Avolites Pearl 2008 User manual

Pearl 2008 Pearl Tiger
Operator’s Manual

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
Useful Avolites phone numbers:-
Avolites England
Sales and service* (+44) (0) 20 8965 8522
Service out of hours* (+44) (0) 831 17 8888
Fax (+44) (0) 20 8965 0290
Email [e-mail]
Website http://www.avolites.com
*Before contacting Avolites for service enquiry please ensure that you have the
product serial number and the Software version. The serial number can be
found on the back of the desk and the software version can be found by turning
the key to “System” and reading the version from the top line of the display.
The latest version of this manual and Pearl Software can be downloaded
from the Avolites website.
The small print :
No Liability for Consequential Damages
Avolites has a policy of continuous product and documentation improvement. As such the
detail within this manual may not match the operation of the Pearl 2008.
In no event shall Avolites be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or
consequential damages or loss whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss
of profits, business interruption, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or inability
to use the Pearl even if Avolites Ltd. has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for
consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you.
Avolites Ltd recognise that all trademarks within the manual are the property of their
respective owners.
Reprint and revision history:
First produced July 2007
Re-issued with corrections Jan 2011

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
This manual was written by Tim Mitchell, Sabre Technology Ltd
http://www.sabretechnology.co.uk

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
TUTORIAL CONTENTS
1. WELCOME TO THE PEARL 1
2. PATCHING 7
3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 15
4. PALETTES 19
5. SHAPES 23
6. MEMORIES 27
7. CHASES 35
8. THEATRE STACK 41
9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 45
10. RUNNING YOUR SHOW 47
11. ADVANCED FEATURES 51
12. INTRODUCTION TO INTELLIGENT LIGHTING 53
13. INTRODUCTION TO AVOLITES CONSOLES 55
14. CHANGES IN THE LATEST PEARL SOFTWARE 59
REFERENCE MANUAL CONTENTS
1. SETTING UP THE CONSOLE 109
2. PATCHING 117
3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 125
4. PALETTES 135
5. SHAPES 141
6. MEMORIES 147
7. CHASES 159
8. THEATRE STACK 171
9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 179
10. RUNNING THE SHOW 183
11. AUTOMATED PLAYBACK (SCRIPT FILES) 187
12. SETUP 195
13. OTHER FEATURES 201
14. THE PERSONALITY FILE SYSTEM 215
15. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 227
16. INDEX 233
Pages in the Tutorial section have numbers below 100. Pages in
the Reference manual have numbers above 100.

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007

Pearl 2008
Pearl Tiger
Tutorial

Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007

1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 1
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
INTRODUCTION
1. Welcome to the Pearl
This manual is designed to help you get the most out of your Pearl
console. We have divided it into two sections.
•This first section is a tutorial which gives you a step by step guide
of how to carry out the most common functions of the Pearl. If you
are new to the console, working through this part will give you a
good introduction.
•The second section is a reference manual which tells you
everything there is to know about the Pearl.
To help you move between the two sections, we have made the chapter
numbering the same, so if you are using the tutorial and you want
more information, just look for the same chapter number in the
reference manual.
At the back of the reference manual there is a Glossary, explaining
some of the technical terms used in the manual, and an Index which
can be used to find what you need in either section of the manual.
This manual applies to both the Pearl 2008 and the Pearl Tiger
consoles. The internal operating software is the same for both consoles,
but there are some external differences which are highlighted in the
text. The manual may also be used with the Pearl 2004 and Pearl 2000
consoles but some features described may not be available on the
earlier consoles.
1.1 Setting up the Pearl
Before you can use the Pearl, you need to connect various things to it.
Ensure the power is off while making these connections.
Important: Firstly check if your console has a voltage selector switch
on the back of the console next to the power socket. If it has, make
sure it matches your mains power. You can set it to 230V or 120V.
If you plug in the power with the switch set wrongly, you will
probably blow up the power supply. This would be a Bad Thing To Do
a few hours before a show.
Connect the mains inlet to an AC power supply.
If you are using an external VDU screen, connect a VGA monitor
(640x480 text mode) to the VDU output on the back of the console.
You don’t have to use the VDU screen but it does show some additional
information that is not shown on the console display.
Connect the DMX output(s) to your lighting fixtures or dimmers. The
Pearl 2000 consoles and later have four DMX output sockets. The Pearl
2000 has only two DMX sockets, but four DMX lines may be connected
to them using a splitter cable. Chapter 1 in the reference manual has
more details on DMX connections.
Plug the desk light into the socket on the top left of the console. If you
are going to use a QWERTY keyboard to set legends, plug it into its
socket.
Turn on the power. The console display and VDU screen (if you are
using one) should come alive.

