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ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual

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SLX Series User Manual
Version 14.1
For SLX and SLX Plus Models
www.showmagic.com

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Summary of Contents for ShowMagic SLX Series

  • Page 1 SLX Series User Manual Version 14.1 For SLX and SLX Plus Models www.showmagic.com...
  • Page 2 All rights reserved. The authors have taken care in the preparation of this manual, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the information contained herein.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Sound Events...........................7 Control Events..........................8 Sequences............................9 Action Buttons..........................10 Auto Scheduler..........................11 Section 3 - Patch Screen....................12 Assigning Physical Fixtures to the ShowMagic Virtual Desk............13 Quick Patch and Copy Feature......................14 Clearing an Address........................15 Fader List............................15 Fixture List.............................16 Patch and Copy Commands......................17 Multiple Assignment and Patching Commands................18 Function List..........................19...
  • Page 4 Section 5 - Master Panel....................35 Clear Buttons..........................35 Sound-To-Light Section.........................36 Audio Output Sub-master Faders....................37 Multiple ASIO Audio Output Sub-master Faders................38 Multiple ASIO Audio Input Sub-master Faders................38 Master Output Faders........................38 Adjusting the Master Panel Faders via RS232/IP or DMX Input..........39 Hold Button............................39 Blackout Button..........................39 Auto-Schedule Button........................39 Pause Schedule Button........................40...
  • Page 5 Using the Fixture Panel’s Centre and Locate Buttons..............65 Play and Quick Buttons.........................66 Undo and Store Buttons.........................67 Flashing a Scene..........................67 Flashing and Releasing a Scene.....................67 Sliding a Scene Button........................68 Deleting a Scene..........................68 Copying a Scene..........................68 Moving a Scene..........................68 Recording Scenes by ‘Sniffing’ DMX...................68 Scene Generator Function......................70 Scene Generator Options......................72 FX Generator..........................73...
  • Page 6 Deleting a Sound Event.......................108 Copying a Sound Event.......................108 Moving a Sound Event........................108 Using ASIO Drivers and Multiple Input / Output Soundcards............108 Playing Multi-Tracks (Multiple, Synchronized .wav Files)............109 Playing and Routing .wav Files....................110 Playing Multiple Playlists......................111 Routing Audio Inputs to Audio Outputs..................111 Section 9 - Sequence Panel....................113 Sequence Settings........................113 Live Display..........................116...
  • Page 7 System Control Events.........................147 Run Default Action........................148 Reset Desk..........................148 Dummy / String.........................148 Disable Action Triggers......................149 Deleting a Control Event......................149 Copying a Control Event......................149 Moving a Control Event......................149 Section 11 - Monitor Panel....................151 DMX............................152 MIDI............................152 Run...............................152 Com..............................153 Section 12 - Action Panel....................155 Action Buttons..........................156 Action Button LEDs........................156 Assigning Events to Action Buttons....................157...
  • Page 8 Retain Event Label........................180 Other Settings Menu........................180 16-Bit Settings..........................180 Analogue Input (Test).......................180 Audio / ASIO Settings......................181 Action Sub Group Settings.......................182 DMX Settings...........................182 MIDI Settings..........................185 Spectrum Analyzer Settings......................186 Action Panel Menu........................187 Fixture Panel Menu........................187 Monitor Panel Menu........................187 User Screen Access Menu......................187 Auto Menu...........................190 System Locked..........................191 The Notepad Menu........................191 Section 14 - Schedule Screen..................193...

  • Page 9: Purpose Of The User Manual

    Please Read This Important Notice Before Using This Manual AV and show control, by their very nature, can be very complicated processes, so a great percentage of the development time of ShowMagic has gone into making it as flexible, but as quick and easy to use, as possible.
  • Page 10 Experimental features should not effect the standard features of ShowMagic if you decide not to use them.

  • Page 11: Notes On Using The User Manual

    The following style conventions are used throughout the manual: [Ctrl] Keys to be pressed on the keyboard, e.g. press the key marked ‘Ctrl’. Normal Non-ShowMagic items e.g. names of devices, RS232 input strings etc. Italics Editable commands, values, labels and filenames. Bold Faders, buttons, menu items and other non-editable ‘objects’.
  • Page 12 The Num Lock key should be used to ensure that Num Lock is kept on at all times. Times Where timings are used with ShowMagic events, these timings are in the following format: Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frames shown thus: HH:MM:SS.FF (a frame being 1/25 of a second - shown from .00 to .24.

  • Page 13: Section 1 - Overview

    Section 1 - Overview The ShowMagic range of products enables you to control, from a single PC, literally all the technical aspects of any show or presentation that uses: DMX Lighting • Audio playback • Audio input-output routing • Effects equipment •...

  • Page 14: General Operation

    The ShowMagic desk has been designed to be as simple, quick and easy to use as possible. Just like a hardware lighting desk or audio mixing desk, the ShowMagic desk uses displays and faders but these are operated with the keyboard, mouse or a touch screen.

  • Page 15: Load Desk And Save Desk

    We have implemented optimised load and save routines that keep the size of desk (.dsk) files to a minimum. ShowMagic files can be loaded from, or saved to, anywhere on your hard disk(s) but they default to their own folders within the ShowMagic folder.

  • Page 16: Edit Event Label

    Edit Event Label User-editable event labels can be applied to all ShowMagic event buttons. Selecting this item enables you to globally, or selectively, find and replace all, or sections of, any event labels. This eliminates the need to go to each event button, highlight it, double-click on its label in the details display and then edit the label.
  • Page 17 3. Type Entrance into the box and Foyer into the box. Replace With 4. If you want to replace all occurrences of the label click on the Replace All button. Alternatively, click on the Replace button if you want to replace each label selectively – you will then be prompted with a dialogue box to confirm each replacement.

  • Page 19: Section 2 - Events

    24 = 25 frames). Sound Events ShowMagic takes full advantage of a PC’s ability to play MIDI and digital audio files from hard disk. Add to this the ability to mix these PC audio sources with any external audio devices such as audio mixers, microphones, etc.

  • Page 20: Control Events

    / routed to any of the multiple outputs. As described later in this manual, any available DirectShow or ASIO channels that ShowMagic finds available are listed in a pop-up menu, and can be selected for routing your audio files.

  • Page 21: Sequences

    Control commands can be sent and received via IP using the network port, via RS232 using serial port(s), and MIDI via MIDI port(s), which enables ShowMagic to control external IP and RS232 controllable devices such as projectors, audio / video switchers etc. and MIDI controllable devices such as audio effects units, audio mixing desks etc.

  • Page 22: Action Buttons

    Action Buttons One of the most powerful design features of ShowMagic is its action panel. Rather than having to select each event’s panel in order to access that event’s button, any type of event (a lighting scene, sound event, sequence etc.) can be dropped onto an action button on the action panel.

  • Page 23: Auto Scheduler

    Auto Scheduler The desk can also be programmed to operate automatically so that any ShowMagic events (that are put onto action buttons) can be triggered at certain times of day and on different days by using the auto scheduler. This gives you a versatile control and playback system that can also control itself!

  • Page 24: Section 3 - Patch Screen

    • Please Note: With all models of ShowMagic, any DMX addresses between 001 and 512 can be used. The DMX addresses can also be spread across up to 4 universes. However the amount of DMX channels that can be assigned to fixtures is dependent on the model as follows: SL Free Edition = 24 DMX channels.

