elektraLite P100 Manual Part Two User Manual

Page 36

Advertising
background image

108

automatically over a certain amount of time; in this case the crossfade time is specified as part of the
incoming cue, but can be modified by moving the Xfade Speed fader through the point at which it
matches the cue's crossfade time, at which point the slider takes over and can alter the time. A
crossfade may also be controlled manually by moving the A/B fader off either end. As soon as it
leaves the end, the current cue becomes the old cue, the next higher-numbered cue becomes the new
one, and the balance between the two is controlled by the fader until it reaches the opposite end.
During a crossfade, each HTP feature (such as a Dim feature) that is mentioned in both cues makes a
transition from its value in the old cue to the value in the new cue. The incoming cue associates with
each feature value a pair of percentages, called the start threshold and end threshold, which represent
the point along the crossfade at which the feature value begins to change and finishes changing. If
these are set to the same number, the value switches suddenly at the specified point in the crossfade; if
the value is zero, it switches as soon as the crossfade has begin; if 100, it switches when the crossfade
is complete. If these are set to different numbers, the value changes linearly over the specified portion
of the crossfade range; if they are set to zero and 100, the value changes smoothly over the entire
crossfade.

If an HTP feature is mentioned in only the incoming cue, its value crossfades starting at zero; if an
HTP feature is mentioned in only the outgoing cue, it crossfades back to zero.
LTP features crossfade from their current output values, even if that value was established by a
different control source. At the start of the crossfade, the LTP parameters are activated, meaning that
control of those parameters is seized by the control source that is doing the crossfade. To avoid
sudden unexpected jumps, the crossfade proceeds from the current output value, and ignores the value
in the old cue, which may or may not be the same. If an LTP feature is missing from the new cue, it
doesn't crossfade at all. Instead, if the feature has an "off" value (such as an opaque position on a gobo
wheel), that feature is turned off; otherwise it is left where it is until another control source seizes
control of it.

When a feature value is added to a cue, its start and end thresholds are set to default values
determined by the fixture type. Most features' thresholds default to zero and 100.


Cue

A cue is the most important software object that the user deals with. Most of the job of programming
the CP-100 involves creating, copying, editing and storing cues. For the most part, a cue is just a set
of feature values and start and end thresholds (also known as a "look"). Although usually a cue will
define all the features of one or more fixtures, it is possible to create a cue that only defines some of
the features and leaves others undefined. This allows cues to be combined, with one controlling, say,
position and another color. If a cue includes all features of all fixtures then it can completely define
the look of the stage. A cue also has a time value associated with it, which determines how long it
takes for the cue to fade in when it is invoked with a Go button. Cues are assigned numbers by the
user, which serve both to identify them and define their order. They may also be given names, for the
convenience of the user.

Advertising