Morpheus Lights LDS User Manual

LDS-MP100

Moving Light Control System

User Manual

The Moving Light Company

Studio 9

75 Filmer Road

London SW6 7JF

PanCommand LDS-MP100 – User Manual

Manual issue 2. ?th January 1995.
Covers LDS software revision 21Y.

This manual cover the LDS-MP100 moving light controller only, and should be read in conjuction with the
ProSpot manual and the relevant documentation for any other fixtures being controlled by the console.

Written by Paul Franklin.
Designed by Robert Halliday.
Supplied by The Moving Light Company, Studio 9, 75 Filmer Road, London SW6 7JF, UK.
Tel / Fax: [phone].

Copyright © The Moving Light Company 1995, all rights reserved.

Notice:
The Moving Light Company assumes no liability for loss or damage caused or claimed to be caused either directly or indirectly by
the use of this system, or for any errors in this manual. No part of the software may be copied other than as directed by The Moving
Light Company for installation or backup purposes. No part of this manual may be copied without permission from The Moving
Light Company.

The following are trademarks:
PanCommand, LDS-MP100, ProSpot, FaderBeam are trademarks of PanCommand. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft

Corporation

Contents

Section Contents Page

1. Introduction............................................................ 2

1.1 This Manual .................................................3

1.2 Typographic Conventions............................ 4

2. Starting Up............................................................. 6

2.1 Connecting the Desk .................................... 6

2.2 General Operating Principles....................... 7

2.3 The Plot Screen............................................ 7

2.4 Allocate Bars................................................ 8

2.5 Copy Bars.....................................................9

2.6 Fixture Types ............................................... 9

2.7 Move / Rotate............................................... 10

2.8 Resize screen................................................10

2.9 Bar addresses ............................................... 12

2.10 Fixture names............................................... 12

2.11 Peek zoom.................................................... 13

2.12 Redraw screen.............................................. 14

2.13 Updating....................................................... 14

2.14 Killing and awakening................................. 14

3. Basic Control and Plotting..................................... 17

3.1 The Cue Edit screen .....................................18

3.2 Controlling fixtures...................................... 19

3.3 Recording cues............................................. 21

3.4 Timeblock window ...................................... 23

3.5 Cue playback................................................ 24

3.6 Designs......................................................... 25

3.9 Design presets – Quick Screen .................... 28

3.10 Copying cues................................................ 29

3.11 Deleting cues................................................ 30

3.12 Inserting cues ...............................................31

3.13 Focus positions............................................. 31

3.14 Recording blind............................................32

3.15 Linking cues................................................. 32

3.16 Stage picture.................................................33

3.17 Disk functions ..............................................34

4. Advanced Techniques............................................ 39

4.1 Further use of focus positions...................... 39

4.2 MQ’s ............................................................ 43

4.3 Macros..........................................................49

4.4 Edit times .....................................................50

4.5 Record sub ...................................................51

4.6 Record channel.............................................52

4.7 Record track................................................. 53

4.8 The Config menu ......................................... 54

4.9 Cue buttons .................................................. 59

4.10 Custom colour.............................................. 59

5. Troubleshooting and Diagnostics ..........................62

5.1 The Diagnostics screen ................................ 62

5.2 Troubleshooting ........................................... 64

Appendices

A Button Quick Reference.........................................66

B Colour Library .......................................................72

C Position MQ Library.............................................. 74

D MIDI 75

E Back Up .................................................................76

Section 1

Introduction

The LDS-MP100

This Manual

Typographic conventions

Section 1: Introduction

Version 1a Page 2.

Introduction

The LDS-MP100 The LDS-MP100 lighting controller is a console designed

specifically to control the PanCommand range of moving light
fixtures, communicating with them through CD6 control boxes
which actually store the cue information for the lights they control.
In addition, the LDS can also control conventional lighting
instruments and colour scrollers through SB24 and SB96 DMX-512
converter boxes. These boxes also generate the protocol to drive
PanCommand’s range of colour changers, and 24 or 96 analogue
signals for driving other equipment.

The LDS console itself is merely a control surface linked through an

interface card (called the LRT) to a standard MS-DOS ’486 Personal
Computer running custom-written software. The designs of both the
console and the software have evolved through use by and feedback
from active Lighting Designers, and the result is a console that is
quick to program and versatile in operation while remaining
accessible to first-time users. Several key features contribute to this
versatility:

1. The console is kept flexible through the use of macro buttons. These
can have specific functions assigned to them, enabling each operator
to set up the console to suit their style of operation.

2. The LDS system allows a library of focus positions to be created,
which can then be used to createa cues or chase patterns. Alterations
to focus positions are global throughout the show, wherever that
focus position is used in cues or chases, enabling the focus of a show
to be quickly ‘touched up’ or changed to suit different venues on a
tour.

3. The console can retain libraries of chase patterns and colours, both
‘stock’ and operator-defined. These work in the same way as focus
positions, but can be transferred from board to board and show to
show independently of cue data.

4. A MIDI port is included, enabling the LDS to control, or be
controlled by, a variety of other equipment.

5. The system uses a sophisticated ‘time’ program, where separate time
parameters are assigned to each feature of the fixtures within each
cue, allowing a single cue do the work of several cues on other
consoles.

The system’s control philosophy includes elements from both

conventional fixture lighting controllers and moving fixture lighting
controllers, and allows shows to be operated from a sequence of pre­recorded cues or ‘busked’ live as required. It should therefore be
relatively easy for anyone with some experience of any other lighting
control to pick up using the LDS quite quickly.

Section 1: Introduction

Version 1a Page 3.

1.1 This Manual

This manual covers revision 21Y of the LDS-MP100 software and
its use with ProSpots, ProSofts and conventional lighting equipment.
It is divided into six major sections:

1. This introduction

2. Starting up – configuring the board with information about the rig.

3. Basic Control and Plotting – the bare essentials to create a show.

4. Advanced Techniques – a guide to some of the more advanced
features for operators acquainted with the basic operations.

5. Diagnostics and Trouble shooting – when the board or lamps don't
do as they're told

Appendices Quick reference guides with information such as command key

equivalents from the PC keyboard, colour information and so on.

Using the Manual The manual is intended to cover the specific features and operation

of the LDS-MP100 rather than serve as a general introduction to
either moving lights or computers. It thus assumes some familiarity
with MS-DOS and the use of floppy disks with PCs, and with the use
of a trackball to progress through menu-controlled programs. It does
not provide in-depth technical coverage of the ProSpot or ProSoft
moving fixtures, which is available elsewhere.

However, the manual is designed to enable someone who has never

used an LDS-MP100 before to set it up and make lights move for the
first time while at the same time covering more advanced functions
for users who are more experienced with moving lights.. Given that
there is no set moving light rig, the manual does not give specific
examples, but instead gives a more general explanation of each of
the board’s functions, along with suggestions as to when the function
would normally be used.

While you could read the manual from beginning-to-end away from

the console, and such a reading would provide a good background
knowledge of the console’s features, it is probably more useful to
have it around while actively ‘playing’ with some moving lights –
following it step-by-step when setting up a rig for the first time and
then using it to answer specific questions as they arise rather than
testing each button individually.

When controlling fixtures, care should be taken at all times to ensure

that the movement does not pose a hazard to staff or other
equipment.

Getting out of trouble If you do get stuck at any time, pressing [CLEAR] (bottom-left of the

numeric keypad on the right of the console) will remove the last
command string, [CLEAR][CLEAR] will release all current
commands, and [ESCAPE] (on the right-hand end of the keys above
the trackball) will return you to the base screen.

Section 1: Introduction

Version 1a Page 4.

1.2 Typographic Conventions

This manual uses a number of standard typographic conventions.

Any reference to a key on the console will be shown as:
[KEY]
or, if several keys have to be pressed together:
[KEY 1]+[KEY 2]

Control wheels will be shown as:

(WHEEL NAME)

Any reference to an on-screen menu option will be shown as:
{MENU OPTION}

Anything that has to be typed on the keyboard will be shown as:
TYPE THIS

Anything that will appear on the monitor will be shown as:
READ THIS

References to the different modes available in the console will be shown

as:

THIS MODE

Information which you should read because it is likely to be useful or

save you time is shown as:

useful information

Information which you must read because you could otherwise lose show

information is shown as:

vital information

Section 2

Starting Up

Connecting the desk

General Operating Principles

The Plot Screen

Allocate Bars

Copy Bars

Fixture Types

Move/Rotate

Resize screen

Bar addresses

Fixture names

Peek zoom

Redraw screen

Updating

Killing and awakening

Trackball orientation

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 2.

Starting Up

To control moving lights using the LDS-MP100, the LDS console

has to be connected to its PC and to the moving lights. The PC
should be set-up with the appropriate software when it arrives, and
this section assumes that this is the case. If the software is not
installed, or if you need to re-install it in an emergency, see
Appendix E, Backup.

2.1 Connecting the Desk

The LDS-MP100 requires three connections to operate: connection to
a suitable mains supply, connection to its companion PC, and
connection to a ProSpot or ProSoft moving light system.

The console’s connectors run along the rear of the desk, as follows:

ON/OFF switch

Mains in

Lighting Data in

Lighting Data out

Link to PC

MIDI in

MIDI out

MIDI thru

ON

OFF

The mains supply should be at 240V, 50Hz. If possible the mains

supply to both the console and the PC should be run through a mains
conditioner to minimise the risk of data loss through crashes caused
by noisy mains.

The console and PC should be connected using the cable supplied,

and the console should then be connected to either a CD6 box for
controlling moving lights, or SB24 or SB96 boxes for running other
DMX or analogue devices. Two goose-neck lamps can also be
connected to the two XLR connectors on the top surface of the
console. With the desk switched on, the brightness of each lamp can
be controlled using the buttons below the connectors.

Once all of the connections have been made, the system can be

switched on, using the switch mounted on the rear panel next to the
mains connector, and then the on/off switch on the PC. You should
always switch the LDS-MP100 on before switching on the PC. Also,
there must not be a disk in the PC’s floppy disk drive when it is
switched on. The system will go through a start-up routine and will
either run the LDS program directly, or display a C> prompt,
depending on the software installed. In the latter case, type either

LDS [RETURN]
or
GO [RETURN]

This will run the LDS program and display a copyright message.

Pressing any key on the LDS-MP100 will bring up the PLOT screen.

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 3.

2.2 General Operating Principles

The LDS-MP100 console operates in a manner somewhere between
a conventional fixed-instrument lighting controller and a moving­fixture contoller, using features from each area to try to give the best
of both worlds.

Controls The system is normally operated through the LDS console rather than

the PC it is attached to. The LDS is essentially a “button board”,
however, and practically every command can be duplicated using a
key combination on the PC’s conventional keyboard. Details of these
key combinations are given in Appendix A. This also allows some
back-up in case of a failure of the LDS console; if the LDS keyboard
locks up but it is still receiving power, cues can be triggered from the
PC keyboard.

The controls on the LDS console are divided into logical groups of

switches according to function. Switches which have a latching
action - ie. remain active until they are pressed again or until another
key is pressed, generally contain a red LED which lights to indicate
they are in use.

There are two groups of black, unmarked switches. These are macro

buttons, and can have any function you choose assigned to them. For
details of programming macros, see section 4.3.

The other keys generally lead to a specific function or set of menu

options. The operation of most of the keys can be duplicated by
selecting items using the cursor controlled using the trackball (having
first turned the trackball on using the [TRK BL] switch immediately
below it). With the cursor positioned above a menu option, pressing
the left arrow button above the trackball will select that option.
Pressing the [ESCAPE] key will generally abandon whatever has
been selected and return to the main menu.

You can also generally move around using the arrow keys in the

main numeric keypad. These can also be used to move through
information. For example, when a cue information box is being
displayed, the arrow keys will move the cursor around that box,
while [SHIFT]+arrow keys will move through the cues, displaying
the data for each in turn.

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 4.

2.3 The Plot Screen

PLOT

TRK BALL

In order to control the fixtures on your rig, you must first tell the

LDS what type of fixtures they are and how it should address them.
This is done from the PLOT screen; once set up, this will display a
graphical representation of the rig allowing easy access to any
fixture.

However, when you first reach the PLOT screen, it will be blank

except for the screen menu:

There are two ways of accessing these individual menus - press the

[TRK BL] button to switch the trackball on, and use it to move the
cursor to the menu strip. Using the left-hand button above the
trackball, click on {PLOT} to reveal the PLOT menu. Alternatively,
press the [PLOT] button.

The PLOT menu offers the following options:

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 5.

2.4 Allocate Bars

In order to configure the LDS with the number of moving lights,
conventional dimmers and channels on your rig, move the cursor to
{allocate bars} and click again, to reveal two sub-menus:

Positioning Fixtures To configure ProSpots or ProSofts, click on {CD6 sect}. Fixtures

can then be positioned on the screen by moving the cursor around - a
symbol will appear wherever the left-hand button is clicked.
Similarly, conventional dimmers, channels or colour changers can be
positioned after selecting either {SB24 sect} or {SB96 sect},
depending upon which device is being used to interface with them.
How the fixtures are positioned on the screen is entirely down to the
operator, and will not affect the ability of the LDS to control them.

Deleting Fixtures If you make a mistake, selecting {delete} and clicking the cursor

on an unwanted fixture will remove the fixture.

Multiple Fixtures To create neat rows or columns of symbols, place one fixture on the

screen, and then select {left of bar} from the menu. Clicking on
the existing fixture will draw a new symbol exactly to the left of it.
{Right of bar}, {above bar} and {below bar} work in the
same way.

Multiple Fixtures problem When adding fixtures using the left of bar/right of bar options,

clicking once creates a new fixture symbol. Clicking twice appears to
delete it again, but in reality there are two symbols drawn on top of
each other cancelling each other out through an anomaly in the
drawing package. If left like this, two blank columns will appear on
the Cue Edit screen.

When placing fixtures on the screen, avoid the top corners where
menus appear, as you may find your rig obscured by some of the
larger sub-menu boxes! If this happens, refer to the section on
troubleshooting.

For large rigs, it will often be quicker to create one bar and then

create copies of it, as described below.

2.5 Copy Bars

When you have a large number of fixtures to place on the screen, you
can save time by drawing some of them, and copying what you have
drawn to other parts of the screen. Click on {copy bars} and
select the fixtures to copy by clicking on them - the symbols will turn
green (dark green if you select more than one). Now click on {copy
bars}, move the cursor to the new position and click again to
generate a copy of the selected fixtures. This can be done as many
times as you need; use the right-hand button to deselect the fixture or
fixtures when you have finished making copies.

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 6.

2.6 Fixture Types

The LDS will initially assume that any fixture on a CD6 is a ProSpot,
and any fixture on an SB24 is a Parfader (unless you change the
system defaults - see CONFIG menu, section 4.8.). To tell the LDS
what type of fixtures you have, click on the {fixture type}
menu to reveal the menu of possible types in the top right corner.
Clicking on a particular type and then clicking on an existing fixture
will change that fixture symbol as follows:

REPLACE THIS SCREENSHOT

PROSPOT

PROSOFT

PARFADER

PROSPOT DELUXE

PROSOFT DELUXE

PAR RANGER

DIMMER

FADERBEAM

Moving and Deleting Fixtures The move and delete options on this menu allow the operator to

move previosly configured fixtures around the rig from one bar
computer to another whilst retaining the cue information specific to
that fixture. This is only relevant after you have recorded cues; you
can ignore this section when first setting the desk up.

