Pearl DLC-C003 User manual

Pearl 2010
DLC-C003
Instruction for use
Operator’s Manual
Page 1 of 163

TUTORIAL CONTENTS
1. WELCOME TO THE DLC-C003 3
2. PATCHING 7
3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 15
4. PALETTES 19
5. SHAPES 23
6. MEMORIES 26
7. CHASES 33
8. THEATRE STACK 38
9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 41
10. RUNNING YOUR SHOW 43
11. ADVANCED FEATURES 46
12. INTRODUCTION TO INTELLIGENT LIGHTING 47
13. INTRODUCTION TO DORTRON’S CONSOLES 49
14. CHANGES IN THE LATEST DLC-C003 SOFTWARE 51
REFERENCE MANUAL CONTENTS
1. SETTING UP THE CONSOLE 58
2. PATCHING 64
3. CONTROLLING DIMMERS AND FIXTURES 70
4. PALETTES 79
5. SHAPES 85
6. MEMORIES 90
7. CHASES 100
8. THEATRE STACK 110
9. THE GRAPHICS TABLET 117
10. RUNNING THE SHOW 121
11. AUTOMATED PLAYBACK (SCRIPT FILES) 124
12. SETUP 132
13. OTHER FEATURES 135
14. THE PERSONALITY FILE SYSTEM 142
15. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 153
16. INDEX 158
Pages in the Tutorial section have numbers below 100. Pages in
the Reference manual have numbers above 100.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1. Welcome to the DLC-C003
This manual is designed to help you get the most out of your DLC-C003
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 DLC-C003. 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 DLC-C003.
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 DLC-C003 2048 and the DLC-C003
Tiger consoles.
1.1 Setting up the DLC-C003
Before you can use the DLC-C003, 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 the optional 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
DLC-C003 2048 has four DMX output sockets. The DLC-C003 2048 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 in the desk light to the socket on the top left of the console. If you
have a QWERTY keyboard, plug it into its socket. You do not have to
connect a keyboard if you don’t want.
Turn on the power. The console display and VDU screen (if you are
using one) should come alive.
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1.2 Finding your way about on the DLC-C003
The DLC-C003 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.
•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
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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 allows you to reduce the
intensity of a fixture if it loses position during a show.
The VDU screen shows more information than the on-board displays.
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
the types of fixture you are using (you can show different things using
the View button, see page 61). 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.
Today’s date and time
Fixture output values
Function of
left wheel Function of
right wheel
Memory contents
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1.3 The DLC-C003 simulator
You can download a free DLC-C003 simulator from the DORTRON’s
website, which runs on a PC. This allows you to work on the DLC-C003
even when you haven’t got the real console with you. You can patch the
desk, and program shows using the DORTRON’s Visualiser, then save
the show to disk and load it into the real console. The simulator
operates almost exactly like the real DLC-C003.
1.4 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 DORTRON’s console before, by working through the
rest of the tutorial section you should be able to get the DLC-C003 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 DORTRON’s 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
•Some blank floppy disks 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 DLC-C003 software, read chapter 14, “Changes
in the latest DLC-C003 software”, which gives you a quick rundown on
the differences between the two consoles.
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CHAPTER TWO
2. Patching
In this chapter: how to set up the DLC-C003 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 DLC-C003 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 DLC-C003, 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 DLC-C003 what type of fixture is allocated to each
handle. When you have entered this information, the DLC-C003 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 DLC-C003 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 DLC-C003. There are 4 “pages” of 60 handles, selected
using the “Pages of Fixtures” buttons below the numeric
keypad.
The DLC-C003 controls dimmers and fixtures slightly
differently, so we will look at each in turn.
PageFixtures button
2.1 Clearing the DLC-C003 – Wipeall s
It’s always a good idea to clear the DLC-C003’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.
Clearing the DLC-C003
ÎTurn the mode keyswitch to “System”
ÎSelect softkey A [Service]
ÎSelect softkey F [Wipe].
ÎPress F [“Wipeall], to confirm. The memory will be wiped.
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ÎTurn the key to “Program” to prepare for programming.
The DLC-C003 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
ÎMake sure the key is set to “Program”
ÎPress Patch (one of the blue “command” buttons).
ÎPress A [Dimmer]
ÎThe DLC-C003 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.
ÎPress 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.
ÎThe DLC-C003 will update the DMX address to the next
free channel, so you can just press another button to
patch the next dimmer.
