ftdi and overlapped i/o

ChamSys Ltd MagicQ Software Changes

v1.3.6.0 1 of 70 www.chamsys.co.uk

MagicQ version 1.3.6.0

New Functions

New Bitmap FX, “Snakes” – snakes enables up to 20 different snakes to move around thegrid. The speed, length and randomness of movement can all be set in the parameters. It ispossible to choose between white or multi coloured snakes.

Parameter 3 specifies the number of snakes and the mode. 0-63 is white. 64-128 is white,random. 129 to 191 is coloured, 192 to 255 is coloured random.

Bug fixes

Fixed problem in Bitmap FXs in 1.3.5.4 which would sometimes stop them playing back.

Remove + FX now removes FX from both Programmer and Outputs. (#190)




New Functions

2nd Monitor Support

Support for the 2nd monitor output on Pro consoles has been added. The monitor outputdefaults to off. Turn it on in Setup, View Settings, Port Settings, External Monitor 2.

Before turning on the 2nd monitor output, ensure that the monitor card upgrade has beencarried out – this requires the fitting of a monitor card inside the rear panel. Note that thepresence of the 2nd VGA connector does NOT indicate that that the monitor card has beenfitted.

It is recommended to turn off the 2nd monitor output when a monitor is not connected as thiswill improve performance slightly.

The 2nd monitor output can be a touch monitor. To connect a serial touch monitor, simplyconnect the serial cable to the serial port on MagicQ. Then select the appropriate protocol inSetup, View Settings, Port Settings, Serial remote protocol.

In order to connect USB touch screen monitors to MagicQ it is necessary to upgrade theLinux kernel. This can be carried out by copying the kernel file into the main MagicQ folderon MagicQ consoles and then in the Setup Window typing updatelinux and pressing QUIT.

New shows made with this version of software have modified pre-programmed layout views.The Outputs Info, Cue Stack Info and Programmer Info windows now default to the 2nd

monitor. There is also an “Ext Palettes” layout view which puts the Group, Pos, Colour,Beam windows onto the 2nd monitor.

HTP channels

The way HTP channels and FX mix together on different playbacks has been modified. Nowthe current FX level is taken into account when working out the highest value. Thus aplayback with a channel at 100% level will stay at 100% regardless of FX running on anyother playbacks.

It is still possible to make another playback override a 100% level on a playback (e.g. to run adimmer chase on the HTP channels) by setting the “All Channels controlled LTP” option onthe other playback.

Bugs fixed

FX fade out times in the Programmer Window and the Cue Window when entered from thekeypad would be entered incorrectly. It was possible to set the times using the encoder.



Mbox thumbnails. It was possible that thumbnails could be corrupted during transfer fromthe MBOX and this could cause a reset when viewing the thumbnails.

Extended the timeout times for MagicQ on Mac.

It was possible to cause resets by hitting the Soft button for Encoder X in the Cue StackWindow to double the speed repeatedly.

Programmer Window and Cue Window, Simple Times, when using Individual times on a perattribute basis, the last attribute was not displayed.




New Functions

Bugs fixed

Outputs grid view multi selection was broken in 1.3.5.2 only.

Faders set as “Fader controls Speed” only controlled the first FX in the Cue (#187).

Fix problem with renumbering Cues by entering new Cue Id numbers in the Cue Id field –when moving out of sequence Cues might get numbered incorrectly. Affected all versionsfrom 1.3.4.8. (#185)

Cue Engine was not refreshed after Cues were renumbered. To force a refresh, releaseplayback, change page, return to original page. (#180)

Changing DMX address of multiple heads now can only be done when sorted by Head No.Previously, when sorted by DMX the wring heads would be changed. (#175)

Fixed page number display when using remote control (#188).

Removing multiple heads in the Patch Window by selecting multiple columns causedincorrect number of heads to be removed. (#63)

Tracking mode. Recording to a different Playback or an “out of sequence” Cue Id recordedonly tracked info, not the entire state of the programmer (#179).

Tracking mode. Block FX did not work correctly when recording a first Cue with a FX andthen changing other parameters in the head in a second Cue. Now the FX will continue totrack through the Cue Stack until a step is marked as “Zero unused FX” or a different FX isspecified. When changing the base value of a FX tracking through a stack, the FX isautomatically updated as well as the base, ensuring that the FX continues.

When using 1 playback fader with a FX (no base) and another with a sequence of base (noFX), one of which had a block FX cue, then re-asserting (pressing GO) or activating playback1 after playback 2 caused the FX to stop. Re-asserting playback 2 caused the FX to restart.This is the exact opposite of expected behaviour. Asserting playback 1 should make the FXrun always (playback 2 will lock FX will not affect it, as it is lower priority). Assertingplayback 2 should make the FX block in the block Cue, but restart after the block Cue. (#189)

The 2nd problem was that when using fade times (specifically a time on a Cue without blockafter a Cue with a block) then the FX would not restart. (#189)

Remove of FX from Programmer by holding REMOVE and pressing FX or by holding FXand pressing REMOVE did not work correctly. Remove from Programmer Window workedfine. There was also no indication that the remove operation was being carried out. (#190)



0@@ now refreshes windows (#198).

When jumping in Cue Stacks in tracking mode the tracking did not take account of the option“Remove Unused Chans” being set to “Yes”.

When using the UPDATE function stand alone and pressing CANCEL a lock-up could becaused. (#205)

When choosing a new head in the Patch Window MagicQ took a very long time to read thepersonality files potentially causing communication to the Wing to be lost (#121).

Sometimes it was possible to get duplicate Cue Ids in a Cue Stack. When recording a Cue to aCue Stck on a specific Cue Id if the Cue Id is entered with 3 or more digits after the '.' thenMagicQ treated the Cue Id as the number entered, but only displayed 2 digits. Thus you couldhave a 1.10 and a 1.105 but they were both displayed as 1.10. When trying to jump to suchqueues you may get "Invalid Cue Id" error messages. (#203)

Fixed problem whereby total Cue time was calculated incorrectly. If you set a delay and afade on different attributes then the total Cue time was calculated as the maximum delay andmaximum fade in the Cue. It should have been the maximum delay and fade on a particularattribute. (#204)

Fixed problem with changing the DMX address of multiple heads – MagicQ might repatchacross DMX512 boundaries. (#186)

Fixed problem which affected Theatre modes whereby updating a Cue to remove a FX couldcause a reset when the programmer was cleared (#218).

Fixed problem where adding complex times to a Cue in the Cue Window, View Simple couldcause a reset. Only affected the delay and fade fields in the Individual Times, and only whenadding Individual Times for the first time. Also added support in Cue and Prog Window forsetting the fade type even when no individual times have been set. (#220)

Fixed problem with changing multiple DMX addresses in View Universe mode.




New Functions

Patch Window

Added new View options to the Patch Window – it is now possible to view only the selectedheads or only a selected universe using Soft Button B in the Patch Window. Only applies toView Heads and View DMX.

Patch Window now indicates in the title bar where the next free location for the chosen headtype is.

Other changes

Improved Execute window naming of special functions.

When adding FX that can apply to any attribute (e.g. ramp, since, cosine) to a head that onlyhas one attribute MagicQ no longer requests choice of attribute.

Made naming of “Rel old Chans” option consistent.

Added Setup option to swap Palette and Cursor Page buttons.

It is now possible to view and change the Release Time of the Cue Stack from within the CueStack window in the “End” box.

Wing contrast defaults to 50%.

There is now a “Block FX” option on individual Cues which can be changed in the CueWindow with the View Options soft button.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem with timing on Intensities when programming a Cue with levels + FX; theIntensity would not fade correctly.

Fixed problem with auto groups if some heads had a blank name.

After copying multiple palettes or groups to playbacks, the multiple cursor select is nowdeselected.

When “Layouts always active” is set, CTRL + the top soft buttons did not select the Layouts.

Soft button A would not work on Consoles when “Layouts always active” was enabled.



Morphing did not work correctly if the sort order in the Patch Window was not set to “Sort byHead No”. Morphing now is only allowed when the sort order is set to “Sort by Head No”.The status has also been improved to indicate morphing in progress and completion.

Fixed problem with “Programmer ignores FX” which could cause a FX in the Programmernot to start correctly. In v1.3.5.1 press BLIND twice to restart the FX correctly.

When copying files using File Manager Advanced View between Hard Drive and USB Drivethen the wrong files were copied.

When you included a Palette it kept the links to the Palette not the hard values, meaning thatif you recorded to a new Palette, the Palettes were erroneously linked.

Highlight mode. When set to Highlight/Lowlight any attributes in the Programmer that wereset in the Personality to have a Highlight level of No Level were erroneously blocked.

ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol could have problems if set to ChamSys TX + RX.

Recording to Cues before Cue 1 is now supported using the syntax .x as well as 0.x – e.g. .5instead of 0.5.




New Functions

Improved Execute window naming of special functions.

Added support for direct access to DMX channels from the keypad using the . operator. Forexample set intensity of DMX channel 4 by entering 1 . 4 @ FULL or . 4 @ FULL. PatchWindow now supports ‘.’ As well as ‘-‘ as the separator between universe and channel.

Holding FX and pressing REMOVE removes FX from all selected heads. Also hold FX andpress REMOVE.

It is now possible to load settings by using File Manager and clicking on the settings file.

Added extra FX to Media Engine (Bitmap FX) – random dots.

Added extra Text mode to Media Engine – single character display from a text string insteadof scrolling text.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem with morphing between CMY and RGB heads.

Fixed “Programmer ignores FX” so that it does not remove FX when you change attributes inthe programmer.

Web server Execute Window showed incorrect Page number.

Holding SET and pressing GROUP, POS, COL, BEAM did not set ACTIVE – previously youhad to hold GROUP, POS, COL, BEAM and press SET.

When record merging or updating Cues with Intensity and then clearing the programmer, theIntensity faded in again from the programmer level (dependent on Cue times).

When “Select heads and palettes from keypad” was enabled the command line could beerroneously displayed in the keyboard window.

Loading a show from USB using File Manager and clicking on a show did not ask whether tosave show to the hard drive.

DMX test mode would leave inactive channels at incorrect values if you did not select TestZeros before Test None.

Windows installer now allows screen resolutions down to 800x600.




New Functions

Added a new option for how FX gets combined with levels in the Programmer, “Programmeroverrides FX”. When this option is set on, then the Programmer when channels are in theProgrammer they block FX running on those channels in Playbacks. Similarly when Cues arerecorded the Playbacks will block FX from other Playbacks. This option is defaulted YES isHog II warp mode.

The Cue Stack option “Ignore FX from other Playbacks” has been improved to enable fade ofFX in and out.

Added a Cue Stack option to enable a Cue Stack to be stepped one step each time it isreleased. This can be used, for example, to bump through several sets of ACLs. Works withboth flash buttons and faders.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem in scheduled events where events set with seconds = 00 e.g. 17/50/00 wouldtrigger twice – once at the correct time, and a second time 60 seconds later. Could also falsetrigger 1 hour later.

Naming the 1st playback on a Page using SET, hitting the S button of the playback andentering a name required an extra ENTER.

Fast tool bars could appear in strange places on dual monitor PC systems.

Fixed default ranges so 0% is 0% and 100% is 100%.

