Using Obsession Effects and Groups as Focus Presets for Moving Lights

Using Obsession Effects and Groups as Focus Presets for Moving Lights:

The following examples were programmed on an ETC Obsession control console using High End System's Trackspot fixtures. This process can easily be adapted for use with any automated luminair. What is a focus preset and why would I want to go to the trouble of setting up such complicated cue structures?

The process for using a focus preset is simple. Units are positioned live and then position data is recorded in a focus preset. Presets are then referenced by cues that need them. If 100 different cues in a show put an automated fixture on the drummer Up Center Stage, and the drummer is then moved Down Stage 2 feet, then the focus preset is adjusted and all 100 cues referencing that focus preset are automatically updated.

Most contemporary moving light consoles, such as the Artisan consoles from Vari-Lite, High End's Status Cue, Whole Hog II, and ETC Obsession II, employ some method for achieving focus presets or "libraries." The process described here was developed to mimic that feature on the original ETC Obsession console. Essentially a Group is used as a focus preset. The Group is then referenced by a Cue (via an effect), and is automatically updated whenever the Group is changed. (You can even modify the values in the Group and watch the change happen in a live cue running on stage. This process can be easily adapted to create color presets, pattern presets, and other settings for Cyberlights or other more sophisticated automated luminairs. For the more adventurous, presets can be linked or structured so that they represent programmed chases, repetitive movements, or pattern and color changes. A total of 128 simultaneous presets and standard cues can be active at any given time.

Besides making show editing easier, using focus presets forces a more organized and prepared approach for incorporating moving lights into a lighting design. Increased set-up time pays off significantly in the long run with decreased programming and editing time. In addition to creating focus presets, this example refers to ways (described in detail elsewhere) for structuring patch, cues, and macros to make programming automated fixtures with a theatrical tracking console easier.

Assumptions:

You wish to control any number of automated luminairs with an Obsession console. (This does not work with non-tracking consoles such as the ETC Expression, Expression 2X or Express)
Your Obsession has at least version 2.1 of Obsession system software installed.
You wish to create focus position presets for an automated fixture or fixtures that can be modified, globally updating all cues into which the preset has been recorded. (This will also work to create such things as pattern, color, or diffusion presets for Cyberlights)
You use the speed setting on your moving lights (i.e. Trackspot) to determine how fast changes in x,y position occur. If you use a cue fade time to affect how fast a unit moves from one position to another you can modify the approach described below.
You break all moving light cues into parts. In this example, for clarity, 6 parts are used that correspond to the following Trackspot attributes:

Part 1--Dimmer (controls fade of lamp(s) and can have any time/wait assigned to it).
Part 2--Gate (controls gate open, closed, or strobe speed. It will always be Time=0, but may have wait time).
Part 3--Pattern (controls pattern, will always have Time=0, but can have wait time, or Effect to move wheel).
Part 4--Color (controls color, will always have Time=0, but can have wait time, or Effect to move wheel).
Part 5--Speed (controls unit speed movements, will always have Time=0, but can use an effect to move unit at a non-linear speed)
Part 6--Position (will always contain an Effect that points to the Group containing the focus Preset)

You have already soft-patched your moving light control channels in a way that is convenient and familiar to you.

Conventions:

Obsession keys that you press are indicated in brackets (ex. [Cue], [Load Cue], [Group])

[Group*]

The # sign indicates numbers you enter and xxxx indicates alphanumeric information you enter (ex. [#], [xxxxx]).

Abreviations: (as I have avoided using numbers in this example, since your patch will be different, the following abbreviations are used:)

DM-channel controlling dimmer or intensity of unit
GA-channel controlling the gate/strobe/shutter of the unit
PA-channel controlling the pattern or Gobo of the unit
CO-channel controlling the color of the unit
SP-channel controlling the speed of the unit
MX- mirror x position
MY- mirror y position

hint: You can use these codes in your softpatch to Label dimmers. (Ex. T1-CO for Trackspot 1 Color, I1-GA for Intellabeam 1 Gate)

Cueing this example:

First create the following groups: (groups should contain only 2 channels of information X and Y position values)

[Record] [Group]

Group 1--DR position for Unit 1
Group 2--DC position for Unit 1
Group 3--DL position for Unit 1

[Label]

Next create the following effects:

