Pearl Expert Titan
Operator’s Manual
Version 3.0
Copyright Avolites Limited 2010
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Copyright Avolites Limited 2010
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
*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 near the power socket and on the keyboard
drawer; the software version is displayed on the title bar of the Pearl
application on the VDU.
The latest version of this manual and Pearl E xpert Titan 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 Expert Titan.
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 of 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.
Reprint and revision history:
First produced September 2008
Revised for v1.1 April 2009 by TM
Revised for v1.2 June 2009 by TM
Revised for v2.0 September 2009 by TM
Revised for v3.0 March 2010 by TM
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Copyright Avolites Limited 2010
This manual was written by Tim Mitchell, Sabre Technology Ltd
http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk
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Copyright Avolites Limited 2010
Reference Manual Contents - Page 5
SECTIONS
1. SETTING UP THE CONSOLE 13
2. PATCHING 29
3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 39
4. PALETTES 51
5. SHAPES 59
6. CUES 65
7. CHASES 79
8. CUE LISTS 89
9. RUNNING THE SHOW 103
10. REMOTE CONTROL 107
11. USER SETTINGS AND OTHER OPTIONS 113
12. WORKING WITH FIXTURE PERSONALITIES 129
13. NETWORKING 133
14. TITAN FOR PEARL USERS 145
15. RELEASE NOTES 147
16. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 159
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Page 6 – Reference Manual Contents
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Reference Manual Contents - Page 7
CONTENTS
1. Setting up the console 13
1.1 Guide to the console.............................................................. 13
1.2 Connecting up....................................................................... 17
1.2.1 Connecting mains power...................................................................... 17
1.2.2 Starting up and shutting down.............................................................. 17
1.2.3 Connecting DMX lines.......................................................................... 17
1.2.4 Connecting VDU monitors .................................................................... 18
1.2.5 Connecting the Touch Wing.................................................................. 18
1.2.6 Other connections............................................................................... 18
1.3 Using the displays and menus ................................................. 19
1.3.1 The onboard display............................................................................ 19
1.3.2 Workspace windows on the VDU and Touch Wing.................................... 20
1.3.3 The Tools menu.................................................................................. 22
1.3.4 Visualiser........................................................................................... 23
1.3.5 The Heads-Up Display (HUD) ................................................................ 24
1.3.6 Key profiles........................................................................................ 25
1.3.7 Key macro recording ........................................................................... 25
1.3.8 The Pearl Expert Titan application ......................................................... 25
1.4 Loading and saving shows ...................................................... 25
1.4.1 Autosave ........................................................................................... 25
1.4.2 Manual save and load.......................................................................... 26
1.5 Backing up a show to USB drive .............................................. 26
1.5.1 Backup existing show files to USB pen drive........................................... 27
1.6 Clearing the console............................................................... 27
1.7 Rebooting into original Pearl Expert mode.................................28
2. Patching 29
2.1 Create ................................................................................. 29
2.1.1 Preset faders (handles)........................................................................ 29
2.1.2 Patching dimmers ............................................................................... 30
2.1.3 Patching moving light fixtures............................................................... 31
2.1.4 Visualiser Auto Patch........................................................................... 33
2.2 Edit..................................................................................... 33
2.2.1 Changing the DMX address of a fixture .................................................. 33
2.2.2 Setting legends................................................................................... 34
2.2.3 View Fixture Patch .............................................................................. 34
2.2.4 Fixture Exchange ................................................................................ 35
2.2.5 Update personalities............................................................................ 35
2.3 Copy and Move .....................................................................36
2.3.1 Copying or moving a patched fixture ..................................................... 36
2.3.2 Using copied fixtures........................................................................... 36
2.4 Delete..................................................................................37
2.4.1 Deleting a patched fixture.................................................................... 37
2.5 Advanced options.................................................................. 37
2.5.1 Swap pan and tilt................................................................................ 37
2.5.2 Invert attributes ................................................................................. 37
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures 39
3.1 Create ................................................................................. 39
3.1.1 Selecting fixtures and dimmers for control ............................................. 39
3.1.2 Setting fixtures to a start position......................................................... 40
3.1.3 Clearing selection................................................................................ 41
3.1.4 Changing attributes using the wheels .................................................... 42
3.1.5 Setting attributes using the Touch Wing................................................. 43
3.1.6 Setting attributes by number................................................................ 45
3.1.7 Selecting fixtures and dimmers by number (Channel).............................. 45
3.1.8 Selecting using a pattern ..................................................................... 46
3.1.9 Attribute groups - IPCGBES.................................................................. 46
3.1.10 Using fixture groups .......................................................................... 47
3.1.11 Stepping through selected fixtures one at a time................................... 48
3.1.12 Highlighting the selected fixture.......................................................... 48
3.1.13 Align fixtures.................................................................................... 48
3.1.14 Flip.................................................................................................. 49
3.1.15 Fan mode......................................................................................... 49
3.2 Edit..................................................................................... 49
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3.2.1 The Channel Grid window..................................................................... 49
3.3 Advanced options.................................................................. 50
3.3.1 The ML menu button ........................................................................... 50
4. Palettes 51
4.1 Create ................................................................................. 51
4.1.1 Palette values stored as a reference ...................................................... 51
4.1.2 Which attributes are stored in palettes................................................... 51
4.1.3 Storing a palette................................................................................. 52
4.1.4 Quick record on the Touch Wing ........................................................... 53
4.2 Playback .............................................................................. 53
4.2.1 Recalling a palette value ...................................................................... 53
4.2.2 Palette pages ..................................................................................... 53
4.2.3 Quick palettes with no fixtures selected ................................................. 54
4.2.4 Setting palettes to fixtures in a playback................................................ 54
4.3 Edit..................................................................................... 54
4.3.1 Editing palettes................................................................................... 54
4.3.2 Setting legends for palettes.................................................................. 55
4.4 Copy and Move .....................................................................55
4.4.1 Copying or moving a palette................................................................. 55
4.5 Delete..................................................................................56
4.5.1 Deleting palettes................................................................................. 56
4.6 Timing .................................................................................56
4.6.1 Fading a palette and fixture overlap ...................................................... 56
4.6.2 Master Time for palettes ...................................................................... 57
5. Shapes 59
5.1 Playback .............................................................................. 60
5.1.1 Creating a shape................................................................................. 60
5.1.2 Changing size and speed of a shape...................................................... 61
5.1.3 Changing the phase of a shape across multiple fixtures............................ 62
5.2 Edit..................................................................................... 63
5.2.1 Editing shapes which are running.......................................................... 63
5.2.2 Reversing a shape............................................................................... 63
5.3 Delete..................................................................................63
5.3.1 Deleting shapes.................................................................................. 63
5.4 Advanced options.................................................................. 63
5.4.1 Shape fade mode................................................................................ 63
6. Cues 65
6.1 Create ................................................................................. 65
6.1.1 How the Pearl works when programming ............................................... 65
6.1.2 Creating a cue.................................................................................... 66
6.1.3 Using shapes in cues ........................................................................... 67
6.2 Playback .............................................................................. 67
6.2.1 HTP and LTP....................................................................................... 67
6.2.2 Playing back a cue .............................................................................. 67
6.2.3 Changing playback pages..................................................................... 68
6.2.4 Releasing running playbacks................................................................. 68
6.3 Edit..................................................................................... 68
6.3.1 Editing a cue ...................................................................................... 68
6.3.2 Playback and Cue view ........................................................................ 69
6.3.3 The Include function............................................................................ 70
6.3.4 Removing attributes from cues using “Off” ............................................. 71
6.4 Copy, Move and Link.............................................................. 71
6.4.1 Copying or moving a cue ..................................................................... 71
6.5 Delete..................................................................................72
6.5.1 Deleting a cue .................................................................................... 72
6.6 Timing .................................................................................72
6.6.1 Setting fade times and Overlap for a cue ............................................... 72
6.6.2 Changing fixture order......................................................................... 74
6.6.3 Setting attribute fade times for a cue .................................................... 75
6.7 Advanced options.................................................................. 76
6.7.1 Release mask..................................................................................... 76
6.7.2 Shape size/speed on fader ................................................................... 76
6.7.3 Curve................................................................................................ 76
6.7.4 Handle Paging .................................................................................... 76
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6.7.5 Playback priority................................................................................. 76
6.7.6 Key Profile ......................................................................................... 76
7. Chases 79
7.1 Create ................................................................................. 79
7.1.1 Programming a chase.......................................................................... 79
7.2 Playback .............................................................................. 80
7.2.1 Playing back a chase ........................................................................... 80
7.2.2 Connecting a chase for control.............................................................. 80
7.2.3 Setting speed and crossfade for a Chase................................................ 81
7.2.4 Manually controlling the steps of a chase ............................................... 82
7.2.5 Changing chase direction ..................................................................... 82
7.2.6 Jumping to a step ............................................................................... 82
7.3 Edit..................................................................................... 82
7.3.1 Opening a chase for editing.................................................................. 82
7.3.2 Editing a chase using Unfold................................................................. 83
7.4 Copy, Move and Link.............................................................. 84
7.4.1 Copying or moving a chase .................................................................. 84
7.5 Delete..................................................................................84
7.5.1 Deleting a chase ................................................................................. 84
7.5.2 Deleting a step from a chase................................................................ 84
7.6 Timing .................................................................................85
7.6.1 Global timings for chases..................................................................... 85
7.6.2 Individual cue times in chases .............................................................. 86
7.6.3 Setting attribute fade times for a cue in a chase ..................................... 87
7.7 Advanced options.................................................................. 88
7.7.1 Loop/Stop on Final Cue........................................................................ 88
7.7.2 Forwards/backwards/bounce/random .................................................... 88
7.7.3 Cue linking......................................................................................... 88
7.7.4 Renumber cues................................................................................... 88
8. Cue Lists 89
8.1 Create ................................................................................. 90
8.1.1 Programming a cue-list........................................................................ 90
8.1.2 Changing legends for cues in a cue list .................................................. 91
8.1.3 Autoloading a playback within a cue list................................................. 91
8.2 Playback .............................................................................. 92
8.2.1 Running a cue list ............................................................................... 92
8.2.2 Killing a cue list .................................................................................. 92
8.3 Edit..................................................................................... 93
8.3.1 Editing a cue list using Unfold............................................................... 93
8.3.2 Editing a cue list which is running ......................................................... 93
8.3.3 Editing a cue list while recording........................................................... 94
8.4 Copy, Move and Link.............................................................. 95
8.4.1 Copying or moving a cue list ................................................................ 95
8.5 Delete..................................................................................95
8.5.1 Deleting a cue list ............................................................................... 95
8.5.2 Deleting a cue from a cue list ............................................................... 95
8.6 Timing .................................................................................96
8.6.1 Time and fade options for Cue Lists....................................................... 96
8.6.2 Cue linking & Link Offset...................................................................... 96
8.6.3 Individual attribute fade times.............................................................. 98
8.6.4 Fixture overlap ................................................................................... 98
8.6.5 Running a cue list to timecode.............................................................. 99
8.7 Advanced options.................................................................. 99
8.7.1 Release mask....................................................................................100
8.7.2 Fader mode.......................................................................................100
8.7.3 Handle Paging ...................................................................................100
8.7.4 Cue Options ......................................................................................100
8.7.5 Autoload...........................................................................................100
8.7.6 Key Profile ........................................................................................101
9. Running the show
103
9.1 Playback ............................................................................ 103
9.1.1 Back up the show ..............................................................................103
9.1.2 Operating modes ...............................................................................103
9.1.3 Master faders ....................................................................................103
9.1.4 Flash and swop buttons ......................................................................103
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9.1.5 Playback priority................................................................................104
9.1.6 Manual control during a show (“busking”) .............................................104
9.2 Workspaces on touch screen and VDU.................................... 105
9.2.1 View menu........................................................................................105
9.2.2 Pearl Titan application window.............................................................105
9.3 Organising the console......................................................... 105
9.3.1 Using the Move function......................................................................105
10. Remote control 107
10.1 Setting up the remote.......................................................... 107
10.1.1 Network setup .................................................................................107
10.1.2 Console setup..................................................................................108
10.2 Operating the remote........................................................... 109
10.2.1 Keypad ...........................................................................................109
10.2.2 Fixture List......................................................................................110
10.2.3 Playback List ...................................................................................110
10.2.4 Settings screen................................................................................111
10.3 Troubleshooting .................................................................. 111
11. User Settings and other options 113
11.1 Workspace setup on VDU and Touch Wing............................... 113
11.1.1 Opening workspace windows .............................................................113
11.1.2 Selecting and positioning workspace windows......................................113
11.1.3 Saving workspaces...........................................................................114
11.1.4 Compatibility view............................................................................115
11.1.5 Configuring the external monitor........................................................115
11.2 Key Profiles ........................................................................ 117
11.2.1 Creating and editing key profiles........................................................117
11.2.2 Selecting a key profile ......................................................................118
11.2.3 Individual Key profiles for playbacks...................................................118
11.3 The System menu ............................................................... 118
11.3.1 Avotalk Security...............................................................................118
11.3.2 Network Settings .............................................................................118
11.3.3 User Settings...................................................................................118
11.3.4 Key Profiles .....................................................................................119
11.3.5 Contrast And Brightness (Lamp Intensity) ...........................................119
11.3.6 Wipe...............................................................................................120
11.3.7 Display Setup ..................................................................................120
11.4 Titan Tools menu................................................................. 120
11.4.1 Virtual Panel....................................................................................120
11.4.2 Visualiser ........................................................................................120
11.4.3 VDU User settings ............................................................................120
11.4.4 Factory settings ...............................................................................122
11.4.5 Exchange fixture..............................................................................122
11.4.6 Setup DMX outputs ..........................................................................123
11.4.7 Hotkeys ..........................................................................................123
11.5 Curves............................................................................... 124
11.6 Upgrading the software ........................................................ 127
12. Working with Fixture Personalities
12.1.1 Downloading fixture personalities from Avolites.................................... 129
12.1.2 Updating the personality cache on the console.....................................130
12.1.3 Requesting a new fixture personality ..................................................130
12.1.4 Reporting a personality bug to Avolites ...............................................130
12.1.5 In an emergency..............................................................................130
129
13. Networking 133
13.1 Setting the Pearl’s IP address................................................ 133
13.1.1 Setting IP address............................................................................133
13.2 Setting up DMX outputs........................................................ 133
13.2.1 Setup DMX outputs screen ................................................................134
13.3 ArtNet................................................................................ 134
13.3.1 A simple ArtNet system.....................................................................135
13.3.2 Setting up an ArtNet system..............................................................136
13.3.3 Additional ArtNet Resources...............................................................137
13.4 Connecting to a simulator with ACDI ...................................... 137
13.4.1 ACDI ..............................................................................................137
13.5 Module Setup...................................................................... 139
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13.5.1 Installing additional Modules ..............................................................139
13.6 AvoTalk.............................................................................. 139
13.6.1 Example AvoTalk setup.....................................................................140
13.7 All about IP addressing......................................................... 141
13.7.1 Setting your IP address.....................................................................141
13.7.2 Subnet Masks..................................................................................142
13.7.3 Choosing an IP address and Subnet Mask............................................142
13.7.4 Automatically assigning IP addresses (DHCP).......................................143
13.7.5 Private IP address ranges..................................................................143
13.8 Repairing a Network Connection ............................................ 144
14. Titan for Pearl users 145
14.1 The controls and LCD........................................................... 145
14.2 New programming features................................................... 146
15. Release notes 147
15.1 Version 3.0......................................................................... 147
15.1.1 Upgrading from: 2.0:........................................................................147
15.1.2 New features in v3.0 ........................................................................147
15.1.3 Improvements in v3.0 ......................................................................153
15.1.4 Changes in v3.0...............................................................................155
15.1.5 Bugs fixed in v3.0 ............................................................................155
16. Glossary of terms 159
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Page 12 – 1. Setting up the console
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1. Setting up the console
This chapter contains: Connecting mains power, DMX lines, VDUs;
configuring the console and the various VDU windows; guide to where
everything is on the console; loading and saving shows.
This manual applies only to the Pearl Expert Titan console but we’ll
refer to it simply as “the Pearl”. If you are using the classic Pearl
Expert, or the Pearl 2008, 2004 or 2000 consoles, they have their
own manuals as the operation is significantly different.
This manual includes instructions for the optional Expert Touch Wing.
Note: You can also operate the Pearl Expert Titan in “classic” Pearl
Expert mode by rebooting the console into the desired mode.
See section 1.7 on page 28.
1. Setting up the console - Page 13
1.1 Guide to the console
Master faders
Playback faders and
page select rollers
Preset faders / handles
Programming and
setup controls
The Pearl has four main control areas:
The Master faders set overall levels on the console
The Preset faders/handles select and control individual fixtures
(and you can store cues and chases here too)
The Playback faders and rollers select and control cues and
programs
The Programming and setup controls configure and program the
console
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Page 14 – 1. Setting up the console
The main controls
Master faders
Playback page
select rollers
Mode select keyswitch
Preset faders / handles
Playback faders &
Main display
flash buttons
Control
wheels
Menu
softkeys
Fixture page
buttons
Numeric
keypad and
controls
Command
buttons
Attribute
select buttons
• The Preset Faders are used to control individual dimmer channels
and fixture intensities. Cues and chases can also be stored on these
faders. The 2 buttons below the faders are used to select and flash
whatever is stored on the fader. Each fader and buttons is called a
“Handle”.
• The Mode select keyswitch selects Programming, Run or System
modes of operation.
• The Page select rollers let you select different pages of playbacks,
and you can write the playback names on the rollers so you know
what’s in them. There are 2 rollers each controlling 10 playback faders
• The Master faders control the overall output of the various parts of
the console. You will normally have th ese set at Full.
• The Playback faders and flash buttons are used to play back cues or
chases 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.
• The Control wheels are used to set control values on the fixtures,
and to set chase speeds and fades.
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1. Setting up the console - Page 15
• 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 [Edit Times]
• The Numeric keypad and other control buttons are used to enter
values and change controls on the console.
• The Fixture Page buttons are above the keypad, and allow selection
of 4 pages for the Preset Faders.
• The blue Command buttons are used to carry out functions such as
storing cues, 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 locate
fixtures, which sets them to a known start position while programming.
• A QWERTY keyboard and mouse touchpad is provided in a drawer on
the front of the console.
MIDI in
USB reserve
sockets and
switches (2)
• The Panel reset switch may be pressed to restart the front panel
• The USB reserve sockets and switches are for future expansion. The
Desk lamp socket
DMX outputs (4)
Panel reset switch
Expansion sockets
for touch wing
MIDI out
Floppy disk
VDU socket (blue)
Ethernet socket (top)
and 2x rear USB
VDU mounting
point
Audio in (blue)
Mains inlet
The back panel
All the connections required for the console are found on the back
panel. Most are self-explanatory.
electronics if something odd happens with the switches and faders. The
main board will continue running but the DMX output will be
interrupted until the restart is completed.
switches should be set to “Normal operation”.