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Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
1.2 Finding your way about on the Pearl 2008
The Pearl might initially appear to have an alarming number of sliders
and buttons on it, but don’t be scared of it. The main controls are:
•The Preset Faders are used to control individual dimmer channels
and fixture intensities. The 2 buttons below the faders are used to
select and flash fixtures. Each fader and buttons is called a “Handle”.
•The Mode select keyswitch sets the operating mode of the console;
Program for programming a show, Run for running the show and
System for configuring the console.
•The Page select roller lets you select different pages of playbacks,
and you can write the playback names on the roller so you know
what’s in them.
•The Master faders control the overall output of the various parts of
the console. You will normally have these set at Full.
•The Playback faders and flash buttons are used to play back
memories you have programmed, when you are running a show.
•The Main display is the nerve centre of the console and shows you
what is going on. The display can show various screens of information.
Preset handles Mode select keyswitch
Main display
Master faders
Attribute
select buttons
Playback faders &
flash buttons
Playback page
select roller
Control
wheels
Menu
softkeys Command
buttons
Numeric
keypad and
controls
Fixture page
buttons

1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 3
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
•The Control wheels are used to set control values on the fixtures,
and to set chase speeds and fades.
•The Menu softkeys (labelled A – G) are used to select control options.
The display next to the buttons shows what each one will do. The
options for each key change depending on what the console is doing.
Softkey commands are shown in the manual with square brackets like
this: A [Chase Parameters]
•The Numeric keypad and other control buttons are used to enter
values and change controls on the console.
•The Fixture Page buttons are below the keypad, which select 4 pages
for the Preset Faders.
•The blue Command buttons are used to carry out functions such as
storing memories, copying, saving to disk, etc. These buttons have
lights on to indicate when they are active.
•The Attribute select buttons are used to select which attributes of a
fixture (e.g. colour, gobo, pan, focus) are going to be controlled using
the Control wheels. The buttons have lights on to show you which
attributes are active. The bottom (red) button is the Locate button
used to position a fixture at its “home” position during programming.
The VDU screen shows more information than the on-board display. It
is useful when setting up the console and programming shows. When
entering text or numbers, what you are typing is shown only on the
VDU screen. If you are short of space you can often manage without it
when you are running a show.
The main part of the display shows the output of the console for one of
Today’s date and time
Fixture output values
Function of
left wheel Function of
right wheel
Memory contents

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Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
the types of fixture you are using (you can show different things using
the View button, see page 112). Across the bottom of the display, the
current page of memories is shown. The “A B” at the right side of the
screen shows which functions are currently assigned to the control
wheels.
1.3 Finding your way about on the Pearl Tiger
The Pearl Tiger is very similar to its larger brother but has been cut
down in a few areas. It has only one bank of preset handles and has
fewer playback faders.
All functions are the same as the Pearl 2008 as shown
on the previous page. The Pearl Tiger has an optional
“wing” (pictured right) which may be plugged in to
increase the number of playback faders to 15.
1.4 Avolites Visualiser
Avolites supplies a PC-based 3D visualisation system called Visualiser.
This enables you to design and program your lighting when you do not
have access to the rig. Visualiser is linked to the console using the MIDI
ports (or the Visualiser socket if one is fitted). Fixtures will highlight as
you select them on the console, and you will see them move and
change attributes as you operate the controls on the console.
Preset handles Mode select keyswitch
Main display
Master faders
Attribute
select buttons
Playback faders &
flash buttons
Playback page
select roller
Control
wheels
Menu
softkeys Command
buttons
Numeric
keypad and
controls
Fixture page
buttons

