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 [e-mail]
Website http://www.avolites.com
Distribution of Avolites products in USA:-

Avolites America
Sales and service* ([phone]
Fax [phone]

*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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Page 2 - 1. Welcome to the Pearl

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

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Function of
left wheel

Function of
right wheel

Page 4 - 1. Welcome to the Pearl

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

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Page 6 - 1. Welcome to the Pearl

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

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Page 8 - 2. Patching

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)

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

Page 10 - 2. Patching

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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Page 12 - 2. Patching

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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Page 14 - 2. Patching

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).

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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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Page 16 - 3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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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Page 18 - 3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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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Page 20 - 4. Palettes

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.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004

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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Page 22 - 4. Palettes

be stored in palette 21.

Pearl 2004 Manual v1 - 27th August 2004