Busking rate master was 0 to 25 seconds not 0 to 10 seconds, even though display showed 0to 10 seconds.

Fixed problem in v1.3.4.9 with remote MultiWindows.



MagicQ version 1.3.4.9New Functions

Added check to Personality editor for channels assigned to the same attributes (encoders) -these channels are highlighted with a *.

Added DMX output setting type of MQ Direct. This has the same function as ChamSys USBbut may be easier for some people to understand. ChamSys USB is retained for backwardscompatibility. Also re-ordered the list of output types, so network types come first, thenChamSys outputs and then 3rd party interfaces.

Added support for thumbnails when using MBOX media server.

When setting Cue Stack macros and Cue Stack comments it is now possible to edit theprevious macro or comment by double clicking on the entry. Previously the macro orcomment had to be completely re-entered.

Reorganised Cue Stack options slightly to move Intensity, FX size and Speed masters to aseparate tab – “Function”. Previously users were often confused about the difference between“Fader controls size” – a fader option and “Fader is a FX size master” – making a mastercontrol function.

Console Maintenance

Added console serial number to MagicQ console – in Setup window press SHIFT + encodersoft button SET SERIAL.

Improved the software upgrade utility. It is now possible to change software withoutpowering the console down. In the Setup Window, select View System, View Status andselect CHANGE SOFTWARE. The software upgrade utility can also be entered on start up,as before.

To load new software onto the system, copy the .cde file using networking into the mainMagicQ folder and select the file in File Manager. Alternatively, insert a USB stick andselect the file in File Manager

Note that this new upgrade functionality is only available once v1.3.4.9 software or above isloaded on the system. To get v1.3.4.9 on the system you will need to use the original methodby powering the console down and entering the software utility on startup.

The software upgrade utility has 2 other functions – reset to factory defaults and eraseconsole.

“Reset to factory defaults” changes settings back to factory settings but does not erase anyuser data. It is recommended that the current show is saved to a known file name beforecarrying out a factory reset. As a consequence of the reset to factory defaults, the console willreload the default show.



“Erase console” erases all user data and reloads the newest software on the system. All showdata, custom personalities, and settings will be erased. Ensure all user data is saved beforecarrying out this action.

It is now no longer necessary to recalibrate the touch screen after a factory reset.

Bugs fixed

Version 1.3.4.8 did not work well with MQ50 – soft panel kept appearing. It is notrecommended to use 1.3.4.8 on a MagicQ console.

Fixed problem with MagicQ PC where Copy and Record buttons ended up off screen.

Fixed problem with Mac version and latest FTDI drivers.

Fixed problem with using SHIFT + Windows button to force open a window – sometimes didnot work the first time. Also affected use of SHIFT + EDIT CUR HEAD in the PatchWindow to edit the head at the cursor position.

Fixed intensity sub masters so that they affect FX as well as levels.

Fixed the default setup of Universes and Sub nets – previously Universes 16 and above wereset up incorrectly.

Fixed the processing of on screen / console buttons when MagicQ PC Keyboard mode was setto Playback Shortcuts or Programming Shortcuts.

Range export in the Head Editor did not export dependent channels and values.

When playing back Cue Stacks which automatically release at the last step, from the CueStack Store Window or from the Execute Window the Window who not indicate that the CueStack had been released even though it released correctly.




FX Segments

MagicQ now supports FX segments. FX segments work together with FX Parts to enableeasy control of the relative offsets of different heads within a FX. FX Segments are thenumber of adjacent heads that have the same offset. FX Parts are the number of parts(different offsets) that a FX cycle is broken down into. The FX Spread is the maximum offsetbetween heads within the FX.

So for example consider 12 heads. With 100% FX spread then without FX parts or FXSegments you get:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120% 8% 16% 25% 33% 41% 50% 58% 66% 75% 83% 91%

With FX Segments = 2’s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120% 0% 16% 16% 33% 33% 50% 50% 66% 66% 83% 83%

With FX Segments = 3’s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120% 0% 0% 25% 25% 25% 50% 50% 50% 75% 75% 75%

With FX Parts = 2’s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50%

With FX Parts = 2’s, Segments = 3’s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120% 0% 0% 50% 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 50% 50% 50%

Note that FX Parts and FX Segments only have an effect if FX Spread is greater than 0%.

Improvements to Personalities



All personalities now have the following information which makes up the completeidentification of the personality – manufacturer, short name and mode. Where there is onlyone mode for a personality the mode field is left blank in the personality.

When choosing personalities the personality is now selected, first by manufacturer, then byhead short name and then by mode (if there is more than one mode).

The personality filenames remain the same as before – but when choosing personalities thefile name is hidden unless you choose the advanced view.

The description field in the personality is for information only and is not used by MagicQinternally.

Other changes

When the “Maintain Encoders as Pos,Col,Beam” option is set, then “Intensity” attribute willalso appear on Encoder F in the Pos window if that encoder is not used for position attributes.

Groups – when you make groups from other Groups and Odd/Even MagicQ now auto namesthe new groups.

Pressing Next Head and Prev Head reselects all heads in the current selection (like pressingALL). Pressing FAN + ALL selects all active heads in the programmer.

Cue Stacks now show linked Cues (Cues used in more than one Cue Stack step) with a “L” inthe Cue field. It is possible to unlink a Cue by moving to the Cue in the Cue Stack andpressing SHIFT and UNLINK CUE.

When copying head data from one set of heads to another we now support THRU without ahead number for the destination heads to indicate to copy to all heads of this type.

When changing Cue Ids in the Cue Stack Window, the Cue Stack now checks if the new CueId is in sequential order – if not, it prompts for moving the Cue within the Cue Stack. Whenmultiple Cue Ids are changed they now are changed in sequence.

There is now an option to CANCEL in all selection boxes.

In Chase and FX control, the name “Contrast” has been changed to “Xfade” to make it easierto understand.

When converting a Chase to an FX if there is more than 1 head being recorded into the FXthen Default Spread is set to 0%. Otherwise default spread is set to 100%.Added Intensity Mode to Media Window.

If only one head is selected then pressing Next Head or Prev Head selects the next or previoushead of this type. Pressing All selects all heads of this type.

Enabled MagicQ PC to work in low-res resolutions down to 640x480.



Bugs fixed

Cue Stack Info window still allowed scrolling even when “Display Current Playback” wasactive.

Fixed problem in Cue Stacks with pressing GO and BACK when timing is set to Cue Timing,but Chase Direction is set to Backward.

Fixed problem using “Record Merge does not overide times” which could cause a reset.

Fixed problem using “Update clears Programmer” which could cause a reset.

Fixed problem with naming pages in 1.3.4.6 and 1.3.4.7. If you need to name pages in theseversions then turn off "Keypad always selects heads" and "Select Heads and Palettes fromkeypad"

Fixed problem with Fade Types in Programmer and Cue Window – the values were not savedto file correctly.

Fixed problem with syntax line where it was not cleared correctly when pressing CLEAR.

Fixed problem with reporting of % complete on Playbacks with 1 step.

When modifying Cues with HTP channels on active Playbacks, if another Playback washigher priorty or latest touched, then if that Playback was controlling the channel then thechannel would re-fade from the level on the other playback. This affected all channelscontrolled by both Playbacks, not just the channels that were being modified.

Macros would be run on all of the current selection, not the sub selection.

Stepping backwards on a Cue Stack with wait times and “Halt=No” now steps back 1 steponly – previously it restarted the Cue Stack running.

Clear Selected also cleared the Include/Update action so it was not possible to perform thesequence Include Cue, Select Heads, Clear Selected, Update.

Media Window – improved situation where sometimes when the Media Image attribute wasin the programmer but the Media Bank attribute was not, then the wrong thumbs were shown.

Improved Tap to Time function so that you can tap more than 4 times and then it readjustsspeed on every tap.

Architectural controller stills shows “Demo mode”.




The chase option “Skip first times” now applies whenever you jump to a chase step within aCue Stack from a timed step. Previously “Skip first times” only applied to the chase stepwhen the Playback was activated.

New Setup Option. Programmer setting “Update clears Programmer”. When this option isset, then after an Update is carried out the Programmer is automatically cleared.

New Setup Option. Programmer setting “Record Merge does not overide times”. When thisoption is set, then when record merging, existing timing data will not be over-riden. Note thatif you wish to change timing data in a Cue this can be done directly from the Cue Window.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem with releasing cues when 10 playbacks are active controlling intensities on thesame heads. If 10 playbacks all with intensity on the same head were activated and thenreleased MagicQ could reset.

Fixed problem when connecting executing Cue Stack macros. Running the G macro couldgive problems.

Improved handling of Update which could cause problems when an Update was cancelled

Morphing heads was broken in recent beta versions.

Modified fanning when using large number of heads to be less sensitive (works with 16bitpan/tilt only).

Now when actions are cleared the syntax line is cleared also.

Fixed Intensity fades when using playbacks set as “All Channels controlled LTP” when re-asserting (using GO) on playbacks.




Improved the selection of show modes. There are now 4 modes, “Normal (live)”, “TheatreNon Track”, “Theatre Track” and “Hog II warp”. Changing mode now requires confirmation.

The setting affected by changing mode are:

Setting Normal(live)

Theatrenon track

Theatretracking

Hog IIwarp

Setup “Prog”Programmer Tracking No Yes Yes YesUnused Chans return to defaults No Yes Yes YesHighlight mode Normal Advanced Advanced AdvancedFan mode Normal Normal Normal No toggleSelect multiple groups No Multiple Multiple MultipleRecording to Palettes Selected Selected Selected All heads

Setup “Keypad Encoders”Select heads on keypad intensity set No Yes Yes YesSelect heads and palettes from keypad No Yes Yes YesKeypad always selects heads No No No YesMaintain encoders as Pos, Col, Beam No No No Yes

Setup “Windows”Always Show Record Options No No No Yes

Cue Stack Defaults “Fader”Fader activates Yes No No NoFader releases Yes No No No

Cue Stack Defaults “Flash”Flash activates Yes No No NoFlash releases Yes No No No

Cue Stack Defaults “Step”Multi Cue, Controlled as chase Yes No No NoMulti Cue, Step halts before executing No Yes Yes YesMulti Cue, Zero Old HTP Yes Yes No NoMulti Cue, Zero Old FX Yes Yes No No

Cue Stack Defaults “Step Times”HTP in, HTP out, Pos times 0s 3s 3s 3s

For changing between tracking and non-tracking mode simply change the “ProgrammerTracking” option in the Setup Window, “Prog” tab. This automatically sets the Default Cue



Stack options (Maintain state on jumps, Zero old HTP, Zero old FX) correctly. For softwareversions prior to v1.3.4.6 the user should change mode or set the options manually.

Mark Cues

It is now possible to insert a Mark at the start of a Cue Stack.

The behaviour of Marking and Move When Dark has been simplified so that attributes ofmoving lights will be marked even if they have not been previously used in the Cue Stack.

The result of this simplification is that when a Mark Cue is executed in a Cue Stack, MagicQwill take control of the parameters used in the Marked Cue from other Cue Stacks eventhough the Cue is not yet executed. Previously if other Cue Stacks were using theseparameters and they had not yet been used in this Cue Stack then the other Cue Stacks wouldretain control until the Cue using the parameters was executed.

