The Avolites Discussion Forum

I’m still struggling with making simple marcos for lamp on and lamp off? I have tried a few times, but it never seems to work.

My current steps are:
Macro
Record Macro
Groups and Pallets Workspace
Select group “A”
ML Menu
Macro
Lamp on
Select Group “B”
ML Menu
Macro
Lamp on
Select group “C”
ML Menu
Macro
Lamp on
Macro

I did it at full speed and it did not wotrk. But then I thought the setting for lamp on/off usually needs to be held for 5 seconds, so I did it in real time. Then it just got me to the ML menu for each group and I had to select macro and amp on myself?

What other typical macros do people use? Im really struggling to find reasons to use them. I do a lot of things repeatedly (like updating pallets at every venue), or creating pallets for different makes of fixtures at the beginning of very programming session… but I don’t think I can use a macro to do that for me?

What do you use them for?

Hi there,

I am using macros to auto release a cue stack when it hits the last cue....very handy for busking a show. From what I understand a macro is related to a handle so I am not sure how you would program your groups.

Wherever a fixture macro is named the same the software will attempt to follow the rules for multiple fixture types simultaneously, so you can make this simpler by using a group that contains all fixtures and fire one 'lamp on' command (from the fixture macro menu you will notice 'lamp on x', where x is the number of fixtures that contain an identical macro).

My method would be to use the numeric reference to the group:

- Create a group of all (relevant) fixtures. This could be one assigned to a handle or just numeric if you don't want it to get in the way.

- Make sure you are in the root menu.

- Record macro.
{
- Type group number on keypad.
- Press group key
- ML key
- Macro
- Lamp On
}


Personally my favourite use of macros is for creating intensity chases:

- Before recording macro select some fixtures (is not important which) and begin recording a chase.

- Record macro
{
- Next
- @@
- [Append Step]
- @ [0%]
}

To use this you can then select a group (making use of fixture order/selection pattern if you like). Start to record a chase then enter number of steps on keypad followed by macro. This will repeat the macro x times creating an intensity chase x steps long.

Olie had a great suggestion too about a macro that sets fixture overlap values for busking palette recalls.

O great!

But if the lamp on macro in ML Menu now works over multiple fixture types, then I don't really have a need for the macro anyway (seems it would mainly be useful in an automated timecode type show?)

Thanks for the intensity macro, and the release macro. Maybe we should make a thread of useful macros like the tips and tricks one? But I'll make a doc for myself with them in anyway...

Could I write a macro to release the cuelist, change to specific page, and activate next cuelist? I currently have a show with 18 different songs, each on a different page. The order of the songs could change every night, so I could then just program the macro before each show when I get the setlist and it will run the correct order of the songs?

Hello,

I'm struggling with the same problem using 3 types of fixtures.

Both ways don't work for me. Problem is that 2 types of fixtures have their 'Lamp On' macro on softkey A (MAC250 and Showtec Explorer), and the Robe XT250 wash has the 'Lamp On' macro on softkey B.

Is it possible for me to make this macro?

niclights wrote:Wherever a fixture macro is named the same the software will attempt to follow the rules for multiple fixture types simultaneously, so you can make this simpler by using a group that contains all fixtures and fire one 'lamp on' command (from the fixture macro menu you will notice 'lamp on x', where x is the number of fixtures that contain an identical macro).

Seems that this doesn't work because some fixtures have a Macro 'Lamp On', and others 'Lamp On,Reset'.

Thus, you need to alter Nic's second suggestion:

niclights wrote:My method would be to use the numeric reference to the group:

- Create a group of all (relevant) fixtures. This could be one assigned to a handle or just numeric if you don't want it to get in the way.

- Make sure you are in the root menu.

- Record macro.
{
- Type group number on keypad.
- Press group key
- ML key
- Macro
- Lamp On
}

to


Repeat as many {} sections as you need. The Wait and Clear are guessed, but don't hurt.

Just to clarify the reason it didn't work was because the macros had different names ('lamp on' and 'lamp on/reset' respectively). As stated above the software will follow rules for multiple fixtures wherever the macro has the same name. It is not important which softkey they appear on.