders to write your cues? How are the fixtures patched (as desk channels or as fixtures)? What order did you record the cues in? Are you playing them back on the same fader pair? If you hit go on the A/B fader for cue 1 and then go on C/D fader for cue 2, then you are going to have both cues live at the same time.

-Tim

 

[theepicbeat]

Hi guys,

Thanks for taking the time. I currently my wash patched starting at channel 85. I think it is just patched as a channel, well, a section of channels. Maybe I should be doing it differently. I push up the faders so it looks the way I want it to. Record the cue (Track is not on when I do that....does it need to be?) and save it.

Then I will pull the faders down and push up a new mixed color with my three RGB faders on channels 85, 86, 87. (I know there are ways to setup fixtures and patch it differently, but this seemed to work quickly). Anyway, when I push those up, I record and save them. Pull all faders down and load the cue into C/D. (Not using A/B at all) First cue loads up beautifully. Now, if I CLEAR C/D, then load up cue 2, it loads nicely as well. It's when I advance from first cue to second that I end up with problems. It's as if the second cue values are being added to the first cue. Am I making sense?

Thanks,
Adam

SHould I be setting up a fixture for this light?

 

[xander]

That is indeed intriguing. You are absolutely positive that you aren't using both fader pairs? Because that would be the simplest/easiest way to get the situation you are having. Other than that, have you set the channel you are using as LTP in the Channel Attributes menu by any chance? Or, do you have BOTH faders for the C/D playback all the way up? I don't mean A/B and C/D, but both faders for C/D. There are two faders for each playback because one is for up fades and one is for down fades. If you don't have the down fader, up, any channels going down will not execute. This could explain why the colors you don't want anymore are staying up.

-Tim

 

[hobbsies]

Do you have the same issue using A/B faders? Tims idea of one fader being off is the only one that makes sense to me, perhaps its broken?

 

[millamber]

To into Blind and look at the cue spreadsheet view. See what happens to the red channel in both cues.

It sounds like the channels are set to be LTP. If you capture the red channel at 0 and re-record cue 2 what happens?

 

[lwinters630]

I patch the LED's as fixtures in the setup page under moving lights (down load personalities from etc web if needed) then set your board to preset start with a cue like 10, record a blank or black look. then select fixture 1 thru x and use your encoders to select colors and intensity or what ever you like. add any standard lights then record cue 20 and enter. select the fixtures again rotate encoder wheel to new color and record cue 30 enter. this should work. you can check the spread sheet as well. personally I like to use preset mode, make groups your friend, you may also use macro's to select groups of fixtures, I.E. cyc's or even/odd.

another trick is to use subroutines to build chases instead of strobe or effects. record three or four cue looks with your led's then go to blind and record a cue like 500, select type= subroutine, edit step rates, and cues (the 3 you just made) then record enter, go to stage and play the cue 500, it will chase the 3 cues.

hope this helps.

 

[xander]

I patch the LED's as fixtures in the setup page under moving lights (down load personalities from etc web if needed) then set your board to preset start with a cue like 10, record a blank or black look. then select fixture 1 thru x and use your encoders to select colors and intensity or what ever you like. add any standard lights then record cue 20 and enter. select the fixtures again rotate encoder wheel to new color and record cue 30 enter. this should work. you can check the spread sheet as well. personally I like to use preset mode, make groups your friend, you may also use macro's to select groups of fixtures, I.E. cyc's or even/odd.

another trick is to use subroutines to build chases instead of strobe or effects. record three or four cue looks with your led's then go to blind and record a cue like 500, select type= subroutine, edit step rates, and cues (the 3 you just made) then record enter, go to stage and play the cue 500, it will chase the 3 cues.

hope this helps.

First of all, I would not patch the LEDs as fixtures. On an Express this is generally not a helpful way to control LEDs unless you are using a phantom intensity channel and even still, doesn't gain you anything. Using them on faders like you are doing is probably going to be the easiest for you. Second, the Express does not have a "preset mode" setting as you say, unless of course you mean 2-scene preset, and that would be a huge step backwards. Third, the Express does not have any encoders. Fourth, groups, macros, and subroutines are all good things, but, quite frankly, have nothing to do with the problem at hand.

Millamber and Hobbsies both have great ideas. Checking to see what the cue looks like in blind will help you find out if your problem lies in recording or playback. And if the problem is in playback (which is where my money is), using the A/B fader pair as Hobbsies suggests, could tell you if your C/D fader pair is damaged.

Try some of these things and get back to us with what you discover.

-Tim

 

[someguy98457]

That is indeed intriguing. You are absolutely positive that you aren't using both fader pairs? Because that would be the simplest/easiest way to get the situation you are having. Other than that, have you set the channel you are using as LTP in the Channel Attributes menu by any chance? Or, do you have BOTH faders for the C/D playback all the way up? I don't mean A/B and C/D, but both faders for C/D. There are two faders for each playback because one is for up fades and one is for down fades. If you don't have the down fader, up, any channels going down will not execute. This could explain why the colors you don't want anymore are staying up.

-Tim

My friend had this exact problem on a 48/96 yesterday. Be my first Guess.
(Also new level of respect for ETC tech's who do phone support, hurts the head when your not sitting there and cant see the faders)

 

[Lightguy5]

Have you tried setting the cues as AF (all-fades) forcing the 00 level on the down channel?

 

[lwinters630]

Sorry Tim, I mixed my boards, expression has encoders, express uses the touch pad and arrows. Assuming that there are no overlaps on the patches and the fixtures is addressed in the correct mode, I would look at the A/B C/D faders as the problem. I have had this problem before. The manual suggest, When recording in Stage, such as to record a cue, group or submaster, you will commonly want to start without any live channels. For instance, you may want to create a new cue without using any of the lights placed
on stage from a previous fade or channel selection. To clear lighting from the stage, use one or all of the following procedures:
• If the lights are from a cue in a fader, press the fader’s [Clear] key one
or more times.
• If the lights are captured, press [Rel] two or more times.
• If from a submaster, lower the slider to zero.
• If from channels running in the background, press [S3], Background
Overrides, [Enter] [Enter].

Do this for both sets of faders.

Make sure no sub are sliders or selected from key pad.

After you do this set a cue 1 as a black out (all values null) then record. Add your red leds record cue 2 enter. take off the red and add blue record 3 enter. everything off record 4 enter. Do not hit the track button. Now hit cue 1 Go on the A/B fader. Next hit Go on the A/B, then Go on the A/B.

Hopefully this solves the problem. I have found that using both sets of faders A/B and C/D at the same time causes problems unless you are very intentional.