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Page 16 – 1. Setting up the console
The Touch Wing
Workspace
windows
Playback info
Window selection
buttons
Context
touch buttons
Workspace
save/recall
touch
buttons
Macro buttons
Window size/position
buttons
Attribute wheels
Attribute display
The optional Touch Wing uses a touch screen and additional wheels to
provide a user-friendly interface for selecting fixtures, palettes,
groups and setting attributes.
• The main area of the Touch Wing shows up to 4 workspace
windows. You can select the content and configure the size
and layout of these windows using the Window Selection and
Size/Position buttons below the screen.
• The arrangement of windows can be saved and recalled using
the Workspaces touch buttons on the right of the screen.
• Some windows have additional command buttons which are
displayed in the Context touch buttons area on the top right
of the screen when the window is active.
• The three Attribute Wheels take over attribute control from
the wheels on the console, which are then used for speed/fade
control of chases. Below the wheels the Scroll Mode Button to
switch the wheels into scroll mode – this is used to move a
selection box around the screen when editing.
• The Attribute Display shows which attributes are being
controlled by the wheels, and the current settings. Touching the
roller graphic will set the attributes to min or max.
• Across the bottom of the screen there is an area showing
information about the playbacks on the current roller pages.
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1.2 Connecting up
1.2.1 Connecting mains power
You can safely connect the Pearl to any voltage from 80 to 260V.
We recommend that you run the console from a computer UPS
(uninterruptible power supply) . If the console unexpectedly loses
power, you can lose data (up to the last Autosave) and the console
may want to check its disks on startup which can cause delays. The
UPS will protect you from most power problems and give you chance
to shut down the console normally.
1.2.2 Starting up and shutting down
The Pearl runs a Windows-based operating system internally, so you
need to make sure it is shut down properly rather than just turning
off its power.
Start up the console by pressing and releasing the Power switch at
the left hand side of the front edge. The console display and VDU
screen (if you are using one) should come alive. The Pearl takes
about 30 seconds to start up and a progress count is shown on the
console display.
1. Setting up the console - Page 17
Shut down the console by pressing and releasing the Power switch
again. The console will perform a controlled shutdown. Wait until the
Power light has gone off (about 15 seconds) before you disconnect
power from the console.
To carry out a Forced Shutdown of the console, if the normal shut
down does not work, hold down the power switch for 5 seconds.
Note: Do not use the power switch on the rear of the console to
switch off the console as this would not close down the console
properly.
1.2.3 Connecting DMX lines
The Pearl communicates with lighting fixtures using the DMX512
system. It can produce 12 universes of DMX (each 512 control
channels). It has 4 physical DMX outputs for direct connection to
fixtures and dimmers, and can also send DMX over Ethernet and
wireless Ethernet systems to allow connection to remote DMX
Ethernet nodes and to the Avolites Console DMX Interface (ACDI)
system which is used to connect visualiser applications.
When you patch a dimmer or fixture you tell the Pearl which of the 12
DMX universes it is on. Each universe can be configured to come out
of one or more of the 4 standard DMX outputs on the back of the
console, or over an Ethernet protocol (see section
13 on page 133.)
The 4 standard DMX outputs come out of the 5 pin XLR sockets on
the back of the console. They are wired like this:
Pin 1 Earth
Pin 2 Data Pin 3 Data +
Pin 4 Not used
Pin 5 Not used
Each DMX line should pass through all the fixtures to be connected on
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Page 18 – 1. Setting up the console
that line one after the other and have a DMX terminator fitted at the
end (120 ohm resistor between pins 2 and 3). You should not split
the DMX lines using passive splitters (Y-splits) as this can mess up
the data.
1.2.4 Connecting VDU monitors
You should connect a computer VDU monitor to the Pearl, which is
plugged into the VGA port on the rear of the console.
• The external VDU can be disabled and if so will show a
“disabled” message. To enable it, switch to System mode and
select [Display Setup] then press [External Display
Disconnected]. The option will change to [External Display
Connected] and the display will be enabled.
• If you need to change the VDU resolution or settings, click on
“Tools” at the very top of the screen and select “Control Panel”,
then “External Monitor”, then select the option to match the
resolution of your monitor.
There are more details about setting up an external monitor,
including troubleshooting help, in section
11.1.5 on page 115.
1.2.5 Connecting the Touch Wing
The Touch Wing connects to the DVI port and the 9-pin D connector
on the rear of the console, just above the panel with the rear
USB/network sockets.
1.2.6 Other connections
You can connect an external keyboard and mouse to the pc
connectors on the rear of the console if for some reason you don’t
like the keyboard with touchpad in the drawer on the front.
The console provides MIDI connections which can be used to connect
MIDI timecode to the console for timecode-controlled cue lists.
You can connect the console to a LAN (local area network) using the
RJ45 socket on the rear. This allows you to back up the console to
another machine, or to link to a DMX-over-ethernet system.
A 3-pin XLR socket for a desk lamp is provided on the rear edge of
the console. Suitable lamps are available from Avolites. The lamps
are 12 volt, wired from pins 1 and 2 of the XLR.
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1. Setting up the console - Page 19
1.3 Using the displays and menus
The Pearl Expert has many useful features on its onboard display and
on the VDU.
1.3.1 The onboard display
Information
window
Fixture
intensities
Menu
softkeys
Wheel A/B
attributes
Current
selection
Down the right hand side of the display, the functions of the A-G
menu softkeys are listed. In this manual these are shown in square
brackets [Like This]. If there are more functions t han will fit on one
screen, [Previous] and [Next] buttons are provided to page through
the functions.
The vertical bar to the left of the softkeys shows you which menu you
are currently in. You can “latch” the menu (so that you don’t have to
keep reselecting it) by pressing the ML Menu button.
At the bottom left of the screen, the current function of the wheels is
shown. If fixture attributes are being set, this shows the possible
settings which are available on the fixtures. The horizontal bar shows
which attributes are being controlled by each wheel and the boxes
show the current attribute. If a chase is being controlled, information
about the chase is shown here.
List of
settings
Current
menu name
Above this, the current fixture intensity is shown in a grid arranged
by handle number. A dot shows a fixture that is not lit, otherwise a
percentage brightness is shown, with “FL” for full. If the fixture is
selected then it is shown inverted (blue-on-white), and if it has been
changed (is in the programmer) it is shown underlined.
The area at the top left of the screen shows instructions to the user
and information from the console.
The appearance of the softkeys varies to indicate the type of actions
available:
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Page 20 – 1. Setting up the console
Action button:
console will carry
out the action
shown
Option button:
cycles through a
range of options
New menu
button: jumps to
a new menu
Text entry
button: press
and enter text
using the
keyboard
1.3.2 Workspace windows on the VDU and Touch Wing
The VDU screen and, if you are using it, the Touch Wing, show the
workspace windows. These contain buttons for selecting fixtures,
groups, palettes, playbacks and so on. Information windows such as
Playback View, Channel Grid and the integrated Visualiser application
can also appear as a workspace window.
4 window positions
Context buttons
Up to 4 windows can be shown on each screen in a 2x2 grid, but if
you need a larger view, you can make a window twice as big, or it
can take up the whole area. You can move windows freely between
the external VDU screen and the Touch Wing. Some possible window
sizes/positions are shown below.
Quarter size
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Double wide
Double height
Maximised
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1. Setting up the console - Page 21
Some workspace windows have option
settings or commands associated with
them. If the Touch Wing is connected,
these are positioned in the “context
buttons” area on the right of the Touch
Wing as shown in the picture above. If
the Touch Wing is not connected, a
drop down context menu is available at
the top right of each window.
Selecting and positioning
workspace windows
You select which workspace windows
you want to see using the [Open
Workspace Window] menu command
on the root menu, or by pressing the Window Selection buttons on
the Touch Wing just below the screen.
You can change the positions and sizes of the windows by using
[Window Options] on the View menu. The Touch Wing also has
pushbuttons for these functions. [Min or Max] swaps the active
window between full screen and quarter size. [Size and Position]
moves the active window around the possible positions. [Select
Window] gives you a list of windows to choose the active one, or on
the Touch Wing you can make a window active by touching its header
bar.
You can move the active window between the Touch Wing and the
external VDU monitor by pressing View then [Window Options] then
[Move Screen], or for the Touch Wing hold down the Avo button (on
the main console) and press the Size/Position button.
If a window shown on the VDU contains touch buttons, you can click
them using the mouse trackpad on the keyboard.
The function buttons (F1-F12) on the QWERTY keyboard can be used
to select and move workspace windows. See the list in section
on page
Saving workspaces
You can save different workspace setups to the Workspaces touch
buttons on the Touch Wing or to grey handle buttons on the console.
This is done by pressing View then [Record Workspace], then
touching one of the Workspaces buttons or pressing a grey button.
This allows you to reconfigure the workspace at the touch of a button.
Workspaces are saved with the show.
Setting up and recording workspaces is described in more detail in
section
Quick record
Some windows – Groups, Workspaces, Playbacks, and all the Palette
windows - have a Quick Record function. Set up what
you want to record, then touch or click the button once.
The button will light up red with a + sign. At this point
you can enter a legend. Touch or click again to store the
item.
113.
11.1 on page 113.
11.1.2
The Quick Record function can be disabled using Key Profiles (see
section
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11.2.1 on page 117).
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Page 22 – 1. Setting up the console
1.3.3 The Tools menu
The Tools menu on the top left corner of
the screen (or the Touch Wing) allows you
to access Windows functions such as File
explorer (to move files around), Control
Panel (to setup hardware), and to stop or
restart the Pearl application or run other
programs.
About gives you information about the
software version.
Help shows you the online manual.
Control Panel opens a sub-menu allowing
changes to monitor settings and to the USB
expert console which links the front panel
controls to the system. The “More…” option
opens Windows Control Panel allowing you
to change the operating system
configuration.
Folders opens the file explorer. You might need this when backing up
show files or when updating the operating software.
Switch Task allows you to bring programs in front of the Pearl
windows and move them between the Touch Wing and the external
VDU screen. Click or touch the Switch Screen icon to swap the
program between the Touch Wing and the external VDU. Click or
touch the Centre icon to centre the window on the screen. Click or
touch Close to close the program.
Switch screen Centre Close
Additional Programs allows you to run some diagnostic programs
which might help Avolites Support find problems you’re having.
Switch Software allows you to run the Pearl Expert in “Classic”
Pearl mode rather than Titan mode.
Restart and Shutdown Software restarts and closes the Titan and
Pearl Expert software. You would normally only use these when
upgrading the software.
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1. Setting up the console - Page 23
At the right hand end of the toolbar is
the keyboard popup button which will
open the touch keyboard. This
duplicates the function of the
keyboard in the drawer, but can be
more convenient for quick text entry.
The touch keyboard can be switched between large and small size
using the Max/Min button and you close it using the large X button in
the top right hand corner. It can be set to pop up automatically when
Manual/Auto Change size Close
Keyboard button
text input is required, using the Man/Auto button. You can also move
it on the screen by touching and dragging the blank area of the
keyboard at the top.
The small version of the keyboard (pictured) does not have some of
the less frequently used buttons.
1.3.4 Visualiser
The Pearl Expert runs Avolites Visualiser internally. This allows you to
view the output of the console if you can’t use the real lights,
enabling you to make changes to your show at home or in your hotel.
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Page 24 – 1. Setting up the console
Visualiser is shown in a workspace window, either on the touch
screen or on the external monitor. Press [Window Options] then
[Move Screen] on the View menu to move it between the touch
screen and external monitor.
Configuration buttons for Visualiser are provided in the context button
area in the top right of the Touch Wing screen, or on the context
menu at the top right of the window if you aren’t using the Touch
Wing.
• The operation of Visualiser is not covered in this manual, please
refer to the Visualiser manual.
Auto Patch
The Auto Patch function automatically creates a Visualiser rig from
your Pearl show. When you start Visualiser using softkey A on the
View menu, Visualiser will open with an automatic representation of
your patch.
You will see the fixtures laid out on screen as they are on t he console,
so any spaces between fixtures will be preserved and fixtures patched
to the top row of presets will be shown above fixtures patched to t he
bottom row of presets.
The Visualiser will start in run mode, with the simulator t a b selected
so you can start controlling lights immediately.
Multiple dimmers patched to one handle will appear as a singe fixture
in Visualiser.
Fixture selection
When a fixture is selected on the console, it is highlight ed in blue in
Visualiser.
1.3.5 The Heads-Up Display (HUD)
The HUD window shows you what is stored in each fader and button
on the console: cues, chases, fixtures, dimmers, palettes, and fixture
groups. Any legends you enter are shown here.
The HUD window is a workspace window and is displayed by pressing
View then [Open Workspace Window] then [HUD]. It may be moved
around and resized using the normal workspace window controls.
Fixtures are highlighted in dark blue if in the programmer and in light
blue if selected. Only fixtures, palettes and groups stored in the
preset handles on the console are shown, handles on the Touch Wing
are not shown on the HUD.
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1.3.6 Key profiles
The Pearl allows you to reconfigure how the front panel buttons work
to suit your method of working. You can also change the way some of
the touch keys work on the Touch Wing. You can save your settings
as a Key Profile. Different profiles can be selected for different users
or to enhance the operation of the console for a particular use. See
section
13.2 on page 133 for details.
1.3.7 Key macro recording
Lighting programming can sometimes require a repeated sequence of
button presses. You can record sequences of keypresses and play
them back with a single keypress – this is called a macro. To record a
macro:
1> Press the blue Macro (previously Insert) button (to the right of
the numeric keys).
2> Press [Record]
3> Press a vacant preset Flash button. Recording starts. The Macro
button flashes during recording.
4> Press the sequence of buttons you want to record.
5> Press Macro to finish recording.
1. Setting up the console - Page 25
To play back the macro, just press the grey Flash button where you
recorded the macro. The macro will repeat all your button presses
(with no delay or timing between the presses).
When using the Touch Wing, macros may also be recorded into 10
dedicated buttons on the Wing. In addition you can display a
workspace window with further macro touch buttons. The 10
hardware buttons are allocated to the first 10 macros in the window.
1.3.8 The Pearl Expert Titan application
The Pearl Expert Titan application is the “engine room” of the console.
The main reason you will need to use it is to configure DMX outputs.
Use the Tools → Switch Tasks menu to bring the application window
to the front.
Setting up DMX outputs is described in section
1.4 Loading and saving shows
You can save any number of different shows on a USB drive or the
Pearl’s internal hard disk. The Pearl will also autosave the show
periodically.
Note: You cannot transfer shows between the Pearl Expert Titan and
other versions of the Pearl or Pearl Expert as the showfile
format is different. You can load shows to/from other Titan
consoles such as the Tiger Touch.
11.4.6 on page 123.
1.4.1 Autosave
The Pearl will automatically save your show to its int ernal hard disk
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Page 26 – 1. Setting up the console
when you shut it down. It will also autosave th e show every 30
minutes in case the console loses power. The time remaining to the
next auto save is shown on the status bar of the Titan application.
You can disable Autosave or alter the time between saves using
option D [Auto Save] on the Disk menu (selected using the blue Disk
button). Softkey A enables or disables autosave and Softkey B sets
the time between saves. We recommend that you have autosave
enabled while programming in case the console power fails, but
disable it while running a show as it can cause the console to pause
slightly at inconvenient moments.
1.4.2 Manual save and load
You can save your show at any time either with its current name or
with a new name.
1> Press the blue Disk button (bottom right).
2> Press [Save Show].
3> If you have a USB drive connected, use the softkeys to select
whether to save on “Removable Disk” or the internal hard drive.
4> Enter a name for the show on the keyboard (the screen shows
a list of shows which already exist).
5> Press Enter or [Save]. The show will be saved.
6> Press Exit or [OK] to leave Disk mode.
If you save to hard drive, shows are saved in the C:/Program
Files/Avolites/Titan/ShowData folder, unless you ch ange this in the
User Settings.
The Pearl will automatically load the last show when it is turned on.
If you want to load a different show:
1> Press the blue Disk button.
2> Press [Load Show].
3> If you have a USB drive connected, select which drive you want
to load from.
4> Available shows are listed on the softkeys; press the key to load
the show (the F and G keys show more pages). If you type the
first few letters of the show name on the Qwerty keyboard, the
list will only include shows starting with those letters, which can
make it easier to locate the show you want.
5> Press Exit to leave Disk mode.
You can save any number of different shows on the Pearl’s internal
hard disk.
1.5 Backing up a show to USB drive
If you save to the internal hard drive, it’s a good idea to regularly
copy a backup of the show to an external storage device such as a
USB pen drive just in case something bad happens to the console.
One way to do this is to load the show from the hard disk then save it
to the removable disk using the Disk button as described in the
previous section.
You can also use the VDU and mousepad to select options from the
Pearl Expert Titan window on the VDU as described below.
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1. Setting up the console - Page 27
1.5.1 Backup existing show files to USB pen drive
To backup existing show files to USB drive you need to copy the
showfile across
using Windows
functions.
1> On the
Tools
menu,
click on
the
Folders
icon.
2> Double
click on
“Local
Disk (C:)”
3> Double
click on the “Program Files” folder.
4> Double click on the “Avolites” folder, then double click the
“Titan” folder, then double click the “ShowData” folder.
5> The VDU screen will show a list of the saved shows.
6> Click on the show you want to backup. If you want to backup
more than one, hold down the Ctrl button on the keyboard
while clicking them.
7> Right click on a selected file, and select “Send to” from the pop
up menu which appears.
8> Select the removable USB drive where you want to make a
backup of the show file(s). The file will be copied.
9> You cannot burn files to CD-R, you must use a USB drive.
1.6 Clearing the console
When you start a new show on the Pearl it is usually a good idea to
clear the console. All programming and patching is deleted, but user
options are not changed.
1> Press the blue Disk button.
2> Press [New Show].
3> Press [OK] to confirm.
4> Press Exit to leave Disk mode.
• There is also an option E [Wipe] in the System menu (when the
key is turned to System) which has the same function, and is
located in the same place as on the “classic” Pearl versions.
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Page 28 – 1. Setting up the console
1.7 Rebooting into original Pearl Expert mode
You can run the Pearl Expert in either Titan mode or the original Pearl
Expert mode. Click the [Switch Software] button on the VDU tools
menu to reboot the console into the desired mode.
