Bunch of Ideas/Suggestions
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:11 pm
For last 3 month's I left my console and used QLC+ for live concerts, and some christmas theatre. 
So I want to suggest some features that would be helpfull. Maybe some things is done, but I cant find it.
QLC+ is great software, I understand that my suggestions not for everyone, and it takes so much expensive time to create it. Would be great if more people can discus on this, do we need it or not.
1. Black OUT - First can't find how to map midi button to it (I know, that I can create new button and use it as black out), but what's the point to have two buttons on screen with same function. Maybe it's not so hard to include midi mapping function at the settings window (where we can map grand master to midi controller). Maybe it will work in simple desk too. Second maybe we can have something that will show that the black out is active. Now black out button shows that it's preesed, but maybe we can see some flashing alert or something like this.
2. Freeze button - Near the black out button would be great to have Freeze button, which will freeze everything at that point. Help full when working with different lighting effetcs with few chasers at the same time and music suddenly stops or something wrong happens on the scene and you just don't want lights flashing out. Then push freeze, everything freezes at that point, and then deactivating freeze it would continue. Of course midi mapping for that button would be great.
3. Move on dark - my console had this function, and then i used QLC+ for theatre, i was missing it so much. Principle is simple. When QLC in chaser steps finds, that moving head have dimmer off, it looks for other steps, and than it finds moving head with dimmer on, it will move head to that possition. So there we do not need think about preparing moving heads for possitions than we do not use them.
4. EFX, RGB matrices temporary Full light button - that's great that dimmer controll from EFX is gone, but than I need to create moving effect which wont go on the walls or blind audience, would be very good idea to have button which will light up selected fictures than creating EFX and adjusting it's parameters. Ofcourse light won't be recorded to efx. Same for rgb matrices. Other consoles have locate, Full on, HiLite, Hig Light button or something like this. It Just sets dimmer and shutter to 100%.
5. RGB Matrices pulse - For effect like even/odd, random collumn and etc would be great to have pulse option. That even odd not snap from one color to other but pulse /fade. Maybe it's possible to do using dimmer channels...
6. RGB Matrices STROBE/Blink - I think just simple script which will light all fixtures in group on and off.
7. Thanks for Step fader in cue list. Now one more request/idea. I think button needs function which allow to go through cue list/chaser steps by pressing it. If I create five different chasers and map buttons to it now, cue list windows will use a lot of screen place. Maybe it's possible to do something like this - Create new button, assign chaser to it. Than select button mode from Togle on/off to something (I dont't know how to call it, GrandMA calls it executors, other's just Steps). At VC button than active can show step number or even it's name if it's not too long.
Scenarios there i can use it is for live concerts. 1. Color chaser. Steps: 1 Red, 2, Green, 3 Blue. With one button i will go through colors. Don't need to waste 3 buttons. And it would be easer to controll beat in situations there beat drasticaly changes. Other scenario can be Gobo rotation - 1 STOP, 2 Slow, 3 Fast. So we will use one button, not three. That could be usefull to controll chasers which include scenes, efx, rgb matrices. I dont't know it would be better to use it in chasers or sequences. Oh, and it would help there flash function works not like we except because of HTP or LTP.
I understand that it is not for every user, but for advanced user's it will help to do better and more dinamic shows. I don't know, but maybe seqences could have this feature. When creating sequence we could chose is it time based or button press based.
8. For users with controllers like apc mini (which buttons can light up in different colors). Custom feedback could change with step.
Maybe it would be some other creative ways to use this feature. When creating scene, we could have parameter where we can write it's custom feedback. So maybe in some cases we can write custom feedback in Scenes? And in VC we could chose which custom feedback value to use for button, from scene or default (which we now use in VC).
9. RGB Color choser. Now to use it we have slider. To change color ve need to press button and chose color. It takes some time. Maybe it's possible to have rgb color choser widget like we have XY PAD?
10. When working with theatre. To create scenes with mouse was pain in the ...
I think we could create some setting to map midi cotroller sliders (and buttons to enable/disable channel). So every time then we create new scene, controller will use that mapping to controll channels. Even maybe it's possible to create setting there we can map other scene creating buttons to it
It would be default mapping and would not depend on fixture.
11. QLC+ Forum. Maybe we need more forum categories, Where we can discus thing not only realated to qlc directly. About lighting gear, controllers, scene design ideas and etc. Tips & tricks, DIY would be great.
For controlers, or dmx ongles, we could create only one topic with it's name and all discusions should be int it. Topic 1: Akai APC Mini. Topic 2: Behringer BCF3000 and etc.
12. Function Wizzard - Any ideas how to do it that it create colors from booth color wheels? (If using color from 1st color wheel, second should be at open).
13. I think we need sticky post with feature requests (which will be created some day). Developers could edit sometimes it and write status of developing it. I found some great features in post's which was forgoten.
If You can't understand something (My primary language is not English, sorry), Say it, i will try to explain it better.
And again I understand that You have other priorities to do, It's Jus my suggestions))
My gear is:
MBP 13 with OS X El Captain
ENTTEC PRO Mk2
AKAI APCmini
Touch OSC
--------------
Scene 1
7x12 CH Dimmers
12 Moving heads spot;s
8 Scanners
4 RGB LED Blinders
Strobes
Snow Machines
Bubble Machines
Smoke Machines
Scene 2
3x12Ch Dimmers
9 Moving heads spot's
12 Moving heads RGB washe's
24 LED RGB Pars
2 RGBW strobes
Haze and smoke machines.