1. Welcome to the Pearl - Page 5
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
1.5 The Pearl simulator
You can download a free Pearl simulator from the Avolites website,
which runs on a PC. This allows you to work on the Pearl even when
you haven’t got the real console with you. You can patch the desk, and
program shows using the Avolites Visualiser, then save the show to disk
and load it into the real console. The simulator operates almost exactly
like the real Pearl.
1.6 What you’ll need for the tutorial
The rest of the first part of this manual is a hands-on tutorial. If you
have never used an Avolites console before, by working through the
rest of the tutorial section you should be able to get the Pearl up and
running, and be well on the way to programming and running a show
with it.
The tutorial is organised in
the order you’ll need to do
things to get the console set
up and working, so try to
work through it in sequence.
To make the most of it, you
will need a few lights set up to
play with; a couple of moving
lights and a few dimmers
would be best. If you can’t lay
your hands on any real lights,
you can use Avolites
Visualiser to simulate some
lights.
When you are preparing to start programming a new show, it’s handy
to have the following things.
•A lighting plan of your rig which you can scribble on
•A USB memory stick (or blank floppy disk) to save your work
•Some white or clear tape and a fine black marker pen to mark up
the console so you know what’s where
•Paper & pen to make notes (or a laptop, depending on how
technological you are)
•Manuals or DMX tables for the fixtures you’re using
•A supply of beverages of your choice
If you are new to intelligent lighting, or even new to lighting altogether,
read chapter 12, “Introduction to intelligent lighting”. This explains the
concepts behind digital control of lighting and will help you to
understand what we are going on about in the rest of the manual.
There is also a Glossary at the end of the Reference Manual which
explains some of the obscure lighting words we have used in the
manual.
If you are used to older Pearl software, read chapter 14, “Changes in
the latest Pearl software”, which gives you a quick rundown on the
differences between the two consoles.

Page 6 - 1. Welcome to the Pearl
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007

2. Patching - Page 7
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
CHAPTER TWO
2. Patching
In this chapter: how to set up the Pearl to control dimmers and fixtures.
•patching dimmers
•patching moving light fixtures
•setting addresses on the fixtures
So, you have your fixtures and dimmers all connected up with DMX
cables and the Pearl connected to the end of it. (If you have a big rig,
you might find it easier to learn the basics
using a few dimmers and a few moving
lights, and leave the rest of it till you’re an
expert).
First you need to allocate each fixture or
dimmer to a preset fader on the Pearl, so
that you can tell it which of the fixtures or
dimmers you want to control at any time.
The bottom fader and the buttons below it
(the picture shows some) are called the
handle for the dimmer or fixture, because
you use it to take control of the fixture. The
fader will control the intensity of the dimmer
or fixture, the “Swop” button is used when
programming to select the dimmer or
fixture. In Run mode the Flash and Swop
buttons function as flash buttons.
You also need to tell the Pearl what type of fixture is allocated to each
handle. When you have entered this information, the Pearl can tell you
what DMX addresses to set on your fixtures and dimmers to match the
settings it is using. If you prefer, you can set your fixtures and dimmers
beforehand and tell the Pearl what DMX addresses it should be using.
This setup process is called Patching.
You can patch up to 240 fixtures and
dimmer channels on the Pearl. There are 4
“pages” of 60 handles, selected using the
“Pages of Fixtures” buttons below the
numeric keypad.
Tiger: The Pearl Tiger only has 30 handles
per page.
The Pearl controls dimmers and fixtures
slightly differently, so we will look at each
in turn.
2.1 Clearing the Pearl - Wipeall
It’s always a good idea to clear the Pearl’s memory before you start a
new setup. This ensures that you won’t get confused by any peculiar
settings left by the previous user.
Pages of Fixtures
buttons
a “handle”