  • Page 25: Assigning Physical Fixtures To The Showmagic Virtual Desk

    Assigning Physical Fixtures to the ShowMagic Virtual Desk The Patch Screen tab on the patch screen selects the patch display that consists of 4 main displays / Patch windows: 1 - Key Input This is where you can enter commands.

  • Page 26: Quick Patch And Copy Feature

    Library button are also provided. The Two test buttons, Make Library button is used for selecting lighting fixtures that are contained in the ShowMagic fixture library. Clicking on this button produces a dialogue box from which you can select...

  • Page 27: Clearing An Address

    3) Double-click on the address values (currently shown in grey as 000 - 000) in the top right window under the title and an Address Enter DMX Address (Copy) dialogue box will appear. 4) Type the value 50 into the box to Address enter a start address of 050 for that...

  • Page 28: Fixture List

    When assigning physical fixtures to fixture faders using the fixtures menu, the necessary number of channels for that fixture is automatically patched once the ‘start’ address is entered. The figure shown in brackets is the DMX universe number (1-4). ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 29: Patch And Copy Commands

    7) Highlight the 002 row (GoldenScan) and press [1] [*] [5] [0] [Enter]. Now, because the fixture was selected using the button, ShowMagic knows that the fixture requires 12 Library consecutive channels, so it automatically patches the GoldenScan to 12 consecutive channels starting from the channel supplied, i.e.

  • Page 30: Multiple Assignment And Patching Commands

    GoldenScan is assigned to fixture fader 2 and patched to DMX channels 50 to 61. Multiple Assignment and Patching Commands For speed and convenience, ShowMagic offers features for assigning and / or patching multiple fixtures with a single command by using other keys such as [/] (on the numeric keypad) for ‘Thru’...

  • Page 31: Function List

    100% brightness will not last as long as a lamp that is regularly run at 90%. A DMX channel can be made ‘independent’ of the blackout ( ) button (on the master panel on Black the ShowMagic main screen). If set to then operating the button will not affect it. If set to Black , then operating the button will set this channel to its ‘minimum’...

  • Page 32: Notes On Matching Fixture Fader Numbers To Dmx Channels

    Deleting Fader and Fixture Assignments To remove a fixture from a fixture fader simply highlight the appropriate fader row, press the [Delete] key, press [Enter] to enter the command and then confirm or cancel on the dialogue box. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 33: The Load Patch And Save Patch Functions

    ShowMagic’s function icon display and control features. To create a new fixture do the following: 1) Highlight an ‘empty’ fixture fader row that you want to assign your new fixture to and click on the button to activate it.

  • Page 34: The Test Buttons: Fdr And Dmx

    (4 functions) for those two fixtures at their test levels. Also, because ShowMagic knows what channels need to be used to ‘open’ the beam (iris etc.) it opens these channels and also sets the pan & tilt channels (if any) to 50% so that the beam is centred for easy viewing.

  • Page 35: Load Fixture And Save Fixture Functions

    Load Fixture and Save Fixture Functions The functions are available on the patch screen’s menu, and Load Fixture Save Fixture File although a new fixture that is not contained in the fixtures library can be made and then saved using (as described above) this is by no means the only use of these functions;...

  • Page 36: Auto Patch Fixtures

    ShowMagic via RS232/IP. For the triggering of action buttons via IP 'outstations' – see "Configure Outstations", p.28. "RS232 / IP Command String Protocol", p.223 provides a list of command strings for triggering & control of certain ShowMagic elements via RS232 & IP.
  • Page 37 To configure a device, select the Comm > menu item on the Configure Comm Devices Patch screen and a dialogue box will appear. Device Up to 20 different types of external devices can be set up - - and Device 01 Device 20 these can be selected using this top drop down menu.
  • Page 38 - this can be ticked if you require the device to send an acknowledgement reply when Reply Timeout sending commands to it. The maximum time (in milliseconds) for ShowMagic to wait for a reply before reporting an error is also selectable - default is 500ms.

  • Page 39: Using Device Scripts

    ShowMagic scripts will be made available for more and more devices as time goes by, but if you wish to have a particular device included then please get in touch with AVSS supplying the details of the device and we will do our best to make a script available for it.

  • Page 40: Configure Outstations

    Configure Outstations If you wish to control various elements of ShowMagic using an external IP 'Outstation' device (such as an application running on an iPhone, iPad etc.) then this menu item can be used to set the IP address and port number for the device.

  • Page 41: Pixelmap Screen

    PixelMap Screen The PixelMap screen Clicking on the tab labelled PixMap will take you to the PixelMap screen where you can define up to 12 pixelmaps for use with ColorScene: PixMap User Configuration Select the menu item and a dialogue box Options >...
  • Page 42 If the fixtures had had their pixels arranged in the following order then selecting in the Snake bottom display (then shown bright blue) would soft patch them in that order: ... and so on. The other soft patching options are: Turns off the soft patching. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 43 Using this option you can patch each pixel in a fixture to each grid element manually by Single double-clicking in each grid element. This was described above where each fixture is patched automatically using the direction Fader arrow icon. This is the quickest way to soft patch multiple fixtures to a grid, but it only works if the Grid fixtures are arranged so that their pixels run left to right, top to bottom.

  • Page 45: Section 4 - Main Desk Screen

    Section 4 - Main Desk Screen Now that the patch screen has been described, the rest of this manual will be dedicated to the Schedule screen ("Schedule Screen", p.197), User screen ("User Screen", p.203) and the Main Desk screen that is described next and is accessed from the patch screen by selecting the Options >...
  • Page 46 A short label of up to 3 characters (however many will fit) can be applied to a bank or page selector button by double-right-clicking on the button and entering the label. Each of the panels will be described in the following sections. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 47: Section 5 - Master Panel

    Section 5 - Master Panel The master panel Clear Buttons The 'Clear' buttons Double-clicking on the buttons will stop any Clear Scns Clear Seqs Clear Snds Clear Ctrls lighting scenes, sequences, sound events or control events respectively that are running on the desk. Holding down [Ctrl] and double clicking on any one of these buttons stops ALL events.

  • Page 48: Sound-To-Light Section

    Soundblaster compatible or ASIO audio card / interface may be required to make use of these features. When music is playing through, or audio is being fed into, the ShowMagic desk, the volumes of particular frequency bands in the music can be seen in 5 meters which are provided on the sound-to-...

  • Page 49: Audio Output Sub-Master Faders

    An auto-gain function is also implemented wherein the overall volume of the audio is checked by ShowMagic at a selectable period and the sensitivity of the meters is automatically adjusted to allow for consistency between loud and quiet pieces of music. The auto-gain period is selectable between 1 and 10 seconds.

  • Page 50: Multiple Asio Audio Output Sub-Master Faders

    A Grand Master fader is provided for controlling the master levels of lighting and double-clicking on the grand master blackout button sets ALL lighting channels to 0. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 51: Adjusting The Master Panel Faders Via Rs232/Ip Or Dmx Input

    Adjusting the Master Panel Faders via RS232/IP or DMX Input The grand master, audio master and audio channel master faders on the master panel can also be adjusted using command strings received via RS232 or IP. Refer to "RS232 / IP Command String Protocol", p.223 for details.