Reboot into different
mode
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2. Patching
This chapter contains: patching dimmers; patching moving light
fixtures; checking the patching; changing the DMX address; 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 line (universe) each unit is connected to (there are
12)
• Which Preset Faders you want to use to access them
You should normally plan out the lightin g rig in advance to allow the
DMX addresses on your fixtures to be set up before they are rigged.
The easiest way to do this is to patch the fixtures on the console,
then read off the DMX addresses from the console (using the DMX
window on the VDU) and use them to set up the addresses on the
actual fixtures.
2. Patching - Page 29
Alternatively you can allocate the DMX addresses to the fixtures
yourself, and set up the console to match.
The Pearl’s key must be set to Program before you can patch.
2.1 Create
2.1.1 Preset faders (handles)
To control intelligent fixtures or
dimmer channels, they must be
patched to a Preset, or to a
Fixture button on the Touch Wing.
Presets are the faders, buttons
and displays located in 2 rows
along the top of the console. Each
preset consists of:
• a fader, used to set the
intensity of the fixture or
dimmer
• a blue Select button which is used to select the fixture
• a grey Palette button which is used to store and select Palettes,
Groups and various other
things
Handles (Preset faders)
The fader and buttons are
together referred to as a handle.
There are 4 pages of presets
controlled by the fixture page
buttons, located just above the
numeric keypad. Fixtures 1-60 are
on page 0--, Fixtures 101-160 on
page 1--, 201-260 on page 2—
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Pages of fixtures buttons
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Page 30 – 2. Patching
and 301-360 on page 3--. You can change the fixture page at any
time.
On the Touch Wing,
you can patch
fixtures into the
Fixtures workspace
window .
If the Fixtures
window is not
shown, press View
then [Open
Workspace
Window] then
[Fixtures] to show
it, or press the
Fixtures button on the Touch Wing.
Fixture touch buttons can be shown either in pages with Page
buttons, or you can use the scroll bar to show different pages. Use
the [Pages Show/Hide] touch button on the right of the screen to
select between page buttons and scrolling mode. on the left of t he
screen. You can change the fixture page at any time.
Note: Fixture touch buttons on the Touch Wing are completely
separate from fixtures patched onto the preset faders, unless
the Compatibility View workspace is used – this view
duplicates the blue/grey preset buttons on the touch screen.
See section 11.1.4 on page 115 for more details.
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.
2.1.2 Patching dimmers
Each dimmer channel is allocated to one fader.
1> Press Patch (one of the blue command buttons bottom right),
then [Dimmers].
2> Softkey A [Line=] shows you which of the 12 DMX output lines
you are patching onto. Press A then enter a new number (1-12)
to change the line. [Address=xx] shows the DMX address about
to be patched. You can change this by pressing [Address=xx],
typing in the new address on the numeric keypad and pressing
Enter.
3> To patch a single dimmer, press a preset Select button or a
fixture touch button. To patch a range of dimmers, hold down
the Select button for the first dimmer in the range, then press
the last Select button in the range. On the Touch Wing, run
your finger along the buttons. The range of dimmers will be
patched to sequential DMX addresses.
4> The Select buttons light up dimly to show that they are
patched. Fixture Touch buttons turn dark blue and show fixture
details.
5> Repeat from step 2 for other dimmers.
• When setting the DMX address using Softkey B, you can set the
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DMX line (universe) as well by entering {line}. {DMX}, for
example 2.56 will set DMX address 56 on DMX line 2.
• To see how DMX channels are patched, press View then [Fixture
Patch]. See section
• [User Number = xx] allows you to set a user-defined number
for each dimmer or fixture patched, to help you identify them
later. You can also edit the User Number from the Repatch
Fixture menu.
• You can patch multiple dimmer channels to a single handle. This
can be useful if, for example, you want to control all the lights
for one area from a single fader. To do this, just press the same
handle Select button again when patching the new dimmer
channel. You can tell the dimmer channel has patched OK
because the DMX address will increase by 1.
2.2.3.
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., whereas a dimmer channel just has intensity.
2. Patching - Page 31
The Pearl uses a “personality” system to control fixtures. This means
you don’t have to know how each fixture works, you just tell the Pearl
what you want to do and it will send the right con trol commands.
There is a personality file in the Pearl for most types of fixture, which
tells it what attributes are available and how to control t hem. If the
Pearl does not have the personality for your fixture, you can
download further personalities from the Avolites website or Avolites
can create one for you. See section
to find personalities.
12 on page 129 for details of how
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Page 32 – 2. Patching
1> Press Patch (bottom right of console).
2> Press [Fixtures].
3> Select correct fixture
4> Select correct fixture from
5> Select the correct fixture
6> Softkey B shows the first
7> Press a Preset Select
8> The Select button will light
9> Repeat from 7 to patch
manufacturer from the
softkeys (F and G page
through the list of
manufacturers). Or use
Quick Search and type the
first few letters of the
manufacturer’s name on
the keyboard to find the
one you want.
the softkeys (F and G
show other pages). You
can use Quick Search here
as well.
operating mode from the
softkeys.
free DMX address. Type
the new address on the numeric keypad if you want a different
one. Press [DMX line=xx] to patch to a different DMX line, or
you can enter the address as [line].[address], e.g. 2.45 would
set address 45 on line 2.
button or fixture touch
button to patch the
selected fixture.
up dimly to show that it is
patched. Fixture Touch
buttons turn dark blue and
show fixture details.
more of the same fixture
type. The DMX address
automatically updates so
you can just keep patching
by pressing Select
buttons.
• You can patch a range of
fixtures by holding down
the first and last Select
buttons of the range, in
the same way as for dimmers.
• You cannot patch more than one fixture onto a preset. If the
preset is already used, the patch will fail.
• 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
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can control it all together. This is called a Pending Dimmer.
• [Preset P a lettes] sets whether the console will create default
colour, gobo and position palettes for the new fixture. These are
assigned to palette handles 1-30.
• Press View then [Fixture Patch] to show the DMX address for
fixtures. See section
• If a patch goes over the capacity of a DMX line, the Pearl will
patch at the beginning of the next line. For example if you try
to patch a Mac500 at channel A510, it will actually be patched
at B1.
2.1.4 Visualiser Auto Patch
If you want to use Visualiser on the console, start Visualiser by
pressing View then [Open workspace window] then [Visualiser].
Visualiser will open in a workspace window with an automatic
representation of your patch. You can change the size of the
Visualiser window, and if you have the Touch Wing connected you can
move Visualiser between screens, using [Window Options] on the
View menu.
2. Patching - Page 33
2.2.3.
You will see the fixtures laid out on screen as they are on t he console,
so any spaces between fixtures will be preserved and fixtures patched
to the top row of presets will be shown above fixtures patched to t he
bottom row of presets.
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 [Repatch Fixtures].
3> Press the blue Select button of the fixture you want to change.
4> To change DMX press [Address], type the new address and
press enter
5> To change the DMX output line, press [DMX Line=x] and enter
a new output line number 1-12.
6> Press Enter or [Repatch] to confirm the change.
7> Repeat from step 3 if you want to change other fixtures.
• You can “Park” the fixture using [Park]. This removes the
fixture from the DMX output map, but all programming is
retained.
• If the new DMX address already has another
fixture or dimmer patched on it, the console will
display a warning sign next to the address. If
you proceed with the change, the console will offer you t wo
options to fix the problem (unless this is disabled in User
Options, see section
another address] to abort the change or [Park] to “park” the
conflicting fixture. All programming for the parked fixture is
preserved, but you need to repatch it to a free DMX address
using the above procedure before you can use it again. If you
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11.3.3 on page 118). Select [Select
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Page 34 – 2. Patching
press [Always Park Conflicting Fixtures] the console w ill park
this and any future conflicting fixtures without warning you.
(You can change this option back in the User Settings).
2.2.2 Setting legends
You can set a legend for each fixture or dimmer you’ve patched which
is displayed on the heads-up display on the VDU, and on the touch
button on the Touch Wing. This can be really useful to help you
identify the fixture.
1> At the main menu press [Set Legend].
2> Press the Select button for the fixture you want to legend.
3> Type the legend on the keyboard.
4> Press Enter when you have finished.
• You can set the same legend for multiple fixtures by selecting a
group of fixtures after pressing [Set Legend].
• You can automatically allocate User Numbers for multiple
fixtures by selecting a group of fixtures, then using softkey A on
the Set Legend menu. The first fixture will have the User
Number you entered, and the other selected fixtures will be
given a number increasing by 1 for each fixture.
• You can set a legend for the current page of fixtures using the
[Set Legend] function from the main Program menu. The
legend is shown on the LCD screen and on the HUD.
2.2.3 View Fixture Patch
The fixture patch view allows you to see how fixtures are patched on
the console.
To open the fixture patch view, press the white View button (next to
the numeric keypad) followed
by [Fixture Patch]. You should
now be able to see a table on
the LCD screen showing all your
fixtures. The list of fixtures can
be filtered by typing in a search
term on the Qwerty keyboard.
You can also use the wheels to
scroll around the list and select
different fixtures. As you select
a fixture its handle will be
highlighted by a pulsing LED.
You can edit the patch settings
by pressing [Edit] to enter edit
mode, then using wheels A and
B to scroll to the item you want
to edit. Then just simply press
Enter and start typing.
• Please note that some
values are input in the
following form:
-Handle Number: {Page}.{Index}
-DMX address: {Universe}.{Address}.
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• You can choose which columns are displayed by selecting
[Columns] and choosing which columns to hide or show.
• You can Park a fixture by moving to its DMX address and
deleting the address using the left arrow key (or backspace on
the Qwerty keyboard).
2.2.4 Fixture Exchange
The Fixture Exchange function enables you to repatch fixtures in your
show using alternative fixtures, retaining important elements such as
cue times, shapes and legends. This is very useful for touring shows
and venues with a high turnover of events.
For example, if you have programmed your show in a venue which
has MAC 500s and are moving to a venue with VL6s you can
exchange the MAC 500s for VL6s whilst retaining many elements of
your show.
Fixture Exchange works best if you use Palettes to create your cues.
This allows you to adjust for position differences and so on by
reprogramming a few position palettes, rather than having to
reprogram every cue. Cues recorded with absolute values will need to
be re-recorded, preferably using palettes.
2. Patching - Page 35
The pan, tilt and dimmer will always be preserved from one fixture
type to the next, as will times, shapes and legends for recorded
items. Links from the palettes to groups, cues, chases and cue lists
will also be preserved, so the show can be easily recreated by
updating your palettes as normal.
Fixture exchange also gives you a powerful way to re-use an existing
show with new lights, so you can give yourself a programming head
start when faced with a new fixture.
It’s a good idea to save your show before performing major changes
such as fixture exchange. Should you change your mind or have
problems, you will easily be able to return your show to its previous
state.
1> Enter patch mode by pressing Patch.
2> Select the new fixture type you wish to use.
3> Touch the select button of the fixture which is to be exchanged.
4> The console will warn you that the fixture is in use. Press the
[Exchange Fixture] option.
5> Repeat from step 3 to exchange other fixtures with the same
type of new fixture.
Note: After exchanging fixtures you need to update the palettes
which used those fixtures. If you have trouble switching values
off in a palette, set new values for all the attributes in the
attribute group and re-record the palette. You should then be
able to switch off an attribute group as required.
2.2.5 Update personalities
This option allows you to update the personality for a fixture used in
your show. Normally the fixture personality is saved in the showfile,
so updating the personality library on the console will not u pdate
fixtures which are already patched.
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1> Enter patch mode by pressing Patch.
2> Press [Update Personality].
3> The console shows you a list of personalities used in the show
which can be updated.
4> Press the personality you want to update.
• The new personality is loaded from the Titan/Personalities
folder.
2.3 Copy and Move
2.3.1 Copying or moving a patched fixture
Using the Copy button you can make a copy of an existing fixture or
move it to a new button. You can copy or move multiple fixtures in
one operation. You cannot link fixtures.
Move is useful for tidying up the console.
1> Press the blue Copy button.
2> Select [Copy] or [Move]. Pressing the Copy button again will
also toggle through these options.
3> Press or touch the select button of the fixture you want to
copy/move. You can select multiple fixtures by holding the first
and pressing the last of the range, or for touch buttons by
sliding your finger across the buttons.
4> Press or touch the empty select button where you want it to go.
• The ML Menu button latches the Copy/Move/Link menu, so you
can keep copying or moving things without having to keep
pressing the Copy button. Press again to unlatch.
• The [Retain Layout] or [Bunch Up] options are used when
copying a group of fixtures with empty handles in the group –
you can either keep the empty handles, or bunch up the used
handles together.
• When in Copy mode, option [Copy Legends] can be changed to
[Don’t copy legends] so that the copied fixtures are given
default legends.
• When in Move mode, [Swap Items if Required] will attempt to
reposition any existing handles which are in the way of the
move. This is useful when rearranging buttons on a page which
is nearly full.
2.3.2 Using copied fixtures
Fixture copying is very useful if you need an additional fixture of a
type you’ve already patched and programmed. The new copy will
come complete with all the cues and palettes of the original fixture
you’ve copied.
The copied fixture will be “Parked” (have no DMX chan nel allocated)
and you will need to repatch it before you can use it (s ee section
2.2.1 above).
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2.4 Delete
2.4.1 Deleting a patched fixture
You can delete a fixture or dimmer from a preset if you patched it
accidentally or if you change your rig and want to use the preset for
something else.
1> Enter Patch mode by pressing the Patch button.
2> Press the blue Delete button.
3> Press the Select button of the fixture you want to delete.
4> The LCD will show what you are deleting. Press the Select
button again to confirm.
• All programming for the fixture is also deleted. You cannot undo
deletion of a fixture or get the programming back by repatching
a fixture to the same handle.
2.5 Advanced options
2.5.1 Swap pan and tilt
This allows you to make the pan channel control tilt and the tilt
control pan. This is useful for moving-mirror fixtures rigged sideways.
2. Patching - Page 37
1> Press Patch.
2> Press [Edit Fixtures]
3> Press [Swap Pan and Tilt].
4> Select the fixtures to be pan-tilt swapped. Press [Pan and Tilt
…] to select either [Swapped] or [Normal] for the selected
fixtures.
5> Press Exit when finished.
2.5.2 Invert attributes
This option inverts individual attributes of fixtures. Useful if you have
a fixture which pans right when the rest pan left, saving a trip up the
rig to set fixture options, but you can invert any attribute.
1> Press Patch.
2> Press [Edit Fixtures].
3> Press [Invert Attribute]
4> Select fixture(s) to be changed.
5> Select the attribute to invert from the softkeys. The display
shows [Inverted] when the attribute is inverted.
6> Press Exit to finish.
• You can change the invert on multiple fixtures by selecting
more than one, but the “Inverted” display will not show if there
is a mixture of inverted and non-inverted fixtures in the
selection.
• Some attributes cannot be inverted.
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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 39
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures
This chapter contains: Selecting fixtures and dimmers for control;
changing attributes of the selected fixtures; using groups.
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 blue Preset Select buttons (below the preset faders) or
the Fixture touch buttons on the Touch Wing to load the fixtures into
the Editor. You can select fixtures or dimmers individually, or several
at once.
You can control dimmer channels and fixture intensity directly from
the preset fader, or select the channels as described below and use
the Dimmer wheel.
1> Press or touch the select buttons for the fixtures you want. The
select button will light up brightly for selected fixtures (they are
shown in light blue on the Touch Wing and HUD and inverse
text on the LCD intensity view).
2> To select a range of fixtures, hold down the Select button for
the first fixture then press the Select button for the last fixture.
For touch buttons, run your finger across the buttons – a
selection square will draw on the touch screen.
Here are some other things to know:
• Press Locate (red button at the bottom right of the console) to
light up the selected fixtures in open white and move them to a
central position. See the next section for more Locate options.
• You can deselect a fixture by pressing the select button again.
• At the top of the Touch Wing, just above the top windows, the
console will show you which fixtures are currently selected.
• Once you have changed any attribute, pressing a Select button
will deselect all fixtures and start the selection process again.
All previously selected fixtures (since you last pressed Clear)
stay in the programmer. They are shown in dark blue on the
Touch Wing and HUD, and underlined on the LCD intensity
view.
• Press Clear (right of numeric keys) to deselect all fixtures and
remove all changes from the programmer. See the next section
for more Clear options.
• The intensity of the fixture is
shown as a bargraph on the
HUD. In the User Settings you
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can set the LED in the Select button to mimic brightness rather
than show fixture selection (see section
• You can select fixtures on another page by pressing one of the
Pages of Fixtures buttons (above the numeric keys). Palettes,
groups and any cues you have saved on the preset faders will
also change with the fixture page.
• On the Touch Wing, you can view more fixture buttons either by
using the scroll slider on the right of the window, or if you have
enabled Page buttons using the [Pages Show/Hide] context
button, by using the Page touch buttons.
11.3.3 on page 118).
Scroll slider
• If a preset is active (the fader is raised) when you change page,
you may want to control a fixture on the new page using the
same preset. In this situation you have to match the fader level
to the existing fixture level before the fader will take control.
For example if preset 1 is on at 100%, you change to page 2
and want to control the fixture on preset 1 on page 2. If the
page 2 fixture is currently Off, you will have to low er the fader
to zero before it takes control. If the page 2 fixture is at 50%,
the fader will take control when it match es the 50% value.
3.1.2 Setting fixtures to a start position
The Locate button (the red button on the bottom right of the
console) is used to put the fixture into a known position with light
coming out, so that you can start programming it.
A quick press of the button will move all selected fixtures to a central
position and reset all the attributes so that you get a white light.
However you sometimes might not want to move the fixture, and by
holding down the Locate button, you get some more options.
• You can mask off some of the Locate settings (such as only
turning the fixture on, but not changing its position or colour)
by holding down Locate and pressing [Set Mask to Exclude All].
Then (still holding Locate) turn on the Attributes you want to
change using the Attribute Bank buttons down the right hand
side. Only the lit attributes will be changed by Locate. Pressing
the Attribute Options (Bank Select) button will clear the mask .
• [Auto Reset Mask] sets the mask to be automatically reset to
include everything each time Locate is pressed, or you can
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toggle the option to [Remember Mask] which will keep the
mask setting you used last time.
• [Clear/Don’t Clear Located Attributes] sets whether the
attributes changed by the Locate function will be saved into any
cues you store. If the option is set to “Clear” then the Located
attributes will not be stored in the Programmer unless you
modify them using the wheels. This is useful if for example you
want to program a cue which sets the position of fixtures, but
does not turn them on. The Locate button will light up the
fixtures for programming, but the lit state will not be stored in
any cues you save.
3.1.3 Clearing selection
The Clear button (on the right of the numeric keypad) is used to
remove all changes from the Programmer and deselect all fixtures. A
quick press of the Clear button just clears everything, however if you
hold down the Clear button, then more options are available.
