FredBear Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 OK, I understand. The philosophy of MagicQ is completely different from the BlueLite one. MagicQ is console oriented/based and BlueLite is computer/user friendly based. The two approaches are very different. The conclusion of all these posts is that MagicQ is a good software, very different from BlueLite, probably offers more functionnalities but both can handle big systems. It's not possible to simply adapt my hardware to work with MagicQ unless buying a Wing and a MIDI interface and not using the MIDI controllers what I don't want to do. I think I've better to go on with BlueLite despite of some small limitations. One idea I got from this discussion is that I could add a touch screen overlay (BlueLite support it). My question is still: which model of touch screen overlay is recommended? I would like to thank all those who answered me. The answers were more or less relevant. Altogether, that helped me to encircle better what I need and which decision I have to take at the moment. Sorry if by my last questions I was able to seem boring and amateur. I really wished to know your way of working with MagicQ in particular. Thanks also for your positive opinion on the light controller whom I built. If you still have other remarks or advices to give me, don't hesitate to say it to me. Thanks! :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norty303 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 You can buy a variety of touch screen overlays, and so long as you have the correct interface (serial/usb) on your PC it will work with MagicQ. However I'd personally be looking for dedicated touch screen monitors as the overlays look fiddly and fitting them can mean the monitor bezel doesn't seat properly. A 15" monitor means that the playback sections on the screen pretty much line up exactly with the physical faders on the PC wing. A larger monotor would mean this probably wasn't the case. But, I don't know at all MagicQ and I don't have a DMX interface nor a Wing which could let me try it in the real world. I don't want to spend too much time with the user manual of MagicQ if I don't buy it. I just want to get user feelings with MagicQ in order to be able to take a good decision if yes, I continue with BlueLite even if there is no update or: no, I buy MagicQ because it's realy a better software and I invest time and money in it.Do you understand my point of view? Chamsys have a download for a couple of visualisers on their website so you could actually try MagicQ and get a feel for how it works in a virtual environment. You don't need to purchase anything in order to it and you get virtual faders onscreen even if you don't have a wing. However if you have no interst in reading the manual then perhaps you shouldn't try MagicQ at all as you'll likely get very little out of it initially without a little input of effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredBear Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Chamsys have a download for a couple of visualisers on their website so you could actually try MagicQ and get a feel for how it works in a virtual environment. You don't need to purchase anything in order to it and you get virtual faders onscreen even if you don't have a wing.Well, it's a good idea. I will see... However if you have no interst in reading the manual then perhaps you shouldn't try MagicQ at all as you'll likely get very little out of it initially without a little input of effort.You are mistaken. I'm an electronic design engineer. I read a LOT of papers every day. In addition I've a family. So I've to carefully choose where I want to invest my time. I hope you can understand that! As I said in my previous post: In conclusion of this topic I will continue with BlueLite unless they stop the development. In that case I will probably look at MagicQ and invest time to read carefully the manual. I've understood that MagicQ is a serious competitor with plenty of features. But the phylosophy is completly different. I've read and re-read several times all the manual and the available documentation on the official forum of BlueLite in order to master this software. So I don't want to spend too much time now with MagicQ if I'm not certain to go with it. But if a day I choose to go with MagicQ, you can be sure I'll take all the needed time to learn to use it and why not make courses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 To be fair, MagicQ operation is typical of a modern lighting console. Most of the big name PC based lighting consoles work just like the real physical console, and make no concessions to the skills you already have as a windows user, they turn the PC into a lighting console. Some folks love it, some folks hate it, its just the way it is. We've been over this ground a few times in the past so theres no real point in doing it all again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 However if you have no interst in reading the manual then perhaps you shouldn't try MagicQ at all as you'll likely get very little out of it initially without a little input of effort.You are mistaken. I'm an electronic design engineer. I read a LOT of papers every day. In addition I've a family. So I've to carefully choose where I want to invest my time. I hope you can understand that!I think Norty's point was that going into the MagicQ software 'blind' in order to evaluate it without reading at least the basic bits of the manual first will leave you with an artificially poor impression of the software (especially if you have had no experience on Hog2-type consoles before, which would at least give you a grasp of the absolute fundamentals). You need to be able to understand the basics in order to get a proper idea of what any console, not just MagicQ, can do, otherwise you're going to get frustrated with it quite quickly and end up thinking it's terrible just because you couldn't make it do something. I'm sure it wasn't a comment about your own personal competency, but a general comment concerning the necessity of being able to understand the operating