So I want to suggest some features that would be helpfull. Maybe some things is done, but I cant find it.QLC+ is great software, I understand that my suggestions not for everyone, and it takes so much expensive time to create it. Would be great if more people can discus on this, do we need it or not.
1. Black OUT - First can't find how to map midi button to it (I know, that I can create new button and use it as black out), but what's the point to have two buttons on screen with same function. Maybe it's not so hard to include midi mapping function at the settings window (where we can map grand master to midi controller). Maybe it will work in simple desk too. Second maybe we can have something that will show that the black out is active. Now black out button shows that it's preesed, but maybe we can see some flashing alert or something like this.
2. Freeze button - Near the black out button would be great to have Freeze button, which will freeze everything at that point. Help full when working with different lighting effetcs with few chasers at the same time and music suddenly stops or something wrong happens on the scene and you just don't want lights flashing out. Then push freeze, everything freezes at that point, and then deactivating freeze it would continue. Of course midi mapping for that button would be great.
3. Move on dark - my console had this function, and then i used QLC+ for theatre, i was missing it so much. Principle is simple. When QLC in chaser steps finds, that moving head have dimmer off, it looks for other steps, and than it finds moving head with dimmer on, it will move head to that possition. So there we do not need think about preparing moving heads for possitions than we do not use them.
4. EFX, RGB matrices temporary Full light button - that's great that dimmer controll from EFX is gone, but than I need to create moving effect which wont go on the walls or blind audience, would be very good idea to have button which will light up selected fictures than creating EFX and adjusting it's parameters. Ofcourse light won't be recorded to efx. Same for rgb matrices. Other consoles have locate, Full on, HiLite, Hig Light button or something like this. It Just sets dimmer and shutter to 100%.
5. RGB Matrices pulse - For effect like even/odd, random collumn and etc would be great to have pulse option. That even odd not snap from one color to other but pulse /fade. Maybe it's possible to do using dimmer channels...
6. RGB Matrices STROBE/Blink - I think just simple script which will light all fixtures in group on and off.
7. Thanks for Step fader in cue list. Now one more request/idea. I think button needs function which allow to go through cue list/chaser steps by pressing it. If I create five different chasers and map buttons to it now, cue list windows will use a lot of screen place. Maybe it's possible to do something like this - Create new button, assign chaser to it. Than select button mode from Togle on/off to something (I dont't know how to call it, GrandMA calls it executors, other's just Steps). At VC button than active can show step number or even it's name if it's not too long.
Scenarios there i can use it is for live concerts. 1. Color chaser. Steps: 1 Red, 2, Green, 3 Blue. With one button i will go through colors. Don't need to waste 3 buttons. And it would be easer to controll beat in situations there beat drasticaly changes. Other scenario can be Gobo rotation - 1 STOP, 2 Slow, 3 Fast. So we will use one button, not three. That could be usefull to controll chasers which include scenes, efx, rgb matrices. I dont't know it would be better to use it in chasers or sequences. Oh, and it would help there flash function works not like we except because of HTP or LTP.
I understand that it is not for every user, but for advanced user's it will help to do better and more dinamic shows. I don't know, but maybe seqences could have this feature. When creating sequence we could chose is it time based or button press based.
8. For users with controllers like apc mini (which buttons can light up in different colors). Custom feedback could change with step.
Maybe it would be some other creative ways to use this feature. When creating scene, we could have parameter where we can write it's custom feedback. So maybe in some cases we can write custom feedback in Scenes? And in VC we could chose which custom feedback value to use for button, from scene or default (which we now use in VC).
9. RGB Color choser. Now to use it we have slider. To change color ve need to press button and chose color. It takes some time. Maybe it's possible to have rgb color choser widget like we have XY PAD?
10. When working with theatre. To create scenes with mouse was pain in the ...
I think we could create some setting to map midi cotroller sliders (and buttons to enable/disable channel). So every time then we create new scene, controller will use that mapping to controll channels. Even maybe it's possible to create setting there we can map other scene creating buttons to it It would be default mapping and would not depend on fixture.
11. QLC+ Forum. Maybe we need more forum categories, Where we can discus thing not only realated to qlc directly. About lighting gear, controllers, scene design ideas and etc. Tips & tricks, DIY would be great.
For controlers, or dmx ongles, we could create only one topic with it's name and all discusions should be int it. Topic 1: Akai APC Mini. Topic 2: Behringer BCF3000 and etc.
12. Function Wizzard - Any ideas how to do it that it create colors from booth color wheels? (If using color from 1st color wheel, second should be at open).
13. I think we need sticky post with feature requests (which will be created some day). Developers could edit sometimes it and write status of developing it. I found some great features in post's which was forgoten.
If You can't understand something (My primary language is not English, sorry), Say it, i will try to explain it better.
And again I understand that You have other priorities to do, It's Jus my suggestions
))My gear is:
MBP 13 with OS X El Captain
ENTTEC PRO Mk2
AKAI APCmini
Touch OSC
--------------
Scene 1
7x12 CH Dimmers
12 Moving heads spot;s
8 Scanners
4 RGB LED Blinders
Strobes
Snow Machines
Bubble Machines
Smoke Machines
Scene 2
3x12Ch Dimmers
9 Moving heads spot's
12 Moving heads RGB washe's
24 LED RGB Pars
2 RGBW strobes
Haze and smoke machines.
) the second would create a master "Cue list" that we can drag scenes and chasers into and would be driven by the operator using dedicated Go, Go Back etc buttons (which can appear on both the "Cue list" and "Virtual Console" tabs...