• You can mask which attributes are to be cleared (for example,
leaving the pan/tilt in the programmer but clearing everything
else) by holding down Clear and pressing B [Set Mask to Clear
Nothing]. Then (still holding Clear) turn on the Attributes you
want to change using the Attribute Bank buttons down the right
hand side, or press A [Set Mask] and use the softkeys. Only the
lit attributes will be cleared. Pressing the Attribute Options
(Bank Select) button will clear the mask.
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 41
• [Clear Options] opens a submenu showing some further options
(described below).
• [Clear All Fixtures/Selected Fixtures] sets whether all fixtures
will be cleared from the programmer, or if only currently
selected fixtures will be cleared. This is useful if you want to
clear specific fixtures.
• [Individual Attributes] allows you to clear individual at tributes
from the Programmer. When you press the option, you are
given a list of attributes in the Programmer – press the
appropriate softkey to clear that attribute.
The options in the “Clear Options” submenu allow you to:
• [Auto Reset Mask] sets the mask to be automatically reset to
clear everything each time Clear is pressed, or you can toggle
the option to [Remember Mask] which will keep the mask
setting you used last time.
• [Leave/Zero Preset Fader Levels] sets how the console deals
with intensity levels which are set on the preset faders.
Normally pressing Clear will remove levels from the
Programmer, but the intensity will remain set on the output. If
this option is set to [Zero Preset Fader Levels] then the
intensity will also be set to zero on the out put. This is useful to
kill fixtures which have been left on f rom a different fixture
page.
• [Freeze current values] sets what happens to LTP (nonintensity) channels you have modified. If set to [Freeze Current
Values] the channels remain as you set them. If set to [Release
To Playback Values] the channels will go back to how they are
set in the current playback. For example: you have an active
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playback making some lights green, then you select the lights
and change them to red. If you press Clear with this option set
to [Freeze] then the lights remain red. If the option is [Release]
the lights will go back to green.
You can use the Channel Grid window to selectively attributes from
fixtures. See section
3.2.1 on page 49.
3.1.4 Changing attributes using the wheels
“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.
Note: If you are using the Touch
Wing, see the next section.
Each attribute button controls two
attributes, one on the left wheel and
one on the right wheel.
Attribute select buttons
1> With some fixtures selected,
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, and the
settings which are available scroll up and down as you turn the
wheels.
3> Repeat from 1 to change
other attributes of the
selected fixtures.
Some other things to know
about attributes:
• If an attribute is in the
programmer, it is inverted
(as shown with the
“Green” setting in the
screen picture here). This
provides a quick way to
see if attributes are in the
programmer or not.
• The Attribute buttons let
you select the attribute to
set. You can also select
the attribute from the
softkeys by pressing the
“Attribute Banks” button.
Control wheels
• 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.
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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 43
• If the wheel display shows an arrow,
this means that there are more than
two attributes to control. Press the
Attribute button again to toggle through
the attributes.
• You can directly control the intensity of the fixture/dimmer
using the fader of the handle.
• 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.
• Holding down the Avo button while turning a wheel puts the
wheel into “Fast” mode. When in this mode, a single rotation of
the wheel changes the attribute you are controllin g over its full
range. For example, if while moving the Pan wheel you hold
down shift the fixture will make a complete pan movement
between end stops in one rotation of the wheel.
• You can view the available settings (Gobo names, etc) of the
wheels on the Attribute Editor window by selecting View, [Show
workspace window], [Attribute Editor].
• Some LED colour mixing fixtures have a Virtual Dimmer
function (using the Intensity wheel) which offers intensity
control by mastering the RGB levels when the fixture itself does
not provide an intensity channel.
3.1.5 Setting attributes using the Touch Wing
When the Touch Wing is connected, the Pearl uses the three wheels
on the Wing to set attributes rather than the wheels on the console
itself.
The touch display above
the wheels shows the
attribute bank (Intensity,
Position, Colour and so
on) and the current
values on the wheels.
Touch the attribute bank
buttons to change to a
different bank. You can
also use the attribute
bank buttons down the
right hand side of the
console as usual. The
current attribute bank is
shown with a grey
background.
Touch here to open
attribute editor
Touch here to change attribute
values up and down
Touch here to change
attribute bank
If attributes have been modified, the attribute button has a pale blue
highlight.
The Roller display shows the attributes available on each wheel.
These may be shown as a percentage value, or named values for
attributes with fixed positions such as a colour wheel. If the attribute
has been modified, the current value in the programmer is
highlighted in blue.
You can touch the roller image to change the attribute value up or
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Page 44 – 3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures
down by one. For continuously variable controls like a dimmer,
touching the roller will set the attribute to full or zero.
• If the wheel display shows a blue arrow
next to the legends, this means that there
are more than three attributes to control.
Press the Attribute button again to toggle
through the attributes.
Attribute editor window
For attributes with fixed values such as gobos and fixed colour
wheels, the Attribute Editor window can be easier to work with than
the wheels. It also offers a colour picker window for fixtures with RGB
or CMY colour mixing.
Press View then [Open Workspace Window] then [Attribute Editor] to
show it. As a shortcut you can also show it by touching the attribute
name text just below the IPCGBES buttons (for example Colour Func
in the top picture). If the window opens on the VDU screen rather
than the Touch Wing,
you can move it
between screens by
pressing View,
[Window Options],
[Move Screen], or
hold down the Avo
button on the console
and press the
Size/Position button
on the Touch Wing.
The buttons on the
left of the window
select the attribute to
change.
The rest of the
window contains
buttons or controls to
set the attribute
value. For attributes
such as gobos and
fixed colours, a
button is provided for
each one, making
selection a lot quicker than scrolling through on a wheel.
When you apply an attribute, the button turns blue to show that the
attribute is in the programmer. If you touch the button again, the
attribute will be removed
from the programmer.
Touching the title of each
attribute (such as “Colour
Func”) expands the attribute
to the full window, displaying
more buttons.
For variable attributes like
Dimmer, holding down the
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3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 45
button will display a horizontal slider bar. You can then move your
finger left or right to change the value.
Active fixtures such as media servers will display a thumbnail of the
media clip in the button. The media server must support CITP and be
patched as an active fixture.
3.1.6 Setting attributes by number
You can directly enter a numeric value for the attributes which are
live on the wheels. You must be at the main Program menu to do this
(keep pressing Exit until the vertical menu bar shows “Program
Menu”).
Type a number on the numeric keypad then press
softkey E or F to set the value to wheel A or B. The
Softkey legend will show what effect your value is
going to have (such as [Gobo 5], or [Deep Blue]). If
your value is invalid for that attribut e, a warning
symbol is displayed as shown on the right.
For attributes displayed in percent, such as Dimmer, or Colour Mix,
you enter a value from 0-100 to set the percentage output. For
attributes where the output is divided up into ranges, such as colour
wheels, you enter the index of the range you want. For example to
select the 3rd colour (as displayed in the list above the wheel) you
would enter 3.
3.1.7 Selecting fixtures and dimmers by number (Channel)
In some situations, for example when programming lots of dimmers,
it can be easier to type in the dimmer channels you want to program.
The Channel menu allows you to do this for dimmers or fixtures. To
access the Channel menu, press the Channel button on the top left of
the numeric keypad.
Fixtures may be selected by User Number, Handle Number or DMX
Address, as set by the option on Softkey A.
When using the Channel menu it is helpful to latch it by pressing the
ML Menu button.
• To select a fixture, type the number and press Enter.
• To select more than one fixture, press [And] between each
number. For example 1 And 2 And 5 Enter will select 1, 2, 5.
• To select a range of fixtures, press [Through]. For example 1
Through 8 Enter will select 1-8.
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• To miss out fixtures in a range, use [Not], for example 1
Through 4 Not 3 Enter will select 1, 2, and 4.
• The @ softkey sets a dimmer level to the selected fixtures, for
example 1 Through 8 @ 5 Enter will set 1-8 at 50%. (You can
choose whether 50% is entered as “5” or “50” in the User
Settings – see section
there are softkey options for Full, Off and +/- (increase or
decrease brightness).
• You can work with Groups using the Group button, for example
Group 1 And Group 2 Not 5 Enter will select all fixtures in group
1 and group 2 except for fixture 5.
• You can use the Locate button instead of Enter, to select
fixtures and locate them. For example 1 Through 4 Locate will
select fixtures 1 to 4 and locate them.
• When entering a command, the command line is shown on the
display. You can go back using the grey ← button and you can
abandon the line using the grey → button.
11.3.3 on page 118). When you press @
3.1.8 Selecting using a pattern
When programming you will often want to select patterns of fixtures.
Rather than having to individually select and deselect fixtures, the
Pearl has an easy way of selecting odd then even fixtures in a range
of fixtures, or it can, for example, select every 4
1> Select some fixtures.
2> Press the white “All” button (below the Next Time button to the
right of the wheels).
3> Select a pattern from the softkeys. Your selection is modified so
you will only be controlling, say, the odd fixtures.
4> Press the white “Next” button to change the selection to the
next stage of the pattern.
5> To end the pattern selection, press All twice.
For example, if you are programming a chase using 16 fixtures and you
want every 4
fixtures, then press All, then D [1 in 4]. You will see that the 1
and 13
those fixtures. Then press Next, and the 2
will be selected ready for programming. After you have programmed
the fourth set of fixtures, the pattern will go back t o the first position
again, until you press All twice to end.
th
th
fixture to do the same thing, you just select the 16
fixtures are now selected, and you can create the look for
th
fixture.
st
, 5th, 9th
nd
, 6th, 10th and 14th fixtures
• You can enter your own patterns using the numeric keypad and
softkeys, for example “2” A [In] “6”.
3.1.9 Attribute groups - IPCGBES
To make life a bit simpler, the Pearl groups together attributes which
have similar effects, using the letters IPCGBES.
I-Intensity (dimmer, strobe shutter)
P-Position (pan, tilt)
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C-Colour (colour wheel, CMY mixing)
G-Gobo (gobo wheels, gobo rotate, gobo position)
B-Beam (iris, focus, zoom, beam shaper)
E-Effects (prism)
S-Special (motor speeds)
These groups are used to select which attributes you want to work
with in many of the functions on the console, particularly when you
are “masking off” certain attributes from being saved.
3.1.10 Using fixture groups
You can create groups of fixtures or dimmer channels, which can then
be quickly selected together by pressing a grey palette button or
typing the group number. You can, for example, make a group for
each type of fixture,
or group by stage left
/ stage right, etc.
The Touch Wing has a
dedicated window for
Groups, allowing you
to quickly recall each
group from a named
touch button. If the
Groups window is not
visible you can show
it by pressing View,
[Show workspace window], [Groups].
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 47
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 the grey Group button (top right of the numeric keys).
3> Press [Record Group]
4> If you want to, use [User Number] to enter a number for the
group, or [Provide a legend] to set a legend.
5> Press a Palette button (below a preset fader) or touch a Group
touch button where you want to store the group, or press
[Store] to store as a numbered group.
6> Press Clear then repeat from 1 to store other
groups.
• You can also press the Avo button and the Group
button to go directly to the Record Group menu, or
on the Touch Wing touch the button twice to use
Quick Record – on the first touch the button will tu rn red with a
+, on the second touch the group will be recorded.
• To select all the fixtures/dimmers in a group, just press the
grey palette button or touch the touch button for the group.
• The order in which you originally selected the fixtures when
creating the group is also stored. This takes effect when you
use the last fixture – next fixture functions described in the
next section, and when you use Shapes, Fan mode and Fixture
Overlap functions. You can change this later, see page
74.
• Groups are shown on the heads-up display.
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You can also recall a group by its number:
1> Press the grey Group button.
2> Type in the number of the group you want to recall.
3> Press [Recall Group].
• The Group bu tton also gives you facilities on the softkeys to edit
and delete groups.
3.1.11 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 Prev/Next/All/Hilight buttons to the right of the
Go button.
1> Select a range of fixtures or a group.
2> The Prev and Next buttons will select the fixtures in the range
one at a time (in the order you selected them).
3> The ALL button will select all fixtures in the programmer
(everything which has been selected since Clear was last
pressed).
• The Hilight function can be used to highlight the output of the
selected fixture (make it brighter onstage), see the next
section.
3.1.12 Highlighting the selected fixture
When stepping through a fixture selection using the Prev/Next/All
buttons, you can highlight the selected fixture on stage. This makes it
very easy to see which fixture you are controlling. The ot her fixtures in
the selection go to a dimmed level.
Press the HiLight button to enable highlight mode. Press HiLight again
to disable hilight mode. When you are in hilight mode, the hilighted
attribute is overridden and any changes you make to it are not stored in
the programmer (so if the hilight uses intensity, you cannot change the
intensity of the fixture).
3.1.13 Align fixtures
You can copy attributes from one fixture to another using the Align
Fixtures function. This is very useful, for example, if you’ve
accidentally left a fixture out of a cue you can copy settings from its
neighbour.
1> Select the fixtures you want to Align.
2> Press ML Menu then [Align Fixtures].
3> Set the mask to include the attribute groups you want to copy
(using the Attribute Bank buttons on the right of the console,.or
the softkeys set options for exclude and include all attributes).
4> Press the handle of the fixture you want to copy the settings
from.
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3.1.14 Flip
Moving head fixtures can point at the same stage position from two
possible yoke positions. Sometimes to get the fixture moving the
same as other fixtures, you need to swap to the opposite yoke
position and the Flip function lets you do that.
1> Select the fixtures you want to Flip.
2> Press ML Menu then [Flip Pan and Tilt].
3.1.15 Fan mode
Fan mode automatically spreads out the values on a selected range of
fixtures. If used on pan and tilt, the result is spreading ou t “rays” of
light beams. The 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 attribute wheels.
As with shapes, the order in which you select the fixtures sets how
the fan effect works. The fixtures you select f irst and last will be the
ones which change most. If you use a group to select the fixtures,
the order you selected the fixtures when you recorded the group is
used.
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures - Page 49
The fan effect, while normally used on pan or tilt attributes, can be
applied to any attribute.
1> Select the fixtures you want to fan.
2> Press the blue Fan button.
3> Select the attribute you want to Fan using the attribute bank
4> Set the amount of fan using the attribute wheels.
5> Turn off Fan by pressing the Fan button again when you have
Fan mode needs to be used on at least 4 fixtures to give good effects.
If you have an odd number of fixtures, the cent ral fixture will not
move in fan mode.
Press the Fan button again to leave Fan mode. Any effects you have
set will remain in the programmer.
• It’s fairly easy to accidentally leave Fan mode turned on and be
3.2 Edit
buttons.
finished.
very confused about why the wheels aren’t working properly, so
turn it off as soon as you have completed the effect.
3.2.1 The Channel Grid window
It can sometimes be useful to display and edit exactly what each
fixture is doing. The Channel Grid window allows you do to that.
Display it by pressing the Channel Grid button below the screen, or
press View then [Show workspace window] then [Channel Grid].
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The window can be set to different modes using the context buttons
to the left of the menu. The modes are:
• Playbacks: shows which playback is controlling each attribute of
each fixture
• Levels: shows the output levels of each attribute. These may be
shown numerically or as range names.
• Palettes: shows which palettes are allocated to fixture attributes
• Shapes: shows which shapes are running on fixtures
• Output/Programmer: switches between the attributes on the
console output, and the attributes currently in the programmer
• Highlight off/changes: if set to [Highlight changes] then
changing attributes will be highlighted.
• Narrow/Wide columns: changes the column width on the
screen.
You can select fixtures by touching the fixture names on the left of
the screen, or if you select any fixture values, the appropriate fixture
will automatically be selected.
You can clear attributes in the channel grid by selecting them (touch
or touch and drag to select multiple attributes). Then press Clear.
You can edit values by selecting one or more values in the grid, then
modify the values using the wheels, or type a new value on the
numeric keypad and press Enter.
3.3 Advanced options
3.3.1 The ML menu button
When the Pearl is at the top menu, the ML Menu button opens the
Moving Light menu which contains options to Locate Fixture (same as
the Locate button) and to run Macros on fixtures such as Lamp On,
Lamp Off, Reset etc. The Align Fixtures and Flip functions as
described above are also in this menu.
If another menu is loaded, the ML Menu button latches the current
menu. Press Exit to get back to the top menu so that you can access
the Moving Light menu.
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4. Palettes
This chapter contains: About palettes; shared and normal palettes;
recalling a palette; storing a palette; palette masks.
When programming a show you will find that you frequ ently use
certain positions, colours, etc. The Pearl lets you store these settings
so you can recall them at the touch of a button rather than having to
find them on the wheels every time. Palettes are stored and selected
using the grey Palette buttons, or touch buttons on the Touch Wing,
and you can set legends for the palette values so that you know what
you’re getting.
4.1 Create
4.1.1 Palette values stored as a reference
The most important thing about palettes is that when you use a
palette value in a cue, the Pearl stores a reference to the palette,
rather than the actual value. This means that if you program your
cues using palettes, you can easily change all the positions in your
show just by reprogramming a few palette entries rather than having
to reprogram all the cues. This is handy if you are touring and have
to cope with different stages or truss heights every show.
4. Palettes - Page 51
4.1.2 Which attributes are stored in palettes
A palette entry can store any or all attributes of a fixture, so you
could store position, colour and gobo in the same palette entry.
However, it’s easier to operate the Pearl if you have some palettes
which only set positions, some for colour, some for gobo and so on.
It’s also best to group similar palettes together on the console
buttons to make them easier to find, so have an area for Colour
palettes, and another area for Position palettes, and so on.
The Touch Wing has separate windows for Position palettes, Colour
palettes and Gobo/Beam
palettes. If these windows are
not shown you can show them
by pressing View, [Open
Workspace Window], then
[Position], [Colour] or
[Gobo/Beam].
In addition, palettes may be
either Shared or Normal. Shared
palettes are used where the
same value is set for all fixtures
of the same type – for example
when setting colours, the “Red”
palette would set the same
colour values for “Red” to all
MAC 2000 fixtures. Normal
palettes are used when each
fixture requires its own value for example when programming
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positions, each fixture will have a different setting.
4.1.3 Storing a palette
This is how you save a palette value:
1> Press Clear to clear the programmer.
2> Select the fixtures for which you want to store palette values.
3> Using the attribute buttons and wheels, set the attributes you
want in the palette entry. You can store any or all attributes of
a fixture in each palette entry.
4> Press the blue Store Palette button
5> Select which attributes are to be recorded in the palette using
the Attribute Bank buttons – anything lit up will be saved. This
is called the palette Mask. It’s best to save only one type of
attribute (e.g. Tilt/Pan). Softkeys D and E also controls the
Mask (see below).
