The Basics of Cues, Recording Cues, Recording Cue Sequences, Editing Cue Sequences, Editing Cue Stack Lists, and really getting Sidus Link Pro humming.
On this page:
- Intro
- What is a Cue?
- Why record a look into a Cue?
- How to Record a Cue into a blank Cue Master?
- default Cue behaviors.
- How to Record a Cue
- What are the Button Actions?
- Cue Recording Options
- New Cue
- Overwrite Cue
- Merge Cue
- What is HTP/LTP?
Intro
So you already understand how to create a Scene in a Project, how to patch DMX-enabled fixtures into your Scene, how to select a fixture from the Fixture List so you can control it on your Stage, how to add a selection of fixtures into a Group to be controlled as one large fixture, and how to make a fixture or a Group of fixtures play an Effect. This Sidus Link Pro app is looking pretty useful for controlling Aputure and non-Aputure DMX-enabled fixtures! But what are all of those slots at the bottom of the Scene, why can't we make them go away completely, and what are those M Slider, M Status, and M Actions toggles trying to do down there? Let's start with answering 'What is a Cue?'
What is a Cue?
A Cue is a thing you can save the status of all currently selected and enabled fixtures to in order to be able to later retrieve, recreate, sequence, alternate, or crossfade it from. This Cue can be named, numbered, color coded, given a fade in time, and set as a Latch/Bump/Hold or given a Wait Timing, and saved with a behavior to follow when it is released or completed.
Why record a look into a Cue?
When we have the look of how we want all of our lighting fixtures to look on our set tuned perfectly and the our collaborators on set are happy with it, a Cue is where and how you can record that look–the intensity, CCT, tint, hue, saturation, effect, and any other parameters of all of the fixtures that are currently playing–to a place that you can easily retrieve from at a later time. We can record or create a Cue (with enough information that we can discern it at a later time) into a selected "Cue Master." We can even record it into a Cue Master where another Cue has already been recorded to and select to either add the second cue after the one currently saved there, erase and override the first cue, or merge the second Cue's information into the information the first Cue. It is generally best practice when shooting films/commercials/videos to record a look to a Cue when starting every take and naming that Cue as the name and number as the take. If this seems like too much work, then it's at least recommended to save each different scene or setup every half hour, or however often you feel is appropriate to capture the look of your scene on your set as you progress with your filming.
By default, your cues will be recorded to a Cue Master with the 'Hold' Button Action, the Fade Time as '0 seconds,' and the End of Action for the Cue List it's saved into as 'Loop.'
These settings are all easy to change. All of the other options will be covered here as we go.
[Screenshot of the "Create New Cue' window with cue named as 'CUE 01,' Button Action as 'Hold,' Fade time as '0' and color Tag as Grey. Screenshot of the "Create New Cue' window with cue named as 'Hero Enters Scene,' Button Action as 'Wait Time,' Wait time as '20' seconds, Fade time as '5' and color Tag as Blue. Recording Cues 01.1 and 01.2]
How to Record a Cue into a blank Cue Master?
Okay great, you're starting to see why we might want to record a look into a cue. Lets get to how we do it! First you'll have to set the look of your scene will all of the lights you want with the fixtures or fixture groups that you will want to have affected by the behavior of this cue.
This will include setting the intensity, white point (CCT and G/M) or a color selected from the HSI, RGB, xy, color match, or GEL control modes on each of your fixtures. If you want them to be playing an effect in your look as well, set each one to with effect you want with the EFFECT control mode. If you want a group of fixtures to play the same effect, you will have to add a fixtures group with all of them first, then select that group, then apply that effect to the group with the EFFECT control modes.
Once you stage has the look you want it to have, tap a Cue Master slot that you want to record the Cue into, then tap the green REC button in the right bar. This will bring up the Create New Cue window. Set the the name and settings that you want it to have then tap "OK" in the lower right of the window to save the look as a Cue. You should now see the Cue Master that you selected filled with the Cue and ready to be triggered. Tap the red 'Clear' button in the right bar to clear the stage of the fixtures that you were setting for your look. You'll want to do this because the stage has priority over all cues.
Clear your stage of any fixtures that you want a cue to influence because the stage has priority over all cues. As long as a fixture is on your stage (selected), the stage control modes will take precedent over an active Cue trying to make that fixture do something different.
That means that if you leave the fixtures on the stage selected (the ones you just selected and set to record into the cue) and then try to activate that cue by tapping the green 'Go' button the look that you have over the fixtures on the stage will endure over anything that the Cue is trying to make those fixtures do. This will happen even if you clear all fixtures from the stage and then re-select them. As long as a fixture is on your stage (selected), the stage control modes will take precedent over an active Cue trying to make that fixture do something.
If you don't see the green 'Go' button in your Cue Masters, the 'M Actions' button in the lower left of the screen has probably toggled them off. Tap that 'M Actions' button to toggle displaying/hiding of the Cue Actions buttons for your Cue Masters. Okay, we've recorded a look into a Cue! What else do we need to know?
How do I play back a Cue or unload a currently playing Cue?
To play a saved Cue, when you have M Actions visible for your cues,
How do I edit a Cue after I've saved it?
After you've saved a look into a Cue, to edit it the lights that are saved in to it,
What are the Button Actions of Hold, Bump, Latch, and Wait Time and what does each do? What is the Fade Time? What do the color tags mean?
