Cues are the most important elements in a light show. Each cue contains all the information for a specific lighting mood. These can be accessed through the associated Cuelists.
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| Figure 1: Cuelist editor with a show intro. |
Overview
Cues and Cuelists represent the central and most important elements of a light show. Each cue contains all the information for a particular lighting mood. By inserting multiple cues into a cuelist, a first small show or a new effect can be created by manually or automatically switching between different lighting moods. A Cuelist can be opened in the Cuelist editor by double-clicking or selecting the cuelist and pressing the Enter key. This allows for only one cuelist to be open at a time. Multiple cuelists can be opened in parallel by right-clicking on a cuelist in the Project Explorer and selecting the « Open in new window » option.
Key Features
Basic Concept in DMXControl 3
Many programs for PC-based lighting control, as well as most DMX consoles, use a single cue for a snapshot of a light show, which is typically static. This means that no continuous change of DMX values occurs, for example, to create movement in moving heads.
DMXControl 3 goes far beyond this approach. In a single cue, you can simultaneously reference:
- Classic static values such as the brightness of a spotlight, its color, or a fixed position for moving heads or scanners.
- Effects to generate movements, color effects for LED spotlights, or video effects and animations for a matrix.
- Values from Presets completely or partially.
- Information can also be stored in the Cue Timing Editor, indicating when and how a property is to be output.
Special Cues
In addition to the classic cues, DMXControl 3 also offers so-called "Special Cues". These are:
- Sum -> Stores the current state of all device parameters.
- PSum -> Stores the current state of all device parameters for selected devices.
- Preset -> Calls a preset.
- Cuelist (Command Cue) -> Starts, stops, or pauses another cuelist.
- Audio Cue -> Starts, stops, or pauses an audio file.
Any actions triggered by a special cue (Start/Stop/Pause) will continue running in that state after the cuelist ends.
Changing presets, cuelists, and audio cues is not possible. If you want to stop a cuelist at the same point instead of starting it with a special cue, a new special cue with the new action must be inserted, and the old special cue deleted.
HTP, LoTP, and LTP Mixing
DMXControl 3 offers three different types of mixing for DMX values, which can be set individually for each cuelist: HTP, LoTP, and LTP Mixing. These settings affect the entire output and should be considered in conjunction with other settings, such as the Cuelist Priority.
Controls
The cuelist window has a menu list where you can start and stop the cuelist, add new cues, and configure general behavior settings, as well as a table. This table contains all the cues stored in the cuelist. Additionally, important commands can be accessed directly through a context menu. At the bottom of the cuelist window is a status bar that provides various information about the cuelist.
Menu Bar
The menu list is displayed in all open cuelist windows.
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| Figure 2: Menu bar of the cuelist editor. |
| Icon | Name | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English GUI | ||||
| Group 1: Start/stop Cuelist | ||||
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Menu [Go] | |||
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Go | The [Go] button starts the cuelist or calls the next cue in an already active cuelist. | ||
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Go back | [Go back] calls the previous cue in the cuelist. | ||
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Go to marked | [Go to marked] executes the cue selected in the cuelist. | ||
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Go next | The behavior of the « Go next » entry depends on the settings in the options of the cuelist. | ||
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Load | The cue is selected that will be executed next when the [Go] button is clicked, regardless of its position in the cuelist. | ||
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Pause | During a fade to the next cue or after starting the release time at the end of the cuelist, you can pause the fade or release time with the [Pause] button. | ||
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Stop | The [Stop] button ends the cuelist. A single click uses the set fade-out time (Release time), while a double-click stops the cuelist immediately. | ||
| Group 2: Add and edit cues | ||||
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Menu [Add Cue] | |||
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Add cue | The [Add cue] button allows you to add new cues or modify existing ones using its subfunctions. | ||
| Insert | Insert | |||
| Replace | Replace | |||
| Merge | Merge | |||
| Append | Append | |||
| Subtract | Subtract | |||
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Update | Updates the last cue loaded into the programmer and clears the contents of the programmer. | ||
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Menu [Edit] | |||
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Edit in Programmer | Loads the selected cue into the programmer for editing. | ||
| Edit in Programmer blind | The selected cue is loaded into the programmer in the background, so its values are not output live. | |||
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Cut cue | Cuts the selected cue and loads it into the clipboard. | ||
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Copy cue | Copies the selected cue to the clipboard. | ||
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Paste cue | Pastes the cue currently in the clipboard into the cuelist. | ||
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Delete cue | Deletes the selected cue. | ||
| Renumber cues | Renumbers the cues in the cuelist according to their current order. | |||
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Cue timing editor | Opens the cue timing configuration dialog for the selected cue. | ||
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Up | Moves the selected cue up. | ||
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Down | Moves the selected cue one step down. | ||