  • Page 52: Pause Schedule Button

    Up to 10 desk files are saved in the Desk folder as Auto_01.dsk to Auto_10.dsk and Auto-Save’d their numbers wrap round as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,1,2,3,4 etc. This allows you to revert back through up to ten files. Auto-Save’d ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 53: Section 6 - Fixture Panel

    Section 6 - Fixture Panel Fixture Faders Each fixture fader (at the top of the panel) has a button below it showing its number and double-clicking on a button shown in blue (on) will turn it off (then shown grey). These buttons can be used to disable the fixture(s) assigned to that fixture fader which can be useful if a fixture develops a fault during a show;...

  • Page 54: Function Section

    Clicking on this button displays the next page of 12 function faders and buttons. Clicking on the ‘previous’ button takes you back to the first page and so on. Previous and next buttons ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 55: Function Buttons

    Function Buttons As well as the 12 function faders, 12 function buttons are provided in the fixture section, which serve a dual purpose. Function Buttons Selecting / Adjusting a Function Clicking on a function button selects that function in the same way as clicking on that function’s fader, but text descriptions are provided on the buttons rather than icons.

  • Page 56: Lee And Rosco Color Filters Presets For Rgb / Cmy Functions

    (see "The Fader States", p.53, for a description of Locked mode), then double-click on the trackball whilst holding down the [Ctrl] key. To clear the pan & tilt functions back to (and unlock them if they are Locked), simply double-right-click on the trackball. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 57: Centre And Locate Buttons

    Centre and Locate Buttons As the buttons are used specifically when Centre Locate recording scenes, and knowledge of the various fader modes (and the difference between mode) is required to Normal Live understand them, they are described in the appropriate lighting scene section ("Using the Fixture Panel’s Centre and Locate Buttons", p.65).
  • Page 58 A quick way to remove all 12 fixtures from a currently selected group is to hold down [Ctrl] and double-right-click on the group number - all the fixtures on that page will then be removed from that group. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 59: Multi Button

    Multi Button Shown below the trackball, this can be used to view the currently highlighted function fader for all 12 fixtures on the page. For instance, if you highlight fixture fader , click on it’s dimmer function fader and then click on the button to turn it on (shown red) the 12 function Multi faders for fixture...

  • Page 60: Copying Fixture / Function Settings Using Commands

    ShowMagic stores the last command entered in a temporary buffer, so after using b) above if you were to just type [*] [8] [0] [Enter] fixtures 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 would be set to 80%.

  • Page 61: Clearing Fixture / Function Settings Using Commands

    1) First highlight the particular function fader that you wish to copy the settings from. 2) Press [F12], the name of the function in question will be shown in the function display. 3) Press [1] to select fixture fader (the fixture you are copying that function setting from).
  • Page 62 Highlighting any fixture fader, pressing [Delete] twice followed by [1] [/] [4] [-] [3] [Enter] will clear all function faders on fixtures 1, 2 and 4. Pressing [Del] (on the numeric keypad) once will cancel any command in the function display. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 63: Section 7 - Lighting Scene Panel

    Section 7 - Lighting Scene Panel The lighting scene panel provides a scene details display window and a page of 24 lighting scene buttons. The scene buttons are shown grey when no lighting scenes have been recorded onto them, or they are shown in red when they contain a stored lighting scene.

  • Page 64: Scene Button Leds

    / or fade times are Wait set for it and then turn bright green when it is fully on. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 65: Red Leds

    Normal Live The Fader States - Record Tagged - recording mode (see next section) introduced in ShowMagic version Rec T 11, greatly simplifies the logic for what fader settings are recorded into a lighting scene and what fader settings are not recorded. Put simply, only the settings of function faders for a fixture (or group of fixtures) that have been ‘tagged’...
  • Page 66 The record button (in mode) can then be used to record the new scene to whatever scene Rec M button you wish, and the settings of any Edited Out faders will not be recorded to that scene. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 67: Record Button - The Different Recording Modes

    ShowMagic lighting scene buttons. For more detailed instructions on creating scenes using this recording mode, see "Recording Scenes by ‘Sniffing’ DMX", p.68.

  • Page 68: Overwrite - Recorded Channels Only Option

    ‘latest takes precedence’ logic, others operate using ‘highest takes precedence’ logic and so on. For flexibility, the ShowMagic ‘virtual desk’ enables you to select any of the three types of precedence logic that will now be described:...

  • Page 69: Normal' And 'Live' Modes

    'Normal' and 'Live' Modes ShowMagic has been designed to offer a complete solution for any ‘lighting desk’ or ‘show control’ application. Traditional theatre desks tend to use a ‘program the scenes’ then ‘manually trigger them from a set cue list’ method of operation, Show Controllers use a ‘program, run and walk-away’...

  • Page 70: Summary Of The Different Recording Modes

    Before we move on to the other scene panel items, and the process of recording and playing back lighting scenes, it is a good idea to re-cap, and summarise, the different types of recording modes because a proper understanding of them is required to make the most of ShowMagic’s features and achieve the desired results.

  • Page 71: Clear Button

    In this mode the DMX values for the grouped fixtures are recorded from the incoming DMX signal via DMX input. A recording mode is selected by Right-clicking on the scene panel’s record button and selecting one of the items on the pop-up menu. When operating in mode, the background color of the function buttons on the fixture panel Rec T...

  • Page 72: Scene Details Display

    00:00:00.00 then it will still flash on, then off, instantly. A shape can also be applied to a lighting scene - making it an scene that would then be displayed here - using the FX generator described in "FX Generator", p.73. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 73: Recording Scenes

    When scenes are dropped into sequences (as described in "Creating Sequences", p.119), the group setting for that scene - or group and sub group letters etc. (shown in blue) will default to this setting. Blackout-On-Movement - This can be set to (the default) or a value between If set to a value of frames: When fading in, that time value is added to the fade-in time...
  • Page 74 You will notice Enter Edit Scene that the default times that you have set will then be displayed in the details display. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 75: Multi-Part Scenes

    Now if you run that lighting scene by double-clicking on its button you will see all the function faders on the fixture panel fade up to the values stored in that scene over the time that you have set for the fade In. If you double-click on the scene button again (to turn it off) you will see the function faders on the fixture panel fade down over the time that you have set for the fade Multi-Part Scenes This facility enables you to:...

  • Page 76: Sub Master Control

    2 seconds (the settings). Default Sub Master Control Although it is good programming practice, when running ShowMagic in mode, to record Normal separate scenes for each of a fixture’s (or group of fixtures) functions so that you can then easily mix and match them in different sequences, there may be times when you want to record all the functions as a single scene.

  • Page 77: Recording Scenes With Sub Master Control

    If a function is set to LTP that function will not be controlled by the level of the sub-master fader - it will just fade in if the sub-master fader goes above the LTP trigger level (initially set to 00%), or fade out if the sub-master fader goes below the LTP trigger level.

  • Page 78: Play And Quick Buttons

    ‘off’ it is grey. If the button is on when the Play button is clicked, or [Spacebar] is used, any , fade and fade times set for the scenes are ignored enabling quicker testing of Wait Hold scenes. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 79: Undo And Store Buttons

    Undo and Store Buttons A temporary store buffer provides a means of undoing any mistakes that may be made when performing lengthy scene programming tasks. For instance you might be creating a scene that uses dozens of Undo and store buttons intelligent fixtures with all their functions set differently.

