SteveB, would you post a
Channel List,
Cheat Sheet, or
Magic Sheet listing how you control your entire rep
plot from 48 channels?
Basic config. I'll post the
plot/
hookup tomorrow if I get a moment.
Stage (38ft.w x 35ft.d) in 5 zones, DS to US,
Apron, then 1-2-3-4 wings, then white
cyc. Black Travelers separate 1-2 and 3 wings and are used all the time.
5 Ch's of N/C, 1st is
FOH, then 1-4E tops, also work as work lights in between travelers for
lining up the kids. (Note that the
plot also functions for 35 graduations in June that can use the entire
stage, thus the N/C overheads. The grad's are run on a
Colortran Status whose
DMX piles on with the
Express/Emphasis in the Net2
system, and uses 8 channels from this
plot as N/C washes, which I can use to boost
intensity to see the expressions of terror on the faces of the the tiny tots).
6 Ch's of Lt Pink and Lt Blue,
FOH and Tops (1st and 3rd Elec's). I could use a 3rd color of Amb
15 Ch's of sides - Amb/Pink/Blue ganged L&R, separated by
Apron and wings,
3 Ch's of side P/E breakup
gobo's (
Apron, 1-2w, 3-4w) in L201 for texture of ballets,
etc...
6 Ch's of
Bax, DS and US in Dp. Amb/Magenta/Dk. Blue
3 Ch's of
Cyc, R-B-G
9 Down Pools, all N/C
Pit stuff - usually 3 Ch's, in case the do awards at the end, on the pit, which is usually down about 1ft.
Up to 6 individual
Cyc Gobo's or whatever as individual S4 zooms on 1E and as requested day of event by company. I did 3
cyc gobo's tonight, on 3 channels.
MC
FOH Special on Pit
edge DR, if follow spot not used.
58 total Ch's in single scene, or I cut stuff not needed and can run the basic stuff in 48x2 scene.
24 subs. 1 is a Supermaster for combined sub looks (All Amb Sides, All Amb
Bax, All Pools,
etc..) saves in programing cues when a visiting "LD" asks for the "Amb Sides" down a
bit and is too friggin lazy to refer to her
magic sheet (or the
plot we gave her). The supermaster essentially creates a mini 3rd
preset of key subs.
1 Sub is an
FOH Inhibit master to
drop FOH when the main
act curtain comes in - usually in a hurry.
2 subs as inhibit for ML
intensity or ML
gobo rate control - if using ML's. If not, I run in single scene and use the GM as the single scene master, then add a sub as master inhibit of all channels.
Other subs as needed to run quickie chases for Hip/Hop,
etc...
I could use 36 or more subs. Plus playbacks for ML's, plus playbacks for chases. Playbacks for ML's and Chases are now pre-recorded cues run on the C/D
fader. There are typically about 200 cues available for assorted uses. I have a very extensive
cue book.
As reply to Grog12's suggestion to use 999 pages of 20....
It's a RPITA to have to move between pages during a fast moving, totally off the cuff event, when your
cyc is on
page 3, some
FOH on
page 1, sides on
page 2 and you need to immediately
pull down stuff for a quickie silhouette. Then
build back up. Or
drop ALL the 3 & 4
wing side light to highlight kids in 2
wing. I have tried running events on
Express with multiple pages of subs and there is no way to easily keep
track of where everything is. None. The room for error is huge of hitting the wrong
page and grabbing the right
fader, just wrong
page. You end up trying to 2nd guess how the event will run in trying to
build inhibits to
gain some zone control. We've tried that route and keep coming back to single or two scene
layout.
One thing I'm doing more in the past 2 weeks, forced to by the need for handles, is run in single scene and once I get the piece up and running, I'll dump the initial establishing "look" onto "Hold 1" sub, then the following "
Build" look to "Hold 2". I can then pull back down to end the piece. I re-record over the Hold subs for each piece. I can then dump the master for the single scene used to create the look, and get the next piece info from the SM to
build up the next look. "Hold" look is a concept on the
Colortran Scene Master
console.
Note that only 1 of the 7 dance recitals in a month actually rehearses with lighting and builds cues. The SM takes extensive notes on the others and calls the notes back to me while a piece is running. The piece ends, the curtain comes in,
FOH inhibit comes down and I run in the next
preset to next look. The SM then changes the look from backstage depending on costume color,
stage positioning (Kill pools DR and DL, give me MR and ML instead - or "the
cyc color looks like crap, change it to Teal) and his/her, as well as the teachers spur-of-the-moment conceptual desires.
If this sounds like multi-scene control, it is, but entirely do-able on an
Ion with 120 or more subs, where some are functioning to master/control other subs. Which, BTW allows 2 scene for those who want it.
FWIW and as stated in my other posts, I operate a LOT of events as
one-off's this way. I don't have to spend a lot of time, day-of-event, worrying as much about programming time, as the
manual control easily lets me
wing it. If somebody brought in a GrandMA2 with some
fader wings and showed me how to do it better, I'd be an instant convert. I spend a lot of time in conversation with the SM, our PM, and the other operators, discussing how to do it better. Everyone is currently in agreement that
manual control works very well, but the ML control sucks on
Express, even with Emphasis.
Ion looks like it might be a good move for us.
SB