Two-Scene Operation

[believe2013]

My high School has the ETC Express 24/48 lighting board running and I was reading the instructional manual to try to fix some problems, which our probably with the Emphasis program, but I came across two-scene operation program. And I was wondering what exactly that was. And the problem with Emphasis wasn't anything serious it is just the auto-save is messed up.

 

[cpf]

Two scene is where you have two banks of submasters controlling the same set of lights, with a pair of crossfade sliders to change control from one bank/preset to another. A common way of using it involves one scene being "active" while you set up the next scene on the alternate bank.

 

[LXPlot]

My high School has the ETC Express 24/48 lighting board running and I was reading the instructional manual to try to fix some problems, which our probably with the Emphasis program, but I came across two-scene operation program. And I was wondering what exactly that was. And the problem with Emphasis wasn't anything serious it is just the auto-save is messed up.

It's not used very often on the Express, as you can write in cues; however, I have found it nice for shows where the fade is supposed to go with something else not computerized (live music, singing, etc.) It's also nice when a show is touring and is used to smaller boards, something along the lines of Leprecon 612s or similar. Anyway, you probably won't need the feature, but it's nice to have the option.

 

[jglodeklights]

Some additional, useful information.

ETC Express Two Scene boards are limited in the number of control channels while in two-scene mode, more so than in single scene mode. Specifically, in your case, this is to 24 different control channels. You can patch and utilize channels 25 through 96, however, you will only be able to control them via the keypad and not the channel faders.

The Express series is convenient in that you can operate in single scene or two scene mode, and that two scene will still allow for recording and running cues as it only utilizes scene faders A/B. Additionally, you can complete timed fades between scenes (done by setting up your live and your next looks, pressing A/B RATE, entering up and down fade times and crossing the A/B faders to opposite ends of their ranges, the completion of which signals the board to GO on the crossfade).

As I said, though, you are limited to 24 channels. This is convenient when you need to build a show live, or have no experience in creating and recording cues. Or maybe you need to augment cues in a changing situation.

 

[illumn8r]

My high School has the ETC Express 24/48 lighting board running and I was reading the instructional manual to try to fix some problems, which our probably with the Emphasis program, but I came across two-scene operation program. And I was wondering what exactly that was. And the problem with Emphasis wasn't anything serious it is just the auto-save is messed up.

Ah, 2-scene, back in the day a fast paced rock show on a 2-scene board was fun, then we graduated to pin-matrix consoles (don't lose those pins!). I sometimes threaten to put the console in 2-scene mode for the younger visiting LD's.

 

[jglodeklights]

Oh? Is that supposed to be a problem, running in 2-scene mode for us youngins? If it were, 1. I wouldn't care because Express can still have cues recorded using the faders and keypad commands 2. if it were only a 2-scene board been there done that and 3. I've designed some complicated things on a single scene fader board. Teeheee. Come on! Gotta do better than that! At least say you've only got some ICues and LED's in the mix and only your two scene board is working. Oh, Leprecon 612............................... *SMILES AND LAUGHS*

 

[illumn8r]

Oh? Is that supposed to be a problem, running in 2-scene mode for us youngins? If it were, 1. I wouldn't care because Express can still have cues recorded using the faders and keypad commands 2. if it were only a 2-scene board been there done that and 3. I've designed some complicated things on a single scene fader board. Teeheee. Come on! Gotta do better than that! At least say you've only got some ICues and LED's in the mix and only your two scene board is working. Oh, Leprecon 612............................... *SMILES AND LAUGHS*

LOL, you should see some of the blank stares I get sometimes though.

 

[waynehoskins]

Oh? Is that supposed to be a problem, running in 2-scene mode for us youngins? If it were, 1. I wouldn't care because Express can still have cues recorded using the faders and keypad commands 2. if it were only a 2-scene board been there done that and 3. I've designed some complicated things on a single scene fader board. Teeheee. Come on! Gotta do better than that! At least say you've only got some ICues and LED's in the mix and only your two scene board is working. Oh, Leprecon 612............................... *SMILES AND LAUGHS*

I've busked some movers on the sub handles of an Obsession 1, how's that?

Still have an LP1000 in storage, decent little board, and the pin matrix sure was useful.

Two preset still has a place today. It's an ever-diminishing place, but still valid, just not as much for theatre.

 

[zmb]

Two preset still has a place today. It's an ever-diminishing place, but still valid, just not as much for theatre.

It's best for introducing someone into running a light board and setting up little experiments with such as color mixing or whatnot.

 

[waynehoskins]

It's best for introducing someone into running a light board and setting up little experiments with such as color mixing or whatnot.

Increasingly I'm less a fan of teaching two-preset (before graduating to memory boards). It's less a prerequisite than ever, and it's less relevant than ever. It made sense when memory boards were preset, but now that most all the new ones are natively tracking, you have to "unlearn" preset-style thinking.

However, I can think of two really good things manual boards taught us. With "low" (by modern standards) channel counts, we had to be intentional in our patching, often putting an entire system on a single channel. Since each cue required a reset of a preset, we had to put enough time between cues to set up the next one.

One of the most fun shows I lit was Joseph. It was an alumni show at the high school while I was in college, and I ran it on a Producer II, semi-manual. Cues written to submasters, two-preset of 24 subs, plus some chases. I ate up six of the board's nine pages of memory with that show. Looking back, my lighting wasn't all that great, but it sure was fun to do.

 

[mstaylor]

Oh? Is that supposed to be a problem, running in 2-scene mode for us youngins? If it were, 1. I wouldn't care because Express can still have cues recorded using the faders and keypad commands 2. if it were only a 2-scene board been there done that and 3. I've designed some complicated things on a single scene fader board. Teeheee. Come on! Gotta do better than that! At least say you've only got some ICues and LED's in the mix and only your two scene board is working. Oh, Leprecon 612............................... *SMILES AND LAUGHS*

When we ran two scene presets boards there no subs and no memory. You X/Y split faders, a grand master, an independant master and sometimes an A/B fader to split the scene. If you had to change move than a couple of dimmers you had to reset the whole scene. Not always the easiest thing.
For some reason my first verson of this went away.

 

[Tex]

We still use two-scene for our contest play, since it plays in different venues. I've yet to see a venue that can't accommodate us, but with the advent of the Ion, I can see that happening soon. We can send cues ahead of time to be programmed, but have to make any changes during our rehearsal time. It's convenient to be able to make changes on the fly during rehearsal or even during the performance if needed.

 

[Les]

To add to what Tex said, when I'm doing a smaller production, sometimes it's nice to just 'feel' the show. Of course, you can do this with cues set to manual fade times as well. Somehow, I doubt that feature gets used much anymore .

 

[mstaylor]

With an Express or Expression I generally set looks on subs and just run them. I almost never build cue stack on either. But that is a personal preference. On an Ion I am more likely to build cues. Of course where I have a new ION I have movers, seachangers, gel changers nd LEDs, where I have an Express or Expression I have all conventionals.