  • Page 80: Sliding A Scene Button

    Recording Scenes by ‘Sniffing’ DMX If a DMX INPUT device has been set up for use with ShowMagic the record button on the scene panel can be set to: .
  • Page 81 DMX desk. 2) With the fixture panel on the left and the scene panel on the right of the ShowMagic desk, group the fixtures that you want to sniff DMX for on the fixture panel using one of the group keys and click on one of the fixtures in that group to highlight it.

  • Page 82: Scene Generator Function

    For this reason a ‘scene generator’ function has been included in ShowMagic that can automatically generate all the possible scenes for each function (using all the available presets for that function) for any fixture or selected group of the same fixtures.
  • Page 83 Generate Label Prefix see that ShowMagic automatically creates 31 scenes (B001 to B031) on the scene panel for each available preset and also labels them with the prefix followed by the preset name. For instance, the first available color preset on the...

  • Page 84: Scene Generator Options

    Generate Label Prefix ShowMagic will then generate another 31 scenes on scene buttons B049 to B079 but these scenes will now contain color presets for the odd MiniMac fixtures - fixture faders 13 and 15 - the color functions for the MiniMacs on fixture faders 14 and 16 are not included in these scenes.

  • Page 85: Fx Generator

    - As just described, you can type in a prefix to the labels that will be applied to the set of Label Prefix scenes that are generated. The prefix is put at the start of the label and the name for each preset Color 1, Color 2 etc.

  • Page 86: Creating An Fx Scene

    The ‘fade’ in and out times for pan & tilt functions in an FX Scene are determined solely by the : settings on the right hand side of the details display as described on the next page. FX Generator Details Display - settings on the right: ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 87: The Pan Fx Presets

    Type This can be set to in the usual way on the standard scene panel - this cannot be Normal Safe changed on the FX generator panel. When one or more presets are selected for a scene, as described below, Pan FX Tilt FX Shape FX...

  • Page 88: The Tilt Fx Presets

    If this preset is selected then the three faders appear, as above, but instead of panning between the extreme left and right positions, ShowMagic will randomly pick (continuously) pan positions within the range limiter box for the fixtures to pan between.

  • Page 89: The Fx Window And Range Limiter Box

    Pan Speed Pan Slope Tilt Speed Tilt Slope 6-Peak Horizontal Sine Wave 3-Peak Horizontal Sine Wave 6-Peak Vertical Sine Wave 3-Peak Peak Vertical Sine Wave 6-Peak Horizontal Triangular Wave 3-Peak Horizontal Triangular Wave 6-Peak Vertical Triangular Wave 3-Peak Vertical Triangular Wave 6-Peak Horizontal Square Wave 3-Peak Horizontal Square Wave...
  • Page 90 Range Limiter box works - any range limits and positions of your choice can of course be used. Here’s a practical example of using the Range Limiter with a simple FX scene. Let’s say you have ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 91: The Fixture Presets

    four scanners, in a row, at the back of a stage. You want the scanners to trace a sine wave pattern to and fro, in unison, across the stage, but you don’t want the beams to leave the stage area and blind the audience: 1) Group the four scanners using a group button ( 2) Move the pan and the tilt function faders for any one of the scanners in the group*.

  • Page 92: The Delay Offset Fader

    Shape FX Pan FX that would affect those channels, so ShowMagic simply uses the stored pan position instead. The odd fixtures will move up as the even fixtures move down, at the speed set by the Speed Tilt FX fader, to produce the marching effect.

  • Page 93: Triggering Pan Fx And Tilt Fx Using Sound-To-Light

    Pan FX Tilt FX (turns them blue). When activated ShowMagic will then randomly pick whether to use the selected slope setting or jump to the opposite FX position each time round. This can be very effective, especially when used in conjunction with the sound-to-light options above - producing even more varied patterns that follow the music - sometimes moving smoothly, sometimes snapping.

  • Page 94: Triggering A Shape Fx Using Sound-To-Light

    Generator attempts to trace the whole shape but if a channel reaches the range limit it will not pass that limit and remains in that position until it is told to move to another position which is in the range. Here are a few examples: ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 95 Example 1: Creating a Semi-Circle 1) Select only the preset and drag the Circle Shape FX centre handle down and to the right to make the circle full-size. The limiter box can be used to crop shapes of any size, but use a full-size circle to best illustrate the effect.
  • Page 96 Now that you have learned the principles of the FX generator, experimentation should provide you with plenty of effects and enable you to find the effect you require. To leave the FX generator panel and return to the normal scene panel, simply click on the button. Exit ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 97: Changing The Reference Positions In Existing Fx Scenes

    Moved scene rather than the static positions stored in the Reference scene. ColorScene The ColorScene feature has been included in ShowMagic to simplify the programming of color patterns using LED lighting fixtures. Typical applications would be: Strips of LEDs to light the length of the underside of a bar or to highlight cornices, ceilings •...
  • Page 98 A ColorScene lighting scene is more like an FX Scene than a normal ShowMagic lighting scene i.e. rather than it being a ‘static’ lighting state, the scene itself changes to produce dynamic lighting effects without the need to drop numerous static scenes into chases or other sequences to produce those effects.

  • Page 99: Creating A Colorscene Lighting Scene

    Creating a ColorScene Lighting Scene The ColorScene panel The panel consists of: a) The usual details display at the top left. b) An button for exiting the ColorScene panel and returning to the normal scene panel. Exit c) A copy of the scene button initially shown grey (empty). d) A Speed fader (that uses BPM in the same way as lighting chases) with a sound-to-light frequency selector button below it.

  • Page 100: Colorscene Patch Mode

    ColorScene. When the Patch button is highlighted the left fader at the top becomes a dimmer fader that can be adjusted to suit. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 101: Chase Mode

    Chase Mode With the release of v14.0 ColorScene now includes a number of chase presets that can be selected by holding down [Ctrl] and clicking on (see Frame "ColorScene Chase Presets", p.95). The original frame chase is described first: Color and frame options Using , a chase can be defined frame-by-frame within a single scene event.

  • Page 102: The Set Frame

    ColorScene is stopped. The Set Frame The first frame in a chase is always a frame labelled as in the frame display. Frame ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 103: Creating Frames

    Creating Frames To create the first frame in a chase simply double-click on to the right of . The Frame Frames: options will then be selectable (shown in bright blue), the number of frames will be displayed as and the 2 box in the lower selection area will change to show 01.
  • Page 104 8) Double-click on the frame 02 box to make a copy of that frame in the next empty frame box - 03 and with frame 03 highlighted right-click on to scroll the colors to the right, select blue and draw it down the first column. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 105: Using [Insert] And [Delete]

    9) Double-click on the frame 03 box to make a copy of that frame in the next empty frame box - 04 and with frame 04 highlighted right-click on to scroll the colors to the right. You will notice that the first column now contains the red color that was scrolled off the right of the grid.

  • Page 106: Duplicating And Adjusting Colorscene Chases

    Frame chase was made available first to allow for this. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 107: Colorscene Chase Presets

    To select a ColorScene chase preset hold down and click on the item in the selection [Ctrl] Frame window. This will produce a dialogue box from which you can make your ColorScene Chase selection using drop-down menus etc. The speed and slope faders, Sound-to-light button and random slope button can be used as normal with chase presets.
  • Page 108 The three colors used for the analyzer graphics are chosen by double-clicking on a color box in the palette. That color and the two to the right of it in the palette are then used. To select a background color simply double-right-click on a color box. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 109: Section 8 - Sound Panel

    Section 8 - Sound Panel This contains a page of 24 sound event buttons to which sound events can be assigned. Page selector buttons allow access to pages of 24 buttons each. A details display, fader for adjusting stereo balance, volume fader, mute button, audio-type selector buttons and motor control buttons are also provided.

