[Noob] Button/Scene Behavior - "Activate" vs "Go-To-and-Stop"

[dante0045]

Hello!

I apologize for the noob question, but I am a noob.

tl;dr: How can VC Buttons act as a "go to this position/zoom/color scene" and stop vs. "hold these channels as long as scene is active"?

Windows, QLC 4.12.7

Boring Background: I have started working with my school's theater group and I have zero background. I've been exploring the forums, videos, and manual and LOVE QLC. I'm a programmer, so this is right up my alley and I've proud of what I've learned - it's a new hobby! But I'm stuck on a (simple?) thing.

Virtual Console is set up so I have full control of my lights' channels via a MIDI board. I adjust the lights and dump values to scenes. I can attach scenes to buttons and have multiple active or use Solo button grids to shift from one scene to the next. When I activate a scene, it stays "Active" - a green border around the button. Deactivating the scene reverts lights to wherever they were before a scene was active. While a scene is active, I cannot manually change the channels via my VC controls.

Desired Behavior: I would like to click a button that "goes to a scene setting" e.g. pans, tilts, zooms....and, upon arriving at that setting, stops. Then, I be able to adjust the light as needed. For example, a scene comes on and I'm supposed to spot an actor, but they're just a little bit out of position so I want to tweak it. Or, we're building our scenes and I call up "Scene 12" and then the director asks for adjustments. I understand I can go into the functions editor and adjust channels via sliders, but it would be nicer to tweak via the virtual console and then override the existing Scene 12.

I was watching Massimo's Video (@ 11:22) https://youtu.be/EbN2vi9SeVw?list=PLHT- ... MVdi&t=682 and this is the behavior I'm hoping for (though I'm sure it's an older QLC version). He creates a Scene with a Tilt Action and connects it to a VC button. He clicks the button and the light moves...and then upon arriving at the position, the light stops and the scene "deactivates" - no green border on the button. When I try to mimic this scene, clicking the button moves the light - green border on button, it's holding there - but unclicking it reverts back to previous.

Perhaps I'm completely misunderstanding something with how DMX signals are sent or how the QLC works. I've looked at LTP/HTP and my channels are set to defaults (which make sense to me) and it makes sense that the last scene I click is the one that takes priority. But current behavior feels like Scenes "Hold channels here until scene deactivates, then revert" whereas I thought they would be "Move channels here and scene change is complete". (highlighting because I think it summarizes things nicely).

I apologize if this is trivial - I have perused the forums, found similar posts, read manuals, watched videos - many hours - and still haven't found the behavior I'm looking for. I'm hoping someone can please point me in the right direction!

Thank you in advance!

Jake

[GGGss]

Jake, welcome to the community,

In your post, you always refer to 'reverting to the previous situation' ... you did explore the HTP/LTP behaviour ~nice~
The question now is: where did the previously called setting come from? The QLC+ engine only reverts to 'a previous setting' if it was called earlier...
The LTP behaviour (default for moves, gobos, color wheels, etc.) asks specifically for a new value—it will never revert to previous values.
So the

current behavior feels like Scenes: "Hold channels here until scene deactivates, then revert," whereas I thought they would be "Move channels here and scene change is complete."

I'm having trouble understanding.

[MichelSliepenbeek]

I call up "Scene 12" and then the director asks for adjustments.

If your Sliders are in Level mode, you could use the "Monitor the selected channels and update the slider level" option.
You will find this option in the On Line Manual overhere: https://docs.qlcplus.org/v4/virtual-console/slider
This video explains what you can do with it: https://youtu.be/VT_f2wowPAM?feature=shared

[dante0045]

So the

current behavior feels like Scenes: "Hold channels here until scene deactivates, then revert," whereas I thought they would be "Move channels here and scene change is complete."

I'm having trouble understanding.

In Virtual Console, I have XY-pads for each fixture, controlled by two midi knobs. I adjust the knobs to have the fixtures pointing to Position A. Then I click on a button attached to a Scene B, which moves all fixtures (and adjust colors and such) to Position B. Scene B is "Active" and has a green border.

At this point, I can't use the XY-pads to adjust the fixtures. If I deselect Scene B button, fixtures move back to Position A.

If your Sliders are in Level mode, you could use the "Monitor the selected channels and update the slider level" option.
You will find this option in the On Line Manual overhere: https://docs.qlcplus.org/v4/virtual-console/slider

This seems to accomplish what I'm looking for! However, this feature doesn't exist for XY-pads. The thing I like about XY pads is that one single MIDI knob can control both Pan Movement and Pan Fine. Searching suggests that I might be able to use EFX to accomplish the same, but I'm not sure how to do that yet because I haven't needed fancy movements. Before I go down that rabbit hole, is that the correct methodology? Or is there a way to get XY-pads to react in the same way that sliders/knobs can with the levels? Does that make sense?

Thank you for that video. It also helped illustrate the HTP in a different way.

Thank you so much for your support!

Jake

[MichelSliepenbeek]

I adjust the knobs to have the fixtures pointing to Position A. Then I click on a button attached to a Scene B, which moves all fixtures (and adjust colors and such) to Position B. Scene B is "Active" and has a green border.
At this point, I can't use the XY-pads to adjust the fixtures. If I deselect Scene B button, fixtures move back to Position A.

This is expected behaviour: when you launch your Scene B the Pan and Tilt values in that scene will override the values you did set before with your XY pad.
When you Stop your Scene B your Moving Heads wiil go back to their previous position. (Keep in mind that Pan and Tilt by Default are set up as LTP Latest Takes Precedence).

If you want to prevent your XY Pad from being overriden, you need to give your XY Pad control over positions.
In other words add the positions you want to use as Presets to your XY Pad (and accordingly unbox the Pan and Tilt Channels in your scenes).
You could have a look at the XY Pad on the left in the example in this post: https://www.qlcplus.org/forum/viewtopi ... 815#p72815

If you open the properties of the XY Pad, and (on the Presets tab) select one of the presets, you will notice that you can select an external control for each seperate Preset.
Here you can set the position you want to be used in scene B to (also) react on the button you use to launch Scene B.
If you use the same position in more than one Scene you need to create separate Presets for each situation (e.g. "131, 64 for Scene A" and "131, 64 for Scene C").

If you have a lot of scenes and a lot of positions you might consider using Loopback to select the presets and use Collections to create all the combinations you want to use (and launch these combinations with your MIDI buttons).