(n00b) Would love some feedback on where im at so far with QLC+

[anubis314]

Hi everyone,

Just to preface - This is a long read and I suffer a few serious mental/cognitive conditions so I sincerely apologies if I'm in-coherent (Please don't mistake that for being sensitive to criticism, I welcome honesty. If it sucks, please just say so) I'm new to QLC and lighting as a whole wanted thoughts/suggestions on light programming progress after 60 days in two video below

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I've been playing music for roughly about 16 years, essentially a nobody still and with that I bid my time learning new things outside of my scope where I can to hopefully get me to where I'd like to be. Generally it's anything to do with the ability to manage production aspects without a 3rd party.

Late December I finally decided to look into making a self contained lighting system for my band so we could play live to a fully synced set. I'd never done anything to do with lighting before other then appreciate the crap out of any time we might have a decent engineer behind the console when playing live.

I wanted to be able to control each light, color, control and hit using MIDI in Reaper (DAW). I've been using Reaper for many years so the workflow is comfortable and easy for me (It's quite powerful and fluid with routing also), essentially fully circumventing a light desk while also being able to incorporate the house lighting.

I had the thought I my head for a few years to do this system but held off as it felt daunting/costly and, man was I wrong. (A quick example is spending 1 day (14 hours) just to get QLC+ to hear Reaper)

Literally threw myself in the deep-end and had been trending water here, nearly nearly day the last 60+ days to try and work out how everything works and connects. So far, I've made 4 different console versions, each iteration is there because of a new function I accidentally stumbled upon (Like the clock fade button to control fades as opposed to using multiple sub master controls).

The most recent desk is the biggest yet. It using 6 Midi Channels via LoopBe for 1 universe, each channel is using 120 unique MIDI triggers for a particular color and bar/segment as well as 24 CC channel slides to control RGBW and sub master (120+24x6=864 unique triggers) which then are connected via an Enttec DMX Pro Mk2 connected to 4 LCB252 light bars in 48 channel mode.

The second part of the desk is for stage/house lighting using the same logic and architecture as the 1st universe for ease of writing and being able to replicate patterns and sequences over different light fixtures. The idea would be to get each venues lighting address map and use the desk as a template to re-program new lights without having to re-write a sequence.

The second universe is connected using a Beamz Wireless DMX controller stick thing (Seems okay for the venues I tested it in so far)

With all that, I've done lots of tests using the light bars at home and I think it still needs lots of work but after writing a sequence for the 2nd universe I realized I have no idea what a 'good' light show means. How you flavor things, movement, dead zones, how much is too much, how little is too little kind of thing.

It's scared me off a little bit honestly but I'm thankful to the venue I was able to test it at, as they let me in with the laptop and lights before the venue opened so I could try it and get out before patrons came in.

Any-who... the Videos below are some tests at home I did using the lights via Reaper > QLC. The vision is that the bars will be on stands spread across a stage but my apartment is to small to do that

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_LhITo9C78[/youtube] This was Version 2 of my desk in 48 Channel mode (Its changed significantly now)

[youtube]https://youtu.be/ayUfZcNnP8I[/youtube] This is using my new desk (No screen sorry) in what I can 'sim mode' where I make a test bench with just Red, Blue, White and the same basic functions in the virtual console then separate the 48 channel bars into x amount of lights the venue I'm going to has at rear of stage using universe 2. Also has me looking like a fool.

Thank you Mass for what you have done here and shared with the world. I've been having a lot of hair pulling and amazing revelations with trying to learn everything about lighting.I hope one day I can make something that people will be stocked on and I'd be proud to say it's thanks to your capability's and programming with QLC.

[MDAR]

Hi

I really like what it is you're trying to achieve.

It's a massive undertaking for someone who is fresh to the world of lighting control.

If I may be so bold, may I make a suggestion? (Maybe two)


In high end automated theatre setups, everything is controlled from a time keeper that keeps all the individual system's sequences in sync.

Meaning that each section is responsible for its own patterns and effects, meaning the triggers can be really simple.

Similar to how shows used to be called by a person.

The show caller wouldn't (or at least good ones didn't) tell every department / operator which lamps, mics, video or camera to trigger, but they would just say things like :-

Standby Cue 16 ( + if there was time, maybe a name for that cue or sequence )

Cue 16, Go.


So my suggestion for your setup would be to do something similar.


In QLCplus, explore the options for automating sequences and scenes, against a timeline, much like you already do in Reaper (or any other DAW).

Try looking at

• Chase editor

• Show editor

• Collection editor

Then all Reaper has to do is send a Song / Cue Standby trigger (to prep your light rig, IE preset head positions & Gobos etc (assuming you're not using them as washes between numbers)
Or to call pages in your virtual console, if you wanted to add a midi pedal board (for example) to trigger ad-hoc sequences during a song.

Then a Go trigger to start the lighting sequence for that timed song.


The advantage of this approach is that you'll build up a library of lighting sequences / effects in QLCplus that you can use in different combinations & intensites for each song AND keep your midi traffic to a low level, which in turn will keep it cleaner on your Reaper timeline.


For example, you might have a sequence that moves some heads in huge circles.

But by changing just the speed and intensity of that sequence and overlaying colour / gobo options, you can change the size and appearance of the moving circles on stage.

I.E.

Slow blue open small circles
Vs.
Fast colour changing, big circles with a star Gobo.


(I appreciate that you haven't mentioned any moving lights in your write up, I'm just referring to moving lights as a way to explain how the layering of effects can build the scene, rather than trying to do everything from scratch each time)

If....

You were to go wild and start looping sections of your Reaper timeline, you could add triggers for Verse, Chorus or Coda lighting sequences / chases.



My next tip is something I don't know much about, but read about a few days ago.

There's a feature in QLCplus called Fixture Remapping.

https://www.qlcplus.org/docs/html_en_EN ... remap.html

If I'm understanding it correctly, you can design some lighting / movement effects with a minimal amount of fixtures in your configuration, then when you get to a new venue and connect to their control line, you remap your show to their fixtures. (Obviously you have to add their fixtures to QLCplus first)


Other than all that, I advise you to keep one thing in mind while you're developing this...

"Keep it simple"

The key to successful "self operating" is to reduce the amount of things that you need to think about during the performance.

For example, better to just think "I want that fast orange sequence", rather than what needs to be triggered within the lighting rig to obtain that effect.


Oh and my golden bit of advice which I offer to new performers and have to remind veterans of is this...


"Of the hundreds of people in the room, the only one who knows it shouldn't quite have looked / sounded like that it is you"


Good luck.