  • Page 110: Directshow And Asio 'Channels

    DirectShow and ASIO ‘Channels’ ShowMagic supports 2 different types of audio drivers - DirectShow drivers and ASIO drivers. Either or both of these drivers may be available for one or more of the audio outputs on the soundcard depending on the audio hardware you are using.

  • Page 111: The Audio-Type Selector Buttons

    The Audio-Type Selector Buttons Wave file selector - .wav, .mp3, .wma, .ac3 or .aif. MIDI file selector - .mid files. Audio CD tracks selector Digital input selector. Line level input selector. Microphone level input selector. The first three audio types are automatically assigned to the three ‘internal’ audio OUTPUT devices: wave, MIDI and CD respectively.

  • Page 112: Wave File / Playlist

    (above the motor controls) can be used to play a folder full of wave files as Plist a playlist. Let’s assume you have jazz, rock and classical music tracks stored on disk as .wav files and you wish to create 3 playlists - one for each style of music: ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 113 Because a sequence is used as an insert, any ShowMagic events, or combination of events, can be played in the inserts e.g. a digital sign can be displayed whilst an audio announcement is made etc.
  • Page 114 (proportional to the number of tracks in the selected folder) whilst ShowMagic examines all the audio files in the folder and calculates the overall duration of the playlist. When the dialogue box disappears, the playlist is ready to run.
  • Page 115 Please Note: If you select ASIO channels the tracks being played must be in uncompressed .wav file format - compressed audio files such as .mp3, .wma etc. are not supported on ASIO channels. d) The third row displays : (directory of the folder where the tracks are stored) rather then the : (filename) of a single digital audio file.

  • Page 116: Midi File

    Transposing is then applied to all the tracks that have the button on their right set to blue. If you want to leave any tracks at their original pitch (e.g. drum tracks) then simply click on the button to toggle it from blue to grey. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 117: Cd Tracks

    [Ctrl]) will toggle between enabled (bright blue) or disabled (dark blue). When enabled ShowMagic will randomly pick the order in which to play those tracks. In the same way, the LP (loop) option can be enabled/disabled to continuously loop the sequential or random playing of those tracks.

  • Page 118: Motor Controls

    "Comm Device Triggering", p.172), a Mixer Setting sound event could be assigned to this action button which raises the volume on the microphone input socket, so that announcements can be made, whilst muting all other audio inputs and outputs in ShowMagic, so that the announcements can clearly be heard.

  • Page 119: Beats Per Minute Counter

    You might even want to set a BPM that is an odd number per bar, or offset, to the natural beat of the music, so for this reason ShowMagic enables you to log these BPM settings whilst listening to...

  • Page 120: Deleting A Sound Event

    Using ASIO Drivers and Multiple Input / Output Soundcards - ASIO Technology by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH ShowMagic includes ASIO driver support for multiple input / output soundcards such as the M- Audio Delta series. You can play up to 16 synchronized .wav sound events out to channels 1 to 16 for multi-track, backing track, or ‘DIY’...

  • Page 121: Playing Multi-Tracks (Multiple, Synchronized .Wav Files)

    Using ShowMagic, these outputs can be treated as stereo pairs e.g. outputs 1 and 2 are the first left and right stereo outputs, outputs 3 and 4 are the second stereo left and right outputs and so on, or each channel can be selected as a single mono output, or in any combination, at any time.

  • Page 122: Playing And Routing .Wav Files

    If however you select a single mono output e.g. , then the left and right stereo audio will be automatically Mono 1 ‘combined’ by ShowMagic and played out to mono output ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 123: Playing Multiple Playlists

    Depending on the soundcard, you can also use multiple soundcards in the same ShowMagic PC. For instance, with four M-Audio Delta 1010 cards installed, you can have access to 32 analogue input channels and 32 analogue output channels, as well as digital inputs &...

  • Page 125: Section 9 - Sequence Panel

    Section 9 - Sequence Panel This consists of a sequence settings display (top), a sequence sub-master fader and two double-rightother faders (described later) on the right of the display, with mute and record buttons below them. button, a button and sequence Load Save motor control buttons are also provided below...
  • Page 126 ("Random Sequences", p.125) • Random shown in blue ("Snapshots", p.125). Unlike the other types of sequence this Snapshot • cannot be changed to another type. It is fixed as a Snapshot sequences only) Random ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 127 00:10 seconds is set then ShowMagic will pick a random time for each step between 2 and 10 seconds. If you want ShowMagic to randomly pick the next step to trigger but to do so at fixed intervals, e.g. 10 seconds, then simply set both to 00:10.

  • Page 128: Live Display

    49,900 steps remaining for use in other sequences. See also "Part-Step Numbering", p.138. This shows where the event is stored e.g. scene A001 etc. Label The event’s label is shown in the third column. Group ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 129 Event steps can be set to , or to one of 26 ‘main’ group letters labelled through to by left / right-clicking on them with [Ctrl] held down, or by highlighting the step and then typing the group letter. These determine which events are turned off automatically when the event occurs later in a sequence.

  • Page 130: Quick-Find Feature

    Label event’s panel on the other side of the desk with that particular event button highlighted to enable quick access to that event and its settings. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 131: Creating Sequences

    Creating Sequences In order to understand how certain settings are made, it is easier if you have a small sequence created which you can work with, so to create a simple sequence do the following: 1) Create 4 simple scenes e.g. A001 to A004 using the fixture and scene panels or use scenes A001 to A004 on the demo desk.

  • Page 132: Sequence Motor Control Buttons

    The other two faders are used for chases as described below, and for adjusting sound events as described in "Adjusting Settings for Sound Event Steps", p.129. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 133: Mute Button

    Control events (see "Device Control Panel", p.141) can also be used as steps in a chase. If a video switcher was linked to ShowMagic via RS232, a chase sequence containing control events and / or lighting scenes could then be run to switch between video sources. Because a chase can be set to...

  • Page 134: Manual Sequences

    Enter Sequence Event Pause / (see "Entering Sequence Events", p.138). When that step is triggered using the button Resume (or [Spacebar]), any running events in that manual sequence will be paused. The next click on ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 135: Stopping A Sequence Step

    (or [Spacebar]) will then take the pause off and the running events will resume from the point at which they were paused. The next received will then trigger the next step as normal. To change step back to a simply double-click on the words Pause / Resume Null Step Pause / Resume...

  • Page 136: Recording Event Trigger Times In 'Real Time

    If you wish to insert a between event steps when recording in real time, press [Insert] Null Step instead of either clicking on the button or pressing [Spacebar]. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 137: Random Sequences

    2 seconds and time to 10 seconds, ShowMagic will pick a random time between each step being triggered that will be no less than 2 seconds and no more than 10 seconds. If you want the random sequence...
  • Page 138 If you wish those chases to restart from their recorded start positions - to jump there rather than blending - then set them to Experiment with these settings to achieve the desired results. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 139 Here’s an example of how you can very quickly create a sequence of chases whose various channels can be set to jump or blend: 1) Create a number of chases that just contain pan and tilt position scenes for a group of fixtures.

