Avolites PEARL 2004 User Manual

Pearl 2000/2004

Operator’s Manual

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Useful Avolites phone numbers:Avolites England Sales and service* (+44) (0) 20 8965 8522 Service out of hours* (+44) (0) 831 17 8888 Fax (+44) (0) 20 8965 0290 Email name@avolites.com Website http://www.avolites.com Distribution of Avolites products in USA:-

Avolites America Sales and service* (+1) 423 938 2057 Fax (+1) 423 938 2059

*Before contacting Avolites for service enquiry please ensure that you have the product serial number and the Software version. The serial number can be found on the back of the desk and the software version can be found by turning the key to “System” and reading the version from the top line of the display.

The latest version of this manual and Pearl Software can be downloaded from the Avolites website.

The small print : No Liability for Consequential Damages

Avolites has a policy of continuous product and documentation improvement. As such the detail within this manual may not match the operation of the Pearl 2004.

In no event shall Avolites be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages or loss whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or inability to use the Pearl even if Avolites Ltd. has been advised of the possibility o f such damages. Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you.

Avolites Ltd recognise that all trademarks within the manual are the property of their respective owners.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Reprint and revision history:

First produced July 2004

This manual was written by Tim Mitchell, Sabre Technology Ltd

http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

TUTORIAL CONTENTS

1. WELCOME TO THE PEARL 1

2. PATCHING 7

3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 15

4. PALETTES 19

5. SHAPES 24

6. MEMORIES 28

7. CHASES 36

8. THEATRE STACK 42

9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 46

10. RUNNING YOUR SHOW 48

11. ADVANCED FEATURES 52

12. INTRODUCTION TO INTELLIGENT LIGHTING 54

13. INTRODUCTION TO AVOLITES CONSOLES 57

14. CHANGES IN THE LATEST PEARL SOFTWARE 61

REFERENCE MANUAL CONTENTS

1. SETTING UP THE CONSOLE 109

2. PATCHING 117

3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 125

4. PALETTES 135

5. SHAPES 141

6. MEMORIES 147

7. CHASES 157

8. THEATRE STACK 168

9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 175

10. RUNNING THE SHOW 180

11. AUTOMATED PLAYBACK (SCRIPT FILES) 184

12. SETUP 192

13. OTHER FEATURES 196

14. THE PERSONALITY FILE SYSTEM 206

15. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 218

16. INDEX 225

Pages in the Tutorial section have numbers below 100. Pages in the Reference manual have numbers above 100.

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Pearl 2000/2004

Tutorial

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

INTRODUCTION

1. Welcome to the Pearl

This manual is designed to help you get the most out of your Pearl console. We have divided it into two sections.

• This first section is a tutorial which gives you a step by step guide of how to carry out the most common functions of the Pearl. If you are new to the console, working through this part will give you a good introduction.

• The second section is a reference manual which tells you everything there is to know about the Pearl.

To help you move between the two sections, we have made the chapter numbering the same, so if you are using the tutorial and you want more information, just look for the same chapter number in the reference manual.

At the back of the reference manual there is a Glossary, explaining some of the technical terms used in the manual, and an Index which can be used to find what you need in either section of the manual.

1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 1

This manual applies to both the Pearl 2000 and the Pearl 2004 consoles.

1.1 Setting up the Pearl

Before you can use the Pearl, you need to connect various things to it. Ensure the power is off while making these connections.

Important: Firstly check if your console has a voltage selector switch

on the back of the console next to the power socket. If it has, make sure it matches your mains power. You can set it to 230V or 120V.

If you plug in the power with the switch set wrongly, you will probably blow up the power supply. This would be a Bad Thing To Do a few hours before a show.

Connect the mains inlet to an AC power supply. If you are using the optional external VDU screen, connect a VGA

monitor (640x480 text mode) to the VDU output on the back of the console. You don’t have to use the VDU screen but it does show some additional information that is not shown on the console display.

Connect the DMX output(s) to your lighting fixtures or dimmers. The Pearl 2004 has four DMX output sockets. The Pearl 2000 has only two DMX sockets, but four DMX lines may be connected to them using a splitter cable. Chapter 1 in the reference manual has more details on DMX connections.

Plug in the desk light to the socket on the top left of the console. If you have a QWERTY keyboard, plug it into its socket. You do not have to connect a keyboard if you don’t want.

Turn on the power. The console display and VDU screen (if you are using one) should come alive.

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1.2 Finding your way about on the Pearl

Playback page

select roller

Preset handles

Mode select keyswitch

Master faders

Playback faders &

Main display

flash buttons

Control wheels

Menu softkeys

Fixture page buttons

Numeric keypad and controls

Command buttons

The Pearl might initially appear to have an alarming nu mber of sliders and buttons on it, but don’t be scared of it. The main controls are:

• The Preset Faders are used to control individual dimmer channels and fixture intensities. The 2 buttons below the faders are used to select and flash fixtures. Each fader and buttons is called a “Handle”.

• The Mode select keyswitch sets the operating mode of the console; Program for programming a show, Run for running the show and System for configuring the console.

• The Page select roller lets you select different pages of playbacks, and you can write the playback names on the roller so you know what’s in them.

• The Master faders control the overall output of the various parts of the console. You will normally have these set at Full.

• The Playback faders and flash buttons are used to play back memories you have programmed, when you are running a show.

Attribute select buttons

• The Main display is the nerve centre of the console and shows you

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1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 3

what is going on. The display can show various screens of information.

• The Control wheels are used to set control values on the fixtures, and to set chase speeds and fades.

• The Menu softkeys (labelled A – G) are used to select control options. The display next to the buttons shows what each one will do. The options for each key change depending on what the console is doing. Softkey commands are shown in the manual with square brackets like this: A [Chase Parameters]

• The Numeric keypad and other control buttons are used to enter values and change controls on the console.

• The Fixture Page buttons are below the keypad, which select 4 pages for the Preset Faders.

• The blue Command buttons are used to carry out functions such as storing memories, copying, saving to disk, etc. These buttons have lights on to indicate when they are active.

• The Attribute select buttons are used to select which attributes of a fixture (e.g. colour, gobo, pan, focus) are going to be controlled using the Control wheels. The buttons have lights on to show you which attributes are active. The bottom (red) button allows you to reduce the intensity of a fixture if it loses position during a show.

The VDU screen shows more information than the on-board displays. It is useful when setting up the console and programming shows. When entering text or numbers, what you are typing is shown only on the VDU screen. If you are short of space you can often manage without it when you are running a show.

Fixture output values

Memory contents

Today’s date and time

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Function of left wheel

Function of right wheel

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The main part of the display shows the output of the console for one of the types of fixture you are using (you can show different things using the View button, see page 112). Across the bottom of the display, the current page of memories is shown. The “A B” at the right side of the screen shows which functions are currently assigned to the control wheels.

1.3 The Pearl simulator

You can download a free Pearl simulator from the Avolites websit e, which runs on a PC. This allows you to work on the Pearl even when you haven’t got the real console with you. You can patch the desk, and program shows using the Avolites Visualiser, then save the show to disk and load it into the real console. The simulator operates almost exactly like the real Pearl.

1.4 What you’ll need for the tutorial

The rest of the first part of this manual is a hands-on tutorial. If you have never used an Avolites console before, by working through the rest of the tutorial section you should be able to get the Pearl up and running, and be well on the way to programming and running a show with it.

The tutorial is organised in the order you’ll need to do things to get the console set up and working, so try to work through it in sequence. To make the most of it, you will need a few lights set up to play with; a couple of moving lights and a few dimmers would be best. If you can’t lay your hands on any real lights, you can use Avolites Visualiser to simulate some lights.

When you are preparing to start programming a new show, it’s handy to have the following things.

• A lighting plan of your rig which you can scribble on

• Some blank floppy disks to save your work

• Some white or clear tape and a fine black marker pen to mark up

the console so you know what’s where

• Paper & pen to make notes (or a laptop, depending on how technological you are)

• Manuals or DMX tables for the fixtures you’re using

• A supply of beverages of your choice

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1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 5

If you are new to intelligent lighting, or even new to lighting altogether, read chapter 12, “Introduction to intelligent lighting”. This explains the concepts behind digital control of lighting and will h elp you to understand what we are going on about in the rest of the manual. There is also a Glossary at the end of the Reference Manual which explains some of the obscure lighting words we have used in the manual.

If you are used to older Pearl software, read chapter 14, “Changes in the latest Pearl software”, which gives you a quick rundown on the differences between the two consoles.

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Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

CHAPTER TWO

2. Patching

In this chapter: how to set up the Pearl to control dimmers and fixtures.

• patching dimmers

• patching moving light fixtures

• setting addresses on the fixtures

So, you have your fixtures and dimmers all connected up with DMX cables and the Pearl connected to the end of it. (If you have a big rig, you might find it easier to learn the basics using a few dimmers and a few moving lights, and leave the rest of it till you’re an expert).

First you need to allocate each fixture or dimmer to a preset fader on the Pearl, so that you can tell it which of the fixtures or dimmers you want to control at any time.

The bottom fader and the buttons below it (the picture shows some) are called the handle for the dimmer or fixture, because you use it to take control of the fixture. The fader will control the intensity of the dimmer or fixture, the “Swop” button is used when programming to select the dimmer or fixture. In Run mode the Flash and Swop buttons function as flash buttons.

2. Patching - Page 7

a “handle”

You also need to tell the Pearl what type of fixture is allocated to each handle. When you have entered this information, the Pearl can tell you what DMX addresses to set on your fixtures and dimmers to match the settings it is using. If you prefer, you can set your fixtures and dimmers beforehand and tell the Pearl what DMX addresses it should be u s ing.

This setup process is called Patching. You can patch up to 240 fixtures and

dimmer channels on the Pearl. There are 4 “pages” of 60 handles, selected using the “Pages of Fixtures” buttons below the numeric keypad.

The Pearl controls dimmers and fixtures slightly differently, so we will look at each in turn.

2.1 Clearing the Pearl - Wipeall

It’s always a good idea to clear the Pearl’s memory before you start a new setup. This ensures that you won’t get confused by any peculiar settings left by the previous user.

Pages of Fixtures buttons

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Clearing the Pearl

Î Turn the mode keyswitch to “System” Î Select softkey A [Service] Î Select softkey F [Wipe]. Î Press F [“Wipeall], to confirm. The

memory will be wiped.

Î Turn the key to “Program” to prepare

for programming.

The Pearl is now pristine and new, with all options set to default, and all memories empty, ready for you to start your show.

2.2 Patching dimmers

Each dimmer channel you want to use has to be allocated to one of the handles. Then, when you want to control the dimmer channel, you just fade up the slider.

Patching dimmer channels

Î Make sure the key is set to “Program” Î Press Patch (one of the blue “command” buttons). Î Press A [Dimmer] Î The Pearl will start at DMX address 001 (shown on

the top line of the display). If your dimmer rack is at a different address, you can change this by typing in the new address on the numeric keypad.

Î Press the blue preset “Swop” button below preset

fader number 1. The fader and flash/swop buttons will become the “handle” used to control that dimmer channel.

Î The Pearl will update the DMX address to the next

free channel, so you can just press another button to patch the next dimmer.

Î Press Exit when you have finished patching.

Mode keyswitch

Swop button

You can now control the dimmer channel on handle 1 using the fader (the buttons do not operate as flash buttons in Program mode, only in Run mode).

If you have lots of dimmers to patch, there are some quicker ways. If you just want to patch 10 dimmers in sequence on to handles 21-30, you can do it this way:

Patching a range of dimmers to buttons

Î Enter Dimmer Patch mode Î Enter the DMX channel you want the range to start at, if it’s

different to the one the Pearl is displaying

Î Hold down the Swop button of the first handle to be patched

(handle 21)

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2. Patching - Page 9

Î Press the last Swop button (handle 30) Î Release the first Swop button, then the last Swop button Î Each handle will be patched in order to a dimmer channel. Î Press Exit when you have finished patching.

You can also patch more than one dimmer channel on the same handle. This can be useful when you have several lights on different dimmer channels, but you always want to control them together. For example, if you have lit an area with several spots and you just want them all to come up on one fader, this is a good way to do that. Multiple patches like this are displayed at the bottom of the VDU screen.

Patching several dimmers to the same button

Î Enter Dimmer Patch mode Î Using the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the first

dimmer channel to be patched

Î Press the Swop button for the handle you want to use (this patches

the first dimmer)

Î Using the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the next

dimmer channel to be patched (the Pearl will have automatically increased the address by 1)

Î Press the Swop button again Î Press Exit when you have finished patching

You can repeat this procedure to patch as many dimmers as you like on to one handle.

So far, you’ve patched onto the bottom bank of faders. You can also patch onto the top bank of faders. If you have 30 or less fixtures, it’s easiest to patch fixtures to the bottom faders, and your dimmers to the top faders, then you can have them all accessible without having to change the fixture page.

Patching to the top fader bank

Î Patch the dimmer as normal, but hold

down the AVO (shift) button while pressing the blue Swop button. The AVO

top faders

button is next to the numeric keypad

Î The dimmer channel will be patched to the top fader Î Press AVO with another Swop button to patch to another top fader

You can patch multiple dimmer channels to the top faders by holding down the AVO button, then holding the first swop button, then pressing the last button of the range to be patched. You might need to grow a third hand, or borrow someone else’s, to accomplish this.

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While you are in Patch mode, the VDU screen shows a DMX channel grid to tell you which channels you have patched so far and which are free. Dimmers and fixtures are identified by different letters, dimmers are always “a”.

You can also display the patch on the LCD screen by pressing View (on the numeric keypad) then C [DMX patch] (shows which handle each DMX channel is allocated to) or D [Fixture patch], which shows a list in handle order.

2.3 Patching moving light fixtures

Moving light fixtures are controlled slightly differently to dimmers; a dimmer only has one controllable attribute, intensit y. But a moving light fixture can have many attributes, such as pan, tilt, colour, gobo etc. When you patch a fixture, you will see on the VDU screen that it occupies a block of DMX channels rather than just one. However, the principle is still the same.

The Pearl has personality files for most lighting fixtur es in the known universe, and these are stored internally in the console. If you want to use a personality not available in the console, you can load it from a personality disk, a wide range of which can be downloaded from the Avolites website. See section 12 in the reference manual for det a ils of how to download personalities.

Note: To use the internal personality files, make sure there is no disk

in the disk drive.

Patching a fixture

Î Make sure there is no disk in the disk drive Î Press Patch Î Press B [Choose a fixture] Î The display will show “Please select an instrument” on the top line. Î A list of known fixtures will appear next to the softkeys after a

pause.

Î Use Softkeys F and G to go up and down the list and find the

correct fixture, then press the Softkey next to the fixture to select it.

Î The Pearl will load the fixture information (this may take a few

seconds). The display shows information about the fixture.

Î The Pearl will ask “Use preset palettes?”. Î Press A [Yes]. (This is explained later) Î The Pearl will offer you the first free DMX address (on the top line

of the display). You can change this using the numeric keypad if you want the fixture at a different address.

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2. Patching - Page 11

Î Press the Swop button on handle 11 to patch the fixture you have

selected to handle 11.

Î The display will show the block of channels occupied by the fixture. Î Patch more fixtures, or press Exit when you have finished.

You can continue to patch this type of fixture at the next free DMX address by pressing the next Swop button you want to use. You can also patch a range of fixtures by holding down the first button in the range and pressing the last button, as with dimmers.

You can patch fixtures to the top faders by holding down the AVO button, but if you do this you will need to hold down the AVO button to select them when programming as well, so it’s easiest to only patch dimmers to the top faders as you can control dimmers just with the fader.