Effect 1--[Step] [1] [Group][1][Step Time][0][High Level][FF][Low Level][FF]

[Label

Effect 2--[Step] [1] [Group][2][Step Time][0][High Level][FF][Low Level][FF]

Effect 2--[Step] [1] [Group][3][Step Time][0][High Level][FF][Low Level][FF]

hint: Write effect 1 and copy it twice editing the group in step 1, and checking that the time is 0/Hold/0. Or write a macro which duplicates the following keystrokes:

[Step Time]

[High Level]

[Low Level]

[Time]

[Enter]

Now Write some cues using the 3 focus presets:

In [Live] get unit 1 on (gate open, no color, dimmer at full, speed at full) and where you can see it.

hint: write a macro to do this. The macro can even use bring up a focus preset by bringing up the corresponding group

put [Group][1][@][Full] (moves unit 1 to focus preset 1)
[Record][1][Time][5][Enter] (records live look as cue 1-- you may substitute any fade time here as it will only apply to the lamp/dimmer)
Now split the cue into 6 parts (most easily accomplished with a macro which does the following)

[Record][Part][1][Enter] creates 6 parts for cue
[Record][Part][2][Enter]
[Record][Part][3][Enter]
[Record][Part][4][Enter]
[Record][Part][5][Enter]
[Record][Part][6][Enter]
[Chan][DM][Update][Part][1][Enter] puts dimmer level and fade time you recorded before in part 1
[Chan][GA][Update][Part][2][Enter] puts gate level in part 2
[Chan][PA][Update][Part][3][Enter] puts pattern level in part 3
[Chan][CO][Update][Part][4][Enter] puts color level in part 4
[Chan][SP][Update][Part][5][Enter] puts speed setting in part 5
[Chan][MX][+][MY][Update][Part][6][Enter] puts x and y position in part 6 (note: this is not yet a focus preset for DR, but a copy of the current values of that preset.
[Label][Moving Light Cue][Enter] labels cue to identify it in the cue list

Change part 6 of the cue to be a focus preset:

[Part][6][Effect][1][Enter][Enter] (part 6 now references the levels in Effect 1 which references the levels in Group 1) Note that the Label you entered in Effect 1 now appears in the Cue List.

Play back Cue 1:

[Load Cue][1][Go] The unit is now on focus preset 1 (it shouldn't have moved). Notice that Effect 1 is now parked on one of your faders.
To test the focus preset go to the [Group*] screen and [Select Group][1]. Grab one of the channels on the wheel and roll it slightly. The unit should move onstage. You are adjusting the focus preset live. Any cues referencing this group will be simultaneously updated.

Now using the procedure above create 3 more cues referencing presets 2 and then 3 and then back to 1.
[Load Cue][1] and play back the entire sequence. Unit 1 should fade up in the DR position, move at fastest speed to DC position, move to DL position and then back to DR.
Once this is working modify the DR focus preset:

[Load Cue][1][Enter][Go] put Cue 1 live onstage
Use the wheel or submasters to adjust the position channels to put the unit UC.
[MX][+][MY][Update][Group][1][Enter] the DR preset is now UC
Play back the new sequence. Both Cue 1 and Cue 4 should now put the unit in the new Up Center position.

Ways this process will affect the way cues are run and edited:

If you normally use [Stop/Back] or [Goto Cue] to put cues onstage quickly out of sequence, you need to modify your command sequence to use [Load Cue][#][Go] to put a moving light cue on stage. For example, if an automated fixture is preset at its focus in Q54 to fade up in place in Q58, and you wish to jump to this place in the show you must do the following: [Load Cue] 54 [Go] (puts unit in position) [Load Cue] 58 [Go] (jumps to cue which brings up the unit and you are ready to go). Having labels in the cue list for moving light cues assists in this process.
Focus presets will remain parked on faders until another cue takes the same unit to a new preset. As such it is possible, especially with all of the part cues to load up the 8 actual faders on the Obsession. If you have concerns please refer to the Obsession manual to see how Obsession moves cues to virtual faders.