Copy Groups to Playbacks.

Copying a Group to a Playback makes a Cue with Intensity at 100% for all the channels in theGroup. Selecting multiple groups using the cursor (SHIFT + cursor keys) and then copying toa Playback creates a multi step Cue Stack of intensities – one Cue step for each group. This isan easy way to create, for example an intensity chase of your different moving light groups oryour different par can colour groups.

Also, when copying Palettes to Playbacks the Cue Stack is now automatically named Pos, Color Beam.

Command line syntax changes

The command line has been improved so that it enables multi selection of Palettes withoutpressing enter. For example the following syntax is now supported:

GROUP 2 COLOUR 3 BEAM 4 POS 5 ENTER

Note that the Keypad option “Select heads and palettes from keypad” must be set.

Other Changes

GOTO – it is now possible to GOTO a Cue on a Playback directly using the keypad. Selectthe Playback with the S button, then type the Cue Id on the keypad and press the Master GOor Master FWD buttons.

Playback Option to support SELECT + GO to perform a BACK function on MagicQPlayback Wings.

Bugs fixed



Fixed problem with levels when a Cue Stack is executing a fade and the playback or masterlevel is taken to 0 and then raised again.

Holding multiple Select buttons and pressing RELEASE with a time did not apply the time toall the selected playbacks.

“Snap at end” fade type in advanced times did not work correctly.

Column headings were mixed up in the Cue and Programmer windows in v1.3.4.5.

Fixed problem in tracking mode where FX selected in the FX window when some heads wereselected were not recorded into Cues.

Media Engine FX run on HTP channels still required a base channel.

Setting a FX zero Size on an FX that can be applied to any attribute did not work.

Remote Multi Windows did not work with v1.3.4.5 when column hiding was enabled.

Fixed messages when unpacking heads library which erroneously said unpacking iconslibrary.

When using + REC and - REC the status line now indicates Record Merge and RecordRemove

When using the option to always show Record Options when pressing Record, recordingPalettes and Cues from the keypad did not work correctly.

Using Page and the keypad to select a Page did not work with some combinations of Setupsettings.




Keypad Syntax improvements

When Setup option “Select Heads & Palettes from keypad” is set then the following extrakeypad syntax are supported.

For operating on the selected playback:

RECORD <cue id> ENTERINCLUDE <cue id> ENTERREMOVE <cue id> ENTER

For operating on Groups, Positions, Colour, Beam

RECORD GROUP <group number> ENTERRECORD POS <palette entry> ENTERRECORD COL<palette entry> ENTERRECORD BEAM <palette entry> ENTER

And also for INCLUDE and REMOVE.

Also supported is

PAGE <page no> ENTER

Other Changes

When recording and updating Palette entries, the Status Window now indicates the action iscomplete.

Increased number of groups to 500.

The Palettes in the old Attributes window (CTRL + FX button) are now not automaticallygenerated. This makes show files much smaller. To make the Palettes in the AttributesWindow use the “Create Palettes” soft button in the Attributes window. Palettes in Position,Colour and Beam window are not affected.

Changing the Invert parameter in the Head Editor now updates patched heads when thepersonality is saved.

FX Size now goes up to 2048 instead of 255. Hold SHIFT + encoder to get sizes above 255.



Skip first chase times now only affects Cue Stacks set as chases.

It is now possible to INSERT at the end of the list of ranges, palettes and macros in the HeadEditor.

Show Settings & Console Settings

Console settings are now stored both on the MagicQ console and in the MagicQ show files.By default when loading a show, only the show settings are loaded – the console settings arenot loaded – so the console settings are not affected.

To force loading of the console settings from a show file, hold SHIFT and press LOADSHOW+ST. This loads the complete console settings and show settings – enabling thecomplete cloning of a console. Note that the console settings include the network settings andIP address – so if 2 cloned consoles are used on the same network then the IP address shouldbe manually set to different addresses.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem when holding multiple SELECT buttons and master control section.

Fixed problem where Cue Stack option “Flash act as Go/Back” stepped 2 steps.

Selecting an empty Playback using the S button now updates the Cue and Cue Stack windowscorrectly.

Fixed problem with cursor selection of multiple items when double clicking or clicking onstatus window to open set window. Previously it would erroneously change the values beforeopening the set box.

0 was not usable.

Making attributes ACTIVE in the programmer, did not refresh the encoder legends.




New Functions

Improved Timing

The Programmer, View Times, Simple View and Cue, Prog Times, Simple View windowsnow have a field to specify the fade type for the advanced times – this can be:

“Default” – fades according to Instant attribute in Personality“Fade” – always fades“Snap at start” – always snaps at beginning of fade“Snap at end” – always snaps at end of fade

Note that on software versions before v1.3.4.4, when programming advanced times, MagicQalways performed a fade time regardless of the Instant attribute in the Personality. In v1.3.4.4and above MagicQ defaults to fading according to the Instant attribute.

Shows recorded with software prior to v1.3.4.3 will play back on v1.3.4.4 the same as theywould on previous software – i.e. all the advanced times will be set to “Fade”.

It is now possible to remove advanced times in the Programmer, View Times, Simple Viewand Cue, Prog Times, Simple View windows by pressing ENTER or REMOVE.

Improved Windows

Improved Setup and Cue Stack windows to have sub menus for the options so that it is easierto find the required option. Use PAGE LEFT (INS on PC) and PAGE RIGHT (DEL on PC)to change sub menu from the keyboard.

Improved Outputs Window – DMX view, so it is easier to work out the DMX addresses.

Improved Outputs, Programmer and Cue Windows to order attributes in IPCB order and tohide unused attributes. Hiding can be turned off in Setup if required.

Improved Editing

If you Include an item and then Record it to a different Item then Update mode is cleared.

Clear now also clears Update mode.

If you Include a Palette which has non-standard attributes (e.g. a Colour Palette with Position)then if you Update the Palette then the non-standard masking will be maintained.

Palette entries now indicate the attributes intensity, position, colour, beam (ipcb) stored inthem.



Added a Setup option to always display Record Options when Record is pressed.

Added a Setup option to always record all heads in the Programmer into a Palette entry evenif they are not selected.

Added a Setup option to causes encoders to be fixed to Position, Colour and Beam windowswhen using the Group or Outputs or Exec windows. Pressing SHIFT + Group changes theencoders to the normal Group encoders – similarly for Outputs and Exec window.

Added a Setup option to prevent toggling of FAN mode.

Other Changes

FX Parts now goes up to 128 instead of 32.

Active (SET + soft button), Remove (Remove + soft button / encoder) and Set Value (Set +soft button) now work in the Media Window.

Holding multiple Select buttons and pressing RELEASE now releases all the selectedplaybacks. Also works on the Go, Back, Fast Forward and Fast Back buttons in the manualcontrol section.

Inserting a Cue before the first step of a Cue Stack now sets the timing/chasing according tothe first step.

Bugs fixed

Fixed selecting layers in Media Window when using Extended Media Window.

The attribute Dim mode was erroneously in both the Beam and Intensity focus masks.

Exporting a show with Cues with Advanced Times and Cues could cause show file to be un-readable in versions before 1.3.4.4. These show files can be read in 1.3.4.4 and above. Theproblem only occurred if there were Cues with advanced times with some heads that wereselected for export and some heads that were not.




New Functions

Support for MagicQ Pro consoles with 18 universes and 4 direct DMX outputs from the rearpanel.

MagicQ Web Server

MagicQ now includes an in-built web server for enabling access to MagicQ from webbrowsers on external computers, pocket PCs and mobile phones with web browsers. The webserver includes web pages for monitoring of the status of the MagicQ, a remote control, andaccess to the MagicQ windows such as the Patch window for downloading complete patchlists.

By default the web server is disabled on MagicQ – enable it in Setup, Port Settings. Thedefault port is 8080 although this can be changed in the Setup, Port Settings.

To browse to the console enter the console name followed by the port number, e.g. forchamsys176, enter the URL in your browser. Note that by default most browsers use port 80– so you must explicitly specify port 8080 in the URL or it will not work.

chamsys176:8080

or you can use the IP address of the MagicQ (e.g. 2.9.200.5)

2.9.200.5:8080

This URL will get you to the home page on the MagicQ console - a general system overviewand a main menu of items, including Remote, Execute, Windows and Network.

The Remote page is a simple remote focus for setting channel levels. It can also be accessedby adding “/remote” to the URL. This is useful for Pocket PC and mobile phones to godirectly to the remote control page.

chamsys176:8080/remote

In order to set up a PC, Pocket PC or mobile phone to connect to MagicQ you must ensurethat there is a physical connection to MagicQ – either directly via network cable, or via awireless router. The IP address of the PC, Pocket PC, or mobile phone must be set to be onthe same network as the MagicQ – this is generally the ArtNet IP addressing scheme – so thedevice must have an IP address starting with 2 (e.g. 2.0.0.2) and a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0.

The Execute page is very similar to the Execute Windows on the console but accessiblethrough any PC with a browser on the network – it enables users to remote manage theconsole via the Execute window.



The Windows pages enable users to view all the windows on the console remotely within abrowser. This is useful for checking the status of a remote console or for easy printing ofconsole show data.

The Network page shows all the MagicQ consoles and PC systems on the networks andenables easy selection of particular consoles for remote control.

The Remote and Execute functions are only enabled when connected to a MagicQ console ora MagicQ PC System that is itself connected to a MagicQ wing or MagicQ interface.

Media Engine – it is no longer necessary to have a base playback with the grid levels whenusing the generic bitmap or generic bitmapfx.

Improved performance of “Grab Show” and automated show copying between consoles –previously this sometimes did not work on PC systems.

Bugs fixed

Fixed problem with direct DMX from MQ50s and when using MagicQ Wings as additionalDMX outputs for MagicQ consoles. Since v1.3.2.4 the outputs might not work correctly.

Fixed problem with export of shows with Cues with FX in them – when Cues using FX wereexported using only a selection of the heads used in the FX this could cause problems whenthe exported show was run. V1.3.4.2 fixes the problem and also enables shows exported onolder versions to be loaded ok.

Fixed problem with the new select heads using keypad and NEXT HEAD function in v1.3.4.2

Fixed problem with + and REC, and - and REC for Record Merge and Record Remove.

Improved performance when connecting to external servers such as Arkaos, Hippo, Catalystand Capture and when using Multi Windows. Previously if external servers were shut downthen MagicQ sometimes locked up for a while trying to re-connect to the servers.

Fixed problem with Head Test in Patch Mode which caused 1st channel of head to always beput to 255 and intensity to ignore grand master level or test level.

Fixed refresh problem in Media Engine when last FX is an in-built FX and performing aLocate or removing the FX did not cause bitmaps to be displayed till the bitmap no waschanged.

Fixed problem in Media Engine with arrow bitmaps on bitmap page 0 that could cause resets /loss of wings when used on non-square grids.




New Functions

Sub selection of heads from Groups / Selection

When you select heads using Groups or the keypad, MagicQ then enables the operation on asub selection of the main selection using the Next Head, Prev Head, Odd/Even, and Allbuttons. This enables the user to select a group of heads and work on heads individuallywithout reselecting the heads.