The Button Actions when recording a cue are ways in which Sidus Link Pro allows you to design the behavior of the 'Go' button when you have M Actions visible for your cues.
'Hold' is the button action for the Go button for your cues by default. This button action will trigger the cue to play when you tap Go and then display 'Next' as the action on the...
Why record multiple Cues into a Cue Sequence?
You might want to record multiple Cues into a Cue Master as a Cue Sequence because...
How to Record a Cue into a already occupied Cue Master?
To record a Cue into a Cue Master that already has a cue saved to it...
How do I pull the look of a cue (or multiple Cues) playing back on to the Stage so that I can use that to record a new Cue with?
In the Fixture List, the "All" command pulls in all fixtures from all currently playing Cues to the Stage...
What are the M Slider, M Status, and M Actions buttons in the lower left?
These toggle buttons are...- Masters: Master Sliders, Master Statuses, and Master Actions. One of these must always be toggled on. It is not possible to toggle all three off.
- M Slider toggle: This button toggles the 'Master Slider' intensity sliders and 'Cue Stack Names' for all cue Masters from visible to invisible over the Fixtures List and Stage in the center of the screen. This allows you to adjust the intensities for all loaded Cues and Cue Sequences on the Masters. To clear/stop the effect of a currently playing/loaded Cue or Cue Sequence on a fixture or group of fixtures, long press on a Cue Master's Cue Stack Name (or Action button if visible) and tap "Unload."
- M Status toggle: This button toggles the Cues & Timing, Status, and Cue Stack Names of all loaded Cues and Cue Sequences on the Masters from visible to invisible. To edit a Cue visible in the Cues & Timing window whether it's playing or not, double tap that window to bring up the Edit Cue window. These changes will happen 'Backstage' and will not be visible on the stage until that cue is saved. To rename, duplicate, delete, or change the color code tag of a Cue, long press the Cues & Timing window on a Cue or Cue Sequence and select from the menu that appears.
- M Actions toggle: This button toggles the 'Actions' buttons of all loaded Cues and Cue Sequences on the Masters from visible to invisible. To clear the effect of a currently playing/loaded Cue or Cue Sequences on a fixture or group of fixtures, long press on a Cue Master's Action button (or Cue Stack Name if visible) and tap "Unload." To trigger multiple Cues or Cue Sequences simultaneously, first enable the 'Multi-Select' toggle in the Right Bar, then highlight the Cue Master slots, then tap the Go M Action button of one of the highlighted Cues. To unload multiple Cues or Cue Sequences simultaneously, first enable the 'Multi-Select' toggle in the Right Bar, then highlight the Cue Master slots of the currently playing cues you wish to unload, then long press a Next M Action button of one of the playing Cues, then tap 'Unload.'
Can I have a Cue Sequence *Not* loop back to the first Cue and instead just Stop and Unload that Cue at the end of the sequence?
By default all Cue Sequences are set to loop back to the first Cue in the sequence, however it is possible to change this in each individual Cue. To do so, go to the Edit Cue Sequence window, navigate to the Cue Stack that you want to have not loop, and long press the "Loop" segment at the end of the Cue Sequence. This brings up the End of Action window where you can select from the following actions you would prefer your Cue Sequence to perform as it finishes: Loop, Hold Last Cue, Bounce, Connect to Master, or Unload. Here we will write a short description explaining what each of these mean and do...
What is HTP/LTP?
In the Edit Cue Sequence window, on the left in each Cue Stack, I see a toggle called HTP/LTP. What is this and what does it do?
When recording an additional Cue into a Cue Sequence, what are the three options presented at the top of the Create New Cue Window?
What does "Create a New Cue at the end of the current Master" mean and do? What does "Override the current cue" mean and do? What does "Merge Cue" mean and do?
What is that Multi-Select toggle on the right bar and what kinds of tricks and traps does it let me get in to with my Cue Masters?
Multi-Select: Enable or disable the ability to select multiple cue-masters at the same time to make go or unload. Unless you're getting really fancy with having multiple recorded Cues/Cue Sequences go at the same time, and keeping really close track of which Cue Masters you have highlighted, we recommend keeping this disabled when first learning how Cues work until you get the hang of the app. Explain more of what this is and what it's used for in a conversational tone...
Notes and descriptions from other articles related to Cues that should be covered here:
- Cue Stack List: Opens the Cue Stack List window. Enables you to see all Cue Sequences lists that have been created in this Scene to rename, copy, or delete them with a tap. Allows you to load them to a Master or remove them from a Master with a long press.
- Edit Cue Sequence: Opens the Edit Cue Sequence window where you are able to edit the fade time into each cue, in between each cue in a sequence, where you are able to edit the duration options of each Cue in a sequence, and where you are able to edit the End of Action style of each Cue sequence. This is also the place where you can set the priority of each Cue Sequence to HTP (Highest takes precedent) or LTP (Latest takes precedent).
- Managing Cue Sequence Orders, editing multiple Cues in the same Sequence
- Trick: Making a pair of Cues into a bouncing Cue Sequence that alternates between them over a duration.
- Managing Cue Sequences that you want to remove from your Cue Masters but not delete them: Saving them into your Cue Stack List Menu.