NPhillips

Captured channels apply to all modes, console wide. I await more questions! Ready to Explain Houston!

The idea is not to have a black out memory so much as the ability to clear the X fader with grace and poise! Sometimes I would find it useful in rehearsals to say "goto cue 0" and have it fade in a defined time rather than cut. Lighting Designers!

RE: expansion key This is like adding the Rem Dim key... I would like to have one of the 6 currently blank "for future expansion" keys made into a timing key. RE: linking fade time Sure, it can be an option in the Setup, but it may not be necessary... What I am thinking is that the up time is simply the leader; the user would set this time first: - Up time: 12 (down time is now 12 as well) Then, to create a different down time, one would set the down time: - Down time: 6 (since I have defined a separate down time, the link between the up and the down is broken and now separate If I were to make the down time 12 again, the link would be restored, and the process could repeat.) By setting the down time separate, one could keep the default up time and never have to define that if not necessary. Perhaps this is the setup choice... "define up or down time first?" The "time" key would allow the user to toggle through all of the timing options in sequential order across the screen. To set a cue's time in the syntax is a NECESSARY feature, and we are going to need a "time" key to do that. A slash key would be good as well, just to make Strand and Obsession users more comfortable. Although, one could use "and" just fine... [save][memory][2][time][1][and][7][enter] would record the cue and time together with a split time of 1 up and 7 down. [save][memory][2][time][1][enter] would record the cue and time together with a time of 1 up and 1 down.

Cue Only Mode = Changes made to channel levels apply, by default, to the cue specified only. They do not track. If one were to want the changes to track, one would have to specify to track. This is something this console does not currently do (even if the tracking worked, which it currently does not; Tim says the fix is on the way though, so I am working off that being done). In tracking mode, there then should be a way to specify "CUE ONLY" so the changes made are applied to the specified cue only. @ Enter clears a recorded level and allows the previous level to track through (is so desired): 1. @ enter - current programming is lost, previous memory levels track through 2. @ clear - takes out the programed level CUE ONLY

Thank you!

There needs to be a way to view, edit, and create groups in blind. [Group][edit blind] Then one could scroll through, directly select, and modify group information without affecting levels on stage.

I certainly use more than 20 groups. May I have some more please?

Copy should work with channels/attributes. I could work like this: [channel][1][copy][channel][5][thru][10][enter] The level/data of channel 1 would copy to channels 5 thru 10. This would be useful for scrollers and ML's as well.

To speed up setting channels at 0, in addition to: [channel][x][@][0][enter] One should be able to say: [channel][x][@][0][0] And the defined channels would go to level zero.

It needs to be that channels can be captured, and maintained as captured through memories or changes (caused by edit live, etc... let us say). So... - [GO] memory 1 is live on stage with channel 1 @50 - [channel][2][@][25][enter] channel 2 is now @25 - [F8] channel window clears - [GO] memory 2 executes in time, channel 2 remains @25 - [memory][1][edit live] memory 1 becomes active as it is recorded without channel 2 @25 (edit live should be a "solo" for a memory, sub, or group) - [edit live] memory 2 cuts to live on stage with channel 2 @25 as it is still captured - [save][2][enter][enter] memory 2 now has channel 2 @25 (cue only or tracking dependent on mode... more about that later!) - [GO] memory 3 executes in time, channel 2 remains captured @25 So, how does one clear a captured channel? 1. [channel][2][@][enter] channel two releases to the control of whatever (HTP or LTP) 2. [memory][x][enter][GO] goes to the cue, fading captured channels a user defined time (in the console setup) 3. [channel][@][clear][enter] releases all captured channels anytime There needs to be a way to goto a cue maintaining captured channels... [memory][x][GO] (as is currently the fastest way to goto a cue) would do this ... the above sequence with the addition of [enter] does the same loosing the captured channels As it stands now, if one is in memory 2, changes some channel levels, and keys [GO], all of the changes are lost in 0 time -- not cool. ...a bit difficult to follow ... sorry!

On the memory page, timing should be available for memory 0. This would allow a user to decide whether or not they want "go to cue 0" to be a cut or a fade, or even with a delay!

To save time, if the up and down fade times are the same (as default), changing the up time should automatically alter the down time to be the same. This saves with not having to enter two times for every memory. To then create a split time, one would set the down time (which does not effect the up time), this breaks the link between the up/down times until they once again matched, where upon they become linked once again. One of the expansion keys should be made into a time key. It follows the active memory, and cycles through all of the timing parameters of a memory beginning with the up time.

At any time, keying [channel][X][@][enter] should release the level of a channel. This would allow levels to track through from previous memories in tracking mode, and simply take channels out in cue only mode.

I would like the ability to apply a profile to a fade time. Giving a fade up/down a fast bottom, or linear, obscure user fade profile would be useful. This could potentially be an effect as well, as many points could be set to a profile to occur over the given fade length. Profiles should be graphically created on matrix display.