It is now possible to sub select heads from within the main selection using the keypad andreferring to heads using the index of that head within the main selection order – for instance,selecting the 1st and 3rd head within the selection, or selecting heads 1 THRU 4 in thatselection. The numbers used are the index into the selection order, not the head numbers.

To use this method, select a group of heads, then type the index number followed by NEXTHEAD or PREV HEAD. So to select the 1st and 2nd heads in the current selection:

1+2 NEXT HEAD

Or to the 3rd, 4th and 5th

3 THRU 5 NEXT HEAD

You can select multiple groups as your main selection – so if you have a line of 4 spots and 4washes you can make a group with of all 8 heads and then access them using the numbers 1 to8 regardless of their head number.

Using NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD without entering a number, operates as before,selecting the next or previous head within the main selection.

New Cue Stack options

Added option to Cue Stack “Ignore FX from other Playbacks” so that when the Playback isthe last touched Playback, any FX from other Playbacks are overriden by the values from thisPlayback regardless of whether this Playback has FX for these channels. This removes theneed to use “Add FX Zero Size” to block FX from other Playbacks.

Added option to Cue Stack “Flash acts like fader” to enable the flash button to act as if thefader was raised to full. This is useful if the fader controls LTP, size or speed, or if the Faderis a master for intensity, size or speed.

Setting parameters values using the keypad



It is now possible to set attribute values directly by pressing SET, entering the value on thekeypad and then pressing the soft button for attribute in the Intensity, Position, Colour andBeam windows.

Active

It is now possible to make individual attributes active in the programmer by holding SET andpressing the soft button associated with the attribute in the Intensity, Position, Colour, Beamwindows.

It is also possible to make active entire Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam attributes byholding Position, Colour or Beam or Intensity and pressing SET.

Record Options Merge / Remove / Masking

It is now possible to select record options using keypad short-cuts

Hold ‘+’ and press REC for REC MERGEHold ‘-‘ and press REC for REC REMOVE

Hold Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and press REC for recording only selected attributes

Hold Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and press INCLUDE for including only selectedattributes

Record Merge / Record Remove now works on Groups as well as Palettes

Other changes

“Demo mode” is removed and extra functions are now enabled when connected to a MagicQaudio interface, MIDI/SMPTE interface or Playback Wing.

When creating auto groups in the Patch Window it recreates the “All Groups” if they havebeen deleted.

It is now possible to extract FX from a show onto a console which does not have the FX byincluding the Cue into the Programmer and saving the FX in the FX editor.

Now, after heads are patched, a new show is started, or the console is started then headchannels automatically are set to their default values regardless of mode.

Added colour rainbow mode with hue and saturation.

It is now possible to partial locate intensity attributes by holding INTENSITY and pressingLOCATE – previously this was only supported by holding ALL and pressing LOCATE.

It is now possible to knockout intensity attributes from the programmer by holdingINTENSITY and pressing REMOVE – previously this was only supported by holding ALLand pressing REMOVE.



Support for MagicQ enhanced rear panel with 4 direct DMX outputs.

There is now an indication in the status window when grand master and sub master are atzero, and also when a DMX test mode is active. The warnings in the status window now flashto help highlight the problem.

Modification to the speed curve when you set “Fader controls speed” or “Fader is a FX speedmaster” to be more responsive. Fader at zero now fully stops the FX.

When a Cue Stack has a single Cue the Playback will show the Cue step name, if set.

Added Vertical Random Lines to Bitmap FX and improved performance of HorizontalRainbow.

Added extra information to Setup Window, View Status to show USB interface status.

Bug fixes

Add FX zero size now really works (broken from beta 1.3.3.4 to 1.3.4.0).

Including from the “End” marker in a Cue Stack caused a reset.

Creating a new FX did not refresh screen correctly.

Scrolling in the Stack Store when icons had been assigned to Cue Stacks caused a mess.

Mark Cues – did not always work if the previous Cue to the Mark Cue had a fade time of 0seconds.

Fixed Windows problems with icons and FX edit views where part of screen was not drawncorrectly.

When using the “View DMX” mode in the Patch Window to assign multiple DMX addressesto one head, removing the head would leave the assignment to the extra heads.

Selecting colours from the keypad using the colour picker now works correctly.

It was not possible to set DMX universe test mode “hi lo universe” by pressing ENTER in thetest field.

Fixed problem with auto generation of colours/beam palettes for heads with only 1 colourwheel or only 1 gobo wheel.

Fixed problem with running audio controlled Cue Stacks from virtual playbacks in thePlayback Window.

Fixed problem when using a Fader set to “Masters do not affect levels” where FLASH buttonno longer worked.



Fixed problem with Parts and Fan.




New Functions

Improved the display of advanced times in the Programmer and Cue Windows. Now the“Simple View” includes a field for each separate attribute

Ctrl + (a to z) keys now work on all platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac) to open Windows.

Bug fixes

Opening Exec grid window could cause a crash.

Fixed problem with loading shows with large numbers of cues. Sometimes one particular cue(normally cue Q819) could be corrupted. Symptoms could be seen that the first cue recordedafter the console was started or reset would not be lost when after the next restart/reset. Thisproblem affected versions from 1.3.0.2 onwards.

Fixed problem with Lowlight when head channels were in the programmer.




Added an additional Programmer window, the Programmer Info window. Press CTRL + Progto open the Programmer Info Window.

Added an Odd/Even toolbar. The Odd/Even button continues to have the existing function,but in addition holding the Odd/Even button brings up the Odd/Even toolbar for quickselection of 3s, 4s, 5s etc… Pressing SHIFT + Odd/Even also opens the toolbar.

Keyboard Macros.

It is now possible to view the data in each step of a Macro in the View Data view in theMacro window.

There is now a “De-assign Macro” soft button for removing the assignment of a macro from akey / button.

Macros now play back at an improved rate, ensuring that all macro steps are performedcorrectly.

Exec Window

Special Zone commands now show status.

Bug fixes

When “No Confirm” was set, removing a playback still requested a confirmation.

Known bugs

Add FX zero size does not work. Use Add FX and then set 0 size. To apply it live, useBLIND.




Fanning

It is now possible to use “Parts” for fanning. Pressing and holding the FAN button brings upa FAN toolbar with options. These include the fan mode – Async, Sync and End and alsoparts – 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s.

On MagicQ PC you can press SHIFT + FAN to bring up the FAN toolbar.

Exec grids

It is now possible to set a wallpaper for each Exec grid page.

A new special action “Change to Exec grid page” enables easy changing between pages.

Other changes

MagicQ now supports several additional head activation options in addition to the previous“activate by chans” and “activate by heads” options. It is now possible to choose “activate byIPCB”, “activate by IPC” and “activate Col”.

With “activate by IPCB” – when an attribute of a specific type is activated in the programmer,all the attributes of that type are activated. So, moving the pan encoder, brings pan and tiltinto the programmer.

Added option to default confirmation boxes to Yes rather than No.

Bug fixes

Fixed problem with overlapped cues when using large numbers of heads.

Fixed problem with new record to playback function using keypad (v1.3.3.4 only) whichcaused reset on consoles when using the Playback/Step syntax.

Palettes with attributes that do not belong in that palette now are marked as active.

Setting the size of an Exec grid for the first time, mixed up width and height.




Zones

MagicQ now supports Zones for controlling multiple rooms / areas in a venue. Each Universecan be allocated to a Zone, and then all the Universes in a Zone can be controlled together –e.g. for enabling / disabling of a Zone.

Special items have been added to the Execute Window to enable easy control of zones,including enabling and disabling zones and setting and clearing hot takeover in a zone. Thisallows complete control of a multi-room system directly from the Execute Window withoutusers needing to access the Setup Window.

FX

It is now possible to change the type of FX running on a selection of heads from within theProgrammer Window. This enables a different FX to be selected, but with the speed, size andoffsets remaining the same. The FX can only be changed into compatible FX – i.e. a circlecan be changed into a square or diamond, but not into a RGB effect.

Recording direct to Playbacks

MagicQ now supports Record + Enter to record directly to a Playback without pressing thePlayback Select button. This option is enabled when “Select Heads in Col, Beam, Pos” isenabled.

You can record to a specific Cue Id on the currently selected playback by entering a numberand pressing Record + Enter.

You can record to a specific Cue Id and Playback by entering the Playback number followedby /, followed by the Cue Id and pressing Record + Enter. For example 6/2.0 records toPlayback 6, Cue Id 2.0.

Other changes

MagicQ now supports overlapped Cues – i.e. a Cue with delay and fade times that is followedbefore the Cue has completed with another Cue with delay and fade times on the same heads.

CTRL + ALL selects all heads in the programmer.

Chase parameters are now only shown when a Cue Stack has a chase step in it.

Chase speed is now shown in BPM and seconds. Greater control has been added to the chaseencoder.



Support for removing specific Cues from a Cue Stack using the keypad. Type a Cue Id on thekeypad then press REMOVE and select the S button of the playback you wish to remove theCue from.

Pressing BEAM more than once, toggles through the four Beam pages.

Pressing COLOUR more than once, toggles between Palettes and Colour Mixing.

Pressing MEDIA more than once, toggles through the eight Media pages.

The option “Flash acts as Go/Back” now works for chases as well as timed Cue Stacks,

It is now possible to calibrate the touch screen by pressing CTRL + SET as well as using thesoft buttons.

Layouts

Recording over a Layout no longer overwrites the name.

When changing into “Layout buttons always active” the buttons become immediately active.

Sizing of windows when “Layout buttons always active” changed to show more windows.

Window modes now stored into Layout views.

Bug fixes

Fixed problem with record multiple.

Fixed problem when saving personalities – sometimes it would say “Head not saved”.




Dimmer Curves

Added configuration of user dimmer curves. There are now 10 user dimmer curves that canbe selected in the Patch Window, View Chans view.

User dimmer curves are specified in files of format csv (comma separated variable) withfilename dimmercurveuser1.csv, dimercurveuser2.csv etc… stored in the show/heads folder.

The files consist of 256 lines each with a value between 0 and 255. These files can begenerated in a spreadsheet (e.g. MS Excel) and saved as csv format.

User dimmer curves are not stored into the show or settings files. Each console that uses userdimmer curves must have the curves stored in the show/heads folder.

Audio triggering

Added the following audio triggering modes, which can be set in the Cue Stack options AudioP1 and Audio P2 when using the “Audio controls fader level” option:

Audio P1 = 0 Normal (direct trigger from level)Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)Audio P1 = 4 Switch (triggers to on/off at Audio Level)Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)

Other Changes

Support for MagicQ Xtra Wing.

When you record a Cue to a specific Cue Id on a Playback and that Cue Id already existsMagicQ will now ask whether you wish to remove the existing Cue or merge into the existingCue.

Sorting in Patch Window. Sort by “Head No” now always sorts by Head No even when thereare overlapping head numbers. Use sort by “Type, No” to sort by Type, then number forwhen you have overlapping head numbers.

When pressing the Select button and holding the (S) button for a Cue Stack with multiple FXsteps, initially the Cue Stack window will be shown (so that you can jump to steps). Turningan encoder will change to the FX window



Bug fixes

Fixed problem with Cues copied from Palettes. Under some circumstances it was notpossible to edit a Cue that had been generated by copying a Palette to a Playback. In thesecases Updating or Record Merging into the Cue caused a reset.

