Mac 250's on a Strand 520i

[Genre]

Hello. New to this forum, but I hope someone can be of help.

 

I normally run sound at our venue, but I have just bought 6 x Mac250's to use on Strand 520i. I have patched them in and set them to mode 4. All fine so far.

How do I get them to run the pre-programmed shapes - groups 992.1 etc

Is there an easy way of creating new shapes?

How do I record these into cues, groups etc?

How do I get them to move into the next position while they are dark?

 

Any tips at all (however basic or advanced) would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers.

[Stu]

Hello. New to this forum, but I hope someone can be of help.

Welcome to the Blue Room!

 

How do I get them to run the pre-programmed shapes - groups 992.1 etc

Is there an easy way of creating new shapes?

Couldn't say - but if you download some of the Strand newsletters from here there are programming tips with them - one of which contains the shape generator info.

How do I record these into groups?

If you want to record pallettes for your MLs you can record just the attribute channels you want by typing in x.2 thru y.2 (x being the channel no of the first Mac 250 and y being the last) followed by Record Group xx * (if your a command line user) and this will stop you from recording any other attribute information.

How do I get them to move into the next position while they are dark?

If your running one of the newer software versions (I don't know which one they introduced it on - possibly v2.6), you can activate AMWD (Auto Move While Dark) in one of the setup menus. This will make the desk 'look ahead' and automatically move the MLs to their next position when the Intensity channel is at 0. You can set up fade times for this, and delays so it'll happen x seconds after a cue.

 

AMWD cues don't show up in the stack, but you'll see them running on the monitors when they do - I think it shows up in grey on the stack.

 

I'm by no means the most experienced 500 series member here - I'm sure someone like Gareth, Richard or Rob might pop up soon and add some extra info but this might be able to get you started.

 

HTH!

Stu

[peter]

With regards effects, the syntax I use is...

<fixture> @ GROUP 992.1 *

 

You can then cycle through the wheel groups to get to teh effects parameters to increase/decrease the size, speed, etc. These parameters can be recorded into groups or memories in the same syntax as any other parameter - just do <fixture>.<parameter> to select them.

 

 

Peter

[sigill]

Hi

 

Firstly you will have to assign the shape att's to the fixture in the patch. This will put a further 9 attributes on each fixture you assign them to. Pan size, tilt size. pan phase, tilt phase and so on. Once these are assigned select the fixture/s and put them @group999.1 or what ever it is for one shape. when you select the fixture you should get a different live screen were you can see these new att's along with the others. If you dont make sure tracker is selected in the desk setup. Once the shape is running you can select the shape att's page using the soft keys above the roller ball and then use the colored wheel to the right to change them. Have a good play with these and you should soon get to grips with how they work. I find it a good idead to record a group with all the shape att's @ 0 to start with so u can stop the shape without having to turn each att to 0 in turn.

 

Once the shape is running just record the cue as normal.

 

With regard to amwd you will have to turn this on in desk setup (if it isn't already)

 

Would be an idea to make sure you are running on the lastest software before you do all this just download from strand website and follow instructions.

 

Hope some of this helps.

 

Si

[drathbun]

Hello. New to this forum, but I hope someone can be of help.

 

I normally run sound at our venue, but I have just bought 6 x Mac250's to use on Strand 520i. I have patched them in and set them to mode 4. All fine so far.

How do I get them to run the pre-programmed shapes - groups 992.1 etc

Is there an easy way of creating new shapes?

How do I record these into cues, groups etc?

How do I get them to move into the next position while they are dark?

 

Any tips at all (however basic or advanced) would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hey Genre!

 

Our college (where I teach lighting) we have 2 Mac500 and 2 Mac600 fixtures. We have 520i consoles in both theatres with 300 consoles designer stations. I spent some time programming a Wacom Macro tablet to speed programming the Macs. It takes some doing but once you have the template, it cuts your programming time by more than half.

 

The trick is to create palettes by saving groups using ATT ONLY and ATT COLOR, ATT BEAM, ATT FOCUS filters. Then you create macros on the tablet that call the groups. This way you select a fixture, turn it on and assign it color, gobo, prism or locations by tapping the pen on the macro tablet. It is a breeze. You can add the preprogrammed effects by creating a macro on the tablet that does "@Group 992.1*"

 

I am in the middle of a HUGE moving lights show across town right now. Once it opens next week, I could send you the MS Word template file for the Wacom Tablet and the files for my groups and macros off my 520i. It is setup for channels 1 and 2 are Mac500 and 3 and 4 are Mac600 but you could adjust them to suit your 250's.

 

AutoMoveWhileDark is a feature you have to turn on in the Advanced Setup Window. Once it is enabled, the 520i looks forward to the next cue(s) for the next changed attribute information and if the fixture is dark in the current cue, it will move the fixtures to the new location. In the same setup window you can set how fast the AutoMoveWhileDark feature will move the fixtures.

 

Doug

[Genre]

I am in the middle of a HUGE moving lights show across town right now. Once it opens next week, I could send you the MS Word template file for the Wacom Tablet and the files for my groups and macros off my 520i. It is setup for channels 1 and 2 are Mac500 and 3 and 4 are Mac600 but you could adjust them to suit your 250's.

 

 

That would be fantastic! I look forward to seeing that. I hope the show goes well and that I can put some of your expertise to use!

 

Cheers

 

Should have added - Would an e-mail address be of use?

[drathbun]

I am in the middle of a HUGE moving lights show across town right now. Once it opens next week, I could send you the MS Word template file for the Wacom Tablet and the files for my groups and macros off my 520i. It is setup for channels 1 and 2 are Mac500 and 3 and 4 are Mac600 but you could adjust them to suit your 250's.

 

 

That would be fantastic! I look forward to seeing that. I hope the show goes well and that I can put some of your expertise to use!

 

Cheers

 

Should have added - Would an e-mail address be of use?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

You can email me at drathbun@shaw.ca

 

I'm going into the fitup on Sunday night. The theatre decided not to rent all the stuff I asked for... instead they BOUGHT it ALL! $36000 worth. A HOG1000 console, 4 Mac250 entours, 2 Mac500, 2 Mac600NT. Woohoo!

:P

[drathbun]

Well I've surfaced after a killer production! We previewed last Thursday night (with me improvising on the Hog1000 as the show was not fully recorded yet).

 

So Genre:

 

I've pulled an entire production off of our 520i called "Nightingale" (it was a production I did last year by Timberlake Wertenbaker called "Love of the Nightingale". It is the entire show with patch, cues, groups, macros... the whole schmere. I also have a macro tablet template that goes with it. It is a MS Word file in colour, which you can print and put on a Wacom tablet and it allows you to point and shoot all the Mac 500 and Mac 600 parameters. We have 2 Mac500 and 2 Mac600NT so the show is patched and the tablet is set for Channels 1 and 2 = Mac500 1 and 2 and Channels 3 and 4 = Mac600NT 1 and 2. Of course, you'll have to redo the groups to reference your patch and the Mac250 parameters instead of the 500's and 600's. But it certainly gives you a place to start.

 

The top of the template is devoted to the 500's (colours, gobos, rgobos, prism) and the bottom is for the 600's (colour mixing, colour wheel, beam shaper and frost).

 

Once you have the template the the groups setup for your 250 fixtures, it is functional for every show you do. Just customize your fixed focus groups for your particular show, create focus points if you like too and edit the Word file for an overlay!

 

Since there isn't a way to attach files here, I've put the files on my college website.

 

Doug's Lighting Technology Page

 

Scroll to the bottom under "Technical Resources" and you'll find two links; one to the Nightingale show file and one to the Macro Tablet MS Word file.