Getting on the Grid...

Ask a generic question about the usage of QLC+, not related to a particular operating system
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DavidJamesKersey
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:56 am
Real Name: David James Kersey

Hi everyone, I am brand new to QLC+ and am loving the workflow. I am admittedly someone who's inexperienced with lights, but have done enough YouTube and Study to manage for now.

I am performing with a live band and our goal is automate the light show into the backtracks.

I have most of the looks, scenes, and chases I am interested in utilizing for now. The next step is getting the QLC+ into a DAW or Automating with another program to bridge the gap, possibly a VST Situation using MIDI Automation.

How have you guys resolved this?

Note: We're not interested in using midi keyboards, foot pedals, or anything that requires a human, because of the syncopated nature of the scenes.

Any help here means big love to you! Thanks for a wonderful program here!!
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GGGss
Posts: 2732
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:15 pm
Location: Belgium
Real Name: Fredje Gallon

If you guys use a click-track, you could use this track to fire tad looks and effects. If you can preprogram your show, your lights will be able to follow.
By what means is up to you. (Midi, OSC messages, DMX signals, ...)
This all depends on the complexity of your light gear. If you stick to static lights, the task will be easy. If you start using movers, you will have to reprogram the base positions at every venue... (Background here is that static lights can be focussed while hanging them in versus the 3D character of the movers - they for sure won't be focussed after hanging in.)
All electric machines work on smoke... when the smoke escapes... they don't work anymore
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edogawa
Posts: 572
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 10:34 am
Real Name: Edgar Aichinger

Some people tend to import their backing tracks to QLC, add it to a show and program their lights right there.

I'm a theater person and often remote control our lighting desk from Qlab 4. In principle I can do the same with QLC+ as receiver.

I prefer to use a "Cues" chaser where I add my scenes/collections/whatever, with infinite hold time and individual fade in/out times, and a VC Cuelist widget in Crossfade mode.

To trigger this, use a MIDI capable DAW and create a dedicated MIDI track running besides your backing track. Connect this track's MIDI output to a free QLC universe input on QLC's I/O tab. Make sure you see a wiggling joystick when the DAW sends a note (I use #65 or #68 as that's what our hardware desk also responds to by default).

Now open the VC cuelist's properties dialog, and click the "Next Cue" tab and click Automatic discovery button. play a note from your sequencer and QLC should show some weird universe/channel value for what it received (there's some internal enumerating going on to map notes to DMX channels or so I understood). To get more meaningful names for your input data you'd have to create an input profile for your DAW MIDI stream). Close the dialog and switch to Operate mode and it should trigger the next cue.

You can add different MIDI notes to remote control "previous cue" etc. on the other tabs of the cuelist widget's properties dialog, but for a live set you probably only need this "Next Cue" (called "GO" in lighting terminology) command.
DavidJamesKersey
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:56 am
Real Name: David James Kersey

GGGss wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:26 am If you guys use a click-track, you could use this track to fire tad looks and effects. If you can preprogram your show, your lights will be able to follow.
By what means is up to you. (Midi, OSC messages, DMX signals, ...)
This all depends on the complexity of your light gear. If you stick to static lights, the task will be easy. If you start using movers, you will have to reprogram the base positions at every venue... (Background here is that static lights can be focussed while hanging them in versus the 3D character of the movers - they for sure won't be focussed after hanging in.)
The whole "by what means" is the nature of my question though...

What are some ways to do it? Being completely new and scanning the forums, I haven't been able to find much in the world of click-track triggering/automation to MIDI.
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GGGss
Posts: 2732
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:15 pm
Location: Belgium
Real Name: Fredje Gallon

^^ Edgar gave some interesting points to look for ...
All electric machines work on smoke... when the smoke escapes... they don't work anymore
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