| Group 3: Cuelist Behavior | ||||
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Menu [Mode] | |||
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Once | The cuelist will only play once. | ||
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Loop | The cuelist will be played continuously in a loop. | ||
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Bounce | The cues in the cuelist will be played in order from top to bottom and then reverse from bottom to top after the last cue. | ||
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Random | The cues will be played in random order. | ||
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Options | Opens the settings for the cuelist. | ||
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Autoscroll | Enables or disables the autoscroll function. | ||
| Group 4: Manipulation Controls | ||||
| Intensity | Intensity | |||
| Fade factor (Timing) | Fade factor (Timing) | |||
| Speed factor (Effect speed) | Speed factor (Effect speed) | |||
Cue Table
The following table explains the meaning of the cue attributes found in the header of the Cuelist.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| English GUI | |
| Progress | Shows both the wait time before the scene starts and the progress in percentage during the fade-in of the scene. |
| Number | Scene number. |
| Trigger | Type of trigger that starts the scene. |
| Trigger value | Time or count value after which the scene will start. |
| Name | Free name for the scene, such as indicating the content of the scene. |
| Fade | Time in milliseconds [ms] for the scene to fade in, or for a transition from a previously active scene to the new one. |
| Delay | Wait time after the trigger expires before the scene is executed. |
| Fade down | Fade-out time in milliseconds [ms]. |
| Delay down | Wait time after the execution of the scene. |
| Ac (Active) |
Is the scene active or should it be ignored? |
| Ap (Autoprepare) |
Assigns certain channels to perform actions during a running scene, such as setting the color wheel to the correct color. |
| Tf (Take fade) |
Fades in the stored values of the scene directly, ignoring all previous scenes, particularly the tracking. The fade time for Take fade is specified in the scene list settings. |
| Comment | Comments can be added here, such as describing the scene. |
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In the cells for Fade and Delay, all available Fanning operators that DMXControl 3 offers can be used. |
Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom of the scene list editor window provides various information about the playback when it's running.
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| Figure 3: Status bar for the opened scene list. |
| Attribute | Example Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| English GUI | ||
| Current cue | 19 | Indicates which cue in the scene list is currently active. |
| Next cue | 20 | The cue that will be played next. |
| Delay | 0ms | |
| Fade | 593ms | Remaining fade time in ms for the current cue.
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| Duration | ||
| Status | ||
| Progress | 59.4% | Playback progress of the cue in %.
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Context Menu
| Icon | Name | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English GUI | ||||
| Group 1: Undo and Redo Changes | ||||
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Undo edit | Undoes a change in the table, such as a new name for a scene or a modified fade time. | ||
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Redo edit | Restores changes in the table. | ||
| Group 2: Modify Scene | ||||
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Edit in Programmer | Loads the selected cue into the programmer. | ||
| Edit in Programmer blind | Loads the selected cue into the programmer in the background, so its values are not output live. | |||
| Group 3: Cut, Copy, Delete Scene | ||||
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Cut cue | Cuts the selected cue and loads it into the clipboard. | ||
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Copy cue | Copies the selected cue to the clipboard. | ||
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Paste cue | Pastes the cue currently in the clipboard into the scene list. | ||
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Delete | Deletes the selected cue. | ||
| Group 4: Call Scene | ||||
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Go to | Executes the selected cue in the scene list. | ||
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Go next | The behavior of the « Go next » entry depends on the settings in the scene list options. | ||
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Load | Selects the scene that will be played next when the [Go] button is clicked, regardless of the current order in the scene list. | ||
| Group 5: Adjust Scene Timing | ||||
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Cue timing editor | Opens the scene timing configuration dialog for the selected cue. | ||
Keyboard Shortcuts
In the Scene List Editor, the commands listed in the following table can also be accessed via the corresponding keyboard shortcuts.
Create and Modify Scenes
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Add new scene | |
| Ctrl + I | Insert scene | |
| Ctrl + R | Replace scene | Replaces all contents of the selected scene with the current values in the Programmer |
| Ctrl + M | Merge scenes | Combines the stored values of the scene with the values from the Programmer |
Scene Table
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Track Changes | ||
| Ctrl + Z | Undo | |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo | |
| Reuse Scenes | ||
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected scene | |
| Ctrl + C | Copy selected scene | |
| Ctrl + V | Paste scene from clipboard | |
| Del | Delete selected scene | |
| Other Changes | ||
| Ctrl + U | Transfer values to underlying cells | Can be used for fade, delay, name, and comment when multiple cells are selected beforehand |
Usage
Working with Scenes
Create a Scene
Before values can be saved in a scene, a lighting mood must be created using the Stage View and Device Control. This will populate the Programmer. All values displayed in the Programmer can now be saved into a scene.