  • Page 140: Deleting A Sequence

    [Insert]. All the steps from the highlighted Null Step step will then be moved down one (with step numbers automatically incremented) and the Null will be inserted. Step ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 141: Changing Event Settings Within Sequences

    Changing Event Settings Within Sequences The following settings for each event in a sequence are stored in that sequence independently from the settings on that event’s original button: Scene fade-in and fade-out • Chase speed and slope • Volume • Volume fade-in and fade-out •...

  • Page 142: Adjusting Settings For Lighting Scene Event Steps

    2) Using the numeric keypad on the keyboard, type [1] [/] [8] [*] [6] [0] [Enter] to set fixtures 1 thru 8 to 60%. 3) Click on the button on the sequence panel. You will then be prompted to confirm the overwriting (re-recording) of that scene. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 143: Adjusting Settings For Chase Event Steps

    Notes on Live Editing All of the commands described in "Setting Faders using Commands", p.47 can be used for • adjusting fixtures. When a scene is ‘Live Edited’, the scene is not stopped and the desk is not cleared, • irrespective of the setting of the clear button on the lighting scene panel.

  • Page 144: Auto-Playlist Function

    You can also use events that don’t have fixed time durations with this function but of course ShowMagic can’t calculate the times for you. Here’s an example:...

  • Page 145: Auto-Time Function

    5) Hold down [Ctrl] and click on the button and an dialogue box will Auto Playlist Timer appear. 6) Click on the button - the dialogue box will be removed and trigger times will automatically be calculated and set in accordance with the time durations of each of the events so that one follows the other.

  • Page 146: Continue From Mark

    (Play From Mark) half of the button - ShowMagic will then jump to that step in the sequence, it will be triggered and ShowMagic will then await a (or [Spacebar]) to trigger the next step after that as normal.
  • Page 147 - ShowMagic can automatically calculate this and therefore won’t play it. The logic for manual sequences is different, in that ShowMagic does not have any time references to use in determining which events should be running, and which events shouldn’t, if you start or continue from a particular step in that sequence.
  • Page 148 ’ - a chase sequence Step - trigger = - ‘ Step - trigger = - ‘ ’ - second lighting scene. Step - trigger = - a sound event of music lasting 2 minutes. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 149 • ‘ ’ it does not affect any of the previous steps. ShowMagic then waits for the next Go to trigger step When step is triggered the lighting scene set to main group ‘...

  • Page 150: Entering Sequence Events

    19.03 and so on. This method avoids the need to re-number all the cue numbers on the original cue sheet. ShowMagic includes a feature to accommodate this popular cue numbering system - if you highlight a sequence step, hold down [Ctrl] and press [Insert] a...

  • Page 151: Loading And Saving Sequences

    Notes on Loading and Saving Sequences - Please Read Very Carefully! When an event button is dropped into a sequence, ShowMagic stores a pointer to that event button in the sequence - not the event itself. When you run the sequence it will run whatever is loaded onto that event button at the time.
  • Page 152 It is not just the events stored in a sequence that you need to be aware of when using the same sequence in different desks; it is also any events contained within the events stored in the sequence! ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 153: Section 10 - Device Control Panel

    A typical MIDI device that you could control with ShowMagic would be a MIDI-controllable audio effects unit. For instance, if you were a live performer using ShowMagic to play wave files as your backing / click tracks, with your lighting synchronized to each track via timed sequences for each song, you could use MIDI control events to turn on / off certain effects such as echo or reverb on an audio effects unit.
  • Page 154 MIDI port for that control event button and the details will then be shown in the details display. 3) If you have more than one MIDI port on your ShowMagic PC then hold down [Ctrl] and then left / right-click to the right of...
  • Page 155 - the first number being the number of the control command and the second being the value that goes with it e.g. X1, 34, 127 Most of the standard MIDI commands are supported with ShowMagic control codes as shown in drop down menu:...

  • Page 156: Using Rs232 Or Ip Controllable Devices

    - if using a system script. This would be de-highlighted as system devices are used for input only. - if the device is a data acquisition card etc. that uses a dll (dynamic link library) for communication with ShowMagic. This may be de-highlighted if the device is used for input only. : and an 3) Double-click to the right of dialogue will pop up.
  • Page 157 “hello” will both work. The quote marks are useful however if you need to send a space character as part of a string. It is not necessary to type in the string terminator (13 decimal) as ShowMagic does this automatically for you when a device is set to String...
  • Page 158 In this case the Sanyo commands are grouped into Audio, Adjust, Display, Input and Power If you want the drop down menu to list all of the commands available for that device then Command leave the filter set to Show All ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 159: System Control Events

    Script for a matrix switcher To clear commands from the boxes, simply click on the button. Clear In this next example, a script for a Kramer VS-808 AV switcher has been loaded. This device uses editable commands and the comments area describes how these commands are formatted.

  • Page 160: Run Default Action

    This can be used to create a dummy / string event. i.e. A dummy event can be turned On or Off but it doesn’t actually do anything. The reason for providing dummy events is so that they can be used on the action panel, in conjunction with other action buttons, for conditional logic applications. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 161: Disable Action Triggers

    Example: Let’s say that you have action buttons that are automatically triggered by PIR sensors. However, you might not want any of those buttons to be triggered outside the hours of 09:00 and 18:00. By creating a system control event and labelling it as something like ‘Enable PIR Events’, Dummy this event can then be used to enable or disable other action buttons as follows: 1) Drag the ‘Enable PIR Events’...

  • Page 163: Section 11 - Monitor Panel

    Section 11 - Monitor Panel The monitor panel This panel is used for monitoring what is currently running in ShowMagic and what input and output signals are coming into, and going out of it. Buttons are available on the bottom for selecting...

  • Page 164: Dmx

    You can then access its button or use the motor control buttons on its panel to pause the event, stop it etc. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 165: Com

    If the module is an output module (such as the 4060 for switching relays) then the LEDs are colored yellow. If the Module has input channels (for triggering ShowMagic action buttons) then they are colored green. Analogue inputs / outputs have LEDs shaped as ‘Ramped’ triangles. See "Comm Device Triggering", p.172, for more information on using input / output devices.

  • Page 167: Section 12 - Action Panel

    Section 12 - Action Panel The action panel The purpose of the action panel is to provide one panel that can contain a mixture of ShowMagic events - any types of event can then be mixed together and controlled from that single panel. Events that are to be controlled by external devices (e.g MIDI, remote media controller etc) need to be...

  • Page 168: Action Buttons

    LED on the action button for the sequence will turn green when it is run, and when the scene is run (as a step in that sequence) the LED on its action button will turn red to indicate that it has been run indirectly by another event. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 169: Assigning Events To Action Buttons

    Assigning Events to Action Buttons To assign a ShowMagic event (scene, sound event etc.) to an action button simply: 1) Select the appropriate panel on one side of the desk for the type of event you wish to assign to the button.

  • Page 170: Action Panel Sub-Master Fader

    Mute does not stop scenes, Chases sound / video events from running - it simply turns the output off. Double-clicking on the mute button toggles it on or off. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 171: Latch And Exclusive-Letter Groups

    Latch and Exclusive-letter Groups Each individual action button can be set to either (meaning ‘Latch’) or to one of 26 exclusive-letter groups labelled holding down the [Ctrl] key and then left-clicking or right-clicking on that description. Alternatively, you can hold down the [Ctrl] key and hit the required letter on the keyboard.