If you want to patch a different type of fixture, you can change the type of fixture to be patched very easily.

To change the fixture type

Î Press A [Select another fixture] Î Choose the fixture type from the list on the softkeys Î Patch as before

Note: The “preset palettes” contain 9 position, 10 colour and 10 gobo

settings. You can call back these settings instantly from the palette buttons when you are programming. This allows you to select, for example, “Yellow” or “Blue” instead of setting up the value using the wheels. You can only load the preset palettes during patching.

The Pearl has four physical DMX output lines, identified as A, B, C, D. You can patch onto any of the four lines using E [Select a DMX line]. However, to keep it simple, stick to line A while you are learn ing.

2.4 Labelling the console

It’s a good idea to stick a strip of tape above the handle Swop buttons, and write on it what is patched on each handle, such as “Mac SL”, “Mac Centre” etc. This will help you greatly when programmin g as you try and remember where you patched everything.

2.5 Addressing lights to match the Pearl

When you are patching, it’s easiest to let the Pearl allocate all the DMX addresses, then go round to the actual dimmers and fixtures and set the addresses to match the Pearl’s settings. This makes sure that there are no overlaps or gaps in the DMX addresses.

You can also work out the DMX map yourself and tell the Pearl what DMX channels to use while you’re patching, but then you need to make sure yourself that nothing overlaps.

The Pearl can tell you the DMX address it is using for each f ix ture, and in some cases can show you how to set the dip switches on the fixture. Write down the addresses for all the fixtures, then go and set them.

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Displaying the DMX address for fixtures

Î Press the View button (next to the

numeric keys)

Î Press D [Fixture Patch] Î The display will show a list of the

handles to which you have patched fixtures or dimmers, with the DMX line and address (e.g. A24 is address 24 on DMX line A).

Î One handle on the list has an arrow next

to it. In the lower part of the screen, more information is shown for this fixture.

Î Use the Arrow keys to move the arrow

up and down the list, and show information for the other fixtures in the list.

Î You can also press View then C [DMX Patch] to display a list of

DMX channels and which fixture is patched at that address.

2.6 Changing what you have done

If you need to change the patching you have done, it’s possible to repatch a fixture to a different DMX address using the Repatch Fixtures softkey. You can also move a fixture onto a different handle, and delete a fixture from a handle, but this loses any programming for the fixture. How to change the patching is described in detail in section 2 of th e reference manual on page 120.

2.7 Patch Utilities

You can invert the operation of channels and set various other fixturespecific options using the Patch Utilities softkey. Inverting pan and tilt channels can be useful to mirror fixtures on opposite sides of the stage, or to correct for hanging a fixture the wrong way round. Section 2 of the reference manual on page 121 describes how to set these options.

2.8 Completing the patch

When you have patched all your dimmers and fixtures, press the Exit button on the numeric keypad to go back to normal mode. You have now completed the setting up of the lighting system, and it’s time to get to work on programming a show. But there’s one important thing to do first…

2.9 Saving the contents of the Pearl to disk

The Pearl has a built in floppy disk drive which allows you to save everything you have done. You should get into the habit of saving your show regularly to guard against that unexpected moment when the worst happens.

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2. Patching - Page 13

The disk drive is in the front left hand corner of the console, beneath the master faders. If you’re using the console in its flightcase, you might need to lift it slightly to access the disk drive.

It only takes a minute or so to save the contents of the Pearl to disk. You can then reload it if you mess up the show by accidentally changing something, or if some helpful person steals the Pearl you can load your programming into a replacement console and the show can go on.

Disk button

Backing up the Pearl to disk

Î Press the Disk button in the bottom right hand corner of the Pearl Î Insert a blank formatted 1.44MB disk into the disk drive (anything

on the disk will be wiped).

Î Select B [Save show to disk]. Î The Pearl will ask for a filename for the show. Type this on the

QWERTY keyboard then press Enter. If you don’t have a keyboard connected you can just accept the default showname by pressing Enter.

Î The Pearl will ask if you want to make the show compatible with

Sep 2000 software. Press B [No].

Î The Pearl will save your current show onto the disk. The display will

tell you when the Pearl has finished.

Î The Pearl will not respond to any buttons or sliders while saving or

loading a show. The DMX output will be frozen in its last state.

Î If you need to reload the show, press Disk then A [Load show from

disk].

2.10 Examples

How do I patch a 6 channel DMX dimmer pack to faders 31-36?

Press Patch, then A [Dimmer]. Note the DMX address where the Pearl is going to patch (on the top line of the display). Hold down the AVO button. Press the blue Swop buttons for channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Let go of the AVO button. Because you were holding down AVO, the dimmers are patched to the top set of faders, 31-36. Press Exit twice to leave Patch mode. Finally set your dimmer pack’s DMX address to match the Pearl (if you are not sure of the address, press View then D [Fixture patch], then use the Down Arrow button to scroll to show Handle 31; the display shows the DMX address where the handle is patched).

How do I patch a Mac600 to handle 10?

Press Patch, then B [Choose a fixture]. (Ensure there is no disk in the disk drive). Press F [More] until one of the softkey options is MMac600m4. Press the softkey for that option. Wait for the Pearl to

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load the personality. When the Pearl asks “Use preset palettes?” press A [Yes]. Note the DMX address where the Pearl is going to patch (on the top line of the display). Press Swop button 10 to patch the fixture. Press Exit twice to leave Patch mode. Finally set the Mac 600’s DMX address to match the Pearl (we have used the Mode 4 personality so it will also need to be in Mode 4).

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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 15

CHAPTER THREE

3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures

In this chapter: how to control dimmers and fixtures manually.

• controlling fixtures and dimmers

• changing attributes

• using and creating groups

• align and fan functions

• viewing the console output

Having patched all the dimmers and fixtures you want to use, you are ready to start operating them. This chapter explains how you do this.

To manually control fixtures and dimmers, you need to be in Program mode, so ensure the key is set to Program. There’s also a special Run mode which lets you “take over” fixtures during a show, which is described later.

3.1 Controlling dimmer channels

Controlling dimmer channels is simple – you just push up the fader of the handle where the dimmer is patched. Dimmers work just like a normal “preset” lighting desk on the Pearl. If you want to turn on lots of dimmer channels at the same time, you can also “select” the dimmers and use the Dimmer attribute button and control wheels as described below.

3.2 Controlling fixtures

Controlling fixtures is nearly as simple, except there are a few more functions to control than just intensity.

The first thing you have to do is to “select” the fixtures that you want to control. The Pearl then knows that any changes you make are only to be sent to these fixtures. You can select fixtures individually, or several at once.

Selecting fixtures or dimmers

Î Press the Swop buttons for the fixtures you want to control. (For

dimmers and fixtures on the top bank of faders, hold down the AVO button and press the Swop buttons below the faders you want)

Î The Swop button LEDs will light for the fixtures which are selected.

They are shown in dark blue on the VDU screen.

Î If you select a fixture you don't want, press its Swop button again

to deselect it.

Î You can select a range of fixtures by holding down the Swop button

for the first fixture in the range, then pressing the Swop button for the last fixture.

Î Press the ML Menu button then A [Locate Fixture] to position the

selected fixtures at a central position with the light on, so you can see where they are. Dimmer channels are set to 100%.

You can change the fixture page, if you need to, by pressing one of the other Fixture Page buttons.

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You can select dimmers or fixtures patched to the top faders by holding down the AVO button and pressing the Swop button for the fader below.

3.3 Changing attributes of fixtures

Having selected the fixtures you want to control, you then need to select the attributes (pan, tilt, colour etc.) of that fixture that you want to change.

The attributes are selected using the buttons on the lower right corner of the Pearl and controlled using the wheels. The attributes you can cont rol will vary depending on the type of fixture you are using. For dimmer channels, you can only change the “Dimmer” attribute (intensity). For scans, you can control the pan, tilt, colour, gobo and other functions.

Controlling pan and tilt of a fixture

Î Select some fixtures using the Swop buttons Î Use the Locate Fixture function (press ML Menu

then Softkey A) to position the fixtures at a central position with the lamp on (you don’t have to do this, but it helps you see what’s happening)

Î Press the Pan/Tilt attribute button Î Control the tilt using the left hand wheel and the

pan using the right hand wheel. You should see the selected fixtures move.

Î The display area just above the wheels

shows you which attribute is being controlled by each wheel.

Attribute buttons

Any other attribute of the fixtures you selected can be controlled by pressing the appropriate button and turning the wh eels. The display will show which functions the left and right wheels are going to control. Very few fixture types have the full range of attributes; if the display doesn’t show a function when you select an attribute button, that function is not available on the fixtures you selected.

You can view the attribute settings on the LCD screen by pressing the View button then B [Fixture Attributes]. You can change which attribute you are viewing by pressing a different Attribute button.

If the fixture personality supports range tables and Intelligent Attribute Display is turned on (Hold AVO and press 1) then for some attributes, rather than showing a percentage value above the wheels, the current colour or gobo name will be displayed. This only happens on some fixtures.

You can use the Dimmer attribute to control the intensity channel of the fixture, or you can use the fader of the handle. The effect is the same.

Note: Once you have changed any attributes, all the fixtures will be

automatically deselected the next time you press a fixture select button.

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3.4 Using groups

If you’ve got several units of one fixture type, you often want to select them all at the same time. To avoid lots of swop-button-pressing, the Pearl allows you to put fixtures or dimmer channels into groups, which you can then use to select all the fixtures just by typing the group number. If you are using the graphics tablet you just press one button on the tablet and all the fixtures in the group are magically selected.

Making a group

Î Select the fixtures or dimmer channels you want to put into the

group

Î Press the ML Menu button, then E [Record Group]. Î Type the group number 1-200 on the numeric keypad and press

Enter.

Once you have created a group, you can then quickly select all the fixtures in the group:

Selecting a group of fixtures

3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 17

Î Type the group number on the keypad Î Press A [Recall Group]. Î The fixtures in the group are selected, all other fixtures are

deselected.

If you are using the graphics tablet, you can save and recall groups with one touch of the pen. This is described in more det a il in the Graphics Tablet chapter.

3.5 Copying settings from other fixtures – Align

If you’ve set a nice colour on one of your fixtures, and you want to copy it to all the other fixtures of the same type, the Pearl’s Align function can do that. You can also use it to make all pan and tilt positions the same for a range of units or to make dimmer levels the same.

Copying settings from other fixtures

Î Press an attribute button to select the attribute you want to copy Î Select the fixture or dimmer channel you want to copy from Î Select the fixtures or dimmer channels you want to copy to Î Press the ML Menu button, then D [Align <attribute name>]”. Î Or you can press C [Align Fixtures], to align all attributes.

3.6 Fan mode

Fan mode automatically spreads out a selected range of fixtures to produce a fan of light beams, like rays of sunlight. Th e first and last fixtures of the range are affected most, and the central fixtures are affected least. The amount of fan can be set using the wheels.

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Note: The order in which you select the fixtures sets how the fan effect

works. The fixtures you select first and last will be the ones which change most.

The fan effect, while normally used on pan or tilt attributes, can be applied to any attribute.

Fanning out a range of fixtures

Î Select the range of fixtures you want to fan Î Select the attribute to fan (pan, tilt, colour etc) Î Press the Fan button (one of the blue command buttons) Î Set the amount of fan using the wheels Î The display shows which attribute is being controlled by each wheel Î Press the Fan button again to exit Fan mode when you’ve finished

You will be able to see the effect of fan mode best if you have a row of at least 4 fixtures. If you have an odd number of fixtures, the central fixture will not move in fan mode.

Remember to turn off Fan mode when you have finished (by pressing the Fan button again), or you will get confused when the controls don’t do what you expect.

3.7 Examples

How do I fade up the dimmer on handles 31-36?

Just push up the faders 31-36 (make sure the Grand Master and A/B Master faders are up)

How do I make the mac 600 on handle 10 go blue and point at the cyclorama?

Select the fixture by pressing Swop button 10. Press ML Menu then A [Locate fixture] to turn on the mac600 and centre it. Press the “Cyan/Magenta” attribute button. Turn the A wheel anticlockwise to make the amount of Cyan change (you can turn B wheel anticlockwise to make the Magenta change which will give a darker blue). P ress the “Tilt-Pan” attribute button. Turn the A and B wheels (the mac600 should move) until it points in the direction you want.

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CHAPTER FOUR

4. Palettes

In this chapter: how to use palettes to set colours, gobos and positions.

• Using palettes to set values

• Creating your own palettes

• Setting which attributes are recorded in a palette

• Shared and individual palettes

When you are controlling your lighting, it would be nice to instantly call back a position such as centre stage, or a particular colour like red, blue etc, rather than having to set the value on the wheels every time.

The Pearl has pages of preset values, called “palettes”, which allow you to do this. The Pearl loads 10 colours, 10 gobos and 10 preprogrammed positions when you patch a fixture (unless you tell it not to when it asks “Use preset palettes?”). You can use these palettes as they are, modify them to your own settings, or save new settings.

Palettes have another big advantage. If for example you program a “centre stage spot” position as a palette, when you use this position in memories the Pearl remembers the palette you used, rather than the actual value. This means that if you move to another venue, you can just reprogram the “centre stage spot” palette entry and every memory using that position will automatically be updated. If you’d programmed all your memories directly using the wheels, you would need to go through and reposition every memory.

4. Palettes - Page 19

Palettes are also useful when you are programming using Visualiser and you don’t know exactly where the lights w ill point; you can program your memories using palette positions, then you just update a few palettes when you get the real lights in the real venue and the show programming is done.

4.1 Using palettes to set values

The easiest way to use a palette value is by the menu on the LCD screen. We’ll use the preset palettes which the Pearl loaded when you patched the fixtures to set some fixtures to Red.

Using palettes

Î Select the fixtures you want to control by

pressing their Swop buttons

Î Press the Focus button above the

numeric keypad

Î Select the page of palettes you want to

use by pressing one of the A-F softkeys (such as [Colour])

Î Press one of the A-E softkeys to use one

of the palette values (such as [Red]). The value will be set to all the fixtures which are selected. The lights should turn red.

Î To go back to the list of palette pages,

press G [Pages].

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Î Press Exit when you have finished with palettes, as other functions

don’t work while in Palette Select mode

You can also apply palettes 1-30 by pressing the grey Palette/Flash buttons below the preset faders. While you hold the button, the top line of the display shows the legend for the attribute (White, Green etc). When you release the button, the palette is applied. If you decide you don’t want to apply the palette, press the Focus button before you release the grey Flash button.

4.2 Creating your own palettes

You can easily save your own palettes, or modify existing ones. We’ll create a position palette.

Storing your own palette

Î Press Clear (next to the numeric keys) to clear all the changes you

have made so far

Î Select a couple of fixtures and press ML menu then A [Locate

fixture]

Î Press the “Tilt-Pan” attribute button. Î Position the fixtures using the wheels. Î Press the Store Palette button (one of the blue Command buttons) Î Type “21” (the palette number to be stored) on the keypad and

press Enter. The position of the fixtures is stored as a palette

You can also store a palette by pressing one of the grey Palette/Flash buttons below the presets. If you had pressed the grey button for preset 21, that would have been the same as what we did above.

4.3 What’s stored in a palette

Although you can store all attributes of a fixtu re in a single palette, it’s easiest to store some palettes which only affect colour, others which only affect position, and so on. This means when you recall a palette entry, you know which attributes of the fixture are going to change.

You do this using the Attribute buttons when saving the palette. In the example above, we had the “Tilt-Pan” attribute selected when storing the palette, so only the Tilt & Pan values were recorded.

