The Avolites Discussion Forum

Good evening.
1st can I say a great forum and I have learnt a lot by reading and watching the online tutorials.

I have got my 1st job using a pearl 2004 in a week or so time. I usually use a fat frog. The rig consists of 24 dimmer channels. 16 moving lights, 1 sunstrip active and 10 Led pars.

I understand the basics of patching and programming but a few things are concerning me and i would be very grateful for any advice folk could give.

1/ Do you normally patch your dimmers to one universe and fixtures to other. What are the benefits of this if you or pitfalls if you don't ?

2/ When programming, how do you set out for ease of busking on the rollercue. Do you for example have all your colours on one bank, gobos on another, chases on another etc etc.

3/ Do you set up a playback for "all off".

4/ Is it better to programme by channel rather than by fixture. What are the benefits of doing this.

5/ This sounds a really mad question but I will ask it anyway. If I have a moving head performing a circle with a red beam when I push up the fader on playback 1. If I were to pull it down would the head contine to move as it was until I put up another playback fader that changed its parameters. Or would it stop moving and black out

I'm sure I will have more questions and I have 2 or 3 days to get to know and programme the desk before the show, but I appreciate any help you may be able to offer me.

Many thanks

Andy

Probably best you get behind the console for a while first really. Some quick answers:


1) Ultimately universes are there for more channels. You might use them if a device doesn't have an out, or maybe because the fixtures don't allow you to address high enough (for example some LED pars have max address 128 or 256). You could also use them for distribution although this is often done with (or in combination with) splitters.

2) Intensity + shapes on playbacks. Everything else (colour/gobo/position) on palettes.

3) No. Intensities are HTP so this is not possible.

4) This will be user preference. I think it is very important to read the manual and fully understand these modes and the programmer.

5) Shape stops, remains in red and blacks out if intensity was stored on the same fader.


Patch your dimmers to the upper bank, fixtures to lower. If LED pars don't have dimmer channel I recommend patching HTP versions.

A bit late for your gig now, I suppose, but...

3) ...Grand master?