Firstly, create a new symbol in the desired position in the usual way
and give it a bar address for the relevant CD or SB box. Now delete it
using the delete option on the |FIXTURE TYPE| menu. The symbol
will not disappear, but change to a small circle, denoting an empty
port on a bar computer. Now select {MOVELAMP} and using the left
hand button, click on the fixture to be moved. Move the cursor to the
new position and click again to drop the fixture in place. The fixture
must now be given a name, since it loses its Fixture name when
moved. It does, however, retain all of its previous cue data.

The LDS automatically sends an update to each bar computer that

has a changed fixture on it. Updates are sent individually; each time a
new bar is modified, the last bar with a changed fixture is updated.
When the FIXTURE TYPE window is closed, the final bar is
updated. This has the effect of holding up the process of moving
fixtures around whilst the updates are sent, especially if there is a lot
of cue information.

Changing Fixture Types It is possible to change an existing fixture to a new fixture type at any

stage by simply selecting a new type from the list and clicking on the
symbol. All fixture data is copied to the new fixture where possible
(pan and tilt values are converted to allow for the respective ranges
of each fixture type). When converting a fixture to a type with more
channels, undefined channels become 0. Fixtures must be renamed
after changing type.

Controlling scrollers If you are controlling scrollers via the DMX output of the SB24 or

SB96, rather than PanCommand colorchangers via the CC output,

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 7.

you need two Dimmer symbols, one for the scroller channel and one
for the dimmer controlling the fixture behind it.

Faderbeams For details of configuring a rig that includes Faderbeams, see

Appendix F.

2.7 Move / Rotate

Having placed your fixtures on the screen, it is possible to move
them or rotate them to indicate their physical position on the rig more
accurately, vertically on a boom or drawn upside down to reflect
FOH positions, for example. Click on the {move/rotate} option
to reveal the sub-menu in the top right-hand corner.

Using the left-arrow button above the trackball click on the fixture or
fixtures you wish to move - the symbol will turn green (dark green if
you select more than one). Then click on {move/cw} and move the
cursor to the new position, bearing in mind that the cursor will be
treated as the top left-hand corner of the new position. Clicking again
on the left-hand button will move the selected fixtures to the new
cursor position. Alternatively, keep the left hand button depressed
and use the trackball to drag the symbol(s) to their new position,
releasing the button when in the correct place. Clicking the centre
button will rotate the selected fixtures clockwise around the top left
corner of the first fixture selected, ie. the whole bar will rotate.
Clicking the right-hand button will deselect them. {Move/ccw}
works in exactly the same way, but with fixtures rotating counter­clockwise.

2.8 Resize screen

It is sometimes useful to be able to make your plot drawing bigger (if
only a few fixtures are in use) or smaller (if a large number of
fixtures won’t all fit on the screen). Clicking on {Resize
screen} will reveal the sub-menu:

Making the display smaller Clicking on {Shrink bars} will produce a red outline on the

screen and reveal a further menu in the top right-hand corner:

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 8.

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 9.

Moving the cursor and clicking the left-hand button, or holding the
button while moving the cursor, will alter the size of the red box –
this denotes the size to shrink to. The LDS will redraw your plot to
the new size when [ENTER] is pressed.

Making the display larger Clicking on {Expand bars} will also produce the red outline and

another sub-menu:

The left-hand button works as before, and the centre button shifts the

red box around in combination with the cursor. After moving the red
box to enclose your plot, pressing [ENTER] will expand it to fill the
screen. Leaving any part of the plot outside the red line will prevent
the LDS from expanding the display at all. Similarly if the rig is large
and there is no room to expand it, it will not be exapanded.

2.9 Bar addresses

In order to identify each CD or SB box, they are given an ADDRESS
CODE, determined by the rotary switches on each box. CD6 boxes
can have addresses from 501-599, SB24’s from 601-699 and SB96’s
from 701-799.

Each CD6 can control up to six fixtures, and each fixture is given a

number between 1 and 6 using the rotary switches on the fixture
itself. Fixtures controlled via an SB box derive their numbers from 1­24 or 1-96 depending on which analogue channel of the SB box they
are driven from, or from their DMX 512 address.

Thus each fixture on the rig has a five figure address code, eg 501.04

or 603.21. The LDS needs this address code to control the fixtures; to
give it this information, click on the {bar addresses} option to
reveal the sub-menu:

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 10.

Clicking on any of the {Edit} options reveals a further menu and

an Assign Thumwhls box:

NEW SCREEN GRAB

The {Set Thmwhls / Positions} option allows you to change

individual fixture addresses, while the {Change Bar Thmwhls}
option will change the addresses of all the fixtures on a CD or SB
box in one operation.

In either case, the procedure is to enter the required address in the
Assign Thumwhls box by simply typing them in on the keypad
and then clicking on the relevant fixture using the trackball. The LDS
will automatically prompt with the next available number, but you
can type in whatever numbers you want. The LDS will not allow you
to allocate the same address to more than one fixture.

2.10 Fixture names

Rather than having to call each fixture by its bar address, it is given a
FIXTURE NAME, which can be any number between 1 and 9999.

For large rigs, alpha-numeric names can be used to good effect to

save time and make life easier - see section 4.9.

This name is then used in the same way as a conventional channel

number. The FIXTURE NAMES screen, accessed by clicking on the
menu option, works rather like a conventional soft patch.

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 11.

The screen operates in a similar way to the bar addresses screen –

type a number and then click on the fixture you want to give that
number to. The system will automatically display the next number,
so all you have to do is move around the screen clicking on fixtures
in the desired order.

Name problems The system will prompt with 0 as the first number – this is not a valid

fixture name.

It is possible to assign the same number to more than one fixture - the

console will not give you any warning if you do this.

Displaying names Having assigned fixture names, the display can be toggled between

showing fixture names and symbols by pressing any of the menu
buttons (except [DIAG]).

2.11 Peek zoom

On large rigs, the symbols can get so small it is impossible to read
numbers and addresses. The {peek/zoom} option can be used to
momentarily enlarge sections of the plot so that this information can
be seen.

Clicking on the {menu} option reveals the sub-menu in the top
right-hand corner. You can then select fixtures using the cursor and
left-arrow key, as before. Selecting either of the display options will
then enlarge the selected fixtures. The LDS will attempt to make the
fixtures as large as possible while still fitting them on the screen, so
the fewer fixtures you select the larger they will be.

2.12 Redraw screen

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 12.

In the process of moving and deleting symbols or zooming and
resizing the plot screen, unwanted scraps of symbols can be left
behind. Clicking on the {redraw screen} option under the PLOT
menu will re-generate the screen correctly.

2.13 Updating

Now that you have given the LDS the information it needs to control
the fixtures on the rig, it is necessary to update both the CD6’s and
SB’s with the details of the fixtures they control. Click on

{UPDATE} on the main screen PLOT menu (or press the
[UPDATE] button, in the top row of buttons above the trackball) to

reveal the sub-menu:

Complete update At this stage, since you have only just told the LDS about the rig, you

need to perform a complete update on the whole rig by selecting
{Complete Update}. The symbols on the display should turn
purple, then yellow, then return to their normal state.

Partial update It is also possible to select individual CD or SB boxes using the

{Select Bars/Update} option and then clicking on any fixture
connected to the appropriate CD or SB box using the left-button.
Pressing the centre button initiates the update procedure, and the
symbols should turn purple, then yellow before returning to their
normal state.

Update error If, instead of returning to their normal state, fixtures turn red, the

system has been unable to find the CD or SB box. You should check
that the physical connection to the box is intact, and that the box has
the correct address before re-attempting the update.

Updating practice You will need to perform an update on the bar computers whenever:

1. Bar addresses or fixture names are changed from the plot screen.

2. A bar computer is swapped out of the rig.

3. The LDS has been programmed whilst the bar computers are turned
off or are off-line.

Although the bar computers have an internal battery to keep the
memory intact, it is reccommended that you initiate the AUTO
DIAGS facility, by pressing the [SHIFT]+[DIAGS] keys together,
every time you power the system up. This automatically clears error
counters, updates the bar computers and sends a restore across the
whole rig.(see section 5).

2.14 Killing and awakening

There are times when it may become necessary to shut down or
KILL a fixture from the board, usually if the fixture is no longer
responding correctly to cue information.

Killing a fixture To do this, select the {Kill} screen from the plot screen menu with

the left button or by pressing the [KILL] button, to reveal the KILL
menu:

Section 2: Starting Up

Version 1a Page 13.

To kill a fixture, simply type in its fixture name and press [ENTER],

or use the trackball to move to its symbol then click the left button.
The symbol will turn red to indicate the fixture has been killed.

Awakening a fixture To awaken a fixture, move the highlight down to the awaken option

and enter the fixture name as before. Alternatively, use the trackball
and left button to select a red symbol.

Restore When awakened, a fixture will recalibrate, but sit with all its channel

values at zero until a RESTORE command is sent. Pressing
[RESTORE] will enable all its channels immediately and the fixture
will take up its plotted values. This may cause the fixture to sweep
across the existing state to get to its correct position, so you should
consider this before using the [RESTORE] key during performance.

Warning The RESTORE command is global – you cannot selectively send

restore commands to individual fixtures.

The alternative way to re-start a fixture after awakening it is to press
[SHIFT]+[RESTORE] together; this will delay the restore action
until the next GO TO CUE command.

2.15 Trackball Orientation

This feature allows the operator to redefine the orientation of the
trackball for each moving fixture. By rotating the axes of the
trackball, lights that are hung in different orientations can be
trackballed together to create the same general movement.

Trackball Editor To enter the TRACKBALL EDITOR, select the {Focus

Settings} option from the CONFIG menu. Click on the box
labelled {Trackball Orientation Editor} to reveal the
screen:

(new screen grab)

Using the arrow buttons, move around the screen selecting which of
the four possible configurations are appropriate for each fixture.
Press the [CONFIRM] button after each fixture before moving on to
the next. To move to another fixture, either use the [PAGE
FORWARD] button or type the fixture name and press [ENTER].

This package only offers four different orientation options at the

moment. This is not sufficient to cope with floor-mounted fixtures. It
is hoped that future software revisions will offer the remaining four
possibilities. In addition, changing the orientation of a fixture only
affects its movement when controlled by the trackball. Movement
controlled using the encoder wheels remains unaffected.

Note Because of the different ranges on Pan and Tilt, large movements

along different axes will not track each other very well.

Section 3

Basic Control and Plotting

The Cue Edit screen

Controlling fixtures

Recording cues

Timeblock window

Cue playback

Designs

Autogroups

Plotting with faders

Design presets

Copying cues
Deleting cues

Focus positions

Recording blind

Linking cues
Stage picture

Disk functions

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Basic Control and Plotting

Philosophy The LDS is a moving light controller and so is aware of the various

parameters associated with the different moving fixtures it can
control - eg. colour, size, brightness, gobo and so on. The LDS refers
to these parameters as CHANNELS. The graphical display allows
fixtures, and their associated channels, to be accessed quickly.

Channels The LDS operates a “grabbing” system with regard to making

changes to any channel of a fixture. When a channel is manually
altered, it will be grabbed and held at its new level, regardless of any
cues being played, until it is specifically released using the
[CLEAR] key. This is a useful plotting tool, but can cause some
confusion if you are not used to the system. It is covered in section

3.1.

Cues Unlike some other moving light control systems, the LDS does not

make use of a stack playback philosophy. Cues do not have to be
created and then loaded to an output stack to appear on the stage.
Instead, a cue can be made live by selecting its numbers and running
the cue to a pre-recorded time. They can also be made live using
submasters and cue buttons. Cues are covered in section 3.3.

Fade times Cues can also be given different fade and delay times for different

channels so that, for example, a lamp could fade out slowly and then
change colour quicky in one cue, rather than either having the fade
and colour change happen together, or having to use two cues. This is
covered in section 3.4.

Chases Special cues, called MQs, are available, These are used to create

chase type effects, but any MQ can then be applied to any channel of
any fixture. A small number of chase effects can therefore be made to
serve a wide variety of different purposes. MQ’s are covered in
section 4.2.

Focus libraries The LDS system allows the creation of a library of focus positions.

These carry Pan and Tilt information for fixtures recorded into them,
and are used as the basis of cues and MQs. Whenever a focus
position is altered, it is altered throughout the system in any cue or
chase in which it is used. In practice, only a small number of focus
positions are used even in the largest shows. This is useful for shows
requiring regular changes of focus, such as shows adapting
themselves to different-sized venues on tour. Focus positions are
covered in section 3.13.

A wide variety of other plotting aids, including the ability to define

focus libraries, the inclusion of a library of chases, and the capability
of tracking channels into sequences of cues are also available and are
covered in detail in this section and section 4.

The following sections all refer to the operation of ProSpots.

ProSofts, dimmers, Colorfaders and ProBlasters all work in exactly
the same way, but with fewer controllable features. For details of
Faderbeams, see Appendix F.

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3.1 The Cue Edit screen

CUE EDIT

PAGE BACK

PAGE FORW

FIXTURE TYPE BUTTONS

Having configured the system with your rig, press the [CUE EDIT]

button to move to the next screen display.

[NEW SCREEN GRAB TO COME]

You can now start to control your rig, record cues and assign times.

The LDS will display the fixtures you have configured on the cue
edit screen in alphanumeric order according to their fixture name.
Fixtures of different types will be separated onto different pages
which can be accessed using the [PAGE FORW] and [PAGE BACK]
buttons, or by using the fixture type buttons ([PROSPOT], [PAR]
and so on). Each page will hold 20 ProSpots, 30 ProSofts or
Faderbeams, 50 colour changers or 60 dimmers.

Display colours Several colours are used to display fixture channel levels and other

information on this screen. They are as follows:

Grey Box This channel of the fixture is LIVE, ie. it has been altered and not

released. Pressing [CLEAR] twice will release all live features. A

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live channel shown in grey in this way will not be altered by any cues
until it is released.

Blue Box This level is currently affected by fader levels. - ie. it is being

controlled by the console’s manual fader wing.

Red Figures This fixture channel is running an MQ – see section 4.2.

Yellow Figures These are fixture names.

Cyan Figures These are values from the current cue.

White Figures This fixture is currently held in the CONTROL BUFFER – this is

covered in the next section.

3.2 Controlling fixtures

AND

THRU

ENTER

CLEAR

LEVEL

SIZE

FULL

CLEAR

123456789

0

COLOR

ROTATE

ZERO

FULL

POSITION

TILT

PAN

SIZE

LEVEL

GOBO

UNGRAB

The first step in programming on the LDS is to select the fixture or

fixtures you want to work with. This is done by keying in the fixture
name and pressing [ENTER], whereupon the fixture name will be
highlighted, and will remain ‘grabbed’ until you press [CLEAR].
This means you have direct control of that fixture.

More than one fixture can be grabbed using [AND] or [THRU] or a

combination of both such as

1 [AND] 2 [AND] 5 [THRU] 1 0 [ENTER]

The cursor arrows can also be used. For example,
1 [AND] [UPARROW] [UPARROW] [AND] [UPARROW]

[UPARROW] [AND] [UPARROW] [UPARROW] [ENTER]

would grab the odd numbers 1,3,5 and 7, while
1 [AND] l1 [ENTER]
would only grab 1 and 11.

Note that the cursor arrows refer to the graphical layout of the Cue

Edit screen, not numerical order.

For fast ways of grabbing fixtures, see section 3.7 on Autogroups or

section 4.3 on Macros.

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Having grabbed control of a fixture, its channels can be controlled

directly using the encoder wheels and trackball.

Level Set a level by moving the (LEVEL) encoder wheel up or down,

which will step the level through a range from 0-100 in single point
increments. Alternatively the [FULL] and [CLEAR] buttons above
and below the wheel can be used, or a specific level can be chosen by
entering

[LEVEL] number [ENTER]
which will send the fixture directly to the specified level.