Fixed comms problems in remote control, remote windows etc…

Fixed colour icons appearing in Group Window after changing to Heads View and back toGroup View.

It was possible to set head numbers to 0.




Personality Editor

Added default value, highlight and lowlight values to the personalities. This enables the userto configure custom highlight/lowlight settings for each type of personality.

Added support for personalities with multiple elements (e.g. RGB pixels), so that they can bepatched in one action rather than patching the individual elements separately. When thesefixtures are patched they continue to be controlled as separate heads with all the associatedbenefits. The personality simple contains a count of the number of elements.

Personalities that consist of a single general element in addition to a repeated element are alsosupported. In these cases two different personalities are required – one for the generalelement and one for the repeated element. The personality for the general element is used forpatching, and it references the repeated element to enable it to be patched automatically. It ispossible to set an option whether the repeated elements are patched before or after the generalelement.

In the Patch Window, View Heads personalities only the head general element is shown –however testing, moving, copying and setting the head no, affects all the elements in thepersonality. The View Chans view continues to show the individual channels.

It is possible to swap the repeated elements of a multiple element head around using the Swapfield in the View Heads view. This is very useful, if for instance a LED stick has been riggedupside down.

When a personality containing multiple elements is patched, a different head number will beallocated to each element. This enables each individual element to be controlled from thekeypad and from the grid views. For heads that consist of a general element and repeatedelements the general element will be allocated the base head number and the repeatedelements will have increasing head numbers from the base element.

ChamSys will be converting all the existing personalities for multi LED fixtures to use therepeated elements in the near future. Morphing between different multi element personalitiesis not currently supported.



Internal Media Engine

Added in-built moving FX to the internal media engine. There is a new generic bitmappersonality called “Generic Bitmapfx”. It is the same as the original generic bitmappersonality, but with 4 extra FX channels. It is possible to morph to the new personality.

The extra FX channels enable FX to be applied to the grid. The FX type selects the FX that isapplied. Some of the FX are stand-alone, e.g. lines and rainbows. Others like move andaudio FX are applied on top of the selected bitmap or text.

The FX parameters depend upon the FX type selected – but generally FX parameter 1 is thespeed, FX parameter 2 is the offset between row or column items in the grid, and FXparameter 3 selects the mode – forward, reverse, bounce or twin.

The currently supported FX are:

Vert lines, Horiz lines – enables lines to be moved across the grid. Modify the mode tochange thickness of the lines. Change offset to make patterns rather than lines.

Vert random, Horiz random – enable random movement of elements across the grid. Modifythe mode to change thickness of the elements and offset to change the frequency.

Vert Rainbow, Horiz Rainbow – enable rainbow patterns across the grid. Modify offset tomultiply the rainbow across the grid.

Vert Move, Horiz Move, Move – moves the selected bitmap or text around the grid.

Audio – shows the selected bitmap or text dependent on the level of the audio input. Selectthe channels to respond to. The mode determines from which grid edge the audio takes effect.

The number of in-built bitmaps has been increased to include split colours and triple colours.

Icon images are now shown for all the bitmaps on the in-built bitmap page and the user pages1,2,3,4.

Other changes

Added function to randomise the select list – in the Group Window press SHIFT + RANDOMSELECT.

A new version of the external program MagicQ Multiwindows is now available with supportfor both variants of window sizing – automated sizing controlled by the console, or customsizing based on user preferences.

Bug fixes

A feature in v1.3.3.1 that caused MagicQ problems when connected to MagicQMultiWindows and MagicQ Remote Control has been fixed.



A problem in MultiWindows where a Window on a PC running MultiWindows wouldopen/close continuously has been fixed.

When using MultiWindows on same PC and recording views on external monitors thewindows would always be recalled on the main monitor.

Improved performance of playback sync between consoles.

Fixed a problem in v1.3.3.1 which stopped multiple bitmaps being loaded as user icons.




FX editor

A new FX editor has been added to enable users to create their own waveform FX and to editexisting FX. Changes made in the FX editor have immediate effect on all Cues that use theFX – for example changing the standard circle FX will affect all cues with circle.

It is recommended that your use SAVE AS to create a new FX before you make any changesin the FX Editor. The FX Editor has two views – the General view and the Channel view.

MagicQ FX are made up of a waveform for up to 3 different attributes. A MagicQ FX canstore data for more than 1 head – so that for instance, you can make a FX with some headsperform circles in whilst others perform squares.

In View General you can configure properties for the FX. For FX that only use 1 attributesetting the “Apply to any attribute” enables the FX to be used on any attribute rather thanbeing tied to a specific attribute such as dimmer.

Defaults can be set up for speed, size, spread and contrast. Setting contrast to snap forces thecontrast for the FX to default to 0 – i.e. snap rather than fade. The contrast of a FX can bechanged at any time during programming or playback.

The add mode determines the default for how the FX is added to the base values – the choicesare NORMAL or PLUS.

Each step in the FX consists of a value between 0 and 255 and a curve. The curve specifieshow the level changes from one step to the next. The valid curves are:

0 – proportional fade1 – sine fade2 – cosine fade3 – snap

The waveform for the complete FX is shown at the top. Moving up and down with the cursorto a different attribute or head shows the waveform for that attribute / head.

Media / Bitmap / Icon changes

Extended Media Servers mode. A new mode has been added for media servers with morethan 8 layers – now up to 20 different layers are supported in the media window. This optionis turned on in Setup, View Settings.

Support for thumbnails from MBOX media server.



MagicQ on Mac now supports jpeg as well as bmp file formats – this enables support forthumbnails on media servers such as Arkaos.

Internal media (bitmap) engine now supports us of the icons from the gobo / colour library foruse when making media FX on LED – these can be selected from the Bitmap pages 128 to255.

When using the Internal media (bitmap) engine, setting bitmaps are now placed by default inthe centre of the grid. Changing the FX attribute in the Pos window changes how the edges ofthe bitmaps are rendered when the bitmap is smaller than the grid. When set to 0 edges areset to black. When set to 1 edges are set to whatever the edge colour is.

It is now possible to load user icons from bitmap and jpeg files. In file manager click on the.jpg or.bmp files you wish to make into icons. The icons will appear under the “User icons”icon class.

Icons can be used on Groups, Colours, Beams, Positions, Cues, Cue Stacks and in the ExecuteWindow.

At this time user icons are not stored in the show file, so when changing MagicQ systems itwill be necessary to load the user icons onto each MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system. Wewould be pleased to add any user icons to the main icon library – please send them [email protected].

Remove Dimmer (Rem Dim) Function

The keypad now supports functionality to enable selecting of individual selections of headsand automatically setting all other heads to zero intensity – this is similar to the “Rem Dim”function found in some other theatre consoles. After selecting heads or setting intensities forheads, type - -.

For example, 1 THRU 4 @ FULL - - will set heads 1 to 4 at full intensity and all other headsin the programmer will have their intensity set to zero.

4 THRU 8 – will bring heads 4 to 8 at full intensity into the programmer, whilst all otherheads in the programmer will be set to zero intensity.

Other changes

HSI colour mixing. New colour mixing type added to the personality editor for fixtureswhich have Hue Saturation Intensity colour mixing. The colour picker now works correctlywith these fixtures.

Odd/even mode. A new mode has been added which allows part group selections instead ofjust odd/even. Press SHIFT + ODD/EVEN to increase the mode to 3s or more.

Palette View – now it is possible to see where the channels in a Palette are used.

Copy page – it is now possible to copy a page unlinked – i.e. new copies are made of all cuesand cue stacks used on the page rather than just making links to existing cues and cue stacks.



It is now possible to select heads and set values from the Outputs, Chan view.

Heads can now be selected in the Programmer View by pressing ENTER in the first column,or by selecting multiple entries in the first column and pressing ENTER.

Cue Stack macros – new command B – this enables triggering of keyboard macros from CueStacks – e.g. B1 to trigger Macro 1.

Improved confirm box when record merging or removing a Cue Stack on a Playback – nowthere is the option to choose to merge/remove all cues on the Cue Stack or just the currentCue.

Patch – it is now possible to HTP merge received input universes with the MagicQ controlleduniverses – in the Patch Window set the Merge field to “Merge”.

RGB / CMY fixtures without dimmers - it is now possible to control the intensity of the RGB/ CMY using a separate intensity channel. Patch a separate dimmer and then use the “Mult”merge mode to make the dimmer control the overall level of the RGB / CMY attributes.

“Erase Show” now renamed “New Show”.

It is now possible to load shows directly from File Manager by clicking on the required show.

Improved performance of auto-backup on large show files, so that it has less impact on thenormal running of the system, especially response of Add/Swap buttons and fader changes.

On MagicQ consoles, direct DMX outputs now are automatically mapped to Universes 1 to 4unless set otherwise in the DMX I/O settings.

Bug Fixes

Fixed problem in new Update function (v1.3.2.8, v1.3.2.9) which could cause a lock-up onconsoles.

Fixed problem in morphing (v1.3.2.9 only).

Fixed problem where Master faders did not work if “Fader controls HTP” was set to No.

Setting intensities now supports reverse channel numbering – e.g. 4 THRU 1 @ 50

Fixed problem in “where used” view in Palette Window that meant Palettes were marked“unused” when they were actually used.

Fixed problem in soft button handling when using Multi Windows.

Fixed problem major problem in v1.3.3.0 which caused loss of cue stacks.



MagicQ version 1.3.3.0This version has been withdrawn as it contains a serious problem regarding saving of CueStack data. This version should not be used under any circumstances. Downgrade to 1.3.2.9or upgrade to 1.3.3.1.


Active button in media window.

Option in the Setup Window to disable the mouse controlling pan/tilt.

SMPTE control of Cue Stacks – now, SMPTE is ignored when the same time code is receivedfor a period of time – enabling the operator to move around the cue stack.

Support for new macro command to enable setting of the level of a cue stack withoutchanging to that cue stack. The ‘k’ macro command sets the level for the last cue stack thathas been activated. So to set a particular playback to a level, e.g. Playback 4 at 70% do

A4,K70

Bug Fixes

Improved handling of media server refresh.

Improved handling of media window.

Morphing now supports improved performance when converting between fixtures withdifferent colour systems.

Copy Head Programming function was broken in recent betas.

When using the Auto Icon function in the Head Editor on a MagicQ console it could reset ifthe file show/icons/autoiconmap.csv was not present.




Update Function

MagicQ now supports a new Update function which enables easy updating of Cues andPalettes. The existing Include & Update method is still supported. However, if you useUpdate without first pressing Include it is now possible to choose to update the Cues orPalettes that have been over-ridden.

When you press Update (when not in Include Mode) a list of all the Palettes and Cues thathave been overriden is shown. You can then choose which of the Palettes and Cues to updateby selecting from the select box. One you have finished your selection press the “Done”button. You can press “Cancel” at any point to cancel the Update.

When using a tracking Cue Stack, MagicQ will show all the Cues that have been overriden inthe Stack – hence you can make an update even if the attributes were used in a previous Cueon that Cue Stack.

Pressing SHIFT + UPDATE forces an update using the above method even if a Cue waspreviously included.

Other Changes

Outputs Window, View Heads now modified to show a “View Cue Ids” option so that it ispossible to see which Cue in a Cue Stack is controlling an attribute.