Setting which attributes will be recorded in the palette

Î Press Clear to clear all the changes you have made so far Î Select a couple of fixtures and press ML menu then A [Locate

fixture]

Î Set a colour using the “colour” attribute button and wheels. Î Position the fixtures using the “tilt-pan” attribute button and

wheels.

Î Press the Store Palette button Î Press the Colour attribute button. The Colour button & the

Yellow/Cyan/Magenta buttons will light, showing that these attributes will be recorded.

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Î Type “101” on the keypad and press Enter to store the colour. Î Press Store Palette again. Î Press the Tilt-Pan attribute button. Î Type “22” on the keypad and press Enter to store the position.

If you press the “Dimmer” attribute button before st oring, this will store in the palette all the attributes which you h a ve changed. The lights on the attribute buttons come on to show you what will be stored.

There are ways of extracting only, say, colour information from palettes which have other attributes as well, which are described in the reference manual.

4.4 Shared and individual palettes

For some attributes, such as colour, you want to set the same control values to all the fixtures of the same type. So if you pick Red, you want the control value for “Red” to go to all fixtures.

For other attributes, like position, each fixture needs a different setting to get the light beams to point where you want.

4. Palettes - Page 21

If you only select one fixture when creating a palette, that palette is known as a “shared” palette, and the value will be available to all fixtures of that type. So to create a shared palette, you press Clear then select and modify only one fixture.

If you change more than one fixture, the Pearl creates an “individual” palette which stores a different value for each fixture. This is normally used for positioning palettes, and sometimes for image focusing. You can add positions for more fixtures to an individual palette just by saving the palette again with the new fixtures set.

Note: The Pearl may sometimes call palettes “focuses” or “preset

focuses”. This is the term previously used for a palette on Avolites consoles. The meaning is the same.

4.5 Examples

How do I make the Mac600 on handle 10 go Red using a palette?

Press the handle 10 Swop button to select the fixture. Press ML Menu then A [Locate Fixture] to turn it on so you can see what’s happening. Press Focus then A [Color] (If softkey G option is [Pages] then press that to show the list of palette pages). Press B [Red]. The fixture should change to Red. Press Exit once you’ve finished applying palettes.

How do I store a palette which makes my Mac 600’s point at the cyclorama?

Press Clear to clear any changes. Press the swop buttons for the Mac fixtures. Press ML menu then A [Locate fixture] to turn them on. Press the Tilt/Pan attribute button. Press the “Æ” button. The first fixture will be selected. Use the wheels to point the fixture where you want. Press the “Æ” button again and point the next fixture. When all fixtures are positioned, press Store Palette and type 21 on the keypad, then press Enter. The position only (because the Tilt/Pan button was selected) will

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be stored in palette 21.

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CHAPTER FIVE

5. Shapes

In this chapter: how to use the shape generator

• selecting a shape

• positioning

• setting size and speed

• coarse and fine spread

The Pearl, in common with other Avolites consoles, has a shape generator (sometimes known as an Effects Generator on other consoles). This allows you to quickly create exciting light shows using lots of movement and changes, with the minimum of programming.

There are a large number of pre-programmed shapes available, which can be used on the fixture’s position, colour, gobo, dimmer, iris, focus and more. You can control the size, speed and positioning of the shape, and how the shape is allocated across a range of fixtures.

To understand how shapes work and how they can be spread across multiple fixtures, it’s best to set up at least four fixtures next to each other. Once you have mastered the basics, you can try some more interesting arrangements.

5.1 How shapes work

A shape is a pre-programmed movement sequence which usually repeats over and over again. Typical shapes are circles, spirals, squares, etc. There are also random shapes, which do not repeat. A circle shape, for example, would cause the beam of the fixture to move in a circular path on the stage.

When you apply a shape, it works on the current settings of the fixture. So if you apply a circle to the pan and tilt attributes of a fixture, the centre of the circle will be at the current pan and tilt position . You can change the size of the circle, and the speed of the circle. By moving the pan and tilt position of the fixture, you can move the whole shape around the stage.

Shapes can be applied to other attributes of a fixture, not just pan and tilt. You can use them to create colour changes, gobo changes, iris changes and a variety of other attributes. Each shape is designed to modify one particular attribute.

5.2 Selecting a shape

Selecting a shape is very similar to selecting a value from a palette. When you choose a shape, it will be applied to all selected fixtures.

Selecting a shape

Î Select the fixtures you want to apply the shape to by pressing the

Swop buttons (you’ll need at least 4 fixtures to see the effects properly)

Î Use Locate Fixtures (Press ML Menu then Softkey A) to turn on the

fixtures and move them to a central position

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5. Shapes - Page 25

Î Enter the Shape Generator menu by pressing Softkey G (from the

main menu).

Î Press A [Playback a shape] Î Press A [Circle 1] to select a circle shape Î The shape will be applied to all selected

fixtures.

There are a wide range of different shapes available in the list, use Softkeys F and G to look through the different pages. “Rainbow” shapes only work on fixtures capable of colour mixing, and there are other shapes such as Iris and Focus which will only work if your fixtures have those functions.

The best way to find out what all the shapes are like is to try them out. Sometimes it’s hard to describe the effect in the few letters which fit on the display.

5.3 Changing the size and speed of a shape

It is easy to change the size and speed of a shape after it has first been selected.

Changing the size and speed of a shape

Î If you aren’t already in it, enter the Shape Generator menu by

pressing G [Shape Generator].

Î Press D [Set wheels A=Size B=Speed] Î Control the size of the shape using the left hand wheel Î Control the speed of the shape using the right hand wheel Î The size and speed is shown above the wheels on the display.

The minimum size is zero. Obviously, you won’t see the shape, and the fixture will resume its previous settings. The minimum speed is Stop. Again, you will not see the shape moving, th ough it will offset the positioning of the fixture.

5.4 Changing the positioning of a shape

Pan/tilt shapes are based on the current settings of the fixture. This means that the movements will be centred around the current position of the fixture.

Changing the positioning of a shape

Î Select the fixtures you want to change Î Set the wheels to Size/Speed and reduce the shape size to 0 (it’s

difficult to see the position when everything is moving)

Î Press the Pan/Tilt attribute button Î Set the position using the wheels. Î Set the wheels back to Size/Speed and change the size of the

shape back to where you want it.

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Shapes on other attributes such as colour, gobo, focus, dimmer and iris are absolute and are not affected by the current attribute setting, unless the shape description includes “User” or “Usr”. User shapes are relative and are centred around the fixture’s current settings.

5.5 How a shape works across multiple fixtures

Shapes get more interesting (and look more impressive) when you apply them to multiple fixtures. The Pearl lets you set how a shape is spread across several fixtures.

In the case of a circle, this can vary from all fixtures moving identically (a spread of None), fixtures working in pairs (a spread of 1) through to all fixtures being distributed evenly through the shape, so the first fixture is just starting the shape as the last one finishes (an Even spread). This is the same as the number of fixtures, so if you have 4 fixtures doing the shape, a spread of 4 would be the same as an Even spread.

You can also set the Fine Spread value, which introduces a slight offset into the timing of the shape across each fixture.

Changing the spread of a shape

Î In the Shape Generator menu, press C [Set wheels to Spread] Î Set the coarse spread using the right hand wheel. The minimum is

Even (the shape spread evenly across the fixtures), then Zero (all the same), then 1, 2, etc.

Î Set the fine spread using the left hand wheel.

To start with, keep the Fine Spread set to zero, and work with the Coarse Spread setting, or everything will get confusing.

Note: The order in which you select the fixtures determines how the

shapes are applied; the “first” fixture is the one you select first and the “last” fixture is the one you select last.

5.6 Examples

How do I make my Mac600’s wave around in a trendy manner?

Select the Mac600’s by pressing the swop buttons. Press ML menu then A [Locate Fixture] to light them up. Press G [Shape Generator]. Press A [Playback a shape]. Press A again [Circle 1]. The fixtures will move. Press D [Set wheels A=Size B=Speed] and use the wheels to set the speed of movement and the size of the movement.

How do I make my Mac600’s change colour in a rainbow?

Select the Mac600’s by pressing the swop buttons. Press ML menu then A [Locate Fixture] to light them up. Press G [Shape Generator]. Press A [Playback a shape]. Press D [Rainbow Spread]. The fixtu r es will change in rainbow colours. Press Softkey D and use the wheels to set the speed of changes and the number of colours used (the size of the shape). Note: Rainbow shapes only work with fixtures capable of RGB colour mixing.

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CHAPTER SIX

6. Memories

In this chapter: how to record memories into the playback faders

• explanation of HTP and LTP channels

• how the Pearl works when programming

• recording and playing back memories

• playback pages

• flash button modes

• naming memories

• setting fade times for memories

• copying and clearing memories

• the include function

• editing memories

• record by fixture or by channel

So, you now know how to control your dimmers and fixtures, and how to use the shape generator. This chapter tells you how to record the wonderful effects you have created so that you can recall them at the touch of a button or fader. The Pearl has 15 playback faders across the bottom of the desk, into which you can record your effects. You select a different page of playback faders by rolling the roller above the faders. There are 30 pages, allowing you to save 450 playbacks in all.

Playback faders and roller

Before we get onto the details of recording memories, there are a couple of general things about how the Pearl works. The first thing to understand is what happens when you play back more than one memory at a time, and the operation of HTP and LTP channels. It’s important to understand this before going on, or nothing else will make sense.

6.1 What are HTP and LTP channels?

If two or more memories are turned on together, or if you fade out a memory, the Pearl needs to know how to output the levels from the memories. To make this work, the Pearl treats channels which control intensity differently from other moving light control channels.

Dimmer or intensity channels work on the principle of “highest takes precedence” (HTP). This means that if the same HTP channel is turned on at different levels in several memories, the highest level will be output. When you fade a memory, the HTP channels fade out.

Moving light channels work on the principle of “latest takes precedence” (LTP). This means that the latest change takes over from any other values, so the most recent memory to be turned on is the one which is output. When you fade in a memory, LTP channels do not fade, but come on at their full values, and stay there until another value is set. This is important, because when you fade in a memory y o u normally just want the fixtures to fade up in their proper position, colour and

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6. Memories - Page 29

gobo, you don’t want the fixtures moving and changing colour (though you can do this if you need to).

The fixture personality file tells the Pearl which channels of a fixture are HTP and which are LTP. Normally, only dimmer attributes are HTP, and everything else is LTP.

6.2 How the Pearl works when programming

When you start setting dimmers and moving fixtures, the Pearl remembers what you have changed. Fixtures and dimmers you have changed are stored in “the programmer” which is a special area of memory. When you record a memory, only the settings in the programmer (i.e. the things you have changed) are stored in the memory.

When you press Clear (by the numeric keypad), all fixtures are cleared from the programmer. You should get into the habit of pressing Clear before you start to program a memory, or you can end up recording fixtures you don’t want. You also need to press Clear when you finish programming, because any functions in the programmer will override playbacks.

Channels in the programmer are shown by an “m” (modified by Preset), “w” (modified by Wheel) or “P” (modified by Palette) on the console Channel Output display, and are shown in light blue on the VDU screen.

Note: Turning on a memory does not place

the values from the memory in the programmer (the Include function lets you do this, see page 32). The Locate Fixture function does not place any values in the programmer either.

In the screen shown here, the Locate Fixture function has been used on fixtures 1 to 8, then the pan value has been changed on fixtures 3 to 6. Only the changed pan value is in the programmer.

6.3 Recording a memory

So now that is all out in the open, let’s record a memory. The Pearl has 30 pages of 15 memories, which are controlled using the 15 faders across the bottom of the console. The page is selected using the Roller.

Recording a memory

Î Press Clear to clear the programmer. This ensures that you are

starting with a clean slate.

Î Set up a nice effect using the fixtures and

dimmers. You can include shapes in a memory if you want. Remember! Only the fixtures/dimmers you have changed will be recorded in the memory.

Î Press Memory. Î Roll the Roller to the segment you want to use.

The active segment is the one nearest the playback faders. “A” is a good one to start on.

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Memory button

Page 30 - 6. Memories

Î Empty playbacks flash. Î Press the Swop button of an empty playback fader you want to

use.

Î The Swop button above the fader will light up to show that you

have saved a memory there.

Î You can write a description of the memory onto the roller surface

using marker pen on a strip of tape to help you remember what’s in it.

Î Press Clear to clear the programmer.

6.4 Playing back a memory

Playing back a memory is very simple. Just raise the fader. (Make sure there are no values in the programmer by pressing the Clear button, because anything in the programmer will override the playback).

Playing back a memory

Î Raise the playback fader. Î To stop the memory, lower the fader.

All the HTP (intensity) channels in the memory will fade up with the fader. The LTP (movement) channels will be set as soon as the fader leaves the zero position.

When you’re running your show with the key set to “Run”, you can preload the LTP channels (pre-position the fixtures) by pressing the playback Flash button with the Master Add/Flash slider at zero. This can be useful if you want to position the fixtures in blackout and have them ready to turn on, rather than seeing them snap into position if you put the fader up quickly.

6.5 Changing playback pages

You can change pages to select another 15 memories simply by rolling the roller to a new segment.

If any playbacks are turned on when you change page, they remain turned on. The Swop button above the playback flashes.

If you want to use the same playback fader on a new page, you need to lower it to zero to turn off the first playback, then raise it again to turn on the new playback on the new page.

The roller has 10 segments. There are 3 buttons next to the roller allowing 3 pages of roller.

6.6 Labelling the roller & naming memories

The idea of the roller is that it gives you a handy locat ion for writing the name of each memory you’ve saved. Stick a strip of tape across the roller and every time you save a memory, write a brief description of it on the roller segment above. You will then have a ha ndy quick reference to what is in each memory.

In addition to the simple but effective technique of writing the memory name on the roller, if you’re using a VDU screen th e Pearl allows you to enter a legend for each memory and also for each page.

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6. Memories - Page 31

The legend for each memory is shown at the bottom of the VDU screen, so you can see at a glance what is stored in each fader.

Labelling a memory

Î Hold down the AVO button and press G [Set Legend]. Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to label. Î Enter the label using the external QWERTY keyboard. The VDU

screen shows you what you are typing.

Î Press Enter to save the label. Î You can label another memory by pressing another Swop button,

or finish by pressing Exit.

You can also label the playback pages, palette pages and palette entries using the other softkeys.

Note: If you don’t have a QWERTY keyboard connected, you can enter

letters using the Swop and Flash buttons on Preset Faders 1-26. The Swop buttons enter capitals and the Flash buttons enter lower case letters.

If you don’t have a VDU screen, there is no point entering

memory legends as you need the VDU screen to see them. You can, however, make use of Palette names on the LCD display.

6.7 Copying a memory

Copying a memory is very fast and simple.

Copying a memory

Î Hold down the Flash button of the memory you want to copy. Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to store it in Î You can change the Roller page while you are holding down the

Flash button, if you want to copy a memory to a different page.

The new memory will be a linked copy of the old one. If you change a memory which is linked, all the other memories linked to it will change too.

You can create a completely separate copy of the memory using the “Photocopy” function. Just press the Photocopy button (one of the blue command buttons) before you start the copy. If you have named the memory, the name will not be copied, indicating that it is a “new” memory.

6.8 Deleting a memory

If you want to clear a memory so you can store something else in it:

Deleting a memory

Î Press Delete (one of the blue command buttons) Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to delete Î Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.

If the memory is linked to other memories, the others will not be

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affected.

6.9 Editing memories

You can edit any part of a memory you have already saved simply by making the changes and saving the new information on top of the memory.

