RyanHowlett
Member
Hi Guys,
Im new to the forum so im sorry if this is repeating an already covered topic. I have read some posts and it seems people are doing very similar things to what I'm after so i think the answer is tantalizingly close.
Here's my setup:
2 x Chauvet 4 play clears.
Products » 4PLAY
2 x American DJ Jelly bar profiles
American DJ Homepage
1 X American DJ Mega Bar
American DJ Homepage
I currently have no DMX controller however that's the main point of the post.
We are a band than use Midi Click tracks with the drummer. This is sent Via a keyboard with a midi sequencer in it. So all the songs are pre pre-programmed on cubase (6.5) and then loaded via a usb stick on the gig into a set list and then the keyboard player presses play. We can free up a midi channel so that we can use it to control the lights via a DMX control board however I wanted to ask what level of control I can get from this. My budget is down the low end of the scale. Im not expecting to buy many more lights. Maybe another mega bar or two but nothing to special.
So I have a few questions. I'm sorry if they don't make sense I'm still trying to get my head around it all.
Firstly the MIDI track I use, is it notes that are the trigger or is it system exclusive commands? Im assuming here that for example continuous controller commands wont work to for example fade the lights, or change the colours of the LED fixtures?
On stage we have the 8 Jelly's pointing at band members, and the Mega bar is at the front giving a wash over the singers. The 4 plays are mostly into the crowd with one from each side facing the band. What's great with the 4 plays is the sound to light makes them change a lot and gives the audience a real club/disco feel which is nice, however I would prefer to keep some of the lights with the band a little more static. So where the stage lights might change say every 4 bars, the audience lights could keep changing with the beat. Now from what I have read here and on other places its possible to have a DMX board with 250 or whatever scenes that can then be called up one at a time via midi values. So in Cubase i could add the values to various points on the song in time with a beat or bar and then the whole rig would then jump to the scene that corresponds to the value. This is where it all gets confusing for me. Say I want the 4 plays to change on every beat but the stage lights to stay the same. Would I need to program 4 scenes all with the same stage lights and different 4 plays then set them to the beat with the correct midi number? Or can I set them to sound to light within one scene and then turn that off with the next and have them fixed?
This brings me to my next question.
From what I have read most low end boards have midi. So they receive commands on whatever channel to bring up a scene, maybe do a blackout and chase's. IS a scene just a static shot of the lights? i.e it doesn't feature any changing colours, fades, flashes, or whatever. What i'm trying to get to here is for example sometimes as the song moves from one section to another, a static change of all lights red to all lights blue would be fine. But other times during a verse lets say, I would like a cross fade from red to blue. The lights are obviously capable of doing so, but can i control this via midi? Is this change a scene? or is it something you can only do at the higher end of the market?
Ok and last question. Promise!
Its kinda the same as the previous one, if say I want the main lights fixed but the 4-plays just doing one of there effects for example as the LEDS are in circles it rotates which one is on giving a spinning effect. It doesn't need to be in time with anything in particular, just tuned on, then off when the next scene is recalled. again it this possible?
So can I do this, and can people recommend a controller suitable? I have looked at an Obey 40 and the 70 just to give you an idea of budget and my level of knowledge. I'm a quick learner so once I have it all there I'm confident I can learn. I would really rather not have a PC on stage. Its just one more thing to set up and go horridly wrong right at the worst possible time. And we don't have a lighting guy. (9 out of 10 times we don't have a sound man!) IF any of this doesn't make sense then please feel free to question.
Thanks in advance for any advice from you guys.
Cheers,
Ryan
Im new to the forum so im sorry if this is repeating an already covered topic. I have read some posts and it seems people are doing very similar things to what I'm after so i think the answer is tantalizingly close.
Here's my setup:
2 x Chauvet 4 play clears.
Products » 4PLAY
2 x American DJ Jelly bar profiles
American DJ Homepage
1 X American DJ Mega Bar
American DJ Homepage
I currently have no DMX controller however that's the main point of the post.
We are a band than use Midi Click tracks with the drummer. This is sent Via a keyboard with a midi sequencer in it. So all the songs are pre pre-programmed on cubase (6.5) and then loaded via a usb stick on the gig into a set list and then the keyboard player presses play. We can free up a midi channel so that we can use it to control the lights via a DMX control board however I wanted to ask what level of control I can get from this. My budget is down the low end of the scale. Im not expecting to buy many more lights. Maybe another mega bar or two but nothing to special.
So I have a few questions. I'm sorry if they don't make sense I'm still trying to get my head around it all.
Firstly the MIDI track I use, is it notes that are the trigger or is it system exclusive commands? Im assuming here that for example continuous controller commands wont work to for example fade the lights, or change the colours of the LED fixtures?
On stage we have the 8 Jelly's pointing at band members, and the Mega bar is at the front giving a wash over the singers. The 4 plays are mostly into the crowd with one from each side facing the band. What's great with the 4 plays is the sound to light makes them change a lot and gives the audience a real club/disco feel which is nice, however I would prefer to keep some of the lights with the band a little more static. So where the stage lights might change say every 4 bars, the audience lights could keep changing with the beat. Now from what I have read here and on other places its possible to have a DMX board with 250 or whatever scenes that can then be called up one at a time via midi values. So in Cubase i could add the values to various points on the song in time with a beat or bar and then the whole rig would then jump to the scene that corresponds to the value. This is where it all gets confusing for me. Say I want the 4 plays to change on every beat but the stage lights to stay the same. Would I need to program 4 scenes all with the same stage lights and different 4 plays then set them to the beat with the correct midi number? Or can I set them to sound to light within one scene and then turn that off with the next and have them fixed?
This brings me to my next question.
From what I have read most low end boards have midi. So they receive commands on whatever channel to bring up a scene, maybe do a blackout and chase's. IS a scene just a static shot of the lights? i.e it doesn't feature any changing colours, fades, flashes, or whatever. What i'm trying to get to here is for example sometimes as the song moves from one section to another, a static change of all lights red to all lights blue would be fine. But other times during a verse lets say, I would like a cross fade from red to blue. The lights are obviously capable of doing so, but can i control this via midi? Is this change a scene? or is it something you can only do at the higher end of the market?
Ok and last question. Promise!
Its kinda the same as the previous one, if say I want the main lights fixed but the 4-plays just doing one of there effects for example as the LEDS are in circles it rotates which one is on giving a spinning effect. It doesn't need to be in time with anything in particular, just tuned on, then off when the next scene is recalled. again it this possible?
So can I do this, and can people recommend a controller suitable? I have looked at an Obey 40 and the 70 just to give you an idea of budget and my level of knowledge. I'm a quick learner so once I have it all there I'm confident I can learn. I would really rather not have a PC on stage. Its just one more thing to set up and go horridly wrong right at the worst possible time. And we don't have a lighting guy. (9 out of 10 times we don't have a sound man!) IF any of this doesn't make sense then please feel free to question.
Thanks in advance for any advice from you guys.
Cheers,
Ryan