  • Page 172: Operation Options

    Manual [Spacebar] will trigger the next step in that sequence i.e. it will act as the Go button for that sequence. Manual Go/Pl ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 173 Default Action item on the menu. Any ShowMagic event assigned Panel > Run Default Action Buttons Options to an action button can be made to run automatically provided that no other action buttons (in the same exclusive letter group - see previous page) are running.
  • Page 174 (such as a physically latching switch) is turned off. When any of the above settings are used, ShowMagic will check for a change in the condition of the trigger then act on that change, if appropriate, at the time of the change. The next four settings differ from the above in as much as the ‘current condition’...

  • Page 175: Triggering Action Buttons

    MIDI keyboard connected to a PC MIDI port. b) When a wireless 'Media Player' remote controller is used. c) When ShowMagic receives command strings via RS232 or a script has been loaded for a data acquisition ‘input’ device, as described in "Configure Comm Devices", p.24.
  • Page 176 The -- setting tells ShowMagic to scan all MIDI channels for that note, program change or control change number. To set a specific MIDI channel, right-click on -- and select a channel from the pop-up menu. The action button will then only be triggered if the note/number shown is received on that specific MIDI channel.

  • Page 177: Comm String Triggering

    Comm String Triggering Specific commands sent to ShowMagic by external RS232 devices or an IP 'outstation' device can turn action buttons, or the schedule, on or off. Because any type of event can be assigned to any action button this means any event can be activated simply by assigning it to an action button, setting it to be triggered by RS232/IP and sending the command from the RS232 or IP device.
  • Page 178 8 boxes and the options available in these menus are: On/Off Comm String which will now be described: Play Stop Pause Next Back The Comm String box is Not Applicable, i.e. not used. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 179 The strings that you enter in these boxes will be dependent on the system you are using to send the strings to ShowMagic, and the only stipulation is that the strings being sent to ShowMagic are terminated with a carriage return value of 13. Let’s assume that you wish to control action button A001 - Timer Sequence with a system that will send the string Play01 to start the sequence, Pause01 to pause it and Stop01 to stop it.

  • Page 180: Comm Device Triggering

    Comm Device Triggering ShowMagic can use various data acquisition ‘input’ devices for the triggering / control of action buttons if a device script is available for it - see "Using Data Acquisition Devices, p.27. Below is a...
  • Page 181 System Triggers Up to 2 PC joysticks or Joypads can be connected to the joystick port on the PC and any one of up to 4 joystick buttons on each can be selected as the trigger by selecting the appropriate button. Certain key presses can also be selected for triggering action buttons.

  • Page 182: Wireless Media Player Remote Controller

    If the event on the action button is a manual sequence then different DMX channels can be selected for triggering the step, a step and functions when Next Back Pause flashed. 4) Click on the Button. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 183 - If this is ticked then ShowMagic looks for any DMX value greater than or equal to Flash / Play the ‘flash’...

  • Page 184: Ir Remote Control Triggering

    This will instantly stop the currently highlighted action button if it is running, ignoring any fade-out times. Left & Right Cursor buttons These can be used to adjust the level of the action button’s sub-master fader, down & up respectively (in increments of 2%). ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 185: User Screen - Hide

    Up and Down Cursor buttons If the action button contains a manual sequence, these can be used to go back a step / go forward a step respectively. Vol+, Vol- and MUTE buttons These can be used to increase / decrease the level of the audio master (AM) fader on the master panel (in increments of 2%).
  • Page 186 You will then see that each of the action buttons on that page has been set to trigger by DMX channels and you will also notice that: a) The DMX channel will correspond to the action button number e.g. DMX channel will be set to trigger action button A001 etc. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 187: Event Scripts For Action Buttons

    b) The percentage that you selected before clicking on the LTP Trigger Set Page To DMX button will be applied to each action button on that page. c) Master control ( ) has been selected for each action button on that page. Event Scripts for Action Buttons The scripting feature enables you to write an XML-type script for each action button that offers more powerful and flexible ‘run and control’...

  • Page 188: Setting Editable Events For The User Screen

    Enable Sequence Step Edit Manual Chase Random sequence then ticking this item enables the user to replace a sequence step with another Snapshot event of the same type. Please Note: This option is not available for sequences. Timer ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 189: Realtime Editing On The User Screen

    Realtime Editing on the User Screen Realtime editing on the user screen In the above example (with the demo desk loaded) all the realtime edit options described in the previous section have been selected for the sequence on the action panel. The Cue List Cue List action button has then been highlighted on the user screen and the...
  • Page 190 The event step will then be replaced with that new file-based event and subsequently the appropriate event button on its event panel will also now contain that new file-based event. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 191: Section 13 - Main Desk Screen Options Menus

    General Settings Menu Enable Alt + F4 Quit If ticked, pressing [Alt] with [F4] will instantly quit from ShowMagic - use with care! Clip Cursor If ticked, the mouse cursor is restricted to movement within the ShowMagic screen (1 head) only on a multi-head graphics card or interface.

  • Page 192: Boot Delay

    If for any reason there is a conflict between other programs or utilities that are being auto-run on boot-up along with ShowMagic, you can set a boot delay with this drop down menu between 1 and 20 seconds. ShowMagic, when it is auto-run, will then wait for the duration of this boot delay time before initialising any resources that may cause any conflicts.

  • Page 193: Audio / Asio Settings

    Audio / ASIO Settings dialogue box Any drivers found by ShowMagic are listed, and are selectable, from the drop down menu. Once the drivers are selected they are stored, and they will be remembered by ShowMagic each time you run it.

  • Page 194: Action Sub Group Settings

    Sub Group B action buttons set to , any double-letter groups starting with , any actions set to any double-letter groups starting with DMX Settings Selecting this menu item will display a dialogue box. Dmx Settings ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 195 Driver for that model will be displayed. Up to 4 output devices can be selected, as all models of ShowMagic support control of DMX over up to 4 universes. The number of DMX channels you can control over those universes is of course determined by the model of ShowMagic you are using.
  • Page 196 - All 512 DMX channel values are merged (using the precedence described below) with any Merge DMX output values being sent by ShowMagic itself to the first DMX output port. The input values can also be used to trigger action buttons.

  • Page 197: Midi Settings

    Please Note Due to the nature of such errors it is not always possible for ShowMagic to reset the interface, and in any case, the cause of these errors should be discovered and rectified at the source.

  • Page 198: Spectrum Analyzer Settings

    11. If audio levels are low, the final drop-down menu can be used to boost the level of the signal being fed to the spectrum analyzer graphics engine. Note: as most of the settings on this dialogue box are shared between ShowMagic AV models (for additional use as graphics on digital signage) and the other models (for use only with Colorscene), care should be taken to limit the above settings to suit the size (in pixels) of any LED matrices used.

  • Page 199: Action Panel Menu

    MIDI keyboard whenever the keyboard icon on the action panel is shown - see above. - If this item is ticked then ShowMagic will print the numbers of the Number Action Buttons action buttons ( etc.) on the bottom left of those buttons.
  • Page 200 - If this is ticked (the default), then the user will be prompted to save Save Desk Prompt on Quit the desk if quitting from ShowMagic on the user screen. If not ticked no prompt will appear. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 201 (including their fader levels) on any pages that the user has access to on the user screen will be recalled when ShowMagic is restarted. If the button is not on (shown grey) then the buttons will be set to their normal on / off states when ShowMagic is re-started.