0 @@ now deselects all heads (0 ENTER when using “Keypad always selects head” option.

Added “Selected Only” soft button to Record Options and Include Options window – reducesthe number of button presses required to include select heads only from a Cue.

Select option window (as used when Merging Shows) now has a Done and Cancel button.

MIDI Support

MagicQ supports MIDI via the MagicQ SMPTE/MIDI interface. With this interface, MagicQcan generate and receive MIDI commands. MIDI is configured in the Setup Window, ViewSettings view.

To transmit a MIDI command, first set the MIDI Out Type in the Setup Window. MIDIcommands are entered in decimal in the Macro field of the Cue Stack using the ‘N’ macrocommand. It is possible to over-ride the channel specified in the MIDI commands using theMIDI Out Channel in the Setup Window.



For example, to send a note for middle C set the macro field to the following:

N144,60,127 // Note on

N128,60,0 // Note off

To receive a MIDI command, first set the MIDI In Type in the Setup Window. Choosewhether to receive on all MIDI channels or just on a particular channel as specified in theMIDI In channel. MagicQ uses a text mapping file in the MagicQ folder to convert fromMIDI commands to MagicQ serial commands. An example file midimap.txt is includedwhich maps midi notes to the playbacks PB1 to PB10. Each line in the file specifies areceived MIDI command and then the mapping to the serial command.

Note that on MagicQ PC, only playbacks PB1 to PB10 can be controlled by MIDI.

Fixes

Theatre tracking mode – when using the FX window to select FX from the FX Palettes the FXwould not record into cues unless it was modified in some way.

Theatre tracking mode – when using multiple playbacks controlling the same fixtures andtransitioning between playbacks there were some errors.

Problem in the new Cue Window, Simple Times (v1.3.2.7) when using selected heads and fantime.

Setup Window, Status View – num of groups was incorrect.

Colour Window – selection of colour mix items from keypad was not correct.

Include Cue – now supports head/attribute masking FX as well as values.

Include specific Cue Id from Playback – did not clear command line.




New Functions

Advanced Cue Timing

Improved Keypad syntax for timing

MagicQ now supports the THRU operator for inputting times. So for example

1 THRU 8 @ FULL / 1 THRU 4

takes lamps 1 to 8 and fade them up, lamp 1 has time 1 second, lamp 8 has 4 seconds fadetime.

Same for selecting using palettes. e.g.

1 THRU 4 Pallette selects a palette with fade times of 1 to 4 seconds.

and

THRU 4 Pallette selects a palette with fade times of 0 to 4 seconds.

Specify delay times using a /

1 THRU 4 / 2 Palette selects a palette with delay times 1 to 4 seconds, fade of 2s

The older method using the + symbol is still supported.

Improved editing / changing of times in Programmer and Cue Windows

The Programmer and Cue windows has been improved to enable easy inputting of fannedtimes across selected heads.

In the View Simple times you can set the general times as before (i.e. the times used if youdon't specify times for individual heads or parameters in the Adv View).

But, you can also set the advanced times also - either for the selected heads, or if no heads areselected for all the heads in the Programmer / Cue. You can set fanned times by entering forinstance 4 THRU 8 in the fade field. These fields will show you the min and max delay andfade times for the selected heads.

Using the Next Head, Prev Head displays the times for individual heads so you can stepthrough each of the heads in turn to see their times. Use All to get back to the summary for allselected heads.



Patching of scrollers

MagicQ has been enhanced to provide improved support for scrollers, so that the colour scrollchannel can be tied up with the dimmer channel in one head.

To use this support, patch a Generic Scroller2chan. This will appear in the View Heads withthe DMX address marked as “virtual” and any DMX address you specified when you patchedit will be ignored. Change to the View DMX view and specify in the appropriate DMXcolumns the DMX address of the dimmer and the scroller.

The Generic Scroller2chan is set up as a “Virtual” personality – i.e. the channels in thepersonality can be patched to any location on MagicQ – unlike normal personalities where thechannels are sequential from the DMX start address. In the View DMX view, the DMXaddress fields are used to specify the addresses for each channel in the virtual personality – upto a maximum of 5 channels. (For normal personalities these fields are used to specifymultiple fixtures patched to one head.)

Virtual personalities could be used for other irregular fixtures such as water jet controls.

Other changes

Pressing CLEAR twice (or pressing once when programmer is empty) causes all action modesand includes to be cancelled.

FAN mode is now automatically cancelled when you clear.

It is now possibly to patch heads using the alternative syntax: A THRU B @ C where A is thestart number, B is the end number and C is the patch address; e.g. 1>4@2-1 patches 4 headsstarting at Universe 2 channel 1.

Grid view – in the Plan View in the Outputs Window the selection and setting of multiple gridentries has been improved so that multiple heads can be set in any orientation depending onthe direction in which the multiple selection is perform. This makes constructing grids forlarge number of LED fixtures much easier.

For example, if you select a block starting at the bottom right, moving towards the left, thenupwards to the top left corner, then the heads will be selected in this order.

Changing the DMX address of a head in the Patch Window now supports the + operator toindicate a change to the first free address after a certain address.

Fixes

Copying from Playback Window and from Playbacks to Execute Window now supported.

Several fixes to multi windows / remote control.



Modifying intensities on a Playback directly from the keypad now always takes immediateeffect.

Changing pages with encoder in Execute window to high values caused problems.

Changing text page /attribute in Generic Bitmaps to high values caused problems.

Intensity window now supports knockout function for attributes.

Decay rate for triggering on audio module adjusted.

Releasing virtual playbacks now takes them out of test mode.

Cue Window, Advanced Times now shows fade / delay for Encoders E and F.

Fixed problem when removing a Cue Stack from Playbacks with the Cue Window open, andoptions set to remove Cues and Cue Stacks when removing Playbacks.

Fixes to MIDI control interface.




New Functions

Removing attributes from the Programmer

It is now possibly to remove attributes from the programmer using short cut buttons rather aswell as the previous method of editing the spread sheet view in the Programmer Window.

To remove items from the programmer.

q Select the heads you wish to remove attributes from. If no heads are selected then allactive heads in the programmer are affected.

Then choose one of the following methods

q Hold REMOVE and press All, Position, Colour, Beam. This removes all attributes ofthese of Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam.

q Hold REMOVE and turn an encoder wheel or press the soft button in the Beam, Colour,Position or Group windows – the specified attribute will be removed.

q Hold All, Position, Colour or Beam and press REMOVE. This removes all attributes ofthese of Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam.

q Hold a soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows and press REMOVE.The specified attribute will be removed.

Patching Generic Dimmers / Theatre Lamps

A new view, View DMX has been added to the Patch Window. This enables multiple DMXchannels to be easily assigned to one head. Up to 5 additional DMX channels can be set upfor each Head in addition to the main DMX address. Remove additional channels by pressingREMOVE and selecting the additional channel fields or by typing “u” (unpatch) instead of aDMX address.

It is also now possible to “unpatch” a head – i.e. to remove the association between theprogrammed data and a DMX address. The programmed data for the head is maintained andthe head can subsequently be patched to a new DMX address. To unpatch a head, pressREMOE and select the first DMX field, or type “u” in the DMX field.

Programmer Window & Cue Window

It is now possible to use fanning to alter levels, times and FX parameters in the ProgrammerWindow and Cue Windows. This is particularly useful to fan delay times and fade times overa selection of heads. Select the items to change using SHIFT and the cursor keys, or byclicking on the column headings. Then with FAN held down use encoders E or F to modifythe values.



When viewing and editing multiple FX in the Programmer Window or Cue Window theencoders A,B,C,D,X and Y now affect only the FX that the cursor is placed over. Previouslythey always affected all FX in the Programmer/Cue. When a new FX is added the encodersautomatically default to controlling the parameters of the new FX.

If the cursor is placed in the All FX row at the top of the Window then these encoders affectall FX as per previous behaviour. The E encoder can still be used to modify the individualparameter at the cursor location.

Support for ChamSys Audio Interface

MagicQ now supports the ChamSys Audio Interface – a USB interface module that takes in 2different audio signals and processes the signals. Each signal is analysed into 7 differentfrequency bands – consisting of 63Hz, 160Hz, 400Hz, 1KHz, 2.5KHz, 6.2KHz, 16KHz,63Hz. The levels for each channel can be used on MagicQ to set the level of Playbacks, tostep through cue stacks and to set the speed of chases.

The ChamSys Audio interface is enabled by setting the Audio Input option in the SetupWindow to “ChamSys audio interface”. When connected a graphic equaliser display isshown in the Status Window showing the current levels of the inputs. Audio trigger levelshould be set to 0.

In the Cue Stack options there are 4 possible audio modes – Audio Controls fader level,Audio bumps go, Audio sets BPM, Audio jumps Cue Stack. Audio modes are not active untilthe Cue Stack is activated by raising the fader or pressing the GO button.

Double click on the Audio channel to select the channel to respond to. Audio level, audioparameter 1, and audio parameter 2 should be set to 0.

“Audio Controls fader level” enables the level of the fader to be controlled by the receivedaudio level on the chosen channel. In this way you can control all sorts of different functionsdepending on how you set the Fader options – for example, you could control the iris openingof a moving light by also setting the Fader controls LTP chans option, or you could control aMaster Intensity fader.

“Audio bumps go” causes the Cue Stack to bump to the next step every time a peak in theaudio is detected on the specified channel. This enables a Cue Stack to follow the beat of themusic. This is best used with the Cue Stack set to Cue Timing instead of Chase Timing.

“Audio sets BPM” causes a Cue Stack set as a chase to automatically set the chase speed tothe timing of the peaks on the specified channel. The Cue Stack should be set to ChaseTiming.

“Audio jumps Cue Stack” enables the level of the specified channel to determine which stepin the Cue Stack is executed – for example if you have a Cue Stack with 10 steps, then a levelof 0% will execute step 1, 10% will execute step 2 whilst a level of 100% will execute step10. This is very useful if you wish to program different Cues onto LED or media servers.



Other changes

It is now possible in the Cue Stack options to set Cue stacks to automatically activate / releaseon Page Changes.

Intensity Window now has a “Select non zero” soft button (use SHIFT) to select all the headswhich have a non zero intensity.

Update LED now turns on when a Cue or Palette has been included into the programmer andcan be updated using the Update button.

Pressing SHIFT + ß now clears all command line text immediately and deactivates anyactive action buttons such as record, remove, include etc…

Added extra option for use when Playback Stomping is enabled to allow some playbacks tobe marked as “non stomping”. This enables certain playbacks to be bumped in withoutstomping over the original playback.

Improved action of double click in Head Editor windows. Also improved defaults in HeadEditor when making a new fixture.

It is now possible to set the host name on MagicQ consoles.

Pressing >> or << whilst a chase is running now stops the chase and moves to the next step.

Error messages are now highlighted in the status window.

Fixes

Fixed problem with FX window – FX would only play back 1 of the attributes recorded. Alsofixed problem when exporting FX libraries.

Fixed problem with icons in FX select window – always appeared large and covered thetextual FX name.

Test mode in Cue Store and Cue Stack Store now works when in Theatre Mode.

When converting a Cue Stack to Cue Timing, Mark steps are preserved.