Size Adjust the beam size by moving the (SIZE) encoder wheel up or

down, which will step the size through a range from 0-100 in single
point increments. Alternatively the [FULL] and [CLEAR] buttons
above and below the wheel can be used, or a specific size can be
chosen by entering

[SIZE] number [ENTER]
which will send the fixture directly to the specified size.

Position The position of the beam on the stage is adjusted using the trackball.

It is easier to position beams if all the fixtures are rigged the same
way around so that they all travel in the same direction when you
move the trackball. Alternatively use the TRACKBALL
ORIENTATION EDITOR to alter the direction that fixtures move
for a given trackball movement – this is covered in section 2.5. If you
wish to change this, you must change it before you start plotting.

The LDS will automatically send all of the fixtures to position 0

(50% pan, 50% tilt - the HOME position) when you configure the
system. When you move a fixture, its position will be displayed as
QF until the new position is recorded as a focus position (see section

3.13). Once some focus positions have been plotted, the fixtures can
be moved to a given position by pressing

[POSITION] number [ENTER]
The LDS will display that position number (between 0 and 200) on

the cue screen.

Separate Pan and Tilt If required, the Pan and Tilt of a fixture can be altered individually,

by pressing either [PAN] or [TILT], and entering a number from
0-100, or using the (SELECT) encoder wheel. The position window
will then show QF, rather than the value. To see absolute values for
Pan and Tilt, use the Focus Editor, described in section 4.1.

Colour The colour of beams is adjusted by pressing [COLOR] and moving

the (SELECT) wheel, which moves in increments of 4 points in a
range from 0-200; holding the [SHIFT] button down at the same
time allows single-point adjustment. The [FULL] and [CLEAR]
buttons above and below this wheel step the colour up or down in 10­point increments, this option being designed for the 10 fixed colour
option available in America. Colours can be accessed directly by
pressing

[COLOR] number [ENTER].

Appendix B contains details of the pre-programmed colour library.

Gobo Gobos are chosen by pressing [GOBO] and moving the (SELECT)

wheel from 0 - 100. The [FULL] and [CLEAR] buttons above and
below this wheel step the gobo up or down in 10-point increments,
which causes a change from gobo to gobo. Gobos can be accessed
directly by pressing

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[GOBO] number [ENTER]

Rotate The Rotate option only affects ProSpots which have had the rotating

gobo option installed.

Pressing the [ROTATE] button allows control via the (SELECT)

wheel:

0 = full speed clockwise
50 = stop
100 = full speed anti-clockwise
[FULL] = flips direction, same speed
[CLEAR] = 0, ie. full speed clockwise

The wheel works in 4-point increments, but holding down the
[SHIFT] button allows single-point adjustment if desired.

Scroll/Frame This control activates the single-shot frost or colour frame in the

ProSpot. This frame is either in or out – it cannot fade. It is operated
by pressing [SCROLL] and either moving the (SELECT) wheel or
pressing [FULL]. Any value above zero will bring the frame into
the beam.

MGobo This is a feature of PC Spots only – these are not currently available

in the UK.

Other control methods Any of the functions above can also be controlled via the grey

[FULL] and [CLEAR] buttons in the keypad area of the board. The
black [FULL] and [CLEAR] buttons above and below each encoder
wheel will also function without fully grabbing the fixture, for
example:

1 [AND] 2 [FULL]
instead of
1 [AND] 2 [ENTER] [FULL]

Live channels Position and function values are held in the live box (shown by a

grey highlight) until you clear them. As you build up looks, any
fixture channels you have altered will be displayed in this grey
highlighted box, while the fixture(s) currently grabbed will have its
fixture name highlighted in blue. Pressing [CLEAR] once will
ungrab the current fixture(s), leaving the channels set, but pressing
[CLEAR] a second time will release all the grey highlights and the
fixtures will return to the current cue state or the home position if
there is no cue in the playback.

Freezing and Releasing
individual channels It is possible to ‘freeze’ fixture channel values, either singly or in

groups, by grabbing the fixture(s) and pressing

[SHIFT] and the appropriate channel button.
This puts the channel’s value into a grey highlight box, thus holding

that value during other operations.

As usual, this grey highlight will be released by pressing the
[CLEAR] button twice, but it can be selectively released from
individual channels of individual fixtures by grabbing the fixture(s)
and, while pressing [UNGRAB], also pressing the required channel
selection button such as [COLOR] or [LEVEL]. The grey highlight
will then disappear and the fixture(s) will return to the previously
plotted value.

Control Buffer The last fixture name to be grabbed is held in a ‘control buffer’. This

fixture name is shown in white for easy reference. This is done to

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save time – it is not necessary to re-enter this fixture name in order to
grab it. For example, if fixture 11 is currently shown in white, then
only

[THRU] 14 [ENTER]
is necessary to grab those four fixtures.

3.3 Recording cues

Because the LDS does not retain cue information on switch-off, cues
should be stored to disk at regular intervals during plotting sessions
to minimise the loss of work in the event of system failure. See
section 3.17 for details of how to record shows to disk.

Having built up a state on stage using the functions described in the

previous section, you will want to record it as a cue for later
playback.

Press [RECORD ALL] to bring up the box:

Select the cue number you wish to use and press [ENTER]. Cue
numbers can be whole numbers (cue 9, for example) or whole
numbers plus one decimal place (cues 9.1 to 9.9, for example). If the
cue you have selected has already been recorded, the cue number will
flash as a warning. You can then press [CONFIRM] if you are sure
you want to overwrite that cue, or [ESCAPE] to cancel the
operation. If the cue is being recorded for the first time, the
TIMEBLOCK window will appear to allow times to be set for the
cue. This is explained in more detail in section 3.4, but to use default
times, simply press [CONFIRM] again. The window will disappear
and your cue will have been recorded.

If you are already in a cue, the RECORD ALL window will prompt
with the number of the CURRENT cue.

Plotting note It is very important to make notes of the cues you have recorded,

what they contain and their times as you go since there is no cue
sheet display on the LDS system as yet, and there is little warning if
you try to record over an existing cue.

Recording a cue does not clear the 'live' box; this allows you to
sequentially build cues as you go.

The RECORD ALL function records the entire current screen status
of ALL fixture channels – a snapshot cue. There are more selective
and more elaborate ways of recording cues and these are described
below.

3.4 Record sub

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CONFIRM

RECORD ALL

RECORD SUB

Whereas the [RECORD ALL] button is used to create ‘allfade’ or

‘crossfade’ type cues (where each cue is a “snapshot’ of the output at
the time [RECORD ALL] was pressed), the LDS can also create
‘move’ fades. ie. cues where only the fixtures or fixture channels
which are affected by a cue are recorded in that cue.

RECORD SUBLOOK is used to create a move fade which only

records those fixtures currently grabbed at the time of recording. It
will, however, record all the channel values of those fixtures.

Recording a move cue First grab the desired fixtures and then press [RECORD SUB] to

display the box:

If you are working from an existing cue, the system will prompt with

the current cue number in the highlighted box – press [CONFIRM]
to record as this number, or type in another number as required then
press [ENTER]. If the cue you have selected already exists, the cue
number will flash as a warning. Press [CONFIRM] if you are sure
you want to use that number, or [ESCAPE] to cancel.

The CUE EDIT screen only displays the information recorded in
cues, so when using Sublook cues, use STAGE PICTURE (section

3.16) to see the active channel values of other fixtures.

TAKE CARE when replotting shows to re-record snapshot cues
using [RECORD ALL] and sublook cues using [RECORD SUB].
Whilst it does not affect a snapshot cue to be re-recorded as a
sublook cue (the cue already contains information for every feature
of every unit), a sublook cue will behave very differently when re­recorded as a snapshot cue. To be completely safe, it is best to use
[REC CHANNEL] whenever re-plotting existing cues - see next
section.

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3.5 Record channel

CONFIRM

POSITION

RECORD CHANNEL

SHIFT

ENTER

[RECORD CHANNEL] is used to create cues that only change certain

channel values of particular fixtures. Channels that are not recorded
in a CHANNEL cue stay at the values they were at before the
CHANNEL cue was executed.

Make sure that the desired channels are held in the grey highlight and
then press [RECORD CHANNEL] to reveal the box:

Type in the cue number you wish to use (the system will prompt with
the existing cue number). If the cue you have selected already exists,
the cue number will flash as a warning. Press [CONFIRM] if you are
sure you want to use that number, or [ESCAPE] to cancel. As with
Sublook cues, the cue edit screen will only display channel values
affected by the cue – use STAGE PICTURE (section 3.16) to see the
other channel values.

3.6 Timeblock window

The TIMEBLOCK window is used for allocating times to the cues
you record. The different channels of the fixtures can all be given
individual times and delay times, allowing multi-part cues to be
constructed within one cue.

When recording a cue for the first time, this window will
automatically appear, but it can be accessed at any time by pressing
[CUE TIME].

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To enter values into the timeblock, move around the windows using

the cursor arrows, and use the keypad to enter values as follows:

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Design and Cue Number This displays the design and cue number of the cue whose timeblock

is being set (for more on Designs, see section 3.6). Initially, this will
be the current design and cue, but you can access the timeblock for
any cue in any design simply by moving the cursor to these windows
and entering the relevant numbers. Alternatively, pressing [SHIFT]
and the left or right cursor arrows will step through the cue numbers.

Profile Up and Profile Down This allows you to determine the degree of ramping up and ramping

down of a fixture’s velocity during a position change. The feature
only affects the POSITION feature. Separate fields allow values from
0 to 5 for both “profile up’ and “profile down”. A value of zero gives
no ramping, although there is always a little ramping down which has
been implemented to avoid overshoot. A value of 5 means that the
fixtures will spend a great deal of the position fade ramping. This
greatly improves the quality of movement within the system.

MIDI This window is for MIDI command strings to be sent out by the

system on a particular cue. As yet we have been unable to verify the
operation of this feature.

The “ALL’ Line There are four windows on this line. These will initially show the

default values, but you can change them as required. All the
individual channels will use these times UNLESS a different value is
entered for that feature in one of the lower windows.

Lev Down windows The software does not yet support this feature, but it is intended that

future revisions will allow for the LEVEL channel to have split
times. Until then it is a simple matter to separate the different
elements into different point cues and then link with no delay time.

Linkto This window is used to denote the cue number of the cue being

linked to. The system assumes any link is to the next cue in
numerical order, so you only need to enter a number here if you are
linking to a cue out of sequence.

The LDS can only link from a whole-number cue to any of the nine

point cues associated with it, or between those point cues. Links
cannot cross the ordinal boundaries – you cannot link from 15.8 to

16.2, for example. See section 3.17.

Linktim This window specifies the time taken before the link happens, ie. the

“wait” time. The window initially displays ****, (ie. infinity), and
the required time can be entered in tenths of a second. A time of ten
will cause a 1 second delay between the start of the main cue and the
start of the linked cue, for example.

Any plotted linktime can be removed using the [DELETE] button.
This will stop the link and return the linked cue to being a separately
triggered cue.

Encode When playing back cues, this denotes the percentage rate at which

links will be executed, ie. a rate of 100 will keep the link as plotted.
Rates over 100 will increase the link time and rates under 100 will
decrease the link time. The rate is varied by holding down the
[FREEZE TIMES] button and moving the (SELECT) wheel. This
only affects the current link; the ENCODE value is reset to 100
whenever the [GO] or [ADVANCE] buttons are pressed.

Loopcnt This window is used to control loops created by linking cues. If a

loop is created, this window is used to specify a number of times the

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loop will be performed. You can either enter a finite number or leave
the control set to **** (infinity) for continuous looping.

You should only enter a loopcnt in the last cue of a sequence, and

should always make it one less than the number of times you wish
the loop to be performed.

Fade time This window allows you to enter fade times for each individual

channel of the fixtures. Thus, for example, you could have the size
changing quickly and the gobo changing more slowly. If no time is
entered here, the channel will adopt the time entered in the ALL line.
Times in these boxes are in tenths of a second.

You can move the cursor directly to the fade time box for a particular

channel using the CHANNEL buttons, [POSITION], [COLOR]
and so on.

Delay This line allows you to enter delay times for each individual channel,

so that, for example, fixtures could delay the colour change until the
level and position fades are complete. If no time is entered here, the
channel will adopt whatever delay time appears in the ALL line.
Delay times are in tenths of a second.

MQTIME and MQVAR These two lines control the speed of MQ's, which are described in

section 4.2. Each channel can have a separate MQ and hence can
have different times. The MQTIME is specified in hundredths of a
second; the MQVAR is a percentage of the step time, or in the case
of the library Position MQ’s, the size of the MQ.

Recording times When values are entered in the Timeblock, they are shown in a grey

highlight. When all the times are set, press [CONFIRM] to record
them and lose the Timeblock window. If you wish to record the same
settings for more than one cue, press [REC TRACK] while the
values are still held in the grey highlight. The system then asks for
the cues or range of cues to be given these values – only those held in
the grey highlight will be recorded.

The maximum value that can be inserted in the Timeblock is 9999,

ie. 999.9 seconds (or 99.99 seconds for MQs).

Active buttons In Timeblock mode the the [GO], [ADVANCE] and [CUE] buttons

remain active. Cues can thus still be executed.

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3.7 Cue playback

CUE

ENTER

GO

SHIFT

CUE EDIT

HALT

ADVANCE

BACK

Having recorded a few cues, there are two basic ways of recalling

them to the stage.

Jumping to cues Entering [CUE] number [ENTER] from the keypad will play the

chosen cue in the plotted time. This is also the way to play back
memories out of sequence.

Playing cues in order Alternatively, to play the cues in their plotted order, simply press the

[GO] button. This will play the cue shown as NEXT in the cue status
panel in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

The time panel along the base of the Cue Edit screen has two modes.
In the first, it displays the programmed times for the current cue,
while in the second, it shows the current state of any fade in progress
with timers counting down in tenths of seconds for all channels and
links. Pressing [SHIFT]+[CUE EDIT] will toggle between the two
modes.

The [PAUSE] button has no function with software version 16.
Future software will provide the facility to pause the system,
stopping cues and MQs at their current value.

Stopping links running A cue can be prevented from running on into a link by pressing

[HALT]. This is a latching button, and a red warning panel will
appear on the screen when it is operational. When released, by
pressing [HALT] again, any links will initiate.

Advancing through cues The [ADVANCE] button works like the [GO] button, except that it

ignores links. Pressing [ADVANCE] will trigger the next “unlinked”
cue, whether a point-cue or a whole number cue. This is useful when
plotting loops – the [ADVANCE] button will leave the loop and
initiate the next cue.

Reversing cues The [BACK] button will reverse the last GO or ADV command and

return the system to the cue listed as LAST in the cue status panel (in
its plotted time), whereupon it will initiate any links from that cue.
This is not necessarily the previous cue in the cue list, but will be
whatever cue you used last.

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3.8 Designs

The LDS works on a basis of 40 designs. Each design can contain up
to 999.1 cues from 0 to 999.9 (unless system memory limits are
reached first), and carries a “patch’ of fixtures to fader groups.
Primarily intended for use on live shows, when a high level of hands­on operation is required, it can nevertheless be a useful tool,
especially for larger shows. It is not necessary to plan ahead
regarding the use of designs in your show as it is very
straightforward to move cues between designs (see section 3.12) or
even to copy whole designs. You may find that you only ever use one
design, while other operators may prefer to use different designs for
different scenes, or for different shows within the same repertoire.

