Channel Group question

Ask a generic question about the usage of QLC+, not related to a particular operating system
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n9yty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:17 am
Real Name: Steve

I watched the online video tutorials and have read a fair bit about QLC+, but I am still just starting out so I have a lot more to learn.

I thought I understand that you could use Channel Groups for certain device features/attributes/etc, and then when building a scene they would help by giving you controls for just those items amongst the selected fixtures.

I'm using some very basic/cheap LED RGB PAR fixtures from Amazon just to learn on.

I successfully set up groups for some colors, using Intensity, Red, Green, and Blue, and when starting a scene I can select those channel groups and in the "Channel Groups" tab when editing a scene I have those controls and they control all the selected fixutres.

However, I wanted to do some split color scenes, and thought I could have a "channel group" that only included say, the left side fixtures, or every other fixture (odd/even), etc.. But when I set up things this way, creating a channel group but only including those particular fixtures, and creating a scene and selecting that, I only get an Intensity slider in the Channel Groups tab.

That can only mean I am still not understanding quite how this works. Is my scenario possible for a channel group, to have one that only includes some features on some fixtures?
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GGGss
Posts: 3057
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:15 pm
Location: Belgium
Real Name: Fredje Gallon

If you set a channel group only including intensity channels, it is obvious that you only get this channel in the scene.
I've attached a little project showing you the use.

Have a look at the 1st look, which only uses the channel group features.
The 2nd look uses the same group feature but adds a orange color to the odd heads and a purple color to the even number of heads.
QLC+ is completely flexible.
Attachments
groups.qxw
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n9yty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:17 am
Real Name: Steve

I had the channel group set up with intensity, red, green and blue. But it seems that you can only have one channel in a channel group, which I guess kind of makes sense but just won't work the way I thought it would.

I have no doubt how flexible QLC+ is, I am really amazed, and I know many of my struggles are not the software, but with me learning how to use it. Thank you for your time!
n9yty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:17 am
Real Name: Steve

GGGss wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 8:39 am Have a look at the 1st look, which only uses the channel group features.
The 2nd look uses the same group feature but adds a orange color to the odd heads and a purple color to the even number of heads.
The example project is not loading correctly, for example I can see no colors in look2. It is probably due to the message when I open it "Fixture mode 10 chan not found for Contest Mini-Head 10W".
n9yty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:17 am
Real Name: Steve

Sorry for all the posts, but I created a fixture with generic channels so it would load properly. I see what you mean by adjusting the fixtures in the scene, which is what I did, but I was trying to have a channel group "Odds" that included all the channels (intensity, red, green, and blue) so I could adjust the whole set of odds inside the scene for each of those channels. I suppose I would have to create odds-intensity, odds-red, odds-green, odds-blue and the same for evens to be able to adjust all the included fixtures channels in the scene. Does not seem worth it.
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GGGss
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Real Name: Fredje Gallon

n9yty wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 6:26 pm Does not seem worth it.
I think you missed something very essential: the 'copy to all' inside scenes.
If you include x number of fixtures in a scene, you set the look you want on #1, press to copy to all button and these values are copied to all other fixtures included in the scene.
ScreenHunter_37 Aug. 31 08.18.png
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n9yty
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:17 am
Real Name: Steve

But I don't want to copy to all, I want to copy to SOME. :) So yes, I do it individually. I was trying to save time and make it easier for others to adjust. Right now I only have a small number of fixtures, but it would be easier if this worked. However, I am only speaking hypothetically because I haven't done real shows, I am just experimenting. Many times what you think you need is not what you really need and you didn't think about what you really need. :) I will learn.
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GGGss
Posts: 3057
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:15 pm
Location: Belgium
Real Name: Fredje Gallon

With learning comes 'my best workflow' and after a while, you will notice that subtracting some values is quicker than adding a value to all...
All electric machines work on smoke... when the smoke escapes... they don't work anymore
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