ÎPress 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
ÎEnter Dimmer Patch mode
ÎEnter the DMX channel you want the range to start at, if it’s
different to the one the DLC-C003 is displaying
ÎHold down the Swop button of the first handle to be patched
(handle 21)
ÎPress the last Swop button (handle 30)
ÎRelease the first Swop button, then the last Swop button
ÎEach handle will be patched in order to a dimmer channel.
ÎPress 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
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like this are displayed at the bottom of the VDU screen.
Patching several dimmers to the same button
ÎEnter Dimmer Patch mode
ÎUsing the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the first
dimmer channel to be patched
ÎPress the Swop button for the handle you want to use (this patches
the first dimmer)
ÎUsing the numeric keypad, enter the DMX address of the next
dimmer channel to be patched (the DLC-C003 will have
automatically increased the address by 1)
ÎPress the Swop button again
ÎPress Exit when you have finished patching 7
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.
Patching to the top fader bank
ÎPatch the dimmer as normal, but hold down the YPL (shift) button
while pressing the blue Swop button. The YPL button is next to the
numeric keypad
ÎThe dimmer channel will be patched to the top fader
ÎPress YPL with another Swop button to patch to another top fader
You can patch multiple dimmer channels to the top faders by holding
down the YPL button, then holding the first swop button, then pressing
the last button of the range to be patched. You might need to grow a
third hand, or borrow someone else’s, to accomplish this.
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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 DLC-C003 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 DORTRON’s website. See section 12 in the reference manual for
details of how to download personalities.
Note: To use the internal personality files, make sure there is no disk
in the disk drive.
Patching a fixture
ÎMake sure there is no disk in the disk drive
ÎPress Patch
ÎPress B [Choose a fixture]
ÎThe display will show “Please select an instrument” on the top line.
ÎA list of known fixtures will appear next to the softkeys after a
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pause.
ÎUse 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.
ÎThe DLC-C003 will load the fixture information (this may take a few
seconds). The display shows information about the fixture.
ÎThe DLC-C003 will ask “Use preset palettes?”.
ÎPress A [Yes]. (This is explained later)
ÎThe DLC-C003 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.
ÎPress the Swop button on handle 11 to patch the fixture you have
selected to handle 11.
ÎThe display will show the block of channels occupied by the fixture.
ÎPatch 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 YPL button,
but if you do this you will need to hold down the YPL 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
ÎPress A [Select another fixture]
ÎChoose the fixture type from the list on the softkeys
ÎPatch 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 DLC-C003 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.
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2.5 Addressing lights to match the DLC-C003
When you are patching, it’s easiest to let the DLC-C003 allocate all the
DMX addresses, then go round to the actual dimmers and fixtures and
set the addresses to match the DLC-C003’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 DLC-C003
what DMX channels to use while you’re patching, but then you need to
make sure yourself that nothing overlaps.
The DLC-C003 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.
Displaying the DMX address for fixtures
ÎPress the View button (next to the
numeric keys)
ÎPress D [Fixture Patch]
ÎThe 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).
ÎOne handle on the list has an arrow next
to it. In the lower part of the screen,
more information is shown for this fixture.
ÎUse the Arrow keys to move the arrow
up and down the list, and show
information for the other fixtures in the
list.
ÎYou 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 68.
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 69 describes how to set these options.
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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 DLC-C003 to disk
The DLC-C003 has a built in floppy disk drive which allows you to save
everything you have done. You should get into the habit of saving your
show regularly to guard against that unexpected moment when the
worst happens.
The disk drive is in the front left hand corner of the
console, beneath the master faders. If you’re using
the console in its flightcase, you might need to lift it
slightly to access the disk drive.
It only takes a minute or so to save the contents of
the DLC-C003 to disk. You can then reload it if you
mess up the show by accidentally changing
something, or if some helpful person steals the DLC-
C003 you can load your programming into a
replacement console and the show can go on.
Diskbutton
Backing up the DLC-C003 to disk
ÎPress the Disk button in the bottom right hand corner of the DLC-
C003
ÎInsert a blank formatted 1.44MB disk into the disk drive (anything
on the disk will be wiped).
ÎSelect B [Save show to disk].
ÎThe DLC-C003 will ask for a filename for the show. Type this on the
QWERTY keyboard then press Enter. If you don’t have a keyboard
connected you can just accept the default showname by pressing
Enter.