In the second step, create a new scene list in the Project Explorer and open it. In the new window, click the button [Add Cue]. The Programmer Filter will appear. If you want to save all the current values in the Programmer to the scene, simply click [OK]. The first scene will then appear in the scene list. If the Programmer has been cleared using the button [Clear Programmer], the scene can be recalled using the [Go] button.
Additional scenes are created in the same way by creating or modifying a lighting mood in the Stage View and saving it into a new scene in the same or a new scene list.
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To ensure the scene does what you just programmed, you must first clear the contents of the Programmer. Otherwise, the scene list will run, but no output will be generated! |
Modify Existing Scenes
To modify an existing scene, it must first be loaded back into the Programmer. To do this, select the corresponding scene and choose the entry « Edit in Programmer » from the context menu. The Stage View will then show the state of the scene and simultaneously select all Devices and Device Groups controlled by the scene.
From this point on, the workflow is identical to preparing a new scene. If you're unsure which device or device group is being controlled in the scene, the Programmer and the Effects tab in Device Control will provide the necessary information.
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When loading a complex scene for editing in the Programmer, you may not be able to directly adjust the values. Complex scenes refer to cases where many Devices and Device Groups are controlled by a single scene to generate a complete lighting mood. In such cases, the Device Control will show an empty red field where different values are stored. In this case, you must deselect the current devices and device groups and then adjust the scene piece by piece. |
When saving modified values in the scene, there are two options:
- Use the Update Button in the quick access area on the left. This will directly update the values in the scene that was previously loaded into the Programmer. The Programmer Filter will not prompt for confirmation. Once the values are saved, the Programmer will automatically be cleared.
- Use the Menu « Add Scene » in the Scene List Editor. Here, you select the scene to be modified. This does not have to be the scene previously loaded into the Programmer; you can also modify a completely different scene from another scene list. After selecting the scene, choose one of the now active entries from the « Add Scene » menu. The Programmer Filter will appear, allowing you to deselect or select additional values to be stored in the scene.
Triggers
The default setting for triggers is "manual", where the next scene is triggered by a click on [Go].
| Type | Example | Description / Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| "manual" | 3 | The scene is advanced upon clicking [Go]. Optionally, you can set a value: "3" means that the scene will be advanced on the third click of [Go]. |
| "follow" | 5s | Waits for the fade-in of the previous scene to finish, then the "follow" time is counted down. |
| "wait" | 5s | The "wait" time starts when the trigger time of the previous scene has elapsed. |
| "one shot" | 1 | Specifies the number of repetitions of an effect (such as a circle), after which the previous scene should be faded out. One Shot scenes are generally empty. |
| "rtc" | 13:45:00 | The scene will fade in at the specified time, here at 13:45. |
| "timecode" | 00:26:005 | Expects a timecode from the Timecode Player in the format MM:SS:FFF, i.e., minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
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| "beat" | 1 | Advances the scene based on a beat signal from the Speed Master. The beat signal source is specified in the Scene List Options under the entry "Beat Source". |
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To change multiple trigger values at once, select multiple cells in a column (e.g., the Fade column), then press the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl+U]. This will transfer the value from the top selected cell to all the cells below. |
To check a scene list that includes time-based and event-based triggers, they can be advanced at any time with the [Go] button. This is especially useful for "rtc" and "timecode" triggers.
Recall Scenes
There are several ways to specifically recall certain scenes from the scene list, independent of the set order of the scenes. This can be done either via the scene list editor menu bar or the context menu for the selected scene. For the description of the functions, see the section Menu Bar. A special case is the button [Go next].
Behavior of the [Go to Next] Button
Depending on the settings in the scene list options, various scenarios can be configured for how the scene list or individual scenes are called up. By combining the two settings "Start Cuelist" and "Always Use Next Index", the following behaviors can be achieved when clicking the button:
| Setting | Description / Functionality | |
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| Start Cuelist | Always Use Next Index | |
| True | False | The [Go Next] button works like the [Go] button. When clicked, the scene list starts on the first click, and each subsequent click recalls the next scene in the list. |
| False | False | The scene list can only be started by the [Go] button. Clicking the [Go Next] button recalls the next scene in the list. |
Special Scenes
In DMXControl 3, there are several types of special scenes (Special cues) designed to execute specific actions.