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Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
Clearing the Pearl
Turn the mode keyswitch to “System”
Select softkey A [Service]
Select softkey F [Wipe].
Press F [“Wipeall], to confirm. The
memory will be wiped.
Turn the key to “Program” to prepare
for programming.
The Pearl is now pristine and new, with all
options set to default, and all memories empty, ready for you to start
your show.
2.2 Patching dimmers
Each dimmer channel you want to use has to be allocated to one of the
handles. Then, when you want to control the dimmer channel, you just
fade up the slider.
Patching dimmer channels
Make sure the key is set to “Program”
Press Patch (one of the blue “command” buttons).
Press A [Dimmer]
The Pearl will start at DMX address 001 (shown on
the top line of the display). If your dimmer rack is
at a different address, you can change this by
typing in the new address on the numeric keypad.
Press the blue preset “Swop” button below preset
fader number 1. The fader and flash/swop buttons
will become the “handle” used to control that
dimmer channel.
The Pearl will update the DMX address to the next
free channel, so you can just press another button
to patch the next dimmer.
Press Exit when you have finished patching.
You can now control the dimmer channel on handle 1 using the fader
(the buttons do not operate as flash buttons in Program mode, only in
Run mode).
If you have lots of dimmers to patch, there are some quicker ways. If
you just want to patch 10 dimmers in sequence on to handles 21-30,
you can do it this way:
Patching a range of dimmers to buttons
Enter Dimmer Patch mode
Enter the DMX channel you want the range to start at, if it’s
different to the one the Pearl is displaying
Hold down the Swop button of the first handle to be patched
(handle 21)
Swop button
Mode keyswitch

2. Patching - Page 9
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
Press the last Swop button (handle 30)
Release the first Swop button, then the last Swop button
Each handle will be patched in order to a dimmer channel.
Press Exit when you have finished patching.
You can also patch more than one dimmer channel on the same handle.
This can be useful when you have several lights on different dimmer
channels, but you always want to control them together. For example,
if you have lit an area with several spots and you just want them all to
come up on one fader, this is a good way to do that. Multiple patches
like this are displayed at the bottom of the VDU screen.
Patching several dimmers to the same button
Enter Dimmer Patch mode
Using the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the first
dimmer channel to be patched
Press the Swop button for the handle you want to use (this patches
the first dimmer)
Using the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the next
dimmer channel to be patched (the Pearl will have automatically
increased the address by 1)
Press the Swop button again
Press Exit when you have finished patching
You can repeat this procedure to patch as
many dimmers as you like on to one handle.
So far, you’ve patched onto the bottom bank
of faders. You can also patch onto the top
bank of faders. If you have 30 or less fixtures,
it’s easiest to patch fixtures to the bottom
faders, and your dimmers to the top faders,
then you can have them all accessible without
having to change the fixture page.
Tiger: The Pearl Tiger does not have the top
31-60 faders but you can still patch to
those handles as described below.
This allows compatibility between
shows programmed on a Tiger and on
a Pearl 2008.
Patching to the top fader bank
Patch the dimmer as normal, but hold down the AVO (shift) button
while pressing the blue Swop button for the fader below. The AVO
button is next to the numeric keypad
The dimmer channel will be patched to the top fader (for example if
you press Swop button 1 with AVO, you will patch to fader 31)
Press AVO with another Swop button to patch to another top fader
top faders

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Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
You can patch multiple dimmer channels to the top faders by holding
down the AVO button, then holding the first swop button, then pressing
the last button of the range to be patched.
While you are in Patch mode, the VDU screen shows a DMX channel
grid to tell you which
channels you have
patched so far and
which are free.
Dimmers and fixtures
are identified by
different letters,
dimmers are always
“a”.
You can also display
the patch on the LCD
screen by pressing
View (on the numeric
keypad) then C [DMX patch] (shows which handle each DMX channel is
allocated to) or D [Fixture patch], which shows a list in handle order.
2.3 Patching moving light fixtures
Moving light fixtures are controlled slightly differently to dimmers; a
dimmer only has one controllable attribute, intensity. But a moving
light fixture can have many attributes, such as pan, tilt, colour, gobo
etc. When you patch a fixture, you will see on the VDU screen that it
occupies a block of DMX channels rather than just one. However, the
principle is still the same.
The Pearl has personality files for most lighting fixtures in the known
universe, and these are stored internally in the console. If you want to
use a personality not available in the console, you can load it from a
personality disk, a wide range of which can be downloaded from the
Avolites website. See section 12 in the reference manual for details of
how to download personalities.
Patching a fixture
Press Patch
Press B [Choose a fixture]
Press the softkey next to the “AVOCACH” USB drive
A list of fixture manufacturers is shown. Use Softkeys F and G to go
up and down the list and find the correct manufacturer of your
fixture, then press the Softkey next to the name to select it.
A list of fixture types is now shown. Use Softkeys F and G to go up
and down the list and find the correct fixture, then press the
Softkey next to the fixture to select it.
The Pearl will load the fixture information (this may take a few
seconds). The display shows information about the fixture.
The Pearl will ask “Use preset palettes?”.
Press A [Yes]. (This is explained later)
The Pearl will offer you the first free DMX address (on the top line
of the display). You can change this using the numeric keypad if
you want the fixture at a different address.