Cue 0 Each Design has a cue 0. This is the stage picture to which the

fixtures will go when a new Design is called up without specifying a
cue in that design (see below). Cue 0 is special in that it is always a
Snapshot Cue, but can otherwise be treated just like other cues. In
particular it has a full Timeblock associated with it. If not changed,
cue 0 will have the default values of all channels at 0 and all
Pan/Tilts at 5.

Moving between designs To move between designs, simply press
[DESIGN] number [ENTER]
The LDS will then go to cue 0 of the selected design (using whatever

time is plotted in the timeblock for cue 0), the cue window will
prompt with the first available cue and the faders will have control of
fixtures according to the plotted Autogroups.

To go directly to a specific cue in another design, press
[DESIGN] number [CUE] number [ENTER]
This will send the fixtures directly to the chosen cue, in whatever

time is plotted for that cue.

Copying designs To copy an existing design to another, press [COPY DESIGN]. This

will reveal the box:

The system will prompt with the current design number in the first
box, but this can be changed. Enter the desired numbers and press
[ENTER]; this will reveal further options regarding the type of
information to copy:

Option 1 will make the two designs identical, option 2 will simply

copy the design preset to the new design but leave the existing cues,
while option 3 will delete any existing cues so you can start from
scratch.

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MQ's, colour library and focus positions are universal through all 40
designs.

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3.9 Autogroups

MANUAL FADERS

AUTOGROUPS

CUE EDIT

ESCAPE

Each design allows for a different assignment or patch of fixtures to

the twelve fader groups, controlled by the twelve manual faders on
the lower left-hand side of the LDS board. These are particularly
useful when operating live shows, but also provide a fast method of
grabbing fixtures and plotting levels for any show.
Press the [AUTOGROUPS] button to access this screen:

The fixtures you have configured will appear, with spaces for CTL

(the fader number) and POS (the focus position) below each, on
different pages according to type. Use the cursor arrows to move
around the screen, inserting values as follows:

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CTL This is the fader number, from 1-12, which you wish to use to control

that fixture. Any number of fixtures can be controlled by one fader,
but each fixture can only be controlled by one fader. For example,
you might wish to make a fader control a whole bar of fixtures, or
every fixture of a particular type, or have each fader control a single
fixture.

POS This is the focus position number for that fixture in the preset for the

design number displayed at the bottom of the screen , ie. the position
the fixture will go to when you select that design (the preset levels
for the other channels of the fixtures are set via the Quick Screen,
described in section 3.9). If no number is assigned, it will go to focus
position 0, ie. the home position.

To exit the Autogroup screen, simply press [ESCAPE] or [CUE
EDIT].

3.10 Plotting with faders

MANUAL FADERS

BUMP BUTTONS

FADER SELECT BUTTONS

FADER EDIT

FADER GRAB

CLEAR

Having assigned fixtures to the fader groups as described in section

3.7, the manual faders can now be used to speed up the plotting
process, by working with the fader groups as single units.
Pressing the [FADER SELECT] button above any fader will grab
the fixtures on that fader. Their names will be highlighted in blue, the
LED above that fader will illuminate, and you can then control them
using the encoder wheels or trackball just as if you had grabbed them
in the usual way using the keypad.

The fader itself can be used to control the level of these fixtures
(even without the [FADER SELECT] button being pressed),
allowing groups of fixtures to be mixed without having to continually
grab and ungrab the groups. The levels of fixtures are shown in blue
highlight on the cue edit screen if a fader level is taking precedence
over cue level.

The fader select buttons are latching – they must be pressed a second
time, or [CLEAR] must be pressed, to ungrab the fixtures.

There are also bump buttons below each fader for manually flashing
the fader groups.

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FADER GRAB button When plotting using the manual faders, this [FADER GRAB] button

will grab all fixtures in fader groups whose fader levels are up (ie.
above zero). Their channel values can then be changed in the usual
way.

FADER EDIT button Pressing [FADER EDIT] will bring up a red EDIT warning in the

bottom left-hand corner of the screen to indicate that the system is in
FADER EDIT mode. Existing fixture levels can then be altered using
their manual faders: slowly raise the level of a manual fader until the
blue highlight appears on the level display for those fixtures. You
now have control on the fader, and can increase or decrease the level
as required. This process can be repeated as many times for as many
faders as required. The cue can then be re-recorded with these new
levels.

You continue to have manual control until you press [FADER
EDIT] again. The red EDIT warning will disappear and the levels
of the fixtures will revert to their plotted level.

3.11 Design presets – Quick Screen

QUICK SCREEN

DESIGN TIME

CONFIRM

STG TO DESIGN

There are two ways to record the preset for a particular design. The

first is to create the desired look on stage and then press [STG TO
DESIGN] to record it as a design preset. Alternatively, to record a
preset blind, the appropriate focus positions are set via the
AUTOGROUPS screen (see section 3.7 above) while the remaining
fixture channels are given values via the QUICK SCREEN, which is
only available if you have not used [STG TO DESIGN] for that
preset.

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This will only work when fader groups have been assigned using the

AUTOGROUPS screen, and only for those fixtures assigned to
faders. Fixture channel values are set for the fader, not the individual
fixtures. Move the cursor around the screen setting values for the
various channels; the changes will apply to that channel of every
fixture assigned to that fader. Press [CONFIRM] to record when
satisfied with the settings. To see the effect of your settings, go to the
design and put the relevant faders up; changes in the quick screen can
then be seen live on stage.

The design presets can all be given a fade time, which is altered via
the DESIGN TIME screen, accessed by pressing the [DESIGN
TIME] button. Move around the screen using the trackball in the
usual fashion, entering the desired values.

3.12 Copying cues

COPY CUE

INSERT CUE

DELETE CUE

CONFIRM

To copy a cue or cues you have recorded to a different range of cues,

copying all channel and time data, press [COPY CUE] to reveal:

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Move around the box using the cursor arrows putting in the required

values, then press [CONFIRM] when ready. To copy single cues,
leave the THRU window empty.

Cues may be copied to any design, even to an overlapping region

within the same design. The only destination ranges not allowed are
those which would cause the copied cues to overlap the next whole
cue number. For example, if you tried copying seven cues to a range
starting at 3.8, the operation would not be allowed because seven
cues can’t fit between 3.8 and 4.0.

Cues that are copied over existing cues will always delete the

existing cue information. The new cues will take the form of the
source cue, ie. snapshot, sublook or channel cue, and extraneous data
will be deleted. A warning occurs whenever there are cues that will
be overwritten so that the operation can be cancelled.

Source cue ranges that have “holes” in them (ie. 1-1.9 where only 1,

1.3 and 1.5 exist) will cause the same holes to exist in the destination.
In this example, if cues 2-2.9 exist and 1-1.9 are copied to 2, the
result will be that cues 2.1, 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6-2.9 will be deleted.
However, if the source range was specified as 1-1.5, only 2.1, 2.2 and

2.4 would be deleted and 2.6-2.9 would be left unchanged.

A warning occurs if there are no cues present in the source range
specified; the console then takes no further action.

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3.13 Deleting cues

You can delete cues from shows in three ways. All are accessed by
pressing [DELETE CUE] to bring up:

1. Delete snapshot cue This deletes an entire cue or sequence of cues, leaving every other
cue the same.

2. Delete grabbed fixtures This will delete all data for grabbed fixtures from a cue or sequence
of cues, turning Snapshot cues into Sublook cues. Note that deleting
all fixtures from a cue is not the same as deleting a cue because the
timeblock will still exist. Only Delete Snapshot removes all evidence
of a cue.

3. Delete grabbed channels This will delete any grabbed channels (ie. channels held in grey
highlight) from a cue. This turns a Snapshot or Sublook cue into a
channel cue. Deleting all the channels of a given fixture will remove
that fixture from the cue, but again deleting all channels of all
fixtures will not completely delete the cue.

Once the type of Delete has been chosen, enter the relevant number

to reveal a further box:

You can now enter a range of cues to delete, pressing [CONFIRM]
when you have completed your selection. If the range includes a
whole-number cue and that whole-number cue has point cues, you
will be offered the chance to delete those point cues as well.

Note that deleting a fixture from a cue does not necessarily remove it
from the Stage look, but maintains its channel data from the previous
cue.

3.14 Focus positions

The LDS allows a library of 200 focus positions to be created and
then used when creating cues. This feature allows positions to be
created independently of cues, which is useful if:

1. a fixture is to be focused in the same place many times during a show

2. for checking the focus on a daily basis

3. for touring applications where set positions vary from date to date

4. when fixtures are changed over

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When a focus position is changed, any cue or chase using that focus

position will automatically use the modified version.

Creating focus positions To create a focus position, simply select the fixtures you want

included in that position and place them where they should be using
the trackball. Then press [SHIFT]+[RECORD CHANNEL];

CONFIRM

POSITION

RECORD CHANNEL

SHIFT

ENTER

the system will prompt:

Enter the position number you wish to assign and then press

[CONFIRM]. This will record the position, but none of the other
channel values of the fixtures which are currently grabbed.

As with cues, remember to keep a written record of positions you
store as there is no way of displaying this information on screen and
it is very easy to write over existing focus positions.

Recalling focus positions To recall a focus position, simply select a fixture or fixtures, press

[POSITION] and the number of the position you require, then press
[ENTER]. Different fixtures can be assigned to different focus

positions within the same cue. Any fixture assigned to a focus
position which doesn’t contain stored information for that fixture will
simply go to the home position. See New Focus Positions.

Retouching focus positions To retouch a focus position from the cue edit screen, simply move

the fixture or fixtures to their new position and, while they are still
grabbed, re-record the focus position as before. This will only change
the stored position for grabbed fixtures; the focus position of all other
fixtures will remain unchanged.

New focus areas When creating looks on stage and recording cues, it is sometimes

useful to be able to assign fixtures to focus positions which don’t yet
exist, postponing the sometimes lengthy process of creating these
focus positions in order to make the best use of plotting time. Any
fixture assigned to a focus position which doesn’t exist, or doesn’t
include that fixture, will simply go to the home position.

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To go back and find all the instances where foxtures are plotted in

focus positions which don’t exist, use the {New Focus Areas}
command in the FOCUS menu - see section 4.1.

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3.15 Recording blind

OUTPUT BLIND

All the features of recording cues discussed so far can be performed

in the BLIND screen, accessed by pressing [OUTPUT BLIND]. The
BLIND screen works in the same way as the CUE EDIT screen – see
section 3.1.

The [GO], [ADVANCE] and [CUE] buttons are all still active, so
‘live’ cues can still be executed whilst making changes in blind
mode.

To exit blind mode, press [OUTPUT BLIND] again.

3.16 Linking cues

The LDS’ LINK function allows you to create multi-part cues or
combine cues into sequences and loops. Each cue or part-cue has its
own TIMEBLOCK window allowing individual delay times, while
the links are given link times which cause the next cue or part-cue to
start before, at, or after the end of the previous one.

The LDS can only link cues which have the same whole number
suffix, ie. it can only link cue 15, say, to cues 15.1 through to 15.9. A
linked sequence can thus be a maximum of ten cues long. More
elaborate sequences and chases can be constructed using MQs, which
are covered in section 4.2.

Creating sequences and loops First, record the steps of your sequence as cues, making sure they are

all point cues of the same number. Then call up the TIMEBLOCK
window for the first cue in the sequence. In the LINKTIM box enter
the delay time required between the two steps.

Using [SHIFT] and the cursor arrows, move to the next Timeblock
and repeat this process for all the steps of the sequence.

The system will assume you wish to link to the next cue in numerical

order. Only put a cue number in the LINKTO box if you wish to link
out of sequence.

Multi-part cues By entering a LINKTIME of zero, the two linked steps will start

together – ie. a multi-part cue.

Loops By linking the last step back to the first, you can create a loop. Loops

will either run indefinitely or repeat the number of times entered in
the LOOPCNT box.

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Exiting loops and sequences Loops and sequences can be exited at any stage by pressing the

[ADVANCE] button. This will initiate the next unlinked cue.

3.17 Stage picture

STAGE PICTURE

Since the CUE EDIT screen displays information contained in cues,

it doesn’t always show the system output. The two will be different if
SUBLOOK cues or CHANNEL RECORD have been used to create
move-type cues – these are described in sections 4.5 and 4.6.

To see a screen display of what is actually happening on stage, press

[STAGE PICTURE]. To return to CUE EDIT, press [STAGE
PICTURE] again.

However the system output, or STAGE PICTURE, will only be
different to the CUE EDIT display if SUBLOOK cues or CHANNEL
RECORD have been used (see sections 4.5 and 4.6). In this case the
screen will only show the fixtures or fixture channels affected by the
cue – SUBLOOK will only show the information for selected
fixtures; CHANNEL RECORD will only show the information for
selected channels.

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3.18 Disk functions

DISK

The disk drives on the system PC are used to store all recorded

information in your show, including system parameters. The LDS
has two disk drives - the hard disk within the PC and the floppy disk
drive.

The LDS is currently unable to format discs – this has to be done

from MS-DOS on the PC. Make sure you have several HD disks
formatted before you start.

3.18.1 Saving to disk

To store your show to disc, press [DISK] to reveal the DISK menu:

Move the cursor to the {Save show file} option, and click to
reveal the SAVE screen:

If you are saving your show for the first time, click on the

FILENAME box and type in the desired name. If you are simply
updating an existing show, click on that show file in the library box;
its name will appear in the filename box. By default, the system will

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save the file to it’s hard disk drive; it refers to this as drive C:. The
floppy disk drive is referred to as drive A:. Drive B: does not exist.

Saving backups To save to the floppy disk at the same time, click on BACKUP to put

a cross in the box and make sure there is a formatted disk in the disk
drive. This disk should not be write-protected – ie. the sliding write­lock tab on the disk should be closed.

It is generally good practice to make backups onto floppy disks in

this way, and then to store the floppy disks away from the computer.
It is also good practice to use two floppy disks and ‘rotate’ them so
that one is always a version behind the other. This means that an old
version of a show will still exist even if plotting errors occur.

Compressing files Compressing is only necessary if you are storing to a floppy disk and

your files are larger than 1.4M. Click on compress to put a cross in
this box and enable compression.

Saving Finally, press [ENTER] to save your show. The system will produce

various ‘pop-up’ messages at this stage to warn you if you are using
a filename that already exists, or if you are going to write over
existing information, as well as when it is sending to floppy disk. The
system will also prompt with error messages if there are problems
with the disk or disk drive.

File types The system automatically creates a SHOW file, an MQ file and a

COLOR file under the chosen name. The MQ and COLOR files can
be saved independently using the {SAVE} options on the main
Disk menu.

You should then press [ESCAPE] to return to the PLOT screen,
where you will see the name you have chosen highlighted in the
bottom left-hand corner of the screen. If you have made a backup to
floppy disk, extract the disk from the drive and slide the write protect
tab to the open position, to protect your show from accidental
erasure. Never leave floppy disks in the disk drive when you are not
writing information to them or reading information from them. Store
them in a completely separate location to the computer.

3.18.2 Reading shows from disk

Clicking on the {Read Show File} option will reveal the read
screen:

Loading into an empty system Click on the show file you wish to read (move up and down the list

in the library window using the [PAGE] buttons) and its name will

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appear in the filename window. If the system memory is empty,
pressing [ENTER] will read that show into the LDS system.

Overwriting an existing show If there is already a show file loaded, pressing [ENTER] will

produce a popup warning; pressing [CONFIRM] will then read the
new show file into the LDS system. This process will also write over
MQ and COLOR files. These can be independently read into the
system in the same way, using the individual {read} options on the
main DISK menu.

Once a showfile has loaded, its name will appear in the bottom left­hand corner of the PLOT screen.