6> All unused Palette buttons will flash. Press a grey preset Palette
button to store the palette, or touch an empty touch button on
the Touch Wing. Or enter a palette number and press F [Store]
• The console will automatically set the palette as
Shared or Normal (by checking if the values to
be stored are the same across all fixtures of the
same type). A “magic wand” icon on the softkey
indicates automatic setting. You can override
the setting by pressing the softkey C, in which
case a “user” icon is displayed to indicate a user
locked state.
• [Set Mask] allows you to
specify which attribute
groups will be included in
the palette. You can also
use the grey Attribute
Bank buttons on the right
hand edge of the console
to set the mask.
An attribute group is
included when the softkey
is inverted (like the Colour
group in the picture) and
when the LED is lit on the
Attribute Bank button.
• [Record By…] allows you
to control how the mask is
used when saving the
palette. The options are:
[Channel in programmer]
records only channels
which are in the programmer (which have been changed)
[Group in programmer] records all channels in any attribute
group which has one or more channels in the programmer. For
example if Cyan is in the programmer, all colour channel
settings will be recorded even if not in the programmer.
[Group in mask] records everything included by the mask set
on the attribute buttons
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[Mixed] records by attribute group for Position and Colour but
by channel for all other controls.
• You can set a legend for the palette while you are saving it
using [Provide a legend]. The legend is shown on the HUD (and
if on the Touch Wing, on the button), along with the palette
number you set, and one or more of the letters IPCGBES
showing which type of attributes are contained in the palette.
• If you press a Palette button which is already used, the Pearl
offers you options to [Cancel], [Replace] or [Merge] the existing
palette. [Replace] will erase the palette and save only the latest
changes you have made. [Merge] will combine your changes
with the palette. This allows you to add settings for additional
types of fixtures to a shared palette. Pressing the palette button
again will automatically merge.
4.1.4 Quick record on the Touch Wing
The palette windows allow you to quickly record a new
palette. Just touch the button where you want to record
– the button will turn red with a + sign. At this point you
can enter a legend for the new palette or change mask
settings. A second press on the button will save the palette.
4. Palettes - Page 53
Quick record also works for groups, workspaces and the playback
window.
Note: Palette touch buttons on the Touch Wing are completely
separate from palettes stored onto the preset handles, unless
the Compatibility View workspace is used – this view
duplicates the blue/grey preset buttons on the touch screen.
See section 11.1.4 on page 115 for more details.
4.2 Playback
4.2.1 Recalling a palette value
To recall a palette value, this is what you do:
1> Select the fixtures to be changed. Shared palettes can be set to
any fixture of the same type. Normal palettes will set individual
values to each fixture.
2> Press the grey preset Palette button you want to recall. The
palette will be set to the selected fixtures.
• You can make palettes fade over a time when you recall them,
see section
• You can recall a palette by its number by typing
the number on the numeric keypad and
selecting [Apply Palette] from the softkeys. The
softkey shows the legend of the palette which
will be applied. If you enter a palette number which does not
exist, a warning symbol appears on the [Apply Palette] button.
4.6.1 below.
4.2.2 Palette pages
You can select different pages of palettes using the Pages of Fixtures
buttons.
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• You can also recall a palette from any page using its number by
doing the following:
1> Select some lights
2> Press the Palette button above the numeric keypad
3> Type in the number of the palette you want to recall.
4> Press Enter or [Apply Palette]
4.2.3 Quick palettes with no fixtures selected
If you press a palette button when no fixtures are selected, the
palette will be set to all the fixtures the palette applies t o . This is
called a Quick Palette. For example if you’ve got some colour palettes
programmed for your MAC 2000’s, pressing one of the palettes when
no MAC 2000’s are selected will set the colour to all the MAC 2000’s.
4.2.4 Setting palettes to fixtures in a playback
You can apply a palette to all fixtures in a particular playback. Hold
down the palette key and select the playback which the palette is to
apply to. You can only use this function with palettes which have
been assigned to a handle button.
4.3 Edit
4.3.1 Editing palettes
To edit a palette entry, press the Update Palette button, select the
palette to edit (this will automatically select the fix tures used in the
palette), make the changes you want, then press the [Update Palette
x] softkey to save the changes.
The Update Palette button also allows you to change the palette name
and number.
You can also load the palette into some fixtures, modify the attributes
and record the new information back on top of the existing palette
entry. The Tiger Touch will give you options on the softkeys to
Replace or Merge the palettes. If you select Merge, anything you
haven’t changed will not be affected, values you hav e changed or
added will be amended.
• You can set the console to “Always Merge” (so it doesn’t ask
you) using option A of the User Settings (hold down the Avo
button to set these). You can also press the palette button a
second time to select the Merge option.
• You can add additional fixtures to a palette without affecting
existing ones. For example, if you have colour palettes for Mac
600s, you can add colours for your Mac 500s without affecting
any previously recorded values in the palette.
• You can remove attributes from palettes using the Off function,
see section
71.
• When editing a palette, the state of the programmer will be
preserved; when the modified palette is saved, your original
programmer contents will be restored and the programmer will
be left in the same state as when you started editing the
palette.
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4.3.2 Setting legends for palettes
You can enter a legend for each palette which is displayed on the
HUD.
1> Press the Palette button above the numeric keypad.
2> Press the grey preset palette button for the palette you want to
legend, or enter the palette number.
3> Press [Legend=xx] to change the legend.
4> Type the legend on the keyboard.
5> Press Enter when you have finished.
• The IPCGBES attribute
groups contained in the
palette are displayed
below your legend, so
for example Position
palettes will show a P,
colour palettes a C and
so on. The green N
refers to a “Normal”
palette rather than a S
for “Shared”.
4. Palettes - Page 55
• On the Touch Wing, the palette
number is shown top left. The
IPCGBES attribute groups contained
in the palette are displayed below
your legend, so for example Position
palettes will show a P, colour
palettes a C and so on. In the top
right corner is shown N for a Normal palette or S for Shared.
4.4 Copy and Move
4.4.1 Copying or moving a palette
Using the Copy button you can make a copy of an existing palette or
move it to a new button. You can copy or move multiple palettes in
one operation. You cannot link palette buttons.
Move is useful for tidying up the console.
1> Press the blue Copy button.
2> Select [Copy] or [Move]. Pressing the Copy button again will
also toggle these options.
3> Press or touch the Select button of the palette you want to
copy/move. You can select multiple palettes by holding the first
button and pressing the last of the range, or for touch buttons
by sliding your finger across the buttons.
4> Press or touch the empty Select button where you want it to
go.
• The ML Menu button latches the Copy/Move/Link menu, so you
can keep copying, moving or linking things without having to
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Page 56 – 4. Palettes
keep pressing the Copy button. Press Exit to unlatch.
• [Retain Layout] or [Bunch Up] is used when copying a group of
palettes with empty handles in the group – you can either keep
the empty handles, or bunch up the used handles together.
• When in Copy mode, option [Copy Legends] can be changed to
[Don’t copy legends] so that the copied palettes are given
default legends.
• When in Move mode, [Swap Items if Required] will attempt to
reposition any existing handles which are in the way of the
move. This is useful when rearranging buttons on a page which
is nearly full.
4.5 Delete
4.5.1 Deleting palettes
You can delete a palette entry by pressing the blue Delete button,
then the grey Palette button to be deleted. Press the palette button
again to confirm the deletion.
Other ways to delete a palette:
• Press the Update Palette button, select a palette, use the
[Delete] softkey option.
• Press the Palette button above the numeric keypad and use the
[Delete] option in the [Palette Utilities] menu.
• Press Delete then [Palette], type the palette number, press
Enter.
4.6 Timing
4.6.1 Fading a palette and fixture overlap
A timed palette is a very useful tool allowing easy "busking" of shows.
When a palette is recalled in this way, a time is added and the palette
fades in over that time.
1> Select some fixtures
2> Type in the fade time for the palette on the numeric keypad
3> Press a preset palette button to recall the palette
Palette fading can be very useful when recalling a palette live during
a show, as you can smoothly move fixtures to a new position or
change colour slowly (on colour mixing fixtures).
Palettes applied with a fade time do not get put into the programmer,
so will not be saved in any cues; don’t use fade times when
programming. This is to ensure that when used in a live situation, the
next cue will override the palette and play back as intended.
Additionally you can set Fixture Overlap, which means that if you
recall the palette to a group of fixtures, the change will be applied in
sequence to each fixture in the group. This is a very quick way to
busk some amazing effects. Fixture Overlap=100% means that all
fixtures will change together. Fixture Overlap=0% means th at each
fixture must complete its fade before the next will start its fade.
To set an overlap, type the overlap amount then press C [Set
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Overlap]. Then type the fade time (if required) and recall the palette
by pressing its button.
4.6.2 Master Time for palettes
Option E [Master Time] on the Palette menu (press the grey Palette
button above the numberic keypad) allows you to set a default fade
time. This fade time will be used for all palettes unless you manua lly
type in a different time. This can be useful when “busking” a show
with palettes.
4. Palettes - Page 57
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5. Shapes
This chapter contains: Selecting a shape; changing the size and
speed of a shape; spreading a shape across multiple fixtures; editing
shapes which are running.
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.
A shape is simply a sequence
of values which can be applied
to any attribute of a fixture. A
circle shape, for example,
applied to the pan and tilt
attributes, would cause the
fixture to move its beam
around in a circular pattern.
You can set the centre point
of the circle, the size of the
circle and the speed of the
circle movement.
5. Shapes - Page 59
In addition to position shapes, there are a large number of other
shapes available in the Pearl. The shapes are defined for a particular
attribute such as colour, dimmer, focus and so on. Some shapes will
not work with some fixtures; focus shapes, for example, can produce
nice “focus pull” effects on fixtures which hav e DMX focusing, but will
do nothing on fixtures which don’t have focusing.
A further category of shapes is the Block Shape. This type of shape
blocks out other shapes, preventing them from running. For example,
if some fixtures are running a Circle shape, and then a playback is
fired which has a Block Pan/Tilt shape on some of the fixtures, those
fixtures will stop running the circle shape. This can be very useful to
modify playbacks at showtime when used with the playback priority
feature (see section
When you use a shape with more than one fixture, you can choose to
either apply the shape identically to all the fixtures, or offset them so
that the shape runs along the fixtures creating “wave” or “ballyhoo”
type effects. This is called the Phase of the shape.
6.7.5 on page 76).
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5.1 Playback
5.1.1 Creating a shape
To create a shape you simply
pick it from a list on the
softkeys, or if you are using the
Touch Wing, from the Shapes
window.
Shapes are organised using the
IPCGBES attribute groups, so
you can pick from a list of
Dimmer shapes, or a list of
Pan/Tilt shapes, or Colour
shapes, and so on. You can also
pick from a list of All Shapes.
When you choose a shape, it will
be applied to all selected
fixtures.
1> Select the fixtures the
shape is to be applied to.
2> At the main menu press
[Shape Generator].
3> Press [Create] to start a new shape.
4> Press a softkey to select the attribute type to use in the shape
or press [All shapes] for a full list.
5> Press a softkey to select a shape. You can type a search word
on the Qwerty keyboard to search for a particular shape.
6> The shape will be applied to all selected fixtures.
• If you are using
the Touch Wing
you can open
the Shapes
window as part
of your
workspace and
it will remain
open for instant
selection of
shapes (you
don’t need to
select [Shape Generator]). The window will only show shapes
which are possible on the selected fixtures. Pressing attribute
buttons will filter the Shapes window to show only shapes for
that attribute. Press the Dimmer attribute button to show all
shapes.
• Shapes are based on the current settings of the fixture, so a
circle would move around the current pan-tilt position of the
fixture.
• You can change the base value of a shape (e.g. the centre of a
circle) by changing the attributes using the wheels in the usual
way. You can reduce the Size to zero (see next section) to help
you see what the base value actually is.
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5. Shapes - Page 61
• You can run more than one shape at a time by repeating the
above procedure. You can run several shapes on one fixture.
• Press [Shape Generator] then [Edit] to show what shapes are
running.
• Use the Shape mode of the channel grid window to show the
shape running on each fixture. To show the channel grid, press
View then [Open Workspace Window] then [Channel Grid] or
press the dedicated Channel Grid button.
• If you apply the same shape to two different groups of fixtures,
the shape will appear twice on the shape list. You can edit t he
two shapes separately to give different directions, speeds etc
(see later)
• Each shape is designed to work on a particular attribute.
Obviously if the fixtures don’t have the attribute, you will not
see any effect if you use the shape.
• Each shape has a default size and speed setting (defined in the
shape file).
5.1.2 Changing size and speed of a shape
It is easy to change the size and speed
of a shape after it has first been created.
If the display above the wheels is
showing Phase rather than Size/Speed,
press softkey E to select [Adjust Speed
and Size].
1> Control the speed of the shape
using the left hand wheel.
2> Control the size of the shape using
the right hand wheel.
3> The size and speed is shown above the wheels on the display.
Other things to know about size and speed of shapes:
• If you are using the Touch Wing, the wheels on the console are
used to control size/speed, not the wheels on the Wing.
• If you have more than one shape running, the controls operate
on the most recent one. You can edit the parameters of any
shape that’s running using the Edit Shape function, see section
5.2.1.
• The minimum size is zero. This will “hide” the shape, and the
fixture will resume its previous settings. The shape is, how ever,
still active.
• You can edit the shape
individually on each
fixture by selecting the
fixtures you want to
change. The HUD
shows the individual
shape parameters for each fixture, or you can use the Shape
mode of the channel grid window to show the shape running on
each fixture. To show the channel grid, press View then [Open
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Page 62 – 5. Shapes
Workspace Window] then [Channel Grid] or press the dedicated
Channel Grid button.
5.1.3 Changing the phase of a shape across multiple fixtures
Shapes get more interesting (and look more impressive) when you
apply them to multiple fixtures. The Pearl lets you control how a
shape is phased across several fixtures. You can also control Spread,
which is a different way of selecting the same thing.
The sequence of the shape across the fixtures is controlled by the
order in which you selected the fixtures when you created the shape..
1> Press softkey E to select [Adjust Phase and Spread]
2> Control the phase of the shape using the left hand wheel, or to
set in terms of Spread, use the right hand wheel.
Phase=22.5 deg (Spread=16 fixture) Phase=0 deg
Phase=60 deg (Spread=6 fixture)
The display above the left hand wheel shows the phase in degrees.
For example, 180 degrees repeats every 2 fixtures, 90 degrees
repeats every 4 fixtures, 60 degrees repeats every 6 fixtures, and so
on.
The Phase Offset function allows you to set the starting phase of the
shape, when more than one shape is running. Press Softkey E again
to select [Adjust Phase Offset]. For example, if you were running a
Cyan shape and a Magenta shape to create a mix of colours, you
would probably want to start them with Cyan at full and Magenta at
zero to give the full range of colours. In this case you would set one
of the shapes to have a Phase Offset of 180 degrees. Without the
phase offset, both shapes would reach full at the same time.
Phase=180 deg (Spread=2 fixture)
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5.2 Edit
5.2.1 Editing shapes which are running
If more than one shape is running, you can select which one is
connected to the control wheels using Shape option [Edit].
1> If you are not in the Shape menu, press [Shape Generator] at
the top menu.
2> Press [Edit].
3> By the softkeys is a list of the currently running shapes.
4> Press a softkey to make the shape active. The active shape is
highlighted.
5> Press Enter to get back to the Shape Generator menu.
• If you applied the same shape several times to different
fixtures, you can change each copy of the shape independently.
5.2.2 Reversing a shape
You can reverse the direction of a shape by pressing [Reverse
Shapes] from the shape menu, then pressing the softkey for the
shape you want to reverse.
5. Shapes - Page 63
5.3 Delete
5.3.1 Deleting shapes
You can delete a running shape by pressing [Delete] from the shape
menu, then pressing the softkey for the shape you want to delete.
5.4 Advanced options
5.4.1 Shape fade mode
When a shape is stored in a cue, you can set how the shape fades in
using the cue’s Mode setting (use [Edit Times] from the main menu
then [Fade Mode]).
Modes 0,1 and 3: The shape size will grow from zero to the
programmed size using the time/delay settings of the cue.
Mode 2: The shape size will be set by the fader position. It will start
at zero and grow to its programmed size when the fader reaches
100%.
If a new cue is fired which controls the same attributes (for example,
a second shape controlling the same fixtures as a currently running
shape), the new shape will crossfade from the running shape.
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6. Cues
This chapter contains: HTP and LTP channels; how the Pearl works
when programming; recording a cue; playing back a cue; changing
playback pages; setting fade times for a cue; copying and deleting
cues; the include function; editing cues; the “off” button; blind mode;
using shapes in cues.
The Pearl has many functions for producing a complex light show,
and the most fundamental part is a Cue, in which you can store a
“look” you have created using your
lights.
The Pearl has 600 playbacks, in 60
pages of 10, which can be used to
store cues or chases (sequences of
“looks”). Chases are covered in the
next chapter. The playbacks are
controlled using the sliders and
flash buttons across the near edge
of the console. The split roller is
used to select the page of cues or
chases – each group of 10 playback
faders can be set to its own page.
6. Cues - Page 65
Playback faders & split roller
The Pearl Expert also allows you to store cues on the preset faders,
and in the Playbacks window on the Touch Wing, provided you don’t
need a fader.
The cue functions on the Pearl are very powerful; the first part of this
section explains the basics of how the Pearl uses cues.
6.1 Create
6.1.1 How the Pearl works when programming
When you select one or more dimmers or fixtures for control, they
are loaded into the Editor. You can then use the wheels and palettes
to change the settings on the fixture. You can also apply shapes to it.
If a fixture is selected after you have changed some attributes then
the current list of fixtures is emptied and a new list is started.
All fixtures and attributes that have been edited since the last Clear
are stored in the Programmer. The order in which you selected the
fixtures is also stored, and is used with the Fixture Overlap function.
When you record a cue, the contents of the Programmer are saved
into the cue.
When you press Clear (by the numeric keypad), the programmer and
editor are emptied. This makes sure you don’t record fixtures you
don’t want. You also need to press Clear when you finish
programming, because any attributes in the programmer will override
playbacks.
Fixtures which are in the programmer are shown in mid blue on the
HUD windows and on the touch buttons. Attributes in the
programmer (the things you have changed) are shown in cyan on the
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HUD windows and attribute displays.
Firing a cue does not place the values from the cue in the
programmer (although the Include function lets you do this, see
section
6.3.2 on page 69).
6.1.2 Creating a cue
1> Press Clear to clear the programmer. This ensures that you are
starting with a clean slate.
2> Set up the look using the fixtures. You can save shapes in a
cue. Remember that only the fixtures you have selected will be
saved in the cue.