ÎThe DLC-C003 will ask if you want to make the show compatible
with Sep 2048 software. Press B [No].
ÎThe DLC-C003 will save your current show onto the disk. The
display will tell you when the DLC-C003 has finished.
ÎThe DLC-C003 will not respond to any buttons or sliders while
saving or loading a show. The DMX output will be frozen in its last
state.
ÎIf you need to reload the show, press Disk then A [Load show from
disk].
2.10 Examples
How do I patch a 6 channel DMX dimmer pack to faders 31-36?
Press Patch, then A [Dimmer]. Note the DMX address where the DLC-
C003 is going to patch (on the top line of the display). Hold down the
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YPL button. Press the blue Swop buttons for channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and
6. Let go of the YPL button. Because you were holding down YPL, the
dimmers are patched to the top set of faders, 31-36. Press Exit twice to
leave Patch mode. Finally set your dimmer pack’s DMX address to
match the DLC-C003 (if you are not sure of the address, press View
then D [Fixture patch], then use the Down Arrow button to scroll to
show Handle 31; the display shows the DMX address where the handle
is patched).
How do I patch a Mac600 to handle 10?
Press Patch, then B [Choose a fixture]. (Ensure there is no disk in the
disk drive). Press F [More] until one of the softkey options is
MMac600m4. Press the softkey for that option. Wait for the DLC-C003
to load the personality. When the DLC-C003 asks “Use preset palettes?”
press A [Yes]. Note the DMX address where the DLC-C003 is going to
patch (on the top line of the display). Press Swop button 10 to patch
the fixture. Press Exit twice to leave Patch mode. Finally set the Mac
600’s DMX address to match the DLC-C003 (we have used the Mode 4
personality so it will also need to be in Mode 4).
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CHAPTER THREE
3. Controlling dimmers and fixtures
In this chapter: how to control dimmers and fixtures manually.
•controlling fixtures and dimmers
•changing attributes
•using and creating groups
•align and fan functions
•viewing the console output
Having patched all the dimmers and fixtures you want to use, you are
ready to start operating them. This chapter explains how you do this.
To manually control fixtures and dimmers, you need to be in Program
mode, so ensure the key is set to Program. There’s also a special Run
mode which lets you “take over” fixtures during a show, which is
described later.
3.1 Controlling dimmer channels
Controlling dimmer channels is simple – you just push up the fader of
the handle where the dimmer is patched. Dimmers work just like a
normal “preset” lighting desk on the DLC-C003. If you want to turn on
lots of dimmer channels at the same time, you can also “select” the
dimmers and use the Dimmer attribute button and control wheels as
described below.
3.2 Controlling fixtures
Controlling fixtures is nearly as simple, except there are a few more
functions to control than just intensity.
The first thing you have to do is to “select” the fixtures that you want
to control. The DLC-C003 then knows that any changes you make are
only to be sent to these fixtures. You can select fixtures individually, or
several at once.
Selecting fixtures or dimmers
ÎPress the Swop buttons for the fixtures you want to control. (For
dimmers and fixtures on the top bank of faders, hold down the YPL
button and press the Swop buttons below the faders you want)
ÎThe Swop button LEDs will light for the fixtures which are selected.
They are shown in dark blue on the VDU screen.
ÎIf you select a fixture you don't want, press its Swop button again
to deselect it.
ÎYou can select a range of fixtures by holding down the Swop button
for the first fixture in the range, then pressing the Swop button for
the last fixture.
ÎPress the ML Menu button then A [Locate Fixture] to position the
selected fixtures at a central position with the light on, so you can
see where they are. Dimmer channels are set to 100%.
You can change the fixture page, if you need to, by pressing one of the
other Fixture Page buttons.
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You can select dimmers or fixtures patched to the top faders by holding
down the YPL button and pressing the Swop button for the fader below.
3.3 Changing attributes of fixtures
Having selected the fixtures you want to control, you then need
to select the attributes (pan, tilt, colour etc.) of that fixture that
you want to change.
The attributes are selected using the buttons on the lower right
corner of the DLC-C003 and controlled using the wheels. The
attributes you can control will vary depending on the type of
fixture you are using. For dimmer channels, you can only change
the “Dimmer” attribute (intensity). For scans, you can control
the pan, tilt, colour, gobo and other functions.