When running cues in order, the memory to be affected by edit live does not follow the stack. Example: - [memory][0][GO] everything out - [GO] memory 1 executes in time - [edit live] "you cannot edit memory zero" The correct result should be: - [memory][0][GO] everything out - [GO] memory 1 executes in time - [edit live] user now edits memory 1 live In this instance, [edit live] will not load the cue in a time; the levels of memory 1 should just appear without delay. If one is live with memory 1 on stage then keys... - [memory][2][edit live] memory 2 will edit live, changing levels in time (as the function currently works)

When one has a memory live on stage, and then edits it in blind, the change appears onstage live once the edit is saved. No change should occur instantly if an active/live memory is edited blind. To see the changes made in blind live on stage to an active/live memory, one should have to go to the cue again on stage. Example: - [GO] memory 1 is active on stage - [edit blind][25][@][50][enter][save][enter] no change of stage on stage - [memory][1][GO] the change of channel 50 occurs live on stage in the timing of memory 1

The Playback X Fader should work more like a crossfader rather than a grand master fader. If the Playback X fader handle is not @ 10 when [GO] is executed, the memory should come in, in time, until it reaches the percentage of completion as dictated by the position of the Playback X handle. At this point (when the playing memory reaches the limit set forth by the Playback X handle), the timing of the completion of the memory should become manual. The Playback X handle is now overriding the timing/crossfade state/completion. If the Playback X handle is then lowered in level, the crossfade reverses to the levels of the previous memory. The opposite occurs when the Playback X handle is pushed to level 10 (level 0 is the previous memory). Once the Playback X handle reaches level 10, the memory is complete; the Playback X handle will have no effect until [GO] is executed again. This also means that the console needs to provide the operator with feedback indicating that the Playback X handle is not at level 10. This could achieved by alternating the Playback X slow/fast LED's, in addition to a visual alert associated with the Playback X status on the monitor. This would lessen the need for a "quickstep" function (running cues without timing for state only playback) as one could rapidly move the fader from 10 to 0 and back to 10 to complete a cue instantly.

After posting a few notes in the forum, I felt it necessary to post this personal, heartfelt disclaimer: Please review any post with content referring to "how the console should work", or "the result should be", or "it would be better if", etc., etc., etc., as my personal opinion and may not necessarily reflect any other's views or ideals. Such comments are simply my own personal ideas and should not be taken as rule or law by any means. OK, now I feel better about making such broad and sweeping "all knowing-esk" comments -- as long as we understand it is all in an effort to make the product progress to the highest possible level for all users.

When sitting with memory 0 active, and keying [edit blind] the console prompts with "you cannot edit memory 0". I believe that this is wrong, as one should be able to create a cue in blind without having to have an active memory, or having to choose a predetermined memory to work in. The correct result should be that the console say "you cannot edit/save memory 0" in the event one attempts to save memory 0.

When defining and saving a group, upon the "save group X enter" command, the console comes up with the save show dialogue and saves the show. Is this necessary as it greatly slows down the programming process of groups waiting for the show to be "saved"?

When selecting channels with the mouse, clicking on each channel selects channels additive (as it should). Although, let us say, clicking channel 12, then [thru], and clicking channel 18, as if to select a range does nothing. Keying [1][8][enter] then selects the desired range (as [thru] has been keyed following channel 12 being clicked active in the command line). The beginning of the range maybe selected with the mouse, but the end of the range must be keyed.

When in edit live or channel display, keying [memory][1][2][enter][GO] should make memory 12 active on stage in time. This should work as it does in the memory page without any windows open so as one may goto any cue while editing channel levels. Currently one may only go in sequential order forwards or one step backwards (until [go previous] goes back sequentially indefinitely (another bug to be fixed).

When setting channel levels it is nice that one can continue to hit @ to changes a level of a give channel. As I designer, I often am saying "@25, @45, @ 50, etc., etc."... and this makes it easy for a programmer to do just that. Although, you cannot get out of this sequence, say to save a memory, without completing the idea with [enter]. Therefore, one must reenter the desired level [@][5][0][enter] to then be able to save the changes. I believe that hitting [save] or [save as], etc., should automatically clear out the @. Additionally, keying [clear] should clear the command line; it does not currently do that.

I agree a "super user" mode with the ability to lessen the console's baby-sitting would be a good route. Several methods regarding restoring a cue would solve many problems for me. The safety blanket of the ability to pull up that same cue from the last save, or, let us say, 20 commands previous provides that layer of protection. Just tonight my operator wrote over a cue on an Expression console and that was that, it was done. Even having one UNDO level would have saved us from having to read the entire show from disk (luckily I spin a disc every time I know I want to keep what I have!).

Just thought I would put in on this conversation to further emphasize the importance+value of the Rem Dim function. This is especially true when focusing, reviewing cues or focuses within a cue. The Rem Dim function is more about turning things off then turning things on really... It eliminates the extra key strokes to turn something off, greatly increasing the speed of the focus down a pipe where a series of different systems (of units) are being alternated on/off in physical sequence rather than "channel" sequence. Rem Dim does need its own key/fast access method as I use the function on Obsession hundreds of times in a given day.