3> Press the blue Memory/Cue button.
4> Press the Swop button of an empty Playback to record the cue.
(Select a new roller page first if you want to use a different
page). You can also record a cue onto a Preset fader by
pressing its Swop/Select button, or into a touch button in the
Playbacks window.
5> Press Clear to clear the programmer. Repeat from 2 to program
more cues.
Other useful things to know about recording cues:
• [Record Mode] lets you select Record By Fixture (all attributes
of any modified fixture are saved), Record By Channel (only
modified attributes are saved) or Record Stage (all fixtures with
a non-zero dimmer channel are saved). Record By Channel is
useful if you want to layer multiple cues to create an effect.
• If you are recording a lot of cues, you can press the ML Menu
button to keep the Record Cue menu active. Press Exit to leave
Record Cue mode.
• The roller has a segment above each playback fader to allow
you to write on
the name of the
cue using the
low-tech but
reliable method
of marker pen
(use a strip of
tape on the
roller surface).
You can then see at a glance what’s in each cue.
• The Heads Up Display shows a legend for each playback fader.
You can change this to help you remember what’s in it. Press
[Set Legend], then the playback Swop button (or the preset
Select button), then enter a legend on the keyboard. Press
Enter to store it.
• The Touch Wing also shows the legends and information for the
playbacks at the bottom of the screen. The playbacks are
shown in two rows with the left hand roller on top and the right
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hand roller below.
6.1.3 Using shapes in cues
As you would expect, any shapes you have set up will be saved as
part of the cue.
You can create a cue which contains a shape with no base reference
values; a shape cue like this can then be fired with other cues to
overlay the shape on the cue and give you instant effects based
around the settings in that cue. When recording the cue, use the
“Off” function to remove the other attributes from the programmer as
described in section
6.3.4 on page 71.
6.2 Playback
Because it’s possible to play back a large number of cues at the same
time, the Pearl has to have rules on how it combines the output from
different cues. These are called HTP and LTP rules.
6. Cues - Page 67
6.2.1 HTP and LTP
The Pearl treats control channels in two ways:
• Dimmer or intens ity channels work on the principle of “Highest
Takes Precedence” (HTP). If an HTP channel is active at
different levels in several cues, the highest level will be output.
When you fade out a cue, the HTP channels fade out with it.
• All other chan nels work on the principle of “Latest Takes
Precedence” (LTP). The latest change takes over from any other
values, so the most recent cue to be turned on is the one which
is output. When you fade out a cue, LTP channels retain their
values until changed by another cue.
6.2.2 Playing back a cue
To fire (play back) a cue, 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).
• You can fire several cues at once.
• The HTP levels in the cue will be mastered by the fader level;
for example if you set the fader at 50% then all HTP levels will
be 50% of their programmed values.
• LTP channels are triggered as soon as the fader goes above
0%. If a fade time is programmed the LTP channels will start to
fade; if there is no fade time they will snap to position (unless
the cue is set to Mode 2; see the timings section
72 for details of modes).
6.6 on page
• You can Flash the cue by pressing the grey flash button. You
can Swop (solo) the cue by pressing the blue Swop button (all
other active cues will turn off while the button is pressed) . Flash
and Solo only work when the key is set to Run mode.
• You can Preload the cue by assigning the Preload function to
the blue or grey buttons using Key Profiles. Preload sets the
attributes of fixtures in the playback which are not currently
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active in any other playbacks. This is useful to avoid the fixtures
visibly moving into position or changing colours or gobos when
you raise the fader of the cue. To assign Preload, hold Avo Shift
and press [Edit Key Profile], then press the button you want to
assign (also see section
assign the function to all buttons of the same type. Also if you
are using one of the system key profiles, which are not editable,
you will need to select or create an editable key profile first.
6.2.3 Changing playback pages
You change playback pages using the Roller.. Each roller has 3 pages
set using the Roller Page buttons just above the left h and roller.
If you have stored cues on the preset faders, you select different
pages of preset faders using the Pages of Fixtures buttons above the
numeric keypad.
• Playbacks which are fired when you change page remain active.
If you want to fire a cue on a fader which is already on from a
previous page, lower the fader to zero then raise it again. The
cue from the previous page will stop and the cue from the new
page will fire.
11.3.4 on page 119.) Note that this will
• If you ret urn to a page with an active playback, the fader will
not resume control of the playback until it matches the current
level of the playback. This prevents the playback level
“jumping” when the fader is first moved.
• You can set a legend for each page of the A and B roller. The
legend is shown on the LCD screen and on the HUD. Use [Set
Legend] from the main Program menu then [Page Legends].
While in this menu you can change the Roller position to set
legends for different pages.
6.2.4 Releasing running playbacks
You can release a running playback to its previous state by pressing
the blue Off button, then the Select button of the playback to be
released. Channels will release back to their state in the previou s
playback until no playbacks are left to be released, at which point
they will go to the power-on state. You can release all running
playbacks by pressing the blue Off button then [Release all
playbacks].
Channels will always release with a fade time of 2 seconds.
You can set a mask to release only some channels from the playback
using the [Release Mask] option in the Playback Options menu.
6.3 Edit
6.3.1 Editing a cue
You can edit any part of a cue you have already saved simply by
making the changes and saving the new information on top of the
cue.
1> Press Clear to empty the programmer.
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2> Fire the cue you want to edit, so you can see what you are
doing. Kill all other cues to avoid confusion.
3> Select the fixtures you want to change, and make the changes.
4> Press Memory/Cue.
5> Press the Swop button for the cue you are editing.
6> Press [Merge] (the cue being edited is highlighted on the HUD)
7> The Pearl will merge the existing cue with your changes.
Unchanged information is not affected.
• If you want to overwrite the cue entirely, use [Replace] at step
6.
• To speed up editing, you can set the console to “Always Merge”
the cue. This is option A in the User Settings (press Avo and
select User Settings).
• You can also press the Swop button for the cue a second time
to select the “Merge” option (quicker than selecting the softkey
Merge option).
6.3.2 Playback and Cue view
To see the current timings of the cue, press View then the swop
button of the playback you want to view, or on the Touch Wing touch
the playbacks display above the fader. The VDU screen will show
details of the delay, fade, overlap and curve settings for the cue. You
can click on or
touch each item in
the grid to enable
editing.
6. Cues - Page 69
If you click or
touch the View
button at the right
hand end of the
row or the [View
Cue] context
button, the Cue
View window
opens, showing
you details of the settings individual timings for all the fixtures in the
cue. There is also a [View Cue] button in the context button area.
The Cue View has four different views: Levels, Palettes, Times,
Shapes. Views are selected using the context buttons to the left of
the menu buttons.
• The Levels view shows the individual attribute values for each
fixture.
• The Palettes view shows which palettes have been used to
record the cue. Palettes are shown by their legends. Where an
absolute value was saved rather than a palette, the value is
shown instead. Again you can edit or remove the values.
• The Times view shows individual attribute timings for fixtures.
If global timings are set, no times are shown in the cue view.
• The Shapes view shows which attributes of each fixture are
running shapes.
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You can edit or remove one or more individual control values in t he
cue.
Touch or drag over the required control values in the grid to select
them – they will be highlighted in blue.
The softkeys then give you available settings for that control value, or
you can directly edit values by typing numeric values and pressing
enter,
You can delete the selected control(s) using the [Delete] softkey.
Any changes take immediate effect.
6.3.3 The Include function
The Include function lets you load selected parts of a cue back into
the programmer. (Normally, only manual changes to fixtures are put
in the programmer). You can then use this to make a new cue. This is
useful if you want to make a cue which is similar to one you already
have, or to build a new cue from various parts of other cues.
There are two modes, Quick Include and Advanced Include. Quick
Include simply reloads the whole cue. Advanced Include allows you to
specify which attributes of which fixtures you want to load into the
programmer. So, for example, if you have a cue 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 cue into the programmer, and build up a
new cue using information from several existing cues.
If you Include a chase or cue list, the LCD shows you a list of the
cues within it, and you select the one you want to Include using
Wheel A. You can also type in the cue number to Include.
1> Press Include (above numeric keypad).
2> Press [Quick Include] or [Advanced mode] if you want to
change the mode
3> Press the Swop button of the cue you want to include.
4> All fixtures in the cue will be selected. If you don’t want them
all, deselect the fixtures you don’t want. The fixtures in the cue
are highlighted on the HUD and on the fixture buttons.
5> Use [Set Mask] or the Attribute Bank buttons to select which
Attributes you want to include (All are included by default –
Softkey C turns them all off and D turns them all on). Softkey E
lets you include or exclude Shapes from the cue.
6> Press Enter. The selected attributes of the selected fixtures will
be loaded into the programmer.
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7> Repeat from 2 to include other attributes from the same
fixtures, or repeat from 1 to include other fixtures.
6.3.4 Removing attributes from cues using “Off”
The “Off” button allows you to remove an attribute which has been
stored in a cue, as if you’d never recorded it.
For example, suppose you recorded a cue which had scans at a
certain position, with the colour set to green. If you later decide that
you don’t want a colour recorded at all in the cue, so that the colour
set by previous playbacks will remain, you set the colour values to Off
in the programmer, which will remove those values from th e cue. You
can also use the Off function to remove complete fixtures from a cue
by selecting all the attributes.
Setting an attribute to Off is not the same as recording an attribute at
zero, since this would change the attribute when the cue was fired. It
is the same as excluding that attribute using the mask when
recording, and the attribute will remain unchanged when the cue is
fired.
6. Cues - Page 71
1> Use the Quick Include function (described in previous section)
to load the cue you want to change into the programmer.
2> Press the blue OFF button to display the Off menu.
3> All fixtures in the cue will be selected. If you don’t want to
change them all, deselect the fixtures you don’t want.
4> Use the softkeys to select which Attributes you want to remove.
5> Press Memory/Cue, then set the record mode to [Replace], and
press the Swop button of the cue to update it.
• You can merge “Off” attributes into a cue without in cluding it
first.
• You can also remove attributes from palettes using the Off
function.
• Another way to remove attributes is from the Cue View window.
See section
6.3.2 on the previous page.
6.4 Copy, Move and Link
6.4.1 Copying or moving a cue
Using the Copy/Move/Link button you can make a copy of an existing
cue, move it to a new playback, or create a new playback which is
linked to the existing playback. You can copy, move or link multiple
playbacks (which may be cues, chases or cue lists) in one operation.
Move is useful for tidying up the console. Linked cues are handy if
you want a cue to appear on more than one page for ease of
programming; also the linked cue will have the same cue informat ion
in it, but can have different timings and playback options.
1> Press the blue Copy button.
2> Select [Copy], [Move] or [Link]. Pressing the Copy button again
will also toggle these options.
3> Press the Swop button of the cue you want to copy/move/link.
You can select a range of playbacks by holding the first button
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while pressing the last in the range.
4> Press the empty Swop button where you want it to go.
• The Menu Latch button latches the Copy/Move/Link menu, so
you can keep copying, moving or linking things without having
to keep pressing the Copy button. Press Exit to unlatch.
• [Retain Layout] or [Bunch Up] is used when copying a group of
cues with empty playbacks in the group – you can either keep
the empty playbacks, or bunch up the used playbacks together.
• When in Copy mode, option [Copy Legends] can be changed to
[Don’t copy legends] so that the copied cues are given default
legends.
• When in Move mode, [Swap Items if Required] will attempt to
reposition any existing playbacks which are in the way of the
move. This is useful when rearranging playbacks on a page
which is nearly full.
6.5 Delete
6.5.1 Deleting a cue
To delete a cue:
1> Press the blue Delete button.
2> Press the Swop button of the cue you want to delete.
3> Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.
• Press ML Menu to keep the delete mode active. You can keep
deleting using steps 2 and 3 without having to keep pressing
the Delete button. Press Exit to leave latched delete mode.
6.6 Timing
The Pearl allows a wide variety of timing functions to be set.
6.6.1 Setting fade times and Overlap for a cue
You can set a delay, fade in and fade out time independently for
every cue. Shapes in the cue will also be affected, depending on t he
fade mode.
You can delay the fade times between fixtures in a cue so that the
cue is applied sequentially to each fixture. This is called Fixture
Overlap and can create some amazing “peel off” or “roll” type effects
with no programming at all.
In the diagram below, the top picture shows how the LTP channels
change when used with delay, fade and fade out times. The second
picture shows how the HTP channels change. The third and fourth
pictures show what happens to the LTP channels when fixture overlap
and attribute fade are used.
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The times are set like this:
1> Press [Edit Times] at the top level menu.
2> Press the Swop button of the cue.
3> Press [Fade Mode x] to set the cue mode. This sets how the
times are used, see below.
4> Press [Delay time] to set the delay before the cue starts, [Fade
time] to set the fade-in time of the cue, and [Fade out time] to
set the fade-out time of the cue.
5> Type the new time (in seconds) using the numeric keypad and
press Enter to save it.
6> Press [Fixture Overlap] to change the overlap, then enter 0-100
on the keypad. 100% means all fixtures fade together. 0%
means that the first fixture will finish its fade before the next
one starts. 50% means that the 2
when the first one is half way through its fade. The order of the
fixtures is set by the order you selected them (but you can
change this, see section
7> Press Exit to get out of Edit Times mode.
• You can also set independent times for the IPCGBES attribute
6.6.2).
nd
fixture will start fading
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The times you enter are affected by the cue mode which is set using
E [Fade Mode]:
• Mode 0 – Channels will fade in as set by the fade time. The
• Mode 1 - Channels fade in as set by the fade time. HTP
• Mode 2 – Channels will fade in as set by the fade time. The
groups, and for each individual attribute, see next section for
details of this.
Fade Out time is ignored. If times are set to zero, the HTP
channels fade in with the 0-100% position of the playback fader
and the LTP channels will snap.
channels fade out as set by the fade out times (LTP channels
remain as set in the cue). If times are set to zero, the HTP
levels will fade in and out with the fader and the LT P channels
will snap when the cue is fired.
Fade Out time is ignored. However, the fade will stop when the
fader position is reached, so if the fader is set to 50%, the
attributes will stop half way to their programmed position. You
can reverse the fade back to the original position by moving the
fader back. If times are set to zero, both HTP and LTP channels
are controlled by the fader position.
In this mode LTP channels revert to their previous settings
when the cue is deactivated.
• Mode 3 - Crossfade cue. All channels, including intensity
channels, will fade to the settings in the new cue. All other cues
fade out and all other active playbacks become inactive; if you
need to re-fire a playback, take the fader to zero and put it up
again.
• If the cu e includes shapes, then the shape will change with fade
times. The changes will be timed for a Mode 1 cue and
controlled by the fader position for a Mode 2 cue. This allows
you to create a shape which gets bigger or faster as you push
up the fader.
6.6.2 Changing fixture order
You can change the order of the fixtures stored in a cue. Normally
this is set to the order in which you selected the fixtures when the
cue was created, but you might want to change this (for example to
pair up fixtures so they move together).
1> Press [Edit Times] at
the top level menu.
2> Press the Swop button
of the cue to be
changed.
3> Press [Fixture Order].
4> Set the sequence number to start from using option A.
5> If you want the sequence number to increase automatically, set
[Autoincrement] to On. If you want some fixtures to have the
same sequence number, set it to Off.
6> Press or touch the Select buttons of the fixture(s) you want to
place in that position in the sequence. The sequence number is
shown on the HUD or in the top right hand corner of the fixture
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6. Cues - Page 75
select touch buttons.
7> Press Exit to finish.
• You can set several fixtures to have the same sequence
number. This means, for example, when used with Overlap they
will all do the same thing at the same time.
• You can remove a fixture from the sequence by giving it the
same sequence number it already has. The fixture sequence will
show X. Touch
the button again
to put it back in
the sequence.
On the Touch Wing
the fixture sequence
is shown on the touch
button as shown in
the picture on the
right.
6.6.3 Setting attribute fade times for a cue
You can set individual fade times for each attribute group (such as
Position). If you set a time, it overrides the normal times.
To set an attribute group fade time:
1> Press [Edit Times] at the top level menu.
2> Press the Swop button of the cue to be changed.
3> Press the Attribute Bank button (right hand side) for the
attribute you want to change.
4> Press [Delay] to set delay time or [Set fade] to set fade time.
5> Type the new time using the numeric keypad and press Enter to
save it, or press [Use Global] to delete the attribute times and
go back to the normal times.
6> Press Enter to save the changes.
You can take this even further and set individual fade times for each
fixture. When you select the cue to be changed, you will see that all
the fixtures in the cue are selected. To set attribute times for only
certain fixtures, change the fixture selection using the Swop buttons.
The Cue View window will display when editing cue timings to help
you see what you are editing. You can touch fixtures or attributes in
the grid to select which items are going to be edited.
Press the ALL button to select all fixtures in the cue.
When you are in the Set Attribute Times menu you can only select
fixtures which are in the cue you are editing.
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6.7 Advanced options
To set options for a cue, press [Playback Options] on the root menu,
then press the swop button of the playback to be edited.
These options are also available for Chases and Cue Lists.
6.7.1 Release mask
[Release Mask] lets you specify which att ributes will be released to
the state they were in from a previously fired playback when this
playback is killed. You can also use the Attribute Bank buttons on the
right side of the console to set the mask. The default setting is to not
release any attributes.
6.7.2 Shape size/speed on fader
If the cue contains shapes, options B and C set how the shape
behaves when the playback fades in. You can set the size and/or
speed to be either fixed or to change with the fader.
6.7.3 Curve
[Curve] defines how the attribute values will change when the
playback is faded in. The various curves are illustrated in section
on page
124.
11.5
6.7.4 Handle Paging
This option allows you to lock the playback on a handle so that it
always appears on that handle no matter what page is selected. This
is useful if you have some general playbacks you want on every page,
without having to copy the playback onto each page.
If you select “Transparent Lock” then the playback will appear on the
current page only if no other playback is programmed in that
position.
6.7.5 Playback priority
This option allows you to configure how playbacks will behav e if you
turn on two playbacks controlling the same fixture. Th e priority can
be set to Low, Normal, High or Very High. If a fixture is being
controlled by a playback and you turn on a playback of the same or
higher priority, then the new playback will take over. However, if the
new playback is set to lower priority than the first playback, the
fixture will not change.
This is useful if, for example, you’ve programmed looks using all your
fixtures, then you decide you want a couple of them to spotlight a
singer. If you set the Spotlight playback to be high priority, then
while it is active no other playback will affect the spotlight fixtures.
Swop also obeys the priority settings and this provides a useful way
of preventing certain playbacks from being swopped.
