"External (note)" cues for DMX

[BritGeek]

Hi Mike,

I'm not sure if this would count as a bug report, a feature request, or just a "how do I do this?" request, but I've been unable to get DMX-controlled cues to work as expected in conjunction with the "External (note)" cue activation setting.

What I'm trying to do is control scenic backdrop projections via DMX from the lighting board, independently of the sound cues. When the DMX channel turns on I need the projected image to fade in, and when the DMX channel turns off I need the image to fade out.

With a video cue set to display continuously, and with the appropriate fade in/out times set, I am able to fade the images in and out as expected with the "Hotkey (note)" activation setting and also with the "External (note)" activation setting in conjunction with MIDI note on/off cue control. Cross-fades even work as expected when I press the second hotkey or MIDI note before releasing the first one.
However, when I use the "External (note)" cue activation setting in conjunction with DMX cue control it always appears to behave as if the cue activation is set to "External (trigger)"; the image fades in when the DMX channel turns on, but the image doesn't fade out when the DMX channel turns off. I have experimented with different DMX "Action trigger control" settings, to no avail.

Do you know of a way for me to get this working?


I have another question related to this same use case... When scenic projections are being controlled via DMX from the lighting board, I need a way for the sound operator to do an emergency stop without blanking the projector (this is mostly for use during rehearsal when the director screams "stop, go back!", but also during performances if a cue is accidentally triggered early). I can't use the Escape key because that would blank the projector, and I don't see another shortcut assignment that I could use for this purpose. I could assign an SFR cue to a hotkey, with the SFR cue configured to stop "All playing audio cues", but that advances to the next cue instead of reverting to the start of the current cue. Can you think of a way to stop all audio cues, without stopping video cues, and without advancing to the next cue?

Thanks,
Tim.

[Mike Daniell]

Sorry for the delay in replying, Tim. I'll have a look into making the External(Note) activation method treat DMX Value 0 the same as MIDI Note Off.

Having a selective 'stop all' would be possible but I'm not sure of the best way to do this. We are currently preparing for a production that so far has more than 40 images for stage backdrop projection. This means about 40 video/image cues or sub-cues, and I can see the benefit of keeping the latest backdrop live even if ESC is pressed. But making that a global exception concerns me. The best solution I can think of at the moment is to create a new shortcut that implements a 'stop all except still images'. You could assign any keyboard key you wish that new shortcut. Any comments?

[BritGeek]

Thanks Mike, I would be glad to test the DMX Note capability whenever you are able to look at it.

Regarding stopping audio without stopping video: I agree that a global exception (changing the existing functionality of "Stop All") wouldn't be good. Your suggested new shortcut, 'Stop all except still images' would work for most shows, but sometimes I play videos as backdrops, in which case the shortcut would need to be "Stop all except video/image cues". I think those two shortcuts would cover most scenarios.

Thanks,
Tim.