syntax/philosophy of a piece of kit in order to be able to properly evaluate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norty303 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Absolutely, the point I was trying to make (badly!) was that its not intuitive if you're not familiar with traditional moving light console operation. I initially picked it up and hated it after 4 hours and put it away again for another day..... Then a month or so later I had a read through the manual front to back and tried it again.... About 8 or so hours later I was really starting to understand it and loving the ease with which you can do things, although without having the usual Windows 'press here to do this' type of guidance. but then you realise you don't really ned all that for it to be good to work on. I know enough people who still hate it (despite my hounding them!) because they haven't put in the time required. They tend to be people who use other free solutions like Freestyler where its a much more familiar Windows environment. But as you say, you need to balance the time commitment as much as the financial, and re-learning anything needs some dedicated 'space' in which to do it. In fact its harder because you're having to learn not to do it the usual way, which seems extra foreign! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredBear Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Oups, sorry, I misunderstood your comment. Yes, I understand well your point of view. I'm not afraid by this kind of software and I don't hate it. But as I said, I prefer investing my time and my energy at improving my future designs instead of learning a new software if I'm not sure to leave BlueLite. Now, I'm trying desperately to contact BlueLite team to get the beta version. But still no answer... If someone has this beta or has a contact with them please let know as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Now, I'm trying desperately to contact BlueLite team to get the beta version. But still no answer... If someone has this beta or has a contact with them please let know as soon as possible.Member jfitzpat is the Blue Room resident BlueLite person, but he's not been online since May 2007, but perhaps he might respond to a PM; I'd guess that most forum users accept the default of being alerted to PMs by an email notification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wol Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Then a month or so later I had a read through the manual front to back and tried it again.... About 8 or so hours later I was really starting to understand it and loving the ease with which you can do things, although without having the usual Windows 'press here to do this' type of guidance. Yea. You do have to remember to treat MagicQ software on a PC as a lighting console, and not a standard windows application. There was a member a few months ago who was saying that the interface wasn't following design guidelines like the ones used with windows applications and that he didn't like it. But the software is *designed* to work on a console, but has the extra feature of working on a PC, not as a simulator, or a visualiser, but is the exact same software that you get on the console, and can be used to run shows. If you learn the PC version, and then you're given a console, you should be able to use it with a lot of ease (apart from the grand master being on the opposite side in hardware than on the virtual faders on screen! that screwed me over the first time I used it!). I had that problem when I first started using it, as I was too used to simulators which were designed to run on Windows. After working at ChamSys for 4 months last summer, and using the actual consoles on a daily basis, the console interface, and now PC interface seems infinitely clearer. Just got to sit and use it for a bit, persevere and follow through steps in the manual. Member jfitzpat is the Blue Room resident BlueLite person, but he's not been online since May 2007 Unlike the ChamSys rep who was last online yesterday :-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterlight Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Chamsys magic Q pc all the way mate all the way ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norty303 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 And if you have the urge for 'another' forum, there is a good resource as well, with non-official forum available from the 'community' menu. http://www.chamsys.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredBear Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Unlike the ChamSys rep who was last online yesterday :-pYes, I know... ;) I didn't know this forum. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonychoonz Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Which of these pieces of software will work with this Velleman k8062 / VM116 Been covered faaaar to many times, here is the list I use for Ukslc.org. PC DMX Programs :Martin Show Designer - http://www.martin.com/product/product.asp?...ct=showdesignerSunlite - http://www.nicolaudie.com/cgi-bin/bin?ban=...=nicolaudie.comDasLite - http://www.daslight.com/Winlite - http://www.pulsarlight.com/Winlite.htmFreestyler - http://www.freestylerdmx.be/DMX Creator - http://www.lightfactor.co.uk/vxcopages/software.htmVisual DMX - http://www.visualdmx.comAxis DMX - http://www.axisdmx.comMultiMusic DMX Light - http://wwwwin.wplus.net/pp/multimusic/ContainerE.htmShowCAD Artist - http://www.showcad.comChamsys' MagicQ PC - http://www.chamsys.co.ukLightConverse - http://www.lightconverse.deFull Boar - http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rowanmac/o...x.html#FullBoar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Which of these pieces of software will work with this Velleman k8062 / VM116 Magicq most definatley will,infact im just of to do a show with said interface and software,running on a net book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Your 'Full Boar' link appears broken M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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