Editing a memory

Î Press Clear to empty the programmer. Î Turn on the memory you want to edit, so you can see what you are

doing.

Î Select the fixtures you want to change, and make the changes. Î Press Memory. Î Press the playback swop button for the memory you are editing to

save the changes.

Î The Pearl will warn you “A memory already exists on playback!” Î Press A [Merge memory].

The changes you have made are saved into the memory. None of the other information in the memory is affected.

If you want to replace the memory with a new memory, you can use B [Replace memory].

If you need to remove fixtures or individual attributes of fixtures from the memory, you can use the “Off” function to do this. The “Off” function is described in the reference manual.

6.10 The Include function

Sometimes it’s useful to be able to re-use some aspects of a memory you have already created in another memory. If you’ve created a really nice pattern of criss-crossing light beams, for example, you might want to use it again in another memory with different gobos and colours.

Normally when you play back a memory, the information is not loaded into the programmer, so you can’t simply turn on a memory, modify it and save it to a new memory. The Include function lets you reload a memory back into the programmer. You can then use it in a new memory.

The Include function loads selected attributes of selected fixtures into the programmer. So, for example, if you have a memory which contains position, colour and gobo information for 8 fixtures, you can use the Include function to load only the colour information for 4 of the fixtures into the programmer. You could then “include” position information from another memory into the programmer, and build up a new memory using information from several existing memories.

Using Include

Î Press the Include button. Î Select the fixtures from which you want to

take settings. If you don’t select any fixtures, all fixtures will be used.

Î Select the Attributes you want to include.

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Include button

The Dimmer attribute will include all other attributes (the lights on the buttons show which attributes will be loaded).

Î Press the Swop button for the memory you want to include. Î The selected attributes of the selected fixtures will be loaded into

the programmer.

You can Include an entire memory by ensuring no fixtures are selected and selecting the Dimmer attribute.

If the memory you are including contains shapes, the shapes and all the fixtures they are applied to will be loaded, whether t hey are selected or not.

Include is also useful when you are programming chases, which is described in the next section.

6.11 Setting fade times for a memory

You can set a fade in and fade out time independently for every memory. The fades only affect HTP (intensity) channels, and are set using softkey C for fade in and D for fade out. There is also a separate LTP timer which allows you to set movement times for fancy sweeps or colour fades, set using softkey E.

6. Memories - Page 33

Setting fade times for a memory

Î Press C [Edit Time]. Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to set times for Î The display shows you the times you can set. Î Press C to set Fade In time, or D to set Fade Out time. Î Use the numeric keypad to enter the new time. Press Enter to save

it.

Î Press Enter when you have finished. If you press Exit, the changes

you have made will not be stored.

There are some other timing functions available as well, which are described in the reference manual.

6.12 Record by fixture, record by channel modes

Normally, if you change one attribute of a fixture, the Pearl records all the other attributes of that fixture even if you haven’t changed those attributes. So if you change the pan position, the Pearl will also record the tilt, colour, gobo, iris, and so on. However, the Pearl also has a more selective mode of operation where it only records the changed attributes. You can choose the mode by holding down the Avo button and pressing Softkey C. The display shows the current setting of the option.

• Record by fixture: This is the normal mode of the Pearl. It means that when you record a memory, all attributes of every fixture that you have changed are recorded in the memory. So if you change only the position of a fixture, the colour, gobo, intensity and all other attributes of that fixture are recorded as well. This is useful because you know that when you recall the memory, it will look exactly as it did when you saved it. However, it can be slightly inflexible if you want t o combine memories.

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• Record by channel: This means that only attributes you have changed are recorded in the memory. So if you change the position of a fixture, only the position is recorded. When you recall the memory, the colour, gobo etc will remain as they were last set. This means you can use a memory to change the position of some fixtures while leaving the colour set from a previous memory, allowing more variety when you are running a show. It is a powerful feature but you can easily get yourself into trouble with it, so you need to be sure which attributes you need to record and which you want to “show through”. When you’re learning, it’s best to have some memories “recorded by fixture” which turn on the fixtures in a known state, then have some colour memories to modify just the colour, or some gobo memories to set the gobo, or other attributes.

6.13 Using shapes in memories

As you would expect, any shapes you have set up will be saved as part of the memory. If you are using Record by Channel mode, there are some interesting possibilities.

If you have changed the position of the fixture, then the new position will be stored in the programmer. When you recall the memory, the fixture will start the shape at the position you set in the memory.

If you have not changed the position of a fixture, when you recall the memory the shape will run at whatever the current position of the fixture is. This allows you to make a “shape on ly” memory which overlays shapes on the current positioning of the fixtures.

6.14 Examples

How do I save my dimmer settings as a scene?

Press Clear to remove any changes you’ve made so far. Set the dimmers as you want them using the faders. Press Memory. The free playbacks will flash. Press one of the flashing Swop buttons to save the scene in the playback.

Why don’t my Mac 600’s move to the position I’ve programmed when I turn on a memory?

You have not pressed clear, and the Mac600’s are already positioned in the programmer. The programmer overrides memories. If you press Clear your memories should work.

How do I save a memory using the positions from another memory?

Select the fixtures you want to use with the Swop buttons. Press ML Menu then Softkey A to turn on the fixtures. Press Include, then the Tilt/Pan attribute button. Press the Swop button of the memory whose positions you want to use. The position information for the selected fixtures will be recalled from the memory. Then save the memory by pressing Memory and an empty (flashing) Swop button.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

7. Chases

In this chapter: how to record chases

• explanation of chases

• programming a chase

• running a chase

• setting speed and crossfade

• stacks and sequence control

• editing a chase

• sound activation of chases

As well as being used for recalling static memories, the playback faders on the Pearl can also be used for recalling chases. All the same page select, copy and delete functions are available.

7.1 What is a chase?

A chase is simply a memory with a sequence of static positions. Each position is known as a “step”. It is normally used to flash ligh ts in a sequence without you having to keep pressing buttons, or to move fixtures around. Chases can run automatically, or by pressing a “Go” button. If you are using the Pearl for theatrical lighting, you can use a chase to store cues for a show. The Pearl also has a dedicated theatrical lighting mode which has a section of its own.

Don’t get shapes confused with chases. A shape simply moves one attribute of the fixture around in a pattern. A chase allows you to define each attribute of the fixture in a step-by-step controlled manner.

However, you will find that using shapes saves you a lot of work, and you won’t have to program as many chases as you would on a conventional lighting desk.

7.2 Recording a chase

To program a chase, you have to set up the lighting state for each step of the chase. You can either set all the fixtures and dimmers manually for each step, or you can use Include to load in the information from memories you have already recorded. Remember, if you just turn on a memory, it does not go into the programmer and won’t get saved as part of a chase step.

Note: From the July 2004 version of Pearl software, you can now use

shapes in a chase.

Programming a chase

Î Press the Chase button. Î Press the Swop button of the playback where you

want to store the chase.

Î Press Clear, then set up the lighting for the first

step, either manually or by using “Include” on existing memories (see page 32). You can save Shapes in chase steps.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Chase button

Î The display shows the step number Î Press the playback Swop button to record the step. The

information from the programmer is stored as Step 1 of the chase.

Î Press Clear, set up the lighting for the second step, then press

Swop again to save step 2.

Î When you have saved as many steps as you want, press Clear,

then press Exit or Softkey F to finish.

If you don’t press Clear at the end of programming, the settings for the last step will remain in the programmer and will override the chase when you turn it on, so you won’t see the chase properly.

7.3 Running a chase

Running a chase is just like turning on a memory. Just raise the fader and the chase will start to run.

The HTP (intensity) channels in the ch ase will be controlled by the position of the fader. The other channels (LTP) will be set as soon as the fader moves above zero. When in Run mode you can pre-position the LTP channels to the first step by lowering the Add/Flash Master fader to zero and pressing the Flash button of the playback.

7. Chases - Page 37

The chase normally starts at step 1, and runs forward. You can pause the chase and change the direction of the chase using the Sequence control buttons to the right of the wheels.

There are lots of options you can set which let you do fancy things with chases, such as Random, One-shot, special timing, and manual step mode. The details are in the reference manual.

7.4 Setting speed and crossfade

When you run a chase, the wheels are assigned to control the Speed and Crossfade of the chase (crossfade is the “slope” between steps, from instant switching to continuous fading). The display above the wheels shows the step time and the crossfade setting.

You can save a speed with the chase, so that every time you play it back, it runs at the same speed.

Saving chase speed

Î Turn on the chase you want, and set the speed to the setting you

want.

Î Press A [Chase Parameters]. Î Again press A [Save Speed] Î The display will show “Saved”.

Sequence buttons

You can also save the current direction of the chase by pressing softkey B.

If you are running several chases, the wheels are assigned to the most recently selected chase. You can “connect” the wheels to one of the other chases by pressing the Connect button to the right of the wheels,

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then the playback Swop button for the chase you want to connect to. If you’ve changed the speed using the wheels and you want to go back

to the saved speed, press Connect then A [Clear temporary speed].

7.5 Naming chases

You can set a legend for chases in exactly the same way as you did for a memory. In addition, you can label individual steps of a chase if you are using the steps as cues. The reference manual tells you how to do this.

Labelling a chase

Î Hold down the AVO button and press G [Set Legend]. Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to label. Î Enter the label using the external QWERTY keyboard (the VDU

screen shows you what you are typing) and press Enter.

Î You can label another memory by pressing another Swop button,

or finish by pressing Exit.

7.6 Editing a chase using Unfold

The Pearl has a powerful chase editing system. The Unfold button places each step of a chase on one of the playback faders, allowing you to examine and edit each step individually as if it was a normal memory.

If your chase has more than 15 steps, you can swap to the next 15 steps using softkey F, or the previous 15 steps using softkey E.

Editing a chase using Unfold

Î Press the Unfold button (one of the blue command buttons) Î Press the playback Swop button of the chase to be edited Î The first 15 steps of the chase are loaded into playback faders 1-15 Î Raise a playback fader to view the contents of the step Î The softkeys show a list of options which can be used for the step Î To edit the contents of the step, make the changes then use

softkey A

Î To change the times of the step, use softkey B. Î Press the Unfold button again to finish.

You can also edit chase steps while you are running the chase, without using unfold. The “Rec Step” button allows you to record the current programmer settings directly into the current step of the chase. This is described in more detail in the reference manual.

7.7 Copying a chase

Chases can be copied in exactly the same way as memories.

Copying a chase

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Î Hold down the Flash button of the chase you want to copy. Î Press the Swop button of the playback you want to store it in Î You can change the Roller page while you are holding down the

Flash button, if you want to copy a chase to a different page.

The new chase will be a linked copy of the old one. If you want to create a completely separate copy of the memory, press the Photocopy button before you start the copy.

7.8 Deleting a chase

If you want to clear a chase so:

Deleting a chase

Î Press Delete Î Press the Swop button of the chase you want to delete Î Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.

7. Chases - Page 39

7.9 Timing, Stacks and sequence control

The most common use of a chase is as an automatic continuous sequence. However, the Pearl lets you step chases manually using the Go button, which allows you to use them for theatrical lighting cues or “One shot” chases. When you use a chase like this, it is sometimes known as a “Stack”.

The Pearl has a dedicated theatrical lighting mode which is described in detail in the next chapter.

Creating a stack

Î Save each cue state as a step in a chase. Î Press C [Edit Times] Î Press the playback Swop button for the chase Î Press G [Links] to set LINK = OFF for the whole chase Î Press Enter to save the setting. Î Raise the playback fader to activate the chase. Î Press the Go button to run each cue.

You can set the fade in and fade out times independently for each cue using the Live Time button.

Setting cue times on a stack

Î Start the chase by raising the fader. Î Press the Live Time button to set the times for the current cue. Î Use softkeys A-G to set the times you want Î Press Enter to save the settings or Exit to abandon them. Î Press the Go button to go on to the next cue.

You can also set a text label for each cue. The Pearl will show you the label for the current cue and the next one coming up. The reference

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manual tells you more details about this.

7.10 Sound activation of chases

The Pearl can use bass, mid or treble (low, medium or high) frequencies from its audio input to trigger chases. Any chase can be programmed to respond to Bass, Mid or Treble frequency triggers. There is also a master “Sound to light enable” option.

Sound mode only works with the key turned to Run, but you need to be in Program mode to set up the chase for sound activation.

Sound activating chases

Î In Program mode, turn on the chase to “connect” it. Î Press A [Chase Parameters] Î Press E [Sound to light] to select Sound to Light Low, Medium or

High

Î Turn the key to Run mode. Î Press E [Sound to light]. (This is the master sound to light enable

control) The option will highlight.

Î All chases with sound enabled will step in time to the sound signal Î The Speed wheel controls the maximum speed of the chase Î Press E, again, to turn off sound activation.

Also while in Run mode you can set the speed of the connected chase manually by tapping Softkey G [Tap twice to set tempo] in time with the music.

7.11 Examples

How do I program a dimmer chase?

Create the chase by pressing Chase then one of the flashing (empty) playback swop buttons. Press Clear, and turn on the dimmers for step

1. Press the Swop button for the chase to save the step. Press clear, then turn on the dimmers for step 2, and press the Swop button to save. When you have saved all the steps, press Chase to end.

I’ve programmed a chase using memories but when I turn it on, nothing happens

To use existing memories in a chase, you must use the Include function to load the memory into the programmer. If you just turn on a memory and then try and save that as a chase step, nothing will be saved because the memory will not be in the programmer.

The last step of my chase doesn’t play back

You need to press Clear to clear the programmer (which overrides the chase output).

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Page 42 - 8. Theatre stack

CHAPTER EIGHT

8. Theatre stack

In this chapter: the Pearl’s theatre mode

• Setting theatre mode

• Theatre controls

• Plotting a cue

• Naming a cue

• Setting fade times for a cue

• Jumping to a cue

• Running the show

Theatre mode makes the Pearl behave like a standard theatrical console, allowing you to program your whole show as a sequence of cues, and play it back just by pressing the Go button. Playback faders 12-15 become dedicated cue masters. The rest of the console continues to operate as normal, so you can run the main cues from the theatre mode, and spot effects from the other playback faders.

8.1 Setting theatre stack mode

In program mode, select Softkey B [Theatre stack programming], then press Enter.

Note: When theatre mode is enabled, you can’t access playbacks 12-

15 on any page; if you intend to use Theat re mode it is advisable not to program these playbacks. Any programs are kept and when you turn off Theatre mode you will be able to access them again.

You can get out of the Theatre menu by pressing G [Quit]. The Exit button does not operate in this mode.

To turn off theatre mode completely, press softkey B from the main menu then press D [Exit theatre programming] When Theatre mode is enabled, the swop button of Playback 12 flashes when the playback is turned off.

Theatre mode programming is not deleted when theatre mode is turned off.

8.2 Theatre controls

Fader 12 is the Master fader, controlling the overall inten s ity of all lights.

The Go button next to the wheels makes a cue start. If you stop a fade part-way by pressing the Stop button, or one of the

stop buttons above the faders, then Fader 13 controls the Fade In of the next step, fader 14 controls the Fade Out of the previous step, and fader 15 controls the LTP (movement) fade timer.

The buttons above 13, 14 and 15 are Stop (blue) and Go (grey) buttons for each of these functions.

8.3 Plotting a cue

You can set up the levels for a cue either by using the preset faders and

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control wheels to set the levels you want, or by typing in the channel number and the level. You can store moving light positions in theatre cues as well as dimmers.