3.19.3 File management

Computer disk drives are generally rugged, reliable devices which
store data with little risk of loss. ‘Little risk’ is not the same as ‘No
risk’, however, and you should follow a number of precautions to
minimise the risk of losing data. You should also always make
backup copies of show information to floppy disks, and store those
disks away from the computer.

When old show files begin to clutter up the file list window, it may

be desirable to delete them, taking care to ensure that they are no
longer required.

To delete these files, return to MS-DOS by quitting the LDS

program. Go to the root (..) directory by typing

cd \ [RETURN]
then move to the DATA directory, usually by typing
cd data [RETURN]

Files in this directory have the suffixes:
.SHO for show files
.MQ for MQ files
.COL for colour files

You can delete unwanted files using standard MS-DOS commands.

For example, to erase the file MYSHOW.SHO, type

erase myshow.sho [RETURN]

Once you have finished, return to the .. directory and then move to

the LDS directory (cd LDS [RETURN]). Typing

GO [RETURN]
or
LDS [RETURN]
depending on the software version will tstart the LDS system.

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General precautions Write the show to disk every half hour during a plotting session. This

will minimise the amount of work lost if the board crashes.

The system loses its memory on switch-off. Always store to disk

before switching off.

Always label disks and add the time and date.

Don’t load any extraneous software onto the PC linked to the LDS,

or the backup PC. This will avoid the risk of programs clashing with
each other, and also the risk of the PC becoming infected by a virus.

Use only reputable brands of floppy disks.

Use only double-sided, high-density (DDHD or 2HD) disks.

Reputable disks should come clearly labelled with their type. Disks
of this type also have a second notch like the write-protect notch, but
on the opposite corner of the disk.

Don’t open the protective shutter on floppy disks or touch the disk

surface.

Don't damage the hub of floppy disks.

Store floppy disks away from sources of strong magnetic fields, such
as mains conditioners. Such sources should also be located away
from computers and monitors.

Store in dry conditions - humidity can damage discs.

Store away from direct sunlight and high temperatures.

Store in a clean box, away from dust and dirt.

Work using a rotating backup system, alternating the floppy disks on

which you make backups. This means that if a fault does occur and
‘garbage’ gets written to one back-up floppy disk, you still have a
second backup disk, albeit with a slightly older version of the show.

If disk problems occur If problems do start to occur with disks, proceed with the utmost

caution!

If the system reports any error with a floppy disk, and the cause of

the problem is not immediately obvious (ie. after you have checked
that it is correctly formatted and the write-protect tab is open if trying
to record to the disk), you should immediately copy the contents of
the disk to a new floppy disk and then throw the faulty disk away.
You should then treat the contents of the new floppy disk with
suspicion until you are able to verify that they are correct.

If the system reports any error with a hard disk, immediately copy

your show files to a new floppy disk. Do not use any of your
standard backup disks since the information on the hard disk may
already be corrupted. You can then investigate the hard disk more
thoroughly using commercial disk diagnostic and virus detection
tools. If the problem persists, switch to a backup PC until the
problem can be rectified.

Section 4

Advanced Techniques

Further use of focus positions

MQ’s

Macros

Edit times

Record track

The Config menu

Cue buttons

Custom colour

Fixture names for large rigs

Customising the on-screen menus

Section 4: Advanced Plotting

Version 1a Page 2.

Advanced Techniques

This section covers some of the more advanced programming

techniques available on the LDS. Use of these techniques will allow
you to work with moving lights more efficiently, since they can
simplify many of the operations commonly required of moving
lights, such as re-focussing lights into different venues on a tour, or
generating complex chase sequences.

You should have made yourself familiar with the basic operations of

the LDS before moving on to the techniques described here.

4.1 Further use of focus positions

Having created focus positions and used them to plot your show, you
will want to be able to retouch them and clean them up with the
minimum of time and effort. All housekeeping of focus positions is
done via the FOCUS menu (accessed by pressing [FOCUS], or
clicking on {FOCUS} in the main PLOT menu):

This menu offers the operator several different ways of examining

the focus positions – by individual areas, by individual fixtures, or as
one sequence stepping through area by area, fixture by fixture.

Edit focus sequence This screen allows you to determine the order in which the focus

sequence will step through the individual focus positions. It also
allows the operator to set whether each focus area should be treated
as a WASH or an AREA. The first time the FOCUS menu is used,
any menu selection will take the operator to this screen.

In WASH mode, the system will allow you to step through the areas
altering each fixture, with all the fixtures that are used in that area
live, so keeping the overall stage picture visible.

In AREA mode, the system will only make one fixture live at a time,
enabling the operator to focus each fixture accurately to a particular
area, without reference to the other fixtures.

During focussing, the LDS keeps track of which fixtures are used in

which areas and only brings up fixtures in areas where they have
been focussed.

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To set the order of focus positions, move around this screen using the

cursor arrows, entering the position numbers as desired. To save
time, pressing [CTRL]+[N] on the PC keyboard will arrange all of
the positions in numerical order.

Focus positions default to being AREA positions. To make a WASH
position, move the cursor to that position number and press [W] on
the PC keyboard or [.] on the LDS console. A W will be displayed
next to the number to indicate a wash. Pressing either of the keys
again returns the focus position to being an area.

There are two pages to this option, allowing all 200 focus positions
to be placed in order. Use the [PAGE UP] and [PAGE DN]
buttons to move between them. Press [ESCAPE] to leave this
screen.

Partial Mode In the Focus Sequence editor, pressing [CTRL]+[T] will swap to

the PARTIAL MODE screen. This allows the operator to create a
temporary sub-sequence of focus positions for use in the other focus
menu options, when using the entire sequence would be
unnecessarily time-consuming. Areas are entered into this sequence
using the cursor arrows to move around the screen, and will carry
their ‘type’ (ie. wash or area) over from the main sequence.

This partial sequence is not saved to disk, and is lost when you exit

the LDS program.

Do Focus Clicking on the {Do Focus} option will begin the full focus edit

routine. To escape at any time, press [CTRL]+[E] on the PC
keyboard.

Upon starting this routine, the screen will display a large graphic of
the first focus area number in the sequence, and the first fixture in
that focus position will be under control of the trackball. The large
graphics are designed to be visible from the stage when using the
remote trackball, which is not yet available in this country.

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You can now move through the focus positions, checking the focus
of each individual fixture:

Move the trackball to alter the fixture focus.

Press the centre trackball button to move control to the next fixture.

Repeat for each fixture.

The left-hand button will move BACK one fixture instead.

The right-hand button will move forwards one fixture WITHOUT
saving the changes made to the current fixture. The system will
return to any fixtures skipped in this fashion at the end of that focus
area.

At the end of each focus area there is a blank step, so that the

operator can see the whole picture before proceeding to the next area.

[ESCAPE] will jump to the first fixture in the next focus position.

Start at area This allows you to begin the focus routine described above part way

through the designated sequence, eg. if interrupted during the routine.

Clicking on this option will prompt with:

Start Focus at Area:

Type in the number of the focus position you wish to start with and
press [ENTER]. If the position number you have selected is in the
sequence, the blue box will disappear and when you select {do
focus} or {lamp only focus} the sequence will start at the
designated area. To escape from the sequence press [CTRL]+[E]
on the PC keyboard.

If the position number you have selected is not in the sequence, a red
warning panel will appear with the message:

Area Not in Current Sequence. Hit any Key.

Area only This allows you to retouch a single area. The trackball and buttons

work as before, except that the right hand button does not release the
changes. The screen displays accurate PAN and TILT values for each
fixture, enabling precise duplication of these values from fixture to
fixture or from one focus position to another.
These values can only be changed using the trackball – it is not
possible to enter values directly. The live fixture is highlighted in
purple on the screen.

There appears to be a bug in the program that generates these figures.
When they drop below 10,000 the tilt figure moves one digit to the
left and stray digits remain at the right-hand side of the display.

Lamp only focus This option enables you to quickly move through the sequence of

focus positions, looking at the focus of a single fixture in each
position. The system goes straight into the first position in the
sequence.

Use the centre trackball button to step to the next focus position.

The right trackball button makes the next fixture in the rig live, for

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comparison. Pressing the right button again steps through the rig. The
left button steps back through the rig.

In this mode, use [ESCAPE] to jump to the next focus position, and
[CTRL]+[E] on the PC keyboard to escape from the sequence.

New focus areas This allows the operator to record position information for fixtures

which have been used in focus areas that have not yet been defined.
The system will search for fixtures which have been allocated to
focus positions in cues for which it has no position recorded.

As with the {Do Focus} option, the screen displays a large

graphic for any such area it can find, and the fixture in question will
come under the control of the trackball. The focus areas will retain
their appropriate status (ie. wash or position) and the trackball
buttons work as before.

Also as before, [ESCAPE] will jump to the next area, and

[CTRL]+[E] will abort the routine.

Focus settings editor This feature allows you to assign specific channel values to fixtures

during the Focus procedure, to help with identification of the fixture
being focussed. For example, you could have the fixture you are
focussing in open white and the rest of the rig in blue to make
focussing easier.

In this screen, LAMP is the fixture being focused and SUBGROUP is

the rest of the rig. Move around the screen using the cursor arrows
and assign channel values as required. When you have finished, press
[ESCAPE] to leave this screen.

Clearing unused focus areas Once a show is programmed and is running on a regular basis, it is

quite common to find that certain focus positions have not been used,
or have only been used with some of the fixtures.
This means that in the Focus routine, you will be wasting time
retouching these focus positions. By using the {clear unused
focus} option on the CONFIG menu (see section 4.8) the system
will determine which Focus data is used in your show and clear the
rest. Obviously, this should only be used once no further changes are
to be made to the cues.

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4.2 MQ’s

MQ’s are user-definable, pre-programmed effects. Unlike many other
consoles, where chase patterns and effects are plotted in discrete
steps with reference to specific units, the LDS system records
patterns as MQ’s which can then be applied to any fixture. MQ’s
replace almost anything that you would normally program as a loop
or chase.

Because MQ’s have no time element recorded with them, you can re­use the same MQ in different cues to create chases that run at
different speeds and crossfade rates. On a normal desk, this would
require several different loops whereas MQ’s can be a very flexible
tool , saving much programming time as well as memory.

4.2.1 Creating MQ’s

1

2

3

456

789

0

COLOR

ROTATE

POSITION

SIZE

LEVEL

GOBO

M-CUE EDIT

SCROLL

To create an MQ, press [M-CUE EDIT]; the screen will change to

the MQ editor display, shown overleaf.

There are different screens for each channel, ie. there are seven

screens for LEVEL, SIZE, POSITION, COLOR, GOBO, ROTATE
and SCROLL/FRAME To access the screen you want either press
the desired channel button, or use the trackball to click on
{channel} to reveal the different screen options, then click again
to select the required channel.

The screen display shows four MQ’s at a time, with the available
numbers beginning at 201. As usual, you can use either the trackball
or the cursor arrows to move around the boxes and can then insert
values as required.

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Creating a new MQ First, select a free MQ number (between 201 and 999, or 201 and

900 for a POSITION MQ) and enter a brief description in the NAME
box using the PC keyboard. Then select a number of steps and move
to the STEPS window to enter values. For instance, to create a strobe
effect select the LEVEL MQ editor, create a two-step MQ and enter
step values of 0 and 100. Or to create a seven-step colour chase,
select the COLOR MQ editor, enter 7 in the #STEPS box and then
enter the seven colour numbers in the MQ STEPS box.

Although only six steps are displayed at any time, you can access
other step boxes using the left and right cursor arrows. Up to 40 steps
can be programmed into each MQ.

Position MQ’s Position MQ’s can behave slightly differently to MQ’s for other

channels. MQ’s on all other channels can be given any number
between 200 and 999. Position MQ’s can only be given numbers
between 200 and 900. This is because the LDS uses the numbers
above 900 to store a library of stock MQ’s, designed to save time
when programming standard moves. The effects available include a
circle, a triangle and a star, amongst others. They are listed fully in
Appendix C.

For these stock effects, MQTIME describes the length of time taken

to describe the whole pattern, and MQVAR affects the size of the
pattern.

Levels in MQ’s The value entered in the MQ boxes for LEVEL is a percentage - the

Level value taken by the fixture when the MQ is running will be a
product of this percentage multiplied by the Level value plotted in
the Cue Edit screen.

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Other MQ options There are several other options that can be set from the MQ Editor

screen:

Define time as Using this box you can choose whether the time you set when

applying the MQ to fixtures is a time per step or a time for the whole
pattern. Most people find it less confusing to think of the time as a
time per step, although when combining different MQ’s on different
channels it is very useful to define the time in terms of a whole
pattern.

Build If the build option is selected, and the MQ has been ‘staggered’ over

more than one fixture (see MQ’s and multiple fixtures, below), then
the start of the MQ will gradually build, fixture by fixture, rather than
all the fixtures starting together. On step 1, only the first fixture
entered will take the MQ. The next fixture will be added on step 2,
the next on step 3, and so on. Thus if there are six steps to the MQ, it
will take six steps before all the fixtures are chasing. After this first
build, it will behave as a normal MQ. If there are more fixtures than
steps, more than one fixture will be added at each step.

Snare This allows MQ steps to be triggered by an event such as a MIDI

signal from an instrument or other control device, or by the operator.
An MQ that is denoted as a snare MQ (an SQ) will be displayed on
the cue edit or MQ screens, but will not run by itself. When
triggered, either locally from the LDS or remotely by an external
device, an SQ will perform either a single step or a complete cycle
for each trigger, depending on the setting in BURST (see below).

Local / Remote These options only apply to snare MQ’s (SQ”s).

S-CUE TRIGGER

S-CUE ENABLE

SHIFT

If LOCAL is selected, then it can be triggered manually by the

operator via the [S-CUE TRIGGER] button. If REMOTE is
selected, then it can be triggered by a remote device via a MIDI
signal. The operator is able to imitate a remote trigger by pressing
[SHIFT]+[S-CUE TRIGGER]. To prevent unwanted triggering of
snare cues by remote devices, the [S-CUE ENABLE] button
controls when the remote facility is enabled – this button has a toggle
action but unfortunately there is no display of its current state. It is
intended more as an SQ DISABLE button to prevent unwanted
triggering from an outside source while the cue is still active. A snare
cue can be both locally and remotely triggered at the same time.

Divide by This option determines how often an S-Q is activated by a trigger.

Designed for remote snare triggers, the SQ will react to every trigger

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if this box is set to 1, to every other trigger if this box is set to 2, to
every third trigger if this box is 3, and so on. This is useful if you are
using a MIDI signal from a keyboard, for instance, to trigger SQs. It
is also possible to have several SQ’s triggered from the same remote
event, but each taking different intervals.

The effect on an MQ is similar - because the MQ is only responding

to every other, or every nth trigger, the overall effect is to introduce a
“wait” time between each step.

Burst When an MQ has the SNARE option selected, BURST causes a

whole cycle to be performed every time a trigger is received rather
than just a single step.

Randomise Many MQ”s can look mechanical and repetitive despite the best

efforts of the programmer to introduce a random element. To
overcome this problem, each MQ or SQ has a “randomise” option.
When the this option is used, each fixture to which the MQ is applied
has a 50% chance at each step of not doing that step. Figures entered
in this box are percentages and refer to the amount of the time that
this 50% chance is applied. So:

0 = fixtures never miss a step.

25 = a quarter of the time, each fixture has a 50% chance of
missing a step.

75 = three quarters of the time, each fixture has a 50% chance of
missing a step.

100 = each fixture will have a 50% chance of missing any given
step.

Any figure from 0-100 is accepted, but since the chance of missing a
step applies to each individual fixture, the results are unpredictable.
You should experiment with this unorthodox feature to get the best
results.