  • Page 202: Auto Menu

    10, pages. Auto Menu - If ticked then ShowMagic, when it is run, looks for a file called auto.dsk in the Load Desk default desks folder and, if the file exists, it will be automatically loaded. A desk set-up can be saved as different .dsk files by simply saving the desk under different names, so if you wish to...

  • Page 203: System Locked

    Selecting this menu item will produce a notepad that you can use to make notes on system specific items. Only one system notepad is available and it is stored automatically along with other system specific settings such as the type of DMX interface you are using with ShowMagic and so on. Desk Notepad Selecting this menu item will produce a notepad that you can use to make notes on desk specific items.
  • Page 204 Start Up Notepad This is similar to the Desk Notepad. The difference is that it is used to display messages or instructions on a notepad dialogue box when ShowMagic is started up. Selecting Start Up Notepad from the Notepad menu will produce a notepad dialogue box in which you can type - Edit messages.

  • Page 205: Section 14 - Schedule Screen

    Section 14 - Schedule Screen The schedule screen Clicking on the menu item on the main desk screen will display the Options > Schedule Screen schedule screen that consists of a fully functional action panel section on the right of the screen and a schedule section on the left.

  • Page 206: Day Buttons

    2 column then will fade the event out, but if was used in the 2 column then in the 4 column will turn the event off instantly. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 207: Copying Schedule Days

    Please Note: Unlike sequence steps, schedule steps don’t need to be in chronological order - ShowMagic works all that out - but it is easier to follow a schedule if they are in chronological order.

  • Page 208: Deleting A Schedule Step

    The schedule log features have been designed for this purpose. Example: Lets assume that ShowMagic is being scheduled to run a retail store. We need 1 main schedule for normal opening times. On top of this we also need 2 special schedules for the festive periods Christmas and New Year, and these are used to adjust the timing of events to allow for extended opening times or closing times that are different to the rest of the year.
  • Page 209 From then on ShowMagic continues to check the schedule log every hour to see if it should load and run a different schedule for the current hour, date, month and year. If no schedule change is listed it continues running the currently loaded schedule.

  • Page 211: Section 15 - User Screen

    Section 15 - User Screen The user screen has been designed as a simple user interface for controlling a ShowMagic desk. It is a full size screen and it utilises action buttons, but these buttons are 50% bigger on the user screen to make it more suitable for use with touch screens.
  • Page 212 / control buttons, such as the schedule On / Off button etc., the end user has access to. We only want the user to access the first page of action buttons on the user screen so tick the Page item in the right column and click the button. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 213 Options The programmer can also force ShowMagic, when started, to automatically go to the user screen and prevent the end user from accessing any other part of the ShowMagic desk by using the Auto > items on the main screen menu.

  • Page 214: Quitting The Program

    The ‘Close Window’ cross at the top right of the window is also disabled as a safeguard. You can only quit ShowMagic via the menu items on the main desk or user screens. File > Quit Program ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 215: Section 16 - Appendix

    Section 16 - Appendix Section 16 - Appendix...

  • Page 217: Appendix A - Event Scripts

    <audio> <do> <timer>00:00:00</timer> <02> volume[100,0] </02> </do> </audio> 8) Comments (that are ignored by ShowMagic’s script interpreter) can be included in a script (at the end of any line) by preceding them with two ‘/’ characters.
  • Page 218 9) It is common practice (though optional) to use indents within scripts to make the script easier to read. For this reason linefeeds, spaces etc. are ignored by the ShowMagic script interpreter and both of the following scripts will successfully set the volume for the video as soon it starts (as the timer element is set to 00:00:00) to 100%: <video>...
  • Page 219 break An optional ‘break’ instruction can be used with the above to check any single one of multiple conditions. If any condition is ‘true’ and a break follows that condition, then no more conditions are checked and the ‘Scripted Action’ is run (or stopped depending on if <runif> or <stopif> are being used).
  • Page 220 (shown grey), the ‘Scripted Action’s’ button is on (shown red) and that action button 1 is on, then the following script will do just that: <runif> <action> DT off </action> <action> TG on </action> <action> 1 on </action> ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 221 </runif> Other variations include: <runif> <action> DT on </action> …… or: <stopif> <action> DT off </action> …… or: <stopif> <action> DT off </action> <action> TG off </action>…… etc. <video> Can be used for video events This denotes the start of a script for a video event. <audio>...
  • Page 222 <01> volume[100,0] </01> <02> volume[0,0] </02> </do> </video> Examples are by far the easiest way to describe scripts so here is an example wherein the <audio>, <do>, <timer>, volume and <nn> elements and their values are used: ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 223 <audio> <do> <timer>00:00:00</timer> <01> volume[0,0] </01> <02> volume[100,1.5] </02> </do> <do> <timer>00:01:56</timer> <01> volume[100,5] <01> <02> volume[0,1.5] </02> </do> </audio> In the example above, the first <do> instructions in the script, that are performed as soon as the event is started (at 00:00:00), will set the volume of audio 01 to 0% over 0 seconds, and set the volume of audio 02 to 100% (from its current level) over 1 and a half seconds.
  • Page 224 Event Script follow the correct syntax as described above, the ShowMagic script interpreter will ignore it. For this reason, it is very important to check the syntax carefully when writing event scripts.

  • Page 225: Appendix B - Quick Key / Command Reference

    Appendix B - Quick Key / Command Reference General on Main Desk [Ctrl] Hold down when clicking on light blue, ‘critical’ items to change them. Hold down (after dragging, but before dropping) an event button to move that event onto the new button. [Enter] Completes the entry of labels and values.
  • Page 226 Selects / de-selects a fader group. [F12] Copy Function: used to copy a fader’s function setting to the range of faders specified. [F12] [F12] Copy Fader: press [F12] twice to copy all of a fader’s functions settings to the ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 227 range of faders specified. [Del] Delete Command: Deletes the command shown in the attribute display on the Fixture panel. [Delete] Zero Fader: Sets highlighted function fader to 0. Scrolls through the fixture faders. [] [] Scrolls through function faders. [] [] Scene Panel on Main Desk [Ctrl] Hold down and drag to ‘slide’...
  • Page 228 Hold down when dropping a schedule day button, to copy that day to a range of days. Patch Screen [Ctrl] This must be held down when using the mouse to change items colored light blue. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...
  • Page 229 Hold down & double-click on function number to make it the main dimming function (number shown yellow). [F12] Copy fader: used to copy a fader’s assignments to the range of faders specified. Thru: Used to specify a range of faders or fixtures. At: Used to specify a Dmx address.

  • Page 231: Appendix C - Rs232 / Ip Command String Protocol

    Appendix C - RS232 / IP Command String Protocol Below is a list of command strings that can be received via RS232 or IP to control various elements of ShowMagic. Each command string should be terminated with a CR (value 13) character, example: <ACT_ALL_STOP>13 The command strings listed below are shown in italic and are case-sensitive.
  • Page 232 - Increments the level of the grand master fader by lll. <DMX_MTR_LVL-lll> - Decrements the level of the grand master fader by lll. <DMX_MTR_LVL=lll> - Sets the level of the grand master fader to lll. ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual...

  • Page 233: Appendix D - Certified Dmx Interfaces

    ShowMagic version for the specified operating systems. ShowMagic also works with many other DMX interfaces that have not been certified. If you wish to use an interface that is not on this list, we recommend first testing compatibility with our ShowMagic SL Free Edition.

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