13
Lights
Defining New Devices
The first step in creating a lightshow is to define your light devices so that Solo Performer Show Controller know what lights you have. Solo Performer Show Controller treats each DMX512 address as a separate device, thus if a light requires 3 DMX512 addresses, 3 Solo Performer Show Controller devices will need to be defined to fully control this one light. For example, a light accepts lamp control commands on address 1, speed commands on address 2, and color commands on address 3. To control this light, a Lamp Control device is created, as well as a Speed Control device and Color Control device. This light will then take up three channels in the lightshow builder window.
New DMX512 devices are created by choosing the menu item New Device File from the Lights menu. After choosing this menu, the Device Editor window opens. On the Device Editor is a DMX Description Table that has two columns. The first column, with the heading DMX, is already filled in. This column contains the DMX512 values from 0 to 255. Next to this column is an empty column with the heading Description. The cells in this column may be edited by clicking in them and typing.
To create a new device, enter a description next to the DMX512 value. Consult the documentation that was supplied with your device to find the DMX512 table. Note that all DMX512 values need not have a description next to them; only the values that are actually used by the device will be filled in. The contents of the description that are typed are not really important. The description needs to be typed for a couple of reasons. First, it signifies that the DMX value in that row is important to your device. All rows without descriptions are not used in the Light Show Builder. Secondly, the description that is typed here is the text that shows up under the sliders in the Light Show Builder screen. It is therefore best to keep the description short in length, but meaningful. Also, it is best to keep the number of rows used to a minimum, because each row will show up as a separate slider setting. So, for example, when setting up a light that is Red for all DMX512 values from 20 through 40, just pick a number in that range and set its description to "Red". Setting the description in the whole range to "Red" would create a slider in the Light Show Builder that has many unnecessary settings for "Red", making it more difficult to use.
Before saving the new device file, choose a graphic icon from the list on the right by clicking the button beside the icon of your choice. The text descriptions are present only to serve as a suggested use for the icon. The text will not appear anywhere, only the icon will. The icon will show up in the lightshow builder screen above the slider, representing the type of device that the slider controls.
When all edits are done to the DMX Description Table, press the Save Device button and you will be prompted for a name and location for the new device file. By default, device files are saved to the "Device Library" folder. Only device files that are saved here will show up for use in the Light Show Builder screen.
To abandon the work in the Device Editor, choose the Cancel button to exit from the Device Editor without saving a device file.
Editing Existing Devices
The DMX Description Table of existing DMX devices may be edited by choosing the menu item Edit Existing Device under the Lights menu. Upon choosing this command, a dialog is presented in which the existing device file is chosen to open. After choosing a device file, the Device Editor window will open, allowing changes to be made to the DMX Description Table. After all edits are complete, the changes may be cancelled by pressing the Cancel button, or saved by pressing the Save Device button. Pressing Save Device presents a dialog in which a name may be entered for the device file. If a new name is chosen for the device file, a new device file will be created, leaving the original intact. This is a great way to make many device files that are similar, using one as a template. Alternatively, the same name may be entered as the original device file, and the option to overwrite the existing file is presented. If the goal is to update the existing device file, choosing to overwrite the existing file will accomplish this.
Lightshow Builder Overview
To begin building a lightshow for a play list item, first select the play list item by clicking on it, and then press the Build Lightshow button.
The lightshow builder window opens up. This is where lightshows are constructed for the play list song selection. To make a lightshow, light scenes need to be defined. Then, the scenes are arranged in order on the timecode list.
Configuring the Channels
There are 16 channels of lighting control available. Each channel can be set up to control a device that has been defined in the device editor. To choose the device to be controlled by a channel, click the device button and a menu will pop up that will list all of the devices that are available in your device library. The folder of the device library is chosen in the preference panel. See Chapter 16 for details on changing user preferences.
After choosing a device for the channel, the device's icon will appear in the button.
The address that will be used for the channel is selected by the popup menu as shown below. This address must match the address set on the lighting device. Refer to your lighting device's manual for information on setting up its address. This is usually accomplished by setting DIP switches on the device.
A short designation for the light device may be entered in the description box. This is there for information purposes only so that the 16 channels of lights may be differentiated from one another.
