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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => Lighting Forum => Topic started by: Dave Garoutte on October 05, 2017, 02:43:29 PM
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The title kind of says it.
I run simple lighting setups while doing sound.
Looking to quickly adjust multiple fixtures and have some pre-made looks.
There aren't any reasonably priced moving fader boards, so this seemed like a good option.
It's hard to tell from the interwebs which one would be better, or actually if they would work for what I want to do.
The M-PC software is definitely complicated and overkill for my needs, but I'll figure it out.
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The title kind of says it.
I run simple lighting setups while doing sound.
Looking to quickly adjust multiple fixtures and have some pre-made looks.
There aren't any reasonably priced moving fader boards, so this seemed like a good option.
It's hard to tell from the interwebs which one would be better, or actually if they would work for what I want to do.
The M-PC software is definitely complicated and overkill for my needs, but I'll figure it out.
I have both. Get the M-Touch first; get the M-Play only if you need more faders and buttons.
Lighting desks fall into two categories - really simple ones that don't do what you want them to do, and complicated software that is really powerful but has a steep learning curve. M-PC and anything else worth using unfortunately fall into the latter category. The upside of M-PC/M-Touch is that there is nothing else even remotely close to that price range. Make sure you use it with a touchscreen computer - it's no fun with a mouse.
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Cool.
That was my impression from looking at stuff (virtually).
The Martin website shows the M-touch being driven by a windows tablet.
That's the route I'm headed, I think.
I'm looking at sub $500 for both (the wonders of ebay). The software is free.
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Dave- there is a very active Martin M-Series User Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/martin.mseries/). I'd definitely ask there about the model of tablet that you're looking at before purchasing.
Cool.
That was my impression from looking at stuff (virtually).
The Martin website shows the M-touch being driven by a windows tablet.
That's the route I'm headed, I think.
I'm looking at sub $500 for both (the wonders of ebay). The software is free.
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Well I did my show last night.
It actually went off pretty well, although the band was way too loud.
I hate mixing to the drummer.
I did a crash course on the M-PC software tutorials, and it took a while to get the work flow; very frustrating.
One complaint about the tutorials is none of the ones I saw told you how to delete or fix a mistake.
I finally figured out that the command structure is basically Reverse-Polish.
I still have a loooong way to go to get everything out of it.
That said, the combo of the M-PC software and the M-touch control surface worked pretty well.
I was able to generate various looks and fixture combinations and preset locations for my mover to use as a spot light.
I got compliments, so I consider is a success.
Setup was M-PC on a laptop serving the M-touch. (Eventually, I'll use a windows tablet instead of the laptop, for a very portable system.)
All Chauvet:
4 Colorado Solo 1 (Key)
2 Colorado Solo 2 (Key)
2 Freedom Par Hex 4 (Drum uplights)
1 Intimidator spot LED 350 (Spotlight)
1 Scorpion Storm FX RGB (Dancefloor)
I basically built a layer for each type of fixture and had 6-8 looks for each and a blackout.
Petty effective and easy to operate.
Sorry, No pix.
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That's really cool, Dave. I'm interested in your setup and urge you to take some pics at the next gig! You have some nice fixtures...do you have a hazer or fog machine?
I know what you mean about mixing to a drummer...that's often the gig in small rooms...fighting stage volume just to get the vocals audible. I know the drill well. :(
In particular, I'm interested to see how the Swarm integrates into your band lighting rig. I'm considering getting one or two of the Swarm 5 FX fixtures and would like to see how you're using it for your dancefloor.
When you say you build a layer for each type of fixture, do you mean that you had a fader setup on the M-touch for each type of fixture that controlled the group's intensity? That's generally how I've been setting up my M-Touch— like a "level control" of various groups of lights on stage.
Here's an idea from David Henry of LearnStageLighting.com (https://www.learnstagelighting.com/) for how to setup the faders on an M-Touch for busking that I've had success using. I can definitely recommend his subscription site as a great resource for getting in deep with M-PC and general lighting concepts in general: - Front Wash Intensity
- Side Wash Intensity
- Rear Wash Intensity
- Rear Spots Intensity
- Intensity Chase Step
- Intensity Chase Sine
- All Lights Open and Strobing
- Stage Bally
- House Bally
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Hi Graham,
Oops, I meant 'Bank' not 'Layer'.
I literally only had a couple of days to learn the M-PC software and the M-Touch well enough to do the show.
I got enough from the tutorials to make things work, including the ones by LearnStageLighting.
Learning and understanding presets and chases are next.
The fact that things were lighted and I had some control, I consider a success.
I was also able to temporarily control a the mover in edit mode directly from the laptop.
BTW, the Scorpion Storm I use is a laser. The Swarm is an effects light.
I'm a Chauvet dealer if you're looking for good pricing.