Synchronized Master/Slave Operation - Martin MAC 350 Entour User Manual

Programming effects in a stand-alone scene using a DMX controller
Instead of programming effects in stand-alone scenes manually via the control panel, it is possible to apply
effects to the MAC 350 Entour using a DMX controller, then use the GDMX menu in the control panel to
capture all the applied effects and save them in a scene in the MAC 350 Entour's stand-alone show.
To capture effects applied from a DMX controller:
1. Connect a DMX controller to the MAC 350 Entour and apply the desired effects.
2. Go to SA → PROG → GDMX → DMX → STOR in the MAC 350 Entour control menu.
3. Select ADD to add a scene with the applied effects to the end of the stand-alone sequence or INS to
insert a scene with the applied effects immediately before the current scene.
As with scenes that you have programmed manually, you can use the NEXT, PREV, DEL and CLR
commands to manage the scenes you have created.
Note that a stand-alone scene programmed using the DMX capture method may be slightly different to the
original DMX scene. This is because effects in stand-alone scenes are slightly simplified compared to DMX.
For example, gobo rotation speed can be varied with a resolution of nearly 120 values in each direction via
DMX, but only slow, medium and fast speeds are available in stand-alone mode. When the MAC 350 Entour
captures DMX effects, it finds the closest equivalent stand-alone effects and stores these.

Synchronized master/slave operation

If you are running multiple fixtures in stand-alone mode and the fixtures are connected on a data link, you
can synchronize action so that all fixtures start their programmed shows and start fading to the next scene
at the same time.
An MAC 350 Entour running a stand-alone show can perform synchronized scene changes with other MAC
350 Entour fixtures as well as Martin fixtures of the following types:
• Exterior 1200 Wash™
• Exterior 1200 Image Projector™
• Exterior 200™
• Exterior 600™
• Exterior 600 Compact™
• Inground 200 CMY™
• Inground 200 6-Color™
In synchronized operation, one fixture is set as the master and the others are set as slaves. Each fixture
must be programmed with its own show. When the master fades to the next scene or starts its show from
the beginning again, it tells each slave fixture to fade to its next scene or start its show again. In other words,
each slave fixture will run its show repeatedly in a cycle, changing scene when prompted to by the master,
until the master finishes its own show and signals that all fixtures should start from the first scene once
again.
If you want to keep things as simple as possible when programming synchronized operation, ensure that:
1. Every fixture has the same number of scenes.
2. Scene times are a few seconds longer on the master fixture than on slave fixtures (this will ensure that
slave fixtures always have time to finish scenes before the master tells them to start the next scene).
It is important to note that the only commands transmitted by the master are scene change and show start
commands. No data about the appearance of the scene is transmitted between fixtures.
For a more detailed explanation of synchronized operation and how advanced effects can be created by
programming fixtures with a different number of scenes, see the next section.
Synchronized stand-alone operation: advanced features
Note: This section gives advanced information about stand-alone synchronized operation. You do not
need to read it unless you need help troubleshooting unexpected stand-alone behavior or you want
to program advanced synchronized light shows.
The principles in stand-alone synchronized operation are as follows:
1. A scene contains a fade section, followed by a wait section.
2. Each fixture can be individually programmed with up to 100 scenes, and each scene can have its own
individual fade and wait times.
3. Scenes are numbered from 0 to 99.
• FiberSource CMY150™
• Imager™
• Alien 02™
• MiniMAC Maestro™
• Easypix™
• smartMAC™
Stand-alone operation 23