Confirming MQ options Once you have selected the options you require, press [CONFIRM]

to record your MQ. You can then exit the MQ editor using the [CUE
EDIT] button and start using the cue you have recorded. It is
recommended that you keep a written record of MQ’s, to save time
spent looking for them on the editor screen.

4.2.2. Applying MQ’s

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TIME M-CUE

VAR M-CUE

M-CUE VIEW

SELECT

CONFIRM

SHIFT

To apply an MQ to a fixture, grab the fixture in the normal way,

select the channel and enter the MQ number, just as you would for a
value from 0-100. eg.

1 [ENTER] [COLOR] 201 [ENTER]

The cue edit screen will then show the MQ number as a channel
value with a suffix denoting the step number, or will show a red
channel value if the channel is LEVEL, SIZE or POSITION. To see
the MQ numbers for these channels, go to MQ VIEW. The fixture
will now perform the MQ in the default time.

Altering MQ times MQ times are altered by pressing and holding the [TIME M-CUE]

button whilst wheeling the (SELECT) wheel. This alters the time
taken per step or cycle, depending upon which option was selected in
the MQ editor. MQTIME is in hundredths of seconds, and can take
values up to 99.99 seconds. Wheeling upwards increases the time and
slows the MQ down, wheeling downwards decreases the time and
speeds up the MQ.

For library position MQ’s, MQTIME governs the length of time

taken to describe the whole pattern.

Pressing and holding the [VAR M-CUE] button whilst wheeling the
(SELECT) wheel alters the PERCENTAGE of the step time that
the fixture takes to change to the next step. ie. if MQVAR is 0, the
fixture will snap to each step, while if the MQVAR is 100, the fixture
will take the entire step time to reach the next step (though this is
different for canned position MQ’s – see Appendix D). MQVAR can
be set at values over 100, up to 9999 – in such cases a step will not
complete before the next step starts.

For library position MQ’s, MQVAR governs the size of the pattern.

By changing the MQTIME and MQVAR in this way, you can see the
effect on the fixtures directly. To see a numerical indication of the
speeds, have the MQ Editor on the screen while you move the
(SELECT) wheel.

Alternatively, MQTIME and MQVAR can be adjusted by entering
values (in hundredths of seconds) directly into the Timeblock
window and pressing [CONFIRM]. This is useful if you have
already found the required time by experimenting with other MQ’s,

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or as a starting point for the (SELECT) wheel. The (SELECT)
wheel does not function whilst in the Timeblock display.

Running multiple MQ’s It is of course possible to have more than one MQ running at the

same time. All MQ’s that apply to the same channel will have the
same MQTIME and MQVAR, but different MQ’s on different
fixture channels can run with different MQTIME and MQVAR. The
(SELECT) wheel will alter whichever channel is currently in the
MQ editor.

MQ’s and multiple fixtures MQ’s can also be applied to more than one fixture simply by

grabbing as many fixtures as you want before entering the MQ as a
channel value. You will see that each fixture has the same step
number, and every fixture will perform the same step at the same
time. However, MQ's can be “staggered’ across a rig by pressing
[SHIFT] when entering the MQ number.

For example, if MQ 201 is a six step colour chase, then
1 [THRU] 6 [ENTER] [COLOR] 201 [SHIFT]+[ENTER]
will make fixtures 1 to 6 perform the colour chase, but with each unit

on a different step. On the cue edit screen, each unit is shown as
being on a different step. When there are more units than there are
steps in the MQ, ie. if there are 6 units and only 3 steps, then unit 4
will begin on step 1 and so on.

To get the MQ in the example above to run backwards over the

fixtures, it would seem natural to press

6 [THRU] 1 [ENTER] [COLOR] 201 [SHIFT]+[ENTER]
Due to a quirk in the way that the LDS grabs fixtures, however, this

will not work. You must either grab each unit individually:

6 [AND] 5 [AND] 4 [AND] 3
and so on, or use:
6 [AND] - - [AND] - -
and so on.

Step numbers When a fixture has an MQ running on a particular channel, that

channel value will show the MQ number, followed by a step number.
This step number does not correlate to the step numbers on the MQ
editor screen, but is the step of the MQ on which that fixture will
have the first programmed step value. Thus in a six-step MQ, the
fixture showing step no 5 will start in the third programmed value on
the first trigger, so that it reaches the first progammed value on the
5th trigger.

4.2.3. Editing MQ’s

MQ’s can be changed very easily even while they are running live on
stage. Go to the MQ editor screen, enter the new values as required
and press [CONFIRM]. You should see the effect of the changes
immediately, and can even alter the time whilst in this screen.

Sometimes when you edit the channels of fixtures with MQ’s
running or have several MQ's running simultaneously, the MQ’s can
get confused when changes are made. In this case press [M-CUE
RE-SYNCH] to synchronise all of the MQ’s.

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M-CUE RE-SYNC

BACK

PAGE BACK

PAGE FORW

GO

ADVANCE

SHIFT

ENTER

There are several ways to move quickly around the MQ editor screen
to find the MQ you are looking for:

1. Use the [PAGE FORW] and [PAGE BACK] buttons to page forwards
and backwards through the list, MQ by MQ.

2. Click on the MQ number box, enter the number you require and
press [ENTER]. The screen will then jump to the MQ you selected.

3. Pressing [SHIFT]+[GO] moves you to the next available
unprogrammed MQ number.

4. Pressing [SHIFT]+[ADV] will move you to the next programmed
MQ.

5. Pressing [SHIFT]+[BACK] will take you back to the previous
programmed MQ.

4.2.4. Reading and saving MQ files

When a show is saved to disk, the system automatically creates a
separate MQ file. The MQ file can be read independently of the show
it was created in, and MQ files can also be saved independently of
shows using the {Save MQ File} option from the DISK menu.
You can thus take all the MQ’s you have created in one show to any
other show as a basis to work from.

If you read in an MQ file from disk, all of the existing MQ’s will be
overwritten. You cannot merge MQ files.

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4.3 Macros

MACRO BUTTONS

RECORD MACRO

The LDS has 53 Macro buttons, all directly available on the console.

Each macro button is programmable with any number of button
pushes , and these button pushes can be ANY button on the board,
including other macros. The only exception is that you can’t program
a macro button with itself.

Creating a macro To create a Macro, press [RECORD MACRO]. The system will

prompt with:

Now press the sequence of buttons you wish to record, finishing with

[RECORD MACRO] again. The system will now show:

Press the Macro button you wish to use for this sequence, and your
Macro is recorded.

Example macro For example, to program a Macro to grab fixtures 1 and 2, press:

[REC MACRO] [CLEAR] 1 [AND] 2 [ENTER] [REC MACRO]
[MACRO BUTTON]

It is sometimes a good idea when using macros to grab fixtures to

make [CLEAR] the first button push, to ensure that previously
selected fixtures are not affected by the new operation. However, if a
rig is labelled with combinations of letters and numers, the
[CLEAR] could clear the currently selected letter - see section 4.9
for more details of labelling rigs in this way. You therefore have to
be very strict about how you grab lanterns using macros, and the

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approach will change depending on how the rig is labelled and the
function the macro is intended to carry out.

Using macros Macros can be used to select commonly used colours, gobos (useful

for closing the iris at the same time to eliminate edge spill from
gobos) and positions, to run commonly used cues, or even as
blackout buttons.

The LDS does not have a macro button editor or display, so it is vital
to label the macro buttons as you record them, and it is helpful to
make a note of the button sequences you record. The LDS will give
no warning if you record over an existing macro.

Macros can also be programmed with keys from the PC keyboard,
enabling alphanumeric sequences to be recorded. Thus if you have
included letters in fixture names, macros on the LDS can act as those
letter keys.

If you attempt to record a recursive macro (ie. one whose button
presses include itself), the system will display a warning panel.

4.4 Edit times

SHIFT

CUE TIME

The EDIT TIMES window is accessed by pressing [SHIFT]+[CUE

TIME]. It is mainly used during editing to allocate times for fixture

changes which would otherwise all happen as “snaps”.

Different times can be entered for each channel of the fixtures, all in
tenths of seconds.

It cannot be emphasised enough how much damage can be caused to

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a rig during plotting sessions by leaving these settings at 0. By
entering times of 1-2 seconds, wear and tear on the rig will be kept to
a minimum.

Also, during live performances, these times can be set to larger
values, so that live edited changes happen slowly and subtly.
Note however that these settings do not affect the encoders or
trackball.

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4.5 Record track

CONFIRM

REC - TRACK

ENTER

AND

THRU

Normally, using [RECORD ALL] or [RECORD SUB], you are able

to modify one or all of the fixtures in any given cue. To make these
modifications to a number of cues in one operation, use [REC-
TRACK].

Having made changes to channel values in an existing cue, keep
them in the grey highlight and press [REC-TRACK]:

If the current cue is part of a loop, the range defaults to that loop and
the window comes up with that range entered automatically.
Otherwise the window comes up with the current cue number entered
in the window.

Select the cue or range of cues required, using [AND] and [THRU]
as necessary, then press [ENTER]. Cue numbers in the specified
range that have not been previously recorded are not created.

However if the cue does exist for some fixtures (ie. a sublook cue), it
will be created for any fixtures with edited values that were not
previously in the cue. This newly created cue will only have the
edited channels recorded – unedited channels will be blank (ie. a
channel cue).

This feature can be a great timesaver, as well as helping to avoid
errors such as a fixture being missed out of changes to a sequence of
cues. It is also a fast way of plotting extra fixtures into a previously
plotted show.

The [REC-TRACK] button is also used in the timeblock window for

recording time data into ranges of cues.

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4.6 The Config menu

CONFIRM

CONFIG

ENTER

There are many system settings which can be changed in order to

configure the LDS to suit a particular operator, rig or MIDI link etc..
This is done via the CONFIG menu, accessed by pressing
[CONFIG]:

Any setting changed using this menu will be saved on the show disk

with the rest of the data, and will thus change when a new show is
read into the system.

Clear options This is used to remove or clear sections of the system memory.

Clicking on this option reveals the sub-menu:

Simply move the highlight to the desired option and press [ENTER]

– the system will prompt with a warning if data is being deleted and a
press of the [CONFIRM] button completes the process.

The {Clear Unused Focus} option is particularly useful. It

removes any focus positions which haven’t been used in any cues
from memory. This could save valuable time retouching the focus
positions every day.

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Fader config The LDS system is designed to be capable of controlling mixed rigs

of both moving and static fixtures. If does this via. CD6 boxes for the
moving fixtures and SB boxes for the conventional rig and colour
changers.

Many lighting designers like to have control over the LEVEL feature

of their fixtures from a manual fader system. On the LDS MP100
there are 12 such faders. On the larger MP500 console there are 36.
For large rigs, the LDS can accept inputs from various types of
lighting desks, giving access to more manual faders if required.

The FADER CONFIG section allows you to tell the LDS what sort

of input to expect, and patching fixtures to the various faders in each
of the 40 designs is done via. the AUTOGROUPS screen, just as
described for the 12 faders on the MP100. You can choose whether
or not levels of fixtures controlled by submasters or other inputs are
indicated on the LDS with a blue highlight, and whether or not these
levels are automatically recorded into cues.

There are four input device types allowed with the current software.

MPX Board MPX Board refers to the submaster section of the MP100. The

number of active channels defaults to 36, since this is the number of
submasters available on the larger MP500 console.

DMX Input A/B DMX Input A is reserved for input from an analogue lighting desk

through an analogue to digital converter. It can take up to 90
channels. Input B is a normal DMX512 input, and the last input is for
MIDI signals.

Record Status The RECORD STATUS box determines whether or not the levels set

by the submasters (or faders) are recorded into cues. To make an
entry in this box, press [Y] on the PC keyboard for yes, or [N] for no.
If you make record status active, the value in the Level Channel for
any fixture that is being controlled by a submaster or fader will be
displayed in a blue highlight on the cue edit screen. If you record a
cue in this condition, the level will go to that value when you play
the cue back.

Cues, submasters and other input sources interact on a highest wins

basis.

Threshold Threshold is used to clean up input from a source that fluctuates

when channels are set at zero. The LDS sends data whenever a
change is detected in the state of the console or its various inputs.
When a ‘dirty’ input fluctuates constantly, the system can get bogged
down in sending unwanted data. The values in this column are
expressed in hexadecimal (0-FF) and indicate that any value below
the specified level is ignored.

MIDI config This is used to define MIDI channels, voices and command types for

the LDS to communicate with other control devices:

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For the software currently used by The Moving Light Company to

link the LDS to other consoles via. a Macintosh MIDI control
program the following settings need to be used:

Voice in 16
Octaves up 3
Change range 1-128
Continuous controller Selected (X in the selection box)
Note on/off Deselected (no X in the selection box)
Program change Deselected (no X in the selection box)

Times config This menu allows the operator to enter default values for most of the

boxes within the Timeblock window, to suit the particular show.

Move around the screen using the cursor arrows, entering the desired

values for each parameter. The delay and fade times are in tenths of

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seconds, the MQ time is in hundredths of a second and the MQ var is
a percentage. You can also enter default values for Linktime,
Loopcount and profiles.

When the box is complete, press [ENTER] again, whereupon the
system will give you an option to save your data before leaving the
screen.

Plot config When entering fixture symbols on the PLOT screen (see section 2.2)

the system will automatically draw ProSpot Deluxes for fixtures
connected to a CD6 box and ParFaders for fixtures connected to an
SB24 box. Obviously, for large rigs you could save a lot of time
changing the symbols if you altered the symbol that the system
produces to the type of fixture you are actually using. This is done
via the {plot config} option:

Move between the boxes using the up and down cursor arrows, then

use the left and right cursor arrows to move the X up or down to the
appropriate type of fixture – ProSpot Deluxe’s have the dichroic
colour system, ProSpot’s the colour wheel. When you have finished
setting the default. press [ENTER] again to store the changes.

Defaults There are two system settings controlled via the {Defaults} menu

option:

The {Display Fixture} option is intended to change the plot

screen to display either fixture names or symbols, according to
choice.

With the current software, this does not appear to function.

Fixture names can be shown on the plot screen simply by pressing
any of the plot menu buttons twice.

The {Start Design} option allows you to determine which
design number the system will go to when the show file is read in.
For example, if your show is all on design 10, you can tell the LDS
to always go to design 10, saving time and possible errors.

You move from option to option in this box using the cursor arrow
keys, then press [ESCAPE] once you have finished making changes.

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Focus settings Problems have arisen with the trackball and encoder wheels being

too sensitive to loud sound, especially bass. To help overcome this,
the console has timers which start to count as soon as the trackball or
encoders become inactive. After a specified time (the Stay Awake
Timeout) they ‘fall asleep’.

REPLACE THIS SCREEN GRAB
Nudge awake time This is the time the trackball has to be moved for before it ‘wakes up’

and starts to respond, in miliseconds.

Stay awake timeout This is the length of time that the trackball and encoder wheels will

stay awake if they are not moved.

Trackball wake count This is the distance the trackball has to be moved within the Nudge

Awake Time before it starts to respond.

Encoder wake count This is the time it takes for the encoder wheels to awaken when

moved.

Set Defaults This replaces any values for the settings above with the system

default values. These are:

Nudge awake time 400 (milliseconds)
Stay awake timeout 4 (seconds)
Trackball wake count 15
Encoder wake count 1

Trackball orientation editor Clicking on this box gives access to the Trackball orientation editor

screen – this is covered in section 2.15.

Fixture response This alters the sensitivity of the trackball and encoders. Separate

figures can be entered for ProSpots, ProBlasters and Faderbeams.
Again, the set defaults option will replace any existing values
with the system defaults of 10 and 1.