Fixed problem in Cue Window, Advanced Times when using encoders E and F to set delayand fade times.

Centre auto groups for some grids did not work correctly.

Run Applications on Same PC option did not work on some PCs.



Fixed problems with internal media engine and Bitmaps. Bitmaps on page 2 and above werechosen incorrectly – they were one out. This has now been changed to work correctly – notethat old shows will need to be modified to use the correct bitmaps.

Export Show did not export Text strings. Text did not work after a show was reloaded.




New Functions

Icons

MagicQ now supports icons for all programmed items. Icons can be turned on in the GeneralSettings in the Setup Window. On MagicQ PC the icon library is automatically includedwhen you upgrade to this version. On MagicQ consoles it is necessary to copy the icons.allfile from the ChamSys web site to the show/icons folder on the MagicQ console.

To set an icon for a Window item (e.g. a Palette Entry) press SHIFT + SET. This will openthe Icon library. The Icon library is split into different types of Icons for colours, positionsand different types of gobos.

ChamSys is updating the personality libraries to automatically include icons – however, thisprocess will take some time. The most popular heads will be updated first. Users can updatepersonalities themselves in the Head Editor by selecting icons from the icon library.

Remote Control

MagicQ now supports the remote control of other MagicQ consoles and PC systems. AnyMagicQ console or any MagicQ PC system can be controlled from any other MagicQ consoleor MagicQ PC system on the network. This enables complete remote management of anysystem from any other system. The remote system appears exactly as if it were running onthe local system.

Note that the remote control function is currently beta software – therefore at this time we donot recommend the use of this function during live shows. By default Remote Control isdisabled. It can be enabled in the Multiple Console settings in the Setup Window.

The remote control function is accessed through the new View Remote option in the ViewSystem view of the Setup Window. To control another MagicQ press the Remote Controlsoft button. MagicQ then presents a list of all the other MagicQ consoles / MagicQ PCsystems it can find on the network and you can choose which one you wish to control.

You can tell which system you are controlling by looking at the system name in the StatusWindow of the Main Window (near to the clock). When MagicQ is remote controllinganother console it indicates “REM” at the start of this status line.

To end remote control of another system press CTRL 1 on the keyboard of the controllingsystem. Alternatively press CTRL CLOSE on the controlling system. The status line willchange back to be the normal line without “REM”.

When a remote system is under remote control it is still possible to control the system locally– the normal system interface is still fully operational. We recommend that you only use oneinterface at a time – having two operators will cause confusion!



This function is only enabled when the target system (i.e. the one you wish to control) is aMagicQ console, or it is a MagicQ PC system with a MagicQ PC Wing or MagicQ USBinterface attached. There are no restrictions on the MagicQ system that you use to control theremote system – for example, this can be MagicQ PC running on a wireless tablet.

Multi Windows

Multi Windows on MagicQ PC without starting another application

MagicQ PC now supports a new Multi Windows mode, which enables MagicQ PC to usemultiple windows on one PC with multiple monitors without starting up the separate MultiWindow application. This mode is easier to use than the previous method and uses automaticsizing of the Windows on the extra monitors.

To use this mode, first set the Multi Windows option in the Interface settings in the SetupWindow to Multi Windows (same PC). Then select View System, View Remote. A list ofthe monitors attached to the PC will be show together with their position and size. Press theRELOAD MULTI W soft button to update the list. Enable all the monitors that you wish touse for Multi Windows. Note that the Monitor that is running the main MagicQ Windowmust always be enabled.

Now it is possible to move Windows from the Main Window onto the other monitors. PressSHIFT + SIZE to move a Window between the different monitors. Alternatively use the EXTbutton (was the PREV button, just left of the SIZE button) – this button is being reassignedfor this function.

Sizing of Windows on the other monitors occurs just like in the Main Window – you canselect full windows, half windows and quarter windows. The entire space on the othermonitors is used for MagicQ Windows. When a Window is moved to another monitor thesize is kept the same – for example, if it was a quarter window on the Main MagicQ Windowit will be a quarter window on the other Window. You can change the size on the otherwindows, just like on the Main MagicQ Window using the SIZE button.

Note that the original Multi Window mode using the Multi Window application is stillsupported. This enables users to run MagicQ PC and Multi Windows are on the same PC, oron different PCs.

Multi Windows on MagicQ consoles / remote MagicQ PC systems

The Multi Window support on MagicQ PC can also be used for connecting to MagicQconsoles to provide extra monitors for the consoles. In View System, View Remote, set upand enable the extra monitors as above. Then press the Multi Windows soft button. A list ofMagicQ consoles / MagicQ PC Systems will be shown. Select the console you wish toconnect to.

Once connected, Windows on the MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system can be placed on theexternal monitors using the EXT (was PREV) button or by using SHIFT + SIZE. Ensure thatthe MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system that you wish to add monitors to has the MultWindows option set to Remote Multi Window.



Other changes

Added support for Velleman DMX interface.

Added support for using the mouse or trackball for pan/tilt control. Press the Right mousebutton to enter pan/tilt mode. In this mode the mouse or trackball can be used to control panand tilt of any selected heads. Press again to return to normal mode. Support for this functionis only available on MagicQ consoles and when connected to a MagicQ PC Wing or MagicQMaxiWing. It is not available when connected to MagicQ MiniWing or MagicQ USBinterface as these products do not have X and Y encoders.

Added support for wider scroll bars in the windows – use the Scroll bar options in the SetupWindow to adjust the appearance of the scroll bars.

Added an option in the Setup Window to always copy unlinked. In this mode the default forcopying Cue Stacks is for an unlinked copy – i.e. completely new Cues are made. To make a“cloned” copy which uses the same Cues press SHIFT + COPY.

Added an option in the Setup Window to enable the user to specify where the MagicQ showfiles are saved and loaded. This enables multiple users to have different show folders. Notethat currently only the shows are saved/loaded to this folder – the personalities and FX remainin the default show folder.

Full support for different ArtNet sub nets. It is now possible to set the ArtNet subnet for eachUniverse individually. In previous versions there was a single option in Setup window, ViewSettings – this set the ArtNet subnet globally. This has now been moved into Setup window,View DMX I/O (page right). The subnet defaults to 0.

Improvements to Media Engine – Generic Bitmap now shows stored text strings and userbitmaps. Inserting heads into a Grid now uses the current select heads, unless none areselected, in which case all heads are inserted.

It is now possible to change where shows are stored. Set the show file path in the SecuritySettings in the Setup Window.

Fixes

Fixed problem when recording multiple FX with different spread/parts in Cue Stacks. If youhad two sequential Cues with very similar FX then MagicQ might not load the FX from thesecond Cue – the FX from the old Cue would remain.

Fixed problem when inserting cues at the top of the Cue Stack – default Cue settings wereused instead of the settings of existing Cues.

Fixed problem when fader set to control HTP = NO. Changing page could cause playback toactivate.



Fixed problem with morphing and FX – order of FX could get confused – this was often seenas movement FX pan/tilt being swapped.

Fixed problem when morphing whilst playbacks using the morphed channels were activate –channels could become stuck.

Fixed problem with importing/exporting patch on MagicQ consoles.

Fixed problem with Hot Takeover between consoles which could cause a momentary blackoutto occur. Added support for Hot Takeover when using Pathport protocol.

Fixed problem when using DMX In to trigger wings. The DMX In triggers remained activeeven if it was disabled.

Fixed problem on MagicQ consoles when using the Arial font on bitmaps.

Fixed problem with erratic changes when using Master FX Speed faders.




New Functions

MagicQ Profiles

Support for different MagicQ profiles – a profile is the entire set-up of the console includingthe console specific settings (like IP address, media settings etc…) and the show file. Thisenables the console to be used to control different venues with easy swapping betweenvenues.

Profiles are loaded and saved from the Setup Window – in View Settings, press SHIFT andLOAD PROFILE or SAVE PROFILE. Profiles are saved to .mpr files in the show folder –note that profile does not contain the show data – it only references it – so if you are backingup you need to store both .shw files and .mpr files.

It is possible to set the console to request profile selection on start-up. To enable this youmust put an empty text file “selectprofile.txt” into the main MagicQ folder (MagicQ PC onMagicQ PC). On start-up the console will then request which profile you wish to use before itloads the show and enables the outputs. This is useful in a studio environment where MagicQcan control any one of several studios over ArtNet. When you start up the console youchoose which studio to control.

MagicQ Personalities

It is now possible to overwrite the personality stored in a show file with the one stored on thehard drive of the console / or in the heads folder of MagicQ PC. This allows shows that werecreated using old personalities to be modified to use the new personalities. In the Head Editorpress the “Reload Head” soft button. The personality will be reloaded from disc and all thepatched heads in the show will use the updated personality. Note that it is not possible toreload a head where the number of channels in the personality has been changed.

It is now possible to regenerate the auto palettes for heads once they have been patched. Thisallows the palettes to be modified in the Head Editor and then regenerated for each of thepatched heads. In the Head Editor press the “Regen Palettes” soft button.

Output universes (test and copying)

MagicQ now supports some simple options for testing complete output universes, includingsending all ‘0’s, sending all ‘1’s, and several additional test patterns. Tests can be performedon individual universes using by selecting the test in the Test field of the Setup Window,DMX I/O view.

MagicQ now supports copying of entire universes to multiple outputs – this may be usefulwhere you wish to duplicate an output universe onto different outputs of an ArtNet box, or



you want to set MagicQ wing outputs to be the same as Ethernet outputs. Select the universeyou wish to copy in the Copy field of the Setup Window, DMX I/O View.

Other changes

When setting intensities or selecting heads from the keypad, you can now use the > symbol toselect multiple heads of one type without keying in the complete range of heads. Forexample, 1 > @ FULL would set all heads of the same type as head 1 to FULL.

Increased the number of Pages from 100 to 200.

Increased number of parts in FX to 32.

Keypad now has ESC and ß buttons.

Fixes

Fixed problem with intensities when running in theatre mode – i.e. when the option to activatea playback when the fader is raised is turned off. In this mode, the first time a cue stack wasrun after a page change, the intensities could play back at 0. Nudging the fader regained thecorrect intensities. To work around the problem move the playback fader before activatingthe Cue Stack with the GO button.

Fixed problem with LTP faders and FX – previously if one fader controlled a LTP channeland a FX was running on that channel from another fader then releasing the LTP fader couldcause the channel to go to zero.

Fixed problem in 1.3.1.6 and 1.3.1.6 regarding using external keyboard.

Recording direct to playbacks was allowed even in “inhibit record” mode.

Fixed possible reset when removing Cues from Cue Stacks.

Fixed problem when advancing pages using Cue Stack Macros.

Fixed problem when patching a head with no channels.

Fixed problem with using SHIFT buttons where button text was not correct.




New Functions

Support for remote input switch on MagicQ consoles.

Fixes

Improvements to Elo touch screen driver.