Entering dimmer levels

Î Press Channel (at the top of the numeric keys) Î On the numeric keypad, enter the fader/handle number of the

dimmer (not the DMX address of the channel)

Î Press G [At %] Î Enter the value to be set as 0 – 9, or Softkey G for Full. You can

enter a decimal point and another number if you want more accurate level control.

Î The channel you entered will be set to the level you entered. Î Press the Channel button to go back to the normal menu

The softkeys offer you a few more options such as up by 5%, down by 5%, blackout.

Pressing Clear will take all channels you’ve set us ing the keypad to blackout. Any channels turned on using th e faders will stay on, but will be removed from the programmer.

You can also set multiple channels to the same level using F [through]. Enter first channel, “through”, last ch annel, “at %”, level.

Entering multiple dimmer levels

Î Press Channel Î On the numeric keypad, enter the first dimmer handle number of

the range

Î Press F [Through] Î Enter the last dimmer handle number of the range Î Press G [At %] Î Enter the value to be set as 0 – 9, or.Softkey G for Full. Î The channels you entered will all be set to the level you entered.

When you have set all the levels as you want them, type the cue number, then press D [Record Menu]. You then need to press B [Record Stage] to record all the intensity channels that are currently turned on, plus anything in the programmer, or D [Record Programmer] to record just the contents of the programmer (i.e. what you have manually changed). The cue will be saved.

It’s best to use whole numbers for cues. Then if you need to insert a cue between two existing cues, you can use a fractional number in between. The Pearl will automatically increase the cue n umber by 1 every time you record a cue.

8.4 Naming a cue

Type the step number to be named, then press E [Set Legend]. Enter the legend on the QWERTY keyboard. While you are typing, the input is shown on the VDU screen.

The name of the live cue and the next cue is displayed in the cue list on

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the VDU screen.

8.5 Setting fade times for a cue

You can set fade in, fade out and “wait” times for each cue. Press C [Set Times] to show the options. This will set the times for th e current cue. You can also use the “Live Time” and “Next Time” buttons (to the right of the wheels) to set the times for the current and next cues. See page 165 for details of times.

8.6 Jumping to a cue

You can change the cue being edited by typing the cue number then pressing Enter. If you want to output this cue, press F [Cut to Live] (fade times are ignored).

8.7 Running the show

If you have just been editing, you may need to type 1 then Softkey F to set the console to cue 1.

The display above the control wheels shows the current cue number, the next cue number, and the progress of the wait and fade times for fade in, fade out and LTP.

For automatic cues, you can simply press the Go button next to the wheels. The console will carry out the fade with the times you programmed.

If you want to manually control a fade, you can use the in, out and LTP faders or Go/Stop buttons to operate the cue. The display just above wheel A shows the percentage of fade (9 - 0) left to go (shown as “5” in the picture). When Fade In, Fade Out and LTP all show “0”, the console moves on to the next cue.

In HTP fade

Out HTP fade

LTP fade cue numbers

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Page 46 - 9. The graphics tablet

CHAPTER NINE

9. The graphics tablet

In this chapter: using the graphics tablet with the Pearl

• Using the tablet

• Functions available on the tablet

The graphics tablet is an accessory to the Pearl. On “Touring” versions of the Pearl it is fitted to the right of the console in the flight case. It allows you to use a pen to select fixtures, groups, colours, and position the fixtures by simply drawing with the pen. Y ou will be amazed how much easier your programming and show operating becomes when you use the graphics tablet.

The graphics tablet needs to be plugged into the serial port of the unit, and User Setting 7 (press AVO and Softkey C) needs to be set to “G Tablet.

9.1 Using the tablet

To use the tablet, you simply press the pen onto it. The button on the side of the pen doesn’t do anything. A quick press is like pushing a button on the Pearl. You can also draw on the tablet by keeping the pen pressed down while moving it. This is used to move fixtures or change attributes.

The tablet has a paper overlay on it with pads which simulate various buttons on the Pearl. You can write your fixture names, group names, attributes, palette entries and even draw your stage layout on the overlay so that you know what’s what. Spare overlays are available from Avolites.

The Pearl will behave as if you are pressing button s on it in the normal way, so the LEDs and the displays will change as y ou use the tablet. Many of the functions of the Pearl are quicker and easier using the tablet. Sometimes you might find it easier to do part of the function on the tablet and part on the console. The end result is the same.

Colour control Position control

Attributes

Groups

Palettes

Fixtures

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9.2 Functions available on the tablet

To select a fixture or a group, just press the pen onto one of the fixture pads or group pads. The first 60 fixtures are available on the tablet. Only the first 30 groups are available on the tablet. The Swop button LEDs on the handles will light up to show you which fixtures are selected, as if you had pressed the actual console buttons.

You can control the position of the fixture by drawing on the Stage area of the tablet.

You can “train” the Pearl so that it knows how all the lights are set up. Then when you point at the stage area of the tablet, all the lights will point at the same place on the stage. This is called “Tracking mode”. The Reference manual tells you how to do this and how to use tracking mode.

If you press the pen on the Nudge pad, when you draw on the tablet the fixture will move relative to its current position. T his can be useful if you want to slightly reposition a fixture. Press on the Absolute pad to turn off this mode.

You can control the intensity of the selected fixtures by drawing on the Dimmer area.

If the fixture can do CMY colour mixing, you can set the colour by drawing in the colour mix area of the tablet (you will need to set the Luminosity on the luminosity slider to maximum).

You can recall the first 60 palette entries by pressing the pen on the Focuses pads.

You can change individual attributes of selected fixtures by pressing the pen on to one of the attribute pads, then (without lifting the pen) drawing up and down on the tablet. The attribute lights on the console will come on to show you which attribute is selected.

On the right hand side of the tablet, a range of pads make some of the programmer functions are available, such as Clear and Locate Fixtures. You can also record groups and memories using the tablet exactly as if you were pressing buttons on the console. The details are in the reference manual.

The “Fixtures or Mimics” pad allows you to set whether the LEDs in the Swop buttons show you which fixtures are selected, or the intensity of the channel.

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CHAPTER TEN

10. Running your show

In this chapter: running your show with the Pearl 2004

• Showtime

• Run modes

• Master faders

• Channel mimics

• Manual control during a show

10.1 It’s showtime…

When you have finished programming (or you’ve run out of time) and it’s showtime, the most important thing is to back up the show to disk (see end of section 2 on page 12 for instructions). Having done that, turn the key to Run. This means you can’t accidentally change your programming when you get into a button-pressing frenzy.

10.2 Temporarily locking the console

In Run mode you can temporarily lock the console (to stop the sound guys playing with it while you nip to the loo). Type in a 4 digit number then press C [Lock Desk] then Enter. The display will show the code. Press Enter to lock it. All buttons and faders are now ignored. Re- en ter the code to unlock the console.

If you repower or reset the Pearl, the lock is cancelled. It’s just to discourage tampering.

10.3 Run modes

When you are running a show, there are two modes available to you, normal Run mode, which just allows you to play back memories, and Takeover run mode, which allows you to play back memories and also take manual control of fixtures. The mode also affects how the Swop and Flash buttons on the console operate.

You can select the mode by pressing A [Toggle mode]. The mode is shown on the top line of the display.

• What’s not affected: The playback faders work the same in either mode. The Preset Faders work as handles to control the intensity of the device they are patched to.

• Normal Run mode: the Flash and Swop buttons on the handles and playbacks work as flash buttons. The “Flash” button adds the function into anything else which is on. The “Swop” button turns on the function, but turns off everything else while the button is held down. The programmer is cleared and you can’t manually control any LTP channels.

• Takeover run mode: the Swop buttons on the handles allow you to select dimmers or fixtures for manual control. This lets you add to or change your programming in real time during the show. The f aders still control the intensity of the dimmers and fixtures. The Flash and Swop buttons on the playbacks are disabled.

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10.4 Manual control during a show (“busking”)

If you have not had as much programming time as you would have liked, you might need to make up some additional effects during the show. This is sometimes called “busking”.

You can create instant variations by recalling palette values to modify your existing programs. The Pearl can fade to the palette values for added effect.

You need to be in Takeover Run mode to do any of this .

Fading palettes over time in Run mode

Î Select some fixtures which are already in use on stage Î Press “2” (or any time, in seconds) on the numeric keypad Î Press the Focus button Î Select the Colour palette page Î Press a softkey to recall a different colour from the Colour palette Î The selected fixtures will change to the new colour over a time of 2

seconds.

If you don’t select any fixtures in the first step, the palette value will be applied to all fixtures (if this is enabled in User Setting 6, see page

192). To save having to select fixtures, you can apply the palette to all

fixtures in a memory.

Setting a palette value to fixtures in a memory

Î Press the Focus button Î Select the Colour palette page Î Hold down a softkey for a different colour from the Colour palette Î Press the Swop button of the memory you want to use Î Release the softkey Î The palette value will be set to all the fixtures in the memory.

You can apply this palette to fade over a time by pressing a number before you press the Focus button.

If you apply palettes over a time, they do not get put in the programmer. This means that the next time you turn on a playback, the new playback settings will override the old palette.

If you apply palettes with time=0, then they do go into the programmer, and the palette value will override any new playbacks until you press Clear. If you want to apply the palette instantly, but don’t want it in the programmer (so that turning on a new playback will override the palette), enter a time of 0.1.

You can also change the position of fixtures; the easiest way to do this is to use “Nudge” on the graphics tablet. This allows you to sweep selected fixtures around their programmed position by drawing with the pen, so you can alter the height of a chase or shape in real time.

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You can use “Record by channel” mode when programming to set some memories to only affect position, and other memories to set colours, gobos, add shapes, and so on. By combining two or more memories you can produce a much wider range of effects than if all your memories set all the attributes. However, for this to work well you need to make sure you know what attribute is going to be affected by each memory, as if you turn on two “colour only” memories then nothing is going to light up.

10.5 Master faders

In the bottom left hand corner of the console are the Master Faders. These allow overall intensity control of the whole console.

• The Add/Flash and Swop masters control the intensity of the Flash and Swop buttons on the playbacks.

• The Preset Master controls the overall intensity of any channels turned on in the Preset faders.

• The Grand Master controls the intensity of all output from the console.

10.6 Channel mimics

If you are in normal Run mode, the LEDs on each handle mimic the intensity of the fixture or dimmer controlled by that handle (i.e. they are lit if it is turned on).

If you are in Takeover Run mode (or Program mode), you can choose between “Mimic” mode or “Fixture” mode, where the LEDs show you which fixtures are selected for manual control.

You select the mode by holding down the Avo button and pressing Softkey A. The button shows “Preset LEDs = Fixtures” (or mimics) depending on the mode. You can also change this mode using the Graphics Tablet.

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Page 52 - 11. Advanced features

CHAPTER ELEVEN

11. Advanced features

Hopefully, by working through this tutorial manual, you now know how to set up the Pearl, control fixtures with it, save memories and chases and use them in a show.

We have tried to stick to the basics, but the Pearl can do many more things than we have told you so far. The reference manual expands on all the information in the previous chapters. There’s also some subjects we have not touched on yet, and these are described in the reference manual. Just so you know, they are:

• User Settings - Some console options you can change

• Setting the real time clock

• Disk functions

• Tracking - You can train the Pearl so it knows how the fixtures are

positioned relative to the stage. You can then point all the fixtures at one part of the stage by clicking on the graphics tablet. Training is described in Chapter 3.2 of the reference manual and use of the graphics tablet in tracking mode is described in Chapter 9.

• MIDI - The Pearl has a very comprehensive MIDI control system

• Script files - You can tell the Pearl how to run a show from a list of

instructions which you can enter or record in real time. Th is is described in chapter 10 of the reference manual.

• Changing the operating system - From time to time Avolites release a new version of operating software, which you can load into the Pearl

• Personality files - if the Pearl doesn’t have a personality file for your fixture you can write your own. These are described in chapter 11 of the reference manual.

• Devious hardware tricks for wiping the console

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Page 54 - 12. Introduction to intelligent lighting

CHAPTER TWELVE

12. Introduction to intelligent lighting

This section is for those who have not used intelligent lighting much before, who are put off by dip switches, lights that move unexpectedly and strange digital control systems that fly down microphone cables.

12.1 Ordinary lighting

Standard lighting consists of a variety of light bulbs connected t o dimmers. The lights may be anything from par cans to theatrical lanterns, and the dimmer controls the intensit y of the light. A typical controller for standard lighting has a set of sliders, and each slider controls the intensity of one dimmer using a low- voltage control signal of 0 to 10 volts. The standard way to link the sliders to the dimmers is by using a multicore cable with one core for each dimmer channel.

12.2 So what is intelligent lighting?

Intelligent lighting usually contains more functions than just intensity; a typical intelligent light, often called a “fixture”, can also change colour, project different patterns (called “gobos”) and direct the light beam in any direction using a movable mirror or by motorised control of the light unit itself. The fixtures are called “intelligent” because they contain a small computer which controls the movement of the int ernal motors in response to the control signals. Some fixtures can also listen to music and produce their own light show, sometimes synchronising themselves with other intelligent fixtures. However they are actually not all that intelligent and usually n eed a user to make them do something interesting.

12.3 How do you control it?

Each function of an intelligent fixture requires its own control signal, so the user can select the colour, position, gobo etc. You can use 0 to 10 volt control signals on some fixtures, but the cable carrying the control signals again has to be a multicore with one core for each function, so each fixture might need 8 or more cores in the control cable. Some of the more complicated fixtures use 20 channels.

When several fixtures are used, the number of cores needed in the control cable soon becomes large. The cable also has to split at each fixture. It all gets a bit complicated.

12.4 The DMX control system

Fortunately, there is an easy to use system for controlling intelligent lighting and dimmers. It is called DMX-512, which stands for Digital MultipleX, and it sends up to 512 control signals down a twisted pair screened cable. The cable can be simply daisy-chained from each fixture to the next. Microphone-style XLR connectors are usually used, sometimes 3-pin and sometimes 5-pin. More recently RJ45 computer network type connectors are being used.

The DMX system sends out the level for channel 1, followed by the level for channel 2, then 3, then 4 and so on, all the way up to a maximum of 512 (though not all DMX systems send out all the channels). It then

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goes back to channel 1 again. All the units connected to the DMX receive all the channels, and you tell them which channels to respond to by setting the “base channel” or “DMX address” on each unit. The computer inside the fixture waits for the correct channels to come up, then reads in the levels for those channels.

Dimmers can also understand DMX; some dimmers can read it directly, others use a demultiplexer or “demux” to convert the DMX into the normal 0 to 10 volt analogue signals they are used to.

12.5 Moving light control desks

Sliders are ideal for controlling dimmers. More complicated dimmer control desks have memories to record the level of all the dimmers, so you can recall a setting without having to set all the sliders again during a show.

However, once you start controlling lights that move and change colour, sliders become less ideal, because it is the movement rather than the end level which is important. Dedicated moving light desks such as the Pearl include many helpful functions which makes the programming of intelligent lighting much easier, such as palettes of pre-programmed colours and positions, and a shape generator to create movements.

12.6 A few cautions about using DMX

DMX is a robust system which normally works very well, but sometimes it can be problematic. Here are a few tips for making DMX work well.

• DMX cabling should be twisted-pair data cable. Microphone cable is not recommended because it doesn’t transmit the signal as well. You will probably get away with it, but equally you might have problems.

• Always ensure the last fixture in the DMX line is terminated. On some fixtures this can be done by flipping a switch, others are selfterminating, but often you will ha ve to fit a terminating plug into the vacant socket on the last unit. This has a 120 ohm resistor across the DMX line and prevents data interference on the line. It might work without but…

• Don’t split the DMX cable. Loop it from one unit to the next. If you have to split it, use a proper active splitter unit.

