Strand 520i: Light Palette vs. Genius Pro
- Thread starternorbe
- Start date
Lightpallette is the original. By default, you always have to hit enter to execute a command and the console is in tracking mode. Genius pro was made in response to the ETC expression software. Close to the same time ETC made the Obsession which was a response (and pretty perfect copy) to the Lightpallette. There are some differences in how the screen is formatted and some other small stuff. In general, I prefer lightpallet, but to each their own. The audience does not know the difference.
Nope. Show file stays the same. It just changes the interface. Nothing will blow up. Turning on and off tracking will not effect your show either. So, if you record the show with tracking on, then turn tracking off, all the cues that were recorded with tracking still maintain the tracking info, but the new cues you record won't track.
There is actually a lot more to the difference and I'll try and be as comprehensive as possible although I'm sure to leave something out.
Prior to the 500 series, Strand manufactured the LightPalettes (for US), the Genius Pro style consoles (for the UK and EU market) and the Galaxy desks (used in EU and Asia). Anytime a software change was requested, it had to be rolled through all versions that apply. In order to simplify the code, Strand decided to make one console for the worldwide market. This was the 500 series and why there are 3 pages of setup options. One of those options is, what I call, "The Big Switch" that changes between LP mode and GP mode.
This change makes lots of changes. Some systemic and some are just display preferences.
LP mode is more for the US market and there are many systemic changes that are made to the desk to think the way the US market does. GP was always the format that allows the desk to work more the way the UK/EU market works as this is based on preset desks...not memory desks.
After the departure of road boards and autotransformers, the Broadway market went straight to memory consoles skipping the generation of preset desks so Broadway designers needed memory desks to work the way that autotransformers worked. (Channels stay where they are until given an instruction to adjust - tracking). The West End did not. They went through the generation of preset desks and by doing so, needed memory desks to be a computer version of preset desks. That's the reason for Tracking Off in GP mode so that every cue is essentially a block cue. That's a preset desk format. Many in the UK/EU today do not use tracking as they are not comfortable with it.
So this all goes back much further than the Expression series and why I have always found amusing that Strand (a British company at the time) was the one making desks that "thought" the way the US market users did (LightPalette) and ETC was populating the US with a generation of Expressions which thinks more like a preset desk and is closer to a UK thought process. Obviously, Obsession was a US based product for the US market.
- Tracking options: Tracking On, Cue Only
- Cue Types: All Fade, Cross Fade, Block Cues (Soft and Hard)
- Standard channels are colored cyan.
- NEXT/LAST will automatically take out the previous channel and set the current channel at full.
- When recording cues with subs, the cue will take over and all channels have to be "released" back to the subs.
GP is for the UK/EU market and include the following options/responses.
- Tracking options: Tracking On, Cue Only, Tracking Off
- Cue Types: All Fade, Cross Fade, Move Fade, Block Cues (Soft and Hard)
- Standard channels are colored white.
- NEXT/LAST will leave the previous channel at its current level and advance the channel that is selected but not change it's level.
- When recording cues with subs, the subs will stay in control making it easier to work in this manner.
In addition to these changes, throwing the Big Switch will reset some of the user setup options (channel layout, channel control options, blind cue options, what happens when you go into preview...) so several things change.
If you have a show recorded in one method and you switch to the other, just make sure that the Cue Type didn't change and everything works as expected.
In certain situations, you may need some time to sort this out but in many situations, it will likely not affect the recorded data.
If you have any specific questions about this, let me know.
[email protected]
Prior to the 500 series, Strand manufactured the LightPalettes (for US), the Genius Pro style consoles (for the UK and EU market) and the Galaxy desks (used in EU and Asia). Anytime a software change was requested, it had to be rolled through all versions that apply. In order to simplify the code, Strand decided to make one console for the worldwide market. This was the 500 series and why there are 3 pages of setup options. One of those options is, what I call, "The Big Switch" that changes between LP mode and GP mode.
This change makes lots of changes. Some systemic and some are just display preferences.
LP mode is more for the US market and there are many systemic changes that are made to the desk to think the way the US market does. GP was always the format that allows the desk to work more the way the UK/EU market works as this is based on preset desks...not memory desks.
After the departure of road boards and autotransformers, the Broadway market went straight to memory consoles skipping the generation of preset desks so Broadway designers needed memory desks to work the way that autotransformers worked. (Channels stay where they are until given an instruction to adjust - tracking). The West End did not. They went through the generation of preset desks and by doing so, needed memory desks to be a computer version of preset desks. That's the reason for Tracking Off in GP mode so that every cue is essentially a block cue. That's a preset desk format. Many in the UK/EU today do not use tracking as they are not comfortable with it.
So this all goes back much further than the Expression series and why I have always found amusing that Strand (a British company at the time) was the one making desks that "thought" the way the US market users did (LightPalette) and ETC was populating the US with a generation of Expressions which thinks more like a preset desk and is closer to a UK thought process. Obviously, Obsession was a US based product for the US market.
- Tracking options: Tracking On, Cue Only
- Cue Types: All Fade, Cross Fade, Block Cues (Soft and Hard)
- Standard channels are colored cyan.
- NEXT/LAST will automatically take out the previous channel and set the current channel at full.
- When recording cues with subs, the cue will take over and all channels have to be "released" back to the subs.
GP is for the UK/EU market and include the following options/responses.
- Tracking options: Tracking On, Cue Only, Tracking Off
- Cue Types: All Fade, Cross Fade, Move Fade, Block Cues (Soft and Hard)
- Standard channels are colored white.
- NEXT/LAST will leave the previous channel at its current level and advance the channel that is selected but not change it's level.
- When recording cues with subs, the subs will stay in control making it easier to work in this manner.
In addition to these changes, throwing the Big Switch will reset some of the user setup options (channel layout, channel control options, blind cue options, what happens when you go into preview...) so several things change.
If you have a show recorded in one method and you switch to the other, just make sure that the Cue Type didn't change and everything works as expected.
In certain situations, you may need some time to sort this out but in many situations, it will likely not affect the recorded data.
If you have any specific questions about this, let me know.
[email protected]
Last edited:
CMLDesign
Member
I recently began using a 520i and constantly have new questions. After reading this thread and sufferring from the same next/last problem I looked into what my console was set at and it says 'default'. What is the default setting? From what I understand, If I change it to Light Palletenothing catastrofic will happen and I may get it operating in a way I better understand?
I am pretty familiar with the Expression line though, so would GP be a better fit for me?
I am pretty familiar with the Expression line though, so would GP be a better fit for me?
The "Default" setting depends on how the software was installed. When installing the OS, you have the option of installing LP or GP. However it always installs both and just makes the one you chose the default. You can change back and forth between LP and GP modes and it will not mess anything up. In fact you can use the same show files in both modes. So try them out and see which you like better. As Bobby mentioned in his post, most US users of the 500 Series work in LP mode, so you may find it easier to get help if you also work in LP mode.
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