2. Patching - Page 11
Pearl 2008 Manual - 16th July 2007
Press the Swop button on handle 11 to patch the fixture you have
selected to handle 11.
The display will show the block of channels occupied by the fixture.
Patch more fixtures, or press Exit when you have finished.
You can continue to patch this type of fixture at the next free DMX
address by pressing the next Swop button you want to use. You can
also patch a range of fixtures by holding down the first button in the
range and pressing the last button, as with dimmers.
You can patch fixtures to the top faders by holding down the AVO
button and pressing the Swop button for the fader below, but if you do
this you will need to hold down the AVO button to select them when
programming as well, so it’s easiest to only patch dimmers to the top
faders as you can control dimmers just with the fader.
If you want to patch a different type of fixture, you can change the type
of fixture to be patched very easily.
To change the fixture type
Press A [Select another fixture]
Choose the fixture type from the list on the softkeys
Patch as before
Note: The “preset palettes” contain 9 position, 10 colour and 10 gobo
settings. You can call back these settings instantly from the
palette buttons when you are programming. This allows you to
select, for example, “Yellow” or “Blue” instead of setting up the
value using the wheels. You can only load the preset palettes
during patching.
The Pearl has four physical DMX output lines, identified as A, B, C, D.
You can patch onto any of the four lines using E [Select a DMX line].
However, to keep it simple, stick to line A while you are learning.
2.4 Labelling the console
It’s a good idea to stick a strip of tape above the handle Swop buttons,
and write on it what is patched on each handle, such as “Mac SL”, “Mac
Centre” etc. This will help you greatly when programming as you try
and remember where you patched everything.
2.5 Addressing lights to match the Pearl
When you are patching, it’s easiest to let the Pearl allocate all the DMX
addresses, then go round to the actual dimmers and fixtures and set
the addresses to match the Pearl’s settings. This makes sure that there
are no overlaps or gaps in the DMX addresses.
You can also work out the DMX map yourself and tell the Pearl what
DMX channels to use while you’re patching, but then you need to make
sure yourself that nothing overlaps.
The Pearl can tell you the DMX address it is using for each fixture, and
in some cases can show you how to set the dip switches on the fixture.
Write down the addresses for all the fixtures, then go and set them.

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Displaying the DMX address for
fixtures
Press the View button (next to
the numeric keys)
Press D [Fixture Patch]
The display will show a list of
the handles to which you have
patched fixtures or dimmers,
with the DMX line and address
(e.g. A24 is address 24 on DMX
line A).
One handle on the list has an
arrow next to it. In the lower
part of the screen, more
information is shown for this
fixture.
Use the Arrow keys to move the
arrow up and down the list, and
show information for the other
fixtures in the list.
You can also press View then C [DMX Patch] to display a list of
DMX channels and which fixture is patched at that address.
2.6 Changing what you have done
If you need to change the patching you have done, it’s possible to re-
patch a fixture to a different DMX address using the Repatch Fixtures
softkey. You can also move a fixture onto a different handle, and delete
a fixture from a handle, but this loses any programming for the fixture.
How to change the patching is described in detail in section 2 of the
reference manual on page 121.
2.7 Patch Utilities
You can invert the operation of channels and set various other fixture-
specific options using the Patch Utilities softkey. Inverting pan and tilt
channels can be useful to mirror fixtures on opposite sides of the stage,
or to correct for hanging a fixture the wrong way round. Section 2 of
the reference manual on page 122 describes how to set these options.
2.8 Completing the patch
When you have patched all your dimmers and fixtures, press the Exit
button on the numeric keypad to go back to normal mode. You have
now completed the setting up of the lighting system, and it’s time to
get to work on programming a show. But there’s one important thing to
do first…
2.9 Saving the contents of the Pearl to disk
The Pearl has a USB port which allows you to save everything you have
done to a USB pen drive. The Pearl 2008 also has a floppy disk drive for