• The DMX specification says that you should not run more than 32 fixtures from one DMX line unless the fixtures are buffered or optically isolated. Either use several DMX lines (the Pearl has four) or use a DMX repeater unit. In practice, most fixtures do not put maximum loading on the DMX line and you will probably get away with using more if you have to, but the DMX signal may be weaker than it should be.

• Don’t run your DMX lines near high voltage cables or neon. They may pick up interference which will stop the system working, or worse, blow up the receiver electronics in the fixtures (this really does happen, and usually at the most inconvenient moment).

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13. Introduction to Avolites consoles - Page 57

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

13. Introduction to Avolites consoles

If you have used intelligent lighting before, this section explains the thinking behind how Avolites consoles work and tells you what everything is called.

13.1 Operating the console

The console has three main modes, set using the keyswitch; these are Program (used for programming a show, allows everything to be changed), Run (used when running a show, allows limited user override but no changes to programming) and System (used for configuring the console).

The operation of the console is based around the LCD screen. Seven Softkeys allow you to select the options down the right hand side of the screen. These options change depending on what the console is doing. In addition there are the blue Command Buttons which give onebutton access to some functions.

13.2 Controlling lights

To an Avolites console, a light is either a Dimmer (single intensity control channel) or a Fixture (Multiple control channels)

All Fixtures have a Personality File which tells the console how to control the fixture. You don’t need to know how the fixture works, you just tell the console what you want to do with the fixture (such as change colour) and it knows which controls to change to get the effect.

You tell the console what fixtures/dimmers you have and their DMX addresses by Patching them. When you patch, you allocate a Handle to the device. The handle is one of the Faders and Select buttons across the top of the console. You can allocate several dimmers to one handle if you want to group them, but only one fixture can be allocated to any one handle.

To control a fixture, you need to select the fixture you want to control by pressing the Select button of the handle. The button lights up to tell you that the fixture/dimmer is selected.

Additionally you can control a dimmer, or the intensity of a fixture, using the Fader of the handle. If you change pages so that the fader has been controlling something else, you will need to Match the fader to the current dimmer level before it operates the dimmer (normally by lowering the fader to zero then fading it up until you gain control of the dimmer).

All control of fixtures uses the two Wheels. To change the fixture(s) you’ve selected, you select the Attribute (colour, pan, gobo etc) you want to control using the buttons on the right hand side of the console. Then turn the wheels to change the attribute.

13.3 Programming the console

To store the settings of fixtures and dimmers, the console provides

Memories and Chases (sequences). These are stored in the 15 Playback Faders across the near edge of the console. Up to 30

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different Pages of playbacks are available using the Roller and Roller Page buttons. The roller provides a handy surface for writ ing a note of what is stored in each playback.

When you save a memory or chase, the console only saves settings you have changed using the wheels (it does not save the current output state). Whenever you change a fixture using the wheels and attribute buttons, your changes are stored in a special memory called the Programmer. The console allows you to save just the changed attributes (Record by Channel), or if you change one attribute of a fixture it can save all other attributes of that fixture as well (Record by Fixture). Record by Channel mode is often called “Tracking” on other consoles; in this mode, fixture attributes remain in their last state unless you specifically change them.

The programmer records all changes in the console until you press the Clear button. You should press the Clear button before setting up the lighting for a memory, otherwise there may be all sorts of changes you don’t want in the programmer, which would end up in your memory.

You can reload information from memories and chases into the programmer, if you want to save them in another memory, using the Include function. This function allows you to reload the whole memory, or only certain fixtures from the memory, or only certain attributes of certain fixtures.

When you play back a memory or chase, the console sets the fixtures to their programmed positions as soon as the fader rises above zero. The intensity of the fixtures, and any dimmers, rises with the fader. The intensity channels are called HTP (highest takes precedence) channels, because if the channel is turned on in more than one memory, the highest level will be output. The movement chan nels are called LTP (latest takes precedence) channels, because if the channel is turned on in more than one memory, the most recent change will be out p ut.

You can program the LTP/movement channels to fade with the fader if you want to.

Avolites consoles have a Shape Generator (sometimes called an effects generator on other consoles). This automatically changes attributes in a preprogrammed pattern. Fixtures can be made to move their light beams around in a circle, or to fade colours, or move in and out of focus. When a shape is applied to more than one fixture, the shape can be Spread so that the fixtures run through in a sequence giving wave-type effects.

Shapes you apply go into the programmer and are saved if you save a memory or a chase.

Avolites consoles allow you to save frequently-used positions, colours etc. into a Palette (sometimes called a Focus or Preset Focus on other consoles). When you want that setting, you simply recall the palette. If you use palettes when programming memories, the console remembers the palette number rather than the actual fixture settings. This means that if you change venues, or fixtures are moved, you can quickly reprogram your position palettes and all memories using those palettes will be updated. This can save you having to reprogram many memories.

Palettes can be recalled from a menu on the console display so you can see what colour, position etc. you are going to get. This is useful when “busking” the lighting (modifying your programming) during a show.

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13. Introduction to Avolites consoles - Page 59

The console allows you to fade between palettes (Timed Palettes) to give smooth live changes.

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14. Changes in the latest Pearl software - Page 61

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

14. Changes in the latest Pearl software

If you are used to using the Avolites Pearl console, this section gives you a quick rundown of the differences between the Pearl you know and love and the new version of software. There are some exciting new features.

14.1 Wheel acceleration

16 bit attributes now always work in 16 bit mode. If you spin the wheels faster, the Pearl will skip values to change th e attribute faster. If you spin the wheels slowly the attribut e will change with maximum resolution. You can change the acceleration factor on the wheels, see page 194.

14.2 Preset Focuses are now Palettes

Preset Focuses are now called Palettes, in line with other Avolites consoles (except for the “Focus” button, which remains stubbornly engraved).

You can now recall Palettes from the softkeys by pressing the Focus button and the display shows you what the palette contains. This is similar to the Palette displays on the Sapphire, if you’re used to that console.

You can apply a palette to all fixtures, without having to select them. If you recall a palette with no fixtures selected it will be applied to all fixtures (but the palette is not entered into the programmer).

You can apply a palette to all fixtures in a memory, by holding down the button for the palette and then pressing the memory’s Swop button. Again the palette is not entered into the programmer.

Each page of fixtures now has a separate page of palettes accessible from the handle “Flash” buttons. (previously the same 30 palettes/focuses appeared on all fixture pages). This option needs to be enabled in the user settings, see page 196.

14.3 Chases can include shapes

You can now include shapes in a chase and in cues of the Theatre Stack. Each step can include different shape settings. If the shape is also present with unchanged parameters in the next step, it will continue, otherwise it will stop at the end of t he step time.

14.4 Intelligent Attribute display

The display above the wheels can now show the attribute value name; for example, on a colour wheel you may see “Open”, “Red” etc displayed as you turn the wheel.

This function requires Range information to be supported by the personality file for the fixture. If an updated personality file including the Range information becomes available, there is a function to update the Range table for the patched personalities in the console, so you don’t have to repatch. This is in the Utilities section of the System

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menu.

14.5 Legends

You can enter legends for memories, chases, groups, roller pages, palette pages and palette entries. Memory and chase legends are shown on the VDU screen, the other legends are used on both the VDU screen and the on-board LCD display.

14.6 Sound to light

Any chase can be triggered by low, mid or high frequency sound from the audio input (previously this was fixed to chases 1 2 and 3). Chases can be set to trigger on a given beat out of a number of beats, e.g. on

the 2

beat of every 4 beats.

14.7 Other features

You can temporarily lock out the controls the desk in Run mode by typing a 4 digit code and pressing Softkey C.

The Include function has been improved to allow you to include a chase step, a cue from the theatre stack, and incoming DMX from the DMX In socket.

A “locate no pan and tilt” option has been added to allow you to locate a fixture without changing its position.

Many options are now quickly accessible by holding down the AVO button.

You can selectively Wipe parts of the console; just the programming, just the palettes, the patch and the programming, or the original Wipeall option.

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Pearl 2000/2004

Reference Manual

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

REFERENCE MANUAL CONTENTS

1. SETTING UP THE CONSOLE 109

1.1 Connecting up 109

1.1.1 Connecting mains power 109

1.1.2 Connecting DMX lines 109

1.1.3 Connecting MIDI devices 110

1.1.4 Connecting audio 110

1.1.5 Other back panel connections and controls 110

1.1.6 The desk lamp 111

1.2 Operating 111

1.2.1 Operating modes 111

1.2.2 The disk drive 111

1.2.3 The front panel controls 112

1.2.4 View screens 113

2. PATCHING 117

2.1 Create 117

2.1.1 Fixture handles 117

2.1.2 Patching dimmers 118

2.1.3 Patching moving light fixtures 118

2.1.4 Checking the patching 120

2.2 Edit 120

2.2.1 Changing the DMX address of a fixture 120

2.2.2 Moving a fixture to a different handle 121

2.3 Delete 121

2.3.1 Deleting a patched fixture 121

2.4 Advanced options 121

2.4.1 Patch Utilities 121

3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 125

3.1 Create 125

3.1.1 Selecting fixtures and dimmers for control 125

3.1.2 Changing attributes of the selected fixtures 126

3.1.3 Selecting attributes from the softkeys 127

3.1.4 Using groups 127

3.1.5 Stepping through selected fixtures one at a time 127

3.1.6 The Align and Flip functions 128

3.1.7 “Killing off” a fixture or dimmer 129

3.1.8 Entering intensity levels as numbers 129

3.1.9 Controlling fixtures by entering values 130

3.1.10 Fan mode 130

3.2 Advanced options 131

3.2.1 The ML menu and Tracking 131

3.2.2 Training the console for Tracking mode 132

4. PALETTES 135

4.1 Create 135

4.1.1 Palette values stored as a reference 135

4.1.2 Shared and individual palettes 135

4.1.3 Which attributes are stored in palettes 135

4.1.4 Storing a palette 136

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4.2 Playback 136

4.2.1 Recalling a palette value 136

4.2.2 Palette pages 137

4.2.3 Setting a palette to all fixtures (Quick palette) 137

4.2.4 Recalling only some attributes from a palette 137

4.2.5 Setting a palette to fixtures in a memory (Filtered palette) 138

4.3 Edit 138

4.3.1 Editing and deleting palettes 138

4.3.2 Naming a palette value or page 138

4.3.3 Viewing the contents of a palette 139

4.4 Timing 139

4.4.1 Recalling a palette with a fade time 139

4.4.2 Master fade time 140

4.5 Advanced options 140

4.5.1 Palette options 140

5. SHAPES 141

5.1 Playback 141

5.1.1 Selecting a shape 141

5.1.2 Changing the size and speed of a shape 142

5.1.3 Spreading a shape across multiple fixtures 142

5.1.4 Relative and Absolute shapes 143

5.2 Edit 143

5.2.1 Editing shapes which are running 143

5.3 Advanced options 144

5.3.1 Shape options 144

5.3.2 Updating the shape file 145

6. MEMORIES 147

6.1 Create 147

6.1.1 How the Pearl works when programming 147

6.1.2 Creating a memory 148

6.1.3 Recording the stage using Snapshots 149

6.1.4 Using shapes in memories 149

6.1.5 Viewing the programmer contents 150

6.2 Playback 150

6.2.1 HTP and LTP channels 150

6.2.2 Playing back a memory 151

6.2.3 Changing playback pages 151

6.3 Edit 151

6.3.1 Editing a memory 151

6.3.2 The Include function 152

6.3.3 The “Off” button 153

6.3.4 Viewing a memory 154

6.4 Copy 154

6.4.1 Copying a memory 154

6.5 Delete 155

6.5.1 Deleting a memory 155

6.6 Timing 155

6.6.1 Setting fade times for a memory 155

6.7 Advanced options 156

6.7.1 Recording in Blind mode 156

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7. CHASES 157

7.1 Create 157

7.1.1 Programming a chase 157

7.2 Playback 158

7.2.1 Running a chase 158

7.2.2 Connecting a chase to the controls 159

7.2.3 Setting speed, crossfade and direction 159

7.2.4 Manually controlling the chase steps 159

7.2.5 Viewing chase steps 161

7.3 Edit 161

7.3.1 Adding more steps to the end of a chase 161

7.3.2 Editing a chase using Unfold 161

7.3.3 Editing a chase which is running 162

7.4 Copy 163

7.4.1 Copying chases 163

7.5 Delete 163

7.5.1 Deleting chases 163

7.5.2 Deleting a step from a chase 163

7.6 Timing 163

7.6.1 Speed and crossfade controlled by wheels 163

7.6.2 Setting global step or fade times and unlinking 164

7.6.3 Setting times and links for individual steps 165

7.6.4 Viewing timing information 165

7.6.5 Sound activation of chases 166

7.7 Advanced options 166

7.7.1 Chase options 166

8. THEATRE STACK 168

8.1 Create 168

8.1.1 Setting theatre stack mode 168

8.1.2 Theatre controls 168

8.1.3 Plotting a cue 169

8.1.4 Running a chase or memory with a cue (Autoload) 170

8.1.5 Naming a cue 170

8.2 Timing 170

8.2.1 Setting fade times for a cue 170

8.2.2 Displaying the cue timings 171

8.3 Playback 172

8.3.1 Running a theatrical show 172

8.4 Edit 173

8.4.1 Editing a cue 173

8.4.2 Jumping to a cue 173

8.4.3 Inserting a cue 173

8.4.4 Renumbering cues 173

8.4.5 Copying a cue 173

8.5 Delete 173

8.5.1 Deleting a cue 173

8.6 Advanced options 174

8.6.1 Advanced theatre options 174

9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 175

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9.1 Create 176

9.1.1 Connecting the tablet 176

9.1.2 Using the tablet 176

9.1.3 Selecting fixtures on the tablet 176

9.1.4 Changing the position of the fixtures 176

9.1.5 Changing colours and other attributes 177

9.1.6 Recalling palette entries (focuses) 177

9.1.7 Storing palette entries (focuses) 177

9.1.8 Programming functions on the tablet 177

9.1.9 Tablet status on the VDU monitor 178

9.2 Advanced options 178

9.2.1 Extending the tablet cable 178

10. RUNNING THE SHOW 180

10.1 Playback 180

10.1.1 Run modes 180

10.1.2 Master faders 180

10.1.3 Manual control during a show (“Busking”) 181

10.2 Options 182

10.2.1 Two-preset mode 182

10.2.2 Temporarily locking the console 182

10.2.3 Channel mimics 182

11. AUTOMATED PLAYBACK (SCRIPT FILES) 184

11.1 Create 184

11.1.1 Recording Script files 184

11.1.2 What is recorded in the script file 185

11.2 Playback 185

11.2.1 Selecting a script file for testing 185

11.2.2 Testing the script file 185

11.2.3 Using Script files in Run mode 186

11.2.4 Looping and running script files on power up 187

11.3 Edit 187

11.3.1 The script file edit display 187

11.3.2 Editing an action 188

11.3.3 Inserting a step into the script file 188

11.3.4 “On-the-fly” editing 188

11.4 Timing 188

11.4.1 Editing a timecode 188

11.4.2 Changing timecode for a group of steps 189

11.4.3 Changing the start timecode for the whole script file 189

11.4.4 Sorting the steps into time order 189

11.5 Copy 190

11.5.1 Copying a script file 190

11.6 Delete 190

11.6.1 Deleting a step 190

11.6.2 Deleting a script file 190

11.7 Options 190

12. SETUP 192

12.1 User Settings 192

12.1.1 The User Settings menu 192

12.1.2 Setting the Wheel acceleration 194

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12.2 User functions 194

12.2.1 The Wipe menu 194

12.2.2 Disk functions 194

13. OTHER FEATURES 196

13.1 System Configuration 196

13.1.1 Utility menu 196

13.1.2 Service mode 196

13.1.3 AVOS2 functions 198

13.1.4 Upgrading the Pearl’s internal software 198

13.1.5 Hardware WIPEALL mode 199

13.1.6 Audio gain links 201

13.2 MIDI functions 201

13.2.1 What a MIDI command looks like 201

13.2.2 MIDI commands used by the Pearl 201

13.2.3 MIDI Time Code 202

13.2.4 MIDI Problems 202

13.3 The stage remote (riggers remote) 203

14. THE PERSONALITY FILE SYSTEM 206

14.1 Help, I can’t find a personality for my fixture 206

14.2 Create 206

14.2.1 What is and how do I write or change a Personality file? 206

14.2.2 Personality file naming conventions 206

14.2.3 Personality File Keyword Order 207

14.2.4 The Instrument Name 207

14.2.5 The Device Type 207

14.2.6 Fixture switch settings 208

14.2.7 Mirror 209

14.2.8 The DMX/Preset Layout 210

14.2.9 Text Field 211

14.2.10 The Preset Focus (Palette) table 211

14.2.11 Macros 212

14.2.12 Range tables 213

14.2.13 Example Personality File for the High End Cyberlight 213

15. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 218

16. INDEX 225

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CHAPTER ONE

1. Setting up the console

This chapter contains: Connecting mains power; connecting DMX lines; connecting MIDI devices; connecting audio; the disk drive; other back panel connections and controls; desk modes.