Drawbacks:

The creation of complex cue and effect structures quickly increases the time it takes the Obsession software to record a change and update all elements of a show which may be affected by it. This begins to show up noticeably when using the [Record] or [Update] functions. It is not uncommon for a show with 150 1 or 2 part conventional cues, 50 6 part moving light cues based on 25 or so presets (group and effect combinations) to lag 1 to 2 seconds behind the final [Enter] after a [Record] or [Update] function. Essentially in this example Obsession behaves as if the show contains over 500 cues. I am assured by ETC that this is normal, as the console must process all of the internal group, effect, cue, relationships for the whole show. There is no significant real-time delay during show playback.
You can not use the [Stop] button gracefully to recover from an accidental early [Go]. [Stop] will cause all running effects and cues to stop. A subsequent [Go] will not restore all running effects and cues, only the active cue. A [Load Cue] [Go] sequence (described above) must be executed for each running effect (focus preset) to recover from a [Stop].
Even with only a few dozen cues and effects recorded, the lag time for moving channels in groups which are live in presets onstage will be unacceptably long. For example if you are in the [Group*] display for group 1 and rolling the channel for MX on unit 1 while the corresponding effect is live onstage, there can be a significant delay between the time you move the channel and the unit moves on stage. This time increases with the amount of cues that have been recorded. As an alternate to this, simply adjust the level in the cue live onstage and then use: MX [Update] [Group] 1 to make the change to all affected focus presets.

Making focus presets even more complex:

A focus preset can accomplish some very complex and subtle moves which would be more difficult to create using other techniques. Here are some examples:
Write a single effect which references 4 (focus preset) groups in a straight positive chase. Put times on the effect steps and play them back with a motor speed set on the units. The effect will be a continuous motion onstage which will happen until the next preset or cue is executed which affects these channels. Using this process, several groups of moving lights can be executing different repeating patterns of motion simultaneously while other cues are running. This eliminates the problem of using cue loops which is that you can't execute other cues while the loop is executing.
To take the first example one step further, write two such loops. One that moves the units onstage in a continuous motion, and another which changes the color on the same units through a preset sequence at a different time rate. The possibilities are limitless and the process becomes similar to multi-tracking MIDI sequences. As long as multiple effects are all loaded into different parts of the same cue (to execute precisely together) the resulting combined sequence will time out predictably and consistently every time it is played back.
A sequence can also be set to execute only one time through. An example would be if you wanted a channel on a Trackspot or Intellabeam to begin to slowly rotate the pattern wheel as it moves from one position to another and land on the desired pattern just as it arrives at the new location. To do this, write an effect which in step 1 sets the pattern wheel turning at an appropriately slow speed. Step 2 should stop the pattern on the desired pattern. Then set the time on step 2 to the time it will take the wheel to turn to that point (you may need to time this with a stopwatch). Create a step 3 that does nothing with a time of 99 (this will hold the unit at this position until you can do something else with it in another cue). Now play back this effect (preset) at the same time as the presets controlling the focus movement. Some experimentation with times and it will all work out.
Using effects to move units rapidly in small vibrating motions or through wide arcs has the added advantage of being able to use the [Rate] function to rate the speed of these over 400% of .1 second. An example would be rapidly bouncing a pattern wheel on a Trackspot fixture to mimic the Intellabeam pattern vibration effect. Note: doing this you can really strain the DMX speed of the system as well as the motors in your automated fixtures.

Obsession II and Beyond

Although the Obsession II software adds many useful features, such as the ability to create focus libraries and other settings, there has been no significant change in terms of the effects software. As a result the process of controlling moving lights is simpler and easier to set up. The drawback of not being able to incorporate focus libraries directly into effects, is that all moving light programming must be done on a straight cue to cue basis where all restrictions of a single cue list tracking console apply. By using effects to essentially run cues, as in the example above, cues can be run in any sequence. This method of cue writing is similar to moving light consoles such as the Status Cue or Whole Hog II that allow multiple cue lists and multiple cues, chases, or other elements to be active simultaneously (or layered) to create composite effects.

Midi-Show-Control

With the example above an even greater efficiency can be achieved if a midi-show-controller is used to load and execute cues as needed on Obsession. This can be done inexpensively by using a personal computer running Windows 3.1 or 95, a copy of the Status Cue System Software (available for download at http://www.highend.com/), and a MIDI card and cable. The Obsession must also be configured for MIDI with the optional I/O card installed. Click here for more information,

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11/18/96 RLK
Revised 5-8-98
Revised 10-6-98