6.7.6 Key Profile
Each playback can have an individual Key Profile allocated to it. T his
allows you to customise the panel button functions differently for
each playback. A list of available Key Profiles is shown, or you can
add a new one. The softkeys show the function allocated to the blue
and grey buttons for each of the available Key Profiles.
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6. Cues - Page 77
If the playback Key Profile is set to “None”, the default global profile
is used.
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7. Chases
This chapter contains: Programming a chase; running a chase;
setting speed, crossfade and direction; manually controlling the chase
steps; setting step times and unlinking; editing a chase using unfold;
editing a chase which is running; copying chases; chase options.
As well as being used to store static cues, the playback faders on the
Pearl can also be used to store chases (sequences of cues). You can
also store chases on the preset faders.
Chases can run once or repeat continuously. You can set individual
fade time for each cue in the chase and unlink cues so that the
console waits for you to press Go before the chase continues.
7.1 Create
7.1.1 Programming a chase
To program a chase, you have to set up the look for each cue in the
chase, then save it.
7. Chases - Page 79
You can either set all the fixtures and dimmers manually for each cue
in the chase, or you can use Include to load in the information from
cues you have already recorded.
1> Press the blue Chase button.
2> Press the Swop button of the playback or the Select/Swop
button of the preset where you want to store the chase. You
can also record chases in the Playbacks window of the Touch
Wing.
3> Set up the look for the first cue, either manually or by using
“Include” on existing cues.
4> You can change the number given to the step using B [Step
Number].
5> Press the Swop button of the playback to store the programmer
contents as a step of the chase. You can also press C [Append
Step] on the menu.
6> Press Clear (unless you want to re-use the contents of the
programmer), then repeat from step 3.
7> Press Exit to finish when you have stored all the cues you want.
• A [Record Mode] lets you select Record By Fixture (all attributes
of any modified fixture are saved), Record By Channel (only
modified attributes are saved) or Record Stage (all fixtures with
a non-zero dimmer setting are saved).
• The cue number currently being saved, and the total number of
cues, is shown on the top line of the display.
• Press Clear when you have finished recording the chase,
otherwise when you try to play it back the programmer will
override the chase and you won’t see the chase properly.
• You can record shapes in a chase. If the same shape is saved in
subsequent cues it will continue from step to step and if not it
will stop at the end of the cue. (The Pearl considers the shape
to be the same if you didn’t press Clear after the previous step,
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and didn’t change the speed, size or phase of the shape from
the previous step; or if you Included the shape from the
previous step and have not modified it)
• You can set a legend for the chase by pressing Set Legend,
then pressing the Swop button for the chase and entering the
legend, as with cues.
• There is n o limit to the number of steps in a chase.
7.2 Playback
7.2.1 Playing back a chase
To fire a chase, raise the fader of the playback. (You can also use the
Flash/Swop buttons). The chase
will start to run.
• The HTP (intensity)
channels in the chase will
be controlled by the fader;
if fade times are
programmed, the fade will
stop at the fader level.
The other channels (LTP)
will be set as soon as the
fader moves above zero
according to the fade
times programmed in the
chase. You can set the
point at which the LTP
channels activate from the
User settings menu.
• While the ch ase is
running, the lower left
area of the LCD screen
shows details of the chase steps.
• You can temporarily pause the chase by pressing the Stop
button to the right of the wheels. Press Go to resume playback.
There are many options you can set to determine the way the chase
runs and these are described in the rest of this chapter.
7.2.2 Connecting a chase for control
When you fire a chase, the wheels and Stop/Go buttons are
automatically allocated to control the Speed and Crossfade of the
chase – this is called Connecting the chase. If you have more than
one chase running, you can choose which chase is connected to the
controls using the Connect button.
• Connect a different chase to the controls by pressing the
Connect button (right of the wheels) then the Swop button of
the chase you want to control.
• Disconnect a chase from the controls by double pressing the
Connect button.
• You can turn off the “chase autoconnect” option in the User
Settings menu if you don’t want to connect to a chase when
you fire it. You will have to use th e Connect button to control
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the chase if you do this.
• Normally if you change the speed or crossfade of a chase, the
new setting is saved. However you can set this change to be
temporary, so that when the show is reloaded the speed and
fade will go back to the previously saved settings. Go to User
Settings (Avo button + [User Settings] and set option C to
[Connected View Sets Temporary Chase Speed]. You can still
save a temporary speed by pressing [Save Temporary Speed]
in the Set Times menu.
7.2.3 Setting speed and crossfade for a Chase
The left wheel is assigned to control the Speed of the chase it is
connected to. The speed is shown in Beats Per Minute (BPM) on the
display. You can also enter a speed from the keypad as described
below. The last speed you set on the wheel is always remembered,
you do not have to tell the Pearl to save it.
Crossfade is the “slope” between cues; with a crossfade of 0, the
fixtures snap instantly to the next cue, but with a crossfade of 100,
the fixtures spend the whole cue time fading to the next cue. With a
crossfade of 50, the fixtures delay for half the cue time and fade for
the other half of the time.
7. Chases - Page 81
You set the crossfade and speed as follows:
1> Press [Edit Times] from the top level menu then the Swop
button of the chase.
2> To set the crossfade, press [Xfade] and type the fade from 0 –
100. 0=no fade (the chase will “snap”), 100=max fade (the
chase will move continuously from step to step).
3> To set the speed, press [Speed], type the new speed, then
press Enter. The speed can be set in Beats Per Minute (BPM) or
seconds depending on the User Settings.
There are other options you can set for the chase from this menu
including Fixture Overlap, which are described in the Timings section
7.6.1 on page 85.
You can set individual times for each cue in a chase and unlink cues
from each other so they wait for you to press the Go button. This is
done using the Playback View, or the Unfold function which is
described in section
You can select whether the chase speed is displayed in Seconds or in
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Page 82 – 7. Chases
Beats Per Minute (BPM). Press Avo and A [User Settings], then press
B [Tempo Units] to set the option to [Tempo Units Seconds] or
[Tempo Units Beats Per Minute (BPM)].
7.2.4 Manually controlling the steps of a chase
You can pause a chase, if the chase is connected to the wheels, by
pressing the Stop button next to the wheels. Press the red Go button
to resume playback of the chase.
While the chase is stopped you can use the ← and → buttons (below
the ML Menu button) to move to the next or previous step.
You can also configure the blue and grey buttons of the playback
handle to be Stop and Go. This uses the Key Profiles function.
1> Turn the key to System and press [Key Profiles].
2> Press [Edit Profile] and then press the profile you want to edit
(normally this would be “Run” for run mode or “Program” for
program mode).
3> Press [Chases] then choose either the Blue key or the Grey key.
4> Select Go or Stop from the function menu. Then press Exit and
set the function for the other key if required.
5> Turn the key back to Program or Run to continue using the
console.
7.2.5 Changing chase direction
The arrow buttons to the right of the Connect button set the direction
of the connected chase. The ↔ double-ended arrow button sets
“bounce” mode where the chase will run to the en d then reverse. The
Review key sets the chase to Random.
7.2.6 Jumping to a step
You can jump directly to a step in a chase by pressing the Connect
button, then typing in the desired step number, then pressing Enter
or softkey A. Alternatively at the top level menu you can type the
step number then press Connect.
7.3 Edit
7.3.1 Opening a chase for editing
You can open a chase for editing by pressing Chase then the Swop
button of the chase. This does not affect any existing cues in the
chase. You can then save new cues at the end by pressing the Swop
button just like normal recording.
To see a list of the cues in the chase, use Playback view (press View
then the Swop button of the playback).
To edit any of the time settings in each cue, select the setting to be
modified by touching or dragging in the grid, then use the softkey
options to change the setting.
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7. Chases - Page 83
7.3.2 Editing a chase using Unfold
The Pearl has a powerful chase editing system. The Unfold button
places each cue in a chase on one of the playback faders, allowing
you to fire and edit each cue individually as if it was a stand-alone
cue. Unfold also allows you to set individual timing for cues in the
chase.
1> Press the blue Unfold button, then the Swop button of the
chase to be edited.
2> The first 20 cues of the chase are loaded into the playback
faders.
3> Raise a playback fader to output the contents of that cue (fade
times will operate as programmed).
4> Various Unfold options are available, the details are below.
5> Press Unfold again to get out of unfold mode.
To edit the contents of a cue: Press Clear to empty the programmer,
raise the fader to output the cue, make the changes, press [Record
Step], then the Swop button for the cue number.
To Insert a new cue at the end of the chase, set up the look for the
new cue, press [Insert Step], then press the swop button of the first
free playback.
To Insert a cue between two other cues, set up the look for the new
cue, press [Insert Step], then type the cue number for the new cue
(such as 1.5 to go between 1 and 2). If this cue number already
exists it will be merged with the look you have created. Oth erwise a
new cue is inserted.
To change individual times for the cue, press [Edit Times], then the
Swop button for the cue (or type the cue number), then set the
times. This is described in detail in the Timing section on the following
page.
If the chase has more steps than there are playback faders, you can
go between pages using the F and G buttons.
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7.4 Copy, Move and Link
7.4.1 Copying or moving a chase
Using the Copy button you can make a copy of an existing chase,
move it to a new playback, or create a new playback which is linked
to the existing playback. You can copy, move or link mult iple
playbacks (with cues, chases or cue lists) in one operation.
Move is useful for tidying up the console. Linked chases are handy if
you want a chase to appear on more than one page for ease of
programming; also the linked chase will have the same chase
information in it, but can have diff erent timings and playback options.
1> Press the blue Copy button.
2> Select [Copy], [Move] or [Link]. Pressing the Copy button again
will also toggle these options.
3> Press the Swop button of the chase you want to
copy/move/link. You can select a range of playbacks by holding
the first button while pressing the last in the range.
4> Press the empty Swop button where you want it to go.
• The Menu Latch button latches the Copy/Move/Link menu, so
you can keep copying, moving or linking things without having
to keep pressing the Copy button. Press Exit to unlatch.
• [Retain Layout] or [Bunch Up] is used when copying a group of
chases with empty playbacks in the group – you can either keep
the empty playbacks, or bunch up the used playbacks together.
• When in Copy mode, option [Copy Legends] can be changed to
[Don’t copy legends] so that the copied chases are given
default legends.
• When in Move mode, [Swap Items if Required] will attempt to
reposition any existing playbacks which are in the way of the
move. This is useful when rearranging playbacks on a page
which is nearly full.
7.5 Delete
7.5.1 Deleting a chase
To delete a chase:
1> Press the blue Delete button (bottom right).
2> Press the Swop button of the playback you want to delete.
3> Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.
Press ML Menu to keep the delete mode active. You can keep deleting
using steps 2 and 3 without having to keep pressing the Delete
button. Press Exit to leave latched delete mode.
7.5.2 Deleting a step from a chase
To delete a single step from a chase:
1> Press the blue Delete button.
2> Press the Swop button of the chase.
3> The steps in the chase are listed on the screen. Use the left
hand wheel to select the step you want to delete, or type in the
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number of the step to be deleted.
4> Press [Delete Cue x] to delete the step.
5> Press [Confirm] to confirm the delete.
• Alternatively you can use the Unfold function to delete a step
from a chase.
7.6 Timing
7.6.1 Global timings for chases
When a chase is first programmed, each cue in the chase has
identical timing. This is called the global timing for the chase. If you
want you can then set each cue to have its own timings using the
Playback View window or Unfold. This is described in the next section .
1> Press [Edit Times] from the top level menu then the Swop
button of the chase.
2> Set the Crossfade, Speed, Fixture Overlap and Attribute Overlap
settings as described below.
3> Press Exit to finish.
7. Chases - Page 85
To set speed, press [Speed] then type the new speed, then press
Enter. The speed can be set in Beats Per Minute (BPM) or seconds
depending on the user settings.
To set crossfade, press [Xfade] then type the fade from 0 – 100 and
press Enter. 0=no fade (the chase will “snap”), 100=max fade (the
chase will move continuously from cue to cue)
When in Run mode, you can set the chase speed of the connected
chase by tapping the [Tap Tempo] button in the main menu at the
speed you want the chase to run. (The option only appears when a
chase is connected). You can also assign the blue or grey handle
button to be a “tap tempo” button using the Key Profiles option (see
section
The Overlap functions allow you to offset and overlap the timing of
changes in the chase. This can create really amazing visual effects
with hardly any programming. The best way to learn about overlap is
to program a chase with two cues involving several fixtures, then
experiment with the overlap settings to see the various “roll” and
“peel off” effects which result.
The following diagram shows you the effects of cue overlap, fixture
overlap and attribute overlap in chases.
11.2.1 on page 117).
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Page 86 – 7. Chases
• Press [Fixture Overlap] then enter 0-100 on the keypad to
change how fixtures overlap in the cue. 100% (the normal
setting) means all fixtures fade together. 0% means that the
first fixture will finish its fade before the next one starts giv in g a
“rolling” change across a range of fixtures. 50% means that the
nd
fixture will start fading when the first one is half way
2
through its fade. The order of the fixtures is set by the order
you selected them when the cue was saved; you can change
the order using Unfold.
Note: From v3 software, [Cue Overlap] is no lon ger available in
chases. Instead use a Cue List set to “Link With Previous” and
set the Link Offset as desired – see section 8.6.2 on page 96).
7.6.2 Individual cue times in chases
You can configure each cue in a chase to have its own timing
information. You can use the Playback View window, or the Unfold
function to set individual times for cues in chases.
Using the Playback View
window:
1> Press View then
the swop button
of the playback,
or on the Touch
Wing, touch the
playback display.
The Playback View
window will open.
2> In the grid, click
on or touch the
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7. Chases - Page 87
times you want to edit.
3> Use the softkey options to change the times or settings.
4> Repeat from 2 to change other times or settings.
• You can change a range of cues all at once by dragging across
the grid to select multiple cells, or you can use wheel B to select
multiple cells for editing.
Using Unfold:
1> Press the blue Unfold button, then the Swop button of the
chase to be edited.
2> Press [Edit Times] then the Swop button of the unfolded cue
you want to edit.
3> Set up the timing options as required. The options are
described below.
4> Press Unfold to get out of unfold mode.
Initially all the timing options are set to Global. You can cancel any
individual timings and set the time back to global timings by pressing
the softkey for the option then pressing G [Use Global].
The timing options for the cue are:
• Delay
• Fade (in)
• Fade Out
• Fixture Overlap
• Linking with previous step
• Attribute times (see next section)
Linking can be set to [Link After Previous] (t he chase will run
automatically) or [Link Wait For Go] which w ill stop the chase until
you press Go.
7.6.3 Setting attribute fade times for a cue in a chase
For each cue in a chase, you can set individual fade times for each
attribute group (such as Position). If you set a time, it overrides the
normal times. You can use the Cue View window or the Unfold
function to set attribute times.
To set an attribute group fade time:
1> Press View or the blue Unfold button, then the Swop button of
the chase to be edited.
2> Press [Edit Times] then click on or touch the cue you want to
edit in the Playback View, or if using Unfold, press the Swop
button of the unfolded cue you want to edit.
3> Press the Attribute Bank button (right hand side) for the
attribute you want to change.
4> Press [Delay] to set delay time or [Set fade] to set fade time.
5> Type the new time using the numeric keypad and press Enter to
save it, or press [Use Global] to delete the attribute times and
go back to the normal times.
6> Press Enter to save the changes.
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7.7 Advanced options
To set options for a chase, press [Playback Options] on the root
menu, then press the swop button of the playback to be edited.
The same options are available as for Cues (see section
76), with some additional options for Chases.
7.7.1 Loop/Stop on Final Cue
Option B lets you specify whether the chase will loop back to the
beginning or stop on the final cue.
7.7.2 Forwards/backwards/bounce/random
Option C sets the direction of the chase.
7.7.3 Cue linking
Option D sets how the cues in the chase are linked. The settings are:
• [Always Lin k Steps]: The chase will run on its own using the
times
• [Never Link Steps]: The chase will pause after every delay/fade
time for the user to press Go.
• [Link according to individual steps]: Each step in the chase will
obey its individual link settings which are set using the Playback
View window or the Unfold function.
7.7.4 Renumber cues
Option [Renumber cues] will renumber all the cues in the chase
starting from 1.
6.7 on page
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8. Cue Lists
This chapter contains: Programming a cue list; running a cue list;
editing, copying and deleting cue lists; setting fade times; cue list
options.
Cue Lists allow you to record a sequence of cues, each of which can
have its own timings and can be triggered by the Go button or run
automatically to the next cue. This allows you to build a complete
show in a single list and is ideal for theatrical shows where the sh ow
must be exactly the same each time.
Cue lists differ from chases in the way the console handles changes
between cues. Chases will crossfade between cues whereas a cue list
will track changes.
For example: You record dimmer 1 in cue 1, press clear, record
dimmer 2 in cue 2, press clear, record dimmer 3 in cue 3. If this were
a chase, when you play it back each cue will fade out the dimmer
from the previous cue, as it is not in that cue. Therefore once you get
to cue 3, you will only have dimmer 3 active.
8. Cue Lists - Page 89
Cue lists on the other hand track the cues. This means that the cue
list only knows about the changes, so in going from cue 1 to 2 it
won't change dimmer 1 as there is no data about dimmer 1 in cue 2.
This means that once you get to cue 3, it will have accumu lated the
data from all the cues and the output will consist of dimmers 1, 2 and
3 together.
If you wanted cue 2 to turn off dimmer 1, you would have to
explicitly set the level of dimmer 1 at zero (by selecting it and setting
the Intensity to 0); or you can miss out pressing Clear in between
saving each cue.
This means that you need to be mindful of what is actually being
saved in each cue when you record your cue list.
To view detailed contents of a cue list, press View then the swop
button of the playback, or on the Touch Wing touch the playback
screen above the fader.
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8.1 Create
8.1.1 Programming a cue-list
Programming a cue list is similar to recording a chase.
You need to set up the look on the stage for each cue and then add it
to the cue list. If you want to set fade times, you can either set them
while saving the cues or later.
1> Press the blue Chase button twice (or press Chase then [Create
Cue List]).
2> Press the blue Select button of the handle where you want to
store the Cue List (you can also store cue lists in the Playbacks
window).
3> Select the Record Mode of the console: by Fixture, Channel, or
Stage using softkey A. [Record Mode Stage] is safest as you are
sure to record the whole console output.
4> Set the default Fade and
Delay times, and
automatic cue linking,
using [Set Times]. These
settings will be allocated
to every new cue.
5> Set up the look for the
first cue, either manually
or by using “Include” on
existing cues. [Shape
Generator] allows you to
program shapes.
6> If you require a legend for
the cue, set it now using
Softkey C. You can also
change this later using
Unfold or Set Legend (see
next section).
7> Press the Select button of
the handle or [Append
Cue] to store the programmer contents as Cue 1 of the cue list.