New Functions

Keyboard shortcuts or programming. There are now 3 modes for the keyboard on MagicQPC:

1. Normal: the keyboard is used for naming items and selecting heads2. Programming shortcuts: the keyboard is set up for shortcuts to programming keys3. Playback shortcuts: the keyboard is set up for shortcuts for playback keys

The programming shortcuts are as follows:

¬ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - + ß

TAB NEXT

PAGE

PREV

PAGE

ODDEVEN

RECORD

UPD

ATE

INC PREVHEAD

THRU *

ALL SET REM

OVE

FAN SIN

GLE

HICHLIGHT

LOC

ATE

@ FULL

ENTER

SHIFT CLEAR COPY BLIND MOVE NEXTHEAD

. / SHIFT

CTRL ALT SPACE ALT CTRL

Windows are opened using CTRL and the alphanumeric keys

CTRL ACTRL B BeamCTRL C ColourCTRL DCTRL E ExecuteCTRL F FxCTRL G GroupCTRL H HelpCTRL I IntensityCTRL JCTRL KCTRL L Cue StackCTRL M MediaCTRL N MacroCTRL O OutputsCTRL P Position



CTRL Q CueCTRL R ProgrammerCTRL S SetupCTRL T PatchCTRL U PageCTRL V PlaybackCTRL W Cue Stack StoreCTRL X Cue StoreCTRL YCTRL Z




New Functions

Improved Outputs Window

There are now four different options for viewing complete head or channel data:

q Normal – all heads/channelsq Programmer – only heads/channels in the programmerq Sel Hds – only heads/channels currently selectedq Sel PB – only heads/channels active on the currently selected playback

In addition it is now possible in View Chans to remove the head names so that only headnumber and current level are shown. This allows large numbers of dimmer channels to beviewed at one time.

The Outputs Window now shows the range names for attributes with ranges.

Improved Head Editor

The Head Editor has been improved to make it easier to add Ranges and Palettes. The topright encoder wheel can now be used to alter the item where the cursor is placed.

In addition there is a “Attr test” mode which enables the range or palette to be tested on anypatched heads of this type. In this mode moving up/down in the Range / Palette Windowoutputs the Range or Palette to all patched heads of this type.

In the Range View the value output is the middle point between the minimum and maximum– except when the cursor is placed in the minimum or maximum fields – in which case theactual minimum or maximum value is output.

Modification of Intensities in Cues

It is now possible to add or change the intensity of heads (or dimmer channels) recorded intoa Cue on a Playback directly on the Playback without using the programmer. Press and holdthe SELECT button of the Playback with the Cue to be modified. Then use the keypad toadjust the intensity channels – e.g. typing 1 THRU 4 @ FULL will add channels 1 to 4 atFULL into the current Cue on the Playback. The programmer is not affected.

Fixes

Selection of multiple heads improved when changing layout views.




New Functions

Cue Stack macros – change page – you can now change to the next page by using page 0 (i.e.P0). This is useful to automate page changes at the end of a song.

MaxiWing view on MagicQ PC - added white lines to make it easier to see which soft buttonto select.

Fixes

Refresh problem when clearing programming, removing items from lists has been fixed.




New Functions

FX Library

The FX Window has now been improved so that FX can be played back on any selectedheads regardless of which heads the FX was originally recorded with. Select the heads youwish to apply the FX to, and select the FX in the FX window.

If no heads are selected then the FX is played back on the heads that the FX was recordedwith.

The FX in the FX Window can be stored to a FX library file so that the FX can be reloadedand reused in any MagicQ show. Use the SAVE FX LIB to make a FX library file – all theFX in the FX window are stored to the file. The FX are saved as generic FX – i.e. they can beplayed back on any type of head as long as it has the same attributes. Reload a FX libraryusing the LOAD FX LIB.

Set lists

It is now possible to save and load set lists in the Page Window. Set lists are simply text fileswith a list of page names. When the set list is loaded, MagicQ rearranges the pages so thatthey are in the order specified in the set list. Pages that are not specified in the set list (forexample songs not being used today) are moved after all the pages specified in the set list file.

To use set lists, first name all the pages in the Page Window according to the song name orsection name. You can then save this as a set list by pressing the Save Set List soft button –the file is saved into the show folder with a .txt file extension. You can now edit this file witha text editor (e.g. Windows Notepad) to rearrange the songs. Load the set list back intoMagicQ using the Load Set List soft button.

Multiple selection in Group Window

This has been changed so that multiple groups are only selected when no action has beenperformed on the selected groups – once heads in the groups have been changed then the nextgroup selection will start from no selected groups. The previous behaviour is still availablevia the “Select Multiple Groups” option.

MagicQ Media (bitmap/text generator)

This has been improved with a choice of 2 different fonts – select using the Text Modeattributes. Also when mapped to grids with 6 or less pixels high there is now a small font.

Disabling macros



There is now an option to disable macros. This is in the security settings in the SetupWindow.

Cue Timings

In the Cue Stack and Cue Windows delay and fade times are now shown with a ‘>’ symbolafter them when there are advanced times set for the Cue – e.g. when different heads havedifferent fade times. The time shown is the longest fade across all the heads in the Cue.

New Personalities

New personalities for Radical Systems PixelDrive, Martin Maxedia, High End Catalyst,Coolux and various moving lights.

Fixes

Some fixes to LEDs and DMX outputs on MQ50.

Outputs window – scrolling right in different views could cause problems in other views.

Patch, test heads – test level was not operating correctly.

View Palette. Encoder E did not work correctly on intensities.




FX – a new parameter has been added to the FX generator – FX part. This enables the FX tobe automatically split across a number of heads.

The FX part can have the values “none”, “2s”, “3s” etc. For example when set to “3s” the FXwill be played back spread over the first 3 heads and then this will repeat over the remainingselected heads – i.e. heads 1,4,7,10 will do the same thing, heads 2,5,8,11 will do the samething. When a “FX part” is selected, the “spread” determines how the FX is spread acrossthe 3 heads.

Fixes

Copying from Advanced view of file-manager only worked when cursor was in the firstcolumn – now works from any column.

Copying from Advanced view to Basic view of file-manager did not work correctly – nowonce you start a copy, or move it is not possible to change mode.

Copying to the same position (same item box) in different folders/disks in file-manager didnot work.

Include in tracking mode. FX could get lost from the programmer when doing an Include,Update.

“Take Control” soft button was hidden in v1.3.0.1 although the blank soft button in Setup,View DMX/IO still worked to take control.

SHIFT + RECORD using PC screen did not bring up the record options.

It is now possible to select a Playback in the Playback Window when in View Faders mode.

When Fader controls HTP is not set, the Playback now releases correctly when fader is raised/activated.

MaxiWing SELECT button was mapped to SHIFT.

Modifying Cue FX live could under certain obscure conditions could cause a reset.

Closing the keyboard, select or confirm windows on MagicQ consoles using the close (x) iconin the top right corner of the window would cause problems.

Selecting Record Options from the keypad did not work on the console.

Cue Stack Window could should erroneous time-code values when playback inactive.




New Functions

Option “Keypad always selects heads”. When this option is turned on, entering head numberson the keypad followed by return always selects the heads. When this option is turned onsome of the advanced features of MagicQ are not available directly from the keypad. Whenediting numeric fields in the spreadsheet style windows in this mode, the operator must usethe SET button rather than editing the field directly.

This option is provided for users who are used to older less advanced “fixed syntax” consoleswhich do not support the large range of live keypad options and Windows editing featuresprovided on MagicQ.

Option “Crossfade always controls PB1”. This option enables the user to lock the manualplayback section of MagicQ to Playback Fader 1 regardless of the currently selectedPlayback. This is designed for theatrical use where Playback Fader 1 always contains themaster Cue Stack.

Encoder F now in the Cue Stack Window now scrolls the window.

Support for MSEX protocol for communicating with Media Servers such as Arkaos – enablesthumbnails and live previews viewing from these media servers.

Fixes

When recording a FX into the FX Window you can now enter the name during the Record.

Fixed problem when selecting heads or groups in reverse order – e.g. 5>1@@ or 3>1**

Fixed lock-up in console software when pressing CLOSE button (only affected v1.3.0.0).

FLASH buttons no longer affect any keypad input.

Fixed text message when recording in multiple record mode.

Fixed refresh problem with Plan View when changing DMX address of heads.

In the Cue Stack to insert a Cue into a Cue Stack at a particular position you can now pressRECORD and select any column in the Cue stack.

Fixed selecting FX ADD options in Prog Window.




New Functions

Formal support for MagicQ PC on Mac and Linux platforms.

Double clicking Select buttons now always opens the Cue Stack in View Cue Stack view.Triple clicking opens it in View Options view.

Outputs window labels added to show attributes real attributes of selected head.

ChamSys Remote Protocol now supports synchronised operation of Add/Swap, Swap andDBO between multiple consoles.

Fixes

Fixed problem with 12 universe operation which could cause resets.

Fixed problem with head selection in Media window when selectingmultiple servers / layers.



MagicQ version 1.2.0.6New functions

Auto saving of backups has been modified so that by default auto saves are only made whenchanges are made to the programming - e.g. new Cues are recorded. This ensures that duringshow playback the console does not save unnecessary back-ups.

The Setup window now indicates when the show has not been saved (or autosaved) for over10 minutes.

When reloading shows, the outputs are temporarily suspended until the new show has beenloaded - this enables different versions of a show to be loaded without causing a completeblackout.

When starting up outputs are suspended until all wings have been checked - previouslyoutputs were enabled as soon as the application started. This means that if faders are left upon the wings then those faders will become active before the outputs - this helps to avoidunexpected blackouts.

Start up time of PC Wing and Playback Wings improved.

Performance of Enttec dongle driver improved to avoid jittering of DMX outputs.

Close Window soft button on Cue Window moved to avoid accidental use.

Improved button test mode to view all buttons pressed. Also LED test mode added - in buttontest mode press CTRL 1 and CTRL 2 to test the different colour LEDs. Press CTRL 0 to goback to normal state of the LEDs.

Bugs fixed

Crash during playback when using GO buttons on Cue Stacks after using the programmer tooveride features (affected versions v1.1.7.10 to v1.2.0.0).

Problems when updating Cues using in multiple Cue Stacks.

Outputs window, View Chans view refresh problem fixed.

Dim chase FX size corrected. Modified so that it works like other FX in that it is applied tothe current level - so to get a full 100% change you need to set dimmer levels to 50%.

FX contrast - now when set to 0% or 100% it is not affected by FX speed. When set to othervalues and the FX speed is reduced, the contrast will change to show the new contrast.

Show files sometimes got much larger than expected.



Auto release at end of Cue Stack now works.

Crashes when editing and updating cues.

The first Cues in a Cue Stack (including mark cues) did not playback correctly the first timethey were replayed after editing of the Cues in the Cue Stack.

Patching using + did not work for the first head if the specified channel address was alreadyused. When patching multiple heads using + this would mean one less than the requirednumber of heads was patched.

Recording a Palette into the Personality file did not work correctly.

Removing Cues from Cue Store. If the Cue was used in a Cue Stack the Cue Stack numberwas incorrect (1 greater than it should have been).

Inserting a Cue after a Mark Cue caused the new Cue to also be a Mark Cue.

Shutting down the console using the keypad ENTER to confirm YES rather than thetouchscreen sometimes caused a reset rather than a shut down (holding ENTER for 2 secondsavoided the problem).

After removing a Cue from the Cue store, if the Cue was re-recorded, then when it was playedback it initially used the old Cue data. Using Include and Update on the Cue enables theproblem to be worked around in previous versions.

ftdi and overlapped i/o

Documents