Preset
Presets are the central, program-wide storage for device properties used in multiple scenes. You don’t have to take over an entire scene, but can store just part of a preset into a scene. Additionally, parts of multiple presets can be used in the same scene. The advantage of presets is that all referenced cues are automatically updated whenever the properties in the preset are updated.
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This special cue always incorporates the entire preset into the scene list. If you only want to apply certain parts of a preset to one or more Devices and/or Device Groups, the presets should be referenced in the scene as described in Preset. |
Here is the translation of the provided text:
Cuelist
This function starts, stops, or pauses another cue list from the currently running cue list. By clicking on « Special (Special cue) »⇒ « Cue list (Cuelist) », a selection window opens, where you can choose the appropriate cue list. Below, you will find a list of possible actions to be implemented when executing the cue. The options are:
- Go: Start the cue list or, if a cue list is already active, trigger the next cue
- Go back: Trigger the previous cue
- Pause: Stop the fade to the next cue
- Play: Continue the fade
- Stop: Start the release time for the cue list and end it once it has elapsed
- Stop and release: Immediately end the cue list
Confirming the selection with [OK] inserts the special cue, and it can now be used directly.
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Currently, it is not possible to modify such a cue. If another action or cue list is to be executed, the special cue must be re-inserted with the modified selection, and the existing one must be deleted. |
Audio
The audio cue can start, pause, and stop audio data, allowing sounds in plays or even music in a light show to be played. If the audio files were added to the current project in the correct format via the Project Explorer, they will now appear in the Audio selector. This can be accessed in a cue list through the dropdown menu of the [Add Cue] button. Clicking on « Special (Special cue) »⇒ « Audio » opens the dialog for Audio selector. Selecting an audio file on the left will display the corresponding waveform on the right side. Additionally, you can choose the action to be inserted in the lower part of the window. Clicking on [OK] inserts the special cue, and it can now be used directly.
Audio cues only play the audio data. They cannot be used for "small" timecode shows that run only within a cue list. If the cues from this cue list are to be triggered via timecode, a timecode show must be created for this cue list in the timecode player.
Influencing Output Behavior
Various settings change the output behavior of a cue list, especially in conjunction with running parallel cue lists.
Autoprepare
With the Autoprepare function, DMXControl 3 prepares devices within a cue list for the following lighting mood, where the device will be used.
For more details and usage instructions, see Autoprepare.
Cue List Priority
For each cue list, you can individually set a priority. This allows a cue list with a higher priority to override all values output by cue lists with lower priorities for the same device property.
Possible cue list priorities range from "-127" to "127" in the cue list settings. By default, the value "0" is set for each cue list. In particular, negative cue list priorities are used to integrate newly created cue lists for basic room lighting into the project without changing the priorities of existing cue lists.
HTP, LTP, and LoTP Mixing
HTP, LTP, and LoTP mixing determines how multiple cue lists interact that address the same function of a device or group of devices.
For further explanations, see HTP, LTP, and LoTP Mixing.
Tracking
Tracking affects how long a value set in a scene is retained. There are two possible behaviors.
For more explanations, including examples, see Tracking.
Absolute and Relative Values
In DMXControl 3.2.2, it is possible to store both absolute and relative values for individual device functions in scenes. A typical use case for relative values is for effects, such as those for moving heads or scanners. This allows the centers of effects, which are stored relatively in the scene, to be moved live via separate cue lists with different position values.
For further explanations, see Absolute and Relative Values.
Release vs. End
Even when stopping a cue list by clicking "Stop," several boundary conditions still apply in DMXControl 3, especially in conjunction with other cue lists.
In the cue list options, you can use the release time to specify whether a cue list should end immediately or fade out slowly when "Stop" is clicked. In both cases, all addressed devices will return to their default state.
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During the running release time, a cue list cannot be restarted. |
External Control
Cue lists and their associated scenes can be controlled or provide information back via the Input Assignment function through the following nodes:
Examples of external control of cue lists are compiled in the following articles:
Options
Cue lists have the following options to influence their behavior. Some of these options are directly accessible via the menu bar of the cue list editor.
All options can be changed for either a single cue list currently open in the cue list editor or for a selection of multiple cue lists in the Project Explorer. The same options are also available in the Application and Project Settings and define the defaults for new cue lists.
Links and References
Further Information
Video Tutorials
On our YouTube-Kanal, you can find the following videos on this topic.