8> Repeat from step 5 for the next cue. Do not press Clear in
between cues, unless you want levels to track through from
previous cues, as any faders moving to zero will not be stored.
If you do press clear, you must make sure that all channels you
want to record are selected or in the programmer (inverted
display).
9> Press Exit to finish when you have stored all the cues you want.
• [Record Mode] lets you select Record By Fixture (all attributes
of any modified fixture are saved), Record By Channel (only
modified attributes are saved) or Record Stage (all fixtures with
a non-zero dimmer channel are saved). Record By Channel is
useful if you want to layer this cue list with other playbacks to
create an effect.
• You can reopen the cue list to add more cues by repeating the
procedure above; this does not affect any cues already stored
in the cue list. While the cue list is open for editing:
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8. Cue Lists - Page 91
• To add more cues to the end of the existing cues press [Append
cue].
• To edit an existing cue, press [Cue Number=] and type the cue
number to edit. Make the changes then press [Update Cue x].
• To insert new cues, see section
• The Advanced Options menu allows you to renumber all the
cues, and to change the number of an existing cue.
• There is no limit to the number of cues in a cue list.
8.3.2.
8.1.2 Changing legends for cues in a cue list
You can set a legend for each cue, which is shown on the LCD when
running the cue list and can be helpful for keeping track of where you
are.
1> Press [Set Legend] in the top level menu. If you are setting
legends for several cues, press ML Menu to latch the Set
Legend menu.
2> Press the Select button of the Cue List.
3> The cues in the cue list are shown on the LCD screen. Use
Wheel A to select the cue which is to have a legend set.
5> Press E and type the legend on the keyboard, then press Enter.
6> If you latched the menu, you can continue to set legends for
other cues, or press Exit to finish.
8.1.3 Autoloading a playback within a cue list
You can program a cue within a cue list to automatically load one or
more playbacks when the cue fires. The playback can be a single cue,
a chase or another cue list. This can be useful to trigger off chases or
effects from the cue list.
1> Press [Playback Options]
in the top level menu.
2> Press the blue Select
button of the Cue List.
3> Press [Autoload].
4> The cues in the cue list are
shown on the screen. Use
Wheel A to select the cue
which is to have the
Autoload set.
5> Press the Select button of
the playback which is to
be loaded. The playback
legend appears on the
softkeys.
6> You can continue to add
Autoloads to other cues,
or press Exit to finish.
The Autoloaded playback will be fired when the cue starts, and k illed
when the cue list moves on to the next cue, unless you have also
loaded the playback into the next cue.
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Page 92 – 8. Cue Lists
You can set options for each Autoloaded playback by pressing the
softkey where the Autoloaded playback is shown.
For a cue, the only option is [Remove this Autoload].
For a chase or cue list, softkey B lets you select whether to load the
playback from the start, to start at a specific cue, or to press Go on
the target playback.
8.2 Playback
8.2.1 Running a cue list
Raise the fader of the cue list
and press the Go button to run
the first cue. The bottom section
of the display shows the cue
list; the current cue is
highlighted in white and the
next cue has a box round it.
Also the Touch Wing playback
display shows information about
the cue list, including the
current and next cue, fade
progress of the current cue, and
fade in/out times.
• The HTP levels of cues in
the cue list are mastered
by the fader level.
• You can pause a fade by
pressing the Stop button
above the Go button.
Press Go again to resume
the fade.
• You can skip to any cue in the cue list by selecting a “n ex t” cue
using Wheel A or using the left/right arrow keys. Wh en you
press Go, the cue list will run that cue next.
• You can snap back to the previous cue by pressing the Snap
Back button
• You can jump directly to a cue by pressing the Connect button,
then typing in the desired cue number, then pressing Enter or
softkey A. Alternatively at the top level menu you can type the
cue number then press Connect.
• You can use Key Profiles to set the blue and grey buttons of the
playback to have various functions including Go, Stop, Connect,
Next Cue, Prev Cue, Cut Next Cue To Live, and Snap Back.
• When you lower the fader for a cue list, the HTP channels will
fade out, but the cue list will remain active. The sect ion below
details how to kill the cue list.
• You can use timecode to play back a cue list automatically. See
section
8.6.5 on page 99.
8.2.2 Killing a cue list
Once a cue list is fired, it remains active until you kill it . You do this
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by holding down the Avo Shift button and pressing the blue Select
button of the cue list’s handle.
You can change this in the Playback Options to make the cue list
automatically clear when the fader reaches zero (press [Playback
Options] at the program menu, then press the Select button of the
cue list, then select [Fader Mode Intensity Kill At 0] .
8.3 Edit
8.3.1 Editing a cue list using Unfold
The Unfold button places each cue of the cue list on one of the
playback faders. This allows you to fire and edit each step individually
as if it was a stand-alone cue.
1> Press the blue Unfold button, then the Select button of the cue
list to be edited.
2> The first 20 cues are loaded into the playback faders. The
display shows the cue numbers and legends.
3> Raise a playback fader to output the contents of that cue (fade
times will operate as programmed).
4> Various Unfold options are available, the details are below.
5> Press Unfold again to get out of unfold mode.
8. Cue Lists - Page 93
• To edit the contents of a cue: Press Clear to empty the
programmer, raise the fader to output the cue, make the
changes, press A [Record Step], then the Select button for the
cue number.
• To change the times for the cue, press [Edit Times], then the
Select button for the cue, then set the times (see Timing on the
following page)
• To Insert a new cue, set up the look for the new cue, press B
[Insert Step], then press the playback button where you want
the new cue to go. All following cues will be shifted on by on e
and the new cue will be given a number in between th e two
existing cues (for example, if you press playback 3, your new
cue will be 2.5).
• To Delete a cue, press the blue Delete button then the Select
button for the cue you want to delete. Press the Select button
again to confirm.
• To change the cue legend, press [Set Step Legend] then the
playback select for the step you want to change.
• If the cue list has more cues than there are playback faders,
you can swop to the next page using softkeys F and G.
8.3.2 Editing a cue list which is running
You can also edit cues in a cue list while you are running it without
using Unfold.
1> Fire the cue list by raising its fader.
2> Use Wheel A to select the cue number you want to change then
↔
the white
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button above the Snap Back button to jump to it.
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Page 94 – 8. Cue Lists
3> Press Clear to make sure the programmer is empty.
4> Make the changes that you want to the current step.
5> Press Rec. Step, then select [Replace], [Merge] or [Insert After]
6> Press the
You can edit the times for a cue using the Rec Times button of the
controller as follows:
1> Fire the cue list by raising its fader.
2> Use Wheel A to select the cue number you want to change then
3> Press the Live Time button to set the times for the current step,
4> Use the softkeys to set the times, linking and overlap settings
5> Press the
to save the changes.
↔
button to jump on to the next step.
↔
the white
or the Next Time button for the next step. The Live and Next
step numbers are shown on the display above the controller
wheel.
you want (see section
times). If you set the [Link to next step] option to On, then the
next cue will not wait for the Go button.
button above the Snap Back button to jump to it.
6.6.1 on page 72 for description of the
↔
button to jump on to the next step.
You can also use Unfold to set the times as described in the Unfold
section above.
8.3.3 Editing a cue list while recording
You can edit cues while you are in the Record Cue List menu.
1> Press [Cue Number=x]
and type the cue number
to be edited.
2> The Pearl will jump to the
cue and show the output.
3> Make the changes that
you want to the
programming of the
current step, or to the
timings using [Edit Cue x
Times].
4> Press [Update Cue x] to
save the changes..
You can’t change the cue
number using this menu – if you
press [Cue Number] this will
change the cue you are editing.
Use [Advanced Options] to
change cue numbers.
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8.4 Copy, Move and Link
8.4.1 Copying or moving a cue list
Using the Copy button you can make a copy of an existing cue list,
move it to a new playback, or create a new playback which is linked
to the existing playback. You can copy, move or link mult iple
playbacks (which may include cues, chases or cue lists) in one
operation.
Move is useful for tidying up the console. Linked cue lists are handy if
you want a cue list to appear on more than one page for ease of
programming; also the linked cue list will have the same cue list
information in it, but can have diff erent timings and playback options.
1> Press the blue Copy button.
2> Select [Copy], [Move] or [Link]. Pressing the Copy button again
will also toggle these options.
3> Press the Swop button of the cue list you want to
copy/move/link. You can select a range of cue lists by holding
the first button while pressing the last in the range.
4> Press the empty Swop button where you want it to go.
8. Cue Lists - Page 95
• The Menu Latch button latches the Copy/Move/Link menu, so
you can keep copying, moving or linking things without having
to keep pressing the Copy button. Press Exit to unlatch.
• [Retain Layout] or [Bunch Up] is used when copying a group of
cue lists with empty playbacks in the group – you can either
keep the empty playbacks, or bunch up the used playbacks
together.
• When in Copy mode, option [Copy Legends] can be changed to
[Don’t copy legends] so that the copied cue lists are given
default legends.
• When in Move mode, [Swap Items if Required] will attempt to
reposition any existing playbacks which are in the way of the
move. This is useful when rearranging playbacks on a page
which is nearly full.
8.5 Delete
8.5.1 Deleting a cue list
To delete a cue list:
1> Press the blue Delete button (bottom right).
2> Press the Swop button of the playback you want to delete.
3> Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.
Press ML Menu to keep the delete mode active. You can keep deleting
using steps 2 and 3 without having to keep pressing the Delete
button. Press Exit to leave latched delete mode.
8.5.2 Deleting a cue from a cue list
Use the Unfold function to delete a cue from a cue list.
1> Press the blue Unfold button.
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Page 96 – 8. Cue Lists
2> Press the Swop button of the cue list.
3> Press the blue Delete button.
4> Press the Swop button where the unfolded cue is that you want
to delete.
5> Press the Swop button again to confirm the delete.
8.6 Timing
8.6.1 Time and fade options for Cue Lists
Time settings are independent for each cue in the cue list. The display
shows which cue you are working with. You can select which cue is
active using Wheel A or softkey A of the Edit Cue List Cue Times
menu.
See the diagrams in section
86 for more information about overlaps and fade times.
page
1> Press [Edit Times] at the main Program menu then the Swop
button of the Cue List.
2> To change which cue you are editing, scroll through the list
using Wheel A or press [Cue Number] then type the cue
number you want to edit and press Enter.
• You can select a range of cues, enabling you to alter the timings
of multiple cues all in one go, by using Wheel B, or in t he
Playback View window, dragging across the cues you want to
select in the grid.
• To set the delay time before the cue starts once the Go button
has been pressed, press [Delay In] then type a time in seconds
and press Enter.
• To set the fade-in time of the cue, press [Fade In] then type a
time in seconds and press Enter. Both HTP and LTP channels
are affected by the fade.
• The fade-out time of the cue is set by default to be the same as
the fade in time. You can change the Fade-Out time by pressing
[Fade Out], then type the time in seconds and press Enter. To
set equal to Fade In time, delete the time and leave the box
blank.
6.6.1 on page 72 and section 7.6.2 on
• The Delay Out time of the cue would normally be used if the
console links automatically to the next cue, and sets the wait
time before the next cue starts.
• Press [Next] and use [Link to next step] to set an automatic
link between this cue and the next one. If this is set to Off, you
have to press the Go button to move to the next cue. Otherwise
the console will move on automatically after the Delay Out time.
8.6.2 Cue linking & Link Offset
Cues in cue lists may be linked together, allowing you to build up
complex self-timed sequences. The link options are set using the
softkeys and are:
• [Link Wait For Go]: the cue waits for the Go button to be
pressed then fires immediately. Link Offset is disabled.
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8. Cue Lists - Page 97
• [Link After Previous Cue]: The cue fires when the previous cue
has finished its delay in and fade in times. A Link Offset can be
set to add a delay between the previous cue finishing and this
cue firing. The offset can be given as a time in seconds, or as a
percentage of the fade time of the previous cue.
• [Link With Previous Cue]: The cue fires at the same time as the
previous cue fires. A Link Offset can be set to add a delay
between the previous cue firing and this cue firing, set either in
seconds or as a percentage of the fade time of the previous
cue.
These options allow you to create complex self timed sequences by
building up simple steps. For example if you wanted the follow ing
effect:
• Go is pressed, Fixture one starts fading up over 20s
• After 10s Fixture two fades up over 15s
• Both lights stay on for 5s
• Both lights go off in 3s
You could program
• Cue 1 - Fixture 1 @ 100%, Fade In 20s, Link Wait For Go
• Cue 2 - Fixture 2 @ 100%, Fade In 15s, Link With Previous,
Link Offset 10s
• Cue 3 - Fixture 1 AND 2 @ 0%, Fade Out 3s, Link After
Previous, Link Offset 5s
Note: To obtain the effect which was called “cue overlap” in previous
versions of software, use [Link With Previous Cue] and set a
percentage Link Offset time. Link Offset of 100% is equivalent
to Cue Overlap of 0% and vice versa.
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8.6.3 Individual attribute fade times
You can set individual fade times for each IPCGBES attribute group.
You can also select which fixtures this is applied to. For example you
can make the position change take 2 seconds, but the colour change
take 10 seconds.
Additionally you can set individual times for each attribute so you
could make the pan fade over a different time to the tilt.
To set times for an attribute group, first select the Set Times menu
and go to the cue you want to set as described above, then press G
[Next] to go to the second page of options.
1> Press [Attribute times].
2> All fixtures in the cue will be selected. If you don’t want to
change the times for any fixtures, deselect them now. You can
press the ALL button (below Next Time) to select all fixtures in
the cue or Shift+ALL to deselect all fixtures.
3> Press the softkey for the attribute group you want to change.
4> Press [Delay] to set the delay time, or press [Fade] to set the
fade time. Press [Use global] to remove the attribute group
timing and go back to the normal delay/fade times for the cue.
• You can use [Individual Attributes] to set times for one attribute
within the group, for example just Pan from within the Position
group. You can also use the Cue View window to set times for
individual attributes.
8.6.4 Fixture overlap
For each cue you can set a (linked together) fixture overlap, which
causes the Pearl to apply the settings in the cue to each fixture
sequentially giving a “rolling” change across the fixtures in th e cue.
This can create some great effects without much programming on
your part.
• Press [Fixture Overlap] (on the second page of the Cue Times
menu) then enter 0-100 on the keypad to change how fixtures
overlap in the cue. 100% means all fixtures fade together (the
normal setting). 0% means that the first fixture will finish its
fade before the next one starts. 50% means that the 2
will start fading when the first one is half way through its fade.
• To change the fixture
order when using
overlap, press [Set
Fixture Order].
Normally this is the
order in which you selected the fixtures when you programmed
the cue. The HUD shows the fixture order in large green
numbers. Reorder the fixtures by pressing [Step Number] then
type the start number on the numeric keys, then pressing the
fixture Select buttons in the order you want them. For example,
to set the order of 8 fixtures, press 1 on the keypad, then press
the Select button of the fixture to be first, then the Select
button for the second, and so on. You can set several fixtures to
the same number if you number if you want them to change
simultaneously.
nd
fixture
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If you press a fixture button twice, it will show X and be
excluded from the sequence.
Press Exit to finish setting the fixture order.
8.6.5 Running a cue list to timecode
The Pearl can run a cue list automatically to a timecode. This is very
useful for complex performances which must be exactly the same
time after time, or for unattended operation. Each step in the cue list
is assigned a time at which it will run.
The timecode can be read from
the system clock, from an
internal timecode source, from
MIDI or from Winamp. Internal
timecode is useful for
programming a sequence which
will later be triggered by an
external timecode source. MIDI
timecode is only available if you
have a U-DMX board connected.
8. Cue Lists - Page 99
1> Connect the cue list for
which you want to set
timecode.
2> Press [Timecode] on the
top-level menu.
3> Press Softkey A to select
the desired timecode
source.
4> Press [Record].
5> Start the timecode source. If using internal timecode, press
[Play] to start it.
5> Press the red Go button to step each cue at the time you wish
the cue to start.
6> Press [Record] when you have finished.
To play back a timecoded cue list, press [Connected Cue Lists] and
select the cue list which is to be played. Then press [Timer …] to
enable the timecode input.
When you start the timecode source (or press [Play] if using internal
timecode), each cue will fire as the timecode matches its
programmed time.
You can edit the timecode for each cue by using Wheel A to select the
cue, then press Enter and type the new timecode for the cue.
While editing a time you can also use Wheel B to select multiple cues,
and use the softkey options to enter a value to change the time of all
the cues (offset, add a fixed time or subtract a fixed time).
8.7 Advanced options
Advanced cue list options are set from the Playback Options menu.
You can enter the playback options menu by doing the following
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1> At the top level Program Menu press [Playback Options].
2> Press the blue Swop key for the cue list you wish to edit.
8.7.1 Release mask
[Release Mask] lets you specify using the softkeys which attributes
will be released to their default state when the playback is killed. You
can also use the Attribute Bank buttons on the right side of the
console to set the mask. The default setting is to not release any
attributes.
8.7.2 Fader mode
This option sets how the cue list fader behaves. If set to [Fader Mode
Intensity Kill With Off], the f ader masters the overall HTP level and
the cue list remains active (connected) even when the fader is
lowered to zero. If set to [Fader Mode Intensity Kill At 0], t he fader
masters the overall HTP level and the cue list is killed when th e fader
is lowered to zero. If set to [Manual Crossfader] the fader behaves as
a manual crossfade control, and the cue list will automatically step on
to the next cue when the fader reaches the top or bottom of travel.
8.7.3 Handle Paging
This option allows you to lock the playback on a handle so that it
always appears on that handle no matter what page is selected.
If you select “Transparent Lock” then the playback will appear on the
current page if no other playback is programmed in that position.
8.7.4 Cue Options
This option allows you to change settings for each cue in the cue list.
To select the cue number to edit, press softkey A then enter the cue
number on the numeric keypad.
• [Curve] allows you to set a different fade curve for the cue; this
affects how the fade progresses from one cue to the other (for
example you can select a fade which starts off slow, speeds up
in the middle and then slows down at the end). Press H then
select a new curve from the softkeys. The effect of the various
curves is described in section
• [Link] can be set to Press Go, With Previous Cue or After
Previous Cue. See section
• [Preload] allow s you to make this cue load the LTP values from
the next cue within the cue list (for example to pre-position
some fixtures for an effect).
11.5 on page 124.
8.6.2 on page 96.
• [Legend] allows you to set a legend for the cue which is
displayed on the cue list display.
• [Notes=] lets you enter a note for the cue (“Leaves stage
pursued by bear” or “wake up spot operator”).
8.7.5 Autoload
This option allows you to automatically load a playback with a cue
and is described in section
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8.1.3 on page 91.
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