Controlling pan and tilt of a fixture
ÎSelect some fixtures using the Swop buttons
ÎUse the Locate Fixture function (press ML Menu then Softkey
A) to position the fixtures at a central position with the lamp
on (you don’t have to do this, but it helps you see what’s
happening)
ÎPress the Pan/Tilt attribute button
ÎControl the tilt using the left hand wheel and the pan using the
right hand wheel. You should see the selected fixtures move.
ÎThe display area just above the wheels shows you
which attribute is being controlled by each wheel.
Any other attribute of the fixtures you selected can be
controlled by pressing the appropriate button and turning
the wheels. The display will show which functions the left
and right wheels are going to control. Very few fixture types have the
full range of attributes; if the display doesn’t show a function when you
select an attribute button, that function is not available on the fixtures
you selected.
You can view the attribute settings on the LCD screen by pressing the
View button then B [Fixture Attributes]. You can change which attribute
you are viewing by pressing a different Attribute button.
If the fixture personality supports range tables and Intelligent Attribute
Display is turned on (Hold YPL and press 1) then for some attributes,
rather than showing a percentage value above the wheels, the current
colour or gobo name will be displayed. This only happens on some
fixtures.
You can use the Dimmer attribute to control the intensity channel of the
fixture, or you can use the fader of the handle. The effect is the same.
Note: Once you have changed any attributes, all the fixtures will be
automatically deselected the next time you press a fixture
select button.
3.4 Using groups
If you’ve got several units of one fixture type, you often want to select
them all at the same time. To yplid lots of swop-button-pressing, the
DLC-C003 allows you to put fixtures or dimmer channels into groups,
which you can then use to select all the fixtures just by typing the
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group number. If you are using the graphics tablet you just press one
button on the tablet and all the fixtures in the group are magically
selected.
Making a group
ÎSelect the fixtures or dimmer channels you want to put into the
group
ÎPress the ML Menu button, then E [Record Group].
ÎType the group number 1-200 on the numeric keypad and press
Enter.
Once you have created a group, you can then quickly select all the
fixtures in the group:
Selecting a group of fixtures
ÎType the group number on the keypad
ÎPress A [Recall Group].
ÎThe fixtures in the group are selected, all other fixtures are
deselected.
If you are using the graphics tablet, you can save and recall groups
with one touch of the pen. This is described in more detail in the
Graphics Tablet chapter.
3.5 Copying settings from other fixtures – Align
If you’ve set a nice colour on one of your fixtures, and you want to
copy it to all the other fixtures of the same type, the DLC-C003’s Align
function can do that. You can also use it to make all pan and tilt
positions the same for a range of units or to make dimmer levels the
same.
Copying settings from other fixtures
ÎPress an attribute button to select the attribute you want to copy
ÎSelect the fixture or dimmer channel you want to copy from
ÎSelect the fixtures or dimmer channels you want to copy to
ÎPress the ML Menu button, then D [Align <attribute name>]”.
ÎOr you can press C [Align Fixtures], to align all attributes.
3.6 Fan mode
Fan mode automatically spreads out a selected range of fixtures to
produce a fan of light beams, like rays of sunlight. The first and last
fixtures of the range are affected most, and the central fixtures are
affected least. The amount of fan can be set using the wheels.
Note: The order in which you select the fixtures sets how the fan effect
works. The fixtures you select first and last will be the ones
which change most.
The fan effect, while normally used on pan or tilt attributes, can be
applied to any attribute.
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Fanning out a range of fixtures
ÎSelect the range of fixtures you want to fan
ÎSelect the attribute to fan (pan, tilt, colour etc)
ÎPress the Fan button (one of the blue command buttons)
ÎSet the amount of fan using the wheels
ÎThe display shows which attribute is being controlled by each wheel
ÎPress the Fan button again to exit Fan mode when you’ve finished
You will be able to see the effect of fan mode best if you have a row of
at least 4 fixtures. If you have an odd number of fixtures, the central
fixture will not move in fan mode.
Remember to turn off Fan mode when you have finished (by pressing
the Fan button again), or you will get confused when the controls don’t
do what you expect.
3.7 Examples
How do I fade up the dimmer on handles 31-36?
Just push up the faders 31-36 (make sure the Grand Master and A/B
Master faders are up)
How do I make the mac 600 on handle 10 go blue and point at
the cyclorama?
