Marking cues with Martin Mini Mac Maestros

[HairyAz]

Setup- (4) mini mac maestro's on downstage truss flown 27' above stage mixed in with conventionals. Using Elation DMX Operator Pro (I know...I know... take it easy ) simply for use with my movers and a separate controller for my conventionals.

Purpose- to prevent re-focusing of conventional lighting outside of general stage wash. Using the 4 fixtures to rotate positions during show from CS to SL and SR per cue.

Issue: I want to move my 4 fixtures highlighting a fixed position from SL to CS, or from SR to CS with my shutter closed so that beams of light don't track from one position to the next. But when I program in the shutter closed as say scene 2, and then scene 3, and then open at the new position for scene 4, the shutter opens and the light tracks from the old position.

Is this just a simple fix with adjusting the profile of the fixture to have a blackout as fixture moves? I am terrible with programming of moving lights. Any tips would help. Thanks in advance!

 

[Pie4Weebl]

Just to make sure I get what you are saying, in your programming, do you move the light in a black out cue? Your cues should be as follows:
1. Position 1, on
2. Position 1, off
3. Position 2, off
4. Position 2, on

 

[Footer]

Just to make sure I get what you are saying, in your programming, do you move the light in a black out cue? Your cues should be as follows:
1. Position 1, on
2. Position 1, off
3. Position 2, off
4. Position 2, on

Yup. Moving light basics 101... cue... decue... recue... go

If you can at all avoid it, I don't like the fixture to think at all. I know fixture have those auto functions such as douse out when moving, but there is nothing in the light that a modern console can do for you automatically. Back in the day those functions were useful when we were all trying to use this gear on consoles not make for it, but anymore those functions simply get in the way.

 

[HairyAz]

Thank you for the tips.

Pie- When I started with an on cue, the shutter did open from home to it's cue'd location. So I actually started from off as cue 1, to on as cue 2.

Here's what I learned, that I probably already knew. Martin Mini Macs don't have the best personality protocols for shows like this. Unfortunately I have more of them (6) than I do Mac 250 Kryptons (2), so I gotta do what I gotta do. Now my 250s have the dimmer in their protocol which makes life oh so much easier. But the gem of the Maestro's as a decor lighting guy, is that I can take the gobos we use for bigger shows in the Mac2ks and re-use them in the Maestros for the smaller gigs. For a small company, that pays over ten fold.

 

[derekleffew]

...I know fixture have those auto functions such as douse out when moving, ...

Can you cite examples? I don't think I've ever used a fixture with this "feature." If I have, I didn't know it, so "autodark while moving" must have been disabled. I'm not sure how useful a moving light that you can't see move would be, except in a theatre situation, as a refocusable special.

Come to think of it, it would be a great feature to add to an I-Cue's personality on an Express or similar, but how would one position it if it kept going dark while moving?

 

[HairyAz]

Can you cite examples? I don't think I've ever used a fixture with this "feature." If I have, I didn't know it, so "autodark while moving" must have been disabled. I'm not sure how useful a moving light that you can't see move would be, except in a theatre situation, as a refocusable special.

Come to think of it, it would be a great feature to add to an I-Cue's personality on an Express or similar, but how would one position it if it kept going dark while moving?

I know on my mini mac's channel 8 at 252 has blackout while moving. But again, most moving lights have a dimmer where a function like this isn't necessary from my understanding.

The idea, and I know all you other smarter fellars can comment on this better than I can, is again, in my usage for the show I am working on, have the moving light go from one cue to the next without the shutter being open.

 

[JChenault]

Can you cite examples? I don't think I've ever used a fixture with this "feature." If I have, I didn't know it, so "autodark while moving" must have been disabled. I'm not sure how useful a moving light that you can't see move would be, except in a theatre situation, as a refocusable special.

Come to think of it, it would be a great feature to add to an I-Cue's personality on an Express or similar, but how would one position it if it kept going dark while moving?

It's more of a 'If the fixture is moving - douse the lamp'. IE pretty useless in the real world. My understanding is that if you tried to use it like a true dark move, you woule execute the cue to bring up the lamp - the lamp would move to the location ( and not come up) and when it gets to position the lamp would come up. Yuck.

Check out page 41 of the Martin Smart Mac manual. http://www.martin.com/service/downloadfile.asp?name=UM_smartMAC_EN_F.pdf&cat=65

I have a very vague memory of seeing this on other fixtures, but don't ask me which ones.

 

[Footer]

Can you cite examples? I don't think I've ever used a fixture with this "feature." If I have, I didn't know it, so "autodark while moving" must have been disabled. I'm not sure how useful a moving light that you can't see move would be, except in a theatre situation, as a refocusable special.

Come to think of it, it would be a great feature to add to an I-Cue's personality on an Express or similar, but how would one position it if it kept going dark while moving?

The Mac 250 and Mac 700 both have this built in. I assume some of the other Martin fixtures do as well.

From the Mac 250 Manual...

B L A C K O U T
When “blackout while moving” is selected on the speed channels, the shutter closes when the effect moves
to make the transition invisible. The shutter opens when the movement is complete.