Button help Selecting the {Button Help} option simply gives an on-screen

display of the button quick reference in Section 6 of this manual.

The on-screen button help has not been updated since software

version 16 and is therefore inaccurate – refer to Section 6 for the
updated information.

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4.7 Cue buttons

GO TO CUE BUTTONS

GO

CUE

ENTER

The twelve blue buttons above the manual faders are [GO TO CUE]

buttons, for fast access to recorded cues. Initially, buttons 1-12 will
access cues 1-12, running them in in their plotted times. If any of
those cues do not exist the relevant cue button will do nothing. The
buttons all have LEDs to indicate which cue number is live on stage.

Having progressed through to cue 12, pressing the [GO] button will
now change the page on the cue buttons so that they act as buttons
for cues 13-24. This can be repeated, with the cue buttons jumping in
pages of twelve cues, until the last recorded cue is reached (up to a
maximum of 400 cues). Alternatively, the page can be changed
simply by going to any cue on the desired page using

[CUE] number [ENTER]
The main advantage of these buttons is that cues can be used out of

sequence, with just a single button push, which is especially useful
for a ‘hands-on’ approach to concert-style shows.

4.8 Custom colour

SELECT WHEEL

CONFIRM

ENTER

PAGE FORW

PAGE BACK

CUE SHEET

The LDS can create and store up to 104 operator-defined colours,

which are numbered from 97-200. To create a new colour, select a
fixture or fixtures, select a colour close to the desired colour, and
press [CUE SHEET] to enter the CUSTOM COLOR screen.

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The screen displays the proportion of each dichroic filter used to

create the colour, expressed as a number from 0-2047.

To create a new colour, click on the Custom Color box, select a
number for your new colour, (or the number of the colour you wish
to change), and press [ENTER]. Then move to the individual colour
boxes, clicking on each in turn and adjusting the intensity of each by
means of the (SELECT) wheel, until the desired colour is achieved.
At this point, enter any description you wish before pressing
[CONFIRM] to record your changes, which should then add your
new colour to the list of programmed colours.

Note that once a custom colour has been created it cannot be deleted,

only changed.

Note also that although you can record over the pre-defined colours

stored as colour numbers below 97, this is not recommended since
the only way to recover the original colour is to re-set the entire desk.
You should ckech that you have not accidentally entered a colour
number below 97 before pressing [CONFIRM].

Once you have finished creating colours, press [CUE EDIT] to

leave this screen.

Changing the starting colour To change the starting colour from the CUSTOM COLOR screen,

move the cursor to the desired colour, whether standard (in the
bottom-right hand box) or custom (in the bottom-left hand box), and
double click. [PAGE FORW] and [PAGE BACK] move you up and
down the lists.

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It is helpful to keep a note of any new colours you create – it is
quicker than going to the CUSTOM COLOR screen every time you
need to read the descriptions!

4.9 Fixture names for large rigs

Fixture names become very unwieldy on large rigs. It is often easier
to give each bar or rigging area a code letter, and each fixture on that
bar an alpha-numeric fixture name incorporating the bar letter and a
shorter number. For example, the twenty fixtures on bar A would be
A1 to A20, or the six fixtures on boom X would be X1 to X6.
Aternatively, the ProSpots could all have the prefix P, the ProSofts
the prefix S and so on.

The LDS will accept alpha-numeric fixture names of one letter
followed by up to three digits. Macro buttons near the keypad can be
programmed to be the required letters to save constant use of the
keyboard.

Although at first sight this would appear to increase the number of
button pushes needed to manipulate the rig, the LDS carries a
“memory” or buffer of which letter is current. For instance, if you are
already controlling a fixture on bar A, you do not need to press A
again to grab any other fixture on the same bar. Pressing the letter for
any other rigging area will act as a “clear” button, reducing the need
to keep pressing [CLEAR] as you move around the rig.

With practice, this is a very effective tool for coping with large rigs
where fixture names would run into three figures, and it can be
tailored to suit the tastes particular operators.

You should avoid mixing alpha-numeric and numerical fixture names
within the same rig.

4.10 Customising the on-screen menus

It is possible that when working with large or unusually shaped rigs, you

could find that the on-screen drop-down menu boxes are obscuring
part of the rig. If this becomes a problem then the on-screen menu
boxes can be re-positioned to more conventient locations.

To reposition a menu, move the cursor to the offending menu box and hit

the left and right trackball buttons simultaneously. The box will
disappear, leaving a small symbol. Now move the cursor to the
preferred position and click on either button again to drop the box in

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its new position. This does not affect the operation of the menu box,
and can be done at any time with any of the menus on the plot screen.

Although this feature allows you to customise the screen display, we

recommend that you do not make use of this feature unless you have
to, since the screen display will then not match the examples shown
in this manual, so making it harder to work out where you are if you
hit a problem. Unconventional screen displays will also make it
harder for another operator to take over a show.

Section 5

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

The Diagnostics screen

Troubleshooting

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Version 1a Page 2.

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

This section contains information on carrying out on-site

troubleshooting of the LDS console and system, and gives details of
how to retrieve diagnostic information from the system.

The diagnostic information allows the system to be checked to

ensure that, for example, all of the fixtures are running with up-to­date, compatible software versions loaded. The diagnostics can also
be useful for troubleshooting more complex problems with the CD6
bar computers.

5.1 The Diagnostics screen

SHIFT

DIAG

Pressing [DIAG] will bring up the diagnostic screen display. When
in this mode, paging forwards and backwards will toggle between the
menu screen and the rig screen, where the various fixture symbols
are colour-coded according to the state of the bar computers.

Throughout the menu selections, you are given the choice of

performing the various options on certain colour-coded bar
computers, or a selected group, via a selection window. This window
appears not to work, but in reality it has been written for the two­screen graphics option (see Appendix F) and its effects can therefore
only be seen by paging to the rig screen to see the selected bar
computers turn purple.

There are six menu options in the Diagnostics system:

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Clear error counters This allows you to clear the error counters in the bar computers;

three options are provided – clear the errors on the IPROC, the 68K,
or both. Performing this operation causes the symbols of the fixtures
affected to turn green.

Restore (white) bars Selecting this simply sends a RESTORE command to any bar

computers (CD6 box) currently showing a white symbol on the plot
screen (or to a selected group). The DIAGS screen indicates a
RESTORE command with a blue window. Performing this operation
causes the symbols of the fixtures affected to turn green.

Update (blue) bars Pressing this simply sends an UPDATE to any bar computers

showing blue symbols (or to a selected group).

Investigate (yellow) bars Selecting this option brings up a further submenu headed

INVESTIGATION OPTIONS.

IPROC Error Status This investigates the health of all (or a selected group) of the bar

computers connected to the system. The down arrow steps through
the bar computers, giving readouts of health status, data return, error
counters and battery status.

68K Error Status As for the IPROC, this allows you to look at error counters and error

codes for all (or a selected group) of the bar computers. A third
option on the submenu allows you to select which error types are
listed.

Loopback test This test can again be applied to all of the bar computers (or a

selected group). It produces the same screen display as the IPROC
Error Status test but pressing the down arrow key will perform a
loopback test to the bar computer. This checks the data links out to
and back from the bar computers. If these are OK, each line of the
loopback test will be identical. Pressing the down arrow again will
stop the test and give a readout of the error counters to check for
errors produced by the test. The screen steps through the bar
computers as before. You are also given the option to override the
default loops from the SUBMENU screen.

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Verify Link Checksum This test will give numerical readouts of link checksums for all, (or a

selected group) of the bar computers. It will show any current
difference against the previous difference. As before return codes
will be displayed, and the down arrow key can be used to step
through the bar computers.

Invoke Cold Restart This sends a cold restart command to all (or a selected group) of the

bar computers. The screen displays a blue window message during
the process and all cue information is wiped from the bar computers.
You will then need to send update and restore commands before
continuing.

Check memory usage This gives a display of the percentage of memory remaining of all

(or a selected group) of the bar computers.

Verify Romrevs This brings up a screen display showing the EPROM software

revision details for both the IPROC and the 68K. The down arrow
key steps through the bar computers, allowing the operator to check
that software versions are compatible. If the bar computer is not
connected or powered, the system will read

timeout on receiving any bytes

Clear link checksums Selecting this option simply clears the checksum totalisers for all of

the bar computers. The DIAGS screen will display a blue window
whilst this is in progress.

Multiple tests Pressing [SHIFT]+[DIAGS] will automatically perform the first

three diagnostic options on the whole rig.

Section 5: Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Version 1a Page 5.

5.2 Troubleshooting

Trackball not working? The trackball has an on/off switch marked [TRK BL] and located

immediately below the trackball, which should be switched on.

TRK BL

Occasionally , however, the trackball locks up – the only way to fix

this is to save the show to disk, switch the processor off, and re-start
the system.

Cue doesn't look right?
Are you in the right design, with the right cue selected as live on the

stage? Have any of the channels in the cue been grabbed by another
action, and so are being held at a strange level?

Cue doesn’t exist?
Are you in the right design?

Fixture doing cues incorrectly?
Have you sent a RESTORE since the last update?

Fixture not following trackball?
Is the fixture in a position MQ which uses focus positions that don’t

apply to that unit?

Fixtures/boxes not responding?
Check the physical connections or refer to the ProSpot manual.

Fader levels not recording into cues?
Check fader config options – has this been disabled? See Fader Config in

section 4.6, the Config Menu.

Fixtures not going to recorded levels?
If fixtures allow manual alterations from the LDS, but fail to go to

plotted values in cues, check in DIAGS to establish the compatability
of the software version in the bar computer (see section 5.1).

Menu box obscuring part of the rig on the plot screen?
The drop-down menu boxes can be moved around the screen to suit your

preferences, if desired. See section 4.10, Customising the On-Screen
Menus.

Blank columns on Cue Edit screen?
This is because there are extra symbols on the plot screen which are

directly on top of each other, and hence cancelling out to be
invisible. Blank columns therefore only happen in pairs. To remove

Section 5: Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Version 1a Page 6.

them, go to the plot screen, select {delete} from the ALLOCATE
BARS menu, and move around the screen clicking on blank parts of
the screen until another symbol appears. The most likely places are
directly around existing symbols. When a symbol appears, click
again to remove it, and you will now find that two of the blank
columns have been removed from the Cue edit screen.

LRT Communication error? The Cue Editor detects any interface errors between the console and the

LRT (the PC card that links the console to its PC) that prevent the
console from transmitting data to the bar computers - this could be
caused by a crashed LRT or a noisy external board that is forcing the
LRT to spend all its time handling these commands. When this
happens, the console will prompt the operator with a message about
the error and the option of retrying the command ([SHIFT]+1) or
disabling the transmit function to permit the operator to save file and
reboot ([SHIFT]+2). If the operator picks the second option and
then goes to the Cue Editor, a TX OFF message will remind the
operator that the console is no longer trying to transmit any data to
the bars. The console needs to be rebooted to get out of this mode.
(This has not yet been tested).

One or more units not responding properly at the end of the calibration routine?
Avoid sending data from the LDS until fixtures have finished their

calibration routine.

Bar computer crashing when updated?
The bar computer’s memory is probably full. Use the DIAGS screen to

check on memory usage in the bar computers

66
67

68

Section 3 69

Appendices 70

71

72
73

74

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference 75

Appendix B: Colour Library 76

Appendix C: MQ Library 77

Appendix D: MIDI 78

Appendix E: Back Up 79

80

81

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 2.

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference 66

This section contains a list of every button on the LDS console and a 67

description of the action it performs, divided up into the separate 68
keypad areas. Also included are the section number you should refer 69
to for more details on the use of a button, and the equivalent key 70
combination for the button on the PC keyboard. These provide direct 71
equivalents for the LDS console operations and may be preferred by 72
some operators. 73

74
If the LDS console fails but still has power connected to it, and the 75

PC is still running, certain operations, including [GO] can still be 76
performed from the PC keyboard. However, if the power supply 77
within the LDS console fails no further running of cues will be 78
possible since the LDS sends data to the bar computers. 79

80

The LDS-MP100 Console 81

82

S-CUE

TRIGGER

CLEAR

CUE

EDIT

M-CUE

VIEW

OUTPUT

BLIND

STAGE

PICTURE

AUTO

GROUPS

QUICK

SCREEN

M-CUE

EDIT

RECORD

MACRO

PRO

SPOTS

PARS

DIMMERS

PAGE

BACK

HALT

PAUSE

BACKGOADVANCE

CONFIRM

LEVEL

SIZE

PAN

TILT

POSITION

FULL

COLOR

GOBO

ROTATE

M-GOBO

SCROLL

ZERO

RECORD

ALL

RECORD

SUB

RECORD

CHANNEL

REC-

TRACK

UNGRAB

CUE

TIME

789

456

123

CLEAR0.

AND

THRU

SHIFT

DELETE

CUE

ENTER

BACK

SPACE

DESIGN

CLEAR

CLEAR

PLOT

DISK

FOCUS

UPDATE

KILL

DIAG

CONFIG

CUE

SHEET

S-CUE

ENABLE

STG TO
DESIGN

COPY

DESIGN

DESIGN

TIME

INSERT

CUE

DELETE

CUE

COPY

CUE

TIME

M-CUE

VAR

M-CUE

CLEAR

TIMES

FREEZE

TIMES

M-CUE

RE-SYNC

FADER

EDIT

FADER

GRAB

ESCAPE

RESTORE

PAGE

FORW

FULL

FULL

FULL

S-CUE

TRIGGER

OUTPUT

BLIND

83

84

85

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 3.

PC Keyboard equivalents 66

67

ESC

FUNCTION KEYS F1-F12

INSERT

PG UP

DELETE

PG DOWN

CURSOR KEYS

CTRL

ALT

68

This is the layout of a typical PC keyboard. Precise key positions 69

may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. 70

71
72

MIDDLE RIGHT

KEYS

TOP CENTRE

KEYS

MIDDLE CENTRE

KEYS

BOTTOM CENTRE

KEYS

TOP RIGHT

KEYS

BOTTOM RIGHT

KEYS

MAIN KEYPAD

73

74
75
76

77

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 4.

66

BUTTON

PC
EQUIV­ALENT

DESCRIPTION OF USE

SECTION

Top-Centre keys

[PLOT]

CTRL+F1

System picture. Set up Bars, Fixtures, Names,
Thmwhls

[DISK]

CTRL+F9

Get and save files for show, MQ’s, and
Custom Colors

[FOCUS]

F6

Trackball through any Focus Areas for system
or lamp

[UPDATE]

CTRL+F10

Send full program to any or all bar computers

[KILL]

CTRL+K

Disable or re-awaken/recalibrate any fixture

[DIAG]

CTRL+W

Poll bars for errors. Do detailed queries eg.
Rom Revs

[CONFIG]

CTRL+I

Set operating parameters for system

[CUE SHEET]

Custom colors: direct control of Yellow,
Magenta,Cyan

Top-Right keys

[CUE EDIT]

F9

Program, Record and run any or all cues

[MQ VIEW]

CTRL+V

Mode: View MQ values in LEVEL, SIZE or
POSITION

[OUTPUT BLIND]

ALT+F7

Mode: View and edit cues without affecting
stage ([GO], [ADV] & [CUE] buttons still
provide stage control)

[STAGE PICTURE]

SHIFT+6

Mode: Display fixtures’ values for all cues
combined on stage. Only different if [REC

SUB] or [CHANNEL] used.
[AUTO GROUPS]

F8

Assign fixtures to manual faders.

[QUICK SCREEN]

F4

Does nothing.

[RESTORE]

CTRL+D

Enable LEVEL and other actions for re­awakened fixtures.