When all of your channels are configured, the configuration can be saved by selecting Save Configuration from the Lights menu.
Saved configurations may be opened by choosing Open Configuration from the Lights menu.
The most often used configuration may also be set to be the default configuration, that is, the one that opens automatically when you enter the lightshow builder. See Chapter 16 for details on saving user preferences.
Making a Light Scene
The 16 sliders are used to select the DMX512 values to send to the light devices. By moving a slider, the description of the DMX512 value appears in the box below the slider. Note that if the text is too big to fit in the box, the full text will appear if the mouse is held over the text box for a few seconds.
The first item in the slider's list is "Previous". Using this setting for a light scene causes this light to merely keep on doing what it was previously doing in the last light scene displayed. Using this setting, a scene could be added where only one light does something and all of the other lights are set to "Previous". This would allow this scene to be inserted in a lightshow in various places to make the one light change without affecting other lights.
Also note that when the sliders are moved, the corresponding lighting device will change in response to the slider movement if it is connected and the light's address is set up properly!
Saving a Light Scene
When all channels are set, the slider states may be saved as a scene. This is done by pressing the Save Sliders to Scene button as shown below.
A dialog box will appear to enter a name for the scene. After saving, the scene will appear in the scene listing.
Deleting a Light Scene
Scenes may be deleted from the scene listing by selecting the scene in the listing and clicking the Delete Scene button as shown below.
Adding a Scene to a Lightshow
To make a lightshow, scenes are added to the timecode listing. To do this:
1. Move the playback position to where the scene is to be placed.
2. Select a scene from the scene listing by clicking on it
3. Press the Put Scene in Timecode button
Alternatively, the scene may be dragged from the scene listing and dropped in the timecode listing. To do this, click on the scene and hold the mouse button down. Then drag the mouse pointer to the timecode listing and release the mouse.
4. The timecode may be edited by clicking in a cell in the timecode column. This is useful for fine adjustment of the scene's playback time. Remember that the format entered must be valid timecode format or else it will be rejected. Timecode format is in the form XX:XX:XX:XXX where the X's are numbers. The first two X's are the hour, the second two are the minute, the next two are the seconds, and the final three are the milliseconds. Don't forget the colon separators!
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 as necessary to add many scenes to create a lightshow.
Deleting a Scene from a Lightshow
To delete a scene from a lightshow, first select the scene to be deleted from the timecode listing then press the Delete Scene from Timecode button as shown below.
Previewing a Lightshow
To preview a lightshow, press the play button. The audio will play and the sliders will move to create the light scenes at the appropriate time. If the light devices are connected properly, the lights will change as well.
Saving a Lightshow
A lightshow may be saved by choosing Save Lightshow from the File menu. Alternatively, the Save As... menu item may be chosen from the File menu to save a copy of the lightshow as a different file name.
Opening a Lightshow
A lightshow may be opened by choosing Open Lightshow from the File menu. By opening a previously saved lightshow, edits can be made and the lightshow may be re-saved.
Adding a Lightshow to a Play List
When finished creating a lightshow, press the Exit button to return to the play list window.
The lightshow now needs to be added to the selected play list item. This is done by first selecting the play list item to receive a lightshow, and then pressing the Add Lightshow button. A dialog will appear prompting for the lightshow to be added.
After adding a lightshow to a play list item, the play list row will have a lightshow indicator icon attached to it to signify that there is a lightshow associated with the song.
Removing a Lightshow from a Play List
A lightshow may be removed from a play list by first selecting the play list item, then pressing the Remove Lightshow button.
Light Scene Tips
When making a light scene, never change more lights than are necessary from the value "Previous". This will allow the scene to be inserted in other places in the show without changing the other lights as well.
Consider carefully how lighting will behave at the beginning and end of each song. If the next song on the play list does not have a lightshow, you will have to end your current lightshow in such a way so as to keep "appropriate" lighting in place through the song without a lightshow. Another, perhaps better, way to handle this is to create a "one-scene" light show to use for every song that will not have a complex lightshow. In this way, you can be assured that the previous song's lightshow will not still be in effect.
