QLab, Leviton Innovator, and MSC

[timmrogers]

I apologize in advance if this is something that has been discussed here before - but I have been unable to find any discussion of it either here or elsewhere on the Internet.

I am trying to use QLab to send MSC commands to a Leviton Innovator (I have tried several, actually) via a E-MU XMIDI 1x1 Tab (USB to MIDI) interface. The manuals of both QLab and the Innovator, of course, claim that this is possible. And from the Mac and QLab side, it seems to work fine. I set the cue, trigger it, and the XMIDI cable lights up, clearly receiving a signal. I have even installed a MIDI Monitor, which also shows outgoing MIDI signals.

However, absolutely nothing happens on the Innovator.

I have, of course, checked and rechecked the connections. Tried them in the reverse order. Double checked the channel IDs and mode. Triple checked. Restarted everything. Even (as I mentioned) tried it on three different light boards at two different venues. Absolutely nothing.

So. Either I am making a very basic mistake (possible, since this is new to me) or the Innovator does not really support MSC!

My question is: Has anyone made this sort of setup work with an Innovator? If so, could you share the secret with me!? Or does anyone know for sure that it does NOT work? (I would be fine, at this point, with that answer as well!)

Thank you very much!

 

[cnnrward]

I would suggest (if you haven't already) updating or reloading the innovator's operating system. At my school we had the same problem.

download the file here
INNOVATOR > Innovator Series > Lighting Consoles > Entertainment Lighting > Products from Leviton Electrical and Electronic Products

Load it on a floppy disk, go into the disk menu and load the system. It worked for us!

 

[timmrogers]

We ultimately figured it out. I've documented what we learned here:

Tim Rogers' wiki -HOWTO: Figure 53 QLab and Leviton Colortran Innovator console

Hopefully it will save someone else some time and effort. In that end, it worked perfectly for us - well, perfectly except for the moment when I pressed the GO button for absolutely no reason in the middle of a scene and triggered a blackout!

Thank you very much for the reply.

 

[Rhodec Erickson]

I'm trying to access the wiki article, but it won't load.

 

[timmrogers]

I've taken that wiki down, but here is the essential information, Rhodec.

Configuring QLab to send light cues to a Leviton Colortran Innovator lighting control console

For some months, I have been trying (with absolutely no success) to use the QLab show control software to control a Leviton Colortran Innovator lighting control console. This particular console (light board) is used by three of the venues where we stage our productions. My goal has been to be able to set up the entire show in the QLab software (sounds, images, and lights) - and then to be able to run the entire show from a single cue sheet - and to do so by myself, if necessary.

(Well, not including managing the sound board. And the mics. And the props. And everything else!)

This is the hardware and software that I have been using:

* [Figure 53 QLab (Version 2.3.9) (http://figure53.com/qlab/)
* E-MU XMIDI 1x1 Tab (http://www.creative.com/emu/products/product.aspx?pid=19089)
* Apple MacBook Pro (Retina), OS X 10.8.3
* Leviton Colortran Innovator (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...=WIDhG8iY5U3jHeNoz_MHTw&bvm=bv.47008514,d.cGE)
(Two models, three different consoles)

For testing and debugging, I also used:

* MIDI Monitor (http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/)
(Free, and works perfectly for me.)

However, while both the QLab documentation and the Innovator documentation claimed to be able to do this, I have been utterly unable to make it work. Everything has seemed right, but the console has totally ignored the MSC commands from QLab.

Until today.

-- The Secret Handshake

After many hours of fruitless testing and dozens of calls and e-mails to both QLab and Leviton (not to mention you-don't-even-want-to-know how much time researching the issue on the Internet), I have discovered the secret. Which, ultimately, was one byte.

The secret was that, for the Innovator console to recognize the MSC commands at all, QLab '''must''' use "Lighting (General)" as the "Command Format". The default is "All Types". However, using "All Types" as the Command Format results in QLab sending an ever-so-slightly different MIDI Hex Code:

For example:

F0 7F 01 02 7F 01 F7 (This is a GO using All Types)

rather than

F0 7F 01 02 01 01 F7
(This is the GO that the Innovator expects, using Lighting (General))

Notice that the 5th byte is 7F rather than 01. That is essential, apparently. I believe that the Innovator simply ignores MSC messages (assuming that they are not intended for it, perhaps) if the 5th byte is not "01" (Lighting).

-- Screenshots


Here is a gallery of screenshots of working QLab light cues.
http://ohs5.smugmug.com/Other/Screenshots/29358944_24sCxj#!i=2504977522&k=ScSDVtX&lb=1&s=A

The first two are standard MSC cues (recommended). The second two are MIDI SysEx cues. They work as well. Use this approach if you need to send specific MIDI hex codes to your console.

-- Notes

Other notes:

* The labels on the XMIDI 1x1 cable can be confusing. The cable marked MIDI IN goes to the console's MIDI OUT and the cable marked MIDI OUT plugs into MIDI IN on the console.
* Some people have reported that QLab must started after the MIDI cables are plugged in for it to correctly recognize the cables.
* To configure a Colortran Innovator, do the following. (This is from the official User Guide.)

Setting MIDI Device Number

1. Press [SETUP]
2. Press [17] [Enter]
3. Enter [1]
4. Press [ENTER]

Setting MIDI Transmit Mode

1. Press [SETUP]
2. Press [18] [ENTER]
3. Select [MSC]
4. Press [ENTER]

-- Updates

• We finished our first show using QLab -> Colortran Innovator console this weekend. This aspect of the show worked perfectly. We recorded the cues with the console the evening before the first technical rehearsal, and I added the cues to QLab during the first (and finished them during the second (and last)) run-through. I was able to easily run all of the light cues for the performance that evening.
  
  
• My original plan was to send simple "Go" cues to the console, just telling it to run the next cue. However, I was concerned that, if something went wrong, it would be difficult or impossible to get to the correct cue. And this was, of course, correct. A much better approach - and one that is not much more difficult - is to specify the light cue in the MSC message. This is what I did for this show, and will do in the future. To do this, simply include the light cue number (e.g., 10, 10.5, 10.7) exactly as it is saved on the console in your QLab MSC cue. On the "MIDI Show Control Message" tab in QLab, enter the console light cue in the "Q Number:" field. (The "Q List" can remain blank, and the "Q Path" should default to "-".)