User manual

ChamSys Ltd www.chamsys.co.uk
MagicQ User Manual 63 Version 1.3.0.0
seconds. Only intensities times are affected – Beam, Colour and Position times remain at their current
values.
When executing Cues, MagicQ will primarily use the specific delay and fade times entered in the
Advanced View, of the Cue Window. If no times are specified, then the overall times used in the
Simple View will be used. Times can be added in the Advanced View using the keypad and can be
removed using the REMOVE button.
In the Advanced View, the times shown are fade times, except where delay times have been set up, then
times are shown as delay/fade.
9.4 Tracking
By default the MagicQ works in a similar way to most traditional lighting consoles, in that what is in
the programmer is recorded into the Cue. This is a "no nonsense" mode where you get what you expect
recorded into your Cues.
If you program just a FX chase on pan and tilt into a Cue, then that is what you get. If you program a
complete look for a head including all the attributes, then that is what you get. Looking at a Cue in the
Cue Window gives you the full picture.
In a Cue Stack, you can choose for each Cue whether the Playback continues to control LTP channels
used earlier in the Cue Stack but not stored in the current Cue.
However, some other consoles utilise a tracking mode to reduce show storage whereby only the
changes made since the last Cue was recorded are stored into a Cue. This is often very confusing, since
Cue Stacks often do not playback as they were programmed. Busking live shows can be particularly
difficult, as you are never quite sure what is going to happen.
The MagicQ has a significant amount of in-built memory and a multi Gigabyte disk, so show size is not
a major concern. The MagicQ also has powerful editing modes that enable changes to be made to
multiple Cues simultaneously – thus overcoming any benefits tracking mode might have for storing
Cues in separate parts.
The MagicQ supports a tracking mode, which can be turned on through View Settings in the Setup
Window. We recommend that all but “die hard” tracking mode users utilise the console in its default,
“non tracking” mode.
9.4.1 Tracking on the MagicQ
Tracking mode is turned on and off through the View Settings view in the Setup Window. Tracking
mode determines how Cues are recorded. It does not affect how they are played back.
When tracking mode is off, then the entire contents of the programmer is recorded into Cues regardless
of whether attributes have been change since the last Cue was recorded.
When tracking mode is on, then only attributes that have been modified since the Cue was recorded are
stored into the new Cue. Attributes are determined as modified if their value had been changed using
an encoder, using keypad entry, using a range button, using a palette or by a locate fixture. Note that
modifying an attribute to a new value and then returning it to its old value counts as modified.