[M-CUE EDIT]

ALT+U

Program MQ sequences for any fixture
channel. Creates user values above 200 (201­899 for POS, 201-999 for others).

Middle-centre keys

[S-CUE TRIGGER]

Operator’s trigger for ‘local’ type Snare cues.
Use[SHIFT] to fake a ‘Remote” trigger.

[S-CUE ENABLE]

Enables remote MQ triggering by external
devices.

[STG TO DESIGN]

ALT+Y

Does nothing.

[COPY DESIGN]

ALT+W

Copy Design preset, plus optional cues, to
another Design.

67

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 5.

66

BUTTON

PC
EQUIV­ALENT

DESCRIPTION OF USE

SECTION

Middle-centre
keys...

[DESIGN TIME]

F7

Does nothing.

[INSERT CUE]

CTRL+F

Does nothing.

[DELETE CUE]

CTRL+G

Delete, or partially delete, cue(s).

[COPY CUE]

ALT+Q

Copy one or more cues to a different range of
cues or a different design.

Middle-right keys

[RECORD MACRO]

CTRL+Z

Press to begin recording of a sequence of
button strokes. Press again to finish recording.

[SPOTS] /
[DIMMERS]

These buttons move screen display to first cue
edit page displaying this fixture type.

[PAGE BACK] /
[PAGE FORW]

Move display back or forward one page.
Sequence through file, color or MQ lists.

Bottom-centre keys

[MQ TIME] /
[MQ VAR]

Hold down while using (SELECT) wheel for
live adjustment of MQ speed or MQ ‘var’ (size
or fade time) values.

[CLEAR TIMES]

Does nothing
[FREEZE TIMES]

Hold down while using (SELECT) wheel to
encode link times.

[MQ SYNCH]

Press to restart and synchronize MQs running
on fixtures you have been editing.

[FADER EDIT]

Mode: In EDIT mode you can grab
programmed levels with manual faders and
alter them

[FADER GRAB]

ALT+G

Select and edit groups of fixtures whose fader
levels are up.

[ESCAPE]

ESC

To exit most windows. Sometimes doesn’t
save data.

Bottom-right keys

[HALT]

Stops automatic linking of linked cues.

[PAUSE]

Does nothing.

[BACK]

Goes to the previously run cue. SHIFT+BACK
goes to one less.

[GO]

CTRL+
PgUp

Goes to the next cue, following links.

[ADVANCE]

Goes to the next manual cue, not obeying loop
links.

[CONFIRM]

CTRL+N or
CTRL+Y

Confirms data to be stored in Cues,
Timeblock, etc.

67

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 6.

66

BUTTON

PC
EQUIV­ALENT

DESCRIPTION OF USE

SECTION

Main keypad

[LEVEL]

ALT+L

Select LEVEL channel of fixtures currently
grabbed.

[SIZE]

ALT+I

Select SIZE channel.

[PAN]

ALT+F3

Select PAN channel, enter number.

[TILT]

ALT+F4

Select TILT channel, enter number.

[POSITION]

ALT+P

Select POSITION channel, to enter focus
position number

[COLOR]

ALT+D

Select COLOR channel.

[GOBO]

ALT+F

Select GOBO channel.

[ROTATE]

ALT+C

Select ROTATE effect for moving GOBO.

[MGOBO]

ALT+T

Select Moving GOBO channel.

[SCROLL]

ALT+S

Select SCROLL channel, also FRAME,
FOCUS, depending on type.

[FULL]

ALT+F5

Set grabbed channel at Full On (usually 100)

[ZERO]

ALT+F6

Set grabbed channel at 0.

[RECORD ALL]

INSERT

Record the stage picture into a cue.

[RECORD SUBLOOK]

Record fixtures with new data into a cue.

[RECORD CHANNEL]

Record only channels with new data into a
cue.

[RECORD TRACK]

ALT+E

Prompts for set of cues into which you want to
store data.

[UNGRAB]

Hold down and press channel key to clear
programmed data in that channel for fixtures
that are grabbed.

[CUE TIME]

F3

In Cue Edit, brings up the Cue time and MIDI
out window.

ARROWS [L] & [R]

Move fixture selection, move around
windows.

ARROWS [up] &
[down]

Change window items.

[AND]

, (comma)

Use when entering fixture names or groups to
select more.

[THRU]

-

Use between fixture names to select a group.

[DELETE]

DEL

Deletes an entry in any window.

[DESIGN]

F1

Press, then type Design number., then either
[ENTER] or [CUE].

[CUE]

F2

Press, then type cue number to go to, followed
by [ENTER].

[CLEAR]

_

First press deselects all fixtures. Second press
releases all ‘live’ fixture channels.

[BACKSPACE]

For editing, back up one character.

[ENTER]

Enter, finishing data from entry field.

67

68

Appendix A: Button Quick Reference

Version 1a Page 7.

Shift Key Functions in CUE EDIT 66

67

Key Combination

Action

[SHIFT]+[FUNCTION]

Freeze data of selected
fixtures into grey highlight
box for this function.

[SHIFT]+[ENTER]

Distributes MQ step numbers
over selected fixtures.

[SHIFT]+[REC CHAN]

Record POSITION channel
'QF' as Focus position.

[SHIFT]+[CUE TIME]

Edit times for fixture
movement while editing.

[SHIFT]+[BACK]

Find previous programmed
cue.

[SHIFT]+[CUE EDIT]

Toggles function of time
panel on CUE EDIT screen.

68
69

Shift Key Functions in CUE TIME WINDOW 70

71

72

Key Combination

Action

[SHIFT]+[ARROWS]

Steps through cues.

73
74

Shift Key Functions in MQ EDITOR 75

76

77

Key Combination

Action

[SHIFT]+[GO]

Advances to next
unprogrammed MQ number.

[SHIFT]+[ADVANCE]

Find next programmed MQ.

[SHIFT]+[BACK]

Find previous programmed
MQ.

78
79

Shift Key Functions AT ANY TIME 80

81

82

Key Combination

Action

[SHIFT]+[DIAGS]

Auto all preparatory
diagnostics: clear errors,
restore, update.

[SHIFT]+[RESTORE]

Delayed restore - action for
awoken lamps begins next
cue.

[SHIFT]+[SCUE
TRIGGER]

Emulate a Remote snare
trigger event.

83

Appendix B: Colour Library

Version 1a Page 1.

Appendix B: Colour Library

The LDS has a library of 96 pre-programmed colours. It can store an

additional 104 customized colours created by the operator (see
section 4.10). The programmed colours are as follows:

Filter equivalents by colour

Straw/Yellow Salmon/Rose Blues

1. LEE103 31. LEE 153 61. LUX 60

2. LUX 11 32. LEE 109 62. LUX 62

3. LUX 14 33. LUX 31 63. LEE 161

4. LEE 104 34. LUX 34 64. LUX 64A

5. LUX 15 35. LEE 110 65. LUX 67

6. CUSTOM 36. LUX 36 66. LUX 68

7. GAM 460 37. LEE 111 67. LUX 79

8. LUX 12 38. GAM 180 68. LUX 83

9. LEE 101 39. LEE 113 69. GAM905

10. CUSTOM 40. LUX 46 70. CUSTOM

Amber/Orange Pink/Magenta Blue/Greens

11. LUX 02 41. LUX 33 71. LUX 73

12. LUX 03 42. LUX 35 72. LEE 115

13. LEE 176 43. LUX 37 73. LEE 116

14. LUX 18 44. LUX 38 74. LUX 95

15. LEE 147 45. LUX 44 75. LEE 117

16. LUX 21 46. LEE 128 76. LEE 144

17. CUSTOM 47. GAM 140 77. LUX 71

18. LUX 22 48. LEE 126 78. LUX 69

19. LUX 19 49. GAM 995 79. LUX 76

20. LUX 25 50. CUSTOM 80. CUSTOM

Reds Lavenders Greens

21. LUX 41 51. LUX 51 81. GAM540

22. LUX 24 52. LUX 52 82. LEE 138

23. LEE 182 53. LUX 54 83. LEE 121

24. LEE 106 54. LEE 137 84. LEE 122

25. CUSTOM 55. LEE 142 85. LUX 89

26. CUSTOM 56. LUX 57A 86. LEE 124

27. GAM 235 57. LUX 58A 87. GAM655

28. LUX 26 58. LEE 180 88. LUX 90

29. GAM 250 59. LUX 59 89. LUX 91

30. LUX 27 60. LEE 181 90. LEE 139

Custom Colours
Once created, custom colours are assigned to color numbers 97-200.
For details on creating custom colours, see section 4.10.

Appendix B: Colour Library

Version 1a Page 2.

Filter equivalents by manufacturer

GAM

LDS

Lux

LDS

140

47

02

11
180

38

03

12
235

27

11

2
250

29

12

8
460

7

14

3
540

81

15

5
655

87

18

14
905

69

19

19
995

49

21

16
22

18
24

22

Lee

LDS

25

20
101

9

26

28
103

1

27

30
104

4

31

33
106

24

33

41
109

32

34

34
110

35

35

42
111

37

36

36
113

39

37

43
115

72

38

44
116

73

41

21
117

75

44

45
121

83

46

40
122

84

51

51
124

86

52

52
126

48

54

53
128

46

57A

56
137

54

58A

57
138

82

59

59
139

90

60

61
142

55

62

62
144

76

64A

64
147

15

67

65
153

31

68

66
161

63

69

78
176

13

71

77
180

58

73

71
181

60

76

79
182

23

79

67
83

68
89

85
90

88
91

89
95

74

Appendix C: Position MQ Library

Version 1a Page 74.

Appendix C: Position MQ Library

Listed here are the LDS’s pre-programmed POSITION MQ’s. For

more details see section 4.2.1.

For these pre-programmed effects, the MQTIME describes the length

of time taken to describe the whole patterm, while MQVAR affects
the size of the pattern.

Where programmerd MQ’s have programmable options (MQ

TIME=POINT/CUE/BUILD-IN), these MQ’s must be assigned
default behaviour. KICKS are inherently BUILD-IN in nature, so
they are given the BUILD-IN attribute. All other MQ’s are ‘shapes’,
and are not BUILD-IN, ie. they start at the appropriate point of the
shape immediately upon the MQ’s opening.

CW=clockwise. CCW=counter-clockwise. N/A=not applicable.

MQ

Description

Direction

No. of
points

Notes

901

Circle

CW

2

Start at top or bottom

902

Circle

CCW

2

Start at top or bottom

903

Tilt kick

Start UP

4

Build in

904

Tilt kick

Start DOWN

4

Build in

905

Pan kick

Start RIGHT

4

Build in

906

Pan kick

Start LEFT

4

Build in

907

Square

CW

4

908

Square

CCW

4

909

Up triangle

CW

3

910

Up triangle

CCW

3

911

Down triangle

CW

3

912

Down triangle

CCW

3

913

Random 1

N/A

5

914

Random 2

N/A

8

915

Random 3

N/A

8

916

Random 4

N/A

7

917

Random 5

N/A

9

918

Random 6

N/A

10

919

Random 1

N/A

5

1

/3 speed

920

Random 2

N/A

8

1

/3 speed

921

Random 3

N/A

8

1

/3 speed

922

Random 4

N/A

7

1

/3 speed

923

Random 5

N/A

9

1

/3 speed

924

Random 6

N/A

10

1

/3 speed

925

Diamond

CW

4

926

Diamond

CCW

4

927

Pentagon

CW

5

928

Pentagon

CCW

5

929

Star

CW

5

930

Star

CCW

5

931

Horizontal zigzag

Start left top

20

932

Horizontal zigzag

Start right top

20

Appendix C: Position MQ Library

Version 1a Page 75.

933

Horizontal zigzag

Start left bottom

20

934

Horizontal zigzag

Start right bottom

20

935

Lazy eight

CW

16

936

Lazy eight

CCW

16

937

360º

CW

N/A

938

360º

CCW

N/A

Appendix D: MIDI

Version 1a Page 1.

Appendix D: MIDI

This section deals with the use of MIDI, the Musical Instrument

Digital Interface, with the LDS system.

MIDI may be used in various ways with lighting consoles like the
LDS:

1. You can use MIDI to synchronise lighting effects with live music by
having an electronic instrument send MIDI cues at certain points in
the music.

2. MIDI is a simple way of interfacing the LDS with SMPTE timecode,
converting the SMPTE to MIDI via a MIDI sequencer or a suitable
program running on a PC.

3. For large multi-media shows, MIDI can be used to link a wide array
of different control devices together, either directly from the MIDI
signal or via. relays triggered by the LDS through the analogue
conections on its SB interfaces.

4. MIDI permits two or more lighting consoles to be linked together so
that show control can be brought down to single button operation,
again by using a suitable program running on a PC.

For more details on MIDI, please contact The Moving Light

Company.

Appendix E: Back Up

Version 1a Page 1.

Appendix E: Back Up

The system is supplied with two processors, two VDUs and two

keyboards. Both systems should be powered up whenever the system
is in use and the operator should ensure that both systems have the
same show files on their hard disks.

In the event of a processor failure, the LDS board should be
replugged to the stand-by processor to continue. This process should
be practised to ensure that it is possible, ie that cables will reach etc.

In the event of a button board failure, certain operations, including

[GO], can still be performed from the keyboard of the PC – see
section 6 for the keyboard equivalents. Since the fixture data is sent
from the LDS, this backup method will only work if the LDS is still
receiving power.

Appendix E: Back Up

Version 1a Page 1.

Appendix F: Faderbeams and the MP200 Software

Although the existing MP100 software will control Faderbeams, it

will not allow you to configure a rig to include them on the PLOT
screen. To do this, you need to use MP200 software, which is written
specifically for the larger boards available in the USA with two­screen graphics capabilities. The Moving Light Company has a
limited quantity of these boards with this software.

Faderbeams are rigged in conjunction with a ‘Smart Bar”. Smart
Bars come in single, 2-way or 6-way versions, known as SB1s, SB2s
and SB6s. The Smart Bar mates with the Faderbeam, providing the
rigging hardware, the bar computer and the dimmer. A Faderbeam
cannot operate without a Smart Bar.

A Faderbeam has four channels – level, size, position and colour –
and is controlled in the same way as a ProSpot.

Faderbeams in the PLOT screen In the MP200 software, there are three further options on the

|Allocate Bars| menu:

These produce three new symbols:

SCREEN GRAB OF NEW BARS WITH PCSPOT
SYMOBLS

These are actually the symbol for bars rigged with PC Spots, because
the software defaults to that. You can change the symbols to
Faderbeams using the (expanded) |Fixture Type| menu, (shown
below) or change the PLOT DEFAULTS in the |Config| menu:

Appendix E: Back Up

Version 1a Page 2.

Addressing Faderbeams This works as before, using the new {Edit Regular} option on

the menu – SBs are allowed addresses from 1 to 599. Note that an
SB6 only has one address since the address refers to the bar
computer, not the fixtures.

Naming Faderbeams Faderbeams are allowed the same range of fixture names as any

other fixture type.

Please note that although the MP200 software provides many other

options on the Fixture type menu, the Focus settings menu and on the
Plot Defaults menu, The Moving Light Company currently only has
ProSpots, ProSofts and Faderbeams available.

The CUE EDIT screen Faderbeams will appear on a page of their own, after ProSofts and

before colour changers or dimmers.

Once you have used the MP200 software to configure your

Faderbeams, programming and show-running can be performed from
the MP100 software on a single VDU system.

The Two-Screen System When in CUE EDIT mode using MP200 software, the second screen

will display the PLOT screen, which is a useful, if expensive quick­reference. When in PLOT mode, the second screen will revert to an
LDS title page.