1.1 Connecting up

1.1.1 Connecting mains power

Important! Before connecting the mains power to the Pearl you must

check if the Pearl has a voltage selector switch next to the mains socket; if it does, make sure it is set to match your mains supply. It can be set to 120V or 220V.

If the Pearl does not have a voltage selector switch you can safely connect it to any voltage from 80 to 260V.

If you connect mains power with the switch set in correctly, you will probably blow up the power supply unit. If this happens you will need to shamefacedly return the console to Avolites for repair.

1. Setting up the console - Page 109

1.1.2 Connecting DMX lines

The Pearl can output DMX down 4 separate lines. When you patch a dimmer or fixture you can tell the Pearl which DMX line it is on. The lines are identified by the letters A,B,C,D. Normally A comes out of output 1, B comes from 2, C from 3, and D from 4, but just to add to the fun you can swap this round if you want (see Patching, section 2).

The 4 DMX outputs come out of the 5 pin XLR sockets on the back of the console. The Pearl 2004 has four separate sockets. The Pearl 2000 has only two sockets with two DMX lines on each, so you will need splitter cables to access all four lines on the Pearl 2000. They are wired like this:

DMX line

1 (normally A) 1 & 3 2=Data -

2 (normally B) 2 & 4 2=Data -

3 (normally C) 3 2=Data -

4 (normally D) 4 2=Data -

Pearl 2004 Pearl 2000 Socket Pin numbers Socket Pin numbers

3=Data +

1 & 3 2=Data -

3=Data +

2 & 4 2=Data -

3=Data +

1 & 3 4=Data -

5=Data +

2 & 4 4=Data -

5=Data +

The sockets marked “1 & 3” and “2 & 4” on the Pearl 2004 have pins 4 and 5 connected to the other DMX lines as with the Pearl 2000, making the Pearl 2004 outputs pin-compatible with the Pearl 2000 if replacing one console with the other.

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1.1.3 Connecting MIDI devices

The Pearl has the usual MIDI IN and OUT connections. It can read MIDI information and use it to trigger a show, and it can output MIDI information in response to user actions on the controls. This means you can record a show straight into a MIDI sequencer by operating the show yourself using the buttons and sliders. The MIDI operation of the console is described in section 13 on page 201.

1.1.4 Connecting audio

The Pearl provides a stereo audio input for sound to light functions. The stereo channels are combined internally to give a mono signal.

The Pearl 2004 has a stereo audio input socket with a gain control next to it.

The Pearl 2000 has two mono jacks and the gain control is on the front panel with the LCD contrast/brightness controls.

There is an internal link on the PCB to set the overall sensitivity of the audio inputs to mic or line level. By default the audio input is set to maximum sensitivity. See page 201 for details.

1.1.5 Other back panel connections and controls

Qwerty: for connecting a standard PC keyboard. This is used for

entering legends to name memories, chases and palettes. If using a keyboard you should connect it before you turn the power on.

VDU: for connecting a VGA display. Any standard VGA display will be OK, the console uses a 640x480 text mode. You do not have to connect the VDU screen as most information is shown on the console’s on-board display, but some extra displays are available on the VDU screen which are useful when programming or operating a complex show.

Serial: is for the Stage Remote or the graphics tablet. DMX In: allows you to capture DMX from an external system into

memories on the Pearl using the Include function.

USB: for future use in the software. Visualiser: (if fitted) allows direct connection to a PC running

Visualiser; alternatively a MIDI adaptor cable can be used to connect Visualiser to the MIDI ports.

Reset button: allows you to restart the Pearl if something funny happens to it. The Pearl will come back to the same place it was in when you pressed Reset, but all playbacks will be turned off. T he memory is not affected.

LCD contrast and brightness controls are on the front of the console next to the key switch. If you can’t see anything on the display, first set the contrast control to a central position, then adjust it for best display. The brightness control sets the intensity of the display’s backlight.

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1.1.6 The desk lamp

The desk lamp plugs into the socket in the top left hand corner of the Pearl and can be switched to Off, Dim or Full using th e switch next to it.

The desk lamp uses a 12V, 5W halogen lamp.

1.2 Operating

1.2.1 Operating modes

The Pearl has a key-operated switch on the right hand side of the panel which allows you to select the operating mode of the con s ole.

When running a show, you normally select Run mode. You can run playbacks and (in Takeover run mode) manually control fixtures (see page 180). You cannot change any programming. This is the best mode if others are operating the console and you want to make sure they can’t mess up your programming. Just take the key with you!!

1. Setting up the console - Page 111

When programming, you need to be in Program mode, which you access by turning the key to Program. This manual assumes you are in program mode.

System mode allows you to clear parts or all of the console using softkey F [Wipe], to access AVO mode, various diagnostics and to load a new operating system. There are more details about AVO mode in Section 13 on page Error! Bookmark not defined..

1.2.2 The disk drive

The Pearl has a 1.44MB floppy disk drive which is used to load and save shows, personality files and system software. The standard PC disk format is used, so you can transfer data to and from your PC. You can use the smaller 720KB disks, but large shows may not fit!

You should get into the habit of backing up your show to disk regularly to guard against that moment when something goes wrong. It doesn’t take long.

1> Press the Disk button in the bottom right hand corner of the Pearl 2> Insert a blank formatted 1.44M disk into the disk drive. 3> Press B [Save show to disk]. Enter a name on the QWERTY

keyboard (or press Enter on the console to use the default name). The Pearl will save the show.

4> To reload the show, use softkey A [Load show from disk].

Other disk drive functions are available when you have pressed the Disk button. The disk drive functions are described in section 13 on page 194.

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1.2.3 The front panel controls

Playback page

select roller

Preset handles

Mode select keyswitch

Master faders

Playback faders &

Main display

flash buttons

Control wheels

Menu softkeys

Fixture page buttons

Numeric keypad and controls

Command buttons

• The Preset Faders control individual dimmer channels and fixture

intensities. The 2 buttons below the faders select and flash fixtures. Each fader and buttons is called a “Handle”.

• The Mode select keyswitch sets the operating mode of the

console; Program for programming a show, Run for running the show and System for configuring the console.

• The Page select roller lets you select different pages of

playbacks, and you can write the playback names on the roller so you know what’s in them.

• The Master faders control the overall output of the various parts

of the console. You will normally have t hese set at Full.

• The Playback faders and flash buttons are used to play back

memories you have programmed, when you are running a show.

• The Main display is the nerve centre of the console and shows

you what is going on. The display can show various screens of information.

Attribute select buttons

• The Control wheels are used to set control values on the

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1. Setting up the console - Page 113

fixtures, and to set chase speeds and fades.

• The Menu softkeys (labelled A – G) are used to select control

options. The display next to the buttons shows what each one will do. The options for each key change depending on what the console is doing. Softkey commands are shown in the manual with square brackets like this: A [Chase Parameters]

• The Numeric keypad and other control buttons are used to enter

values and change controls on the console.

• The Fixture Page buttons are below the keypad, which select 4

pages for the Preset Faders.

• The blue Command buttons are used to carry out functions such

as storing memories, copying, saving to disk, etc. These buttons have lights on to indicate when they are active.

• The Attribute select buttons are used to select which attributes

of a fixture (e.g. colour, gobo, pan, focus) are going to be controlled using the Control wheels. The buttons have lights on to show you which attributes are active. The bottom (red) button allows you to reduce the intensity of a fix ture if it loses position during a show.

1.2.4 View screens

The Pearl can display a wide range of different information screens on its inbuilt LCD and on the external VDU screen.

LCD views

• Channel Output: Press View then Softkey A. Shows the output of the selected attribute for each handle. You can change the attribute by pressing a different attribute button (Dimmer, tilt/pan etc). The display only shows the first 30 handles, press the current Pages Of Fixtures button to show 31-60.

• Fixture attributes: Press View then Softkey B. Shows which attributes of the currently selected fixture are allocated to wheel A and wheel B. The view will be blank if no fixtures are selected.

• DMX Patch: Press View then Softkey C. Shows which fixture each DMX output channel is patched to, the attribute of that fixture, and the actual DMX value being output on that channel. Use the arrow keys to show different pages of the patch.

Main display area

View screen number

Chase info

Message area

Wheel functions and values

Softkey functions

free memory

• Fixture Patch: Press View then Softkey D. The top part of the display shows a list of handles with the fixtures patched to them. An arrow shows the active fixture; some fixture types will display

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further information (such as how to set the fixture’s dip switches) in the bottom part of the display.

• Chase times: Press View then Connect. If a chase is running the display will show information about the steps in the current chase. If no chase is running the display will show “No chase”.

• Playback status: Press View then 7 then Enter. The display shows which playbacks are programmed (with a star), which are active and whether they are running a memory or a chase.

VDU screen views

Press Softkey G to switch the menu to the VDU view menu. Press Softkey G again to switch back to the LCD view menu.

Roller page and segment

Chase number and step numbers

Playback legends

Chase progress bargraph

Main display area

Wheel functions and values

Graphics tablet status

• Stage Intensities: Press View then Softkey A. Shows the intensity of each handle/fader (the numbers shown are handle numbers not DMX channel numbers)

• Stage fixtures: Press View then softkey B. Shows the output of each attribute for the different fixture types patched. Use the arrow keys to select which fixture type you are looking at (deselect all fixtures or the arrow keys will just change the fixt ure selection). At the bottom of the main display window, the display shows which fixture type is selected (in blue).

• Fixtures and attributes: Press View then softkey C. Displays the selected attribute for each fixture. Press a different Attribute button to show other attributes.

• View programmer: Press View then softkey D. The display shows fixtures which are in the programmer (on the left) and the attributes which are in the programmer (on the right). The desk controls do not operate while you are viewing the programmer, you need to press Exit to return to normal.

• View Shapes: Press View then softkey E. The display shows

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1. Setting up the console - Page 115

information about active shapes.

• View Fixture Notes: Press View then softkey F, then select a patched fixture type from one of the softkeys. Fixture notes from the personality file (if it contains any) will be displayed on the VDU. Press Exit to get back to normal.

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Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

CHAPTER TWO

2. Patching

This chapter contains: Fixture handles; patching dimmers; patching moving light fixtures; checking the patching; changing the DMX address; moving a fixture to a different handle; deleting a patched fixture; patching options.

Patching is the process where you tell the Pearl

• What type of lighting units you have connected to it

• What DMX addresses they are operating at

• Which DMX output line each unit is connected to (there are 4)

• Which “handles” (control sliders) you want to use to access them

You can either patch the DMX channels on your console to match your lighting rig, or set up the console first and then set the lighting rig to match.

2. Patching - Page 117

The Pearl must be in Program mode before you can patch.

2.1 Create

2.1.1 Fixture handles

The Pearl can control up to 240 intelligent fixtures or dimmer channels. To do this it has 4 pages of 60 control “handles”. The handles are located in 2 rows of 30 along the top of the console. Each handle consists of:

• a slider, used to set the intensity of the fixture or dimmer patched to the handle,

• a “Swop” button which is used in program mode to select the fixture

• a “flash” button which is used to select Palettes and to flash the channel in Run mode.

The top bank of 30 sliders does not have buttons and is accessed using the Swop button of the slider below while the AVO button is held down acting as a “shift” key.

The fixture page buttons are located just to the right of the wheels. Fixtures 1-30 are on page 0--, Fixtures 101-130 on page 1--, 201230 on page 2—and 301-330 on page 3--. You can change the fixture page at any time.

Handles (Preset faders)

The Pearl also allows you to allocate fixtures and dimmers to Groups, which can be useful if you usually select the same set of fixtures together. Groups are described in the next chapter.

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Pages of fixtures buttons

Page 118 - 2. Patching

2.1.2 Patching dimmers

Each dimmer channel is allocated to one handle. If you w ant to link dimmers together, you can allocate several to the same handle.

1> Press Patch, then A [Dimmer] 2> On the top line of the display, the Pearl shows the DMX address it

is going to patch at. You can change this by typing a new address on the numeric keypad. You can also use softkey E [Select a DMX line] to patch onto one of the other 3 DMX output lines.

3> To patch a single dimmer, press a handle Swop button. To patch a

range of dimmers, hold down the Swop button for the first dimmer in the range, then press the last Swop button in the range. The range of dimmers will be patched to sequential DMX addresses.

4> To patch another dimmer to the same handle, enter the new DMX

channel and press the Swop button again

5> Repeat from step 2 for other dimmers.

• The VDU screen will show the channels which have been patched.

• You can patch multiple dimmers onto the same handle by typing the DMX address of the next dimmer to be patched and pressing the Swop button again.

• You can patch dimmers to the top faders (31-60) by

Grid showing usage of DMX channels

holding down the AVO button before pressing the Swop button. This allows you to patch up to 60 dimmers or fixtures on one page. It is often convenient to use the top faders for dimmers and the bottom faders for fixtures allowing you to keep all your fixtures and dimmers on one fixture page.

• When in Dimmer Patch mode you can set options for dimmer channels which you are going to patch. You can set the “Full on” level to less than 100% using option A, and select a different dimmer response curve using option B. To use the “User curve” setting you need to load in a user curve, see page 194. These settings affect all dimmer channels you patch afterwards, until you change the settings again. Channels you have already patched are not affected.

Devices patched

2.1.3 Patching moving light fixtures

Moving light fixtures are more complicated to patch than dimmers because they have more attributes to control, such as pan, tilt, colour etc., where a dimmer channel just has intensity. When you patch a fixture, you will see on the display that it occupies a block of DMX channels rather than just one.

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2. Patching - Page 119

The Pearl uses a “personality” system to control fixtures. There is a personality file in the Pearl for most types of fixture, which tells it what attributes are available and how to control them. If the Pearl does not have the personality for your fixture, you can download a wide range of personalities from the Avolites website onto floppy disk and load them that way. If you use fixtures often you can add them to the internal store. In the unlikely event that no personality exists for the fixture you are using, Avolites will create one for you. You can also create the file yourself if you have some programming abilities. See chapter 12 on page 206 for details of how to find personalities.