Select the fixture by pressing Swop button 10. Press ML Menu then A
[Locate fixture] to turn on the mac600 and centre it. Press the
“Cyan/Magenta” attribute button. Turn the A wheel anticlockwise to
make the amount of Cyan change (you can turn B wheel anticlockwise
to make the Magenta change which will give a darker blue). Press the
“Tilt-Pan” attribute button. Turn the A and B wheels (the mac600
should move) until it points in the direction you want.
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CHAPTER FOUR
4. Palettes
In this chapter: how to use palettes to set colours, gobos and positions.
•Using palettes to set values
•Creating your own palettes
•Setting which attributes are recorded in a palette
•Shared and individual palettes
When you are controlling your lighting, it would be nice to instantly call
back a position such as centre stage, or a particular colour like red,
blue etc, rather than having to set the value on the wheels every time.
The DLC-C003 has pages of preset values, called “palettes”, which
allow you to do this. The DLC-C003 loads 10 colours, 10 gobos and 10
pre-programmed positions when you patch a fixture (unless you tell it
not to when it asks “Use preset palettes?”). You can use these palettes
as they are, modify them to your own settings, or save new settings.
Palettes have another big advantage. If for example you program a
“centre stage spot” position as a palette, when you use this position in
memories the DLC-C003 remembers the palette you used, rather than
the actual value. This means that if you move to another venue, you
can just reprogram the “centre stage spot” palette entry and every
memory using that position will automatically be updated. If you’d
programmed all your memories directly using the wheels, you would
need to go through and reposition every memory.
Palettes are also useful when you are programming using Visualiser and
you don’t know exactly where the lights will point; you can program
your memories using palette positions, then you just update a few
palettes when you get the real lights in the real venue and the show
programming is done.
4.1 Using palettes to set values
The easiest way to use a palette value is by the
menu on the LCD screen. We’ll use the preset
palettes which the DLC-C003 loaded when you
patched the fixtures to set some fixtures to Red.
Using palettes
ÎSelect the fixtures you want to control by
pressing their Swop buttons
ÎPress the Focus button above the numeric
keypad
ÎSelect the page of palettes you want to use
by pressing one of the A-F softkeys (such as
[Colour])
ÎPress one of the A-E softkeys to use one of
the palette values (such as [Red]). The
value will be set to all the fixtures which are
selected. The lights should turn red.
ÎTo go back to the list of palette pages, press
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G [Pages].
ÎPress Exit when you have finished with palettes, as other functions
don’t work while in Palette Select mode
You can also apply palettes 1-30 by pressing the grey Palette/Flash
buttons below the preset faders. While you hold the button, the top line
of the display shows the legend for the attribute (White, Green etc).
When you release the button, the palette is applied. If you decide you
don’t want to apply the palette, press the Focus button before you
release the grey Flash button.
4.2 Creating your own palettes
You can easily save your own palettes, or modify existing ones. We’ll
create a position palette.
Storing your own palette
ÎPress Clear (next to the numeric keys) to clear all the changes you
have made so far
ÎSelect a couple of fixtures and press ML menu then A [Locate
fixture]
ÎPress the “Tilt-Pan” attribute button.
ÎPosition the fixtures using the wheels.
ÎPress the Store Palette button (one of the blue Command buttons)
ÎType “21” (the palette number to be stored) on the keypad and
press Enter. The position of the fixtures is stored as a palette
You can also store a palette by pressing one of the grey Palette/Flash
buttons below the presets. If you had pressed the grey button for
preset 21, that would have been the same as what we did above.
4.3 What’s stored in a palette
Although you can store all attributes of a fixture in a single palette, it’s
easiest to store some palettes which only affect colour, others which
only affect position, and so on. This means when you recall a palette
entry, you know which attributes of the fixture are going to change.
You do this using the Attribute buttons when saving the palette. In the
example above, we had the “Tilt-Pan” attribute selected when storing
the palette, so only the Tilt & Pan values were recorded.
Setting which attributes will be recorded in the palette
ÎPress Clear to clear all the changes you have made so far
ÎSelect a couple of fixtures and press ML menu then A [Locate
fixture]
ÎSet a colour using the “colour” attribute button and wheels.
ÎPosition the fixtures using the “tilt-pan” attribute button and
wheels.
ÎPress the Store Palette button
ÎPress the Colour attribute button. The Colour button & the
Yellow/Cyan/Magenta buttons will light, showing that these
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