Note: The Pearl holds all the personalities in an internal “cache” file. If

the console memory gets totally wiped you might need to reload the file, how to do it is described on page 196. You can also use a Personality Disk in the disk drive.

If you are using the internal personality cache, ensure there is no disk in the disk drive.

1> Press Patch, then B [Choose a Fixture]. 2> The Pearl will read the personality files, then display “Please select

an instrument”. A list of known fixtures will appear next to the softkeys after a pause.

3> Use F [More] and G [Back] to go up and down the list and find the

correct fixture, then press the softkey next to the fixture to select it.

4> The Pearl loads the fixture information. The display shows details

of the fixture.

5> The Pearl will ask “Use preset palettes?”. Press A [Yes]. This loads

a standard set of positions, colours and gobos into the Palette pages which can be useful when programming. If you say No now, you can’t load them later.

6> On the display, the Pearl shows the DMX address it is going to

patch at. You can change this using the numeric keypad. You can also press E [Select a DMX line] to patch onto one of the other 3 DMX output lines.

7> Press an unused handle Swop button to patch the fixture. The

VDU screen will show the block of channels occupied by the fixture. If you want to use a different fixture page, select the new

page first. 8> Repeat from Step 7 to patch more of this type of fixture. 9> Press A [Select another fixture] and repeat from Step 3 to patch a

different type of fixture.

• You can patch a range of fixtures by holding down the first and

last Swop buttons of the range, the same as for dimmers.

• Unlike dimmers, you cannot patch more than one fixture onto a

handle. If the handle is already used, the patch will fail. Use a different handle or delete the fixture already on the handle if you don’t want it any more.

• Some fixtures can only be patched at certain DMX addresses. This

is usually described in the fixture instruction manual. If this information is included in the fixtur e personality, the Pearl will not allow you to patch the fixture at an illegal address, and will offer

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Page 120 - 2. Patching

the next valid address instead.

• If you are patching a fixture which uses a separate dimmer

channel such as a VL5™, you can patch the dimmer channel onto the same handle as the moving light part of the fixture, so you can control it all together. This is called a Pending dimmer.

2.1.4 Checking the patching

Having set the Pearl, you need to ensure that your lighting rig is set up to match the Pearl by going round your rig to set the DMX addresses.

You can display the DMX settings on the Pearl like this.

1> Press the View button next to the numeric

keys 2> Press D [Fixture Patch] 3> The display shows a list of the handles to

which you have patched fixtures or

dimmers, with the DMX line and address

(e.g. A24 is address 24 on DMX line A). 4> The top handle on the list has an arrow

next to it. The lower part of the display

shows more information for this handle,

including dip switch settings if the fixture

personality includes this information. 5> Use the up-down cursor arrows to change

the selected fixture. The left-right cursor

arrows will show you another page of

handles. 6> Repeat from Step 4 to view other fixtures.

• Press View, then C [DMX patch] to display a list of all DMX

channels, what they are allocated to and the current output. The cursor arrows scroll through the list.

• Press View then a handle Swop button to display the settings for

the fixture patched to that handle.

• You do not need to be in patch mode to view this information, you

can do it at any time.

2.2 Edit

2.2.1 Changing the DMX address of a fixture

You can re-patch a fixture to a different DMX address or a different DMX output line. All programming is kept.

1> Press Patch (if you’re not already in Patch mode). 2> Press E [Repatch Fixtures]. 3> Use the numeric keypad to enter the new DMX address of the

fixture. If you want to change the DMX output line, press E

[Select a DMX line] and choose a new output line by pressing A B

C or D. 4> Press the handle swop button for the fixture to patch that fixture

at the new address.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

5> Press Enter to confirm the change. 6> Repeat from step 3 if you want to change other fixtures.

• If the new DMX address was already used by another handle, the

fixture or dimmer on that handle will be “parked”. All programming for the handle is preserved, but you need to patch it to a new DMX address using the above procedure before you can use it again. If you view the fixture patch as described above, the display will show “park”.

2.2.2 Moving a fixture to a different handle

You can move a dimmer or fixture from one handle to another simply by entering the DMX channel to match the address of the fixture, then patching it again onto another handle. However, all programming is lost for that dimmer channel or fixture.

2.3 Delete

2. Patching - Page 121

2.3.1 Deleting a patched fixture

You can delete a fixture or dimmer from a handle if you patched it accidentally or if you change your rig and want to use the handle for something else.

1> Press Patch (if you’re not already in Patch mode). 2> Press the blue Delete button (the light will flash). 3> Press the Swop button of the handle you want to delete. 4> Press Enter to confirm.

• You can delete individual DMX channels from a handle by typing

the channel number instead of pressing a Swop button. This is useful for deleting dimmer channels from handles which have multiple channels patched to them. Be careful not t o delete individual channels out of fixtures using this function.

2.4 Advanced options

2.4.1 Patch Utilities

The Pearl allows several options to be set for each fixture or dimmer when it is being patched. The Patch Options menu is accessed by pressing F [Patch Utilities] while you are in patch mode. Set the options before you start programming, because memories will play back differently when the options are on.

The options are: A: Invert - Allows you to invert an attribute of a fixture, so when you

set zero the output will be full. You can not invert some attributes.

1> Select the fixtures you want to invert and turn them on so you

can see their output state

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2> Select the attribute you want to invert by pressing the Attribute

Select button (some can’t be changed) 3> Press Softkey E or F to invert the attributes shown (the VDU

screen shows the inversion settings) 4> Repeat from 2 if

you want to

invert more

attributes, or 1 if

you want to

change other

fixtures. 5> Press Exit to

leave Invert

mode as soon as

you’ve finished,

it is easy to

accidentally

invert fixtures if you leave this mode active

B: Set/Reset Instant mode - When the Pearl fades LTP (movement) channels between two memories, the LTP values normally change smoothly. You can set Instant mode to make the channel snap instantly to the new value.

1> Select the fixtures you want to change 2> Select the attribute you want to change (some can’t be changed) 3> Press Softkey E or F once to change the attributes shown (the

VDU screen shows the settings) 4> Repeat from 2 if you want to change more attributes, or 1 if you

want to change other fixtures. 5> Press Exit to leave Instant mode as soon as you’ve finished, it is

easy to accidentally change fixtures if you leave this mode active

C: Swap pan and tilt - If you have some fixtures mounted sideways, it can be useful to swap the pan and tilt channels over.

1> Press softkey C 2> Press the Swop buttons of the fixtures you want to change 3> Repeat from 2 to change other fixtures.

D: Set DMX lines - The Pearl has 4 DMX output lines, this option lets you set which connectors they come out of. You can output the same DMX line from more than one connector if you want to.

The console shows the current settings of the DMX outputs on the VDU screen. You need the VDU screen connected to set this option, as the settings are not shown on the on-board display. Use the cursor arrows to select the output you want to change. Press Softkeys A-D to select the DMX line you want to come out of this output.

You can also use this option to set the highest DMX channel to transmit. This will speed up the DMX refresh rate if you are not using all 512 channels. (This option can also be set from the User settings menu).

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2. Patching - Page 123

E: Find fixture - This option lets you find “lost” fixtures (if you have set the DMX address and forgotten what it was, or a fixture has changed its address on its own). You need the VDU screen connected to use this option as the settings are not shown on the on-board display.

1> Using the cursor arrows, select the type of fixture & press enter 2> Spin wheel A until the fixture responds with its “Locate Fixture”

state (open white beam, central position). Use the cursor up and

down arrows to change one channel at a time. 3> You can change the DMX output line using the A B C D softkeys or

directly enter a channel by pressing softkey G 4> Read the DMX address from the VDU screen. 5> Press Exit when you have finished.

F: Set Default DMX lines - This option sets the DMX line mappings back to the factory defaults, as shown in Chapter 1. The LCD display also shows how the DMX lines will be set. Press Softkey A to confirm the setting.

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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 125

CHAPTER THREE

3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures

This chapter contains: Selecting fixtures and dimmers for control; changing attributes of the selected fixtures; using groups; selecting fixtures one at a time; the align and flip buttons; killing off a fixture; entering levels as numbers; the ML menu and tracking; viewing the output.

When you are programming a show, and sometimes when you are running a show, you need to manually control the fixtures and dimmers to set the intensity, position, colour, etc. To do this you first select the fixtures you want to change using the Swop buttons, then you set the attributes of those fixtures using the Wheels and Attribute buttons.

3.1 Create

3.1.1 Selecting fixtures and dimmers for control

To select the fixtures or dimmer channels that you want to control, you use the handle Swop buttons. You can select fixtures or dimmers individually, or several at once.

You can control dimmer channels and fixture intensity directly from the fader control of the handle, or select the channels as described below and use the Dimmer attribute.

1> Press the handle Swop buttons for the fixtures you want. The LED

in the Swop button comes on for selected fixtures (they are also

shown in dark blue on the VDU screen) 2> To select a range of fixtures, hold down the Swop button for the

first fixture then press the Swop button for the last fixture.

Here are some other things to know:

• Press ML Menu then A [Locate Fixture] to position the selected

fixtures in open white at a central position (dimmer channels go to 50%). These values are not loaded into the programmer - they won’t be saved in a memory unless you modify the fixture.

• If you want to light up a fixture without moving its position, use B

[Locate Fixture no Pan & Tilt]”.

• You can deselect a fixture by pressing the fixture select button

again.

• Once you have changed any attribute, pressing a handle Swop

button will deselect all fixtures and start the selection process again.

• You can select fixtures on another page by pressing one of the

“Pages of Fixtures” buttons.

• If you have fixtures patched to the top faders you can select them

by holding down the AVO button and pressing the Swop button of the fader below.

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3.1.2 Changing attributes of the selected fixtures

“Attributes” are the functions of the fixture, like pan, tilt, colour, dimmer, etc. You select which attributes you want to modify using the buttons on the right edge of the console and set values using the wheels at the bottom of the Pearl. The attributes available depend on the fixture type. Dimmer channels only have a dimmer attribute. The Pearl can control up to 40 attributes per fixture.

Each attribute button controls two attributes, one on the left wheel and one on the right wheel.

1> Press the button for the attribute

to be changed 2> Turn the wheels to set the

attribute. The display above the

wheels shows which attributes are being controlled. 3> Repeat from 1 to change other attributes of the selected fixtures.

Attribute select buttons

Control wheels

Some other things to know about attributes:

• The Attribute buttons let you select the first 20 attributes. Another

20 attributes are available by pressing the “Attribute Banks 11-20” button, to cater for the weird and wonderful DMX fixtures of the future. The light on the button stays on when you are using the top 20 attributes.

• If the display above the wheels does not show the attribute when

you press the button, that attribute is not available on the selected fixtures.

• You can directly control the intensity of the fixture/dimmer using

the fader of the handle.

• You can view the available attributes by pressing the View button

then B [Fixture Attributes]. The display sh ows a list of available attributes for the fixture you’ve selected.

• The wheels operate in an “acceleration” mode. If you spin the

wheel fast, the fixture changes in larger steps. If you move the wheel slowly, the fixture moves in its smallest increment. (This replaces the 16-bit mode found on older Pearl software). You can change the acceleration response of the wheels by holding down AVO and pressing 2 (see page 194 for details). You may want a different response for very fine adjustments, or to suit your wheel spinning style.

• Holding down AVO while turning a wheel puts the wheel into

“hyper-drive” mode where one complete revolution takes the attribute from 0 to 100%.

• The display above the wheels either shows the output value

(percentage and raw DMX value), or it can show Intelligent Attribute Display (for a colour wheel, the display would show “Open”, “Red”, “Orange” and so on as you turn the wheel). Hold down AVO and press 1 to enable or disable Intelligent Attribute display. The personality fixture must have Range Tables for this to work.

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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 127

3.1.3 Selecting attributes from the softkeys

You can directly set attributes from the softkeys.

1> Press E [Select an attribute or table] from the main menu 2> Select an attribute type to set. If the attribute is highlighted, a list

of possible settings will appear when you press it (for example, a

list of possible colours) 3> Select the value you want by pressing a

softkey. 4> Repeat from 1 to change other attributes

of the selected fixtures.

• The Wheel A and B windows display the

table of available values. You can also use the wheels to scroll through the settings.

• If the attribute type is not highlighted,

there are no settings available. Pressing the softkey for that attribute will chan ge the selected attribute button but not do anything else.

• Selecting a value from a list will select

attribute banks 11-20. You’ll need to press the Attribute Banks 11-20 button to get back to the normal attributes.

3.1.4 Using groups

You can create groups of fixtures or dimmer channels, to make selecting them faster. You can, for example, make a group for each type of fixture, or group by left / right stage, etc.

1> Select the fixtures/dimmers you want in the group (the order in

which you select them will also be stored in the group) 2> Press ML Menu, then E [Record Group] 3> Type the group number you want to store it as, and press Enter 4> Repeat from 1 to store other groups

Other useful things to know about groups:

• To select all the fixtures/dimmers in a group, type the group

number on the numeric keypad, then press A [Recall Group]. All other fixtures and dimmers are deselected.

• The order in which you select the fixtures takes effect when you

use the last fixture – next fixture functions described in the next section, and when you use Shapes and Fan mode.

3.1.5 Stepping through selected fixtures one at a time

If you have selected a range of fixtures, or a group, the Pearl has functions to step through the selected fixtures one at a time. This can make it easier to program a range of fixtures because you don’t have to select each one manually.

This mode uses the “Sequence Control” buttons which are normally used for controlling chases.

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1> Put the Pearl into Fixture Select mode by holding down the AVO

button and pressing Softkey B until

the option shows [Fixture Control

Enabled] 2> Select a range of fixtures or a

group

3> The

(Reverse) and Æ (Forward) buttons will select the fixtures in the range one at a time

ÅÆ

4> The

(Bounce) button will highlight the output of the selected fixture so you can see it on stage (the button LED is lit when in Highlight mode)

5> The Review button reselects the whole range of fixtures.

• The Sequence Control buttons stay in this mode u ntil you change them back by holding AVO and pressing Softkey B again. This means you cannot use them for controlling chase direction.

• You can also use the left and right arrow keys to step through selected fixtures.

Sequence control buttons

• The selected fixture from the range will light up, and the other fixtures will go out (if the “Highlight Enabled” option in the ML menu is turned on).

3.1.6 The Align and Flip functions

The Align function allows you to copy an attribute from one fixture to others. This can be useful if you want to set a row of scans to have the same tilt position, or if you want to copy a colour from one fixture onto other fixtures.

1> Press an attribute button to select the attribute you want to align. 2> Select the fixture to use as the reference 3> Select the other fixtures you want to align to the first one 4> Press ML Menu, then D [Align <attribute name>]. 5> The attributes will be copied to all the selected fixtures.

• You can align all attributes of the fixtures using Softkey C [Align Fixtures] (it doesn’t matter which attribute is selected).

• If you use a group to select the fixtures, the one you selected first when you recorded the group will be the reference fixtur e.

• If Tracking mode is on (see page 131), aligning the Pan/Tilt attribute will cause all the fixtures to point at the same place on the stage rather than copying the actual Pan/Tilt values.

The Flip function is used with moving head fixtures. This type of fixture has two possible pan and tilt positions for each point on stage, and the Flip button alternates between them. This allows you more freedom to make movements without hitting the pan stop.

1> Select the fixtures to flip. 2> Press ML Menu twice (option A should be Flip) 3> Press A [Flip].

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Avolites PEARL 2004 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual